My parents were around in full force this summer. It was a huge help to me but it also meant my kids were exposed to a whole host of foods that mommy does not want them eating. Let’s see, there was the day that Kenya
innocently told me that my father bought him “some” gum at the car wash (sugar free Trident with Aspartame to be exact). We later found Chloe playing unusually quietly and chewing something. Next to her were 15 empty gum wrappers. When we asked her where everything went that was in the wrappers she said, “in my tummy”. Then there were the times my dad let Kenya order “a drink in a red can that was really sweet with bubbles in it,” but of course Kenya was told to not say anything to me. Are you starting to see a pattern here with my dad and his knowledge
of what is and is not ok to feed kids?

Or how about the day that I made these Blueberry Cheesecake Bites and Kenya said, “Grandpa took me to the Cheesecake Factory. I love cheesecake.” Now, I have nothing against cheesecake — it was one of my favorite desserts as a kid — but I get cavities just thinking about the mounds of sugar that most recipes call for. This version is different and has become one of my kids’ new favorite sweet treats. Since they are bite-sized, contain no refined sugar, have tons of fresh blueberries and even a whole wheat and oat crust, I feel a lot better offering these to my kids for dessert than a lot of the alternatives.

Blueberry Cheesecake Bites (makes 20-25 bites)

Oat Crust:

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, chilled

Filling:

4 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 Large Egg, at room temperature
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Fresh Blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. To make the crust, place the first 3 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to chop oats.
3. Add the butter and pulse to combine.
4. Press the crust on the bottom of a parchment-lined 8 x 8 baking dish and flatten evenly with your hands. Bake for 10 minutes to set, then allow to cool.
5. Lower the oven temperature to 250 F.
6. To make the filling, place the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and beat to combine.
7. Fold in the blueberries.
8. Pour the batter on top of the crust and bake for 1 hour.
9. Cool and then chill until ready to serve.
10. Cut into squares and serve.*

*To get clean squares, wipe your knife between each slice.

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.

When I hear the most frequent dinnertime complaints weelicious moms’ have, one of their biggest issues is lack of time. I totally get it. It’s tough trying to get a balanced, nutritious meal on the dinner table when you only have a limited amount of time in which to make it. That is why whenever I need an easy-to-prepare meal I can be sure the whole family will love, I get out my crock pot. From prep to clean up, it is the biggest time saving appliance I own. I’d actually marry it if my husband wasn’t already in the picture.

This Veggie Lasagna is one of my biggest recent crock pot success stories and it only took me a few minutes to put the whole thing together. No sautéing or stove-watching required. Just chop your veggies, mix the cheeses and layer everything into the pot. By the time you get home from picking up the kids at school and an afternoon of errands, this delicious dinner will be waiting for you — just take the lid off and serve.

You may not want to marry your crock pot, but you might consider it after tasting this lasagna.

Crock Pot Veggie Lasagna (Serves 6-8)

2 Cups Zucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Mushrooms and/or Spinach
1 15 oz Container Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Tbsp Dried Italian Herbs
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Large Egg
1 25 oz Jar Pasta Sauce
1 Box Lasagna Noodles (uncooked)
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated

1. Place the vegetables in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop.
2. Place the ricotta, parmesan cheese, herbs, garlic powder, salt and egg in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Pour half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a crock pot.
4. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, covering the entire surface, breaking the noodles to fit the pot.
5. Layer half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, followed by 1 cup of the chopped vegetables and then one cup of mozzarella cheese.
6. Repeat with another layer of noodles, followed by the remaining ricotta mixture and the chopped vegetables.
7. Pour the remaining pasta sauce on top of the lasagna and top with the remaining cup of the grated cheese.
8. Cook on low for 4 hours.
9. Serve.

I was scouring some of my cookbooks recently trying to find a peanut butter and jelly popsicle. Oh yeah, I said it PB & J pop. Nothing. Ziltch. How was that possible. Ok, maybe there’s one out there, but I didn’t find it and I couldn’t get the thought of making them out of my head.

Cut to me finding a box of 100 Dixie cups in the bathroom cabinet that day. When did I buy these? They must have been there for over a year, but I not a single one had been used. Ahh ha.. I could make the PB & J popsicles in them!

