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.

We used this to make this recipe:

Kyocera CSN-202-RD Adjustable Mandoline Slicer, Red

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.

One of our missions at weelicious is to offer recipes the entire family can enjoy together. A few simple alterations to most any dish suited for mommy and daddy, can make it totally attractive to kids. Take these French Toast Sticks, for example. It’s not that I couldn’t just hand Chloe, my 15 month old, an entire piece of french toast and have her eat it — she’s actually such an adventurous eater right now, she’ll hoover just about anything — but tailoring a breakfast food my husband and I normally eat with a knife and fork so it’s in a fun and appealing kid friendly shape, allows everyone in our family to enjoy the same meal in our own way. These little french toast “fingers” are not only delicious, they’re also the perfect size for little hands to hold. Kenya loves dipping them into raspberr-wee sauce, Chloe loves that she can have some independence eating by herself without us cutting her food into little pieces first and I love that you get triple the crusty edges (my favorite part) for each piece of cooked toast since you cut each piece of bread into three sticks . There’s truly nothing better than a recipe that fulfills everyone’s needs!

French Toast Sticks (Makes 15 Sticks)

2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Whole Milk , Rice or Almond
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Tsp Honey
Pinch of Salt
5 Slices of Bread, trim edges and cut into 1 inch sticks
1 Tbsp Butter

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, honey and salt until combined.
2. Dip each bread stick in the egg mixture until each side is coated with the mixture.
3. Heat a saute pan or griddle over medium heat with 1 tbsp of butter and cook for 3 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.
4. Serve with honey, maple syrup, or Raspberr-Wee Sauce.

Kids running around in swimsuits eating popsicles. That is summer to me. And when those popsicles happen to be red, white and blue? Well, that can only mean it’s the Fourth of July! I vividly remember being a kid, playing with my friends at our local swimming pool and sucking on Bomb Pops (big, red, white and blue rocket-shaped popsicles that seemed all the rage in the 70′s) to cool down in the summer heat. I adored Bomb Pops, looking back, I can’t imagine how much food coloring and sugar I must have ingested over the years. And while those popsicle memories are great, but how can I share them with my own kids without also exposing them to all those unwanted additives and chemicals? There has to be a way to make your own version of those sinfully delicious iced treats — full of eye appealing color — but also healthy at the same time.

I use fresh fruits and yogurts to make festive popsicles that are nutritious as well. And for the Fourth, blueberries and raspberries make it easy to celebrate the holiday. Packed with antioxidants, Vitamin C, dietary fiber, calcium and more, these Red, White & Blue Popsicles seem like a much better idea than the sugar and corn syrup laden ones infused with Red Dye #17 and Blue Dye #26 you’ll find in the store. I don’t want my kids eating that. Not when they can enjoy homemade colorful pops whose colors come straight from nature, not a laboratory.

So when your kids are looking for something refreshing that will impress them at the same time, make a batch of these pops. You won’t mind at all when they ask for seconds and thirds. In fact, you’ll encourage it!

Red, White & Blue Popsicles (Makes 8 Popsicles, depending on the size of your molds)

1 12 oz Bag Frozen Blueberries, defrosted
6 Tbsp Agave, divided (you can also use honey, but I prefer agave for this recipe)
1 Cup Plain Yogurt
1/4 Cup Vanilla Rice Milk (you can also use cow’s milk, almond or soy)
1 12 oz Bag Frozen Raspberries, defrosted

1. Place defrosted blueberries and 2 tbsp agave in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Pour the blueberry puree a 1/3 way up each popsicle mold and freeze for 30-45 minutes.
3. Combine yogurt, rice milk, and 2 tbsp of agave in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour yogurt mixture 2/3 way up the popsicle molds on top of the blueberry mixture, and freeze for another 30-45 minutes.
5. Place defrosted raspberries and 2 tbsp agave in a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Finish the popsicles by pouring the raspberry puree over the yogurt, place sticks in and freeze.

*Because all popsicle molds are different sizes, you may have left overs. You can refrigerate the remaining berry purees and use as toppings for yogurt, granola, pancakes, etc.

