Category Archives: Family Dinner

Main Meal

Chicken w/ Ziti and Broccoli

Posted on May 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

Overfed and Undernourished

For my 50th recipe post I thought I would share some insights from my new favorite book “In Defense of Food”.  This book has left me feeling violated, lied to and completely untrusting of government food agencies and food companies.  Michael Pollan has let the cat out of the bag about the Western Diet:

  1. A new study failed to find a link between a low-fat diet and the risk of coronary heart disease.
  2. The push to replace saturated fats with corn/soy products has backfired, as these trans fats are twice as bad and they are killing us.
  3. Western Diseases (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer) are linked to the Western Diet of highly processed foods and refined grains.
  4. Cultures that do NOT eat the Western Diet, do NOT demonstrate the same chronic tooth decay and disease.
  5. In 1973, the FDA overturned a law from 1938 that required food companies to label foods as “imitation” (even if they are).
  6. To get Omega 3’s in eggs, they force hens to each flaxseed (fish oil).
  7. There are 17,000 new foods introduced each year.
  8. Don’t eat food your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize.
  9. Don’t eat food products that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable, c) more than 5 in number or d) have high-fructose corn syrup.
  10. Food with health claims on them aren’t worth eating (a banana doesn’t come in a box with a sign “high potassium” on the front).

Chicken Ziti and Broccoli:

  • Drizzle some olive oil in a large pan. Chop and heat 1-2 cloves of garlic and heat in the oil.  Sprinkle a few red pepper flakes for extra flavor.  Note:  Use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder if you prefer).
  • Salt/pepper and cut 4-6 chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and brown in the oil.
  • Boil pasta water and cook bite-sized broccoli florets in the water until cooked through.  Use hand strainer to pull out broccoli.  Reuse water to cook a little more than ½ pound of ziti (save some pasta water).
  • Add to pasta and broccoli to chicken in the pan.  Add about a ½ cup of half & half (or milk or chicken broth), ½ cup of parmesan cheese and a juice from 1/2 lemon and stir.  Sauce will thicken quickly.
    If using whole garlic, take it out now.
  • Add more salt/pepper if needed.
  • Stir.  Add a little pasta water if needed to thin sauce and serve with a little more grated cheese on top.

How Can the Kids Help?

  • Smash or peel garlic (after mom smashes to open).
  • Add EV Olive Oil to the pan (pour until you count to 3).
  • Help wash broccoli and cut into bite-size pieces (or tell Mom which pieces to cut).
  • Help measure chicken broth and parmesan cheese.
  • Roll the lemon to loosen juices and help squish juice in a bowl (get seeds out) or turn lemon upside down and let juice go through your fingers to catch the seeds.
  • Fun Folic Acid Coloring and Activity Pages: http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/bnp/folicacid/documents/folic%20Acid%20Coloring%20Pages%20Eng.pdf

Did You Know?

  • Chicken Ziti and Broccoli is a staple in Boston (especially in the North End) but is not nearly as common in Philly.
  • Crops are shrinking to a few “high-yield” varieties (e.g., half of all broccoli grown commercially in the U.S. is a single variety due to its high-yield).
  • The combination of eating broccoli and tomato together slowed tumor growth more than either one eaten separately.  Better check-out my Chicken Tomato-Broccoli dinner!

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Grilled Fish, Spaghetti Fra Diavolo, Sauteed Kale

Posted on May 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

“Spoiled Rotten”

I pride myself on being able to say “NO” to my children whenever and wherever I want to for the simple reason, “…because I said so”.  I feel empowered by this and like to execute this power at random once in a while just to prove that I can do it and that I am, in fact, the boss (some days).  Try it just once for no reason and see how great you feel!  Last week, I told the kids we were stopping at the Fish Market to get some fish for dinner.  I heard my daughter say “YES, mom let’s me have whatever I want there!”.  Meanwhile, all they have there are fruits and vegetables – Yeah, I’m such a pushover. 

Want to be a real hero after school?  Lay out some fresh berries and apples with a side of chocolate syrup for dipping – YUM!

Spaghetti Fra Diavolo:  Lidia inspires me to do the easiest and most tasty dishes!  You can add any kind of seafood (e.g., lobster, clams or fish) to this sauce or serve it on the side.

