I have been seeing recipes with cauliflower used as the base for pizza crust for some time now.  When I spotted this recipe on Super Healthy Kids Facebook Page, I knew I had to try it.

It was good!  I put it out along with some other pizzas we were having.  Anna gave it a medium to high thumbs up, Little D didn’t try it and both my husband and I liked it.  I didn’t chop the cauliflower before steaming (I’m such a rebel) and it still turned out.  I served it with this quick-made sauce adapted from Cooking Light’s Real Family Food.

For more details on the recipes (including step-by-step pictures) check out the original on Super Healthy Kids.  Anyone cook with cauliflower this way?

Big A loves Rice Krispies Treats. I remember after having her first one at a friend’s house, she came home declaring they were the best thing ever.

I made the regular version, with marshmallows and Rice Krispies, for her end-of-the soccer party but recently decided to try a somewhat healthier version — one with brown rice and sunflower seed butter and honey.

The trick is finding the brown rice crispy cereal — both Attune Foods and Nature’s Path have a great product. I adapted this recipe from Attune Foods but when I went to link to it was gone. And while Big A didn’t love them with the same fever, she said they would do. And I thought they turned out really good (although a bit sticky).

Does anyone make something like this?

Little D and I are the muffin lovers in the family.  As I mentioned in my White Bean Banana Bread post, I prefer muffins and sweet breads without a lot of sugar.  These get enough sweetness from the brown sugar and butternut squash.  You can also substitute with canned pumpkin and add more sugar if your family prefers that.  Another combo I like is banana and carrots. The possibilities are endless!

Sometimes these go into lunches with a boiled egg and fruit or are used for the quick snack.  When storing, keep in the fridge or freezer as they are moist and shouldn’t be left out room temperature for more than about 24 hours.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jill posted the link to this recipe for One Ingredient Ice Cream on the Fearless Feeding facebook page. I was intrigued and decided to make it when some family was over (I always have bananas on hand!).

All you do is take a couple of bananas and slice them, put them on a dish and then in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Ours was in just over 2 hours.

Then you pulse it in food processor until it turns the consistency of ice cream. I added a little honey in this stage.

I was skeptical but the consistency is really just like ice cream.

The kids loved it but the truth is it doesn’t taste just like ice cream, which is okay, but it might be better to not call it that (maybe Banana Ice Cream Pudding?). After Big A ate about half of it she asked if she could have “real” ice cream.

I will definitely make again with some of the additions suggested on The Kitchn.

Anyone else try this?

I’m always on the lookout for new products my readers will like. When I heard of NatureBox, an innovative company dedicated to healthier snacking, I was intrigued!

But these are not items you buy at a store. Instead, you join ($19.95) and get a monthly installment of whole food snacks delivered to your door without the cost of shipping. NatureBox sent me such a box. It was amazing!

In it was Southern BBQ Sunflower Seeds, Lemon Pucker Pistachios, Sunny Trails Mix (dried fruits and raw almonds – great on yogurt), Zesta Fiesta Mix (spices, nuts and other crunchy items) and Garden Tomato Crunchies. All tasted great! Little D is a big fan of nuts so he dug right in.

Monthly boxes (different each month and picked by a nutritionist) include 15 to 20 servings across 4 to 6 different snacks. Each product is made from wholesome ingredients that are minimally processed. NatureBox products never contain high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats or anything artificial (flavors/colors/sweeteners).

For every NatureBox sent out, the company donates one meal to feed the over 14 million children in America who go hungry. A nice little feel good bonus.

Many of you have kids back in school and these snacks are perfect to send along with your child or have when they come home. But they are not just for kids — you’ll love them too (we got to eat too, right?)

So when NatureBox offered to do a giveaway, I said yes! They will be giving away three, one-month subscriptions so there will be three winners. For more chances to win visit Jill’s site.

Here’s how to enter:

1) Mandatory entry: Tell me why you’d like to win a one-month subscription to NatureBox and leave a comment here.

2) For a second entry, Join our Fearless Feeding Community (LIKE) on Facebook and leave a comment here saying you did. If you already like us, share the Fearless Feeding Facebook page with a friend and tell me here.

3) For a third entry, “Like” NatureBox on Facebook and leave another comment.

4) For one last entry, tweet or “Like” this page and leave one last comment.

Three winners will be chosen using random.org. The winners will be announced on Raise Healthy Eater’s Facebook Page. This giveaway ends next Friday, September 7th, at midnight.

You must be 18 to enter. Products shipped within the US only.

Lately our bananas have been looking pretty sad not too long after bringing them home.  Someone at work mentioned it was because of the humidity.  This is what we’ve been ending up with.

