Recently, my 5 year old son came up to me and announced his desire to become a train engineer when he grew up! Everyone in the family, by now, is aware of his fascination with trains, which consumes him every minute of the day. But this was taking it a little too far, I thought to myself. No doubt, train engineers do important work, but their profession is not generally considered to be at the top of the list. Such lack of ambition bothered me a little at first.

What happened next was an interesting turn of events through the day which took me on an emotional roller-coaster ride. I share this experience in an article on whattoexpect.com and I invite you all to check it out.

Here is the link to When I Grow Up. Share your thoughts and feelings in a comment below.

©2011 Littlestomaks.com

We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day to celebrate Easter Sunday!

After an early morning egg hunt with other toddlers in the neighborhood, the twins played hard in the backyard. As the morning turned into noon, it was time for lunch, which they insisted on having outside as a “picnic”!

Here they are,  munching on a turkey-cheese sandwich and cheesy cauliflower. A strawberry-banana fruit/veggie punch from V8 (12 g sugar per serving) went along as the drink.

Hope your family had a wonderful Easter today!

©2011 Littlestomaks.com

photo credit: Ani Carrington

“If you could be a fruit, what would you be?”, I asked my daughter on a whim at bath time tonight.

“Pineapple!”, she said without any hesitation.

“Why?”, I asked to get the conversation going…

“Because it is sweet and I love it!”, again came the reply without any hesitation…

It came as a surprise because we aren’t really into pineapple in our household. No special reason, it just turns out to be that way.

Maybe they get it at daycare, I thought.

I turned my attention to my son this time.

“If you could be a vegetable, what would you be?”

“a potato”, he said after a brief pause.

“Why?”

“Because I love it”.

Hmmm, it must be the waffle fries we got him last Friday at a Chick-Fil-A take out, I thought.

Whatever the reason may be, kids relate to a specific fruit or a vegetable because they love it, not because it is good for them.

So often, we get carried away by the science and what we read that we try to motivate kids to eat fruits and veggies because we think it is good for them.

Somehow, we need to figure out how we can get them to fall in love with fruits and veggies.

What has worked for you? Please share.

©2011 Littlestomaks.com

This is a guest post by registered dietitian Alysa Bajenaru. She blogs at Inspired RD about food and fitness.

Does your family have a designated pizza night?  If so, I would like to challenge you to try making your own pizza next time.  In the same amount of time that it takes you to call in a pizza order and wait for it to be delivered, you can make a much healthier version and have fun as a family putting it together!  Making homemade pizza is one of our favorite ways to come together as a family.  It is also a fun way for our kids to try new vegetables.

We either make our own dough (you can find an easy focaccia recipe here) or use refrigerated whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s.  The kids accompany me to the store where they choose veggies, cheese and sometimes meat to top their pizza with.  Lately, my 3-year-old son has been choosing butternut squash, zucchini and chicken apple sausage with mozzarella cheese.  The best part about family pizza night is that everyone can make their portion of the pizza just the way they like it!

Tip: Chop the vegetables into small bite-sized pieces.  Kids will add more to their pizza this way!

Have the kids help you roll out the dough and spread on the sauce.  Put different toppings out on a cutting board or in small bowls.  Cut the dough into smaller pieces so everyone can have their own pizza, or just designate different areas on one large pizza.  Encourage your kids to choose at least one vegetable.  Throw it in the oven for 12-20 minutes (depending on your dough) at 450 degrees.  Slice, serve and enjoy a family dinner together!

Here are some topping suggestions to get your creative juices flowing:

-marinara sauce, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella cheese
-arugula, butternut squash, pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan cheese
-pesto, asparagus, tomatoes, fontina cheese
-barbecue sauce, shredded cooked chicken, pineapple chunks

Start thinking about family pizza night in a whole new (and healthier) way!

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

This is a guest article by pediatrician Dr Ayala.

photo credit: mia3mom

I believe that anyone can cook, and that everyone should know how to cook.  I believe that teaching our kids how to cook healthy food is an important life skill that will not only enable good choices; it can also influence their food preferences.

