Tasty Pop Alternatives!

While thinking about some ideas to share with you here on Little Foodies, I got a thirst for one of my favourite beverages: iced tea! I'm not talking about powdered sugar crystals mixed with water or even the bottled stuff. I've found that many different teas served cold can be just as tasty as fruit juice or pop, and are better for you. There are also a few other beverages I drink to satisfy my palate while keeping my teeth "acid erosion free" and my sugar intake low. I thought perhaps you might want to test these ideas out on the little ones in your life, and see if you can eliminate pop (soda) from your home entirely! I don't claim to be a nutrition expert; I am simply sharing my opinions about what I think are healthy drink options. With any of these drinks you can always add a splash of sparkling water to add a bit of fizzy fun!

image via Flickr user lila kahn

Iced Tea
Experiment with different green teas and herbal teas. This is very easy to make ahead and chill for the next day. Brew the tea as usual and steep for the appropriate time (this is different for different types of teas). If you can, loose leaf tea is best, but I often do this with bagged tea as well. Allow the tea to cool, then transfer it into a pretty pitcher for the fridge. Sweeten it lightly with either Agave syrup or honey, or just add some mint sprigs or citrus slices. In the morning you'll have a refreshing, tasty beverage that's good for you and the kids too! My favourites so far have been green mint tea and blueberry rooibos. Depending on the age of your kids, I would recommend using herbal teas with the least amount of caffeine.

image via Flickr user floridecires

Almond Milk Shake
Almond milk has a nutty taste which often makes it taste slightly sweet. It comes in chocolate and vanilla, but I recommend simply opting for the original flavour. Combine in a blender: almond milk, a banana, and some berries or other fruit your kids enjoy. Blend it up and serve in a fun glass. I like to grate a tiny bit of dark chocolate (90% cacao) on top just for fun! This drink can be a great stand-in for dessert; you can even freeze some of the milk into ice cube trays to give the feeling of ice cream in the shake. Almond milk is a great choice for a special milkshake because it's lower in fat and has less sugar added than soy milk. Obviously you can use cow's milk if that is what you drink anyway, but almond milk can be a healthier alternative because it has no cholesterol, less fat and more antioxidants. It's a great choice for kids who are lactose-intolerant, but obviously not a great choice for kids with nut allergies. The bottom line is that this milk with the addition of the banana creates a tasty sweetness without the need for adding sugar, syrup or honey to the shake.

image via Flickr user mygeneralmailbox

Infused Water
This one is so easy! Grab a pitcher of cold water and throw something in to infuse it with flavour! You can do this one of two ways: Throw some cut fruit and/or herbs into the water and let it sit overnight in the fridge; or blend fruit into a puree and mix in with water. So far I've tried: lemon and lime wedges, cucumber slices and mint sprigs, cherry puree and pineapple puree.

Have fun trying these suggestions and let me know how they go over with the little foodies in your house!

Cheers!
Heather

simple tips + grocery lists

Last November, I had the opportunity to hear Jamie Oliver speak at Roy Thompson Hall (Toronto) in promotion of his new cookbook & tv show Food Revolution. (Which has now ended - did everyone enjoy? are you inspired?) 

The talk was very enjoyable and touched on many topics concerning healthy food, education and the new show Food Revolution. It was a packed house that afternoon and the format was loose, basically Jamie chatting with some q&a at the end. He was an honest and entertaining speaker with lots of laughs.

I took away a couple things that day, including a small list of tips for how to eat healthy for kids. Paraphrased below is the list which he shared with us, which I think can be helpful to parents/caregivers/adults alike:

1) Don’t call it healthy food! It's so simple, but so true. If food is presented simply as 'this is what we're eating', then there is no pretense or build up to it. Also, call it proper or real food - to distinguish it from junk food.

2) Don't put kids on diets.

3) Don’t go by a rule book, kids tastes and habits change, what will work for 1 child may not work for another. They may try a food and hate it and then a month later try it and like it. 

4) With food - have fun & get messy! Include kids in decisions about food, get them involved in groceries, meal planning, meal making etc.

5) Focus on what they do like and add in extra veg here and there where you can. For this he gave the example of a tomato sauce which can be full of extra veggies.  