I headed down to the kitchen mixing a little of this and a little of that until I came up with what seemed like the perfect mixture and began layering and then freezing the popsicles.

Cut to Kenya opening the freezer when I was looking an hour later and accidentally dumping the tray of cups over and watching my little experiment poured all of the freezer (if you’ve ever tried cleaning peanut butter out of a freezer I’m sure you can imagine this wasn’t a ton of fun). But after we made another batch and let them freeze (check out the image at the end of this post) you had two kids (and a mom) who happily devoured a batch of PB & J pops loving every last bite.

PB & J Pops (Makes 4 pops)

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter, smooth
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Cup Milk, divided (any type of milk will work)
1/2 Cup Your Favorite Fruit Preserves (I used Raspberry)

1. Combine the peanut butter, honey and 1/2 cup of milk in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Whisk the preserves and the remaining milk in a separate bowl to combine.
3. Pour both mixtures into 2 separate liquid measuring cups for easy pouring.
4. Pour 2 tbsp of the peanut butter mixture into each Dixie cup, followed by 3 tbsp of the fruit preserves mixture.
5. Freeze for 30 minutes.
6. Pour the remaining peanut butter mixture on top. Pok a popsicle stick in the middle of the cups.
7. Freeze for at least 6 hours or more.
8. Serve.

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.

One of the best parts about working (mostly) from home is that it rarely feels like work. So much of the fun of weelicious for me is not only being close to my kids but that I can actually let them participate in helping me create some of the recipes (whether you feel confident making a recipe that a 4 year old helped me to create is entirely up to you)!

I had been working on a recipe for zucchini cakes last week when Kenya came into the kitchen with his grandmother and asked me, “whatcha got” (translation: what are you making for me to eat)? I don’t know why I always feel a little hesitant whenever I offer my kids something I made that contains a green vegetable. Even though I am beyond blessed with two great eaters, I somehow am still guilty of believing that all kids are pre-programmed to not like green veggies. Anyway, Kenya always tends to ask me what’s in whatever it is I am offering him, and so I told him: parmesan (I always list the cheese first for him, no matter how little is in the recipe!), breadcrumbs, eggs and finally, under my breath I added “zucchini”, to which he literally screamed, “I love zucchini”.

Kenya took a taste and when I asked him what he thought it needed he said most matter of factly, “it needs some cheese on top”. I guess it is worth trusting a 4 year old because just that extra sprinkle of cheese took these Zucchini Cakes from good to great. So great, in fact, that I didn’t even get to serve them as I planned to at dinner that night because Kenya and his dad finished the entire recipe right then and there.

What’s the lesson for me here? Giving your kids input into what you’re making isn’t such a bad idea. On the contrary, allowing them to feel like they contributed something to the dish can be a great way to let them feel some pride of ownership and inspire them to eat things you might have thought they would never be into!

Zucchini Parmesan Cakes (Serves 4)

2 Medium Zucchini, grated
2 Large Eggs, whisked
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, plus extra to sprinkle on top
1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
Olive Oil

1. Grate 2 medium zucchini and place in a towel and blot to remove excess liquid.
2. Place the grated zucchini in a bowl along with the whisked eggs, garlic powder, breadcrumbs, parmesan and salt and combine.
3. Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
4. Drop about 2 tbsp of batter into the skillet and flatten with the back of a spoon to form a cake. Cook for 2 minutes on each side.*
5. Continue to making the remaining cakes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese on top.
6. Serve.

* You can use a small cookie scooper to portion the batter into the pan

It’s still summer and the weather seems warmer then ever, but once the Back to School buzz is in the ether it sends my brain a message that it’s time to cover up the grill and head back into the kitchen to do my cooking.

But I don’t listen to that message! The grill should always be your best buddy — at least for as long as it continues to be nice outside and your goal remains getting an easy dinner on your table in a jiff.

Among all the fruits and vegetables, our garden is literally overflowing at the moment with peppers and zucchini. I gotta use what’s growing and that’s where the inspiration for these hearty kabobs came from. My kids are really into the how our peppers have ripened into rainbow of different colors and they’ve also discovered a fun new cooking job helping me to string the vegetable chunks onto the skewers. After just a few minutes on the grill and a brush of sweet glaze right at the end, these Grilled Veggie Kabobs will become welcome part of your meal no matter what time of year it is!

