Recently a friend of mine traveled home to throw a birthday party for her dad. She is a great cook and made all of the food for the party herself. At the last minute she decided to add chocolate chip cookies to the menu but couldn’t remember what all of the ingredients were. My friend ran to her computer to check the weelicious recipe for chocolate chip cookies only to find….there is no weelicious recipe for chocolate chip cookies! “How could that be,” she exclaimed to me.

Many moms come to weelicious for recipes that are easy to make and on the healthy side. And for good reason; it’s the way I cook and how we tend to eat in our house. However, I’m not about deprivation and am all for us enjoying our favorite treats every now and then. And what would life be without the chocolate chip cookie?!

There are several ways to make a true chocolate chip cookie, but at the end of the day you can only make small changes for it to still be a true classic. Always trying to add a bit of nutrition to my takes on classic sweets, I added some whole wheat flour to the all-purpose flour most chocolate chip cookie recipes call for. At first I was concerned it might weigh the cookies down a bit, but on the contrary I couldn’t detect a change in the slightest. If anything, the kids and adults I offered them to liked these cookies even better then my usual recipe.

Since you probably don’t need the 5 dozen cookies this recipe produces (unless you’re feeding a small army), place a few dozen on a separate baking sheet and freeze them for later so all you have to do whenever you have a craving for chocolate chip cookies is pop a few of these little gems in the oven and you’re set!

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Makes 5 Dozen Cookies)

1 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Cup White Sugar
2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup White Flour
1 1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer (or in a bowl using a hand mixer) for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla extract and mix for 1 minute.
4. Combine the white flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and slowly incorporate into the butter and egg mixture.
5. Mix until combined then pour in the chocolate chips and stir.
6. Using a mini ice cream scooper or tbsp measure, scoop dough onto a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.*
7. Bake for 12 minutes.
8. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes then remove and place on a cooling rack.
9. Serve.

* To freeze, place the cookie dough on a baking sheet and freeze the balls for an hour or so. Place the balls in labeled Ziploc bags, label with the date and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed adding an extra minute to the cooking time.

When it comes to convenience and making sure your kids have a wholesome snack, cheese sticks can truly be a mom’s best friend. They have major kid appeal and when your little ones are on the go, cheese sticks are an easy to hold, protein-rich food (that won’t make a total mess!). Whenever my kids are hungry in between meals, they know where to go: straight to the drawer in our fridge which I always keep stocked with a healthy supply of cheddar and mozzarella sticks.

My kids will also eat pizza pretty much any time of day, but it’s not exactly a food I want them running around the house with. I don’t know why, but one day I thought about marrying the convenience of cheese sticks with pizza — kind of a mess-free meal for active kids. The results were pretty popular with Kenya and Chloe. All I have to say these days is, “who wants a Cheesy Bread Stick,” and before I can even offer one to my kids it’s been grabbed out of my hand.

I wouldn’t say this is the healthiest recipe on weelicious, but I sure as heck don’t have to twist anyone’s arm to take a bite of the crusty pizza dough filled with oozing cheese. Sometimes that’s reason alone to make them!

Cheesy Bread Sticks (Makes 6 Sticks)

1 lb. White or Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
1 Pkg. Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Pizza Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Shape dough into a rectangle, about 10 x 6 inches wide, and cut into 6 rectangular pieces just big enough to wrap around the cheese stick.
3. Take one cheese stick and place in the middle of the rectangle of dough. Fold the ends over the cheese, then fold over the sides, pinching as you go so the dough sticks together. Roll the dough to evenly shape into a cylinder.
4. Place sticks onto a parchment or greased foil lined baking sheet and bake 14-15 minutes.*
5. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

* To spice this recipe up for parents, drizzle some olive oil on top of the cheese sticks followed by a sprinkling of some garlic powder, sesame seeds and/or salt before you bake.

At my kids’ school, the parents are in charge of making the snacks for their child’s class for an entire week, several times a year. With two kids, that means I need to prepare food for over 40 kids five to six weeks a year! This is an easy task for some moms but for others it’s a much bigger challenge that they absolutely dread. The snacks generally run the gamut from cheese cubes, crackers, fresh fruit, steamed veggies, little sandwiches and so on to more elaborate creations that are always put together with love.

