Foodie Friday: Fruit and Fish (not together)

We really don't eat on-the-go much - during the week, the girls and I do breakfast and lunch at home almost daily and dinners are about the same for the four of us, except for our awesome weekly dinner group. I also have always had a "thing" about taking food everywhere with us - I've felt like the girls, as older babies, toddlers, and now, should be able to have a meal or snack at home and easily last through an outing, such as grocery shopping or storytime, and back home before needing food again. I really made a point to not use food as a pacifier, of sorts, so that their attention and effort was put forth into the activity not exerted on a food distraction. (Now exiting the soapbox, stage left...)

Snacks are important and it is nice to have options that are ready, easy to toss on the table, or throw into the purse when necessary (which, despite my previous rant, does happen). The girls love KIND bars, which are more of a fruit/nut bar than a granola bar. And, when limiting grains, they are a nice choice. Here's a homemade bar that is somewhat similar and TASTY!

Apricot Coconut Bars
courtesy of shutterbean

• 1/2 C organic roasted unsalted cashews
• 1 C organic dried Turkish apricots
• 1 C organic unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 C organic rolled oats
• 2 T local honey
• 2 T organic coconut oil (melted)
• 2 T organic chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• Pulse cashews in food processor until small crumbles (I use my blender with the food processor attachment); remove and set aside
• Pulse apricots until ground; add remaining ingredients, saving cashews for last
• Once cashews are added, pulse everything again
• Smash into a parchment-lined 8x8 pan and pop into the freezer to harden (I left them for a couple of hours)
• Now try to eat just one. Do it. Only one!!!!

In the event that you need dinner as well, and not just a snack, these salmon cakes are quick and easy. I've made them in the past with frozen salmon that I baked, etc... but using a decent canned salmon (boneless and skinless) definitely expedites the process! The girls devoured them (especially Abby, queen of seafood).

Easy (simple) Salmon Cakes

Makes approximately 8 

• 2 cans salmon (I've been using the Wild Planet brand - boneless and skinless, sustainably caught wild Alaska pink salmon)
• 4-6 organic green onions (chopped)
• 1/3 - 1/2 C organic bread crumbs
• 1-2 local, organic eggs (depends on the size of the egg)
• Zest of one organic lemon
• Squeeze of organic yellow mustard
• Splash or two of Worcestershire sauce
• Salt, pepper
• Mix all together
• Form salmon cakes with hands
• Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan 
• Cook salmon cakes (I had room for 4 at a time); I'm not sure how long they cooked on each side - just until browned a bit
• Serve with some "dip dip" - we used sour cream and pickle relish mixed together; John added sriracha

Snack time: Roasted chickpeas

We've been working on the art of roasting chickpeas over here, and it's going pretty well. :-) They are a nice, crunchy snack and, so far, have been a big hit! Here's what we put together today. As you can see, all ingredient amounts are rough estimates. I've seen a number of recipes for "sweet and salty" chickpeas or "honey/cinnamon roasted" - I haven't tried anything sweet, so if you've got a winner - please share! I do think the hotter oven temperature is a must - we've tried some at 350 degrees and they didn't get crunchy, and a non-crunchy roasted chickpea just doesn't cut it. When John got home, the girls said: "Daddy, we had roasted chickpeas for a snack today. But we didn't save any for you." Hmmm... better do a double batch next time...

Roasted Chickpeas

• 1 can organic chickpeas - drained, rinsed, and patted dry
• 1 T (or so) olive oil
• 1 tsp (or so) kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp (or so) onion powder
• 1/2 tsp (or so) garlic powder
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Spread the chickpeas on a silpat-lined cookie sheet
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and seasonings; mix around with hands
• Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping/stirring the chickpeas every 10 minutes
• After 40 minutes, increase oven temp to 425 degrees and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes

Valentine's Week: Days 2 and 3

Foodie Friday

We've had some mighty fine eats around here this week - enjoy some bits and pieces from our menu:

Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones
adapted from Top With Cinnamon

1/4 C local butter
1 1/4 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 T organic coconut sugar (pressed through a mesh strainer for a finer texture)
1/2 C organic frozen blueberries
1 organic egg
1/4 C organic buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

• Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar
• Use a pastry cutter to cut in butter until crumbly texture
• Mix egg, buttermilk, vanilla
• Add wet to dry
• Add blueberries
• On a lightly floured surface, form dough into large, flattish circle; cut into 8 triangles; brush with buttermilk and top with cinnamon/sugar
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or so

Green smoothie

Frozen organic banana

Frozen mango

Organic pear juice

Splash of organic 2% milk

Fresh organic baby spinach

Organic whole milk yogurt

Whole Wheat Naan Bread

I originally posted this recipe here, and the only change I made this time was to use 2 T of local honey instead of sugar. Still a great recipe for pita-like bread. We had it for dinner, topped with grilled local chicken, organic veggies, and a homemade buttermilk dressing (John added sriracha). The girls had more naan this morning - I warmed it at 350 degrees in the toaster oven for a few minutes and topped it with local butter and coconut sugar/cinnamon. The girls had fun with their blueberries after eating the toppings off at dinner last night...

Homemade buttermilk dressing

Organic buttermilk

Organic sour cream (Wallaby brand is our FAVE)

Organic lemon juice

Paprika

Kosher salt

Dried dill

Organic garlic powder

Organic onion powder

For a snack, the girls had organic cucumbers topped with dressing and, per their request, blueberries. They thought it looked like eyeballs. Yup, sure did. 

Egg-n-Kale

In a fry pan, heat some olive oil and red pepper flakes. Add chopped organic kale; cover and saute until kale wilts and is tender. Remove from pan; drizzle with lemon juice. In same pan, fry local egg. Salt and pepper. Eat.

Snack sharing: Peanut butter apples

Snacks are a big part of life, aren't they? Now, I'm not an all-day-snacker advocate: we eat a good breakfast, a morning snack (if breakfast is early), a good lunch, an after-nap snack, and dinner. I don't do bedtime snacks - personally, or for the girls. And food is not readily accessible for Abby and Elise; they still ask 100% of the time before getting anything to eat. I've been making a more conscientious effort to reduce carbs and increase raw veggies. Don't get me wrong - I don't find any deficits in our diets. The girls continue to be bottomless pits hearty eaters. And while I'm thinking about carbs and grains and eating fewer myself, I am still a big fan of the real-deal, whole grains. 

All of that being said... let's share snacks! I mean, not really share - keep your germs on your plate, please. But I think I'll start posting pics now and then of our snacks. I would love if you'd share yours, too - either via FB or comments. So, to get this snack-party started, today we had peanut butter apples, with dried cherries:

Muffin Mania

It's still hot here. We are still in "summer mode". Yet I still NEED to bake. :) I've spent a great deal of time channeling my inner-baking goddess into muffins. I love muffins for the following reasons: 

1. Delicious.
2. Nutritious.
3. Unlimited possibilities.
4. Quick to throw together.
5. Great for breakfast.
6. Great for lunch.
7. Great for snacks.
8. Easy to grab-n-go.
9. Freeze well (not that they typically make it to our freezer).
10. Delicious.

I've been making at least 2 batches per week of at least a dozen muffins. And regarding #9 above: we usually consume a dozen muffins in a day. I don't think twice about feeding them to the girls for breakfast and again for lunch - sugar-free, whole grain, and contain fruits and/or vegetables. Works for me! When the day comes that I start packing lunches for the girls, you better believe they'll be enjoying muffins instead of sandwiches at times! Here's what we've been devouring lately:

Banana Bread Muffins

courtesy of COOKIE+kate

• 1/3 C melted organic coconut oil
• 1/4 C local honey
• 1/4 C real maple syrup
• 2 local eggs
• 1 C mashed organic bananas
• 1 tsp organic vanilla
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 C organic whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C ground organic oats
• 1/4 C oat bran
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 C hot water
• Combine coconut oil and honey; add eggs, bananas, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon
• Stir in flours (total flour is 1 3/4 C - I've made this by combining different amounts of whole wheat flour, ground oats, oat bran, flaxseed, and brown rice flour)
• Combine baking soda with hot water; add to batter
• Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes in greased muffin tin

