Forum Thermomix

Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: natmum on July 13, 2011, 01:57:54 am

Title: Need ideas
Post by: natmum on July 13, 2011, 01:57:54 am
??? My DS has started new medication but it has affected his appetite and now I need to find things to have ready to feed him ..but they need to be healthy too , we need to keep his weight up so I thought I would post here as you are all very wise ladies with great ideas. Thanks.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: obbie on July 13, 2011, 04:22:50 am
What about quiches, or zucchini slice ect.


healthy low fat muffins.

Robyn
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: cookie1 on July 13, 2011, 05:10:05 am
Natmum I have taught children in the same situation and it is hard. I guess things will have to look appetising to him. Would he like to eat things he makes? Milk shakes etc with fruit in.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: Cuilidh on July 13, 2011, 05:35:06 am
Hi natmum, sorry to hear about your DH's appetite turnaround. I have always loved my food, but many years ago I was pretty sick and I can recall going without food for 24 hours at one time and not even noticing, I just lost all interest in food and nothing took my fancy.  What you need is something appetising but loaded with goodness and taste.  I think it was actually the pain killers that depressed my appetite, but I was rattling round like a pill bottle, so it could have been anything!

Could I suggest that you take a look at Quirky Jo's blog on quirkycooking.blogspot.com she is a fount of information and helpful ideas.  Although a lot may be connected to food intolerances, I think it is a good place to browse and see if any ideas come to you.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: CreamPuff63 on July 13, 2011, 05:44:30 am
miso soup, what about the Milo on this forum, grated apple/cheese/carrot, soups, soft boiled eggs with toast soldiers for dipping, homemade low fat dips, yoghurt and fruit
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: Cuilidh on July 13, 2011, 05:50:05 am
CP63 I've have never made miso soup, and I know I should because it is full of all good things - is it easy?  I know there was a discussion on here about it recently but for some reason I didn't follow it.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: djinni373 on July 13, 2011, 06:48:54 am
Natmum how old is he? Does he like chicken? An easy and healthy small meal is chicken loaf mix (with lots of veg & even tinned beans zapped in the thermie) cooked in muffin tins and then dipped in his favourite sauce or soup. Leftovers muffins can be reheated in the microwave as a hot snack or eaten cold with "finger" salads. Let me know if you want the recipe. Also his favourite smoothie in the fridge maybe.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: Decadent Dot on July 13, 2011, 07:00:49 am
I'm with Cookie1 in that making their own goes a long way e.g. smoothies. His own machine and recipe book and his own  growing patch in the garden would help.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: judydawn on July 13, 2011, 07:34:35 am
Some great ideas here Natmum - Chicken soup is a wonderfully healthy meal too if you can get him to eat it.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: natmum on July 13, 2011, 10:41:23 am
Great ideas...he is 7 ..is really hard as the things he really loved now also don't interest him..even tried Macdonalds today..still not taken was definately thinking the milo on here as it contains heaps...just brought some Pentavite to see if maybe on that it might improve...It has been over 2 weeks now since we have had 1 meal eaten! Lunches have not been eaten at school for months but usually once his medication wore off he ate me out of house and home but not now!! trying trying..tonight chicken and creamy veg pie!! Tomorrow chicken and sweetcorn soup!..will update you all..Thanks again
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: judydawn on July 13, 2011, 10:58:05 am
What do the doctors say Natmum?  Good luck in your efforts, I'd be tearing my hair out if I was in your situation.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: faffa_70 on July 13, 2011, 12:40:32 pm
I know exactly where you are coming from Natmum, mine is 17 now and till suffers the same thing on his meds  :( though not as bad now as when he was younger.

Custard and tinned fruit (out of season) or stewed in season or frozen berries were one of his foods that started his eating again. I got to the point that what ever he would eat that was ok (apart from junk food obviously!!) but if it was breakfast time and he wanted custard that was what he got.

