WEETABIX ?

I have to say this one took me by surprise.  When I purchased a box of reduced Weetabix the last person I pegged as eating them was C Monster.  Here he is enjoying Weetabix with vanilla yogurt and a little honey.  He also likes them with just a little milk.

I wanted to also take a minute to talk about cereal in general.  I am very particular about what cereal we buy in our house.  Our food is no longer 100% organic that is a decision we had to make when we decided to purchase a bigger house.  Bigger house = bigger mortgage = cutting cost in various locations.  However we do not buy food that is full of additives and chemicals.  So what do I look for in a cereal?

1. Sugar content must be 6g or bellow; ideally between 0g and 4g
2. It can not contain any preservatives or ingredients that one would not find in a well stocked kitchen pantry
3. It is on sale. As cereal is a treat in our house we only buy it when it is on sale. 

If have to say once you follow all these rules there is not much left out there one can buy; so I was delighted when C Monster decided that he LOVED Weetabix.

PEAR POMEGRANATE POPSICLES

As summer approaches I really get into popsicle making.  I find this is a great way to get C monster to eat more fruit.  The flavour of the week for popsicle is pear pomegranate.

It's very easy just mix in with emersion blender or regular blender 1/2 cup pure no sugar added pomegranate juice with 2 cups packed no sugar added canned pears.

I make my own canned pears to avoid the BPA in the can liners; if you do not want to use store bought pears just measure out about 4 cup pears and cook them until soft. You can boil them in a little pear juice or water. You can bake them in the oven. Use your imagination.

Once the mixture is complete just pour them into your favourite popsicle mould freeze overnight and enjoy!

GETTING CREATIVE

Earlier this month I bought some of those sandwich cutters to remove the crust from the bread.  I though the C Monster would love them as he pretty much never eats his crust.  To my surprise it back fired; as he put all in tears : "mama I have no crust to hold on to my fingers are going to get sticky" 

However the next sandwich I made he said I want a butterfly but with crust.  Here it is a butterfly with crust accompanied by a little raisin and sandwich kite.

That same day he also had an edamame boat.  The sail is made from a bread stick and a 1/4 sheet of nori.

Tomato bean soup

I have not been posting as much these days because well we have been busy. For those of you who read Wiseman Conspiracy you know we have recently moved....  Last night I made the most amazing soup that C Monster actually ate.

Ingredients:

4 Small Red Onions Chopped
1 Tbsp Butter
2 1L Jars Chopped Canned Tomatoes and their juice
1 540mL Can Beans Drained and Rinsed (I used Romano)
2 Cups Chopped Kale
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 Generous Tsp Marjoram
1 Vegetarian Bouillon Cube
Salt To Taste

 Directions:


On medium to low heat melt butter once melted add red onions and cook until soft until soft. Add all remaining ingredients except for beans.  If their is not enough liquid from the beans add a little water. Bring to a boil on high heat then reduce and simmer for 10 mins. Add beans and simmer an additional 10-25 minutes until kale is cooked.

Once the soup was cooked I removed 1 cup and blended it smooth with my immersion blender.  C said it was one of the best soups I have ever made.

C Monster enjoying my soup along with black bean and cheese quesadillas 

MEET ASTRO NUT

The C Monster loves nuts; he even loves them more when they still have shells on.  I had been looking for a kid friendly nutcracker for him and well we adopted Astro Nut.  He is our friendly little nut crunching robot (as C describes him).  I found him at IQ Living on the Danforth.

CARROTS ANYONE?

You all know my struggle with getting C Monster to try anything. I recently discovered that he is more likely to try a new food if it is julienned. Julienned carrots are now a new staple in his diet. I pre-cut a bunch and store then in an airtight container in the fridge with a little water at the bottom. They will keep fresh for about 3-4 days. 

Asparagus Soup

I still don't understand this one but the Monster ate this soup and even asked for more...

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, (2 bunches) tops and bottoms trimmed. save tops
- 6 onces potatoes, chopped
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/2 cup cream, (or milk)


METHOD:

1. melt butter in heavy bottom pot on medium heat. Add onions, garlic and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Do not allow garlic to brown.

2. While onions are cooking, cut the asparagus into 3/4 inch pieces. When onions are soft add add asparagus (reserve the tips), potatoes and cook for about 6 minutes. Add broth and raise the heat until soup boils. Once boiling reduce to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes.

3. While soup is cooking, blanch asparagus tips. and place aside for garnish.

4. Once soup is cooked add all remaining ingredients except for asparagus tips. and blend using the emersion blender.

5. toss is the tips and serve.

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

Until I tried this smoothy mix I could not get the monster to even touch a kiwi...

