As many of you know, we’re big on dips in our house. I find that if you put out a big platter of veggies next to a yummy dip for plunging into, the variety of vegetables you can get into kids’ little bodies increases by….well, a lot! Case in point was the day that I made this Avocado Honey Dip. Chloe had just woken up from her nap and was sitting with me at the kitchen counter while I was concocting this creamy spread. She asked if she could try some, so I made her a little plate with baby carrots, sugar snap peas and pretzels. Chloe dipped a few times and then, in the time that it took me to turn around to grab something and turn back, she had her little arm wrapped around the mixing bowl and the spatula I had used to stir it in her mouth. Eventually I surrendered and let her finish it all.

There’s nothing worse than sending your child to school with a lunch box packed full of fresh veggies only to have them come back home exactly the way you sent them: uneaten. My advice? Add some of this dip and see if it adds to your kid’s fun of wanting to munch and crunch on the good stuff that goes with it!

Avocado Honey Dip (makes 1 cup)

1 Avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 Cup Whipped Cream Cheese
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mash together.
2. Serve with cut up veggies, crackers, pretzels or even as a spread on toast.

I take absolutely no credit for the creation of this recipe. I have never heard of anyone eating it before (or seen it on a menu, so please feel free to tell me if you have). The idea was all my kids’.

We often buy hearty whole grain sour dough bread and sharp cheddar cheese at the farmers’ market with which we use to make, among other things, paninis. Sometimes we’ll add a slice of heirloom tomato or avocado to jazz them up, but last weekend Kenya asked if we could just use pickles. Pickles. Not as a garnish to accompany the tomato and avocado, mind you, but as the sole co-star to the cheese. It sounded so silly that we all (even Kenya) started giggling, “grilled cheese and pickle?” But then Chloe started chanting for it too. Never one to ignore a culinary request, especially one from my kids, I thinly sliced a bunch of kosher dills and started assembling the sandwich.

Well, my munchkins are definitely on to something. Who knew you could up the ante on the classic grilled cheese — a sandwich already bordering on perfection — but three days in a row later, the Grilled Cheese and Pickle Panini has become a new lunchtime favorite in our house.

Grilled Cheese & Pickle Panini (Serves 2)

4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread (or your favorite sandwich bread)
4 Slices Cheddar Cheese
2 Pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise

1. Preheat panini maker (this can also be made in a saute pan).
2. Place a slice of cheese on one slice of bread and cover with a layer of sliced pickles.
3. Place another slice of cheese on top of the pickles and cover with a slice of bread.
4. Continue making the second panini.
5. Place sammies in the panini maker and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Slice panini in half or on a diagonal to make triangles and serve.

Do you have any idea how much money you spend on granola and/or nutritional bars for your kids? Take a minute and add it up; I would bet it’s more than you think. Before you say “they’re convenient”, trust me, I get it. On those busy mornings when you don’t have time for breakfast, there’s nothing easier than tossing a bar into your child’s lunch box and another one into your purse, but a majority of the brands on the market are not as healthy as their manufacturers would lead you to believe. Plus, they are made with ingredients I can’t even begin to pronounce.

About 8 years ago, I got so fed up with what my husband was spending on bars to take to work with him, I devoted myself to figuring out how to make them myself. I worked so hard at it, I even flirted with starting my own bar business! These Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are unbelievably delicious and, if you wrap them individually, just as easy to grab when you’re on-the-go as the ones you buy at the market (plus, you’ll have no problem pronouncing all of the ingredients in these). But the best part? This recipe makes 30 bars. Most pre-packaged bars will run you a dollar or more. That would come out to about $30 (!) compared to the less than $4 it costs to make this recipe (and don’t forget the time you’ll also save not having to go to the grocery).

If you can’t bear giving your kids chocolate chips first thing in the morning (my husband always gets tweaked when he sees the kids eating these at 8am), you can easily replace them with naturally sweet dried fruit like cranberries, cherries or raisins. My feeling is if my kids are going to have chocolate at all I would rather it be at the beginning of the day than right before they go to bed.

Chewy and crunchy with toasted oats and a sweet surprise in every bite, these Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are a must for your back to school rotation!

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (makes about 30 bars)

4 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Chocolate Chips*
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Canola Oil
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Honey

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
5. Place granola mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and shape into a rectangle, about 13 x 9 x 1 inch thick.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then cut into 3 x 1 inch bars.**
8. Serve.

* You can substitute raisins or other dried fruit for the chocolate chips.
** Individually wrapped, the bars will remain fresh for several weeks.

With all the fun things my kids have going on during the summer, the last thing I want to do is be in the kitchen. So, on Sundays I grill a few pieces of chicken and several ears of corn to keep in the fridge and turn into different meals over the next few days. Since my kids love chicken and corn and quesadillas, this unbelievably delicious and simple to prepare dish couldn’t make them any happier. With just a few additional ingredients to make it even more of a complete meal, this is a great recipe to keep in your file when you want to make the most out of the leftovers in your fridge!

