How often does the clock strike 5 and you realize “oh *%#@, I haven’t even thought about what to make for dinner!” The night that I came up with these rice & cheese balls was one of those times, and since then, it’s become a total household favorite. The recipe is incredibly easy and you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already. All you do is cut cheese sticks into cubes, use your hands to wrap the rice around them into balls and then steam them quickly. For extra flavor and added nutrition, I like to give them a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

I find that whenever food appears fun or has a hidden surprise, kids are most excited about eating it. This dish satisfies both criteria: it’s shaped like a ball (fun!) and has a cheesy center (surprise!). As soon as Kenya took a bite and realized there was gooey, melted cheese inside his rice ball, it was as if he found a new best friend! He just looked up at me with utter surprise and joy and said, “Mommy, there’s cheese!” Literally love at first bite.

(This is a great idea for the lunch box, too!)

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I’m not sure who liked this recipe more, Chloe or the rest of the family. This Roast Pear & Banana Puree is naturally sweet and concentrated with fruit flavor. If you decide to prepare this for your baby, make sure to double the recipe because it’s addictive no matter how old you are!

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This is a vegetarian dish that I keep in the fridge at all times. It’s a great recipe to prepare on a Sunday (when things are hopefully calmer in your house) to have on hand all week for lunches and dinners. We all love it in my house, even baby Chloe. I feed her individual lentils one after the other and she can’t seem to get enough of them. As for Kenya, as soon as he found out that the type of kale I use in the recipe is called “dinosaur kale”, he was downing it by the spoonful!

I buy nearly all of the ingredients for this recipe — the lentils and the vegetables — at the farmers market where they’re certified organic, in season, and cost the same price or less than I would find them for at the grocery. When you can make a healthy, high protein, tasty and exotic recipe like this one that everyone in the family loves, it makes for a very happy mommy!

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When I was a kid, I loved eating “ants on a log”. For those of you (like my husband) who have never heard of this most delicious of snacks, traditional ants on a log is simply a piece of celery (the log) with a dollop of peanut butter and a few raisins (the ants) sprinkled on top. I used to love coming home from school and munching away on these uber yummy creations. The crunch of the celery and the creaminess of the peanut butter compliment each other beautifully.

Always on the search for ways to make food more fun for kids, I decided to switch it up a bit and make ants on a log for Kenya substituting almond butter for peanut butter (you could also use sunflower butter for kids with nut allergies or cashew butter if you prefer). Then, I got even more creative by topping them with all different kinds of delicious toppings such as raisins, dried cranberries (”ladybugs”), walnuts (”frogs”) and more. You can have a blast making them with your kids, letting them come up with their own names for whatever you choose to sprinkle on top. There’s no end to the fun you can have no matter what your “bugs” of choice are!

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One of the most fun parts about being a mom is making school lunches. It can also be one of the most frustrating. One day you feel inspired and creative, making meals you can’t wait for your kid to find his lunch box; the next day you’re banging your head against the wall because you feel like a failure for preparing the same boring thing day after day.

One of the things I find kids love most about the surprise of opening their lunch box isn’t just how the food will taste, but also how pleasing it is to their eye. Just making everything look good can have a big effect your kid’s excitement level. I always try and pay attention to how Kenya’s lunch will look to him the first time he sees it. As many of you know, I’m a major fan of the Lap Top Lunch Box because it has several compartments, each of which you can fill with a different culinary treasure for your little one. But you don’t need a cool lunch box to make a good impression. For example, I love giving Kenya tuna sandwiches but let’s face it, after a few days even sandwiches can quickly lose their appeal. Still, I think it’s a wholesome school lunch, so I thought of ways to put a cool visual spin on the same old same old. The result was these “sushi” sandwiches. They are a fun take on a tuna sandwich crossed with a sushi roll (don’t worry, there’s nothing raw here). All you do is flatten your bread, fill it with tuna salad, roll it up and then cut it into individual bites. It’s not only delicious, but an exciting treat that will impress your kids, be fun for them to eat and hopefully inspire you to keep thinking outside of the box — the school lunch box, that is!

