Kid Friendly Foods

Foods that have been eaten by and approved by our Lil Mamas

{Recipe} If You’re Hungry and You Know It, Clap Your Hands…

Posted by on Feb 18, 2013 | 1 comment

I love to cook, but sometimes I dread the dinner hour with all the fuss from my daughters of not wanting to eat what I cook. Sound familiar? But for the past two nights, they have actually enjoyed what I cooked. Fluke? Maybe…. but I’ll take it. Since I had “success” with my picky eaters, I wanted to share these simple recipes with you!

Chicken with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella

1. Take your favorite chicken breasts (I buy antibiotic-free chicken) and sprinkle with Herbs of Provence, sea salt and pepper. Top with your favorite marinara sauce (mine is Rao’s Marinara).

2. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes or until done, depending on the thickness of chicken.

3. Put shredded mozzarella on top and cook for another few minutes.

Super easy, right?!

Homemade Meatballs with Pasta

1 lb. of ground beef

1 teaspoon of garlic (I buy the jarred garlic already chopped)

A little pepper and sea salt

1 egg

1. Mix all ingredients into a bowl.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Make little meatballs, or any size you fancy, and drop them in the pan. Cook all sides until cooked through the center.

3. Cook your favorite pasta. Add meatballs to it with a little olive oil and shredded parmesan cheese.

And there you have it!

What is your favorite easy dinner that you like to make your family?

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{Cinco de Mayo} Taco Salad

Posted by on May 4, 2012 | 0 comments

My favorite food is Mexican, but for the past seven years we have had a hard time finding a really good Mexican restaurant. So, I came up with this taco salad recipe that has become one of our weekly dinner staples. It’s super easy to make and even the kiddos will eat it!

Taco Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. package of ground beef (or you could substitute ground turkey)

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 package of butter lettuce

Shredded taco cheese of your liking

1 can of whole kernal corn

1 can of black beans (make sure to rinse them)

1 avocado sliced

Cherry tomatoes (as many as you would like to add)

Tortilla chips crumbled for top

1 lime

Dressing:

1 package of Good Seasons Italian Dressing (follow directions on back to add olive oil, red wine vinegar and water)

Directions

Cook ground beef with the taco seasoning until fully cooked. Combine lettuce, cheese, corn, black beans, tomatoes, tortillas, avocado and ground beef. Pour dressing over salad, squirt one fresh lime over and toss. That is it! Muy delicioso!!

What is your favorite go-to weeknight Mexican meal?

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National PB & J Day– Sushi Roll Ups!

Posted by on Apr 2, 2012 | 0 comments

Yep, you read that correctly. Today is National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day. If you do a search online, you’ll find that there is a “national” holiday dedicated to practically every single day of the year (sometimes more than one a day!)… but because we are practically OBSESSED with pb & j at our house, I couldn’t pass up a chance to honor this wonderful food.

You can find us eating peanut butter & jelly at any time of the day– on bagels for breakfast, on bread for lunch, and just last night, I had a pb & j a on toasted english muffin. There is nothing better than warm peanut butter… mmmm!

A few months ago I pinned a photo of Peanut Butter & Jelly Sushi to my “kid friendly foods” board and have been meaning to make it ever since. Not that you really need a recipe, but if you want to get it from the horse’s mouth (aka, “Jif”), here you go!

In preparation for a picnic at the park today, I whipped up some PB & J Sushi this morning for Brady and his best gal Lyla. Half made with raspberry jam (which actually spread much easier) and half made with grape jelly. I also got out the cookie cutters to make some “B” and “elephant” pb & j’s too (‘cuz hey, why not?!)

{The “Spread”}

{After I rolled the bread flat, I cut the crusts off and sliced them in 3 strips}

{“Then you take the peanuts and you spread ‘em, you spread ‘em…”}

{Then roll ‘em up and pop ‘em in. Easy peasy, and the kids loved them!}

For more unique and creative ideas on how to consume this delicious treat, check out our PB & J board on Pinterest.  I can’t wait to try the peanut butter & jelly muffins and the shortbread “pizza”. What’s your favorite way to eat PB & J? Did you do anything fun today to celebrate?!

And just to give you a peek under the covers… Next week we’ll be honoring another favorite sandwich… I wonder which one it will be?!

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{Recipe} Peanut-Free Granola Bars

Posted by on Mar 2, 2012 | 0 comments

Being a parent of a child with a food allergy is tough.  I’m always searching to find new things that my oldest daughter can eat that are peanut-free, but it’s hard to find a healthy peanut-free granola bar that isn’t packed with junk.

Recently, I found a fantastic recipe from Ina Garten that you can tweak and add ingredients that you and your kiddos like.  I made these bars with chocolate chips, raisins and dried apricots (obviously, if your kids have allergies to coconut or almonds, just replace with something else they would like).  These make for a great for a snack, or even an on-the-go breakfast when you need to get out the door fast!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
  • 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
  2. Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.
  3. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
  4. Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.
  5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.
I’d love to hear of more healthy (and delicious!) peanut-free recipes for kids, so if you have one to share, please include a link in the comments below.

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You Gotta Try This; Recipe for Kids

Posted by on Apr 26, 2011 | 1 comment

I really dislike sloppy joes.  Maybe I ate too many when I was little, or had a bad lunchroom experience in the 2nd grade (think Billy Madison), but from the thick tomato-y sauce all the way to the soggy buns… I am just not a fan.  I wish I was though, because it’s a quick and easy meal to make and kids sure seem to enjoy them.

When I came across this recipe for Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts on one of my fave blogs, I thought, maybe this could be a great sloppy joe alternative.  And it was!  This meal was super easy to make and Brady kept saying, “I like this Mom, I like it”.  I liked it too!  And it’s basic enough that you could play around with it and make it your own.  You could “health it up” by using ground turkey instead of beef, and add ingredients like chopped green peppers or tomatoes.

{photo from www.kevinandamanda.com}

Next time ’round (and there will be a next time), we’re going to put them on buns instead of pizza dough, because they actually taste like little Sliders.  And for those of us who miss our dear sweet White Castle, that is a gift in and of itself!

Give ‘em a try and let me know what you think!

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