Pesto is for Kids Too

Pesto might sound like it is for pasta lovers who love gourmet but kids really love its salty taste.   If you have kids that won't eat greens try sneaking some pesto into their diet either on pasta or in some eggs.  You can also try making pesto lasagna or pesto pizza, which my kid calls 'Green Pizza' 

So just what is pesto?  It is a sauce made out of fresh basil leaves, cheese (either Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino), pine nuts or walnuts, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. Recipes for it vary from cook to cook. The fun thing about pesto is deciding on the proportion with which you want to combine the ingredients. 

Pine nuts are actually the seeds produced by certain varieties of pine tree; they are found on the pine cones, where they are covered by a hard shell. However it is the olive oil that makes pesto so healthy. Olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is – freshly pressed from the fruit. You can't beat pesto in terms of nutrition.  The basil in it contains iron, calcium, Vitamin A, dietary fiber, magnesium, Vitamin A and calcium.

The flavenoids in Basil are antioxidants that protect human cells against disease and pollution. Basil also contain antibacterial agents that protect against bacteria so your child is less likely to pick up a bug at school. 

The garlic, also known has Russian penicillin is a potent source of antiviral and antibacterial agents. The cheese in pesto is also a high source of calcium so your kid can grow strong bones and teeth. 

If you really want to make it gourmet then you might want to try to add bacon, mushrooms and finely chopped shallots to the pesto recipe. Another great combination is to add cream cheese and broccoli to the pesto mix. If your kids like red tomato sauce it is also really easy to add tomatoes to a pesto pasta sauce so that they don't know that they are eating anything green at all!

You can also sneak that pesto into your kid's lunchbox.  Pesto and cream cheese sandwiches are delicious.  You can also mix it into an omelette for a different, yet tasty type of breakfast. If you are the ambitious type you can make your own pesto and even involve your kids in the entire exercise by growing basil plants. Your child can help you harvest the basil leaves and mash them with a mortar and pestle. 

Once picked you have to use basil immediately. Basil doesn’t keep well in the fridge. If you must refrigerate it, put the stems of fresh-picked basil in a glass of water, and cover with a plastic bag; it will keep for about a week Raw pine nuts should be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to one month.

In the freezer, pine nuts will keep for up to three months. Different types of Parmesan, Mozzarella and Romano cheeses can give your pesto a unique flavor. Don't be afraid to experiment with combinations to find the mix of cheeses that your kids will find irresistible.

Parenting Tips
, , , , , , ,

Healthy Snacks For Kids

People thing that their kids can be fed junk food because they are young and have faster metabolisms than adults. This is not true. They are just as vulnerable to weight gain as we are.

A recent large study about kid's eating habits from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health in the United States) found that about one-third of a child's total daily calories come from desserts, pizzas and snacks.  This is why it is important to find alternative snacks for your child to eat. 

Here are some ideas for some healthy snacks: 

Trail Mix. Your kids can help you make this trail mix as part of a home cooking lesson. Simply combine coconut flakes, dried fruit, nuts, raisons, sunflower seeds and soy nuts and put them in small 'candy bags'.  Store these in the freezer until they are ready to use. 

Fruit and Dip.  Kids are natural 'dippers' and do it anyway so why not let them dip healthy things like fruit segments into a healthy homemade dip. A tasty dip is yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon. 

Frozen Grapes:  Put a bunch of grapes in the freezer and let them go rock solid. This is the healthy version of the kid's jawbreaker that you used to buy in candy stores!  Teething kids or kids with a toothache like this too! 

Vegetables and Dip.  Vegetables are harder to get kids to eat but not if you sprinkle a bit of salt of them. Combining yogurt with Ranch Style Dressing can also encourage your kids to eat more vegetables and stop begging for the big bag of potato chips.  If you are a lazy mom who hates cutting up vegetables then buy those baby carrots. 

Lean Milkshake.  With today's high-speed blenders you don't have to make a milkshake using ice cream. You can blend milk and ice together and whip it into a shake. You can also do the same with fruit and yogurt or fruit and milk to make a nutritious smoothie. 

Meat Roll Up:  Rolling up a piece of luncheon meat around a sprig of lettuce or a thin stick of cheese makes a healthy, quick and filling snack for a kid. I know a mom who calls these Kid's Cigars. 

Baby Bel Cheeses:  These are expensive but kids just love them. They are little round edam and gouda cheeses that come in bright red and yellow wax casings. The kids have to unwrap them and peel them, which makes them into a food that is more like project. The only thing about this suggestion is to remember that you are better off to peel the wax off of the cheese for younger kids. 

Cheese and Cracker Packs:  Kids see these in stores and always want them but you can make your own packs at home by putting crackers, cheese and meat in your own plastic container. This is a lot cheaper then buying these store-bought kits, which unfortunately have become like a status symbol for many kids at school.

Parenting Tips
, , , , , , , , ,