Pretty Little Apron

Recipes

Homemade Hamburger Helper

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This Homemade Hamburger Helper takes a classic boxed item and turns it into a homemade favorite that the whole family will enjoy! Just a few simple ingredients will knock the boxed stuff right out of the ballpark. 

 


*This post was originally created in 2014. The next year I updated the images, and now in 2018 I’m revamping the whole post to reflect all the feedback I have gotten from readers who have tried the recipe.

Homemade hamburger Helper

First and foremost, this Homemade Hamburger Helper has kept PLA running since the beginning! This post is my first VIRAL recipe, the recipe that just would not quit. I felt the need to revamp it because my writing and photography skills have drastically increased since the time I created the post and I wanted my #1 post of all time to reflect how much I have grown.

I have to admit, I’m still making this recipe on a bi-weekly basis and my kids ask for it all the time. I NEVER have to worry if my kids will actually eat when I cook this Homemade Hamburger Helper. It is just a great recipe all around if you are cooking for a family!

Reader Reviews

If you scroll down to the comments, you’ll notice a lot of readers added additional garlic powder + onion salt to the recipe. By all means, have at it! I just made this again today to re-test the recipe, and I stand by what I initially posted. The recipe called for 1/4 tsp of each. I do add additional course kosher salt at the end as well so that really bumps up the flavor.  The recipe is super customizable! I would suggest if it is your first time making it to follow the recipe and then tweak it to suit your taste.

A couple other readers suggested they needed to add more liquid. This really depends upon what kind of pasta you are using. Today I used elbow macaroni and I did need to add an additional 1/2 cup of water.

Kitchen Essentials

I have been asked quite a few times what kitchen gear I use, specifically my pots and pans. I couldn’t find the exact set, but I do have a full Kitchen Aid set that my husband picked out all by himself. Scary, I know. But he did a great job and didn’t even go cheap, which is really surprising. 🙂 I wanted to share because I absolutely adore these pots and pans as they have cooked so many wonderful meals for my family. There isn’t a day in my home that they aren’t used!

Products from Amazon.com

Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe

Whole Grain Banana Bread

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bananabread2

We had some bananas get brown really quick, so it was banana bread time! I adapted an old banana bread recipe to make it with whole, natural ingredients and it turned out fantastic! Quick breads are just that… quick! It takes only a few minutes to put together and it is delicious. This bread it great for lunchboxes or after school snacks.


This recipe features whole spelt flour, whole wheat pastry flour, mascobado sugar, maple syrup, and salted butter. I love using salted butter in recipes like this for a little touch of saltiness  to go with the sweet bananas.

Toddler Lunch: Day 27 (Persimmon)

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Toddlerlunch27

The Lunch

Today for lunch Theodore had persimmon, black bean, chicken, and avocado taco on a Non-GMO blue corn taco shell (Garden of Eatin), a dried fig and oat ball, and sweet potato fries. My kids LOVE beans so the taco was simply my White Bean Taco recipe using black beans instead of white and adding chicken. I ate the taco topped with some of my Homemade Ranch Dressing, and let’s just say I probably would have funneled that into my mouth if I could have!

The Persimmon


Persimmon is a fruit that looks similar to a tomato. It is orange in color and could very well be mistaken for a tomato if it wasn’t cut. When you cut it open, it isn’t seedy and has the texture of a dry cantaloupe. It is mildly sweet, and very tasty! I eat it as is, and so do my kids. The only thing with a persimmon is that you have to be sure it is ripe before you try to eat it, unless you want to taste something extremely bitter! I always leave them out on the counter for a day or two just to be sure. When it is ripe it should be bright orange. Persimmons are rich in dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, vitamin c, and beta carotene. If you have never tried them it is time to get on the persimmon train! Theodore was unsure of persimmons the first time he had them but has since started liking them! We don’t get them often because they can be expensive but since we like to get different fruits at the grocery store every week they do end up in our cart from time to time.

Toddler Lunch: Day 26 (Homemade Ranch!)