Having two young kids, I find it kind of funny how one will voraciously eat a certain food without pause and the other turns their nose up at it after the first bite. This happens a lot in our house, specifically when it comes to plain yogurt. My husband, Kenya and I each eat at least one container of Greek yogurt a day — Kenya without any added toppings at all. Chloe, on the other hand, will just flat out say “noooo” when she sees plain yogurt unless there’s something to liven it up like a scoop of Apricot, Peach and Golden Raisin Puree.

I like to keep frozen berries on hand, primarily because Kenya thinks they’re the best breakfast AND dessert known to man. He loves eating them on their own, but recipes like this Raspberry Sauce is one he always makes an exception for. It only takes me minutes to prepare and it is so unbelievably delicious, it makes an impression on even the littlest of kids.

Raspberries are a powerhouse of nutrition, boasting magnesium, Vitamin C and plenty of dietary fiber. Since they only have 61 calories per cup, this is a perfect sauce for mom to drizzle on her favorite foods too.

When Kenya and Chloe watched me making this the other day they both oohed and ahhed as I poured the finished product into a glass jar. The gorgeous red color is almost hypnotic, and when they tasted it on their yogurt, they both went crazy. Even my husband who, like Kenya, likes his yogurt unadorned has been pouring this on to the point that there’s more sauce than yogurt in his bowl. Whether you decide to serve this on some protein-packed yogurt, ice cream, waffles or even on a sandwich with a spread of almond butter or cream cheese, it’s a treat that you’ll soon want to become a staple in your fridge. That’s one thing everyone can probably agree on!

Raspberry Sauce (Makes 1 1/2 Cups)

1 12oz Bag Frozen Raspberries
2 Tbsp Honey or Agave
1/4 Cup Water
1 Tbsp Cornstarch

1. Place the raspberries and honey or agave in a saucepan over low to medium heat, stirring to combine and smashing the raspberries with the back of a spoon.
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
3. Whisk the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
4. Add the cornstarch mixture to the raspberries and stir until the sauce thickens (about 2 minutes).
5. Cool and serve over yogurt, ice cream, pancakes and more!

** Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

PIZZA!!!! That’s the only word I tend to hear these days whenever I ask my husband and Kenya what they want for dinner. Our newest Sunday night tradition has become making homemade pizzas together as a family and it’s so much fun. One of Kenya’s favorite parts is getting to choose the toppings for his side of the pie. We’ve even found that foods he normally won’t eat on their own, become totally appealing to him when tossed on his pizza.

A few Sundays ago when we were making some delicious thin crusted creations, Chloe was on the kitchen floor playing with one of the muffin tins and it gave me a genius idea: Pizza Muffins! Why, you may ask? Why not! Pizza is crunchy, cheesy, delicious, totally kid-friendly and when it’s cooked in the shape of a muffin, it just adds a cool twist to the same old slice that you’re used to. When I told my husband about my inspiration for this recipe, the first thing he said was, “thank goodness Chloe wasn’t playing with a jello mold when you thought this one up”.

Pizza Muffins (Makes 16-18 Cups)

1 Lb Package Pizza Dough (white or Whole Wee-Eat Pizza Dough)
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce
Olive Oil

Toppings: Mushrooms, Ham, Red Peppers, Olives or whatever you and your kids love. The possibilities are endless.

1. Bring dough to room temperature and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Roll out the dough to a thin 18 x 12 rectangle and cut into squares about 3 x 3 inches.
3. Grease mini muffin cups and place one square in each cup, making sure that the corners of the dough are sticking out.
4. Brush edges of dough with olive oil.
5. Par-bake dough for 8 minutes and take tins out of oven.
6. Pour 1 tsp of sauce in each cup and evenly distribute the cheese between the cups (you can add toppings now as well).
7. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

Tater Tots! Just the name itself sounds kid-friendly. I’d bet that in 1953 when Ore-Ida came up with how to make use of the leftover slivers of cut-up potatoes and created these little bites, they realized the name alone would be a huge selling point. Especially for kids. According to the company, Americans eat approximately 70 million pounds of Tots each year and based on how often I ate them in my youth, I can only imagine that kids comprise a big part of that figure. Whether you remember them from the frozen food aisle at the grocery or your own school cafeteria, I’m sure you consumed at least a few of these crispy, deep fried potato nuggets in your day.

