Toddler Cookbook
Nikki Hawe
Blueberry Oatmeal Squares
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.
Confetti Quinoa
What you need:
- 1½ cups low-sodium vegetable stock or water
- 1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen chopped, mixed vegetables such as peas, carrots, green beans, corn
Equipment and supplies:
- Medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Fork
What to do:
- Add vegetable stock or water to medium saucepan.
- With an adult's help, bring stock or water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Stir in quinoa, salt, and pepper.
- Switch heat to low and cover pot with lid.
- Cook until liquid is evaporated and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir in veggies with a fork.
- Place lid back on quinoa so that the heat from the quinoa cooks the vegetables.
- Serve immediately or place into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Fun Fruit Kabobs
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.
Italian Tomato Soup
What you need:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 (16 oz.) box of low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup basil, chopped
- ¾ cup alphabet shaped pasta
Equipment and supplies
- Large Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed stock pot
- Knife
- Cutting board
What to do:
- Place olive oil into the large pot over medium heat. (Adult help needed here!)
- Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in vegetable stock and crushed tomatoes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- Stir in basil and pasta and cook until pasta is tender, about 5 additional minutes. Serve hot.
Garden Chicken Wrap
What you need:
- 4 whole-wheat wraps (8 inches)
- 2 cups store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves
- ¼ cup of your favorite fat-free/low-fat dressing (about 1 tablespoon per wrap)
Equipment and supplies:
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Measuring cups
What to do:
- Place wraps side by side on a flat surface. Divide chicken into four portions (about ½ cup each). Place a portion of chicken on each wrap.
- Top each wrap with carrots, avocado, and spinach. (Have an adult help with the chopping.)
- Drizzle dressing evenly over each wrap.
- Roll each wrap up tightly and cut on the diagonal.
- Serve immediately or wrap tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate for lunch the next day.
Summer Salmon
What you need:
- Juice from 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillet
- ¼ cup whole-wheat linguine
- 6 asparagus spears, chopped
- ½ cup diced red pepper
- ¼ medium onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley, stems removed, and leaves chopped
- 2 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated pecorino cheese
Equipment and supplies:
- Medium pan
- Medium pot
- Pasta drainer
- Knife
What to do:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, 1 teaspoon olive oil, honey, and mustard.
- In a medium sauté pan over moderate heat, warm 1 teaspoon olive oil.
- Add the salmon and cook for 4 minutes.
- Flip the salmon over, add the orange sauce, and continue to cook until the salmon is golden and cooked through, about 4 more minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate.
- In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes.
- Add the asparagus and red pepper and continue cooking for 2 more minutes.
- Drain the pasta and veggies, and transfer to a bowl.
- In a medium sauté pan over moderate heat, warm the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
- Add the onion, garlic, parsley, and basil and sauté, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic mixture to the pasta.
- Sprinkle the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
- Serve the salmon alongside the pasta and veggies.
Veggie Barley Salad
What you need:
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- 1 medium red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 3 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or any other mild vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Equipment and supplies:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Knife
- Large pot for cooking the barley
- Large bowl
- Oven
What to do:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add the barley and cook, uncovered, until tender, about 40 minutes.
- Transfer barley to a large bowl.
- Add the tomato, carrots, bell pepper, and spinach. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, olive or grapeseed oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the barley salad and mix thoroughly.
- Refrigerate overnight for best results
Peanut Butter Muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 c. milk
- ¼ c. banana (about 1 banana), mashed with a fork
- ¼ c. peanut butter
- 1/3 c. vegetable oil
- ¼ c. frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed (left out of the freezer until it's soft)
- ¼ c. nonfat dry milk
- 2¼ c. flour
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- nonstick cooking spray
Utensils:
- oven (you'll need help from your adult assistant)
- fork
- small bowl
- large bowl
- mixing spoon
- muffin/cupcake tin
- paper muffin/cupcake liners
- wire rack
- measuring cups and spoons
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C).
- In a small bowl, break the eggs and use a fork to beat them a little bit.
- In a large bowl, combine the milk, mashed banana, peanut butter, vegetable oil, apple juice, dry milk, and the eggs from the small bowl. Mix with a mixing spoon until the mixture is creamy.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into the large bowl. Mix again.
- Line a muffin tine with paper liners or lightly spray with nonstick spray. Spoon in the muffin mix. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way up.
- Bake for about 15 minutes.
- When your muffins are finished baking, remove from muffin tin and cool them on the wire rack. Then it's time to taste and share!
Lean Green Pita Dippers
What you need:
- 4 whole-wheat pitas
- 1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup fresh or frozen spinach
- ¼ of cucumber, sliced
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Equipment needed:
- Food processor or blender
- Knife
- Baking sheet
What to do:
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Have an adult help you with this step: Place yogurt, spinach, cucumber, salt, and pepper into food processor or blender. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Place dip into a bowl and refrigerate until chips are done.
- Cut pitas into 8 wedges.
- Arrange pita wedges on a baking sheet in a single layer.
- Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder.
- Bake for 5 minutes or until light golden brown and crispy.
- Use the pita wedges to scoop up the yogurt dip!
Pepper and Onion Frittata
What you need:
- 3 egg whites
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
Equipment and supplies
- Bowl (for mixing)
- Cutting board
- Knife
- 10- to 12-inch nonstick, oven-safe skillet (This means it's OK to put it in the oven. Ask an adult if you're not sure.)
What to do:
- Set the oven to broil. Careful, this is a hot-hot setting!
- Wrap handle of skillet with nonstick aluminum foil.
- In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, salt, and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in the nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add sliced peppers and onions and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
- Pour egg mixture over the peppers and onions and stir gently with a rubber spatula. Cook for 2-3 minutes, just until eggs begin to set on the bottom.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Use an oven mitten to transfer the skillet in to the broiler. Broil for 3-4 minutes. The cheese should bubble and the frittata should be "set." That means it's not liquid and jiggly anymore.
- Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool for a minute before slicing into 6 wedges. Serve.
Vegetarian Quiche for Toddler
Vegetarian Quiche - Cooking with toddler recipe
Helpful Links
- http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/index.html
- http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/healthy-eating/top-10-healthy-kids-recipes
- http://recipes.ilovepeanutbutter.com/crunchy-pb-muffins-gluten-free-white-sugare-free/
- http://www.healthygreenschools.com/recipe.php
- http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/cooking-with-kids/