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.

If there is a burger that exists that Kenya doesn’t like, I’ve never seen it. Meat, veggie, turkey, salmon….whatever. So, I figured, why not try a garbanzo burger? They’re packed with protein, low in fat and high in dietary fiber, so they’re a great addition to anyone’s diet. Even better, these burgers cost very little to make (especially when you compare it to buying meat), freeze beautifully (so you can make them and keep them on hand for whenever your crew feels like burgers) and make everyone smile when they take a bite!

Garbanzo Burgers (makes 9 patties)

1 15 Oz. Can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Small Carrot, chopped
1 Garlic Clove
1 Small Onion, chopped
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Bread Crumbs (I used whole grain)
2 Tsp Sesame Seeds (I used toasted sesame seeds)
1 Tbsp Oil
*You can place these on buns, although I served them with a slice of avocado on top and dipped them in lemon yogurt sauce.

1. Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined.
2. Place garbanzo bean mixture in a bowl and combine with remaining ingredients.
3. Place 1/4 cup of mixture in your hands and form into patties (I used an ice cream scooper to portion the patties-mixture will be moist).
4. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.
5. Cook the patties for 5 minutes.
6. Turn the patties, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
7. Serve.

*After step 3, place patties on a sheet tray and freeze for 30 minutes. Then transfer to a ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours then follow steps 4-7.

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.

Ooey, Gooey, Yummy! These are the words that come to mind when I make these heavenly breakfast treats. These aren’t like those Mc-whatever sandwiches; filled with all sorts of unhealthy additives and saturated fats, these are the real deal, only much more fresh and healthy.
You could even wrap them up, roll over to the park and have the perfect picnic.
These wee-muffins only took me minutes to prepare, and we all salivated in the test kitchen when we took the first bite. I was a little wary about giving Kenya such a mountain of a
sandwich, so I cut it into bite size pieces for him. He and I sat out in our front yard (our version of a picnic) and he let out a big “mmm’s” bite after bite.

Egg Wee-Muffins (Makes 2 Sandwiches)

2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Milk
2 Slices Canadian Bacon
1 Tsp Butter plus extra for English Muffin
2 slices cheddar cheese
2 Whole Wheat English Muffins

1. Whisk the egg and milk in a bowl.
2. In a saute pan over medium heat, cook canadian bacon 2 minutes on each side.
3. Remove to a plate add 1 tsp of butter to the pan
4. Cook the eggs for 2-3 minutes, forming the eggs into the shape of an omelette.
5. With a knife, cut the omelette in half.
6. Place cheese slices on top of each omelette in the pan and cover. Cook over low heat for 1-2 more minutes.
7. Toast english muffin and spread with butter
8. Place bacon, egg, & cheese in the English muffin and serve.

In our house, everything is more fun when it’s a holiday. The entire time we were making these sweet potato pancakes, it felt 
like Hanukkah. Potato pancakes or latkes as they are also known, 
are most commonly eaten in the fall during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Although it’s 
the middle of July and grossly hot outside, the sweet potatoes at this week’s farmer’s market were incredible and I couldn’t help wanting to 
make something with them.
I decided to pump up the nutritional value in my version by making them with 
sweet potatoes. It’s amazing how delicious the natural sweetness from the potato 
and the savory flavors from the onion and garlic marry into such a delectable 
treat. Kenya was digging them in a big and bad way.
Whenever I hand 
him something whole, especially like these big, crunchy circles he 
looks like he’s hit the food jack pot. 
For your little ones who are getting into dipping, I added apple sauce 
which no latke should ever go without!

Sweet Potato Pancakes (Make 20 Toddler Pancakes)

1 Sweet Potato, grated (this came out to be 3 cups)
2 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
2 Eggs, beaten
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
Canola or Vegetable Oil, for pan searing
Apple Sauce

1. Place the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and throughly combine.
2. Place a large saute pan or griddle over medium heat.
3. Heat 3-4 Tbsp of oil, or enough to coat the bottom of the pan, in the saute pan for 30 seconds.
4. Add a heaping tablespoon of the sweet potato mixture to the pan. Pat down the mixture with the back of a fork and form into a thin, circular patty (you don’t want them to be thick or they won’t cook through).
5. Cook for 5 minutes or until they begin to turn golden. Flip them over.
6. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes or until the bottom is golden.
7. Place the patties on a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining sweet potato mixture.
8. Cool patties and serve.

*Allow to cool, then place in ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, pop them into a oven at 300 for 10 minutes or until warmed through or defrost in fridge for 24 hours then heat in a dry pan.

We used these to make this recipe:

Oxo Good Grips Box Grater

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

I literally have hundreds of cookbooks I started collecting when I was a 
little girl and continue to this day. I admit that after all these years, it’s gotten a little out of 
control, but I love the endless variety and different styles of books out there. There are also some genuinely odd and funny ones as well. The Elvis 
Presley cookbook “Are you Hungry Tonight” is great. Just looking at the table 
of contents makes your arteries feel like they are clogging, but the one recipe Elvis is best 
know for is the “fried peanut butter and banana sandwich”. I’m not 
saying that it doesn’t sound incredibly delicious, but it’s not 
exactly one of the first dishes I would want to turn my son on to given the “fried” approach. So, always in service of trying healthy approaches to not-so-healthy classics, I think I came up with a good one: Mini Elvis Paninis.
I recently had over a group of 
little ones ranging from 15 months to 4 years old and they devoured 
these sandwiches faster then I could make them. Since I still haven’t 
given Kenya peanut butter (our Doctor recommended we wait until he’s over the age of 2 in case of allergies), I made his with almond butter (feel 
free to replace it with peanut, soy or cashew butter if that’s what your 
little one prefers). Almond butter is an ideal first nut for babies to 
try since it has a low allergic potential and almonds are packed with 
calcium, vitamins B and E. 
By using the panini press, the heat melted the banana and almond 
butter together while pressing the sandwich together for smaller 
mouths to get bigger bites. And….same great taste, no frying. These mini sandwiches are delicious and 
will give your little one tons of energy for playing.

Elvis Panini (make 4 mini sandwiches)

2 Piece Whole Wheat of Ezekiel Bread, 7 grain or cinnamon raisin
1 Tbsp Almond Butter
1/3 Banana, cut into several slices cut lengthwise

1. Spread almond butter on one side of bread and cover with 3 slices of banana.
2. Top with the second slice of bread and place in a panini press on medium/high heat.
3. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until sandwich is pressed and golden.
4. Cool thoroughly and cut into 4 squares and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Krups PG70 Panini Maker, Brushed Stainless Steel