Kids' Food: Innocent Fun or a Bad Habit?

This is a guest post from Dr Ayala.

First Mom Michelle Obama said to food makers recently: “If there is anyone here who can sell food to our kids, it’s you. You know what gets them to drive their parents crazy in the grocery store.”

We parents are quite aware of a TV ad when we see one, but marketing efforts go way beyond direct advertising on TV and internet games. Kids are exposed to slick marketing and a call for their eyeballs everywhere and especially where food is sold—manufacturers design food and packaging in a way that appeals specifically to kids and affects their choices, or at least their nagging choices. These “fun foods” are very easy to recognize—let any toddler loose in a supermarket and they’ll spot them from a mile--it’s the rare kid who will pick milk, apples and baby carrots as kids’ food.

Food and beverage companies spend $2 billion a year on marketing food to kids. They have excellent reasons to do so: Toddlers have been known to sing the tunes and repeat the message after being exposed to some ads just once, and they’re likely to stay loyal to a brand forever.

Foods designed for kids usually aren’t nutritious

Foods marketed to kids have several “fun” design and message elements in common: Specific colors, iconography (including cartoons), graphics, language and shapes (animal and cars) allure the kids, beckoning them to take a look. Packages offer free games, tie-ins with popular kids’ programs and films, and “let’s have fun” messaging. Kids know immediately that this is a food playfully designed for a kid. But these foods have something else in common: Unfortunately, most of the marketing efforts promote highly processed foods of low nutritional value.

Professor Charlene Elliott from the University of Calgary, Canada, studied 367 products targeted specifically at kids to assess their nutritional value. The results appeared in a study in the journal Obesity Reviews.

The study included only “regular” foods within the dry goods, dairy, produce and frozen food categories. The study excluded typical “junk food”—candy, soft drinks, cakes, potato chips etc., as these are expected to be of poor nutritional value, and don’t need testing.

The assessment of nutritional value was done using the criteria outlined by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): Healthy food should not derive more than 35 per cent of its calories from fat (excluding nuts and seed and nut butters), should have no more than 35 per cent added sugar by weight, and upper limits for sodium levels are defined depending on the food category.

The study found:

• 89% of the kids’ products were classified as having poor nutritional quality


• Within the dry goods category (including granola bars, cereal bars, pasta, soups), high sugar levels were the main culprit.


• Within the refrigerated and frozen foods category (packaged lunches, pizzas), many products had high fat or sodium.


• Less than 1% of the foods specifically targeted at children in a Canadian supermarket are fruits and vegetables; the only “kids’ foods” in the produce section were small apples and baby carrots.
  

Nutritional claims abound, tricking harried parents to give-in to nagging
Fun foods don’t portray just happy drawings and cartoons. The majority of these foods (62.7%) had nutrition claims on the box such as “low fat,” “good source of calcium,” “trans-fat free,” etc.

Among the 326 fun foods that were of poor nutritional quality, 202 (62%) had nutritional claims.So while the nutritional claim of “low fat,” “no trans-fat” or “good source of iron” might lead one to think the whole product is nutritious, that isn’t necessarily the case—the product may be full of sugar, non trans-fat or sodium. The nutrition claim is aimed at the gatekeeper—the parent—and gives us an excuse to go ahead with the purchase.

Kids’ food is a bad idea
The notion that kids need their own food is very wrong in my opinion. Beyond infancy, children don’t require any special diet. The same foods that are good for adults are good for kids, the only emphasis would be that it’s even more important for kids to eat nutritious food, as this is the time their body is growing, and their eating habits are formed.

From both the health and the practical point of view, I really don’t see why parents would make (or buy) one meal for their kids and another for the adults. There’s no such thing as “grown-up” food—there’s just good nutritious food for sensible humans, and since kids are smaller, they should get a smaller portion.

I often get upset by kids’ menus in restaurants. I think there should be an option to order a smaller, lower priced dish from the regular menu for kids—something like a half-price/half-portion for young diners sounds like a simple way to go. But the typical kids menu is often the same old French fries, hot dogs, butter-and-cream-drowned macaroni and cheese, as if that’s the only thing kids can imagine eating.

If we raise our kids with the expectation that food for them should be dumbed down to “fun food” with toys, how are they supposed to learn what good food is?

I find great pleasure in preparing and eating real food. I’m using the word “pleasure” and not “fun,” because fun in the context of food has come to mean the silly, artificial and superficial way to have a good time. Kids that grow up expecting food to have rainbow colors, glow in the dark, pop in your mouth and be shaped like Batman have no understanding of food, or its connection to the natural world and our health. I honestly believe they also don’t get real pleasure from their food; their meal is an extension of their entertainment.

Fun food usually isn’t nutritious
The standards for nutritious food set by this study are quite minimal, and were met by only about 10% of the fun foods. Fun food also replaces the real joy a kid can get from helping make a meal from basic ingredients, of tasting food that has real food quality, and of connecting to people—understanding where the food came from, talking with the people who grew the food (farmers markets can be a real source of fun) and sharing the same meal with everyone in their household.

I hope food makers will adopt higher standard regarding foods marketed to kids, but it’s really up to us parents to be the gatekeeper and to explain to our kids that Toucan Sam has nothing to do with breakfast.

Dr. Ayala is a physician (Pediatrics and Medical Genetics), entrepreneur, artist, and mother of three school age active kids. She writes extensively on issues related to nutrition, food, weight maintenance and health in her syndicated blog. She is a frequent contributor to salon.com. After years of exploring healthy alternatives to sugary drinks Dr. Ayala founded Herbal Water, a certified organic herb infused beverage, which provided delicious hydration without any calories, sugar, artificial sweeteners, additives or preservatives.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

The Best Vegetable Fried Rice

For those of you on a Meatless Monday routine, here's one of my family's favorites. I started making this vegetable stir fry after watching the teppanyaki chefs at Benihana grill onions, eggs, zucchini then add garlic butter, soy sauce and sesame seeds to make the fried rice. Readers who know I'm a recovering picky eater, have heard before that watching the chef prepare our fried rice, then tasting it is one of the reasons I now love onions. As I watched him cook, I thought "oh my. that is a lot of onions...not going to like that." But once I tasted all the flavors together and the rice/onion pairing, my loathing for onions was long long long gone. I started putting onions in everything after that meal, and not just a little onion, a whole onion every time I got one out. The Benihana version includes grilled chicken, but unless I have bits of chicken already cooked in the fridge, this meal is usually meatless.

I crave this meal. I want to make it every week. But since I chop all the veggies fresh it actually takes a while to hack everything up. Don't skip this meal if you're short on time. Just grab a bag of cut carrots or stir fry veggies at the grocery. You could even buy some pre-made stir fry sauces. I'm not sure which to recommend because I make my own sauce. Any recommendations out there?

