Lucky me that I have a cousin with two growing boys who loves to cook and feed her kids healthy foods. She makes a version of this recipe in a pie dish and has been trying to convince me that her boys absolutely devour it whenever she makes it for them. Although I sometimes find statements like that hard to believe when we’re talking about green foods and highly independent little boys, I’m always game for recipes that defy the odds.

I decided to take my cousin’s original recipe, make a few tweaks to the ingredients and then cook them in mini muffin cups instead of a pie dish, because it cooks faster (and after all, what kid doesn’t like something mini?). As for my my initial doubts about the kid appeal of this recipe, after watching Kenya repeatedly walk by the cooling rack to grab three of them within 15 minutes and Chloe scarfing down four at dinner, I realized these could be one of the all time greatest kid and parent friendly recipes I’ve ever made. Delicious, healthy and SO easy to make. My cousin gets total props for this kiddy culinary hit!

Spinach Ricotta Bites (Makes 20 Bites)

2 Tbsp Butter
1 Small Yellow Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 Large Eggs, Beaten
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese (low or full fat ricotta will work)
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1 10 Oz Pkg Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and drained WELL (I use my hands to squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as possible)
1/4 Tsp Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes until tender.
3. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute then set aside to cool.
4. Whisk eggs in a bowl and stir in ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
5. Once combined, stir in spinach, salt and cooled onion and garlic mixture.
6. Pour the mixture into lightly greased mini muffin cups.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set and golden on top.
8. Serve.

Before I had kids, I don’t think I ever used cream cheese to make anything other then cheesecake. Now, I use it to make everything from Sun Dried Tomato Cream Cheese Spread, to Avocado & Cream Cheese Sammies, to Mini Vanilla Cupcakes, to my favorite, weelicious Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast.

I find cream cheese to be one of the most versatile staples I keep in my fridge. In my experience, just adding a touch of this airy delight to foods kids normally put up a fuss about yields incredible results . I’m sure if you placed some raw carrots and broccoli in a bowl in front of your wee one for a snack you would be met with an, “I’m not eating that!” But toss those same veggies into a food processor with some lovely cream cheese and voila! You have a spread that goes beautifully on crackers, in a sandwich, and best of all, happily in your child’s mouth!

Veggie Cream Cheese (Makes 1 1/2 Cups)

1/2 Cup Carrots, grated
1/2 Cup Broccoli, raw
1 Tbsp Chives, diced
1 Small Garlic Clove
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 8oz Pkg. Cream Cheese, softened

1. Place the first 5 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Add the cream cheese and puree until combined.
3. Serve.

Some vegetables take less effort to get kids to eat than others. While brussel sprouts and lima beans might not always be favorites of your little ones, I bet carrots are a pretty easy sell. For starters, they’re not green, a color most kids associate with their veggies. And along with being naturally sweet, carrots are a gold mine of nutrition and a great source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene converts to Vitamin A, which is essential for good vision.

Still, some kids will avoid vegetables at any turn. The fun part of this recipe is turning carrots into something they won’t be able to say no to. These carrot chips couldn’t be easier to make and they are so delicious and fun to eat, you’ll likely find yourself running back to the market for more carrots for the next batch! Best of all, they are a great way to get kids to eat their veggies, and that should make every mom happy.

Carrot Chips (Serves 4)

4 Carrots
Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Using a mandoline or a knife, thinly slice the carrots into rounds.
3. Place the carrot chips on a silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet, sprinkle lightly with salt and bake for 45 minutes.
4. Serve.

Sometimes getting kids to eat fish can be a real challenge, but it’s such a great source of protein that I’m always thinking of fun new ways to present it to little ones who resist it. Cod is an ideal introductory fish because of its mild flavor and light texture. It’s also a good source of omega-3’s, niacin and vitamins B12 and 6, all of which are important for growing bodies.

I find that whenever I serve my kids food they can hold and eat with their hands, they are more prone to eat it. For this recipe, I combined cod with some potato, cheese and breadcrumbs, molded it into bite-sized cakes and then served them up with a zesty dip. I’m never one to “sneak” fish or vegetables into recipes, but if your kids are averse to trying fish, these little cakes are delicious and a great way for them to enjoy something new. You never know, you may make fish fans out of your kids yet!

