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Hiding Vegetables

Written by The Square Parent Tuesday, 23 September 2008 00:00

Hiding vegetables has become an increasing common practice and gimmick of parents who a) apparently cannot cook vegetables to save their lives, b) utterly lack the patience of feeding vegetables to a toddler, or c) need some thing or another to feel clever about; pulling a fast one on the kid fills this need nicely.

There's a clear picture in the popular imagination of the kid seated at a 1950s-era dinner table with mounds of peas, broccoli, spinach, or the dreaded brussel sprout on a plate in front of him, face twisted in disgust.  All in reaction to a few vegetables. 

Frankly, that kid was probably right to turn his nose up at the green offerings, taking into account how poorly cooked and seasoned they were, typical of the post-war food vacuum, and misapplication of technologies new (freezing) and old (canning).    

Hiding the vegetables solely for the sake of nutritional benefit is wildly condescending to the kid in several ways.  First, it's a really heavy talking-down to.  Even though it's completely surreptitious, the parent is purposefully and regularly fooling the kid, who will pick up on this in some way, shape or form, and not appreciate being fooled (who does?).  Additionally, hiding the veggies tacitly acknowledges that there's something wrong with the vegetables in their pristine form, as if it's some sort of "different" food that must be eaten as a necessary evil for one's own good. 

Toddlers will like at least several green vegetables, and given the variety it shoudn't be too hard to find which ones, following a bit of trial and error.  Simply cook fresh vegetables properly, and season correctly with salt, and the kid will gladly eat most of it.  From there, they can graduate to frozen.

There are many ways to prepare the vegetables that will still retain their essential nature, primarily by using them as an ingredient in a specific dish.  In other words, if you make a good vegetable preparation that anyone would find delicious, it's very likely that the kids will like it too.  Remember, picky eaters are made, not necessarily born.   It's not hard.

Brief examples of things to try:

• Try preparing fresh vegetables properly and with care.  Steam or briefly blanche some fresh haricots verts, then dump into an ice bath to stop the cooking.  Don't forget to salt properly.
• A gratin, specifically, an authentic swiss chard or broccoli gratin (look it up on foodtv.com).  Just dumping cheese sauce on broccoli won't cut it.
• When out at a decent steak joint, order a side of creamed spinich, and serve along with the steak.
• Pork fat makes everything taste good, and especially the dreaded brussel sprout.  In fact, these vegetables cry out for pork fat.
• Sautee the spinach with bacon and bacon fat.  Always a winner with nearly everyone.
• Grilled asparagus or zucchini.  Even adults who aren't veggie fans usually will eat vegetables grilled with sesame oil.
• Broccoli pureed with brown butter.  An old French classic, all you need to do is steam or even microwave some broccoli, gently brown (not blacken) some butter in a small saucepan, then puree both in a food processor until smooth.  Don't forget to add some salt and pepper.
• Pea soup, using good smoked pork hocks and homemade chicken stock.
• Pureed artichoke hearts. 
• Cucumbers.

 All of the above are good enough to serve to guests at a dinner party, if done correctly.  Chances are good that a toddler or young child will like at least one of the above.  If not, keep trying, and as nearly any pediatrician will say, don't worry or obsess too much about it.

First Food For Bebe

Written by The Square Parent Thursday, 18 September 2008 00:00

What a relief; what a source of anxiety.  After 4 or 5 or 6 months of breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding, it's time for bebe to start eating food like the rest of us.  And now comes the part that you see in those cute photographs, with baby food smeared all over their faces, and new categories of stuff: bowls, plates, cups, little spoons, bibs, high chairs, and the like.

And of course, the actual food.  When?  What?  How?

Most pediatricians and baby books written by pediatricians recommend that food should first be introduced at 4 - 6 months depending upon the willingness of bebe. And to start, bebe should be fed rice cereal, graduating to mashed banana, sweet potato, avocado, and the like.  All of this is available in jars in your local supermarket, clearly labeled for age appropriateness.   Any of this information is available in any baby book that 99% of parents have on their shelves.

This is a source of entertainment, an opportunity to cut costs, and an initial step in the developing a young palate.  Following the rice cereal, there will be bigger an better items on the agenda. 

Quite simply, it's best to make your own bebe food.  It isn't hard, really doesn't take that much time, there's a real satisfaction to it, and it's far less expensive than the jarred stuff. 