I’ve got nothing against the frozen tots that I grew up on, but this homemade recipe is really easy to make and so much more healthy and delicious than the frozen kind (no frying for starters — these are baked). But if you’re still nostalgic for frozen tots, just grab some more potatoes, double the recipe, and you’ll have plenty extra to freeze and enjoy at a later date. No more heading out to buy fried potatoes in a bag. Now your kids can discover all the joys of tots without you having to worry about all the fillers and additives of store bought brands. It’ll be like reliving your own youth — only healthier!

Tater Tots (Serves 4)

2 Large Potatoes (about 1 lb), cut into 2 inch cubes (they don’t have to be perfect)
Salt
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Egg, whisked
1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs (white or wheat)
Canola Oil Spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Boil the potatoes in salted water in a pot for 12-15 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Drain off all the water and cool the potatoes.
4. Using the side of a box grater, grate all of the potatoes into a bowl.
5. Place the flour, whisked egg and breadcrumbs in THREE separate bowls.
6. Take about 1 tbsp of the potato mixture and shape into “tater tots”.
7. Roll the tots into the flour, followed by the egg, then the panko bread crumbs, coating lightly.
8. Place onto a silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet and coat evenly with cooking spray.
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
10. Cool and serve.

*Shape them into tots and freeze before you bake them – After freezing, just pop them in the oven from the freezer adding at least another 3-5 minutes baking time.

One of Kenya and Chloe’s favorite activities is going on long walks with their Mommy and Daddy in their Double City Mini Stroller (and I love this stroller as much as they do — it makes getting two kids around a snap). One of the bonuses of living in California is that the weather is nice enough to do it almost any day of the year. The kids love being outside and looking at dogs, birds, and trucks, and picking all kinds of fruits from the trees in our neighborhood (another California bonus!). Along our usual route our neighbors have branches overflowing with oranges, plums, kumquats and apples. Kenya loves bringing a bag along with him for the ride to collect his booty. Part of the adventure for us is not only picking the fruit, but also making something delicious with it when we get home. That’s where the inspiration for this recipe came from. Naturally sweet apples and bananas in a muffin that’s a great for breakfast or a snack and also the perfect treat when it’s time to head out in the stroller again for our next outing!

Apple Banana Muffins (Makes 24-28 Mini Muffins)

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
3 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1/2 Cup Agave OR Honey
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Bananas, mashed
1 Medium Apple, peeled and grated (Gala, Pink Lady, Fuji or Golden Delicious are good choices)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. Grease a muffin tin or line it with muffin cups and fill each cup 3/4 full with the batter.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Serve.

We recently did a poll on the weelicious Facebook page asking parents what their kid’s favorite green vegetables is. While broccoli and peas ranked high on the list, zucchini was barely even mentioned. Maybe that’s because people aren’t familiar with how to prepare it. A lot of people tend to steam zucchini, which I find makes it a bit limp and so I can understand why kids don’t take to a vegetable with that kind of texture. Since I’m always playing around with fun ways to prepare vegetables that kids are actually excited to eat, I decided to revisit zucchini this week.

Coincidentally, we’ve got zucchini growing in our garden right now and it’s all over our farmer’s market too. Zucchini has a very delicate flavor, so I focused on a simple preparation. These zucchini coins are baked, which makes them crunchy on the outside and soft and tender inside — a real textural treat for kids (and Kenya gets a kick out of eating “coins” because he feels like he’s got edible pocket change on his plate). Add a little tomato sauce on the side and they’re the perfect side dish for your family to enjoy with any meal.

Baked Zucchini Coins (Serves 4)

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Panko or Bread Crumbs
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Large Egg
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Medium Zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch coins
Optional: Weelicious Tomato Sauce for dipping

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl.
3. Whisk the egg in a separate bowl.
4. Place the flour in another bowl.
5. Make an assembly line with the bowls, and first dip the zucchini coins into the
flour, then the egg and finally into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly and repeating with all the zucchini coins.
6. Place all of the coins on the baking sheet/rack. Arrange so they’re not touching, spray with oil and bake for 20 minutes or until the
bread crumbs are golden.
7. Serve.

*After step 5 place on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove and place in a ziploc bag, label, and freeze. When ready to eat – take them out of the freezer and put them in the oven adding at least another 3-5 minutes baking time.