Make Homemade Play Dough to Teach Children of all Ages about Cooking

As Samantha is getting more interested in the cooking, I am looking for easy jobs she can do that take into account her level of skill. Since she is only 14 months old, these jobs are usually pretty easy. Place the cut up veggies in the pan. Bring a food item from the pantry to the kitchen. Unload a grocery bag and hand to me to put in the fridge.

But she really wants to stir. This was the first “cooking” she did; she took my spoon and stirred the food. It is messy and she is not that coordinated yet. But she wanted to stir. I will give her a spoon the same as me having a spoon. But boy did she want to stir – whatever pan or bowl she could find. It didn’t matter if it had our food in it or any food. Mommy stirs and she wanted to stir.

This got me thinking, what could we make where it did not matter if there was a mess, or if the mess was bigger than the food we were making? The answer came to me. Play dough! All I had to do is find a simple recipe, and Mister Roger’s Easy Play Dough fit the bill. 

With just flour and water, it can teach Samantha about stirring without worrying about the food in the end. I used food coloring in mine, but since I have been thinking, wouldn’t it be great to do the coloring with food instead. Think about all the great flavored fresh pastas with wonderful colors. And, once the child is ready, you can turn play dough making into pasta making. After all, this recipe and an egg free pasta recipe are very similar. I will have to experiment with that.

Back to the play dough we did make. Samantha loved stirring. We were going to make a red batch and a green batch, starting with the red. But Samantha had other ideas. Into the green bowl the red batch went. The result was a red ball with green on the outside, that was, of course, until Samantha had twirled it all up.

After the stirring, Samantha did some rolling with a plastic cup and some cutting with her little baby knife. She had a great time. When she was done, we put it in a Tupperware and into the fridge. It has kept nicely so far, which at the time of this writing is 6 days.

Now, onward to the recipe!

Easy Play Dough

• 2 cups flour plus enough to make it not sticky (about ¼ cup)
• 1 cup water
• Liquid food coloring

1. Color the water with the food coloring.
2. Mix water and flour together.
3. Add more flour until the play dough does not stick.

That’s it. Doesn’t get much simpler than that, and it is a great way to get your child making something. Give it a try today.

Now, back to that food for color idea; what “flavors” of play dough would you like to see?

Society seems to be a bit mixed up these days when it comes to “baby food”. You see, most parents tend to think there is “food”, and then there is “baby food”. Flavorless jars of highly treated food, processed rice “treats” that melt in the baby’s mouth  instead of teaching chewing, packaged vegetable juice so your baby doesn’t need to taste the vegies they are eating.

These are just a few of the food like baby products sold to us each and every day.

Do you want to know a secret? We don’t have to buy them! That is right, we don’t have to spend an extra penny on these food like products. Instead, we can do what others have done for thousands of years. We can feed our babies food. You know, food, like you or I would eat. That’s right.

Your baby is real, right? Then why would you feed your baby anything but real food? You child is much more likely to come out of that picky toddler age loving real food if he had it as a baby. The best part is real food can save you money.

Getting Started with Wholesome Baby Food

Wholesome Baby Food is a great which gives a wide variety of baby food options as well as guidelines for each age. A quick reference for those with some food background or an in depth guide for those unlearning the baby food misconception. This site is a great starting point regardless of your level of knowledge if you would like to feed your real baby real food.

The next step is to find what works best for your family and your child. Each child is different; here is a look at three mothers and their journey through introducing real food to their babies.

Heather’s Story

Heather of Rockstew started out like many who want to feed real food for their baby. When she wanted to streamline the procces of making food for her daughter, she turned to a crockpot to create a wonderful variety of soft, fresh, foods which she would freeze. She also found that her daughter loved spices from an early age. Heather’s daughter is just over one year now, and shows a love for a wide variety of foods. Want to try her system, but don’t have a crockpot? Get one with a removable stone insert for the most flexibility and convenience, such as the Hamilton Beach 8 Quart Oval Slow Cooker.

Jenny’s Story

Jenny of Nourished Kitchen found that her son did not like to be spoon fed, and that the introduction to food was a rough one. That was, until, she stumbled upon “Baby Led Weaning”, an approach that bypasses not only the packaged food like baby products, but also the soft foods altogether. Jenny’s son is now a little boy who has anything but the typical food outlook, and for the better. Learn more about Baby-Led Weaning from Gill Rapley in his book which introduced it.