If you are going the "from scratch" route and haven't yet invested in the individual ingredients, they are pricey to start your treasure trove of flavors. Just think of all the savings you'll get when you don't have to order chinese take out as often because you can whip it up yourself at home!

The must have players in a good veggie fried rice
ingredients
1-3 cups cooked Brown rice (try it you might like it!) - day old or from the freezer stash, fresh is too moist and gets gummy
Soy sauce
Sesame seed oil (you can use any oil, but your stir fry won't have the classic taste)
Onions (lotsa lotsa onions)
Fresh ginger (grate it if you're feeding little ones, big bites of it can be overwhelming)
Crushed Garlic (lotsa lotsa garlic. I like 4 cloves, use less if you like.)
2 large Carrots- sliced in coins
Frozen Peas - 1/2 or one whole 10 oz bag.
Scrambled Eggs - 6-12

The optional players
optional ingredients
Left over cooked veggies - stir fry is a great place to use up cooked veggies
Left over cooked protein - stir fry is a great place to use up bits of cooked chicken, pork, beef, sausage.
Butter - I use it, because that's how the hibachi chefs do it, you could skip it.
Sesame seeds - sprinkled on at the end
Zucchini - I rarely buy them unless they're in season and almost free. Not my fave veggie, but they don't bother me lurking in fried rice.
Mushrooms- This is a new addition for me. Since both the boys are all over beta glucans and their abnormal cell devouring super powers I like to cook with mushrooms all the time!

Directions
I don't have a great big flat iron cooking surface, so I make my veggie stir fry in my largest heaviest pan. Here's how the process goes.

Step One
Dice one humongus onion. Pre - heat your largest heaviest cooking surface to medium. A wok would be great, but not all kitchens have them. I know most asian cooking calls for high heat searing, but I cook on med to avoid heating the oil too hot and preserve some of the nutrients, and it comes out fine. Takes longer though. Drizzle in some sesame seed oil. Add onion and saute until they take on some color, about 10 minutes. While inhaling the most amazing smell in the universe, peel then grate or chop the fresh ginger. I like a lot, but if you're just starting little one out on ginger, go easy until they get used to the taste. Maybe one small finger for beginners and 3-4 for experienced ginger lovers? Slice the carrot.

Step two
Push your onions to the side of the pan. If necessary, add a bit more oil. Add the carrot and ginger and cook until carrots are desired doneness. More time if you like them soft, less if you like them crunchy. Move the carrots to the side. Add some butter to the pan, let melt. Add 6-12 eggs directly to the pan, and scramble to cook

When they are almost done, mix all the veggies together. Now add 1/2 - 1 whole bag of frozen green peas and any cooked veggie/meat.

Step three
After they are heated through, add your crushed garlic and cooked rice. The garlic doesn't cook down much when you add it at the end here, I like the bite of the garlic, and I'm always nervous about burning garlic! If you like a mellower flavor add it to the carrots before you scoot them over and do the eggs. Once the rice is cooked add soy sauce to taste. Optional, sprinkle on sesame seeds.

Step four
Serve it up to the kiddies, and retire to the table with a huge satisfying bowl of fried rice. Enjoy. Every. Bite.

Kid Appeal Tip Young kids need to acclimate to foods with deep flavor like garlic, and ginger. Start with small pieces like crushed garlic, and grated ginger (use a zester or micro grater if you have one). Cook them longer and their flavors mellow. When they do get a spicy bite and have a reaction, instead of agreeing with them, that's it's too spicy, respond neutrally and give them something to do. "Ooh, you found a flavor bite, it's so gingery. Have a sip of milk." You can tell them that flavors are a grown up thing to like. Most little ones like doing what grown ups do and learning to like spicy flavors is something they'll want to do. Over time, as they acclimate to the flavors and spices you cook with regularly, you can use more and more until the kids tolerate the same level of flavor that mom and dad like.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
Did you watch last Friday? I want to hear your reactions. The more the press, school administrators and local, state, national leaders see the community's reaction to the truth about what kids are fed at school the more fuel we have toward change. Necessary changes won't happen this month, or this year, but over time, with enough concerned parents called to action, recommendations and solutions, school lunch programs can change. Let your voice be heard. Tell me what you thought, by commenting on the post I wrote last week.

Recess Before Lunch, Chocolate Milk & Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

I had lunch with big boo at public school kindergarten yesterday. While I was waiting for him I observed what the kinder kids were selecting from the school lunch line. 22/24 of them chose chocolate milk. 2/24 of them chose the salad. Big. Huge. SIGH. The good news is most of them chose a fruit (either whole apple or sliced strawberries in a syrup). Don't even get me started about the pretzel "side dish" to the pizza entree. I guess that meets the 2 "breads" requirement for lunch. Ummm..

The Chocolate Milk School Lunch Problem
I firmly believe that chocolate milk causes more problems that it solves in the school lunch line. Some experts believe that nutrients in the milk make the regular sugar consumption worth it, but I disagree. It's not just about the sugar. Even if we completely put aside the 660 tsp of sugar a kid consumes annually with one flavored milk at lunch, and 8K tsp K-12, there are worse consequences!

It's about the false sense of fullness a young child gets when they guzzle a drink. The kids only get 15-20 minutes to eat. If they sit down and guzzle a drink, their stomach (which is the size of their fist) swells up, and their brain receives a message that they are full, and the urge to eat is diminished. So now you have a young child who's been trying hard to sit still to learn to read and write all morning, who doesn't really feel hungry anymore, and he finally has a chance to be silly and make his neighbors laugh, and guess what. He's not really eating. The minutes are flying by and still the tummy feels artificially full from the flavored beverage. The kids are laughing, their food is barely nibbled, and the teacher returns to the lunch room to collect her class to head out to recess. The kids see her and try to stuff a bite or two in before she gets to the table. Then they head to the garbage can and toss a good portion (and empty milk container) of their lunch out. They probably don't really notice the hunger until they are back in the classroom trying to learn how to count to 100 and about rocks.

• Nutrient Density It's true that plain milk is a nutrient dense food. But so is an apple. And plain apples are widely accepted by most kids. But put an apple next to chocolate milk and it looses some of it's appeal. The sugary sweetness of the chocolate milk is much stronger than the natural fructose sweetness of the apple, thus many kids won't be interested in the apple when paired with chocolate milk. Now give them a glass of water, and an apple and see how much of the apple is eaten. Do the experiment yourself. Get a sweetened beverage, a glass of water and some apple slices. First sip the water, then eat an apple slice. Observe the sweetness of the apple. Then gulp the chocolate milk and taste a bite of apple. I suspect it won't taste as sweet after the milk.
  
