Tricking your kids into eating healthy can be a struggle for parents. And finding new and creative ways to fit in fruits and vegetables without getting caught only gets more difficult.
Certified food managers experienced in preparing food for children with special food needs from Tierra Encantada, the leader in Spanish Immersion Early Education developed a variety of recipes that are kid and allergy friendly, nutritious, culturally diverse and easy to make for multiple children. Read on for three great recipes!
Chickadillo
A chicken-y spin on the traditional Latin American favorite, Picadillo!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 onion
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 2 Potatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 can of tomato sauce
½ cup of chicken broth
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh cilantro leaves (garnish)
- 2 tablespoons green olives (optional)
- 6-8 corn tortillas
Instructions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, peppers, and garlic, and sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken cut in small squares and stir-fry for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken has cooked through.
- Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, lemon juice, cumin, bay leaves, potatoes, asparagus and raisins.
- Cover the pan and reduce the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
- Before serving remove the bay leaves and garnish with fresh cilantro and olives.
- Enjoy with corn tortillas, you can even create your own Chickadillo tacos!
Kids love this dish, make it your own by adding cheese and your favorite garnishes!
The perfect meal for when you want to wash as few dishes as possible!
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup yellow corn
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cups water
- 1 onion
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 lime
- Cilantro
- Avocado (optional garnish)
Instructions:
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic in hot oil until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir black beans, tomatoes, yellow corn, quinoa, and water into skillet, season with chili powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- Bring to a boil, cover the skillet with a lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Stir lime juice and cilantro into quinoa until combined.
Make this dish your own by adding meat and other veggies!
Tierra Encantada is a warm, community-oriented Spanish Immersion Daycare and Preschool headquartered in Minneapolis, MN and currently expanding nationwide. We offer quality child care for children ranging from 6 weeks – 6 years of age. We focus on the growth of the whole child and believe children learn best by doing. Our award-winning bilingual education program fosters early cognitive development and teaches a respect for diversity.
With so many people staying at home, now is a great time to bake with your kids. Add a tasty baking craft to your everyday in-door routine with some sticky sweet one-on-one time. Not only is it a fun activity, you also get to eat something yummy when it’s done!
Best of all, what’s better than a DIY twist on the classic candy bars? Take a closer look at two of the top favorite treats from my collection of recipes that are absolute family favorites.
Are you low on flour? Coconut balls will save the day. They are soft and chewy, and when you dip them in chocolate they are irresistible. You can call these whatever you want but these yummy treats remind me of a Mounds candy bar, only with a citrus zing! I swapped out the honey/maple syrup for 4 Tbsp. of my tangerine marmalade to this recipe I found @pinchofyum.
Ingredients
2 cups dried coconut (I only had the big flaked coconut on hand so pulsed in a food processor until coarse but not too fine)
4 Tbsp Marmalade
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp. Coconut oil
Directions:
1. In a medium-size bowl, mix the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
2. Squeeze into small balls and place on a cookie sheet and put in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes.
3. While the little treats are chilling, slowly melt 4 oz dark chocolate in a bowl over hot water. I used chopsticks to roll the balls in the chocolate and lay them on parchment paper. Place them in the refrigerator to chill or just eat them up.
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or bar broken in pieces
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. Just Jan’s Seedless Raspberry Spread
Pinch of salt
Unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted) to coat truffles
Directions:
1. Place chocolate pieces in a bowl.
2. Heat cream and butter together in a heavy bottom saucepan until it comes to a boil.
3. Pour cream and butter over the chocolate and let stand for a minute or so.
4. Stir vigorously until smooth.
5. Add Just Jan’s Seedless Raspberry Spread and pinch of salt.
6. Stir until well combined.
7. Put plastic wrap on top of the chocolate in the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hrs. (may leave it overnight).
8. Sit on counter to warm up a bit before forming the truffles.
9. Using a teaspoon, scoop chocolate mixture into your hand and roll between your hands until you have a ball. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Roll in sifted cocoa powder on a plate.
