Stuffing is one of those Thanksgiving foods that I’ve found you don’t have to twist a kid’s arm to eat. I mean come on, the base of it is bread!
This recipe is sweet, savory and truly delicious. There are tons of variations on the ingredients you can put in your stuffing. Cornbread, wheat or white bread, fruits, vegetables, herbs, the list goes on…But the mixture of ingredients in this apple sausage stuffing is truly geared for little ones taste buds (and secretly mine, too!).

Kids Apple Sausage Stuffing (Makes 8-10 Servings)

3/4 Pound Bread Cubes (I use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white bread cubes, but you can also buy other types of bread cubes that are already dried out and skip step 1).
3 Chicken Apple Sausage Links (or 1/2 pound ground sausage)
2 Tsp Oil
2 Tbsp Butter plus more for greasing
1 Apple, peeled and chopped (Gala, Fuji and Golden Delicious or any other sweet apple)
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
1/2 Tsp Salt
3 Eggs, beaten
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock

1. Toast bread cubes in a 300 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.
2. Turn the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
3. If using sausage links, remove casings.
4. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook sausage for 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove to a plate.
5. Heat butter in the saute pan over medium heat and cook the apples, celery, onion, thyme and salt for 6-8 minutes until soft and tender.
6. Place the bread cubes in a bowl with the sausage, vegetables, eggs and chicken stock. Combine thoroughly.
7. Grease a 11 x 7 baking dish. Place the stuffing mixture in the dish.
8. Bake for 40 minutes.
9. Serve.

Some people look forward to Thanksgiving and to eat turkey for the stuffing or the gravy. Not me. I’m a total cranberry sauce girl. Since we’ve been on a roll roasting turkeys every week this month testing holiday recipes, Kenyas has acquired a real taste for it, too. He’s just like his mommy — he wants some turkey and a pound of the sauce to go with it.

That’s part of the reason I started making this sauce with agave nectar. Most cranberry sauces call for a cup of sugar for each bag of cranberries. It makes my teeth feel like they are going to rot just thinking about it. Granted, cranberries are uber sour, so they do need something to sweeten them up and agave does the trick. I also love adding oranges and orange juice to add not only citrus flavor, but also their natural sugars.

Cranberries are packed with the antioxidant vitamin C, which helps protects kids against infection, and antibacterial substances that can help prevent digestive and urinary infections.
We sat down for lunch last week and I’m not kidding when I tell you that Kenya kept pouring the sauce on his plate and eating spoon after spoonful. He loved it and hopefully so will your family this Thanksgiving.

Cranberr-Wee-Sauce (Makes 2 1/2 Cups)

1 Bag of Cranberries, washed and bruised cranberries discarded
2/3 Cup Orange Juice and or the orange pulp, removing the seeds and sections between the pulp
1/3 Cup Agave
1 Cinnamon Stick

1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. When they reach a boil, turn the heat to a simmer and cook for
10-15 minutes or until the berries start to pop.
3. Turn off heat and cool. Remove the cinnamon stick.
4. Serve warm or chilled.

*Allow to cool, place in appropriate container or ziploc bag, label and freeze.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I tested this recipe out on several little ginuea pigs. I made these for a recent “kid’s dinner party” that my friends and I do every week and I can’t even tell you how hard I laughed when I pulled these sweet potatoes out of the oven and three of the kids simultaneously yelled “cupcakes”! No matter what we said they decided the orange and white “cupcakes” were a holiday treat and scarfed them down. The only “oops” moment came when one the little girls looked at me with a huge hunk of orange peel in her mouth and said, “I don’t like the wrapper”. Whoops!

These heavenly treats only take minutes to prepare, and they made quite a visual and edible impact on the kids and adults alike. I’m a big fan of cooking this dish with evaporated skim milk because it makes the potatoes really fluffy without the added fat of heavy cream. I usually don’t like to use foods that have a ton of sugar, but just a few mini marshmallows really take this recipe to the next level for kids and makes it fun for them. After all, it’s the “icing”! They’re not essential to the recipe, so you can easily leave them out.

