Food 101

The Perfect Puree

Starting your Baby on Solids

Eating Out With Kids…Can Be Fun!

I recently read an interview with a mom, who when asked which restaurants she would take kids out to, said none!  How unfortunate.  These days with busy schedules and limited time to always make supper at home, it is inevitable that many families eat out.  In our case, it is at least once weekly with our four year old, and this never includes the typical ‘kid friendly’ fast food places.
   
Our daughter went out to a restaurant for the first time when she was 7 days old, albeit she slept through most of our time there!  Through the years however, she has been to some of our favourite restaurants both in Vancouver and when travelling.  She is a regular at Osamu Sushi, Shijo, La Villeta, Bacci, Bacchus, Mahek’s, The Cannery, Hart House and Vij’s!  Definitely, not your everyday ‘kid’ places to eat at.  How do we do this, and find ourselves welcomed back at these restaurants?  Here are our ten tips based on what works for us:

1. We always eat supper together at home.  So when eating out, we eat together too.  Of course we occasionally go out just as a couple, but more frequently, we eat out as a family.
2. Supper at home is usually at around 6 or 6:30, so reservations at restaurants are usually at around the same time.
3. Even the best of children will not be willing to sit for a long time.  So, order your meals soon after getting seated and ask for your bill soon after finishing so that you’re not sitting around for extended periods of time.
4. While supper is being prepared at home, one of us will play with our daughter.  When going out, after food has been ordered and before it arrives, one of us will often go for a little walk with her just around the restaurant, or at Vij’s to the little fish pond outside.
5. At home we all sit down and then start having our supper together.  So at restaurants, we make sure that our food arrives together.  When she was an infant, we would pack her meal from home and ask the restaurant staff to warm it when bringing out our food.
6. A booster seat or high chair is no longer necessary.  However, when it was, we took our own that could be strapped onto a restaurant chair.  We found that restaurants did not always have a child seat, what they had was already in use, or on occasion we thought ours was safer!
7. We pick restaurants that we know she will like food at so Japanese, Indian and Italian are perennial favourites.
8. We have rules at home such as using cutlery, no blowing bubbles in the water glass, no eating with your mouth open, asking to be excused when finished, etc.  These same rules apply when going out.
9. We don’t drink pop at home so no pop at the restaurant either so less chance of having a child who has a sugar high on an otherwise empty stomach.
10. As a backup, we usually have some art supplies and books in a little red suitcase that we carry in the car.  At least I think it’s still there, we haven’t used it in a long time!

For additional resources, here are some great websites:   

• http://ww1.babyzone.com/parenting/mom2mom/default.asp?CatID=71
• http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/refcap/preschooler/ptravel/63913.html
• http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/parenting_tips/eating_out.html

We hope you have fun eating out with your little ones too – bon appetit!

Kalpna Solanki BSc MBA CPHI(C) is the President of BOBOBABY.  Kalpna is a mom and has a background in health and environmental management. BOBOBABY is the world’s first manufacturer of frozen baby food that is certified organic, kosher, age-appropriate, and free of the top 9 allergens.  BOBOBABY foods are available at more than 200 stores across Canada.

Overnight Apple-Blueberry French Toast Bake

12 months & up
(I am trying this recipe this weekend - yum!)

• Cooking spray
• 1 loaf whole-wheat bread (about 8 ounces) stale is good!
• 4 whole eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup low fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sliced apples
• 1 cup rinsed blueberries, can be frozen
• 1/2 lemon, juiced about 1 1/2 tablespoons
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange slices of bread in a single layer in the baking pan. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan. In a medium bowl, toss apples and blueberries with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar. Scatter the apples and blueberries slices evenly on top of the bread. Combine the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover and bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut into squares so your toddler can help herself.

Top with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or more chopped up fruit and enjoy!

This recipe is brought to you by the Liandrea Company.  Visit The Liandrea Company online at www.liandrea.com.

Smoothies and Frittatas...Yum!

Here are some healthy and delicious recipes to try out this month from Lianne & Andrea, founders of The Liandrea Company.

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STRAWBERRY-BANANA SMOOTHIE 12 months & up

• ½ cup strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped
• ½ banana, peeled
• ¼ cup yogurt
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp honey

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree.

For younger babies, omit the strawberries and honey (which should only be introduced after 12 months of age) and increase to one whole banana.
Non-dairy smoothie: replace yogurt and milk with soy milk.
Icy-cold smoothie: place fruit in freezer for 1 hr before making.

