It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookFellow raw food MOMS—- please help. I have a 3 year old and a 2 year old. It seems we have an endless circuit of birthday parties this year with my 3 year old. She is just a real trooper and knows why we are eating healthier food. BUT, it just kills me to see her sitting with the other children and “wishing/coveting/longing” for a piece of cake (and ice cream if they are having it as well). How do you handle it??? I have been bringing her truffles and she really loves those. And the questions from the Mothers, jeez! What are some creative things to do, recipes to make or treats to provide that my daughter doesn’t feel mistreated or deprived. (and please note that this is probably harder on me than it is on her but I am a Mother, what can I say??)
Comments
Hi softcita, I don’t have any children… but I can offer some ideas. I have a sweet tooth and always looking for easy ways to make raw sweets… fast.
Coconut Macaroons are easy, and fast to make. I use Sarma’s recipe and don’t dehydrate… but, here is one on Gone Raw that is quite similar.
Another treat is a chocolate/carob pudding. That is also delicious. I’ve seen recipes that use avocado, coconut, or bananas. I’ve only tried it with avocado. If using carob, use about 1/4 of the amount that it calls for cacao. Carob’s taste is different, and there is only so much one can eat at one time… so always use less. I bet the pudding would also make a good icing-for a raw-cupcake.
The pudding and macaroons may be a good treats to share with others kids. Hopefully they would like it.
Carrot spice cake is also nice… especially for Oct-Dec months.
On Purely Delicious magazine (ed. Spring 2007), there was a blueberry pie recipe. It is so easy to make… actually it was in the “kids” section of the magazine. For the filling, it only used 3 ingredients – about 5 cups bluberries, a few bananas, and honey to sweeten. Use less bananas for a less “banana taste” and refrigerate. It was one of Alissa Cohen’s recipes.
If I had the time and energy to open lots of coconuts, I would make myself a cheesecake. You can freeze it and it will keep… ready to eat… whenever. :o)
Here is a link to raw_mama who posted about her son’s 2nd birthday party… and it was raw!
My 2-year-old DD has severe food allergies (dairy, soy, wheat, nuts, seafood, shellfish) and she has pretty much always been excluded from party food and will be even more so as I am transitioning her to raw. That said, it’s not really so bad for them. I am very conscious to explain to her why she can’t have what the other kids will be it will make her feel sick/is not good for her, etc. I also make sure to bring a variety of things that she likes. Another thing is that I always mention to moms that she has food restrictions and ask if they will have anything that she will be able to eat. All of my friends know and make an effort to have fruit/veggies gluten * nut free something there. I think that her being able to eat one of the “party foods” also helps to make her feel more included.
I really think it’s harder for us to watch them, feeling like somehow we are depriving them, but really we are doing what is best for their little bodies. I could let my daughter eat some wheat flour cake and she wouldn’t have an anapylatic reaction, but I know later her eczema would flare up and she would feel bad. I would feel worse knowing I was caving into something that was not good for her just so she didn’t feel left out, KWIM? Hopefully the ability to be independent and not need to follow the crowd will follow them into their teens when they will have bigger issues to deal with.
(BTW, the snacks I typically brought were varations of cake/candy that she can eat, rice bars, dried fruit, rice pasta, etc. Now that I’m transitioning her to raw, I’ll just bring the raw varaitions of these things.)
I haven’t got kids but I think I know what they would like.
Raw pizza goes down well with kids this one especially! – http://www.goneraw.com/recipes/362-Shazzies-Pizza
Fruit leathers would be easy and tasty. Banana crepes filled with nut cream and smothered with raw jam are prefect for a sticky mess type of treat. http://www.goneraw.com/recipes/7-Banana-Crepe
Donut holes are amazing and actually taste like donuts! http://www.goneraw.com/recipes/693-Donut-Holes
Ice cream is easy to make as well, maybe she could have a little freezer bag to take with her.
Some chocolate mylk in a flask would be lovely…easy on the cacao though I have no idea what that stuff could do to a toddler! Maybe carob and nut mylk would be bette, or a strawberry milkshake.
Marinated and then dehydrated sweet potato is also a good much food.
I think you are a wonderful mum for doing this for your children. Try getting hold of Eating without heating by Sergei and Valya Boutenko, a raw book written by kids…kid fiendly recipes.
Thank you all for your helpful recipes and encouragement. I didn’t even think to pack ice cream for her. I just need to work harder at being prepared. Please continue to think of me when you have sweets and treats and pass along your favorites/winners . I am not much of a sweet or treat eater, and neither is my husbnad. Maybe it’s just been too long since we were children ;-)
One of my friends, a fellow mom of children with allergies, has a “birthday party kit” that she always has ready. She keeps cupcakes in the fridge (she’s vegan, but not raw) and other easy to grab treats on hand so that she always has them for special events. Maybe you can make little ice creams and keep them in small containers to grab last minute, so that way you don’t have to do too much planning.
Hi, I am a Mom of a 3 year old and we haven’t started the going to birthday parties and maybe we will maybe we won’t. But for now we just do birthday celebrations….special events for our childs and our birthday (day at the zoo, day at the beach, and who know skydiving when he is 16). But I do have some ideas about treats…I have been making homemade GRAPEFRUIT & LEMON/LIME POPSICLES for a long time. You can buy those plastic popsicle things and just squeeze those juices and let freeze. Depending on how you feel about agave nectar you may add some of that but we like them without. That is something you can share and even tell other Moms about and can do other fruits as well.
It is hard thinking they may feel deprived but many times it is what we think they are feeling and they may just realize we eat different from others. It is a hard road sometimes but I have learned to be gentle with myself and tell myself I am doing what I believe is best for my child. GOOD LUCK!!! cajcookie