Dinner Table / Kids Food

Soup’s On – Vegetable Beef

This soup recipe came to be on our first rainy fall afternoon.  Craving the warmth and comfort of a good, rich, soup, I found myself at the butcher counter with a couple of short ribs, a small beef shank and some stew meat.  With the veggies I had from the farmers market, we were in business.

After making the broth, feel free to toss in any add in’s you might have stashed in the fridge & pantry.  The beauty is the broth makes itself, so there is no need to buy prepackaged broth or stock.  Just add water. (more…)

8 Comments
10/23/2011
Breakfast Table / Kids Food / Lunch Box / On the Go

Pumpkin Muffins – A Fall Breakfast Treat

The first day sugar pumpkins were displayed in the market, my children HAD to have them.  They couldn’t wait to make Pumpkin Pasties ala Harry Potter, pumpkin pie, and all the delicious fall pumpkin treats.  So we bought them…and made lots of pumpkin puree.

After reaching out to my Facebook community for Sunday morning breakfast ideas, Joelle’s suggestion of a pumpkin loaf reminded me that I had tons of pumpkin puree in the refrigerator.  It was time to create a new pumpkin treat for my family.  Muffins are great warm, right out of the oven, but they’re also a delicious addition to the lunch box and I’m always in need of lunch box ideas!  These Pumpkin muffins are paired with another ingredient I turn to often in the fall, pure maple syrup.  The combination of the pumpkin and the maple really come together to make a delicious, lightly sweetened muffin. (more…)

7 Comments
10/16/2011
Breakfast Table / Kids Food / Sweet Treats

A Fall Favorite – Baked Apples

There are so many things I love about fall.  I love thick sweaters and tall boots, sipping cups of hot tea as I watch the fog rolling slowly over the mountains beyond my window…and of course  I love autumn’s bountiful harvest of crisp, sweet apples – fresh and tart from the tree or caramelized and warm from the oven.  Imagine my delight this morning when a friend and her son handed me a surprise at school drop off – a bag full of freshly picked apples from their tree (Thank you Kari & Aidan)!! I knew it was time to plunge into fall baking and seeing as it was a school night, I decided on these easy and delicious baked apples. There is nothing quite like the aroma of warm apples, cinnamon and spices filling the kitchen, watching my children press their noses against the oven door, anxious for whatever is baking to find it’s way into their mouths. (more…)

2 Comments
10/02/2011
Kids Food

Katie’s Krops – Midweek Inspiration

A story was brought to my attention today and I was immediately inspired by the impact of Real Food on our children.  Every week we talk about ways to bring the Real Food movement to our families…we cook with our kids, we take them to farmers markets, we teach them about what is in processed food and why it is so damaging to their bodies. This story exemplifies the impact of why we do what we do.  Real Food nourishes our families’ bodies, minds, and as you’ll see in this story…souls. (more…)

1 Comment
09/28/2011
Kids Food

Healthier Options for School Parties & Birthday Treats

Every year we face a snack conundrum around classroom snacks and birthday treats.  Our kids want to bring “fun” treats like frosted cupcakes and doughnuts, while we struggle between providing a healthy snack, pleasing our children, and let’s face it, finding the time.

This year I put together a list for our school of Healthier Classroom Snack Ideas.  This list will always be a work in progress but it is a jumping off point and a place to turn when looking for something other than electric blue frosted cupcakes.

(Recipe for Out of the Box Food’s Mini Banana “Cupcakes” – Pictured above) (more…)

22 Comments
09/25/2011
Dinner Table / Kids Food

$5.00 Meal Challenge – Taking the “Value Meal” Out of the Box

Our society has been raised on the Value Meal.  The question, “Would you like to add fries and a drink to make it a value meal” has been offered for years as the cheap solution to a “complete” meal.   When did we start accepting the $5.00 “Value Meal” into our lives?  Was it while we were zipping home after an afternoon of soccer practice, and piano lessons, tired and desperate to feed our families?  Was it on the way home from a job which didn’t pay nearly enough?  Was it with our friends in high school, turning our spending money into burgers and fries?  Or was it even earlier, in the back seat of our parents cars, as a treat for good behavior, or a job well done?  The value meal has been around for too long, and today, September 17th, Slow Food USA has challenged our society to take back the value meal and return to the value of fresh, healthy food. (more…)

7 Comments
09/17/2011