breakfast Archives - Happy Healthy Kids

Why We Should Cook with Our Kids

January 16, 2017 by Kelley 2 Comments

This is a guest post by Cassie Phillips, a freelance writer from Ohio. For more on Cassie, see below.

There’s no better time to get your children involved in cooking than winter—we’re all forced to be inside more, and there’s something cozy about being in the kitchen together. So why not just break out the board games and order a pizza? Solid research—as well as nutrition gurus like Michael Pollan—have convinced us that kids who are exposed to cooking eat more healthfully and try new things. And the benefits aren’t only health-related either; teaching your children cooking basics can boost their confidence, inspire conversation, strengthen math skills, and foster independent thinking.

Ready to shake images of accidents and messes, and get your kids in the kitchen? Follow these steps to get started.

Start Small

It’s important to begin one step at a time and first determine what sorts of cooking tasks your children can safely and confidently complete. Giving them too many tough tasks too quickly can set the stage for disaster. To keep you and them organized, establish firm roles at the start of meal prep, and give them just a job or two to focus on.

Preschoolers have limited dexterity, so should be given tasks that involve less fine motor work. Think:
-finding and fetching ingredients from the fridge and pantry,
-tearing leafy greens or fresh herbs
-stirring and mixing ingredients together
-mashing potatoes, yams, or turnips
-garnishing dishes with spices (or baked goods with sprinkles). Just be sure to measure out ingredients for them in advance if you want them to decorate or garnish anything!

Kindergarteners and young elementary-schoolers love to get their hands into things. Put them to work by:
-Washing and cleaning dishes; fill up a sink with soapy water and let them have at it
-Scooping, kneading or forming dough
-Preparing pans or bakeware by oiling, greasing or lining
-Spreading jams, peanut butter, or frosting
-Squeezing or juicing citrus and pouring ingredients into mixing bowls.

Older children can be given the tougher tasks as they get better and more comfortable in the kitchen. Teach them to:
-Chop and slice carefully. It might sound counterintuitive to hand children knives, but they can be taught to respect and be proficient with them by the age 7 or 8.
-Measure ingredients. Older kids can begin learning and remembering recipes.
-Use food processors and electric mixers. Close supervision is essential, but once they get the hang of these appliances, it will really make them feel like a chef.

Find Kid-Friendly Recipes

A lot of the food that will catch a child’s eye might not be practical to make. Obviously, it may not be a good idea to start out by baking something complicated like a triple-layer cake or macarons, as pretty as they are. You want them to be excited to eat what they cook, though, so picking a stew, if your child is meat- and veg-averse, may not be a good idea either. Children need time to pick up the basics, so you should start by researching some kid-friendly recipes, and your kids will love. One nice recipe to start with is a healthy, simple afterschool snack like these easy apple rings.

YouTube has a great lineup of different cooking channels with age-appropriate recipes. Some of my family’s personal favorites include Cook with Amber and Nerdy Nummies. Cook with Amber is hosted by a kid—which children love—and has a great mix of both healthy recipes and desserts. Nerdy Nummies is unique because it focuses on fun food that references our favorite fantasy worlds.

Get Cooking!

As there are so many benefits to cooking with your kids, there’s really no reason not to get started right away. It may even help improve your health if you’ve traditionally avoided spending much time in the kitchen.

What kinds of dishes are you looking forward to cooking with your children? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

About the Author: Cassie is a health and technology blogger for eHealth Informer as well as Secure Thoughts and Culture Coverage. When not writing about her experiences and passions, she enjoys preparing healthy, delicious meals with her family.

School Morning Doughnuts

August 23, 2016 by Kelley 2 Comments

Hear me out.

Like lemonade, ice cream, and Fruit Ninja, doughnuts appeal to just about every kid. Of course, doughnuts are the epitome of a breakfast that you grab in a moment of weakness and regret when your child is hyperactive and hungry 20 minutes later. I’m pretty sure that if you want your child to bomb a test, your contribution to the effort would be to offer him a rainbow-sprinkled on his way out the door.

