Wednesday, February 17, 2010

How to Get Your Baby or Toddler to Love Eating Vegetables


Few parents have not encountered the challenge of convincing their baby or toddler to eat vegetables. Whether they are testing their independence or just simply do not like their veggies, at some point you can be sure they will refuse them. Follow the simple steps below and you will be amazed at the wide range of vegetables you will be able to feed your little one without them even knowing. Someday they will grow into vegetable loving adults thanks to your persistence and dedication.

Step 1:
Select a great new recipe that has flair or a family favorite that you know your child will love.

Step 2:
Decide whether the recipe has a mild flavor overall or a strong, pungent flavor. For example, rice pudding would be considered a mild flavored dish while enchiladas, on the other hand, have a strong, spicy flavor.

Step 3:
Choose a mild or strong flavored vegetable that will complement the recipe you are preparing, and blend well. You might also want to consider the color of the vegetable if your child has an aversion to veggie colored particles in their
food. Another way to disguise the vegetable is to peel it, if it has a brightly colored peeling.Examples of mild vegetables: zucchini, squash, eggplant, turnips, cauliflower, baby spinach, corn, jicama, yams.Examples of strong vegetables: bell peppers, carrot, broccoli, celery, turnip greens, beets, tomatoes, pumpkin, onion.

Step 4:
Grate or shred as much of the vegetable as you can reasonably pack into the recipe, while still maintaining a consistency that will work. Don't be timid, you would be surprised how many handfuls of grated carrots you can add to a bowl of oatmeal cookie batter!

Step 5:
Mix vegetable into recipe and prepare as you normally would. In some instances, vegetable might need to be cooked slightly or blanched before adding. Use your own judgment, but keep in mind that you will probably be cooking the vegetable more later on in the recipe after combining with the other ingredients. Don't forget to add some chocolate/carob chips or cheese as appropriate if these are needed to help distract your little one from the orange or green veggie specks!

Step 6:
If your little one is EXTRA picky, turn the vegetable into a puree before adding to the recipe. Chop and boil the vegetable just a few minutes in order to get it soft enough to puree in food processor or blender. Don't overcook; you will lose many of the nutrients. After pureeing, add to the recipe and prepare as directed.

Step 7:
Some great foods to mix veggies into are: cookies, cakes, breads, pasta dishes, macaroni and cheese, rice dishes, rice pudding, stir fries, burritos, enchiladas, casseroles, pizza, pan-fried salmon, crab or tuna cakes, pancakes, quiches, soufflés, soups, sauces, cream cheese/sour cream dips served with chips and anything else you can think of!

Step 8:
Be sure that your food has lots of flavor. Don't be afraid to add fresh garlic, onion, chili powder, cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, ginger, etc. These flavorings have great nutrients, as well as making the food much more interesting. Additionally, fresh herbs are a delicious and healthful way to add flavor to food:
basil, dill, mint, cilantro, and any others.

Friday, February 12, 2010

How to Make Simple but Decadent Chocolate Oatmeal

Living Green

This delicious and indulgent chocolate treat is a healthy alternative to satisfy your chocolate craving and can be enjoyed anytime, from breakfast to a late night snack. This is also a great recipe for children, because they’ll love the chocolate so much they won’t even realize they’re eating something healthy!

Ingredients:
* Uncooked oatmeal (rolled oats, old fashioned, steel cut, whole oats, etc.)
* Salt
* Semi-sweet chocolate chips
* Butter
* Real maple syrup
* Cinnamon

Directions:
Cook single serving of oats as directed and add a dash of salt while cooking. Add a few sprinkles of cinnamon too while cooking.

When oats are almost finished cooking, add 2 tablespoons of butter and stir to melt. Drizzle oats with maple syrup to reach desired sweetness and stir to thoroughly combine.

Pour mixture into serving bowl, and sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips. Gently stir to melt and swirl the chips throughout the oatmeal.

Sprinkle another tablespoon of chocolate chips on top as a garnish and for extra flavor.

For an added treat, put a dollop of whipped cream on top.

For extra fiber and some Omega 3's, stir in some crushed flax seed.


-Written by Kristina for eHow.com

How to Make Simple, Low Fat Crab Pasta Salad

Farfalle pasta


This pasta salad is a simple, healthy meal that you can prepare in about 20 minutes. It is great for lunch or dinner and makes delicious leftovers if you have enough for lunch the next day!

Ingredients:
* Box of any kind of pasta. Bow tie works great.
* 1 tomato
* 1 cucumber
* Handful of fresh chopped cilantro
* 1 bell pepper
* Italian dressing
* A little salt and pepper
* Dried basil
* 1 package of imitation crab meat
* Shredded parmesan
* Ranch dressing (optional)

Directions:

Boil water for pasta as directed. While boiling, add about ½ teaspoon of salt to prevent noodles from becoming sticky.

Wash vegetables, peel (optional) and chop to desired size.

Remove crab meat from package, separate pieces and chop or tear apart by hand.

When noodles are finished cooking, drain and transfer to serving bowl. Combine noodles, vegetables, spices, crabmeat and italian dressing in this bowl.

Mix thoroughly and serve right away as a warm pasta salad with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. You can also refrigerate before serving if you prefer to eat it chilled.
Refrigerate leftovers and eat cold later.

-Written by Kristina for eHow.com

Thursday, February 11, 2010

How to Host a Tea Party for Toddlers

Assorted cakes and teacups laid out on table, outdoors, close-up


A tea party is a great way to allow toddlers to socialize together while also learning manners. This is also fun for the moms too, and you will have some awesome photos to keep forever.


What you will need:
* Printed or emailed invitations
* Table & tablecloth
* Tea- decaf flavored tea is great for the toddlers
* Tea cups and tea pot
* Tea biscuits, cookies, petit fours or other snack
* Fresh flowers in a vase
* Elegant background music
* Tea party dress
* Camera

1. Send out invitations to everyone you want to invite at least 2 weeks in advance. Make sure you have enough seating for all invited.

2. The day of the party, place freshly ironed tablecloths on tables. It’s great if you have a small table to set just for the toddlers. Place flower vases on tables and use a small vase that’s hard to break for the toddler table.

3. Set out tea cups and saucers at each place, along with a folded napkin and tea spoon.

4. Put on your party dress and dress up your children in a party dress for a girl or nice dress shirt and dress pants/khakis for a boy.

5. About 30 minutes before guests arrive, put out cream pitcher, sugar bowl and sugar spoon and lemon slices to garnish tea cups.

6. Play a cd or music channel with elegant music such as classical or maybe some relaxing acoustic music.

7 . Make sure your camera is ready to take lots of cute pictures of the little ones.

8. Greet and welcome your guests. Pour the tea for all your guests. If you are serving hot tea, put a couple ice cubes in it for the toddlers. You might even want to put theirs in a sippy cup.
Relax and enjoy yourself.

-Written by Kristina for eHow.com