We continue to try various soups from a recent New York Times magazine! Recently, we made this hearty tomato soup.

Ingredients

• 3 cups tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped or crushed finely in a blender
• 1-2 carrots, chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cups warm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• salt, pepper to taste

Method

Saute onion in olive oil; add carrots, garlic and tomato paste. Add chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and water. Mix well and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with chopped basil.

Serve hot with pita bread or naan.

Enjoy!

©2011 Littlestomaks.com

We were inspired by a recent New York Times magazine which carries an excellent section on different kinds of soup recipes. We tweaked it a little bit and substituted a few ingredients with what we had on hand. Still, it turned out great!

Ingredients

• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cup organic chicken broth
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped (we got it from our vegetable garden)
• 1 bag of spinach, washed and chopped (8-10 oz)
• 1 cup yogurt

Method

Put chopped onions, garlic, water and chicken broth in a pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat and let it simmer covered, until onion is tender. Add spinach and parsley and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add yogurt and puree in a blender. Garnish with a spoonful of yogurt and chopped parsley.

Serve hot with pita bread or naan.

Enjoy!

©2011 Littlestomaks.com

Tarhana is a Turkish soup made from a flour-based powder mix. This powder mix is prepared by mixing flour with yogurt, vegetables, spices and fermenting the mixture before drying and grinding. The Central Asian Turks in the old times used this method to prepare a ready instant mix in the summer for a hearty winter soup. Things are much easier now as you can buy the Tarhana mix from Mediterranean grocery store.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Tarhana mix  (we got ours from Tulumba.com, see product details here)
• 5-6 cups water or chicken stock
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• A few pieces of bread for homemade croutons

Method

Add olive oil to a large pot. Slowly pour water and stir in the Tarhana mix. Keep stirring so the powder does not form clumps. Set the pot on low heat and let it simmer for 45 minutes or an hour, stirring frequently until you get a thick, homogeneous mixture. Prepare croutons by slowly roasting small pieces of bread with a little butter in a pan.

Serve hot with homemade croutons.

Enjoy!

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Greetings! It is Friday again, which means it is time for our usual Five for Fridays, a compilation of interesting food and nutrition news from the week. The focus this week was on salt content of foods as the Institute of Medicine came out with a report which recommended setting mandatory national standards for sodium content.

That is why I want to focus on this problem, especially when it comes to popular foods for children. You will be surprised by the amount of salt in these 5 common foods listed below.

It is no secret that the amount of daily salt in an average American diet is too high. According to some estimates, Americans consume 3400 mg of sodium (about 1.5 tsp) per day far in excess of the national dietary recommendation of no more than 2300 mg.

There is a biological reason why we prefer salt in our food – our body needs it for maintaining the electrolyte balance which is essential for normal functioning of our muscles and brain. However, too much salt is now known to be linked high blood pressure, which leads to heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and kidney disease.

The culprit?

The finger is being pointed at processed foods and restaurant meals. The issue is not without its own politics however. Although the calls for policing the salt content in foods are getting louder, the FDA has avoided a knee-jerk reaction by suggesting a federal working group and encouraging food companies to voluntarily cut salt from their products. I think it is a smart strategy because I believe that we don’t need any more regulation; rather the market should reject salty foods and demand healthier options. It is not going to happen overnight, but it has the best chance of forcing the food companies to innovate.

Major food companies already see the writing on the wall. According to the Wall Street Journal, General Mills and Kraft Foods have announced plans to cut salt and rework their products. PepsiCo made a similar announcement to cut salt by 25% by 2015 by adopting new salt reduction technologies.  Although these are incremental moves, and I don’t support their desire to proliferate even more snacks in the marketplace, it is a step in the right direction.