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup strawberries frozen, partly thawed
- 1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup Vanilla yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp. honey


DIRECTION:

Place all ingredients in your emmersion blender cup and mix with immersion blender until smooth.

Apple Pancakes

These are a little finicky to cook but well worth the effort - very yummy.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. Panela
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg
2 tbsp. canola oil
400 mL unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon, ground
1/4 cup Milk, add more as needed

Directions:
Measure first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix.
Add remaining ingredients. Mix until moistened. Drop by about 1/4 cup at a time and cook on a greased frying pan. When bubbles appear and edges look dry, turn and cook other side.
Serve with real maple syrup.

Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Pancakes

This is a Whole Wheat Pancakes recipe that I switched up a bit; you know me it is impossible for me to make pancakes without a veggie in it.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk 

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp panella

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp canola oil

1 large egg, fork beaten

1 1/2 cup shredded sweet potatoes

Directions:

Combine milk and apple cider vinegar - set aside

Combine both flours, panella , baking powder, Baking soda and salt. 

Add oil, egg and milk mixture - mix well.

Fold in sweet potatoes.

Drop about 1/4 cup batter on hot greased frying pan, cook until edges bubble then flip and cook other side. Serve warm with pure maple syrup.

Peanut Balls

This is a not too sweet yummy desert; I told C Monster that they were candy balls, he bought it; tried one and loved them.  I can bribe him to eat almost anything with the promises of a nut ball. On top of this it is no bake so a great desert to have the little ones help with.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Smooth Almond Butter
1/2 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1 cup liquide Honey
1 cup skim milk powder
1 cup puff rice cereal
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
icing sugar - about 1/4 cup

Directions:
Combine almond butter, peanut butter and honey until smooth.  Add milk powder and mix well. Add puff rice cereal and graham crumbs and mix very well. At this point you may need to use your hands and kneed the dough to make sure it is properly blended.

After mixing is done form small balls about 1- 1 1/12 inches in diameter and roll each ball in icing sugar. place in a container and store in the refrigerator. Best served cold.

Nut and Fruit Shake

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbsp honey
1 banana
1 cup chopped frozen strawberries
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Place in your blender walnuts and process on low until they are all ground up. Add honey, strawberries; process until the strawberries are all broken up and kinda look like sorbet. Add remainder ingredients, scrap down sides of blender then process until juice is smooth.

Enjoy cold, serves 2.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

My new challenge that I have taken on is modifying my recipes that almost everything that C monster eats has some vegetables hidden in it.  So this last week I took on my grandmother's recipe that C monster already loves and made it better and healthier. The end result is a very tasty banana bread that does not only have banana's but also sweet potato added to the batter.

Classic Banana Bread (my grandmother's recipe)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 small bananas, crushed

New and Improved Banana Bread Recipe

1/4 canola oil

3/4 cup panella

2 eggs

1 1/2 whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 2 large)

1 cup shredded sweet potatoes

Directions

Combine all ingredients - mix well, pour batter in greased loaf pan and bake for approximately 1 hour or until cooked.

Maple Syrup

Well this is not a recipe but it's food related.  I just wanted to share with my friends and readers the contact info for what we believe is the best maple syrup we have yet to taste.

McCutcheon's they are a few hours out of Toronto and so worth the trip.  This is a real maple syrup producing facility so don't expect hay rides or any of that. However the it's a family run operation and they are crazy nice.

Check out their site : http://www.mccmaple.com/site/index-2.html

As long as the syrup is ready we will be there next weekend.

Masala Dehydrator Crackers

This is a variation on a recipe I found in Rainbow Live-Food Cusine; I changed the recipe up to reflect items I typically have on my kitchen.

Ingredients:
2 cups flax seeds
1 1/2 cup almonds
2-3 stalks celery
1 cup broccoli sprouts (or sunflower sprouts)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cup chopped carrots (large chunks)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon group coriander seeds
2 small garlic cloves
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon masala spice mix

Directions:
Place almonds in 1 1/2 cup of water and soak for 12 hours.
Place flax seeds in 2 cups water and soak for 8 hours.

Once your seeds are done soaking you can start making your crackers. Place drained almonds in food processor along with carrots, garlic, lemon juice and oil. Process until chunky then add remainder or spices and seasonings along with diced celery and sprouts; process until smooth.

Combine in a large bowl the mixture from the food process with the soaked flax seeds, blend well by hand with a spoon.

Spread mixture on your dehydrator trays lined with the Teflex sheet. - 1/4" thick.  I find a large frosting knife works great for doing this.

Dehydrate at 145F for 3 hours; then turn over the crackers  and continue dehydrating at 115F for 6-8 hours until the crackers are ready.

