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Recipe Ideas Replacing Food Rewards Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 Green Eggs and Ham
1 teaspoon chopped green onion 1 teaspoon chopped green peppers 1 tablespoon chopped ham small amount of oil 3 teaspoons chopped spinach 1 egg 1 teaspoon milk salt and pepper
Saute the onion, peppers and ham with a little oil in an electric skillet. Add the spinach. Beat the egg, milk, salt and pepper together in a separate bowl. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and stir constantly until egg is set. Serve on a paper plate.
Orange Fluff
2 packages of orange gelatin 6 ounces unsweetened orange juice concentrate water
Pour ¼ cup water into a bowl and add 2 envelopes of orange gelatin. Stir the mixture and let set for 5 minutes. Add an additional ¾ cup boiling water and stir again until gelatin is dissolved. Pour mixture into an electric blender and add one 6-ounce can of frozen unsweetened orange juice concentrate. Blend until fluffy, then pour into small cups. Chill for at least 15 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 small servings.
Purple Cows
2 cups milk ½ cup grape juice 2 bananas
In a blender, add 2 cups of milk, ½ cup of purple grape juice and 2 sliced bananas. Blend on high until smooth and frothy. Makes 6 to 8 small servings.
Fruit Cups
1 orange ½ apple ½ banana
Scoop out the center of a navel orange half to make an orange cup. Cut first along the inside of the rind and then scoop out the whole fruit. Let the children help dice the orange segments along with half an apple and banana. Place all the fruit pieces in a bowl. The children can do the mixing. Let your child fill his or her own orange cup with the diced fruit.
Banana Dip
1 banana ½ cup yogurt
Peel a banana. Cut it into chunks using a plastic knife. Stick a toothpick into each banana chunk. Dip the chunks into yogurt.
Apple Smiles
½ apple 2 tablespoons peanut butter 4 miniature marshmallows
Cut two apple slices. Spread peanut butter on each apple slice. Press four miniature marshmallows into the peanut butter of one slice. Place the other slice, peanut butter down, on top of the marshmallows. Blue Milk
1 cup of milk 2 drops blue food coloring
Pour 1 cup of milk in a cup. Add two drops of food coloring to the milk. Gently stir the milk.
Pumpkin Banana Smoothie
½ cup milk 1 tablespoon canned pumpkin ½ sliced banana
Place ½ cup of milk, 1 tablespoon canned pumpkin and ½ of a sliced banana in an electric blender. Add a dash of cinnamon and mix on high until thoroughly blended. Serve in a paper cup with a straw.
Candlestick Salad
1 lettuce leaf 1 slice canned pineapple ¼- ½ unpeeled banana ½ teaspoon mayonnaise or yogurt 1 maraschino cherry
Wash the lettuce. Pat it dry with the paper towel. Place lettuce on a plate and lay 1 pineapple slice on the lettuce. Peel banana and stand the banana into the middle of the pineapple slice. Put ½ teaspoon mayonnaise (or yogurt) on top of the banana. Place 1 cherry on top of the mayonnaise (or yogurt).
ü Make a list of all the times food rewards are used. You may be surprised at how often your child is eating in the course of a day. ü Make a list of nonfood “motivators” for your child that are currently meaningful, such as stickers, stamps, Pokemon cards, Barbie accessories, sports stuff, verbal praise, “high fives”, or doing something special with you or a friend. ü If your child is quite attached to the food reward system, begin by having them earn one sticker or checkmark on an incentive chart before receiving the food reward. As they get used to the system, increase the number of stickers to two, then three, then five and so on. When you increase the number of stickers they need to earn, especially for tasks they mastered well, tell them you are doing that because they are growing up so fast or doing so well. Make a goal to need to earn more stickers. ü Once you increase the number of stickers or checkmarks to earn for a reward, discuss changing the reward from food to something more tangible. For instance, when they earn ten stickers, they can get a dollar for a trip to the toy store. They can save their money or spend it right away. ü When you begin this process, it is important to have a visual way for the child to follow their progress so they don’t become discouraged. Use incentive charts to help track progress. ü Some examples of non-food rewards include: a trip to a special park, playing a favorite game, or having a friend over.
Changing how you entice your child to do their work or behave the way you want is difficult. Also, sometimes children need to do their work or behave a certain way without a reward. Your child needs to learn to do something because it is what is expected in a certain situation, not because he/ she is going to get something from it.
Source: Medlen, Joan, The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook |
