Recently, I was very excited to discover that one of the farmers at our local market started carrying grass-fed ground beef. My family is not a big meat-eating one, but whenever I can get my hands on grass-fed beef at a good price, I don’t hesitate to buy some. Among other things, grass-fed beef is significantly lower in saturated fat than conventional beef, as this 2006 article from Time Magazine states and I personally think it tastes superior.

Tacos are great idea to use ground beef in, but depending on your taste or diet, you can use any kind of ground meat. Gimme Lean is great for vegetarians or you can use ground chicken or turkey. The point is, no matter what you like, you can make Tacos–Your Way!

When I put out all the accompaniments for my boys to create their tacos, they were totally psyched. When kids (and dads) get to have an active hand in building their own tacos, I guarantee they’ll be way more excited about eating them too.

Tacos–Your Way! (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp Oil
1 Small Onion, chopped fine
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Lb Ground Beef (I used lean beef, but you could also use ground turkey, chicken or ground Gimme Lean)
1 Garlic Clove
1/2 Tsp Chili Powder
2 Tsp Cumin
Salt to taste
Corn Tortillas or Taco Shells
Desired Accompaniments: Guacamole, Salsa, Sour Cream, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce and/or Tomato

1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 2 minutes.
2. Add the red bell pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the ground meat, garlic, cumin, chili powder and salt and cook for 5-6 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
4. Place meat mixture and desired accompaniments into taco shells or tortillas.
5. Serve.

Every few weeks, I contribute videos and recipes to GoodBite.com, a food site that spotlights different food bloggers. For their new web series “Real Fast Food”, I made the above video for a super fast, easy and healthy stir fry using only 5 ingredients. It’s actually very similar to my recipe on weelicious for Shrimp and Rice Noodle Stir Fry.

This recipe will take you less time to prepare then driving to your local Chinese restaurant, picking up food and getting back home to eat. Heck, it will take you less time than it does to call the restaurant and order in Chinese! If you’re looking for a delicious dinner idea that takes very little effort but will seem special and your entire family will love, this is for you!

My mother used to make the most delicious zucchini bread. Whenever friends were coming over to our house or she needed a culinary gift, it was one of the most popular recipes in her repertoire. It’s amazing to me that a bread starring a vegetable (technically, zucchini is a fruit, but try convincing your kids of that fact) was so appealing to a kid like myself, but it was. So, if you have a little one who is normally zucchini averse, this bread may turn them around on it for good.

I don’t know why so many people have emailed me recently asking for a healthy zucchini bread recipe, but I’m happy to oblige with a weelicious version. There are a lot of zucchini bread recipes out there loaded with white or brown sugar, so I decided to make mine using agave nectar instead. I also opted to bake them in muffin cups instead of a loaf shape so it’s more kid friendly. Zucchini is a good supplier of potassium and vitamin A and it has a consistency that makes for a deliciously moist bread. When I made a batch for breakfast last week, Kenya turned into a muffin eating machine. It was then that I realized that it wasn’t important if zucchini was a fruit or a vegetable. To him, it was simply delicious.

Zucchini Muffins (12 Muffins or 24 Mini Muffins)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs, whisked
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/3 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
2/3 Cup Agave Nectar
1 1/2 Cups Zucchini, shredded (about 2 small zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined.
5. Pour the zucchini mixture into large or small muffins cups (I like to use a small ice cream scooper to make spooning into the muffin cups easier).
6. Bake 15 minutes for small muffins and 20 minutes for large ones.
7. Cool and serve.

Have you ever tried seaweed? It’s packed with vitamins and minerals and everyone who’s tried this Brown Rice Pilaf recipe loves it!

When I was a kid I loved onion rings. Whenever we went to Burger King they were a “must order”. Biting through the crisp fried crust into tender sweet onions is definitely a cherished food memory of mine. Little did I know (or care) at that age, how unhealthy fast food was. Now that I’m a mom though, I’m doing my very best to avoid fast food at all costs!

