When I was growing up, we had “family night” every Sunday at 5:30pm. It was a joyous weekly event of playing with my cousins, chatting with the adults and having the occasional family brawl over topics on ‘60 Minutes’. Regardless, it was a time that we would all be together without fail sharing food and fun. Every woman in the family (of course none of the men in the McCord clan cooked unless it was something that could be burned on a barbeque grill) had their own special recipes and for one of my aunts, it was shepherd’s pie.
I’ll be honest, I remember the first few times I walked up to the buffet line I would scrape off as much of the mashed potatoes and cheese for myself as possible, leaving the veggies and meat at the bottom for someone else to eat. I wasn’t a picky kid, but I knew what I loved.
Lately, some of my girlfriends have been starting a new tradition of
Wednesday night dinner with some of the neighborhood families. Last week I decided to make shepherd’s pie to see if any of the veggies and meat would make it to the kids’ plates. I was kind of shocked. Of course Kenya ate almost every bite (I’m either blessed or cursed that this child will eat anything), but the other kids seemed to enjoy it too, peas and all.
Shepherd’s pie is such a great family dish because you can puree it up for a baby and the toddlers, big kids and adults can enjoy it in its solid form.
Packed with protein, veggies and carbohydrates, it really is an all-in -one meal. My version of shepherd’s pie is on the healthy side. I love mashed potatoes as much as the next person, but a stick of butter and heavy cream seems a little too rich for my blood for a stay-at -home meal, so I’ve played with it to keep the flavor, but reduce a lot of the fat. So, now everyone in the family can enjoy weelicious recipes, be healthy and leave the table with full bellies!

Shepherd’s Pie (Makes 6-8 Servings)

4 Potatoes, russet or Idaho, peeled and cut into quarters
1/3 Cup Milk
4 Tbsp Butter, divided
1 Lb Ground Meat
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Carrot, diced
1 Small Onion, diced
1 Celery Stalk, diced
2 Tbsp Flour
1 Cup Beef Stock (or 1 bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup of warm water)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Cup Peas, defrosted if frozen
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water if you choose, about 1 tbsp. Add the potatoes and reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Cook for 12 minutes or until fork tender.
4. Drain potatoes and mash in a ricer or by hand.
5. Add the milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter and mash until smooth.
6. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Brown the ground meat for 5-6 minutes and drain off the oil when finished. Place the meat aside.
7. Heat the olive oil in the same saute pan over medium heat and cook the onion, celery and carrot until soft and tender — about 4 minutes. Place the vegetable mixture with the meat.
8. In the same saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the flour, stirring constantly making a roux.
9. When the roux is a golden colored paste, add the beef stock and worcestershire sauce, stir with a whisk to thoroughly combine.
10. Add the meat and vegetable mixture to the sauce and combine.
11. In several individual ramekins or a large casserole dish, place the meat and vegetable mixture.
12. Sprinkle the peas on top.
13. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the peas.
14. Sprinkle the mashed potatoes with cheese.
15. Bake 30 minutes for the large casserole or 15 minutes for individual ramekins.
16. Let cool for kids. Serve warm for adults.

I still can’t believe that we’ll have fresh peaches at the farmer’s market until early November. Its kind of crazy, but I cherish every minute of their presence. Since we literally buy them by the crate from my favorite purveyor, Tenerelli Orchards, I’m always trying to come up with new and delicious recipes for the entire family.
Most fruit crumble recipes have so much sugar it makes my teeth ache just thinking about it. This recipe has NO sugar and only calls for 1 tablespoon of my favorite kid friendly sweetener, agave nectar. Agave nectar is low on the glycemic index, so you can serve it after dinner and know your little one won’t be wired on sugar. This is also a perfect sweet dessert for the entire family since it’s super healthy and loaded with oats and flaxseeds giving it a nutty flavor.
Kenya especially liked having his own ramekin. After it cooled, I handed it to him and he gave me a big bright smile. It was like he just won the peach crumble grand prize (and he ate every last bite)!

Fruit Crisp (Makes 5 individual ramekins)

2 Ripe Peaches, diced (you could also substitute pears, apples, strawberries or other fruits in season)
1/3 Cup Oats
1 Tsp Flaxseed
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Tbsp Butter, chilled
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Divide peaches evenly between 5 dishes.
3. In a mini food processor, combine the oats, flaxseed and flour.
Pulse to combine.
4. Add the butter and pulse until butter is in small pieces (you don’t want it to turn into a dough, so make sure to just pulse the ingredients).
5. Add the agave to the crumble and pulse once or twice, just to combine.
6. Place small clumps of the crumble on top of the ramekins.
7. Place the ramekins on a sheet tray and bake for 20-25 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and cool.
9. Serve.

