WISH YOUR KIDS WOULD TRY A BITE OF SOMETHING, ANYTHING, GREEN? Here’s a great tip I learned from another mom recently, change what you call it. Instead of my usual, “Ki-ids, I made you some healthy spinach soup!”, then listening for the sound of toys instantly hitting the floor followed by tiny feet pattering to the…
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,…
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….
zucchini chocolate chip breakfast cookies
YEP, ZUCCHINI. Barbara Kingsolver wrote in her amazing book, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”, about the windfall of zucchini she had after planting her first garden. They had piles of the stuff everywhere, on every surface of the kitchen. That’s when her daughter decided to get drastic. Bake them into cookies, she said. And that’s just what…
a healthy twist on green eggs and ham
THIS IS ONE OF MY TRICKS. Since I try to cook (almost) every night, I take a shortcut and make breakfast for dinner about once a week. It’s always easy, usually inexpensive, handy because the ingredients are in the pantry–and best of all, the kids love it.
Easy update: Add a little chopped spinach to your next pot of rice
WE USUALLY EAT BROWN RICE, BUT NOT THIS TIME. My husband Paul loves the fluffier texture of white rice, and I love him, so for this dinner we used organic basmati rice. But the compromise didn’t end there: I also add added a bit of frozen spinach to the pot while it cooked. Voila, a…
Parmesan mashed potatoes with kale, yes kale (A 101 Cookbooks recipe makeover)
THIS IS THE LAST ONE. We’ve been cooking with Heidi Swanson’s recipes for the last few weeks (among others), from the jaw-droppingly beautiful website 101 cookbooks. Honestly, if all food were that gorgeous, who wouldn’t want to focus on healthy eating all the time? And with that in mind, I set out to amp up…
kid-friendly spinach salad with carrots and cucumber (a 101 cookbooks makeover)
NO, IT’S NOT A MISTAKE. This is indeed a spinach salad that I served it to our kids, ages 3 1/2 and 2 years. Did they try it? Yes. Did they devour it, no. Did the stars and flowers help? Absolutely. And we just might be onto something.
Sauteed zucchini
ESTELLE IS ON A ZUCCHINI KICK. And by “kick” I mean she doesn’t spit them out. Unlike, say, shrimp, which will be its own post soon… Instead she eats them happily and heartily every time. And since they’re so fresh and easy to find this time of year, why not indulge the little one? Especially…
Easy roasted asparagus
IF ONLY EVERY DISH WAS SO EASY. To prepare roasted asparagus, you need a baking pan, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and asparagus. Balsamic vinegar is optional, a hot oven is not.
Roasted Brussels sprouts
IF PHOEBE WALKED IN AND SAID, “Mama, I’m feeling really beat. I’m sorry for being cranky lately and think I should go to bed a little early tonight”, I couldn’t be more surprised than I was when she specifically ASKED for Brussels sprouts then actually ate them. The fact that Estelle also ate more of…
Green eggs and ham
YOU KNOW HOW TODDLERS BECOME OBSESSED with something and want it over and over? We’ve been in a Green Eggs & Ham bedtime rut routine for a while now and I’ll tell you what. It’s not awesome. But inspired by Phoebe’s unwavering passion (Is there anything that I like this much?), combined with a little…
Baby food recipe: Roasted zucchini
UNLESS YOU’RE A TODDLER, roasted zucchini is one of the most delicious ways to eat this ubiquitous squash. (If you’re a toddler, you will likely only try a bite because you’ve been promised a sticker and even then will probably spit it out. A sticker can only get you so far…) But if you’re a…