An attempt to document my progress in bringing up a healthy eater! Tyler is now a 2 year old but I will try to go back and document the entire progress of his diet. I will try to include recipes, meal ideas, and how to incorporate a child's diet into a family's lifestyle.
Ty LOVED and still loves eggplant from an early age. For baby food I would not cut and salt the eggplant, instead I would jut slice it and steam it. After cool I would puree it and wahlah! Babyfood! For first finger food stage I would cut it into little cubes and steam it. Although it would turn a pretty nasty color, and really have no taste, Ty would scarf down the soft little cubes in no time flat.
Garden Vegetable and Turkey Ratatouille
This is not really Ratatouille (a vegetable stew), well the top is, but come on, what kid does not eating it after watching one of the best animated films ever made? This is great food for toddlers and adults! Feel free to change up the vegetables to your favorites as well as the meat choice (or you can leave the meat out vegetarians).
1 medium summer squash
1 large zucchini
1 medium eggplant
1 large onion
2 large tomatoes
1lg green/red/yellow pepper, sliced
(All the above should be sliced into very thin rounds)
1lb cooked ground turkey
2c cooked brown rice (you can use brown rice pasta if you would like or any of your other favorite rice/pasta) cooked in your favorite sodium free broth
handful of fresh or dried herbs (think Italian herbs, rosemary, basil, oregano)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 jar of your favorite tomato based pasta sauce
salt and pepper to taste
EVOO
Put a thin layer of pasta sauce on bottom of large glass oven safe pan and top with rice
Top with turkey, salted and peppered, mix garlic in to turkey first
Top turkey with more pasta sauce
Take all your vegetables and put them in a large bowl.
Salt, pepper, and toss vegetables with a little EVOO and mix in herbs
I know, I know, I have not been posting. But I am back and ready to pick up the normal pace.
This week is going to focus on the delicious eggplant (make sure you check back for dishes that use eggplant). Yep, you read that right, delicious EGGPLANT. Ok, so eggplant is not that delicious and pretty much tastes like what ever you cook it with, but if you have been afraid of eggplant in the past (mostly because everyone says “yuck”) or if you have had some bad eggplant dish that turned you off, it is time to give it another try. Trust me, eggplant can rock if you cook it right.
Eggplant nutrition Eggplant is a low calorie food that is great source of fiber. It is also a great source of vitamins K and B6 as well as Thiamin, Folate, Potassium and Manganese. You can fatten up your eggplant in a hurry with many traditional fried recipes or those full of cheese so this week I will try to show you how to make those recipes still delicious but also healthier for you!
Picking out an eggplant at the grocery Look for eggplants that are size appropriate (for their kind, like a mini eggplant should be small). Don’t buy the huge ones because they will be tough and have lots of seeds. Make sure it is firm and still has a little bit of stem on it (leaves are good too).
Eggplant prep Wash outside of eggplant well (you are eating the skin here so try to buy organic if you can) Cut off the stem, top of eggplant, and bottom (just to make it flat) and then slice the plant in slices 1/2 to 1 inch rounds. You can also go with long slices, but make sure they are still 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Sprinkle the eggplant with kosher salt and leave in a strainer for at least 20min to draw out the moisture. Eggplant will turn brown if not salted, and still may turn brown, don't worry about it! Blot eggplant with a paper towel (or better yet a clean lint free towel) and remove any excess salt. Cook!
Growing an eggplant We grew them this year because I got some plants for free. We only got one eggplant per plant (probably because of where I placed them) but they were great! It takes about 75 days for an eggplant to mature and bear fruit. You want to pick them when they are firm and not at all spongy (poke it with your finger, you should not leave an imprint and if it does the skin should bounce back right away). The skin should be taunt and not turning brown (if it is brown, you need to pick it ASAP). Don’t wait for your eggplant to get huge or you are going to end up with some crunchy seeds in your food. When you pick your eggplant use garden shears and leave a little stem on it. They will keep in the fridge for a week or so.
I am a little behind because I am still catching up at work from vacation (as well as around the house). Here are some thoughts on feeding Ty on the road and our trip.
We took a 2 hour plane flight to Boston (from Ohio) to start our journey. Before we left I gave Ty a big breakfast/snack/smoothie to keep him full for the car ride to the airport (about an hour) and in the airport until we could get through security. After getting through security I bought Ty some milk at Starbucks. Now I know though that you can bring more than three ounces of milk through security without a problem, so next time we will bring our own organic milk.
