The Gourmet Mama

Photo by thebusybrain

You can hardly have summer without chowing down on a hotdog at least once, especially if you have children.  But most of us don’t really enjoy the cardboard tasting buns, bland wieners and ketchup that make up the regular hotdog. So how do we make that summer favorite into a gourmet treat that kids and adults alike will love and come back for seconds and thirds?

First, you want to start with the wiener itself. Try and choose a higher quality meat rather than the regular bulk ones. Find a package that says “100% beef” to make sure that you aren’t getting any mystery meats in there. When you do find a wiener that you like, then you want to grill it rather than boil it. Grilling gives it more of a smoked taste and fills them with a lot more flavor.

As for the bun, try and find some good buns at your local bakery instead of the highly processed ones that you get in the grocery store. I like to get whole wheat buns for a bit of extra fibre and flavor. Cut them in half and spread them with just a little bit of butter and toast them open faced in the oven or on the grill.

Now what you need is condiments and toppings that truely make this a gourmet hotdog! Here are a few suggestions that you can pick and choose from to find a hotdog that is truely a perfect summer meal.

Dijon mustard

carmalized onions

chopped bacon

sprouts

Terriaki sauce

Wasabi Mayo (1/2 cup mayonaise mixed with 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste)

Chopped dill pickle

Blue Cheese

Grated cheese

Grated Ginger root (sounds wierd but is really quite tasty)

chopped red and green peppers

Ground black pepper

Diced pineapple

The possibilities are endless so play around with different flavors until you find one that suites you. Of course the little ones usually just like plain ketchup on their dogs but at least they will have a gourmet bun right?

In today’s world of preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, and a long list of chemicals, its hard to tell what to feed your kids anymore without poisoning them. Most of the snacks that are made for kids and claim to be healthy are full of sugar and preservatives that actually do more harm than good. So before you feed them cheese strings, yoghurt tubes and those little dishes of applesauce, read the labels carefully and then take a look at these other alternatives for healthy snacks for kids.

1. Cheese Cubes - This is a snack that you can make up days ahead of time and keep them in little zip lock bags or tupperware containers in the fridge. You can choose which kind of cheese you like, or mix and match several different kinds.

2. Grapes - These are another great snack that you can wash and package up ahead of time so that you can simply grab a little container of them on your way out the door.

3. Apple slices - These go brown if you do them up ahead of time unless you store them in some water with a tiny bit of lemon juice added. Healthy and tasty, these are always a good choice.

4. Almonds - If your child doesn’t have a nut allergy, then this is a great crunchy snack for them thats good for on the go or at home!

5. All natural yoghurt - There are so many different yoghurts on the market now a days that its easy to find one that is tasty and healthy. Get one with as few preservatives as possible.

6. Sliced up smokies - Kids love the taste and you can get ones that are fairly natural and good for you but still get them some protien to help build up their energy…as if they needed any more.

7. Bananas - There are very few children who don’t like the taste of this fantastic fruit and its easy to pack around because it comes in its own packaging!

8. Raisins - These are a great snack to munch on at any time of day and kids love the sweetness to them!

9. Whole Grain Crackers - You can get some tasty yet healthy whole grain crackers at nearly every grocery store and they are a good source of fibre. They are great paired with the cheese cubes and smokies.

10. Fruit popsicles - Instead of feeding them ice cream all summer long, find some good natural fruit juices and make your own popsicles. You can even add chopped up fruit or yoghurt to them to make them extra special!