Harvest Time: From Farm to Table to Little Mouths!

 

By Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP, of MyMunchBug.com

The Joy of Gardening

When I walk about my neighborhood, I love to stroll past our community garden: plot after plot of vegetables lined up in perfect order, ready for inspection.  In the cool Colorado evenings, parents and kids gather to ooh and ahh at what new plant is peeking out of the earth.  Today I saw a three year old cutting lettuce with “safety scissors” that his mom had brought especially for his little fists.

Teaching kids to become more adventurous eaters begins in the garden.   When I decided to produce a children’s CD that celebrated the joy of food, I knew it had to include a garden song.  Joan Huntsberry Langford, the singer and songwriter, titled it “Harvest Time” and recreated the sensory experience of growing food in the garden, harvesting and ultimately, enjoying it together around the family table.

Healing Picky Eating Begins in the Dirt

Cucumbers curling around a trellise.Got a picky eater at home?  Learning about new foods doesn’t start with steamed broccoli sitting on their dinner plate.  It starts with a seed, or a tiny plant and most importantly, little hands in dirt.  Children love to take care of living things, and plants are no exception.  Daily watering and tending to a garden gently exposes a child to a new food until harvested, when it eventually finds its way to a lovely family dinner.  

When I work with children in the community and we are exploring a garden, I bring a clean bucket of cool water with us.  While most children love to play in dirt, some are tactilely defensive, especially picky eaters.  Having a bucket to swiftly drop a muddy carrot in or to wash tickly palms eases their uncertainty about touching something gritty.  Plus, we may get up the courage to wash that carrot right then and there and even see how loud we can crunch it!  Feeding therapists like kids to get dirty, the sensory experience is part of learning about new food.  But, if your child is particular about keeping his hands clean, child sized gardening gloves are an option.  Better yet, kid-sized tools make it twice as fun!  Ideally, larger family gardens have paths for little feet and rows of hardy crops (to ensure success) that are within easy reach for children to explore.  Smaller, raised bed gardens are perfect for any child to explore the perimeter or sit on the edge as they pick sugar snap peas or cucumbers. Have you tried growing your cucumbers up a trellis or chicken-wire fence?  Brilliant method and so easy!

My Dad & Family Gardening Love

My daughter & my Papa breaking garden ground, many moons ago.
When I was a child, my Dad kept a pocket knife in his “dungarees” when we gardened together.  My Dad is now almost 91 and this is the first year that he has not planted a garden.  One of my fondest memories of Dad was growing kohlrabi, a cabbage like veggie that has a tough, outer skin.  Dad would let the 5 year –old me tug away at the vegetable until it popped out of the dirt, almost toppling me backward.  Then he would slap it against his thigh to shatter the dirt clods, dunk it in a bucket of water (hmmm…that’s where I go that idea!) and use his pocket knife to carve away at the hard outer core.  What lie beneath was a cross between a mild radish and an apple. Similar to the texture of jicama, but not at all like jicama; well,  more like kohlrabi. 

Kohlrabi, cleaned and ready to eat.

It may be hard to describe the taste and texture of a kohlrabi, but what I remember vividly is that time with my Dad.  It was our time.  As I grew to have a family of my own, I asked my Dad to start a planting tradition with my girls.  Each summer, he would be bring over giant pumpkin seeds to plant in our horse pasture.   Daddy would dig a decent hole and hand the seeds to my daughters to drop in before he covered it, patted down a nice mound and finally handed the hose to the girls for the pumpkin seed’s first long drink. 

Gardening creates memories for your family.  Whether a pot of herbs on the kitchen window sill or an acre of corn, there is nothing quite like the experience of coming together as a family to plant and enjoy the harvest.  Best wishes to all of you during Harvest Time!