The best thing I brought for the trip (which Ty consumed on the plane and throughout the car rides, etc.) was baby trail mix. This was a combination of organic Teddy Puffs, organic banana toddler cereal, organic raisins, and organic cheerios. I also brought along two different kinds of Mum Mum crackers (rice husk dissolving crackers). Ty ate these on the plane and was pretty well satisfied.
I also packed Ty a few meals of peas (he likes them raw and cold), steamed carrots, cucumber, banana, pear, Ty’s French toast, sunflower butter sandwich and cheese. He ate this at the airport in Boston, on the plane, and at the beginning of the car ride.
After landing in Boston we drove a few hours to Concord, NH. Thank goodness Ty slept most of the time. Once arriving in Concord and meeting SJ’s parents we ate at Panera. Ty shared my pepper sandwich and enjoyed pickles, onions, bread, and part of his lunch.
On the road to Beecher Falls, VT (which took at least 400 hours), Ty mostly ate his trail mix, although I am sure most of it ended up on the floor.
At SJ’s parent’s house Ty ate mostly bread (as a cheese sandwich, French toast, with tofu and cheese, or plain), fruit (a few cups everyday because his grandma likes to spoil him), tomatoes, raw green beans (he wont eat them cooked!), cinnamon tofu, and parts of what ever we were eating. I tried not to push new foods on him because he was already acting a little unsure of where he was.
We did manage to find (after going for a drive and going to a few stores) organic tofu, milk, cream cheese (not organic though) and smoothie making materials. Along with the organic baby oatmeal cereal that I brought along Ty had enough smoothies and food to last him the first week of the trip.
After another 600 hour drive to Lake Shore Farm Inn (check it out! Link below) Ty actually ate the food they served there. My guess is because it has a very high sodium content. Ty enjoyed everything from eggs to a giant slice of watermelon to a concoction of cream of celery soup, beef, vegetables and rice. Ty also tried a number of desserts, his first time, other than is birthday, of having sweets. With the smoothies I had brought from Vermont (and stored in leftover water bottles) Ty ate well!
The trip home was easy. We brought our own milk, Ty ate some muffin and bagel that was purchased at the airport and plenty of trail mix. Once home Ty had a little rebellion, probably because he had much less grandma time, and would only eat frozen peas and smoothies for 3 days. But now things are back to normal and I am about to go poach him an egg for breakfast!
Growing up we had a vegetable garden. When my parents moved into their current house they inherited a garden from the previous owners. Although I have little memory of this vegetable garden I know it had asparagus for a year, some very low producing grapes, and some other vegetables that they planted. They also had an entire hedge of raspberries!
This garden was pushed aside for a few tomato plants when their deck was built, and gardening was pushed to the side. The berries still existed but the gardening time was replaced by raising kids and other duties of running a family and household.
When I was in my early teen years I asked my parents if I could dig up a patch of the lawn and plant some vegetables. They funded everything! I dug up an “L” shaped plot and planted a few veggies with the help of my brother. I have no idea what we planted but I remember the joy of having my family eat the produce I had grown.
Present:
My father is now OBSESSED with his vegetable garden. I find myself on the phone with him frequently talking about pests, disease, and the newest techniques. As a family we talk about preserving, drying, and recipes when ever we are together.
I have my own vegetable garden. With the help of my husband we put in a raised box garden the first summer we lived in our house. We buried a few posts, used some wood, and created a box that contains a pretty large amount of food (see pics below).
Steve carried over a ton of soil to the back yard and I have spent countless hours researching what to grow, when to plant it, and how to make it as organic as possible. In this garden we place our herbs, because it is close to our patio, for easy access, along with tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, and a number of other items.
This year we created another garden, which will be expanded a bit next spring, along the back of our patio. I have found that this garden is great for squash of all kinds and lettuce/spinach in the spring. I do have a “dead zone” in this garden where the dogs run through. I also have planted cabbage in this garden recently to grow in the fall and will be putting in my second crop of lettuce/spinach soon!
Click pics to see larger versions!
This is our main box garden. This is from earlier in the year when we had lettuce growing
Cabbage (ok cauliflower) patch baby
Jackson eating tomatoes, he picks them himself
This is our new garden this year and Cameron
Future?:
I love my vegetable gardens but have recently come to the realization that gardening is one of the biggest things that brings joy to my life. To grow and provide my family with healthy, organic, and someday cost effective food (there is so cost in building a garden) that gives me pride unlike I have known before.
My husband and I have talked about buying some land in the past but recently with friends buying a small farm and enjoying the taste of absolutely fresh produce that we know is organically grown, we have started talking seriously about this.
