There are so many children's books available for the holidays it hardly seems fair to try and highlight them all in just 3 or 4 weekly posts, so this year The Kids' Stacks will be highlighting A Story A Day 'Til Christmas. 25 different stories along with craft ideas and recipes for families and care givers to share. The countdown will begin on Wednesday, December 1 so be sure to check in and check back each day as we count down to Christmas.
And don't fret, while I personally celebrate Christmas, I will, as always, be sure to highlight books and activities appropriate for families of all cultures and beliefs - because no one should be left out!
I hope you and yours have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I look forward to seeing you back here December 1.
Showing posts with label kid friendly food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kid friendly food. Show all posts
Friday, November 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Picky Eaters . . .
My little brother had not eaten voluntarily in over three years . . .
"Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double-beatloaf. I hate meatloaf."
"All right, I'll get that kid to eat. Where's my screw driver and my plumber's helper? I'll open up his mouth and I'll shove it in."
That of course from the classic Jean Shepherd screenplay (based on his novel), A Christmas Story . . . there is a picky eater in almost every family - if you don't have one, count yourself blessed!
Most picky eaters won't eat their green vegetables, or refuse any protein source outside of chicken nuggets, but in these three books we're dealing with special types of picky eaters.
In Gregory the Terrible Eater, Gregory the goat refuses to eat "traditional" goat fare, like pocket lint, buttons and newspaper - prefering instead toast, and maybe a tall glass of orange juice. His parents are at a loss and eventually consult their family doctor for advice on how to get Gregory to eat a "healthy" goat diet.
Much like Gregory, Little Pea does not like to eat the candy on which peas are meant to feast. Little Pea's favorite delight? Spinach! Which he readily gobbles up, scoffing at stripped candy, red candy, and even polka dotted candies.
Any parent who has ever told their child that broccoli was not a vegetable, but actually a tiny tree, will no doubt enjoy Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli. Monsters love to gobble cars and boulders and especially trees!
Many moms are familiar with the tricks to sneak an extra helping of veggies onto junior's dinner plate by hiding it in other foods - like maccaroni and cheese with peas - but any deft picky eater also knows how to eat around the peas. There are some great, healthy, kid-friendly recipes to try though in The Little Pigs' First Cookbook. Not only is a recipe book with food easy for little hands to help prepare - it's also a story book - taking readers through breakfast, lunch and dinner with the culinary pig brothers. Unfortunately, the Little Pigs are out of print, but there are used copies available on Amazon, and there's a good chance your locally library system will have at least one copy available to loan as well.
And now the Library Lady, herself a reformed picky eater, must go make her own dinner. Bon appetite!
"Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double-beatloaf. I hate meatloaf."
"All right, I'll get that kid to eat. Where's my screw driver and my plumber's helper? I'll open up his mouth and I'll shove it in."
That of course from the classic Jean Shepherd screenplay (based on his novel), A Christmas Story . . . there is a picky eater in almost every family - if you don't have one, count yourself blessed!
Most picky eaters won't eat their green vegetables, or refuse any protein source outside of chicken nuggets, but in these three books we're dealing with special types of picky eaters.
In Gregory the Terrible Eater, Gregory the goat refuses to eat "traditional" goat fare, like pocket lint, buttons and newspaper - prefering instead toast, and maybe a tall glass of orange juice. His parents are at a loss and eventually consult their family doctor for advice on how to get Gregory to eat a "healthy" goat diet.
Much like Gregory, Little Pea does not like to eat the candy on which peas are meant to feast. Little Pea's favorite delight? Spinach! Which he readily gobbles up, scoffing at stripped candy, red candy, and even polka dotted candies.
Any parent who has ever told their child that broccoli was not a vegetable, but actually a tiny tree, will no doubt enjoy Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli. Monsters love to gobble cars and boulders and especially trees!
