LilSugar

18 Tot-Friendly Burgers to Kick Off Grilling Season

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:50:44 PDT

Patty-cake, patty-cake! We're not talking about sweet cakes here, but the juicy patties that come fresh off the grill onto a waiting bun. With this being National Burger Month, and the unofficial start of grilling season kicking off this weekend, we turned to some of our favorite kiddie chefs for their takes on the ever-popular burger. With input from Weelicious, Jessica Seinfeld, Annabel Karmel, and Cooking With My Kid, here are 18 recipes to try with your tots during the Summer grilling season!

6 On-the-Go Snacks For Kids With Food Allergies

Lisa Horten — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:46:08 PDT

When your kids' food allergies rule out fast-food stops and airport kiosks as travel-day options, what's a mom to do? "Plan ahead!" says Amie Valpone of The Healthy Apple. Through her clean eating consulting business, Amie helps Manhattan moms come up with manageable, delicious solutions for dealing with food allergies from gluten to lactose intolerance, nut allergies, and more, both on the go and at home. All it takes is a little advance preparation to ensure that everyone stays satisfied and happy, whether your journey takes one hour or six!

Source: Flickr User Martin Cathrae

Mural Meals: Be Inspired by Beautiful Bento Boxes

Angelica Marden — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:38:57 PDT

Get ready to step up your sandwich skills with bento box lunches. These picturesque meal settings are a snazzy way to dress up leftovers, effective (and plastic bag free) way to pack lunch, and a smart way to encourage your children to eat healthier meals by making nutritious foods look more appealing (Jessica Seinfeld would be so proud). If you are as busy as most moms, you probably don't have time to bento everyday, but invest in $4 worth of bento tools and you'll be ready to add a small mural meal touch to your child's lunch on special days. Browse through these decadent boxes for inspiration.

Playful Plates: 40 Fun Ways to Feed Your Kids

LilSugar — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:37:29 PDT

If it gets your kids to sit down for a healthy meal, we're all in favor of playing with your food! We've rounded up 40 ways to make eating enjoyable, even for the pickiest little palates. From breakfast to dinner, and everything in between, check out these great ways to make food fun!

Happy Baby and Sprout Want to Feed Your Toddlers Organic Meals

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:02:23 PDT

Organic baby food pouches are so last year! Since the healthy, squeezable packets of baby purees first caused a ripple on playgrounds in 2010, the baby pouch has quickly become the go-to baby food choice for mamas who want the best, but just don't have time to cook up their own purees.

Now, two of the first baby food pouch creators are setting their sites on tots who've moved beyond second and third stage purees. Both Sprout and Happy Baby are introducing heat-and-eat organic toddler meals this Spring, and lil ones everywhere should be rejoicing! Here's a quick rundown of what the two are serving up!

Happy Baby The company that brought us the first organic puffs and an organic Thanksgiving meal in a pouch is creating four HappyTot Toddler Meal Bowls ($3.19 each) packed with protein and vitamin A. Using 100 percent organic vegetables, whole grains, and meats, the HappyTot line includes combinations such as Chicken, Vegetable, and Quinoa, as well as the more familiar Vegetable Ravioli. Each cup-sized serving comes precooked in BPA-free packaging that only needs to be heated for a minute in the microwave before it's ready to eat.

Sprout Tyler Florence told us that he was considering opening a Sprout café where moms and babies could stock up on food for a few days, but now he's done one better. Sprout Organic Toddler Meals ($3.49 each) begin where the Food Network chef's baby purees end, continuing his tradition of combining great but unusual flavor concoctions that kids can't wolf down fast enough. The ready-to-microwave, BPA-free trays bring together veggies, fruits, legumes, spices, and meats for eight meals, such as Macaroni and Cheese With Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato and Apple Risotto With Turkey. So while you might not have a sitter so you can go out and enjoy the chef's Wayfare Tavern, your lil one can gobble up his recipes in the comfort of your own home.

Source: Flickr User CarbonNYC

Eat and Run: 10 Healthy, Quick, and Easy Grab-and-Go Breakfasts For Your Family

LilSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:32:03 PDT

In theory, we'd all love to sit down for a family breakfast seven days a week - perusing the paper, sipping our coffee, filling the kids' plates with something hearty and nutritious. In reality? That's another story. With the morning rush often extending even to weekends, it's hard enough to get everyone where they need to be on time, let alone enjoy a seated meal together. But a healthy breakfast is still an important part of every day, especially for growing bodies. Check out these 10 quick, easy, and healthy grab-and-go meals for you and your family . . . because sometimes, it's just necessary to eat and run!

