Sometimes when I’m trying to come up with new recipe ideas, I try to think of two foods I know my kids love and then build a dish around it. I’ve discovered that if I make meals that take the form of a muffin, cake, cookie or pie, my guys are instantly intrigued. I’ve had great results with Sweet Beet Cookies, Breakfast Cupcakes and Veggie Pancakes, but I really thought I hit the jackpot when I came up with Spaghetti Pie. When I told Kenya I was making him a Spaghetti Pie for dinner, he actually started giggling, “what’s Spaghetti Pie, Mommy?!” “Well, it’s….Spaghetti Pie!” I realized that’s all I had to say — no explanation, description or convincing needed. The only downer is that I had planned on having leftovers, but there were none to be had. Bye bye Spaghetti Pie!

Spaghetti Pie (Serves 6)

8 oz Spaghetti, cooked (about 1/2 a package)
2 Large Eggs, whisked
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 Lb Ground Turkey (you could also use ground beef or chicken)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
2 Cups Weelicious Tomato Sauce or 1 16 Oz Jar Marinara Sauce
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Tsp Italian Herbs
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the cooked spaghetti in a bowl and coat with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
3. Combine the eggs and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Add mixture to the spaghetti and mix.
4. Place the spaghetti mixture into a greased deep-dish pie plate and spread to make a “pie crust”.
5. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the ground turkey, salt, garlic and onion powder for 5 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
6. Pour the marinara sauce over the meat and stir to combine.
7. In a bowl stir the Ricotta cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and Italian herbs to combine.
8. Spread the Ricotta/Parmesan cheese mixture over the pasta, then layer the marinara mixture and finally, top with 1 cup of mozzarella.
9. Place dish on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes.
10. Cool, cut into wedges and serve.

PIZZA!!!! That’s the only word I tend to hear these days whenever I ask my husband and Kenya what they want for dinner. Our newest Sunday night tradition has become making homemade pizzas together as a family and it’s so much fun. One of Kenya’s favorite parts is getting to choose the toppings for his side of the pie. We’ve even found that foods he normally won’t eat on their own, become totally appealing to him when tossed on his pizza.

A few Sundays ago when we were making some delicious thin crusted creations, Chloe was on the kitchen floor playing with one of the muffin tins and it gave me a genius idea: Pizza Muffins! Why, you may ask? Why not! Pizza is crunchy, cheesy, delicious, totally kid-friendly and when it’s cooked in the shape of a muffin, it just adds a cool twist to the same old slice that you’re used to. When I told my husband about my inspiration for this recipe, the first thing he said was, “thank goodness Chloe wasn’t playing with a jello mold when you thought this one up”.

Pizza Muffins (Makes 16-18 Cups)

1 Lb Package Pizza Dough (white or Whole Wee-Eat Pizza Dough)
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce
Olive Oil

Toppings: Mushrooms, Ham, Red Peppers, Olives or whatever you and your kids love. The possibilities are endless.

1. Bring dough to room temperature and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Roll out the dough to a thin 18 x 12 rectangle and cut into squares about 3 x 3 inches.
3. Grease mini muffin cups and place one square in each cup, making sure that the corners of the dough are sticking out.
4. Brush edges of dough with olive oil.
5. Par-bake dough for 8 minutes and take tins out of oven.
6. Pour 1 tsp of sauce in each cup and evenly distribute the cheese between the cups (you can add toppings now as well).
7. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

Among the foods that are easy sells in our house, cheese, tomatoes and tortillas all rank high in the top ten. Summer is here and between the juicy heirloom tomatoes now appearing all over our local farmer’s market (so sweet they taste like candy) and the aromatic, fresh basil growing like a weed in our garden, that can only mean one thing: Caprese Quesadillas are going to be in heavy mealtime rotation!

I love a caprese sandwich, which is mozzarella, tomato, basil and just a dash of olive oil, normally on Italian bread. For kids though, caprese sandwiches can be tough to eat because the mozzarella tends to fall out, making the whole sandwich eating thing somewhat frustrating. But that’s no reason to deprive your kids of great Caprese. By simply substituting tortillas for the bread and adding a little heat to melt the cheese, you’ve got the great taste of caprese in an easy-to-hold, kid-friendly format. It’s a blend of two great cuisines that come together beautifully.