Grilled Chicken & Corn Quesadilla (Serves 6)

1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Lb Chicken Breast, boneless & skinless
2 Ears Fresh Corn
1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 Green Onions, sliced
1 1/2 Cups Jack Cheese, grated
6 Flour Tortillas

1. Preheat grill.
2. Season chicken breasts with 1 tsp of salt, brush grill with oil and grill corn and chicken breasts for a total of 8 minutes until juicy and cooked through.
3. Allow chicken and corn to cool, then remove the kernels from the corn and dice the chicken into small cubes.
4. Place the chicken and corn into a bowl along with the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.
5. Lower the heat on your grill and place a 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture onto one side of the tortilla and fold over.
6. Grill the stuffed tortilla for 2 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn the tortilla.
7. Continue to make the remaining quesadillas.
8. Slice into triangles and serve.

For me, one of the great sites and smells of summer is a big basket of fresh peaches. We love eating them so much in my house that I tend to go a bit overboard at the farmers’ market every Sunday and buy way more than we could possibly eat in a week. As the days go by, some get bruises while others become uber soft and juicy. Unless you want to eat peaches for every meal there’s nothing you can really do with them except….make fruit leather! If you think my kids like eating peaches, you should just see how excited they get for this homemade fruit leather. They go through it so quickly I tend to make about three batches a week, but one of the great things about this recipe is that it stays good for weeks, if not longer.

Got a little over zealous like me at the market and now you’re sitting with several pounds of super ripe stone fruit — and no where near enough time to eat them before they spoil? Peach fruit leather is your answer!

Peach Fruit Leather

4 Ripe Peaches (skin on)
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Preheat oven to 225 F degrees.*
2. Rinse and remove seeds from peaches.
3. Place the peaches and honey in a blender and puree until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread with the back of a spoon or spatula in a large rectangle (my rectangle was 11 x 15 inches) making sure that the thickness is completely even.
5. Bake for 3-4 hours or until dry and not sticky to the touch. Remember, cooking times will vary depending on how thick you spread your mixture and how much water (juice) is naturally in the fruit.**
6. Set aside and cool at room temperature; it takes several hours for the fruit to soften up. Note that when you first take the fruit leather out of the oven, the edges will be a bit dry and crispy, but if you allow it to sit out for several hours it softens up nicely.
7. Cut with a knife, pizza cutter or scissors into strips, keeping the paper on if desired, then roll the leather into “roll ups”.
8. Serve.

* If you choose to use a dehydrator, cook the fruit leather at 135 degrees for 5 hours.
** Every oven is different, so the cooking time maybe less than 2 hours if your oven tends to run hot.

Every time I take the kids to my friend’s house for a play date she serves steamed carrot coins for dinner. They’re always tender and sweet and all of our kids love them. I think the coin shape makes them extra appealing to little ones. I rarely think to make cooked carrots for dinner because I have such vivid memories of the waterlogged ones from my middle school cafeteria tray that always went untouched. Remember those? Limp, bland and quite sad looking. When it comes to food, like with many things, first impressions can be so important. No wonder so many kids decide from a young age whether they do or don’t like a certain food. It’s why I focus so much on presentation and sparked to my friend’s preparation.

I bought some gorgeous carrots at the Farmers’ Market last weekend and decided to give them a little extra lovin’ by roasting them with a bit of seasoning. These carrots turned out nothing like the ones I grew up on, they’re sweet from a bit of caramelization, bright orange and delicious. It’s nice to know that you rediscover foods you grew up on (and may not have fond memories of) and see them in a whole new light!

Roasted Carrot Coins (Serves 4)

4 Medium Carrots, peeled and cut into coins, about 2 cups
1/4 Tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place all of the ingredients on a baking sheet and toss to combine.
3. Roast for 30 minutes.
4. Serve.

When I discovered last week that we had four (yes, four) half-eaten jars of peanut butter in the refrigerator, I was determined to not let it go to waste. There are plenty of great uses for peanut butter such as “O” Cookies, Bugs on a Log, Cold Soba Noodles and, of course, PB&J sandwiches, but when I realized that I also had a considerable amount of frozen pie dough leftover, my decision was made: homemade “pop tarts” filled with peanut butter and strawberry preserves.

The Raspberry Cream Cheese Heart Tarts we made for Valentine’s Day this year went over even bigger with my kids than they did with my husband, so I’d been planning on coming up with a new variation on them. Finding out that I had a year’s worth of peanut butter created the perfect excuse! Kenya and Chloe were so excited when they saw these tarts come out of the oven that they actually fought over who was going to get the first one. It was sad for me to watch them get so upset, but secretly it made me happy that they were so worked up about something I made! And once they tried these delectable treats, everyone was all smiles again — especially me, who got our runaway peanut butter supply under control.

