[blparent] Meals and Snacks

[Brandy W]

This is great, but please remember that Sugar free isn't good at all as that 
sugar is replaced with artificial sugars. You can make jello with fresh 
pureed fruit and a clear jello mix and have a fruit mixed in and not fake 
sugar.

Bran



"When we treat children's play as seriously as it deserves, we are helping 
them feel the joy that's to be found in the creative spirit. It's the things 
we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in 
our lives."
- Fred Rogers

Brandy Wojcik
Discovery Toys Educational Consultant and Team Leader
www.playtoachieve.com
(512) 689-5045

Looking for team members nation wide!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 3:52 PM
Subject: [blparent] Meals and Snacks


>I think every parent has used the starving kid argument- we forget kids
> don't have the analytical and reasoning skills we adults have, or at
> least sometimes have.  *giggle*
>
> First, eating habits develop during infancy and toddler-hood.  This is
> why it is important to follow a schedule, as best as possible, and once
> consuming baby and table food, they should be exposed to vegetables and
> non-sweet tasting foods first so they can develop a taste for these
> foods.  When exposed to early to sweet tasting foods like fruit and
> sweet potatoes, or given more of this, they often tend to develop an
> aversion to those foods that don't have a sweet taste.
>
> That being said, this doesn't mean every child will eat what's set in
> front of them or they won't develop a dislike for certain foods.  Just
> as our personalities evolve, so do our taste buds.  To a certain extent,
> we should respect kid food likes and dislikes, and try to work on menues
> that compromise.
>
> My nephew is one of those kids who literally will not have tried
> something, but if it looks at all odd to him, he refuses to touch it,
> and he is seven.  My Penny, who is almost two, will like something one
> day and eat it with relish, and the next, you can't get her to touch it
> with a ten-foot pole.  Grocery shopping can be a real pain in the butt!
>
> One thought, try having your kids help prepare meals and snacks.  This
> can get messy, but messes can be cleaned up.  Trust me- this is coming
> from a certifiably crazy, OCD clean-freak! *smile*
>
> If kids feel a sense of accomplishment in helping to prepare food, they
> will probably be more inclined to try food.  Involve them in the
> shopping process too.  Remembering my own childhood, the more involved
> you feel as a kid, the more willing you become to help out and try new
> things.
>
> And while we should try our best to introduce foods and have kids eat
> balanced, healthy meals, I don't think we need to push variety.  If they
> like something, well, don't fix what's not broken! *smile* As long as
> something isn't bad like fast food or highly processed foods, prepare
> that more than once a week since your child enjoys it and will eat it.
>
> Another key part of the equation is to be a role model. Kids emulate us,
> and If our kids don't see us eating certain foods, why should they?  We
> should try to lead by example.  Exploring food should be a family affair
> and not just something for the kiddies.  If we want kids to eat well
> balanced, healthy meals, the whole family has to participate.
>
> Off the top of my head, here are a few snacks/meals to try:
> Ants on a log- celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins
> Mini pizzas- use English muffins or tortilla shells and make mini pizzas
> using different toppings, shredded cheese  and pizza sauce. These bake
> in the oven for anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes.
> Tortilla wraps- use tortilla shells and cheese to make a cheesey wrap,
> just warm in microwave to melt cheese, or use griddle on stove if
> wanting a crispyer shell. Makes for a good snack, but can be part of a
> meal too.
> Sugar-free jello or pudding- what kid doesn't like pudding or jello?
> Especially jello cut into shapes!
> Cut sandwhiches into shapes- prepare a sandwhich then using a cookie
> cutter, cut the shape out.
> Breakfast for dinner- kids love breakfast especially when having it at
> different times. Can make pancakes, eggs, french toast, potatoes, bacon,
> etc. And all these things can be made healthy, check out different
> recipes or just purchase ingredients that are healthier like turkey
> bacon and organic eggs and light syrup.  Substitute olive oil for butter
> when you can, and replace your salt with sea salt.
> Veggies and dip- cut different veggies, carrots, celery, red and green
> peppers, etc. and dip them into ranch dressing or a veggie dip.
> Baked frenched fries- peel and cut potatoes, mix extra virgin olive oil
> with seasonings of choice, toss potatoes in oil mixture then bake for 35
> to 45 minutes in the oven at 400 to 450 degrees (depends on how crunchy
> you want them). I usually season with salt and pepper and oregano,
> parsley and basil, or cayen pepper for a spicier taste. Is good healthy
> substitute for frozen fries or using a deep-fat fryer.
>
> If you have internet access, Google specific recipes, or BARD and NLS
> have cookbooks you can look through.  I know BARD has a Rachel Ray
> cookbook specific for kids, I think it's called Yummo, and has healthy
> food choices kids might enjoy.
>
> Another thing I thought of to help with the health side of things is to
> follow portion suggestions, and make sure you're the one doling out
> portions.  If an entire box of crackers is set in front of kids, they
> won't want to stop!  And if they're helping to prepare, set ingredients
> out ahead of time with only the measurements you will require. This is
> also helpful to make the cooking process faster and flow smoother.
>
> My mom, she still does this, will either make up stories about specific
> food or find stories.  While we eat, she'll tell the story.  As kids, we
> were always intrigued by the stories and wanted to eat it.  For example,
> to get us to eat lentil soup, she told some story about a family
> escaping religious persecution, and they stopped to rest at an inn and
> had lentil soup, which filled their tummies and souls.  Obviously she
> told this story in a way appropriate for children, and her stories tend
> to revolve around religious matters, but it worked. This description is
> not doing justice to it, but my mom is a teacher and writer so her
> stories really are good. This is especially fun during the holidays.
>
> Anyway, hope this rambling email is helpful.
>
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog for Live Well Nebraska.com at
> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> blparent:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/branlw%40sbcglobal.net