I’ve rarely met a kid (or an adult for that matter) that doesn’t like carrots. I couldn’t resist buying these adorable miniature stumpy carrots I found at the farmers’ market. You can use any type of carrot you find for this recipe, but I just thought these were so funny looking and had to try them.
Carrots are packed with fiber and beta-carotene which the body converts into vitamin A, necessary for healthy skin and vision. When the carrots are sauted with the sweet orange juice in this recipe, they become coated with a delicious, sweet glaze and no sugar is needed. These
are perfect for a quick and easy holiday dish or any time of the year for that matter.

Orange Glazed Carrots (Makes 6 Big Kid Servings)

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Lb Carrots, peeled and chopped
3/4 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 Tsp Orange Zest
1 Inch Piece Ginger, grated
Sea or Kosher Salt, to taste

1. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the orange juice, orange zest and ginger.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Cook until carrots are tender and orange juice mixture becomes a glaze.
5. Serve.

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.
*Check out the Thanksgiving article and pictures on one of my favorite websites, CafeMom:

Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups (Serves 6 Big Kids)

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.