I started teaching my kids how to cook as soon as they showed the slightest interest. My first lesson involved making a good green salad, and included the basics of how to wash and dry lettuce, and the simple principles of mixing a good salad dressing. The second session’s product was a nice bowl of lightly salted edamame in their shell, which my kids still think of as “addictive food”.

I didn’t get into brownies and cupcakes until much later. I figured that creating a dish makes its creator treasure it, and why waste a lesson of love on brownies, which any kid’s bound to fancy anyway.

In his new book The Upside of Irrationality Dan Ariely, professor of behavioral economics, devotes a chapter to the well know phenomenon of falling in love with the things we make, and the irrational value we attribute to the objects we had a more intimate relationship with. Ariely titles the chapter “the IKEA effect”— the Swedish maker’s assemble-it-yourself shelf Ariely labored over for hours somehow has a special place in his heart, and Ariely investigates why it’s so.

Through a series of experiments, involving the creation of origami animals, Lego patterns, and real-life examples of successful and unsuccessful businesses, Ariely comes to several conclusions regarding the evident connection between labor and love:

• Putting effort to an object changes how we feel about it — we value the things we labor over
• The harder we work on something, the more we love it
• We’re so invested in the things we labored over, and value them so much, that we assume others share our (biased) overvaluation of our creation
• Although working hard on a task makes us love it more, not completing the task is a deal breaker. We have no attachment to tasks we failed at or failed to complete.

Interestingly, Ariely also shows that both people and animals would rather earn their keep and work for their food. Even mice seem not to value free meals, at least not on a regular basis.

Kids in the kitchen

The lessons above are valuable and applicable to many aspects of life: I think “the IKEA effect” chapter (the whole book in fact) is a good read for any employer or employee seekeng greater work productivity and satisfaction, and for any parent contemplating showing his kids photos to a stranger (no, he doesn’t think your kids are the cutest — he couldn’t care less).

But back to kids in the kitchen. Learning how to cook is a valuable life skill that will not only enable kids to eat healthier — no matter what you make at home it will usually be healthier than the bought version — but can also be a great tool in directing their preferences toward those foods you’d like them to eat more of, namely, fruits and veggies.

Ariely’s lesson also made me think of the importance of giving kids a task they can complete. I suppose that being responsible for just one small step in a complicated dish would result in much less creator’s pride than being able to claim the creation from start to finish as your work. So selecting recipes that are of just the right technical difficulty to be challenging, but not too hard for a kid to complete is the name of the game.

This week we made potato gnocchi from scratch. I wasn’t sure my kids would be able to create dumplings that hold up in the boiling water their first try — I had many less than stellar attempts at this dish before I sort of mastered it — but beginners luck, or maybe I can take some credit as the instructor, they made incredible light-as-a-cloud gnocchi.

Ariely wrote nothing about clean-up having anything to do with the creator’s adoration of his handwork. Wish he did — I tend to find myself all alone when clean-up comes, and honestly, I can’t tell my kids that clean-up will result in great satisfaction in the same way cooking and serving your creation does.

I’d love to hear about your adventures in the kitchen as a kid or with kids.

Dr. Ayala

Read more from Dr. Ayala at  Ayala’s Herbal Water blog.
Follow Dr. Ayala on  Twitter

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

We just came back from another wonderful visit to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World! No doubt, the magic continues to delight and amaze thousands of visitors every day even though the lines are long and there is always something you don’t get to do before it is all over. We enjoyed the Halloween decorations everywhere in the park. The parade at night was absolutely fantastic; or shall we say “magical”!

There was, however, no magic in the kids menu which had the usual hot dogs, chicken nuggets, mac ‘ n cheese and french fries. In one of the restaurants, we found a packaged peanut butter jelly sandwich. Packaged apple slices, carrots and grapes were available as side items. Not surprisingly, soda was everywhere, although I am glad milk and bottled water were included in the dining plan! No shortage of sugary treats and salty snacks either.

If Disney wants to stay ahead of the curve, they must bring magic to the kids menu.

What do you think?

