Food Expeditions with Kids, episode 3
…Continued from episode 2
Watermelon has always been a favorite in our family. We were amused to discover that it is also a favorite of the white-faced capuchin monkey, who steals it from the visitors to Manuel Antonio Park whenever possible. Sadly, stealing food is simply an opportunistic behavior that these animals have adopted in response to the plethora of human visitors to their habitat. These monkeys can also be found sneaking into the recycle bins on the park grounds to consume Coca-Cola that is left in the discarded cans. These animals take advantage of any opportunity that they finds for additional caloric intake. If foods with poor nutritional value become abundant, their health begins to fail and their population size can decline. Both the monkey and our family give Watermelon a 3. (Photo taken by my dad.)
We were very excited to taste the Star Fruit. We hoped that the flavor would reflect the beautiful shape that this fruit displays when cut in slices. While we loved the crunchy consistency that reminded us of jicama, we were disappointed with the lack of flavor. The membrane that separates the “star” into sections was tough and got stuck between our teeth like floss. Our family gave this fruit a 1. (Below — our daughter is excited to taste the fruit, but was ultimately disappointed; our son gave it a thumbs-up!)
Tune in soon to see the results of our delicious tropical marmalade taste testing…
Hot Ham and Cheese Pastries
If your kids haven’t hit the magic years between roughly 8 and 18 when their interests suddenly explode in direct proportion to how much work and laundry you have and homework they have, and you’re spending more time on the sideline and in the bleachers than on the sofa, I have a few words of advice:
- Rest up. And while you’re at it, save up. If gas is expensive now, who knows how much it’ll be by then.
- Enjoy not going out. You will come to revere — that’s right, I said revere — nights when you just get to stay home.
- Start a collection of grab-and-go meal ideas. Being prepared with an arsenal of meals that prep and cook quickly and can be eaten on the go will prove invaluable later. Trust me. You don’t want to find yourself in some fast-food drive-thru most nights of the week, on a first-name basis with the intercom, breathing the exhaust fumes of the car in front of you and pleading with your kids, again, to sub out the fries with the apple slices.
Little Orange Dreams
As the weather finally begins to warm up, my daughter has started laying on the puppy dog eyes when it comes to snack time. Claiming heat exhaustion, she assures me that only an icy cold treat will get her through the steamy hot afternoon. We’ve already begun stocking the freezer with juice pops and frozen yogurt, but sometimes they want something just a little bit different. In the frozen novelty aisle at the grocery store, they are constantly being inundated with bright colors and large portions, and really, who needs all that?
One of our favorite frozen treats is the ice cream sandwich; those simple chocolate wafers surrounding vanilla ice cream are always a welcome sight. Unfortunately for little hands and little tummies, one ice cream sandwich is far more than they need to be eating any time of the day. While looking at the cookie selection one day, I became inspired by a simple box of vanilla wafer cookies. Why not make our own? Then we can make them whatever size we like, and we can also make them whatever flavor we like.
Zander got to choose the ice cream filling, which actually ended up being orange sherbet. Sherbet is bright, refreshing, and also happens to be a healthier alternative to ice cream. We took one wafer cookie and topped that with a small scoop of orange sherbet. A second wafer was pressed onto the sherbet, and then the whole assembly was wrapped tight with plastic wrap and placed in the freezer for two hours to allow the flavors to meld together. It worked beautifully, and the kids were ecstatic with their new frozen treats. One apiece was plenty for them, while Mom and Dad nibbled on a few each,and didn’t feel near so guilty about the indulgence. Quick and easy, these will be a new standard warm-weather treat for us, and will make an excellent addition to a birthday party or two as well.
Mother’s Day Menu Kids Can Cook
Lizzie Marie shows you step-by-step how to create a fabulous Mother’s Day Menu http://lizziemariecuisine.com/index.php?itemid=492
Green Eggs & Ham (with pesto and prosciutto), Marinated Berries and Fizzy Fruit. Treat your Mom to an extra special breakfast in bed!
Marinated Berries
An amazing way to jazz up fresh berries!
INGREDIENTS:
1 pint fresh berries (your favorites: strawberries – cut into bite size pieces, blackberries, raspberries), washed and rinsed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons organic sugar
Place all ingredients into bowl and carefully mix. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Mix before serving. Serve by itself, on top of cheesecake, whole grain pancakes, shortcakes, etc. Be creative! Serves 4.
Green Eggs and Ham
A super simple and fast way to create a gourmet breakfast.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cage-free all-natural eggs
1 tablespoon all-natural pesto
1 slice prosciutto (Italian ham), torn into bite size pieces
Grated parmesan reggiano cheese
To taste sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Crack eggs into mixing bowl and loosely scramble with pesto. Heat pan on medium heat, add butter and move butter around to coat pan. Pour egg mixture and prosciutto into pan and slowly move eggs with spatula until cooked. Top with cheese. Serves 2.
Optional ingredients:
Replace prosciutto with chopped turkey or ham.
Fizzy Fruit
A refreshing drink and healthy replacement for soda or sweet tea.
INGREDIENTS:
4 oz. Pellegrino sparkling water
4 oz. 100% all-natural fruit juice
Pour water and juice into glass and enjoy! Serves 1.
Optional ingredients:
Try different juices for variety; cranberry, orange juice, etc. Be sure to use 100% fruit juice.
Warmly,
Doreen and Lizzie Marie
New Teddy Bear Trail Mix
It’s always nice when you can find a kids’ snack food that has the enticement of bad food, but isn’t actually all that bad. The new Nabisco Teddy Graham Trail Mix is fun for kids (especially toddlers who haven’t had any nuts yet).
There are two types, a Bears and Bees mix and a Bears and Cheese trail mix. We picked up the Bears and Bees version at the store.
There’s no question. This isn’t the perfect kid snack food. This isn’t as healthy as serving up fresh fruit or veggies. It also is something you could totally make yourself. In fact, I found a teddy bear trail mix recipe here.
It is, however, a nice occasional alternative to typical packaged snack foods and cookies. It’s also nice to have something nonperishable in the pantry that’s just ready to toss at hungry kids.
Both varieties have 130 calories per serving (one-eight of the box), 3.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein, 6 grams of sugar and 1 gram of fiber.
The Bears and Bees version has chocolate Teddy Grahams, graham bee cookies, pretzels, and yogurt covered raisins. It was extremely popular with my kids, probably even more so than when they just get Teddy Grahams for snack.
You can find out more, and see full nutritional information, at Nabisco’s Teddy Graham Trail Mix site.
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