That said, what is a doughnut, technically, other than a fluffy, puffy, ring-shaped pastry? (Yes, I realize that connoisseurs would balk at this—including Pennsylvania Dutch grandparents, professional bakers who made, by all accounts, delicious fastnachts, yeast doughnuts traditionally fried in lard.) But with the whole wheat croissants at my favorite New York City coffee shop, Via Quadronno, in mind, it occurred to me that one could fortify the simple “cake” doughnut, even just a little bit, and have them still be appealing to kids. Having not seen whole grain doughnuts in the wild, I turned to my friend the Internet, and found and tweaked a couple of recipes (thanks to eatgood4life for getting me started). With some milk and fruit for good measure, these are two school-morning-worthy treats kids—and you—can get behind.

(A few things that seem key, here: A nonstick doughnut pan (I got two of these Wilton doughnut pans from Amazon); whole wheat pastry flour (pastry flour makes baked goods more tender, important for cake doughnuts); and some really good flavorings. Inspired by Ina Garten’s bookmark-worthy list of favorite pantry staples and a few free samples from the company itself, I’ve become pretty devoted to Nielsen-Massey’s vanilla and chocolate extracts. (At the risk of sounding like a really annoying baking purist, in simple baked goods, especially, quality extracts do make a difference.)

Whole Wheat Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts
Makes 6-8

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
(For topping:)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cooking or baking spray oil (I use Coconut Oil spray for most baked goods)

Steps
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray doughnut pan with cooking spray. Sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in small bowl and set aside. In medium or large bowl, whisk together sugar, milk, yogurt, egg and vanilla until smooth. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Distribute into doughnut pan holes, taking care to not overfill (about 3/4 full is just right). Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until doughnuts spring back slightly at a light touch. Cool completely. While cooling, in a shallow dish, mix melted butter and sugar and cinnamon for topping. Dip cooled doughnuts into butter and sugar mixture, coating on all sides.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Doughnuts
Makes 6-8

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (my favorite is Ghiradelli’s cocoa powder)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons of milk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola, sunflower or coconut oil
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
(For topping:)
1 cup white chocolate chips or white baking chips
Cooking or baking spray oil (I use Coconut Oil spray for most baked goods)

Steps
Preheat oven to 325 and lightly spray doughnut pan with cooking spray. Sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt) in small bowl and set aside. In medium or large bowl, whisk together sugar, milk, eggs, oil, and chocolate extract until smooth. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Distribute into doughnut pan holes, taking care to not overfill (about 3/4 full is just right). Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until doughnuts spring back slightly at a light touch. Cool completely. While cooling, in a shallow dish, melt white chocolate chips in the microwave at 30 seconds intervals, stirring each time you take it out, until smooth. (Should take at most 2 rounds for a total of 60 seconds. Don’t overheat. Spoon melted chips into snack or quart sized plastic bag. Snip tiny corner off of end. Pipe onto cooled doughnuts in any design you like.

The One Vitamin Worth Taking

May 5, 2016 by Kelley 1 Comment

Anyone who reads my blog knows that I’m skeptical of supplements. I echo the advice that most medical experts have given me time and again in my years of health reporting: The absolute best way for kids—and grown-ups—to get their vitamins is by eating a colorful variety of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, low-mercury fish, and whole grains.

Except, it seems, when it comes to Vitamin D.

At my pediatrician’s office for my youngest son’s 4th year well visit in early January, I confidently checked off every box she presented to me in terms of monitoring his health. I was presenting him with (mostly) healthy foods, putting him to bed early(ish), etcetera. (The thumb sucking conversation was a can I kicked down the road). But then Dr. Gara asked if I was giving him Vitamin D each day. Yes, I told her; he drinks a lot of milk. No dice, she said. He—and his brothers—should still be taking a 400 IU supplement of Vitamin D each day, she told me.

Funny, I thought that Vitamin D were mainly for breastfed babies, and that once kids started drinking fortified milk, they got what they needed. So I double checked with my trusty pediatrician advisers at Two Peds in a Pod, and they confirmed what Dr. Gara said. In 2009, the AAP upped all kids’ daily requirements of Vitamin D to 400 IUs. But what about kids—like mine—who put away enough milk in a year to nourish a small city? “(400 IUs) is equivalent to 32 ounces of milk per day. This is TOO MUCH milk for anyone other than an older formula-fed baby who has not yet started solids foods,” the pediatrician bloggers wrote in a post on the subject.

And what about Vitamin-D-rich sun exposure? In the summer months, kids should be wearing sunscreen to protect against skin cancer, which blocks much of the penetration of the vitamin; in the winter months, most children don’t spend enough time outside in sunny climates to get enough of a benefit.