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toddlerlunch26

The Lunch

Today Theodore had steamed asparagus, carrots, homemade ranch to dip, watermelon, grapes, shredded chicken from our dry rubbed whole chicken last night, and a potato/zucchini “muffin”. For some reason he is still unsure if he likes watermelon, so I cut it differently to see if he would try it. I think it is the seeds he is not too fond of, but I tried anyways. If cutting it a different way doesn’t work, I’m going to make some pops out of it and then I KNOW he will like it! Once he gets a taste for the flavor then maybe he will eat it as is. Christian (the baby) LOVES watermelon, and so do I so I’m sure Theodore will come around soon.

The Ranch


I have talked about the ingredients in Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing before, and if you didn’t see the post here it is. Overall the ingredients are a mix of highly refined unhealthy oils, MSG in a few forms, and abbreviated preservatives. Definitely not a product I would feel comfortable feeding my family! I make a few different dips for veggies, but my Homemade Ranch is the best one! The spice mix I use can be used in a number of ways, so making it up ahead of time never hurts. I also just used this mix on my Dry Rubbed Whole Chicken, and I’ve also used it on potatoes. I haven’t tried this spice mix on anything that it didn’t taste great on!

One other notable thing is I do not use mayo as a base for dressing as it is GMO and contains soybean oil and preservatives. I’ve found organic sour cream to be a great alternative!

 

Homemade Ranch Dressing

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ranchmix

This recipe is simple and easy! Mix the spices together, then mix it with sour cream and milk to make homemade ranch dressing. It can also be used as a dry rub, or seasoning for potatoes or veggies. A versatile and delicious mix of spices!


Here is what to mix for the dressing:

  • 1/2 tsp ranch dressing spice mix
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/8 cup milk
  • addition cracked black pepper and salt to taste

Dry Rubbed Whole Chicken

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wholechicken

Whole chickens are severely under-rated! I can’t tell you the last time I have cooked with boneless, skinless chicken breasts because not only are boneless, skinless chicken breasts super expensive (3 or 4 organic are about $12), they are also dry if you don’t cook them right, and tend to lack flavor.


I choose to bake whole chickens because I’m not a huge fan of the Crock Pot movement that has swept America (cake in a Crock Pot, really?!?!). There are a few different ways I season whole chickens, but this dry rub is one of my favorites! This is the same seasoning blend I use for my homemade ranch dressing, but it takes on a whole new flavor rubbed on chicken skin! It is loaded with flavor, and everything blends together nicely. It is really a classic, savory, and slightly salty end result. This chicken can be served with anything from roasted potatoes, to rice, or a nice salad. This recipe makes a bit more then I needed for 1 chicken but I use this mix in other cooking so extra doesn’t bother me. If you don’t want extra cut the recipe in half.

ranchmix

 

Toddler Lunch: Day 25 (How To Get A Perfect Dippy Egg)

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Toddlerlunch25(2)

The Lunch

Today Theodore had a dippy egg “flower”, Ezekiel bread for dipping, homemade shoe string fries, mushroom and eggplant, and strawberries. I can’t tell you the last time I made dippy eggs. For some reason my husband got us an over-abundance of eggs at the grocery store so it has been an “eggy” week. I’ve been on Instagram a lot lately and have been seeing a lot of #nomnompaleo posts featuring beautiful dippy eggs! Although this one isn’t quite as beautiful as hers, it was perfect in real life. Even though I haven’t made dippy eggs in a long time, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve!

The Perfect Egg


When I was younger the only part of the dippy egg I would eat was the middle. I always thought I didn’t like the taste of the whites that way, but the reason I didn’t like them was because they weren’t seasoned!! You MUST season your eggs! I love a lot of cracked black pepper on mine as well as a pinch of kosher salt. I season the kid’s eggs a pinch too because let’s face it… egg whites are bland!

