As we walked through the market, I saw a big pile of fresh, local, sugar snap peas. For me, these are definitely a food that shouts summer. So I had my 6-year-old fill our mesh produce bag full of them, and we brought them home to eat for dinner.
When produce is so fresh and ripe, I think it’s best to let it shine on its own, to let its own natural flavors take the spotlight instead of preparing them with a heavy sauce or another dominant seasoning.… Continue reading
One of my favorite healthy breakfasts is Eggs over Braised Greens. I’ve also been known to serve this to my boys and me for dinner when my husband is out of town. You can braise some fresh greens – spinach cooks down quickly and easily, taking only a little bit more time than your eggs to cook. This is also the perfect way to use leftover Garlic Braised Greens (recipe HERE) or leftover Braised Greens with Cranberries (recipe HERE), if you have them on hand.… Continue reading
My rapidly growing boys are constantly hungry and – honestly – as a nursing mama, so am I. As a result, I carry snacks in my bag wherever we go. Yes, even heading to restaurants or when we’re leaving after just finishing a meal, I always carry something (because I’ve needed snacks in just those very situations).
I try to make sure the snacks I carry with me meet two characteristics:
We eat a lot of greens in our house, and I love adding garlic to everything. Combining the two is a natural combination for us. Not only is this a very healthy side dish, but it tastes fantastic and it’s simple to prepare.
This recipe works well with any greens that you happen to have on hand, which makes it a great way to reduce food waste (see HERE) by using greens that might be nearing the end of their shelf life.… Continue reading
I was looking for a simple, dairy-free treat to serve when some friends came over, and remembered seeing this recipe from Elana’s Pantry that I wanted to try. I modified it slightly, because my boys don’t want things like dried fruit interfering with their cake (they prefer to eat their fruit and cake separately), and I prefer other fats to palm shortening.… Continue reading
We just got back from spending a week with my grandparents. While we were there, we all worked together on meal preparation. One of the ways we simplified cooking for so many people was to declare that each day, we were having leftovers for lunch.
This meant that every day we prepared a big breakfast. My grandmother spoiled us with bacon or sausage and eggs in the morning.… Continue reading
Most of the people in my family break into a rash when we eat rice, so it’s not something we make or eat. Yet, every once in a while there is a recipe that would be great over rice: a curry (like THIS or THIS), a stir fry, or other dishes full of saucy goodness. So when I saw Cauliflower Rice on the menu of a local restaurant, I decided to give making my own a try.… Continue reading
While my boys don’t always eat a ton of raw vegetables on their own, they will devour them by the handful if we have a dip to go along with them. So when I cut up and serve an assortment of raw vegetables along with a delicious dip, I know they’ll get several servings of vegetable goodness in one sitting.
Today we cut up carrots, celery, and red bell pepper and served them all with guacamole.… Continue reading
I will start by saying that carob is not chocolate. It doesn’t taste like chocolate. It won’t ever taste like chocolate. The similarity is that both powders are brown. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise (I am a fervent lover of dark chocolate). That said, I think carob is an interesting and great flavor – as long as no one is trying to pass it off as chocolate, and we use it in a variety of recipes.… Continue reading
After the success of the Simple, No-Bake Sesame Snack Bars (recipe HERE), I decided to try a variation for the apricot-lover in my house. These were also no bake, very simple to make, healthy, and a great treat or snack.
Each time I make something like this, I try to use a variety of nuts, seeds, and fruits, as each of the various components have a different nutritional profile which, in turn, imparts to us a wider range of benefits.… Continue reading