The reason this all matters is that sufficient Vitamin D is essential for healthy bone growth, and also seems to help protect kids against certain illnesses, asthma, and allergies. Add to that a new study showing that toddlers who took extra Vitamin D were leaner and had greater muscle mass, and supplements are—I totally concede, now—a no-brainer.

For the past four and a half months, I’ve given my kids a Vitamin D supplement every morning (along with a Culturelle probiotic, but that’s a post for another day). None of them has had more than a mild cold all winter, a fact I realize provides absolutely zero evidence beyond the anecdotal but, given our family history of pukey and flu-y winters, I’m mentioning just for kicks.

There are a ton of fine-tasting, kid-friendly supplements of Vitamin D3 (the kind best absorbed by the body). Some are folded into a “complete” multi-vitamin, but as long as your child has a reasonably healthy diet, there’s no need to pay extra for that if you don’t have to. In 2013, Consumer Reports rated options for both adults and kids, here. Their top recommendations for kids are:

Carlson Laboratory for Kids 400 IU drops

Nature Made Kids Chewable D3 400 IU

Nature Factors Vitamin D3 for Kids

CVS Children’s Chewable Vitamin D 400 IU (This product doesn’t seem widely available anymore; my kids take the CVS brand gummies, here.)

Bottom line: We should keep serving kids milk and making sure they have lots of time outdoors, in the sunshine. But when it comes to Vitamin D, a supplement is best.

Photo Credit: Mark’s vitamin via Photo Pin, cc

Found: Easy Homemade Bread Recipe

August 27, 2015 by Kelley 4 Comments

In this inaugural summer of bringing three children out to eat to places that don’t serve your dinner in paper sacks, I learned that my kids and I share a favorite thing about restaurants: the breadbasket. Especially when it’s filled with warm, chewy, just a little crunchy, freshly-baked dough. When the chicken is “too spicy” or the vegetables “too saucy,” good bread saves a meal.

A little while ago, my middle son, the biggest carbophile in our crew, started asking me to serve “restaurant bread” with dinner. The truth is, in my early 30s, when I had one baby and grand plans about home-making everything, I tried my hand at baking bread, and never landed on a good recipe that didn’t involve a day of proofing and kneading (who has the time?) or a bread machine (who has the space?)

But a couple months ago, I hit bread-recipe gold, thanks to Alicia over at Somewhat Simple. It’s (no joke) really easy, as well as a nice way to pass the time with kids: while kneading, I give them their own balls of dough to shape. It’s also delicious—perfectly soft on the inside and a little crunchy on the outside. I can’t think of a better perk to a Sunday (or a boring mid-week) dinner. It goes well with summery salad, grilled chicken, or as the weather turns to fall, soup. Serve with a side of great olive oil for dipping or whipped butter for spreading.

Easy Homemade Bread (adapted from Somewhat Simple)

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

Dissove the yeast in the warm water in a very large bowl.
Mix in salt and flour until just combined. I do this in a food processor but you could also use a wooden mixing spoon or large fork. The dough will be very soft.
Cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
After rising, divide dough into two pieces and shape each into a round ball. Coat your hands and counter in flour to make it easier to manipulate dough.
Place each ball of dough on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper, and let it rest for 40 more minutes.
During this second rise, preheat oven to 450. Place a baking stone or overturned baking sheet (this is what I did; it worked perfectly) on the upper oven rack. Put a small broiler pan or small metal cake pan on the lower shelf. Heat the stone or sheet at least 20 minutes before baking.
When the dough is ready to bake, dust it with flour and cut three deep slashes across the top. Slide or place the dough from the parchment paper onto the stone or pan carefully. Put stone or pan back in oven if you have taken it out to place dough on it.
Pour a cup of water into the broiler pan/cake pan on the bottom of the oven and shut the oven door quickly. Bake until golden brown, 24-28 minutes.
Cool and freeze one loaf if not using within a day or two. Defrost on counter for an hour before serving.

https://www.happyhealthykids.com/found-easy-homemade-bread-recipe/

Do Table Manners Matter?