About Melanie

Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLPMelanie is speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding.  Her work brings her into the homes and schools of her clients, kids, who for various reasons have difficulty with food or with eating. She works with kids and their parents to develop effective strategies that help children become “more adventurous eaters”.  At least 50% of her clients have food allergies or intolerances, and for them, “adventurous eating” takes on a special meaning.  Melanie is also the author of Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids” and the executive producer of “Dancing in the Kitchen.”

More Posts From Melanie

Why Children with Autism are Often Picky Eaters

Review:  The Magic of the BellyFull Kit (From the Hopeful Company)

The 12 Days of Christmas -- My Favorite Lunchtime Things (Part 1)

Tips to Help Your Food Allergic Child Belong During the Holidays

How to Talk Turkey (and Food Allergies) at Thanksgiving

How Can Parents Feel Less Stress with a Food Allergic Child in School?

Follow Your Gut:  What's Eating My Daughter's Stomach? (Part I)

Dining Out with Your Young Food Allergic Child

Guest Blogger, Melanie Potock of MyMunchBug.com, lends some advice on eating out with your little ones.

Do You Dine Out?

Many parents feel overwhelmed at the thought of bringing their child with food allergies to any restaurant for fear of exposing him/her to an allergen that could make them horribly ill or worse.  Yet, according to Restaurants USA Magazine,  Americans eat out for 4.2 meals per week! Dining out with our families and friends is part of our social routine.  It’s possible to enjoy this time together as a family, but it requires a bit of planning. One strategy that may soothe some fears is assembling your own “Restaurant Backpack” filled with everything you need to create a safe and fun dining experience for your entire family.

Setting Up

While it might be tempting just to wrap the chair in your coat, as this parent has done (above picture), start instead with a washable highchair cover to shield your little one from those germy, possibly allergy-laced wooden restaurant highchairs.  Fisher Price™ makes a padded version that includes tether straps to attach to toys so they won’t fall on the equally dirty floors.  The carry pouch is included.  Tuck a package of sanitizing wipes in the carry pouch so that when you arrive at your seat, the first thing you do is wipe down the table, highchair and anything that is within reach of your child. Then add the cover, then add the kid. Speaking of toys, it’s ideal to bring quiet toys that won’t disturb the other patrons, lightweight toys that keep the backpack manageable and socially interactive toys that focus on you and your child being together and enjoying the moment.  My top three favorites?

Mess-free Creativity!

Aquadoodle Travel N Doodle  is a soft, mess-free, portable and foldable drawing mat that includes a refillable “water pen” that magically makes red appear on one side of the mat and blue appear on the other.  The most your child gets on him/herself is a bit of water.  One suggestion: store the pen in a re-sealable plastic baggie or empty it before going home.  It can leak in the backpack.

Flexible Fun!

Wikki Stix™ are colorful, bendable, reusable, knitting yarn coated with non-toxic, microcystaline  wax for hours of endless-fun!  They stick to almost any smooth surface, including the Wikki Stix Book of Wiggles, Squiggles and Curlicues. (Gotta’ love that title!)  This hands-on board book has adorable illustrations that all hava a little something missing.  For example, piggy has no tail!  Wikki Stix can be repositioned over and over to give piggy a tail or perhaps to add a curly-cue of smoke to the top of the train’s smokestack.  According to their website, Wikki-stix “do not contain gluten, latex, no peanut or other nut oils and byproducts.”   For your child’s unique allergens, be sure to check with the manufacturer.

A Rainbow of Possibilities!

Beyondplay.com offers a set of 6 multi-colored, durable and transparent plastic paddles bundled on a ring and sized just right for little fists. Your little munch bugs will be thrilled to play “I Spy”,  watch their food change colors or peer at the waiter while he takes your order!

Safety when Ordering

Foodallergy.org is an excellent resource for a Chef’s Card, which is becoming commonplace in restaurant kitchens today.  Please don’t be shy and ask your waiter to give it directly to the chef, so that he/she may see in writing the exact ingredients and preparation methods that he/she must be aware of in order to keep your child safe.  Foodallergy.org offers a template for your Chef’s Card and recommends printing it on brightly colored paper and laminating it so it will stand out in the chaos of a restaurant kitchen.  Make three cards so if one gets lost, you always have a spare.