Ever since we planted a small vegetable garden in our backyard, it has been fun watching the plants grow each day. And now they are beginning to bear fruit as we were able to pick two fresh eggplants for a quick side dish. We made our favorite grilled eggplant and yogurt salad recipe which turned out to be extra delicious! Here is how it all came about:

Two eggplants that made it to our table today

It’s so much fun to pick ‘em up right from the vine!

Now, let us brush a little olive oil

Grill them nice….

Peel the skin off, crush, mix with yogurt and garlic, and garnish with chopped cilantro

It turned out to be great fun and we enjoyed the salad with our dinner!

Here are a few interesting facts about eggplants if you are up for a little food trivia:

1. Eggplant is actually a fruit, although it is cooked like a vegetable. It belongs to the nightshade family and closely related to potato and tomato.
2. Eggplant originated in India. China is the largest producer of eggplant in the world. 85% of the world production comes from only 5 countries.
3. Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing eggplant to the US.
4. Although not rich in nutrients, eggplants do contain a fair amount of fiber, vitamin C, B vitamins including folic acid, potassium and magnesium.
5. The raw fruit has a bitter taste due to nicotine compounds. When cooked properly, this bitter taste can be very delicious!
6. Eggplant contains different types of antioxidants which remove free radicals and protect the body against cell damage. One such antioxidant found in eggplant is called chlorogenic acid which is considered to have anti-cancer and anti microbial properties. It also slows down the release of glucose in the blood after eating.
7. Another antioxidant found in the skin of the eggplant is called nasunin. It is supposed to be effective in lowering bad cholesterol, although it has not been proven in human trials.
8. Different names for eggplant – brinjal in India, aubergine in France, melanzana in Italy, meloongen in the Caribbean
9. Eggplant is high in histamines and is known to cause allergy in skin or mouth. Eggplant leaves are toxic and should not be eaten.
10. Through its long history, eggplant has sometimes been celebrated as an aphrodisiac and sometimes despised as a cause of insanity. Say what you like, today it is used in many different delicious recipes across the world!

Do you like eggplant? Share your favorite recipe in comments below.

Sources:

Wikipedia
WHFoods
National Garden Bureau

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Okay, so this is a little off topic and not so much about nutrition. But we had so much fun making play dough at home this weekend that I just wanted to share it with you all!

First, here is the recipe we found from an old magazine:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tsp liquid food coloring
• 2 tbs cooking oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 4 tbsp cream of tartar

Method

1. Combine water, food coloring and oil in a small bowl
2. Add flour, salt and cream of tartar to a large saucepan
3. Over medium heat, slowly pour the water-oil-food coloring mixture into the saucepan while stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until a ball of dough forms
4. Cool the dough for 5 minutes then knead with your hands until it is smooth
5. Store in refrigerator when not in use

The twins had a lot of fun kneading the dough, mixing up food coloring and eventually making shapes out of the play dough!

Of course, being the scientists we are, we simply had to understand the chemistry of play dough! It is really quite fascinating. Here is a short excerpt from how play dough modeling comp0und works which also has a lot of other cool facts about play dough.

Starch granules break down as warm water is added to the flour and the mixture is stirred. Slowly, the mixture becomes gelatinized and turns into a soft, pliable dough. Cooking oil acts as a lubricant which makes it easy to form it into different shapes. Salt acts as a preservative. Cream of tartar is a very important player in this chemistry because it adds strength to the dough. Cream of tartar is actually a by product of wine fermentation where it forms as a potassium acid salt of tartaric acid. In cooking, it is commonly used to add stiffness to egg whites. It is also used to prevent crystallization of sugar.

Commercial play dough contains a lot of other chemicals for making it more stable, less sticky, moist and resistant to bacterial and fungus growth.

Enjoy!

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

We are taking the idea of eat local to a whole new level…just kidding!

We now have a small vegetable garden in our backyard. I know it’s a little late because the summer in North Florida seems to be at its peak right now. But hey, better late than never, right?

