The Family Table Project

03/20/2024

Looking forward to this event! Thanks for hosting Earlyon - Dufferin.

Join Jacalyn and us to discuss family nutrition, cost saving ideas, and introducing healthy options on March 22 from 1:00-3:00 pm
Jacalyn is a Pediatric Registered Dietician who can give you the confidence needed to make feeding safe and simple for all!
Please sign up using this link;
https://register.onehsn.com/Dufferin

11/16/2023

Shelburne EarlyON- November 17th
Join Jacalyn and us to discuss all your baby's feeding needs on Friday, November 17, from 10-12 p.m.
Jacalyn is a Pediatric Registered Dietician who can give you the confidence needed to make feeding safe and simple for all!
Please sign up using this link;
https://register.onehsn.com/Dufferin

06/14/2023

Thank you Earlyon - Dufferin ! Looking forward to this. Excited to see some babies :) I will be bringing some real food examples 🥑 🍌 🥣

Shelburne EarlyON- June 16th
Join us and Jacalyn to discuss all your baby's feeding needs on Friday June 16 @ 1-3pm. The site will only be open for this program!
Jacalyn is a Pediatric Registered Dietician who can give you the confidence needed to make feeding safe and simple for all!

04/21/2023

Looking forward to this! Thanks Earlyon - Dufferin I will be bringing some real food examples and ready to answer all your feeding questions 🥑 🍌 🥝🥦🫐🍗🍳

Shelburne EarlyON- April 21st
Join us and Jacalyn to discuss all your baby's feeding needs on Friday April 21 @ 1-3pm. The site will only be open for this program!
Jacalyn is a Pediatric Registered Dietician who can give you the confidence needed to make feeding safe and simple for all!

02/22/2023

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Tutor Doctor

01/26/2023

Looking forward to this tomorrow! Not only for starting solids - happy to answer any of your child feeding questions!!

Do you have an infant? Does that infant like to eat?😏This workshop is for you! Maybe you have started with solids and have questions or you are thinking about starting but aren't sure... bring your questions and ideas and lets talk about it with an expert!

01/22/2023

Sniff Sniff ...what's cooking Mum?

The sense of smell is a powerful one. It can transport us to a time and place. The smell of baked bread 🍞transports me to my childhood stepping off the bus and entering our home. Feelings of warmth and comfort.

Not only do our children create strong memories they can learn so much about a food when they smell it. We spoke in an earlier post about SIGHT. This week try talking to your kids while prepping food using their sense of smell. What does this lemon 🍋 smell like? e.g. fresh, sharp. What does it remind you of? e.g. picnics 🧺 , Grandma (hot lemon drinks).

WHY DO THIS? By engaging our kids with their senses it helps them LEARN about food in a pressure free environment. No pressure to try or to like it. This is hard since we tend to focus on trying foods but sit back and you will notice that when kids are not pressured and allowed to explore they may be more inclined to try. Takes patience ...but doesn't everything about parenting require patience??

I would love to hear what words your kids use when they smell different foods! Please post in comments below.

Happy smelling!

12/16/2022

The most common question I get over the years of teaching Starting Solids classes is "what first foods should I offer my baby?" The answer is IRON RICH foods! 🍗 🥩 🫘🍳

WHY? During the last trimester of pregnancy the mother transfers iron to babe and those iron stores last approximately 6 months. They need an external source of iron from food.

You can offer both plant🌱 or animal 🐮sources of iron. Babies are little carnivores at this age! Iron from animal or "heme" sources are more easily absorbed. Non-animal or "non-heme" sources are important sources but the iron is not so easily absorbed. You can introduce a combination of both right at 6 months of age.

Keep in mind, seafood 🦞 and fish 🐟 and nuts/tree nuts 🥜 are top allergen foods but also iron rich. For top allergen foods introduce them one at a time.

Iron-fortified infant cereal 🥣 is a common first food. These infant cereals have iron added to the cereal (not naturally found). Pureed meats such as beef 🥩 turkey 🦃 or chicken 🍗 are also great first foods. You can combine these foods with fruit 🍉 and vegetables 🥦 remembering to modify the texture based on the babies ability.

11/12/2022

Often times when a child says they don't like a food what they are really saying is they don't know the food.

A great place to start with a hesitant is to engage their sense of sight. Simply put, have a discussion with your child about what the food looks like.

Does it remind them of something ⛺️? What other things are that colour 🌲? Do you think it would roll like a bowling ball 🎳 or slide like a hockey puck 🏒?

You'll be surprised how much curiosity this simple conversation can bring about.

⭐️Remember the golden rule: No one has to like, no one has to try, it's just about engaging the senses the child chooses to use.

Here are some words to help get your conversation started!

11/09/2022

New Recipe Alert 🚨

Tofu is a SUPER versatile plant based protein source. This SIMPLE recipe makes CRISPY and FLAVOURFUL tofu that can be added to anything from stir fries to buddha bowls and everything in between.

From the pressing of the tofu, to the chopping of this spongy food, this recipe is great to tackle with your little and get them engaged in the kitchen.

Check out the cooking video 🎥 at TheFamilyTableProject.com or https://www.familytableproject.ca/blog/baked-tofu-reffl.

Baked Tofu Recipe📔

Ingredients:
- 1 package of tofu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp corn starch

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside

2. Remove tofu from packaging and wrap in a clean kitchen tea towel. Gently press on the wrapped tofu to release moisture. For a crispier final product, place a heavy object on top of the wrapped tofu block for up to 20 minutes.

3. After the tofu has been pressed, cut into 1 inch cubes.

4. To a large bowl add the cubed tofu and all other ingredients. Toss until cubes are evenly coated.

5. Place the coated tofu cubes onto the lined baking sheet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Let us know what you think in the comments below!