Does you preschooler love cinnamon toast but you hate the mess they make? Here’s a great solution.
Blend cinnamon and sugar into a tub with soft spread margarine. The kids can spread it themselves without so much mess.
Do you have other ideas for simple things like this that will make mealtimes easier and more fun? Write your idea in a comment below.
Prep: 10 minutes * Total: 15 minutes * Serves 6 * Packable
1 cup (240cc) sauteed or roasted chicken or turkey cubed or pureed 1/2 cup (120cc) cheese1/2 cup (120cc) each of yellow squash and carrot purees 4 ounces (110gm) cream cheese 6 large whole wheat tortillas. (Note: if tortillas are not readily available in your area, there is a recipe at Peter’s Wife . Whole wheat flour can be substituted for white flour for more nutrition.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line baking sheets with foil or parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together the chicken or turkey, cheese, squash and carrot purees, cream cheese, and garlic powder and salt to taste. Cut the tortillas in half. Place one half on the work surface with the straight edge facing you. Spread about 2 Tablespoons (30cc) of the filling along that edge from one side to the other. Starting at the edge, roll the tortilla into a cigar shape, completely enclosing the filling. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Stuff and roll the rest of the tortillas the same way. Bake until the tortillas begin to brown, 4-5 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
Prep: 3 minutes * Total: 10 minutes * Serves 4
4 large eggs
2 Tablespoons (30cc) of puree. Choose from banana, pineapple, sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash or pumpkin
4 slices of whole-wheat bread
Ground Cinnamon
Oil or non-stick cooking spray
2 teaspoons (10cc) of soft margarine
Whisk the eggs, puree, and ground cinnamon to taste.
Add the bread slices and turn them over in the mixture to soak for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Spray or very lightly oil a griddle or skillet and set over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the soft margarine. When the margarine sizzles, add the soaked bread slices and cook until golden brown on the outside, 2-3 minutes per side.
Serve warm with syrup, confectioners’ sugar or fruit.
by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
In her book, Raising Your Spirited Child, Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, has a number of different tools to evaluate your child. The following are just excerpts from her book. If these are interesting to you, I encourage you to buy her book.
You can purchase the book from Amazon.com
Evaluating your child’s temperament
Evaluating the parents’ temperaments
The Introvert/Extrovert Survey
| Level of Dehydration | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimal or none (less than 3% loss of body weight) |
Mild to moderate (between 3%-9% loss of body weight) |
Severe (over 9% loss of body weight) |
|
| Mental status | Well; alert | Normal; fatigued or restless, irritable | Apathetic, lethargic, difficult to wake, unconscious |
| Thirst | Drinks normally; might refuse some liquids | Thirsty; eager to drink | Drinks poorly; unable to drink; vomits most liquids |
| Heart rate | Normal | Normal to increased | Increased heart rate with weak pulses |
| Quality of pulses | Normal | Normal to decreased | Weak or thready pulses, or pulses you are unable to feel |
| Breathing | Normal | Normal; fast | Deep |
|
Soft spot on the front of the head in babies(called the fontanel) |
Normal | Normal to slightly sunken | Sunken |
| Eyes | Normal | Slightly sunken | Deeply sunken |
| Tears | Present | Decreased | Absent (cries without tears) |
| Mouth and tongue | Moist | Dry | Parched, Dry, Sticky |
| Skin folds (gently pinch your child’s skin on their abdomen, hold it for a few seconds and then let it go to see how long it takes to return to the normal position) |
Instantly returns to normal | Returns to normal in less than 2 seconds | Either remains wrinkled or returns to normal in over 2 seconds |
| Capillary refillbriefly press on your child’s skin so that it blanches or turns white, and see how long it takes to return to normal | Normal | Prolonged | Prolonged; minimal |
| Extremities | Warm | Cool | Cold; mottled; cyanotic |
| Urine output | Normal to decreased | Decreased |
Minimal |
|
As a reminder, this information should not be relied on as medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice of your child’s pediatrician.