There weren’t a lot of convenience foods like boxed muffin and pancake mix, cup of soup and frozen waffles in our house when I was growing up, but one item I absolutely loved whenever my mom made it for us was instant ramen noodles. She would boil water, toss in the brittle brick of tightly wound noodles, then dump in the contents of that naughty little seasoning pack, which contained among other not-so-good things, the notorious flavor enhancer, MSG. Popular in the 60′s and 70′s, we know now that MSG is something you and your kids should probably avoid consuming.

This recipe takes the idea of ramen noodle soup to a whole new level. You still get the delicious salty flavor that you’re used to from the MSG in the instant variety, but I use nutritious miso to give it that incredible and irresistible umami flavor. Don’t forget your seasoning — a shake of garlic and onion powder adds a ton of added flavor to this dish — and don’t be shy about the other ingredients you can add to this soup. Make it your own. I usually lay out a bunch of options, let everyone tell me which ones they want and personalize each person’s bowl. I discovered just how much my kids crave seaweed and shiitake mushrooms when I started putting them in my soup and then watched as they shamelessly begged for bite after bite from my bowl.

That’s OK. I know that when my kids are making this ramen noodle soup disappear it’s filled only with the things they should be eating!

Ramen Noodle Soup (Serves 4)

1 32 Oz Box of Chicken Stock
1 Cup Water
2 Tbsp White or Yellow Miso
2 (3-ounce) Packages Packaged Ramen Noodles
4 Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced thin
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Mirin
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
1/4 Cup Scallions, green & white, sliced

1. In a large saucepan add the chicken stock, water, miso and bring to a boil.
2. Add the remaining ingredients* and cook for 3 minutes or until the ramen noodles are soft.
3. Add the scallions and serve.

*Optional additional Ingredients: fresh spinach, nori, wakame, hijiki, arame, chicken, shrimp, cubed tofu

A few months ago I went to a parent-teacher potluck meeting at my kids’ school. The drill is each parent brings a dish big enough to serve about 20 people, which is no small feat for a busy mom. But what’s awesome about these events is that there always an array of delicious homemade dishes to sample from lasagna to crunchy bruschetta to rotisserie chicken and occasionally, a hot pizza picked up on the way.

At our last meeting, one of my friends (who’s also a great cook) brought a wheat berry salad which everyone went crazy for. Full of nutty, nutritious wheat berries, it was mixed with peanuts, currants, veggies, peaches and tossed with an Asian vinaigrette. As everyone was busy telling my friend how amazing and delicious it was and asking her for the recipe, she leaned over to me and whispered, “I got it from the prepared food counter at Gelson’s” (our local supermarket).

Cut to me a few days later, having cornered the lady working the prepared food counter at Gelson’s and begging her to give me the exact recipe. While she wouldn’t tell me the measurements or proportions, she did reveal the combination of ingredients which makes this dish so special. I’m not sure if I got it exactly right, but in a side by side taste test after I made my version, we decided it was pretty darn close. Now, with great pleasure, I to share with you my friend’s “homemade” parent-teacher potluck Wild Wheat Berry Salad!

Wild Wheat Berry Salad (Serves 4-6)

1 Cup Wheat Berries
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Small Garlic Clove
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
2 Tbsp Peanut Oil
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Raisins or Currants
1/4 Cup Peanuts, chopped
1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Peaches, defrosted
1 Small Red Bell Pepper
1 Cup Fresh Spinach, roughly chopped

1. Cook wheat berries according to package directions, place in a strainer, rinse, drain and cool.
2. Whisk the honey, garlic, lime juice, rice vinegar, peanut oil and salt in a large bowl until combined.
3. Place the wheat berries, raisins, peanuts, peaches, bell peppers and spinach in the bowl with the dressing and stir to coat.
4. Serve.

My mother used to make the most insanely delicious zucchini bread. I don’t remember eating a lot of zucchini in side dishes as a kid (which is sad because I love it so much), but I sure remember her bread. It’s was sweet and moist with thin ribbons of zucchini laced throughout. Was that just her way of getting zucchini into our diet or was she simply baking something that she enjoyed making and we loved eating? I’d say the latter since, no one was holding me down telling me I had to eat it. In fact, I would usually beg for seconds.

