I CAN’T LIE TO YOU. These aren’t exactly “healthy” Halloween treats for kids. But they’re not so bad for you–or the kiddies–either. Low in sugar, full of pumpkin and even chia seeds, the main culprit here is that deliciously buttery pie crust. But the serving size is so small that I think we can get…
String Cheese Witches’ Brooms, a Healthy Halloween Treat
TODAY’S HEALTHY HALLOWEEN FOOD POST WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY PINTEREST. You’ve seen them, haven’t you? These adorable witches’ brooms made from string cheese, pretzels and chives? On this particular day, with the pressure of supplying the preschool snack falling squarely on my shoulders, I bravely tried to recreate one of the zillion wow-I-can’t-believe-other-moms-are-doing-this ideas from…
tomato, basil & spinach soup with cheese tortellini (and bat croutons)
Dear Ina Garten, you know I love you and your amazing recipes, but I can no longer spend 45 minutes roasting tomatoes BEFORE the soup making process begins. That is because there are three small crazy people living in my house now. I can however, make a simpler (and healthier) version of your wonderful Roasted Tomato…
little things that work: cut cheese into shapes
ALONG WITH OUR UNSTOPPABLE PUMPKIN MINI MUFFINS, Phoebe brought a bit of cheese to school for her go at snack time. To spice things up we used our amazingly affordable vegetable cutters–the ones we made carrot and cucumber flowers and stars with for a suddenly kid-friendly spinach salad–to cut the cheese. Was this necessary? Not…
10-minute no bake chocolate, fruit & nut balls
THESE HEALTHY SNACKS TOOK 10 MINUTES to make, even with my three “helpers” on hand. That’s not my favorite thing about these no bake balls though. With 4-5 ingredients and instructions like “roll”, even two-year-old Estelle could easily get in on the action. But, nope. That’s not the best part either. I love this new…
even healthier pumpkin spice mini muffins
THESE MUFFINS STARTED IT ALL. The first time I made our pumpkin spice mini-muffins in Rome, I knew we were on to something because the kids liked them, but I loved them. Finally a decadent tasting baked good that I didn’t have mixed feelings about. So we made spin-offs: carrot cake muffins, sweet potato muffins and more. But the original…
homemade cheddar cheese crackers
I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING. Why would anyone make crackers? They’re not exactly hard to find at the store. But the truth is, from fruit roll-ups to DIY Nutrigrain bars, a homemade version of any processed favorite (especially these) is always, always going to be healthier. And often cheaper. The one thing these are not…
spaghetti nests with bocconcini “eggs”, the perfect leftover (and picky eater) solution
FOR SOMEONE WHO WAS BORN IN ITALY my four-year-old is very anti-spaghetti these days. She suddenly thinks it’s too hard to eat. This didn’t used to bother her, but I guess it does now. Sigh. But before we swear off the stuff, I thought I’d try something…and it worked.
Ina Garten’s gazpacho becomes kid-friendly watermelon gazpacho
SOME RECIPES FOLLOW YOU wherever you go. The Barefoot Contessa’s gazpacho is one of them, and I’ve been making it longer than I’ve been a parent. Maybe even longer than I’ve known Paul. There were big batches blended up in small New York City apartments, at least as many in Rome and now our first…
homemade strawberry cereal bars with whole oats
I’VE TRIED TO MAKE BARS LIKE THESE BEFORE. A bunch of times. The results were too thick, too crumbly or just not flavorful enough. This time we got it right. Look out Nutrigrain bars, we’ve got a homemade version that’s fresher, less expensive and even yummier.
Finally, a Chili Recipe My Kids Will Eat
MY KIDS DON’T LIKE CHILI. EXCEPT THIS WAY. There are a couple of tricks at work here. First, make some chili. Don’t put in too much cumin and skip the spicy chiles. Then swap a soup bowl for a juice glass and present those knee-high guys with this, a chili parfait. And if that doesn’t…
little sandwiches for lunch: rollie pollies kids can’t resist
THERE’S USUALLY A WAY TO MAKE it more interesting, but not always time. I went to a parents’ discussion at our local library last night, something that made me feel extremely grown-up, where the social worker who was speaking described parenthood in two ways: sometimes it’s about surviving, other times we’re thriving. Immediately I thought…
peach crisp so good (and good for you) you’ll eat it for breakfast too
IF YOU WANT TO SCORE POINTS WITH THE RASCALS, serve them dessert for breakfast. Make it this dessert and you won’t even have to feel weird about it. It’s basically fresh fruit, oats, nuts, a little honey and yep, wheat germ.
Cheery Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil
YOU KNOW WHAT you should do this week? Have people over for dinner. Once you get the laundry done and your house totally clean, just invite them over. Ha, ha, ha! Even though the laundry most certainly ISN’T done and your house is stubbornly refusing to clean itself, you should still have people over. And…
healthy apple spice quick bread
I DON’T KNOW WHO ATE MORE OF THIS, ME OR BABY GEORGE (or what that says about either of us). But what I do know is that we packed this apple spice loaf with as many good-for-you ingredients as we could, and it was still so delicious the older kids were asking about it long…
chicken & zucchini casserole castles
“THIS IS SO AWESOME!” That’s what Phoebe said when she saw her casserole castle last night. Then she wouldn’t eat it. Instead there was lots of trying to hug it while murmuring, “I just love it so much”. So that was the down side. The good news is, the whole thing couldn’t be easier to…
oven roasted broccoli with sea salt
WE ROAST EVERYTHING. That’s my number one, hands-down secret to getting kids to eat vegetables. Roast them. Because it makes them delicious. We’ve done it with asparagus, carrots, cauliflower and of course potatoes and the result is always the same: the kids love them. The fact that it’s easy doesn’t hurt either. That’s why we tried broccoli last week….
tomato & cheese tart
THIS WAS THE HARDEST RECIPE I’VE MADE in a long time. But I did it. And it was delicious, at least two parents and one preschooler thought so. Baby George and Estelle who is two, begged to differ. But here’s my theory: Phoebe helped me make it and when you’re a kid in the kitchen,…
how to pack amazing school lunches kids love, Katie Morford’s best tips
UGH. THAT’S THE SOUND OF MOST PARENTS MAKING SCHOOL LUNCHES. But not Katie Morford. Katie heads up the popular blog, Mom’s Kitchen Handbook: Raising Fresh-Food Kids in a French-Fried World and just wrote a new book with a promising title, “Best Lunch Box Ever“. Brimming with fresh, creative ideas that look just as tasty as they…
Honey-Sweetened Blueberry Muffins
JUST IN TIME FOR BLUEBERRY MUFFINS! I love summer food. All those berries, sweet peaches and juicy cherries are so easy to serve as snacks (minus the juicy cleanup) but there’s an even better side effect: When I see my three rascals lined up on the counter stools, eating all that fresh goodness I feel…