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From a very early age, I always knew when my parents were going out and leaving us with a babysitter: I would hear the freezer door open, the sound of something solid dropping onto a cookie sheet and about 30 minutes later, the smell of pie crust would permeate the air. As with most kids, I hated being left at home while my mom and dad went out, but I sure did love chicken pot pie so things kind of evened out. To me, there are few meals more comforting than crisp, flaky pie crust covering a creamy blend of chicken and veggies. I wanted to recreate that great childhood food memory with this recipe, but I needed to make it healthier than the Swanson frozen variety pot pie I had as a kid.

On the whole Kenya is a pretty amazing eater, but the night that I took these individual pot pies out of the oven he took one look at them and said, “I don’t want it”. My feelings were totally hurt, but I also know how finicky and tempermantal toddlers can be, so I decided not to push him and see what happened. I let Kenya continue to play in the kitchen and about 15 minutes later I saw him wander over to where the pies were cooling, take a fork and investigate his little pie. He took one bite and said, “I love it”. No joke. He went from unwilling to try it to loving it in a matter of minutes and I didn’t have to do anything but be patient. If there is one thing that I’ve learned time and again when it comes to kids and eating, it’s that pushing things on them almost always makes them more resistant to try new foods. When you let kids discover things for themselves, it gives them an ownership over what they eat and a sense of discovery with food that just can’t be achieved by cajoling, sneaking, persuading or begging.

Just giving Kenya a bit of space allowed him to fall in love with chicken pot pie all by himself. Now, if I could only figure out how to get my husband to take me out on a date I could relive my entire childhood pot pie memory!

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Valentine’s Day is only a couple of weeks away and I’ve been thinking about all the yummy recipes that I can make for the Valentines in my life. Someone on the Weelicious Facebook page suggested making fondue, which I thought was a perfect idea. What better way to get your little ones (and not so little ones) excited about eating than to give them a dessert that requires dipping!

Fondue is simpler to make than it sounds and the only issue for me was the amount of sugar normally found in most chocolate fondue recipes. After a bit of trial and error, I came up with this recipe that is smooth, creamy and perfect for dipping fresh fruits into. Even better, your kids will get a boost of protein from the almond butter, so they’ll get strong muscles to give you loads of loving hugs!

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Hummus is a food that no matter what age people are when they first discover it, they fall in love. OK, maybe not everybody, but I certainly find hummus to be an “everybody loves….” food among people I know. Kenya loved it from his very first bite at 12 months and my father-in-law still devours it at age… well, I can’t tell you his age, he’s my father in law. For those of you who haven’t discovered this delicious dish yet, hummus is a Middle Eastern spread made from chickpeas. It’s healthy, full of flavor and versatile — I use it as a dip, as a spread on sandwiches, or just enjoy it on its own.

One of Kenya’s favorite snacks is edamame, so I thought I’d try a variation on the classic hummus recipe and make it for him with edamame instead of chickpeas. Kenya was in heaven with the final result — the bright green color and creamy texture has a ton of eye and taste appeal for kids. And I was thrilled knowing it’s a great source of iron, vitamin C and protein for my growing boy. With kids, I find hummus very useful as a dip. it’s a great way to try to get even the most resistant little ones to take their veggies and dunk away!

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Kenya could eat rice morning, noon and night, so I’m constantly trying to come up with new recipes using this great grain. I’m thankful that he loves rice so much because it’s inexpensive, easy to prepare and healthy. I usually make a big batch in the rice cooker once or twice a week, so I always have some on hand in the fridge to quickly heat up and serve with beans, stir fry, sushi rolls or Chicken and Rice Burritos. Although I love the Creamy Rice Pudding recipe that I make all the time, this quick Leftover Rice Pudding is a fantastic alternative to the real thing without sacrificing any of the flavor. Just plop all the ingredients in a pan, let the rice absorb most of the milk and, “ta-da”, rice pudding that everyone in your house will think took you hours to make.

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Growing up in Kentucky, we ate a lot of pork. Whether it was bacon, chops or tenderloin, I loved it. My mother was always a healthy cook and considered pork “the other white meat”, and pork tenderloin was one of her favorite things to make.

When you’re looking for a healthy recipe that basically cooks itself, turn no farther than this dish. Just pull out your slow cooker, quickly sear the pork, and place everything in the pot. While you’re running errands, playing with the kids or helping them with their homework, this meal will do all the cooking for you.

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