gettin' on my soapbox

I am about to get all judgy and controversial. Maybe you won't like me anymore. This is definitely a hot button issue in some circles, so I understand if you disagree. But, here goes.


Preschool snacks.


I remember a conversation I had with a friend of mine before I had kids. She was upset over what her kids were being fed at school, and I kind of got it, but not really. But now I have a preschooler of my own and I totally get it. We are not crazy health nuts, trust me. We are a family of donut lovers and coffee drinkers (well, not the kids - they need no help in that department). In general, though, I try to make sure everyone gets a well-balanced diet consisting of lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and protein. When the little guy started preschool this year we got a handout explaining the rules of snack - no peanuts and generally healthy. 


"So buddy, what did you have for snack today?"
"Ooooh, it was good, Mama! Chocolate milk and chocolate pudding!"
"Uhhhh, that's it?"
"Oh, and some grapes."


Really, people? Chocolate milk AND chocolate pudding? At 10am? Really?


Those things aren't necessarily bad, but I mean, come on. Let's pace ourselves. And also, I have to deal with that sugar rush right before nap time. Geez.


Anyway, it's our snack week. I did send grapes and juice, even though my kids really never drink juice. It's a treat and it's fun to take something you like to school. I also made breakfast cookies, and I am going to share that recipe one more time, because kids do not even know it's healthy, and I did want my little man to be kind of excited about announcing his snack. 


So here it is!

cookies in the morning

This breakfast cookie is one of the best I've tried. It's an adaptation from the Sneaky Chef. We eat them more as a mid-morning or after-nap snack, but they are great to grab on your way out the door to eat on the go (and much safer than the usual bowl of cereal in the car trick my husband likes to try).

And of course you can mix up what you add in. We like dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. You could try raisins, apricots, coconut, almonds, pecans - or nothing at all! Play around with fun combinations.

So, here it is.

3-4 cups whole grain cereal flakes (like Total)
1/4 cup wheat germ or oat bran
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Use a rolling pin or mallet to crush the cereal in a plastic bag. Or just stick it in the food processor. You should have about 2 cups of coarsely crushed cereal when you're done.

Mix together cereal, wheat germ or oat bran (oat bran has a more appealing flavor for kids), flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, stir together egg, sugar, oil, vanilla and cheese. Combine the two mixtures.

I like to make bigger cookies, so I use about 1/4 cup per cookie and flatten them slightly on the cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, until the edges are just slightly brown. Let them cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Enjoy... And let me know if you come up with any noteworthy combinations!

super easy peasy teething biscuits

These were so easy and simple and my little dude is just so excited to feel like he is eating real food. He feels like he's part of the "in" crowd, I can tell. He doesn't have teeth yet, so I am going to recommend this for babies who are just gumming at this point, since that's what I know works. And of course, always stay close by to watch your kiddo when they're eating. But he sucked on these for at least twenty minutes at a time with no crumbling at all. Then it'd end up on the floor... and then he'd want another one. So, I call that success!

1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup baby rice cereal
1/4 cup baby food (I used homemade sweet potato puree)
1/4 cup 100% juice

Mix all of your ingredients together. Lightly flour your surface and the dough (it's really sticky, especially with whole wheat flour). Roll out to a little less than 1/4" (think thick cracker) and use a glass or cookie cutter to cut them (nice round edges are best). Bake on a lightly oiled cookie sheet at 325 degrees F for about 30 minutes.  Store in an airtight container.

I noticed on my first batch that the dough tends to bubble. Maybe it's the flour I used. With the second batch, I checked on them after about ten minutes and pressed them with a spatula to prevent the bubbling. I also pricked the surface with a fork. After another ten minutes, I flipped them to finish off. They get a little dark around the edges, but they're nice and hard and shouldn't break in baby's mouth.

You can feel good about them - nothin' bad for your baby. I keep them in the fridge - this recipe makes 7 or 8 biscuits - perfect for the week!

healthy snacks - preschool edition

I don't know about your kids, but mine has made up his mind about what he likes, and what he doesn't.  He doesn't even need to taste something to know his aversions.  While we encourage him to try new things, it's hard to talk to a two year old logically about the benefits of eating carrots. This can make mealtime frustrating.  Anyone else been there?

I used to stand in front of the fridge and think, "What in the world should I feed him?"  I decided to sit down and make a list of the things I know he likes (it actually was a lot longer than I thought it'd be).  That made mealtime a lot simpler.

But I also needed to get creative.  So I wanted to share some snack ideas that have gone over well, and they are sneakily healthy.  

Smoothies.  He would drink one everyday and they come together in less than 5 minutes.  I start with about 3/4 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of fruit (usually 1/2 of a banana and some frozen berries), one teaspoon of nut butter, a teaspoon of wheat germ and some kind of vegetable.  This week it was 3-4 florets of raw cauliflower.  Sometimes it's a few tablespoons of frozen spinach.  The trick letting it blend for 3-4 minutes so that it is smooth and velvety and no veggies are detected.  

