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Kids & Company Blog
Nutritious and Easy: How to Modify Food Textures for Children of All Ages
March is Nutrition Month and to celebrate, Chef Lisa Ruscica, VP of Culinary Operations and Chief Food Ambassador at Kids & Company shares her tips on time-saving techniques in modifying food textures to suit various age groups. Her valuable insights on time-saving approaches will help you in preparing nutritious food for all your children! Chef Lisa creates all of our Kidco Kitchen recipes served to our children daily…so she knows a thing or two about what children will eat!
Believe me, I completely understand how busy today’s parents are. When my children were younger, I was always looking for different ways to create a few extra minutes in a day, especially during dinner time. It can be a lot of work, particularly when you have a 10-month-old baby and a child in kindergarten. Their eating abilities and preferences are at two very different levels. Instead of trying to come up with two entirely different meals (which would take more time and prep!) for all of your children, you can modify the texture of the meal you are making to suit both children.
I plan the meals at the Kidco Kitchen around this principle. I want all children to be able to enjoy the same menu items. Instead of reinventing the menu for different developmental stages, I work with my kitchens and chefs to modify the textures of our food so that they can be served to all age groups.
How We Modify Food Textures at our Child Care Locations
We love serving fruits and vegetables on the Kidco Kitchen menu. We engage in methods such as steaming and pureeing the vegetables so the texture is suitable for the age group we are catering to. For fruit, we dice them into appropriately sized pieces depending on the age of the child.
How To Easily Modify Food Textures at Home
Your blender and food processor will become your best friends if you have a young child at home. If you're looking to make a puree, remove the skins, seeds, pits, and other inedible parts from the food. Cut it into small pieces and cook until tender. By adding just a bit of water, stock, or unsweetened fruit juice as needed, you can puree the food item, whether it be a pasta dish or a solid fruit. The best part about all of this is you know exactly what is going into the food your child is being served. As your youngest child gets older, you can mash instead of puree the different foods or work on cutting food items into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
The best part is that younger children love to mimic their older siblings. They’re always looking for ways to feel just like their big brother or sister. Have fun experimenting with different textures and your children will definitely let you know what they like the best!
Are you a Kidco family? Enter for your chance to win a gourmet feast, prepared by the Kidco Kitchen, as well as a $100 ezpz gift card here!
Looking for child-approved recipes? Check out the Kidco Kitchen recipe book – volume 1, here! To view all Kidco Kitchen recipes, click here.
This blog was written by Chef Lisa Ruscica, VP of Culinary Operations and Chief Food Ambassador at Kids & Company. Chef Lisa creates all of our Kidco Kitchen recipes served to our children daily…so she knows a thing or two about what children will eat!
Posted on: Thursday March 21st, 2024
Posted by: Kids & Company
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Bow Trail
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Millrise
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Royal Oak Out of School Care and Child Care
Glendeer: New – Open for Enrollment
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Pine Village Porter Square, by Kids & Company
Canton
Jackson
Lincoln Park
Harrison
West Loop
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Sweet Kiddles University Circle, part of the Kids & Company Family
Cochrane
Brightstart Coquitlam, by Kids & Company
Dartmouth
Dover
Walpole North
Eastern Passage
Ellerslie
Edmonton Ice District
Baturyn
Diamond
Friendly Frog
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St. Charles
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Sunshine Factory
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Century Park: New – Open for Enrollment
Islington
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ABC Kiddie Kampus Exeter, by Kids & Company
Apple Hill Academy Freehold by Kids & Company
Halifax
Hamilton
Hammonds Plains
Route 39
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Swatara
Apple Hill Academy Howell by Kids & Company
Sweet Kiddles Hudson, part of the Kids & Company Family
Hummelstown
Pine Village JP Revere, by Kids & Company
Pine Village JP South Street, by Kids & Company
Kamloops
Eagleson (South Kanata)
Crayon College, by Kids & Company
Tyke Town Lake St. Louis, by Kids & Company
ABC Lake St. Louis, by Kids & Company
Kids World
Langley (200th St.)
London Richmond
Sackville
Apple Hill Academy Manalapan by Kids & Company
119 Avenue, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney House (Infant/Toddler and 3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney Church (Preschool/OSC/3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Edge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
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Harry Hooge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Alouette, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Silver Valley, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Whonnock, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Under The Sun Marlton, part of the Kids & Company Family
Sweet Kiddles Medina, part of the Kids & Company Family
Milton
Lougheed, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Stave Falls, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Briskham, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Robert Speck Parkway
Mississauga Gateway Centre
Nanaimo
Pine Village Needham, by Kids & Company
Ottawa Barrhaven
New Westminster
Pine Village West Newton, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Newton Highlands, by Kids & Company
North Vancouver
North Van Esplanade
O’Fallon South
ABC O’Fallon, by Kids & Company
Oakville Cornwall
Oakville Dundas
Joshua Creek
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Okotoks
ABC Kiddie Kampus Old Forge, by Kids & Company
Ottawa Albert
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ABC Kiddie Kampus Pittston, by Kids & Company
Brightstart Port Coquitlam, by Kids & Company
Port Moody
Marina Bay
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Red Deer
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Head Office
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ABC St. Charles, by Kids & Company
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ABC St. Peters, by Kids & Company
Stoney Creek
Under The Sun Stratford, part of the Kids & Company Family
Sweet Kiddles Strongsville, part of the Kids & Company Family
Morgan Crossing
Surrey Professional Centre
King George
Brightstart Cloverdale, by Kids & Company
Sylvan Lake
Bloor Christie
Bloor (Bloor St. East)
Consumers
Finch
Front
Scotia Plaza
Stockyards
St. Andrew’s Church
Liberty Village
Rosedale
Queen West
Tyke Town Troy, by Kids & Company
Vancouver West
Cambie
Langford
Victoria
Walpole South
Waterdown
Tech Town
Under The Sun West Deptford, part of the Kids & Company Family
West Quincy
Sweet Kiddles Westlake, part of the Kids & Company Family
Whitby
ABC Kiddie Kampus East Mountain, by Kids & Company
Winnipeg
West York
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