Whole Wheat Carrot and Apple Muffins

courtesy of 100 Days of Real Food

• 3 C organic whole wheat flour (again, I typically use an assortment of flour and grains to total the amount needed)
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 sea salt
• 3 local eggs
• 3/4 C organic coconut oil
• 1/2 C honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 C grated organic carrots
• 1 C grated organic apples
• Combine dry ingredients
• Add wet ingredients
• Fold in carrots and apples
• Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes in greased muffin tin

Basic Muffin Recipe (without eggs)

courtesy of The Yummy Life

• 2 C organic flour (combination of ground oats, whole wheat flour, flaxseed)
• 2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 C buttermilk (I didn't have buttermilk so I squeezed 1 T fresh lemon juice into measuring cup, filled it to 1 C with milk, and let sit for 10 minutes)
• 1/2 C water
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 C local honey
• Combine dry ingredients
• Combine wet ingredients
• Add all together
• I made a batch of blueberry-pecan as well as a batch of peach-pecan. For both, fill greased muffin tin 1/3 with batter, sprinkle with fruit/nuts, fill another 1/3 with batter, top with fruit/nuts
• Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes 

Roasted "Peachicks"

Ahhhh... it is that time of year when, if so desired, I can mess around in the kitchen with the oven on all afternoon and not think twice about it. That gives post-nap snacks a million more options, which recently included oven-roasted garbanzo beans. When the girls woke up, I told them that I'd made them some chickpeas for their snack and the following 15 minutes consisted of a snarfing-down of the "crunchy little peachicks" (Elise). Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are high in fiber, contain some worthwhile vitamins, and are the main ingredient in hummus (yum!).

Oven-roasted Chickpeas
adapted from here

• 1 can organic garbanzo beans/chickpeas
• 1 1/2 T organic olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• pinch of cumin
• Preheat oven to 350°
• Rinse and pat dry beans
• Roast plain for 20 minutes
• Remove from oven and toss with olive oil, salt, and spices
• Return to oven for 20 minutes, or until desired crunchiness is achieved (they do crisp a bit more once cooled)
• Before offering to others, save some for yourself because these crunchy little peachicks are irresistible to the little ones. Case in point:

Kale Chips and Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast? Seriously? Sounds whack, I agree. I first encountered this term "nutritional yeast" in my absolute favorite baby food book, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. I reference this book on occasion to this day, and it's no secret that Super Porridge is STILL a staple in our diet. Anyhow, this book talks about all kinds of additions to baby foods, such as nutritional yeast. I never went that crazy when feeding the girls - I mean, I went porridge-with-pears-and-spinach-and-hardboiled-egg-crazy, but yeast was reserved for baking bread. Then I found this recipe for Kale Chips, which calls for nutritional yeast. And you know me - I love to try new (and strange) things in the kitchen. I simplified my own concoction and we are hooked - nutritional yeast and all.

Kale Chips

• One bunch of organic kale (I often buy the fairly curly kind because it is a thicker leaf)
• 3 T organic olive oil
• 2 T low sodium organic soy sauce
• 1 tsp Bragg organic apple cider vinegar
• 2 T nutritional yeast (found in the bulk section at The Merc)
• Wash kale and tear off of stalk into 2-inch-ish pieces
• Combine olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, yeast
• Toss kale with sauce in a bowl; use hands to make sure kale is evenly coated
• Bake at 400° for 15 minutes; toss/flip chips over; bake for 15-20 minutes more
• I typically start removing some of the smaller pieces as they are crisping after 25-30 minutes, letting the bigger pieces bake longer

I can't lie - the nutritional yeast is a bit of an oddity to me. This combination of ingredients gives them a salty taste like chips (the soy sauce) but with a cheesy flavor (the yeast). They are by far the best kale chips we've made and the whole family devours them. These kale chips have been showing up regularly for post-nap snacks - they are quick to throw together and it gets yet one more super veggie into the girls. 

We are just coming off of our first illness since the pneumonia attack in early March. After that whole debacle, the slightest cough, sniffle, or whimper in the night makes me cringe to this day. The girls were in perfect health all summer and their eating habits are nothing shy of incredible. I expected the runny noses and the cough to linger for weeks this time around, again. But they didn't. The girls bounced back quickly, they never missed a meal while sick, and we only encountered one rough night each last week. So "Cheers!" to those super veggies and mega fruits, those whole grains and home-cooked goodness. I truly believe that every meal matters.