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ZUCCHINI FRITTATA 12 months & up

• 5 zucchini or yellow squash
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot or green onions, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• 6 eggs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded Jarlsberg cheese
• 1 tablespoon each minced fresh oregano and basil
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley

Trim the squash and cut into julienne. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and set aside to drain 20 minutes; rinse and pat dry. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 9-inch skillet and saute the squash along with the shallots and garlic until soft, add the tomatoes and heat through; set aside. Whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Heat the remaining oil and spread the zucchini over the bottom of the pan. Pour in the egg mixture and cook until set. (you may need to finish cooking for 10 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven, make sure your skillet has an oven-proof handle). Top with tomato mixture, Jarlsberg, and herbs. Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.

Visit The Liandrea Company online at www.liandrea.com.

Organic Food for Your Baby

Organic Food for Your Baby ... because it makes sense!
By Kalpna Solanki

As a family, we’re passionate about the environment and good food.  We had been eating organic food for more than ten years when our daughter was born.  Of course, her food had to be organic as well.  Why?

Because it's better for your child:

• Children with their smaller size, rapid growth rate and speedy metabolism are more vulnerable to developmental damage than adults.  Research shows that children get four times more exposure to pesticides in their foods than adults.
• Immature infant organs and body systems are more susceptible to damage from toxins in foods. Also, infant digestive tracts absorb toxins more easily, and young kidneys are inefficient at excreting toxins, allowing them to circulate longer in the body.
• Infants' diets are usually restricted to a small range of foods that may also place them at higher risk of pesticide exposure.
• Current regulations of acceptable pesticide residues allowed in conventional, non-organically grown food are based on standards developed for adult consumption, not children.  Children just cannot withstand that level of exposure without repercussions.
• Research shows that organically grown foods may be more nutritious than conventionally grown foods.  For example, organic fruits and vegetables have been shown to contain higher levels of vitamin C, and are richer in some antioxidants such as polyphenolic compounds.  Furthermore, organically grown grains may have better quality protein than non-organic grains.
• Organically grown foods taste better too

Because it's better for the environment your child grows in:

• Pesticides have a significant negative impact on beneficial insects, and other animal species.
• Organic farming methods develop vigorous, fertile soils that are ecologically healthy and can grow a wider range of crops.
• A reduction in the use of pesticides decreases the contamination of ground water and soils.

Because it's better for the people who grow your child’s food:

• More than 200 million pounds of pesticides were applied to the $3 billion worth of fruit and vegetables exported from Mexico to Canada and the US last year.  Farm workers, including child workers, are exposed to these pesticides and have significant health impacts as a result.

So, why organic food for your baby?  Think of it as an investment in your child's future - it's worth it.

Kalpna Solanki BSc MBA CPHI(C) is the President of BOBOBABY.  Kalpna is a mom and has a background in public health and environmental management.

Lawrence Mroz PhD(C) is the Director of Research and Nutrition at BOBOBABY.  Lawrence has a background in molecular biology and holistic nutrition, and is currently doing research in the area of diet and health.

BOBOBABY is the world’s first manufacturer of frozen baby food that is certified organic, kosher, age-appropriate, and free of the top 9 allergens.  BOBOBABY foods are available at more than 200 stores across Canada.

Mealtime Madness

Tips for getting dinner on the table night after night

By Ann Douglas

Ann Douglas is an award-winning journalist and the author of 27 books on pregnancy and parenting. She is the creator and author of the bestselling "The Mother of All" Books series, a well-known columnist and a contributor to numerous other parenting Websites and magazines. She is also a much sought after speaker who is recognized for her ability to entertain and inspire her audiences and to get to the heart of the issues of greatest concern to parents today.

Short answer: everyone doesn't. Lots of parents find making dinner a major challenge when there are little ones wanting and needing attention. That's why miracle products like salad in a bag were invented. Here are some of the survival strategies that have worked for our family and some of the many families I've interviewed over the years.

• Nurse your baby right before you think you're going to get busy in the kitchen, and then pop her in a baby carrier or sling so that she has a great view of what you're doing — something that may help to keep her entertained.
• Ask friends and family members to share their favorite recipes. Be sure to be explicit about your criteria: if it requires more than 15-20 minutes of kitchen preparation, it's probably not the right recipe for you right now.
• Set aside a particular kitchen in the cupboard for your toddler. It could contain toys, toddler-friendly kitchen paraphernalia, or a mix of both. Add something new to the cupboard daily (e.g., swap a couple of plastic containers for the plastic strainer you won't be needing for tonight's dinner). With any luck, this distraction will buy you at least a couple of minutes of mealtime preparation time.

Things seem to fall apart at our house most nights when I'm trying to make dinner. My baby will want to nurse or be held, my toddler will want me to play with him, and in the meantime I'll be trying to figure out how to get something more inspired than chicken nuggets on the dinner table. How does everyone else manage to make dinner without losing their minds?