Many moms are familiar with the tricks to sneak an extra helping of veggies onto junior's dinner plate by hiding it in other foods - like maccaroni and cheese with peas - but any deft picky eater also knows how to eat around the peas. There are some great, healthy, kid-friendly recipes to try though in The Little Pigs' First Cookbook. Not only is a recipe book with food easy for little hands to help prepare - it's also a story book - taking readers through breakfast, lunch and dinner with the culinary pig brothers. Unfortunately, the Little Pigs are out of print, but there are used copies available on Amazon, and there's a good chance your locally library system will have at least one copy available to loan as well.
And now the Library Lady, herself a reformed picky eater, must go make her own dinner. Bon appetite!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Over the River and Through the Woods . . .
I love camping.
Next to reading a great book, it's probably my favorite thing to do.
Growing up my family and I took camping trips to many of the National Parks and innumerable state parks. I learned to fish, start a fire, build a fort, toast the perfect marshmallow and play spades, about wild animals, poison ivy and geology. For a curious kid camping trips are the best!
BUT
Sometimes, and especially here in Colorado, the weather just gets in the way of plans. Quite literally raining on the parade.
So when you can't go camping outdoors, bring the adventure in - and take a good book (or five) along for the ride!
You can set up a tent indoors, or even better: build one together out of sheets and assorted furniture:
If you have a fire place, build a "camp" fire to roast marshmallows! If this is a dinner time camp-out, try the recipe below for one of my favorite kid and camp-stove friendly meals. Then it's time to snuggle up in the tent, wrap up in a blanket or bed down in a sleeping bag for story time!
Next to reading a great book, it's probably my favorite thing to do.
Growing up my family and I took camping trips to many of the National Parks and innumerable state parks. I learned to fish, start a fire, build a fort, toast the perfect marshmallow and play spades, about wild animals, poison ivy and geology. For a curious kid camping trips are the best!
BUT
Sometimes, and especially here in Colorado, the weather just gets in the way of plans. Quite literally raining on the parade.
So when you can't go camping outdoors, bring the adventure in - and take a good book (or five) along for the ride!
You can set up a tent indoors, or even better: build one together out of sheets and assorted furniture:
If you have a fire place, build a "camp" fire to roast marshmallows! If this is a dinner time camp-out, try the recipe below for one of my favorite kid and camp-stove friendly meals. Then it's time to snuggle up in the tent, wrap up in a blanket or bed down in a sleeping bag for story time!My all-time favorite camping book: Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe by Vera B. Williams. It's the story of a family float trip down the river in a book that looks more like an illustrated scrapbook than a traditional children's book. As bonuses it has a couple camp recipes and even teaches you how to tie knots!
Some other good picks:
- Curious George Goes Camping
- S is for S'mores: A Camping Alphabet (This one also has great info for grown ups!)
- Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping
- The Boy Scouts Book of Campfire Stories
But there are SO many to choose from. An Amazon search for Children's Books about camping produced 8,309 results! A search of the local Denver Public Library system yielded 168 books in their collection. These include tales from many of your favorite characters and series like Caillou, Maisy and Little Critter.
So next time you're ready to gear up for an outdoor adventure but the weather just won't cooperate - Take an adventure with a good book instead!
Recipe for Hobo Pockets:
The recipe for hobo pockets is - there is no recipe, just ingredients! Older kids can help cut the veggies, and everyone puts the ingredients of their choice onto a square of aluminum foil. Grown-ups then fold the foil into little packets, and place the packets in a 375 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.
Ingredients (mix and match as desired):
- ground beef or turkey
- cut russet potatoes
- spring onions or pearl onions
- cut carrots
- herbs (parsley, sage, thyme)
- seasoning salt
- peas
- sweet corn
- mushrooms
- cut celery
- salt and pepper
My personal favorite: beef with potatoes, pearl onions, peas, mushrooms, herbs and a dash of seasoning salt. Experiment with your own tastes and have fun!
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