I usually freeze overripe bananas for smoothies but I had amassed more than usual. When I searched for banana bread recipes, most were loaded with sugar.  There is nothing wrong with that, depending on what your family likes and how often it’s being eaten. But I personally like less sweet and more nutrient dense muffins and breads.

I remembered how well black beans worked in brownies and thought that maybe white beans would be good in banana bread. I did find a couple of recipes and came up with my own concoction.

Either my taste buds are off or this was really good — the first time I tried it. My real test was Little D’s reaction. I knew if he asked for more at snack time, it was a keeper. And he did! (I did have to nudge him by asking him if he wanted more but he did say yes.)

The whole house smelled wonderful when it was baking and the sweetness was perfect. I really like using whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular whole wheat flour (softer texture). Compared to the standard recipe, mine had just under 7g sugar per serving vs. 27g and more fiber and protein!

If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

I’ve been reading a lot about snacking in children and whether or not it’s necessary. Some say snacks need to go, except one afternoon nosh, and others say their kids couldn’t survive without constant fuel.

So I wanted to dig into this topic by evaluating the research and providing insight. But first, let’s review the reason snacking is taking a hit in the first place.

The Snacking Problem

Research shows that snacks have risen from 1977 to 2006 with children moving from 2 to 3 snacks per day consisting of almost one-third of daily calories. There has also been an increase in salty snacks and candy as prime food choices, even though desserts and sweetened beverages remain the major sources of calories from snacks.

The calories from snacks have also gone up by 168 calories, with the largest increases in 2 to 6 years olds (182 calories).

So children are snacking more often on foods of low nutritional quality. Time to give up snacking? Not yet….

As stomachs grow so does time between meals

I think it’s important to take a step back and consider why young children need to eat more frequently than adults. For example, an adult’s stomach is about the size of a football while a toddler’s is the size of his fist. This is why newborns eat every 1-3 hours around the clock and as their stomachs grow, they can go longer and eventually stop the night feeds.

By one year, most children are eating about 6 times per day, with the last meal typically consisting of milk or a breastfeeding session. Toddlers tend to eat every 2-3 hours (5-6 meals) while preschoolers may be able to go 3, maybe even 4 hours between meals. Sample meal plans, like those in the American Academy of Pediatrics Handbook, recommend 3 main meals and 2 in between meal snacks for the average toddler/preschooler.

By school age, children can move to a “3 meal and one afternoon snack” routine, but timing of breakfast and lunch matter. For example, a child that starts school early (7:30), meaning breakfast is at 7 or earlier, who doesn’t have lunch until 12:30, would need something in between.

The foods recommended in between meals are nutrient-dense items to help fill nutritional gaps.

The (tricky) Research

The problem with the research in this area, which mostly looks at weight as the outcome, is there is no set definition for what is a snack, eating occasion or meal. Each study has different criteria, making the results less impactful.

When it comes to meal frequency, the research leans toward more frequent meals but not necessarily more snacking. Take a 2012 study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in which the food intake of 2,732 girls was examined over a 10-year period. The girls with a lower eating frequency had greater increases in Body Mass Index and waist circumference. Yet other studies such as The Bogalusa Heart Study (2003), showed snacking to be positively associated with excess weight.

Because population-based studies (epidemiologic) don’t prove cause and effect, it’s important to look at intervention studies, of which I found two. One, done back in the sixties, fed boarding school students either 3 times a day, 5 times or 7. The more frequent eating was associated with less weight gain in older children (10-16 years) but not younger ones (6-11). The authors hypothesize that this may have to do with the adolescent growth spurt, a time when appetite increases.

In the second study, published in the 2011 issue of Obesity, 18 normal weight and 17 obese children, between 6 and 10 years old, were given either three or five feedings in a day of the same calorie value. After each day, children were offered as much ice cream as they wanted. On the frequent feeding day, the obese children ate 73 calories more of ice cream while the normal weight children at 47 calories less. It was hypothesized that higher weight children do better on 3 bigger meals, but because this was short term — one day of each feeding — it’s difficult to say for sure.

Didier Chapelot, a leading researcher on eating patterns, sums up the research in his 2011 paper in the American Society for Nutrition: “An accurate distinction between meals and snacks is important because they are hypothesized to have opposite effects on energy balance. Specifically, a high meal frequency may prevent fat mass deposition, yet snacking may contribute to it.” Chapelot, who presented at the 2009 Experimental Biology conference, explains the importance of keeping hunger as the main driver of eating occasions.

Development, individual children and type of food

Understanding your child’s growth and development, something we go into great detail in Fearless Feeding, is key to deciding how often to offer food. As said earlier, younger children need to be offered food more frequently, but it’s important to remember that they should be the ones to choose to eat or not. With growth spurts and changing appetites, parents need to remember that eating is not supposed to be predictable every day.

