Tots-n-Teens Tuesday: Green for Greens

One of the things that has easily derailed me in the past year is not having the energy or time to keep up with chopping fresh salads every day.  Truth be told, it's time consuming to eat well and get in the nutrients one needs each day.

In thinking this through, my husband remembered the days when he used to pay our oldest to make his lunches for him when he worked away from home.  It just took a minute to realize what a great idea that was and how we could implement the same deal again, even if we are both still home every day. 


Thus became the Green for Greens program.  Okay, well, I just made up that name. ;)  We have, however, worked a deal with our eleven-year-old paying her for each salad she preps for us during the week.  Whether it's for me or my husband, whether it's for lunch or breakfast, and whether we eat home or away, she's getting paid $.50 per salad she preps and lovin' it.  On a good day, she will prep salads during dinner clean up for the next day's lunches.  They can be grabbed to go or just ready to enjoy.

We are lovin' it too. It frees us to keep plugging away at whatever working, choring, schooling, and other manner of life we have on our plate while still being able to get GOOD FOOD on the plate.  Honestly, I needed something to be easy because I couldn't get time in my day to eat more than a stack of bread, apple, and handful of crackers when I am rushing about.  Not a recipe for good health or weight-loss.

The bonus in this deal is that she is increasing her kitchen skills while seeing the daily example of eating well.  Any snitching she does will only benefit her.  She's often building extra salads for herself these days. Major win for us all with that!

So, for .50 I get a bowl full of nutrient-rich crunch served with a smile.  You can't beat that kind of service!

 

Tots-n-Teens Tuesday: Special Soup

This little book was passed along to me years ago. It's a simple, clever resource that has given most of my children their introduction to finding their own special recipe to make for the family. 

Recently, one of our daughters was planning out her birthday dinner and was determined that we would make the "Special Soup" from this book.  Knowing that "Special Soup" is another name for good ol' Toss-In-Whatcha-Got Vegetable soup, I was more than happy to comply.

I'm not sure how easy it would be to locate this title anymore. It's rather dated, but if you happen upon it in your thrifting or used sales adventures, you won't be sorry you grabbed it.  The layout isn't overly stimulating, but the instructions are easy to follow for little ones. 

I've used it in many different ways from reinforcing phonics to learning basic kitchen skills. It's well loved around here.

Side note: This recipe book has ingredients we don't always use in our home. I find it very easy to substitute ingredients with what we have. I also find that our discussions surrounding those changes has led to some great education on our food choices regarding health.  In short, I love having a simple way to be introducing wise food choices at a very young age.

Tots-n-Teens Tuesday: The New Nugget

Tried a new recipe for lunch today. I had high hopes for these babies, thinking, that IF they scored well with The Judges, (there are eight of them, age 16 down to 2yo) these would be a really great way to pre-make some packable foods for picnics, road trips, and other on the fly meals that are on our horizon right now.

I'm THRILLED to say they are a success!!

So, with very little effort, go ahead and whip up these cute little finger foods for your children (and then snitch a few yourself).  The ideas for these are limitless:

1. Packed lunches
2. Salad toppers
3. Snack time
4. Party treats
5. Bag a bunch for the freezer for a quick heat and serve meal on a busy day
6. Toddler finger food
7. Stuff them in pitas for an easy meal on the run
8. Serve over pasta with your favorite marinara

I can't give my source on this recipe, as it's just a print out in my binder, so I'm not sure where it came from.  Sorry about that. I generally try to give credit where credit is due because I certainly couldn't come up with these sort of yummy foods all by my lonesome. 

Baked Falafel *Nuggets*
(I added the word Nuggets to the name of this recipe because it just seems to fit, and it's just that much more kid appealing, yk? )

Makes about 20-24 nuggets

1 15oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 small onion, finely chopped (I tossed mine in the food processor with the S blade)
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or 2-3 tsp minced garlic
3 TBS fresh parsley, chopped (I left this out)
1 TBS fresh cilantro, chopped (I left this out)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil (optional)
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (I used the lesser amount)
2 TBS flour (I used WW pastry flour, but you could use whatever you prefer)
1 tsp baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain and rinse the beans. Put in a medium sized bowl and smash with a fork.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Form into small balls, about 1 1/2" in diameter and slightly flatten. Place onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 mintues on each side until nicely browned.


