LilSugar

Delilicious: Heart-Shaped Sandwiches

babysugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:00:13 -0800

Surprise your lil love on Valentine's Day by slipping a heart–shaped sandwich into their lunch bag. Lots of lil eaters are picky about their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - so whether they like crunchy or creamy, crust or crustless, this handy gadget is sure to sweeten their meal.

The large heart cookie cutter can be placed over any creation and sliced into shape. And, if you've got a couple children sharing the sandwich, it eliminates the argument about who got the better half.

Nutty Competition: Vote For Jif's Most Creative Sandwich

LilSugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:00:16 -0800

If you're a choosy mom who thinks outside of the lunchbox, cast your vote for Jif's Most Creative Sandwich.

The top 10 "most tasty nutritionally balanced, creative, appealing and easy-to-make recipes" include: Peanut Butter Butterfly Panwiches, Monstwich, Crunchy Chinese Fortune Cookie Sandwich and a Peanut Butter Meatball Sub.

The winner of the the nutty competition gets a $25,000 scholarship fund and a gift basket. Voting ends February 11.

If you want to see the rest of the peanut butter creations, read more.

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Elvis Pancake Sandwiches: Breakfast and Lunch!

LilSugar — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:00:39 -0700

Breakfast sandwiches are popular with rushing mothers and their kiddos on the go! From egg filled bagels to bacon and cheese caught between an English muffin they fill the tummy up right. My son favors waffles sandwiches. The handy breakfast is easy enough for him to munch on in the car if he doesn't finish it before I have to shuttle him to school. While all the hearty meal involves is the simple assembly of two whole grain waffles (store bought or homemade) and a slathering of fresh peanut butter between them, I recently watched Big Daddy over at the Food Network make a more inventive recipe for his boy.

A twist on a sandwich Elvis Presley was famous for - peanut butter and banana, the cook takes buckwheat pancakes, adds the protein spread, sliced bananas and a drizzle of honey to make a morning sammie that can be finished in the afternoon if you pop it in your kiddo's lunchbox. While the flavors appeal to wee taste buds, its quick prep time makes it a dish mama can accomplish even if she isn't completely awake.
To get the recipe, read more.

Elvis Pancake Sandwiches
Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo Jr., Food Network

Looking for a meal that can be made for breakfast and finished for lunch? Try Big Daddy's Elvis pancake sandwiches.

Ingredients

Batter:

* 2 cups buttermilk
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 6 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 cup all purpose flour
* 1 cup buckwheat flour
* 2 tablespoons butter, cold plus more as needed
* Peanut butter, for topping
* Sliced bananas, for topping
* Honey, for topping

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, baking powder, sugar, salt and butter.

In another large bowl mix together all-purpose flour and buckwheat flour.

Slowly add flour into the wet ingredients mixing with a whisk. Mix until there are no lumps and the batter is smooth and velvety.

In a large cast iron skillet or flat grill pan over medium-high heat, melt a tablespoon of butter. Ladle pancake batter onto skillet to desired size. Using the ladle, form pancake into circular shape. Cook on each side for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Set pancakes aside and keep warm. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Once completed, spread peanut butter on a pancake, layer it with sliced bananas and drizzle it with honey. Top the pancake with another pancake to form a sandwich. Repeat with remaining pancakes and serve with extra honey.

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Courtesy of The Food Network.

What Is Your Child's Strangest Food Combo?

babysugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:30:39 -0700

What could be better than peanut butter and ranch dressing? There are some foods that are rarely paired in cookbooks: bacon and syrup, cantaloupe and pepper, and honey and broccoli are just a few of them. While mommy offers up different fare for tasting, wee ones often find meal combos that please their young palates but make mama want to hurl. Many tots will dip most everything into a vat of ketchup - waffles, carrots, and green beans. My daughter's dip of choice? Ranch. The creamy white dressing has even made its way onto her peanut butter sandwich. It may sound terrible to us but if it gets the tot to gobble up his meal, who's to judge their tiny taste buds?

Don't be shy. Tell us what your child's strangest food combinations are in the comments!

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?

Kate Gosselin's Recipe: PB & Banana

LilSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:00:16 -0700

If your wee ones are craving something slightly different than the staple peanut butter and jelly, Kate Gosselin (who recently shared her tricks for feeding a family of ten with us) suggests opting for a nutty sandwich with a more starchy fruit complement.

PB & Banana

2 slices of whole wheat white bread (also good with oatmeal bread)

1 banana, thinly sliced

Peanut butter

Spread each slice of bread with peanut butter. Place thin banana slices on one slice. Close sandwich and cut into triangles.

Delilicious: Peanut Butter Packets

LilSugar — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:00:30 -0800

Need a quick snack that packs a fast protein punch? My daughter can't get enough of Justin's Honey Peanut Butter Packs. The 1.15 ounce sleeves (.50) are slim and portable, which make them kid-friendly and easy to slip in mommy's purse. Each one contains 7 grams of protein. Original and cinnamon peanut butters are also available as are the same flavors of almond butter. Swap out the old soggy sandwich with this delicious and nutritious organic snack.

Update: This post was timed before the FDA issued its warning. Click the link to get more information.

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!

Bite of Love: Almond Be There For You Brownie Cupcakes

LilSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:00:48 -0800

If you want to treat your family to a special treat on Valentine's Day, but hope to keep their sugar consumption reserved to Conversation Hearts, forgo fancy icing and add a pretty protein boost to a brownie bite. Almond butter is a delicious and nutritious paste that can be substituted for traditional peanut butter on sandwiches, waffles, pancakes, and used as a healthy decoration on desserts.

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To check out my guide to making these yourself, read more.

Almond Be There for You Brownie Cupcake
lilsugar original

Dress up a brownie bite for a healthy treat.

Ingredients

1. Package of pre-made brownie bites or homemade mini brownies
2. Almond butter (or peanut butter if your child has been tested and isn't allergic)
3. Carob or chocolate chips for decoration

Directions
Dress the brownie bites by spreading a thin amount of almond butter on top as a frosting alternative. Make sure to only put a little dab of butter so as not to overpower the brownie.

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Need more ideas for creating tiny delicious treats for your tots this Valentine's Day? Check out our Bite of Love series for inspiration.

Lil Tip: Tasting Peanut Butter for the First Time

LilSugar — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 06:00:42 -0800

PB&J, the sandwich that defines childhood, can potentially be harmful if a child is allergic to peanuts. And, because some kids have strong allergic reactions to the nuts - many which involve problems breathing - and chunks of the spread can prove to be a choking hazard, some pediatricians recommend that parents wait until children are 3 or 4-years-old to feed them peanuts and peanut butter.

While this is a great guideline, it doesn't calm a mother's fear of actually watching a child ingest peanut butter when the time comes. If this is your case, you might want to consider giving your child their first taste of peanut butter in your pediatrician's waiting room before an appointment. That way, if your child does have an allergic reaction, medical assistance is already on hand.

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