  • Sautee some garlic in EV olive oil for a few minutes.
  • Pour a can (or two) of peeled tomatoes in the pot squishing the tomatoes with your hands.
  • Add salt and some crushed red pepper (a little will not be hot – don’t worry).
  • Add some fresh basil and let it cook for at least 20 minutes (crushing tomatoes with spoon as you stir).
  • Cook spaghetti in salted water.  Add sauce and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.  Save some sauce for the fish.

Grilled Fish:  Use any kind of white fish for this recipe (I actually took 3 pieces of white fish out of my freezer; cod, halibut, flounder).  I like broiling it too.

  • Marinade:  Mix about ½ cup of EV olive oil, and 1/4 cup of lemon juice, salt/pepper, and sprinkle of the herb of your choice (I like Penzies Fine Herbs).  I added some fresh parsley too.
  • Put each piece of fish on tin foil, brush the marinade on it (both sides) and close foil.
  • Grill or broil for about 7-9 minutes depending on size.
  • Serve with Fra Diavolo sauce on side.

Sauteed Kale:  Wash kale and cut off ends (I cut it up a bit too).  Kale is a little thick – I would try to get the kids to eat spinach first.

  • Sautee some garlic in olive oil.  Add kale and toss with salt/pepper.
  • Add a pinch of crushed red pepper for flavor (a tiny bit will not be hot but add flavor).

Salad:  Normally I wouldn’t serve a spinach salad with Kale as a side dish but I had it leftover from the fajitas so I wanted to use it up.  Tossed salad with some ripe cherry tomatoes and some sprouts (let the kids just try them – they are SOOOO good for you).

How Can the Kids Help?

Did You Know?

  • Fra Diavolo is Italian for “Brother Devil”
  • Kale is a variety of cabbage and has more than the recommended serving of Vitamin C and A for the day.  It’s also a good source of fiber, protein and calcium.
  • We require around 50-100 different chemical compounds to be healthy – over 2/3 of our diets consist of corn, soybeans, rice and wheat  (leaves little room left in diet for other things)*

*In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

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Posted in Seafood

Italian Fajitas, Mashed Potato Salad, Stringbeans, Tomato/Avocado Salad

Posted on May 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

Plastic Food?

No summer was complete as a kid without a visit to my Great Aunt and Uncle in Brigantine, NJ.  They were pretty old – Aunt Anna was all hunched over and hobbled around (she shrank every summer) and Uncle Joe could barely hear.  One night little Aunt Anna insisted on making dinner for everybody (probably 15 of us) to show us that she was still capable.  We all sat down and of course began complimenting Aunt Anna on her food profusely, “this food is the best….terrific…. wow this food is FANTASTIC!”.  Uncle Joe yells out “HUH, WHAT are you talking about? This food’s not PLASTIC!”.  Remember that uncontrollable laugh you had in 6th grade when your best friend farted in class?  That’s what followed. 

Italian Chicken Fajitas
You can make this dish with any veggies you like.  Put the chicken, cheese and veggies on the side and let everyone make it the way they want.  Worst case the kids eat the chicken and cheese on the tortilla.

  • Sautee garlic in a little olive oil in a large pan and cook 1-2 sliced red peppers.  Add some spinach and mushrooms and a dash of salt/pepper.  Peppers take longest to cook so I cooked them first.  You can keep veggies separate  for picky eaters to pick/choose.
  • Move veggies to a serving dish and cover with tin foil.  Take out garlic and reuse with chicken.
  • Clean and cut 4-6 chicken breasts into strips.
  • Cook chicken in a drop of olive oil and garlic and add salt/pepper.  Move to a serving dish.
  • Heat (wheat) tortillas separated in tin foil for a few minutes.
  • Serve chicken, veggies and tortillas – put cheese on table too (Brie, American, etc.)
  • Mayotard:  Mix 5 TBS of mayo and 3 TSP of mustard together to spread on fajita.

Mashed Potato Salad
If I can’t wait for my potatoes to cool I make them this way.  The potatoes aren’t in perfect squares (they are a little mashed) but they taste delicious!