Ruthi Davis is a the Founder of Ruth Davis Consulting LLC with over two decades of success in advertising/marketing, media/publicity, business development, client relations, and organizational optimization for a variety of clients. Ruthi is a proud mom and influencer in the parenting and family market as founder of the Superfly Supermom brand.
Idina Menzel, the Broadway star and voice of Elsa in Frozen and Frozen II, along with SB Projects, has just launched a brand-new kids series on YouTube called Idina’s Treehouse, and she films it in her son’s real treehouse! She reads books like The Day the Crayons Quit, chats with friends like Farmer Scott and Mrs. Roper, talks about words of the day with Aunt Cara and sings in that famous Elsa voice that’ll have the whole family wanting to listen.
Kids need meaningful connections even more these days, and parents need a break. Menzel says, “Just something I started working on during quarantine. Hope you all like it. In search of a little peace and quiet during the lockdown and stressful homeschooling I took refuge in my son Walker’s treehouse. Started talking and singing to myself. Delirium? Stir crazy? Mother gone mad? I offer up myself for your children’s amusement. Love you all. Hope you enjoy. Xoxo”
There’s nothing like a warm mug of hot cocoa on a cold winter’s day. Now you can make your favorite seasonal sip a little more festive with Swiss Miss Peppermint Hot Cocoa. Stir with a candy cane for an extra holiday treat.
Not only is this cocoa mix made with real hot cocoa infused with peppermint flavor, but each packet includes peppermint flavored mini marshmallows.
Swiss Miss Peppermint Hot Cocoa is available at grocery stores nationwide. You can also find it on Amazon.
The holidays are approaching so it’s time to start all the baking! Duncan Hines has a range of cake and cookie mixes made to make things easy for us. Now they just released a new Holiday Mega Cookie that would be great paired with a hot mug of cocoa.
Duncan Hines’ Mega Cookie line is filled with a wide variety of fun flavors. Eah box includes the mix and a 6-inch baking pan. The only way they could make this simpler is if they came into your home to mix it up for you!
Like the other varieties the Holiday Mega Cookie comes complete with the pan and mix. Stir the sugar cookie mix with melted butter and water, spread the batter in the pan and top it off with red and green tree shaped sprinkles. Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes or if you can’t bear to wait that long there is the option to microwave your cookie.
You can find the Duncan Hines Holiday Mega Cookie at Walmart for $2.50.
À la carte works on date night, but when you’re feeding your crowd, sometimes it’s better to minimize the ordering mayhem. From tacos to tofu, we’ve picked our favorite family style meals that you can carry-out from Atlanta’s best restaurants. Keep reading for the more on these magical mealtime bullets, below.
Shh. Don't tell anyone, but you can pick up a lobster taco take-out kit (feeds four) for $24. Not into shellfish? No worries. Choose from a taco pack or a roasted chicken pack, both served with salsa verde, chips and your choice of 3 sides for $39.50.
3802 Roswell Rd. NE Buckhead 678-871-8226 Online: bartaco.com
Also available at Inman Park and West Midtown locations
Who says pizza delivery has to just be the pie? Go all-in with Blue Moon Pizza's four-course family pack, which includes an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert for a family of four for $40.
325 E. Paces Ferry Rd. Buckhead 404-814-1515 Online: bluemoonpizza.com
Also available at Marietta, Sandy Springs, and Smyrna locations
Healthy and delicious, this North Buckhead spot serves up inspired salads, build-your-own bowls, lots of Gluten-free options, and quick pick pantry and fridge staples in their restaurant. And, they offer family meals, designed from their existing menu items, for four or eight people.
