Inspired by Amber's post, I am doing this post hoping that everyone else does one, or shares a recipe / healthy eating tip in your comments!
It is a never ending attempt to come up with healthy meals that the kids like, both on the go and at home. I have a couple ground rules that govern everything I pick up at the grocery store (this by no means should be every one's rules, but I had to start somewhere and this was do-able)...no white flour items, no high fructose corn syrup, no hydrogenated oils and low sodium. I don't kill myself about sugar, although I get the lowest sugar content I can.
When I started being really label conscious about a year & 1/2 ago, I realized that if I wanted to buy everything from cereal bars to frozen pizza, the only way I could do it, and still be healthy, was to go organic. It seemed like everything I picked up from Fig Newtons to popsicles had some scary ingredient, so I gave up and buy almost exclusively organic when it comes to snack foods (if I could afford to go all organic I would, but the meats and veggies are v. expensive here)...so it served to make our family more green and more healthy..score!
So here are a couple of the things I make that are a hit:
Breaded Chicken Tenders (these are good cold, so they get packed on the go too)
I bread a package of tenders by dipping in wheat flour, egg mixed with a little mustard and then breadcrumbs I make out of anything from whole grain pretzels to crushed cereal. I make the breadcrumbs in my chopper and drizzle in a little olive oil which makes them bake a little crispy. I sprinkle w/ grill seasoning. Bake for 15 minutes @ 400 and serve with BBQ sauce, mustard or ketchup for dipping.
Sandwich Rolls (great for on the go)
I flatten a piece of wheat bread with my hand, chop roasted red peppers and mix w/ Smart Balance mayo and spread a thin layer, 1 piece of deli turkey and 1 slice part skim cheese and roll it up. Sometimes I use mashed avocado instead of the red pepper mayo.
Chicken Salad (I am sure most of you have a variation of this recipe, but just in case...)
Get store bought roasted chicken, take off skin and shred white meat (LOVE those chickens for quick meals, I use this to make chicken enchiladas by adding seasoning, shredded cheese and chopped green chilies, wrap in tortillas and bake w/ whatever enchilada sauce you like over them...yum..ok, I am so easily distracted by food). Add 1/2 Smart Balance mayo & 1/2 plain yogurt, crushed almonds, chopped grapes, chopped celery (I have to chop it so fine that Gunner doesn't know what it is) and plenty of tarragon and pinch of salt & pepper. They eat it out of a bowl, for some reason they don't like it on bread.
Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (I got this from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook)
Gunner LOVES these, sometimes I will give them to him instead of a sandwich with lunch, and I made them for his preschool class for his birthday and they loved them.
1cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup pureed carrot
1/2 cup pureed banana
1 large egg white
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tspn baking powder
1 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees ; line 12 cup muffin tin w/ paper baking cups; Mix 1/2 cup of the brown sugar w/ the peanut butter, egg white & both purees using wooden spoon; put dry ingredients in Ziploc bag and shake to mix. Add to bowl w/ peanut butter and stir JUST to combine (will be lumpy); add remaining brown sugar and stir once or twice; divide batter in cups; bake until lightly browned 15-20 minutes (I find it takes 15, overcooking anything w/ whole wheat flour really affects the consistency)
Turkey Chili
For dinner my most popular meal with the biggest health punch is my turkey chili...the boys love it.
While cooking some instant brown rice, I brown a package of lean turkey with 2 palmfuls of chili powder, 2 1/2 palmfuls of cumin and about 1/2 that of sweet paprika, add a chopped onion and finely chopped red & green pepper and saute until soft. Add one can fire roasted, no salt added tomatoes and one can of chopped green chilies and a couple tablespoons of taco sauce. Sometimes I will add about 1/2 cup pureed sweet potato and/ or spinach if I have it on hand, but not necessary. I add about a cup of chicken stock and let it simmer for as long as I can (nicer flavor if it can simmer for 30-60 minutes)...you might have to add more stock the longer you simmer. Add a can of rinsed kidney beans and a can rinsed black beans and heat, add brown rice and serve with shredded cheese, chopped avocado, chopped tomato or whatever else your kids will eat. My husband & I like it with hot sauce.
Well, that is it for recipes...I could go on, but, as you can see, I don't measure anything so it would probably just annoy everyone!
Some other random things I do to pump up the veggie intake, which probably aren't novel, so you probably already all do them yourself (this is why I did this post, because I need novel ideas from you!) are:
-puree up cauliflower and add to eggs or mashed potatoes in small amounts
-chop up the cooked veggies they resist, sometimes it is a consistency thing and they don't mind them as much if they are easier to chew. I also add a heaping tablespoon of hummus to all Gunner's green veggies, it is the only way he will eat them...he calls his broccoli like this "broccoli croccoli" and will then eat it, but just broccoli, no way!
- add cinnamon, a little maple syrup & a touch of nutmeg to sweet potatoes, butternut squash or acorn squash and mash them like potatoes...we call them pancake potatoes.
- finely chop or puree broccoli, spinach etc. and add to tomato sauce that I use on wheat pasta or on top of a whole wheat english muffin w/ mozzarella cheese to make "magic pizza"
- I absolutely love everything Kashi and so do the boys. Their cereal bars & granola bars are yummy, have fiber and v. little sugar or sodium. I also love "Bunny Grahams" as a dessert snack..I think they are by Amy's and organic fig bars by various makers, sometimes I can even find whole wheat ones. All these are great take alongs, they don't make you feel bad for giving them a snack, and the boys love them.
I am trying to find novel ways to sneak fruit in Hudson's diet, so I want to try smoothies...does anyone have any good recipes? This is not a problem for Gunner who eats so much fruit I can barely keep it in the house!
Well, that is it, I am now officially hungry and the boys need a bath!
Happy Birthday McLayne!
16 years ago
6 comments:
That is awesome Carrie! I love recipes and always want new ones, especially ones for the kids!
I will absolutely get together some of my best recipes to share and any new that I come up with. Thanks for sharing!
I'm hungry after reading this too! Thanks for sharing your recipes. I'm always looking for healthy foods too, especially ways to sneak in the veggies. I'll try and post some of the things I do. Both of my kids love fruit smoothies and they are so easy to make! I usually buy frozen blueberries and raspberries and throw those in my magic bullet along with a banana (for sweetness), a snack size carton of yogurt, and some type of liquid (either milk, water, or orange juice). It's gone in no time. Occassionally I will put in ground up flax seed as well.
Wow Carrie This is great! Thanks so much for sharing. I will try all of them. They look delicious!
Can't wait to print them off and try them. Especially the Chicken Tenders and the muffins. Thanks!
Carrie! Thanks so much. You are inspiring! Let's see, a couple little things we do here...I like to add a container of organic carrot baby food to our mac-n-cheese, sweet potatoes work too, but my kids favor the carrots. Also, we make pancakes every saturday and always throw in some ground flax seed for extra fiber and omega-3's. I will try to think of our favorite healthy recipes too!
Wow, I am so hungry right now! I want to come to your house for my meals. You do an awesome job on making healthy meals and snacks for the family. I am anxious to try some of the recipes. Thanks for all the tips and recipes.
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