We’re big fans of soup in this house — and I mean all of us. I love anything with vegetables, Kenya thinks drinking soup out of a cup is a blast and my husband is into anything that’s healthy and keeps his waistline in check. Therefore, this recipe for broccoli soup fits the bill for all of us. You can even serve it to a 10-12 month old if you leave out the lemon juice.

Broccoli should be a regular food in everyone’s diet because it’s a super veggie. It’s packed with vitamins A and C, calcium and soluble fiber plus it’s available year round. Even for kids that turn their noses up at vegetables, broccoli is one you can usually get them to eat because of it’s mild flavor. I usually make a big batch of this soup because I like to freeze a few servings to have for another day. The only trouble is that it’s usually gone before it ever makes it to the freezer!

Broccoli Soup (6-8 Servings)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, chopped
1 Tsp Salt
1 Large Potato, peeled and chopped into a small dice
1 Pound Broccoli (about 2 cups), use florets and stems (stems peeled
and chopped)
4 Cups (1 32 Oz Box) Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Yogurt, Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream for garnish.

1. In a large stock heat the olive oil and saute the onion and salt for 5-7 minutes over low to medium heat.
2. Add the potatoes, broccoli and stock and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
3. Cook covered for 12-15 minutes or until broccoli and potatoes are fork tender.
4. Pour the ingredients along with the lemon juice into a blender and puree.
5. Serve garnished with yogurt, creme fraiche or sour cream.

*Allow to cool, place in appropriate container or ziploc bag, label, and freeze. When ready, place in pot and heat through under low to medium heat or defrost in fridge over low-medium heat.

One of the best parts about living in California is the gorgeous local produce that is available year-round. I’d like to think I’ve seen it all when it comes to food, but I still find myself being surprised all of the time. I remember my amazement the first time I saw purple cauliflower at the farmer’s market. Truly something to behold as well as being incredibly nutritious. I always find that if kids are taken with the color of a food, they are more interested in trying it. And what is cooler than purple soup?!

Kenya drinks up this recipe like a smoothie. I like to sprinkle a little grated parmesan on top so even if your little one has an aversion to purple vegetables, the cheese on top may still lure them in!

Purple Cauliflower Soup (4-6 Servings)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
1 Head Purple Cauliflower, cut into florets (you can also use white or yellow cauliflower)
3 Cups Chicken Stock
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated, plus extra for sprinkling on top if desired

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and over medium heat and saute the onion for 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes.
3. Add the cauliflower and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
4. Cook for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is fork tender.
5. Pour ingredients plus parmesan cheese into a blender and puree.
6. Serve.

* Allow to cool, place in appropriate container or ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, heat in a pot over low-medium heat or defrost in fridge for 24 hours.

Kids love anything on a stick! Or so I’ve found. I would have never believed it before Kenya started eating solids, but it’s true. Popsicles, corn dogs, shish kabobs….put it on a stick and watch what happens! It just makes eating so much more enjoyable for them.

For this chicken-on-a-stick recipe, I added a dipping sauce to increase the fun factor! Even better is that this recipe is totally healthy. When I brought them over recently to a play group Kenya goes to, the kids were yelling, “I want a chicken stick”! The funnier part was watching the parents craving a bite, but thinking it’s wasn’t good for their waistline. Not this version! It’s low in fat and high in protein and fiber, especially if you use a wholesome cereal for the coating. The next time you want a super easy recipe for a party for kids and their parents or even just for a night at home, make this one and you’ll have tons of happy tummies!

Chicken On A Stick (Makes 8 Sticks)

2 Cups Cornflakes, Whole Wheat Flakes or other Flakey Cereal
1 Tsp Salt
1 Lb. Chicken Tenders, remove white stringy tendon
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Pkg Popsicle Sticks
Vegetable Canola Oil Spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the cereal and salt in a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin OR place in a food processor until the size of breadcrumbs.
3. Pour the buttermilk in one bowl and the cereal in another.
4. Take the popsicle sticks and skewer the chicken tenders on to the sticks leaving a 1 inch handle.
5. Roll the chicken tenders in the buttermilk and then in the cereal, coating the chicken completely.
6. Line a sheet tray with foil and spray it with oil.
7. Place the chicken tender sticks on the sheet tray and lightly spray them with oil and cover stick handles with foil so they do not burn.
8. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until cooked through.
9. Serve with ranch dip.

*After step 5 place chicken tenders on a sheet tray and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to a ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, follow steps 6-9 adding an additional 3-5 min cooking time (do not defrost).

