How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet (34 page)

WHAT TO EAT

Encourage your child to help plan meals and select veggies at the market. Get them involved in meal preparation. Even a two-year-old can tear lettuce for a salad and help wash produce. You can ease tensions at the table by including them in decisions on what to make for dinner. Children will take pride in a meal they’ve helped to plan and prepare. Encourage your children to try everything you offer, but don’t force them to eat what they don’t want. Don’t make a fuss if they refuse a certain dish. Eventually they’ll come around. We’ve heard too many horror stories about parents who force their kids to eat foods they don’t want. Food is not about power; it’s about nourishment. If your child is picky, take a deep breath and be patient.

DON’T USE FOOD AS A WEAPON

Never use food as a bribe or a reward. And never send kids to bed without supper, or keep them at the table until they’ve cleared their plates. Let food be what it is – a source of nourishment and enjoyment.

TEACH THEM TO LOVE VEGETABLES

Some vegetables have strong flavours and many kids will refuse to try them. Introduce a variety of different vegetables into your child’s diet as soon as possible. They’ll quickly become accustomed to the tastes. Don’t force anything on your child; just offer and encourage. Always keep fruits and vegetables in the fridge, washed, cut, and ready to eat. Remember that calories, not protein, are the main issue with young children. While it’s important to have raw fruits and vegetables in any child’s diet, don’t forget about high-density foods such as tofu, nut and seed butters, avocados, and olives.

Let kids grow their own food. They will be fascinated by the process of seeds turning into plants. Even if you only have a flowerpot on the kitchen window sill, it’s easy to grow vegetables such as sprouts, parsley, and radishes.

RAISING HEALTHY EATERS

Ours is an obsessed, sick, and sad culture! Children, especially girls, as young as nine and even younger are dieting and worrying about their figures. It has got to stop. You can help by teaching your children to love their bodies, their imaginations, and the food they eat. It all starts in the kitchen.

FUN IN THE KITCHEN

Have you ever noticed that kids are at their brattiest just as you’re working on making that perfect vegan cream sauce? Here are some ideas to keep them busy and out of your hair while you’re cooking meals:

Doing Their Own Thing

Get a plastic storage container and fill it with items such as a kids-sized apron, plastic utensils, wooden spoons, small bowls, measuring cups, measuring spoons, empty spice jars, and a small rolling pin. Let them pretend they’re making dinner when you are. Or allow them to help when you’re baking or cooking, using their own kitchen utensils.

Edible Necklace

This is a good project to bring along before heading to the grocery store with your kids. They can munch on the necklace while shopping. Get some healthy cereal and/or candy with holes, as well as some healthy shoestring licorice. Have your kids thread the candy or cereal on the licorice. When complete, tie the ends together. This will keep them busy noshing while you do other things!

Flour Fun

Sprinkle flour over a baking sheet. They can draw letters, numbers, shapes. Play hangman or other common games in the flour.

Painting with Pudding

This makes clean-up a lot of fun because it’s lickable! Prepare the pudding recipe on
SINFUL CHOCOLATE PUDDING
ahead of time. When it’s ready, let your kids fingerpaint with the pudding on waxed paper (or a clean table, if you dare!).

Personal Place Mats

Personal place mats make eating special. They also make excellent gifts! Get some heavy construction paper or card stock, crayons, glue, sparkles, and anything else you can think of. Let the kids draw their own pictures on the paper, adding whatever other elements they have. Use clear Mac-Tac to cover the front and back of the drawing or have it laminated.

Macaroni Pictures and Sculptures

Use various shapes of pasta for different looks. Let your kids glue these onto coloured paper for imaginative 3-D pictures.

Taste Testing

Clean and cut up various food items. Blindfold your child and have them taste and smell different foods. Get them to describe the various tastes, smells, and textures before they try to guess what it is. For fun, tell them that olives are eyeballs and spaghetti noodles are brains and watch the looks on their faces!

PLAY DOUGH

Every kid deserves to play with play dough, especially if it’s home-made.

1 cup flour

½ cup salt

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp cream of tartar

1 cup water

food colouring

In a medium saucepan, cook the flour, salt, oil, tartar, and water over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until stiff. Cool and knead out lumps while kneading in the food colouring. Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Makes 1 cup of dough.

