Tropical Fruit Puree Recipe

As a mother, I’m on the eternal search for the perfect lunch box. I’m not a fan of using Ziplock bags all the time.
In addition to their negative impact on the environment, they cost a lot and it drives me crazy when I find used ones all over our house, in the car, and in my purse.

I found the Sistema Klip It Lunch Cube the other day at Sur La Table and it’s really great. It’s a clear box that snaps open into 3 separate compartments. This way I can put a sandwich wrap in one compartment and some crackers and dried fruit in the other two. It’s also really easy to clean which always makes mommies happy! And the best part? Kenya can see what’s inside without opening it, so I don’t have my 2 year-old rooting through all of the containers in my bag just to find the one thing he wants to munch on!

Kids may turn up their noses at a lot of foods, but rarely do you see them get finicky when it comes to pasta. One of the major bonuses for parents is that pasta is inexpensive, versatile and keeps well in the fridge. I like pasta because you can add an endless variety of meats, vegetables, and sauces to it and still give your kids a well-rounded meal.

Recently, I’ve been trying to come up with yummy lunch box recipes and this pasta “hero” is fantastic. I was inspired by one of those gorgeous, layered submarine sandwiches that you get from a deli, but this spin on the classic substitutes pasta for the bread and is SO much easier for little mouths to navigate since everything is bite-sized.

Kenya’s eyes got wide when I opened his bento lunch box and he saw all the beautiful colors and shapes this dish contains, and of course, one of his favorites, pasta. I designed this recipe to feed 6-8 people because once your brood sees how incredible it looks, everyone is going to want their own bowl!

Pasta Hero (Serves 6-8)

16 Oz Box Whole Wheat Fusilli
1 1/2 Cup Ham, Turkey, Salami or any of your favorite cold cuts, cut into thins strips or cubes
1 Cup Monterrey Jack, shredded or cubed
1 Cup Garbanzo Beans
3/4 Cup Pimentos, diced
3/4 Cup Olives, chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Red WIne Vinegar
1 Tsp Italian Herbs, dried
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Strain and rinse with cold water. Place pasta in a bowl.
3. Add the meat, cheese, garbanzo beans pimentos and olives to the pasta.
4. Whisk the remaining dressing ingredients in a bowl to combine.
5. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss.
6. Serve.

When I was a little girl, our sweet 80 year old next door neighbor, Mrs. Wolf, used to invite me over to her house all the time. I would frequently spend hours talking with her, playing with her dog, Mugsie, and eating the yummy snacks she would serve me. My favorite thing she made was her savory Chex mix. She would bake huge cookie tins full of it and send me home with pounds of it to munch on all week.

Some mornings Kenya isn’t ready to eat breakfast by the time we need to leave for his gymnastics or music class, so I always have to have a go-to snack on hand that is easy for me to grab on a moment’s notice and even easier for Kenya to eat while in his car seat. And, of course, it’s got to be healthy. So, I decided to revisit my childhood and make a breakfast style Chex mix. This recipe is a great way for him to get carbohydrates, protein, fruit and fiber all in one snack before he heads out for a busy morning of play.

I can imagine Mrs. Wolf would be happy to know she inspired me to send off Kenya as happy well-fed as she used to send me.

Breakfast Chex Mix (Makes 22 1/2 Cup Servings)

2 Cups Wheat Chex
2 Cups Rice Chex
2 Cups Bran Chex
2 Cups O’s Cereal
1 Cup Slivered Almonds
5 Tbsp Butter
1/3 Cup Honey
2 Cup Dried Bananas, Blueberries, Cherries, Raisins

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Place all the cereals and nuts in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
3. Place the butter in a 13 x 9 inch pan and melt in the oven.
4. Once the butter has melted, add the honey to the butter and whisk together.
5. Pour the cereals into the butter/honey mixture and stir to combine.
6. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool.
7. Add the dried fruit to the cereal mixture and toss to combine.
8. Serve
* Store in a sealed container

During the week we rarely get to treat ourselves to a yummy breakfast. I think Memorial Day is the perfect time to whip up this weelicious favorite for you and your family. You may need to double this recipe if Daddy’s is going to be eating it too!!

Cinnamon French Toast with Berry Sauce (Makes 2-4 Pieces depending on the type of bread you use)

1 Large Egg
3 Tbsp Whole Milk
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread (4 slices if you use a more dense bread, 2 slices for a fluffy bread)
1-2 Tsp Butter

1. Whisk the egg, milk, cinnamon and vanilla in shallow dish.
2. Place 2 slices of bread in the dish to absorb the egg mixture for 1 minute. Flip and let the other side soak up the egg mixture.
3. Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
4. Melt butter in the pan and place the bread in the saute pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden.
5. Flip and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes.
6. Cool and serve.

Berry Sauce (makes 1/3 Cup)

1/2 Cup Mixed Berries (any mix of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries will work)
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar

Banana Almond Butter Recipe

If there’s one food you can always find in our refrigerator, it’s hard boiled eggs. I usually buy a dozen every Sunday at the farmer’s market, boil them up as soon as we get home and then put a big bowl of them in the fridge. Packed with protein and iron, these little orbs are a favorite with everyone in our house, especially when they’re on the go. They work for pretty much every meal.

