I received an interesting question from a reader, Lisa, she asked:

You feature a lot of food your family eats on your blog some I want to try but I don’t think my kids would like it. How do you get kids to eat these things? How do get them to love their food? How do get them to eat healthy?

I am am sure I do not know all the answers and I must confess we don’t eat perfectly healthy all the time. I have had my struggles like every other parent to encourage a love of food and a love of good food. But I can offer what has worked for us in real life, the hands on experience as a large family with a lot of different personalities and tastes.

So here it goes…

My 8 Tips For Encouraging Kids To Love Food!!

1. Try, try and try again!

It has not always been easy to get our kids to love food. Or to even try different foods. Especially for children who might have sensory issues. It has instead taken a lot of patience. A lot. Starting slowly, asking for them to try a bite. If they don’t like it at least they tried it. And then try again another day. Some estimates state that you may have to offer food over 30 times before kids will willingly eat it. This means come to the table with a lot of patience, respect of their efforts to try and willingness on our parts as parents to try, try and try again!

2. Acknowledge different food personalities.

However, in your quest to try, try and try again. Remember we also have different food personalities. One is more adventurous than the others, another likes {no loves} routine and comfort, and another child is way too busy exploring the world to focus on eating. Do not berate a child to get him or her to eat something that might be different or outside their comfort zone. Keep it simple in how you offer it, make sure they try it and encourage them when they do!

3. Have them help pick out meal ideas.

We will often include the kids in making meal plans. We ask them what their favorite dishes are and show them magazines, shows, blogs, websites, and cookbooks that offer different food options than they are use to. This gives them the chance to see a variety of food choices and to perk their interest. You might be surprised what they are interested in. I know my kids surprise me sometimes.

4. Put them to work!

No, seriously. I mean it. Put them to work. Have them help along side you in the kitchen. Have them read recipes with you, stir in flour, roll out dough, peel apples and so on. If you have the time, plant a garden. I have found when my kids are active in the process of food prep they can see their food come alive and it is great for us to share that time together. We get to share stories, laughs and create memories during those times. Yes, it can be a little hard for those of us who love to control our kitchens BUT the pay off is having kids who will try new dishes and foods more willingly because they made it!

5. Destination Food

Sometimes new foods or foods that are not normally part of your family’s regular meal rotation, like Mujadara, can be added in with a connection to making the meals “destination meals.” What I mean by this is, use the time to explore the country or culture the dish or unique food comes from. You can learn about the customs, read books, watch a documentary on it, celebrate a particular feast day that is popular in another part of the world and even set the table to match the theme. Also, take advantage of any cultural festivals in your area, this is a great time to learn and try new things! We live in a global world why not explore all of it!

6. Model Behavior

If you never eat your vegetables and grab only what is always the most convenient of items then how do you expect your kids to want to do anything different? They are learning by what not only what you tell them but also by what you do. Our example teaches our kids so much & it is something I have learned first hand. If I want my kid to try new things then I have to step out of MY comfort zone too. So eat those fruits, veggies and try a new dish. Who knows, you might also be surprised by how much you like it! I know I have.

7. 80/20

I know this might be controversial. It might rock the health boat. But remember at the beginning of this when I said we don’t eat healthy all the time. We don’t really ban foods per se. Instead we strive for the 80/20 rule in our home and we strive to teach about what is good food and where it comes from. We eat healthy 80% of the time and the other 20% of the time if someone wants a cookie or we eat something that is less than desirable we do not stress about it. We find that the 80/20 rule allows us to have a good balance while we educate our kids and ourselves about food. You might that your balance is different for a variety of reasons, that’s OK. Being aware about the food you eat and what it does for your body is really what is the key here.