Take the crackers out and snap in smaller pieces.

Sweet potato waffles

Sometimes when the maternal guilt kicks in we have an odd supper like last night. The Monster wanted waffles for supper and well I felt guilty that I had smashed his tea set to smithereens earlier that day...

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon panella
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Beat eggs. Add canola oil, vanilla extract, sweet potatoes and mix well. In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients.  Combine both mixtures until batter is smooth.

Cook in a waffle iron as per your waffle iron directions.

The Perfect Boiled Egg

The C monster just loves boiled eggs, we finally figured out the perfect cooking time for them.  First of all older eggs peel easier then fresh eggs but you can make a boiled egg with both fresh and older eggs. - but not so old that the eggs have spoiled.

I let the monster pick his eggs and gently place them in a pot then he covers his own eggs with water and places the pot on the stove (stove is still turned off).  I them turn on the stove to medium high and bring the pot of water with the eggs to a boil.  Leave it boil for one minute; then cover and remove from heat.

Now you let them sit for a minimum of 12 minutes.  Often I make my eggs in the morning and leave them there till snack or lunch.

Once you are ready to eat them run them under cold water for a few minutes, they will be easier to peel.  Once peeled let your little monster cut them with an egg cutter.  We have the president choice one and just love it.

Voila your 3 year has now helped you cook their own perfect eggs, I find the Monster is more likely to try something if he took part in the cooking.

Organic vs Conventional Foods

There is no doubt about it, organic food is better for the planet and better for us, right? Well, that is what I would like to believe and until someone shows me valid proof otherwise my mind will not be changed. I just don't like the idea that my food took a shower in chemicals before making it to my table.

Over 4 years ago now we made the switch to buying close to 100% organic food for our household; at the time we were DINKS (Dual income, no kids). Things have changed since them we now have a child and I am a SAHM (Stay at home mom) and in the future we would love to add another little monster to the mix.

Strictly buying organic is easier, no need to think and look at list of produce that is "OK to buy conventional" or where something was made or grown; however, if you want to cut down on your grocery cost, and my estimate for us is probably close to 400$ - 500$ a year just on dairy alone, there is stuff you can do.

So, starting this week we are no longer going to buy 100% organic, but buy our groceries selectively. The majority will still be organic, however, we will start buying some conventionally grown produce: the items that have the lowest amount of pesticide residue on them. We'll also start buying conventional dairy products from select countries.

After reviewing information found on various websites, including but not limited to EWG and wiki and the government of Canada sites, this is what I came up with that our family would compromise on.

Vegetables OK to buy conventionally:
Onions
Sweet Corn (Frozen)
Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Asparagus
Cabbage
Eggplant
Sweet Potatoes
Winter Squashes
Broccoli
Hot house vegetables (Canadian)

Fruits OK to buy conventionally:
Avocado
Pineapples
Mango
Kiwi
Cantaloupe (US and Canadian)
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Honeydew
Plums (Canadian)
Cranberries
Bananas

Dairy OK to buy conventionally:
My main concern with dairy is the Bovine Growth Hormone and use of antibiotics.  Luckily for us, in Canada, the BGH is not legal to give to our cattle. Also, farmers have to pump and dump milk when antibiotics are used.

I am not as concerned with making sure the dairy we consume is organic, as the jury is still out as to how much additional benefit organic dairy has for us versus conventional dairy; if the information out there ever changes, we will review our stance on this.

So, as it stands I will be buying conventional milk, cheese, butter, cream as long as the milk it is made from originated from one of the following countries: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and all European Union countries.

Chewy Chocolate Chip and Kiwi Cookies

If you don't have dried kiwis try substituting dried cranberries, blueberries or cherries for them.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cup panela (packed)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups Spelt Flakes
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried kiwi (diced)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).


2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flours, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the spelt flakes, chocolate chips and kiwi. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.


3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chop Sticks - AKA magic eating device

Trainer chopsticks are like magic.

A few weeks ago I made a trip to T&T Supermarket to pick up some clementines so I could can them. While there, I saw these great trainer chopsticks made out of bamboo - they are basically regular chopsticks with a clip at the top; since I had been looking for some non-plastic trainer chopsticks I picked them up at a whopping price of 2.99$.

Since we have had them, I think C monster has eaten clementines, almonds, raisins, noodles, cake and many other things with them. This is actually how we got him to re-taste clementines after he had taken a 3 week break from wanting to eat them.

Chopsticks may not be the answer to all your toddler eating challenges, but toddlers learn through play. For a non-chopstick household, adding a pair of chopsticks to meal time turn breakfast, lunch or supper into a game.

Just another trick to try with your picky eater.