Kids Cooking and Cookbook Blog

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Have you ever eaten soggy potato chips right down to the greasy bottom of the package? Or eaten dried out cake to the last few crumbs? Why do we eat foods that don’t even look or taste good?

Hard questions to ponder.

For help in getting you and/or your children out of traps such as this and to really appreciate the taste, smell, and enjoy the sight and feel of different foods, head on over to http://HealthyKidsEatingTips.com. While there you can pick up a Free Report with lots of kid-friendly food activities that will make them use their creative thinking skills. Start your kids out by being really aware of what they are eating.

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There is a great article about McDonld’s latest offering – FMO (fruit and maple oatmeal) by Mark Bittman in the New York Times ‘Opinion page’. You can read it  here.

Be sure to click on the link describing how to make your own oatmeal. You’ll never know how many people eat oatmeal for breakfast – unbelievable.

Had my granola (made with oatmeal) and yogurt this morning…

Lee Jackson
Books for cooks and apple lovers, kids,
families and parenting professionals
http://www.ImagesUnlimitedPub.com

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You may know children who are picky eaters, or who refuse to try new foods, or even those who exhibit bad behavior at mealtime. As food patterns develop early, parents need to guide young children toward having good attitudes about food and mealtimes.

Here are hints for establishing good eating patterns in childhood.

Don’t force children to eat everything on their plates. Sometimes food helpings are larger than needed so don’t expect them to eat everything. Sometimes children do not feel like eating, just as happens to adults. Encourage the sampling of all food but children should not be made to sit at the table until everything is eaten. You can imagine the kind of feelings toward food this action represents.

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You all remember the story of young George Washington chopping down a cherry tree? The story goes: His father asked him whether it was he who cut down the tree, and he said “I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down the cherry tree.” Whether the story is true or not, cherries have always been associated with Washington.

In memory of George Washington on his birthday the 22nd, let’s cook-up something special. Here is a recipe for miniature cherry cheesecakes, courtesy of Amy Houts in her children’s cookbook, Cooking Around the Calendar with Kids – Holiday and Seasonal Food and Fun.

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Mary Todd met Abraham Lincoln at the age of 21 when she went from Kentucky to Springfield, Illinois to live with her sister. At that time, he was, in his own words, “a poor nobody”. Though opposites in background and temperament, their three-year often stormy relationship prevailed. She continued to have great faith in his abilities as a public figure and he admired her excitement and enthusiasm for life.

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On this Presidents Day week-end, we take a look back at history. . .

When George Washington took his oath of office in New York City on April 30, 1789, and assumed his new duties as President of the United States, his wife, Martha Washington, remained at home and wouldn’t join him until mid-May.  She watched her husband of 30 years depart with a mixture of bittersweet feelings, wondering “when or whether he will ever come home again.”  He was obeying his call to duty but had little hope of reaching the expectations of this high office. It was a difficult time in our country’s history.

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Presidents Day is held the third Monday of February. This was first designated as a federal holiday to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States whose birthday is February 22. Now, in addition to Washington, we honor the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is February 12, and other past presidents.

Our American currency shows the profiles of past presidents. Many of our coins as well as bills have pictures of a number of presidents. An interesting site is at  http://www.newmoney.gov/education/default.htm where children (and others) can take an interactive quiz about the relatively new $100 bill, which features Benjamin Franklin. They give interesting information about the changes this note has undergone and how to tell a real bill from a counterfeit.

Children vary in their food needs and eating habits. Some children are very picky eaters, others go on various same-food binges. Then there are others who like and eat a little of everything. Everybody is different. That’s a good thing!

Parents often get overwhelmed, though, by the so-called problem eaters. This is a difficult time to get through. However, if they can learn to adjust to the individual differences without making an issue of eating, mealtimes will be much happier.

Here are a number of fundamental mealtime goals most parents want their children to meet.

Allergies plague many children today. Food allergies are commonly triggered by certain nuts, peanuts, shellfish, fish, milk, eggs, wheat, and soybeans.

Symptoms can appear within minutes, or up to several hours after the person has eaten the food to which they are allergic. These can include rashes, swelling of the lips, tongue, face and throat, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, and others.

The best test for identifying the substance suspected of causing an allergy is to eliminate it  (whether it is a food, or a pollen, or a chemical compound). Then note whether the symptoms disappear and health is improved.

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Valentine’s Day is over, but are you still on a sugar high? Chocolates and other sweets can be highly tempting as well as addicting.

Here are 5 tips you can use now to cut back or eliminate sugar:

• When the urge hits to have a candy or sweet, have a drink of water or brush your teeth.
• When you have the craving, wait 10 minutes, then wait 20 minutes, then see whether you have defeated it.