The second step to the perfect dippy egg is cooking it low and slow. Do not be afraid to let your pan heat up for a few minutes on low before you even start, and do not be afraid of butter! If you don’t use butter I would recommend olive oil as that gives a nice taste as well. I highly recommend taking your time on the heat up. Keep your burner on low, crack your egg into your pan, and let it do its thing. When I see it starting to get white around the edges I take my spatula and push it together a bit, as I don’t like it to be all over the place. When it is entirely white on the bottom take your time, flip it, and turn your burner down. This is when I put my burner on warm (I have electric) because the pan is already hot. I give it just a minute or two on the other side and it is done! After I took it out of the pan I placed the cutter around the center and got my lovely flower. Of course I scarfed down the edges of the whites! 🙂

The shoestring fries were left overs from yesterday but they were still delicious today. I sent them in my 1st grader’s lunchbox, and Theodore got the rest. All I did for these was peel 6-7 potatoes (I used red because that is what we had), drizzled them with olive oil, and tossed them with 1/4 tsp onion salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, threw in a pinch of kosher salt, and cracked a generous amount of black pepper on top. I baked them at 350 degrees until I saw them getting golden around the edges. I’m telling you, these tasted JUST LIKE the seasoning on the frozen fries you get at the grocery store, but without the GMO oils and other additives they like to throw in those products.

On a side note we are taking a trip this weekend so sticking with our unprocessed routine might be a challenge. I’ll be sure to update that on Monday! TGIF!!

Vanilla-Almond Freezer Pancakes

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vanillaalmondpancakes

If your mornings are super busy making breakfast ahead, freezing it, and getting it out as needed is a great idea. These pancakes are loaded with nutrients and oats, which will give you lasting energy. I love knowing when I send my school aged son off to school that he won’t be super hungry before lunch time! If you don’t want to freeze this recipe I recommend cutting it in half.


Another reason to make your own pancakes to freeze instead of buying the store bought version are the ingredients. Here are the ingredients from Kellog’s Eggo Buttermilk Pancakes:

eggo

The Red Flags

  • Soybean oil: Highly refined, unhealthy fats, GMO, never a good option!
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup: Highly refined, GMO, will likely give a spike of energy, and a crash!
  • Enrichment: The fact that they are enriching these means they are not using a whole flour that still has natural nutrients in tact. If you are consuming whole, unrefined grains there is no need for enrichment. Our bodies are also more efficient at processing naturally occuring nutrients so that is always the best way to go.

Overall, the ingredient list is just in my opinion inferior. They use the worst ingredients in each category, then go back and enrich it. I know I don’t want to start my day with unhealthy fats, gmo’s, and HFCS!  Also, if you are thinking of going the boxed mix route, some of those are even worse! Check out this post for the reasons why.

*To freeze simply place in ziplock bags and store in freezer.

 

Toddler Lunch: Day 24 (Mayo-Free Egg Salad)

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toddlerlunch24

The Lunch

Today Theodore had red plum slices, raspberries, mayo-free egg salad on Ezeikel bread, popcorn (organic non-gmo), and cheddar cheese roosters. He LOVED the egg salad sandwich which surprised me because sometimes he is weird about eggs.

The Mayo Issue


Let me simply start by saying MAYO IS NASTY. Growing up my mom hated mayo, so it was not something I ate until I was well over 20 years old. Thank You Mom!!! My mom always said she hated it because there are eggs in it? Not sure what that was about but she probably should have hated it because it is highly processed, and it uses genetically modified soy. It also commonly contains “natural flavors” which we have no idea what those are, and contains preservatives that are abbreviated (EDTA). Not to mention, homemade mayo IS NOT WHITE! It is yellow. Therefore, we know there is something Hellman’s isn’t telling us about this product.I can say I’m never consciously touching store bought mayo again, no matter how many fancy slogans Hellman’s uses on their packaging!

I don’t feel the need to make homemade mayo because we don’t use mayo that much and I have found sour cream to be a really easy alternative. Here is the recipe I used for the egg salad. Mix all the ingredients together and you have a great mayo-free egg salad.

  • 2 hard boiled eggs
  • 1 Tbsp sour cream (yes, I use organic)
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • kalamata olives (optional)

 

 

 

Toddler Lunch: Day 23 (Raw foods and Supporting Candy Companies Not Using Artificial Dyes)

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Toddlerlunch23

The Lunch

Today Theodore had carrot sticks, strawberries, raspberries, dye free organic jelly beans, and mushrooms/eggplant over whole wheat penne with my classic alfredo and herb sauce.


I was just reading a write up from the John Hopkin’s about cancer prevention and one thing they mentioned was consuming  more raw foods. When we cook foods they loose nutrients, therefore the more raw foods we eat the better. I’m making an effort with my whole family to keep this in mind when preparing meals. While this is not anywhere near a raw foods blog, I think it is important to mention things like this for everyone to keep in mind. Not only are there health benefits to raw foods, they take less time to prepare and are “fast food” in my opinion. It is a win-win all around!

