If you’re looking to add some fun or re-spark your little one’s desire to spend time with you in the kitchen, pick up an item or two from Babble’s well-compiled list of the best kitchen tools for kids. I especially like the learning tower (brilliant!) and guitar-shaped cutting board, and definitely plan to pick up the scrub gloves, PBJ bagel knife (perfect for neat freaks), and cherry chomper for my eager little helper.
Well I’m back and should probably explain my absence in the last 4 months (and perhaps a month or so prior) is directly attributable to my having a new baby boy (one, I hope, which won’t be so hard to please in the food department).
The new little guy is pretty easy-going and surprisingly lets me do a bit of cooking and baking every now and again (I barely entered the kitchen for the first 6 months with my first son). I’ve made some simple stuff with my 4-year-old (popsicles, apple-cheese quesadillas, chocolate chip cookies, etc), and I’ve been stockpiling some very promising recipes I intend to get to as well. And this recipe for blueberry spelt bars by my new favourite Canadian food site is one I plan to get to very, very soon.
P.S. Now that the little guy is nearing 5 months and settling into a routine, I plan to update this blog much more regularly. Thanks for hanging in there!
Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup packed natural brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup sunflower oil
5 tbsp orange juice, divided
1/2 cup blueberry fruit preserve
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 and grease a 8×8 in. baking pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, sunflower seeds and blueberries. Add oil and 3 tablespoons of the orange juice. Mix well. Save a 1/2 cup of the mixture and press the rest of the oats into the prepared baking pan. In a bowl, mix the blueberry preserves with the last two tablespoons of orange juice. Spread preserve mixture over the oats then sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of oats. Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.
Source: Sweet Potato Chronicles
What a sweet little idea sure to get the creative juices flowing and that should keep your kids busy for a spell. The ideas can be endless … here’s what the folks over at Sugar Loco came up with!
I’m a huge fan of kale. When my son was younger and less wily, he even enjoyed a bowl or two. However now that he’s a picky and opinionated 3-year-old, he defiantly resists it every time I offer it to him. That’s why I love this idea for pesto… He loves pesto! He loves pasta too! And he might not even notice if I swap out the basil for kale… but I think I’ll add some just in case.
Makes 2 cups, enough for about 2 lbs of pasta
1 bunch of kale
1 tsp olive oil, plus 1/2 cup
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup grated pecorino
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Lightly steam the kale.
2. In the meantime, heat teaspoon of olive oil in a small pan and use to toast the walnuts, stirring frequently. The walnuts are done when they turn golden brown and are fragrant.
3. Place steamed kale, toasted walnuts, pecorino, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Puree as you slowly drizzle remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil in a thin stream. Pesto is done when it’s pureed and creamy. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pasta.
Source: The Family Kitchen, babble.com
Ahh, Valentine’s Day. Love it or hate it, when you have a little one, you kind of have to participate. My son’s nursery school is already asking for contributions and I came across this lovely little idea from ingredients, inc. It looks super easy and I know my little guy would love to help decorate these.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Red and white icing (optional)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the flour mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
3. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 8 x 8-inch baking pan and bake for 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire racks. Refrigerate for up 15 minutes before cutting into heart cookie cutters. Decorate with icing if desired.
Source: ingredients, inc.
The United States Department of Agriculture created a food pyramid of daily guidelines for kids. (It’s available online at mypyramid.gov, although the guidelines are only applicable for children age two and up.) Some nutritionists feel the government should have been more strict; for instance, requiring all, not just some, of the grains to be whole grains, insisting on reduced fat when recommending milk and dairy products, and completely restricting sodas and sports drinks, rather than labeling them as drinks to be used occasionally. Essentially, a child’s daily diet should be composed mostly of calories from complex carbohydrates and lean proteins and no more than 20 percent of calories from fat. Here are particulars about each category of food and the specific daily nutritional breakdown for preschoolers, elementary school children, and teenagers all derived from the U.S.D.A. and Institute of Medicine.
Daily Foods
Vegetables: Opt for bright and dark veggies. Spinach, sweet potatoes, and carrots are great choices. Starchy, whiter foods, such as baking potatoes and corn have lesser nutrients.
Fruits: Choose vitamin-rich fresh fruits, such as strawberries, peaches, mangoes and apples. Fruit juices should be consumed as little as possible. When offering juice, make sure it is 100 percent real fruit juice with no sugar added.
Grains: Use whole or multigrain flours, whole-grain breads, oatmeal, whole-grain low-sugar cereals, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta. Ban white bread and white rice from your house as much as possible.
Meats and Beans: Serve lean proteins every day, such as beef, pork, chicken, fish, beans, tofu, or eggs. When preparing any protein-rich food, opt to serve it steamed, baked or grilled, not fried.