Peanut... peanut butter! (no jelly)

The local coffee shop, Z's Divine, has great peanut butter bars. They are dense and packed with peanut butter. And it's no secret that PB is a staple in our diets. Again, kind of like eggs get a bad rap because of the cholesterol issue, nuts get a bad rap sometimes because of the fat issue. And, like cholesterol, there is good and bad. In my opinion, peanut butter = good.

Back to the PB bars, I'd love to have a go-to recipe that might come close to the taste and consistency of the ones from the coffee shop. I found this recipe and decided to give it a whirl. Snacks are a biggie for us - I am constantly searching for new recipes and/or creations that are not-processed, easy to make from scratch, and will give the girls that little "something" between meals that will tide them over without requiring the consumption of large quantities. We're definitely talking quality here, not quantity. I'd much rather feed them a nice, little peanut butter bar than a bowlful of goldfish crackers (which we've never purchased) that will leave them thirsty from the salt and hungry in 27 minutes. Back to the recipe...

Peanut Butter Bars

• 1/2 C organic whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C ground flaxseed
• 1 C organic oats
• 1 tsp baking soda (I felt like I could taste the baking soda, so I think I'll reduce to 1/2 tsp next time)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 C organic brown sugar
• 3/4 C organic peanut butter (no salt added)
• 1 T organic vanilla extract
• 1/2 C organic 2% milk
• 1/3 C mini chocolate chips
• 350° oven
• Combine PB and sugar (I mixed it by hand); add vanilla
• Add flour, flaxseed, oats, baking soda, salt
• Mix in milk; add chocolate chips last
• Squish into an 8x8 pan (I buttered the pan)
• Bake 15-18 minutes

This really is a nice recipe - and in terms of ingredients, it has no eggs and no butter. I might experiment with replacing the sugar with honey and/or sorghum (shocker!) but would I blog about something that I didn't find worth sharing???

Or, if you're feeling a little peanut butter crazy... this was one of last week's post-nap snacks. The girls found them hilarious and named them "crazy man", as in "Momma, you make this crazy man for me to eat again?". Yes, part-Yoda, part-cavechild. Momma make this for you again, I will.

No Bake Sesame Bars

Our local (and favorite) grocery store, The Merc, offers cooking classes regularly. I've taken two classes, the most recent was last week that I took with my mom as her mother's day gift. The class was "Whole Grain Desserts and Snacks" and I found a new ingredient: Sweet Sorghum. I really try to limit sugar, and I'm currently working to cut back even more, so sweeteners like honey and maple syrup pop up almost daily here. Sweet Sorghum is a thick, molasses-like syrup that I had never even heard of! I picked some up and made one of the recipes that was presented in the class, No Bake Sesame Bars, and not only do we all like the bars but the sorghum is officially on my sugar-substitute list! These bars are another perfect toddler cooking activity, as they contain only ingredients that are safe for tasting along the way!

No Bake Sesame Bars
courtesy of Hilary Kass at The Merc

• 1/3 C organic sorghum syrup (or honey)
• 1/3 C organic peanut butter
• 1/2 C nonfat dry milk
• 3/4 C organic sesame seeds
• 1/4 C organic raisins
• 1/4 C organic unsweetened shredded coconut
• Mix together all ingredients
• Spread in an 8-inch square pan
• Wet hands and press down firmly
• Refrigerate for 4 hours

Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips

Here's a quick and easy toddler snack: Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips.

• Organic whole wheat tortillas (we used some that are locally made)
• Organic olive oil (butter would work too)
• Cinnamon and sugar
• I gave the girls each a tortilla and a small bowl of olive oil; they used Daddy's grill basting brushes to brush oil all over the tortilla
• Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top
• Bake at 400° until crisp (maybe 10 minutes or so)
• Turn broiler on at end to melt the sugar, giving the chips a lovely sheen (just try to avoid over-broiling as there is a chance this might cause smoke hence setting off the smoke detector)

Time to share a few twin-tales... Now that the girls are back to their very perky ways, the house is once again filled with book-reading (I think Abby reads Mary Wore Her Red Dress at least 16 times before John even gets to the shower each morning) and self-dressing (Elise quickly latched on to some new jammies that I picked up last weekend and, with the exception of laundering each day, she has been wearing either the pants or shirt for the past 48 hours, straight). 

