Like most kids I know, Laurel will – with trial-to-trial consistency scientists could only dream of – systematically select crunchy carb over veggie snacks. And while I (optimistically) continue to present the veggies, I also keep an eye peeled for snack options with nutritional content above that of cheese crackers. Enter, World of Grains. These natural, high fiber snacks are packed with a blend of whole grains (including all important flax) and come in 5 yummy flavors. Suitable for kids and grown-ups any time of day, I’ve found that including a few of these snack gems in Laurel’s lunch box provides a treat that’s nutrient-dense and spares her teachers a typical dessert-induced sugar rush before nap time.

Want to be one of two winners to receive 5 cartons of World of Grains snacks*? Here’s how:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winners Heidi T. & Rebecca A.!
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Visit the World of Grains product line, then email contests@bostonmamas.com (with ‘World of Grains’ in the subject), and name the World of Grains flavor your kid most likely would want to try.

One entry permitted per person; US entrants only.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Monday, June 2, 2008.

*Two winners will receive 5 cartons (one of each flavor) of World of Grains snacks!

Are you ready to venture beyond typical toddler fare? Today, Michelle Stern of What’s Cooking offers a review of The Toddler Café: Fast, Healthy, and Fun Ways to Feed Even the Pickiest Eater. Michelle also includes one of her family's favorite recipes from the cookbook - Treasure Triangles - which are sure to suit both sweet and savory cravings.
“Finally, a cookbook for fun, delicious, and healthy recipes for kids that uses an honest to goodness approach to feeding kids real foods, as they were meant to be. The Toddler Café, by Jennifer Carden, is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the world of kids’ cookbooks. I have always found the concept of standard “kid food” offensive to children. Why should they be doomed to a menu of hot dogs, PB & J, and grilled cheese, when they could be eating tantalizing recipes like those found in The Toddler Café: Treasure Triangles, Mango Fandango, Pinto Panzanella, and Knock Knock Gnocchi?

This cookbook offers fun, delicious, and creative recipes that will tempt even the pickiest of eaters. Carden encourages families to cook and eat healthy foods together, and to enjoy the process of being creative in the kitchen. The recipes contain fresh ingredients and tips on how to stock a pantry so that families can prepare these recipes on a moment’s notice. There is even an organized grocery list template in the back of the book to save families time while shopping.

My children, ages 5 3/4 and 7 1/2, stood in the kitchen with me, ready to help, as I prepared Treasure Triangles for us to eat with dinner last night. My son smashed bananas and my daughter pinched the corners of puff pastry, trapping the delicious filling inside. They took turns brushing an egg wash on the dough to make it shiny for its debut from the oven. They gazed through the dimly lit glass of the oven door, waiting for the tops of our triangles to become golden and wondering how long they would have to wait for a taste.

It wasn’t long before there were puff pastry flakes littering the top of our table and the kids were asking for seconds…and thirds…and fourths! My daughter admitted that she felt nervous to taste the recipe because it contained black beans. But she said that when she tried it, she loved it - “I don’t even taste the black beans, I just taste warm sweetness, and want to eat more! Can I have the leftovers in my lunch tomorrow at school?” My son exclaimed, “Wow! Look inside - I got the luckiest one! I can see a bean!

You couldn’t dream up a better response."

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Treasure Triangles
From The Toddler Café, by Jennifer Carden

2 Tablespoons butter

2 bananas, sliced in rounds

1/4 cup diced onion

One 15 oz. can black beans, drained

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

One 16-ounce package frozen puff pastry, 2 sheets

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar cheese

Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs. water

1. Heat butter in a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add the bananas and sauté until golden. Remove the bananas to a bowl.

2. Add the onion to the sauté pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until clear and softened. Add to the bananas.

3. Add the beans to the bowl. Using the back of a fork or a potato masher, mash the bean mixture to a coarse paste; season with the salt and cool.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray.

5. Unfold each puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured cutting board. Cut each piece into 9 equal squares. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of cheese in the center of each square. Place 1 tablespoon of filling on top of the cheese.

6. Fold 1 corner of the dough over the filling to the opposite corner, forming a triangle. Using a fork, seal the edges of the dough. Arrange the triangles on a rimmed baking sheet; brush with the egg wash. Bake the triangles for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and puffed.

Tip: Put the finished raw triangles in the freezer for 5 minutes before cooking. The colder the dough, the more beautiful the finished product.

Our family loved this recipe, and we can’t wait to eat our way through the rest of this book!

With kids on the go, it’s typically tough to resist the convenience of carb heavy snacks. But now toting healthy fruit snacks that kids will love (and won't get mushy or bruised in transit) is a snap.

From the original makers of fruit leather comes FruitaBü Organic Smoooshed Fruit. Offered in flats (fruit wedges) and twirls (unwrap and unroll fruit sheets), these no-mess snacks are made from organic fruits and fruit juices, with no added sugar, hydrogenated oils, or other preservatives or artificial flavors. These snacks are intended for kids, but grownups will want to sneak some into their lunch too.

Available nationwide in natural health food stores and major grocery chains.

