Toddler Cafe - Jennifer Carden [10]
table salt vs. kosher salt
All of my recipes use flat-grained kosher salt. Table or iodized salt is fine grained, and a single teaspoon of table salt has more sodium than a teaspoon of kosher or sea salt. If you use table salt, these recipes will be much too salty. Get yourself a box of kosher salt and start to experiment with it. If you only have table salt, though, use about half as much as I’ve listed in the recipe.
the ketchup factor
Most kids defiantly think sugar-packed ketchup is a food group, so monitor their tomato-y intake. Buy sugar-free ketchup, or when serving condiments like sweet ketchup or pickle relish, use the drizzle or dot method. Make dots on all the food or on the plate, or draw a design and then put it away; they get the flavor but the food doesn’t drown.
butter vs. oil & the fear of frying
You may find yourself thinking that butter and oil are bad for your kids, but our bodies need the healthy fats that occur naturally in nuts, avocados, seeds, fish, fresh butter, and unrefined olive oil. It’s the trans fats and saturated oils that should be limited. These fats have been refined by high-heat processing, or hydrogenation, and these are the ones to steer clear of.
Butter is created from milk and has not been hydrogenated; it is perfectly fine in moderation. This is the “less is more” idea; great flavor using natural foods is a good way to start. When your child is over two years old, you can switch to low-fat dairy products. Extra-virgin olive oil is a great fat for kids and adults to have in their diet. Olive oil is also not hydrogenated and is full of essentials fats for brain growth and healthy skin. The more natural foods you use, the better you can feel about your child’s health. Everything in moderation and your kids will be balanced and healthy and happy.
The fear of fried and fatty foods is rampant, but if you use fresh, healthy, unprocessed oils, you won’t have to worry. If a recipe calls for frying, just add enough vegetable oil to the pan to coat the bottom and pan fry, flipping the food to cook thoroughly, and then drain it. The faster you fry, the less oil gets on the food, and the better it is for you. Make sure you have the oil temperature up around 350°F, and don’t crowd your pan, as this will force the temperature of the oil down and you will end up with greasy food.
stock up: perfect pantry
Some of these recipes are based on traditional foods from many different cultures. The ingredients are readily available in the ethnic food aisles of the grocery store. Because I want you to try all kinds of flavors with your kids, I have added some more unusual ingredients into this basic list for you to try. There are so many fruits and vegetables to try, and this list is just a fraction of things to put in your cart. Challenge yourself to pick up a food or ingredient in the store that you have never used. Look around and grab anything you have never used, find a recipe when you get home, and go for it. The unfortunate truth is that most people only have about one hundred items they regularly buy in the store. That is a shame, since we live in a world where we can get any foods we can imagine but we tend to stick to what we know.
the freezer
Make sure you have a well-stocked freezer. The freezer is your friend so long as you know what’s inside those mystery wrappers. Keep everything sealed and wrapped well, and keep a marker near you in the kitchen so you can note the date and contents on each wrapper. Arrange foods by sections inside the freezer: breakfast,