ML Interest Tag: bell-pepper

Pack-n-Play: Easy-Prep Homemade Snacks for Your Next Play Date

by Susie Foresman

Getting ready for a day of play is like arming the troops for battle. After getting the kids into comfy gear, loading up on diapers and wipes and remembering the sunscreen, there’s always the nosh that needs to make it’s way into your bag. Instead of grabbing pre-packaged goods, try any of these super tasty, (not) out-of-the-box, snack ideas. Kid-tested and parent-approved, these homemade treats have a chance at replacing those pesky goldfish that always seem to find their way to the bottom of your bag!

Ants on a Log

You noshed on this classic many a days after school when you were her age. There’s something about Ants on a Log that makes everyone smile. It could be protein boost from the peanut butter or it could be the name---we’re not sure which. Looking to mix it up? Try cream cheese with apple, or hummus and bell pepper! Head over to Make the Best of Everything for more combos worth testing on tiny tongues.

Photo: Kristen Greazel via Make the Best of Everything

Do you have any easy-pack snacks you like to make? Let us know by commenting below.

— Susie Foresman & Gabby Cullen

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Salmon Cakes with Lemon Green Beans

by writerredtri

There’s no better time (or way!) to introduce your kiddos to fish than with this delicious salmon cake recipe. Salmon is seasoned with garlic, scallions and bell peppers, as green beans are sauteed with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Kids can have fun forming the salmon veggie mix into discs and snapping the ends off the green beans.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the Salmon Cakes:
2 14.5 ounce cans Alaskan salmon
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking the salmon cakes

For the Lemon Green Beans:
1 pound green beans
2 cups ice cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
Kid: Flake the salmon into a large mixing bowl with your fingers, taking care to discard bones or skin if necessary.

Together: Add the diced red pepper, scallions, garlic, breadcrumbs and eggs to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper, gently mixing to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed. Be careful to not over mix to avoid pasty salmon.

Kid: Using your hands, shape the salmon mixture into 8 round patties 2/3rds of an inch thick. All cooks should take care to wash their hands with warm water and soap after handling raw eggs.

Adult: Place the olive oil into a frying pan over medium-high heat. Place 3 or 4 salmon cakes into the pan and cook for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side for 3 minutes more, or until each salmon cake has cooked through. Set aside on a bed of paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining salmon patties.

Kid: Snap the tips off each end of the green beans and discard. Reserve the trimmed beans. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with cold water and adding the ice cubes.

Adult: Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove over medium-high heat. When the water boils, add a little salt. Add the trimmed green beans to the pot and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the green beans are parboiled, but still maintain their crunch. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the green beans to the ice water bath to stop the cooking process.

Together: Place the olive oil in a separate frying pan over medium heat. Add the green beans, rotating with a spatula to coat the beans in olive oil. Pour the lemon juice over the green beans and season with salt and pepper to taste, taking care to ensure the seasonings are evenly distributed. Divide the salmon cakes and green beans into 8 servings and enjoy!

Do you involve your kids in the kitchen?

Source: This recipe comes to us from Johanna of Momma Cuisine.

We’ve teamed up with the Kids Cook Monday initiative to bring you a weekly recipe that encourages families to set aside the first night of every week for cooking and eating together as a family. Be sure to check out their website for more great ideas on how to empower your kids in the kitchen!

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Sloppy Joes in Only Four Steps

by writerredtri

Sloppy Joes, the much more fun (and much more messy) cousin to the hamburger comes together in four easy steps thanks to this recipe from food blogger, Pam of For the Love of Cooking. Given its namesake this dish is meant to be eaten sloppily so be sure to have napkins and wipes on-hand—you’ll need them!

Ingredients:
1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs of lean ground beef (recommended: 96/4)
1/4 orange bell pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1 c of ketchup
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp water
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook for 3-4 minutes, making sure to break it up into crumbles.

2. Add the onion, celery, garlic and bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft.

3. Drain any grease then add ketchup, brown sugar and water.

4. Stir and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy.

Do your kids love sloppy joes? “Like” this story if you plan to make this dish!

This is a guest post from our friend Pam at For the Love of Cooking. Be sure to visit her blog for more wonderful food news and family-friendly recipes!

photo courtesy of whitneyinchicago

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Grilled Cheese Sandwich

by Christal Y.

Quick, easy and delicious this remastered creamy chicken enchilada grilled cheese makes one filling meal. Brought to you by the food blog, The Nutritious Kitchen, the recipe reuses pasta sauce in a creative way so that your family won’t have to eat the same meal days in a row.

Serves 1

Ingredients:
For the Enchilada Cream Spread
1-2 Tbsp enchilada sauce
1.5 tbsp cream cheese
1 Tbsp greek yogurt

For the Enchilada Grilled Cheese
Olive oil or butter for greasing pan
Red bell pepper, roughly chopped
Onion slices, chopped
Shredded and cooked chicken
1 Tbsp enchilada sauce
2 slices whole wheat bread
Shredded cheddar cheese (a mix of cheddar and jack)

Note from the Chef: The amount of chopped onion, bell pepper and shredded chicken used is based on your preference.<

Method:
1. First prepare your enchilada cream spread by whisking ingredients with a fork until smooth. Set aside.

2. Sauté your bell pepper and onion in a greased pan over medium high heat. Once veggies have wilted, about 4 minutes, add in your cooked chicken and enchilada sauce. Mix together and cook for an additional minute.