Here are 5 foods, loved by most children, but surprisingly high in salt (and other bad stuff!):

Hot Dogs

Hot dogs have become a cultural icon! Kids get hooked on them early and even adults cannot resist them when presented with the opportunity. But did you know that even half of an Oscar Mayer beef frank contains over 400 mg of sodium? Other brands are not much better either and a single serving (typically 1 hot dog) can count for as much as 20% of the daily recommended value. As if that is not enough, most of the calories are from fat with loads of saturated fats and cholesterol. You definitely want to keep this dog on a tight leash as much as possible!

Mac ‘n Cheese

Kraft’s Macroni and Cheese is the big dog in town, another favorite of most kids. In case you haven’t noticed the nutrition label, you may be in for a big surprise because a single serving of about a cup contains over 500 mg sodium. This is unbelievable! Rely on plain pasta instead and make your own cheesy sauce if needed. We like to cook elbow pasta, toss it in a little olive oil and sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese. Another simple recipe uses Alfredo sauce along with some veggies and shrimp for a full meal!

Cheetos

There are so many different types of chips out there which kids like to munch on, but we focus on our attention on Cheetos when it comes to salt content. A 2 oz single serving size pack contains nearly 600 mg sodium. Pay attention to the serving size on the nutrition label because it might show the numbers for only half a pack (that is 1 oz.) but we all know that once you pop the bag, you can’t stop until all of it is gone! We have a strict no-chips policy, particularly no-Cheetos, inside the house. Exceptions are the Disney parks where our twins first got exposed to Cheetos and now they clearly link the two. Good thing we don’t go there very frequently!

Chicken Nuggets

Another kid favorite and a regular item on most fast food restaurant menus. 5-6 pieces of them contain over 500 mg of sodium! Frozen chicken nuggets from popular brands like Tyson and Perdue are no better and carry about the same amount. Don’t let the small size of individual nuggets fool you! They all add up very quickly.

Condensed Soups

Chances are you have at least half a dozen cans of condensed soups in your pantry on any given day. Chicken rice, chicken noodle, cream of mushroom and tomato soup are common household stock items. The soup aisle in any grocery store usually rivals the cereal aisle with a very broad range of soups from many different brands. Condensed soups have become a substitute for a meal but they do come with a lot salt. Even the so-called 25% less sodium chicken noodle soup from Campbell’s contains nearly 700 mg sodium!

Our kids like Campbell’s kids soups and although they contain less sodium (at about 500 mg), it is still quite high. Campbell’s is ahead of the curve in reducing sodium, and although we are encouraged by their efforts, they still have a long way to go. In the meantime, we manage the portion size and add more water than prescribed when making these soups.

Clearly, it is a challenge for most parents to manage salt in their family’s diet because these foods are very popular, easily available at a decent price point, and ready to eat. You don’t need to go cold turkey on any of them, but certainly you have to exercise caution and manage portion size. And whenever possible, choose a simple, home-cooked meal with fresh ingredients.

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

Photo Source: heliosphan on Flickr

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Don’t you just love it when your little ones come up with a funny comment in response to the food on the table? That is the idea behind the Big Words Little Foodies from Jenna of KidAppeal, who wants to encourage you to keep a notebook handy to capture funny mealtime stories and comments.

In the spirit of sharing, recently I wrote about how my son responded to Mom’s orzo-carrot soup with his give me some vitamin W soup! A slight variation in the soup recipe where orzo was replaced by alphabet pasta (we used the Publix store brand) had the twins going once again at lunch this weekend. This time, his twin sister came out with this one as she observed the floating alphabet letters in the soup and one particular letter stuck on her spoon:

Look mommy, the C is hanging from the spoon!

It was a very interesting observation which captured us completely by a delightful surprise. I had to go get the camera and capture a few pictures!

Here is the recipe for the alphabet pasta-carrot soup if you want to give it a try -

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2. 2 cups water
3. 1-2 medium tomatoes, diced or crushed in a food processor
4. 1/4 cup alphabet pasta
5. 1/2 cup uncut baby carrots, washed
6. 1 tbsp tomato paste
7. 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8. 1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

Method:

Add olive oil to a 1 quart saucepan and mix in tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Add water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add alphabet pasta and carrots and simmer until pasta is cooked and carrots are soft. Add in cilantro or parsley. Serve with lemon.

