What's for snack mommmmm?!

Most kids I know are very picky eaters in their toddler-preschool years. I know both of mine were/are. Having picky eaters can drive a mother insane. It's frustrating to see them starve themselves. I remember when my son was going through that stage. I would search for kid-friendly recipes and actually spend a lot of time preparing them. Then, spend countless hours trying to get some food into him. I used to worry sick. I read every single article on the web about picky eaters and how to get them to eat but nothing helped. Most advice offered usually says, they are not going to starve themselves. They will eat when hungry, but as a mother, it's just something you cannot accept. Another popular bit of advice is that they'll grow out of it. At that time, it seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

Well, I'm happy to report, my boy has totally grown out of this stage. In fact, I have to stop him from eating at times. He is always hungry! It helps that he turned out to be a foodie like me and loves to eat and try different types of foods. He'll try any food at least once. While it's great to not have to worry about him starving himself, another challenge comes along. To make sure they always have healthy foods to eat. I find myself reading the labels for fat and caloric contents of the foods I buy. I limit my purchases of pre-packaged and processed foods, but the dairy products I buy, I make sure to get the reduced-fat kind.

I admit having pre-packaged snacks is a huge convenience. So, to have healthy AND filling snacks on hand is very important when a hungry 8 year old comes from school. The first thing that comes out of his mouth is "What's for snack today mom?". On most days, I serve a filling snack, with fruits and milk. Eggs are great for a healthy and filling snack. I prepare them scrambled, wrapped, hard-boiled - whatever they are in the mood for. The following recipe is one I tried recently and it was a big success in my house:

Edamame and Potatoes:

1 tsp of olive oil
1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
1 clove of garlic, minced or 1/4 tsp of dried garlic powder
1 cup of frozen Edamame
1 medium potato - boiled, skinned and cut into cubes
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp of fresh lime juice

- Heat oil and add cumin seeds.
- When they crackle, add the garlic.
- Add Edamame and mix.
- After they are soft, add the cubed potatoes, salt, lime juice.
- Let the flavors mingle for two minutes on medium heat.
- Serve with fruit of choice and milk.



As you may know, edamame is a fancy name of shelled, boiled soybeans. We all know the nutrition of soy. Just half a cup of edamame punches up the fiber, protein and vitamin/mineral content in your diet. Below are some nutrition facts for edamame:

* 120 calories
* 9 grams fiber
* 2.5 grams fat
* 1.5 grams polyunsaturated fat (0.3 grams plant omega-3 fatty acids)
* 0.5 gram monounsaturated fat
* 11 grams protein
* 13 grams carbohydrate
* 15 mg sodium
* 10% of the Daily Value for vitamin C
* 10% Daily Value for iron
* 8% Daily Value for vitamin A
* 4% Daily Value for calcium


As you can see, it offers 9 grams of fiber, about the same amount you'll find in 4 slices of whole-wheat bread or 4 cups of steamed zucchini. It has almost as much protein as it does carbohydrate. And for a plant food, it's quite high in iron - a perfect after-school snack if you ask me.

Verdict: The first time I made it, my little boy thought they were lima beans. He still tried it and loved it. He cleaned out the plate and so did my still-picky 5-yr old. Not only did they not complain, but this held them up till dinner time.