My Story

I knew I wanted quick and easy real food for Samantha. I also knew that my husband would be feeding her at times, and he would not be making any of her foods. I believed strongly that if I would not eat a food, I would not feed it to my daughter. Being aware of baby led weaning, I gave it a try. However, Samantha was just too excited about eating, and continually broke off choke sized pieces to eat. She loved the purees I made her, taking the spoon from my hand and eating it. I never once put the spoon in her mouth. I placed it in front of her mouth, and allowed her to feed herself. I often had to use two spoons, one for her to feed herself with, and one for me to reload. I relied heavily on frozen fruits and veggies, which I pureed and refroze in these handy containers with covers in the Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food Kit. It was quick, simple, and I loved her food as much as she did. Over time, she started eating pieces of bread, and other foods. She now loves to help me cook every night (at 14 months), and eats pretty much whatever is put in front of her.

Your Story

It is your turn now. How are you going to feed your baby? Giving her real food will set her up to love real food. Tell me what you plan on doing or what worked for you in the comments below.

Simple 1-2-3 Kids Recipes

This is a “Favorite Brand Name Recipes” cook book. I have owned several over the years, and I have to say, I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love that the fun presentations and easy steps to their food. I hate that they list specific brands by some products, use some “food products” which feel anything but real food to me.

Mixed Feelings

The feeling is still there in this book. Case in point: Grilled Cheese & Turkey Shapes. This recipe calls for “French’s Mustard”, any flavor, and American cheese, but provide a quick, easy, and fun meal for your child.

What, you might ask, is wrong with those ingredients? 

For the first product, if I want a quality product, French’s Mustard is not on the top of my list, and there are cheaper mustards of the same quality, you do not want to pay for a good quality mustard. Low quality mustards can often be overpowering, requiring less mustard used in a recipe.

American cheese is not legally a “cheese,” it is a “cheese food”.  Think about it for a minute, in this day and age of “pink slime” being added to beef without labeling, American cheese cannot be labeled “cheese”.  While some people have no real problem with this cheese product, consider for a minute what consider for a minute what, exactly, would make this not a real cheese. I don’t know about you, but I am not comfortable feeding this to my daughter.

Adaptation

What, then, is to be done? I find the best way to use a cookbook like this is for inspiration or as a stepping stone for someone starting to cook after eating mainly junk food. I used it as inspiration to adapt a recipe.

Original Recipe

• 8 teaspoons French’s Mustard, any flavor
• 8 slices seedless rye or sourdough bread 
• 8 slices deli roast turkey
• 4 slices American cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, soften

1. Spread 1 teaspoon mustard on each slice of bread. Arrange turkey or ham and cheese on half the bread slices, dividing evenly. Cover with remaining slices of bread.
2. Cut out shapes using cooking cutters. Remove excess trimmings.
3. Spread butter on both sides of sandwiches. Spray olive oil on sandwiches Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook sandwiches 1 minute per side or until bread is golden and cheese melts.

Changing the recipe

• 8 teaspoons French’s Mustard, any flavor  removed, but any mustard works
• 8 slices seedless rye or sourdough bread  bread on hand (multigrain oat and nut bread)
• 8 slices deli roast turkey – half sandwiches with ham, for variety.
• 4 slices American cheese 8 slices Muenster Cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, soften olive oil in Misto Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer, Brushed Aluminum

1. Spread 1 teaspoon mustard on each slice of bread. Arrange turkey or ham and cheese on half the bread slices, dividing evenly. Cover with remaining slices of bread.
2. Cut out shapes using cooking cutters. Remove excess trimmings.
3. Spread butter on both sides of sandwiches. Spray olive oil on sandwiches Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook sandwiches 1 minute per side or until bread is golden and cheese melts.
4. Cut out shapes using cooking cutters. Remove excess trimmings, and cut into cubes for a quick on the go snack for your child.

Final Recipe

• 8 slices bread  on hand ( multigrain oat and nut bread)
• 8 slices high quality deli roast turkey or ham
• 8 slices Muenster Cheese[http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--35442/muenster-cheese.asp]
• olive oil in Misto Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer, Brushed Aluminum

1. Arrange turkey or ham and cheese on half the bread slices, dividing evenly. Cover with remaining slices of bread.
2. Spread butter on both sides of sandwiches. Spray olive oil on sandwiches Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook sandwiches 1 minute per side or until bread is golden and cheese melts.
3. Cut out shapes using cooking cutters. Remove excess trimmings, and cut into cubes for a quick on the go snack for your child.

While I changed almost all the ingredients, the idea was kept, and the steps are nearly identical. The idea is a great one, and one work serving to your children for a fun treat.

