Snack Foods

Kyle and I recently attended a "party" for the conclusion of his music class. Snack were graciously provided by one of the other moms, and I realized that I had never given Kyle such foods before (Pepperidge Farms Goldfish Crackers, Nabisco Teddy Grahams, etc). Once I read the lists of ingredients however, I remembered why. They were packed with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and other garbage - YUCK!

So, at Safeway today, I was very excited to find an alternative to these treats - Annie's Bunny Grahams and Annie's Cheddar Bunnies. (Additionally, they were on sale!) Each of these are available in a few different flavors and are proudly labeled with the following info:

Cookies:

• Made with Organic Wheat Flour (No GMO's)
• Made with Organic Cane Juice
• Excellent Source of Calcium (20% of Daily Value)
• NO Refined Sugars
• NO Hydrogenated Oils
• 0 grams Trans Fat
• 0 grams Saturated Fat

Crackers:

• Made with Real Cheese
  
• 0g Trans Fat
• No Artificial Flavors
• Made with Organic Wheat Flour
• Baked, not Fried!

These haven't yet been taste tasted by myself or Kyle, but if he enjoys it as much as he does Annie's Microwavable Macaroni & Cheese or the Annie's Organic Bernie O's, then I am sure that they will be a hit. It is great to be able to find an alternative to the junk foods that pass as kids snacks these days, and also another option to the Safeway O Organics for Toddler snacks (cookies and crackers) that I typically buy.

If you haven't already seen the Annie's brand in your local store, you can search for a store that carries their products here. Alternatively, you can also purchase their products through their website.

More on green veggies

When we went in for Kyle's 12-month check up, the topic of a well-rounded diet of course came up, and I mentioned that I really have trouble getting Kyle interested in veggies (this isn't a surprise to those who have read through earlier postings on the blog)

Because Kyle has loved the freeze dried mango, pineapple, and strawberries that we have been getting from Trader Joe's lately, I was thinking that maybe I should look for a similar product for veggies. After seeing a bag of Snapea Crisps while on vacation at the beginning of the month, I thought we should give it a try. They are GREAT! I opened the bag while Kyle was napping, and I am surprised that there were many left by the time that he woke up. He loved them too, and couldn't get enough, every time I gave him another one, he'd do a little happy dance for me. The only thing that I regret is that they are a little salty, so I am going to have to limit his intake of these. There are two flavors, Original and Caesar. I haven't tried the Caesar yet, as they have even more added ingredients. I've picked these up at both Trader Joe's and at Safeway (in the produce section), additionally, there is a list of retailers on the company's website.

Healthy snack food

I've seen these in the stores for a little while, but finally picked up a bag while I was at Target the other day. These are advertised as being baked snacks with wholesome goodness, and upon reading the package, I was shocked to learn that they are made by Frito-Lay! On top of being "good-for-you" they were actually very tasty, and even my husband who gets a little wary of "health food" agreed that they were very good. To date, I've only tried the Cheddar flavor, but will pick up a couple of more to try soon. The texture of the chip is even good for Kyle to be able to munch on and he enjoyed them.

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Apple Cinnamon Grove Flavored Baked Fruit Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Farmland Cheddar Flavored Baked Veggie Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Garlic & Herb Field Flavored Baked Veggie Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Peach Mango Paradise Flavored Baked Fruit Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Tangy Tomato Ranch Flavored Baked Veggie Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Wild Berry Patch Flavored Baked Fruit Crisps

Transitioning to Whole Milk

We've made the transition to whole milk, and Kyle loves it! Before doing so though, I asked advice from my pediatrician-friend (thanks Christian!)

Her words of wisdom were that some babies can be a little sensitive to the change. So while you can just jump right into cow's milk, it might be easier on their tummies to transition slowly, and this can be done as slowly as you like. She suggested doing 25% whole milk/75% formula on Day 1, 50% whole milk/50% formula on Day 2, 75% whole milk/25% formula on Day 3, and finally 100% whole milk on Day 4. I had some formula to use up, so I actually stretched this out over a week.

We just checked in with his doctor for his 12-month check up, and she advised that he should be drinking about 16 ounces of milk per day, and that he shouldn't fill up on milk as he has to get other nutrients from his well-balanced solid diet. Unfortunately, he is still getting used to the idea of well balanced, and I struggle to get him to eat his vegetables, although he has no problem with fruits!