Capresse Quesadilla (Serves 4)

4 Tortillas (I like to use whole wheat or spelt tortillas)
1 Large Tomato, thinly sliced
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated
4-6 Fresh Basil Leaves, julienned

1. Place one tortilla in a dry pan over medium heat ( I use a cast iron skillet).
2. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese over tortilla and place half (about 4 or 5) tomato slices over cheese.
3. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup of cheese over tomato slices followed by half of the julienned basil leaves.
4. Top with another tortilla and heat through, about 3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and tortilla is slightly toasted.
5. Repeat for the second quesadilla.
6. Cut into wedges and serve.

My husband occasionally gives me flack for writing that so many foods are Kenya’s “favorite”, but what can I say? The kid frequently requests a wide variety of things when I ask him what he wants to eat. Plus, he tends to say “this is my favorite” about pretty much anything he happens to be eating and enjoying at any given moment. I mean, what do you expect — he’s 3, people. That being said, quesadillas and pizza are undoubtedly WAY up on Kenya’s list (my husband’s list, too). Whenever I announce that I’m making either of those things, Kenya makes a bee line to the kitchen table and becomes a human vacuum. Recently, I asked Kenya if he wanted to help me make “Pizza Quesadillas” and his face was a mixture of pure elation and total confusion. While he obviously had no idea what I was talking about, he still knew whatever it was, it sounded awesome. When I explained to him how we were going to make them, it all made sense to him and he was on board!

This is one of those recipes that you can totally improvise with depending on what you’ve got laying around your kitchen. Kenya has a thing for dinosaur kale (probably because of the name), so it’s an easy sell and healthy addition to this dish, but as long as you’ve got red sauce, cheese and tortillas, you’re good to go. Finally, let your kids help prepare these. It’s a fun recipe, doesn’t make much of a mess and is the perfect opportunity to use whatever veggies, meats, olives, cheeses or anything else you may have in the fridge. And if you need a bit more inspiration, watch the video for this recipe here. If anything, it will show you what a blast making this can be for the little ones. And just maybe, it will be your new “favorite” too!

Pizza Quesadillas (Serve 4)

4 Tortillas (I use spelt tortillas because I like the nutty flavor, but any kind of tortilla works great)
1/4 Cup Tomato Sauce
1 Chicken Breast, cooked and chopped fine
1/2 Cup Dinosaur Kale, cooked and diced
1 Cup Mozzarella, Grated

Optional Toppings: Pepperoni, Kale, Ham, Pineapple, Mushrooms, Peppers, Onion, Olives

1. Place both tortillas flat in front of you and spread each with 2 tbsps of tomato sauce.
2. Top one of the tortillas with 1/4 cup chicken, 1/4 cup dinosaur kale (or any of your favorite toppings) and 1/2 cup cheese.
3. Place the other tortilla on top to cover (sauce side down) and press down lightly.
4. Slide the tortilla into a dry pan on medium heat and cook on each side for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted through.
5. Cut into wedges and serve.

I hadn’t even thought about adding this on as a recipe until I realized that we made FOUR of these quesadillas just this week alone. This means 3 things to me: 1) I’m pretty sure that kids will love them because Kenya hasn’t stopped asking for them, 2) for me to be so happy making them must mean they only take minutes to throw together and 3) they’re perfect for anyone on a budget because they’re made with some of the staples I always seem to have laying around the house. This recipe costs me just over $1.50 for 2 servings and there are never leftovers. I call that a recipe worth making again and again!

Avocado & Cheese Quesadilla (Serves 2)

1 Small Avocado, cut into thin slices
1/2 Cup Cheese, shredded (I used a 3 cheese blend of monterey jack, cheddar and mozzarella)
2 Whole Wheat or Spelt Tortillas

1. Place a tortilla in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
2. Cover with half of the cheese and top with the avocado slices.
3. Cover with remaining cheese and tortilla, slightly pressing down.
4. Cook in the saute pan for 6 minutes total, turning halfway through.
5. Cut into wedges.
6. Serve.

Just whisper the word “pizza” in our house and Kenya will look up from whatever he’s doing with unbridled excitement in his eyes. Luckily, my 2 1/2 year old isn’t picky about how or what his pizza is made with or on, so whether it’s a weelicious portobello pizza or a slice from our local pizza joint with tons of veggies on top, he’s game for anything.