The Jelly Beans

My husband came home from our version of “Whole Foods”, The Healthy Grocer. He had allowed the kids to pick out a special treat… organic dye-free jelly beans! It was a special occasion, we were going camping for the Memorial Day weekend. I think it is important to seek out companies not using dangerous ingredients in candy and support what they are doing. After all, nothing will never change about our food supply until we change the companies we purchase from. Here is a link to the jelly beans he got. They were really good and I will definitely purchase from them again for other special occasions!

 

Classic Alfredo and Herb Sauce

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alfredosauce

I don’t know anybody who doesn’t love a good pasta dish. This recipe is simple to make, takes only a few minutes, and can’t be beat by ANY jarred version. My toddler loves this served with whole wheat penne pasta and topped with sautéed mushrooms and eggplant (I’m eggplant obsessed). I love it topped with spicy chicken or even fish. All around, it goes great with any vegetables or protein, which makes it one of my go-to recipes.


Toddler Lunch: Day 22

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Toddlerlunch22

Today we have a simple lunch of leftovers and fresh fruits. Theodore had raspberries, grapes, avocado, white bean taco leftovers on a blue corn tortilla, and kalamata olives to try. He has never had any type of olive before because we usually don’t have them on hand. I got them specifically to make hummus so I thought it was a good opportunity for him to try something new. Olives are super salty so I wouldn’t allow him to eat a lot of them but I knew they were a flavor that was completely new to him. I was afraid he was going to think they were a grape and get upset but luckily he didn’t!


I got the super cute food picks on Amazon and I thought they were a good idea until Theodore was so occupied with talking about them that he didn’t want to eat his food! All he wanted to do was carry around his “monkey pick”. I still love them though! 🙂

Here is a link to the picks

White Bean Tacos (With Avacado Cilantro-Lime Sauce)

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whitebeantacos

I love mixing things up with meatless Monday meals! We were on our way home from a trip with the in-laws for Memorial Day weekend and we spent a good part of the day traveling. I can’t even explain how tired I was when we arrived home. The latte I had on the way home just wasn’t cutting it! Needless to say we arrived home with nothing to eat and take-out was calling my name. The problem with take-out though is NOTHING fits our lifestyle. We have not found any places in our area that don’t serve refined food bombs, so take-out for us is almost non-existent. We do bend the rules once in a while but  I’m always left feeling really drained after eating highly refined foods. My body quickly reminds me how much it doesn’t like bad food choices, and I always experience pretty bad “crashes”. This is reason enough for me to stick with the good stuff because with 3 kids I need energy, and I was already drained from traveling.


I pinned the Avocado Cilantro-Lime Sauce from The Garden Grazer on the way home from our trip, which she paired with another bean taco recipe (thanks for the inspiration!). I switched a few things up with the bean filling and it was amazing. My kids didn’t even question the fact that the tacos weren’t beef and after I ate 2 tacos the only words I could utter were “I really needed that.” The best part was, it took about 5 minutes to make the filling and another 5 for the sauce. 10 minutes to an amazing and healthy meal is where it is at!

I should also mention that we are really choosey when it comes to taco shells. We purchase certified Non-GMO shells from Garden of Eatin because they are Non-GMO and do not contain soybean oil. They are a dollar or two more then the big name brands but the extra money is worth it when you are getting a quality product from a good company. We also love their blue corn tortilla chips!

*Here is a link to the strained tomatoes I use, that are jarred instead of canned. This product is about as good as fresh as it gets, and contains no added salt! LOVE IT!

Strawberry-Mango Oats and Yogurt

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oatsandyogurt

Making yogurt for your baby is fun and easy! All you need is a blender or food processor. I suggest staying away from the products marketed specifically for making baby food because they have a very limited use and are expensive. They do the same thing as a food processor, but are cheaply made and don’t work as well.


Oats are iron rich and a perfect addition to any baby food. I use regular rolled oats (not quick cooking or baby style) and organic whole milk plain yogurt for this recipe. I also use organic strawberries, as strawberries are part of the dirty dozen list.

