Tag Archives: spinach

My Kids Eat Convenience Food: My Carrot-Flavored Proof that Fridge Inventory Matters

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Don't let 7-11 dictate what it means to be convenient. Here's a post about turning your fridge and pantry into a healthy haven of snacks.

When kids are hungry, they are going to eat what they can scavenge, whether it’s a bag of exotic-flavored cheesie puffs or carrot sticks. Convenience food is whatever you deem it. It just needs to be easy to open and have the ability to be plopped into a waiting mouth. We fall into eating junky convenience foods when we are hungry, tired, time-crunched, or otherwise less discerning. (Picture me right before naptime running on little sleep. Exactly where are the chocolate chips? Tell Me!) I have been rethinking this concept of “convenience” since last summer when I fell in love with dried fruit. It required no peeling, minimal trash, and easy to pack. Oh, and all of my kids loved it. Continue reading →

Heart-Shaped Veggie Tutorial

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Not a lot of words today. Enjoy these pics and think about what you already have in the fridge and on the counter that you can simply transform into hearts. Your kids will be thrilled by your gesture. I used a set of plastic cookie cutters from Walmart that cost under $2. You’ll be a quadruple winner because it doesn’t take a lot of brains to do this, it’s fast, it’s cheap, and it’s healthy. Check out the original post from the series appropriately titled, I {Heart} Your {Heart}. It will clear up any doubts on why you should bother with vegetables on Valentine’s Day.Turn virtually any veggie into a heart using inexpensive cookie cutters. My set was under $2 from Walmart. My kids think it's pretty amazing and they chomp away. Continue reading →

Vegetable Intimidation.

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Who thought that blogging would lead me to chayote squash with thorns?  Buying this vegetable was easy. The tricky part was making it edible.

This squash intimidated me. It was unwelcoming and my poor fingers can still remember the thorns.

Raw, whole vegetables can sometimes take a little work to get on the table, especially ones with thorns. I didn’t want to be intimidated by a vegetable and made a tasty fresh salsa to accompany lunch.

Here’s Our FearLESS Lunch Menu:

  • Spinach Quesadillas
  • Black Beans
  • Chayote Squash Salsa

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Chayote Squash Salsa

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

Chayote Squash Salsa

A fresh, easy Mexican accompaniment for eggs, tacos, burritos, fish, and chicken dishes.

Ingredients

  • 1 diced chayote squash (with or without thorns)
  • 1 diced tomato
  • 1 diced avacado
  • 1 diced bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice or the juice from one lime
  • salt to taste
  • a pinch of ground arbol chile (optional)

Instructions

  • Mix diced ingredients together in your favorite bowl. Squeeze lime. Salt to taste.

Notes

I added a few pinches of arbol chile to mine - but not the kids'.

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Why do we have anxiety over preparing vegetables? Take a peek at this article by Julia Roskin in the New York Times.

Join the conversation in the comments below, on the Don’t Panic Mom Facebook page, or on Twitter! What tools or books helped you get over your veggie anxiety?

 

A Place for Processed.

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Welcome to my garden. There are earwigs in my romaine lettuce and spiders on my green beans. I am not scared of bugs, but I am positively annoyed by them. I am also annoyed by having to wash my lettuce and spinach over and over to get it recipe ready.

These are some of the convenience drawbacks to having a garden and producing your own food. It’s great to be involved in every stage of growth, harvest, and [finally] eating. However, I argue that fruit and vegetable farmers provide excellent value to the home cook by doing this for us. It’s the absolute best kind of processed food out there. Continue reading →

Spinach for Desert. Really.

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I don’t like to bake in the summer. The fruit is plentiful and it’s way too hot to turn on the oven. So now my kids are hooked on smoothies. Really hooked. Big P will energetically say after lunch, “Mom! I’ve got a great idea! Let’s make a sweet treat smoothie!”

Here is an accidentally great smoothie that I whipped up with some over-soft kiwis. You’ll love it and you’ll love serving spinach for dessert.

Honesty Clause: I believe it’s important to tell kids what they’re eating. There’s no ingredient sneaking in my house. Why? Because I want them to know the names of the foods we use in the house. That way if they like it, they actually know the name! It’s all part of giving them ingredient intelligence. When the kids are around while I’m cooking, slicing, or blending, I just call out the ingredients as I toss them in. Your kids may accept a food more readily if they are involved with the prep. What kid wouldn’t want to watch spinach become pulverized? So cool.

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Green Kiwi Smoothie

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 3 cups

Serving Size: 1/2 cup for toddlers, 1 cup for parents

Green Kiwi Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cow or soy milk
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup fresh spinach
  • 1 frozen banana, broken into a few pieces
  • 2 kiwis, peeled and cut into halves
  • ¼ cup wheat germ or ground flax

Instructions

  • Blend for 1 minute or until smooth. Enjoy with your favorite people.
  • Makes about 3 scrumptious cups or 6 – 1/2 cup servings.

Notes

If you have any smoothie left over don’t dump it out. Just pour it into a popsicle mold for later.

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Share your spinach dessert success on the Don’t Panic Mom Facebook Page. Happy Blending.

 

Confetti Pizza with Whole Wheat Dough

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Yes. This pizza was inspired by my first-ever attempt at growing spinach. It tastes like heaven and has this amazing crunch. Who knew? Besides salads and quiche, I thought I’d use it to decorate a pretty pizza for my sweet little men.

Here is a great recipe that you’ll be using again and again.  It is really quick and versatile for whatever veggies you have on hand. Plus, your family will like this infinitely better than one out of a freezer or delivered by a guy named Stanley. Double the recipe to have some leftovers for lunch. It packs great in a lunch box.

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Confetti Pizza with Whole Wheat Dough

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

    Whole Wheat Dough:
    In a glass measuring cup combine:
  • 1 cup very warm water
  • 1 tablespoon yeast
  • sprinkle of sugar
    • Let it sit and grow while you prepare the other ingredients. In a mixing bowl combine:
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • any other additional spices (oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc.)

Instructions

  • Add the yeast water to the flour mixture. Mix with a spoon or your hands until the dough is nice and sticky. Let the dough sit while your oven preheats to 425 degrees.
  • Sprinkle corn meal on a cookie sheet and get ready for the real fun! Dip your hands in a little flour and move the dough from the bowl to the cookie sheet. Press the dough into a shape that vaguely resembles a circle. (Mine usually come out in the shape of Madagascar.) Don’t panic if you need to use a little more flour on your hands.
  • Once you are satisfied with your dough art, you are ready for the confetti toppings. This is where your children, especially toddlers, will feel really useful.
    • Toppings:
  • Finely dice or shred any assortment of veggies (pictured: carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, spinach)
  • Add a thin layer of your family’s favorite marinara sauce, followed by a layer of low-fat mozzarella cheese. Toss on your veggies. You may put out a cutting board or small bowls with all of the toppings and have your children or guests decorate with the “confetti.”
  • Bake at 425 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown.
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