One of my favourite tips is #4, to have fun with food, experiment, and involving kids in daily food activites, such as grocery shopping. 

With that in mind, I thought it would be a great idea to put together a little kid-friendly produce based grocery list where kids can colour in the fruits & veggies that are on your list and participate in the grocery store outing by finding the foods on their list. 

I would like to create this produce based colouring page grocery list - yet there are so many fruits & veggies to include! If anyone is interested, I can draw up a little list of some common fruits & veggies for you to print out and try with your kids. Post a comment on this post & I'll get out the markers!

For the adults out there, I came across this grocery lists site. It is the world's largest online collection of found grocery lists. Quite an interesting concept that has made itself into a book!

They also have a free pdf download for your grocery lists - looks like a good one. Have fun on your next trip to the grocery store!

- Wendy

Could Farmville Be More Sustainable?

My farm in its early stages...

For those of you who are on Facebook, chances are you've heard of, or even become addicted to one of its games: Farmville. Growing up we never had video games, and I definitely don't recommend countless hours of video game or computer game play, but Farmville has shown me that you can actually learn something from a computer game, and this can translate into more of a connection to your food!

The object of the game is to develop your own farm and gain as many coins and Farmville dollars as possible, while also gaining XP: experience. As you continue to gain coins, dollars and experience, opportunities to purchase different crops, animals and decorations for your farm increase.

I have to admit, I'm pretty addicted to this game! At least I'm not the only one, I believe it's Facebook's most popular game with users from all over the world building simulated farms online. Yes, we should all really be getting outside and visiting real farms, growing our own veggies in the backyard or on the balcony, and connecting with nature in a real way; but during the winter months or as part of our daily computer checking routine, I don't think there's anything wrong with a little Farmville play.

As I continue to play this game, I keep thinking to myself: could they make Farmville more sustainable? They have introduced cooperative farming and they are advertising their upcoming feature, "Farmers' Markets", but I think players should be rewarded for more sustainable practices while simu-farming. I know that sounds ridiculous because, hey -- it's a fake farm -- but if more of us use technology to learn about food and farming, I believe it will motivate us to get outside and discover farms and farmers' markets more in our everyday lives.

Right now in the game, you get rewarded by planting many rows of the same crops, and I'm guilty of feeling great when I get a new sign representing a crop I've harvested in large amounts. However, how about rewarding us for planting different varieties instead? That would teach kids and adults about diversity on the farm and how it is a more organic, healthy way to plant crops.

Or, what about rewarding those who plant trees and crops based on the seasons? It's fun to have lemon and lime trees, but we could also teach kids who play this game that based on where they live, certain veggies and fruit are available during certain seasons.

Farmville has actually taught me about some plants I didn't even know existed! I know that is quite sad, but it also proves that even your average foodie is still somewhat disconnected from some of the foods, trees and plants that grow in the world, so I thank Farmville for introducing me to the durian tree and the gulmohar tree!

What do you think? Do you play Farmville? Do you think they could do a huge service to thousands of Facebookers by promoting sustainability in their game? Share your ideas!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

- Wendy

Weekend Outing: Bloomin' Earth in Kitchener

If you are looking for something to do this weekend and live in the Kitchener area, come check out Bloomin' Earth held on Saturday (24th) at the Kitchener Market, 300 King Stree East from 9am - 4pm.

There is a handmade market (WHDesigns will be participating), Junkyard Symphony performances, a recycled fashion show and eco workshops! Some of the foodie workshops of note are:

 From Farmhouse to Table

This weekly cooking series runs every Saturday from 11am to 1pm, offering lessons using a different ingredient and a different local farmer, each week. Participants get to watch and learn the preparation of a meal, receive a Kitchener Market gift bag and take home a special recipe card. This class requires registration in advance with the market $35/class . presented by Your Kitchener Market


Little Farmers’ Club

The little farmers’ club runs every saturday morning from 9am-10am introducing children 5-10yrs to the wonders of farming, gardening, cooking and animals while having fun and meeting new friends. Every participant gets their own Kitchener Market kids cup, and get to take home a new activity every week. This class requires registration in advance with the Market. $40/month presented by Your Kitchener Market

It should be a fun Saturday! I hope to get out of the booth for a couple minutes to check everything out and make a couple purchases at the farmer's market. I'll post anything of interest here on Little Foodies.

