I love it when parents email or send me a message on Facebook asking me to make healthy versions of their family’s favorite recipes. Hands down, one of the most requested one is Chicken Teriyaki. I adore Chicken Teriyaki. What’s not to adore? Teriyaki sauce’s sweet and savory flavor is something that most kids enjoy, and adding it livens up the most simple of foods like salmon, vegetables and of course, chicken.

One of the biggest pitfalls of buying pre-made teriyaki sauce from the grocery is that most brands generally contain loads of corn syrup (a big no-no in my book!). I’ve been buying a corn syrup-free brand from Whole Foods for a long time, but it’s expensive, and when you need a good amount of sauce to marinate the chicken, it’s just not worth it. So, I decided to play around with the general flavors in teriyaki sauce (pineapple, soy and ginger) to see if I could produce a healthy version that still retained teriyaki’s great taste. I can’t believe how incredible the results were and once I found the right balance, it took me no time to throw the ingredients together.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever received as many “this is incredible!” responses from my informal tasting group as I did with this dish. Now I’m adding this recipe to my rotation. So for all of you who suggested it, thank you, and keep the ideas coming!

Teriyaki Chicken (Serves 4)

1 8 oz Can Crushed Pineapple In Juice
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, peeled and grated
1 Small Clove Garlic, minced
4 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless

1. Place the crushed pineapple and juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl (or a zipper bag for easy clean up) cover with 2/3rds of the teriyaki sauce (reserving the remaining for the sauce) and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes (**keeping the chicken in the marinade overnight will make it even tastier**)
3. Preheat the oven to the broil setting and place the rack in the middle shelf of the oven (at this point you can discard the sauce that you marinated the chicken in).
4. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and broil for 8-10 minutes on each side for a total of 16-20 minutes (if the chicken is thick, it may take an extra minute or two).
5. While the chicken is broiling, put the remaining teriyak-wee sauce in a saucepan, add 1 tsp of cornstarch and cook over medium heat for 1 minute or until thickened.
6. Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes.
7. Slice the chicken, cover with sauce and serve.

*The chicken can also be grilled for 6 minutes on each side

**Make extra sauce and freeze for up to 4 months.

Have you ever tried seaweed? It’s packed with vitamins and minerals and everyone who’s tried this Brown Rice Pilaf recipe loves it!

We recently took Kenya to a Japanese restaurant with a bunch of adults, and they couldn’t believe what item on the menu he ate so fast we had to order more….seaweed! It sounds like a bizarre craving for a child to have, but it’s actually delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare. While we were at dinner that night, Kenya mainly stuffed himself on brown rice, edamame and of course, the seaweed, so I came up with this dish for weelicious.

If you’ve never bought arame (a type of seaweed with a mild flavor) before, you can get it at most health food stores. It comes bagged in a dried state and all you need to do is soak it in warm water to hydrate it. Arame is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. It’s rich in iron, calcium, magnesium and vitamin A — perfect for kids’ growing bodies.

This dish went over big with Kenya. The way I look at it, whenever I can get three of my child’s favorite healthy foods into one dish, it has to be a winner!

Brown Rice Pilaf (Serves 4)

1 Cup Brown Rice
1 1/4 Cups Chicken Stock (I used low sodium)
1 Cup Water
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Arame
1/2 Cup Edamame, shelled, fresh or frozen
Sesame Seeds, optional

1. Bring the brown rice, water, stock and salt to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.
3. While the rice is cooking, cover the arame with warm water and let soak for 10 minutes.
4. Drain the water off the arame.
5. After the rice has cooked for 40 minutes, add the edamame and arame. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

This Parchment Paper Tofu recipe is not only fast to prepare, healthy and easy on the wallet, kids love to help make them and then eat them up!

Whenever I’m trying to come up with a fast recipe that’s healthy, easy on the wallet and entails little cooking and clean-up time (if that’s even possible) I make these tofu packets. They take only minutes to prepare and since every person you are cooking for gets his own packet, it makes the dish all the more special. If you want the preparation to be even faster, you could chop up the raw vegetables in the morning and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to make the packets for dinner.

One of the greatest challenges for a parent is trying to make dinner and keep the troops happy and occupied at the same time. This recipe perfectly satisfies both of those requirements by providing a quick and delicious meal and getting your kids happily involved in the cooking process. Just place the parchment “books” in front of your little one and let them help you layer the veggies and sauce into each one before you fold them up and pop them in the oven. This way kids have a little more control over their dinner because they actually got to help make the food they will put into their bodies. They are the authors of their own books!

Tofu Packets (Serves 4)

1 14 oz Package Firm or Extra Firm Tofu
1/4 Cup Miso
2 Tsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce (I use low sodium)
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp Honey
4 Scallions, sliced thin
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced thin
5 Shiitake Mushrooms (3.5 oz. package)
Sesame Seeds to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Drain the water off of the tofu and wrap in a kitchen towel or paper towels and place something heavy on top of the tofu for 10 minutes (this is to remove as much liquid as possible from the tofu).
3. Combine the miso, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey in a bowl and stir to combine.
4. Place 4 12 inch pieces of parchment on a counter top and fold in half like a book.
5. Quarter the tofu and cut each quarter into 5 equal slices (you will have 20 total).
6. Layer 5 slices of tofu with a quarter of the scallions, red bell pepper and mushrooms on one side of the parchment paper.
7. Drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds to taste.
8. Place the top of the parchment over the ingredients closing the “book”.
9. Starting at one end of the parchment, fold the edges of the paper over several times continuing to make creases all around the tofu until it’s completely enclosed and no air can escape.
10. Place on a cookie sheet.
11. Bake for 15 minutes.
12. Cut open top to let out steam. Be careful, it’s hot!
13. Serve.

I really think this goes down as one of my better and favorite recipes. Every time I make it for people, young or old, I get the greatest response. The best part is, it’s so easy to prepare and you probably already have a lot of the ingredients in your fridge already.
Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, a grain high in vitamin A, calcium and selenium. They’re also gluten free which makes them a great choice for kids with allergies or on certain diets. Unlike pasta noodles, these cook up in 2-3 minutes, so don’t walk away from the stove for too long.
This dish is a great recipe to take to a potluck meal or any time you’re feeding a crowd on a dime. I guarantee they’ll love it.

Cold Soba Noodles (Serves 4-6)

1 Package Soba Noodles
1 Cup Edamame
1 Small Red Bell Pepper, julienne
1 Cup Firm Tofu, cubed
1/4 Cup Almond or Peanut Butter
2 Tbsp Vegannaise or Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Braggs or Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tsp Honey or Agave
1 Garlic Clove
1 Inch Piece Ginger, chopped
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1/4 Cup Vegetable or Grape seed Oil

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add soba noodles. Reduce heat to a simmer.
2. Cook noodles for 2-3 minutes.
3. Drain and run under cold water until cool to touch.
4. Add the noodles to a large bowl with the edamame, bell pepper and tofu.
5. Place the almond butter and remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree sauce.
6. Pour sauce over the noodles and toss to combine.
7. Serve.