Next-up in our October chili cookoff, registered dietitian, Kirstin, shares her husband, Dave’s, award winning chili recipe. Yep, that’s right, Dave won an actual blue ribbon for his White Bean Chicken Chili. When asked for the history behind this winning recipe, Dave was rather tight-lipped, simply stating that he took first place during a chili cookoff hosted at his work.
One of the foundational concepts at GIE for diversifying your child’s diet is to offer your child the family foods, even if they aren’t preferred or favorite foods. Repeated exposure builds repertoire over time, and this message is commonly discussed during our GIE Q&A Facebook events. Parent coach, Elisabeth, has proclaimed many times that she makes the “world’s best” chili and even though her children are less of a fan, the warm bowl of hearty chili is routinely offered.
There are some weans that just “click,” and your kiddo connects with eating and drinking as if some magic light switch flipped on all of a sudden! But that is not the reality for the vast majority of us, and even though most of us go in knowing that it’s not weaning isn’t a light-switch-flip, we all secretly (or not-so-secretly) hope for one. And then, when things just aren’t clicking in the way or at the pace we hoped for, and the fear of “what if this doesn’t work?” and “what if we have to reset?” kicks in, anxiety grows louder and desperation can really start to take over.
So what can we, as parents, do when the wean just isn’t working the way we hoped it would? And every offer is just feeling more and more hopeless?
Have you ever sat down to watch a movie with a bag of chips or popcorn, but by the time you made it through the previews, your snack is suddenly gone?
Watching a screen, whether it be tv, a movie or even scrolling online allows you to ‘check out’ of the eating process and we often do not realize we are eating. The same holds true with kids, and we do often see increased eating volumes while they are distracted in this manner. For weaning parents? The instant gratification that this brings makes distracted eating a really appealing option!
Farro is a nutrient-packed ancient grain with a nutty flavor and chewy texture. Like other whole grains, farro is a satisfying source of energy and fiber. The versatility of farro makes it an excellent addition to soups, stews, salad, pilafs, risotto, casseroles, and grain bowls or breakfast bowls. The farro recipe featured this week is a flavorful side dish your little ones are sure to enjoy.
Having an older child that weans from a tube can present a whole different set of challenges, some of which are tied directly to ‘eating age’ vs chronological age. Eating age starts ticking once you are 100% orally fed: for non-tube fed children, this aligns with their chronological age (or the birth age) because we still expect eating skills to develop along their typical age progression. But when there is a big gap between a child’s “eating age” and “chronological age,” behaviors around food can revert down to match eating age more than actual age – including the reversion back to the stage of full-blown messy play with foods.
September has been promoted as National Whole Grains Month since 2006. The barley recipe featured below is one of my favorites. When my kids were little, we would call these brain bowls because they are full of healthy nutrients that feed the brain. As my kids got older, we shifted to just calling them “B” bowls, which reflects the primary ingredients of beef, barley, broccoli, and Brussel sprouts.
When kids come home hungry after school, they want a yummy snack that fills their tummy. Snacks provide fuel for growing bodies and are therefore an important part of a child’s diet. It is best to choose snacks that offer protein, fiber, and/or healthy fat. Read the full blog for some easy no-fuss snack ideas!
Weaning an older child (toddlers and beyond) can be a tricky game, because children with the cognitive understanding of being tube-fed need to “buy in” to the process of learning how to eat. That means that parents have the responsibility of including their older child in the weaning process so that they understand what’s happening – and why! Because weaning is a big change to their world!
Progression to straw cup drinking can be very handy, especially because it places kids in a better position for safe swallowing (it facilitates a chin tuck position, which is airway protective), and is a readily available way for kids to drink while they are out and about. But how in the world do you teach a child to drink from a straw? Here are a couple of ideas!
Eating a nutritious breakfast boosts brain function, memory, and school performance while improving diet quality and vitamin intake. To avoid the pitfalls of refined sugars and grains, choose high-fiber, protein-rich, and healthy fat options, like breakfast cookies and egg bites, for a healthier start to your day, like this month’s recipe: carrot raisin breakfast bookies!
“Taste the Rainbow”. This memorable slogan has been used to market a popular sweet treat for decades. However, as dietitians, we like to apply this slogan to encourage an eating pattern that emphasizes fruits and vegetables from every color of the rainbow. The diverse nutritional properties found in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple foods are important for our overall health.
One of the parent jobs in the Division of Responsibility is “where to sit”. There are the obvious choices, like in a high chair, at a table, or even at picnic on the floor. Sometimes, when you are out and about, this could look like in a stroller or in your lap. But what should we be considering when making this choice? And what should we NOT consider?
The nutrition and health benefits of blueberries are plentiful. Blueberries provide key vitamins and minerals at just 80 calories per cup. They are an excellent source of manganese, vitamin C, and vitamin K, and a good source of fiber and potassium. If you’re looking to boost your blueberry intake, try making these yummy blueberry bars. They are a great alternative to traditional granola bars and are easy to grab and go for a breakfast or snack on the run.
Blueberries are one of summertime’s most popular fruits with peak blueberry season April to September. For a fun summertime treat, try making chocolate covered blueberries. This recipe only calls for 3 ingredients and is super simple to make. The combination of sweet juicy blueberries coated in dark chocolate makes for an irresistible snack or dessert.
Whether skewered together, placed in a wire basket, or placed directly on the grill grates, you can grill almost any kind of fruit. Grilling fruit allows the natural sugar to caramelize, intensifying sweetness. Enjoy on its own as a summer side or dessert, in salads, yogurt, or cereal, or as a flavorful topping for pizza, burgers, or quinoa/chia pudding. Some of the most popular fruits that taste amazing when grilled are apple, pear, banana, melon, peach, nectarine, plum, and pineapple.