This recipe is also a time saver when you’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner, because the orange pulp that you scoop out goes right into the weelicious cranberry sauce recipe! A green vegetable, some succulent turkey and you have a perfect meal for the entire family with a few leftovers for the next day.

Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups (Serves 6)

2 Lbs. Sweet Potatoes (you want to use potatoes that are really orange, also known as yams)
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Evaporated Skimmed Milk (you can substitute it with regular milk)
1/2 Tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
3 Navel Oranges
Mini Marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke the yams several times with a fork or knife to pierce the skin.
2. Place on foil or a sheet tray in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
3. Let yams cool for several minutes, cut in half and scoop out the fluffy insides (I love eating the high fiber skin as a snack).
4. Mash the yams with butter, maple syrup, evaporated milk and salt until creamy and fluffy.
5. Cut the oranges in half and slice a very thin disk from the bottom so they rest flat. The skins are actually going to be the “bowls”.
6. With a pairing knife cut around the inside rim of the orange removing the orange sections and pulp. Place any of the orange juice and pulp in a bowl and discard the white membranes and seeds. Save the juice and pulp for cranberry sauce recipe or just enjoy as a snack.
7. Fill each orange cup with 1/4 cup of puree and top with several mini marshmallows (you can cover and refrigerate these overnight).
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Place on a sheet tray and bake for 20-25 minutes.
10. Serve.

I think I was the only kid in the world that loved brussel sprouts. I loved biting the leaves off the tiny cabbages one by one. Somehow these little green orbs are known as the bane of kids’ dinner plates everywhere, but I guarantee this healthy and delicious recipe will change their tune.
Brussel Sprouts are high in fiber and vitamin C which aid in healthy skin and immune function and those yummy little poppy seeds are a fantastic source of calcium.
This dish only takes minutes to prepare, especially if you have a food processor to quickly chop the brussel sprouts. You can even prepare most of the ingredients ahead of time and just cook the dish at the last minute.
Even your little one (or your big child, aka your spouse) who always declares “I don’t like brussel sprouts,” will come back for seconds and thirds for this scrumptious side dish.

Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Lemon & Poppy Seeds (Makes 6 Servings)

1 Lb. Brussel Sprouts, stem ends trimmed
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Lemon Zest
2 Tsp Poppy Seeds
1/4 Cup Chicken Stock

1. Finely chop the brussel sprouts with a knife (or in a food processor) and into small pieces.
2. Place in a bowl with lemon juice and toss to coat (this should prevent the leaves from losing their bright color). At this point you can cover the brussel sprouts and refrigerate for several hours until you’re ready to cook them.
3. Heat butter and oil in a saute and pan over medium heat. Saute the brussel sprouts for 2 minutes. Add the salt, garlic, zest and poppy seeds and continue to cook an additional 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the chicken stock and cook 1 more minute.
5. Serve.

I’ve been making this dish for Kenya for several months but only now did I think of putting it on weelicious. Duh!! This is an amazingly quick, easy and tasty dish. I guarantee you’ll end up adding your own twist and wind up making it on a regular basis.
What could be more simple then eggs, pasta and cheese? Of course, for added flavor, color and nutrition I add the zucchini and sun dried tomatoes, but you could replace them with anything you have on hand to jazz the dish up. Even better, you can make a bunch of pasta, let it cool, add a splash of olive oil and keep it in the fridge for several days, so you can conveniently whip Pasta Wee One whenever you feel brain dead and can’t think of something warm and delicious to eat for lunch or dinner. And even better, no matter what shape of pasta you have on hand, it will work perfectly.
I made this for Kenya’s dinner and of course my husband took one sniff and asked if I would make it for him too. Luckily I had tons of leftover pasta and veggies in the fridge ready to go!

Pasta Wee One (Makes 5-6 Toddler or 4 Big Kid Servings)

1 Cup Pasta, cooked (I used mini bow ties, but whatever kind you choose is great. Just follow cooking time on package.)
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Milk
1/2 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Cup Zucchini, shredded
1/4 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
2 Tbsp Parmesan (a cows milk cheese with a complex fruity/nutty taste) or Pecorino (a salty sheep’s milk cheese)

1. Whisk the eggs and milk in a bowl.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter.
3. When the butter is melted add the zucchini and sauté for 1 minute.
4. Add the pasta, sun dried tomatoes and then the egg mixture.
5. Stir continually for 1 minute until the egg coats the pasta.
6. Add the cheese and continue cooking another minute until the eggs coat the pasta and vegetables.
7. Cool and serve.

