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Over-the-Hurdle Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar or sucanat
1 cup white sugar or xylitol
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3 cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup walnuts, chopped
¾ cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla. If using sucanat, first run it through a blender or small grinder; it will mix better that way. Lightly beat eggs and add.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, and soda. Add to wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in nuts and raisins. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet
Bake 12-15 minutes.
Preparation: 25-30 minutes
Makes 3 dozen cookies
Buttercup, butternut, and delicate squashes work well in this recipe. Yams or sweet potatoes can be used instead of squash.
¾ cup cornmeal
¾ cup whole-wheat pastry or barley flour
2 teaspoons non-aluminum baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup cooked squash or sweet-potato purée
3 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup water
kernels from 1 large ear of corn
Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly oil muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups. In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a blender, puree squash with butter, syrup, and water until smooth; add a little extra water if necessary. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix with a minimum of strokes. Fold in corn kernels. Spoon into muffin cup. Bake 20-25 minutes. When muffins are done, their tops should crack slightly.
Preparation: 30 minutes
Makes 6 regular muffins
Tamari-roasted nuts make a crunchy addition to a lunch box. Sprinkle a few on salads or grains to liven up flavor and texture. A jar of these nuts makes a welcome gift as well. Tamari and shoyu are naturally brewed soy sauces that contain no chemicals, preservatives, sugar, or MSG.
1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
1-2 tablespoons tamari or shoyu
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
pinch cayenne (optional)
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place nuts on cookie sheet. Toast nuts in oven until they begin to turn golden and give off a nutty aroma (10-12 minutes). Mix tamari and spices together and sprinkle over toasted nuts. Stir and return nuts to oven to dry out (2-3 minutes). For a more even coating, put tamari in a spray bottle and mist roasted nuts, then stir in spices and dry in oven. Cool and store in a sealed jar.
Preparation: 15 minutes
Makes 2 cups
Udon or soba noodles will work well. Tahini is a creamy seed butter made of crushed, hulled sesame seeds. Different nut and see butters can be interchanged in this recipe to vary the flavor.
Noodles
8 ounces soba noodles
Sauce
3 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon almond or cashew butter
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown-rice vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari or shoyu
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 ½ teaspoons coriander
1 tablespoon water, or to desired consistency
Cook noodles in plenty of boiling water according to directions on package. While noodles cook, put ingredients for sauce in small bowl and blend until creamy. Rinse and drain cooked noodles. Pour sauce over noodles and toss well.
Preparation: 15 minutes
Makes 4 services
Apple Miso Almond Butter Sandwich
Try this sweet, nutty combo for a new twist on the usual peanut butter and jelly. It's quick to make, and I think you'll be surprised at the delicious and satisfying taste.
1/3 cup unsweetened apple butter
1 teaspoon white or mellow miso
¼ cup almond butter
whole-grain bread
In a small bowl, stir miso into apple butter. Spread one slice of bread with a light layer of almond butter, the other with apple-miso butter, and put together.
Preparation: 5 minutes
Makes 4-5 sandwiches
Rice Balls Rolled in Sesame Salt
Rice balls travel well in a lunch box or backpack, and give children the nutritional boost they need to stay on the go.
¾ cup brown rice
¼ cup sweet brown rice
1½ cups water
pinch sea salt
1 cup brown sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
To make rice:
Because boiled rice will not hold together to form balls, it is best to pressure-cook it. Rinse and drain rice. Place rice, salt, and water in pressure cooker. Close cooker, place on medium heat, and bring up to pressure. When cooker is up to pressure, you'll hear a gentle, steady hissing sound. Lower heat and time for 35-40 minutes. Remove cooker from heat and allow pressure to come down naturally or by running cold water over the top. Allow rice to cool to room temperature before making rice balls.
To make sesame salt:
Rinse sesame seeds and drain through a fine strainer. Put seeds in a skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium heat. Toast seeds, stirring constantly until they begin to pop, change color slightly, and give off a toasty aroma. Put toasted seeds and salt in a suribachi (a serrated ceramic mortar) and grind with a pestle, or grind seeds and salt together in a blender or food processor. This condiment can be stored in a sealed container and used to flavor many foods (I like it on popcorn.)
To make rice balls:
Spread about 1/3 cup sesame salt on a plate or shallow baking pan. Moisten hands with water, then gather a small handful of cooked rice. Press your hands around the rice, packing it into a ball about the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Roll the ball in the sesame salt, covering all sides. Repeat until rice is used up or the desired number of balls is obtained. Rice balls will keep for 5 days in a covered container in the refrigerator.
For added flavor, make a tamari-ginger dipping sauce by adding 1 teaspoon grated ginger to ¼ cup tamari and ¼ cup water.
Preparation: 20 minutes (if rice has already been cooked)
Makes 12-15 rice balls, 1 cup sesame salt
Roasted Potatoes and Carrots with Cumin and Cinnamon
Children love these succulent, subtly spiced, roasted vegetables. Most of the preparation time is slow baking in the oven, not you working in the kitchen.
6 red potatoes, quartered
2-3 carrots, sliced at an angle into chunks
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 450°F. Scrub carrots and potatoes (remove any eyes). Cut up vegetables and place in an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Mix oil and spices together in a small bowl and drizzle over vegetables. Mix vegetables with a wooden spoon so they are evenly coated. Roast 20-25 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.
Preparation: 30 minutes
Makes 4 servings
Simple and delicious, I use the chicken breast from making the stock to complete the soup. Any size noodle works, but my favorite is organic ribbons. I often add bok choy to increase the nutritional benefits. Any dark green vegetable can be substituted, or you can omit this ingredient altogether.
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
5 leaves bok choy (optional)
1 ½ quarts chicken stock
1 ½ cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups cooked noodles
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add carrot and celery and continue sautéing. Cut white part of bok choy leaves into ½-inch pieces. Roll dark green part of leaves, slice into thin strips and set aside. Add white part of bok choy to onion-carrot-celery mixture.
Add stock, chicken, and noodles, and increase the heat until soup comes to a boil. Turn heat off or remove pot from stove, add fresh herbs and strips of bok choy, cover, and let sit 15 minutes. Taste soup; add salt and /or freshly ground pepper to bring up the flavor.
Preparation: 30 minutes
Makes 6 big bowls of soup
Recipes reprinted by permission from Cynthia Lair's Feeding the Whole family: Whole Foods Recipes for Babies, Young Children and Their Parents (Moon Smile Press, 1998); and Feeding the Young Athlete: Sports Nutrition Made Easy for Players and Parents, with Scott Murdoch, PhD, RD (Moon Smile Press, 2002). Both are available from www.feedingfamily.com.
Osteopathic Physicians in San Diego, Osteopathic Pediatrician, Traditional Osteopathy, Functional Medicine, osteopathic pediatrics, Cerebral palsy, autisim, torticollis, children, babies, whole living foods, gentle osteopathic technique, prevention of dysfunctions, sleep issues in children, natural alternatives for children's colds, prevention of disabilities, well-being, birth trauma, feeding problems, inconsolable crying, developmental delay, behavioral difficulties, seizures, nutrition, manipulative treatment, colic, ADHD, asthma