Ranch Dip (1/2 Cup)

1/4 Cup Yogurt
2 Tbsp Vegansaise or Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Chives
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
Salt to taste

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Serve with chicken on a stick.

I have to say that celery root (also known as celeriac) really is the ugly ducking of vegetables. For years I would pass it at the market, not thinking it looked at all appetizing and not really knowing what to do with it. Sometimes when ingredients look like a ton of work, I shy away. What was I thinking? Inside that ugly duckling is a culinary swan! Celery root is amazing! When cooked it has the consistency of potato, but it has a rich celery taste. I’ve been cooking celery root for years in salads, soups, just plain roasted and in purees. It’s one of my favorite foods and this soup is really healthy, but also naturally creamy and hearty. I recently made this recipe for my friend Staci’s baby shower and served it in little shot glasses, but as I was preparing it, Kenya was pleading with me for a taste. He ended up drinking 3 glasses which he obviously loved. He consumed more soup in one sitting then any of the ladies at the party! Smart man. When your kids try and love this, they’ll have him to thank.

Celery Root Soup (6-8 Servings)

2 Leeks, white & light green part only
2 Celery Root Bulb (about a pound each), peeled
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
32 Oz Chicken Stock (you can use vegetable stock too)

1. Saute the leeks for 3-4 minutes in a stock pot over medium heat..
2. Add the celery root and stock, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 18 minutes or until celery root is tender.
3. Puree soup ingredients in a blender (make sure not to fill your blender more then 3/4 full at one time).
4. Serve.

*Allow to cool, store in appropriate container or ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours or place in pot and bring to heat over low-medium heat.

I’m a total sucker for the holidays and especially the foods that you get at this time of year. I always loved celebrating Hanukkah with my friends when I was growing up, spinning the dreidel, lighting the menorah for 8 days, eating chocolates coins (Hanukkah gelt), and especially munching on crispy latkes with tons of apple sauce and sour cream.
Potato pancakes, also known as latkes are a Hanukkah tradition and one especially that I wanted Kenya to take part in. Even for a kid under the age of 2, Kenya knows something yummy when he sees it. We made a huge batch the other day and he ate them one after another, dipping away in the apple sauce. Making these treats is a beautiful way to celebrate the festival of lights.

Potato Latkes (Serves 6-8)

1 Onion
4 Potatoes, peeled
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Flour
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil
Apple Sauce, for serving
Sour Cream, for serving

1. Grate the onions and potatoes into a large strainer over a bowl (you could also do this through the grating blade in a food processor).
2. Press on the potato mixture in the strainer and discard any clear liquid in the bowl under the strainer.
3. Place the onion, potatoes, egg, flour, salt and peeper in a bowl and throughly combine.
4. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a saute pan over medium heat.
5. Place one heaping tablespoon of potatoes in the oil forming a circle.
6. Cook for 2-3 and minutes or until golden and flip over.
7. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until cooked through and remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
8. Can be served immediately or kept warm in a 300 degree oven until all latkes are prepared.
9. Serve with sour cream and apple sauce.

*Allow to cool, then place in ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, pop them into a oven at 300 for 10 minutes or until warmed through or defrost in fridge for 24 hours then heat in a dry pan.

We used these to make this recipe:

Oxo Good Grips Box Grater

When I was 6 months pregnant with Kenya, my husband and I went to Paris for some work as well as some much needed R and R. I had actually lived in Paris for years when I was younger so I was excited to walk all over the city showing him my favorite neighborhoods and old haunts. There’s nothing like being pregnant in the most romantic city in the world and walking by patisseries and bistros all day. It’s an automatic excuse to eat a lot. As a result, we didn’t take one form of public transportation the entire trip, since I didn’t want to miss a single culinary delight and we needed to walk our multiple meals off!

One of my favorite treats are crepes. These heavenly, light, little pancakes are the perfect base for all types of fillings like mashed bananas, almond butter, fruit preserves and, dare I suggest, Nutella (very common in France).

I made these for Kenya and myself for breakfast and he loved them. I covered them with apple butter and rolled them into little cigar-shaped cylinders which he held and ate at his leisure. When the rest of the batch was cool, I just wrapped them up and put them in the fridge so we could still eat them for a few days.