April 28, 2015 by Kelley Leave a Comment

I’ll never forget the first time I gave serious thought to my kids’ table manners. It was maybe four years ago, at my friend Megan’s house. She and her husband and kids had invited our family over for brunch. When it came time to sit at the beautiful table on her lovely porch, I noticed a few things: We were all sitting together (preschoolers, toddlers, and parents). We were all eating the same thing (I don’t recall what it was exactly, but I know it didn’t involve dinosaur-shaped nuggets or squeezy yogurt). And everyone’s place was set with glasses. Glass glasses.

My children hung in there for a few minutes, but before long, cream cheese was smeared, fussing ensued, and at least one boy had drifted away from the table in the direction of a toy, trailing bagel crumbs along the way. Our friends didn’t seem to care, but I did. Clearly, we had a lot of work to do when it came to eating in anything approaching a civilized manner.

Progress has been slow, and I know I have mainly myself to blame. To my husband, who’s more vigilant about keeping the baby-wolf-like behaviors in check at mealtime, I’ve tried to explain, lamely, why I sometimes let manners slide. It’s a matter of priorities: When you’re chiefly concerned with making sure three active and picky boys get enough to eat, some manners are going to fall by the wayside. Perhaps that means letting a child bring his Garfield comic book to the table to get through three more bites of chicken. Or letting someone use their hands to eat their green beans “because it’s more fun that way.” Or letting the baby drift away mid-dinner, because you’re just too damn tired to convince him to stay. (And too tired to stand your ground when the same child inevitably asks for a bowl of cereal an hour later.)

I’ve also occasionally questioned whether, in the grand scheme of a family meal, especially in the privacy of one’s home, table manners really matter. But I know they do, and not just for appearance’s sake. Convincing kids to sit at a table longer increases the likelihood that the food you’ve taken time to prepare gets eaten. Cutting out the kicking, interrupting, or yelling better allows family members to have those meaningful, important conversations. Keeping fingers out of food, drinks, mouths and noses reduces the risk that kids will spread and catch illnesses. The list goes on.

The trick is getting kids to do all these things without behaving like canines ourselves by barking our way through an unpleasant mealtime. Luckily, Lisa Collins, the mom behind Perfectly Mannered classes and workshops, lives in my town. She shared some really persuasive reasons for why we should be paying more attention to good table etiquette—and great tips for getting kids on board. As with so much smart parenting advice, the theme is pretty simple: consistency.

HHK: Do you think kids today have more trouble with table manners than previous generations?

Lisa Collins: Yes, because our fast-paced, on-demand approach to life minimizes the importance of table manners, and doesn’t create opportunities to learn and practice these skills. If we’re only sitting down for a quick seven-minute meal between carpooling to three different practices, homework and last-minute trips to the market, good table manners are barely on our dinner time radar. Our focus is on getting nourishment into our kids’ bodies, not on using the proper fork! But our schedules also reduce the time needed to practice good table manners. We are not born with this knowledge and skill set, and unless we give our kids the opportunity to practice table manners, we can’t expect them to simply pick it up by holiday mealtime.

HHK: What are the core table manners you suggest focusing on when teaching kids?

Lisa Collins: The four table manners I focus on first with kids are the ones which ensure we’re being considerate of the people around us.

Sit squarely at the table
Napkin on your lap
Don’t talk with your mouth full/close your lips when you chew your food.
Be present and engaged with the other people at the table.

HHK: What are some traditional table manners that you think are outdated now?

Lisa Collins: Anything to do with the role of women and girls at the table. Traditionally, women took a backseat to the men at the table, in terms of both the food and the social experience. Today, obviously, genders are equal at the table. However, it is important to remember to continue to give deferential treatment to any elders with whom you are sharing your meal.

HHK: What are some “new” manners we should be teaching our kids, that our parents didn’t have to worry about?

Lisa Collins: We need to be aware of what I call “digi-manners.” Electronic devices are a part of our everyday (every minute!) world, but need to be set aside, away from the table and out of reach, at mealtime. They take our attention away from the people we are with, they distract us, and they exclude (how many people can really watch a YouTube video at one time!). The key here is to practice what you preach. As hard as it is to restrain ourselves from checking our phone, there’s no way our kids will be okay stashing away their devices at mealtime if we don’t do it ourselves.

HHK: What are favorite strategies for helping children learn and follow the table manner rules you’ve set up for your family?