Who knows, just maybe I'm getting into the swing of things with my blog again and I'll post the recipe for that Chunky Veggie Soup we had for lunch today on Thrifty Thursday.  It's a great way to use up the zucchini coming out of the garden right now. :)

Tots-n-Teens Tuesday

February 11, 2014

I'm often asked how I handle introducing new foods to my children. That or the sister question, "How do you get your children to LIKE the food you are serving?"

First, and most important thing I've learned is to not make LIKING the food the battle.  Here's a synopsis of how it *ideally* works at our house.

I require my children to try a bit of everything they are served. A bite I see them take. ;) They are not required to eat it if they don't like it. They are welcome to eat more of what they do like that is served at the meal, as long as there is enough. 

I don't allow them to make something other than what I've made.

If I am making a food I know someone doesn't care for or is new, I make sure to have plenty of something I know they do like.

I used to not allow dessert if they didn't eat everything on their plate, but now our dessert is our fruit, so I don't want to limit that.

If they try it I praise them. If they like it, I cheer. If they don't, I thank them for obeying and being brave to try something new. Then I leave it alone. I still serve the food to them again. And, I've found that after trying something several times in a row, most of my children eventually get to the place where they can at least tolerate a small serving of what they didn't previously like without fussing. 

 I don't allow fussing or complaining at the table. If someone worked hard to make a meal and you cannot be grateful or kind, you are excused from taking part in that meal.

Now, please understand, we still have our share of fits and tears and fears of That Big Green Pile On My Plate that occur every so often.  There are certain foods that certain children have just not come around to liking, no matter how many times I cheer them on.  But, my desire is that dinner time be a sweet time of fellowship at the table since it's one of those times we're all together, facing each other, and hearing each other's thoughts.  In order to make that happen, I need to be proactive before we get there.

I give my children the knowledge behind the choices we make. There are good resources out there written for children to understand nutrition well. When my children understand the value of the foods we are choosing to eat, they are more willing to embrace it.

I also include them, regularly, in making the meals they eat.  When they've helped to create (or grow) a new food, they are at least *torn* between excitement and apprehension on this new taste sensation.

Also, and this is totally a freebie that you may or may not want to redeem, but we started watching the reality show, Chopped, on Amazon Prime.  I gotta say, playing Chopped in the kitchen has created some GREAT fun at the table.  I'm sure many cooking shows would do, but when a child sees the science, art, and fun that food can be, well, they can't help but want to dig in and experience it to it's fullness.

Finally, Be Patient.  My children's taste buds weren't redeemed in a day.  Six months ago I didn't think my children would put away their picket signs screaming: "Give Us Cheese Else We DIE!!"  but it happened.  They still enjoy cheese and other foods we don't serve at home when we are out. But, I see those who resisted the most now showing much more restraint with foods that aren't optimal to their health.  I think this mostly comes through knowledge, maturity and growing past the knee-jerk reaction to gorge on what you think will never come again. 

The best thing I can do with a child struggling to build better habits is to pray, cheer, lead by example, and wait on the Lord for His work to be complete in them. 

In the meantime, I serve them LOTS of what I know they love and keep dicing those mushrooms itty-bitty until they come 'round. :)

Tots-Teens-Tuesday

It's been many days since I've posted.  Life has been busy.

Busy.

This week we are celebrating our son's birthday. He will turn twelve.  He invited some friends to come and watch a movie and have some pizza this weekend. Tomorrow we will make a special meal of his choice, Vegan Stuffed Shells.

I thought I'd share pics of the cake I made.  It turned out wonderful!  The cake itself is sweetened with bananas, applesauce, and dates.  The frosting is simple, dates, water, cocoa powder.  I was quite impressed with how delicious it was. 

 

Serving *strange* food to 5 tween and teen boys was a little nerve-wracking.  Fortunately, the cake was a great success.  Whew!!

Tots-n-Teens Tuesday: Preschool

Watch Daniel Tiger episode on Amazon Prime

 

 

Sharing the link above to one of my very favorite episodes to watch with my little ones.  In the two featured in this, Daniel Tiger and his friends learn about vegetables growing in the garden and how to be brave about "trying new foods 'cause they might taste good".  That's become a favorite little song at our house now. 