• White Milk Refusal - I also have a child who does not care for white milk. My first born was a milk guzzler, so when little boo refused plain milk it surprised me. He might only drink 4oz a day, often less. I know he'd drink 10oz or more daily of chocolate milk if I gave it to him, but I chose not to start a life long milk-sugar habit. He gets plenty of diary in cheese and yogurt, and plenty of protein and calcium from other non-dairy sources like meat, beans, bone broths and green veggies. There are other kid approved options.
  
• Water is a macronutrient. Water is a fine substitute for milk, flavored or plain. While chocolate milk might be "more nutritious" than juice, sodas or other flavored beverages, when compared to water, it fails. Not to mention, water is one of the four macronutrients the body needs in large quantities. Sure water lacks protein and vitamins it too is a nutrient the body craves. If you leave the protein and vitamins out of the beverage, kids are more likely to pick up food (green veggies, chicken) that has those same nutrients and eat up.
• Opportunity Cost - Remember this concept from high school economics? Basically when you make one choice, you're foregoing the other choices. If a child is filling their belly with chocolate milk, they are not filling their belly with apple, carrots and spaghetti. If you knew your child was ONLY drinking chocolate milk, and refusing the majority of what was left on his tray, would you still want your child to have access to chocolate milk at school?
  

I get so emotional when I eat lunch at school. I'm sad that the kids are so poorly nourished, then expected to behave and learn in class. And it's not just about what options they have to eat. A lot of it is whether or not they actually eat it. And I'll be the first to say that some "junky" food is better than very little of anything. So instead of sitting here feeling emotional, I've been thinking about what I can do about it. What I can help others to do about it. There are many things that even a busy working parent can do. I have a little more time on my hands, so not all these will be feasible for all of you, but if you care about the way kids are eating in this country, these are some action items you can take to make a difference.

But My Kids are Homeschooled/ Don't Eat Cafeteria Food
Maybe you think this problem doesn't touch you because your kids are homeschooled, or your child takes his lunch to school. But it does touch you. Homeschooled children may not mingle too much with mainstream, but the mainstream's poor health has caused a health insurance crisis for all of us. If you want your kids to be able to afford quality health care for their families, then you need to help the public eat better.

Take Action
Don't waste your time being upset about it. Go do something about it. It made me feel better. Not all of you have time to volunteer at the school, but I know you all have time to send an email to your principal or PTA group to make a suggestion or ask a question.

• Recess After Lunch : Some schools have switched schedules and sent kids to recess before lunch. This lets kids get their wiggles and socializing out first, build up an appetite and schools report more food being eaten and less behavior problems during the school day. Talk to your principal about the schedule switch and let them know you want it considered. In Spring Branch ISD, the individual schools have discretion as to whether to make the schedule change. It's being considered at my son's school and I'm finding out whether I can add any efforts to see the change happen. Stay tuned for more details. Here is an article with a lunch/recess switch pilot program results you can email to your PTA, school principal, school nurse and CIT group.
• Find Campaigns that matter to you & get involved. It might be increasing funding for real produce at school (slow food's campaign to give school kids the school food they deserve), or reading more about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I'm just getting started to learn what I can DO.
• Volunteer at your child's school - Ask your PTA or principal, or child's teacher what you can do to help kids at your school learn about real food. Go in and eat lunch with your child. If you've never emailed the administrators of your school, don't be afraid. They like to know kids have involved parents.

Are you tuning into Jamie Olvier's Food Revolution tonight? It's on Friday, March 26th (8p ET, 7p CT), and here's the trailer. Report back, I want to know what you think about the show.

This post is participating in Fight Back Friday hosted by Food Renegade (link coming soon)

Sweet Potato Chips

I love sweet potatoes. After feeding veggies to young kids for years, I really have a lot of respect for the sweet potato. Not only is it a favorite for most babies, it's also a kid pleaser in the toddler years, preschool and kindergarten years, right up there with carrots. The sweet potato does most of the work for me. It is a brightly colored. It has a natural sweetness. I merely have to cook it and put it on the table and it is usually gobbled up.

Frugal & Largely Consumed
As far as the kid, veggie, frugal connection go, sweet potatoes rule. I might pay more pennies more for a bag of sweet potatoes to mash, bake or roast than I would for a bunch of kale, but I know at least 300% more sweet taters are getting in the boys bellies than would kale. And I happened to get a pretty good deal on three hu-normous specimens at the farmer's market this week. I didn't get a scale out, but I'm pretty sure I had at least 4 lbs for $3 for locally grown produce. If you're shopping the big box stores, sweet potatoes are often loss leaders. Pick up a giant bag full when they're on sale and get these nutrient dense delicious kip pleasing veggies into your menu plan more often.

If you've never roasted a sweet potato, you have to try it. I found the most perfect use for the last of my bacon drippings from the $8.00 package of natural pork bacon I picked up at the local natural foods store (Georgia's). Before you go and roll your eyes at me cooking with bacon drippings, let me tell you why. 1) If I'm gonna shell out $8 for bacon, I'm cooking with the drippings, how else can I justify the bacon splurge? 2) This fat comes from "natural" pork I get from Georgia's. I'm not even sure if I know what that means, but hopefully it means that the quality of the nutrients coming from the protein and fat of the resulting pig are not just good eats, but good for the body (in moderation of course). This pork costs enough to be "pure" so I'm hoping that it is, but I could be getting snookered. I can't possibly pour mountains of research into every food item I buy. 3) I'm going to use fat anyway for the roasting of potatoes and I think quality animal fat is a good alternative to the highly processed grape seed oil I might have used instead.

And I used the best potato roasting technique I learned from Alanna over at A Veggie Venture. Preheating the pan and fat does make a difference, less sticking to the pan.

I usually roast sweet potatoes in steak fries shape, but sometimes if I just have one potato, not enough for us to all pig out on them, I slice the tater as thinly as I can with my cutco knives and make "chips." If you use a large potato or more than one potato be prepared to roast potatoes all evening. the chips go in a single layer on the pan, and I've had spotty results with roasting more than one pan at a time. It's rarely cool enough in Houston to keep the oven on at 450 for longer than an hour, so these are a once in a while treat for us.

Sweet Potato Chips
One sweet potato sliced thinly in "chip" shape.
Kosher salt
1 TBSP of oil/fat (just guestimating here, you want a thin coating, no dripping)
Italian Herb Dipping Spice* to taste

directions (chips)
Preheat oven to 450. Spread oil/fat in a thin layer on a rimmed cookie sheet. Put pan in oven for 3 minutes to heat the pan/oil. Remove the pan from the oven and add the potatoes, remaining fat and spice to the pan and toss taters to coat (yes it will be hot. I'm a lazy cook, so I'm going to risk a burn rather than get a tossing dish dirty, get a bowl out to toss if the heat scares you...). Carefully spread the potatoes out barely touching each other in a single layer on the sheet. Roast until done, about 10 minutes. Keep your eye on these. They are thin so and will burn quickly. Burnt chips have to go in the trash. Set your timer for 5 mins, and keep going until they start to turn brown. Remove from oven and using a pancake flipper scoop them off the pan.

directions (sweet potato fries)
Cut the potato in steak fry shapes. You need a sharp knife to whittle a sweet potato! I prefer hacking up the smaller ones, the large ones are even tough for my huge cutco knives at times. I cut thick slices (the width of the fry) along the equator axis. Then cut the potato "sheets" into steak fry size "sticks". (pictures would help here, i didn't take any, but will come back and upload them next time I make these...). Preheat the pan and toss to coat with oil/spice as above, but instead of laying them out in a layer, spread the fries out as evenly as you can. They can be overlapping. I can usually get 2 large, or 3 small potatoes on one pan. Roast for 30 minutes (ish), then take potatoes out and turn them. Pop them back in and continue roasting until the get as golden as possible without burning.