  • Cut 6 red potatoes and cook in salted boiling water.  Drain.
  • Make Mayotard: Mix about ¼ cup of mayo and 3 TSP of mustard together (try adding a splash of white wine too)
  • Chop some celery (I like to peel it first) and 1 shallot and add to the potatoes.
  • Add the mayotard and stir.  Mix in salt/pepper and some tarragon (or parsley) if you like.
  • Put in fridge to marinate a bit or serve right away.

String beans (Very Quick)

  • Boil some string beans in about an inch of salted water.  Cook until done and  drain.  If not serving right away, run under cold water.
  • Return to pot and heat with some whole garlic cloves and salt/pepper and a drop of EV olive oil.
  • For added flavor you can also toss with some chopped basil and/or cherry tomatoes.

Tomato/Avocado Salad

  • Cut avocado into cubes and cut grape/cherry tomatoes in half.  Add celery if you have it (from potato salad).
  • Toss with a little EV olive oil and vinegar (red wine or rice wine vinegar).

How Can Your Kids Help?

  • Help pick what veggies to cook for the fajitas.  Should they be cooked together or separately?
  • Peel the garlic clove after mom ‘smashes’ it with the back of a butcher knife.
  • Help sautee the veggies.
  • Cut some of the celery into sticks for the kids to snack on.
  • Snap or cut or use scissors to snap ends of string beans off.
  • Vegetable Stand Coloring Page:  http://homeschooling.about.com/library/vegetablecolor.pdf

Did You Know?

  • Americans have gotten more fat since the 1970’s introduced new “low-fat” diets.  Why? We binged on low-fat carbs and fake food with trans fat which is WAY worse than the saturated fat in real food.*
  • Cultures that do not eat a “Western” diet do not suffer from “Western” diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension or stroke.*
  • Today’s soil is so depleted of nutrients that you have to eat 3 apples to get the same amount of iron as in 1 apple in 1940.*
  • Fajitas were first created in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  They were served to cowboys on the ranches but were not served in a restaurant until 1969!

*(from “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan)

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Quick NY Strip Steak and Cheesy Broccoli/Rice

Posted on May 6, 2010 | 1 comment

Skinny Face

Is this a cruel joke?  Why is it women over 35 (hypothetically speaking of course) who eat healthy, minimize processed foods, and exercise regularly are left with a skinny….. face?  It’s not exactly our goal when running on the treadmill at 7 mph, uphill.  A skinny face is not what we had in mind when we envisioned a great compliment, “boy, she looks terrific, and how about that skinny face?!  But sadly, it is true that after 35 we automatically lose the fat in our faces of all places and gravity takes hold.  It’s the one good reason to keep some weight on.  Do you ever notice that skinny women who get old are scary (they play the scary witch in the movies), and the rounder women are always associated as the sweet grandmother-type.  So if you were thinking about losing that last 5-10 lbs. after your last baby –  don’t bother, you know just where you’ll lose it.  So go for that extra scoop of ice-cream (it doesn’t take much of an excuse anymore)!

NY Strip:  Par-defrost your steaks in the microwave if you are in a rush and then leave it on the granite counter to defrost the rest of the way.

  • Drizzle a little EV olive oil, salt/pepper (and dash of Herbs de Provence if desired) on both sides.
  • Grill on High for 5 minutes – turn once, reduce heat to medium and grill another 5 minutes (or to desired temp.)

Cheesy Broccoli:  Don’t buy the processed stuff, it’s so easy to make it yourself (cheaper too)! 

  • I defrost a bag of frozen (cooked) brown rice at Trader Joe’s – OR – Boil some white or brown rice yourself and set aside.
  • Cut up and cook small broccoli pieces (about 2 bunches) in a 1/2 cup of chicken broth in a pot.  I added a TBS of butter too.
  • Stir in a cup of shredded cheese (I mixed some mild cheddar and mozzarella) and the cooked rice.
  • Let sit covered on LOW for 5 minutes or so.  Stir again and serve.

How Can the Kids Help:

Did You Know?

  • Meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions – cows emit methane, which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide.
  • Broccoli is recognized for its anti-cancer nutrients.
  • Broccoli consumption has increased over 940 percent over the last 25 years!  It has as much calcium as a glass of milk!
  • Converting brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids.  See article: http://www.peertrainer.com/DFcaloriecounterB.aspx?id=5914

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Posted in Beef

Easy Turkey/VeggieLasagna

Posted on May 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

A Little Manners Please

Every morning I go to Dunkin’ Donuts and get a coffee for my dad and a half-decaf for me.  We have a great set-up, I get the coffee and donuts and he makes a fruit plate for us.  It continues to amaze me how Americans order, “Gimme 2 chocolate and bagel wit’ cream cheese”.  Gimme?!  Really?!   And the best part is that these people are completely unaware of how offensive they sound.  I have heard this “gimme” not just at the Dunkin’ Donuts, but many fast food or even family style restaurants.

Last week I took my kids to a park in Bluebell (a far cry from inner-city) and a heavy-set boy ran past me out of breath.  I looked at his T-shirt and it said “GIMME SNACKS and NOBODY GETS HURT!” with a chubby cartoon character on the front.  Really?!  It’s soo funny and soo not funny all at the same time.

Easy Lasagna

I am one of the few Italians that doesn’t like ricotta cheese and therefore, I have never been a big fan of lasagna.  I also think that it’s a pain to boil the noodles for lasagna and baked ziti.  Here is an easy recipe for lasagna that I made instead that requires 1 pot and 1 baking dish.  Make it with meat and/or veggies – I did both.

  • Optional:  Cook 1 lb. ground turkey or beef in a drop of olive oil in a heavy pot.  Set aside.
  • Optional:  Heat some garlic up in EV olive oil.  Add any veggies (spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini) and toss until cooked through.  Set aside and take out garlic.
  • Dice ½ onion (grate some carrot in too) and cook in a little olive oil (and garlic) until soft.
  • Add one can of crushed tomatoes and fresh basil and stir with salt/pepper and let cook at least 15 mins.
  • Spray bottom of baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Layer 1)  NO BOIL lasagna noodles  2) meat/veggies  3) sauce  4) shredded mozzarella  5) sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  Do this in 2 layers.
  • Cover with plastic and foil.  Put in fridge for a day or freeze for a month.
  • Cook at 375 for 25 minutes covered with foil only – spray to avoid sticking) and 10 minutes uncovered.
  • Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving (so it won’t fall apart).

How Can the Kids Help?

  • Help decide which veggies should go into the lasagna.
  • Help stir/chop ground meat.
  • Open can of crushed tomatoes – learn to use can opener (with help)
  • Help layer the lasagna (they will LOVE this)

Did You Know?

  • In Italy, lasagna noodles are totally flat – in the U.S. they are ruffled at the ends to help trap sauce.
  • The term “lasagna” comes from the Greeks.
  • Nutmeg is used in several versions of lasagna.

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Pizza Party – Chicken Orzo and Seeds n’ Sprouts Salad

Posted on May 3, 2010 | 1 comment

The Less Food the More Leftover

A very sweet older couple in our neighborhood invited us over for dinner when we moved into our house years ago.  We arrived (hungry of course) and saw 3 of the smallest bowls of salads I have ever seen on the table for dinner.  We sat around commenting profusely on how lovely and delicious it looked.  We sat down and all took tiny portions as not to empty any of the bowls.  As you know, there is an unwritten rule never to take the last serving of food when you are in a group.  We were all so afraid to eat that there were tons of leftovers.  It was a modern day loaves and fishes miracle.

If you were at the dinner table with my mother and nobody was eating the last piece of food on the plate, she would say with attitude, “What, are we going to POSE with this piece of chicken?!”.  Most times people would rather leave food on the serving dish (to be thrown away) than take the last portion.  This was true at my pizza party on Friday night.  The kids ate so much pizza that there were only 7 slices left for 5 adults.  What happened?  There were still 2 slices left after dinner.  I guess my mom was right….smile for the camera!

Chicken Orzo Salad:  Grab a rotisserie chicken for this recipe.  I like to use mostly just the breast but you can use it all or save the dark meat for chicken salad.  Use a butcher knife to cut chicken into pieces (gives a cleaner cut).

