Doctor Yum
Doctor Yum
Nimali Fernando, MD is a local pediatrician and mom who is passionate about teaching families about feeding kids nutritious foods. Follow her blog to find out about local healthy food finds for kids, recipes, and how to make feeding kids an enriching family experience. You can also check out her website, doctoryum.com
for more great ideas on feeding children healthy foods.
Baba Ganoush joins Play with Your Plate
I am pleased to announce the debut of our newest “Play with Your Plate” kids menu at Baba Ganoush in the Eagle Village in Fredericksburg, VA. Baba Ganoush opened in August 2011, and is owned by Sanaullah Shaihk and his wife, Rebekah Cousins-Shaikh. Sanaullah, a native of Pakistan, and Rebekah, an American from Pennsylvania wanted to open a restaurant with the the same quality and love in the food as what they make at home. Both are well-educated with children and their own professional careers. Despite their lack of experience in the restaurant business Sanaullah (known as Sana) says, “My wife really enjoys my cooking and encouraged me to start the restaurant.” The menu features Mediterranean and Indian Cuisine. The chef prepares many family recipes and uses whole spices ground on site, not spice blends. Naan bread, a flat bread popular in South Asian cuisine, is made fresh in a tandoori clay oven as you order it.
Sana approached me to help him design a kids menu that would appeal to a wide audience of kids. As soon as I tasted the food at Baba Ganoush and felt the care and pride with which it was prepared, I knew the kids menu could be WONDERFUL.
We designed the menu options so that everyone from the pickiest toddler to the most adventurous 10 year-old could find something they like. A cheese pizza and “Peanut Butter and Jelly Pinwheels” are familiar tastes made on fresh Naan bread. A mildly spiced “Kiddie Chicken Curry” and Chicken Kabob are great introductions to some Eastern spices. These selections come with a healthy side dish choice of raw veggies with hummus, a fruit kabob, or small green salad with house dressing.
The highlight of the menu is the “Kids Adventure Platter” which is a sampling of Mediterranean and Indian foods like chicken kabob, hummus, naan bread,stuffed grape leaves and salad. The Adventure Platter is a great option for kids with a big appetite and an adventurous spirit.
There are also kid-sized portions of traditional desserts like baklava and “carrot delight,” a sweet carrot and almond dessert.
Artist Ashleigh Buyers, an art student at Mary Washington University, designed an exciting activity placemat for the new kids menu. She incorporated some ideas like an elephant with “chick” peas flying around it and a connect-the-dots activity in the shape of the Taj Mahal.
The folks at Fredericksburg Parent and Family Magazine and I are incredibly proud of this kids menu. Baba Ganoush now joins Foode, The Trolley Stop Deli, and the Capital Ale House in the list of “Play with Your Plate” restaurants with menus that are “kid-tested and pediatrician approved!” We hope Sana and his staff at Baba Ganoush can show the children of Frederickburg how delicious food from India and the Middle East is. Bring your food passports, and he will give them a stamp too!
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Colorful Turkey Chili
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Chocolate Chip Cherry Granola Bars
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Five Ways to Save on Groceries while Feeding your Family Healthy Meals
Over the past two or three years I have noticed a strange phenomenon. Although my kids are growing and eating more, and we are eating more nutritious foods every year, my weekly grocery bill are getting less expensive. It’s strange! I’m doing so many things that I’m told should cost me more. I am buying more local food. I’m buying more organic food. We are trying a larger variety of foods as the kids' tastes get more adventurous. So why is the weekly tab shrinking? Here are five reasons I came up with:
1) I make a list. I have a list that I print of my usual staples and I check off what I need throughout the week. Every Saturday morning I figure out what I am making for the week and add special items to my list. On Sunday when I go to the grocery store, I am armed with a list that allows me to purchase those good high-quality foods and no more. In short, I waste less when I have a list. Click here to see my post on making a list which includes a downloadable copy of the list I use.
2) I buy local. At our local market the produce prices are very reasonable. Every Saturday after I make my lists, I buy everything I can from the farmers market. Not only does the food taste better, it lasts longer because it’s been picked in the past 24 hours, rather than traveling a week from a different time zone! Two weeks ago we picked almost 40 pounds of apples from a local orchard. These will last for weeks in the fridge, and we have made homemade applesauce, apple butter, dried apples and more.
3) I buy in bulk. This means buying oats out of the bulk bins and not the box. I buy large tubs of yogurt instead of single servings. Packaging costs extra money. Why pay for it if you are not going to eat it!
4) I buy less processed food. Processed food, for the most part, costs more. A store-bought granola bar costs 2-3 times what a homemade one does. As I make more homemade versions of store-bought food, my grocery bill shrinks. Popsicles, granola, muffins, cookies, and soups are all examples of things I used to buy but now make. I’m also skipping a lot of preservatives, additives, dyes extra salt and sweeteners. Click here to see my easy recipe for Granola Bars with Chocolate Chips and Cherries.
5) I buy less store bought drinks. I used to store up on drink boxes and pouches for the kids to share when they had friends over. I would buy cartons of juice for breakfast, which I often had to throw away when they expired. My kids now drink water and organic milk and don’t seem to miss all the juice. My husband has kicked his diet soda habit, too (almost). I used to buy a vitamin-enhanced water, but stopped about a year ago. Water out of the tap is just about free, and has zero calories!
How do you save money at the grocery store?
For more ideas on feeding children nutritious food and for lots of recipes that are "Kid-tested and Pediatrician Approved" visit doctoryum.com.
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Snead's Farm CSA
This year for the first time my family joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). A CSA is a great way to support local farms and experience fresh, seasonal local produce. Snead's Farm (located on Rt. 17 just past Belvedere Plantation) has offered a CSA program which runs for 16 weeks from May to September, with one fall and winter delivery. The basic principle is that a family joins a farm for the season by buying a share, and for 16 weeks they receive a portion of the farm’s harvest. This is a great way to experience seasonal produce and try some items that you might not normally buy. Because the offerings can be quite large, I divided a share with my good friend.
The first week we received radishes, among other items, in our CSA box. This is something I would not normally buy. After trying them, my son now claims he LOVES them (see our video on trying radishes). Last month we even planted radishes in our own garden! Throughout the summer Snead's provided us with some wonderful produce, from berries to greens, squash to eggplant, melons to corn (there was a LOT of corn in the middle of the summer!) Of course, we got bunches of asaparagus (their specialty). Last week I picked up my fall delivery which consisted of several carving and heirloom pumpkins, collard and kale greens, raspberries, apples, turnips, and tomatoes. This December CSA members will even get a Christmas Tree!
Considering the variety and amount of produce we enjoyed, I would say that the CSA offered by Sneads is definitely a great value. It is also fun to get to know the farm and experience a sense of community by visiting every week and seeing the same people picking up their CSA boxes. On several days when I would pick up, I would see families with a packed lunch just enjoying the farm before taking their boxes home. In my Pediatrics practice I try to stress the importance of including enough plant foods in children’s diets. Joining a CSA one great way to get the kids eating more of those kinds of foods.
To learn more about Snead’s Farm CSA, and to see a detailed list of their offerings for this entire season, visit their website. They are now taking applications for their 2012 season, with a 10% discount for those who sign up before November 1. This is a great time of year to visit the farm for pumpkin picking and other fall activities.
To read more about feeding kids nutritious foods, visit my blog doctoryum.com.
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Easy Blender Tomato Sauce
This is a super easy tomato sauce that uses fresh summer ingredients. Blend tomatoes, herbs, and other veggies to make a smooth sauce that can be eaten right out of the blender (some of the high power blenders like the Blendtec and Vitamix will blend sauces until they are slightly warmed). If you have time, simmer the sauce and the flavors and color will get even more rich. The more the sauce is simmered the better it gets. If you want chunky sauce, then chop some veggies separately and add to blended sauce when it's simmering.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds tomatoes, cut in half with many of the seeds "punched" out
1 onion, rough chop
3-4 cloves garlic
1 carrot chopped or 5 baby carrots
half a zucchini, rough chop
1- 2 handfuls of herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil)
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. sugar (optional) small pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Place tomatoes in blender and puree about 1 minute (on Blendtec use the "sauce" setting). Place other ingredients in and blend again until smooth. Serve immediately, or for cooked sauce, simmer on "low" in a pot with lid on for 1-2 hours. Season with salt and pepper as needed
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Kids Meal Makeover
At a recent event, "The Family Table", my friends at Fredericksburg Parent and Family and I held a vote for children. We asked kids what their favorite kids meal is so that I could do a makeover on the meal to make it more nutritious. The choices were:
- Mac and Cheese
- Hamburger and Fries
- Pizza
- Chicken Tenders and Fries
The winner was.......drumroll.........HAMBURGER AND FRIES!!
My hamburger and fries makeover was pretty easy, as I already had a great Turkey-Veggie Burger recipe up my sleeve. This recipe can easily be done with lean ground beef instead of ground turkey. What makes this burger healthier than the usual is the addition of lots of chopped and sautéed vegetables, and some healthy binders like flax meal and wheat germ. I also served this on a white whole wheat bun for extra fiber. See the ratings at the end of this recipe and you will notice the great reviews from my Tiny Tasters.
I replaced the traditional fries with a SMALL pile of baked sweet potato fries. I left the skins on, cut the sweet potatoes into strips, and tossed them in a little heart-healthy olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and rosemary. I then baked them for 25 minutes on a lightly oiled cookie sheet at 450 degrees (turning once). Baking rather than frying ensures they are not so soaked in fat. I made sure not to put too many fries on the plate, so I had plenty of room for the fruits and veggies.
The new USDA Choose MyPlate icon (which recently replaced the old Food Pyramid), recommends that half our plate is filled with vegetables and fruit. I made sure that this was true of my Hamburger and Fries makeover. A small arugula salad with yellow tomatoes, and some peaches and blackberries from the farmers market round out this new and improved meal. Overall this meal is lower in calories but much more packed with nutrition than the traditional kids meal (and a lot prettier, too!)
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Walnut Hill Farm at Elm Springs
Ever since my visit to the famous Polyface farm in Staunton, VA (see my previous blog), I have been inspired to find a local farm where I can buy high quality meat. I hoped to find a farm where the animals are pastured, and fed no hormones or antibiotics. Recently, when visiting the Spotylvania Farmers Market, I met Ben Adams from Walnut Hill Farm in Stafford, VA. He sold me a whole chicken that had been processed the day before I bought it. This was literally the freshest chicken I’ve ever purchased. I took it home, rubbed it with some spices, and grilled it over a beer can. It was heavenly. I also bought ground lamb that I made into Greek burgers, which were also delicious.
I had to visit the farm where this wonderful chicken and lamb came from, so I took the whole family up to Stafford and met Ben’s father, Jeff Adams. Jeff is the owner of Walnut Hill Farm at Elm Springs, a 38 acre property off of Rt. 17, which he and his wife bought 10 years ago. He also leases 240 acres in Fauquier County where he raises sheep and cattle. Formerly an engineer with a degree in Biology, Jeff is a cancer survivor and a diabetic. He decided to take his health into his own hands and start a farm where he could control exactly how his food was produced. It did not take long for him to find out he knew more about farming than he realized. His biology experience prepared him well for farming. Although his wife and son help him with sales, Jeff is the only full-time employee at Walnut Hill.
Jeff was excited to show us around and stressed that he encourages his customers to tour the farm and see how their food is raised. What struck me most about Walnut Hill is how comically free many of the animals were. Burros roam freely amongst the chickens, keeping larger predators (i.e. coyotes) away. Chickens are kept in a specific area to roam, eating cracked corn, and insects. They do however, jump back and forth over the netting, never wandering far from their boundaries. Jeff points out that his chickens are heritage breeds, not the hybrid breeds used in industrial farms. He raises them for a full 10 weeks instead of the industry standard of 42-50 days. He took us out to an enormous and very noisy hoop house which houses the pigs and sheep. He would eventually like to have his pigs pastured as well when he has the resources.
Walnut Hill sells eggs, chicken, lamb, beef and pork at the Spotsylvania Farmers Market on Saturday mornings and at other markets in Dale City and Manassas. They sell right at the farm on Saturdays and Sundays. His meats can also be found at the Harvest Market in the Spotsylvania Courthouse Village. Right now they are taking orders for winter chickens, and their deadline is August 14. Chickens can be ordered to freeze for the winter months when production has stopped. A whole chicken is 10 dollars and there is a minimum order for 5 chickens. I just signed up for 10, and I’m wondering if that’s enough to last from November to May!
I’m happy to have found this unique little farm where the owner is dedicated to delivering a superior product. I am not worried about any chemicals and hormones in the meats that I buy from them. Jeff points out that the cost and hassle of being certified as "organic" are prohibitive and that the certification does not necessarily mean that the animals are raised in a free-range environment. He also mentioned how there is a movement of well-educated and well-informed local farmers that are trying to deliver superior food and raise awareness about the adverse health effects present in our industrialized food system. This is exciting for me and I hope it translates into more kids eating healthier and less contaminated food.
For more information on Walnut Hill Farm visit localharvest.org.
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How to Say “No” (with Love) at the Grocery Store
- Say “no” but offer an alternative. For instance you might say, “Those cookies look nice, but I think I have a recipe for something almost like that, and it will be a lot healthier. Maybe we can make them together.”
- Offer an explanation, and create a “teachable moment”. For instance you might say, “I don’t buy those kind of fruit snacks because they have dye in them that gives them bright colors. Some people can get really sick from those dyes. Can I show you on the label?” The child may then see that the “no” comes with a good reason, and that you are looking out for them.
- Try to time your shopping after a healthy meal. Hungry kids (and parents) are much more likely to give into the pressures and temptations of unhealthy snack foods and treats while roaming the aisles.
- Lay ground rules early, so you do not have to say no so much. For instance, my kids know that I do not buy candy in the check out aisles. This is a rule I established early so that I didn’t have battle every time we checked out at the grocery store. At first it took a lot of repetition of, “Sorry, Mommy doesn’t buy candy near the cash register.” However, after several requests, they got the message. Now they just don’t ask.
- Offer a small treat for cooperating at the grocery store. If buying a small trinket every once in a while means I can get a cart full of healthy, whole foods, then I consider this an acceptable concession (and a small victory).
- Make a list. Start off the shopping trip by laying down rules that you are buying what’s on the list and not much else. Making a list saves time (and money, too!)
- Teach your kids how to spot unhealthy food. This works great for kids who can read and can be shown how to navigate a food label. For example, I set down a rule that I would not like to buy anything with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) because of its adverse health effects. After explaining this to my 8 year-old son, he now reads labels for himself and knows that if it’s on the label it’s not going in the shopping cart. This trick has kept probably HUNDREDS of processed foods out of my cart, without me having to ever say the word “no.” He recently even scolded my husband for buying the “wrong” kind of applesauce, and showed him the HFCS on the label!
, where you can find more articles on nutrition and lots of kid-tested recipes.
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Polyface Farm is a Virginia Treasure
Over the weekend I had the privilege of joining two other physicians for a visit to Polyface Farm in the Shenandoah Valley. Located in Swoope, VA just outside of Staunton, the Salatin family has developed Polyface Farm as a model of responsible, humane, and sustainable farming. If you have ever seen the documentary Food Inc., you may recognize Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface who is featured several times throughout the movie. He is also featured in Micheal Pollan’s influential book, The Ominivore’s Dilemma. Mr. Salatin has become outspoken in sharing his innovative chemical-free farming practices favoring natural ecosystems over large scale industrial farming.
Once every two years Polyface hosts a “Field Day.” Members of the public are offered an in depth tour with lectures on Polyface’s ingenious farming practices by Mr. Salatin, his family, and members of their staff. I joined approximately two thousand other attendees traveling from as far away as Washington State and even Australia to find out what makes Polyface tick. Upon entering the 550 acre property, I was struck by how beautiful the farm is and how LITTLE it smelled like a farm. At various parts of the day I heard, “If something smells bad, it means something is wrong”. Almost 50 years of experience has taught the Salatins how to use each animal as a worker to take care of a job. The cows “mow” the lawn. The chickens are the “sanitation crew” that follow the cows, cleaning up the cow manure by removing fly larvae and processing it as fertilizer. A pair of geese guard the chickens from natural predators. Pigs are used to aerate compost made from cow bedding. These symbiotic relationships between the animals keep the farm chemical-free, disease-free, beautiful, healthy and efficient. It is Mr. Salatin’s goal that the land is not depleted by farming but enhanced. He calls this method of farming “beyond organic”.