*this is a blend my store sells, it contains basil, parsley, garlic, thyme, oregano, pepper, salt, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Substitute any spice blend you like.

Kid Appeal Tip Having a hard time getting kids to gobble up sweet potatoes? Try serving them a different way. Baked, roasted, mashed, in soup, sweet potato pie, there's bound to be one way they like them. One a rushed night, I might just nuke a sweet potato, then cut it in thick slices and arrange it nicely on a plate and let the kids help themselves. This is probably their favorite way to eat them, I suspect it's because its the way I serve them most often.

This post is participating in Pennywise Platter hosted by The Nourishing Gourmet and Cooking Thursday hosted by Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Avocado & Chevre Dip

Avocado & Chevre Dip
In case you're wondering, chevre is a fancy french way of saying goat cheese. Although there are many types of "chevre", the most common is a soft fresh cheese that is similar in texture to cream cheese. Usually you can find it in the cheese section (the fancy one, not where the american singles are) in a tube wrapper. It's white log. You can should find 4oz packages, but there are longer 8oz packages as well. At my local natural foods store, there are also a couple local dairies that package chevre in a similar size container as philly cream cheese. I buy this when I can find it.

If you've never used chevre in a recipe, you must try it soon! There is so much flavor in just a couple ounces of the stuff. You can transform an arugula salad, a bowl of pasta or a pizza just by adding a little chevre.

I brought this dip with fresh veggies to a speaking engagement last week. It was a big hit with the moms, and some of the kids liked it too. I made a second batch for our Friday picnic supper, and Nana even gobbled it up, preferring it over the ranch dip. Nana has a profound dislike for anything goat, and insists that she doesn't like it. I'd never seen her try it until Friday, and even now she doesn't know what the secret ingredient was. If you have someone squeamish in your family, just tell them it's guacamole and see if that flies!

I made this dip with the young garlic I snagged at Georgia's which made a big difference in taste over using regular garlic. If you have access to young garlic at a farmer's market (it looks like a tiny leek, or a short fat green onion) pick some up. They make any veggie dip amazing. Similarly, the young garlic transformed homemade ranch.

Avocado & Chevre (Goat Cheese) Dip, based on this recipe from recipejoint
ingredients
1 avocado
4 oz soft chevre (goat cheese)
Juice of one lemon, and zest from 1/4 of the lemon
1 young garlic, root ends trimmed, sliced included tender greens (toss the tops in your veggie scrap bag) or 1-3 cloves fresh garlic, sliced
1/4 cup fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro)
1/2 tsp salt

directions
Add all the ingredients to a mini chop or food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth. If not serving immediately, leave the avocado seed in the dip, and press a piece of saran wrap on the surface of the dip before covering with a lid. Remove the seed and wrap before serving. Serve with vegetable tray. Blanched green beans, asparagus, broccoli or cauliflower work well, as do raw carrots, celery and cucumbers.

Kid Appeal Tip I polled readers to see if kids preferred veggies raw or cooked. Results were split 50% raw, 50% cooked. If your kids are slow to adopt cooked veggies make a fresh veggie tray a weekly dinner item. Don't go crazy, just 2-4 veggies and one home-made (or lightly processed) dip will do. Also, set it out before the main course is ready, so the veggies are there when hunger is a strong motivator and the distraction of meat and starchy sides come out is absent. Go sit down and eat it with them while the main course finishes off. Cut more veggies than you think you'll eat, and tuck the rest in small zip top bags for lunches, or after school snacks. Grab these to go and hand them to kids on the way home from school or practice when nothing else is available. You'd be surprised what kids will eat when they're hungry and no granola bars are in sight!

Chevre Recipe Round Up
Here are a few other recipes using chevre. I like to dump it on cooked pasta. It melts creating a light creamy coating. This is a far simpler way to make "mac-n-cheese" compared to a home made cheddar cheese sauce built up from a roux.

Pasta with Mushrooms, Spinach and Chevre
Pizza with Kohlrabi Greens, Mushrooms and Chevre

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday hosted by Kelly The Kitchen Kop.

So what is it for your kids? Do they favor raw veggies or cooked veggies?

Deconstructed Strawberry Mimosa

Yesterday I posted about the double chocolate brownies with pinkalicious icing the boys made me for my birthday. My guys showered me with love this year. They brought me presents, all sorts of placements and designer plates to photograph food on for this blog. But better than the presents and the dessert, was hubby's morning of chores with the boys.

Hubby surprised me on the morning of my birthday and got big boo to help him fold 3 baskets of laundry and put them away. He even endured 10 minutes of complaints. I probably would have given up with that much whining! Then completely unprompted, little boo grabbed a sponge and started wiping the oven door. He spent 15 minutes wiping and wiping. Standing up, laying on his tummy on the floor. Horizontal wipes, vertical ones. Wiping of all kinds. Then he announced with a grin from ear to ear:

"It's the cleanest oven ever. It's clean like a moose! "


His first simile might have failed, but I knew what he meant, and we shared a moment of joy.

And here's an unrelated recipe, Deconstructed Strawberry Mimosa. Hubby had something work related to celebrate last week, so I pureed some of the strawberries we picked last week, added a bit of OJ and froze the fruit mash in ice cube trays. For kids, stick a toothpick or popsicle stick in the ice cubes for a quick popsicle. Or serve them in a glass with club soda.

Deconstructed Strawberry Mimosa

ingredients - strawberry ice cubes
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed and hulled.
4 TBSP juice (orange, grape, apple, etc.)

directions
Add strawberries and juice to a food processor and pulse until a smoothish puree forms. Pour the strawberry puree into ice cube trays, flattening the tops. Freeze for 3 hours, then release the ruby cubes from the trays into a zip-top bag and store in freezer.

To make the mimosa, add 3 fruit ice cubes to your fanciest stemmed glass (I don't have any of those, so they went in my stemless wine glass). Pour a dry champagne over the cubes. As the ice cubes melt the champagne turns red. Cheers!

