Kids Food

I have found that with my 3 year old daughter just renaming some foods with silly substitutes or cutting the "usuals" into cute shapes will get her interested and eating some different foods.

One of her dinners: Lilly Pads & Yam Yums :)



yam yums recipe

(I definitely suggest this as a dipping sauce - at least for the adults :)

The lily pads are essentially small spinach pancakes.

We got the ideas from the Sesame Street Silly Snacks Cookbook.

She asks for these daily.

Eating a variety of foods is one of the best ways to ensure that you are getting the fullest range of nutrients in your diet. A fun way to help you and your family choose the right foods is to Eat a Rainbow - choose fresh fruits and vegetables from each color of a rainbow.

There are so many recipe sites on the web, and all of them include healthy options. I searched for "healthy chocolate chip cookies" and found the great recipe below. Food.com (formerly Recipezaar.com) is one of my favorite recipe sites; you can search by dietary needs, nutrition or even kid-friendly.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1 1/4 cups oats
  
• 1/3 cup milk
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
  
• 1 cup walnuts
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients
   
2. Mix in olive oil, egg and milk
   
3. Add spices and salt
   
4. Add chocolate chips and nuts
   
5. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes

Recipe adapted from Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe - Food.com

Adding fruit to some of your existing meals is a pretty simple way to add essential nutrients to your kids' diet. It can be really cute, too.

Of course, we make our pancakes from scratch. :)

Ingredients

• 1 egg
  
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
  
• 1 cup flour
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Beat egg until fluffy.
   
2. Add milk and melted margarine.
   
3. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
   
4. Heat a heavy griddle or fry pan which is greased with a little butter on a paper towel.
   
5. The pan is hot enough when a drop of water breaks into several smaller balls which 'dance' around the pan.
   
6. Pour a small amount of batter (approx 1/4 cup) into pan and tip to spread out or spread with spoon.
   
7. When bubbles appear on surface and begin to break, turn over and cook the other side.

Highly rated recipe from Pancakes Recipe - Food.com

Healthy Mini Pizza

For dinner, Syna and I made some healthy mini pizzas. For the crust we used those new Arnold's whole wheat sandwich thins; we then spooned on some pizza sauce, layered baby spinach over that, added some shredded mozzarella cheese, and topped it off with fresh broccoli, black olives & mushrooms. It took 20 minutes in the toaster oven at 350° F to melt the cheese, cook the veggies and get all toasty. Mmmm...

We stopped by the grocery store salad bar for the toppings so that there wouldn't be a ton of leftover random veggies - and I was feeling lazy. :)

Sometimes, you can just pull the ol' switcheroo with ingredients. Swap out the milk, cream, sugar and eggs for a frozen banana, and you've got yourself an awesome healthy treat.

Banana Ice Cream

OK, this is an amazing treat. When your bananas look a bit dark and are just too ripe to enjoy fresh, cut 'em up into bite sized pieces and throw them in the freezer. When you're ready for a delicious dessert, put the pieces in a blender or food processor and blend until you get a creamy consistency. You've got ice cream! It's so tasty, simple and healthy. A little less so when you make your own chocolate topping with Ghirardelli's 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips, a touch of sugar and cream (all melted together quickly on the stove top). :)

Similarly to adding fruit, you can add some vegetable nutrients by pureeing some of the powerhouse veggies and putting them right into your standard recipes. My only caution with this would be to NOT do it on the sneak; let your kids know the veggies are in there so they can appreciate and try new foods.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 pinch clove
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
  
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
  
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl.
   
2. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and egg.
   
3. Fold mixture into dry ingredients.
   
4. Spray or grease a skillet and heat over medium heat: pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
   
5. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side. Serve with butter and syrup.
   
6. Makes about six 6-inch pancakes.

Recipe via Light And Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe - Food.com

Syna loves bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, olives and cheese, so I found this recipe for Panzanella (Italian bread salad) that combines them all!

Panzanella

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
  
• 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  
• 3 cups large cubes country bread (5 to 6 ounces)
  
• 1 pound plum tomatoes, cut into small pieces
  
• 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced crosswise
  
• 1/4 medium red onion, very thinly sliced
  
• 4 ounces provolone cheese in one piece, diced
  
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper.
   
2. Add beans, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and cheese. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, and up to 8 hours. Just before serving, stir in basil.

Recipe via Italian Panzanella Recipe - MarthaStewart.com