8. Turn off outside distractions

Turn the T.V. off, put the phone down, put away the toys and focus on being together. We try to find fun ways to get them to focus on their plates. And most of all family time at meals is sacred space for us to focus on sharing our day together. We try to right now to eat one meal together daily. It does not always happen, but we make it happen as many times during our week as we can. We know that as the kids get older more activities will enter our lives, but we want to make family meals a chance to reconnect and share our lives. It also helps the child who is easily distracted to stay focused at regular meal times. If you have a busier schedule, maybe select one meal that is YOUR meal. Set that as your sacred family space.

So, those are my 8 tips. The 8 that have learned “on the ground” of motherhood. I hope they help spark some new ways of approaching food for you and your family!

And how about you, what are your tips? Do you involve the kids in a garden, in making dinner, or have a fun way to encourage them to try something new? Please share!

On Easter I made a spinach and artichoke dip to bring.  It was a party after all.  And parties deserve a dip.  A dip full of cheesy goodness.  A dip that you can justify eating because it has vegetables in it. Hello! Vegetables!!  Vegetables always win. Kind of like babies, as everyone knows babies always win.

What You Need:

1 Package of Frozen Spinach, 10 0z. {thawed & cut}

1 Can of Artichokes, 14 oz. {rinsed & cut}

8 oz. Cream Cheese

1/3 Cup of Mayo

2/3 Cup of Sour Cream

2 Cups of Shredded Italian Cheese Mix {Store bought or You can always make your own mix of 1/2 Parmesan and 1/2 Shredded Mozzarella}

3 Cloves of Garlic {minced}

1 Quart baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, cook for 30 minutes until cheese is melted & lightly browned on top

How To Put It Together:

Thaw your spinach, squeeze out any excess water, then chop it and put in your baking dish.

Rinse, clean and chop your artichokes.  Toss them in with the spinach.

Mince your garlic cloves and toss those bad boys in too.

Add in your cream cheese, sour cream and mayo to the dish.  Mix everything together.

Add in 1.5 Cup of your Italian Cheese and again mix it all well.

Once everything is well mixed put the remaining 1/2 Cup of  Italian Cheese Mix on the top of the dish.

Put in the oven, bake at 350 degrees. Check for 30 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, other cracker/bread items or use veggies on the side for dipping.  So good on carrot sticks!

A Few Caveats: You can add shredded carrots or diced red bell peppers to the dip prior to cooking the dish.  Or you can also decide to add a little kick with a pinch of cayenne pepper if you roll like that.

I have added back in drinking green juice {fruit & vegetable juice} on a pretty regular basis lately.  I took a little getting use to when I first tried it but now I love it.  Absolutely love it. As in I feel like Popeye has nothing on me. And I am ready to take on the day after I have my glass. I have also noticed after adding it back in to my regular food routine {versus every now & again} that my skin is starting to look better. I have been dealing with some righteous adult acne, but I swear the juice is helping.

If you haven’t ever tried it. Give it a try. Just do it. You can either make it yourself or you can buy some from the local grocery store. They are pretty popular & sometimes large bulk stores like Costco carry big jugs for way less than the local store. You might find you end up loving it too.

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I gave up meat for Lent.

And booze.

Maybe that is why I lost my mojo or felt like the Winter has been long. However, an added bonus is pulling out good soup recipes ones that are hearty without needing to rely on meat to fill you up. One such soup is Lentil, Tomato and Spinach soup. It is fairly simple to throw together. We also love lentils, they are a great addition to our Lent meals and the meatless days we have throughout the year.

When it is done serving it with some fresh bread is a nice touch.  In fact, I must state that our soup being served with the most delicious fresh homemade bread {versus store bought} is all thanks to Mike. He is still making his bread. He makes on average 3 loaves a week. Each time he tweaks it a little improving from before. It is a real art at this point.

What You Need:

1 Cup Brown Lentils {Cleaned and Rinsed}

1 Bay leaf

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Carrots, diced

1 Celery Stalk, diced

1 Large Onion, diced

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 cans diced Italian Tomatoes, with the liquid

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

4 Cups Water

4 Cups Vegetable Broth

1/4 Cup Choped Fresh Parsley

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 lb Fresh Spinach, stems removed

Parmesan, Freshly Ground Pepper and Olive Oil, for serving {you can leave off the cheese or even use a vegan substitute!}

How to Put It Together:

Heat olive oil in your soup pot and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes then lower the heat and stir in the garlic, carrots, and celery. Continue cooking until the onion is soft over the lower heat {make sure the heat is lower or you might burn your garlic}.

