Re: stuff to drink/eat

[Guest guest]

Lori,

I am way beyond toddlerhood, so these may not all be workable

suggestions, but because my roommate is a vegan, we have all sorts of

weird protein-boosting things in our house (most of which would make me

gag, as I am a cheese and chicken fan all the way!). But... you never

know what a kid will like. I have seen kids eat some things I thought

they'd hate and then turn around and wrinkle their noses at things I

thought kids loved! I was a bizarre child who hated pizza, peanut

butter, hotdogs, etc (though now love them all), so who knows!

is totally correct that we aren't taught SQUAT in medical school

about nutrition (two lectures TOTAL on nutrition, and one was on TPN),

but fortunately, my roommate keeps me up to date on what's available

(though I must say that my other roommate and I wrinkle our noses at

some of it, too!). :-) I used to babysit quite a bit, and then worked

as a nanny for a special needs child for a year, then as a counselor at

a homeless shelter for pregnant/parenting teens, so I have had lots of

interaction with children. Can't say I'm the pro that a parent is, but

maybe having some experience will help with a few ideas.

So, here are some high protein things you might try...

-Eggs - I know lots of kids hate eggs, and I did, too, in almost

everything. But my mom used to make something called " egg in a nest "

(aka " toad in a hole " ) that was essentially a slice of bread, buttered

lightly on each side, cooked in a frying pan. When one side was almost

brown, she'd use a kiddie cup or cookie cutter and take a circle out of

the middle, then crack an egg into it. Then she'd cook that side and

the other side 'til they were done. We thought it was the coolest thing

(and loved the extra circles of bread on the side).

-Hummus - we eat carrots and pita bread and sliced red/yellow peppers,

etc dipped in hummus. They have about 10 flavors at our local grocery

-- I'm a red pepper hummus or kalamata olive hummus fan (though those

might be strong flavors for kids). Chickpeas have lots of protein, so a

little hummus goes a long way.

-I know people brought up Carnation Instant Breakfast, and that actually

has quite a bit of protein. They're not as unsubstantial as you might

think. I hate the things, after growing up in children's hospitals...

they'd always say I was getting a chocolate milkshake, and then they'd

bring me icecream with that mixed in -- I could smell it a mile away.

So, bad memories... but I used to babysit for kids who turned them into

hot chocolate, etc. They loved them.

-Any sort of soy products (milk, cheese, etc) will likely have protein

in them, because soy is high in it.

-If you're venturing to the healthfood store, there are about a thousand

health bars out right now for outdoor people (hikers, bikers, runners,

etc) and all of those who like to look like they are <grin>. My

roommates both love Powerbars and there's one Soy based bar (Genisoy)

that has all sorts of flavors (peanut butter, caramel, chocolate, mocha,

etc) - they are very high in protein, relatively low in fat, and lots of

enriched vitamins. My roomies use them for meals on the run (I don't

like the texture, but they taste fine... maybe a tiny bit sweet for my

taste, but kids would probably love it), but I'm not sure I'd use them

for a whole meal for a child (just because they really are more like a

dessert than a meal). But they could be offered as treats (instead of

regular candy bars, etc). Those also pack a big wallop in the

" nutrients per bite " category. The only ones I really like are the

Cliff bars (they have more of a granola-like texture, and more fruit

flavors rather than chocolate or other sweet things). They are also

pretty nutritious. The local healthfood store here has a whole WALL of

these things -- I just bought one of each kind and tried to figure out

which I liked. They're a bit pricey (1.00-1.25 each), but adults can go

through a few in a day... I'd imagine one bar could work for two or

three days for a child (if used as snacks or treats). I just grabbed

one out of the pantry, and in just the one bar, they have as much

protein as 3 ounces of a lean meat (21 g... usually one ounce of

chicken, etc has about 7g of protein, and I can't imagine that a 4 year

old would need more than 7-14 ounces of protein in a day. I think

adults are only supposed to get 28-35g per day - 4-5oz of lean

meat/day).

-I love cashews -- have no idea if they would cross react with a peanut

allergy, but it might be something to ask a nutritionist about. They

have cashew butter in many health stores, and I like them as a plain snack.

-Cream cheese has a decent amount of protein... depending on what area

of the country you're in, you can sometimes find a whipped cream cheese,

and I use that for dipping crackers in. Sounds gross, but all the kids

I've babysat for loved it (I use the small Stoned Wheat Thins and just

dip them right in... a little high fat if that's a concern, but all

things in moderation, etc... it's my snack on the run). Cream cheese

can also be mixed with nonfat CoolWhip and a bit of cinnamon or

something and it makes a GREAT snack for dipping all kinds of fruit in

(strawberries, melon, cherries, etc).

-Speaking of dipping, if anne can eat milk now, it's amazing what

you can do with things if you just make them new and " exciting " . If you

mix shredded cheese with a tiny bit of flour (that's key, or you'll end

up with glop) and heat it in a teflon-coated pan or a double boiler, you

can make a cheese " fondue " ... kids'll eat almost anything that way,

I've found! I give them forks (not fondue forks, just regular ones),

and give them bread chunks, carrots, celery sticks, apple slices,

etc.... kids don't even seem to know it's cheese and definitely don't

know it's good for them, so they eat TONS of things they'd normally turn

down.

Hmmmm.... that's about all my tired brain could come up with tonight.

But if I think of more, I'll send them in....

Good luck, and bon appetit!