ORNAMENTS

1 cup cornstarch

2 cups baking soda

1 ¼ cups cold water

In a medium saucepan, cook the cornstarch, baking soda, and water over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes or until mixture thickens into a moist, mashed potato-like consistency. Place in a bowl and cover with a cloth until its cool enough to knead. Knead well and roll out the dough to cut into shapes. Use a straw to place a small hole in the top for a ribbon or string so you can hang the ornament somewhere special. Allow to dry for 24 hours before painting with paints.

You can also use this recipe for making sculptures. Form clay into desired shapes and let dry for 36 hours before painting.

GLUE/PASTE

Use a paint brush, popsicle stick, or even your fingers to spread this paste!

½ cup flour

cup water

1 tbsp salt

In a small bowl, mix the flour, water and salt together. Stir until paste is creamy. You can store left-over glue in a clean, dry jar with a tight-fitting lid. Makes approximately 1 cup of paste.

PAPIER-MÂCHÉ

1 cup flour

2 tbsp salt (prevents moulding)

1 cup water

newspaper strips

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and water together until smooth. Cut newspaper into strips and soak them in the mixture. Use your fingers to squeeze off excess paste and layer on to whatever base you are using (balloon, wire rim, etc.). Allow to dry for 24 hours before painting. Makes approximately 1½ cups of paste.

BUBBLE SOLUTION

You can make your own bubble wands by twisting one end of a pipe cleaner into a large loop, or use a straw as a bubble pipe.

¾ cup dish soap

1 cup water

¼ cup white corn syrup

Place soap, water, and corn syrup in clean, dry jar. Stir together with a large spoon. Makes approximately 2 cups of solution.

FUN SNACKS FOR KIDS

Let your children have some control over when and how much they eat. Even toddlers can have their own personal snack shelf stocked with bread sticks, dried fruit, and other nutritious snacks. Snacking is an important way for young children to get the calories they need. Spend some time getting messy, and exploring different taste combinations. Your kids will love to make these recipes with you!

MELON BOWL

watermelon

various other melons

melon baller
or
spoon

Cut a watermelon in half. If your kids are old enough, have them help scoop out the inside using a small spoon or melon baller. Set aside in a separate bowl. Cut the other melons and have the kids scoop them out, then fill the watermelon bowl with the various melon balls. Serve with
fruit sauce
or
apple dip
.

ANTS ON A LOG

Munch away on these little ants.

celery sticks, washed

peanut butter
or
nut butter

raisins

If your kids are old enough, let them use a dull knife to fill up the centre cavity of the celery sticks with the nut butter. Top with raisins.

ANTS ON A RAFT

crackers

peanut butter
or
nut butter

raisins

If your kids are old enough, let them use a dull knife to spread the nut butter on the crackers. Top with raisins. If you like, you can use jam or some other spread for your creations.

DROWNING ANTS

bowl of soy yoghurt
or
pudding (
SINFUL CHOCOLATE PUDDING
-
CREAMY BANANA PUDDING
)

raisins

Mix the raisins in the bowl of yoghurt or pudding. Get your kids to try to fish out the ants and eat them!

APPLE VOLCANO

apple, top removed

peanut butter
or
nut spread

raisins

Using a teaspoon, help your child scoop out the inside of the apple. Fill it with peanut butter and top with raisins. If this is to be eaten later, brush apple edges with lemon juice to prevent browning and wrap in foil.

BANANA CREAM PIE

Super messy but that’s what being in the kitchen is all about!

banana

graham crackers

whipped cream

Have your kids tear up the banana into bite-size pieces. Place on graham crackers, then add a glob of whipped cream. Place another graham cracker on top and then squish it down.

ICE CREAM COOKIES

graham crackers
or
cookies

ice cream (
CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
-
“ANYTHING GOES” FRUITY ICE CREAM
) or
whipped cream

Spread ½ a teaspoon of ice cream or whipped cream between 2 crackers. Freeze for 30-60 minutes.

MAPLE APPLE DIP

A great after-school snack.

1 cup silken tofu

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup maple syrup

1-2 medium apples, sliced

In a blender or food processor, blend together the tofu, cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup until smooth. Spoon into a small bowl and use as a dip for the slices of apple and other fruits. Makes approximately 1½ cups.

HUKI-LA SMOOTHIE

This recipe is also great frozen. Pour into popsicle moulds and eat on a hot summer day!

2-4 ice cubes

1 cup silken
or
soft tofu