It always shocks me that my son, Kenya, will eat both raw and cooked onions like they’re candy. I can’t tell you how many times he has picked raw onions as a snack over, say, raisins, but I guess that’s why we all have different palates and tastes. I figured Kenya would love onion rings if given the chance, but since I’m not taking him to fast food joints any time soon, I tried making some at home for him using sweet onions. To keep them healthy, I tried baking them instead of deep frying the rings.

I have to say I was impressed with the results and Kenya was simply in heaven. I’m pretty sure the smile on he had on his face as he sat there munching away was the same one his Mommy had back when she was a little girl delighting in a much unhealthier version!

Crispy Onion Rings (Serves 4)

1 Large Sweet, Vidalia or Maui Onion
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
2 Tsp Salt, divided
1 1/2 Cup Plain Breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)
Canola Oil Spray

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut onions into 1/2 inch rounds and separate into rings.
3. Whisk buttermilk and 1 tsp salt into a bowl.
4. Place breadcrumbs in a separate bowl and add another tsp salt.
5. Dip onion rings in buttermilk mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture covering both sides of the onion completely (make sure to use one hand for wet dipping and one hand for dry dipping so you don’t get soggy, clumpy breadcrumbs and messy fingers).
6. Place onion rings on a oil sprayed baking sheet (I lined the cookie sheet with foil for easier clean up).
7. Lightly spray the onion rings with oil cooking spray.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once halfway through, until lightly browned.
9. Serve.

Months ago I did a recipe for cheese wafers and so many parents emailed me afterwards to say they were a total hit. While testing recipes the other day, I was thinking about how much kids love cheese and bread (I mean, what’s not to love) and I thought it would be fun to try making my own cheese puffs. I can’t tell you how many of these we ate the day we made them. They seemed to just go from oven to mouth! I won’t say this is the most nutritious weelicious recipe of all time, but it you’re craving something cheesy, at least these puffs aren’t loaded with all the fillers and preservatives you’ll find in store bought brands.

In France, cheese puffs go by the fancier name of gougeres, but no matter what you decide to call them, they’re delicious.

Cheese Puffs (Makes 30-40 Puffs)

1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese or Gruyere, shredded
1/4 Cup Parmesan
6 Large Eggs, divided (5 eggs for the cheese puffs and one for brushing on top of the cheese puffs)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a pot and cook over low heat until the milk is warm to the touch (about 2 minutes).
3. Add the flour to the pot and continuously stir with a wooden spoon or a spatula until the mixture is thoroughly combined –about 3 minutes (the mixture will turn from white to a golden yellow and form into a dough).
4. Transfer the mixture to a food processor along with the cheese and blend until cheese melts and is combined.
5. Add 5 large eggs, one at a time until the dough is smooth and thick.
6. Scoop out 1 tbsp of the dough and drop on to a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.
7. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a bowl and brush the cheese puffs just to coat (this is not a necessary step, it just makes the puffs shiny).
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
9. Cool and serve.

We love eating fruit chips from the grocery, but they’re really expensive and you get such a small amount in each bag that I was determined to find a better way to enjoy this awesome snack. I’ve been buying gorgeous pears and apples at the farmer’s market lately, and I decided to try my hand at homemade fruit chips. While I cut away, Kenya had a blast laying them out on the baking sheets before we popped them in the oven. I had to make sure I sliced fast because for every piece Kenya laid out, at least two made their way into his mouth!

If I were you, I would pull out all your cookie sheets and layer them up with lots of fruit because when your family tastes this recipe, they’re going to go fast.

Pear & Apple Chips

2 Pears
2 Apples

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Using a mandoline, thinly slice the apple and pears into “chips” ( I love my hand mandoline, but you can also cut them with a knife into thin slices if you don’t have one).
3. Place the slices on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet making sure not to over lap the pieces.
4. Bake for 1 hour, turning the “chips” halfway through (if you live in a humid climate, they may take a bit longer).
5. Cool and serve.
*You can place several cookie sheets in the oven at the same time if you want to make a large amount.