Potato Cod Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Dipping Sauce (Makes 16 Mini Patties – Serves 4)

1 Large Potato, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
1/2 Lb Cod
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tsp Parsley, chopped fine
2 Eggs, whisked separately
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
Canola or Vegetable Oil

1. Bring a steamer pot with 2 inches of water to a boil and cook the potato chunks for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender. Remove to a bowl and mash.
2. Add the cod to the steamer pot and cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove to a plate, cool and flake with a fork, being careful to remove any bones.
3. Place the cod, mashed potatoes, parmesan, parsley, 1 egg and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.
4. Shape about 2 tbsp of the cod mixture into 16 evenly shaped patties.
5. Place the breadcrumbs and remaining whisked egg into two separate bowls and gently roll each patty into the whisked egg and then into the bread crumbs.
6. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
7. Cook the cod cakes 4 minutes on each side or until golden.
8. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce:

2 Tbsp Yogurt
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
2 Tsp Lemon
1/4 Tsp Salt

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Serve.

*For Freezing: After step 5, place the patties on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for one hour, remove and place in ziploc bags, label and freeze up to 4 months.
*When ready: Remove from ziploc bag and place on a plate and place in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours and continue with steps 6-8. You can also just place in the the oven from the freezer at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

My husband just read this post and said, “what is it, Leftovers Week”? Sometimes daddies just don’t understand the brilliance of turning one meal into four. If you’ve been tuning in the past few days, you know I make a Chicken in the Crock Pot at least once a week for my family. Without fail, we always have chicken left over, which is a huge bonus for any busy mom. Sometimes I use it to make Mac, Chicken and Cheese Bites or Mexican Enchiladas, but lately I started preparing this chicken salad, and the kids just love to eat it. With just a few slices of vitamin-packed avocado along with some chopped pickles for crunch and a slightly salty flavor, this Chicken Salad Wrap is not only easy to make, but also a great use for cooked chicken. Let’s hear it for Leftovers Week!

Chicken Salad Avocado Wrap (Makes 4 Wraps)‬‬

1 Cup Cooked Chicken (about 1 large chicken breast), cooked and chopped fine
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise or Veganaise
2 Tbsp Parsley
Juice of 1/2 Small Lemon
2 Tbsp Dill Pickle, chopped fine
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Avocado, Cut into fourths
4 Tortilla Wraps

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix.
2. Warm a tortilla for about 30 seconds on each side (you can do this on top of the stove or in a microwave for 15 seconds in between moist paper towels).
3. Place 1/4 of an avocado, cut into slices, on the half of the tortilla nearest to you.
4. Spread 1/4 cup of Chicken Salad on top of the avocado.
5. Roll the wrap away from you and cut into halves.
6. Serve.

**Letting the salad sit in the fridge for a couple of hours enhances the flavors more and makes it even more yummy!

Pulled pork sandwiches are a popular summer recipe, but these Shredded BBQ Chicken Sammies are a lot healthier and SO easy to make. My family loves BBQ. I eat barbecue sauce on everything from shrimp to chicken to baked potatoes, so it’s no surprise to me that my kids are into it too. I find that once you find a barbecue sauce that your family enjoys (preferably one made without corn syrup), it will become one of your best friends in the kitchen.

As you know from this past Monday’s post, I love whipping up Crock Pot BBQ Chicken for Sunday night dinner. What I didn’t tell you yet is all the great things you can do with the leftovers. I like to shred them for sammies for Monday’s school lunch and for quesadillas on Tuesday. That covers three meals with one easy to prepare recipe. When you’re able to make cooking this easy on yourself AND your family loves what you make, it makes for seriously good times!

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sammies (Serves 4)

2 Chicken Breasts
1/2 Cup Juice from the Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Recipe
Accompaniments: Barbecue sauce, rolls or sandwich buns

1. Using 2 forks or your hands, pull the chicken into bite size pieces.
2. Combine the shredded chicken with the 1/2 cup of juice from the crock pot.
3. Place 1/4 of the mixture on a bun or roll, cover with additional barbecue sauce and serve.

