I know. I’ve already lost you. Kids who “love” kale? But there’s a secret: it’s this dressing. The balsamic vinegar combined with a shot of real maple syrup is so sweet and tangy that the bitterness of kale actually works perfectly with it. It’s the homemade dressing that made our kids love kale. Still Don’t Believe…
Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Cinnamon: 5 Minutes and 3 Ingredients to Prep, Kids Love ‘Em
There’s nothing better than a vegetable that takes 5 minutes and 3 ingredients to prep. Except a vegetable that all kids love. That’s sweet potato oven fries with cinnamon, a simple side our kids devour every time. Sweet potato oven fries with cinnamon are part of our regular rotation. They’re easy, full of nutrients and…
Healthy Party Food for Kids: DIY Raw Veggie Cups
Party food for kids needs to be festive. Fun! Colorful! Fresh! And with any shred of hope, simple. Nothing says “Happy Birthday” like getting so stressed out about entertaining a group of kids that I’m shrieking at my own offspring all morning long. Enter veggie cups. We discovered kid-friendly raw veggies served in cups with a dollop of Ranch dressing…
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…
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…
How to Roast Baby Carrots: Prep these Maple-Glazed Baby Carrots in 2 Minutes!
Wondering what else you can do with that bag of baby carrots besides dunking in a bowl of Ranch dressing? One of my four kids’ favorite side dish starts with a bag of baby carrots and ends with tender, perfectly cooked roasted carrots. If you’ve got a few simple ingredients plus about two minutes, you…
Mini Pot Pies: Our Kids’ Favorite Way to Eat Leftovers
GOT LEFTOVERS? We may have four kids but they’re all so small (and tend to come with their own individual sets of likes and dislikes) that we always have a wee bit of dinner left. Not a lot, not enough to make a full meal out of, but too much to toss. Enter pie dough. Store-bought…
Low-Sugar Cranberry Sauce Your Kids Will Gobble Up
“Can we make those cranberries again?” my five-year-old asked the other day. Noting this was a request for fruit (right?) rather than say, bunnie-shaped crackers, I dove right in. “Oh, the muffins?” I guessed remembering how many batches of these low-sugar cranberry oat muffins we made last year, totally congratulating myself on baking something so tasty…
Fried Cabbage with Crumbled Bacon, a Make at Nap Time Dinner
“THUMBS UP!” they all said. “To the bacon.” I made this dish for dinner last night and while all the kids (ages 2, 3 and 5) dutifully ate some cabbage, those forks seemed suspiciously bent on finding the bacon rather than full bites. And before you say, “duh!”, I say…give cabbage a try. Because it’s delicious. Fried…
even easier maple roasted acorn squash
I ONCE POSTED ABOUT ROASTED ACORN SQUASH and how my four-year-old declared it “the best in the whole wide world.” Awesome yes, but at the time the other two rascals wouldn’t even try it. Well I have good news. Not only do all of them devour squash now but they say things like this. “I don’t…
want kids to eat more veggies? try a 3-dip taste test
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…
easy pasta with zucchini, tomatoes & fresh mozzarella cheese
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I NEED TO MAKE DINNER FAST. Before the Clifford video runs out. Before 2-month old Violet starts wailing for her own dinner. Before I turn from Pretty Nice Mommy into Awfully Frazzled Mommy. That’s where a quick pasta dish full of fresh vegetables like this comes in handy. There’s also the…
sauteed swiss chard with garlic & lemon
I KNOW. YOU THINK YOU DON’T LIKE THIS. And you’re probably SURE the kids don’t. But they just might! Ours do, and I’m as amazed as you are. This Swiss chard recipe is based on one of our favorite side dishes from Italy, bitter greens sauteed in olive oil. The kids love it. Plus there’s…
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…
bread machine whole wheat rolls with yogurt & oats
WELL, WE DID IT AGAIN. And I actually can’t believe it. After a week that included 1-2-3 then 4 and 5 different household members succumbing to the nastiest little tummy virus in the South, we had another dinner party this weekend. It sounds counterintuitive (and a little crazy) but the house needed a good scrubbing…
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….
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…
pan cooked kale with garlic and lemon
SURE WE’VE GOT KALE CHIPS, but this is another way to make the super green stuff kid-friendly. And you might be surprised.
oven roasted cauliflower
YOU’VE HEARD ME SAY IT OVER AND OVER. And it’s not just to be annoying (I gave that up in high school. Mostly.) If I want my kids to eat more vegetables, I always roast them. Cauliflower is actually the most delicious. It’s our kids’ favorite. Really. And here’s another bonus. It’s easy.
spooky spider eggs
THIS IS MY SECOND FAVORITE PINTEREST IDEA, from our Healthy-ish Halloween Ideas for Kids board. Like the string cheese witches’ brooms, they’re absolutely adorable but also…shockingly easy. My girls are egg people. They love eggs. Hard boiled eggs. Egg salad sandwiches. Scrambled eggs. So I knew this would be a hit. And it was. For…