3872 Roswell Rd. North Buckhead 404-855-2240 Online: brackskitchen.com
Just when you think cruising through the drive-through at Chick-fil-A couldn't get any easier (or more pleasant), they go and do this: Build Your Own Family Meals are bundles of menu items that allow you to quickly build out a meal to serve four people (or more) by mixing and matching 13 different menu options. And guess what? You can get it carry-out, delivery, or pre-pay for easy drive through pickup.
You can pretty much make a family meal by ordering a couple of entrees from Gu's and sharing them; however, you can't go wrong by ordering Hungry Gu's, which includes a full order of pork dumplings, spicy crispy beef, stir-fried string beans, and chicken fried rice. And for vegetarians, you can adapt this for a full order of veggie dumplings, stir-fried string beans, spicy dried eggplant, and spring rolls.
Yes, you can take out the Tollhouse Pie, but if you're feeding a crowd, grab one of their family meals for four (you can eat the pie on the way home, and no one will know). Choose from a roasted chicken, brisket, casserole, meatloaf, and other family meals, which includes a salad, two sides, entree, and cookies.
Tuk Tuk's 3-course Family Menu serves up to 6, with incredible Thai goodness and generous helpings. Choose one appetizer, one soup or salad and two entrees for $80.
1745 Peachtree St. Suite Y Brookwood 678-539-6181 Online: tuktukatl.com
Raise your hand if you’ve ever eaten something unhealthy because you felt stressed. During my trips to the supermarket, I have been shocked to see so many grocery carts overloaded with junk food. I understand that people are tired and seeking comfort. But tater tots and ice cream won’t help. In the past, I’ve turned to food to bring me solace. But in hindsight, I learned that when you eat poorly, you feel worse so you eat poorly again. After two slices of pie, you might as well eat the whole thing, right? It’s a downward spiral!
Cleaning up your diet may help you feel better physically and emotionally. If that’s still not enough to motivate you, here are my 3 favorite food categories that I reach for whenever I’m stressed. Comfort foods don’t have to be junk. And healthy foods don’t have to be boring (see below for 2 of my favorite recipes that prove just that).
Foods I Reach for When I’m Stressed:
1. Food with Fins. Meat prices are skyrocketing and there’s talk about shortages. Meanwhile, there’s been a spike in seafood consumption. But I still hear from people who are afraid to serve fish at home because they don’t know how to prepare it. Really, it’s easy. Just saute it at high heat until it changes color and flakes easily. Total cooking time would be about 8-9 minutes for thick fillets, and 6-7 minutes for thinner fillets.
Make sure to use the right oil. Some oils become carcinogenic at high heat. Malaysian palm oil is ideal for fish because it has a neutral, buttery flavor. Plus it’s heart-healthy, nutritious and certified sustainable.
Choose sustainable fish. We’re all attuned to shortages right now. Get into the habit of making responsible choices that help protect our food supplies and our planet. The American seafood industry generally has better sustainability practices than those of other countries.
2. Food from the Soil. There’s no shortage of fruits and vegetables. Because they are rich in fiber, you’ll feel fuller so you’re less likely to want to snack. Consider serving plant-based proteins a few times each week instead of animal proteins. You may know that beans and legumes have a lot of protein. But I’ll bet you didn’t know that there’s also protein in whole grains, broccoli and sweet potatoes. So, challenge yourself to create the most colorful plate of food possible.
Make sure you’re always eating a variety of foods. Consider what you ate yesterday, and try not to eat it again today.
Opt for fresh or lightly processed. Many over-processed foods, even those sourced from plants, can contain too much sugar and salt. Even if it’s made from plants, you still need to read the labels.
3. Food That’s Fun.
Keep the kids from going stir crazy by getting them into the kitchen. Instead of swinging into another drive-through, teach your kids how to choose and prepare foods on their own that will keep them occupied and sharpen their minds.
Plant a garden with kid-approved brain foods such as strawberries, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach and broccoli.