Grilled Veggie Kabobs (Makes 6-8 Skewers)

1 Onion, cubed
1 Red Bell Pepper, cubed
1 Green Bell Pepper, cubed
1 Orange Bell Pepper, cubed
8 Mushrooms
1 Green Zucchini, sliced into 1-inch rounds
1 Yellow Zucchini, sliced into 1-inch rounds
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Teriyaki Sauce

1. Preheat grill.
2. Place vegetable onto skewers*, brush with olive oil and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side.
3. Brush with the teriyaki sauce and serve.

* If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes prior to placing the vegetables on the skewers so they don’t burn

DO YOU WANT TO SAY YOU CAN USE TOMATOES AND WHATEVER VEGGES ARE IN SEASON?

Why do so many people turn up their noses when they hear the word okra? Growing up in the south, I ate okra as often as say someone in Georgia might eat a peach. Being someone who can at times gravitate to the extreme, I was also the kid who, when enjoying a bowl of Burgoo (am I getting too country for you now), used to pick out all of the okra to devour first. However, I find people from other parts of the country either have never heard of okra or have an unexplained aversion to it.

I introduced Kenya and Chloe to this exquisite green vegetable, a very good source of Vitamins A, C, and K, right when they started eating solid foods and now I’ve got two okra lovin’ kids. We usually enjoy it prepared simply, steamed as a side dish, but when I made these okra fries and served them up with a little marinara sauce on the side for dipping, the kids looked at me like I truly had reinvented the wheel (and improved on it)! My 2 year old, Chloe, likes to pull the okra out of the crust and eat both parts separately (it is hilarious to watch) while the rest of us like to just dip and leave our “fries” intact. Crunchy on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside, these Okra “Fries” are delicious, a healthier alternative to real fries because there is no actual frying involved and a great way to get your family to eat one of my favorite veggies — with no upturned noses!

Okra Fries (Serves 4)

1 Lb Whole Okra
1/3 Cup Flour
2 Large Eggs, whisked
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Cup Italian Breadcrumbs or Panko

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Make an “assembly line” by placing the flour in one bowl, the eggs in a second bowl, and the salt and breadcrumbs in a third.
3. Roll the okra in the flour and pat to remove excess flour.
4. Dip the flour-coated okra in the egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Dip in the egg again and roll into the breadcrumbs once more to double coat the okra.
5. Place okra on a cookie sheet sprayed or greased with olive oil. When all the coated okra is on the sheet, spray again to lightly coat.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
7. Serve.

One of the greatest things about having a mother-in-law who is a veteran preschool teacher is that she has an encyclopedic knowledge of children’s books. She has always been able to effortlessly suggest to us amazing titles that contain wonderful morals and lessons, but are first and foremost a ton of fun to read.

One of the first books we got for Kenya based on her recommendation was “If You Give a Mouse A Cookie” and it’s still a favorite of both my kids. Even though it appears to be a chocolate chip cookie that the mouse is eating in the book (and there’s also a biscotti), we like to talk about what other cookies that we think the mouse might enjoy, going back and forth with our favorites. Raisin Oatmeal, Graham Cracker, Peanut Butter, Gingersnaps….wait, Gingersnaps? The kids had no idea what I was talking about. How could that be? Had I really never exposed them to the crispy, delicious taste of a gingersnap?! Armed with a big bag of whole wheat flour and iron packed molasses, I set out to right that horrible wrong.

These cookies are so much fun to make with the kids, but make sure to close your cookie jar lid because even a little mouse will want to get it’s paws on these!

Ginger Snap Cookies (Makes 32 cookies)

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Molasses
1 Large Egg
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place the first four ingredients in a bowl and combine.
3. Place the butter and sugar in a standing mixer or bowl and beat on low until fluffy.
4. Add the egg, molasses and ginger and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined.
6. Using a cookie scooper, drop 1 tbsp of cookie batter onto a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet 2 inches apart from each other and bake for 12 minutes for soft cookies or 15 minutes for crispy cookies.
7. Cool and serve.