This recipe is also great for older kids. I put it inside our reusable Squooshi pouches, and even freeze it for an on-the-go snack to pull out of the freezer. Be creative and mix in any fruit that you’d like!

Toddler Lunch: Day 21 (Unrefined Superfoods)

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ToddlerLunch21

Today Theodore had mushroom “meatballs” on whole wheat spaghetti (i’m working on that recipe now), a frozen “carrot cake” pop, mango, blueberries, and one of my Red Palm Superfood Cookies. I have to say this is a lunch packed with nutrients and lasting energy for a growing toddler who is on the go.

The Cookie Struggle


Of course he went for the cookie first, which I feel fine about, I would too! There was a bit of a struggle after that because he wanted another cookie. I calmly told him no, and took the rest of the cookies out of his sight. He cried a bit more and walked away from his lunch. I don’t make a big deal about food issues like this because I know later in the day when the cookie struggle passes he will get hungry and come back to his food, which is exactly what happened. Right now he is sitting at the table eating the rest of his food.

On a side not we are going away for the Memorial Day Weekend and I am looking for some real food marshmallows. Anyone know of a good brand?

Red Palm Superfood Cookies

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superfoodcookies2

Yes, you read the title right… Superfood cookies! If you’ve been following along you know I have 3 boys. I like to make treats for them every once in a while because I don’t want them to feel like we are “weird” or “different” then other kids we know, and who doesn’t love cookies? My husband had been making these oat, walnut, and maple cookies and I decided to take them to the next level by using red palm oil. If you haven’t heard of this stuff yet it is incredible!

Health Benefits


Organic virgin red palm oil is the king of all oils. It is better then olive oil, coconut oil, and all the other oils that have great health effects on us. My husband actually just picked it up at the store one day, not even knowing what it was, so I Googled it and found this article from Dr. Oz describing how amazing it is! Here is an overview of the health benefits:

  • Rich in tocotrienol which is cancer fighting
  • Fights heart disease and high cholesterol by aiding in the removal of plaque buildup in arteries
  • Helps maintain proper blood pressure
  • Antioxidant rich- aids in preventing osteoporosis, asthma, cataracts, macular degeneration, arthritis, and liver disease
  • Slows down premature again by protecting the skin from UV rays from the sun
  • Protects against Alzheimer’s by improving blood flow to brain cells and stopping the damage of brain cells from occuring

I don’t know about you, but sign me up for the Red Palm Oil train right now!

The Cookies

Not only will you get all the health benefits from the Red Palm Oil, the rest of the ingredients are whole, natural, and also packed with nutrition! These cookies contain oat flour and rolled oats as well as all natural sugar so your body will not experience the “crash” that comes with refined flours and sugars. The best part, they taste AMAZING! I think sometimes people think of health food as cardboard-like but its 2014 and things have drastically changed!

The Oil

The most important thing is to choose the right oil. Do not get any type of refined version, as refining processes ruin the health benefits of oils. I’d highly recommend Nutivia brand Organic Red Palm Oil. It is relatively inexpensive and can be found in the “organic” section of grocery stores. If you are looking among the highly refined oils and can’t find it, look in another section. Here is a link to the oil on Amazon if you can’t find it locally.

Kid Friendly Frozen Carrot Cake Pops

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carrotpop2

There are 12 days of school left…. 12! There will soon be mad chaos in my household 24/7. We will be spending a ton of time outside and at the pool so I’m trying to come up with fun snack ideas for the kids that are quick. I’m also on a Ninja Masterprep kick because it is new so frozen pops seemed like an obvious option when I was thinking of ideas.


To be fair, this idea wasn’t all of my own. I did see a Pin floating around a while ago but noticed it contained some refined ingredients and moved on. After my “Apple Pie” Squooshi yesterday I realized cinnamon in smoothies tastes really good. I saw the carrots in the refrigerator and thought I’d give the carrot cake smoothie idea a whirl. When I tried it I was kind of amazed that I just made a carrot taste so good! The real test though, was having a tiny tester try it. There is a bit of “grit” from the carrot so I was concerned he would be turned off by that. To my surprise he ate all of his and asked for his brother’s!

Here is a link to the molds if you are interested, we use ours regularly and have been very happy with them.