Note: I usually make these ice cubes with a lot more juice, fresh tangerine juice from the neighborhood tree, and add pureed mango or pineapple to the juice. They work with a number of fruit/juice combos and ratios. The kids enjoy them plain, and hubby and I enjoy celebrating new year's eve with them in champagne.

Sadly this will be the last week of the Big Words Little Foodies recipe swap. Thank you to the loyal few who participated! I may start another Mr. Linky blog event with a different theme in the future, and I hope you'll come back again.

Best Double Chocolate Brownies & Beet Pink Frosting

I love brownies. They have to be the best dessert in the whole world, and this double chocolate recipe is the best of dozens I've made. When the guys asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I hinted that I saved some of the cream cheese frosting from big boo's chocolate cupcakes and stuck it in the freezer. It was the perfect amount to dump some cinnamon into and top my favorite double chocolate brownies with hubby's secret ingredient, a pinch of cayenne pepper. Sounds odd, I know. But the heat of the cayenne enhances the chocolate and makes these brownies so amazing!

I can't remember the last time someone baked me a birthday "cake." Hubby, big boo and little boo sure did make me feel loved with all the TLC that went into these brownies. I sat on the couch trying to read a cook book, but really I was just listening to hubby and the boys work together to make these for me. It was a really happy morning.

The brownies got even more amazing when I decided to save a little hunk of the beets I'd roasted for a salad. Followers know I tossed my food coloring bottles a couple months ago, swearing off of them for home use. I'd heard of using beet juice as a natural food coloring, and lacking enough "juice," I thought the tiny beet hunk would color the icing up just fine. They turned out gorgeous. I love how psychedelically pink beets are, and I wanted the boys to see how we could use food to change the color of the icing. Beets dye everything they come in contact with - vinaigrette, goat cheese, plate, fingers, teeth - which makes them fun for kids. The first time I made beet salad the boys were 1 and 3. We got a mirror out at the table and watched our teeth turn pink. They loved it. (Note: I served beet salad at 3 and 6 and it didn't go over as well. Both of them ate it, but only after staring at their plates for 10 minutes. They didn't hate it, but it wasn't love at first bite.)

Best Double Chocolate Brownie Recipe
You can find the brownie recipe here at Martha Stewart's site. I made a couple changes. Dutch process cocoa and bittersweet instead of semisweet chocolate was used because that's what we had in the baking box. And the secret ingredient is a pinch of cayenne pepper added with the other dry ingredients. You just want a pinch. Cayenne in chocolate is like a new hair cut. You don't want everyone to notice the new do, you just want to look amazing. Brownies just need a touch of the cayenne to enhance the chocolate flavor. The resulting brownies should taste uber chocolatey and amazing, but not spicy.

Beet Pink Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
The idea for the cinnamon, chocolate, cream cheese icing comb came from Emeril's Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. The reason I prefer chocolate desserts is because they don't taste overly sweet. So when I make cream cheese frosting I add less sugar, almost half as much as the recipe calls for. I actually like the look of the frosting with the beet bits in there, kinda like sprinkles of darker pink. Although I imagine this frosting will spoil more quickly with a veggie lurking in there! Ok fine. Twist my arm. I'll go eat another one.

ingredients
4 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 cup softened butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (already reduced, but knock it down more if you like!)
1 TBS size piece of roasted beet (or some beet juice)

Combine cream cheese and butter in a food processor and blend (or use a hand/stand mixer). Add the sifted powdered sugar in three parts, blending slowly. Once the sugar is incorporated, add in the beet and pulse until it's combined and icing is bright pink. If you're using a mixer, puree the beet piece by pressing it through a sieve, then add the puree to the mixer and combine.

Kid Appeal Tip One way to reduce sugar intake is to cut down on some of the sugar in baked goods. Stop buying muffins, cupcakes, and other treats at the store and make them at home. Not only can you adjust the amount of sugar, but you'll be avoiding other preservatives. Start by reducing the sugar amounts in batters and icings by 1/4 cup and keep going until they are still sweet enough to feel like cake and your family enjoys them. You'd be surprised how much sugar you can eliminate from recipes without even missing it.

Kid Appeal Tip 2 I strongly recommend against any artificial sweeteners for kids (and adults, but I know how hard it is to kick a diet coke habit!). You might be sparing them a little sugar/calories, but their brain still thinks they are consuming sugar, and they'll still have the same blood sugar spike/crash. It's better to eat sweets sweetened with sugar, organic sugar and honey in moderation, than to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners. Low blood sugar levels = low brain activity. It's actually harder to make good choices about food, behavior etc. when blood sugar levels are low! Keep it steady (er) by eating some protein with sweet treats. A handful of nuts or a glass of milk will do the trick. My trick to moderating sweets? We only eat them at restaurants and when I make them at home. If you have to bake them yourself you'll end up eating them less often.

This post is participating in LifeAsMom's Ultimate Recipe Swap, for baked goods.

Kindergarten School Lunch Blues

I'm just here to complain today. The day I thought would happen earlier in the school year has come. Big Boo inquired "Mama, when are you going to let me buy lunch with my friends?"

Since he attends a school with a large % of the population qualifying for reduced lunch program, I knew that many of his peers would be heading to the cafeteria line. I fully expected him to want to eat what they ate. I told him at the beginning of the year, if he ever wanted to we could look at the menu and he could pick out one day a week where he ate school lunch, instead of taking his lunch box. Initially I was surprised he didn't ask, but then I forgot all about it assuming he preferred the stuff from home. I really don't mind him eating school food on occasion, but I hope he doesn't start wanting it every day. I just don't want to deal with the complaints about lunch box vs. lunch line. Plus now I have to manage the weekly which-day selection process- another morning rush task that doesn't fit into our schedule. I really hope this isn't the beginning of a slippery slope of frequent school lunches. Time will tell.

I didn't tell him that the school lunches aren't really that healthy and the food I send is better. I told him he could only do it once a week because it's expensive to eat out frequently. This he understands because we also budget how many restaurant meals we get. It's also probably not true! I imagine the standard lunch at school is more frugal than what I send, but I'm OK with this untruth (I will resist the urge to do the math just so I can't confirm my suspicion)!

I don't actually want him leading the kids astray, telling them their school lunch isn't healthy. For many of them it's represents 2/3 of the calories they consume daily, and it's better than what they may or may not get at home. My standards are different because our budget allows us to make different choices. I'd rather his peers eat the cafeteria spaghetti, even if it is a simple carb, probably has far too much sugar and other nasties in the sauce than grab a bag of chips and a chocolate milk. He knows spaghetti is grow food, because we eat it at home. He doesn't need to know that their spaghetti is less wholesome than ours at home. Although I'm sure he'll start tasting the difference between our recipes. Time will tell.