7 Websites That Inspire Cooking With Kids

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:25:12 PDT

Cooking with your kids can teach them all kinds of lessons, from timing and measuring skills to cutting and cooking techniques, and it gives them a greater appreciation for the food that is served at the table. As an added bonus, kids are usually more willing to try new and healthier foods if they are part of the cooking process. These seven websites inspire kids of all ages to cook with mom or dad, so check them out, try a recipe together, and let us know which site is your family's favorite resource.

Fit For a Feast is designed to teach kids how prepare delicious, kid-friendly recipes with safety and precaution. The website offers instructional food videos with colorful graphics, nutritional info for kids, knife safety tips, and advice on how to prep and store food.
Cooking With My Kid is a photo-filled site with nutritious snack and meal ideas that you can prepare together as a family. Simple and totally enjoyable, this guide offers step-by-step instructions for recipes like giant chocolate-covered raisins and sweet potato and lentil stew.
Hey Kids, Let's Cook includes instructional videos for multicultural, kid-friendly cuisine, especially good if you are unsure about how to get your kids involved in the kitchen. The host Kathy clearly demonstrates engaging, fun techniques for her kid cooking assistants, like using a melon baller to create beautiful shapes in a fruit salad. The video section also includes mini table-etiquette tips, taught by one of the kid cooks.

Click here for more kid recipe sites.

Easter Cupcakes So Easy Your Kids Can Make Them!

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:16:56 PDT

Candy and cupcakes and treats, oh, my! In the hierarchy of holidays designed to give tots a sugar high, Easter must claim one of the top three spots. A holiday where candy is strewn about the yard? Sign me up! So when Jelly Belly teamed up with Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, the authors of the new Cupcakes, Cookies, & Pie, Oh, My! and the inspiring What's New, Cupcake?, for an evening of Easter cupcake tutorials, I was quick to sign up. The duo shared their favorite decorating tips, taught us how to incorporate traditional holiday candy into our designs, and proved that their sophisticated-looking creations are actually easy enough for a 6-year-old to complete (my son was in sugar heaven). Keep reading to see how you and your tots can re-create these sweets just in time for Sunday's festivities.

5 Easy Ways to Get the Whole Family to Eat Healthier

LilSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:14:27 PDT

Vogue writer Dara-Lynn Weiss's controversial article about putting her 7-year-old on a strict diet is making waves. While the reaction to Weiss's extreme approach was mixed, most parents can agree that they would never ignore a doctor's recommendation to take action on their child's health and well-being.

Here are five easy kitchen and nutrition updates that every family can make, whether weight loss is a pressing issue or not.

Get More Greens: There's sure to be something that appeals to even the pickiest little taste buds with these five easy ways to make veggies more fun for kids.
Cook at Home More: We all know the feeling - in theory, we want to cook for our families, but in reality, there aren't enough hours in the day. Try to make a little extra effort this month, though. Your slow-cooker is a great place to start, as it allows busy moms to put together a meal in the morning and let the appliance work its magic while you're at the office or running carpool.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast: Ditch the sugary cereal or to-go granola bars and get the whole family's day off to the right start with a well-balanced, nutritionally-rich breakfast. All it takes is a little advance planning the night before to spice up your family's morning routine.
Don't Eliminate Dessert: But do give it a makeover. Jessica Seinfeld's mint chocolate chip ice cream is packed with pureed spinach and Greek yogurt, and 3-ingredient Smudgies are dairy and cholesterol free, contain no added sugar, and taste like an ice cream sandwich.
Make the Kitchen the Hottest Hangout in the House: Instead of keeping the kitchen off-limits to kids, invite them in to explore. Healthy cooking playdates are a great way to get your lil ones comfortable with trying new things, and adding a little adventure into what they're willing to eat. Keep cut-up fruit and veggies stored at kids' eye level so that they can help themselves to a healthy snack instead of the standby chips and cookies.

Eat Your Greens: 15 Green Veggie-Packed Recipes to Serve Up on St. Patrick's Day

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:02:05 PDT

Make your friends green with envy this St. Patrick's Day when your lil ones start eating peas and green beans. Sure, the day can be filled with tasty sweet treats - nevermind a Shamrock Shake or two - but it's also a great day to convince tots to eat their greens - green vegetables. We've rounded up our favorite kid-friendly green veggie recipes (including a spinach-packed ice cream) to help get you started. Hey, you never know, this could be the start of a mealtime makeover!