Peanut Butter & Jelly “Pop Tarts” (Makes 12 Tarts)

1/4 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1/4 Cup Strawberry Preserves, Jam or Jelly
1 Double Crust Recipe or 1 14 oz Pre-Made Pie Crust*
Water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll the pie crust 1/4 inch thick and cut into rectangles, about 2×3 inches.
3. Place one rectangle on a lightly floured work surface, top with 1 tsp each of the peanut butter and preserves in the very center. **
4. Lightly dip your index finger into a cup of water and “brush” the border of the dough around the pb&j with the water (this will allow the two sides of the rectangle to adhere to one another).
5. Top with another rectangular piece of pie dough. Take the tines of a fork and gently press down along the edges to adhere (making sure the mixture stays inside the tart).***
6. Place the tarts on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes or until golden.
7. Serve.

* You can use prepared Pie Crusts too such as Pillsbury or your favorite brand
** You can also combine the peanut butter and preserves in a bowl and place 2 teaspoons of the mixture inside the tart.
** To Freeze: place tarts on a cookie sheet and freeze for one hour. Remove, place in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat follow steps 6-7, adding an extra 2 minutes to the baking time.

Memorial Day, swimming and summertime barbecues are right around the corner, so I thought I would get your tummies rumbling with a salsa that’s full of vibrant colors, fresh flavors and lots of nutrition.

Ever since corn reappeared at our local Farmers’ Market a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been serving the kids this Corn Salsa as a side dish, but then I realized it’s also the perfect accompaniment to a bag of tortilla chips as a dipping salsa. No matter how you decide to serve it, it’s super simple to make and perfect to double or even triple if you have a bunch of people coming over.

Corn Salsa (Serves 4-6)

1 16 oz Bag Frozen Corn, defrosted (or 2 cups fresh corn, cooked)
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 Green Onions, sliced
1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 Limes
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and combine.
2. Serve with tortilla chips or as a side dish.

There are so many snack foods on the market, but how many of them are actually nutritious? The shelves of most supermarkets are overflowing with a seemingly endless amount of snack food choices, the majority of which, at best, contain a good deal of salt, sugar, hydrogenated oils and more. You can’t even completely rely on the label “organic” when it comes to packaged food. Sure, it may mean what you’re buying contains less pesticides than the non-organic alternatives, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t made with additives and a host other stuff you’d rather not be feeding your family.

These Roasted Cinnamon Honey Chickpeas are my version of healthy junk food. They’re probably not prepared the way you’re used to eating chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans), which are soft in texture once cooked and traditionally used as the basis for savory dishes like hummus, soups and stews. Instead, these are super crunchy and sweetened with a light coating of cinnamon and honey, making them even more addictive than those junky snacks you can’t pry out of your child’s hands. In fact, with only three wholesome ingredients including the protein packed chickpeas, you’d be hard pressed to find another snack food that’s this good for you.

I brought a container of them with me to Chloe’s gymnastics class last week where the kids and moms camped out afterwards for their mid-morning snack couldn’t get over the fact that they were eating beans. One mom came over to ask me, “where did you buy these”? Mission accomplished!

Roasted Cinnamon Honey Chickpeas (makes about 2 cups)

1 15 oz. Can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans)
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place the beans between two paper towels and pat dry, loosening the outer skin of the beans.
3. Remove the outer skins of the beans and pat dry to remove any other excess liquid (removing the outer skin of the beans takes a few minutes, but it’s a great job for getting kids involved).
4. Whisk the cinnamon and oil in a bowl to combine, add the beans stirring to coat and place on a baking sheet.
5. Roast for 40 minutes.
6. Remove the beans from the oven, place in a bowl and toss with 1 tbsp of honey.
7. Place the beans back into the oven and roast an additional 7 minutes.
8. Cool completely and serve.

* Store in a covered container on your counter for up to 2 weeks

I’ve talked before about my son’s overwhelming love of onions, both raw and cooked….and my bewilderment over this fact. Raw onions have such a strong and intense flavor, yet I have seen him on more than one occasion eat handfuls of raw onions until his breath was so strong I had to turn my face away. Of course cooking onions makes them sweeter and much less sharp, but I’ve still seen some kids respond poorly to their texture. Believe me, I like onions every now and then, but my little guy could eat them morning, noon and night.

However, the real surprise came last week after I had made this recipe. Chloe had just woken up from her nap and there were several remaining pieces of the Onion and Cheese Quesadilla I had made for Kenya’s school lunch resting on the cutting board in the kitchen. She saw them and chirped, “I want some quesadilla”. I haven’t seen Chloe eat onions often, but I didn’t say anything and handed her a piece. I expected her to take one bite and be done with it. Three slices later I was proved wrong. Very wrong, obviously. Could it be that I have two onion loving kids? Then again, is it really so weird for kids to like onions or is it just weird that I think it’s so odd? No matter what the answers are, my guys loved this recipe and since it’s so easy to make, I see a lot more onions in my future.

Onion & Cheese Quesadilla (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 Small Red Onion, sliced thin
1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded & divided
4 Tortillas, flour, spelt or whole wheat

1. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and sauté onions and salt for 6 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside.
2. Place one tortilla in a dry pan over medium heat, sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over tortilla and top with half the cooked onions.
3. Top with another tortilla and heat through, about 3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and tortilla is slightly toasted.
4. Repeat with the remaining ingredients for the second quesadilla.
5. Cut into wedges and serve.