Emergency Safety

Include an epinephrine auto-injector in an outside pocket of the back pack that is clearly marked so you can easily find it in an emergency.  This is an ADDITIONAL auto-injector and not the one you carry day to day.  If you have the capability in your phone, program a reminder 2 weeks prior to expiration to replace this auto-injector with a new one.

 

Key to Success

The key to the success of the Restaurant Backpack is ONLY using it for dining out.  It’s not to be brought out for “Mommy needs 5 minutes to make this phone call” time, or for “Play with this while I do laundry time” or in response to Mommy, I want to do Wikki Stix!”.  If you truly want your kids to be enamored with what is in the pack, save it for dining out.  That way, it’s always new and fresh and, the essential safety items remain in the pack, like the Chef’s Cards and the epinephrine auto-injector. Once you return home, toss the high chair cover and carry pouch in the washer, refill wipes and other necessities and hang the backpack in an easy to reach spot for the next outing!  Be sure to store the backpack where it will remain at room temperature to ensure the viability of your epinephrine auto-injector.

Pre-teens and Teens

FAAN has some excellent videos specifically for pre-teens and teens.  Check out the video of this independent teenager being responsible for her own health when dining out with friends.

Tell me some of your ideas to make dining out memorable and safe!  I would love to hear from you!  Until then, here’s to creating happy memories dining out as a family… bon appetit!

About Melanie

Melanie is speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding.  Her work brings her into the homes and schools of her clients, kids, who for various reasons have difficulty with food or with eating. She works with kids and their parents to develop effective strategies that help children become “more adventurous eaters”.  At least 50% of her clients have food allergies or intolerances, and for them, “adventurous eating” takes on a special meaning.  Melanie is also the author of Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids” and the executive producer of “Dancing in the Kitchen.”

More Posts from Melanie

The 12 Days of Christmas -- My Favorite Lunchtime Things (Part 1)

Tips to Help Your Food Allergic Child Belong During the Holidays

How to Talk Turkey (and Food Allergies) at Thanksgiving

How Can Parents Feel Less Stress with a Food Allergic Child in School?

Love is In the Air… Valentine Ideas for Your Food Allergic Child

Great ideas from Guest Blogger, Melanie Potock of MyMunchbug.com.

Allergen-free Cookies from Cybele Pascal

Recipe from Cybele Pascal

This weekend,  kitchen tables everywhere will be piled high with home-made Valentine cards or frosted with flour and cookie cut-outs as everyone prepares for the traditional Valentine’s Day Party at school. For kids with food allergies or sensitivities, new ideas for alternative crafts or treats are plenty and I’d love to share some of them here with you!

Let’s get right to it: cookies, that is.  I mean, you have to have a heart shaped cookie on Valentine’s Day…I’m pretty sure there’s a law about that.  When I laid eyes on these delectable allergen-free “melt in your mouth” cookies from Cybele Pascal, I knew I had found the perfect little hearts to share with you. 

Fun Valentine Cards & Activities

MAMAGAGA

Speaking of little hearts, here’s a clever idea for a Valentine’s Day card that is not only from your child’s heart, but direct from his tiny hand!  Mamagaga.com created this easy tutorial where you take a photo of your child with their hand reaching toward the camera and then simply put the token of your choice in his hand as a special Valentine treat!  Allergy free options might include an organic lollypop, a Starbuck’s card (for teacher!) or a one-word, handwritten message in your child’s own lettering, such as “KISS”.

DOTTY VALENTINE

Another option for cards takes a bit more time and definitely adult supervision, but I loved these “dotty valentines” using precision Q-tips™.  The Crafty Crow recommends acrylic or tempura paints (contains egg) but another option would be Allergen Free Non-toxic finger paints either homemade or from  India Tree Natural Decorating Colors , which are made from vegetables.  As always, check ingredients to ensure that your child is safe and consult with kidswithfoodallergies.org for craft supplies that may contain allergens.