  • Cook 2 ½ cups of orzo.  Drain (drip a little olive oil on it so it doesn’t stick together).
  • Cup up 1 rotisserie chicken (chunky bite-size) and place into large bowl.
  • Dice a variety of veggies (about ½ cup each) and add into bowl (I used peeled celery, yellow pepper, cherry tomato halves, and a little scallion)
  • Chop some fresh parsley and zest one lemon and toss into bowl with vinaigrette
  • Vinaigrette (use a small jar to mix):  Mix ¼ cup of red wine vinegar, 1 tsp mustard, lemon juice (1 lemon), 1 tsp honey.  Add 3/4 cup of EV Olive oil and salt/pepper — Shake!

Seeds n’ Sprouts Salad

  • Cut up orange pepper into slivers and toss into big bowl of salad (baby romaine/mixed greens).
  • Sprinkle sunflower seeds on salad.
  • Toss some sprouts on top.
  • Use vinaigrette from Chicken Orzo and mix all together.

How Can the Kids Help?

  • Let them watch you take the chicken breast off the bone and explain about white and dark meat.  Ask them to try both and tell you which they prefer.
  • Clean seeds out of peppers
  • Zest the lemon and squeeze the juice
  • Measure honey and mustard for dressing
  • Peel and cut extra celery for snacking

Did You Know?

  • The University of Texas Cancer Center found that cancer cells were “99 percent inhibited” by the mix of live sprouts (mainly broccoli seeds).  How’s that for a positive link between food and cancer?
  • Nuts and seeds have high levels of essential fatty acids.  These are good fats and when eaten in moderation will help you lose weight!

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Artichoke Chicken, Stringbeans, Cauliflower Mash, Beets

Posted on April 30, 2010 | 1 comment

Same Process – Different Ingredients

I had no idea what to have for dinner tonight.  I defrosted some chicken breast and took out a can of artichoke hearts and figured I would wing it.  Alas, Chicken Artichoke – hope you like it!  All the recipes on this blog are basically the same – even Mia knows “start with a little garlic in olive oil….”.  I think the trick to cooking a variety of dinners is not in the cooking process at all but rather in the ingredients.  Don’t let Martha or Ina intimidate you, they have way more time than we do to add all those extra steps.  Plus, they have to make things look more complicated or they wouldn’t have a job.  It just seems silly that chefs keep coming up with new and complicated recipes when most Americas aren’t even cooking the very basics anymore.  Go figure.

Artichoke Chicken:  Substitute artichokes or add whatever you have (mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus).

  • I like to lightly flour the chicken first (but you don’t have to)
  • Cook some garlic in a little EV olive oil for a minute or so.
  • Cook chicken (almost all the way) and then put on a serving dish (do multiple batches if needed)
  • Add a drop of olive oil to pan, about ¼ cup of chicken broth and a splash of white wine and lemon juice (optional) and cook for a few minutes – scraping up leftover bits of chicken.
  • Add a can of cut up artichoke hearts, 2 cut up tomatoes and capers (optional) and cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Add chicken back to pan and let it all cook together another couple minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Cauliflower Mash:  These are just like mashed potatoes and you can add whatever  extra ingredients you want (sour cream, mozzarella cheese). 

  • Boil cauliflower florets until cooked.
  • Use hand blender to mash cauliflower. 
  • Add a little butter and 1 TBS of milk and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.  Mash together with salt/pepper.
  • Sprinkle a little parmesan on top.  If you want to bake this to get the top brown you can or just serve right away.

String beans:

  • Cook string beans  in boiling water (about an inch full).
  • Drain string beans and add a drop of EV olive oil, garlic and salt/pepper.

Beets:  I wanted to use these up before the weekend.

  • Peel, cut and boil beets.
  • Toss with vinaigrette dressing.

What Can the Kids Do?

Did You Know?

  • Nearly 100% of all artichokes grown in the U.S. are grown in California?
  • Artichokes are one of the oldest foods
  • Marilyn Monroe was the first official California Artichoke Queen in 1949.

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Posted in Chicken

Grouper, Roasted Tomatoes, and Easy Cheesy Mac

Posted on April 28, 2010 | 3 comments

At the Hour of Death – Waffles, I mean Amen.