Add the diced tomatoes {along with the extra juice in the cans} and cook for 5 minutes.

Add in the vegetable stock, water, lentils, and seasoning {salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley}.

After this cut the fresh spinach into strips, it is easier to eat in my opinion if they are cut. Set this aside as you will add it later.

When the lentils are soft, about 75 minutes from when you added the lentils, stir in the spinach by handfuls.

Also if the soup becomes too thick you can thin it down by adding water, start slowly here as to not thin it too much and dilute the flavors.

Simmer soup for 5 more minutes after adding in the spinach leaves.

Serve with freshly ground pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and Parmesan cheese.  If you are going vegan you can either leave off the Parmesan or try it with a vegan Parmesan substitute.

Serves 8 and as I may have mentioned, several times already, is perfect with fresh bread.

1.  Easter Bread 2. Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction Glaze 3. Garlic Roasted Mashed Potatoes 4. Lemon Olive Oil Cake 5. Cinnamon French Toast 6. Fresh Whipped Cream

We have some super scrumptious Easter recipe contenders for our dinner and breakfast this weekend. The kids have also been asking all week if they can help braid the bread this year. And of course they are all planning the designs for their Easter eggs.  So we cannot forget to boil the perfect yellow yolked eggs for when we get to the dying and eating eggs part of our Easter fun {egg salad anyone? me thinks yummy!}…

What are you all having? 

Over the Winter I lost my cooking and baking mojo. I don’t know why but I just didn’t feel like doing any new recipes or even to play with old stand-bys.  Instead I kept pulling out old favorites and doing what I love, what makes me feel all warm & cozy inside. One of which is homemade Parmesan Crackers.

Something about a fresh cracker. The first bite that melts in your mouth after the hard crust fades. The ease at which I could eat an entire bowl. The shuffling of my hand into the bottom of the bowl hoping to pull out just one more.  It is pure comfort any day or time of the year.

What You Need:

1 Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper

8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter {cut into individual tablespoons}

Ice Water

Optional: 1/2 Teaspoon of one of the following: Paprika, Basil, Thyme, Cayenne Pepper or Rosemary

adapted recipe from Essential New York Times Cookbook

How To Put It Together

Grate your cheese finely if you are using a block (you can also cheat and use the kind you find already shredded or even pulverized, no one is going to know or judge you trust me) and place in either a mixer or food processor or heck do it the old fashioned way when people had to you know, use their hands. I know how insane!

Slowly add flour, salt, and pepper to the cheese.  If you decide to add an additional spice for flavor, add that in now. Stir to blend.

Now add in one tablespoon of butter {I find it is easier to cut each tablespoon into fours then toss those in} at a time until dough is crumbly. Basically you are cutting the butter in like you would do with biscuits.

Slowly drizzle about 4 tablespoons of ice water into dough while mixing. Do it one at a time. Because you will want to stop once the dough is moist enough to be formed into a ball. Do not over do the ice water. Slowly but surely wins the race.  If you need another tablespoon you can always slowly add it, although 4 seems to do the trick usually.

Now place the dough on parchment paper, wrap the ball in the parchment paper and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden or in your refrigerator for an hour.

Take out your dough and roll between two pieces of parchment until it is 1/8 inch thick.  Mine I went a little fatter this time and I decided to cut mine into small squares. Why? Because I wanted to that’s why. I am like that sometimes.

But if you want them a little thinner & crisper than the 1/8 inch is ideal. Also, I have seen many people use small cookie cutters but simply cutting them into strips and then squares from there works too. Preheat your oven during this time at 350 degrees.

