Healthy Halloween Snacks!

Black Bean Cat Crudités

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Vegetarian Meal for Your Little One & Vegetarian Facts!

Veggie Burger

I was speaking with my friend Dani last night and she used to love meat and especially hearty dishes like ribs. I asked her why she became a vegetarian, she did so for health purposes – many families these days are vegetarian families and there are many great ways to make sure your kiddos get the nutrients they need.

“I can’t eat that, I’m a vegetarian!”

You may have heard kids in the cafeteria or at a birthday party say this as they passed on a burger and grabbed a slice of cheese pizza instead. Did you wonder what a vegetarian is exactly? A vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat meat, and mostly eats foods that come from plants, like grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

Did you know…there are many types of vegetarians?
Here are some of them:

• semi-vegetarian: eats meat, but only fish and chicken
• pesci-vegetarian: eats only fish
• lacto-ovo vegetarian: eats no meat, but will eat dairy products (milk, butter, cheese) and eggs
• ovo-vegetarian: eats eggs, but no meat or dairy products
• vegan (say: vee-gun): eats no meat or animal products

Can Kids Be Vegetarians?
Kids can be vegetarians, but they can’t do it alone. They need grown-ups to help them make sure they get the vitamins and minerals they need. Eating a nutritious diet helps kids develop and grow as they should. Meat is a good source of protein, iron, and other important nutrients. So someone who’s a vegetarian needs to take care to replace those nutrients with non-meat foods.

CLASSIC VEGGIE BURGER RECIPE

These easy meatless burgers are prepared with bulgur wheat, canned pinto beans, grated carrots, and Swiss cheese. Cook the patties in a skillet!

Serving: 4 ppl

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 can (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup finely grated carrots (from 2 medium carrots)
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 buns
• Sprouts, for serving
• Avocado slices, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
1.  In a large bowl, combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water. Cover tightly and let sit until bulgur is tender, 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to remove liquid, then return bulgur to bowl. In a food processor, pulse pinto beans until coarsely chopped. Add beans to bulgur, along with Swiss cheese, carrots, scallion, and egg. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.

2.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add 1/2 cup bean mixture and press lightly with a spatula to flatten. Make 3 more patties, working in batches if necessary (add more oil for second batch), and cook until browned and cooked through, 3 minutes per side. Serve burgers on buns with sprouts and avocado slices.

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Le Top Tip: Time Saving Snacks

I like to have snacks at my house for when my niece and nephew come to visit so I’m always on the lookout for individually packaged or partially prepped items. Babybel makes individually wax wrapped cheese that is really mild, so the kids like it (and we can make wax figures from the wrapping). Many grocery/warehouse stores sell pre-cut celery and carrots, so all I need to do is open the peanut butter or put a little ranch dressing in a dish. You can pick up pre-sliced apples in individual packs that are pretty good, but sometimes the ‘individual servings’ are too much for a four and six year old. That’s why my favorite little kid snack source is the 100 calorie snack packs from companies like Ocean Spray and Nabisco– not because I’m trying to keep my niece and nephew on a diet, but because the serving size is more appropriate for kids. (Plus, with things like cookies, it means they can have cookies but I don’t have to worry about them stealing extras when I’m not looking– they’d have to get a whole new package to get extra sweets.) 

The hidden bonus to pre-packaged snacks is that there’s practically no clean up.  If you don’t have to core the apples yourself, all you have to toss is their napkin and the little bag the apples came in.  Individual serving size packages tend to be a little more expensive than buying a whole bunch of celery or a big wedge of cheese, but it means that when my niece and nephew come over to visit, I already have snacks ready for them. No need to spend time cutting veggies or slicing off sections of cheese when I could be spending that time having fun. That extra half hour of snack prep time and 15 minutes of clean up could mean the difference between an afternoon at home and having the time to drive out to the Chabot Space and Science Center. 

Soda companies have also started making 100 calorie size soda cans.  I know that the soda/kids issue is a little controversial, but since Sprite and 7-Up make them too, I at least don’t have to worry about the caffeine…and the smaller cans are easier for kids to hold.

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Le Top Chef Series: Crockpot Beef Stew

Mmmmmm…stew. For those nights when you want something warm and hearty. It takes some preplanning but it’s a easy, healthy and your family will love it.

INGREDIENTS

   • 2-3 pounds beef stew meat
   • 3 cups water
   • 2 beef bouillon cubes
   • 4 cups diced potatoes
   • 2 cups chunked carrots
   • 2 cups diced celery
   • 2 cups diced onions
   • 2 – 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
   • 1 Tablespoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in crockpot (do not brown meat.) Cook in crockpot on high for 6-7 hours. Parsnips may be substitued for some of the potatoes.

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Funny Faces from First Foods Tasted

I started feeding my son solids at 5 months. I get a kick out of the faces he makes when he tries a new food for the first time. With spoon in one hand, I slowly feed him. Then armed with a camera in the other, I snap a picture to capture his zany expressions! My favorite so far is the avocado shot. His face just looks like he’s saying, “What the heck are you feeding me, Lady?” But I’m not purely into the funny faces. I also love it when his face breaks into a smile because he’s tasting something absolutely delicious. Like the carrot shot. He really does love them carrots! He was practically standing in his high chair to get another spoonful!

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