Mom’s Corner: How to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy and Love Veggies!

Tip of the Week

Toaster Waffles. “Yummy!! Mommy!!”
I love them because they are quick and easy, my kids love them because its like having desert for breakfast. Well, I’ve found a way to feel a little better about serving them. Drizzle flax seed oil over your waffles, pancakes or even oatmeal. The oil is tasteless so your child shouldn’t object. By adding flax seed oil to their breakfast you are providing your child with a dose of omega-3! Read here to see why flax seed oil is so great for us! http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed

Recipe of the Week

Foreword:
I thought I was blessed with kids that would eat a wide range of vegetables. I felt so proud sitting there feeding my boys every vegetable under the sun. Well, that was up until they were about ten months old. It was right around the time my doctor told me I should feed them finger foods and less baby food. I found myself in the same position as most moms out there. What the heck am I gonna feed my kids that’s healthy? They would eat peas, but that was it. I started buying these sweet potato fries in the freezer section that they loved! I found out that sweet potatoes and white potatoes are very good for you. I always thought sweet potatoes were much more nutrient rich food, but I was amazed when I read that white potatoes are very good for you as well. Click here to learn why white and sweet potatoes should be part of you and your family’s diet.

Sweet Potato Veggie Bake
Cook time 45 mins. to 1 hour (depending on your oven)

Let me start by saying that this recipe is very flexible and hard to mess up. You can use all sweet potatoes or swap out some of the white potatoes for a turnip or plantain. Roasting the veggies like this makes everything taste sweet and there is a carmelization that happens that is so delicious. Also, because everything is cut in small cubes its a great finger food as well for your kids. I like this recipe because sweet potatoes are a more vitamin rich potato and the carrots get a bit lost in the mix so my kids don’t know they are eating them.

Here’s another stress reliever. I always prep my dinner during my kids afternoon nap, I can’t spend an hour in the kitchen when they are up. My kids would kill each other! So if you plan to do the same then don’t pre-heat the oven.
You will need:
2 sweet potatoes
4 medium yukon potatoes (any white potato with thin skin will do)
1 1/2 cups of baby carrots (I buy the washed and peeled that are bagged.)
1 red onion (if it’s large only use half)
4 cloves of garlic
2 shallots
2 Teaspoons of Paprika
1 Tablespoon of Fennel Seed
Generous drizzle of olive oil
Salt and Pepper (I use a pepper mill for the pepper and kosher salt)

Set your oven to 410 degrees.
Get out a large sheet pan that is about a 1/2 inch deep. All Clad makes a great one. You can line it with aluminium foil for easy clean up, but I don’t. Set tray aside. Wash your veggies. Then peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into small bite size cubes. Then cut your white potatoes and red onion into the same size cubes. Cutting the potatoes lengthwise then stacking and cutting into fries and then cut them the other way to make your cubes. Throw your potatoes and onions into the sheet pan. Then slice the shallots like little onion rings and sprinkle them over the potatoes and onions. Chop the garlic (not too small) and sprinkle it over vegetables. If I am just prepping I stop here. If you are not prepping skip this next step and continue on. I grab two pieces of paper towel and dampen them and place them over the veggies and cover it with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator. Pick recipe back up when you are ready to cook.

Sprinkle paprika and fennel seed over the chopped veggies on the tray. Squeeze the fennel seed between your finger tips while sprinkling. It’s a good thing to do this with all your dried herbs before you use them. It wakes up the flavor. Sprinkle salt and a generous grinding of pepper over veggies. Pour a generous drizzle of olive oil over everything. Run your fingers through the veggies and toss everything so the oil is coating everything. Place it in the oven. After about twenty minutes flip everything, so cooked side is on the bottom. Place back in oven for 30 to 40 mins. Just keep an eye on it the during the last fifteen minutes. I like them almost a little bit burnt on the top.
Enjoy!

Here are a few ideas for what you can serve with them:
Turkey burgers
Store bought rotisserie chicken
Scrambled eggs

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3. Harvard Takes Exception to the Government’s Food Pyramid-replacement, “MyPlate,” and Develops the “Healthy Eating Plate”
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