WHY MAKE JAM when in the year 2015 it’s very easy to zip right down to the Food Lion and pick up a jar or seven? And what about your mom’s delicious homemade recipe? Here’s my case for chia seed refrigerator jam: Store-bought or homemade, jam is typically full of sugar. Making traditional strawberry jam…
7 Nutritious Finger Foods for Babies (the Whole Family Loves, Too)
HEALTHY BABY FOOD DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PUREED. And it can be part of a meal you’re making anyway. When it comes to great finger foods for babies, here are 7 of my favorites–which happen to be elements of family favorites as well. 1. CRUSTY BREAD (OR TOAST). We serve a loaf of crusty bread with…
Lemon Yogurt Cakes with Blueberries
THERE’S A SECRET TO MAKING A CAKE MOIST. Add yogurt. This time, it was vanilla and the result was delicious. I learned about yogurt cake when we lived in Italy. Estelle was about a month old when we took a weekend trip to Umbria and did all sorts of things I can’t imagine doing now. Hikes (which…
Pickle Roll-Ups
FILE THIS ONE UNDER “EASY SCHOOL LUNCH IDEAS“. Desperate to break out of our sandwich rut this week, I grabbed that deli ham (the one with no nitrates), folded each piece in half and rolled it around a mini dill pickle. I just repeated twice and threaded all three onto an extra long toothpick. These happened…
banana oat cups with peanut butter and jam
WANT A MAKE-AHEAD BREAKFAST packed with nutrition? These super simple banana oat cups come together using just a few ingredients–and none of them is sugar. They’re sweetened with pure honey instead of sugar, which is a habit we’ve been working on for a while. Plus these are full of chia seeds, a super power brain food…
Mini Broccoli & Cheese Patties (“Broccoli Cookies”)
PSSST. THESE ARE NOT COOKIES. But my kindergartener insists these broccoli & cheese patties are. Because of the shape. Obviously I did nothing to deter the automatic adoration that came with the name. I just got out the Ranch dressing and continued to mind my own business. Yes, I totally believe in Ranch dressing as a…
Enchilada Casserole with Quinoa & Black Beans
THIS WEEK I PREPPED 5 KID-FRIENDLY DINNERS IN 1 HOUR. It’s the first time I’ve tackled something so organized. What I learned from the whole crazy process is a whole other post, but this recipe for a meatless make-ahead dinner was one of them and it’s an unexpected keeper. Filed under It’s Always Gotta Be Something,…
No-Bake Chocolate, Fruit & Nut Bars
WE’VE MADE A LOT OF THINGS LIKE THESE. Homemade Lara Bars, DIY Kind Bars, Oat & Chocolate Balls and more…but these are the easiest. And the least expensive. They’re also the lowest in sugar, without any sweetener at all. One more thing. They’re the yummiest too. The formula for these healthy no-bake bars is simple: 2 cups…
Make-Ahead Egg McMuffins, a Freeze & Serve Breakfast
JUST LIKE OUR 4 KIDS INSIST ON DINNER EVERY NIGHT, breakfast is practically the first word on their lips when they wake. Sure there’s cereal and oatmeal. We make one zillion muffins, rotate through our share of yogurt parfaits and smoothies but more often than not, it seems like we end up on toast. Enter the higher protein, all-you-do-is-heat-it-up…
Thumbs Up “All the Way to Heaven” Fish Stew
I’M JUST AS SURPRISED AS YOU ARE. When I mentioned fish stew to my husband that afternoon, it was with this instruction, “So you might want to go to the store and get yourself some burritos or something.” He’s not a fish person. That much I knew. Then, bracing myself for a round of complaints, I…
Cheeseburger Hand Pies with Puff Pastry
Cheeseburger hand pies are what happens when you cross a juicy cheeseburger with a croissant. AMAZING. Cheeseburger Hand Pies are Perfect for Picky Eaters Also, if you’ve got picky eaters cheeseburger hand pies are for you. One of the (bazillion) lessons I’ve learned about feeding my tribe is about spin-offs. Keep your eyes open for…
A Heart-Shaped Strawberries, Cheese & Crackers Board 3 (Easy) Ways: Healthy Valentine’s Day Snacks for Kids
I WARNED YOU. If you follow Foodlets on Facebook (and I hope you do), you’ll see that I posted a strawberry, cheese & crackers board for Valentine’s Day…and vowed to do it again. Here’s the first one. But first, one quick note about the ups and downs of fresh strawberries. It’s not strawberry season in…
Make-Ahead Sweet Potato “Cottage Pie” with Ground Beef (and Why It Isn’t Shepherd’s Pie)
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN shepherd’s pie and cottage pie? Lamb. This is what I just learned from Food 52. Shepherd’s pie is traditionally made with lamb, which makes sense when you think of a shepherd’s job. Cottage pie, however, is made with ground beef. That’s what we used here when we made our own even simpler version….
Say It with Strawberries (and Cheese): A Fresh Valentine’s Day Treat for Kids
YOU COULD SAY IT WITH CHOCOLATE. Or smoothies. Even tiny cream puffs would be sweet. But today’s treat is a little healthier, a lot heartier and a great choice to bring to school as well. We used Mini Triscuits which I learned a while ago have two ingredients: wheat and salt. (Ditto for regular Triscuits, of…
Kid-Friendly Chicken Tikka Masala in the Slow Cooker
This is beginner Chicken Tikka Masala, the kind that bubbles away in the slow cooker all afternoon. That’s because my kids don’t do spicy. Actually, I don’t even like a lot of spice myself. I remember growing up and thinking most toothpaste was “too hot”. But man, do I love a nice bowl of Chicken…
chocolate-covered mini pretzel sticks with sprinkles
ON A JUNK SCALE, THESE chocolate-covered mini pretzel sticks are surprisingly low. That’s because of their size. When it comes to dessert–and there’s no mistaking these chocolate bombs for “snacks”–it’s all about portion size. To be clear, I don’t think babies or toddlers need a lot of sugar, so I always go for low sugar…
strawberry hearts: a healthy valentine’s day snack for kids
IT’S EASY TO IMPRESS THE RASCALS. And if you have an extra 15 seconds, you too can ta da your way to the cutest little meal with these strawberry hearts. It’s already time for Florida strawberries here in North Carolina but I’m betting you can get your hands on a few California beauties just about anywhere. And…
Sauteed Spinach with Garlic is the Best Frozen Spinach Recipe
There are many things to love about this frozen spinach recipe. First, it’s super versatile: Dice garlic, use the kind in a jar or grab garlic powder from your pantry. Use frozen spinach or fresh. Add wine or chicken broth. It’s all up to you. I also love this frozen spinach recipe because it’s vaguely…
Toasted Turkey, Salami & Cheese Sandwiches: Homemade Mini-Grinders
THERE WERE TWO STOPLIGHTS in the town where I grew up. And in between them was Rome Pizza. I told you about how much I loved their Hawaiian pizza when I was a kid but they also made something so mouthwatering I still remember it, all these years later. Grinders. But here’s the thing: I only…
Cinnamon Apple Slices