Lisa Collins: Practice, practice, practice. Give kids the opportunity to try out their new skills each and every day—and that means gentle reminders not only during meals, but also snack time and even pretend playtime for the younger set. Modeling good table manners is also a critical element of successfully teaching our children good table manners. Take your time to emphasize what it is you are doing, so those behaviors become a natural part of your family mealtime. This might mean setting aside a little more time, when possible, for mealtime, and not trying to cram it in between other, seemingly “more important” things.
At home, good table manners should also include setting the table and helping to clean up. These “jobs” help kids to not only learn proper table setting, but also to appreciate the entire dining experience.

HHK: How about restaurants?

Lisa Collins: Going out to eat is one of my favorite things to do with kids to teach good table manners. Eating in a restaurant provides a clear structure for learning and practicing good table manners, and ensures the meal will last longer than 15 minutes! From the time kids learn to talk, they should be ordering their own meal. Using the phrase, “May I please have…” is one of the easiest things for them to remember, and sets the stage for good table manners from the beginning of the meal to the end. And remember, no restaurant is too casual for proper table manners!

HHK: I’ve talked about how table manners can improve family bonding, nutrition, and hygiene. What are some other reasons you think we should be paying more attention to teaching table manners?

Lisa Collins: Three big things: One, good manners demonstrate you have respect and consideration for others. Things like chewing with your mouth closed or not grabbing the last roll teaches us a larger lesson of being sensitive to people around us. Second, it helps kids practice social confidence. Mealtime provides an endless number of social decisions that we have to make in short order and on your own (like, how do I answer a question if I have food in my mouth?) Finally, good manners can cultivate a healthy relationship with food. It creates a positive environment that connects food, other people, and ourselves to a singular positive experience.

Well said! For more about Lisa Collins, or to contact her with further questions, check out her website, Perfectly Mannered.

photo credit: Noo via Photo Pin, cc

Can Cereal be Saved?

March 5, 2015 by Kelley Leave a Comment

BusinessWeek just reported that Kellogg’s cereal profits have fallen for the seventh quarter in a row. Driven by concerns about sugar and gluten-free trends, Americans are less apt to eat cereal these days than to grab a nutritional bar, yogurt, or egg wrap, often on the go.

You’d never know that cereal was in trouble if you came to our house. My youngest two sons would happily eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks if given the choice. They came by their fondness for cereal naturally. In college, while everyone else was digging into eggs and pasta, I regularly ate Grape Nuts sprinkled with raisins for breakfast, and often lunch, too. It’s quick, easy, and satisfying. And at one point, I also thought it was super good-for-me.

Cereal was invented and popularized, by J.H. Kellogg and others in the late 1800s, as a health food. But after more than a decade of reporting on health and nutrition, it’s clear to me that cereal, by and large, deserves its comeuppance. Many have good amounts of fiber and B vitamins that are important to our diet. But many are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, and even more are low in protein. Some, like many virtuous-seeming granolas, are high in saturated fat.

Now, I try to buy lower sugar options and serve it with healthy sides, but there are certainly some days when my kids’ primary sustenance for at least one meal comes from a few scoops of sweetened flakes. I wanted to see what I could do to keep cereal on the menu without sacrificing nutrition. I scoped around and talked to my dietitian sources for ideas, and here’s what I’m hearing time and again. Turns out you can have your cereal and eat it, too; just make a few adjustments to what you serve, and how much.

Be choosy about what cereal you buy.. HHK advisory board member Dana White, R.D., a mom and author of the forthcoming First Bites: Superfood for Babies and Toddlers, looks for brands and flavors with the least amount of added sugar per serving—5 to 10 grams max. This may force you to look beyond the neon-colored boxes, since on average, cereals marketed to kids contain 40 percent more sugar than others on the shelf. (Buying cereals the whole family, not just kids, will enjoy also happens to be more budget-friendly.)

White likes cereals made by Nature’s Path. Last spring, the Environmental Working Group studied kids’ cereals and gave kudos to the following:

LEAST SUGARY KIDS CEREALS
Source: Environmental Working Group, 2014
Rice Krispies, Gluten-Free (Kellogg's)
123 Sesame Street, C is for Cereal (Post)
Cheerios (General Mills)
Corn Flakes (Kellogg's)
Crispix (Kellogg's)
Rice Krispies (Kellogg's)

Pour some milk over it (or alongside it). This seems like a no-brainer to some, but with the advent of individual cereal portions, many kids have gotten used to the idea that cereal can be eaten by the handful, not the spoonful. One of the virtues of cereal has always been the calcium, vitamin D, and protein in the milk traditionally added to it. Just one cup of low-fat milk contains 29 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium as well as 8 grams of protein.

Don’t serve it alone. Think of cereal as an accompaniment, not the main attraction, of breakfast. “Always add plenty of fresh fruit—on top of the cereal, or next to it,” says White. And think outside the berry crate: If your child prefers grapes or melon or apple chunks sprinkled with a little cinnamon-sugar, those fruits pair well with cereal, too. And adding protein is also crucial to a healthy breakfast. Some great sources aside from milk include a sprinkle of nuts or Chia seeds (2 grams protein per 2 tablespoons along with healthy Omega-3 fats)m; a side of yogurt, sausage, or a hard-boiled egg.

Photo credit: Mike Mozart and Jeepers CreepersMedia via Photo Pin, cc

Simple, Sneaky Nutrition Boosters

February 11, 2015 by Kelley Leave a Comment

I’ve never been a huge fan of relying on “sneaky” nutrition when it comes to kids’ diets. It’s not the subterfuge that bothers me; it’s the lack of real progress. Scientists say it can take more than 10 tries of a certain food before a child will like it: If the only way you prepare zucchini is to bury it in a loaf of chocolate chip bread (granted, a recipe I love), how are you training kids’ palates to accept the food? Not to mention that “sneaky” recipes—which invariably seem to rely on purees and the like—are usually twice as time-consuming and complicated than our busy life can bear.

And yet: I have three children who are on the picky spectrum, and getting at least one to try a new food one time, much less 10, is hugely challenging to us both. So I’m all for making quick-and-painless ingredient swaps and additions that nudge up nutrition, healthy fats, and calories without sacrificing taste. Here are some easy ideas.

25 Superfoods For Kids

January 22, 2015 by Kelley 1 Comment

I love the idea of superfoods—produce and proteins that naturally pack a nutritional wallop in each bite. However, the typical superfood lists found in magazines and health websites aren’t exactly workable for my family of three boys. If I have trouble finding, much less enjoying, goji berries and kombucha, how am I going to get my six-year-old on board?

Thankfully, Dana White, R.D. who is on our advisory board, has compiled a go-to list of kid-friendly superfoods in her fantastic new book, First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers, which includes tips and easy recipes for feeding children of all ages. Whereas many healthy food lists are compiled by sources whose expertise lies, er, elsewhere (i.e., bodybuilders and massage therapists), Dana is a certified dietitian and mom who knows her stuff and provides stats and delicious recipes to back it up. Click here or on the image link in our “Great Reads” column on the right to pre-order the book or its Kindle edition (it’s available Feb. 3), and check out 25 of her 50 favorite superfoods for kids, below. One of my New Year’s resolutions: adding one new food from this list to my shopping cart each week, and trying it out with my kids. (Next up: coconut milk smoothies.)

And here’s a hint: Go ahead and tell your kids that you are serving them a “superfood,” and explain to them how it benefits their bodies (“carrots can help your eyes have super vision”; “salmon is good for your brain and can help you learn,” etc.) They may be just a little more motivated to try it.

Apples

Full of fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants, this is a naturally sweet treat that’s great to always have on hand.

HHK recipe: Best Easy Applesauce, Six Ways

Avocados

A great first food, this creamy green fruit has heart-healthy monounsaturated fats as well as vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and potassium.

Beans

Black or kidney beans can pump up the protein and fiber in kids’ diets, and are soft and easy to eat.

Bell Peppers

There’s more vitamin C in a bell pepper than an orange, and kids who are opposed to cooked veggies often love to snack on raw red pepper strips.

Berries

Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cranberries are all filled with antioxidants called anthocyanins, which protect blood vessels and the nervous system and improve eyesight.

HHK recipe: Summer Berry Corn Muffins

Broccoli

Served raw, steamed or oven-blasted with a bit of butter, these “little trees” contain cell-protecting antioxidants as well as fiber and other vitamins.

Brown Rice

Brown rice has 10 times more energy producing B-vitamins than the white kind. Get kids started on it early, and try brown rice crackers, breads, and pasta, too.