Avocado and cottage cheese.  Protein, vitamins, and calcium.  This is a power pack.  Add a teaspoon of wheat germ for an extra boost.  He won't even try cottage cheese on it's own, but if I mash it up with 1/2 an avocado, it's gone in a flash.  

Monkey Sandwich.  This one is pretty obvious, but the name is what appeals the most to my kiddo.  Whole wheat bread (crusts removed, if need be), organic peanut butter + thinly sliced banana.  Protein, potassium, fiber - and it's a naturally sweet treat!

I have more to share, but first - what works for your kids?  Are they picky or will they eat whatever you put in front of them?  What tricks do you have up your sleeve?

homemade grahams

                              © One Healthy Mama 2008

I have been wanting to make these for a long time. I am so glad I finally did - they are delicious!  My kiddo loves graham crackers, but they all have high fructose corn syrup in them (I know there are some ads out there that say it's okay, but it really isn't. There may be more on that later.).   So I looked for a recipe to try, and this was just the ticket.  I found it on a few different blogs, and they were pretty much all the same.  This is the version I made, a collaboration of them all. 

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat graham flour (you can use reg. whole wheat flour, if you want)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (keep it in the fridge 'til you need it)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons molasses

1/4 cup cold water

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Mix together the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 

Add the cold butter and mix or process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (this took my kitchen aid a few minutes).

Add the honey, molasses, water, and vanilla. Mix until the dough comes together in a ball.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick between wax paper or plastic wrap. 

Chill for 1 hour, until firm. Lightly flour the dough and roll 1/8-inch thick. 

Cut into 2-inch squares (I used my pizza cutter). 

Arrange on a nonstick or parchment lined cookie sheets. 

With a fork, prick several holes in each cracker.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges (mine actually took 8). 

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan.

You'll never go back to the box.  These are SO good and rich and satisfying and you can feel good about eating them.  Try it!

the best dip ever

 Some people call it Cowboy Caviar, some people call it salsa, some people call it dip.  I just call it amazingly good. Not just because it is really good for you, but because it tastes so good, so fresh, so tasty.  It tastes so tasty?  Anyway, you really should try this as soon as possible.  It's so good you'll probably want to have some on hand all the time.   

Here are your ingredients:

(actually this photo shows how much you need to double it, so just pay attention to the recipe)

1 lb. bag of frozen white corn

1 15.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed

2-3 roma tomatoes diced (or 1 15.5 oz. can diced tomatoes)

1 bell pepper, diced (I used orange because it was on sale and it completed my rainbow, but any color will work)

1 large, semi-ripe (still kinda firm, no mush) avocado, diced (optional)

1 4 oz. can jalapenos (optional.  you can also use fresh or pickled)

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 red onion, diced  *this was missing from my photo - oopsie.

1/4 cup italian dressing (I like the light balsamic vinaigrette myself)

juice from 1/2 lime

salt to taste (I don't use it because the chips are usually salty enough)

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least an hour to let the flavors kind of meld and marry and get prepared for delighting your palette to no end.

I serve mine with the blue chips because they are better for you than regular old corn chips.  You choose what works for you and yours.  This is so good, you could just use a spoon if the situation was right.  

What makes it so beneficial?  Corn has vitamins B1, B5, folate, and vitamin C.  Black beans have antioxidants and are full of fiber, plus they maintain blood sugar levels.  Tomatoes contain iron, vitamins A and C, potassium, and can seriously reduce the risk of cancer.  Peppers contain more vitamins, plus thiamin, beta carotene and folic acid.  Onions can also reduce your risk for cancer. Even cilantro is known to help control blood sugar and lower cholesterol.  And I've already told you about the avocados. 

So don't just make it because it's so delicious, do it because your body needs you to.

And let me know whatchya think.

quite possibly the perfect snack

I love avocados.  I really, really love them.

Do you know how good these are for you?  They have vitamins A, C, K, E and B6.  Not to mention niacin, biotin, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium and protein.  Oh yeah, and they cover 30% of your fiber for the day.  It also has plant compounds that help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. What more could you ask for?  Plus they are creamy and delicious.

They can also be a great snack for the little ones.  You can mash it up and throw in a teaspoon or two of wheat germ for an extra punch of protein.  Sometimes I'll throw in a hard boiled egg yolk.  Even a little pureed spinach for extra iron.  It's all masked by the buttery goodness of that yummy avocado.  My kid will eat just about anything smothered in it.

Yeah, I know, they run about 3 bucks a pop at the grocery store right now.  But, you can buy a 4 pack for about 4 dollars in most stores (we get ours at Trader Joe's).  The beauty of bulk.  

I am so thankful for the first guy that cracked one of these things open and dug in.  The world is a better place.