How to Cook Healthy for Kids : Cooking the Best Broccoli of Your Life

When I first started blogging about my amateur cooking experience, I was quite nervous.  I didn't know the first thing about cooking, and I was afraid that my kids would reject everything I put in front of them.

What I really enjoy about blogging, vlogging, cooking, and writing is the freedom to do anything and everything I want.  If I want to try a new recipe, I can go ahead and do just that.  I don't need anyone's permission to fumble around in the kitchen or to make a silly video and publish it.  Just pushing that "publish" button on my posts or on my youtube videos is quite a thrill.

I also enjoy music, and although I am not the most talented musician, I enjoy the freedom of writing and playing whatever I want.  In college, I was surrounded by much better musicians who all picked up the guitar quite easily.  Playing the guitar has always been a challenge for me, which is why I pretty much write songs consisting of only three chords. 

However, whether I'm playing a song comprised of three chords or cooking a dish comprised of three ingredients, I can be proud of the finished product that I created.  Making up songs for the fun of it reminds me of the creative genius, Dana Carvey.  I do a parody of one of his bits and feature a recipe for the best broccoli of your life in the following video:

http://youtu.be/G_HcCvC5Drg

How to Cook Healthy Food For Kids : Watch out for Wheat Flour in Disguise

Whether you are trying to stick to a gluten-free diet, paleo diet, low carb diet, or simply trying to eat and cook healthy for yourself and your kids, you are probably trying to cut wheat out of your diet.  Some sources of wheat are obvious and easy to avoid.  It's easy enough not to buy a loaf of bread for instance.  Other sources of wheat are not as obvious.  For instance, wheat flour is a common thickener in sauces and gravies. 

One of my favorite dishes with gravy is gumbo.  Gumbo is typically prepared with a thick gravy, called a roux.  A Roux is made out of equal parts wheat flour and fat, such as butter.  According to wikipedia, "Gumbo is a dish that originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century. It typically consists primarily of a strongly flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and seasoning vegetables, which can include celery, bell peppers and onions (a trio known in Cajun cuisine as the "trinity"

But while some gumbos use wheat flour and butter to create a thick gravy, others use okra as a natural thickener.  I find gumbo to be hearty and flavorful regardless of how thick the sauce is.  I found this recipe for a roux-less gumbo, which I prepared for the kids.  They loved it!  I feature this recipe in this week's movie trailer called, Forest Gumbo:

http://youtu.be/EsYE4TOO-2s

How to Cook Healthy Food For Kids : Make Fish Sticks With Grain-free breading

One of the challenges with cooking healthy is figuring out healthy but tasty alternatives to unhealthy ingredients in a recipe.  For instance, because bread is high in glycemic index, I try to avoid bread and derivatives of bread like bread crumbs in my cooking.

Many American recipes call for dipping a protein in egg wash and then dredging it in wheat flour and bread crumbs.  Instead of wheat flour and bread crumbs, I have used crushed nuts or oat flour (ground rolled oats) in some of my previous posts.
 
Fish sticks, a favorite dish of many kids, are often made using bread crumbs and wheat flour.  You can make your kids a healthier fish stick by using almond meal and coconut instead.  Take a look at this commercial for "Ko Town Fish Sticks" and try making this easy recipe for your own kids:

http://youtu.be/FtgOiTPmcXc?list=UUOpV1RhtMV5h9QLKBVf_XFg

How to Cook Healthy Food For Kids : Coconut Cranberry Quinoa - Take a Vacation From Your Breakfast Routine

 

I have a bad habit of always ordering the same thing when I go out to a restaurant.  I tend to stick with my favorite dishes rather than try something new.

When it comes to home cooking, I also have a tendency to repeat the same dishes that I have grown accustomed to cooking.  To a certain extent, we all develop these habits because it just takes less mental energy to come up with a new dish or to try something novel.

One way to get out of the rut of doing the same routine day in and day out is to take a vacation.  We recently went on a relaxing vacation to a club med resort in St. Port Lucie, Florida.  What made this vacation particularly relaxing for me was the fact that Cassie planned the whole thing. 

While Colin and Cailya spent their days at the mini club, I boned up on my tennis skills and Cassie learned to get scolded in novel ways by the aerobics instructor.  Everyday, we were treated to an endless variety of culinary delights.  Not only was I introduced to new foods like fois gras and chocolate bread, but I learned that Cailya loves herself some oatmeal and Colin loves himself some roasted chicken.

Why not take a vacation from the same old foods you always serve yourself and your kids? Try this delicious coconut cranberry quinoa inspired by our recent vacation:
http://youtu.be/ubeFLsXEnl8?list=UUOpV1RhtMV5h9QLKBVf_XFg

You can find the recipe at the following link:
http://www.superhealthykids.com/coconut-cranberry-crockpot-quinoa/

How to Cook Healthy Food for Kids : Stuck on a dessert island?

Do you ever feel like you are stuck on a desert island?  Sometimes I feel that way when writing posts for my blog.  Each post is like a message that I carefully put into a glass bottle, put out to sea, and watch drift away.  All the while, I wonder to myself, "Is anyone out there?"

You and your kids may feel as if you are trapped on a different sort of island...a dessert island if you will.  Healthy options for desserts are few and far between.  Not only do most desserts have toxic amounts of added sugars, but many are additionally made out of highly processed grain flour.  That's like spiking your vodka with bourbon, except this lethal ingestion will spike your blood sugar levels. 

But you don't have to be stuck on a dessert island!  You can have your cake and eat it too.  Instead of accepting desserts made out of processed grain flour, why not experiment with healthier flours?  I have recently learned about flours made from beans like chickpeas, or nuts like almond meal.  Check out this video called, "Coligan's Isle" and learn how to make a grain-free carrot muffin from almond meal and coconut flour: http://youtu.be/nfCJoa-lBIY?list=UUOpV1RhtMV5h9QLKBVf_XFg

Here is the link to the recipe featured in the video above:
http://www.texanerin.com/2014/04/healthier-carrot-cake-cupcakes.html

 

How to Cook Healthy Food For Kids : Avoid Mutated Food and Embrace Gluten-free, Grain-free Flours

 

The other day, Cassie and I actually saw a movie!  We didn't just see a movie, we actually saw a movie  in a real live movie theatre!  We got tickets and popcorn and actually watched the previews.  And the best part was the empty seats next to us.  Colin and Cailya were fast asleep at their grandparent's house, leaving Cassie and I to enjoy the movie in blissful silence.

We watched, X-Men Days of Future Past, a cleverly named title for a very entertaining movie.  As you  probably already know, the basic premise of any X-men movie is that people fear change.  Mutations are genetic changes that occur over time.  But while it is natural to be uncomfortable with change, sometimes change can be a good thing.

Making a conscious change to eat healthy is one of the most challenging changes you can make for yourself and your kids.  Although we have become accustomed to eating processed foods, so much of these foodstuffs are so mutated that they can hardly be considered real food anymore.  One of the unnatural ways by which food has become mutated is the refinement of grains.  Most baked goods and desserts are made out of refined flour.  Such refinement can be considered a man-made mutation which is not only a bad change, but a harmful change at that.

Instead of accepting this kind of derangement to our food, I invite you to embrace a different sort of change.  Consider using healthier flours like flours made from beans or nuts.  Because beans are made out of more resistant starches than grains, they have a lower glycemic index.  To read more about this, see my previous post:
http://doctorchrisko.blogspot.com/2013/09/cooking-for-your-kids-is-pasta-good.html

Thus inspired to make a change, I attempted a flourless chocolate cake made out of garbanzo beans:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garbanzo-bean-chocolate-cake-gluten-free/  (Incidentally, the recipe calls for 3/4 cup sugar ,but I found that 1/2 cup sugar was more than enough.)  You won't believe how good a cake can taste made out of beans!  Check out this week's featured video, X-Meal and try making your own change for the better:

How to Cook Healthy Food For Kids : Healthy Deconstructed Banana Split Ice Cream Sundae For the Home Molecular Gastronomist

The other day, we went to Jose Andres' molecular gastronomy restaurant, Minibar.  We were served a tasting menu described as a "food experience".  Indeed, we weren't just served fantastic food, but we were given a whole food experience that topped the charts.  From the service, to the table side dining, to the wonderfully inventive works of art served on plates, it was truly an exceptional food experience.

On the back chalkboard was a quote from Bruce Lee that read, "Simplicity is the key to brilliance."  I have always admired the creative geniuses that are able to conceptualize brilliant dishes that are inherently complex but yet appear utterly simple.  I asked one of the chefs if he went to a special school for molecular gastronomy, and he said that his schooling trained him in the fundamentals that enabled him to subsequently learn molecular gastronomy on the job.

Besides being awed by their precision, skill, and artistry, I was really impressed with their ability to take simple ingredients and transform them into exceptional dishes.  One of the things I have learned about food preparation is that it is all too easy to add loads of sugar and fat to our food.  Most of the processed foods we eat are so loaded with sugar and fat that we experience more gluttony than gastronomy.

One of the hallmarks of molecular gastronomy is the deconstruction of food.  I had a some fun pretending to be a molecular gastronomist in the following video:

You can have a little fun experimenting as a home molecular gastronomist for your own kids.  Try this healthy deconstructed banana split ice cream sundae, which is significantly lower in fat than your average banana split:

Healthy Deconstructed Banana Split Ice Cream Sundae

 Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• Splash of vanilla extract
• Dusting of cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon sliced almonds
• Diced cherries
• Diced strawberries
• Mint leaves for garnish

Directions

1. Freeze peeled banana overnight.
2. Blend frozen banana, milk, and vanilla extract.
3. Top with cocoa powder, almonds, and fruit.