- Wendy

Grocery Store Wars: A Case for Organic Food

I just love this video created by Free Range Studios! Join Cuke Skywalker as he fights against the dark side of pesticides and chemicals! Whether it persuades you to choose organic or not, it's a fun use of the Star Wars theme, and your kids might like the talking veggies! (Perhaps not appropriate for small children due to the images of guns etc, but you make the call.) I hope it makes you pause next time you're at the grocery store to see if there's an organic option! Plus, Chew Broccoli is so cute!

Scratch-&-Sniff Stamps!

In yesterday's Globe, I read about these fun little stamps featured in the Style section.

(image courtesy of German Missions in the United States) 

They are scratch-and-sniff fruit themed stamps from Germany, issued to support charities. They come in apple, strawberry, lemon and blueberry scents.

More products should be scratch-and-sniff - so fun! It would be a great addition to business cards. I'd love to see a coffee shop include a scratch-and-sniff coffee bean on their promotional postcards/gift cards to share the inticing aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans!

Reminiscent of my old sticker book days! and my still 'fresh' smelling scratch-and-sniff dill pickle stickers!

- Wendy

Earth Day Colouring Page

I put together a little colouring page in celebration of Earth Day this week (April 22nd).

Print it out for the little kiddies and have some colouring fun! We'd love to see your completed colouring page - to have it featured on the blog, scan or take a picture and email it to Little Foodies. 

For more colouring page fun, visit my tiny brushstrokes (WHDesigns blog) to print off a different Earth Day colouring page. Happy Colouring!

- Wendy

Rising to the Real Food Challenge

I tried a new recipe tonight for the real food challenge and of course it was from Jamie's Food Revolution cook book! I wanted to try out a simple, quick one to add to our 'just got home from work & need dinner now!' list of quick meals. I chose the Salmon Fish Cakes, a basic recipe.

Ingredient list:

salmon

potatoes

italian parsley

egg

flour

lemon

salt & pepper

olive oil

I followed his recipe for the most part, but made it for 2 servings instead (4 salmon cakes) and kept the skin on my potatoes. Overall, they were so quick and easy to make, tasted yum (especially with the lemon squeezed on top) and got 2 thumbs up!

In the book he recommends to try it with a tomato, olive, basil and chile sauce (recipe in book) which I may do next time. I just served it with broccoli as we were wanting a light meal. But any other green side would be nice, especially a salad. 

A fun idea to make these salmon cakes more kid-friendly: prior to cooking, shape the salmon mixture using cookie cutters, such as a fish cookie cutter and add a pea for the eye! Or present your salmon fish on a sea of peas!

- Wendy

(image courtesy of The Cookie Cutter Shop)

Rising to the Real Food Challenge: Marie-Eve and Claude-Emilie!

Well, I threw down the gauntlet as they say, and two passionate friends from Quebec picked it up! Marie-Eve and Claude-Emilie prepared a lovely vegetarian meal using only "real food" and nothing processed! Their meal consisted of a lovely fresh salad and a large cold roll, served with homemade green tea with ginger and honey! Tasty and healthy!

Salad: 

lettuce

carrots

beets

zucchini

tomatoes

3 kinds of sprouts 

Cold Roll:

rice paper

rice noodles

peanut butter/honey/gomasio sauce

(gomasio is a combination of toasted sesame seeds and sea salt)

grated carrots and beets

sliced zucchini and mango

lentil sprouts

shallots

mint

coriander

Thank you Marie-Eve and Claude-Emilie! This looks like a delicious, light meal to enjoy and Little Foodies thanks you for sharing! You can read Marie-Eve's inspiring thoughts on her blog, A Commitment to Shine.

Cooking Challenge: Cook With Real Food!

These days everyone is talking about "real food" -- what does that even mean? Well, if you take the advice of author/journalist/food expert Michael Pollan, you are eating real food if you "don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food". You know the tips -- shop the outside of the grocery store, don't buy anything that has ingredients your 3rd grader can't pronounce, and so on.