Good luck I know how hard and worrying it is. My DS was under 50kg until he hit 15 and then puberty kicked in  :)
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: Bedlam on July 13, 2011, 01:17:31 pm
When mine were little I used to sneak multivitamin drops( called abdec  I think) and egg into milk shakes.  Mind, my baby was 17 recently ,so it was a while ago.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: bluesed on July 13, 2011, 02:13:46 pm
Would be easier to give you some suggestions if you told us what foods your husbands likes or dislikes.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: CreamPuff63 on July 13, 2011, 03:38:04 pm
another thing is, if you are trying to promote good eating and the person in question only wants to eat junk food....do not provide junk food...therefore, the only thing they will eat will be good food either for snacks or meals, and either sort of doesn't matter cos its good (thats until you kick into regular meals).

I absolutely abhor seeing young kids with boxes of salty biscuits and snacks. I have heard mums say "well at least they are eating something!". Yeah right (wha-evvor! - just a cop out in my books). I have always had home cooked biccy's etc for my kids, but have always had lots of fruit as well. I have never made a big song and dance about it because by nature I love making sweet things, but I would say to my kids"have something good, before you have something bad". We talk alot about food, and the crap thats in food, and what we can get out of certain foods, how it affects what we eat individually. But, we have a discussion about it and in the end depending upon the age its up to the individual or the parent. The food we eat is SO important...and natmum, also make sure the little one is drinking lots of water, and I really don't see how you can go wrong!

Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: judydawn on July 13, 2011, 09:44:47 pm
Natmum, I have pm'd you the recipe for the Miso soup.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: natmum on July 14, 2011, 09:51:47 am
Thanks again
Dinner worked last night he picked home made chicken pie loaded with veggies.
Going to do his favourite tonight chiceken and sweetcorn soup.
We eat most things in this house from spicey to plain all veggies and fruit. DS and husband don't like alot of dairy but it is okay in cooking just not smoothies. DS use to only have rice milk but now I tend to give him the A2? milk or lactose free. Will make a heap of muffins and a zuccini slice this weekend so hopefully we are on an up ..but will definately try the miso soup. He is also eating bread so will make my own too!
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: faffa_70 on July 14, 2011, 10:08:37 am
Chia seed gel (there is an entry on Chelsea's blog about it) and LSA make great additions to bread   ;)
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: Cuilidh on July 14, 2011, 09:26:16 pm
I love LSA.  I make my own and sprinkle it on my porridge every day, I also include a good tablespoon of Kapai Puku (http://www.kapaipuku.com/pages/original.html) and cook it in with the rolled oats.  For me, this is real comfort food and a great breakfast.  I prefer it to just any and everything else and it's full of lots of good, nutritional things.

By the way, don't be put off by the unusual name of Kapai Puku, it is worth giving it a go.  
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: quirkycooking on July 14, 2011, 11:56:51 pm
Oh, poor kid :( I hope he's starting to eat more now. In the past I've struggled with gaining weight (in that I couldn't gain weight and needed to) and I found a cookbook ('Eat Up!') especially for people who need to gain weight! It was really helpful. I also found an old book with tips for people who had no appetite & needed to eat nutritious, weight building meals. The most help I got was from a naturopath who helped me figure out what was blocking the nutrients (mostly wheat, & I was also reacting to dairy) and once I got rid of those I finally gained weight. Here's a quote from one of the books:

"It's not how much you eat, but how much you assimilate that builds a strong body. Weak, run-down persons stuff themselves in an effort to gain strength, and more food often than not merely adds to their troubles. The vital elements of most foods are locked in minute cells which must be broken down to release their building elements. This breaking-down process should be well begun before the food reaches the stomach." He goes on to talk about how food needs to be chewed to a 'fine, milky paste' before it is swallowed, to get the most from it - but generally we're hurrying and don't chew properly. So it's a good idea to use a 'blender' (this was pre-Thermomix days!) to whip food into an easy to digest consistency.

