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Have you ever taken a cooking class with your child?  How about a three year old?  Let me tell you it’s a pretty funny experience and totally worthwhile.  We recently went to a Chobani for Champions event where we learned how to incorporate yogurt into our recipes.  I’m used to doing it for baking, but in a main dish I was at a loss.

Introducing, Very Berry Yogurt Chicken!  It’s a sweet dish that is family friendly.  I knew it would be a winner when it included two of the kids favorite snacks~ cucumbers and avocado.  Plus yogurt is involved which is Madison’s favorite food lately…she couldn’t get enough of it!

Here are the instructions for the Very Berry Yogurt.  Don’t miss your chance to win an amazing package of yogurts from Chobani at the bottom of this post!

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
2 cups of Very Berry Chobani Greek Yogurt
1 English cucumber
1 avocado
8 leaves of basil
1/2 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon canola oil

Instructions
Chop chicken into 1” pieces.  Place in ZipLock bag along with one cup of yogurt. Shake to combine.
Chop cucumber into small pieces (1/4″).
Scoop avocado from the rind, try to keep it intact.
Roll basil leaves together and cut into long strips. Scissors tend to be better than knives for this.

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add chicken to pan once hot.  Cook until nearly cooked through.
Add cucumber to skillet, cook for 4 minutes.  Add raspberries (which sadly I didn’t have on hand at home.)

Add avocado at the end so it doesn’t turn brown, then the basil.  Lastly, add in the second cup of yogurt so it’s slightly creamy.

Final product! Very Berry Yogurt served in a cute avocado boat!

Now the fun part! One winner will get 2 boxes of Chobani Greek Yogurt delivered to your door.  That 48 cups of yogurt!  Just think how easy it will be to pack for a picnic lunch with these little cups! Did you know Chobani yogurt is hormone free?  I was pleasantly surprised to learn this and it made me very happy. Enjoy some Very Berry, Honey Banana, Chocolate Chunk and Orange Vanilla…which is like a creamsicle in a cup!
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Contest is open until midnight, May 12th.  US Residents only. 

Good luck!

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i event and received complimentary products for review. The opinions expressed here are my own, and my 3 year olds. This post is shared with Make It Yourself Monday.


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What’s not to love about Chocolate and Cheesecake and Cookies?  Put it all together and you get one rocking cookie.  We had these over Easter weekend and they did not disappoint.  I also used white whole wheat flour to up the healthy quotient.  No one was the wiser 😉
Recipe was adapted from Sister Wisdom.

Chocolate+chip+cheesecake+label1

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE COOKIES

Course: Dessert
Keyword: Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of flour ~ I used white whole wheat
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 10 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 12 ounces chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk to combine. In a mixer, blend butter, sugar, egg, cream cheese and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture until all incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.
  • Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, 12 per sheet.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Tried this recipe?Mention @emilyroachwellness or tag #erwellness!

 

Enjoy!

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This post is shared with Sustainable Ways, What’s Cooking Wed.

Ever start one recipe and then it turns into something else?  Sometimes it’s because we are missing an ingredient, or you are trying to incorporate some healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour.  I often wonder, when does a recipe become your own?  Change two ingredients, not really.  Maybe three or more, sure I think it’s your own recipe.

So here is my recipe for my Carrot Pear Muffins, adapted from Rise & Shine Muffins from The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland.

Ingredients
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or 2 cups white whole wheat flour)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
4 medium carrots, peeled and grated (2 cups)
1 pear, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup pecans chopped
3 large eggs
2/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract



Instructions
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Place raisins in a small bowl, cover with hot water and set aside to plump.
-In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
-Stir in the carrots, pears and pecans.
-In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla.
-Add the egg mixture into the flour mixture.
-Drain raisins and fold into batter.
-Fill greased or paper lined muffin tin 3/4 full with batter. (I use a a mini muffin tin below and fill with an ice cream scoop.)

-Bake 25 minutes (15 minutes for mini muffins) or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

-Enjoy!

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Linky love: Melt in Your Mouth Monday, It’s A Keeper, Muffin Monday

This is one of our favorite weeknight soups.  It cooks up fast, works for both parents and kids, and is all real food.  It’s an oldie from Cooking Light and it still delivers.  We make it with spinach instead of kale as in the original recipe.  I find kale is a little too tough/salty/gritty to make quickly.  Another time saver is to buy prechopped onion and garlic.  I always buy the chopped garlic in the largest size available, usually in the produce area.  On Sundays I will prep my onions if I am making a lot of recipes during the week.  I put all the chopped onions in a glass storage container and just measure out what I need for each recipe.