But how easy is it to actually make a meal that doesn't contain any processed ingredients? In my opinion, it's easier than you may think. Granted, you may spend a few more dollars, but you will know that the food you're putting into you and your family's bodies is "real food". (It's actually absurd that we need to make the distinction, isn't it?)

So I set out to make a meal purely using natural ingredients and nothing processed. I ended up making a delicious meal that I can't really take credit for as it is featured in Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook, but it was tasty and easy to prepare! It wasn't overly time consuming and it included healthy ingredients, although I can't say it was perfect as I did learn a valuable lesson in the process, which I'll mention in a moment.

Without further ado, I bring you my meal: Italian Pan-Seared Tuna -- recipe by Jamie Oliver, preparation by yours truly. I have to avoid reprinting the actual recipe for copyright issues, but if you're interested, why not pick up a copy of his book?

Ingredients:
garlic
red and yellow cherry tomatoes (I used heirloom tomatoes)
black olives (I used Kalamata)
fresh basil
lemon
tuna steaks
sea salt and pepper
dried oregano (I used Italian Seasoning)
olive oil
anchovies

The finished product was a tasty, healthy meal that was probably one of the most delicious things I've ever made in my kitchen, and the entire process (including prep) only took me about 30 minutes!

I have to admit, I chose this recipe on a whim as it just sounded so delicious, but I realize now that there were a few flaws in my plan, but I have solutions for those flaws! First of all, I know what you're thinking: "Anchovies? Olives? My kid is sooo not going to eat that! Fish? Same!" I hear you, I really do, but I truly think that if you introduce foods early to kids, they will develop a palate for them early on and enjoy food that much more into adulthood. Sure, I don't have kids, how do I know this? Well, last year while I was working at a cafe, I witnessed a regular occurrence that confirmed my faith that kids will try anything and learn to love foods that they "think" they won't like, as long as you introduce those foods to them! A very cute family with very young children used to enjoy a long, leisurely lunch in our cafe; the children would nosh on cheese and bread of course, but also olives, pickled onions, beets and other savoury items. These kids and their pure enjoyment of this food was inspiring! So I do believe your kids will eat it!

Another flaw to this meal was the choice of fish: tuna steaks. Although they were extremely delicious, I felt a tad guilty eating them as I know that some types of tuna are not sustainable and being over-fished. This tuna was Yellowfin, which on some lists is not a terrible choice, but you never really know. So next time I would choose a more eco-friendly protein. If you'd like to learn more about sustainable fish, head on over to Sea Choice -- they have all the info, and even a little hand-held guide you can bring with you to the grocery store and restaurants! (I should have had mine with me...) Also the tuna wasn't cheap, but I figure I'd rather spend my money on great food than something else, but that is a personal choice. Speaking of value for money...

How to stretch this meal:

Depending on the quantity you make and the size of your family, you could have leftovers from this recipe. If so, I thought of some ways to stretch this meal further and get more for your dollar!

1) Cut up the fish into smaller pieces and use as a topper for a salad the next day

2) Do the same and mix it into a pasta dish the next night

3) Put the remaining tomatoes, olives etc. in a blender and turn it into a sauce, for the above pasta!

I learned a lot from this experience and I am anxious to see if anyone wants to participate in the challenge! No deadline -- whenever the mood strikes you, email me your photos and tell me what you made!

littlefoodiesblog@gmail.com

Bon Appetit!

~Heather

You CAN Win Friends with Salad! 

But if you can't, you can always make a salad friend! For the past couple days, I have had the little chant "you can't win friends with salad!" sung by Bart (Simpson) & family in the episode featuring Paul & Linda McCartney when Lisa becomes a vegetarian. Here's the clip: (the only one I could find - such quality taping your tv!)  

 

With that song playing through my head, I decided it would be fun to make a salad friend for my lunch yesterday. Which could also be a silly way to trick a little one into eating salad if salad is on the "I don't like" list. Getting kids involved in creating their food may make them more willing to eat up their salad friend! 

