People ask me all the time what foods we keep in our house on a regular basis. I always list oatmeal, rice, quinoa, chicken and a few other basics, but for some reason I frequently forget to mention sweet potatoes, which are hands down one of our favorites. Packed with vitamins A and C, beta carotene, iron and calcium, they are literally one of the single most nutritious vegetables you can eat.

My husband and I usually eat them for dinner several nights a week and I also make sweet potato puree for Chloe with bit of coconut milk and/or cinnamon. But one of the most fun ways to enjoy sweet potatoes is to bake them, slice them in half and then stuff ‘em however you like. Kenya loves designing his own stuffed potato, which takes what could be a boring side dish and allows him to be the chef of his own meal. And it’s easy to do: just pick a bunch of toppings, arrange them on a plate or in little bowls, and let your little one create a sweet masterpiece. I usually offer Kenya a pat of butter, some chopped nuts, maple syrup, raisins….even a bit of orange zest to add some fun flavor.

But the thing I find that kids like best about sweet potatoes is that they’re sweet. It’s like letting them have the healthiest dessert in the world for dinner! Don’t take my word for it, go stuff it!

Baked Sweet Potato (Serves 4)

4 Sweet Potatoes
Suggested Accompaniments: Butter, Yogurt, Maple Syrup, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Agave, Honey, Chopped Walnuts, Orange Zest, Diced Pineapple, Raisins, Milk, Coconut Milk, Marshmallows (so not weelicious of me, but in moderation….)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Poke several holes in the sides of the potatoes, place on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 1 hour.
3. Serve.

This recipe only take minutes to prepare, it’s healthy and your kids will fall in love with it! We make Baked Maple Bananas for breakfast, a snack, even dessert. Get your kids in the kitchen with you to help and have some fun!

As most of you know, I’m a big proponent of eating seasonally because you get the freshest, most delicious fruits and vegetables at the best price. But in today’s age of being able to get whatever you want, whenever you want it, you can usually go to your local market at any time of year to get whatever produce you want, even if it is not being grown at that time of year — say, an apple in the middle of summertime. If you live in the United States, that apple has likely been flown thousands of miles to your supermarket via South Africa (don’t get me started on how much fuel and money is spent just for that to happen).

But it is fall now, and all across the country, sweet potatoes and apples are in season. If you live somewhere in the northeast like New York or Vermont, you can probably find over a dozen different varieties of apples at your local farmer’s market. I’m in southern California and I counted six different varieties at mine last weekend . Most of the kids I know love apples and sweet potatoes so I decided to make a super easy and delicious side dish for the holidays. It only takes minutes to prepare and if you’re having people over, doubling or even tripling the recipe is simple.

And remember, in more ways than one: ’tis the season.

Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole (Serves 4)

2 Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Large Apples (Gala, Fuji, or other sweet cooking apples), peeled, cored and cut into chunks
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
3 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Cup Apple Juice

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Place the sweet potato/apple mixture in a buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Uncover, stir and bake an additional 20-30 minutes or until tender.
6. Serve.

Thanksgiving is next week and we’re already geared up for family, fun and some seriously good food! Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing holiday recipes that are perfect for a small family Thanksgiving meal (just in case
you aren’t having over every relative known to man!).

This roast veggies dish is a holiday favorite in my house and is great no matter if you are having twenty people over or just two. I first started making this simple dish for Thanksgiving years ago, but it’s so delicious and easy to make that I started making it all the time (most of the vegetables the dish calls for are available year-round). Roasting is one of the best techniques for getting the maximum amount of flavor out of vegetables. They become super tender, sweet on the inside and a bit caramelized on the outside.

Holidays or not, I usually double the recipe because they’re just as delicious (if not more so) the next day - -perfect for lunch or a quick, healthy snack. And, for anyone who has a child who is prone to say, “I hate vegetables,” just try making this dish and tell me if those words ever come out of their sweet little mouths again!

Maple Roast Veggies (Serves 6)

7 Carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 Red Bell Peppers, cut into large chunks
1 Delicata Squash, unpeeled, split lengthwise, seeds removed and cut into half moons (you could also use peeled butternut squash)
1 Yellow Onion, cut into wedges
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
2 Tsp Oil
1 Tbsp Kosher or Sea Salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat the vegetables (at this point you can place the vegetables in a large zipper bag and refrigerate overnight).
3. Pour the vegetables on to a foil lined sheet tray and roast for 50 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until tender and golden.
4. Serve.

We eat a lot of bananas in our house. I would say between the four of us we easily go through six bananas a day (yes, even baby Chloe eats one a day now). Sometimes, I think I live in the monkey house.

When I want to spice things up a little and do something beyond the standard banana cut up on oatmeal, blended in the smoothie or just eaten on it’s own, I make this quick, sweet dish. It seems very fancy and difficult to prepare, but it couldn’t be easier to do. Whether you’re making this for breakfast or dessert, it will excite you toddler and impress the adults. For the little ones, I like to serve the bananas with plain yogurt, but for a party you could add a scoop of Yogurt, Honey and Cinammon “Ice Cream” to make it a little more elegant.

Baked Maple Bananas

1 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
4 Bananas, peeled and cut into pieces or sliced lengthwise
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In an 8×8 inch pyrex dish combine the butter and maple syrup.
3. Melt the butter and maple syrup in the microwave or oven.
4. Add the lemon juice and cinnamon and stir to combine.
5. Gently toss the bananas in the liquid mixture to coat.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
7. Serve.

