Cookbook For Toddlers
By: Samantha Castillo
10 healthy foods recipes for toddlers/ preschoolers
Bug Bites
Even a picky kid will flip over tomatoes and olives when they're used to make this cute creature.
Wings
Cut a cherry tomato in half. Place one half cut side down and partially slice so it's still intact at the top, as shown. Spread it apart and attach it to a cucumber slice or chunk with low-fat cream cheese. Place olive pieces on tomatoes with more cream cheese.
Face
Place a pitted black olive horizontally against the tomato. Put on dots of cream cheese and olive pieces for the eyes.
Antennae
Poke two small holes in the top of the olive. Insert chive stems. Add carrots under the tomato for legs.
Busy Beehive
Your favorite little honeybee will love helping prepare this pineapple hive.
To Make:
1. Stack pineapple rings, trimming rings so layers get smaller.
2. Partially cut two kumquats lengthwise; remove any seeds, close, and turn over. Make a slit on each side. Cut four small pieces from another kumquat. Push them into slits for wings.
3. Attach half a blueberry to front with cream cheese.
Welsh "Rabbits"
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cook: 4 minutes
Makes: 1 portion
Not suitable for freezing or reheating
You will need:
1/3 cup grated Cheddar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon cream or milk
2 or 3 drops Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
Pepper, to season
1 English muffin, split and lightly toasted
Peas, thin slices of carrot or snow peas, 1 black olive (pitted and halved), a few fresh chives and scallion, to garnish
Preheat the broiler to high. Put the cheese, egg yolk, cream and Worcestershire sauce into a bowl and mash together. Season to taste with pepper. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut sides of the toasted muffin, spreading right to the edges. Place the cheese-topped muffin halves about 3 inches away from the heat source (one rack down from normal broiling position) -- don't have them too close, as the egg in the mixture can make them brown very quickly. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is golden and bubbling. Decorate the cooked muffin halves with peas for eyes and strips of carrot or snow peas for ears, half an olive for a nose, chives for whiskers, and scallion for teeth. Serve immediately.
Blueberry Oatmeal Squares
Prep and cook time: 25 minutes
What you need:
- 1½ cups quick oats
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 egg
- 1 cup skim milk
- 3 tablespoons apple sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Equipment and supplies:
- Large mixing bowl
- 8x8-inch baking pan
- Measuring cups and spoons
What to do:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Coat baking pan with cooking spray.
- Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix until just combined.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes and cut into squares.
How much does this recipe make?
9 squares
Frozen Yogurt Pops
Prep time: about 1 to 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 8-oz. container of your favorite flavor of yogurt
Utensils:
- small paper cups
- wooden popsicle sticks (available in craft stores)
- plastic wrap
Directions:
- Pour yogurt into paper cups. Fill them almost to the top.
- Stretch a small piece of plastic wrap across the top of each cup.
- Using the popsicle stick, poke a hole in the plastic wrap. Stand the stick straight up in the center of the cup.
- Put the cups in the freezer until the yogurt is frozen solid.
- Remove the plastic wrap, peel away the paper cup, and eat your pop!
Serves: 3 to 4
Serving size: 1 pop
Crunchy Hawaiian Chicken Wraps
Prep time: 25 minutes
What you need:
- 6 whole-wheat tortillas
- 1½ cups broccoli slaw
- 1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
- ¼ cup crushed and drained canned pineapple
- 1 pound cooked chicken, diced
- ¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1½ teaspoon chili powder
Equipment and supplies:
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Knife
- Bowl for mixing dressing
- Whisk
What to do:
- Prepare dressing by whisking mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, poppy seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder together. Set aside in refrigerator.
- Mix broccoli slaw, drained pineapple, and spinach.
- Put ½ cup of the broccoli/pineapple/spinach mixture on a wheat wrap.
- Top with chicken.
- Add 1 tablespoon dressing to each tortilla.
- Wrap tortillas, burrito style. Cut on diagonal. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
How much does this recipe make?
Six servings
Fun Fruit Kabobs
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 apple
- 1 banana
- 1/3 c. red seedless grapes
- 1/3 c. green seedless grapes
- 2/3 cup pineapple chunks
- 1 cup nonfat yogurt
- ¼ c. dried coconut, shredded
Utensils:
- knife (you'll need help from your adult assistant)
- 2 wooden skewer sticks
- large plate
Directions:
- Prepare the fruit by washing the grapes, washing the apples and cutting them into small squares, peeling the bananas and cutting them into chunks, and cutting the pineapple into chunks, if it's fresh. Put the fruit onto a large plate.
- Spread coconut onto another large plate.
- Slide pieces of fruit onto the skewer and design your own kabob by putting as much or as little of whatever fruit you want! Do this until the stick is almost covered from end to end.
- Hold your kabob at the ends and roll it in the yogurt, so the fruit gets covered. Then roll it in the coconut.
- Repeat these steps with another skewer.
Serves: 4
Serving size: 1 kabob
Grilled Veggie Pita
Prep time: 5 minutes
What you need:
- ½ cup low-fat cream cheese or any other low-fat spreadable cheese
- 1 teaspoon chives, chopped
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 3-4 cups leftover grilled veggies (we like carrots, eggplant, and zucchini)
- 4 whole-wheat pitas
Equipment and supplies
- Food processor
- Butter knife (for spreading)
What to do:
- With an adult's help, place cream cheese and herbs into a food processor.
- Pulse until herbs are evenly distributed throughout cheese.
- Spread 1-2 tablespoons of herbed cream cheese onto the inside of each pita.
- Stuff each pita evenly with grilled veggies.
How much does this recipe make?
- Serves 4
Fun Mini Pizzas
Prep time: 90 minutes
What you need:
For the cauliflower crusts
- 1 medium head cauliflower, chopped
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the pizza topping
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ¼ cup shredded yellow squash
- ¼ cup shredded zucchini
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Optional toppings
- 16 cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
- ½ cup chopped broccoli florets
- ½ cup sliced mushrooms
- Several leaves of baby spinach
Olive - Crusted Salmon
Prep and cook time: 20 minutes
What you need:
- Cooking spray
- 1 cup pimento-stuffed Spanish olives
- 1 piece of whole-wheat bread
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 (4 oz. each) salmon fillets
Equipment and supplies:
- Baking sheet or roasting pan
- Food processor
What to do:
- Put oven on broiler setting.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Place oven rack 6 inches from broiler flame. (Get a grownup's help with this.)
- Place olives, bread, and lemon zest into a food processor and process until it reaches a paste texture. (Again, get an adult's help.)
- Pat salmon dry and spread a heaping tablespoon of olive mixture over each piece.
- Broil fish about 15 minutes, checking halfway through to ensure it's not burning.
How much does this recipe make?
4 filets