Carrots

These bright-colored veggies, served raw or cooked to bring out their natural sweetness, provide all kinds of nutrients important for growth, development, immunity and vision.

HHK recipe: Carrot-Apple Muffins

Cheese

Cheese packs protein plus bone-building calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus—try mild versions like Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or American at first.

Chicken

The flavorful dark meat contains healthy, polyunsaturated fat, and the mild flavor and tender texture makes it a great first protein for babies.

HHK recipe: Honey-Lemon Chicken Thighs

Coconut

Swap water for coconut milk as a cooking liquid for rice or noodles or add it to smoothies—it’s a natural source of electrolytes (sodium and potassium), and most boxed versions are fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

HHK recipe: Hummingbird Bread

Corn

Do you know corn is actually a whole grain? It’s full of the antioxidant zeaxanthin, which benefits vision, and also contains some fiber and protein. Opt for unprocessed versions—in popcorn or corn on the cob.

Cucumber

Low in calories, high in water content, and pleasingly crunchy and mild, this is a great choice for kids who turn their nose up at other green veggies.

Eggs

Hard-boiled, scrambled, or mixed into baked goods, eggs contain just about everything that’s good for growing bodies: protein, healthy Omega-3 fats, and vitamins A and D.

Honey

Suitable for kids over age 1, honey is a natural sweetener for oatmeal, cereal, and baked goods; a teaspoon or two can also help soothe coughs.

Kale

Surprisingly kid friendly when used as a crunchy salad ingredient or baked into chips, this leafy green vegetable contains oodles or vitamin K plus iron, potassium, calcium, and folate.

Kale Chips

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 cups

You can find these packaged in the chip section of many supermarkets, but making your own is quick, easy, and cost-effective. Excerpted from First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers by Dana Angelo White. © 2015 by Dana Angelo White. A Perigee Book, Penguin Group USA, A Penguin Random House Company.

Ingredients

1 large bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped (about 6 to 8 cups)
1-2 Tablespoons of oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
A pinch of paprika, cumin or mild curry powder (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Place kale on baking sheets. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss well. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once or until leaves just become crispy.

https://www.happyhealthykids.com/superfoods-for-kids/

Milk

One cup provides about a quarter of the daily recommended amount of bone-building vitamin D, and is also a great source of vitamin B12 for DNA formation and energy metabolism.

Oats

Use it in granola, cookies, or muffins—it’s full of heart-healthy soluble fiber.

Oranges (and other citrus)

Oranges and clementines are sweet, simple treats most kids love; try dipping segments in dark chocolate for a special treat.

HHK recipe: Orange Juice Sherbet

Pasta

A classic kid-favorite food, pasta is enriched with vitamin B and iron, and is excellent fuel for active little ones. Start with easy-to-digest white versions, but introduce whole grains early so kids can acquire a taste for them.

Pears

A truly under appreciated fruit, pears are a serious source of fiber and vitamin K. Pearsauce is a great alternative to applesauce.

Pork

Chops and tenderloin are low in fat, and have more B vitamins than most other meats. Slow cook to make tender for tots—they’ll love the mild flavor.

Pumpkin

High in vitamin A and antioxidants like beta carotene, it can be pureed and served plain for babies or added to muffins and quick breads for the whole family. Don’t forget the seeds—a tasty source of iron.

Seafood

In June, the FDA increased their recommended amount of fish that children should be eating. Low-mercury choices like cod, salmon and shrimp are high in protein and a good source of Omega-3 fats that are vital for brain development.

HHK recipe: Kid-Friendly Fish Recipes

Yogurt

Each cup contains a hefty dose of protein, calcium, and gut-friendly probiotics, and many brands are fortified with Vitamin D.

HHK recipe: Popeye Smoothie

Holiday Treat: Hummingbird Bread

December 18, 2014 by Kelley 1 Comment

I’ve written before about how much I like homemade quick breads. They’re easy to make, can be packed with fruits and veggies, stay fresh for days, and can serve as a snack, breakfast, or dinner side dish. For all these reasons, they also serve as great gifts.