The best and worst news these days is that we have tons of information about the food we eat that wasn’t around 30 years ago. It’s easier than ever to educate yourself about what to feed yourself and your kids. The bad part is that you may scare yourself when you realize what you’ve been putting in your own body over the years. I can’t even imagine how much culinary poison I consumed in my day, but my hope is that armed with knowledge and a love of food, my kids won’t make the same mistakes I did. I believe it’s a huge responsibility for myself and other parents to make sure we give our kids healthy foods free of additives and chemicals that are potentially going to be toxic in their little bodies — like artificial food dyes. The challenge for us is that kids respond strongly to bright colors and so many unhealthy foods in the marketplace target our children by dyeing their products colors that can only be created in a lab. I recently read an article on Healthy Child, Healthy World’s website called “Just Say No To Blue, Green, Red and Yellow” that points out a lot of the common and dangerous coloring food producers use. I’m not saying that it’s always easy, but avoiding food colors and dyes can be easier then you think.

My kids love popsicles (what kid doesn’t), so one simple thing I do is make these vivid Mango Pops. Not only are they a naturally vibrant orange-yellow that rivals any artificially colored popsicle, but they’re also sweet, delicious and perfect during the summer heat. My kids enjoy making them almost as much as they love eating them. Instead of buying a box of popsicles made with additives that you probably can’t even pronounce, have your kids help you whip up a batch of these mango pops. You’ll know you’re doing their bodies good and give yourself some peace of mind. Color yourself impressed!

Mango Pops (Makes 4 Cups-8 Popsicles)

2 Mangos, peeled and chopped
1 Cup Rice Milk
2 Tbsp Honey

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until pureed.
2. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.
3. Serve.

The heat all over most of the U.S. this past week has been oppressive. It’s been so hot here in southern California that the mere thought of turning on my oven to sweat even more while I make dinner holds absolutely no appeal. That’s a drag because it wouldn’t be summertime for our family without barbecue chicken. Thank goodness for one of my favorite pieces of kitchen gear: the crock pot!

Now we get to enjoy BBQ without me having to go outside and stand over the grill in 100 degree heat. All I do is place the chicken and sauce in the pot, coat it well, cover the lid and within 2 1/2 hours I’ve got chicken that’s so juicy and tender you won’t believe it takes so little effort.

I toyed around with making my own barbecue sauce for this recipe, but these days there are so many great zippy and tangy sauces on the market made without corn syrup, that I decided to go with a bottled brand. That saved me even more time. With the kids running around out of school and tons of summer activities to attend, I’d much rather be spending the few free moments I have with the little ones than in the kitchen. And this way, no matter how hot it is outside when you put this Crock Pot BBQ Chicken on the table, everyone inside your house will think you’re cool.

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken (Serves 4-6)

4 Chicken Breasts, bone in, skinless
1 Cup Barbecue Sauce ( I use Smokin’ Willie’s)

1. Place the chicken in a crock pot.
2. Pour the barbecue sauce over the chicken and coat the chicken WELL with the sauce.
3. Cook the chicken on low for 2 1/2 hours.
4. Serve.

*Save the juice from the bottom of the pot if you want to make Shredded BBQ Chicken Sammies

This Halibut Pesto Kabob recipe is so easy and the perfect recipe for a healthy summer time dinner!

The heirloom tomatoes at our farmer’s market are so insanely delicious right now, it brings me close to tears when I take a bite of one. And there are so many different varieties to choose from like Big Rainbow, Green Zebra and Mortgage Lifter. Kenya’s favorite are the dark reddish Cherokee Purple variety because of their sweet taste. I think any time kids can put a fun name on a food, they instantly respond more positively than they normally would (and they’re much more likely to eat it). Hence, Kenya’s love of Dinosaur Kale.

Our family could just sit around and eat slice after slice of these tomatoes totally unadorned (and we do), but for Kenya’s school lunch, I add just a smear of cream cheese and two slices of bread to make this simple Cream Cheese and Tomato Sammie something so special it doesn’t even need a funny name for Kenya to gobble it up!

Cream Cheese & Tomato (Makes 2 Sammies)

1/4 Cup Cream Cheese, divided
1 Heirloom Tomato, cut into 6 slices
4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread

1. Toast your whole wheat bread slices.
2. Layer one slice of the toasted bread with half of the cream cheese and top with 3 slices of tomatoes.
3. Cover with another slice of bread and make the second sammie.
4. Slice each sammie in half and serve.