When I was growing up, I loved fruit on the bottom yogurt, but when I went to buy a few containers for Kenya I realized it was packed with sugar. I came up with a recipe that’s so easy and actually tastes ten times better then the brands you buy at the grocery. This is a great recipe because you can serve it for a healthy breakfast, snack or even as a dessert!

*recipe is coming Monday, so stay tuned.

We don’t eat a lot of meat in our house, but pork tenderloin is one of my personal favorites that I am always happy to make an exception for. As you can imagine, I grew up eating quite a bit of it growing up in Kentucky, and I still crave it today.

This maple pork tenderloin recipe is so tender, sweet and saves time because it is perfect to make ahead of time. I love whipping up a few batches of it, placing it in zipper bags and freezing it, so that whenever I feel like making it I just pop it in the refrigerator in the morning to defrost and then bake it or grill it that night — with very little clean up.

I knew all the adults would fall in love with this dish at a Sunday night dinner we hosted recently, but I wasn’t so sure about Kenya. Sometimes I find that toddlers don’t have the patience to eat meat because it takes so much time for them to chew. But what a pleasant surprise for me: I just cut it into tiny pieces and he ate them all up. A boy after my own heart.

Maple Pork Tenderloin (Serves 4-6)

2 Pork Tenderloins, silver skin removed
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Apple Cider
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Salt

1. Place all the marinade ingredients into a gallon zipper bag or a pyrex dish and shake or whisk to combine.
2. Add the pork tenderloins, coating with the marinade.
3. Marinade the pork in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Place the pork on a foil lined sheet pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 140 degrees on a meat thermometer (you could also grill the pork for a total of 14-18 minutes).
6. Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
7. Serve.

Last week a friend asked me what recipes I like to make with oat bran. I’ve used it in muffins and breads, but her question inspired me to come up with something that was super simple, nutritious and perfect for both babies AND adults (not always an easy thing to accomplish).

This creamy hot oat bran cereal is so yummy, its even got me to switch over from my usual morning bowl of oatmeal to this hearty dish. Oat bran is the outer husk of the oat grain which contains the bulk of its dietary fiber. When mixed with water and milk it becomes creamy like a porridge. I especially love adding bananas to this recipe because they’re packed with vitamins B6 and C and potassium, and bananas’ natural sweetness is beneficial because you don’t need to add tons of sugar for sweetness. They also give the oat bran extra body. This is a great recipe to try when you feel like switching up your morning food routine or just need a good bowl of comfort food.

Creamy Hot Oat Bran Cereal (Serves 2 Big Kids)

1 Banana, mashed
1 Cup Water (you could replace 1/2 the water with rice, almond, soy or cows milk)
1/4 Cup Oat Bran
1 Tsp Honey or Maple Syrup
1/4 Tsp Cinnamon (optional)

1. Bring the water and or milk to a boil.
2. Pour in the oat bran, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the honey or maple syrup, mashed banana and the cinnamon. Stir to combine.
4. Serve.

I love a baked sweet potato, but sometimes, I simply don’t have the hour needed to bake one when I’m trying to get Kenya’s dinner together quickly. This version is my quick alternative, which is healthy, sweet and delicious. My secret ingredient is the squeeze of lime juice that brings out the naturally sweet flavor of the sweet potatoes glazed with a touch of maple syrup.

Sometimes I like to double the recipe in order to have potatoes to pick at in the fridge for the next several days. Packed with beta carotene, these little yummy morsels are perfect as a colorful side dish or even for a breakfast with a twist.

Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup and Lime (Makes 4 Servings)

1 Lb. Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/3 Cup Water
1 1/2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
Salt, to taste

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the sweet potatoes for 3 minutes.
2. Add the lime juice and water, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Cook potatoes until fork tender, add the maple syrup, cover and cook an additional 2 minutes or until glazed.
4. Serve.

People often ask me why I make so many vegan recipes. There are actually tons of reasons, one being that I have several vegan friends, so I frequently cook for them.
But the second reason is that so many kids today have allergies to a variety of foods, many specifically to dairy and eggs. Since vegans don’t eat any animal products or foods made by animals such as honey, these dishes are good for some kids with specific allergies.
I made these pancakes for a bunch of friends who aren’t vegan and they didn’t know that they were dairy and egg free until they had cleaned their plates . Light as feathers, but with tons of depth of flavor and added texture from the spelt or buckwheat, these pancakes are a real treat. I actually served them for dessert later that night and the kids had a blast eating them with their hands and dipping them in syrup. See, pancakes really can be enjoyed morning, noon and night!

Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes (Makes 18 Pancakes)

1 Cup White Flour
1/2 Cup Buckwheat or Spelt Flour (I tested both versions and they were equally delicious)
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 1/4 Cup Rice Milk (you could also use soy or almond milk)
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup, plus extra for serving with pancakes
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil, plus extra for greasing the pan
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree, canned

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine (don’t over mix, some lumps are fine).
4. Heat a griddle or large saute pan over medium heat and lightly
grease with oil.
5. Ladle as many pancakes as possible (about 2 tbsp of batter for each one) on the griddle and cook 2 minutes or until bubbles start forming on the surface and the bottom is golden brown.
6. Flip the pancakes and cook another 2 minutes.
7. Repeat the process until you run out of batter (you can hold the finished pancakes in a 250 degree oven while you finish making the pancakes).
7. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy.

We used these to make this recipe:

Chef’s Design 20-Inch Double Burner Reversible Grill/Griddle