Are you done drooling yet?

Can you believe those were made by a kid no older than my twelve-teen?

And I’m not sure which I admire more: her cooking prowess or her ability to keep from licking the spoon.

These were created on the online-only show Kids Who Love to Cook. Part of the Season 1 line-up, these Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting were created along with other culinary amazements like Brazino al Cartoccio, Mini Turkey Burgers, and Thai Shrimp.

The Kids Who Love to Cook website is devoted to getting kids in the kitchen with video segments, recipes, and tips and how-tos (from easy stuff like “how to boil an egg” to more complex stuff like “how to make a substitute for Mirin”). There’s even a section of the site devoted to “food trips” which includes the “best of food trucks” … I love it!

If you have a child that is interested in cooking, this is a must-view website.

What I love about it is the depth of the recipes. Most kid-focused recipes are for things like trail mix or flavored popcorn. Great for snacks but not complex enough for the kids to feel like they’re part of creating dinner. However, stream this on your iPad or laptop in the kitchen (or print out the recipes before hand) and ask your child to help create an entire meal. Then sit down and have dinner as a family.

Not only will your rising culinary star feel a sense of pride in his creation, he’ll also be more likely to try everything on his plate (even if some of it is green).

Check out the Kids Who Love to Cook website … season 2 will be starting soon.

What recipes will you encourage your kids to try first?

photo credit: kids who love to cook

The idea of “clean eating” has seemingly taken many households by storm. Tosca Reno, a fitness guru and poster-woman for clean eating, made the diet famous with her series of books about the lifestyle.

Based on the premise that your meals should be filled with fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, the clean eating lifestyle eliminates refined sugar, processed and fast food, and focuses on a significant intake of water; it also has a general rule that, when eating something that is packaged, the item should have 3 ingredients or less. In general, it seems like a common sense approach to eating. And, in fact, it is.

But is it family-friendly? In a world filled with processed snack foods, can you really get your kids (and even your husband) on-board? And most importantly, can busy moms make it work?

The answer is: it depends. As a mom of two, I can say that it can be challenging, but not impossible.  The biggest hurdle I’ve encountered is that the food looks delicious. And I mean that. But it looks delicious to a grown-up eye. Colorful and filled with nutrition, it’s a major departure from the foods that kids see on television and lining the store shelves. It doesn’t come pre-packaged, it doesn’t come with cartoon characters touting its deliciousness, it takes prep time in the kitchen, and it’s not “kid-food.”

With my youngest, it’s been a cinch. But that’s because we’ve never given her another option. She’s always eaten whole, clean foods. On the other hand, my oldest (now twelve) takes one look at the food and says, “no thanks, I’ll make myself something else to eat.”

Another challenge is the time it takes to prepare the foods. To really make it work for your family, you need to be willing to devote some time to the kitchen. That might look like an hour on a Sunday evening chopping vegetables and, when possible, cooking ahead of time and reheating the dishes later in the week.

I also find that eating clean requires multiple trips to the grocery store each week. This doesn’t have to be the case, but we have difficulty keeping veggies absolutely fresh all week long. In the summer,  I just hit the farmers market with the kids twice a week, but in the winter it’s a bit more challenging.

So, knowing those hurdles, what can you do to make it easier?

Start with your family’s favorite foods. For example, let’s look at chocolate chip cookies. Switch out the white flour for whole wheat, the chocolate chips for shaved dark chocolate, and instead of white sugar, use agave or honey. Yes, the cookies will look a little bit different than your standard recipe, but the lure of chocolate really can’t be beat. The next time you make pasta, use whole wheat pasta (or, if you’re not quite ready for that, mix whole wheat and regular pasta 50/50) and make your own sauce.

Making small changes in the beginning will greatly increase your chances of winning the family over. Trust me, I’ve learned this with my husband.

Ask the kids to help. Kids are far more likely to eat what they’ve helped to make. Take them to the grocery store and ask them to pick up the vegetables. Have them do simple tasks in the kitchen like shredding cheese, measuring the spices, etc.

Research the lifestyle. Once you start poking around, you’ll find that nearly everything can be make “clean.” Clean Eating magazine is one of my favorite places to find recipes. I bought a subscription and, honestly, await the delivery. Every issue is filled with new and delicious recipes, many are reader-tested. Not only that, the website is an excellent resource for recipes and even includes a two-week menu planner to help in making eating clean easier to do.

So what do you think? Worth it? Not? Do you already eat clean? I can tell you from personal experience that not only do I feel better, I no longer crave sweets. I sleep better at night and as a result, I have more energy through the day. And what mom doesn’t need more of that?

Photo Courtesy of Clean Eating Magazine/Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you ever noticed that when you get hungry you get cranky? In my house, we call that “hangry” and believe me when I say it’s as real of an angry feeling as any other angry feeling. Well, toddlers feel the same thing (well, duh! you’re probably saying).

The thing is, it’s hard to get protein into toddlers on a regular basis, what with their ever changing eating habits. Toddlers need between 16 and 24 grams of protein a day, or roughly 0.55 grams per pound that they weigh.

Meat is an obvious source, as is milk. But what if your little one isn’t a milk drinker and likes to throw meat rather than eat it? Here are some other sources of protein that may go down easier:

• fish has about 21 grams
• 1 egg has 6 grams
• an ounce of cheddar cheese has about 7 grams

Also, think outside the box:

• 1 potato has roughly 3 grams
• a cup of spinach has 5 grams
• a cup of whole wheat pasta has about 7 grams

It’s good, too, to space out the protein intake throughout the day so your toddler doesn’t have too many peaks and valleys, so to speak. I found that iVillage has a good set of guidelines on feeding protein to toddlers.

One word of advice: take it slow…forming good eating habits is difficult and takes time, especially if you, yourself, are used to eating whatever you can shove in your mouth while standing up and doing 10 other things. But hang in there, it can be done!

photo credit: Qole Pejorian

Take a look at this high chair made by Minui – it’s probably the most compact one you’ll ever see. Such a great streamlined design! It is called the Handy Sitt and is made to fit over a regular dining room (or kitchen) chair so your little one can join in the family meal time.

I first saw this chair at my brother’s house. I loved it when they pulled it out during Christmas. We were all squeezing in around the table and I put my daughter in it. At the time she was just over a year old and pretty well versed at sitting at the table with grown ups.

Unfortunately, the seats all had rounded backs and while my brother assured me they had used it numerous times, halfway through the meal my daughter banged the table with her hands and she and the chair went flying. And we all know how often a baby flails his or her arms around! I don’t know if she pushed backward or the high chair top rail slipped off the top of the chair, but it wasn’t pretty. Luckily she didn’t get hurt. Mostly just scared – as were we all.

Minui does have detailed directions on their website as to which type of chair it will fit over and how to properly install it. If I would have purchased it myself and seen those directions it’s quite possible nothing would have happened…that said, I’m still drawn in by their aesthetic, only I’m cautious about the implementation.

Oh, and the company also won the Parent Tested Parent Approved Green Award – which is great for them and worth mentioning.

It’s hard to fully explain the greatness that is Trader Joe’s for quick, easy and nutritious meals. Since I’m on the quest to find such things, I went to the Trader Joe’s around the corner from our house and came home with the mother lode.

To tell you my entire grocery list would take too long, so here are the highlights:

• Mini cheese filled ravioli – they are small and perfect for tiny hands. Just boil them up, coat with olive oil and watch them disappear.
• Also, there is a large selection of dried fruits – raisins, cranberries, blueberries, mangos and even pomelos.
• Trader Joe’s animal crackers aren’t too bad for the little ones and boy are they yummy!
• And, believe it or not, the nitrate free, organic all beef hot dogs are surprisingly healthy and delicious. Those get gobbled up quickly around here!

Don’t get me started on their frozen dinners that will make you think you’re eating takeout from a restaurant…that’ll be for a later date…

For now, if you haven’t added Trader Joe’s to you list of places to pick up great food for the whole family, then get on it – you’ll be happy you did.

cathyse97

I’ve been struggling with nutrition as of late. Since becoming pregnant and having all sorts of aversions to food and, well, the entire kitchen, I’ve noticed that I’ve let my toddler’s food choices slip from nutritious to easy to make. Now I’m not saying that things that are easy to make are inherently not nutritious, but it seems like a disproportionate number of quick options are salty or sweet, but not necessarily full of nutrients.

And by nutrients, do I mean fat? Am I alone here in wondering what role fat should play in a child’s nutrition? I think not.

Here is a really interesting blog post that ties nutrition and fat intake (or rather, the lack thereof) to the increased “diagnosis” of ADD/ADHD. I use the quotes (I wish I could use air quotes) to emphasize the difference between the medical diagnosis of a real issue with the catch-all phrase ADD/ADHD to describe all sorts of behavior problems without truly understanding the underlying cause. I realize there is a vast and growing difference.

Back to my point. I’m usually pressed for time in the evenings – you know that witching hour that is dinner, bath, and bed-time. Couple that with a distinct desire to NOT open the fridge and I’ve started throwing together meals as quickly and painlessly as possible. Some days are better, like when I actually make something home-made that includes all the food groups (like easy enchiladas!). But some days are just plain bad.

And lunches – forget about it! Gone are the days of grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwiches. I usually throw some lunchmeat and Pirate booty and peas (if I have some) on her plate and watch her eat it up! My goal has changed from nutrition to feeding her something she will actually eat so we can get out the door to go to the playground. And once there, what do I give her? Crackers. Who have I become?

It’s not that I yearn for the time to fix her homemade granola bars, slow cooked oatmeal or other such treats. Even if I had the time I wouldn’t choose to spend it in the kitchen like that. No, what I need is healthy foods that are good (read: easy, quick AND nutritious) to eat.

Here’s what I’ve come up with as far as snacks go, but I’d love suggestions. The list is short.

Hard boiled eggs: easy and portable, too
Cheese sticks: these had been a staple, but have fallen out of favor. (Note to self: reintroduce)
Raisins (or other dried fruit): sweet and natural
Yogurt
Almonds: a new addition as they are a choking hazard…I break them in half

As I find more healthy toddler foods, I’ll post them.