Tag Archives: Vegetables

How I Got My Daughter To Try Zucchini and Zucchini Noodle Dishes I Love

8 Oct

 

I never thought I would be able to get my girls to eat zucchini.  Not long ago my mom gave me a Veggetti™ Spiral Vegetable Cutter. It’s been the best gift.  It turns Veggies into thick or thin “spaghetti” noodles.  I use it almost every day for lunch and dinner, mostly with Zucchini. One day my youngest, who won’t touch zucchini when its cut into chips or sticks, saw me eating the Zucchini Noodles. She loved zucchini noodles. She prefers the simple version with olive oil, garlic, salt and a little parmesan cheese or in vodka sauce.

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Below are some of my favorite creations that I put together using simple ingredients:

Simple; with olive oil, salt, garlic. Topped with parmesan cheese.

Simple; with olive oil, salt, garlic. Topped with parmesan cheese.

 

Sautee noodles with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, red onion, adding tomatoes at the end. Top with feta cheese.

Sautee noodles with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, red onion, adding tomatoes at the end. Top with feta cheese.

Sautee with chile olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper, adding heirloom tomatoes a few minutes later. Top with goat cheese.

Sautee with chile olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper, and carrots. Add heirloom tomatoes a few minutes later. Top with goat cheese.

Zucchini Noodles topped with Whole Foods pre-made Eggplant Balls that were simmered in Cucina Antica Vodka sauce. One of my favorites.

Zucchini Noodles topped with Whole Foods pre-made Eggplant Balls that were simmered in Cucina Antica Vodka sauce. One of my favorites.

Sautee Zucchini Noodles with salt, pepper, olive oil, crushed red pepper. Heat two Whole Foods ready-made Turkey Balls and mix in. Top with parmesan cheese.

Sautee Zucchini Noodles with salt, pepper, olive oil, crushed red pepper. Heat two Whole Foods ready-made Turkey Balls and mix in. Top with parmesan cheese.

 

Cook Pancetta and roast butternut squash first. Cook Zucchini Noodles. Add pancetta and butternut squash, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and garlic. Top with goat cheese.

Cook Pancetta and roast butternut squash first. Cook Zucchini Noodles. Add pancetta and butternut squash, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and garlic. Top with goat cheese.

 

 Veggetti™ is available at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for $14.99.  It is top rack, dishwasher safe

Disclaimer:  I did not receive compensation for this post.  I am not a professional chef by any means but I love mixing simple ingredients together to come up with something delicious.  I also love to share products that help my girls eat more vegetables.  I’m still working getting my oldest to try them because I know she will like them if she does.

 

 

 

 

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Peas Of Mind

25 Feb

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Getting my girls to eat vegetables with their meals can be challenging.  I recently learned about Peas of Mind, all natural products made with real vegetables.  Peas of Mind sprouted from the idea that as kids begin eating solid foods, the tastes and textures they experience will shape their eating habits for a lifetime.  Their products are great for health-conscious parents who want to feed their growing kids delicious meals with organic ingredients, but don’t have the time to make them from scratch.  Peas of Mind products are found in the frozen food section of Whole Foods, other retailers can be found here.   

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Fat Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Vegan

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Fat Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Vegan

Images by Tastefully Childish.

Images by Tastefully Childish.

My family received the opportunity to try a Peas of Mind product.  My youngest daughter tried the cauliflower veggie wedgies. Veggie Wedgies, which look like french fries, come in three other flavors: broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, and apple. They come frozen and are very east to make.  Place them on a baking tray and coat with non-stick spay then bake them for 10 minutes or until they are your desired crispness.  I sprinkled them with a little salt and garlic salt  Each serving has more than half a serving of your  child’s recommended fruit and vegetable intake for a day.   My daughter usually doesn’t like cauliflower but she had no problem scarfing these veggie fries down.  They make a great “veggie side” for any meal.  My oldest didn’t try them because I noticed they are made in a facility that produces nuts and she has food allergies.  I left a few to the side for myself and really enjoyed them. I am looking forward to trying other Peas of Mind products with her.

Other products include:

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Pull-a-parts are made with pieces of our signature veggie dough with broccoli and carrots kneaded into it. 

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Peas of Mind kneads real broccoli and carrots right into the pizza crust.  They use pepperoni with no nitrates and nitrites.  One pizza contains 1½ servings of veggies.  

Puffets are available in 5 flavors: Nana's Banana, Carrot Risotto, Black Bean Polenta, Eat Your Greens and Mama's Pasta.

Puffets are available in 5 flavors: Nana’s Banana, Carrot Risotto, Black Bean Polenta, Eat Your Greens and Mama’s Pasta.

Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed are my own.  Information in italics came from the Peas of Mind website. All images unless stated are from Peas of Mind.  I received a coupon for a free product for the purpose of this review.