Encourage them to sample new things. Have your kids research traditional foods and meals in different parts of the world. Then ask them to share what they’ve learned around the dinner table. It’s a wonderful way to take your family on a culinary adventure while you’re all stuck at home. For instance, my kids know that I only cook with palm oil produced in Malaysia because it is certified sustainable; it’s made without harming wildlife or rain forests.
Have enough measuring spoons and measuring cups so that each child can use their own. That speeds up meal prep time. Kitchen shears are safer for kids to use than knives.
If you feed your family junk food, your health will pay the price. But you don’t have to be a slave to your stove. Do what I’ve done and try eating just fresh foods for a couple weeks. Pay attention to how eating different foods makes you feel, not just in the moment but also the next day. Then slowly introduce processed or sugary foods back into your diet and see how you feel. Once I cleaned up my diet and realized how great I felt, and how much clearer my thinking was, it became easier to kick my favorite junk foods to the curb, permanently!
Here are 2 of my favorite comfort foods that are healthy to boot:
Chicken “Palm-atta”
Ingredients:
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
all-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
7 tablespoons Malaysian sustainable Red Palm Fruit Oil
1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped
Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 6 tablespoons Malaysian Red Palm Oil.
When butter and oil are hot, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is golden, flip and cook for 3 more minutes.
Remove from the pan and hold in a warm spot.
Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock, and capers. Place on the burner and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan to deglaze for extra flavor.
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Move chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1 Tbsp of Palm oil to sauce and whisk to emulsify.
Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.
Mashed Root Vegetables with Chevre and Chives
Ingredients:
2 pounds celery root (celeriac), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
5 cloves garlic, peeled
4 tablespoons Smart Balance Spread, divided
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/4 cup Chevre goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup fresh chives, snipped
Directions:
Bring 1-inch of water to a simmer in a large saucepot.
Place celery root, parsnips, and potatoes in a large steamer basket over the water, cover and steam over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Add garlic and continue steaming until the vegetables are fall-apart tender, 20 minutes more. Add more water if necessary.
Drain the cooking liquid through a sieve and return the vegetables to the pan.
Place over low heat and continue to stir for 3-4 minutes to steam dry.
Add 2 tablespoons Smart Balance and mash until chunky-smooth.
Gradually stir in buttermilk, chevre, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Just before serving, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons Smart Balance and chives.
Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare everything through Step 2 and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in a double boiler and stir in the remaining butter and chives (Step 3) just before serving.
Chef Gerard Viverito is Director of Culinary Education for Passionfish, a NGO non-profit organization dedicated to educating people around the globe on the issue of sustainability in the seas. He is also the operator of Saveur Fine Catering, a company focusing on local, sustainable and organic foods.
Snot, baby! It’s everywhere. From playgrounds to backpacks across America, the DIY slime craze has taken the under 12 crowd by storm. One-up ’em and make some boogers you can call your own. This gross but cool science experiment will thrill your kiddos! Read on for this easy science project.
What you’ll need:
Borax
Glue gel (we used purple glitter)
Green and/or yellow food coloring
Water
Cups/ spoons/ chopstick for mixing and stirring
Measuring cup and spoon
(Shhhh: This isn’t just a gross recipe; it’s science! Your young chemists will discover that mixing borax solution and glue triggers a real chemical reaction that changes both solutions into a gloriously gross goo.) Step One: Make a borax solution
Mix two tablespoons of borax with one cup of water and stir until dissolved. Parental note: Borox powder can irritate the lungs if inhaled in powder form. Be sure to keep the box away from kids and do the pouring/scooping for younger tots who might spill.
Step Two: Make a watery glue ooze
Mix three tablespoon of water with two tablespoons of glue (we used this glitter glue, just because we wanted our snot to sparkle) and stir to combine.
Step Three: Make it green
Let your little one be a color mixologist! Drop just enough green and yellow food coloring (a few drops is all you need!) into your ooze to make it a nice, Ogre-green color. But you can also get creative and do red, blue, black or even purple goop.
Step Four: Make the yucky magic happen!