More disturbing: a couple weeks ago he started coming home with mostly uneaten lunches. He was finishing his veggies, and taking one or two bites of sandwich. I'm heartbroken just thinking about his little brain trying to learn to read and write, and learn a second language with just a couple carrot sticks in his belly since 7a. Sniff.

After a couple weeks, I figured out why he went from eating almost all his lunch, almost all the time, to consistently very little. He discovered he could wait for his friends in the hall before entering the cafeteria so he could sit next to them. The teachers have the kids sit down at tables in the same order as they enter the cafeteria. I'm all for him sitting with friends, but when he's busy entertaining his buddies and making them laugh, he doesn't take time to eat. We've talked about it and even after a couple reminders that his "brain needs food to learn" and his "body needs energy to play" for recess, he is still coming home with his main course nearly uneaten. Hopefully this is a temporary problem.

I plan on going up to eat with him and his friends again and talk to them all about brain food and grow food and energy food and see if we can nip this in the bud before it becomes a sustainable habit. It's just so frustrating because I know I taught him how to eat lunch, and he's been capable of it for 3 years starting back in pre-school. Big. Huge. Sigh.

Pick Your Own Produce Helps Kids Try New Flavors - Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Nothing says Spring Break fun with kids- outdoors, inexpensive and delicious treats- like pick your own (PYO) fresh fruit. At Froberg Farms, near Alvin Texas, I shelled out $24 for 13lbs of strawberries, and another $6.59 for vegetables grown on the same farm. That's just shy of $31 for a six hour day trip. Not free, but there was no admission price, and ALL of the money we spent having a great time in the mild sun (a precious commodity in Houston) with friends was on food. No added sugar! The boys got to wear their rain boots on a sunny day, how fun is that?

3 Ways A Farm Will Help Your Kids Eat More Real Food

• Fresh Food is Vibrant - It looks good, it tastes good. The colors are bright. The shapes are fun. Long shaggy roots, odd shaped veggies, big leafy tops. We all eat with our eyes. The anxieties of the dinner table are absent, the excitement of the farm, the dirt, the produce abound. The chance of taste testing increases.
• Fresh Food is Fun - The excursion to the farm is a fun family activity. On the farm there is produce. The connection between fun and farm and food is established.
  
• You Pick it You Eat it - Engaging with the plants, picking the produce, taking it home, preparing it and tasting it are all activities your child can do to make produce relevant. It's an adventure. How are we going to consume this produce in a tasty way?
  

Frugal Family Food Activity
Outside of the gas used to drive to a city just outside Houston city limits, the "cost" of the fun offset our weekly food budget, and will reduce our "fruit" expenses over time. I'm not going to burst my bargain bubble by adding in the fuel costs, we'll just call that the "admission" fee! I got 22 lbs of locally grown produce for $30.59, breaking down to $1.39/per pound!

Find a Pick Your Own Farm in Your Area
Of course if you're living North of Texas you might be waiting until Summer Vacation before you get a chance to take your kids to a local farm and pick some summer fruit. Turns out summer starts in March here in Houston. I know you're jealous of our early harvest and freezer stash of berries for smoothies, but I've planted a seed with you to check out the Pick Your Own farms/orchards in your area so you can plan a fun day with kids as soon as summer break starts. To look up farms in your area check out this link, Pick Your Own Org. The farms that offer sustainably/organically grown produce are noted in green. Go now. Find a Farm. Plan your visit!

Pick Your Own Vegetables
Pick Your Own is not limited to fruit, there are many small farms that grow veggies too, and welcome the public out to tour the farm and allow families to come out and pick during harvest time. Don't be shy! Walk up to the farmers/vendors at your farmer's market and ask them if they'll let you come out and pick when your kiddo's favorite veggie is ready for harvest. Chances are they'll adopt some new tastes while you're there.

How I plan to use up 13 Pounds of Strawberries
Recipe links included where I have them, stay tuned for others in the coming weeks!

• Yesterday we just washed them and ate our fill, fresh and unadulterated after lunch and dinner.
• Last night I pureed a bunch and added a little OJ to make the most beautiful red fruit ice cubes. Hubby and I had them in champagne, I'll serve them to the kids with club soda or they can just suck on them like popsicles. Stay tuned for recipe and photos. The red cubes were beautiful. This is how we use up some of the tangerine harvest, so I'm used to seeing them orange.
  
• Tonight I'll be making Strawberry Shortcake with freshly whipped cream. I posted that recipe last year.
• Big Boo requested cheerios so we can have strawberries and cereal.
• Little Boo requested chocolate dipped strawberries, so we'll get to that in a day or two.
• The rest will get a good washing, be flash frozen and dumped into a giant ziplock bag to enjoy in yogurt smoothies and parfaits throughout the spring.

This post is participating in Fight Back Friday hosted by Food Renegade. Hop on over there for more real food ideas.

Eggs For Dinner (& Breakfast)

When I started our meatless dinner mission it was not really an attempt to eat less meat, rather an attempt to save money. Pastured and organic meat is pricey, and you just can't eat it as often, and in as large a quantities. This menu planning decision did not make hubby happy, and he complained for the first few months. I noticed the complaints were less grave when I served eggs or beans instead of tofu. Complaints also diminished if I fixed a "new" recipe as opposed to offering a beloved recipe sans meat.

One of hubby's favorite egg dinners is a poached egg (or three) atop greens in a mustard vinaigrette. The boys are delighted with any excuse to eat "egg juice" what they lovingly refer to as a soft cooked egg yolk. I too think egg juice, hit with a little salt and pepper is a divine taste. The boys don't even complain about the bed of greens under it. They rarely try more than a bite, but I know over time, they'll be loving this meal as much as their dad.

This year our egg dinners got a little less frugal because I started buying only farm fresh, pastured eggs (when available) at $6 a dozen. I do only serve cobb salad, poached egg salad, soft boiled eggs and veggies, or veggie fried rice with scrambled eggs a couple times a month now. Maybe I will have to invest some time into some tofu dinners! Although I suspect traditionally prepared tofu would probably be almost as pricey as eggs and I think we'd all rather eat eggs!

Go-to meal
Eggs for dinner is also my "go-to" meal. It's what I make if we've been out and about and I don't have anything in the freezer to warm up, or when I have a migraine and I can't bear to triple wash the locally grown greens I have in the crisper. Fried egg sandwiches, Egg toast, and hard/soft boiled eggs with what ever bread product is available and left over veggies might be lurking in the fridge.

One way I still think of eggs as frugal is for breakfast, even when I serve them with bakery bread, and real organic butter. I have to compare it to what a restaurant/school breakfast would be. Obviously the quality of nutrition (and complete lack of added or concentrated fructose) is far better than they could get at school or a restaurant.

One pastured egg .50
One slice sourdough bread .33
One pat butter .05
Total .88

Lately big boo has been asking for two eggs, and two slices of bread, making his meal cost $1.76.