Sample One-Day Menu for a One-Year Old

I spoke with Kyle's doctor today. We initially had his 12-month check up scheduled for the day after his birthday, but had to reschedule it for two weeks later as the doctor will be out due to jury duty. So since it was postponed, I wanted to check with her if she was OK with me starting whole cow's milk, or if we should wait until Kyle was seen at the appointment. She said go for it, so we won't have to be buying anymore formula after this week! Here's a good Babycenter.com article I found regarding making the transition to cow's milk.

Other changes I am looking forward to... not being as wary about products containing whole eggs or honey. Right now, I am working on incorporating more snack times into Kyle's schedule, so am thinking he will have breakfast as usual around 7:30, nap from 9:30-10:30, snack when he wakes up, lunch around 12 or 12:30. Nap again from 1:30-2:30, snack again a little after he wakes up and then dinner around 5pm. With all of this food coming his way, he'll definitely be a growing boy!

Sample One-Day Menu for a One-Year Old

Taken from the AAP "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child Birth to Age 5"

This menu is planned for a one-year-old child who weighs approximately 21 pounds.

1 teaspoon = 1/3 tablespoon (5 ml)
1 tablespoon = 1/2 ounce (15 ml)
1 cup = 8 ounces (240 ml)
1 oz = 30 ml

BREAKFAST
1/2 cup iron-fortified breakfast cereal or 1 cooked egg (not more than 3 eggs per week)
1/4 cup whole milk (with cereal)
4-6 oz. juice
Add to cereal one of the following:
1/2 banana, sliced
2-3 large sliced strawberries

SNACK
1 slice toast or whole wheat muffin
1-2 tablespoons cream cheese or peanut butter
1 cup whole milk

LUNCH
1/2 sandwich - tuna, egg salad, peanut butter, or cold cuts
1/2 cup cooked green vegetables

SNACK
1-2 ounces cubed cheese, or 2-3 tablespoons pitted and diced dates
1 cup whole milk

DINNER
2-3 ounces cooked meat, ground or diced
1/2 cup cooked yellow or orange vegetables
1/2 cup pasta, rice, or potato
1/2 cup whole milk

Rice

I've tried giving rice to Kyle before, but he didn't seem to fond of it. But, I decided to try again, and used some leftover rice from the night before. Again, he didn't seem too crazy about it, but after he spat out the first mouthful, I decided to try something different. The rice had come out much stickier than I had planned, so I was able to make some little rice balls for him, and all of a sudden he LOVED the rice and I couldn't make the balls fast enough. Of course, it was a little messy, as they did break apart as he picked them up and put them in his mouth. But they did stay together enough that he liked the texture instead of the individual grains.

To make the STICKY rice - I used brown basmati rice (from Trader's Joes). I rinsed it 3 or 4 times with water, and then cooked it for 35 minutes with twice the volume of water. After that, it was still a little soupy in the bottom, so I gave it another 5 minutes with the lid off.


Word of warning - using leftover rice can be dangerous...

Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive. Then, if the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will germinate into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these toxins.

So, the longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria, or the toxins they produce, could stop the rice being safe to eat. It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating.

Green veggies, part 2

I was cooking a spinach and mushroom frittata for playgroup at our house, and I couldn't help tasting the spinach as a cooked it. Fresh spinach, freshly sauteed was delicious, so I couldn't help thinking that Kyle would like it... well, I was wrong. However, the NEXT day, he absolutely devoured the leftover piece of frittata that I was trying to eat for my breakfast. So, now I know how to get him to eat his veggies! The only drawback was that there were egg whites in the frittata, however, with Kyle being this close to 1-year old, I wasn't too concerned about it.

Please note: using organic spinach is recommended to avoid elevated levels of nitrates.


Here's the recipe, reprinted from Fine Cooking magazine.


Spinach & Mushroom Frittata

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

8 extra-large eggs
2 Tbs milk
A dash of hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large bunch fresh spinach, washed, drained, and chopped
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1/4 pound mushrooms, trimmed, and thinly sliced
2/3 cup grated Gruyere cheese


RECIPE METHOD

Whisk the eggs vigorously. Mix in the milk, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In an ovenproof pan, saute the spinach in the butter, then add the mushrooms. Turn the heat to medium high and pour the eggs into the pan.

Let the eggs set for several seconds. With a heatproof rubber spatula, gently stir the eggs, starting from the center. This stirring makes the frittata puff up more in the oven.

Lift the edges so that the eggs flow to the bottom. When the frittata is half-set, add the grated Gruyere.

Transfer the pan to the heated oven. Cook for about 10 minutes, until puffed and golden.