SOME KIDS LOVE EATING VEGETABLES. And, this may totally surprise you, some don’t. But almost all kids love condiments. Sweet, salty, gooey? Check, check and check! For a fast vegetable dish or a nutritious snack, I set out a bunch of organic baby carrots plus three “dipping sauces”. These can be anything. From hummus (homemade or from…
applesauce zucchini muffins
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU 12 CUPS OF SHREDDED ZUCCHINI, FRESH FROM THE GARDEN, YOU… If you’re a crazy person like me, you hit the kitchen and make zucchini muffins. Lots of muffins. Now these are not our first healthy zucchini muffins. (So far we’ve done zucchini spice muffins and a zucchini chocolate cake.) But they’re some of…
zucchini spice mini muffins
THERE IS A CERTAIN ZUCCHINI PATCH in my yard that is going totally crazy. Yours too? As a first-time gardener I am constantly amazed that more and more zucchini just keep appearing day after day, like magic. But now, after eating sauteed zucchini for dinner more times than my family would like, and baking five or…
peaches & creamsicles
REMEMBER HOW I HAVE MORE PEACHES THAN our kids have partially dressed baby dolls thrown all over the house? We’ve done a health(ier) peach crisp, no sugar peach roll-ups, and a whole-wheat pancake with wedges of juicy peaches lining the top. Then we got serious. Into our trusty blender went fresh peaches, half & half plus…
peaches & cream fruit leather
IT ALL STARTED WHEN I ACCIDENTALLY BOUGHT 1 MILLION PEACHES. Or something close to it. Paul’s family was visiting from Florida over the 4th of July weekend. There were many conversations about who was getting peaches between his mom, his sister and me and here’s the shocker, I mixed up the info. One trip to the…
melon & mint ice pops
IF YOU HAVE A TEETHING TODDLER, you’ll know why I made frozen melon ice pops last week instead of just serving the little rascals a few wedges of cantaloupe. These cool treats certainly aren’t limited to those walking around with three fingers stuffed in their little mouths though. Our preschoolers were cheering when they saw these pops come…
star shaped cheese, tomatoes and crackers
FOR KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN ITALY, these three are pretty jazzed about celebrating the 4th of July. Actually, they’re mostly excited about these little star shaped cheeses (thanks, veggie cutters!). Fireworks and parades? Our kids have no idea those are part of the package, yet. But boy I sure do.I still get a little…
4th of july fruit skewer flag cake
I CAN’T DECIDE WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT THIS FLAG. It’s 100 percent fresh fruit. It’s easy to make. It’s a festive snack for the 4th of July. There could be other reasons too but because I get up twice every night now, my brain can only come up with these three. For this version you need…
3 simple frozen treats your kids will love
IT’S 90 DEGREES IN NORTH CAROLINA TODAY–that’s 99 degrees in pregnant lady temperatures. With my due date for baby #4 officially a day behind me and my stomach WAY out in front of me, I can think of no better reason to share a few of my favorite popsicle recipes for kids. Each is low…
honey-sweetened banana muffins, a recipe from “The Family Cooks”
A muffin is a tiny cake! And sometimes not so tiny. Cake for breakfast? No wonder kids like muffins! Pssst, parents! Although these are treats, they use whole-grain flour, fruit, and unrefined sugar. And cinnamon is a trickster spice that makes sweets taste sweeter. Reprinted from “The Family Cooks” by Laurie David. Copyright (c)…
low-sugar muffins with berries & ricotta cheese, a Food 52 Makeover
MOTHER’S DAY IS A TRICKY ONE. At least for me. I know the customary “gift” is something along the lines of breakfast in bed, but the only time I’ve eaten breakfast on a tray since becoming a mom has been inside a hospital, right after giving birth. Otherwise it’s off to the races starting around dawn ever since….
coconut pineapple mini-muffins, a Serious Eats recipe makeover
WE’VE BEEN MAKING A LOT OF LUNCHES around here. Foodlets Friday Lunch is a teeny, tiny pilot program that we started this spring. Every Friday I make lunch for the kids at Phoebe’s preschool and parents who are keen to buy one simply cover the costs. It’s not catering, not yet, but I hope it…
baby carrots in pots, a step-by-step tutorial
COMBINING CUTE IDEAS WITH FRESH VEGETABLES is just about the best. These carrots are one more super simple way to get kids eating more veggies. Here’s just how you do it. 1. Gather your materials. Baby carrots, preferably the thick kind (some are whittled extra thin) Curly parsley Toothpick Terra cotta pots (mine are actually a…
how to make hens out of hard boiled eggs
I KNOW, I KNOW. I just said no thanks to any projects that make me feel worse about myself than the crafting boards on Pinterest already do. But as we continue our internet-inspired Easter roundup, I’m happy to report these little chicks are surprisingly simple to make. True story. And if I can do it, you can too. Here’s a…
baked banana chips, a sugar-free snack for kids
LIKE OUR FAVORITE BAKED APPLE CHIPS, this is one snack that smells amazing as it bakes. And it bakes for a long time. Two hours for chewy rings, 3 hours for crispy. But if you’ve got the time, these baked banana chips only require two ingredients and neither one is sugar.
better-for-you double chocolate banana muffins, a “smitten kitchen” makeover
THERE ARE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE WHO LOVE MUFFINS. And we’ve made a lot of them. Banana muffins with millet, banana oat, chocolate zucchini and more. But none, not a single mini muffin, bug-shaped muffin or big ol’ muffin in the bunch compares to these. I have a toddler who now cries at the sight…
spinach wraps 2 ways for st. patrick’s day
WHO KNEW THE EASIEST WAY TO RING IN ST. PATRICK’S DAY was found in a package of spinach wraps? I bought a simple bag of 6 sandwich wraps from the grocery store then made two things today. The first was lunch. My preschoolers (ages 4 and 3) were surprisingly thrilled with their green roll-ups. “Ooooh, it’s…
tropical green smoothies
ROUNDING OUT OUR FESTIVE IDEAS FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY is another simple, healthy recipe. It’s also green and according to munchkins around here, very good.
a new spin on white bean hummus: add avocado
IN HONOR OF LITTLE LEPRECHAUNS EVERYWHERE, and the parents who just wish they’d eat a few more veggies, we turned our new favorite dip a new shade…green. Faster than you can say, “Is that food coloring?” we simply threw a ripe avocado into the mixer as we ground up our white bean hummus with lemon….
super spinach cupcakes
THAT’S RIGHT, NOW I PUT SPINACH IN THE CUPCAKES. They’re festive for St. Patrick’s Day but so full of yummy vanilla goodness that the kids love them year round, and I don’t think twice about rounding out lunches with one (or even two).