The chant usually begins to come from my pre-schooler's bedroom at about 6:00
a.m. He wakes up early, and he wakes up hungry. For the rest of the day, our
kitchen will be the busiest room in the house. If he's not eating a meal, he's
eating a snack, or requesting a glass of juice or soy milk.
All parents of pre-schoolers know the challenge of providing nutritious, fast
foods for our children. We are often tempted by the convenience of packaged
"goodies," but we know our children are better served by wholesome
meals and snacks.
Parents of vegan pre-schoolers face the additional challenge of finding
healthful dairy-free and egg-free fast foods. And peanut butter and jelly goes
only so far.
I've found that by serving several mini-meals throughout the day, I'm less
likely to succumb to a lot of packaged snack foods. By following a few
guidelines, I've been able to keep my son happily and healthfully fed, without
spending hours over a stove.
First, plan to have leftovers, especially leftover grains. When you're cooking
pasta or rice for supper, make a little extra for tomorrow's lunch, then dress
it up with a vegetable-based sauce. Introduce a variety of grains by
occasionally making barley or millet instead of rice. The next time you're in
the grocery store, look for pastas made of corn (kids love the bright yellow
color), amaranth, spelt, artichoke, brown rice, and buckwheat flours. Children
seem to like small pasta shapes such as spirals, shells, wagon wheels, elbow
macaroni, and, of course, alphabet pasta. To make spaghetti more manageable for
young children, snap it into two or three pieces before cooking.
Some children like cold foods, and will eat leftovers straight from the
refrigerator. If you want to warm up leftover rice or vegetables, simply steam
them for a minute or two, then fluff with a fork. Leftover pasta can be reheated
for a few seconds in boiling water, then drained. Cooked vegetables and grains
can also be pureed and used as sauces, spreads, or puddings.
Pre-schoolers often have a few select foods that they like to eat again and
again. If your child is going through a nothing-but- green-peas phase, serve
peas with brown basmati rice or whole wheat couscous, or even alone in a bowl
drenched with a nutritious sauce. A little peanut butter mashed with cooked
beans may be more acceptable to your pre-schooler than the beans alone. Adding a
bit of fruit juice is another good way to lend familiar flavor to unfamiliar
foods.
Satisfy your child's sweet tooth naturally with ripe bananas, sweet potatoes,
winter squash, and dried fruit. If your child is used to having sweet desserts,
try offering a fruit ambrosia salad made with sliced bananas, cubed steamed
sweet potatoes, and a sprinkling of chopped dates or dried apricots.
Perhaps nothing is more frustrating than spending an hour making a complicated
meal that your child refuses to touch. Children are often less suspicious of
simple dishes, and by spending less time cooking, you can spend more time with
your child.
Let your child help to fix the food whenever possible. Even a two-year-old can
mash tofu or add dried fruit. While you're in the kitchen, talk to your child
about the ingredients you're using, and give the child a choice when you
can--for example, "Should we put a banana or an apple in this cereal?"
You'll not only be providing companionship, but if you eat the same food your
child does, your example will be more influential than your pleading or
reasoning.
If you pack a lunch or snack for your pre-schooler, consider sending pasta
salads made of multi-colored pasta, broccoli trees, and a simple sauce. Or pack
a fondue lunch with a thick dip, cubed vegetables and fruit, and bread sticks or
whole-grain crackers. Small whole-wheat pita pockets can be filled with bean
spreads or stuffed with shredded vegetables. Older children enjoy home-made
trail mixes consisting of pieces of dried fruit, nuts, and sugar-free cereals.
Here are six fast sauces that you can make in a blender, no chopping or cooking
required. If you always have on hand pre-cooked or canned legumes and some
steamed sweet potatoes, you can make each of these sauces in five to ten minutes,
just about the maximum waiting time of a hungry pre-schooler! If you've tried
unsuccessfully to get your child to eat beans or tofu, these sauces may be your
answer. My son likes these sauces over pasta, but you can also use them to dress
up rice, pancakes, fruit, or vegetables. Or you can reduce the amount of liquid,
and serve them simply in a bowl with a spoon.
Drizzle this delicious sauce over a bowl of fruit chunks for a special breakfast
or fast dessert.
Half a 10.5 ounce package soft silken tofu
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1 to 2 Tablespoons almond butter, peanut butter, or tahini
1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar
2 to 4 Tablespoons water
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Serves 2 to 3 children, or 1 child and 1 adult
Total Calories Per Child Serving: 102
Fat: 7 grams Protein: 5 grams
My son likes to eat this sauce with nothing more than a spoon. It's another
great Vitamin A source.
3/4 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1/3 to 1/2 cup water or plain soy milk
2 teaspoons toasted sesame tahini
Pinch of ground nutmeg
4 dried figs, chopped
Blend sweet potato, water or soy milk, tahini, and nutmeg in a blender until
smooth. Stir in figs.
Serves 2 to 3 children, or 1 child and 1 adult
Total Calories Per Child Serving: 255
Fat: 3 grams Protein: 4 grams
Fast breakfasts for pre-schoolers can be almost any combination of grains and
vegetables or fruits that your child enjoys. Here are some ideas to get you
started. And remember, breakfasts can be served any time of the day.
Mash a ripe banana, add a spoonful or two of wheat germ, and moisten with
soy milk. Sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon. Children learning to use a
spoon love this thick cereal.
Mix leftover whole-wheat couscous with grated carrot and peas. Top with
Orange-Raisin Sauce.
Scramble some soft tofu, stuff it in a whole-wheat mini pita and drizzle
with Quick Carrot Sauce.
Fill a whole-wheat mini pita with Simple Peanut Butter/Tahini Sauce and
choppped dates.
Dip chunks of steamed sweet potato in Banana Pudding Sauce.
Mix mashed cooked butternut squash with cinnamon or nutmeg and diced apple.
If necessary, thicken with soft, fresh bread crumbs.
Make a breakfast smoothie with soft tofu, soy milk, and your child's
favorite soft fruit.
Grind some low-fat granola in a blender (children sometimes have
difficulty chewing whole nuts and seeds). Mix ground granola with
unsweetened applesauce, or sprinkle it over Sweet Potato Fig Sauce.
Simmer a handful of bread cubes and some leftover rice with mashed soft
tofu, some soymilk and dried currants, and a touch of cinammon for a warm
breakfast pudding.
We call this dish Tofu Albert: Toast one-half of an English muffin. Top it
with a very thin slice of firm tofu, add some steamed broccoli or sliced
bananas, and drench with Sweet Albert Sauce.
Lisa Rivero is the proud mom of a vegan pre-schooler.
This article originally appeared in the November/December, 1994 issue of Vegetarian
Journal, published by:
The Vegetarian Resource Group
P.O. Box 1463
Baltimore, MD 21203
Phone: (410) 366-8343
Vegetarian Journal is one project of the Vegetarian Resource Group. We
are a non-profit organization which educates the public about vegetarianism and
the interrelated issues of health, nutrition, ecology, ethics and world hunger.
For more information about the VRG, write or call us at the address or number
above, or contact us via email through Bobbi Pasternak at bobbi@vrg.org.
The contents of the Vegetarian Journal and our other publications are not
intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained
from a qualified health professional.
This text file may be freely distributed provided it is not altered.