DEVELOP MOTOR SKILLS

Continue to challenge your kiddo’s fine motor skills with this lacing activity! Looking for an inexpensive class activity that doesn’t involve scooping up as much sugar and candy as little fists can hold and then piling it all on top of a processed cookie in less than 15 seconds?  This Valentine craft will keep tiny hands busy and the poor teacher won’t have to deal with 25 kids in a sugar coma after the party has ended.

Cupcakes!  GF, DF, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free

Let’s do the teacher, the kids and the other parents a favor and bring in a sweet pink treat that can’t be beat…wait for it…yes, “Beet-iful Cupcakes” by Gluten Free Gigi.  Bright reddish-pink cushions of heaven, thanks to the natural color of a roasted beet!  These are gluten, dairy, egg, soy and nut free, sweetened with honey and delish!

Gifts of Service

What I loved most as I explored all the options for Valentine’s Day, was this post that I felt gave the best examples of how we can express our love, even to those that we have yet to know.  Reach out to an army family, visit a nursing home, bring art supplies for Valentines to your local children’s hospital or write a message to the kids to help them heal... just like someone did here in the freshly fallen snow in Colorado!

It will warm your heart…and theirs.  

"Get Well Kids" written in the snow....

Happy Valentine’s Day Tender Foodies!

About Melanie

Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLPMelanie is speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding.  Her work brings her into the homes and schools of her clients, kids, who for various reasons have difficulty with food or with eating. She works with kids and their parents to develop effective strategies that help children become “more adventurous eaters”.  At least 50% of her clients have food allergies or intolerances, and for them, “adventurous eating” takes on a special meaning.  Melanie is also the author of Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids” and the executive producer of “Dancing in the Kitchen.”

More Posts from Melanie

How Can Parents Feel Less Stress with a Food Allergic Child in School?

Review:  The Magic of the BellyFULL Kit from the Hopeful Company

Parents: How to Talk Turkey (and Food Allergies) at Thanksgiving

This guest article continues our series on Thanksgiving with social tips to help dicuss food allergies with family and friends.

Next!

Phew!  Halloween has come and gone and you managed to  A) Keep you child with food allergies safe and sound while  B) actually enjoying the Halloween events – the class party, perhaps some Trick or Treating, and maybe a spooky Haunted House too!

Now, it’s November, and just as you find an allergen-laced Snickers™ bar hiding under the living room couch, the phone rings and it’s Aunt Apathy.  You know, the one who doesn’t seem to care about your kid’s life threatening food allergies?  “Allergies?” she questions you.  “Can’t you just give your kid a pill for that?” 

UGH!  You were dreading this call.  The entire extended family is gathering for the traditional Thanksgiving feast at Aunt Apathy’s.  Here we go – another holiday and another celebration with the potential to hurt your child, little Elsa, who is severely allergic to peanuts and intolerant to several other common foods.  

In this three part series, we will be addressing how to  1) Prepare your relatives for the cautions necessary to keep your child safe, 2) deal with the emotions when other adults just don’t “get it” and3.) Enjoy the big day while focusing on what Thanksgiving is really all about:  Gathering together with thankful hearts.

Here’s what you know for sure:
1.    You don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
2.    You don’t want to skip Thanksgiving or the memories.
3.    You need to keep your child safe.
4.    Again, you need to keep your child safe.

Accept the invitation, thank her and hang up.  Review 1, 2, 3 and 4.  Those three points are what you want to accomplish when you call her back.  So, write a script and call her back within the next 24 hours.  Open the conversation with “Have I caught you at a busy time?” so you are assured she is present and truly listening, then smile the entire time you are chatting with her on the phone.  People can hear you smile.  Be calm, yet friendly  – pretend you are in Mr. Roger’s neighborhood.  There’s never ever family drama there.