Place uncooked crackers on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can also add a sprinkling of kosher salt or pepper on top the crackers before baking if you like. Place the sheet on the upper rack of your preheated 350 degree oven.

Cook for 8–12 minutes until golden brown.  If you want you can flip them at the 4.5 minute mark and that ensures they will be golden on each side without being over cooked.

Then take out, cool and eat!

Delicious…

Or maybe clean bowl club? Either way the baby is now officially moving into solids.  She is also now moving forward when she crawls. Not backward, not side to side, not scooting around but crawling. Full on crawling. Hold me now.

{And yes I just posted an update that is essentially what I ate for breakfast baby style. Why? Because I could.}

Mike wanted to try something new and enter the Tamale Pie.

It is really a Tex-Mex take on a Shepherd’s Pie versus a true tamale if you ask me. But it was pretty darn good not too spicy and not too complicated to throw together. My oldest couldn’t get enough of it. And that is saying something because he can be hard to please. I have no idea where he gets that from! {OK, I kid I know where. It’s from me} Anyway, the Tamale Pie is also a classic recipe as it predates the 21st century and is squarely from the time period of America’s love of all things casserole. Back when every Mom wore an apron while dressed to the nines while keeping her home and every Dad had a rocks glass of hard liquor at the end of the day after working in his executive position, just like June and Ward Cleaver. You know it was before we realized that real life looked nothing like Leave it to Beaver. But still the hearty casserole and the Tamale Pie lives on. Thank Goodness!

What You Need:

3/4 lb Ground Beef
1 Cup Diced Onion
1 Cup Diced Green Pepper
16 oz. Tomato Sauce
12 oz. Corn (about 1 1/2 cup)
1 Minced Clove of Garlic
1/2 Chopped Black Olives (pitted)
1 Tablespoon of Sugar
3 Teaspoons of Chili Powder
Dash of Ground Pepper
1 1/2 Cup of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 Cup of Cornmeal
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups of Water
1 Tablespoon of Butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Makes approximately 6 servings.

How To Put It Together:

Cook onion and green pepper in a little hot fat (here a pat of butter or tablespoonof olive oil would work as your fat) until the onion & green pepper are just tender. Add meat: broan lightly, drain the excess fat.

Add next 7 ingredients. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until thick. 

Add cheese; stir until your cheese has melted in the mixture. 

Pour the entire mixture into a greased 10 x x 1 1/2-inch baking dish.

Now…make your corn meal topper: Stir corn meal and salt into 2 cups of cold water. Cook and stir until it becomes nice & thick. Add butter; mix well. Spoon over the meat mixture {which is waiting in its baking dish}. Spread the cornmeal topper all over.

Bake casserole in moderate oven (375 deg) for about 40 minutes. I would suggest putting a baking sheet under it. As ours did leak over the side a little and a baking sheet keeps any possible slip from hitting your oven.

Take it out and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe: Better Homes and Garden’s New Cookbook (a Classic for truly American takes on food).

Serve with a nice good hearty salad and you have yourself a nice festive change up for dinner.

My oldest {yet again} convinced me to make him muffins. Not any old muffins but Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins.

What can I say I am a sucker for his methods of persuasion which include not only begging but also having D-man beg as well.  Together they are a deadly combo of cuteness. A team that cannot be beat. Plus, who doesn’t like a good muffin in the morning with their morning coffee. I know I do. Sometimes I just eat the top & save the rest for later.

What You Need:

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

½ Tea­spoon Salt

1 Table­spoon Bak­ing Powder

1/2 to 3/4 Cup Peanut Butter

3/4 Cup  Mini-Choco­late Chips

½ Cup Milk

½ Cup (or 1 Stick) Unsalted Butter

1 Tea­spoon Vanilla

2 Large Eggs

1 Cup Sugar

Makes 12 Muffins

If you use lin­ers you’ll want to but­ter the exposed area of your muf­fin pan. If you do not use muf­fin lin­ers then make sure to but­ter the whole pan & lightly dust with flour, tap­ping out excess.