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The Day I Discovered My 2 Year Old LOVES Salad

8 Aug

I usually don’t eat at the same time as my girls because I am helping them eat, getting the bath ready, or cleaning up from cooking.  I also LOVE having my time to eat while the girls have a little TV time before bed.  Last week, I had made a taco salad with a homemade avocado dressing I made in my Beaba.  I finally sat down to eat when I saw my younger daughter climb off the couch and walk towards me saying “salad…I want salad mommy”.  She ended up eating half the salad.  I usually struggle finding a vegetable to go with meals but when I discovered she liked salad, I now put a side salad together for lunch and dinner.  Last night she only wanted salad for dinner.  Now I just have to work on my 4-year-old. 🙂

Avocado Salad Dressing:

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

3/4 of avocado

1 lime, juiced

Cilantro, I didn’t measure, just kept adding as I tasted the dressing

1/4- 1/2 cup water, you can add more depending on what consistency you like

Salt,Pepper, & garlic powder to taste

Put all the ingredients in the Beaba and blend, adding more water and seasoning as needed.

 

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Everything Tastes Better With Sprinkles!

17 Jan

Maddie has decided that she wants sprinkles on EVERYTHING.  It started over the holidays when I made a banana and used red sugar sprinkles to make candy cane stripes.  For snacks she asks for “sprinkle bananas” and she started asking for sprinkles in her pancakes.  I usually don’t fight it because if, on occasion, a little extra sugar is what it takes to get the girls to eat then I am for it.  Last week Maddie asked for sprinkles on her eggs and another day on her vegetables.  The thought of sugar sprinkles in eggs, or even on vegetables didn’t seem like a very good combination.  I looked in our fridge and saw that we had freshly grated parmesan cheese.  When I told Maddie she could use the parmesan for sprinkles, she looked upset and said but they aren’t colored.   I grabbed some food coloring out of the closet, put a drop or two into some the cheese and we had “colored sprinkles”.  Since, we have used parmesan colored “sprinkles” on vegetables, pizza, in pasta, and most mornings on scrambled eggs.  It is amazing what a little color and some sprinkles do to my girl’s opinion on how their food tastes.  Whenever, there are “sprinkles” on their plate they eat all of their food and tell me how “yummy” it is.

Today, Maddie asked if she could have sprinkles in her water.  The girls were sick with a horrible cold for the past month, so they would only asked for juice.  They didn’t touch water or milk.  When Maddie asked for sprinkle water I thought, sure why not make her a special water in hopes that she will start asking for more water.  I wet the rim of a plastic cup, and put it in some sugar sprinkles.  I then pushed a strawberry through the bottom of the straw and she had a special drink.  She drank all of the water and of course licked the sugar off.  A  fun treat but I definitely won’t be doing it all of the time because it probably isn’t any better then giving a glass of juice.  It would however, be great for a Valentine’s Day party or to serve at a kid’s birthday party.

Try adding some “sprinkles” to your child’s meal.  It makes it fun, Maddie says “DELICIOUS”, and Pela says “YUMMMMMM!”

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Create Your Own Smoothie

2 Dec

When I was pregnant with my older daughter, Maddie, I swore to my-self I was going to cook and make homemade baby food.  When it was time for Maddie to start solid foods, I ran out and bought a Beaba Babycook.  I even bought food storage containers so I could freeze food.  Well, I ended up using it about once a week for a few months and then it just sat on top of my refrigerator.  When I got pregnant with my second daughter, Pela, I swore again that I would be better about cooking because our pediatrician said that I should feed them what we were eating, just puree it.  I thought about it and then it was time for solids, it still just sat on top of my refrigerator until the girls were introduced to Smoothies.

My girls live for smoothies.  Ever since their first one they ask for one almost everyday.  Even Pela knows the word smoothie now.  I decided that I would start making them for snacks and breakfast.  We usually use 2 greek yogurts and throw any fruit we have at the time in and then I sneak a vegetable like broccoli or spinach (frozen or fresh) in plus a little orange juice (or whatever juice we have in the refrigerator).  The first time I made a smoothie I used a regular blender for them it was a real pain to clean and it took up so much space on our counter.  When I put it back on top of the refrigerator I saw my Beaba Babycook and thought to my self: Next time, I’m using that.  We have used it ever since.  Since the girls started helping me in the kitchen, it is so much easier to bring to their table, where we do most of our projects and preparation.  It is also quieter and Maddie is able to turn the knob to blend the ingredients together.

Today Maddie picked the ingredients for our smoothie.  We were almost out of fruit so we used what we had.  Maddie chose, I measured:

  • 3/4 Honey crisp Apple
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup frozen broccoli
  • 1/4 cup Tropicana No-Pulp OJ
  • 2 Chobani yogurts (1 plain, 1 peach)

I definitely wouldn’t make that recipe again.

My favorite, that the girls liked too, was:

  • 5-6 strawberries
  • 3/4 banana’s
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1/4 Tropicana No-Pulp OJ
  • 1/2-1 cup spinach
Makes 2 1/2 smoothies.

When we are out and the girls want a smoothie we usually go to the Elixir Juice Bar in the World Financial Center.  The girls like the Skin Smoothie.  I usually ask them to add spinach and separate it into two cups.

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