Ever notice that in this day and age, more and more children are picky eaters? Parents feel they have to make a different dinner for their children, or “they won’t eat”. Are you afraid your child will be one of them? Open your home’s Kitchen Heart and Child Friendly your kitchen to avoid this common issue, now, starting when your child is a baby.

Imagine if you will, your toddler, barely over one year old, coming home hungry. Now imagine that instead of going to her highchair, and asking for food, she follows you into the kitchen, and asks to help.

First, she happily pulls frozen individual meatballs from a bag, and puts them on a cookie sheet to cook. Then, she transfers sliced mushrooms to a frying pan, keeping one out to taste test. She then helps with the spices for the spaghetti sauce, and the noodles by pouring the items into the right pans, again grabbing a dry pasta noodle to taste test.

Now, for the hard part, where you would think everything falls apart. She has to wait, but behold, she is waiting quietly, watching you stir the sauce and the noodles, as the plates start to get taken up, and then as the meatballs are added to the plate. As it gets time for dinner, she wants to go to her high chair. When dinner is done, she is eager to try the meatballs, something she was not interested in until she got to cook them.

Does this sound too good to be true? While many may think that, this was my night tonight. Samantha, just under 14 months of age, did all that and more to help me in the kitchen tonight. Not only that, but when I cook, Samantha insists on helping.

So how did I do it, and how can you do this as well? Just follow these five simple steps to a Child Friendly Kitchen:

1) Say goodbye to the kitchen baby gate. I know, it is there because you don’t think your kitchen is child proof enough. The floor may not be mopped daily, and little toddlers love to pick things off the floor. Take the time to clean the floor to keep it safe, but remember a little dirt never hurt anyone. Won’t it be nice not to have your child crying at the child gate while you cook? After all, you don’t want her thinking that food is something to be scared of.

2) Say goodbye to the cabinet locks. This may sound like a scary one, but it really is simpler than you would think. Move all poisons into your laundry room or onto a high shelf. Rearrange your kitchen so that all breakables are in the top cabinets, and keep your pots, pans, cutting boards, and Tupperware down low (throw in a few wooden spoons while you are at it). Now, you changed the kitchen tools from uninviting dangers into fun toy chests.

3) As much as you safely can, let your baby see what you are doing. This can be by strapping her to your back, holding her on your hip, securing her in a highchair, or having your husband or wife hold him. She will love to see what you are doing, and will start to show patience when she knows food is being made.

4) When it is not safe to hold your baby, show her the kitchen toy boxes. It is important to know when it is not safe to hold your baby, when there is a knife or heat involved, among other time. Let her play at your feet. At first, these will just be fun toys, then they will be what mommy use, and finally, she will want to actively help you cook.

5) Listen to when your baby is ready to help “cook”. At some point, your baby will start trying to help you cook. Samantha let me know just after 12 months that she was ready. She took the spoon I was using, and started stirring. Pay attention to your baby, and start with easy jobs, such as putting the mushrooms in the pan. Let her embrace food and learn to love it.

That’s all, these five simple steps to a child friendly kitchen will take the pickiness out of your child and invite the kitchen heart into her life.

Take inventory, how is your kitchen not child friendly, and what steps are you going to take to change that? Tell me below, and don’t forget to use it as an entry to my monthly cookbook giveaway.

Alrighty, this is my thrid cook book giveaway, but the first to be on the schedual I think will work moving forward. I am really enjoying these giveaways, and I love helping you cook with your children. This, for me, is a thank you for taking the time to care about the quality of your child's food and how it effects his life.

The books this month are:

Dinner: A Love Story: It all begins at the family table

Twist It Up: More Than 60 Delicious Recipes from an Inspiring Young Chef

There will be two ways to enter:

1. Be a Challenge Taker by taking the Your Child's Food One Year Challenge. The Challenge Taker Winner will get their pick of the cookbooks, but will be randomly selected.
2. By entering the Rafflecopter giveaway below. This winner will receive the other cookbook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoy.

I feel manners are extremely important at a table. It effects how others perceive you, and if others want to be around you. That said, I know less about the hidden benefits of table manners than I do other areas. So I asked my friend, Diane Kern of Phenomenal Mind to give us some insights. I think that we are becoming more aware of the physical cost related to a poor food relationship. I knew the family connection that can grow at the dinner table. Until I spoke with Diane, I did not fully realize the mental advantages a positive relationship with food can bring to us. Can food be used to lower the number of people with ADD; not through its nutrition, but through the manners that come with a strong relationship with food? The idea intrigues me. How about you?