I wanted to make a zucchini bread recipe for weelicious, but since I already made Zucchini Muffins last year I decided to mix things up and feature one of Kenya and Chloe’s favorite ingredients — chocolate — in a co-starring role. The chocolatey flavor comes from just 1/3 a cup of cocoa powder and while you may assume this bread is only for dessert, it’s actually also great as a mid-day snack and even for breakfast. Yes, I said it. Chocolate for breakfast. That’s not to say you should be handing out Snickers bars before the school bus comes, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with offering this bread to your kids to start their day.

And while you may have seen the title for this recipe and thought to yourself, “awesome, I can get my kids to eat their veggies by telling them I’m serving Chocolate Bread,” I beg you not to. Don’t sneak. Food is all about making discoveries and you just may find yourself with a new zucchini fan after your little one tries this bread.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread (Makes 2 Loafs)*

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs, whisked
1 Banana, mashed
1/2 Cup Honey
2 Cups Zucchini, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a bowl, combine the first 6 dry ingredients.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat the vanilla, oil, eggs, banana and honey until combined.
4. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet then stir in the grated zucchini.
5. Pour the batter into two greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove bread from the pan and cool completely.
8. Serve.

* Loaves can be wrapped tightly in foil, placed in Ziploc bags labeled with the date and frozen for up to 3 months.

Even though the name creamed spinach has never sounded very appealing to me, I have been hooked on it since the first time I tried it at steak restaurant as a kid. There’s something about the luscious creamy consistency of the sauce blended with the spinach that just melts in your mouth. Yet as good as creamed spinach is, it seems like a shame to take such a healthy veggie and then load it down with such a rich sauce. This lighter version is healthier, but just as yummy as the creamed spinach you’re probably used to.

Just because I fell in love with creamed spinach immediately as a kid, does not mean that my little ones took to it as quickly. On try number one, Kenya and Chloe looked at it blankly and then back up at me with absolutely desire to try it. After talking about it a bit and telling them that I ate creamed spinach a lot as a kid, Kenya changed his mind and dug right in. Chloe was a different story. She was in full-on mouth lock down mode – - no way, no how was she even going to taste it. The next night I decided to repackage it by mixing it with rotini pasta. Chloe devoured it, no prodding required. It’s funny how just by adding one of Chloe’s favorite foods changed things completely for her. From that moment on, whenever make creamed spinach, it’s enjoyed by all!

Creamed Spinach (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Onion, diced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Tbsp Flour
2-10 oz Pkg Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and drained well
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
1/2 Cup Sour Cream or Low Fat Sour Cream

1. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat and sauté onions for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook for 30 seconds more.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
4. Serve.

Planning a kid’s birthday party always seems like an easy feat 4 months before the big day. Then, before you know it, you’re a few weeks out and actually have to come up with those new and fun ideas to keep everyone entertained. It can be daunting to say the least.

While I’m totally game for ordering a few pizzas and calling it a day, this Quilt Pizza is much more exciting, easy to make and a great way to get all your guests involved. It becomes an activity in and of itself.

First, get a ton — I mean a TON — of toppings: veggies, meats, even some pineapple if you like, and divide them between separate bowls. Next, buy a few packages of pre-made pizza dough from the grocery store or your local pizzeria and roll and stretch it to fit a sheet pan. Then place everything out on a table….and let the kids go crazy. Each child gets a square to design their own handmade patch of pizza. Once the pies are all baked up and bubbly, you won’t believe how excited the kids will be to chow down on their personalized piece.

And you don’t have to have a big party to enjoy this pizza. It easily scales down to accommodate smaller gatherings like slumber parties, get togethers or an intimate family dinner.

Sound like a plan?

Quilt Pizza (Serves 8-12 depending on the size of each square)

1 lb. Pizza Dough, brought to room temperature
1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1 Small Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 Cup Broccoli Florets, steamed
1/2 Cup Pineapple, chopped
1/2 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1/4 Cup Olives, sliced
1/2 Cup Mushrooms, sliced
4 Strips Bacon, cooked
1/2 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Spinach Leaves
1/2 Cup Green Onions, chopped

* These are just suggested toppings. Feel free to come up with your own. The possibilities are endless.

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Lightly grease the backside of a half sheet pan with olive oil and stretch the dough to fit the size of the pan (about 16″ x 11″).
3. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce on the dough and sprinkle 2 cups of cheese on top.
4. “Decorate” the pizza using the topping ingredients. Divide into 8-12 squares to create a quilt.
5. Brush the edges with olive oil and bake for 18-20 minutes.
6. Serve.