My husband usually just pops a whole one in his mouth with a little salt. I appreciate the simplicity of that, but you can be simple and still have a bit more fun. Egg salad sandwiches only take seconds to whip up and you can really have fun with your ingredients from dijon mustard to grated carrots to capers. People can get quite finicky about what goes in their egg salad, though, so know your audience. In our house, pickles are a must. We also have dill growing like weeds in our garden, so I added some to this recipe and it took it from simple to spectacular. I truly consider this a gourmet egg salad, which even the tiniest little eater will love.

Egg Salad Sandwich (Makes 3 Sandwiches)

4 Hard Boiled Eggs, chopped
1 Dill Pickle, chopped fine
3 Tbsp Vegannaise or Mayonnaise
1 Tsp Fresh Dill, chopped
Salt
1 Celery Stalk, chopped fine
2 Tsp Lemon Juice
6 Slices of Bread

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Place filling on top of bread to make sandwiches.
3. Serve.

One food misconception I hear all the time is that eating healthy means sacrificing the foods you love most. For example, a bunch of my friends don’t like to let their kids have snacks like cake or cupcakes for all the obvious reasons and so the kids have to miss out on fun things like chocolate cupcakes at birthday parties. I can’t think of many things more heartbreaking than seeing a little one at a party having to eat a banana while all the other kids’ faces are covered in chocolate frosting. Well, here at weelicious, we’re always up for a challenge. Is there a healthy cupcake with absolutely no refined sugar that parents can be happy to serve their kids and even the most discriminating chocoholic will love?

Well, after testing these cupcake and ganache ( a fancy word for icing) recipes over a dozen times this past week, I can confidently say the answer is yes! Not only is this recipe delicious, it’s also the easiest version we tried. All you have to do is dump the ingredients into the mixer, stir, pour and bake! And by using agave instead of sugar, you sacrifice none of the flavor of traditional chocolate cupcakes. Another bonus? You can even make them vegan by using oil instead of butter and rice, almond or soy milk instead of cow’s milk. Either way, what you get is a light, perfectly sweet chocolate cupcake that every kid will love. I took a whole batch over to Kenya’s sports group on Monday and they disappeared in minutes and even the most health conscious moms were happy!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes (12 Cupcakes)

1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Butter (melted) OR Oil
2/3 Cup Agave
2/3 Cup Milk
1 Tsp Vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place ingredients in a mixer or mixing bowl in the order listed and mix well to combine. Batter should be free of lumps. (No need to sift the dry ingredients or place in separate bowls. This is a dump in the bowl, mix and bake recipe).
3. Line muffin tins with paper liners or bake in silicone muffin cups.
4. Fill cups 3/4 full with batter.
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes for regular sized and 15 minutes for mini cupcakes.
6. Cool.

Chocolate Ganache

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/3 Cup Agave
2 Oz Unsweetened Chocolate, shaved
3 Oz Butter

1. Heat the cream and agave in a small saucepan just to a boil, whisking to combine.
2. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate to the pan.
3. Whisk thoroughly until chocolate is melted.
4. Pour into a bowl and add the butter 1 tbsp at a time until icing is smooth and butter is incorporated.
6. Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the icing.
7. Serve.

This recipe is going to blow your mind (and your taste buds)! I’ve been making banana bread for years, but I must admit my original recipe contained pretty significant quantities of butter and sugar. As you know, those days are long gone for me. Still, I crave banana bread and I wanted to make a much more healthy version — minus the sugar, of course — to see how my family would like it. I don’t mean to brag, but my original banana bread recipe was pretty fantastic, so I had to keep testing and experimenting to try and match the original’s flavor and texture. I also decided to use the new recipe to make muffins, as portion control is easier and little muffins are the perfect size for little hands.

Normally, I love cooking with wheat germ because it contains 23 nutrients (like potassium and riboflavin) and has more nutrients per ounce than any other grain or vegetable. It also has a high concentration of complex carbohydrates and protein which makes it the perfect ingredient for getting your day started right. It turned out to be a great addition. It adds great taste and makes the muffins super healthy.

I was shocked at how light and sweet the new recipe turned out. When you try it, remember that the real key is using super ripe bananas. Our grocery puts the brown, spotty ones for on sale several times a week, so I always stock up on them for recipes just like this!

Banana Muffins

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Wheat Germ
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
3 Medium Very Ripe Bananas, mashed, plus 1 banana sliced approx. 3/4 inch thick for topping
1/2 Cup Agave
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 Large Egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a bowl.
3. In a standing mixer combine the 3 mashed bananas, agave, oil, vanilla and egg. Beat until combined.
4. Gently mix in the dry ingredients in 3 stages until just combined. Do not over-mix.
5. Grease or line muffin cups or mini loaf pans and fill 3/4 full with the mixture.
6. Place the slices of banana on top of each filled muffin cup or decoratively over the loaf pan.
7. Bake 15 minutes for mini muffin cups, 20 for regular muffin cups or 25 minutes for mini loaf pans or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

KitchenAid Precision 24-cup Mini Muffin Pan

This is one of our favorite recipes and programs for Chicken, Bean and Cheese Quesadillas: