How to Make Healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Snack Balls For Kids

This past week, I went to the happiest place on earth. But while Disney World may be the happiest place on earth, it isn't necessary the most relaxing place on earth. Fortunately, with a little planning, we were able to enjoy our day at Animal Kingdom. 

The key to our day was getting to Africa first and early. We arrived at the parking lot about 830 am. Even though the park didn't officially open until 9am, we were able to go through ticketing and get halfway into the park, past Oasis and deep into Discovery Island well before 9 o'clock. We then waited in a crowd at the giant tree in the center of the park, roped off like the Disney cattle we were.

When the clock struck nine, we raced off like marathon runners into the heartland of Africa. Our number one priority was getting to the Safari ride before 920 am, when wait times significantly increase. Going on the Safari ride while the morning was still relatively cooler also helped keep the kids in their happy place. The safari was a lot of fun, and definitely a highlight of the park.  I enjoyed the jeep like feel of the ride and the open fields. However, I wish we saw some more exotic animals that I don't already see routinely at zoos. Also, there wasn't a lot of opportunity to stop for pictures. 

After the Safari ride, we headed right into the first show of The Festival of the Lion King at ten o'clock. This show was spectacular, filled with songs from the Lion King, costumes, circus performers, and fire. My kids said it was their favorite part of the park. After the show, we went to the Tusker House for an African buffet. This was the best food I have ever eaten at a Theme park. My kids enjoyed taking pictures with Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy. Unfortunately, my kids enjoyed taking the pictures much more than the actual characters did, who seemed to be in a rush to move onto the next table. 

Getting one solid meal was a key strategy to keeping the kids happy. Another important factor that helped keep the kids from going to their unhappy place was having a reliable portable snack in the ready. For this trip, I made PB&J balls. This no bake snack is simple to make ahead of time and ideal for packing on trips.  

After lunch, we made our way across Asia. We used our fast pass to bypass the eighty minute line for Kali River Rapids, and I'm glad we did. The ride was fun, but quite short. It was still worth it in the end, because my brother got absolutely soaked. We got in line at Finding Nemo a half an hour before showtime, which turned out great since they quickly let us into the air-conditioned theatre. This was a visually stunning show featuring amazing puppetry. After Nemo, we hit dinosaur land. We also used our fast pass for the Dinosaur ride. I thought this was a fun ride, but it was a bit too scary for the five year old and seven year old kids in our party. 

We finished up our day visiting Discovery Island and seeing some more animals. All in all, we had a great family vacation at Animal Kingdom. My kids literally were skipping as they left the park. Indeed, both myself and my kids reached our happy place. 

https://youtu.be/_jYlyJHVql4

How to Cook Vietnamese Caramelized and Braised Fish For Kids

When I was a kid, I used to watch reruns of The Andy Griffith Show. After repeatedly watching the opening credits, I concluded that one of the jobs of a father is to take their sons fishing. The other job is to happily whistle whenever feasibly possible. I vowed that one day, when I had a son of my own, I'd take him fishing too.

That day finally came. Since Cassie had taken Cailya on a trip to Las Vegas, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity for a father son fishing expedition. The Herndon Parks and Rec department was holding their annual trout fishing derby, so I signed us up. The fact that I didn't know how to fish was a minor detail.

When we arrived at the park, I quickly realized that most of the other father son duos had at least one experienced fisherman in the pair. Other sons and fathers were armed with knee high waterproof boots and high tech fishing gear. On the other hand, I quietly made my way over to registration and whispered, "Can someone teach us how to fish?"

One nice teenaged volunteer handed us a loaner pole and showed us how to release the line and then reel it back in. He then handed us a cup of worms and said, "Hooking the worms is self-explanatory." In other words, only an idiot would have trouble attaching a worm to a hook.

We headed over to the stream and I picked a nice spot. After several attempts, I finally hooked the worm. Then, as I have seen it done so many times in television and movies, I whipped our fishing pole behind my head. Unfortunately, when I attempted to throw our line forward into the water, I couldn't. It had gotten stuck on a tree. I actually got our line caught on a tree three other times before I realized that I could simply put the line over the water, then send it out sideways. 