The dining table represents a window of opportunity for much to be accomplished. Interestingly it is only with the loss of that ritual that we understand it’s role in the scheme of things. It is a window of opportunity to teach values by actions, not a bad way to teach values. It is a window of opportunity to lay a foundation for working with natural body systems to maintain health. And, yes, it is a window of opportunity to strengthen the impulse control system of your child, no small gift.

Values

The number of values reinforced with introduction of table manners for children is considerable. Imbedded in the protocol is (among other things);

1. Respect
   Respect for the efforts of the cook. No one begins to eat until all are seated.
2. Consideration for the sensibilities of others
   In this case, table mates. Have you ever watched someone literally shovel large quantities of food into their mouth with food stuff falling off the fork?
3. Efficiency
   Fewer mistakes are made with ‘more’ attention paid to the mechanics of eating.
4. Socialization
   Your child will be ‘presentable’ in a public that cares. You will be proud of them.

Digestion

Too often, the first stage of the digestive system is overlooked. Food is to be broken down before being swallowed. Salivary glands produce chemicals that aid in that process. Chewing food thoroughly exploits that system and does not then place an undue burden upon systems further down the ‘pipeline’.

Impulse Control? You Bet

As a therapist I have prescribed use of the dining hour to require use of the impulse control system. Neurological tracks carry messages to implement impulse control. Those track systems require frequent use to become efficient vehicles for carrying control messages.

These days, as so many environments are structured to include and entertain children, there are fewer environments that require that children use their impulse control system. Many children I have treated for ADD respond very quickly to situations that present them with a frequent demand for impulse control.

I suggest making a game of it.

Going on a picnic? Don’t let them fly out of the car. Ask them to stand beside the car and hand them something to carry. They will eye the playground while exercising restraint and carrying things to the table.

At the dinner table? Play a game that ‘ritualizes uses of manners’, Smile but wait for the ‘cook’ to be seated and place his or her napkin in their lap. Let the cook take the first bite. Remark upon how ‘very nice’ that is. Niceness is underrated.

Every instance of efforts to exercise restraint enhances the functionality of the impulse control system.

Talk about a win, win, win!

About Diane:
Diane Kern has been a practicing psychotherapist for over thirty years. She is credentialed to teach college level psychology, social science and anthropology. She has taught at California Community Colleges and Universities. She studied psychoanalytic theory and practice in the School of Criminology at the University of California at Berkeley where she earned her doctorate degree. She traveled to India to study cross-cultural conceptions of mental illness. Research was undertaken in social work agencies and at the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. She has had a balanced yoga practice for twenty five years.

(See July Cookbook Giveaway: Packing up a Picnic and Simple 1-2-3 Kids for a chance to win this book.)

Packing up a Picnic: Activities and Recipes for Kids (Acitvities for Kids)

Packing up a Picnic: Activities and Recipes for Kids is a small book, but a useful one. I took my time reviewing the recipes, trying to find just the right recipe.

The book had old classics, like ants on a log, new twists, like chocolate chip cookie S’Mores, from scratch recipes like Fresh Salsa, and recipes using premade food like Ghost-in-the-Graveyard Cupcakes with devil’s food cake mix. It has something for every cooking level (including options to buy the picnic), making it hard for me to pick a recipe.

In the end, it was an activity that really got my attention. Each of the seven planned picnics includes an activity list. These are meant to be examples so you can dive into the eighth picnic “Create Your Own Picnic”. From scavenger hunts to snow olympics, the activates are diverse and fun.

The one that caught my eye is “Drive-In Picnic”. Not only is the menu relatively healthy (fruit and dip, veggies and dip, popcorn, chips and salsa, peanut butter cookies), but the activities were much more than just sitting to watch a show. There are activities for before the movies, during the previews and credits, and then physical activities for during the moving. In Do as they do, you look for specific activities, and then do a planned response to them. For example: “When you see someone run, everyone stand up and run in place.”

Want a treat you will not feel guilty about eating? Head over to Pamela’s Heavenly Treats. Here you will find an assortment of desserts to hit any craving you have. Her treats incorporate good for you stuff like whole grains, and lower sugar usage.

Don’t worry, she tests her treats on her six children (ages 12 to 2). And she shares the recipes for you to do this at home. Some of her recipes are even (naturally) gluten free. So next time you are looking for a healthy dessert, give her a visit.

