Fall into Freshness

Prepare for back to school with fresh food ideas

 

 Salads

Stuffed Tomatoes

Combine cooked Ontario corn kernels with diced Ontario tomato, sweet green pepper, green onion and minced fresh parsley. Split fresh Ontario tomatoes in half, hollow out and fill with mixed ingredients.  Add a splash of your favourite vinaigrette dressing.

Veggie Fried Rice

Sauté cooked rice with diced Ontario onion, carrot, sweet pepper and zucchini, season with soy sauce.

Variation: You can add a any of these delicious ingredients to to Cous-cous, curly pasta or Ontario romaine lettuce

Sandwiches  

Bagels 'n More Ontario

Top bagel halves with cream cheese and thinly sliced Ontario apples, pears, or cucumbers.

Cucumber Round

Top thick slices of Ontario cucumber with tuna salad.

Rice is Nice

(for those who are gluten intolerant)

Top rice cakes with sweetened cream cheese and thin slices of Ontario muskmelon, apple or pear. Add a dash of cinnamon if you like.

Pepper Wedge Ole

Combine softened cream cheese with some drained salsa sauce to taste. Fill wedges of Ontario sweet red or green peppers with the mixture.

Soups

Instant Corn Chowder

Add fresh Ontario corn kernels to cream of potato soup. Simmer 4 - 5 minutes.

Soup’s On

Add shredded Ontario Carrot and finely chopped Broccoli and Zucchini to chicken noodle soup.

Dessert  

Yoghurt Fool

Stir chopped Ontario seasonal fruit into plain yogurt.  Add Ontario liquid honey to taste and sprinkle with granola.

Cottage Cheese Delight

Cover cottage cheese with slices of seasoned fresh Ontario apple, pear, nectarines or plums.

Cheese and Fruit Skewers

Feed skewers with Ontario Cheddar and apple and pear pieces.

Soups

Instant Corn Chowder

Add fresh Ontario corn kernels to cream of potato soup. Simmer 4 - 5 minutes.

Soup’s On

Add shredded Ontario Carrot and finely chopped Broccoli and Zucchini to chicken noodle soup.

Preparing Baby Food

Kitchen Basics

Sterilizing Equipment

Baby bottles are a breeding ground for bacteria. Make sure you simply boil feeding equipment in a pot of water for ten minutes to stave off bacteria. 

Processors or Blenders 

Mini blenders are great for preparing small batches of food. Using a blender or food processor allows you to choose the consistency of your baby food; whether you need silky smooth for a first time eater or a little more chunky for an older baby or toddler.  The Baby Brezza is a great one step baby food maker. It allows you to blend or steam and blend your food. The Baby Breeza also offers a reheat and defrost option. This great product can be found at C.A.Paradise. 

 Food Mill or a Potato Masher

Food mills and potato mashers are fantastic tools for preparing baby food. Make sure you remove the husks or skins from food as they are hard for babies to digest.

Freezer Containers

Several ice cube trays allow you to freeze meal size portions of a variety of purees. Allow cooked puree to cool to room temperature, then spoon into ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop out and store in freezer bags, seal tightly and write the date clearly on the bag. Return to the freezer and store for up to six weeks.

Feeding Essentials

Bowls with suction cups are great to attach to high chair trays or tables. This is a great way to avoid spills.  I prefer spoons that are small and shallow for early stages of feeding. There are some any wonderful, useful and fun bibs available today. I simply recommend any bib that can protect your baby's clothes from mess. Style and materials are your personal choice.  Although, one thing I did learn with  my kids was to place a splash mat or old towel underneath the feeding chair. Clean up was a cinch. 

Preparing Baby Food

Steaming is the best way to preserve the taste of those food and keep all those nutrients intact. When you are steaming your fruits or vegetables over the stove, use the excess liquid to blend. It will return the nutrients that may have escaped in the steam. I always try to choose fresh local food. Foodland Ontario is a great resource for recipes in guides to in-season foods.

Pick a Recipe Resource.

I have used tips and ideas from Annabel Karmel's book on First Meals in writing this blog. This book was the best resource for me when I began preparing food in my kitchen for my own children.  I often revisit her book for ideas on feeding my toddlers these days.   

First Tastes

Baby rice cereal with breast milk or formula is a good starter food. You can also start with single ingredient purees. Root vegetables are very popular and palatable for babies who like the naturally sweet flavours and smooth blended texture. My babies loved apples, avocados, pears, bananas, sweet potatoes and squash along with a rice cereal. Combining a single ingredient with baby cereal is a great way to introduce new foods and flavours. Once baby is comfortable with single ingredient fruit puree, try combining two flavours to give a mixed flavour.

Baby food that is stored in the refrigerator should be used within 24 hours.