In our house, we’re big on weekend cooking. My kids love helping out and I find that if I make a few recipes on Saturday or Sunday to store in the fridge or freezer, I have a lot less cooking to do during the week when life gets overwhelming. That doesn’t mean that we spend the entire weekend in the kitchen. Far from it. Our recipes have to be quick and easy so we can get out and do other things together. I treasure our weekends because they often feel like the only time we can just relax and play, enjoying our favorite activities and not being on a schedule.

Times like this are when my crock pot is my best friend because it assures that I need not spend a moment more than necessary in the kitchen. Chloe helps me wash the veggies, Kenya and I chop them, I sauté the meat and we all toss everything in the pot together. That’s it. When we come home from our adventures at the end of the day, dinner is all ready….with plenty leftover for the week ahead. Don’t forget to double, especially for recipes like this one. Store what you don’t eat in dated single or multiple-serving containers in the freezer and all you have to do on school nights is defrost and reheat and your homemade meal is done within minutes. One more reason to live for the weekends!

Crock Pot Meaty Pasta Sauce (Serves 6)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
1 Lb Lean Ground Beef
2 Tsp Kosher Salt, divided
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Cup Water
1-28 oz Can Diced Tomato
1-15 oz Can Tomato Puree
1 Cup Carrots, grated
1 Medium Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Onion Powder
2 Tbsp Dried Italian Herbs
1 Bay Leaf

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a medium sauté pan and sauté onions for 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and 1 tsp of salt and sauté for 4 more minutes, breaking apart the meat as it cooks.
2. Add the sautéed meat and onions to the crock pot.
3. Whisk 2 tbsp of tomato paste in 1 cup of water until the paste dissolves.
4. Add the tomato paste mixture to the pot along with the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
5. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours.
6. Serve over pasta.

When you’ve got two kids running around the kitchen and you’re trying to focus on too many things at once, mistakes happen (I guess welcome to motherhood, right?). The other night, I had tossed zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower into the food processor to make Crock Pot Lasagna and accidentally left it running while I ran to answer the phone. The next thing I knew, the veggies that were supposed to be roughly chopped were now chopped so fine that they wouldn’t work in the dish. Argh. As you know, nothing bugs me more than wasting food, so I stashed the overworked veggies in the fridge and chopped up a new batch for the lasagna. The next day those finely chopped veggies were staring me in the face when I opened the fridge and I swear I heard them say, “well?”

Whenever you have leftover vegetables (or flat out botch a recipe like I did), the addition of an egg, flour and some herbs can turn a mistake into one of the most delicious and happiest of accidents. Case in point are these Green Veggie Patties. They work great as a side dish or even on their own for lunch or a snack. Add any one of a variety of dips or sauces and things get even more fun. They are easy to make, fun to eat and perfect for the whole family….whether you intend to make them or not!

Green Veggie Pancakes (Serves 4)

1 Cup Zucchini, Broccoli, and/or Cauliflower
1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Large Egg
1 Tsp Dried Basil
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
Canola or Vegetable Oil

Accompaniments: Marinara sauce, Ketchup, or Mustard

1. Place the vegetables in a food processor and pulse to chop fine.
2. Add the chopped vegetables into a bowl along with the flour, salt, egg, basil and garlic powder. Mix to combine.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and place 1 tbsp of the batter into the pan for each pancake.
4. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.
5. Serve with marinara sauce or dip of your choice.

When it comes to eating, I’m embarrassed to admit the number of different diets I have adhered to over the years. For a long time I was a strict vegetarian (the concept of being a vegan always appealed to me, but I knew I’d never last a week). After a while, I missed dairy and eggs so much that I morphed into a lacto-ovotarian. Then one day I decided I had to starting eating fish again and became a pescetarian.

I should note that I didn’t refer to myself with these names. It was more that people would notice I was abstaining from eating meat or fish and they would ask me, “what kind of ______arian are you?” Well, after years of living under these relatively pretentious labels, I’m back to being a foodatarian (I think I totally made that word up but it sounds less highfalutin than saying I’m an educated omnivore, consuming pretty much everything under the sun, but making informed decisions about what I eat and how it is produced.

After years of depriving myself of foods I actually craved, I realized that the thing I missed most was beef. I eat red meat very infrequently now, but when I do, I savor every bite. One dish I adored in my childhood was beef stew and I experienced so much nostalgia creating this recipe. Tons of assorted nutritious vegetables and chunks of lean meat simmering in its own juices come together to create a simple yet hearty crock pot dish that’s perfect for these chilly fall months.