Sausage, Cannellini Beans and Spinach soup
Ingredients
8 ounces farfalle pasta (cheese tortellini is another option)
1/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 links turkey Italian sausage (originally we made it with hot, not with kids we do sweet)
3 garlic cloves minced (I buy the prechopped garlic, such a time saver and cheap)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (14 ounce) can fat-free, low sodium chicken broth. (we use our own)
1 (16 ounce) package of baby spinach
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained. (look for low-sodium)
1 ounce shaved fresh Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, but reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Scoop out 1/4 cup of the sun dried tomatoes in a small bowl.  I use kitchen shears to cut the tomatoes over the bowl.  Then use a spatula to scoop the tomatoes and oil into a large Dutch oven.  Heat over medium heat and add onion and sausage (removed from the casings) to the pan; cook 10 minutes or until sausage is browned.
3. Add garlic to pan; cook one minute.  Add seasoning, pepper and broth.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until headed through.
4. Add beans, pasta and spinach.  Stir spinach in so it gets submerged and wilts.
5. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top.

Makes 6 servings.

For the kids, I drain out the liquid and serve on plates.  The beans are always the first to go!

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this post is shared with The Green Resource, Sunday Night Soup and Frugally Sustainable

Strawberry Fruit roll-ups, or fruit leather, are probably the kids’ favorite snack right now.  Both get excited when they see the blender come out.  The tricky part is the one year old is so slow eating his, big sister tries to take what he hasn’t eaten yet!

Strawberry Fruit Leather
Ingredients
1 lb Fresh Strawberries  
2 tablespoons honey

Instructions
Wash strawberries and remove the green stems.

Place strawberries and honey in a blender and puree.

Pour strawberry mix on a dehydrator tray with the fruit leather tray. Spread evenly.

Cook at 135 degrees overnight, or about 10 hours.
This is a bit trickier with an oven, as friends have confirmed that getting an evenly cooked roll-up is difficult. However, you can cook it on a very low oven temp on a parchment lined baking sheet.  I would advise using a cookie sheet with no sides to allow for better air flow, or turn on the convection oven blower.

It will be done when there are no sticky spots.  You want it to be pliable, not brittle.
Let cool completely, then peel fruit leather from tray and move to parchment paper.

Little hands got to this before I could get my picture!

Roll the paper and fruit leather together into a long roll.  Cut with scissors into desired length.  Store in an airtight container or zip top bag.

Strawberry Fruit Leather RandomRecycling.com

See the previous post for the Cinnamon Apple Ring recipe.
Enjoy!

Ever hear about using a dehydrator?  I hadn’t until about a year ago when I started reading blogs that talked about making dried apple slices in the fall and homemade fruit roll-ups.  Before then, it never was on my kitchen wish list.

Luckily, a little birdy (thanks Christy!) told my husband I might be interested in one for Christmas. Over the past two months we have devoured not only apple slices, but also bananas, pineapples and strawberries.  I’ve dehydrated potatoes, but haven’t found a great stew recipe yet to try them out.  The number of items to dehydrate is massive, but we have limited it to snacks.  Have you noticed a snack theme to my last few posts 😉

I have the Nesco Food Dehydrator.  It’s round and comes with 5 trays, plus layers for drying herbs or making fruit leathers (yum!).  It’s reasonably priced for anyone looking to test the water of dehydrators, compared to the more fancy Excalibur dehydrators that have square trays and a different air flow.  For non-essential kitchen toys like this, I like being able to decide if I really use it before making a bigger investment.

So far, our two favorite snacks have been cinnamon apple slices and strawberry fruit leather.  Both are easily portable, enjoyed by both the 3 and 1 year old and also offered a great teething food instead of a store-bought biscuit.  We haven’t tried it, but sweet potatoes are also supposed to be great for teething, plus the little ones get a nice dose of beta carotene.

Cinnamon Apple Rings
Wash and core about 4 large apples.  We have done a mix of varieties and they all cook up similarly well.
Peel on or off is your call.  I like to leave it on to increase the fiber in the snack.
Slice the apples about 1/4-inch thick, either with a sharp knife or a mandoline.
Sprinkle apples with cinnamon lightly on one side.
Place apples on the drying racks in a single layer.  Avoid crowding the apples to allow for even drying.
Dry at 135 degrees overnight, or about 9 hours. (I suggest allowing yourself time to check them in the morning so you get a sense of how fast they cook, it depends on the size of the apple slice.)
The rings are done when they are pliable, but no liquid is squeezed out when you break it apart.  You don’t want brittle rings, that means they are a bit overdone.
Store the cooled apple rings in an airtight container or zip top bags.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can make these in an oven on the lowest setting, either 150 or 200 degrees.  The apples can be layered on an oven safe cooling rack over a baking sheet.  You will need to watch the time as the difference in degrees can vary the cooking time.  (more details here.)