Earlier this year, a mother in Kenya’s class made the most incredible muffins that the kids completely devoured. They were unbelievably delicious and packed with a mix of bright, juicy berries. I asked her for the recipe, but she couldn’t find it. Nonetheless, I was determined to figure out how to recreate her delectable creation. As we head into the fall and winter months, fresh berries will be a big challenge to find (and will cost an arm and a leg when you do), so instead I’m using an entire bag of frozen mixed berries to fulfill my craving for these treats.

I’m not kidding, I love these muffins so much, the next time I make them for snack they may not all make it to the classroom!

Very Berry Muffins (Makes 12 Regular Muffins)

1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Large Egg, whisked
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
2 Cups Frozen Berries

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and combine.
3. Combine the egg, vanilla extract, milk and oil in a separate bowl.
4. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Gently mix the frozen berries into the batter, do not over mix or the berries will bleed.
6. Pour batter into greased or muffin lined regular sized tins.
7. Bake for 20-22 minutes.
8. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack.
9. Serve.

When I was a kid and went out to dinner with my family, few things made me feel as grown up as getting to order a Shirley Temple. Made from ginger ale, grenadine syrup, a bit of OJ and topped off with a maraschino cherry, this drink was the most special of special treats to me.

When we went on vacation this summer, I would occasionally make my kids (and me and hubby) special cocktails to cap off a long day of play. Using just a bit of juice, some cut up fresh fruit and sparking water — and a fun straw or umbrella — it was something the kids looked forward to every day and it was so cute to watch them sit there each evening holding their pretty drinks and feeling grown up.

This virgin sangria is my take on the beloved Shirley Temple of my youth, but without all the sugar and high fructose corn syrup from the soda and grenadine. And when you get into the fall and winter months and you want to pretend you’re on vacation even though you can’t get away, just substitute any of your favorite seasonal fruits to make a yer round refreshing cocktail that everyone in the family can enjoy.

Kiddie Sangria (Serves 4)

1 Peach, pitted and sliced
1/2 Cup Strawberries, stems removed and quartered
1 Lemon, halved & sliced
2 Cups Cranberry and/or Orange Juice
2 Cups Sparkling Water or Club Soda

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a pitcher and chill in the fridge for one hour.
2. When ready to serve, stir in 2 cups of sparkling water.
3. Serve.

From the moment my kids discovered ham — particularly prosciutto — there has been no looking back. Whenever we’re in the grocery now, my son asks for it the second he sees it. Recently we were making ham sammies together and I let him decide what toppings would go on his. I offered up a bunch of different options, but I was shocked at what a great idea he thought spinach was. He was so right, it resulted in today’s recipe. Spinach turned out to be the perfect addition, adding a sweet taste, vibrant color and a bit of extra nutrition to a brown bag sandwich that’s easy to love.

Ham, Cheese & Spinach Sammies

4 English Muffins, split (I use whole wheat english muffins, but you can use any kind of bread you want)
1/2 Cup Cheese, shredded (I prefer swiss, mozzarella, havarti, cheddar or gruyere)
4 Slices Ham or Prosciutto
1/3 Cup Spinach Leaves

1. Place half of each English muffin on a plate and top with some cheese, a piece of ham, a few leaves of spinach another sprinkle of cheese and the other english muffin half.
2. Place in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted (feel free to use a bit of butter or oil in the pan, but it’s not necessary).
3. Serve.

My parents were around in full force this summer. It was a huge help to me but it also meant my kids were exposed to a whole host of foods that mommy does not want them eating. Let’s see, there was the day that Kenya
innocently told me that my father bought him “some” gum at the car wash (sugar free Trident with Aspartame to be exact). We later found Chloe playing unusually quietly and chewing something. Next to her were 15 empty gum wrappers. When we asked her where everything went that was in the wrappers she said, “in my tummy”. Then there were the times my dad let Kenya order “a drink in a red can that was really sweet with bubbles in it,” but of course Kenya was told to not say anything to me. Are you starting to see a pattern here with my dad and his knowledge
of what is and is not ok to feed kids?