When Kenya was a baby, I always wanted to make him dessert. It somehow felt unfair to me that as my husband and I devoured sweet treats, he couldn’t be a part of our fun. I devised this sweet potato pudding in an effort to remedy that. The creamy and light texture of this dish is so smooth, its perfect for babies with or without teeth.
I love cooking with sweet potatoes because they’re in season right now, packed with antioxidant vitamin and phytonutrients, and almost every baby I’ve ever known loves them. When I first took a bite, I couldn’t believe how much it tasted just like the filling of sweet potato pie. You may want to double this recipe because it goes perfect for a baby’s dinner or dessert!

Sweet Potato Pudding (Makes 3 Baby Servings or 2 Toddler Serving)

1 Sweet Potato
1 Egg Yolk
1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Rice or Almond Milk
Hot Water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake sweet potato for 1 hour or until fork tender.
3. When potato is cool, remove the flesh and cool (I like to eat the high fiber potato skin as a snack).
4. Whisk the egg with the cinnamon, rice milk and cooled potato until smooth.
5. Pour into a ramekin (or other small baking dish).
6. Place the ramekin in a larger baking pan.
7. Place the ramekin and baking pan in the oven and pour hot water into the baking pan until it reaches halfway up the ramekin (otherwise known as a water bath).
8. Bake for 30 minutes.
9. Cool and serve.

I’m like a kid in a candy store this time of year at the farmer’s market. Last weekend it was in the high 50′s (that’s cold for LA) when I got to the market at 8 am, and it finally felt like fall had arrived. Just looking around at the produce you could see all sorts of new fresh new fruits and veggies debuting in different stalls. Sweet persimmons, different varieties of squash, pumpkins and one of my favorites, multi-colored baby carrots. I couldn’t resist buying a bag full!
Whenever I make these for my father-in-law, no matter how many pounds I make, they always disappear completely. He says he could eat just the carrots for dinner and be happy. Interesting how Kenya kept devouring them one after the other just like “Bop Pop” (as Kenya calls him).
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene and fiber so they’re especially good for little ones healthy vision and skin. I bought 2 pounds of these carrots, roasted them and kept them for all of us to munch on throughout the week. The skins on baby carrot are so thin, you just have to give them a good scrub and rinse. The touch of maple syrup this recipe calls for adds an extra bit of caramelization and gives them that sweet, nutty flavor that takes them from great to amazing!

Roast Baby Carrots (4 Big Kid Servings)

1/2 Lb Baby Carrots (you could also large peeled carrots cut into stick shapes)
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Kosher or Sea Salt, to taste
Olive or Vegetable spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix the carrots with the maple syrup, oil and salt.
3. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with spray.
4. Place the carrots on the cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender and golden.
6. Serve.

OK, seriously, who doesn’t like a potato chip? Left to my own devices I could devour an entire bagful in one sitting. However, your average store-bought bag of chips is laden with saturated fat and calories that I don’t want or need, and while I don’t want to deprive Kenya of the great treat of chips, I certainly want to keep him away from bad fats and mega-doses of sodium. Sure, most chip makers offer “healthy” versions, but they’re still not great for you and why spend the extra money when you can make even better ones on your own for a huge fraction of the price?
I’ve been making these “potato chips” for me and my husband for years and now Kenya gets to be part of the fun. You can make them with almost any kind of potato (the sweet potato version is AMAZING and loaded with vitamins and minerals). They only take minutes to prepare and are a fantastic snack for kids’ lunch boxes too.

Potato Chips (Makes 2-3 Cups of Chips)

2 Potatoes, unpeeled (sweet and/or Idaho/Russet Potatoes)
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
Sea or Kosher Salt to taste
Vegetable Oil Spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the potato into “chips” using a knife or a mandolin, about 1/8 inch thick.
3. Combine the potatoes, oil and salt in a bowl or resealable bag and coat the potato chips.
4. Spray 2 cookie sheets with a thin coating of vegetable spray and make one layer of potato chips on the cookie sheet.
5. Bake in for 15-20 minutes or until chips start to turn golden. Turn the chips to the other side and continue to cook 15 more minutes (some of the chips may turn golden before others, so make sure to keep an eye on them and remove them when their crisp).
6. Cool and serve.