This holiday season, I’m making a new fave, Hummingbird Bread. Inspired by the cake that famously ran in the 1978 issue of Southern Living (and is to this day, the magazine’s most requested recipe), it contains bananas, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and cinnamon, ingredients that are easy to get, and yet feel like a tropical escape, in the middle of wintertime. I’ve based this recipe on one from the great Beth Bakes blog, but made some changes, including adding coconut, a pinch of salt, and swapping out pineapple for vanilla yogurt.

If you really want to remain true to the original, you can ice the entire loaf with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of chopped pecans, or toast slices and slather them with cream cheese. I like it plain, warm, and alongside a cup of coffee, warm apple cider, or hot chocolate.

Hummingbird Bread

Ingredients

Half stick of butter, softened
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 mashed, ripe bananas
6 ounces vanilla yogurt
8 ounces crushed pineapple (canned or pureed in processor)
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut (I blitz these in processor a bit so the cut is finer)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric or standing mixer, and then add mix in eggs, bananas, and yogurt at low-medium speed. Fold in pineapple.
In separate, medium-sized bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add in batches to the wet ingredients, stirring until just incorporated. Fold in coconut at the end.
Pour into greased and floured, 9 x 5 loaf pan (or divide between 2-3 mini pans). Cook for 45-50 minutes (or about 35-40 minutes for mini pans, checking for doneness).

https://www.happyhealthykids.com/hummingbird-bread/

How Important is Cow’s Milk for Kids?

October 21, 2014 by Kelley 2 Comments

Got milk? Maybe not, if you’re on trend with the latest federal data. What used to be an automatic addition to families’ weekly shopping list is being replaced by a widening array of dairy alternatives, such as soy, almond, rice, and hemp milks. Other parents are ditching the idea of milk altogether and just sticking to water, juices and other drinks. Since 1975, cow’s milk consumption has dropped 25 percent.

The problem: Kids who don’t drink cow’s milk often lose out on certain key nutrients, particularly vitamin D. Canadian researchers report that children who drink milk alternatives are twice as likely to have low levels of the vitamin, which is crucial for healthy bone development. (When vitamin D levels are low in our bodies, we’re unable to absorb bone-building calcium.) Five years ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics doubled its recommended daily intake of vitamin D for children from 200 IUs to 400 IUs. Virtually all cow’s milk sold in the U.S. contains D3, an animal-derived form of the vitamin that the body seems to absorb particularly well, and 3-4 cups will supply a child with his recommended 4oo IUs for the day. Many, but not all, alternative milks are fortified, and when they are, it’s usually with plant-dervied D2, which most experts believe to be a less potent source of the vitamin.

Most kids get a healthy dose of vitamin D during the spring and summer if their arms and legs are regularly exposed to the sun. But from now through March, sun-dervied D is in short supply in much of the U.S., meaning children in the northern half of the country must get their daily D through their diets. Kids can get some of the vitamin through fortified orange juices, cereals, yogurt, cheese and eggs, though those food sources rarely measure up to cow’s milk when it comes to the amount of D per serving. What does: fatty fish. Salmon, tuna, and mackerel contain as much or more vitamin D—the potent D3 kind, no less—per serving than milk. But these fish aren’t on kids’ menus for a reason. Milk is considered to be the “best” form of vitamin D mainly because most kids are happy to consume it; if they don’t or can’t, it’s tough to find an alternative children will get enough of.

If your child doesn’t drink a few glasses of D-fortified milk everyday and isn’t able to get enough vitamin D through the foods above, there is a solution: supplements. Yes, they are an added cost, and hard to remember to dispense in the chaos of a morning, but they can be an important investment, particularly now, when the leaves are starting to turn and the sun goes into hiding for several months. The supplement-review company Consumer Lab has rated Carlson Super Daily D3 400 IU for Kids highly. They are liquid, tasteless drops, so they should go down easy (or easily snuck into food or a drink). It’s $13 for 10 ml, and since only a drop or two is a daily dose for a child, the bottle will last awhile. (If your child already drinks fortified milk, be sure to consult your doctor before using a supplement, since there is a thing as too much vitamin D, points out HHK adviser Dana White, R.D. A blood test can confirm whether your child is getting adequate amounts.)

Also, if you have any recipes that have turned your kids into salmon or tuna lovers, please share below or here. I’m working on a post about helping kids like fish—many parents’ nutritional white whale—so your recipe could make it into an upcoming piece on the site.

photo credit: Hades2K via Photopin, cc license