Enjoy!

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

I don’t quite know why, but my son’s favorite number is the letter “W”! Comments like  “I am W years old”, or “This diesel has W freight cars” make perfect sense to him, while everybody else has to scratch their head to crack his code! Sometimes he also simply replaces a letter with “W” mid sentence to create his own emphasis. Quite silly of course, but the way he says it comes out very funny!

In the spirit of sharing funny mealtime stories and funny comments as part of Big Words Little Foodies from Jenna of KidAppeal, I thought of writing about how he responded to TwinToddlerMom’s simple, yet nutritious orzo soup with carrots:

Me: Hey guys! Look what we have for dinner today! This is a yummy soup! And look at those carrots – they have so much vitamin A which is good for your eyes.

Daughter: They have vitamin A? That is so silly….I want to try, I want to try….

Son: No. They have vitamin W. Mom – can you give me some vitamin W soup?

I waited patiently to see if they would actually try the soup and nibble on a few carrots from the soup. While my daughter enjoyed it, No such luck with my son -  he took a few spoons of the soup, but the carrots were untouched.

Me: How many carrots did you eat today?

Son: (Pause) Hmmm…W Carrots!

This was not going the way I had anticipated!

Then we tried to offer him a raw, uncut baby carrot out of our salad to see if he would go for that. Sure enough, he took it and started nibbling on it. Guess, he just likes them crunchy!

Here is the recipe for the orzo-carrot soup if you want to give it a try -

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2. 2 cups water
3. 1-2 medium tomatoes, diced or crushed in a food processor
4. 1/2 cup orzo
5. 1/2 cup uncut baby carrots, washed
6. 1 tbsp tomato paste
7. 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8. 1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

Method:

Add olive oil to a 1 quart saucepan and mix in tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Add water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add orzo and carrots and simmer until orzo is cooked and carrots are soft. Add in cilantro or parsley. Serve with lemon.

Enjoy!

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Earlier this week I wrote about 5 Things You Need to Know About Vitamin A. This is a very important vitamin especially for growing children. It is required for their eye health, immune system, healthy skin, bone development, brain development and development for blood cells. A severe deficiency is known to cause night blindness.

As a follow up, I decided to scan a few of my favorite recipe sites for kid-friendly and easy-to-make recipes rich in Vitamin A. Check them out and be sure to visit these blogs for more great recipes.

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Bisque on Chow and Chatter

This recipe has a tripe-dose of vitamin A rich vegetables – sweet potato, carrots and butternut squash! Strictly speaking, bisque is a thick soup, but this recipe could easily be turned into rich, creamy dip for french bread or baked chips. I would skip the wine, of course, when offering it to your kids! Check it out.

Sweet Potato Quesadilla on Fix Me A Snack

This is such a cool idea for a quick snack rich in vitamin A! It uses sweet potato, applesauce and optionally cranberry sauce and of course cheese and tortillas. Our twins love crunchy quesadillas, so we are definitely going to give it a try!

Chili Mac ‘N Cheese with a Healthy Makeover on Meal Makeover Moms

Kids love Mac ‘n Cheese, but the problem is the fat and refined carbs from the usual ingredients – pasta, milk and cheese. The Meal Makover Moms did  a simple and clever ingredient swap to make this a healthier option. Vitamin A comes from the milk, cheese and the vegetarian chili.

Börek – Spinach Pastry on Binnur’s Turkish Cookbook

This is our family favorite! Spinach filling and a liquid mix made up of milk, egg and olive oil are added between layers of phyllo pastry and the whole stack is baked in the oven for a crunchy, yet soft spinach pastry. It is a great snack or an appetizer before a meal.