Or how about the day that I made these Blueberry Cheesecake Bites and Kenya said, “Grandpa took me to the Cheesecake Factory. I love cheesecake.” Now, I have nothing against cheesecake — it was one of my favorite desserts as a kid — but I get cavities just thinking about the mounds of sugar that most recipes call for. This version is different and has become one of my kids’ new favorite sweet treats. Since they are bite-sized, contain no refined sugar, have tons of fresh blueberries and even a whole wheat and oat crust, I feel a lot better offering these to my kids for dessert than a lot of the alternatives.

Blueberry Cheesecake Bites (makes 20-25 bites)

Oat Crust:

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, chilled

Filling:

4 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 Large Egg, at room temperature
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Fresh Blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. To make the crust, place the first 3 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to chop oats.
3. Add the butter and pulse to combine.
4. Press the crust on the bottom of a parchment-lined 8 x 8 baking dish and flatten evenly with your hands. Bake for 10 minutes to set, then allow to cool.
5. Lower the oven temperature to 250 F.
6. To make the filling, place the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and beat to combine.
7. Fold in the blueberries.
8. Pour the batter on top of the crust and bake for 1 hour.
9. Cool and then chill until ready to serve.
10. Cut into squares and serve.*

*To get clean squares, wipe your knife between each slice.

As many of you know, we’re big on dips in our house. I find that if you put out a big platter of veggies next to a yummy dip for plunging into, the variety of vegetables you can get into kids’ little bodies increases by….well, a lot! Case in point was the day that I made this Avocado Honey Dip. Chloe had just woken up from her nap and was sitting with me at the kitchen counter while I was concocting this creamy spread. She asked if she could try some, so I made her a little plate with baby carrots, sugar snap peas and pretzels. Chloe dipped a few times and then, in the time that it took me to turn around to grab something and turn back, she had her little arm wrapped around the mixing bowl and the spatula I had used to stir it in her mouth. Eventually I surrendered and let her finish it all.

There’s nothing worse than sending your child to school with a lunch box packed full of fresh veggies only to have them come back home exactly the way you sent them: uneaten. My advice? Add some of this dip and see if it adds to your kid’s fun of wanting to munch and crunch on the good stuff that goes with it!

Avocado Honey Dip (makes 1 cup)

1 Avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 Cup Whipped Cream Cheese
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mash together.
2. Serve with cut up veggies, crackers, pretzels or even as a spread on toast.

When I hear the most frequent dinnertime complaints weelicious moms’ have, one of their biggest issues is lack of time. I totally get it. It’s tough trying to get a balanced, nutritious meal on the dinner table when you only have a limited amount of time in which to make it. That is why whenever I need an easy-to-prepare meal I can be sure the whole family will love, I get out my crock pot. From prep to clean up, it is the biggest time saving appliance I own. I’d actually marry it if my husband wasn’t already in the picture.

This Veggie Lasagna is one of my biggest recent crock pot success stories and it only took me a few minutes to put the whole thing together. No sautéing or stove-watching required. Just chop your veggies, mix the cheeses and layer everything into the pot. By the time you get home from picking up the kids at school and an afternoon of errands, this delicious dinner will be waiting for you — just take the lid off and serve.

You may not want to marry your crock pot, but you might consider it after tasting this lasagna.

Crock Pot Veggie Lasagna (Serves 6-8)

2 Cups Zucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Mushrooms and/or Spinach
1 15 oz Container Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Tbsp Dried Italian Herbs
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Large Egg
1 25 oz Jar Pasta Sauce
1 Box Lasagna Noodles (uncooked)
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated

1. Place the vegetables in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop.
2. Place the ricotta, parmesan cheese, herbs, garlic powder, salt and egg in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Pour half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a crock pot.
4. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, covering the entire surface, breaking the noodles to fit the pot.
5. Layer half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, followed by 1 cup of the chopped vegetables and then one cup of mozzarella cheese.
6. Repeat with another layer of noodles, followed by the remaining ricotta mixture and the chopped vegetables.
7. Pour the remaining pasta sauce on top of the lasagna and top with the remaining cup of the grated cheese.
8. Cook on low for 4 hours.
9. Serve.

