Mary Ann Dames, M.S., R.D.
Children's Author and Registered Dietitian
 Whys and Wherefores of Kid-Friendly Recipes.What makes these recipes Kid-Friendly?As a mom and a registered dietitian, I want kids to have a healthy relationship with foods. As a children's author, I want kids to fall in love with books and reading. My focus on this web page is writing recipes for healthy children ages 4 to 8. A rule of thumb for them and adults is that all foods are okay in moderation. My goal is to have recipes which are easy to fix and fun to eat. Of course, there exceptions as each child's capability differs as does each parent’s comfort level of what a child is allowed to do in the kitchen. In addition, not all the recipes are for the younger set for I create recipes to compliment books for all ages.
Some of the kid-friendly recipes on this page were inspired by books written by my friends. There's no better way I could think of to celebrate their successes than to create recipes for them.
Foods to use with caution with toddlersAlthough the Kid-Friendly Recipes are meant for children ages 4 and up, I recognize some adults might use these with younger children. Be warned that the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that toddlers should not be offered the following foods due to choking risks.
-- Hot dogs, unless cut lengthwise in quarters and then sliced. - Hard candies, including jelly beans -- Nuts -- Chunks of peanut butter. Thinly spread smooth peanut butter on a cracker or bread should be okay. -- Popcorn -- Raw carrots, celery, green beans -- Seeds including pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds -- Whole grapes or cherry tomatoes. Cut into quarters should be okay. -- Large chunks of any food including potatoes, raw fruits, raw vegetables, and meat (Counter)
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Kid-Friendly RecipesToasty Toes Here's a recipe inspired by Bonnie R.'s comment about reading Busy Toes.
Parmesan Cheese Toast Fingers This quick fix snack can be eaten as a snack or used as a dipper in soup.
  I can’t tell you where I originally got this recipe. I remember trying several different ones before I settled on this one. The dough is great to have on hand when I need a last minute contribution to a work or school party. The cookies last about 2 weeks or more without getting stale. The mini-people travel well in a zipper bag. All around, this is a handy recipe. Gingerbread People Makes about 12 to 15 dozen 2-inch tall gingerbread women and men or about 5 dozen larger cookies. Allow at least 3 hours to let the dough chill before rolling it out. Or wrap the dough well and refrigerate for several weeks. 5 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 to 3 teaspoons ground ginger, depending on freshness and taste 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup shortening 1 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 1 cup unsulfured molasses 2 tablespoons cider vinegar Sift the flour and all dry ingredients together. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening and sugar together. Beat in egg, molasses and vinegar. Blend in the dry ingredients. Chill for at least 3 hours. Preheat oven to 375oF. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes. Place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Cool slightly; remove to rack. Store in air tight container for up to 2 weeks. Apple Pomegranate Salad For dressing combine in a small bowl 1/4 cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, dash hot sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. For salad you will need 6 cups mixed lettuce greens, 2 small apples (cored and chopped), about 1/2 pomegranate seeds and 4 tablespoons pecan pieces. To serve divide the lettuce among four salad bowls or plates. Top each with 1/4 of the chopped apples, followed by 1/4 of the pomegranate seeds and then the pecan pieces. Pass the salad dressing. © 2009 Mary Ann Dames, MS, RD Winter Fruit Salad Ingredients: 1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges in juice 1 ripe banana 1 small apple 1/4 cup chopped dates 1 cup plain or vanilla low fat yogurt Open the can of mandarin oranges. Drain about half the liquid into a large bowl. Set the rest of the juice aside for later. Add the mandarin oranges to the bowl. Slice the banana and add to the bowl. Stir gently to coat the banana with the liquid. This will keep the banana from turning brown. Cut the apple in quarters. Remove the core but don't peel it. Now chop the apple and add to the orange-banana mixture, again stirring to coat. Add the dates. Stir to combine. Put the yogurt in a small bowl. Pour in the reserved fruit juice. Stir to combine. Divide the fruit mixture among dessert dishes. Spoon the yogurt on top of the fruit. Makes about 4 cups. © Mary Ann Dames, MS, RD Cranberry Dip Read Hide-and-Seek Turkeys by Judy Enderle and Stephanie Gordon. Click here to visit their web site. Ingredients: 1/2 cup dried cranberries 2 cups (16 ounces) non-fat or low-fat plain yogurt 1/2 cup canned cranberry sauce Fresh and/or dried fruit of your choice Equipment: medium mixing bowl, measuring cup, chef's knife, cutting board, scraper, mixing spoon, serving bowl and plate Finely chop the dried cranberries. Place in the mixing bowl. Add the yogurt and the cranberry sauce. Mix well. (This step can be done the day ahead of time, if desired.) Place Cranberry Dip in a serving bowl. Arrange cut fresh fruit and/or dried fruit on a plate. To eat, using the fruit, scoop up some of the Cranberry Dip. Enjoy. © Mary Ann Dames, MS, RD 2009