Butternut Squash Soup on Littlestomaks

We have made this recipe several times now and it has become one of our favorites. It takes a little longer to cook, but it is very good! The good thing is that you can make enough to last for a couple of days. Butternut squash is a great source of vitamin A and other vitamins.

Enjoy these recipes and let me know what you think!

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

When it comes to convenience, Campbell’s condensed soups are unbeatable. It is no wonder that Campbell is a powerful household brand. I personally like homemade soups made from scratch, especially lentil soup, but when you are in a hurry after a full day of work, these ready made soups provide an easy alternative for a quick meal for kids. My daughter loves their line of soups for kids like the Disney Princess, Dora and Goldfish brands! Sometimes she even wants to add colorful fruit loops to the soup – I know it sounds weird, but it works!

Recently, Campbell is trying to focus on the theme of affordable nutrition. We are careful to check the label because a lot of their soups are loaded with salt. The kids’ line claims to have 25% less sodium, but it is still high in my opinion on a per serving basis.

Here is what we like about this product -

1. Super convenient, our kids like the different shapes inside these soups
2. No saturated fat or trans fat
3. Less sodium and sugar than other soups – especially their own Tomato Soup
4. Contains vitamin A and iron
5. Provides 3g of protein per serving
6. Very affordable

Here is what we don’t like about this product -

1. Long list of ingredients – it is still processed food folks!
2. 480 mg sodium, still quite high for kids
3. It is not organic

Overall, I think not a bad alternative for a quick and affordable meal. Serve as a complimentary food with things like rice and vegetables.

Disclaimer – I have not received any sponsorship or free samples of product from Campbell for writing this review. For complete nutritional information and other products, visit Campbell’s website.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

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]]> http://www.littlestomaks.com/2009/11/product-review-campbells-kids-soups/feed/ 1 http://www.littlestomaks.com/2009/10/simple-recipes-butternut-squash-soup/ http://www.littlestomaks.com/2009/10/simple-recipes-butternut-squash-soup/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:00:24 +0000 TwinToddlersDad http://www.littlestomaks.com/?p=3088

This is a great recipe for a wholesome hot soup on a cold fall day! We stumbled on it in Recipes from the Heart, a cookbook we recently purchased to support the Operation STEM-ulus from the U.S. Foodservice to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to needy families. We adapted it slightly to match the ingredients at hand.

Ingredients

1. 1 medium butternut squash, cut into cubes (we bought it from Costco)
2. 1 small onion, finely chopped or crushed in a food processor
3. 1/4 cup all purpose flour
4. 3 cups organic chicken broth
5. 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6. 1 cup whole milk
7. Chopped parsley or cilantro
8. Salt and pepper to taste
9. Pure honey
10. Unsalted cashews

Method

1. Place squash cubes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, slightly greased with olive oil
2. Roast in oven at 350 °F for about 45 minutes, remove in a glass container when done and allow to cool
3. Add olive oil to a large pan and saute onions over low heat until softened
4. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Skip the salt if chicken broth has high salt
5. Add roasted squash and flour, mix well
6. Add chicken broth, mix well gently pressing the squash cubes
7. Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer covered for 20 – 30 minutes stirring occasionally
8. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender or a standard blender until smooth
9. Add milk and honey and let it simmer some more until desired consistency is reached. Add hot water if necessary
10. Garnish with chopped cilantro and unsalted cashews and serve hot!

About butternut squash

Source:Wikimedia Commons

Butternut squash is a type of winter squash with a sweet, nutty taste similar to a pumpkin. It has a very high nutritious value – rich in dietary fiber, A, B and C vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. Roasting is a common way of preparing butternut squash for soups and desserts.

A word of caution – some people may get contact dermatitis when handling butternut squash skin. Wear rubber or latex gloves while cutting or peeling. The allergic reaction is usually temporary and can be treated by over the counter cortisone cream.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

We found this lentil soup in our local Whole Foods store a couple of weeks ago. We liked it so much that I decided to write a quick review here. I definitely recommend it for you to try.

