What's For Dinner? May Week 1

We get Toledo Public School calendars at my work because they (I think) are funded by ProMedica. (The ProMedica name is all over it.) So there's always art work done by elementary school children for the monthly pictures and info at the bottom of each month that pertains to children/families/parenting/health.

This month, there's an interesting segment on "Eating Mindfully" that I though was nice and wanted to share:

In order for children to make better decisions about food and eating, they must learn to listen to their bodies. Paying attention to hunger signals and only eating when they're hungry will help them avoid eating because other people are or because it makes them feel better when they are angry or sad.

Listening to hunger signs is also referred to as "mindful eating." It includes eating slowly, paying attention to what is being eaten, and being thankful for the food that's available. Mindful eating can make eating more enjoyable and can help children make better decisions about food.

I like that.

Yesterday, I was speaking to a colleague about kids eating at school. She has three boys between the ages of 6 and 11 or 12, I think? And they go to Sylvania schools. She packs their lunches (except on pizza day - :)) and was complaining recently about the amount of time the kids have to actually eat their food. The school says it is 20 minutes, but she argues that it's more like 10 minutes realistically by the time they get down there and seated to eat. Less, if they have to wait in the lunch line. The school can't really be blamed for how much time is wasted socializing, but that is still not really much time! My colleague says she is constantly telling her kids to slow down and just relax at the dinner table because they're so used to inhaling food and jumping out of their seats.

And then there's the Jamie Oliver show that brings up the sad excuse for sustenance that we offer to children at school.

That, plus all the other politics and behavioral issues I hear about from teachers is making homeschool seem like a better and better option. Except it's not an option because I have to work. Ick. How are we going to survive the next 16 years?

On a brighter note, I think I've convinced my mom to put her foot down about the nutritional value of snacks that are brought to her preschool by parents starting next school year. I have to help her with how to word it to not sound rude or condescending. But I know plenty of schools enforce this type of expectation! Right? So if anyone has any advice on how your school might have worded this rule, I'd love to hear it. Also, I'm going to compile a packet of healthy snack ideas that include plenty of inexpensive and low-effort suggestions. The whole point of snack is to let the children share a mini-mealtime experience and provide them with a little supplemental boost of energy after their morning at school. Some days the kids are more active than others, making snack more of a necessity. But always, the snack time falls just shortly before lunch. So there is no reason why we should be offering them treats and sugary drinks to nurish their bodies at this time. The exception will be birthdays when it's almost impossible to ask them not to bring a treat, but parents of the 3-4 year old class have 4-5 special helper days per year where they are bringing the snack. I am suggesting that only one of those days (the child's birthday or "unbirthday") be a treat day. And with regards to the "sugary beverages"... I think I'll pick my battles and just suggest label reading for 100% juice choices (as opposed to Sunny D, Capri Sun or punch) instead of suggesting no juice. There are so many people that regard juice as a health food. But seriously, water is FREE, people! (Sorta') Why not just bring a pitchur and some cups and save yourself a few bucks? Ha! I did that on Tuesday and had a couple kids tell me they "don't like water". Really? I just said "Oh my gosh! You are missing out! I LOVE water!" And then I dropped it. It also makes a huge difference with how you present it. So maybe next time I'll put fruit slices/pieces or frozen fruit/juice cubes into the water. Mom said she had one parent bring whole strawberries and the kids barely ate them, but another brought them cut up in tiny pieces (perhaps with other fruits?) and they couldn't get enough. So presentation is helpful! I'll also suggest one of my biggest weapons against childrens' food refusal: KABOBS! Kids will eat almost anything on a kabob. :)

Okay, moving on to this week's meals...

I found this Jamie Oliver recipe for The Best Tomato Sauce Ever in Parenting magazine that was floating around my office and made a copy to try at home.