• At approximately 6:32 yesterday morning, this conversation took place:
• Abby: "Momma, I can't find Mary." (referring to the above-named book)
• Elise: "Abby, you already look in library basket?"
• Abby: "Yes, Elise. I already look. Do you know where Mary is?"
• Elise: "Abby. Look in library basket again. Come on, I show you."
• Upon entering the living room, I find that the cat Lucy (who the girls refer to as Chew-Chew) is passed out on the floor. Abby has conveniently placed the clothes pins attached to the bottom of balloons on Lucy's side, so the cat is lying there with debris sitting on top of her. 
• Abby says to me "Momma, is Chew-Chew dead?"
• Elise replies "No, Abby. Chew-Chew is alive."

Ahhhhh... good riddance illness. Welcome back 2-year old entertainment! :) 

Peanut butter and Picasso

It is no secret that I'm proud of my girls. It is, however, rather amazing to me what they are capable of accomplishing. Their stories, their independence, their care and concern for one another (with an occasional push here or hair-pull there), and lately their drawings. Oh, their drawings! Yes, I am totally and 100% bragging. But I cannot hide my sheer astonishment with how quickly we have reached milestones like these:

Abby's "queen", with a crown on top 

Elise's person, with "cheeks" and a "chin"

Clearly that covers the "Picasso" portion of this post. Now onto the "peanut butter'. While trying to figure out something to do with leftover powdered milk from my holiday homemade hot chocolate, I stumbled across this recipe on Allrecipes for "Moonbeams". What a nice little toddler snack - easy for little hands to measure, pour, mix, and eat:

No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls:

• Not quite 1/2 C organic peanut butter
• 1/4 C Wheat germ
• 1/4 C unsweetened organic coconut
• 1/4 C powdered dry milk
• 1/4 C total local honey and organic agave combined (it may have been about 1/8 C of each)
• Mix all together
• Roll into balls
• Roll in wheat germ or coconut
• Next time: I think I'll do less honey/agave as they are plenty sweet AND I'm thinking these would be a delish adult snack covered in chocolate???

Toddler snack... take 2!

My previous "toddler snack" post was a wheat germ ball, that requires baking. This little doozy is a no-bake ball of y-u-m-m-y! And the best part - no measuring required! Just take the ingredients, mix, and roll together. Add a little more of this or that if it's too dry or mushy.

• Organic peanut butter
• Local honey
• Organic puffed millet cereal
• Shredded organic carrots
• Organic raisins
• Handful of granola
• Mix, squish, roll, chill in fridge
• EAT!!!

Easy toddler snack

The girls woke up from naps one day last week and we decided a little baking was in order. I'm always looking for healthy, fun, homemade snacks that leave room for a lot of variety. Once you discover those basic recipes, much like a good muffin recipe, it opens the door to endless snack options based on the morsels found in the pantry on any given day. On this day, it was dates and wheat germ!

In a bowl, the girls mixed:

• 1 cup organic whole what flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 T. organic creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chopped organic dates

I then added:

• 1 egg (this allowed the little ladies to taste along the way without a worry in the world, and did they ever taste!!!)

Form into balls, roll in extra wheat germ, and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ideas for future add-ins: chopped nuts, various other dried fruits, coconut, flaxseed, granola.

Snack idea: apple sandwiches

As some of you read this, you might be thinking "that's not a recipe!" or "what's so creative about that?". And you're right - a lot of the things I love are simple. fast. easy. Like this:

Finely slice an apple. Use a cookie cutter for a fun shape, if desired. Mix the following to spread between the apple slices:

- 2 T. peanut butter

- 1 T. honey

- 2 T. finely shredded carrots

- 1 T. ground flax seed

Can you beat it? Fresh fruit, omega 3s, protein, veggies, and some local bee pollen to help combat allergies! Apple sandwiches get 4 thumbs up in our house!!!!