3. Spread enchilada cream spread on one slice of bread. Spread cheese on the other slice of bread and place on a heated and greased skillet over medium heat. Add chicken mixture to one slice of the bread and continue to cook until cheeses are melted. Place other slice of bread on top of chicken mixture, press down with a spatula and serve immediately.

What do you think of this mix between an enchilada and grilled cheese?

This recipe comes from The Nutritious Kitchen, a healthy food blog run by Selena. Visit her website for more wholesome recipes that keep meals fun, clean and family-friendly. 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken & Beans

by Erin Lem

Beans have teamed up with their pal chicken to create a super easy crock pot meal. With a few simple steps you can do in the morning (you can open a can, right?) this dish will be ready to go by the time you get home. Serve it with pasta, rice and veggies for a complete meal. Oh, and did we mention that this kid-approved recipe only requires five ingredients?

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, with sauce
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp dried basil

Method:
1. Place chicken in crock pot and sprinkle with basil.

2. Place bell peppers, beans and tomatoes over the chicken evenly.

3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

4. Serve with pasta or rice.

Recipe adapted from momswithcrockpots.com. Check out their collection of recipes!

For more of our crock pot recipes click HERE

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Philly Portobello Steak Sandwich

by Veggies Don't Bite

Quick, simple, healthy comfort food for those busy nights. This sandwich is full of veggies, a touch of optional spice, and loads of flavor. Meatless Mondays just took it up a notch!

Makes 6 sandwiches

Ingredients:
4 Portobello mushrooms (de-stemmed)
1 small green bell pepper
1 small red bell pepper
2 cups spinach
1 sweet onion
2 cherry bomb peppers (optional for spicy version)
1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
1 tablespoon parsley
Your favorite oil for sauteing veggies (or veggie broth if not using oil)
2 tablespoons brown rice flour
½ cup veggie broth
Himalayan pink salt and ground black pepper to taste
Sprouted wheat or gluten free hot dog buns or sub sandwich rolls

Optional topping:
Creamy Alfredo Sauce (make just the sauce portion of the recipe, omit the mushrooms but do everything else)

A note from the Chef: The cherry bomb peppers add an extra level of flavor and spice. You can omit or even sub any other hot peppers you may like. The Alfredo sauce gives it an extra creamy taste without compromising flavor or the vegan factor. Follow the recipe given and just make the sauce portion. Feel free to add cheese if you aren’t concerned with it being totally vegan.

Method:
1. Wash and thinly slice mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, cheery bomb peppers and onion.

2. Saute garlic in a pan using oil or veggie broth until lightly browned. Add veggies and cook covered until mushrooms release some liquid.

3. Add parsley, salt and pepper and mix well. Remove cover and add flour and veggie broth and continue to cook until juice thickens.

4. Remove from heat and serve in buns. Top with Creamy Alfredo Sauce if you want an extra layer of creaminess. Also serves well with a side of green bean fries (made with using the Asparagus Fries recipe but sub green beans).

Sophia DeSantis is the author of Veggies Don’t Bite, a vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free food blog targeted to all types of eaters. She is the mom of two beautiful boys and wife to an amazing husband. Her and her family live a vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free life 90% of the time because she believes that the stress of having to be perfect shouldn’t overpower the benefits that their healthy lifestyle brings. Through her website, she hopes to reach anybody interested in making a positive health change in their life.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Chicken & Veggie Pasta Casserole

by Erin Lem

chicken-and-veggie-pasta-bake-1-5

If you’ve come to love dishes that you can reheat, reserve and reinvent throughout the week then this is the dish for you. Courtesy of Jo Cooks, this chicken and veggie pasta casserole will make more servings than your fam can eat in one night, which means you already have tomorrow night’s dinner ready to go. Score! Another bonus? The recipe calls for zucchini, pepper and onions so sneaking in veggies for your kids to chow down on is a cinch.

Serves 10

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup half and half
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

2. In a large skillet heat the olive oil and add chicken. Cook chicken for about 5 to 10 minutes until slightly browned, and cooked through. Add chopped onion and bell pepper and cook for another 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Sean with salt and pepper. Add zucchini and stir.

3. Add half and half, marinara sauce, cooked macaroni and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Pour half the macaroni mixture in a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with ½ cup of the Mozzarella cheese. Add the remaining macaroni and sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella cheese, then top with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the Panko breadcrumbs over the cheese to add a crunch to the casserole.

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

6. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Are you a fan of casserole dishes? 

photo and recipe courtesy of Jo Cooks. Visit her blog for more recipe inspiration. 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Easy Crockpot Breakfast

by Jacqui Boland

Mornings are crazy enough with new back-to-school routines. Why not make it one step easier by prepping breakfast the night before? Use your imagination when making this crockpot egg recipe and tailor it to your kids tastes. Try Canadian bacon or sausage instead of ham. Use Mozarella or Swiss cheese instead of Cheddar. Throw in some tomatoes, mushrooms or whatever veggies your kids will eat. Have fun!

32 ounce bag frozen hash brown potatoes

1 pound cooked ham, cubed

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

12 eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In small skillet, cook onion and green pepper in olive oil until crisp tender. Let cool about 10 minutes. Place one third of the frozen hash brown potatoes in the slow cooker. Add one third of the ham, onion, green pepper and cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings until well mixed. Pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker, cover and turn on low. Cook for 8-10 hours on low or until casserole is set and eggs are thoroughly cooked. Garnish with shredded cheese.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement