LilSugar

Sibling Shower: Food and Beverage

LilSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:00:00 -0700

It's time to eat at our sibling shower (small soiree that gets the future big sis or bro used to the idea of having another wee one in the family)! Set out a spread fit for the family's queen bee or lil king. Tempt tots' appetites by playing to a few of the sibling-to-be's favorite foods with a twist. Our menu is made up of swaddled babies also known as babes in blankets, classic macaroni and cheese bowls, and baby carrots with ranch dip. Let lil ones wash it down with some fresh squeezed lemonade and indulge in a pint-size party treat - cookie ice cream sandwiches! Adults will likely nosh and get nostalgic about these childhood staples.

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For the recipes, read more.

Babes in blankets: Buy your favorite brand of cocktail weenies and roll them in a store-bought pastry dough cut into triangles Place them on a cooking sheet and pop them in the oven to bake. Allow the concoctions to cool and then create wee faces with an edible ink pen. Condiments like ketchup, mustard and relish can be used to decorate the blankets with pinstripes, floral patterns, and polkadots. Pair it with your child's choice of mac and cheese and baby carrots with ranch dip.

Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches: Purchase a pack of Immaculate Baking Company's Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies or another flavor of your choosing. After baking the cookies and allowing them to cool, scoop a ball of ice cream (I used Alden's Organic Mint Chocolate Chip) in the center of one cookie, top with another, and then press the two together until it forms a sandwich. Pour sprinkles or colored sugar on a plate and roll the edges of the sandwich around to collect the decoration. Place the finished goodies back in the freezer to firm up and then serve.

Don't forget to enter our fabulous April Showers Giveaway for a chance to win a $2,500 gift card to put toward your babe's nursery and or necessities for your child at Pottery Barn Kids!

Delilicious: A Shortcut to Cookies and Time With Your Child

LilSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Life is busy, so make it sweet. Moms on tight schedules may not have time to bake cookies from scratch after a long day at the office or park, but their children can still benefit from kitchen time together and indulge in a treat. A few weeks ago, I bought a bag of Chocolate Chunk Better Bakes ($4) at Whole Foods. The container of organic pre-portioned cookie dough from Immaculate Baking Company shortened the timely task of batter-making. My daughter just popped a few circles onto a baking sheet, and I put it in a 325 degree oven for 14 minutes. Once the cookies cooled, she had fun making them into lil sandwiches by spreading ice cream or peanut butter between two and fusing them together. To fancy up the edges, she then rolled them in chocolate sprinkles or crushed peanuts. Since the dough bits are quarter-size, they make great mini desserts.

Do Your Kids Indulge in Sweets More Over the Summer?

LilSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:00:24 -0700

Think twice before letting your lil ones indulge in their favorite snacks this Summer. Sunny days spent outdoors often lead families to the ice cream truck for respite from the heat and humidity, but those little treats add up. According to WebMD, without the structure of school programs, many tots don't get the physical activity they need to burn off the fat and calories their snacks pack in.

Trips to the beach, state fair and carnival offer up a buffet of unhealthy foods. Among the worst offenders are:

Baskin Robbins' Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae: 1,250 calories, 81 grams fat, 91 grams sugar.
Cold Stone Creamery Dark Chocolate cone: 800 calories, 47 grams fat, 68 grams sugar.
Fried macaroni and cheese: 572 calories, 33 grams fat, 1,840 milligrams sodium.
Cherry Slurpee: 240 calories, 64 grams sugar.
Corn dog and fries: 770 calories, 1,600 milligrams sodium.

For a look at more very sweet treats, read more.

Fried dough: 360 calories, 20 grams fat.
Dunkin Donuts Blueberry Muffin: 510 calories, 16 grams fat, 490 milligrams sodium, 51 grams sugar.
Nestle Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich: 500 calories, 24 grams fat, 40 grams sugar.
Lemonade: 198 calories, 51 grams sugar.

Do you throw the rules out the window in the Summer and let the kids dive into more unhealthy snacks than usual?

Interview with Kate Gosselin: Feeding a Family of 10

LilSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:00:00 -0700

Parents watch TLC's Jon and Kate Plus 8 in shock and awe. Moms and dads are awed by the way the young couple, Jon and Kate, are raising two sets of multiples and shocked by the fact that all the children - Cara, Mady, Alexis, Hannah, Leah, Aaden, Collin, and Joel - eat! The twins' and sextuplets' diets don't consist of just peanut butter and jelly and buttered pasta; they entertain their pint-sized palates with everything from traditional Korean food to cracked crab and fresh vegetables.

lilsugar recently had the opportunity to ask queen of the Gosselin kitchen, Kate, a few questions about feeding her family of ten, the importance of an organic diet, and her recent partnership with the Grains Foods Foundation to promote brown bag lunches. To see her tips and what she had to say, read more.

lilsugar: Why did you decide to team up with the Grains Foods Foundation?

KG: These days, everyone is looking for ways to cut costs while still managing to eat healthy. With a family of 10, we’re certainly no different. We’ve been brown bagging for years and I’m working with the Grain Foods Foundation to show other families how packing lunches can be an easy and fun way to save money and eat healthy. There’s even a calculator on their website - grainpower.org - that shows how much money and calories you can save when you pack a lunch instead of eating out. It’s amazing!

lilsugar: Does or did incorporating grains into the Gosselin family diet bring down the food bill?

KG: Definitely. Grains like bread, crackers, pretzels, and granola bars have always been a part of our family diet because they are affordable, delicious and nutritious. We go through a loaf of bread at every meal so I usually buy a whole flat of bread at one time!

lilsugar: How important do you think it is to raise children on an organic diet?

KG: More than anything, I think it’s important to raise children on a healthy diet. As I’m sure you’ve seen on the show, I try to find fruits and vegetables from local farm stands but when that isn’t possible, there are always great and healthy options available at the supermarket.

lilsugar: As someone who fed a family of 10 on a budget, what tips would you offer other mothers to cut costs?

KG: Pay attention to the things that are on sale, clip coupons and, above all, avoid buying things that you don't need. Being organized and planning ahead is one of the best ways to stick to a budget. I know it’s not always easy for families to plan ahead but making sandwiches and packing lunches is a relatively simple way to save money and eat healthy. Nutrition has always been important to me personally as a woman, a nurse and especially as a mom.

lilsugar: On Jon and Kate Plus 8, your children seem to eat all of the healthy things you prepare. How have you managed to raise eight adventurous eaters?

KG: I have always prepared healthy meals without other options. I firmly believe that if they are hungry, they will eat what is in front of them. I also do not "over-snack" them. That said, if they do have a snack, it's usually something with grains (pretzels, wheat crackers, etc).

lilsugar: What are your family's favorite meals? Are there any foods your children do not like?

KG: We have a lot of favorites and I believe in exposing kids to a variety of foods from a very young age to avoid those childhood ruts (eating and wanting to eat the same four things for every meal).

lilsugar: You are often filmed packing cereal bags, lunches and picnics prior to outings on your show, do you do that for convenience or to save money?

KG: Both. Packing lunches and snacks ahead of time saves us money and help me make sure my family eats healthy no matter where we are. It ensures I’ll have something nutritious on hand when we’re away from home.

lilsugar: Do you have advice for moms on how to pack lunches that children will actually eat?

KG: Try to make their lunches fun. Include a note in their lunch bag or scribble words of inspiration on a napkin. And if you want to get really creative, use cookie cutters to transform your child’s sandwich into a work of art – or even into their initials. These little surprises are sure to bring a smile to their face.

Another thing I do is aim for variety. For instance, I’ll make them checkerboard sandwiches where I mix up the bread - using one slice of light colored bread and one slice of a darker bread, I simply cut the sandwiches into quarters and flip two of the quarters over to make a checkerboard. This is a great way to start introducing kids to whole grain bread. Kids love fun-looking food, even if it’s good for them!

lilsugar: You are extraordinarily organized. Do you have favorite products to pack food in a certain type of cereal bag, lunch box or drink container, etc.?

KG: I love cute reusable lunch bags and am a huge fan of color coding. With a family of 10, everyone having their own special color makes things much easier! Plus, it fosters a sense of ownership in the kids, which makes it less likely they’ll leave it behind or swap it with another child’s lunch!

lilsugar: You make cool, interactive snacks from edible play-dough to the pudding paint, do you have others?

KG: Those are the latest ones. Anything that is able to be eaten as well as fun (and healthy!) thrills my kids!

lilsugar: What is your family's favorite edible splurge, for example, ice cream for dinner?

KG: Well, ice cream for dinner is great but sometimes we will also have breakfast for dinner (French toast is always a big hit). Think variety with nutrition and it will keep everyone interested!

Check back on lilsugar each morning this week for some of Kate's delilicious kid-friendly sandwich recipes!

Lil Tip: Simple Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day

LilSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Kids don't expect a dozen roses and an enormous box of chocolates for Valentine's Day, but they do appreciate even the smallest of festive gestures. So put a little extra heart into the upcoming holiday with one of these simple goodies.

Keep their homework tidy and together with a homemade heart paper clip.
Pour pancakes on the griddle or scrambled eggs into a skillet using a heart cookie cutter.
Tuck a handmade Valentine in your child's lunch box for a mid-day surprise.
For a fancy ice cream sandwich, press strawberry ice cream between two store bought Valentine cookies or make a homemade version.
Make spaghetti and meatballs memorable, by scooping and serving the long noodles in a nested heart shape.
Toss some festive bubble confetti in their bath water.

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