At this time of year, the farmers’ markets are filled with all different varieties of winter squash. Most of them have a buttery, silky quality, but not spaghetti squash. After you bake it, you take a fork and scrape it out into what looks just like spaghetti. I made this recipe for a bunch of kids and they all yelled “spaghetti!” when they saw it. I was a little nervous they would turn their noses up when they realized it wasn’t pasta, but they totally dug it. Their moms were thrilled too because it wasn’t a “carb” so we all chowed down together.
Spaghetti squash is an oblong shaped seed bearing squash that can be orange, yellow hued or white, and is rich in folic acid, potassium, vitamin A and beta carotene. It’s also low in calories (about 75 for every 8 ounces cooked) so it’s a good dish for all those parents watching their wasteline. This is a perfect inexpensive dish that’s also great for kids’ school lunches. It’s yummy warm or cold, so make plenty!

Spaghetti Squash Marinara (Makes 4-6 Big Kid Servings)

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 15 Ounce Can Chunky Tomato Sauce (I use Organic Muir brand)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Onion, diced
1 Carrot, peeled and shredded
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds.
3. Place the squash on a lightly greased baking sheet and cook for 45-50 minutes or until softened.
4. Heat the oil in a saucepan over low to medium heat and saute the onion, garlic and carrot for 2-3 minutes or until onion is translucent.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the basil.
6. Remove the squash from the over and let squash cool for several minutes.
7. Shred the squash with a fork until stringy. Tip: Hold the stem end of the squash with a towel or a glove so you don’t burn your hand while you’re shredding it.
8. Place the spaghetti squash in a bowl and top with the marinara sauce.
9. Serve.

Some moms make their kids sugar cookies, some make them pound cakes. My mom made cheese wafers. I’m not talking about a tins worth, I’m literally talking pounds and pounds!). You would have thought she was starting her own cheese 
wafer business with the amount of cracker barrel cheese kept in our 
refrigerator. I remember standing by her salivating as she made them. 
Really they’re THAT good. She placed a perfect pecan on top of each one and added 
a touch of paprika for a little zip.
For my cheese wafers, I removed the zip and decided to roll and cut them into 
fun shapes for Halloween and Thanksgiving. I don’t know if any kid 
will accept cheese wafers instead of candy, but I know that if you 
offer these over those pre-packaged, oily goldfish snacks, they’ll not only beg for more but they’ll also avoid ingesting all those nasty preservatives, artificial flavors and dyes, too.


Kenya kept popping these in his mouth and crunching away so fast, I 
had to hide them from him. Now the only trouble is that I know where they are and I may eat the entire tin!

Cheese Wafers (Makes 3-4 dozen depending on the size of your cookie cutters)

1/2 Lb Sharp Cheddar Cheese
5 Tbsp Butter
1 Cup Flour plus additional for sprinkling

1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and combine (dough may be a bit crumbly, but it will stick together).
2. Remove all the dough to a piece of parchment or waxed paper and shape into a thick flat circle. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate for one hour or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Open waxed paper and roll out dough on it into a 1/4 inch-thick piece.
5. Take small cookie cutters and cut out into shapes (you could also take an empty plastic medicine bottle to make circle shaped crackers. Just make sure you clean out the bottle thoroughly first.).
6. Place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with a silpat or parchment paper) and bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 2 minutes before removing.
7. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Silpat 11-5/8-by-16-1/2-Inch Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat

Oh. My. Lusciousness! I just tasted my first batch of homemade almond milk minutes ago and it is so delicious I ran to the computer, bumped today’s planned “recipe of the day”, and started writing this. This almond milk is so creamy, frothy and easy to make, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered to buy it in the store. Not only is the milk itself incredible and perfect to add to your own cereal or coffee, but my best little taster just made a case for drinking it all on its own! You should have seen Kenya chowing down on the ground almonds and milky solids which are strained out of the finished milk. He totally made a meal out of it (as did I, stealing bite after bite).
Almonds are rich in the antioxidant vitamin E, which boosts your little one’s immune system. They’re also a good source of calcium which plays a part in healthy bones, teeth and immune function. Don’t feel limited to only almonds, though. You could make this exact recipe with cashews, brazil nuts, walnuts and more. Just pour a touch of this over fresh berries and it’s as good as the taste of fresh cream. Obviously, if your little one has a nut allergy, this recipe isn’t for them.
Again, I do realize that you can buy a box of almond milk at the store to keep handy, but one taste of this recipe and you will understand why it’s worth the MINUTES it takes to make your own.