I’m about moderation in all things and hopefully I will inspire my kids to love a little bit of this and a little of that and responsibly experience all the amazing foods our bodies are able to enjoy!

Crock Pot Beef Stew (Serves 6)

2 Lbs Chuck Meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Red Wine
1 Cup Beef Stock
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, minced
2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
2 Stalks Celery, sliced
2 Carrots, peeled and sliced
1 Large Onion, chopped into cubes
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 15 oz Can Unsalted Diced Tomatoes

1. Place the cubed meat and flour and in Ziploc bag, seal and shake until the pieces are fully coated with flour.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat and sear the pieces of meat for 4 minutes until all sides are nicely brown.
3. Remove the meat from the pan and place in the crock pot.
4. Add the red wine and stock to the sauté pan and bring to a boil for one minute, scraping off the bits of meat that have caramelized in the pan with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the reduced liquid to the crock pot along with the remaining ingredients and combine.
6. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
7. Serve.

While I’m super easy-going about Kenya and Chloe having cake at birthday parties or ordering things like french fries every now and then when we’re out to eat, I can’t help but cringe when they are offered goldfish as a snack on play dates or at camp. Of course there are many things that would be considered far worse for them than these little yellow bite-sized snacks, but goldfish kind of get under my skin. Goldfish are one of those “easy” foods that most people keep in the pantry for their kids. And why not? They’re delicious. But they are also high in sodium, low in fiber and feature some unneeded empty ingredients like sugar. For what is such a simple food, making your own homemade version is so much better, especially when you use whole wheat flour, which ups the fiber content and is far more nutritious than refined.

I know what you might be thinking: “it takes longer to make goldfish than it does for me to buy them”. Well, you’d not only be surprised by how quick and easy these cheddar crackers are to make but also how much money you’ll save making your own. And the best part is that you can use cookie cutters to pop out these crackers in whatever shapes you think your kids will love. More special than goldfish? What more could you hope for at snack time!

Whole Wheat Cheddar Crackers (makes a lot depending on the size cookie cutter you use)

2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tbsp Spike Salt-Free Seasoning (any salt free/herb seasoning will work)
6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, chilled

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place the first 3 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
3. Add the butter and pulse and until a ball forms.
4. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick on a floured or parchment-covered surface. Slice into crackers or cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.
5. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
6. Serve.

Very often during our nightly bedtime ritual, I will ask Kenya and Chloe what they want for breakfast the next morning. Of course I want my kids to wake up to a breakfast they’re excited about, but one of the real reasons for my question is a bit of a ploy. Bedtime in our house can occasionally be a challenge and this tactic tends to get them into bed in a timely fashion, looking forward to the sumptuous meal that awaits them when they wake up.

By the time I finally get both kids off to dreamland, I’m pooped and ready to collapse in an fetal position on my bed. Yet like most moms, I usually find myself back in the kitchen, preparing the next day’s school lunch as well as prepping the breakfast from my bedtime bargain. Thankfully, the breakfast my kids repeatedly ask for is Oatmeal in the Crock Pot. It’s a huge relief to hear those words because all I need to do is dump all of the ingredients in the crock pot (slow cooker), stir and go to bed. By the time we wake up, a creamy, piping hot breakfast is ready to fill our tummies.

I know this is going to sound silly, but only the problem in all of this is that the cook in me feels like a bit of a failure. Yes, oatmeal is full of fiber and one of the healthiest breakfasts you can eat, but somehow serving up the same old oatmeal time and again feels inadequate and I’m compelled to jazz things up a bit. Fortunately, I can do that and still keep life easy. Simply by adding pumpkin puree and a touch of spice, it changes one of our already favorite dishes into something the kids say tastes like their having pumpkin pie for breakfast! See what a good night’s sleep will do for everyone’s outlook?

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal (Serves 4-6)

2 Cups Water
2 1/2 Cups Milk*
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Tsp Pumpkin Spice
1 Cup Steel Cut Oats

Accompaniments: honey, maple syrup, molasses

1. Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook on low for 5-9 hours (note that the cooking time can vary depending on your crock pot. Crock pots without non-stick surfaces tend to get hotter, so you’ll want to stick closer to a 5 hour cooking time).
3. Serve.

*You can also use rice, almond or soy milk if you want to make a dairy free or vegan version of this recipe