I love that Kenya’s into eating sandwiches for his school lunch. I also love that figs are in season right now and they are SO naturally sweet and delicious. Figs are really cheap at our local farmers market, so I’ve been buying tons of them to eat and put in recipes throughout the week. I made a huge batch of fig puree for Kenya and Chloe to put on their yogurt and just to eat plain as a snack, but it’s so flavorful I wanted to figure out something else to do with it.

These fig and goat cheese sandwiches are heavenly. The creamy tang of the cheese mixed with the sweet of the figs, all sandwiched between two pieces of whole grain bread, makes for a magical combination and these sandwiches only take minutes to make.

If you were to send your little one off to school with one of these sammies in his lunchbox, I guarantee he’ll be the envy of all the other kids.

Fig and Goat Cheese Grilled Sandwiches (1 Sandwich or 4 Mini Sandwiches)

2-3 Tablespoons Goat Cheese
3 Tbsp Fig Puree
2 Slices of Bread, preferably whole grain
Butter (if desired)

1. Spread one slice of bread with goat cheese.
2. Spread the other slice of bread with fig puree and place the filling sides of the bread together to make a sandwich (lightly spread a bit of butter on the outside of the bread if desired).
3. Heat a panini press or a sauté pan to medium heat.
4. Cook for 3-5 minutes (on both sides if using the sauté pan, flipping half way through) or until the cheese melts.
5. Cool and serve.

At this time of year when kids are headed back to school, most moms are focused on a million things, among them, trying to put together healthy school lunches that their kids will hopefully enjoy. Though possibly even more important than what’s for lunch, is offering your little ones a meal first thing in the morning that will give them a boost of energy to get them out the door and stay focused in the classroom.

Oatmeal is not only nutritious, but also inexpensive and a real “stick to your ribs” food. It’s delicious with a bit of honey or a touch of maple syrup, but why not add some blueberries for added vitamins and sweet flavor? Berry Delicious Oatmeal is not only bright and colorful, it’s a breakfast that will send your kids off to school with a smile on their faces.

Berry Delicious Oatmeal (Serves 2)
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Milk (almond, rice, soy or cow’s milk)
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats (Five Minute Oats)
1 Tbsp Honey, Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar
1/2 Cup Blueberries, Blackberries and/or Raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1. Bring the water and milk to a boil.
2. Add the oats, reduce to a simmer over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, and cook for 5-7 minutes or until thick and creamy.
3. Add the honey, maple syrup or agave and berries, cook an additional minute or until the berries are warmed-through and start to pop (I like to add frozen berries so the oatmeal cools faster for kids to eat).
4. Serve.

*If serving to a baby under 1 years old, don’t use honey

It’s amazing how positively kids react when you do something as simple as changing the shape of one of their favorite foods. There’s obviously nothing that needs improving when it comes to a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich, BUT try mixing a bit of cream cheese into the jam, spreading it onto a flat piece of lavash, rolling it into a cylinder and then cutting it into wheels, and it becomes a totally new take on a lunchtime classic that’s even more fun to look at and eat!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pinwheels (Serves 4)

1/4 Cup Regular or Whipped Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp Jam, Jelly or Preserves
1/3 Cup Peanut Butter, divided
Lavash, preferably whole wheat (can be found in the bread section at your grocery)

1. Place the cream cheese and jam in a bowl and combine until smooth.
2. Spread 1/2 of the peanut butter on a piece of lavash and top with 1/2 of the cream cheese/jam mixture.
3. Roll the lavash lengthwise into a roll and slice into bite-size wheels, about 1 inch each.
4. Continue to make the second pinwheel sandwich and slice.
5. Serve.

Every Sunday when I was little, my parents took us to church. After Sunday school the entire congregation would gather for conversation, juice and cookies. Without fail, all the kids would run up to the table to grab handfuls of pre-packaged, jelly-filled thumbprint cookies. But even as a kid that loved sugary sweets, the mere thought of the jelly in those cookies grossed me out. I would scrape the jelly out and throw it away because it tasted more like strawberry glue/gel than the “all natural” preserves advertised on the package.

Wanting to improve on yet another childhood memory that’s still vivid in my mind AND keep with this week’s Peanut Butter and Jelly theme, I came up with these PB&J Thumbprint Cookies. I’ve recreated many of my unhealthy childhood favorites here in the pages of weelicious, only I always try to come up with a healthy version. What strikes me is how easy it is to make healthy desserts your kids will love without sacrificing taste! Instead of the hydrogenated fats and untold amounts of sugar that comprised the cookies I ate as a kid, I added naturally sweet honey, fiber-packed oats, protein-rich peanut butter and then topped them off with fresh preserves for a tasty, real fruit touch.

My kids were so excited when I put the plate of these fresh baked cookies in front of them, but the best part for me was watching Kenya react just like his mommy used to: by digging out the preserves first. The only difference was that he put them right into his mouth!

PB&J Oatmeal Thumbprint Cookies (Makes about 60 cookies)

1/2 Cup Butter (1 Stick), softened
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar OR 1/2 Cup Honey
1 Large Egg

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Peanut Butter

1 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp Salt
Jam, Jelly or Preserves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the butter and agave (or honey) in a bowl or standing mixer and beat for 1 minute.
3. Add the egg, vanilla and peanut butter and beat another minute on medium speed or until smooth.

4. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to incorporate.
6. Drop 1 tbsp of the cookie dough onto a silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet and using your thumb (or index finger if you prefer), make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
7. Fill the indentation of each cookie with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
9. Cool and serve.

Friends of ours gave us a panini press as a wedding present and for some reason it sat in the closet for years until we had kids. I don’t know why we didn’t break it out sooner because it’s hands down one of my favorite pieces of kitchen equipment. It’s amazing how just hot pressing a sandwich can turn average bread and filling into a rich, gooey and crusty creation that my kids, their friends (and our mommy and daddy friends) adore.

Surprisingly, making a panini doesn’t take much longer than a regular sandwich. In fact, while I’m packing the rest of Kenya’s lunch I just put his sandwich in the press for a couple of minutes and by the time I’m finished, so is the sandwich, ready to be packed away.

When most people think about paninis, cheese comes to mind, but I thought hot pressing a PB&J was a cool way to liven up a classic school lunch sandwich. With plenty of potassium from the banana slices, carbohydrates from the bread and protein from the nut butter, this is a well rounded treat that will keep your kids going in the middle of the day when they need it most. You’ll be hard pressed to beat it.

PB & J Panini (Serves 4)

2 Bananas
8 Slices Whole Wheat Bread
¼ Cup Jelly, Jam or Preserves
¼ Cup Peanut Butter (you can also use sunflower, almond or cashew butter)

1. Cut the banana in half. Then cut each half into strips lengthwise (so the pieces are long and flat).
2. Spread the peanut butter on one side of four pieces of the bread and top with the several slices of bananas.
3. Spread the jelly on one side of the four remaining pieces of bread and then place on top of the banana slices.
4. Place sandwiches in a panini maker, press and cook for 3-4 minutes or until sandwich is pressed and golden.
5. Serve.

It’s Day Two for weelicious’ new, out-of-the-box and exciting PB&J school lunch recipes. Yesterday’s recipe was PB&J Pancake Sandwiches, something I think your little ones are going to love. But it got me to thinking: do you really need bread to make PB&J? That led me to the idea of mixing it with yogurt.

Plain yogurt is packed with calcium, protein and is easier to digest than milk, but it can also be just that to kids: plain. In order to get most kids to eat yogurt, you have to entice them with those flavored yogurts that are sold at the grocery. But many of those are packed with sugar and preservatives. So I thought it would be fun to see how healthy plain yogurt tasted with a swirl of low sugar preserves and nutritious peanut butter mixed in. I’m happy to report that not only is it mind-blowingly delicious, it’s beautiful to look at too!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Swirled Yogurt (Serves 4)

2 Cups Plain Yogurt (I like using greek yogurt)
¼ Cup Jelly, Jam or Preserves
¼ Cup Peanut Butter (I use natural peanut butter)

1. Divide the yogurt between 4 bowls.
2. In a saucepan heat the jelly or preserves over low heat for one minute or until liquefied (this can also be done in the microwave for 30 seconds) and allow to cool.
3. Drizzle the jelly and peanut butter equally between the bowls of yogurt and swirl the contents together.
4. Serve.

* If using store bought peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, melt in the microwave for about 15 seconds to soften. I use organic peanut butter which tends to already be a bit more liquified then most name brands.

Recently, I was asked to come up with five recipes using peanut butter and jelly for LilSugar. Not only did they ask that the recipes be different than the standard PB&J sandwich that gets stuffed into most kids’ lunch boxes everyday, but they also wanted them to be healthy.