To wit: Further suggestions for making food for Bebe

• Sweet potatoes are a nutirional powerhouse.  Pop a couple of them in the oven for an hour or so, then remove from the oven, allow to cool, scoop out of the shells and mash in a bowl.  Then transfer to ice cube trays and freeze.  Pop the cubes out of the trays, microwave until thawed but not hot, and serve.  Sweet potatoes take easily to doctoring with spices such as curry, cinnanon, nutmeg, allspice, and the like.
• The avacado is a wonder food with lots of lipids, vitamin A, vitamin C, and all sorts of other good stuff.  This is great plain, or with some salt and pepper, or, if making baby food after you've had too much to drink, try putting too much freshly minced garlic in, and get a kick out of bebe having garlic breath.  For basic prep, mash, transfer to ice cube trays, and freeze.  Then thaw in the microwave.
• Bananas are reasonably inexpensive, naturally sweet, and also easy to doctor with the spices.
• Green beans and peas add some color, and are good for a first taste of what vegetables taste like. Use fresh or frozen.  Cook first, then use a hand blender or mini food processor to puree, then freeze as above.  Don't forget a little bit of salt, and maybe some pepper.  

To get other ideas, simply browse the baby food section of your supermarket, then re-create at home.  You'll end up with something fresher and cheaper, and there's really not that much effort involved.

The Siren Song of Containers

Written by The Square Parent Thursday, 18 September 2008 00:00

The container scam.  If you just have the right containers, the theory goes, you'll have a place for everything, organized and under control.  So, people tramp off to the Container Store and pick up a bunch of different sized plastic containers, take them home, then proceed to jam stuff into them.  The stuff may be organized by theme or type, or whatever, but the result is a house or apartment full of plastic containers.

The containers are a siren song, lulling the parents into a false sense of security that since there's a container for everything, and everything is contained, the dilemma of stuff strewn around the house has been solved. Many of these containers are only half full anyway, so there's plenty of room for whatever may come along. 

Before you know it, however, they're full, like the voracious monsters that they are, living creatures with insatiable appetites, devouring stuff left and right, until they're full.  But wait!  They want more.  

The problem is that the containers don't actually digest the stuff, and it has nowhere to go, except out into every flat surface and corner of the house.  Which means another trip to the Container Store.  Soon, it's impossible to move about the house, with the containers stacked to the ceiling and covering every square foor of space.  And with Jimmy's birthday party is coming up, expect a tsunami of multi-pieced toys to arrive via UPS as well as all of the presents.     

What to do? 

In many instances, fewer containers will actually make for less clutter.  This is counterintuitive, but with fewer easy options to casually throw stuff when convenient, you're forced to pay more attention to what you and the kids actually need and what you don't.  The best place for the containers is in the basement, where they can be thought of as storage units for the stuff that's bound to be given away to other parents, sold at flea markets, or given to charity.

Roadtrip DVDs

Written by The Square Parent Thursday, 18 September 2008 00:00

How about bringing a DVD on your next road trip?  Many minivans are equipped with them these days, and there's always the laptop version to rely upon.  Perhaps some Nemo?  Maybe some other flavor of Pixar?

"Well, when I was a kid...."

Back in the day, not only were kids subjected to gratuitous second-hand smoke and Three's Company, but on road trips they were forced to do things like look for license plates from different states, fight in the back seat if with a sibling, or listen to the endless idle threats of the parents.  In the pre-DVD days, it was etther the parents bore the burden for the entertainment on the road, or the kids figured out how to make the road entertaining simply by looking at it.

And kids back then learned all about the rugged life of the open road - truck stop etiquette, why Shoney's was better than Denny's or vice-versa, gaining a clear sense of the relative classiness of rest stops and state welcome centers, and why not to call a cop a pig from the back seat when dad was pulled over in some small town in the South.

Now it seems that even for an hour's trip, a DVD player is required.  What will happen if the kid doesn't have one?  Will the kid be forced to look out the car window at the box stores, fast food joints and strip malls?  Will the parents be forced into actually entertaining the kid? 

This is a great opportunity for an object lesson in American culture. Take it.

There's a big world out there at the kid's disposal for observation, imagination, and sheer whimsy.  Give it to them.

The Ergo

Written by The Square Parent Wednesday, 17 September 2008 00:00

The ergo (not to be confused with the Baby Bjorn) is a bebe transportation device that comes in many forms, and is sold under several different brands, but the idea is the same.  It's made of cloth or synthetic fabric, and contains a fair amount of padding.  It's also intended primarily for women, and is a bit easier to manage than the backpack because the weight of the load is distributed primarily on the hips, not the back and shoulders.

Bebe or young toddler can face frontwards or towards the parent.  Facing the parent is a particularly comforting position for both.  The idea once again is hands-free transportation, maximum mobility, and all the rest.  Besides, you'll receive a lot of queries about what it is, where you got it, and other comments that cause those brief bonding moments with strangers in public places.

One of the best things is that when it's not being used, it can be folded up to fit into a large purse or handbag or whatever's being used as a diaper bag.