When someone is sick or there is a death in the family, what do we do?  We show up at their door with food as a symbol of our compassion.  When my mother was in her final weeks and upon her death, nothing was more touching than the outpouring of love (and food) from friends and family.  We had all dropped our busy lives and huddled together for over a month to care for her.  My brother from Hong Kong, my sister from Denver, my other sister and her 2 daughters, my dad and I, were inseparable during this time.  People brought us delicious dinners and of course (surprise, surprise) in our worst hour, we never skipped a meal.  The words, “I am just too upset to eat” would never come from our mouths – they just say that in the movies.   After my mother finally did pass, we gathered around her bed and prayed together.  Only an hour later, in our shock and grief, we found ourselves sitting around the table yet again with home-made waffles and champagne toasting to the amazing woman that my mother was.  Maybe we are weird, maybe we are food obsessed or maybe in our worst hour, the hour of death, we just need to do something that felt normal.   Sitting at the same table we all grew up around seemed to provide us the utmost comfort yet again.

Grouper:  My favorite Asian fish market in Ambler (Sonny’s) always comes through with the freshest fish.

  • Place fish on tin foil on baking sheet (wrap fish in foil almost covering it all)
  • Drizzle EV Olive oil, fresh garlic, and salt/pepper on the fish
  • Grate some lemon zest and squeeze some juice  – throw 3-4 lemon wedges in there too
  • I put a dash of “Fine Herbs” from Penzies Spices but use whatever you like (sage, thyme)
  • Bake on 400 for 20 minutes
  • Uncover fish completely and cook approx. 5-10 minutes (depending on thickness of fish)

Baked Cherry Tomatoes/Fennel/Pepper:  use any or all the ingredients for this.  I had a couple of capers left in a jar and had some fennel leftover from last night so I threw them in and it was awesome!  Bake on parchment paper for easy cleanup.

  • Toss cherry tomatoes, yellow or red pepper and fennel (optional) with EV Olive Oil and Salt.
  • Bake with fish on 400 for 20 minutes.
  • Put in a separate bowl to be served with fish

Mac n’ Cheese: 

I make Mac n’ Cheese the fancy way with butter and flour, making the rue first and then slowly adding the milk and then cheese.  However, the kids are happy with just pasta and butter – then mix in a little cheese (Parmesan or even American slices).

Carrots:

  • Boil fresh carrots.
  • Add butter and a drop of orange juice for sweetness.

How Can th Kids Help?

  • Teach kids how to smash the garlic with the back of the knife – let them peel the skin off
  • Grate or ‘zest’ the lemon – let them squeeze the juice too
  • Help peel the carrots – be careful, the peeler can be very sharp
  • Finding Nemo Coloring Page:  http://www.freecoloring.info/img/finding-nemo-08.gif

Did You Know?

  • Eating one or two servings of fish per week can reduce your risk of dying from a heart attach by a third or more! http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/omega-3/hb00087
  • You don’t have to disguise fish for kids – they usually prefer it just plain instead of batter fried.

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Posted in Seafood

Breaded Pork Chops, Sweet Sweet Potato, Roasted Zucchini

Posted on April 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

Eat What You Know

Koreans are evaluated in 1st and 2nd grade to determine their strengths and appropriate career path.  If they show no musical talent at that age, they will not be given the opportunity to explore music.  They also go to school from 8AM to 10PM at this very early age.  It’s no surprise that they are not only over-achievers but are also under-emotional.  My question is….how do they really know if a child is good at something at such an early age?  It seems a shame and a complete waste of potential talent.

I feel the same way when I hear a parent tell me “my child only eats 4 things”.  Are the 4 things at least healthy things?  If not, can you blame them?  I once knew a mother whose son ate absolutely nothing for lunch at school every day.  Upset he would starve, she stopped at McDonalds after school.  Think he ever learned to eat at school?  Why would he?

We may not be able to make the kids like all foods (at least not right away) but we can control the choices we give them.  We can also continue to expose them to a variety of foods.  How do you know that your child won’t develop a taste for broccoli if they tried it once when they were 5 (didn’t like it) and never tried it again?  Let’s hope you don’t feel the same way about the piano.

