The mild sweet flavor of cantaloupe makes it a great fruit for little ones. It contains a variety of nutrients, such as potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. The fiber and high-water content of cantaloupe help with hydration and relieving constipation. Learn how it can be great for baby-led weaning as well as a delicious smoothie recipe in our new blog.
Experts say the best way to pick a perfectly ripe cantaloupe is with your nose. You want to sniff the spot where the stem was to find out if the melon is ripe. A ripe melon will smell sweet and fragrant. Once you have picked the perfect melon, you can make a delicious Cantaloupe sorbet with it. Find the recipe here.
Sweet and juicy strawberries are a quintessential summer fruit. These berries are extremely perishable, lasting only a few days unless refrigerated. Following proper storage techniques can help strawberries retain their freshness and quality. Here are some berry-savvy tips for handling and storing strawberries, including a recipe for lemon strawberry jam.
Fruits and/or vegetables should be served with every meal, targeting 5 or more servings per day. Fruits and vegetables not only add color to your plate, but they are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fiber, and water. Each blog post this month will feature 3 ways to enjoy more produce in your diet. Our first three featured suggestions: smoothies, baking, and side dishes.
All of us have sat through medical appointments where we are asked how well our child is “tolerating their tube feeds,” but for so many of us, “toleration” is the low bar that our kids can never seem to hit as our lives fill with unending retching, gagging, vomiting, constipation, and overall discomfort. To some people, toleration issues are a disappointing, but expected, part of tube-fed life, but they shouldn’t be.
Quiche is a classic egg dish that has been a staple of French cuisine since the early 1800’s. Quiche is a tart filled with an egg and cream custard with added cheese, meat/seafood, and/or vegetables. Over time, healthier versions of quiche have emerged. One such modern day quiche is our vegetable quinoa quiche recipe detailed here.
Some people are hesitant to eat eggs because they are high in cholesterol (about 187 mg per egg); however, there is no strong research that links eating eggs to heart disease. In fact, the cholesterol from eggs has far less of an impact on the cholesterol in your blood compared to eating foods that contain trans-fat or are high in saturated fat. Thus, eggs can be consumed as part of heart-healthy diet.
When families embark on a wean, it often feels like a pretty clear and linear process, at least in theory. The steps are precisely outlined, and the obvious end goal is an oral eater. Simple enough, right? While some kids do move through the weaning steps in a linear fashion, so many more find themselves taking a few steps forward only to need to take a temporary step back.
Some leafy greens like spinach and arugula are best when eaten raw and do not require cooking. Kale can also be eaten raw, but it is generally recommended to lightly cook kale to temper the bitterness or massage it well with some oil to help make it more tender. And always be sure to remove the thick center stem!
If you’ve ever followed a baby-led weaning (BLW) Facebook group or Instagram page, you’re likely to find an often aggressive stance that purees and spoon-feeding are NOT ok or part of this approach. If you recall from part 1 of this series, my approach to BLW is more about being a responsive feeder than adhering to the strict definition of this method. In other words, it’s less about what you feed or even how, and more about how you respond to your child.
Kale, spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula, Bok choy, and beet greens are just some examples of leafy greens. These edible plant leaves are considered to be power greens because they are low in calories and fat, rich in fiber, and full of nutrients, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds that provide health benefits to the body.