I had the best time coming up with the recipes and my in-house testers were more then thrilled with the results. These Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches were such a hit with Kenya that I barely heard him mumble “I WOVE these” as he stuffed bite after bite into his mouth with Strawberry Preserves dripping down his chin. I hope you get to see the same results with your little ones on their first day back to school!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancake Sandwiches (Serves 4)

1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Large Egg
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 1/4 Cup Milk
Jelly, Jam or Preserves*

* I like to use my own Strawberry Preserves

1. Whisk the first 3 ingredients in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl whisk the peanut butter, egg and sugar until combined, then whisk in the milk until incorporated.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined (it’s okay if there are a few lumps).
4. Heat a large sauté pan or griddle over medium heat and grease with oil (Vegetable or Canola).
5. Pour about 1/4 cup of the pancake mixture onto the griddle and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
6. Take a cooled pancake, spread 1-2 tbsps of jam on one side and top with the other pancake to make a sandwich.
7. Continue to do the same with the remaining pancakes and serve.

When I was a kid, my parents used to get us take-out from our hometown Chinese restaurant, House of Hunan, and Orange Chicken was always in our to-go bag. I’m not sure if it was the sweet taste from the honey and orange or just the exotic name, but this dish was something we had to have every time we went there. These days, I avoid MSG at all costs, so a lot of our local take-out Chinese food is off my list, but not wanting to deprive my kids of some of my childhood favorites, I came up with this healthy and delicious dinner treat that we all loved. With just the right amount of colorful vegetables and a tangy sweet sauce my kids were lapping up, this recipe was not only easy to make, but it actually made me nostalgic for my own childhood. House of Hunan, this one’s for you!

Orange Chicken (Serves 4)

1 Cup Orange Juice
2 Tsp Ginger, grated
1 Tsp Honey
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 Lb Chicken Breast, cubed, boneless, skinless
1 Cup Snow Peas, halved
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into 1-inch thin strips

1. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the chicken cubes for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the vegetables and cook an additional 2 minutes then transfer the chicken vegetable mixture to a bowl.
4. Add the sauce to the pan, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes until reduced by half.
5. Add the chicken and vegetables back into the sauce and cook an additional minute.
6. Serve.

“I don’t like beets”! That was my darling son’s response when I told him I had made Sweet Beet Cookies. I thought sandwiching the word beet between sweet and cookie would serve as sufficient enough distraction for Kenya. Not so much. And since I never want to trick my kids into eating foods that are good for them and hope they learn to love them on their own, simply calling this recipe something like Red Cookies was out of the question.

But if the name itself wasn’t a selling point, the site of these cookies was. As soon as Kenya actually saw them, his eyes lit up. “They’re beautiful,” he said. “I love beets!” As Kenya will now attest, not only are these cookies gorgeous, perfectly sweet and super crunchy, they’re also packed with folates and vitamin C. They’re the kind of treats that make everyone happy. Beet that!

Sweet Beet Cookies (Makes about 50 – 1 inch square cookies)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Raw Beets, shredded fine*
2 Tbsp Oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the first four ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Using your hands, add the beets to the flour mixture coating the beet pieces with the flour.
4. Add the oil and work with your hands to bring the dough together (the salt and sugar will fall to the bottom of the bowl so make sure you knead the dough well to combine everything — the outcome will be a smooth dough).
5. Form the smooth, sweet beet dough into a flat rectangular disk and roll it out 1/2 inch thick on parchment paper or a dry clean surface.
6. Using a knife, cut the dough into squares or use small cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
7. Bake on a Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet for 15-17 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

*You can only use RAW fine shredded beets for this recipe. Using canned beets will not work because of the thickness of the beets and they are already cooked.
*These cookies are best stored on the counter in an air-tight container.

We used this to make this recipe:

Microplane Medium Ribbon Home Series Grater

“Muesli in a smoothie? That’s silly mommy!” I love that Kenya instinctively knew that this recipe was an unlikely combination, but since he loves muesli and smoothies, he was game to try it.

Muesli, is a breakfast cereal made from rolled oats, fruit and nuts, and lately, Kenya has been eating it twice a week for breakfast. Since I always top it with either milk or yogurt, I thought why not toss it all into a blender and make something nutritious, creamy and perfect for breakfast? You never know. The oddest combinations can create something that everyone will love. Not so silly now, mommy. Right?

Muesli Smoothie (Serves 2)

1 Cup Milk (Rice, Almond, Soy or Cow’s Milk are my favorites)
1 Banana
1/3 Cup Plain Yogurt (I use Greek Yogurt)
1 Cup Mango, chopped
1/2 Cup Muesli

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Serve.