One of my new year’s goals is to do some emergency preparation planning.  You just never know when you might get a snow storm that shuts everything down.  I would feel better knowing we have some food options in the house that will last for a long time, and don’t necessarily come out of a can.  There will be more to come on this topic as I share the progress we have made on this goal and how the dehydrator fits into our plans.  My husband wants to make beef jerky.  He might be on his own with this next kitchen mission.  Maybe I’ll get him to guest post. (he, he.)

Snacks are a lifeline with the little ones in tow.  Cheerios, fruit, apple squeezies and so on.  I don’t walk out the door without a snack sack in the diaper bag.  However, I was getting tired of offering the same old thing so I went searching for a little inspiration.

One of my all time favorite recipes to make is Pumpkin Muffins from Kitchen Stewardship.  I have made them probably 30 times in the past two years since I first found the recipe.  I’ve also been reading Katie’s blog since then and found loads more “green” stories that were new to my world.  I had my eye on her Healthy Snacks to Go e-book for awhile and when the updated version came out, I finally ordered it.

I am a fan of the e-book now as they are easy to download to my Ipad and it allows me to browse through recipes before bed. Yes, that’s right.  I read cookbooks before I go to sleep.  Helps me slow down I guess.  I also have wireless printing so I can print a recipe to try in the morning Since I usually let Madison bake with me, I don’t want the Ipad  anywhere in the vicinity of the kitchen when we get started.

The pumpkin muffin recipe is in there with four different variations I’m excited to test out, including Banana Nut, Banana-Cran, Applesauce Spice and Blueberry.  I do love muffins so expect to see these at a future playgroup date. (You can also follow my Muffin Pinterest board too).  The Honey Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffin recipe is listed below.

Last week we tested out the Butternut Spice Bars.  I wanted something with protein in it as my little guy doesn’t always feel like eating dinner.  A protein rich snack at 4:00 though will rarely be turned down.  The spice bars didn’t disappoint as everyone is giving them a thumbs up.  They don’t crumble so it’s also portable as they passed the church and playground snack bags this week.  Again, there are notes about variations and substitutions so you can use canned pumpkin if you don’t have butternut squash on hand.

The next challenge is to make the power bars, though I may never make them all.  There are 15 variations in this cookbook.  No more spending a $1/bar.  One batch probably costs around a $1 to make and will give you 5-6 bars, or a dozen 1/2-inch balls which I’m curious to serve to the kids.

To order the book, click here to access the Kitchen Stewardship ebook collection. (Full disclosure, I am an affiliate of the book and get a small percentage of the sale if you purchase the book. Thanks!)  The book is currently $8.95 and includes 45 recipes.  Add the book to your cart and you can check out easily with paypal.  You will get an email with the link to download your book.  I download my link to both my laptop and Ipad so I can access it whenever I want it.  You never know when you will need a little snack inspiration for a long road trip.

Happy Snacking!

Honey Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
from Healthy Snacks to Go


Ingredients
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 tablespoon molasses (optional)
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil (I’ve tried both and they are equally good)
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup can pumpkin (1/2 a can)
1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour  (100% w.w. flour or white whole wheat flour both work)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Method
Mix all dry ingredients together, whisk to combine.  Add balance of wet ingredients to large bowl and mix completely.
Pour in greased loaf pan or muffin tin. Bake at 325 degrees:

  • Bread = 75-90 minutes
  • 12 Muffins = 35 minutes
  • 24-30 Mini muffins = 25 minutes
  • 24 Muffin Tops = 20 minutes (my own personal add on, they came out great!)

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Current Giveaway: 201 Organic Baby Purees, open till 3/2

this recipe is shared with Real Food Forager, Cultured Mama and Frugally Sustainable.

Making the switch to whole wheat is easy in some cases, like bread and pasta.  Making the switch when baking is not always so simple.  Whole wheat flour acts differently than the all-purpose white flour because it has a lower amount of gluten.  This can cause baked goods to not rise properly.  Often times, I do a mix of both flours so I make them a little healthier, but still get a light and fluffy result.

This recipe I found for Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies uses 100% whole wheat flour and it comes out perfect.  I have made them for a number of different people and so far everyone likes them and is surprised when I tell them they are made with whole wheat.  These are not the healthiest of cookies (2 sticks of butter!) but I like that there are no preservatives in them, the ingredient list is simple, and there are no refined flours involved.