Crepes (Makes 14 Crepes)

2 Large Eggs
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
Butter for sauteing

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree.
2. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight (this helps the bubbles to settle and the crepes not to tear).
3. Grease a saute pan or crepe pan with butter. Pour in 2 tbsp of batter and swirl to cover the pan.
4. Cook for 1 minutes, flip and continue to cook another 30 seconds or until just starting to become golden.
5. Remove to a plate and continue to make remaining crepes.
6. Spread with apple butter, almond butter, mashed bananas, fruit preserves or any other favorite filling.
7. Roll into a cigar shape.
8. Serve.

*After step 5, allow to cool, place crepes on a sheet tray, layer a piece of parchment paper between each crepe, place in ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours and heat in a dry pan for 30 seconds on each side and follow steps 5-8.

When you’re raising kids it’s funny how so many of your own personal tastes and culinary passions automatically get passed on to your little one(s. What you eat during your pregnancy will likely be what they crave. As a family we don’t eat a lot of red meat, so neither does Kenya.
I do love myself a hamburger, but most of the time I prefer to make a good turkey burger for several reasons: One, turkey meat is a lot less expensive then the high quality grass-fed beef that I would want to buy (most beef produced in this is corn-fed and since cattle do not naturally eat corn, producers must pump them full of antibiotics so the corn does not make them sick). I bought 1.5 pounds of 7% fat ground-turkey for $3.82 (Which makes the meat in this recipe come out to be a little over $1 (since I only needed less then a 1/3 of the package). While I was shopping I also checked out organic ground meat and it was over $13 for the same amount!
Turkey is packed with nutrients: B vitamins, iron and more zinc then chicken. It’s also known as a mood booster which we know every little one can use now and then.
Most of all, I love the flavor of turkey. It’s mild and when served with a piece of cheddar cheese melted between two slices of bread, it’s a perfect protein-packed meal.

Turk-wee Burgers (Make 12 Mini Burgers)

1/2 Lb 7% Fat Ground Turkey Meat
1 Tbsp Shallot, minced (you could also use onion)
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp Oil
12 1 Inch Slice Cheddar Cheese
3 Slices Whole Wheat Bread

1. Place the turkey, shallot and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and mix with your hands until throughly combined.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat the pan with the oil.
3. Cook the burgers for 3 minutes and flip to the other side.
4. Cook the burgers an additional 2 minutes.
5. Place a slice of cheese on each burger and cover the pan for 1 minute.
6. Using a 1 inch circular cookie cutter, cut out 4 circular “buns” out of each slice of bread (I used the cap to a plastic medicine bottle-improvise!)
7. Preheat a broiler and toast until golden.
8. Serve the burgers in the “buns”.

*Holding the buns can be a tough for many toddlers. You can also just
serve the burgers without the “buns” and cut the burgers into bite size pieces.

Of all of the delicious recipes (at least, I think they’re delicious!) created for weelicious, I have to say 
that few things get everyone in my house hustling to the kitchen faster than when I’m making something that smells as heavenly as these 
chicken, cheese and pinto bean quesadillas. I knew these were going to be a hit even before my number one taster, 
Kenya, put one in his mouth because he was standing at my pant leg grunting and repeatedly saying “mamamamama”, which translated in baby language is 
”whatever you’ve got up there I want right now)!!!
These quesadillas couldn’t be easier to make. They take only minutes to 
prepare and I think Kenya ate more of them in one sitting then anything I’ve ever 
served him. You can use any type of tortilla, but I like to use whole wheat or spelt. Both kinds came out great, but after the spelt tortillas were cooked, they had a 
really toasty, nutty flavor. These quesadillas are packed with protein 
and as we say in our house “yummy, yummy yummy!”


Chicken, Cheese and Bean Quesadillas (make 20 Triangles)

1 Chicken Breast (about 1/2 cup cooked)
3/4 Cup Pinto Beans
1 Cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
4 Whole Wheat or Spelt Tortillas

1. Place the chicken breast in a steamer pot over boiling water and steam for 8 minutes or until it’s cooked through.
2. Cut the chicken into several pieces and place it with the beans in a food processor. Pulse until well combined and little pieces remain.
3. Spread 3 Tbsp of the chicken mixture on half of a tortilla. Cover with 1/4 cup shredded cheese.
4. Fold the tortilla in half.
5. Place the tortilla in a saute pan over low to medium heat (there’s no need to add oil, butter or spray). Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip on the other side and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
6. Cool for several minutes and then cut into 5 triangles.
7. Serve.
* The cheese can remain quite hot even after you cut the tortillas into triangles, so make sure it’s cool before serving to your toddler.