I would love to have a garden like the one you see below. A completely boxed “lasagna” garden (more on this to come, but google it if you want to know now!). This kind of gardening has few weeds, upkeep, and pests. I would love to have a small orchard, berry bushes, strawberry patch, a few chickens (layers and fryers), possibly some meat rabbits (for sale), and a steer.
I know those of you who have known me in the past will find some of those ideas to be odd, after all I was a vegetarian for over 15 years, but this would allow our family to pretty much stop eating overly processed, chemical/antibiotic, food which has been shipped thousands of miles.
The truth is, we will always buy some food: flour, sugar, bananas, citrus, and other staples. I would love to bake all our bread, make our pasta, and make most of our food, I realize that it is not realistic to be making everything
!
Obviously this homestead is in a different part of the country but the way it is laid out is wonderful!
Pic from http://susty.com/path-to-freedom-dot-com-urban-homestead-farm-internet/
Because I stopped posting every little thing that Ty eats I thought I would update you on his typical day. Again Ty has water available to him all day (unless the dog has eaten all his cups…again). Tyler is now 13 months old!
Tyler’s Breakfast These are Ty's foods that he usually eats. For breakfast I serve a combo of a few of these
Whole grain tortilla with sunflower butter
Ty’s French toast (egg and cinnamon with whole grain bread)
One egg (scrambled, boiled, poached, sunny side up cooked in water)
Baby oatmeal pancake with rolled oats
Omelet (cheese and veggies)
Whole grain tortilla with cream cheese and fruit
Blueberries
Watermelon
Raisins
Bananas
Tomatoes
Other fresh fruit
Peas
Green beans
Broccoli
Cucumber
Other veggies
Edemame
Milk
Cheddar cheese
Cottage cheese
Cream Cheese
Bread (whole grain)
Tortilla (wg)
Whole oat “cheerios”
Morning Snack Usually leftovers from breakfast and some fruit and/or cheese
Lunch I serve him some combo of these
Barley casserole
Pasta with veggies and tomato sauce
Tofu
Stir fry (really poached)
Edamame
Peas
Broccoli
Spinach
Beef/broccoli or spinach/cream cheese on wg (whole grain) bread/tortilla
Tofu, tomato, cheddar on wg bread/tortilla
Afternoon snack Vegetable, dairy, fruit, protein
Dinner We are still trying to get the whole family dinner together but usually Ty eats what we are having (protein, vegetable, starch) with some dairy or fruit. Sometimes he has something similar to what he would be having for lunch. If Tyler is cranky that night and not wanting to eat (usually because of teething) Tyler also has a fruit/tofu/veggie smoothie after dinner.
Eat this with some chips, on a tortilla, on vegetable sticks, or on a taco!
1 can of refried black beans (use organic, no fat added, lard free)
½ can of black beans
1 pack of taco spice (reduced sodium)
6 strips of turkey bacon
1 jalapeno (minced small) use less if needed
1/3 c red onion, diced very small
1/3c green pepper, diced very small
1/2c fat free sour cream
Black pepper
Salt
Handful of cheddar cheese
Heat pan non stick pan to medium
Cut up turkey bacon into small squares
Cook turkey bacon until crispy, this should only take a few min.
Cool turkey bacon on a paper towel
Mix up beans, spice, pepper, onion, jalapeno, salt and sour cream
Fold in turkey bacon
Top with cheese, enjoy!
Turkey Bacon
Turkey bacon would be good if they did not call it bacon. I have yet to find a turkey bacon that has the texture and crispness of pork bacon. The reason: Turkey bacon does not have all that yummy fat. It is a little tougher than normal bacon and has a slight flavor of turkey jerky.
When buying turkey bacon make sure you look for the usual: organic/free range/no antibiotics, and nitrate/nitrite free!
Wrap up
Sick of beef, want something new, go turkey! Cook turkey breast cutlets like you would chicken. Replace ground beef with turkey. Just substitute turkey in for your regular meats. Super lean and full of vitamins (and cheap!) turkey is a great choice for changing things up in the kitchen.
My Weight Loss:
Down again this week! I lost the exact amount of weight that I wanted to!
I will be out of town for the next two weeks starting on Thursday. I am not sure how many posts I will have next week but I will be back!
I am awife, mother, and Daycare Director who lives in Delaware, Ohio. I love all kinds of animals (dogs, chickens, turtles, fish, goats...pretty much everything), music, crafting and reading.