 

Also, they enjoy some great dishes like Veggie Spaghetti and Banana Swirl (aka, Nice Cream!!).  I really think they wrote the show for the Nutritarian family. :)

 

Now my 3yo is smitten with the idea of making Veggie Spaghetti.  Of course, I am happy to oblige her request.  Monday is Pasta Night at our house, so she is often my helper at dinner time, creating a Veggie Spaghetti feast.

 

 

Here she helping to roll out the to bake in the oven. I use this recipe, but switch out flax *egg* for real egg and skip the cheese. 

 

We like these and serve them with the marinara sauce I make from the strained vegetables when I make broth. I shared that here recently.

 

What I like most about this little show is that it's reinforcing a great approach in helping children enjoy and embrace new foods.  There is a new sense of courage and determination in my little ones as they sing out a little ditty, knowing there could be something great waiting for them.  There is a visible, if not audible, sigh of relief in knowing that if they don't like the food, that's okay. We're all cheering that they made the effort. 

 

And, well, another bonus is that they are encouraging children to be brave in eating foods that are GOOD.  Foods that nourish and give their bodies life.  A little different than the Green Eggs and Ham that were served to me as a motivational meal. *blech*

 

In my experience, after trying a food numerous times, most of my children will come to a point where they can at least tolerate a food to finish a small portion.  There are exceptions, of course.  But I have found that patience, not making food the issue, and more patience does bring about some victories. 

 

Just ask my 7yo who discovered, after 7 years, this week that she does, in fact, LIKE raisins. And she will eat them with a mouse and she will eat them in a house.... :)



Tots-Teens-Tuesday

I thought I'd share a couple of resources I used last month to with the children.  I used them as a health unit in our schooling.  They've both been helpful for the children to better understand and embrace some of the changes we have made.

The first is a resource I downloaded.  It's geared toward a younger elementary age group. There are several weeks involved and we're still working our way through it.


I'm hoping, at some point, to get the coloring book offered by the Fully Alive! ministry, as I know they'll enjoy using that as well.

http://engine2diet.com/resources-and-research/plant-strong-kids/

 

 

A resource I used with my middle school aged boys was a book I grabbed this summer at a library book sale.  It's not *exactly* the teaching we're following, but I like my children to understand that there are many different angles people have to understand and apply health principles.  By reading material that sometimes supports and sometimes conflicts with the choices we've made, they are learning to think critically, evaluate, compare, and make choices for themselves.  I've enjoyed watching them read this material for themselves. It's reinforcing what we're teaching while giving us a chance to discuss why there are differences of thought and how to handle that wisely.

 



 

 

 

 

I'm seeing great benefit from spending time with my children helping them explore resources that help them understand and embrace this new way of thinking. So many of the curriculum and children's books we've used in the past work under the assumptions that the government food pyramid is the only way to get in adequate nutrition. 

 

A Berenstain's Bears book I was reading with my preschoolers was teaching them that they must get in meat and dairy for adequate health. I love having these opportunities to look at those kinds of statements with my children and help them see that they can think outside of that box and find truth.



Tots-n-Teens Tuesday: Training Tips

I need to make this short and sweet. Busy day ahead and blogging doesn't get the high priority rating.

I thought I'd share a few photos and thoughts I've had over the years on working with my children in the kitchen.  I wrote a blog post on my family blog, Blessings On Board! on this last year.  We weren't following our same dietary choices during that time, but it's still a great post to see how I've worked with my youngest children over the years to train them to be able and helpful in the kitchen. 

Because I've done that with the children when they are young,

 

 

I've found they are very capable as young people to run a pretty functional galley when the need arises. 

  Starting simple with some washing, mixing, and simple chopping has led to children who can prepare a dish, meal, and even a whole tea party on their own.

I gotta tell ya, this has been a major gift to me over the years. Especially when we welcome a new baby or were dealing with difficult health issues.

I thought I'd also include a great little checklist that I just found on Pinterest last night. (Thanks, Nichole!)
 

I've printed this out and will be using it with my children to go over the finer details on keeping the kitchen in tip-top shape for our use.  Just because I've been working on this kitchen training with my children for...oh...say...16 years now doesn't mean we are anywhere near done.

My minutes here have ticked away.  Off to enjoy another day of training, learning, and enjoying together!