This is the fun part: Add one tablespoon of the borax solution to your glue ooze and stir. Watch as the concoction quickly turns into a gooey clump. Add more borax solution if you want to thin out your ooze; less to keep it more like a jelly-snot. Ours turned out more solid than liquid, but our little chemists were happy with that.
Step Five: Trick your friends!
You’ve made your snot; now, what to do with it? Let your kiddos try these fun tricks:
Put your boogers into a tissue and go, “Ah-choo!” Then, show off the goods to anyone who wants to look.
Leave some stuck across the bathroom door handle.
Break off some pieces and make some yucky chunks to “pick” out of your nose. If you can do this before your kids do, you are going to earn some serious cred.
Everything about the 1970s was totally groovy––except perhaps the food. Was there even such thing as a picky eater in that decade? Judging by the food, probably not. From neon green jello salad with entrapped tuna and olives to the dawn of the TV dinner and spray cheese in a can, read on for ’70s food you’ll totally remember—and would definitely pass on today.
Jello salads were all the rage during the '70s. We just really weren't down with the varieties that incorporated tuna, olives and beef into the gelatin.
We all loved the sizzle of orbiting orange, galactic grape, and cosmic cherry Space Dust Sizzling Candy on our tongues. It truly lived up to the slogan of being "far out!"
Your parents let you eat literally pink, frosted Pink Panther Flakes because the box said they had eight essential vitamins. Perhaps the good Panther's sneakiest coup—pulled off by breakfast time.
The '70s birthed the bizarre invention of Snack Mate cheese in a can. You loved spraying it out onto Ritz crackers in snazzy, flowery designs, but if you didn't have crackers, squirting it directly onto your tongue worked just fine.
Ah, casserole. Some were better than others, but if you stomached eating Spam casserole as a tyke, you have a mealtime horror story to share with your kids.
Parents loved Spaghetti-Os (mess-free pasta!). But the Spaghetti-O Jello takes things a bit too far. No one needs to be able to slice off a chunk of gelatinous pasta. However, if you lived through the '70s, you most likely did.
Anyone growing up in the '70s undoubtedly had a parent with a strong affinity for Tab. Bonus points if you recall watching your mom crack one open while floating on a raft in a swimming pool.
Making your own TV dinner as a kid was a rite of passage (oven mitts, no microwave!). But the Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and the small square dessert of chocolate cake or apple or cherry pie made it all worth it.
Who could forget the tagline in the commercial for Freshen Up Gum "the gum that goes squirt: love that squirt"? Biting the gum sent a burst of minty or fruity gel into your mouth and promised fresh breath. We just thought it was fun.
Kids of the '70s were munching on homemade Chex Mix long before the pre-packaged version debuted in 1985. We bet you helped your mom stir the ingredients together into melted butter and then ate it all up before it even cooled.
Libbyland Dinners. Who could resist those frozen meals with names like Safari Supper, Sea Diver's Dinner and Pirate's Picnic? The pop-up packaging that doubled as a plaything was cool, but chicken called "Fried Parrot" and artificially flavored grape applesauce made these meals barely edible!
You may have thought deviled eggs really were devilish party treats as a kid. Sometimes too flavorful, topped with olives, paprika and sometimes sardines, if we just rinsed off the top and ate the "white part" we were fine.
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Many U.S. fans have been anxiously awaiting the new season’s debut. Season 4 of Workin’ Moms has already aired in Canada and the creators are already working on Season 5. U.S. based fans were becoming frustrated missing out on their favorite show and trying to avoid spoilers on social media.
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Back in March, the show’s creator, Catherine Reitman tweeted, “To all of the amazing #WorkinMoms fans out there, know that I am doing everything I can to bring you the new season on Netflix as soon as I’m allowed! I am also stir crazy and in deep need of comfort and escape! As soon as the powers that be give me a date- consider it yours!”
While you wait for the new season to drop on Netflix, enjoy the trailer for Season 4.