 

Toddler Lunch: Day 20 (And How To Choose The Best Store Bought Bread)

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Toddlerlunch20

It is raining today here in Pennsylvania so I looked through my pantry and decided it was a perfect day for tomato soup and grilled cheese. Although this meal is simple, the quality ingredients used to put it together are really what set it apart from a meal containing canned soup and traditional store bought bread. Did you know Campbell’s uses high fructose corn syrup as the second ingredient in their tomato soup? This is one reason I never purchase store bought soups, they contain the cheapest, most refined ingredients and are very likely GMO (containing either soy or hfcs).

The Soup


I can put this soup together in about 10-15 minutes from start to finish. The best thing to remember about making your own tomato soup is that tomatoes are acidic so you will need a bit of something sweet to balance out the acidity. I use pure maple syrup to do this instead of refined sugars. You will also need some seasoning and salt (unless you are using  a salted tomato product). You will also need to know how to make a roux, which is just butter and flour. It is that easy! I’m going to be posting my recipe later today and will link it to this post

The Bread

Most store bought breads are a health nightmare. If you haven’t read my post “Are Trans Fats Hiding In Your Bread” I would recommend reading through it. What I hate about store bought bread is the tricky marketing they use. Just because it says 100% whole wheat, 12 grain, or whole grain doesn’t mean it is a quality product that isn’t hiding a ton of GMO and highly refined ingredients. They are also loaded with preservatives because if you haven’t noticed they don’t go bad!  Almost every single big name brand is doing this, so if you are regularly purchasing loaves of bread off of an unrefrigerated shelf in the grocery store you may want to rethink that purchase. There are some great alternatives out there but you have to search for them and read ingredient labels (look in the freezer section of the “organic” section of your grocery store). Here is what to look for when choosing a good store bought bread:

  • No preservatives
  • No GMO ingredients (soy, corn, hfcs)
  • No refined grains (bleach and enriched flours)
  • Something that will go bad if not frozen or refrigerated!

The Cheese

In short, no we don’t use Velveeta, American cheese slices, or any other “cheese-like” products. It is also best to buy cheese in blocks as the shredded kind contain additives, specifically cellulose to prevent caking. If it doesn’t have to be there, then I don’t want to eat it.

 

Spicy Black Eyed Pea Burgers (Morningstar Alternative)

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beanburgercollage

Buying good food to feed a family of 5 can be expensive! One thing we try to do to save money, try new things, and be healthier overall is take the focus off of meat in our meals. There are so many unknowns about the meat industry in America, and quite frankly I just don’t trust any of the big name brands. We do buy organic meats, but they are super expensive! I do use a few tricks to stretch the meat we buy, but I also love throwing in one or two meatless meals every week. I like experimenting with new ingredients and creating new recipes that do not contain meat and so far my family has really loved all of veggie friendly meals I’ve served. My kids do love beans and I’ve been serving lentils to my toddler since before he could even talk. Both of these are awesome alternatives to meat and contain tons of protein and fiber.


Toddler Lunch: Day 19 (Toddler Power Lunch!)

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Toddlerlunch19

I like to call this a Toddler Power lunch because it is packed full of nutrients and awesome foods! Theodore had my Maple-Dijon Grilled Salmon, skillet red potatoes with garlic, and a Squooshi filled with a green “Apple Pie” smoothie. Here are the ingredients in the smoothie that I blended with my Masterprep Ninja. It is perfect for blending apples and spinach for kids because it gets the smoothie pretty smooth considering the ingredients.

Green “Apple Pie” Smoothie

  • 1/2 red apple
  • 1/2 cup spinach
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp almond/peanut butter
  • dash of cinnamon

This recipe is great for smoothies or freezing for pops and is really tasty! If your putting this in a pouch for a younger child I will warn that it isn’t that thick so they might need one of those Choo Me spouts if you don’t want a mess! They come in the Squooshi Starter Kit or are sold separately on Amazon. Here is a link to those items.

Maple Dijon Grilled Salmon

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grilledsalmon

I like to keep things simple with Salmon because it is so good on it’s own. I use a cast iron stove-top grill for this recipe and it is perfect because the best part of this salmon are the flavorful drippings underneath the salmon! When I remove the salmon I scrape the goodness from the grill and put it right on-top of the fish. It makes this recipe that much better!