Pita pizzas are the perfect recipe when you want something healthy to serve your kids, quick for you to prepare and not expensive for your budget. I can cook them up in minutes and everyone in our house feels like they’re getting a special meal. And now that Kenya’s getting ready to head off to school for the first time, I guarantee these will be in the lunch box rotation!

Pita Pizzas (Serves 4)

1 Cup Tomato Sauce
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Italian Herbs
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated
4 Whole Wheat Pita (I used mini pita from Trader Joes)
1/3 Cup Black Olives, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the first 4 ingredients in a bowl to combine.
3. Cover the pitas with 1/4 cup sauce, 1/4 cup cheese and slices of black olives.
4. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
5. Cut and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Oxo Good Grips Box Grater

If you grew up in Louisville, KY in the 1980’s, it was all about Friday’s. It was the one restaurant chain I could never get enough of. One of my favorite items on the menu were their mozzarella sticks. I mean, come on, who doesn’t like fried cheese? Well, your arteries, that’s who!

I don’t advocate depriving children of foods that they enjoy. I do, however, advocate, trying to find healthy spins on those foods when they are not so great for you. We made these baked mozzarella sticks for Kenya and some
friends the other day and they were a huge hit. Kenya bit into one and simply exclaimed, “cheese”! With the addition of some marinara sauce for dipping, this is the perfect snack for kids (and adults too!).

Baked Mozzarella Sticks (Makes 16 Cheese Sticks)

1 Lb. Mozzarella Cheese (not the kind in water), cut into 16 sticks or individually wrapped String Cheese Sticks
2 Eggs
1 Cup Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
3/4 Cup Whole wheat Flour
Nonstick Cooking Spray

1. Place the cheese on a sheet tray and freeze for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees .
3. Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk.
4. Place flour in a second bowl and bread crumbs into a third bowl.
5. Roll the cheese sticks in the flour, then the egg followed by the
bread crumbs.
6. Place on a greased sheet tray.
7. Bake for 6-8 minutes (keep an eye on them to avoid over melting).
8. Serve with marinara sauce.

*After step 5, place sticks on a baking sheet and freeze for 3 minutes then place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready follow steps 6-8 adding an additional 1-2 minutes baking time.

Oh my goodness, these are amazing! I’m not just saying that from an adult culinary point of view either. I made these for 8 kids, age 20 months to 5 years old and even the 5 year old who supposedly hates everything gobbled them up. The best part is that the “crust” is a vegetable (not more bread), but they look just like pizzas.
The big bonus is that they took me no time to prepare and I had barely any clean up. I was kind of scared the kids would say “wait, this isn’t REAL pizza,” but not a word. Happy kids make happy mommies. What could be better?

Portobello Pizzas (4 Big Kids)

1 15 Oz Can Tomato Sauce
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 Tsp Thyme, Basil and Oregano
1 Tsp Salt
4 Portobello Mushrooms, stems removed (wiggle the stem back and forth gently to remove)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a bowl to combine.
2. Preheat the oven the 400 degrees.
3. Place a piece of foil on a cookie sheet and brush lightly with olive oil.
4. Place the mushrooms stem side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. If there’s a lot of excess liquid on the cookie sheet, discard.
5. Place the mushrooms stem side up, cover with 2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese.
6. Bake the mushrooms for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
7. Serve.

I don’t know a kid or adult that doesn’t like string cheese (maybe I have to stop hanging out with all those people from the National Dairy Association). I’m sure to most of you this is one of those obvious snacks for kids, but for those of you who are just getting into the snack game, string cheese should be a staple in your fridge.
This is one of Kenya’s favorites. When he hasn’t had enough calcium or protein in his day, I give him one or two of these and it fulfills both requirements. I know if I let him, he would subsist on cheese sticks alone. Babies and toddlers get so used to us breaking and cutting their food into tiny pieces for them, so when they get a food they can actually hold and control in their tiny hands they’re usually elated.
There are many different brands and types of string cheese sticks on the market, but two of my favorite are Horizon’s Organic Mozzarella String Cheese (6 individually wrapped sticks to a pack) and Trader Joe’s Organic String Cheese (9 individually wrapped sticks to a pack). You definitely pay a higher price for the organic, but I think it’s worth it. When you know the product your child is eating is produced without antibiotics, added growth hormones or dangerous pesticides, it puts your mind at ease.