I was scouring some of my cookbooks recently trying to find a recipe for a peanut butter and jelly popsicle. Oh yeah, I said it: a PB & J pop. Nothing. Ziltch. How was that possible? OK, maybe there is a recipe for one out there, but I certainly couldn’t find it or get the thought of making them out of my head.

Coincidentally, cut to me discovering a box of 100 Dixie cups in the bathroom cabinet later that day. “When did I buy these,” I asked myself. The box must have been in there for over a year, but not a single cup had been used. Ah ha! Why not make my PB & J popsicles in them!

I headed back to the kitchen and played around until I came up with what seemed like the perfect mixture and then began the layering and freezing process.

An hour later, Kenya opened the freezer and accidentally dumped the tray of pops all over, my little experiment pouring all over (if you’ve never tried cleaning peanut butter out of a freezer, trust me, it’s not a ton of fun). After we made a new batch and let them freeze completely (check out the image at the end of this post) there were two kids (and a mom) who happily dug into these PB & J pops, loving every last bite. I don’t know if I am the first person who has ever made a popsicle out of peanut butter and jelly, but I certainly hope I’m not the last!

PB & J Pops (Makes 4 pops)

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter, smooth
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Cup Milk, divided (any type of milk will work)
1/2 Cup Your Favorite Fruit Preserves (I used Raspberry)

1. Combine the peanut butter, honey and 1/2 cup of milk in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Whisk the preserves and the remaining milk in a separate bowl to combine.
3. Pour both mixtures into 2 separate liquid measuring cups for easy pouring.
4. Pour 2 tbsp of the peanut butter mixture into each Dixie cup, followed by 3 tbsp of the fruit preserves mixture.
5. Freeze for 30 minutes.
6. Pour the remaining peanut butter mixture on top. Pok a popsicle stick in the middle of the cups.
7. Freeze for at least 6 hours or more.
8. Serve.

Don’t rub your eyes when you look at the dish pictured above. That is in fact calamari you see and yes, it’s here on weelicious. Now you’re probably thinking:

a. What IS calamari? (Answer: squid.)
b. How the heck do I cook it? (Answer: it’s one of the easier types of fish to prepare.)
c. There’s NO way my kid will ever eat it. (Answer: Don’t be too sure about that.)

Trust me, the recipes that show up on weelicious are never some type of challenge that I offer parents to try and get kids to eat a host of foods they’re never going to enjoy. Quite the opposite, in fact. I have a 2 year old who constantly surprises me with her love of the most unexpected dishes to prove it. The first time Chloe tried calamari we were at one of our favorite Italian restaurants. I had ordered the grilled calamari and she scarfed every last piece of it off of my plate. Minutes after it was all gone she was screaming at the top of her lungs, “MORE CALAMARI!!! “The people at the table next to us looked over as if we were C-R-A-Z-Y! We now hear this familiar refrain from Chloe almost every time we are at a restaurant (whether they serve calamari or not!). Her demands for it became so frequent, I started making it at home and you’d be amazed by how quickly this child can put it away.

To remind you again, we’re talking here about calamari, not chocolate cake or vanilla ice cream, but they way my whole family enjoys it now, you’d think I was offering dessert.

If you’ve never tried calamari before, it’s time to give it a try because this unbelievably easy-to-make recipe is packed with protein and flavor, is inexpensive and unbelievably scrumptious no matter how old you are!

Calamari Rings (Serves 2-3)

1 Lb Calamari
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 Cup Sherry Wine
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1. Rinse, drain and pat calamari dry.
2. Cut calamari into rings and pat dry again with a paper towel to remove as much excess liquid as possible.
3. Heat a large skillet over high heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and immediately add the calamari rings sautéing for 2 minutes.
4. Remove calamari to a bowl.
5. Add the minced garlic, sherry wine, salt and lemon juice to the same skillet over high heat and allow to boil for 1 minute.
5. Add the calamari back into the sherry lemon sauce to heat through for 20 seconds.
6. Serve.