Dairy: Serve lean sources of dairy, such as low-fat milk (check with your doctor to determine whether your child should have whole or reduced-fat milk), low-fat yogurt, ricotta, or cheese.
Oils: Use healthy oils, such as olive—preferably extra-virgin—safflower and vegetable oils. They provide vitamin E for healthy skin.
Fats and sweets: Limit intake of butter, cream, sugary cereals, soda, candy, and the like as much as possible.
To read more about daily requirements for Preschoolers, Elementary School Students, and Middle and High School Students, click here for a detailed chart.
Source: Epicurious.com
Excerpt from Real Food for Healthy Kids by Tracey Seaman and Tanya Wenman Steel, © 2008, reprinted by permission of William Morrow/An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Serving Size: 4 - 6
Ingredients:
Tomato soup
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small fresh jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 1 quart store-bought low-sodium stock
• 1/2 cup light sour cream, plus 2 tablespoons, for garnish
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Grilled cheese croutons
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 4 slices white bread or potato bread
• 4 oz sharp white cheddar, cut into slices
Method:
For the soup: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the tomatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Whisk in the sour cream and the lime juice and turn off the heat. Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender or a regular blender (if using a regular blender, wait for the soup to cool a bit, then hold the blender lid on with a kitchen towel while you puree). Return the soup to the heat on low; don’t let the soup boil, or it will curdle.
For the croutons: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Butter 2 of the bread slices on one side and place 1 slice in the pan, buttered side down. Add enough slices of cheese to cover the bread evenly, then top with the second slice of bread, buttered side up. Brown until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip over to brown the other side. Remove the sandwich from the pan and let it cool. Repeat with the remaining 2 bread slices and the cheese. Cut the cheese sandwiches into quarters and cut each quarter into quarters again to make cubes 1- to 2-inches wide. Pile all the croutons onto a serving platter.
Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Set the platter of croutons where everyone can reach.
TWIST IT
Cilantro croutons: Sprinkle a few whole cilantro leaves — no stems — on top of the cheese before you cover it with the second slice of bread. When you cut the croutons, you’ll see a subtle ribbon of green running through the centre.
Source: (Via Babble.com)
“American Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons” from Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist by Cat Cora. Copyright ©2010 by Cat Cora. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
I’ve been on the hunt for healthier breakfast options, ones that will fill the kiddo up and keep him warm for a spell too. He’s recently accepted pancakes and waffles (at long last - hallelujah!) so these are definitely coming up soon on the menu.
These waffles can be made ahead of time and frozen - perfect for those necessitated, hurried mornings.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat your waffle iron. In a small saucepan, melt the stick of butter over medium-low heat and set aside.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of your mixer and beat on high, until the egg whites form stiff peaks. Gently scoop the egg whites out into another bowl. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, and then whisk in the sugar, eggs yolks, melted butter and milk. Set aside. Next, combine the remaining dry ingredients, flour, cornmeal, quinoa flour, baking powder, salt, and ginger in the bowl of your mixer. When the dry ingredients are combined, fold in the wet, mixing just until combined. Finally, gently fold in the egg whites with a spoon.
Heat the oven to 200 degrees and place a large platter inside. Spoon 1/3 cup per waffle onto your iron, and cook until the waffle is golden brown. Remove the finished waffles to the oven to warm. Continue until all of the waffles are cooked.
Serve with soft butter, banana slices and warm maple syrup.
Source: Babble Family Kitchen
I’ve been compiling my Christmas baking list and came across these adorable mice cookies, perfect for the little ones to help with and devour.
Ingredients
Preparation
Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom and salt ; stir into butter mixture in 3 additions.
Form by scant 1 tbsp (15 mL) into egg shapes. Place, 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on prepared pans. Insert 2 almond slices for ears and 2 currant halves for eyes at narrow end. Insert 1 chow mein noodle for tail at wide end. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until light golden and firm, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on pans on racks for 5 minutes. Reinsert almond ears if necessary. Transfer to racks; let cool completely. (Make-ahead: Store in single layers in airtight containers for up to 1 week.)
Source: Canadian Living
Dates add an incredibly luscious sweetness when added to smoothies. The sweetest of fruits, they taste sort of like toffee and are loaded with fibre. Be sure to blend well as it takes a slight bit more effort to properly puree/disguise them.
Ingredients:
1 banana
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup plain yogort
1/4 cup vanilla or regular soy milk
8-10 dates, halved
Directions:
Add ingredients to blender or magic bullet, then puree finely.
Serves 2.
pleasing picky eaters since 2007.
kid-tested and approved recipes.
follow @foodfortot on twitter