Bake for 22–28 min­utes (until golden brown) at 375 degrees

How To Put It Together:

In a medium bowl, sift together all your dry ingre­di­ents.  This includes the flour, bak­ing pow­der and salt.  Sift­ing these together will give an light & airy tex­ture to the muffins.  Nothing is worse than dense or rock hard muffins.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand-held mixer cream together your stick of butter and 1 cup sugar.  You will use a medium to high speed, it should take about  about 3 minutes or so.  Then add your eggs (one at a time) & mix together.  Now mix in your vanilla, milk and peanut butter.  Once the “wet” ingre­di­ents are creamed together in the larger mixing bowl slowly add in the dry into the larger bowl.  Incorporate everything into one batter, again do not over-mix. Over-mixing makes for dense rocks!  Then gently fold in your mini-chocolate chips.  Scoop into your muffin tin {see above for liner versus straight into the tin instructions}. Do not overfill or under-fill you want them at least 3/4 the way full {I usually go to almost full but not over flowing outside the cups}.

Sprinkle with a little sugar and pop in the oven. Bake for 22–28 min­utes (until golden brown) at 375 degrees.

Then wait for them to cool & enjoy one with a nice cup of tea, coffee or hot cocoa!

At our house almost everyone likes eggnog. It is rich, creamy and a once a year holiday treat. It feels like I should be drinking it by a roaring fire, instrumental Christmas music playing in the background, sitting in a snowflake themed sweater with a good book set down beside me only because the conversation got so good I couldn’t focus on reading and all my children are sitting around me (nary an argument in sight) while stringing popcorn for the tree. All the while we laugh in between sipping our eggnog  and eating a cookie.  Reality might not look this storybook. In fact, reality looks nothing like this. I mean I don’t even own a snowflake sweater. But I do have eggnog.

Have eggnog. Make cookies.

It’s a rule.

That I just made up.

BAM!

Anyway, these cookies are very simple with a subtle sweet eggnog taste. Perfect for the person who likes eggnog but doesn’t envision picturesque moments with mugs of eggnog in hand but does appreciate the subtle hints of eggnog. These cookies do have a stronger nutmeg taste. I prefer this as I enjoy nutmeg. A lot. A whole lot. If you don’t you can always play down the spices.

What You Need:

2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

2 Teaspoons Nutmeg

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

3/4 Cup of Unsalted Butter (soft to room temp)

1 Cup of Granulated White Sugar

2 Egg Yolks

1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 3/4 Cups of Eggnog

Makes about 4 dozen Cookies

Powdered Sugar & Nutmeg for dusting tops

Or you can use colored sugar or sprinkles or an icing glaze

How To Put It Together:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Line cookie pans with parchment paper or silpat.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside this bowl. You will use it in just a few minutes.

Cream together the butter (soft at room temp) & sugar in your mixing bowl. You want these to become a light creamy blend. Then add in your vanilla & two egg yolks (save your whites, make an omelet with them!).  Add each ingredient one and a time, mix on a low to medium speed.  Once these are all blended slowly add in your dry ingredients. Again slowly add in or you may have a floor, counter & face full of your dry ingredients when you turn your mixer back on. As I may or may not have done (OK, fine I admit may).

Now you can work with the dough immediately.  But it is easier to chill it because the dough is sticky to work with. Chilling makes it easier to work with overall.  Chill it for about an hour.

Then pull it out, scoop into a small ball shape (I use a spoon, drop them, & then shape on the pan but you could use a small cookie scoop), place on a parchment lined (or silpat lined) cookie pan & cook for about 20–24 minutes on the middle oven rack at 300 degrees. Low & slow.  You don’t want the bottoms to burn before your tops are even cooked.

Once they are done, place them on a cooling rack & dust with powdered sugar & nutmeg.

Serve with eggnog. Or coffee. Or, oh, how about some ultra yummy hot cocoa?

Now that sounds delicious together…