The black and white picture you see at the top must have included some asparagus (a serving suggestion), fresh basil and homemade pasta to give it that lumpy, heaping appearance because this sauce is totally blended and smooth... Oh, and it's orange! When I served it to the kids, I just served it over fettucine with torn basil. Also, when I went to link the recipe here, I read other people's suggestions (adding tomato paste for a stronger tomato flavor and also some more garlic, salt and pepper) that I definitely plan to try as the sauce is just a tad bland. Don't get me wrong, it IS good and is literally loaded with vegetables. So it's worth doctoring up to your liking. This recipe makes a LOT, so I froze it in quart bags and plan to vary the way I serve it.

So let's see:

{I skipped the leeks because Craig did the grocery shopping last week and I figured he'd freak out if he saw "leeks" on the shopping list. ;)}

2 small onions, 2 stalks of celery and 2 red bell peppers rough chopped,

then 2 zucchini, 2 carrots and a small, whole butternut squash grated;

add 4 cans of whole tomatoes and you've got yourself a veggie-filled sauce!

The torn basil makes it look pretty when you serve it and I love that flavor. But I think I'd prefer a stronger tomato flavor that paste would provide. And I want to serve it with the asparagus next time too. The kids didn't eat this very well, but I'm going to serve it with bow ties or shells next time after adding the tomato paste and I think that will make a difference. I packed this for lunch this week too and it smells really good reheated.

Another new recipe I tried this week were the Weelicious Mango Pops. Mangos were on sale at Aldi (I checked out the newly opened store in Oregon) for $1 each last week. If you want to try them this week, Meijer has them for $1 too now. Anyway, you can refresh your mango cutting skills here, 'cause the pit is really weird.

You blend them with a little milk and honey... and pour into popsicle molds.

Personally, I think the flavor is a little bland. (Is there something wrong with my taste buds this week? Or have the Easter jelly beans ruined my sweet taste buds?) But the kids liked them and they think popsicles are just the most exciting dessert. ;) Maybe I'll try making them with a little lime juice and more agave nectar instead.

Also, while in the kitchen over nap time on Sunday (when I prepared the above two recipes), I baked some butternut squashes to freeze in cubes for Sophie and make some more pumpkin pie-sicles (another favorite). All of these things were pretty easy to work on simultaneously. (I had already grated/chopped the veggies for the sauce on Saturday.)

On Monday night, we had Melissa's (and Emeril's :)) Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches again... this time on kaiser rolls. Yum.

For the kids' plates, I just left off the onions and cut a super-flattened sandwich in half.

Praying before dinner on Monday.

Then on Monday night I made the snack that Will and I took for his special helper day at school on Tuesday. I've been wanting to try this recipe since I saw it posted on Weelicious a few weeks ago: Carrot Apple Coconut Muffins. I don't think I've ever grated an apple before, but these were so cute and sweet and easy. They're baked in a mini-muffin pan so I did have to bake them in several batches. Plus I doubled the recipe and had plenty for our house too.

I asked Will what he'd like to take with them and he said bananas, so I just brought a couple bunches of bananas and cut each child a ~3" section to go with two mini muffins. As a last minute idea, I brought along my powdered sugar shaker to sprinkle on top the muffins thinking that would appeal to the kids. Several kids didn't touch the muffins, saying they didn't like them without even trying them (as I expected) and other asked for seconds and thirds. A couple of the kids ate five muffins each! And one boy asked me to bring these every time I come. :) So I guess that is something the parents of my mom's preschoolers will have to be able to endure: rejection of something you put effort into just because it's "healthy". But I look at it as totally worth it. How else will these children learn to branch out and appreciate good food if they're never exposed to them? Right?

So then we had the Jamie Oliver sauce on Tuesday and cheeseburgers on the grill on Wednesday. I have a feeling cheeseburgers are going to be a staple dinner this summer. The kids get soooo excited when we serve them and I like that Craig has a hand in meal preparation (with nothing necessary to prep in advance). The rest of the week will be leftovers and fill-in-the-blank meals (breakfast, grilled cheese) as needed.

Oh, we also had cottage cheese pancakes again last weekend. Those are so good! And, Kelly G., I spotted a (new?) strawberry pancake recipe on your blog that I think we'll have to try this weekend. Does your crew love those? Sounds like a good Mother's Day breakfast to me!

Happy eating, all!