Baked Pork Chops:

  • Dip pork chops in egg and then in bread crumbs (Panko or Italian).
  •  Place on parchment paper or lay chops on a cookie rack over your baking sheet.
  • Spray pork chops with a little oil.
  • Bake on 425 for approximately 30 minutes.

Sweet Sweet Potatoes

  • Peel 3 large (or 4 small) sweet potatoes and boil until cooked through.
  • Mash potatoes with 1 egg, 3 TBS of brown sugar, 3 TBS coconut (optional), 3 TBS butter and 3 TBS of milk
    (I like to use a hand blender).
  • Put in a serving dish and top with a couple marshmallows.
  • Bake with pork chops for approx. 30 minutes (make sure not to burn marshmallows).

Roasted Zucchini (Green/Yellow)

  •  Cut zucchini (I added fennel too) and toss in a baking dish with a little olive oil, salt/pepper and rosemary.  I grated some garlic into it too.
  •   Toss with ½ cup of parmesan cheese and bake with pork chops for approx. 30 minutes.

How Can the Kids Help?

Did You Know?

  • Zucchini blossoms are beautiful yellow flowers that grow at the end of a zucchini.  Some people batter and fry them and others stuff them before eating.  Never seen one?  Try your local farmers market – they go bad very quickly.  http://italianfood.about.com/od/aboutingredients/a/zxfaa051800_img.htm
  • Try Zucchini bread – it tastes a lot like pumpkin bread!

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Asian Flank Steak, Bok Choy, Veggie Fried Rice

Posted on April 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

“Girls Night Out“

My son, Mac had a birthday party one night so my 7 yr. old daughter, Mia and I decided to go to P.F. Changs for dinner (one of our favorites).  We ordered a ton of food so we could share – by the way, this is BY FAR the best part of having your kids eat the same food as you – the sharing!  As the food kept coming out we were running out of space on the table (we were at a high top table in the bar).  I stuffed myself silly and said to Mia, “Do you ever eat and eat and keep eating because it tastes sooo good, even though you are full?”  She looked at me with a deadpan expression and responded with a little sass, “Mom, since when do you NOT do that?”.  So much for the “everything in moderation” speech.  Oh man, not only is her palette sophisticated, but now her sarcasm is too. 

Asian Flank Steak:  I think flank steak is more tender than London Broil and tends to marinate more quickly because it is so thin.  Plus, it cooks on the grill quickly and can be made for just for your family or for a large group.

  • Mix 2 TBS (each) of EV Olive oil, Lime juice, Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar
  • Grate some fresh ginger or 1 TSP of ginger powder
  • Mix and pour into Ziploc with the Flank Steak.  Marinate in fridge for 15 min. or 15 hours
  • Grill on high heat for approximately 5 minutes on each side (turning only once)

Fried Rice:  I found some frozen, cooked brown rice at Trader Joes – just defrosted it on the counter.

  • Scramble 2 eggs and cook in a pan with a little oil.  Remove eggs and set aside
  • Chop an onion and cook for a few minutes in a drop of oil
  • Add chopped carrot and frozen peas to onion and cook for a few minutes
  • Add 4 cups of cooked rice (brown or white) and toss with 2 TBS of soy sauce and eggs
  • Stir and serve

Bok Choy/Stringbeans

  • Wash thoroughly.  I like to use the peeler on the thick part if it’s not baby bok choy
  • Heat up some EV olive oil and garlic, add fresh ginger (if you have it)
  • Toss bok choy (I added some stringbeans too) around with some soy sauce (add ginger powder if you didn’t add it fresh)
  • You can add a drop of rice vinegar  or water while cooking so it doesn’t stick to pan
  • Cook about 7 or 8 minutes or so (I don’t like my veggies too crunchy).  I put a lid on it at the end to make sure they are cooked through.

How Can the Kids Help?

Did You Know?

  • Ginger root has many benefits and can improve nausea, digestive problems, circulation and arthritis.
  • Ginger is often included in many herbal decongestants and can help to minimise the symptoms of respiratory conditions, colds and allergies.
  • The Gingerbread house became popular after the Brothers Grimm published the German fairytale “Hansel and Gretel”

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