If you have never cooked with a cast iron griddle/grill before it does take some trial and error with temperatures. I’ve found the best thing to do is start very low, allow your grill to heat and if you need more heat turn it up little by little. Salmon is very delicate and the last thing you want to do is burn your fish to your grill in the first 2 minutes! Take it easy and you will have perfect result !

If you are on the market for cast iron cookware I highly recommend the brand Lodge. They have some really nice pieces that will last a life-time if you take care of them. Before doing anything with cast iron read up on how to take care of it. I’ve learned the hard way what to do/not to do with cast iron and replacing pieces is such a waste! Here is a link to the grill I use (I love it).

Toddler Lunch: Day 18 (At The Park)

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Toddlerlunch18

I am posting this for yesterday because I never found time to finish it yesterday. We went to the park with our friends Kelly and Kaden and I threw these things into Theodore’s LunchBots container so he could eat his lunch there. There were a lot of other babies/toddlers there playing so he was too busy to actually sit down and eat, but he did grab a few bites while playing.


Often times I hear from parents how they are just so busy they don’t have time to feed their kids good food. I think part of it is being in denial about what is actually in our food, and the other part is not realizing what the ingredients actually are. With summer fast approaching I know I will need to have “on the go” food for all 3 kids ready to go.  We have a few weekend trips coming up and we will be going to the park or pool all summer so there will be a lot of meals eaten outside of our home. I like to keep things simple and resort to fresh produce and high energy snacks for situations like this.

I know if I don’t bring something the choices there will be highly processed junk. If I have something already prepared for them the temptation to give in and allow them to have those things won’t be there. “Fast Food” to us is nothing more then fruits, vegetables, and maybe a cheese stick or a homemade fruit and nut or granola bar. If I have the bars made ahead of time (they only take 5 minutes to make anyway) I can have something ready to go in a minute or two. In Theodore’s lunch above you see my Fruity Nutty Oat Squares, which are raisins, dates, almonds, and oats. These are perfect for on the go and the kids love them!

 

 

Fruity Nutty Oat Squares

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The Ninja

Not to brag but I have a pretty awesome husband who is completely on board with eating unprocessed foods and supports everything I do. He knew I wanted a food processor because the small one I had a while back broke and I never replaced it. We went to Target for sponges last week and came home with a Ninja Masterprep Professional blender, chopper, and ice crusher.! My husband picked it out and brought it to the counter so it was a spur of the moment purchase but I’m very happy with it. The machine is a processor, chopper, and bullet all in one and it is AWESOME!!!! It  was relatively inexpensive for everything it does and it could crush just about anything. If you are in the market for a cool kitchen gadget here is a link to this machine:

The Squares


I had been looking a recipes for date and nut bars (LaraBars) and realized a lot of them looked super sticky. We always have rolled oats on hand so I decided to try my own version with some oats to help with the stickiness of the dates. These came together like a charm and with no trial and error I had created exactly what I was thinking of. These squares are versatile and could easily be modified using different types of dried fruit and nuts. My toddler was curious to try them right away and approved! These would be a great breakfast, snack, or lunchbox treat! With no added sugars, whole oats, and raw almonds these squares are something I feel good about feeding my children.

Toddler Lunch: Day 17 (Breakfast for Lunch and Why Betty is Busted!)

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Theodore had some eggs left over from breakfast, and I was working on my pancake recipe, so it seemed pretty natural that he would have a “breakfast for lunch” type of meal. I usually make mini pancakes for him when I make pancakes and I always have to put them away quickly or he will keep coming back and grabbing more out of the kitchen!


His mini pancakes are my Whole Wheat, Apple, and Oat recipe that I just posted today. If you want to make pancakes that you can feel good about feeding your kids these are it! He also had a fruit mix of mandarin oranges, blueberries, pineapple, and blackberries along with some carrots.

The Food Nightmare that is Bisquick

You know I really hate when food companies market things as “real” or “good” when they know they are using a concoction of refined grains and trans fats. Betty Crocker’s Bisquick Original is NO exception. If you’ve been using this mix to make pancakes or any other meals for your family, you need to see these ingredients!

