Family Feeding

It’s that time of year — back to school! The end of summer brings a lot of excitement and anticipation at my house. The last few weeks have been a juggling act with new schools and new schedules. We’ve told a dear nanny goodbye and we’re getting used to new childcare arrangements. I have a child who has started middle school and a very early morning schedule. We have 3 children in 3 schools and in the process of adjusting. I’m back to planning and packing lunches and have been grateful for Elizabeth’s post on school lunch ideas. I find that during this time of year I get overwhelmed with the adjustment to all of the “newness.” I logically tell myself we will be okay and will settle into the new routine. I know, intellectually, if I forget to send in a signed form or miss an appointment, in the process, it won’t be the end of the world. I also know emotions aren’t logical.  

Let’s Support Kids’ Natural Abilities

Part of the beginning of the school year is getting to know new teachers, administrators, and coaches. I am so grateful to teachers. I know I don’t have the skills or patience to be a teacher and I always want to support them in making their very difficult job easier. I also know the way I approach food and nutrition in my home is often different from how others do. So, when there is a new educator or caregiver in my kids’ lives, I wonder what’s the best way to handle this potential difference. Because I am a Registered Dietitian that specializes in eating disorders and have the knowledge I do about nutrition eduction and the effect diet …

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Elizabeth here.  Anna’s most recent post suggests low pressure ways to introduce children to foods.  One of those is cooking with children.  Our family’s Annual Corn Fest provides just such an opportunity.  It’s another family tradition and an opportunity to gather multiple generations.  And it’s also FUN!  

What a Job!

I won’t forget the time my father-in-law told us about one of his jobs as a child growing up in Eastern North Carolina.   Because he was always so tall, he had a job walking through the rows of corn and opening the pods (anthers is the actual term) on top of the stalks to distribute the pollen they contain. Who knew there was ever such a job?!  And a little plant biology – the pollen fertilizes the silks. There has to be a fertilized corn silk for each kernel of corn to develop on the cob. Fascinating! …

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When I was a child, there was one thing we did every July 4th weekend in Raleigh.  We would put on our blue jeans, even though it was over a 100 degrees outside and the air was so humid it felt like a sauna, and we’d go blackberry picking.  My dad was the energy and excitement behind this annual outing.  I think this was something he did with his family, growing up in Western North Carolina. My father, my siblings and I would venture out in our jeans with metal mixing bowls, and look for blackberry bushes in the rural land outside of Raleigh. …

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Dear Camp Counselor,

As you know, I picked up my daughter from overnight camp over the weekend.  When I arrived at camp, I was greeted by a huge smile and long hug. I think she grew an inch while she was away. She looks forward to the 2 weeks she spends at overnight camp more than any other time of the year.  She loves the rock climbing, swimming and kayaking. She loves the camp traditions, friendships and the feeling of freedom she has when she’s at camp.  Most of all, though, she loves the teenage and young adult counselors. She looks up to you and watches your every move. That’s why I’m writing you this letter.  You may be surprised that one of the first things she told me about camp was that you were on a diet. She explained that you were getting ready to “look good in your bathing suit” for an upcoming post-camp tropical trip.  She said you were counting your steps and talking about what you were not eating.  Did you know she was listening?  Did you know she looks up to you and wants more than anything to be a camp counselor one day?  She wants to be just like you.   …

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Elizabeth here with more summertime snacks.  Greetings from beautiful Chautauqua, NY!  My family is on vacation in one of our favorite places.  We rent the same place each year.  And that means we’re cooking most meals and snacks.  There’s a day camp here at Chautauqua that Caroline (14) and Ellie (almost 11) have been going to since they were each 3 years old.  It’s called Boy’s and Girl’s Club for the 2nd-10th graders.  When my girls get home from Club around 4:00 pm (for the younger kids, camp ends at 12:00), they are often super hungry, because they’ve spent the day kayaking, sailing, canoeing, swimming, playing field games, doing arts and crafts, etc.  There’s a break from 12:00 – 2:00 pm when kids go back to their house, inn or hotel for lunch and to usually relax and swap their wet swim towel and bathing suit for dry ones.  Ellie especially loves to swim. So, once she’s back from Club, she refuels and we head out for more swimming in the lake.  Or, we grab some snacks to take with us.  These days Caroline enjoys spending her late afternoons reading on the porch.

I thought that these couple of weeks that we are away would be a great time to introduce some new snacks.  Anna’s recent post 5 Snack Tips For Kids (And Adults Too!)  is such a great reminder to offer new foods at snack time.  My plan is to continue offering new summertime snacks to my girls throughout the summer.  Here are 3 more snack ideas to add to those from my post On-The-Go Summertime Snacks.  I also plan to offer some new foods so we can add to our lunch rotation – but that’s another post.

Hard boiled eggs, bread and blueberries

Hard boiled eggs with some bread or crackers and fruit or a fresh veg is one of my favorites.  It’s so easy.  Don’t forget a little salt for the eggs.  In the summer especially, I like to keep a batch of hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator.  These eggs here are a little shy of hard boiled, but the texture of the yolk is just right for my taste. I didn’t mean for them to be a little under hardboiled, but I sometimes forget how long I cook them.  It’s typically 17 minutes.  I must have only done 16 this time.  Or maybe I turned the heat off under the pan a little too soon.

To make hard boiled eggs, place the eggs in a pan of cold water.  Be sure not to crowd the eggs in the pan.  They do better with a little space around them.  Place the pan on the stove and turn the burner to high.  Keep an eye on the water.  Once it comes just to a boil, turn off the burner, remove the pan from the burner and place a lid on the pan.  Set the timer for 17 minutes (or 16 if you want them to look like the eggs in the photo).  In the meantime, fill a bowl with ice cubes and water.  Once the 17 minutes is up, immediately remove the eggs from the hot water and place them in the bowl of ice water for 10-15 minutes.  Then remove them from the cold water and store them in the refrigerator.

Tatziki, green beans, tomatoes and crackers

We typically eat tatziki (cucumber, yogurt dip) with pita chips and carrots.  I decided I’d try offering it with what I had around which was green beans, cherry tomatoes and Triscuits.   No one tried it the first time, but I’ll keep offering this new combo.

Graham crackers, goat cheese and strawberry jam

I love graham crackers (and also those Carr’s wheat crackers that are like grown up graham crackers).  I love them with any nut butter (or sunflower seed butter), with Nutella or topped with goat cheese and strawberry or sour cherry jam  – but whatever jam you like will work!  This is a combo I often recommend to clients, but haven’t offered at my house very often.  Time to reintroduce it!

Lastly, I’ve finally gotten our snack download finished.  Yea! I’m including it here. A list of 15 Simple Summertime Snacks and Snack Tips to take the stress out of snack time. 

We’d love to hear what your favorite summer time snacks are!  If you make any of our recipes, we’d love it if you let us know how they turn out by commenting and/or rating recipes.  If you take a photo of what you make, you can tag us on Instagram.  Thanks for reading and for your feedback.

I love talking with parents about snacks.  We all approach food in different ways, shaped by our own upbringing, relationship with food, and the nutrition information we’ve gathered. Elizabeth’s post last week about on-the-go summer snack ideas got me thinking: What are the most helpful tips to keep in mind when approaching snacks with children? People have certain images that they think of when they hear the word “snack.” I find, many people think of “snacks” as particular foods, such as crackers and chips.  Others, when they hear the word “snack,” they think of “snacking,” a verb that seems to mean mindlessly eating between meals.  We have a fast-paced culture that often doesn’t support the idea of taking the time to stop and re-fuel and, for many, snacks can be an afterthought.

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