Colin and I took turns holding the fishing pole, patiently waiting for a bite. Colin asked a lot of questions to pass the time like, "Did you get the fishing line stuck on the tree again?" and "Did you lose the worm again?" After a couple of hours, our supply of worms and patience were exhausted. We didn't end up catching any fish, so we went to the supermarket and bought a fish instead. I brought it home and cooked up this tasty Vietnamese Caramelized and Braised Catfish recipe. Although I turned out to be more Don Knotts than Andy Griffith, I'm glad I took Colin fishing. Perhaps now I'll show him how to whistle.

https://youtu.be/A_h2MZEm734

How to Make a Healthy Gluten Free Low Carbohydrate Ham and Cheese Paleo Sandwich

How about some wood pulp in your cheese? A lot of recipes call for shredded cheese. But have you ever stopped to think what exactly shredded cheese is? In order to keep it from clumping, processed shredded cheese often contains cellulose, a processed fiber created in a food laboratory made from wood pulp. Yum!

Rather than use cellulose, some processed shredded cheeses use starches or calcium sulfate to prevent caking. If you're trying to avoid carbohydrates that are high in glycemic index, those little hidden starches from potato starch and cornstarch can really add up.  For instance, here's a list of the ingredients I found in one such processed cheddar shredded cheese:

Pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto (color), potato starch, cornstarch and calcium sulfate added to prevent caking, natamycin (a natural mold inhibitor)

In contrast, here's the ingredients listed on a block of parmesan cheese:

Pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes

And here's the ingredients listed on a block of Pecorino Romano cheese:

100% pure pasteurized sheeps milk, cultures, rennet, salt

Packaged shredded cheese is a processed cheese like product, just as packaged loaves of bread are bread like products. Folks, this is not real cheese. This is not real food.

If you have Netflix, I highly recommend you watch Michael Pollan's four part series, Cooked. Based on his book by the same name, the last in the series features the element land. He interviews a nun who shows how microorganisms turn milk and rennet into real aged cheese.

One way to enjoy real cheese is to buy blocks of real aged cheese and shred what you need with a grater. Aged cheese is so flavorful, you only need a little to add a ton of umami to your dishes. Try making your kids gluten free low carbohydrate ham and cheese sandwiches by putting a slice of cured sausage in between two parmesan crisps.

https://youtu.be/K-_dGdjPnLU

How to Make Healthy Creamed Spinach and Simply Seared Scallops For Kids

One of my most memorable gifts was a transformer set I received for my birthday. I remember seeing the set in Toys R Us and begging my mom for it. It had a big rig that could transform into a missile launcher. The big rig carried a yellow sports car that could transform into an airplane. On the day of my birthday, I was thrilled to unwrap my present even though I already knew the contents of the package. I loved that transformer. I loved it so much I kept it and handed it down to Colin. It is now one of his favorite toys.

Thanks to the generosity of one of our friends, Cassie and I received a four week trial to Blue Apron. We returned home on a Thursday evening and found a large package waiting for us on our doorstep. Even though we had selected our meals in advance, I was still excited and curious to open the package. I tore into the package like it was my birthday. In fact, the Blue Apron trial was actually a present for Cassie's birthday, but that's besides the point.

This is how I would describe my Blue Apron experience:

Pros:

• Deliciously tasty meals
• Fresh, high quality ingredients
• Nice packaging, labeling, and organization
• Easy to follow recipe cards
• Reasonably affordable
• Simple flavors from salt, acid, spices, and fresh herbs
• Innovative use of ingredients with novel recipes

Cons:

• You still have to do the work--peeling, chopping, and cooking
• Meals come at the end of the work week
• Meals may be high in glycemic index and saturated fat--several of my meals incorporated flour and butter for instance. 

All in all, my experience with Blue Apron was quite favorable. Perhaps the greatest value in Blue Apron is it makes cooking and learning about food fun. Their packages include a card highlighting interesting factoids about the ingredients in their meals. I learned some nifty flavor combinations like cashews and rice. I also made food I never would have otherwise made, like homemade empanadas. My family learned we are fans of creamed spinach and simply seared scallops.

But the most important message from Blue Apron is anyone can cook. Michael Pollan laments how cooking has become a lost art form. Cooking is a uniquely human activity. Sadly, so many of us have lost our culinary sensibilities due to the demands of work and life in general. Blue Apron invites us all to don our blue aprons, and once again learn the joy of cooking.

https://youtu.be/Bs65Qth2kqg

How to Make Healthy Hungarian Goulash For Kids

One of the most important lessons you can teach your kids is what hunger is. After Colin finishes his dessert, he often laments, "I'm hungry." That is NOT hunger. In the middle of a long flight, Cailya, looking a bit bored whined, "I'm hungry." She had recently eaten lunch. That too, is not hunger. When the kids haven't eaten recently, they can get cranky. That is hunger. And when that happens, I know I failed to do my job.