Finally, I have a delicious recipe — that you don’t have to eat with a spoon — for all those little ones without 
teeth. I keep talking to parents whose 12, 13 even 14 month olds still 
don’t have teeth. They really want to move beyond purees, but need a 
recipe soft enough for their little ones to chew (or gum). These spinach 
gnocchi balls are so heavenly that Kenya only got his mitts on 8 or so 
before the grownups had eaten them all up!
This is a recipe that Popeye would be proud of. Packed with spinach 
and creamy ricotta, these little morsels are like soft pillows: 
delicate and so easy to make. You could even serve them with a little 
red sauce, but for easier cleanup, I highly recommend just a little 
sprinkle of parmesan cheese and that’s it!

Spinach Gnocchi (makes 40 small gnocchi balls)

10 oz Block Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 Cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
2/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling before serving.
1 Egg Yolk
2 Tbsp Flour, plus more for dusting your hands while rolling

1. Defrost the brick of frozen spinach (you can also do this in the microwave).
2. Squeeze ALL of the water out of the spinach in small handfuls (I use my hands and do it over a bowl to make sure I don’t lose any spinach).
3. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse. You want to make sure the spinach is in tiny pieces and the mixture is throughly combined.
4. Dust your hands with a little flour so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.
5. Take 1 teaspoon of the spinach mixture and roll into tiny balls. Place on a plate covered with waxed paper or parchment.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the gnocchi.
7. Add the gnocchi to the water in batches and cook for 3 minutes or until they rise to the surface.
8. Using a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi to a plate or bowl.
9. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, cool and serve.

I’m always on the search for new and exciting foods that little ones can eat (especially those who have few teeth). Well, hello, muffins!!! But not the kind of muffins you buy in the market that can be loaded with with pounds of butter and sugar, I’m talking about the ones that are actually moist, delicious, full of fiber, fruit and over-all goodness.
I grew up eating my grandmother’s bran muffins which we’re heavenly. She used to tell me they were “health food”. When I recently looked at her recipe, though, I realized that a cup of sugar for 12 muffins wasn’t exactly “healthy”.
I filled these mini muffins with tons of bananas. The thick consistency of the bananas replaces the large amounts of butter and oil called for in most recipes.
And I switched the sugar to agave which is low on the glycemic index and means your little one won’t be spinning around the room after eating one (or two, as Kenya often does).

Banana Bran Muffins (Makes 24 mini muffins)

1 Cup Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
2 Tbsp Agave
1 Egg
3 Tbsp Oil
2/3 Cup Milk
3 Bananas, mashed
2 Cups Bran Flakes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease mini muffin tins.
2. Place the flour and baking powder in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. In a large bowl combine the wet ingredients. Whisk to throughly combine.
4. Pour the bran flakes into the wet mixture, stir and let them sit for 2 minutes to soften. Stir again, breaking them up a little.
5. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the wet mixture and whisk until all the flour is incorporated.
6. Spoon the batter 3/4 the way up each muffin cup.
7. Bake for 18 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

I’ve been getting tons of emails from parents asking for cake recipe ideas for 1st birthday parties. I still find it amazing how one’s family’s social calendar completely changes after one has a kid. Our weekend schedules are packed with kids’ birthday parties whereas we used to get invited to them about twice a year. Birthday parties for little ones can be loads of fun, but the last thing a parent wants on the ride home is their little one on a sugar high from all the birthday cake.
These carrot cupcakes are delectable. They’re made with agave nectar instead of sugar. Agave nectar comes from the agave plant. It is a sweet liquid with a consistency a bit smoother than honey. Agave is also low on the glycemic index and is metabolized by your body slower than sugar so it has a less severe effect on blood sugar fluctuations. You can find it at any health food store and I bet you’ll find many ways for it to replace sugar in your kitchen.
Instead of baking one big cake, I prefer to decorate a platter with tons of cupcakes. I think this is ultimately more fun for the kids (and parents) since they all get their own cupcake they can decorate with nuts, sprinkles or whatever suits their fancy. It’s also a good way to manage portion control. Anyway these are a blast to make for a birthday or any special occassion and heavenly tasting to eat!


Carrot/Pineapple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing (Make 14 Cupcakes)

1 Cup Flour
3/4 Tsp Baking Powder
3/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Agave
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Carrots, peeled and shredded
1/4 Cup Pineapple, drained, crushed in juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a medium sized bowl.
3. Using a mixer, beat the agave, oil and eggs until throughly combined.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
5. Add the carrots and pineapple and beat until all the ingredients are throughly combined.
6. Line 14 1/3 cup muffin cups with paper liners.
7. Scoop batter into cups, filling 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 30 minutes.
9. Cool (cupcakes can be made 1 day ahead, cover and store at room temperature).
10 Spread top of each cupcake with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese icing and serve.

Cream Cheese Icing (Make 2 Cups)

1 8 oz Package Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature
4 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 Tsp Vanilla

1. Place all the ingredients in a mixer and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy.
2. Spread on cupcakes.