Kids in the Kitchen

As seen on WB-2
Recipes at the end of the backgrounder below
"10 Simple Strategies: Shopping with Kids" by Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD, posted after the recipes
http://www.elizabethwardrd.com/
For more information go to: www.maryleechin.com



Kids in the Kitchen: Make Healthy Eating Fun

The best way to get your kids to eat healthier is to make healthy eating fun and get them involved with all aspects of food: planning, in the grocery store, and in the kitchen.
Ø Important as kids need to achieve eating the recommended 2 cups of fruit/day plus 2 1/2 cups of vegetables. It is a very difficult recommendation for people to reach, especially kids.
Ø Just 1/4 cup of dried fruit, such as California Raisins, counts as a fruit serving. It's easy to reach the daily goal of 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables when you focus on including a variety of them in every meal and snack.
Ø Here are some tips and recipes from registered dietitian Mary Lee Chin, for getting your kids to eat healthier—and they won’t even know it!

Does grocery shopping with young kids test the limits of your patience and sanity? Do rambunctious little ones and temper tantrums make shopping more drama than it's worth?
Ø Fear not. Given the right conditions, taking toddlers and preschoolers to the supermarket can be productive, educational, and dare we say it -- fun.
Ø You're serving as a role model when you grocery shop with kids, especially when you stop to chat with them about healthy foods.

OK, you're sold on the idea of grocery shopping with your young children. Here are 10 tips to make it easier. Go to www.maryleechin.com to get the ten tips, and here are a few to get you started. More at the end of the recipes below.
Ø Let your child help you make a grocery list
Ø Take your child shopping and let her pick out one new fruit or vegetable to try.
Ø Ask your child to choose four apples, or four green apples, or four round fruit.

At home, involve your child in the kitchen-let them help you cook.
Ø Keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand such as Snack-sized California Raisins
Ø Provide fun, colorful ingredients for your child to sprinkle on their foods-such as cherry tomatoes or raisins, or diced red or green peppers. Bumps on a Bagel recipe below.
Ø A simple game for kids to encourage trying a new fruit/veggie is to place food in a brown paper lunch bag. Kids put hand in the bag and try to guess what it is. Cook with the child using the new item at the next meal to introduce new food. Fruit Salsa Salad recipe below.

And here are some kid favorite recipe tips
Ø Add nutritious ingredients to foods you know they already love to eat. Freckled Salad recipe below.
Ø Find simple recipes that even 2 or 3 year old kids can help cook. Toasted Apple Raisin Munchables recipe below.

And finally-provide a sweet dessert with some nutritious bits!
Ø Favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe below.

For more information and recipes go to http://www.calraisins.org/raisins_home/

RECIPES

Bumps-on-A-Bagel
4 servings

2 bagels, split
2 small ripe bananas
Cinnamon
1/2 cup California raisins

PROCEDURE
Toast bagels. In medium bowl, coarsely mash bananas. Spoon onto bagel halves; sprinkle with cinnamon. Top each with 2 tablespoons raisins; press gently.
Notes: Substitute 1 teaspoon grated orange peel for cinnamon; stir into mashed bananas.Substitute chocolate syrup for cinnamon; drizzle onto mashed bananas.

Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 210 (4% from fat); Total Fat 1g (sat <1g,> Cholesterol 0mg; Protein 5g; Carbohydrates 46g; Fiber 3g; Iron 2mg; Sodium 190mg; Calcium 36mg

Fruit Salsa Salad
Makes 4 cups

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, cut up
1 kiwi fruit, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large orange, peeled and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup California raisins
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey, if desired

PROCEDURE
In medium bowl, combine all ingredients; stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until chilled. Serve the same day for best flavor with broiled or grilled chicken or pork.

Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 190 (3% from fat); Total Fat 1g (sat 0g, mono <1g,> Cholesterol 0mg; Protein 2g; Carbohydrates 47g; Fiber 5g; Iron 1mg; Sodium 5mg; Calcium 46mg


Toasted Apple Munchables
Serves 8

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 medium apple, cored and diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup California raisins
8 very fresh, whole-wheat bread slices

PROCEDURE
In a small bowl, stir sugar and cinnamon together. Add dried apple and raisins; stir together. Cover with wax paper and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more or until the apples are soft. Meanwhile, trim crusts from bread slices and discard them. Flatten the slices to 1/8-inch thick with a rolling pin. Spoon about 2 tablespoons raisin mixture on one corner of each bread slice and spread slightly. Fold bread over filling to make a triangle. Seal edges by pressing with fork tines. Toast in toaster oven or under broiler until lightly brown on one side; turn and brown other side.

Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 100 (9% from fat); Total Fat 1g (sat 0g, mono <1g,> Cholesterol 0mg; Protein 3g; Carbohydrates 22g; Fiber 2g; Iron 1mg; Sodium 120mg; Calcium 25mg

Freckled Salad
Serves 4

1 package (3 ounces) lemon flavor gelatin
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
Ice cubes
1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup California raisins

PROCEDURE
Spray 4 tea or coffee cups lightly with nonstick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine gelatin and boiling water; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add ice cubes to cold water to equal 1 1/4 cups. Stir until gelatin is thick; remove remaining ice.
Add pineapple and raisins to gelatin; refrigerate 15 minutes or until starting to thicken. Stir to distribute fruit evenly. Carefully spoon into tea or coffee cups. Refrigerate 2 hours or until completely set. Run knife around edge of each salad; unmold onto individual serving plates.
Note: An easy recipe for kids. Parents may want to handle the boiling water.

Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 190 (1% from fat); Total Fat <1g> Cholesterol 0mg; Protein 3g; Carbohydrates 47g; Fiber 2g; Iron 1mg; Sodium 80mg; Calcium 17mg


Our Growers Favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Makes 36

The perfect oatmeal-raisin cookie from California raisin growers.
2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups California raisins
2 cups pecan halves

PROCEDURE
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars and vanilla together until light and fluffy and sugar is completely dissolved. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition. Combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon; mix well and gradually stir into creamed mixture. Fold in rolled oats, raisins and pecans. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in preheated oven at 350°F. Remove cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 290 (46% from fat)total Fat 15g (sat 7g, mono 6g, poly 2g);Cholesterol 40mg; Protein 3g; Carbohydrates 37g; Fiber 2g; Iron 1mg; Sodium 180mg; Calcium 17mg;

10 Simple Strategies: Grocery Shopping With Kids
From: By www.ElizabethWardRD.com
WebMD Feature April 1, 2008

1. Consider Timing. There may be no perfect time to shop with a rambunctious 3-year-old or a toddler who is teething, but some times are better than others. When possible, go grocery shopping with a well-rested child.

2. Allow Plenty of Time. Grocery shopping with small children is typically not a quick affair. Give yourself plenty of leeway to get the job done.

3. Focus on the Familiar. Grocery stores are noisy, bustling places that may overwhelm a young child. Bring along a favorite toy, blanket, or book from home to make them feel more secure.

4. Have Realistic Expectations. Small children tire easily. An hour-long foray into the grocery store may be enough. Don't push it by trying to do all of your errands at once.

5. Set Limits. Begging for treats at the store can really get on your nerves. Make it clear when grocery shopping with your kids what will happen once you're in the store. No matter what, stick to your guns to minimize whining next time.

6. Involve Your Kids. Kids love to feel a part of whatever is happening. The more you give kids to do and think about, the easier and more fun grocery shopping is for everyone.

7. Try Not to Think Too Much. Figure out what you need to purchase at home, then make a list. Your powers of concentration may be limited by your child's needs once you're grocery shopping.

8. Reward Good Behavior. You expect your toddler or preschooler to behave in public, but doing so in a grocery store may prove particularly taxing because it's such a stimulating environment. Let kids know how good they were in the store by taking them to the park later, or reading them a story when you get home.

9. Be Prepared to Leave. Young children are fickle. You may be gung-ho to get two weeks worth of grocery shopping done, but 10 minutes into the trip, it's clear your little one wants out.

10. Stay Safe. An American Academy of Pediatrics study revealed that more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 were treated in emergency rooms in 2005 for injuries related to shopping carts. Falls from carts topped the list of trauma. Cart tip-overs, becoming trapped by a cart, and being run over by a cart were injurious to young kids, too. Never let kids stand up in the cart and don't let them ride on the front, back, or side. Children should not push carts by themselves. When seated, use a seat strap to keep kids secure. Little ones who are on foot should hang on gently to the cart while you slowly push it.

The first time or two you go grocery shopping with your kids you may leave frazzled, with fewer groceries than you went in for. Yet remember, this is a skill you're both developing. Like teaching your tot to get back on his or her bike, don't be afraid to try, try again!