Almond Milk (Makes 3 1/2 Cups plus 3/4 Almond Puree)

1 Cup Almonds
2 Tbsp Agave
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
4 Cups Water

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree on high for one minute or until almond are in tiny pieces.
2. Place a strainer in a large bowl and cover the top of the strainer with cheesecloth (this step is important because the almonds will be in such small pieces that the cheesecloth and strainer need to stop them from going into the milk).
3. Pour the almond milk through the cheesecloth. You may need to do this in stages so the milk can slowly strain through the cheesecloth. It may help taking a spoon to scrape the bottom of the cheesecloth so the milk can pass.
4. Pour the milk and the almond puree into separate containers and refrigerate.
5. Serve.

Good for the heart, good for the soul….good when everyone in our household has been sick for 6 days straight! Poor little Kenya got a bronchial infection at one of the kid play spaces (a.k.a “germ factories”) I take him to and within days everyone in our house was down for the count. Since there’s little you can do medicinally for kids Kenya’s age, out came my homemade ginger-lemon-honey tea (I’ll post this drink recipe tomorrow) and my personal favorite, chicken noodle soup.
Almost nothing seems to taste good when you’re sick, but there’s something about chicken noodle soup that always makes you feel better. For years doctors have deemed it medicinal and I have to agree. I always considered my recipe for chicken soup fast, easy and fresh, but I became a true pro at making it day after day this week to feed my “patients”. Chocked full of carrots, celery and leeks, I got smart this time and made a huge batch for the freezer for the next time we’re all down for the count.

Chicken Noodle Soup (Make 12 Toddler Servings)

32 Oz Chicken Stock, preferably low sodium
2 Carrots or 3/4 Cup, chopped
1 Celery Stalk or 1/3 Cup, chopped
1 Leek or 3/4 Cup, halved and sliced thin
1 Large Chicken Breast
2 Tsp. Vegit
3/4 Cup Fine Egg Noodles

1. Heat chicken stock in a large pot over a high heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Add the carrots, celery, leeks, chicken breast and vegit. Cook for 12 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken breast and cool. Then tear or chop into bite size pieces.
4. Add the egg noodles to the broth and cook for 6 minutes.
5. Add the chicken to the soup.
6. Cool for little ones and serve.

When I was 18 years old, I did a modeling job in Venice, Italy — one of the world’s most incredible food cities. There’s a famous restaurant there called Harry’s Bar (yes, one of Venice’s best restaurants has an American name), which serves some of the most delectable food I’ve ever tried. The entire Italian film crew ordered heavenly dish after dish for us to share family style. Salads with rich burrata cheese, pizza margherita, pasta pomodoro and the first risotto that I ever tried. I had no idea what risotto was, but I knew that it was the closest thing to heaven I’d ever tasted. I was shocked at how something that appeared so simple could be so complex in flavor.
Risotto is a rice dish made specifically with arborio rice (easy to find at most grocery stores). The arborio rice is the essential ingredient that gives it such a creamy texture. Although most of the dishes on weelicious take minutes to prepare, I personally think the 30 minutes that it takes to continually stir this dish is totally worth it. Especially if your whole family is going to be eating it!

Risotto Milanese (8 Toddler Servings)

4 Cups Chicken Broth (preferably low sodium)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Onion, minced
1 Cup Arborio Rice
1 Tbsp Butter
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

1. In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer (do not bring it to a boil or the liquid will start to evaporate)
2. In a 12-14 ounce skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onions and lightly saute for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
4. Add the rice. Using a wooden spoon, stir the grains until toasty and opaque.
5. Add 1/2 cup of the hot stock to the rice and cook until it’s absorbed.
6. Continue adding stock 1/2 cup at a time waiting to add more stock until all the liquid is absorbed and the risotto is tender and creamy. This process should take about 20 minutes.
7. When all of the liquid is absorbed add the butter and cheese and continue stirring until combined.
8. Cool to room temperature for little ones and serve (if adults are going to eat it, dig in right away!)