9-12 months

As your baby starts crawling, they will need more energy rich foods such as cereals, fresh and dried fruit, and pasta. This is also a fun time to encourage self-feeding. The experimenting is the fun part. The feel of food is great for kids.Some great ideal finger foods:

Vegetables:

Steam them a bit so they are not so hard but still a bit crunchy. Carrots, cucumber sticks, green beans,

Fruit:

Chunks of bananas, peaches, pears. blueberries ( my kids loved them frozen), peeled grapes,

Toast fingers or plain bread sticks

Dry cereals

Cooked pasta shapes

Small pieces of chicken or turkey

At the end of your baby's first year, they will be eating more solid foods. While your baby is receptive to new foods be sure to introduce different textures and flavours -mnashed, grated, dices, whole.

On the Go

I love being outside. As a new mom, I would go on long walks, rollerblade or run with my kids in the stroller. Often my kids would be on the sidelines while I played Ulitimate Frisbee.

My babies were big eaters and I had to have food on hand at all times to keep them satisfied. Containers were important. Thermos brand has always been my choice of on the go containers. I use their lunch bag as a cooler. I lovet that it is leak proof. Their vacuumed sealed Thermos’ keep things warm or cold without fail. This is a trusted brand for my kids’ food.  Sistema food storage containers are also good with their line of 'Klip it to go' , which offers sections and dividers in their containers. Their line can be found at C.A. Paradise

The Sweet Tastes of Summer

Summer is in full swing and it’s prime time for picnics and parties.  Whether at the beach, by the pool or at a cottage, this season’s food is fresh and portable.  Here are some ideas for sharing the sweet tastes of Ontario with your family and friends. 

 Here is a link to my appearance on Daytime Ottawa

Click to read more ...

Chocolate Gluten Free Entertaining options in Ottawa

By Prianka Tiwari

Holiday entertaining can be daunting even at the best of times. Add to the hustle and bustle of shopping and planning family events, the need to be a nutritionist and know what to serve when your celiac friend arrives. Shelves are increasingly full of Gluten free products but finding a certified good one can be quite a challenge. Fear not! Entertaining and food specialist Korey Kealey has a few options from store bought, the quick and simple, to the semi-homemade knock your socks off chocolate  desserts to make your holiday entertaining as easy as 1-2-3.

Kealey recommends for the time crunched but has to entertain on the drop of a dime type (you know who you are!)  to check out The Natural Food Pantry's private label "the gluten free bakery" products. Korey says "They are simple and phenomenal! The double chocolate cupcake will rival every specialty store in the city at half the price! Dress it up with sprinkles or interesting candy toppings...be sure to check the ingredient lists of the candy toppers that you choose to ensure a gluten free option!" 



Double chocolate crunchy crisps will have guests swarming and not just the Gluten free followers. "Trust me" says Kealey "I put these beside a fabulous caramel square as the gluten free option and there wasn't a piece leftover"



Double Chocolate Crisps 

Makes: 12 pieces

Prep time: 10 minutes

Refrigeration time: 20 minutes

1 pkg. (120g) enerjive™ Chocolate FIX snack crisps, broken in half or large pieces

3 oz dark chocolate pieces

Line a tray with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate in small deep bowl; dunk enerjive crisp half way shaking off excess chocolate, use a spoon to assist; place on parchment lined tray.

Repeat with remaining pieces and refrigerate until hard, about 20 minutes.

Finding the right recipe and obscure ingredients to make gluten free brownies is a challenge with many tasting like chalk, or worse. Kealey notes "Purest Natural Products has a humble looking chocolate brownie package with a killer finished product! Make a couple batches in advance, slice and freeze. Take it up a notch; the ooey, gooey delicious brownie is perfect for making Cake Pops. After baking, break up the brownies and form into balls, insert a stick, chill, dunk, dunk....serve…gorgeous.



Christmas Brownie Pops 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 30 minutes

Assembly time: 10 minutes

Refrigeration time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla

1/2 cup melted butter

1 bag Purest chocolate brownie mix

6-8 oz white chocolate pieces

1/4 cup crushed candy canes or Red and green sprinkles

Bake brownies according to directions on package; let cool slightly about 25 minutes, then break into pieces; form 2 tbsp into a tight ball. Insert lollipop stick, repeat with remaining brownies. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. 

Melt white chocolate and carefully dunk cake pop then dunk in sprinkles, lay on parchment...add additional sprinkles if desired, repeat with remaining cake pops, refrigerate until firm.

Tip: Be cautious not to loosen stick when dunking...support with a spoon.

