Fish Stick Recipe

Note: Outdated picture

Our daily schedule at the home daycare has changed slightly. You can see the new schedule by looking under the "Pages" heading to the right of the home page.

Other things are changing slightly, such as the menu. As you all know, toddlers can be very picky eaters, and what they like one day might differ from what they want to eat the next day. I am broadening the menu, as I find new ideas to keep them interested in mealtime. So keep your eye on the menu "page", as I will be periodically updating it.

Some of you may have read an earlier post about the safety of canned tuna. I did try giving them tuna sandwiches in the end. I figured, after researching information on this topic, that it was far healthier to include tuna, in moderation, than to completely omit it for fear of high mercury content. It turns out, they are not into trying tuna sandwiches right now! I can try again in a few weeks, or I can try a different presentation of the tuna, perhaps in a casserole. My main goal with the tuna was to get them eating Omega-3 fatty acids, which are supposed to be very important to brain development. For information of their benefits, see the sites below.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/intelligenceandmemory/omega_three.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid

The reason I had chosen to serve them tuna was because I thought they would immediately like it. I guess I introduced it too late. So, I have been thinking about other ways for the kids to get Omega-3 fatty acids in their diet. One thing I did was to buy Omega-3 eggs, which they seem to enjoy as much as regular eggs. I have also been meaning to buy flax seed bread. Flax seed is apparently an inferior form of Omega-3, but it is still better than nothing. The best source of Omega-3's, the experts say, is from fish. The trick is to find fish your kids will eat that is also low in mercury. For a chart on mercury levels in different fish, visit:
http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115644.htm
If you would rather have the short version, fish low in mercury, and that a child may actually eat are: salmon (fresh or canned), haddock (NOT halibut!), cod, shrimp, trout and tilapia.
 
I found a recipe on the internet for fish sticks, which the kids really enjoyed. I used cod. The recipe can be found at: http://wondertime.go.com/life-at-home/article/fish-stick-recipe_PF.html