The most nutritious combinations of foods to blend are protein with fruit juices - so nuts /eggs /cheese whizzed with fresh fruit to make creamy juices. Also 'cream of' soups - you can blend the raw veges with milk, add some herb salt & a tsp butter, and barely warm it up. The Thermomix is so perfect for this - whiz up the milk & veges on speed 9 for a minute, then barely warm on 37 degrees. That way you've got the nutrients of the raw veges but it's much easier to eat. Some veges that work well like this are fresh green peas, shallots, raw beetroot, carrots, parsley, spinach, asparagus, & mushrooms. (The suggestion is that you do just one vege on it's own - 1 cup of milk to a handful of the chopped vege, plus salt & butter.) You can just tip it into a mug and let him sip on it.

Another suggestion - eat smaller meals, more often! Don't expect him to be able to eat a normal sized meal at one sitting. 4-5 'meals' a day is better. Sometimes that might just be a smoothie & some nuts or fruit. Or custard, as Faffa said.

Anyway, here's some ideas of foods that I found helpful:

Breakfast & snack ideas:
- freshly squeezed juices whizzed up with egg/nuts/cheese - the high sugar content (good sugars!) in juices are helpful with weight gain (pineapple or orange juice & blanched almonds, raw cashews or pecans; pineapple with a couple of tablespoons cottage cheese or orange juice with cream cheese)
- banana & egg in smoothies - bananas are great for weight gain! (I would use a non-dairy recipe with nut milk, like this Banana Nut Butter Protein Shake (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/10/banana-nut-butter-protein-shake.html) or Chocolate Almond Smoothie (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2009/08/chocolate-or-carob-almond-smoothie.html))
- avocado on toast/crackers
- hot chocolate made all on milk (again I'd use dairy free nut milks - try my Creamy Cashew Milk Hot Chocolate (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2011/06/creamy-hot-chocolate-dairy-free.html))
- Swiss Breakfast (handful of soaked oats & almonds topped with grated apple & cream/yoghurt & a little honey/maple syrup)
- sliced banana with cream/yoghurt
- cooked cereals (I like the Chinese style drinking porridge in the EDC - makes a lot though, might want to halve it)
- a tablespoon black molasses stirred into milk of choice, slightly warm is nice
- fruit salad/cereal with chopped nuts (or try one of these: pink fruit cereal (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/08/pink-fruit-cereal.html), raw fruit cereal (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/01/raw-fruit-cereal.html)
- custard
- banana ice cream (chocolate banana ice-cream (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/02/chocolate-banana-nut-ice-cream.html), toffee pecan crunch ice cream (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/05/toffee-pecan-crunch-ice-cream-dairy.html))
- stewed fruit with cream/yoghurt/cashew cream (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/07/cashew-cream.html)
- wholemeal scones (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2009/09/dairy-free-spelt-scones.html) with homemade jam (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/10/naturally-sweetened-strawberry-jam.html) & cream
- apple pie with cream
- apple berry custard crumble (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2008/12/this-is-one-of-my-familys-most.html)

Lunches & dinners:
- homemade mayonnaise on any salads
- waldorf salad
- egg salad with wholemeal toast & butter
- nourishing soups & broths (especially chicken or potato)
- lightly cooked spinach (can be added to soup/broth just before serving so it wilts but isn't overcooked)
- fish/chicken/hamburger patties, grilled, with baked potato & a little salad/steamed veges (butter or mayo on potato) - I found when I had no appetite, the one thing I could stomach was plain beef or turkey mince patties with herb salt!
- tuna & celery salad with homemade mayo on toast or in a sandwich
- beef stroganoff or stew on pasta or mashed potatoes
- baked sweet potatoes
- casseroles
- seafood/chicken with cheese sauce on pasta
- baked macaroni & cheese