Here is what we like about this product -

1. It is organic and the 19 oz. can with 2 servings makes a full meal if you serve it with Basmati rice.
2. Great nutrition since lentil is a good source of protein and iron.
3. Contains a blend of carrots, celery and spinach which provide fiber, vitamin C, additional iron and calcium.
4. No cholesterol and trans fat.

Here is what we don’t like about this product -

1. Main problem – too much salt! One serving contains 950 mg of sodium which comes to 39% of the daily value.
2. It contains added sugar, although the amount is low – only 2 g per serving. We don’t add sugar to our recipe of lentil soup, so I don’t understand why sugar needs to be added here.

Overall, a big thumbs up. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer – I have not received any sponsorship or free samples of product from Muir Glen for writing this review. For complete nutritional information and other products, visit Muir Glen website.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

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]]> http://www.littlestomaks.com/2009/09/product-review-muir-glen-organic-savory-lentil-soup/feed/ 0 http://www.littlestomaks.com/2008/12/simple-recipes-leftover-turkey-soup-with-long-grain-wild-rice/ http://www.littlestomaks.com/2008/12/simple-recipes-leftover-turkey-soup-with-long-grain-wild-rice/#comments Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:00:23 +0000 TwinToddlersDad http://www.littlestomaks.com/?p=548

Ingredients

• Leftover Turkey carcass, most of the meat and skin removed
• Baby carrots
• Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice, Original Recipe, 6 oz. box
• Parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
• 5 – 10 glasses water

Method

Place the turkey carcass in a big pot (by this time, the legs and wings should have been removed). Break-up the leftover bones a little so everything fits in the pot. Add enough water to cover the bones. Place it on medium heat until the water is close to a boil, though not quite boiling. Cover, reduce heat to the lowest setting and let it simmer for a long time (~ 1h or so). By this time, most of the meat should separate from the bones. Add extra turkey meat if needed. Add rice and spice mix from the box. Add carrots. Continue to simmer the mixture at low heat until rice is cooked and carrots are soft, about 15 minutes or so. Remove the bones. Add chopped parsley or cilantro and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

8 toddler servings, 4 adult servings

Ingredients

1. 1 cup red lentil
2. 2 medium sized potatoes cut in small cubes
3. 4 – 5 baby carrots, grated
4. 1 small onion, cut into small pieces
5. 1 teaspoon butter (optional)
6. 1 teaspoon flour
7. A pinch of turmeric (optional)
8. 6 cups warm water

Method

Wash lentil with cold water in a 1 quart saucepan. Pour off the wash water. Add about 4 cups of warm water to the washed lentil. Add grated carrots and potatoes. Make sure there is enough water in the pot to cover the lentil and the vegetables. Cover and cook on very low heat for about 30 – 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not increase the heat otherwise it will boil over and spill off the pot. Keep adding warm water as needed. Once cooked, the potatoes will soften and the lentil will turn yellow. Add more water to desired consistency. Add flour, butter, turmeric and mix gently. When fully cooked, add the mix to a food processor and blend at medium speed. Serve with a piece of bread. Make sure it is not too hot for your toddler.

Sometimes, we also add chopped cilantro right after blending and let it simmer for a little while.  It adds a nice smell and flavor to the soup.

About Lentils

Source: Wikipedia Commons

Lentils are a very good source of protein (about 26%); therefore they are a very important part of a vegetarian diet. They come in a lot of different colors such as red, yellow, green, brown and black. They are also very rich in fiber, minerals, iron, folate and vitamin B1. We like the red lentils because they are easiest to cook. You can also make a lentil curry and serve it with Basmati rice.  There are many recipes on the web; I found one here that looks quite good. Also, there are a few interesting variations on GreenLiteBites, a site you can find on my Links page.