If you do not grow fruit, you may be able to give your child that farm experience by going to a you-pick farm. This not only gives you some fresh fruit, but it helps your child understand where fruit comes from. The taste of warm fruit freshly picked is one of the wonderful gifts in this world, and your child can eat the fruit right there on the farm.

This is precisely what I did when I took Samantha Blueberry picking at Henna Blueberry Farm. At 13 months, Samantha did well at putting a handful of blueberries in the bag to take home. Mostly, she just walked around picking blueberries and eating them. She thought it was really cool that there was so much fruit to pick from. In addition to her enjoyment, I have taken one more small step in helping Samantha understand where food comes from.

So next time you are looking for a fun activity to do with your child, consider finding a you-pick farm and picking whatever is in season.

For today, I would like to review to Healthy food toddler plates.

Fresh Baby My Plate Dinnerware Set

The Fresh Plate My Plate Dinnerware Set is a complete package. It includes a plate, cup, fork, spoon, knife, and placemat. The placemat shows the “my plate” recommendations on one side, and healthy activities on the other side. The fun design will help children be excited about healthy eating.
On a whole, I like the concept. It can help children want to eat well by giving them the information to know what is “good” at a glance. This silverware is adorable, though I will be waiting until Samantha has better over her spoon to give her a fork or knife. If your child likes to keep things separate, the dividers will do a good job at that.

I have found these do not meet my needs in two areas:

1. Samantha loves fruit, so her fruit sometimes covers part of her grains portion (balancing out the overall carbs in her diet). This plate makes it hard for me to adjust the proportions within a meal.
2. The dairy serving is represented as a cup. Currently, Samantha only gets about half her dairy from milk (formula). She is having issues with straight milk, and loves some of the other dairy, so we shift her meal that way some. This makes it hard to cover the dairy portion. Additionally, she will be taught that dairy is an optional part of the diet due to my dairy allergies. This does not lead to the ways Samantha may or may not get dairy products in her diet.

Fresh Baby Plate and So Easy Toddler Food Cookbook - Value Pack, English

(This product seems to only be sold in Spanish right now) The Fresh baby plate comes with just a plate and cookbook. It has three sections to the plate: fruits/veggies, grains, and protein. Given Samantha’s diet, and my level of comfort with adjusting the amount that Samantha eats based on her diet throughout the day, I am finding this plate works better for me.

I can easily do a fruit, veggie, and protein meal, or a veggie and bean dinner (beans are excellent sources of both carbs and protein) by adjusting where I put the foods to illustrate how they still meet the meals needs. Additionally, I can lay the dairy across the section it bests meets the needs of in the meal when it is included. While I can do this with the other plate, I find this plate slightly easier to do this with.

I have one major complaint about this product:

1. It should be 50% fruits and veggies, not the 40% it is given. If you are new to balancing a meal, this plate is probably not for you. This is a classic way of dividing a child’s plate (healthy or fun), and is something to be aware of if you are just learning how to balance a meal.

Fresh Baby Plate and So Easy Toddler Food Cookbook Value Pack, English

It seems like the company is phasing in the cookbook with the "my plate". This is a great combination for those who are just starting out. The cookbook contains useful nutritional information, and easy but fun recipes. Below is “pink potatoes”, which Samantha loves.

I use a combination of these products. I also use small bowls some, which combine all the food groups. At this time, I do not use the milk cup, since Samantha cannot drink milk straight yet. She gets her formula in a bottle at night and in the morning. I am also waiting on most of the silverware until she is showing a readiness for it. That said, I love the placemat for her. The “my plate” plate nicely teaches what a healthy diet looks like if it was a single plate (which it does not have to be). I feel any of the options are good buys depending on your level of comfort with putting a healthy diet in front of your children.

This batch did not turn out very pink, I think due to the type of sweet potato I used. That said the flavor was in there.

Pink Potatoes

• 3 medium white potatoes
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 14 oz can chicken broth
• 4 Tbsp butter or margarine
• Salt and pepper to taste

Direction

Scrub, peel, and cut the potatoes into 2 inch chunks. Place potatoes and the garlic cloves in a saucepan with the chicken broth. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and boil for 10-12 minutes, until a fork slides easily through the potatoes. Drain the potatoes, reserving ¾ cup of the cooking liquid. Mash the cooked potatoes with a potato masher until they are the same color throughout. Stir in the butter or margarine. Add the reserved cooking liquid ¼ cup at a time, until the potatoes are a creamy, whipped consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 10-12 toddler servings or 4 adult servings.