Okay, there's a few ideas!!  :D Hope that helps :)
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: natmum on July 15, 2011, 04:24:08 am
Thanks Jo..I read your blog and follow you on facebook too>>great ideas. I agree I am not big either and I try to feed all of us small frequent meals as we have a very fast matbolism.
He is on the up!!
Ate his favourite soup..Chicken and sweetcorn!!
But love all the ideas!!
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: quirkycooking on July 15, 2011, 05:47:10 am
Yay!! Chicken & sweetcorn soup - how could you resist that!! yum  ;D
Yeah, I know I definitely need lots of little meals each day, or I get all 'woozy'!!
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: natmum on July 18, 2011, 01:45:08 pm
 ;) Update..we are eating loads of small healthy meals and I'm now breathing and if he won't eat dinner I have a fridge and cupboard full of quick easy yummy food...added LSA mix to everything from muffins to savoury rolls so I feel better knowing what he is putting in is great!!
Thanks so so much for all the advice!!
Don't want him loosing weight as this gives MIL another reason to complain (thinking another word!!)
God bless her but he is mine and I will make the choices!! (thinking out load)
She can't cook so she would never own a TM  so will never be on here!!
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: judydawn on July 18, 2011, 01:56:21 pm
Glad to hear that natmum, it must have been a dreadful worry for you.  Does he help you cook in the TMX?  That could be an idea, kids will often eat what they cook rather than what Mum cooks.  Hope it is onwards and upwards from here so MIL can get off your back for one reason but mainly for DS's wellbeing.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: Cuilidh on July 18, 2011, 08:54:47 pm
Judy's post had led me on to think of the move in some schools now where the kids grow then eat their own veges - would that work?  Even if you started with sprouting seeds in a jar in the kitchen?  Just an idle thought.
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: KylieJade on July 18, 2011, 11:37:28 pm
Natmum - I would also suggest the miso soup-just make sure you get the live fresh miso from the fridge in the health food store. Also Green smoothies! My favourite treatment for EVERYTHING! make them really yummy lots of fruit. The enzymes in the greens and the finely blended smoothie from the TMX means absorbtion is instant - more like having a blood transfusion than a drink! No milk - as this only slows the absorbtion. some of my faves are -

Tuscan Delight
2 bunches Tuscan Cabbage – remove stems
Small bunch Parsley
3 Pears – peel and core
1 Banana
Handful Blueberries

Basil Berry Smoothie
I bunch English Spinach
Small Handful Basil
Small handful Mint
1 Punnet Strawberries
1 Banana
1 Pear– peel and core
1 Kiwi Fruit - peel

Purple Zest
1 bunch Bok Choy - remove stems
Small handful Rocket
2 pink lady Apples
½ Banana
1 cup frozen mixed berries

Mango Heaven
1 bunch Sliver beet – remove stems
Small bunch Parsley
2 Mangos
1 Punnet Strawberries
1 Banana
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: natmum on July 19, 2011, 07:32:27 am
Thanks again
We grow veggies and he loves to cook..just think the medication settling in made a huge problem. As he has always loved his food..he was my Boombubba as he was huge but then he started moving and never stopped. I think he just went so long with nothing but then he was craving sugar foods but then also getting really hungry after meals and we were not letting him have anything. But now have decided to have plenty of ready to eat healthy food to eat whenever..as I think keeping the weight on is the most important thing.
Thanks for all the ideas
I will be making more and keeping fridge stocked!
Title: Re: Need ideas
Post by: Frozzie on July 22, 2011, 07:02:14 am
wow I feel for you natmum and for your little boy and it must be so hard and worrying and Im not sure at his age they really know what they like...im sure you have already done it but maybe focus on dishes that he has eaten 'quickly' in the past as I find kids at that age tend to drag out their eating or hardly eat unless its something they really liked and thats kids with no medications creating problems...I think the best advice is follow your gut..you are after all his mum and know him best and all the advice in the world isnt going to tell you something you dont already know and Im sure he will come round.  Maybe taking the focus off the eating too and making it something fun and sneak the eating in..just a thought...hang in there  :)