Not only is it important to teach your kids how to understand their hunger cues, it is essential to teach them how to control their hunger. One study found weight gain was prevented amongst children by teaching them to slow down the pace of their eating. Children who waited 30 seconds between each bite lost an average of 3.4% of their body weight during a year-long research project, while those who didn't pace their eating saw their weight increase by as much as 12.6%. Slowing down food intake allows enough time to pass for normal satiety signals to kick in.  

Hunger can also be prevented by eating regular meals. Our bodies are sensitive to change. Skipping meals or waiting too long between feedings contribute to more extreme changes in hunger hormones. That is hunger, but not the kind of hunger I want to teach my kids to react to.

You can also teach your kids how to control hunger by teaching them to avoid foods that stimulate appetite and select foods that promote satiety instead. Instead of giving them foods with added sugar and refined carbohydrates, try incorporating some fat or protein into their meals and snacks. Both fat and protein promote satiety, helping kids and adults alike control their portions. Instead of letting your kids go hungry, try teaching them something about Hungary by making this tasty Hungarian Goulash recipe.

https://youtu.be/O5OXzSLmdMU

References

Lukits, A. (2016, Feb). Slow EAting May Help Children Keep Weight Off. Wall Street Journal, pg. D4.

The Best Recipes and Videos From Cooking For Your Kids With Dr. Chris Ko 2015

Why do I do it? Why do I blog? Well it isn't for the fame. And it certainly isn't for the fortune. I enjoy expressing my thoughts on how food delivers health. I like sharing my thoughts with others, with the hope that they will benefit too. I also enjoy cooking my kids nourishing food. But the main reason why I blog wasn't apparent to me until I went to New York and saw Finding Neverland. 

Finding Neverland tells the story of J.M. Barrie, a playwright who is best known for writing Peter Pan. Before writing Peter Pan, Barrie was inspirationally stuck. Despite a history of writing success, he found himself in a rut. He wasn't writing anything novel, and he wasn't having any fun. In the song Play, the actors are reminded of why they went into acting in the first place. People with creative jobs enjoy the freedom and fun of playing at their craft. It is the pure joy of playing for playing's sake that drives creative people.

Upon watching this musical, I realized the primary reason I keep on blogging and making YouTube videos is because it's fun. Playing is not just a pastime, it works the creative side of the brain. And by working the creative side of my brain in addition to my rational side, I get to use my whole brain. And I'm pretty sure my patients appreciate a doctor who uses his whole brain.

You can work the creative side of your brain as well simply by cooking for your kids. Try some of my favorite recipes featured in the third annual Osko award show:

https://youtu.be/RWrn4MScbWs

How to Make a Healthy Gluten Free Pizza Frittata For Kids

Two of my favorite foods are spaghetti and dumplings. These are also the two dishes that would show up regularly on our table for lunch on weekends when I was a boy. If we had spaghetti last weekend, we were probably having dumplings this weekend. Occasionally, my mom would make homemade sushi rolls just to mix things up a bit. Sushi is probably my third favorite food.

The funny thing is, no matter how many times I was served the same two or three dishes, I never got sick of them. To this day, I still look forward to eating spaghetti, dumplings, and sushi. People call these kinds of foods comfort foods for a reason. It's not just because they taste good. It's the memories that are associated with them.

In the Netflix documentary Cooked, Michael Pollan notes that we are the only species who cooks. He argues that we became anthropologically human when we learned how to wield fire and cook our food. Regardless of where you come from, cooked food is comforting because it connects us as a species and it reminds us of powerful memories of being cooked for and care for by our parents.

In First Bite, Bee Wilson writes, "Memory is the single most powerful driving force in how we learn to eat." She cites a study of rats who were given dopamine blockers to block their reward system. Initially, these rats continued to press a lever for a food reward. Their memory of the food reward was still fresh. However, over time, they stopped eating the food pellets because they were no longer rewarding. Finally, they stopped pressing the lever altogether. They had lost the memory of what the pellets tasted like.

People are the same way. Our memories of comforting foods entice us back again and again. Wilson argues that processed food is so alluring because it is a consistent product that lives up to the memory of that product. But just as memory drives the consumption of unhealthy food, our memories can also foster positive relationships with healthful foods. One of my patients recalled being comforted by freshly cooked eggs in the morning when she was a child. By creating comforting memories of good food for your kids, you'll help them develop a long-lasting positive association with healthful foods. For instance, instead of comforting your kids with pizza, try this recipe for pizza frittata by Rachel Ray. I'm sure it will create a memorable impression on your kids that they won't forget!

https://youtu.be/mRss9vIiuk4

References

Wilson, Bee, and Annabel Lee. 2015. First bite: how we learn to eat.