Here are a few scripts that might fit into your personal scenario:

The key phase here is “Would that be helpful?”

Everyone in our family is so excited to be coming to your house for Thanksgiving!  Elsa can’t stop taking about it! (This points out how important it is to Elsa and makes Auntie feel important in Elsa’s life, which she is.) I know it’s tricky to plan such a big event when someone with a food allergy is attending, so I wanted to offer to help in any way. (Keep talking so she can’t insert a “Oh No DEAR, that won’t be necessary”)  I would be happy to make a side dish or two that everyone could enjoy and Elsa could eat easily.  Would that be helpful so that you can prepare all the traditional dishes that you do so well?  

Now…onto the cross contamination topic…

Your concern (Open with this, even if she never seems concerned) about Elsa accidently being exposed to an allergen is always appreciated.  You don’t have to worry about her touching dairy products – she just can’t eat them or she will get pretty sick.  But, she can’t touch peanuts.  That’s the one you need to worry about the most, but it’s okay, I can be helpful with that.  Gosh, I can’t think of anything that you might be serving with peanuts though, can you?  OH, I just thought of one –my neighbors fry their turkey in the gigantic turkey fryer in the back yard – and I just learned they use peanut oil.  I would never had thought of that – peanuts in turkey!  There are so many hidden sources.  This might be helpful, save me the wrappers from any food and I’ll look over the ingredient list and we can decide then if Elsa can have it.   Or, would you like me to come and help the night before or early that morning?  (Now you have given her options to accept your help.  She maintains some power over her big event while you keep your child safe.)

When a traditional dish is ALWAYS part of the feast in your family, but your kid is allergic to it.

One of the things I am looking forward to are your famous sweet potatoes with that amazing buttery, maple sugar sauce!  It’s such a wonderful memory from my childhood! I know it won’t be a yummy as the one that you will make that day, but how about I bring a similar dish of sweet potatoes for Elsa?  That way, we can still have the tradition of your dish that means so much to all of us, and Elsa can have her own version too.  It is just really important to me that Elsa shares that memory with you.

Try these recipes for squash,  and for sweet potatoes.

When your child has a new or unanticipated dietary restriction...

I just wanted to give you the heads up that we took Nicholas off sugar 3 month ago.  It’s the first time that his immune system has done its job!  He didn’t catch any of those nasty start-of-school bugs that kept him home for weeks last year.  His doctor has encouraged us to keep it up (always good to insert an authority figure, like a doctor), even through the holidays.  I didn’t want to hurt your feelings if we bring him something sugar-free for dessert.  Or, would it be helpful if I brought  two or three of those fabulous sugar-free pumpkin pies from Molly’s Allergen-Free Bakery?
 
These conversations aren’t always easy: Aunt Apathy just isn’t going to see life the way you do, because food allergies are a new phenomenon for her generation.  But, deep down, we all have the same purpose for Thanksgiving.  It’s about gathering family and friends together, creating memories and establishing traditions.  If the two of you focus on those intentions, you have a common goal.  That means you care about the same thing.  Next thing you know, you’ll have to start calling her by her real name.  But for now, just call her “Auntie” and send her flowers the next day to thank her for all of her hard work and  for creating memories for your child will always cherish.

More Article for Parents

For more tips on dealing with schools, read:  How to Feel Less Stress With a Food Allergic Child in School.

Read Aimee's Story:   Second Thoughts About Thanksgiving.

About The Author

Melanie Potock, M.A., CCC-SLP of My MunchbugMelanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP, of www.mymunchbug.com.  Melanie is speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding.  Her work brings her into the homes and schools of her clients, kids, who for various reasons have difficulty with food or with eating. She works with kids and their parents to develop effective strategies that help children become “more adventurous eaters”.  At least 50% of her clients have food allergies or intolerances, and for them, “adventurous eating” takes on a special meaning.