The recipe is originally from Parenting magazine, Feb 2011.



Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oatmeal (old fashioned)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Mix flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a bowl and stir with a whisk. Set aside.
2. Soften the butter.  I leave it in the paper wrapper and place on a plate in the microwave and heat for about 15 seconds. Totally depends on your microwave but you want to make sure it doesn’t melt.
3. In a mixer, beat the butter on high speed until creamy.  Add brown sugar and beat on medium speed.  Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Last, add in the vanilla.
4. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Mix until mostly blended.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Chill batter for at least 30 minutes.  A chilled dough helps the cookie bake more evenly and doesn’t flatten out.

7. Drop rounded tablespoons of batter on ungreased baking sheets.  12 per sheet.  Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden at the edges in a 350 degree oven.  Cool on wire racks.  Made about 30 generous sized cookies.
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This is shared with Melt in your Mouth Monday, Seasonal Celebration Sunday, Tasty Tuesday, What’s Cooking Wed and Frugally Sustainable

If you have a baby that loved all the purees you ever gave him and suddenly with the shift to chunkier textures he is super picky, then I feel your pain.  My little guy is almost 13 months and we are in that funny time period where he won’t let you feed him, he is struggling to grasp the idea of a spoon and he wants to try everything we eat.  I’m all for sharing, but lately he is throwing more food off his high chair than eating it.  Oh, and did I mention I’m trying to wean him from nursing?  Let’s just say meal time has not been the most relaxing experience lately.

I got the chance to review the new 201 Organic Baby Pureescookbook by Tamika Gardner, the author behind the Simply Baby Food Recipes blog.  Certainly good timing as we were moving into this transition stage of eating.   Plus I had used a number of her recipes already when we were in the early food stages.  Think Stage 1 and 2 of store bought baby food.

The cookbook is divided into age appropriate recipes, with a push towards a broader flavor offering as the child grows.  One of the cool ideas I liked is the menu plans for little ones.  Sometimes I find it easier to make new recipes when I see the different ways I can reuse later in the week.

The big winner in all the recipes I tested was the Pumpkin Risotto.  It’s noted to be both freezer friendly and parent friendly, both winners in my book.  I LOVE risotto and yet I had never baked it before.  Guess what, it works.  Easier than standing at the stove for a half hour stirring, sort of like when I made risotto in the pressure cooker.  What was even better is that the little guy LOVED his risotto too.  He ate it so fast I nearly forgot to get a picture.  Very little ended up on the floor. 😉

PUMPKIN RISOTTO from 201 Organic Baby Food Purees
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used red)
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 cups vegetable broth

Risotto ready for the oven

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small skillet, heat olive oil and butter on medium heat.
3. Once butter is melted and mixture is starting to sizzle, add sage and garlic. Saute for about one minute.
4. Transfer herb mixture to a 3 quart casserole.
5. Add remaining ingredients and cover.
6. Bake 1 hour. Stir before serving.

Want a copy of this cookbook?!  Enter for yourself or a friend, this book would make a nice unexpected shower gift for a lucky mom.  Contest will be open until midnight on March 2st., US residents only please.

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I was provided a copy of this cookbook for review, the opinions shared here are my own. 

As Lent arrives this Wednesday, you may be in the market for a few more meatless meals. I was lucky to grab some fresh haddock at the Natick Winter Farmer’s Market this weekend. Just in time for some Sunday  soup.

 The Basque Fish Soup is super simple, delicious and healthy.  This has been made by my family since I was little and I’m sure it will continue to be a tradition.

Basque Fish Soup


Ingredients
1 large onion chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped celery, leaves are good too!
1 large garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoons butter
42 ounces whole tomatoes with juices (1 large + 1 small can)
1/2 cup white wine (I like chardonnay best with this, but tried vouvray and it was fine, just a little sweet)
1/2 cup minced parsley (or sub 2 tablespoons dried)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 pound white fish, haddock/cod/scrod all acceptable.

Instructions
-In a large pot, saute onion, celery and garlic in butter for about 5 minutes or until tender.

-Stir in tomatoes, wine, parsley, salt, pepper and thyme.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

-Meanwhile, cut fish into one inch chunks.

-Add fish to pot and simmer 7-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

-To reheat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Do not microwave fish soup, fish and microwaves do not mix!
Serves 4-6.

Have you tried to eat more meatless meals?  Do you think fish counts as meatless, or just for Lenten purposes?  What other meatless meals have you found success with?

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This post is shared with Melt in your Mouth Monday, Real Food Forager , Tasty Tuesdays,  Frugally Sustainable and The Best Soup Recipes.
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