It happened! Finally! A cookbook for fun, delicious, AND healthy recipes for kids that uses an honest to goodness approach to feeding kids real foods, as they were meant to be. The Toddler Cafe by Jennifer Carden is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the world of kids’ cookbooks.
I own a company that teaches healthy cooking classes to children, so you can believe me when I tell you that the overwhelming majority of cookbooks “for kids†aren’t worth your time. Most of them focus on “kid food,†a concept that I find offensive to children. Why should they be doomed to a menu of hot dogs, pb&j and grilled cheese, when they could be eating tantalizing recipes like those found in The Toddler Cafe: Treasure Triangles, Mango Fandango, Pinto Panzanella and Knock Knock Gnocchi?
The Toddler Cafe offers fun, delicious, and creative recipes that will tempt even the pickiest of eaters. Jennifer encourages families to cook and eat healthy foods together, and to enjoy the process of being creative in the kitchen. The recipes contain fresh ingredients and lots of tips on how to stock a pantry so that families can prepare these recipes on a moment’s notice. There is even an organized grocery list template in the back of the book to save families time while shopping!
My children, ages 5-3/4 and 7-1/2 stood in the kitchen with me, ready to help, as I prepared Treasure Triangles for us to eat with dinner last night. My son smashed bananas and my daughter pinched the corners of puff pastry, trapping the delicious filling inside. They took turns brushing an egg wash on the dough to make it shiny for its debut from the oven. They gazed through the dimly lit glass of the oven door, waiting for the tops of our triangles to become golden and wondering how long they would have to wait for a taste.
It wasn’t long before there were puff pastry flakes littering the top of our table and the kids were asking for seconds… and thirds… and fourths! My daughter admitted that she felt nervous to taste the recipe because it contained black beans. But she said that when she tried it, she loved it - “I don’t even taste the black beans, I just taste warm sweetness, and want to eat more! Can I have the leftovers in my lunch tomorrow at school?†My son exclaimed, “Wow! Look inside - I got the luckiest one! I can see a bean!â€
Tags: cheese, cookbook, cookbooks, food, gaze, healthy food, healthy foods, Healthy Recipes, hot dogs, leftovers, pastry, real food, recipes