I’ve been running around trying to get ready for Kenya’s birthday party. This year I’m trying to keep things simple, but even with a “simple” party there are still details like decorations, party favors and of course, SNACKS! I’ve been cooking some of Kenya’s favorites all morning like Rice Crisp-Wee Treats, “Cheesy” Popcorn, Black Bean Hummus with Baked Corn Tortillas (recipe coming this week!), mandarin oranges and of course, Dark Chocolate Cupcakes.

So whether you’re celebrating the birthday of Washington, Lincoln or Kenya, these tasty treats are all good choices to make your day a yummy one.

This is a really special week for us because it’s my hubby’s birthday AND Valentine’s Day. To celebrate, I wanted to come up with a recipe that Kenya and I could make together to both impress Daddy and be enjoyed by the whole family. Although it would be so much easier to break out a huge box of chocolates or cupcakes to celebrate, these Raspberr-Wee Pancakes seemed like a much more healthy and festive choice.

To get our ingredients, we went to our local farmer’s market where Kenya was so excited to be tasked with picking out a few baskets of fresh red raspberries especially for Daddy. It let him take ownership over the process right then and there. Then, we went home to test the recipe, pulling out heart shape cookie cutters, placing them in the pan, filling them with batter and berries and then cooking them up. Cooking with your kids is always a priceless experience, but doing it for a holiday or special occasion makes it all the more special. Suffice to say, the pancakes went over big with Daddy (which is a good thing since he’s getting them again on the 14th)!. I think you will agree that this is the kind of recipe will say, “I love you” all over your loved one’s face.

Raspberr-Wee Pancakes

1 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted (plus more for cooking)
1 1/4 Cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs, whisked
2 Tbsp Agave
6 Oz Package Raspberries (almost 1 cup)

1. Whisk the first 3 ingredients in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine the butter, buttermilk, eggs and agave until combined.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined (it’s ok if there are a few lumps).
4. Heat a large pan or griddle on medium heat and grease with butter.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup of the pancake mixture onto the griddle and top with 3-4 raspberries (if using cookie cutters, place the cookie cutter in the pan after step 4, pour in several tablespoons of batter, add the raspberries and cook as directed in step 6).
6. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
7. Serve
* You can keep pancakes warm on a sheet tray in a 250 degree oven until all the pancakes are cooked.
* I also tested this batter in a waffle iron and they came out gorgeous, crispy and fluffy!

How often does the clock strike 5 and you realize “oh *%#@, I haven’t even thought about what to make for dinner!” The night that I came up with these rice & cheese balls was one of those times, and since then, it’s become a total household favorite. The recipe is incredibly easy and you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already. All you do is cut cheese sticks into cubes, use your hands to wrap the rice around them into balls and then steam them quickly. For extra flavor and added nutrition, I like to give them a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

I find that whenever food appears fun or has a hidden surprise, kids are most excited about eating it. This dish satisfies both criteria: it’s shaped like a ball (fun!) and has a cheesy center (surprise!). As soon as Kenya took a bite and realized there was gooey, melted cheese inside his rice ball, it was as if he found a new best friend! He just looked up at me with utter surprise and joy and said, “Mommy, there’s cheese!” Literally love at first bite.

(This is a great idea for the lunch box, too!)

Rice & Cheese Treasures (Makes 14 1 1/2 inch balls)

2 Cheese Sticks (I use mozzarella or cheddar)
1 Cup Cooked Rice, brown or white (it helps if the rice is sticky, so if you’re cooking the rice just for these ball, it helps to use a little extra water when making the rice)
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds or Gomasio

1. Cut cheese sticks into 1/2 inch cubes (it depends on the brand, but each cheese stick should make around 7 cubes).
2. Take about 2 tbsp of the rice with moist or damp hands (to avoid sticking) and place the cheese in the center, rolling the rice into a ball around it.
3. Place the rice balls into a steamer pot over boiling water for 2 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer, place in the microwave for 10 seconds or just until the cheese melts.
4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or gomasio.
5. Serve.