Product Find:

Double Chocolate Cupcakes: Natural Food Pantry locations. Billings Bridge, Westboro, Kanata



enerjive(tm) Chocolate FIX Quinoa 

Snack Crisps at Farm Boy and Natural Food Pantry Rainbow Foods or online www.enerjivefood.com



Purest Natural Products Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix at Farm Boy or www.purestnaturalproducts.com 



Chocolate Gluten Free Entertaining options in OttawaBy: Prianka Tiwari
Holiday entertaining can be daunting even at the best of times. Add to the hustle and bustle of shopping and planning family events, the need to be a nutritionist and know what to serve when your celiac friend arrives. Shelves are increasingly full of Gluten free products but finding a certified good one can be quite a challenge. Fear not! Entertaining and food specialist Korey Kealey has a few options from store bought, the quick and simple, to the semi-homemade knock your socks off chocolate  desserts to make your holiday entertaining as easy as 1-2-3.
Kealey recommends for the time crunched but has to entertain on the drop of a dime type (you know who you are!)  to check out The Natural Food Pantry's private label "the gluten free bakery" products. Korey says "They are simple and phenomenal! The double chocolate cupcake will rival every specialty store in the city at half the price! Dress it up with sprinkles or interesting candy toppings...be sure to check the ingredient lists of the candy toppers that you choose to ensure a gluten free option!" 

Double chocolate crunchy crisps will have guests swarming and not just the Gluten free followers. "Trust me" says Kealey "I put these beside a fabulous caramel square as the gluten free option and there wasn't a piece leftover"
Double Chocolate Crisps 
Makes: 12 piecesPrep time: 10 minutesRefrigeration time: 20 minutes
1 pkg. (120g) enerjive™ Chocolate FIX snack crisps, broken in half or large pieces3 oz dark chocolate pieces
Line a tray with parchment paper.Melt chocolate in small deep bowl; dunk enerjive crisp half way shaking off excess chocolate, use a spoon to assist; place on parchment lined tray.Repeat with remaining pieces and refrigerate until hard, about 20 minutes.

Finding the right recipe and obscure ingredients to make gluten free brownies is a challenge with many tasting like chalk, or worse. Kealey notes "Purest Natural Products has a humble looking chocolate brownie package with a killer finished product! Make a couple batches in advance, slice and freeze. Take it up a notch; the ooey, gooey delicious brownie is perfect for making Cake Pops. After baking, break up the brownies and form into balls, insert a stick, chill, dunk, dunk....serve…gorgeous.











Christmas Brownie Pops Prep time: 10 minutesBaking time: 30 minutesAssembly time: 10 minutesRefrigeration time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:2 eggs1 tsp pure vanilla1/2 cup melted butter1 bag Purest chocolate brownie mix6-8 oz white chocolate pieces1/4 cup crushed candy canes or Red and green sprinkles
Bake brownies according to directions on package; let cool slightly about 25 minutes, then break into pieces; form 2 tbsp into a tight ball. Insert lollipop stick, repeat with remaining brownies. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Melt white chocolate and carefully dunk cake pop then dunk in sprinkles, lay on parchment...add additional sprinkles if desired, repeat with remaining cake pops, refrigerate until firm.Tip: Be cautious not to loosen stick when dunking...support with a spoon.
























Product Find:Double Chocolate Cupcakes: Natural Food Pantry locations. Billings Bridge, Westboro, Kanataenerjive(tm) Chocolate FIX Quinoa Snack Crisps at Farm Boy and Natural Food Pantry Rainbow Foods or online www.enerjivefood.comPurest Natural Products Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix at Farm Boy or www.purestnaturalproducts.com 

Feeding minds

Packing lunches is an art in itself. I remember opening my lunch and wondering what I was going to trade. Now the kids are not allowed to share food. The skill of packing lunches has become a challenge.

Some fun tips:

• Korey Kealey of Foodthought, suggests packing in chopsticks for a fun way to eat. 
• I like to use cookie cutters to make shapes out sandwiches. 
• Use skewers; anything on a stick is fun!
• To save room in your lunch bag, freeze your water bottle or juice box and use it as a feezer pack.
• Add a note your child’s lunch letting them know you are thinking of them.

What to Pack

SnaX, an Ottawa based company, has created fun and healthy snack and lunch options.  Some great fresh ideas include egg salad on a stick, slider sandwiches and antijitos.
SnaX has launched a School Nutrition Awareness program that provides the participating school with an innovative week-long fundraiser that  exposes children to healthy international food in a fun inclusive manner. 

Their site is worth looking at www.mysnax.ca

How to Pack

Sistema's range of children's lunch boxes make lunch time fun, with lots of fun colours and compartments to keep food separated.  All products are built on Sistema's unique ability to capture the small design twists and turns, creating products that are both functional and that kids relate to. They are BPA free and made from lead free virgin materials!


A few lunch bags that stand out:

The ELLE lunch bag line are reusable insulated in the inside and come in a great choice of designs.

The coolmovers line of lunch bags is a great size for the little ones.

MITK Tip:  If your kids like carbonated drinks, there is a healthy way to offer that treat. Thanks to C.A. Paradis, the Chefs Paradise. The sodastream allows you to make carbonated drinks at home using more natural ingredients.  The bonus is that your kids can carry it in a reusable bottle.