Anyway, we have planted 3 Japanese eggplants, 3 sweet peppers, 3 tomatoes and a bunch of parsley and mint. I am using  a mix of simple top soil and cow manure in an attempt to stay away from heavy fertilizers. Not sure how it is going to turn out, but I want to give it a shot.

The main goal behind this garden is to get our twins interested in growing plants. I am hoping it would further increase their attachment to fruits and vegetables. They are beginning to show a little interest in getting water out of our rain barrels every evening to feed the plants and flowers. They also like to dig up the soil and make a mess everywhere! We are thinking of getting them a set of new colorful garden tools.

If you have a vegetable garden, I would love to hear your advice and suggestions about managing without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Please leave a comment below.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Getting young kids to eat salad greens and other veggies is a challenge for most parents. We are no exception as we try different ways to get our twins to take a few bites. A while ago, we had some success with our eating salad like a giraffe story, but it didn’t last too long.

Recently, out of the blue, and much to our surprise, our son has become a regular salad eater. He does love pretending to be a giraffe as he nibbles on the salad greens with his neck stretched out! Check out this recent video in which special musical effects were provided by his twin sister!

It is funny, no doubt, but the trick works because now we have a secret ingredient. Turns out that he likes it when we add a little ketchup, a tablespoon of plain yogurt and a sprinkle of salt over the greens. Call it a weird salad dressing, but it seems to work every time!

As they say, the secret is in the sauce. What has worked for you?

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Our little monkeys have recently picked up the expression I am horrified from somewhere, and once in a while, they play the horrified game with each other! Usually, it involves making a throaty “Aww” sound followed by a pause and and a shocked, surprised face like this:

And then they burst into laughter! It is a hilarious sight to watch.

Today, it turned out to be a great way to get them to sit down at the table and eat their lunch. We had some leftover cheese ravioli, which they like to eat with a sprinkle of organic cheese (their word for grated Parmesan cheese) without any sauce. They were tired after playing hard in the morning sun and were in no mood to sit down and eat! After a little thought, and in a flash of sudden inspiration, I got them into the horrified game in exchange for a few bites of different things on the table!

“If you eat this ravioli, I will be horrified, I said as I demonstrated their familiar horrified expression”.

It caught on, because they were soon going at each other popping a piece of ravioli in their mouth and playing the game.

Son: Baba, if I eat this ravioli, you will be horrified, right?

Me: Yes, absolutely! As I played horrified in return for his effort. He giggled as he saw my frozen face!

Meanwhile, I was eating some leftover pizza and I threw the challenge out to them -

Me: If I eat this pizza, you will be horrified!

It was my daughter who made the face this time in response:

It was incredibly funny! We went around several times, taking turns playing the horrified game. Soon the ravioli was gone, the glass of milk was empty and everybody was feeling happy.

It was now time to turn to the pieces of cantaloupe and honey dew melon waiting patiently in a bowl.

Me: (confident that the formula was working) If you eat this orange melon, I will be horrified..

It worked as both of them grabbed a piece each and popped it in their mouths, waiting for me to do the horrified face. And then some more giggling and laughter…and then we went around, taking turns playing the game.

Soon that was gone too and it was time to clean up before settling down for a nap.

Not bad for a half-hour of fun, I thought,  where fussiness was replaced by laughter as they finished their lunch.

Bottom line: Getting toddlers to sit down and eat as a family is a challenge for most parents, us included! We try to do something silly and make up interesting stories to keep their interest. Sometimes it is the Diesel Food For a Diesel Engine while at another time it might be something like Eating Salad Like a Giraffe! Recently, it was to get them to ask their little stomach about what it wanted to eat!. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but when it does, it is a great way of capturing their imagination while stretching your own.

Share your story. What has worked for you in getting your little ones to sit down and eat with you?

Getting toddlers to sit down and eat as a family is a challenge for most parents, us included! What we try to do is to spin interesting stories and silly conversations to keep their interest. Sometimes it is the Diesel Food For a Diesel Engine while at another time it might be something like Eating Salad Like a Giraffe! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but when it does, it is a great way of capturing their imagination while stretching your own.