How delicious would it be to design your own salad face from an assortment of crunchy, fresh veggies? For my salad friend, I used spinach for the face, shredded carrot for the hair, mushrooms for the nose & ears, a red pepper for the mouth and a trio of  cucumber, almond & red peppers for the eyes. Check him out:

He looks like a Ben to me somehow. Strange. My salad friend would love to meet other salad friends. Why not get creative in the kitchen and make your own salad friend?Email littlefoodiesblog@gmail.com a picture of your salad friend and maybe if we get enough entries, we can have a little vote for 1st - 2nd & 3rd prize? A little competition is fun right?!

Along my salad thoughts, some wonderful felt play food came to mind. Another great way for kids to become familiar with and play with their food. Check out these delicious felt salads!

Salad by  Lilly Bean Market

Felt Playfood Tossed Salad by Eva Lauren - Etsy  

Looking forward to seeing your salad friends! There is no entry deadline for the photos, I'll keep adding them to the site when they arrive. Enjoy your next salad!

- Wendy

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

How do you get kids fired up about cooking? You ask them to be in a flash mob! I just finished watching the latest episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and with the help of a choreographer, Jamie and students from Marshall University staged a cooking flash mob where they made a beef stirfry in the campus quad. See for yourself:



Granted, these are university-aged kids, so they're actually adults, but with ideas such as this flash mob, Jamie is helping people of all ages to see that cooking can be fun! As a result of this flash mob as well as many other efforts in Huntington, West Virginia, Jamie was able to achieve his goal of teaching this recipe to 1000 people in one week. If you have not yet had the chance to watch the show, I highly recommend you curl up on the couch with a hot cup of tea and get viewing!

Jamie wants you to have fun in the kitchen!

Photo via Flickr user beastandbean

Some of you may be asking yourselves, what is this revolution all about? Well, in a nutshell, the revolution is all about empowering others to learn to cook. In school we learn how to read and write, we learn many other important skills that will help us in our adult lives. What we don't learn are life skills such as how to cook! Jamie wants to change all of that by educating people about a healthy, seasonal way of eating that won't break the bank. He's on a mission and yes, his revolution is being televised! Jamie also has a book on the subject, as well as an online community where you can sign the petition to support the cause. (You don't have to be in the U.S. to sign it!) Want to know more? Click here.

Jamie and his wife have three lovely daughters of their own (and another child on the way), and it was his love for his children that helped ignite this mission. He's long been an advocate for quick and easy meals, healthy food and cooking from scratch, but now he's taking it to the streets to help others. Here on Little Foodies, we are very inspired by what Jamie is doing and we can't wait to share more of our ideas with all of you! Let's prove that cooking can be fun, and kids will get on board!

What are you cooking this weekend? I challenge you to make one meal this weekend that has no processed food in it whatsoever -- I'll make a meal of my own and post it on the blog so you can see what I've made :) If you choose to accept this challenge, take a picture of your meal and email me at littlefoodiesblog@gmail.com and I'll  post it up on the blog!

So let's tie up those apron strings and get cooking!

~Heather

A-Z Organically

For my 1st post on little foodies, I thought it would be best to introduce myself through my artwork. I'd like to share with you my first picture book A-Z Organically; an alphabet book along the theme of organic food which is printed from my original, acrylic paintings.

front cover

It is the perfect size for little hands that are discovering the alphabet & healthy foods! As we all know, it's important to introduce healthy foods to little ones as early as possible and I hope that this book can help communicate that in a fun and colourful way!

Accompanying this alphabet is a colouring book which completes the A-Z Organically book set. Each page contains a page to colour and a page to draw other foods for each letter of the alphabet. It's a great learning tool and creative gift.

It was such an enjoyable process creating this alphabet book set and if you would like to find out more about it, please visit my shop.

back cover

A-Z Organically seemed to be the perfect introduction to what little foodies is all about, food, art & kids!

- Wendy

welcome to little foodies!

Little Foodies is a collaborative blog created by 2 sisters: one is a writer living in Ottawa who likes all things food and drink; the other is an artist living in Toronto who creates artwork especially for kids. With a focus on food, art & kids, Little Foodies unites these sisters who are inspired by Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Through this blog, you can explore a variety of food-related topics and learn creative ideas surrounding food. We believe it is important for kids to be informed and excited by food from a young age. Join us as we explore the world of food with youthful enthusiasm!