I recently went on a family vacation to Hawaii. I arrived in Kauai with dreams of making exotic dishes full of new and interesting ingredients. Kenya and I had a blast going to farmers markets every other day all over the tiny island. The locals told me to get there right when the markets opened and they weren’t kidding. I got to one market at 2:15pm (it opened at 2pm) and they were already sold out of several foods. What they did have though, in abundance, were the sweetest, juiciest and ripest mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, limes and “apple” bananas (a smaller, more dense banana that has a faint taste of, you guessed it, banana). As Kenya and I walked around the markets sipping coconut water (high in potassium and mineral content) right out of whole coconuts, we salivated at the macadamia and coconut baked goods, pink oyster mushrooms that looked like shells and other unusual fruits and veggies such as jack fruit and bread fruit. It was awesome!


Mangoes and papayas are both rich in beta-carotene and along with pineapple they’re all loaded with vitamin C. Recently back home, I’ve been buying passion fruit from our local farmers market for Kenya’s dessert after dinner and he loves them. They’re actually quite easy to find in most groceries, too. Just look for a shriveled, heavy, bright yellow or purple fruit (when it shrivels up s when you know it’s ripe). When you cut into it, passion fruit is loaded with sweet/tangy juice similar to the taste of guava with little edible seeds that are packed with vitamin A, potassium and dietary fiber. Kenya likes to eat them straight out of the shell, but they could also be sprinkled on yogurt or added to something like this fruit salad.
And trust me, the lemon or limes make this tropical fruit salad truly extraordinary tasting.

Tropical Fruit Salad (Makes 10-12 Toddler Servings)

1 Cup Mango, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 Cup Papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into bite size pieces
1 Banana, peeled and sliced into bite size pieces
1 Cup Pineapple, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
2 Tbsp Lime Juice (you could also use lemon juice)
1 Passion Fruit, cut in half and use only the juice and seeds

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle the juice and toss in the passion fruit seeds all over the fruit salad.
3. Toss to combine.
4. Serve.

Sweet, creamy, beautiful, delicious… there are so many words to describe these little edible jewels filled with silky puree. These bites are easy to pick up with your fingers and look gorgeous on a platter. You could even serve these at a fabulous cocktail party and make extras for the kids.
But back to the recipe. Purses?? Huh? Well, I found some gorgeous gala apples at the farmer’s market and was trying to think a fun and original recipe for a birthday party. I had also kept passing wonton wrappers at the market and wanted to play around with them. Apples are full of fiber and vitamin C and sweet potatoes are a powerhouse of nutrition especially given their abundance of beta-carotene and vitamin C and E.

These only took minutes to prepare and you can serve them warm or cool. You could also serve the puree on its own to babies over the age of 8 months.
Of course Kenya ate almost the entire recipe in one sitting (that seems to be the norm with him these days), so I highly recommend making a double batch!

Sweet Potato, Apple, Cheddar Purses (Makes 10 purses)

1/2 Sweet Potato (yams), peeled and cubed
1 Small Apple (about 1/2 Cup), peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
10 Wonton Wrappers (found in the refrigerator section of your grocery)
*Bowl of water

1. Place the sweet potatoes in a steamer pot over boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the apples and continue to cook another 3 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Place the apples, sweet potato, cheese and cinnamon in a food
processor and puree until smooth.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
5. Place a wonton wrapper on a clean surface. Place a tablespoon of the puree in the middle of the wonton.
6. Take the four corners of the wonton and lift them up around the
puree.
7. Pinch the wonton together in the middle, just over the puree, to seal. Moisten your fingers with a little water and pinch once more to ensure a good seal.
8. Repeat process with remaining wonton wrappers. When all 10 are formed into purses, place 3-5 at a time in the boiling water.
9. Cook for 2 minutes.
10. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate, cool and serve.