We had another silly, but fun conversation at dinner today. Before I get into it, here is what was served so you get an idea:

1. Fettuccine with Turkey meatballs
2. Green beans with olive oil
3. Mixed salad
4. Plain yogurt, Feta cheese, grated Parmesan cheese
5. Plain milk, water

The twins love to eat pasta with a sprinkle of organic cheese (their word for grated Parmesan cheese). They mostly nibbled on the pasta and took only a few bites out of the meatballs. My daughter tried the feta cheese and a little milk from her glass.

The delicious green beans were not even touched! Our initial offers were met with stubborn resistance from both the twins! I knew I had to think of something interesting to nudge them into at least trying a few of them!

An idea popped into my mind as I announced -

“Hey guys, I am hearing a faint voice from your stomach. Let me get closer and use my special powers to listen to what it is saying”

Daughter: (with a huge grin as she lifted her T-shirt to show her stomach) – what is my stomach saying baba?

Me: Hmm..let me listen. I think it wants to eat a green bean. Just like my stomach…Mmmmm, these beans are d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

Daughter: (giggling) Really? Give me a bean, give me a bean..

I popped one of those beans in my mouth as I announced loudly “bean coming…bean coming”

It worked…she went straight for the beans and pulled one out from the main dish in the center, imitating “bean coming…bean coming” as if to alert her craving stomach!

Me: Now ask what your little stomach would like to eat next…

Daughter: (lifting her T-shirt) My little stomach, what would you like to eat now?

Me: My stomach says it wants another green bean…

Daughter: Me too, give me a bean, give me a bean…

Bean coming…bean coming….

I had her hooked, and even though I enjoyed it a lot and wanted to laugh out loud, I kept the game going! Popping the whole green beans one by one in my mouth and relishing the rich tomato-onion sauce, I continued to eat while pointing to my own stomach. She imitated my every move and ate a few, one after the other, enjoying the taste and making Mmmm… sounds!

After a while, as she seemed satisfied and full, I asked again – “now what does your little stomach want to eat?”

She paused for a moment and reflected back – “it’s full now, it wants to drink a little milk”

Well done, I thought! I didn’t press any further as she finished her milk and left the table.

Bottom line – get creative, get silly and just try new ways of encouraging your kids to eat more fruits and veggies.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Greetings! In this week’s Five for Fridays, I will highlight a few interesting videos and articles related to toddlers and restaurant manners. I started the week with 7 ways to handle bad manners when eating out with kids, so this seems like an appropriate way to reinforce the message! Let me know what you think and share your favorite tips.

How dinosaurs eat their food

This video is sure to catch the attention of your little one because of the dinosaurs who show really bad table manners like burping,  belching, making loud and rude noises, throwing food etc. In a funny way, it can teach your child what not to do!

Needs first, manners second

A very interesting perspective is offered by Dionna in her article Mind Your Manners, where she suggests that we pay attention to the child’s underlying need behind the behavior that shows bad manners. It may be a physical reason such as hunger, fatigue or sleepiness. Or it may be psychological reason such as frustration, jealousy, anger or need for attention. Adults have these needs too – and if you think about it – they too do not show good manners and friendly behavior if they are feeling that way. In those moments, it is not helpful to lecture about good manners with a don’t do that, or a do this. Rather, you have to pay attention to the underlying need and find a way to fix it before a meltdown!

Toddlers and mealtime manners

Excellent tips on mealtime manners from the Better Health Channel of the Victorian Department of Health from Australia! A range of mealtime topics such as sitting down to eat, making a mess, wasting food, table manners and reward systems are covered and several practical suggestions are provided under each. I really liked their perspective on why getting angry or worrying whether your child has had enough to eat is not useful. Kids are very perceptive and usually reflect back your anger and anxiety through unruly behavior. Keeping your emotions in check is the key. Have realistic expectations which are appropriate for age and development level. Keep your cool, stay firm and be consistent. And by the way, persuading children to clean up their plate because there are hungry children in the world does not work!