Recipe Roundup
Here is a recipe roundup of some of our favorite egg dinners and breakfasts that I have posted. I don't have vegetable egg stir fry posted yet, but stay tuned! I finally have pictures, and just need to write the post.

Dinner
Poached Eggs and Greens Salad
Soft/Hard Boiled Eggs & Veggies - A market meal

Breakfast
Egg Toast
Veggie Egg Scramble


This post is participating in Life As Mom's URS (check that out for more egg recipes), and The Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Platter (check out that link for more frugal real food recipes).

Battle For Breakfast Quinoa Cereal

This is a guest post from Amanda, who blogs at Tonight's Dinner. You may also remember her as the very informative author and guest poster of the article "Can Food Make Kids Angry?" This week she's sharing a breakfast recipe. I'll be trying it soon! Always looking for ways to increase protein in the most important meal of the day.

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Weekday breakfast is not an actual meal at our house. I mean, everyone eats it at a different time, and everyone eats something different, unless it’s a special occasion. At least everyone eats the “most important meal of the day” here, so I guess my battle isn’t as hard as some of yours. The trouble is that each of has rather particular opinions about their breakfast choices. One likes to eat toast with butter, one eats bread untoasted without butter; one eats oatmeal made with water and salt, one eats oatmeal made with milk and sugar. So I like to give options, within reason.

My friend Angela and I have often talked about food. We aren’t exactly your typical “foodies” because we really weren’t all that into food before our oldest girls started having problems related to their food. Different problems, different girls, but two very tired mamas trying to feed their girls without causing more trouble. Angela was the one who started me on this great egg-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, milk-free warm breakfast. You can check Angela's blog out here.

Quinoa Cereal Recipe

ingredients

3 cups water

1-1/2 cups quinoa, dry

2 bananas, cut up

A selection of your family’s favorite toppings: flaked coconut, dried cranberries, raisins, sliced or slivered almonds, dried cherries, whatever floats your boat.

Directions: Boil the water in a saucepan with a lid. Add the quinoa and banana to the boiling water. Cook for 15 minutes on medium-high, or until all water is absorbed. (It cooks like rice – don’t take the top off or stir.) Dish it up and let each family member top their own cereal with the available topping choices.

Let me tell you some of the great things about quinoa. I learned to love it while living in South America. It is super high in protein (5.5g in 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa) and it has a great nutty flavor. Those of you who don’t like your oatmeal mushy (not naming any names here, Jenna) will never have that problem with quinoa cereal. It has a nice texture that cooks up in a familiar way: you cook it just like you would cook rice – even in a rice cooker if you have one. (And you can add it to any recipe that calls for rice if you want a different flavor. I especially like it in Chicken Veggie Soup.)

I made enough quinoa cereal this time that I could have some leftovers, and they saved fine in the frig covered until the next day. They reheated just fine.

The photo above is my oldest daughter’s bowl of quinoa cereal showing her topping choices.

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This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday, hosted this week by Kelly the Kitchen Kop. Real foodies may want to soak their quinoa overnight. Or will they? According to WHFoods.org, quinoa is a relative of leafy green veggies like spinach and chard. Does that make it contain less phytic acid than a "grain"?

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In case you missed it, here is the post I wrote last week with a recipe for green macaroni and cheese, plus other real green food recipes. I was fortunate enough to be picked up by good bites roundup of green food recipes, thanks good bites for the mention! Say no! to food coloring and use produce to make green holiday food.

Big Words Little Foodies Recipe Swap Egg Toast

Mr. Linky recipe round-up time! Trying to grow your blog? Entering URLs to your blog posts in blog carnivals is a great way to grow your readership, and increase page ranks for your post in search engine results pages. According to Stat Counter, some of my "most popular" pages have been the ones that at some point have been entered in a blog carnival. I'm always surprised how many people stumble on my blog when searching for "fish tacos" or "fish taco sauce" and end up on this fish taco & sauce recipe.

This week Big Boo gave me some sage advice that sounded awfully familiar. We were eating egg toast for breakfast. Part of my egg white was thin in the pan and got that crisp crusty edge on it. Not caring for that texture, I surgically removed it from my otherwise perfect egg toast. Big Boo observed and said,

Big Boo: why'd you cut that off mama?
me: I don't really like the way that bite tastes. It's crusty.
Big Boo: Why don't you like the crusty stuff around the edges?
me: I don't know. The crusty part doesn't taste right. I'd rather eat the soft creamy egg and tender white parts.
Big Boo: Well, I love it.
me: Now I know what to do next time. Give you the crusty part.
Big Boo (with an all knowing look): Or you could taste it again and see if you like it.
me (after a pregnant pause): That is so right. Let me taste it.

I was so busted. You know you've done your job when your kids guide you to make the same good choices you taught them to make.

Egg Toast
Here's the old recipe for egg toast. If I can manage to update it this week with big boo on Spring Break, I'll be reposting it with my new speedier method. This shaves about 5 minutes of cooking time, making this recipe fast enough for school mornings. I've been wanting to repost the revised recipe for months. I keep forgetting to take a photo! We devour it instantly. It's the boys favorite. They ask for it almost every morning, even when I have oatmeal on the menu. I don't blame them. Soft cooked egg sauce mopped up with buttered toast has to be one of the best flavors in the universe. Whenever the iron chefs plop a poached egg atop some hunk of meat I drool. One day I'll eat something that sumptuously full of protein.

Partnering to Help Families Feed Their Kids Better
My goal is to help as many frustrated parents as possible. I'm convinced that many parents out there truly want to offer more wholesome food to their kids, but get stuck in the "how" part. In order for this weekly blog event to be a success, both readers (that's you!) to follow links, and bloggers (that's the other you!) to link up are necessary. Together we can help spread the word that kids will eat real food, even when they complain!

I'm looking forward to seeing your recipes and reading about the funny things your kids say about what's for eats. Go now. If you blog, link up. If you don't, leave a comment. Either way follow some of the links below. Get a few laughs for the day, read some new blogs, check out some new recipes.

To link up, paste the URL to your blog post (not your homepage) and add your post details in mr. linky below: name, blog name, post title/recipe and if you're new add "new" like this:

Jenna (new) @ Food With Kid Appeal - Eat Your Advice Mom/Egg Toast.

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right - Interview with Dr. Dolgoff

I interviewed pediatrician, Dr Dolgoff, author of Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right about a subject close to my heart, school lunch. Followers know that I often write about the importance of kids consuming real nutrients during the school day so their brains and bodies are well positioned to benefit from all the academic instruction and socialization that abounds on campus. I trudge up to school once a month to eat with my kids, and I always leave with a heavy heart. It is sad to see how little the kids actually eat, and what they are eating (read: drinking) is often empty calories with little nutrients to feed their starving brain. Here is the interview. Keep reading for a chance to win her book, Right Light, Green Light, Eat Right. Pay particular attention to the last question where I ask what parents of right sized young kids should stay on the look-out for as a predictor of future overweight problems.