Regular readers may know that Jon and I have developed skepticism about the ability to have a relaxed meal out with a busy two-year-old in establishments other than cafes or diners. But last night we tried again, and Laurel rewarded us by being an angelic dinner companion for nearly an hour and a half at Tamarind House in Porter Square.

It’s possible that the 15-minute post-nap tantrum over Laurel’s distaste for wearing pants depleted her crazy mojo reserve; or perhaps she’s just growing into a more mature dining out buddy. Those possibilities aside, a few other factors no doubt helped the cause. We hope these "dining dos" will prove useful for your future family dining:
1) Dine early to facilitate quick service. We were seated shortly after 5:30pm; appetizers arrived minutes after we ordered them, thus quickly engaging Laurel in her beloved dumplings. 2) Booths rock. In addition to serving to sequester Laurel (she can’t resist climbing up and down repeatedly on regular chairs), these particular booths were high backed, so Laurel wasn’t tempted to play with the people sitting behind us (as in Know Your Limits). 3) Interesting décor helps. Tamarind House isn’t terribly ornate, but they do have some pretty colored lamps and other accoutrements that Laurel was excited to check out. We walked her around during the brief intervals while we were waiting for food to arrive to give her a break from sitting. 4) Mix it up. We ordered two appetizers and two entrees and the pacing and variety of the food worked beautifully. All told Laurel ate an astonishing pile of brown rice, spring rolls, dumplings (5 of them!), and baby corn. She was so content that we even stayed for dessert. And she was so chill after that that we even had time to stroll down the block to get mama a café au lait at Simon's before heading home.

We’re by no means setting this experience as the bar for future outings, but we are still relishing in the glow of having had a fun and relaxing outing as a family while enjoying real adult food and no dishes to clean up at home.

Tamarind House, 1790 Mass. Ave., Cambridge; Tel: 617-491-9940

One challenge of passing the initial solid food dabbling phase (where its more about exposure than quantitative intake) is how to provide a variety of nutrients to accommodate tapering off of breast milk or formula, while dealing with your baby’s limited interest windows and tummy size.

Plum Organics offers an excellent solution for busy parents. In addition to their Real Smooth starter fruit and veggie purees (for babies 6 months and up), their More Texture collection (for babies 9 months and up) includes all-in-one meals well balanced to cover the basic food groups. Thoughtfully composed options such as the Chicken Whole Grain Pasta (organic chicken, carrots, peas, and whole grain pasta) and Red Lentil Veggie (organic potatoes, carrots, corn, and red lentils) pack a nutritional punch; sweet finishes include the Banana Peach Rice Pudding and Pears & Apples. Available in the freezer section of local retailers nationwide; from $2.89 to $3.49.

What a glorious day it was when my sister-in-law turned me onto the Snack Trap. Designed for toddlers/kids ages 1-5, these cups have easy grab handles and a lid with slits that allows the babe to reach in and grab snacks with minimal spillage when they pull their hand out.

Your babe will be happy to head to school with this super cute Fairfax Pre-School Backpack ($19) from Pottery Barn Kids. The wraparound alligator or elephant pattern is appliquéd, adjustable shoulder straps are padded for comfort, and hanging loops go well on a hook or the backpack easily stows in a cubby. Add your babe’s name or initials for $6. Measures 11 x 3 x 12" H.

Among taboo mama topics is that of how a mama feels about her maternity leave. Polarized responses such as “I’m so sad for my leave to end!” and “I can’t wait to get back to work!” are common.

Regardless of how you feel during leave time, it’s probably safe to say that all mamas feel some degree of guilt if and when they return to work. A Mayo Clinic article offers some helpful tips on how to ease transition, cope with guilt, and continue to breastfeed. An article from U. Michigan Medical also offers tips on returning to work and description of different types of child-care options.
Among the logistical issues, I suggest working out child-care and pumping arrangements as soon possible. The child-care situation is a major stressor; there just doesn’t seem to be enough supply for the demand. Get your name on wait lists as soon as you can and pursue other options in the meanwhile. And don’t be afraid to ask for space to pump. Take the Mayo Clinic advice that you should never accept to pump somewhere you wouldn’t eat your lunch to heart (I pumped in a bathroom once, and believe me, I will never do that again!).

Among the personal issues, I think the most sanity preserving measures include: self care, not being afraid to ask for help, and letting less important matters slide. The little chores can wait; or if you have the resources, you can rationalize that a sane and happy mama is worth the price of an occasional visit from a housecleaning service.

Toddlers are like raccoons. They love shiny objects. And for some reason they really love shiny objects with sharp edges.

One day at breakfast I had a brilliant mama moment when the babe was begging to have her own knife. I really appreciate that toddlers want to be independent so if she wanted to spread her own jam, so be it. I remembered our cute little spreaders from Crate & Barrel; the spreader (shown, left) from the Nordic Demi Utensils set is perfect for little hands. Plus it’s shiny and free of sharp edges but still looks like a real knife (my babe will not tolerate condescension). These utensils are $1.95 each and are dishwasher-safe.