Parents speak out on teaching children to behave at restaurants

I liked this discussion about teaching restaurant manners to children because of a range of opinions and tips from parents based on real life experience. Consensus opinions seem to be training at home, family meals, early exposure to restaurants, and being ready to leave when things get out of hand. One parent advises good luck, patience and understanding, while another suggests involving them in food selection and engaging in a conversation. Another interesting suggestion is to go out in a group with other friends and their kids. Lots of interesting comments here!

Can you teach my alligator manners?

This is a funny series on Playhouse Disney which features a young boy named Mikey and his alligator pal Al, who is fun and cute but has no manners at all! The music is catchy and animation fast paced to capture the short attention of young kids. The great thing about it is that it asks the kids to recognize when Al is being polite and when he is not by picking one of the two color-coded squares which show these behaviors. Very good reinforcement indeed!

In this particular clip about restaurant manners, kids learn about eating with a fork and not their fingers, eat without making faces or noises, and not burp!

The alligator series is one of our favorites; have you seen it?

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

The twins got the idea of a hungry emergency from Little Einsteins, one of their favorite shows on Disney. In this particular episode, the Little Einsteins team goes on a mission to collect ingredients for a rocket soup to help their rocket out of its hungry emergency! They loved it when rocket’s tummy grumbled with hunger and its hungry emergency meter reached its highest red alert level.

As soon as the show was over, they rushed into the kitchen and got on their chairs and started yelling: Baba we have a hungry emergency! Suddenly, their breakfast this past Sunday turned into a game!

My daughter generally eats Froot Loops with milk and honey, while my son favors Raisin Nut Bran, mainly because he likes to pick out the raisin cookies! In addition to their usual cereal, we also offered some strawberries, pears, blueberries and feta cheese. They had a blast digging into all of them just so they could get over their hungry emergency!

Breakfast on weekends are special for us. This is when we get to enjoy our breakfast the Turkish way. Cut fresh fruits, vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, mint with olive oil, feta cheese, olives, toast, veggie omelette or hard-boiled eggs, beef salami are all shared in small plates laid out on the table. Although it is common to eat toasted bread with butter, strawberry or cherry jams or honey, we skip the butter these days and use cheese spreads instead. Freshly brewed hot Turkish tea and orange juice are also served. Sometimes we invite our friends over for a weekend brunch that goes on for a couple of hours!

Try this hungry emergency game with your little ones and let us know how it goes!

This post is a part of Big Words Little Foodies from Jenna of KidAppeal, who is encouraging parents to keep track of funny quotes their kids come up with at mealtime. Check her column out for stories from other parents.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Maybe it was the new giraffe poster TwinToddlersMom used for decorating the kids’ room the other day. Or maybe it was the eating broccoli like a dinosaur video I saw on KidAppeal. Whatever it was, all of a sudden I found myself coming up with a new challenge for the twins that night at dinner – hey guys, let us eat this salad like a giraffe!

I demonstrated – exaggerating my every move – how they could pull out a piece of leafy lettuce from the salad and slowly put it in their mouth with their neck stretched long.

It was hilarious, and it worked! Within minutes, my daughter was digging into the salad bowl, pulling out leafy lettuce and shoving it inside her mouth – look, I am eating salad like a giraffe! Even my son, who doesn’t show any excitement for anything green, quickly join in the fun.

It didn’t last very long though. They did not like the taste of lettuce and soon they were spitting it out. Still, at least they gave it a shot!

The salad is very easy to make. We usually get a ready-to-eat box of organic mixed greens to throw in a quick salad along with cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and fruits (whatever we can find – pears, apples, strawberries). Sometimes we add nuts, raisins, chopped cilantro, pitted olives, pickled mushrooms and peppers. In short, whatever is available at hand! We have even made a salad out of avocado, pears and tomatoes. Weird combination, I know! But this is the only way we seem to be able to get our daily quota of fruits and veggies on busy workdays.

Our usual dressing is a mix of olive oil and lemon juice, which we add to the salad right before serving.

Try it and let us know how it goes!

This post is a part of  Big Words Little Foodies from Jenna of KidAppeal, who is encouraging parents to keep track of funny quotes their kids come up with at mealtime. Check her column out for stories from other parents.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com