LAST WEEK WE HAD A BIRTHDAY PARTY LUNCH for 6 preschoolers to celebrate Estelle’s 3rd birthday–and at the birthday girl’s request, these mac & cheese mini cups were the main course. Like our broccoli & cheese pasta cups, they’re essentially macaroni and cheese (with a built-in veggie) to go. And like our broccoli & cheese pasta…
sandwiches on a stick
FOOD ON A STICK has got to be the easiest way to make food fun. (Except for maybe making parfaits with yogurt, chili, whatever…but I digress!) It was our turn to bring the preschool snack again and we picked these little sandwiches on a stick, which could certainly work for lunch too. I liked that we…
honey-sweetened strawberry smoothies
THINKING OF SOMETHING PINK? Even in wintertime, a smoothie hits the spot. And if a little pink goes a long way with your crowd, try this honey-sweetened strawberry smoothie. The star of this show is frozen organic strawberries, which double as ice cubes and make the whole thing frothy as well as sweet, not to…
baked pasta with spaghetti squash
BAKED ZITI. I USED TO BABYSIT TWINS IN NEW YORK who ate two things for dinner: baked ziti and chicken nuggets, end of list. So I know kids love the stuff. The only thing is, plain pasta not that great for you. So I tried something. We combined spaghetti squash with whole wheat penne pasta, then…
easiest breakfast ever: yogurt parfaits
YOU KNOW THE PROBLEM WITH MORNINGS? Everyone’s tired (and by everyone I mean Paul and me) and everyone’s “so hungry” (and by everyone I mean the kids). I love having a couple of muffin options in the freezer ready to reheat, but my go-to breakfast, the one that the kids actually cheer for, and sneak…
roasted lemon chicken with vegetables, the perfect make-at-nap-time dinner
RIGHT AROUND 5PM THINGS GET ROUGH at my house, maybe even 4. There’s too much whining and not nearly enough wine. That’s why I love to make dinner earlier in the day and let it just hang out — or in this case, roast away — until we’re ready. When the cranky hour arrives I…
no-bake oatmeal chocolate chip energy cookies
I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING–Why would my kids need more energy!?–and I hear you. About the 50th time I’ve scooped George off the kitchen counter each day, or looked down only to find something like this happening, I have the same thought. And also this one. Who can make such a mess with toothpicks?
healthier fish & chips for kids
THE LAST TIME I HAD FISH & CHIPS–AND THE FIRST TIME THE KIDS EVER HAD IT–WAS IN LONDON. Doesn’t that sound lovely? Except, the rest of my memories include being very, very sick. No, not food poisoning, just the flu. But the worst flu, and even worse timing. We were actually moving from Rome to…
double berry cream puffs, a step-by-step recipe for kids
I’M A BIT OF A SUCKER FOR VALENTINE’S DAY. The kids don’t even know what it is, but now that we’re back in the US, I’m diving into all the special occasions, big and small. That’s why I can’t wait to serve them these little strawberry cream puffs on February 14. They’re pink, they’re easy…
a little shot of spinach, the best way to start dinner!
This is an idea straight from “French Kids Eat Everything“, and I love it. In her amazing memoir about moving to France with two picky eaters then watching the European culture transform their whole family, Karen Le Billon explains that many French households have a baby food maker handy, even if they don’t have a baby….
lemon chicken strips
MOVE OVER CHICKEN NUGGETS. These lemony chicken strips are so juicy and full of flavor that your kids may never ask for the frozen stuff again. They also MAY put their shoes and coats on tomorrow without whining one bit (and if they do, please tell me exactly how that happened, okay? Thanks!) Well anyway, let’s just see…
Simple White Bean Hummus with Lemon Juice
YOU KNOW HOW YOU’RE ALWAYS TRYING/BEGGING/PLEADING to get the kids eating more veggies? This easy white bean hummus is one new way to do it, no bribes needed. Get Kids Excited For most kids, homemade white bean hummus will be is a new food and ours were no different, so I used a couple of…
2-Ingredient Banana Oat Bites (Neither One Is Sugar)
THIS WAS OPRAH’S IDEA, these super simple snacks. In a recent issue of O magazine, the one I read cover to cover with so much longing for the actual Oprah show that I practically ate every page–Oprah! Where are you? Now that I am finally, for the first time in my life, actually at home…
whole wheat penne with sugar snap peas & pork
I DON’T THINK THEY HAVE SUGAR SNAP PEAS IN ITALY. And if they do, I didn’t know how to say it (surprise!) so my kids were new to peas until last week. Now to be clear, my brood is not always interested in new foods. Before a bite of anything unfamiliar ever touches her lips,…
better-for-you morning glory muffins
I LIVE IN A ONE COFFEE SHOP TOWN NOW, as opposed to Rome where you could buy a cappuccino on practically every corner. Our place is outside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina and what our town lacks in coffee, for making coffee 10 Best Drip Coffee Makers For Your Money, it makes up for in…
a new spin on…brussels sprouts: just add cranberries
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE RECIPE FOR BRUSSELS SPROUTS? Let me rephrase that, do your kids have a favorite way that you make Brussels sprouts? Ours is roasted brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt, though I’ve seen tasty ideas for pan cooking too. But when we had a small surplus of cranberries in the…
6 healthy Christmas cookies & treats to make with (and for) the kids
BOY ARE WE BAKING! ‘Tis the week for using every pan in the kitchen right? At least these Christmas recipes for kids are pretty simple, fairly healthy and all of them are kid-tested, which I hope makes for happy meals at your house too. Merry Christmas! Whole Wheat Pita Crisps with Cinnamon Sugar Dried Cranberry…
little things that work: simple Christmas tree brownies
HAVE YOU SEEN THESE YET? For part 2 of this holiday themed “little things that work” post, we bring you brownies cut into triangles and voila, Christmas trees! Along with the kids, I made them for our preschooler’s Gingerbread Fest and they were so fun and so easy that we’ll definitely do it again next…
little things that work: simple Christmas shapes for sandwiches
ALL YOU NEED IS ONE BIG COOKIE CUTTER plus five spare seconds and lunch will be served with an equally large smile. (Save the outside of the bread to make eggs-in-the-hole later in the week. Another smile, coming right up.) I have a gingerbread, a snowflake (a ghost and a pumpkin too) and doing this one…
sweet & salty “lollipop” cheese balls
“THEY LOOK LIKE LOLLIPOPS!” That’s what 2-year-old Estelle said when we made these, and you’d think that would be enough encouragement for the preschoolers at Phoebe’s school to dig in. It wasn’t. Despite our best efforts (though they weren’t actually very hard), these snacks crashed and BURNED when we brought them for the class to…