Of course it’s always important to consider the individual child. For example, Little D (3 years old) would probably do fine eating 4 times a day because he’s a big meal eater. But when Big A was 3, she barely ate (she went 3 weeks one time eating only one bite at breakfast!) and frequent meals were a must.

But it’s not just how often a child eats, but what they are being fed. I think we need to stop defining snacks in terms of the “snack aisle” at the grocery store — fruit snacks, pretzels, crackers, granola bars etc. While once and awhile is fine, in between eating should be similar to main meals with fewer food groups, helping meet nutritional gaps and getting little ones (and adults) to the next meal with an appetite.

So tell me, how many times a day does your child eat? Is this a struggle for you?

References

Piernas, C., and Popkin BM. Trends in Snacking Amount U.S. Children. Health Affairs. 2010, 29 (3), 398-404.

Ritchie, D. Less Frequent Eating Predicts Greater BMI and Waist Circumference in Female Adolescents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2012, 95, 290-296.

Nicklas, T.A. et al. Eating Patterns and Obesity in Children. The Bogalusa Heart Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2003, 25(1), 9-16.

Chapelot, D. The Role of Snacking in Energy Balance: a Biobehavioral Approach. American Society for Nutrition. 2011, 141, 148S-162S.

Mehra, R et al. Feeding Frequency and Appetite in Lean and Obese Prepubertal Children. Obesity. 2011, 19, 560-567.

Fabry, P et al. Effect of Meal Frequency in Schoolchildren. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1966, 18, 358-361.

Big A loves fruit smoothies. The problem is that Little D doesn’t. In fact, he’s not a big fan of fruit overall, especially the really sweet kind like strawberries and oranges (this bums me out but that’s a topic for another post). The teachers at his preschool are amazed that he turns his nose up to juice.

What Little D really loves is nuts. One day in the store, he grabbed a bag of nuts and yelled “Yummy Nuts!” So needless to say he loves peanut butter. So while making smoothies the other day, I also made a batch using banana, milk and peanut butter. While Little D refused to try it, Big A’s friend couldn’t get enough. And I’m sure after a few more tries he’ll take to it. If not, I’ll drink it!

Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothies
(makes about 2 1/2 cups — serving is 6 ounces)

Ingredients:
-1 cup low fat milk
-1 banana
-2 Tbsp. Peanut butter
-2 Tbsp. flax meal or wheat germ
-1 cup of ice (about 5 large cubes)

Directions: Blend all the ingredients in a blender!

Nutrition (with flaxmeal): 117 calories, 5g protein, 2g fiber, 7.5g sugar, 6g fat
% Daily Value: 9% calcium, 12% phosphorus, 8% potassium, 9% riboflavin, 10% magnesium, 10% vitamin B6

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This recipe comes from my friend Jenny. Her 3 year old loved this dish! She admits he didn’t go for the green parts of the bok choy but dug into the white crunchy pieces. She put the green onions on the side for her and her husband (I incuded them because this is part of my lunch today).

I don’t cook with bok choy but got some for this salad as well as for a stir fry I’m making tonight. It’s rich in vitamins A, C and K and loaded with antioxidants. This salad has a really wonderful flavor and is perfect as a side dish or a snack.

Thanks Jenny!

Ingredients:
-1/2 head bok choy, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
-1 red apple, cut into bite-size pieces
-4 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
-1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper to taste

Directions:
1. in a medium bowl, toss the bok choy, apple, and scallions with the yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

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I’ve been wanting to try this recipe I found on the Meal Makeover Mom’s blog for some time now. I don’t usually ”healthify” dessert but these sound so intriguing. I have to admit, my chocolate-loving husband was skeptical.

Me: Should I make black bean brownies?

Him: Do what you want, but I probably won’t eat them

Me: Will you at least try them?

Him: Yes

So I made them but of course was missing the right pan so I used my muffin pan. The dinner I was making tool longer than planned so I took a bite of one. Then my husband took a bite and he kept going back for more!

Everyone loved these, including Little D, who is taking after his Dad’s love of chocolate. These lasted less than 24 hours. They are not as rich as regular brownies but pretty darn good.

Anyone else make something like this?

Ingredients:
-15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed well
-3 large eggs
-3 tablespoons canola oil
-3/4 cup sugar
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional (I skipped)
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-Pinch salt
-1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (I added a bit more)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place the black beans in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, peppermint extract as desired, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth. Add ¼ cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (in the muffin pan it was 30 minutes). Cool in the pan before slicing into 2-inch squares.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 120 calories, 5g fat (1.5g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 95mg sodium, 18g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 3g protein.

Thanks Meal Makeover Moms!

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