What’s the best lunch for kids? Leftover dinner. Especially when you can transform a crowd pleaser like Magical Mac & Cheese into…Magical Mac & Cheese Cups in minutes. Start with the basic recipe for Magical Mac & Cheese, which happens to include as much veggies as it does cheese, and add three quick things: 2…
Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables: A 25-Minute Meal Full of Flavor
Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork. The opinions and text are all mine. You know those videos that kept popping up on Facebook a while ago? The ones with hearty European kids racing through the woods during a whole day spent outside with axes? Everyone has ruddy cheeks and…
Magical Mac & Cheese With Hidden Veggies in a Creamy Cheese Sauce
This is the best mac and cheese I’ve ever made. Kids love it. Parents feel good about serving it. And for those two reasons, I call it magical. With just a handful of ingredients, it’s possible to whip up a comfort food favorite like mac and cheese that just happens to be full of vegetables….
How to Roast Frozen Cauliflower (That No One Can Resist!)
Yes, you can roast frozen cauliflower. For everyone who doesn’t like vegetables — and those who live with (or parent) them — this recipe is for you. In fact, if you try cooking ONE NEW vegetable this year, make it roasted frozen cauliflower. How to make roasted cauliflower from a bag of frozen cauliflower The…
Pancakes To Go! 2 Kinds of Sheet Pan Pancakes + 3 Simple Ways to Make Any Mix Healthier & Tastier
With after-school activities breathing down my neck coming up, I’m experimenting with tons of healthy snacks. Portable snacks. Really just any good snack for kids that will stay with them until dinner. And somehow I arrived here. At pancakes. But these are not just your average pancakes. You can bake TWO WHOLE PANS of these…
Taco Pop-Tarts
That’s right. These are a mash-up of tacos and Pop-Tarts. You can make them out of store-bought pie crust or make your own crust. They can be vegetarian or meaty. Or in our case, both. The whole thing can be served for lunch or dinner but if you’re looking for a hearty snack full of…
Our New Favorite Healthy Snack for Kids: Chocolate Chip Oat Cups with Cranberries
I’m always looking for new ideas when it comes to healthy snacks for kids. And starting this fall, those healthy snacks need to be portable. Because I caved. Three of my four kids are starting after-school activities this year. Between two dance classes and one after-school basketball program, the next nine months will basically be…
Week 3: 5 Healthy Lunches Kids Can Pack Themselves with Eggs & Mini Mozzarella Balls
This year we started a new strategy for school lunches. It’s called “3 Small Kids Pack Their Own Lunches, Even the Kindergartener”. Subtitle: “So Mommy Doesn’t Go Crazy.” Guess how it’s going? Surprisingly well! In this third installment, we’ve got a week’s worth of healthy lunch ideas, focusing on two main ingredients: mini mozzarella balls…
The Healthy Snack My Kids Keep Asking For Again (and Again): Blueberry Blast Apple Pan Fritters
You only need three ingredients for these blueberry blast apple pan fritters. That’s it. Blueberries. Flour. Applesauce. Combine those three things and you’ll have a healthy snack I made for the kids three times today. The idea was recipe testing but I’ll tell you this: Even after eating three batches, they still wanted more. Score!…
5 Healthy School Lunches Kids Can Make Themselves (With Chicken Breasts & Sausage)
You guys, I was so tired of packing lunches. And school hadn’t even started again yet. So this year I’m trying something different. It’s called Kids Pack Their Own Lunches. We’re on Week 2. It works like this: On the weekend I cut up 5-6 kinds of fruit and veggies and store them on a…