Jenna: Can you briefly explain how protein and fiber impact blood sugar?

Dr Dolgoff: Simple sugars cause a quick spike in blood sugar and also cause it to drop very low a few hours later. At this point you might feel hungry, tired, and cranky. Because protein and fiber take longer to digest, they slow down the rate at which sugar enters your bloodstream so you don’t get that spike and quick drop-off in blood sugar.

Jenna: Why is it important for kids to have access to fiber and protein both in school lunch?

Dr. Dolgoff: Meals higher in fiber and protein take longer to digest and are a longer, more sustained source of energy. They also tend to be nutrient-rich instead of “empty” calories.

Jenna: What advantage does having a steady blood sugar level offer a school age child?

Dr. Dolgoff: The brain runs on glucose (blood sugar) and needs a steady supply of it to function properly. Having steady blood sugar prevents your child from being distracted by hunger and provides adequate fuel to think and learn.

Jenna: What do protein and good fats do for brain function?

Dr. Dolgoff: A diet high in protein and lower in carbohydrates may help to improve mood and prevent that sluggish feeling after lunch. Protein foods enhance the production of chemicals in your brain that promote feelings of alertness and that enhance energy. Studies show that kids who eat a well-balanced breakfast containing protein have better grades in school.
“Good” fats such as mono or poly-unsaturated fats have many functions in the body, including the formation of healthy brain cells. Fats also help to absorb some vitamins and produce hormones and other chemical “messengers” in the brain.

Jenna: What are some high fiber lunch friendly foods parents can be sure to include in the lunch box?
Dr. Dolgoff: Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole wheat crackers, bread or pita, cereal with more than 5 grams of dietary fiber per serving, nuts (almonds, walnuts)

Jenna: What are some of the side-effects of not getting enough protein that could impact a child during the school day?

Dr. Dolgoff: Without fiber and protein, a lunch composed mostly of simple sugars will cause your child to be hungrier sooner and may result in afternoon sluggishness and difficulty concentrating.

Jenna: What are some high protein/high fat foods that appeal to kids?

Dr. Dolgoff: There are not many foods that fit into those particular categories. The ones that do include nuts (walnuts, almonds), peanut butter and fatty fish (salmon), all of which we recommend because they have “good” fats.

Jenna: Is there one particular popular “empty calorie” lunch box staple you’d ask parents to stop putting in the lunch box?

Dr. Dolgoff: “Lunchables” lunch kits! They are full of processed meats and cheeses, high in saturated fat and low in fiber. I encourage parents to get creative and send finger foods to make your own lunchables. Here are some ideas:

• Celery sticks, peanut butter, whole wheat crackers and raisins
• Low fat cheese, whole wheat crackers, rolled up chicken or turkey slices and an apple
• Carrot sticks, a serving of tuna salad made with light mayo and some whole wheat crackers
• Sliced cucumber and carrot sticks, a scoop of hummus and whole wheat pretzels

Jenna: If you could change only one thing about cafeteria lunch program, what would it be?

Dr. Dolgoff: Probably the types of foods offered. Who decided that the only “kid-friendly” foods are chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, French fries and pizza? Healthier foods can be just as tasty and kid-friendly.

Jenna: Where do you stand on chocolate milk? Is the daily sugar habit worth the calcium and protein found in milk, or should parents of kids who opt out of white milk offer other calcium and protein rich foods?

Dr. Dolgoff: I'm not for chocolate milk. It is possible to get calcium, vitamin A and D in other foods, so I'd rather see kids get those vitamins and minerals from other sources than creating a life long habit of needing sugar to tolerate a drink. If a parent is already offering chocolate milk, I would limit it to once a day, and make sure the portion has no more than a teaspoon of syrup. That teaspoon can be reduced over time until the child can tolerate plain milk.

Jenna: Where do you stand on vitamin enhanced fruit snacks? If a child won’t eat many fruits and vegetables are vitamin enhanced snacks a good option? If not, what would you suggest?

Dr. Dolgoff: Vitamins aren’t the only nutrients that fruits and vegetables have to offer. They are also rich sources of dietary fiber and antioxidants, both of which can help prevent heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. Dietary fiber is filling and will help your child to feel satisfied until the next meal. For this reason, fiber can also help with weight management. Eating vitamin-enriched foods is no replacement for your daily 5-9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right
In her book, Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right, Dr. Dolgoff has indexed over 1,000 foods into three categories, Go, Slow and Uh-oh. This grouping helps kids learn which foods they can eat regularly, which ones they need to eat in moderation and which ones should be sometimes foods. I told Dr. Dolgoff that a lot of Food with Kid Appeal readers are the parents of preschoolers and may not have "weight management" or "overweight" on their brains as they look at their active, right sized toddlers. I was somewhat surprised to hear her response to my last question. I was a picky eater as a child, and while I struggled with 10-20 extra pounds throughout my 20s I did not have a child hood problem with weight. Fortunately in addition to a love for convenience foods, I also had a taste for many types of fresh produce I grew up seeing come out of my grandma's garden. Perhaps this balance of low nutrient and high nutrient food kept me from severe weight problems.

Jenna: What would you have parents of active normal weight toddlers and preschoolers look out for as warning signs of future issues with weight management?
Dr. Dolgoff: Many parents of grade schoolers and teenagers I've seen in my practice told me that when their child was a toddler they "never ate." They were relieved that their kids were eating anything at all, and never restricted the number of nuggets, fries and other convenience foods their young kids would eat. If I could say anything to the parent of a picky toddler, it would be this - they still need fried foods, and low nutrient foods in moderation. A child will eat quality nutrient rich food if they are hungry enough, and low nutrient food is not available.

Dr Dolgoff is is a pediatrician, child obesity specialist, and author of Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right (Rodale, 2009). Children from 45 different states are losing weight with her online weight loss program (http://www.DrDolgoff.com).

Full Disclosure: I have not read Dr Dolgoff's book, nor reviewed her online weight loss program. If you have an overweight child, I encourage you to review her materials and make an informed decision as to the best course for your child to lose weight.

Win a copy of Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right

1) Leave a comment on this post with your email address in this format jenna AT foodwithkidappeal DOT com and include an answer to this question: How concerned are you about your child becoming overweight as an adult: Very. Some. Not at All?

2) For a second chance to win, click here and sign up to become a reader or email subscriber to Food with Kid Appeal. Let me know you subscribed in a separate comment.

3) For a third chance to win, invite your facebook friends to become a fan of Food with Kid Appeal's Facebook fan page. Go here, become a fan, click the "suggest to friends" link under my photo. Let me know you invited friends in a separate comment.

The contest closes at midnight CST March 22nd. I will draw a winner on March 23rd. Good Luck!