Princess Peepers Party Glasses Learn how to make Princess Peepers Party Glasses for the little princess (or prince) in your life by clicking here
Bear's Crunchy Blackberry Treat Bear didn't growl or roar when there weren't berries to eat 'cause he knew how to make Bear's Crunchy Blackberry Treat. Grr-runch! Mmm-mm! Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh or frozen and thawed blackberries* 1 cup vanilla yogurt 1 oatmeal raisin granola bar Set six blackberries aside to use as garnish. Put the rest of the blackberries in a small bowl. Using the back of a fork, crush the berries. Add the yogurt and stir together. Spoon half of the blackberry-yogurt mixture into a small dessert bowl. Put the other half into a second dessert bowl. Divide the granola bar in half. Crumble each half over a serving of Bear's Crunchy Blackberry Treat. Decorate each with three whole blackberries. *Wash the fresh blackberries just before using them. Drain on a paper towel. Makes 2 servings. ©2008 Mary Ann Dames, M.S.,R.D. Do you want more blackberry recipes? Check out Blackberry Smoothie in Blackberry Banquet by Terry Pierce as well as even more recipes on her blog. Humphrey's Blanket Flower Cookies Ingredients
1 16-ounce roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 60-80 drops yellow food coloring 24 green gumdrops* Preheat oven to 350F degrees F. In a bowl, combine and knead the cookie dough, flour and food coloring until well mixed. To shape the cookies, divide the dough into 24 pieces. For each cookie, divide one of the larger pieces into 4 smaller pieces. Roll each of these small pieces into a ball. Hint: If the dough becomes too sticky to easily work with, refrigerate it for 30-60 minutes. On an ungreased cookie sheet, put 4 small balls together to make a flower with four petals. Press a gumdrop firmly onto the center of the flower. Continue making flowers until all the cookie dough is used up. Bake cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes. Place the cookies on a cooling rack. *After the cookies have cooled for 30 minutes, and if you didn't use the candies, you can put a dab of green food coloring in the middle of the cookie flower. Makes 24 cookies. © 2007 Mary Ann Dames, M.S., R.D. View Carol Heyer's art and learn how to order Humphrey's First Christmas.
Tickle Me Pink Drink Ingredients 1/4 cup Italian strawberry ice or ice cream, broken into pieces 1/2 cup (4 ounces) strawberry soda 1/2 cup (4 ounces) lemon-lime soda Put the Italian strawberry ice or ice cream in a 12 ounce drinking glass. Pour the strawberry soda and the lemon-lime soda over the strawberry ice/ice cream. Mix gently to combine. Serve with a spoon so you can get all the delicious flavors out of the glass.
Makes 1 serving © 2007 Mary Ann Dames, M.S., R.D. Visit Judy Enderle and Stephanie Gordon's website, authors of Smile, Principessa! You can also order their book.
Magic Caramel Bars Mary Cassatt made delicious homemade caramel candies. These Magic Caramel Bars are just as rich but are a snap to make. To learn more about Mary Cassatt: Impressionist Painter by Lois Harris or to order the book, click here.
Lavender Tea Cakes If you've ever smelled the lavender fields of Provence, France, or slept on a lavender filled pillow, you know what these melt-in-your mouth cookies taste like.
You can buy edible dried lavender flowers at a herb store, farmer's market or on-line. Do not use lavender flowers from a craft store as they have been sprayed or fumigated. Ingredients 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon crushed dried lavender flowers 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1 teaspoon crushed dried mint 1 cup butter at room temperature 2 cup granulated sugar In a large mixing bowl combine flour, salt, lavender buds, lemon zest and mint. Set aside. In another large mixing bowl, combine room temperature butter and ½ cup granulated sugar. Beat together until light and fluffy. Slowly add flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet. Shape cookie dough into walnut size balls; place two inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies barely start to brown. Remove from oven and cool for 2 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Makes about 36 tea cakes. © 2007 Mary Ann Dames, M.S., R.D. If you'd like, you can roll the cooled tea cakes in Lavender Sugar.
Recipe for Lavender Sugar from "Lavender's Blue" by Lois Harris. |