The day was organized with various tours and specific talks on everything from rabbit farming to horticulture. Mr. Salatin personally led a walking tour of the entire property answering questions along the way. An engaging speaker, Mr. Salatin lectures all over the world on sustainable agriculture and shared many stories and lessons learned from his travels and experiences. At lunchtime, Polyface fed us a king-sized meal of their own barbeque chicken, pork, and beef. We also ate fresh peaches, cucumbers, and a slice of buttermilk chocolate cake-HEAVEN! If this is what eco-farming tastes like, sign me up!!
Polyface is a wonderful place for Virginians to introduce their children to ideal farming practices. The animals are well cared for and treated with respect. The resulting food is healthy, delicious and much cleaner than the food produced on an industrial scale. To learn more about how you can visit Polyface Farm with your kids, visit their website. I would also highly recommend the movie Food Inc. to watch with teens (as there are some graphic scenes of industrial meat processing that may be disturbing for young children). If you make the journey, bring a cooler packed with ice so you can visit their farm store. I plan on going with my kids later this summer to tour the farm and purchase some of their eggs and meats. Although buying meat from local farms may be more expensive than the local grocery, we’ve decided that the extra cost is worth it and can be overcome by eating smaller quantities (as seen in the new USDA recommendations). For those unable to make the trek to Swoope, Polyface recommends the website Local Harvest, a site that can help you find local farmers closer to home using your zipcode. Mr. Salatin strongly believes our population can be sustained by a model in which people know their local farmers and farmers use responsible practices. After a day at Polyface, I believe him.
(Joel Salatin enjoying a farm feast at Field Day)
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USDA's Choose My Plate Works for Kids, too
Earlier this month the USDA did away with the old “Food Pyramid”, replacing it with the new “Choose My Plate” recommendations. Largely I’m thrilled to see the USDA present a simple attractive graphic that even kids can understand. Along with the simplified graphic they also include some other highlights:
- enjoy food but eat less
- avoid oversized portions
- make half your plate fruits and vegetables
- drink water instead of sugary drinks
- switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
- compare sodium in foods
- Make at least half your grains whole grains.
What I like about the new USDA guidelines:
- There is flexibility. The ratios are not set in stone. There is some room to tailor the plate to the individual.
- This plate provides a visual which shows the importance of fruits and vegetables which together should fill half the plate. Many of us parents get stuck on trying to fill kids with carbs and worrying about protein. Those sections are usually easy. Most kids in America eat twice the protein that they need, and overemphasizing carbs is largely what has created an obese nation. As parents we should be doing our best to get the left half of the plate full of as many types of plant foods as kids will accept. During well-child visits, I often ask families about how much fruits and veggies their children like. If they like and eat many, I’m usually reassured that their diet is adequate.
- I like the message of avoiding sugary beverages. Too many children drink too many calories. Sweet drinks like sports beverages, juice, sweet tea, and soda are contributing to the crisis of overweight kids. What’s wrong with drinking water? Nothing, says the USDA and I LIKE THAT!
- Highlighting the idea of “empty calories” is key when thinking about food. The USDA says that much of the American diet consists of “empty calories”. These are the added fats and sugars that provide no nutritional benefit. So many parents think of food as fuel only. However, food is much more than that. It has vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals which serve as medicine to keep us healthy. If we keep that in mind, we may make more wise choices and maximize those important benefits for each calorie we feed our children.
Finally, I would say that parents should share this new USDA visual with kids that are old enough to understand. Talk about why the plate looks like it does, and strive to make your plate match the visual. For more detailed information visit the USDA website, choosemyplate.gov.
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More from Doctor Yum
- Baba Ganoush joins Play with Your Plate
- Colorful Turkey Chili
- Chocolate Chip Cherry Granola Bars
- Five Ways to Save on Groceries while Feeding your Family Healthy Meals
- Snead's Farm CSA
- Easy Blender Tomato Sauce
- Kids Meal Makeover
- Walnut Hill Farm at Elm Springs
- How to Say “No” (with Love) at the Grocery Store
- Polyface Farm is a Virginia Treasure
- USDA's Choose My Plate Works for Kids, too
- Ten Great Finger Foods for Babies and Toddlers
- Spotsylvania Farmer's Market
- Miller Farms Sells Strawberries and More
- Harvest Market Offers Local Foods and More
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