Enriched Flour Bleached (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean And/Or Cottonseed Oil, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Dextrose, Salt. Contains Wheat Ingredients.

So let me get this straight…. because Americans have become so lazy we can’t put flour and leavening agents together, Betty Crocker has to do it for us. We all know when Betty gets her hands on things she adds refined grains, partially hydrogenated oils (TRANS FATS!!!!), and GMO ingredients (soy, cottonseed oil). To make matters worse Betty is a big fat liar so she has to use clever marketing to keep us coming back for more “real” stuff. Betty is officially BUSTED because now we know the truth. Sorry Betty, you better go back to writing cook books, or better yet, don’t because we don’t support companies who use crappy ingredients and lie about it.

RANT OVER! 🙂

On another note, if your considering switching to one of the other Bisquick varieties or another brand don’t waste your time. I looked over the ingredients in most of them and they are all refined and GMO. It is way to easy to make your own to even justify buying products like this. Until we stop buying these products from companies using harmful ingredients, like trans fats in pancake mix, nothing will ever change about our food supply!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Whole Wheat Apple and Oat Pancakes

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Apple and Oat Pancakes

I mentioned before I had been trying to perfect my pancake recipe. When I’m creating recipes to use for my kids it does take a bit of trail and error with ingredients to get things just right. I’ve been making pancakes from scratch for quite some time now, so I’m familiar with what makes a good pancake! I also have 3 tiny taste testers to let me know what they like as well.

Nutrients


Of course, being a health conscious mom I  also want to pack as many nutrients as I can into my kid’s breakfast. When my 7 year old son goes off to school in the morning I want to be sure he will have energy to last him until lunch time. The problem with sugary kids cereals and some frozen pancakes is that they are loaded with sugar and refined grains that give kids energy spikes, then crashes. Kids tend to loose focus easily and eating highly refined foods won’t help with that!

Oats provide long lasting energy and are iron rich, so I feel good about feeding them to my toddler and baby as well. Its awesome being able to make a breakfast like this and feed all 3 boys the same thing! The stone ground whole wheat flour in these is also naturally rich in iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate so your getting nutrients from grains without the bleaching and enriching refined grains go through. I’ll never understand the concept of stripping grains of their natural nutrients, then adding them back in. Getting back to basics and using stone ground whole wheat flour, rolled oats, and real apples make these pancakes a delicious way to start the day. They are great for snacks and lunchboxes as well!

*Here is a link to the flour I use:

Toddler Lunch: Day 16 (How to Choose the Best Store Bought Hummus)

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Toddlerlunch16 Is it seriously Thursday already? This week is flying by! For lunch today Theodore had baked pita strips with hummus, Hasselback potatoes from dinner last night, broccoli, watermelon 123’s, and pineapple chunks.

The Broccoli Struggle

I’ve mentioned before Theodore doesn’t like broccoli. I was feeding the baby broccoli so I put some in Theodore’s lunch as well because if I don’t attempt to serve it, he will never try it. He didn’t eat it, however he didn’t cry, scream, or refuse to eat the other foods in his lunch so that’s a win! I will continue to try to get him to try broccoli and I’m sure it will be served again soon.

The Hummus


I think store bought hummus is one of those foods that can go either way. Most brands do use highly refined and likely GMO canola or soybean oil so I would recommend staying away from hummus that contains these ingredients. Although hummus is a healthy dip, when you add canola or soybean oil it becomes a genetically modified, highly processed, unhealthy dip. We recently found the brand Cedars, that is Non-GMO certified and uses sunflower oil and olive oil. This is a company using quality ingredients that we will definitely support by purchasing their hummus! I would also use caution when choosing a store bought hummus because I have seen labels claiming to be using olive oil when in fact there is more canola oil then olive oil in the product. Another reason to read all ingredient labels!

The Pita

I’ve seen a lot of Pita recipes floating around on Pinterest, so they are on my “to try” list! I’ve also heard they are super easy to make so I will be updating on that soon. For now we use Food for Life Ezekiel pitas which are loaded with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals and even include lentils and carrots. They contain no preservatives or additives of any kind and all of the ingredients are recognizable. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I  LOVE their products! On the flip side I have seen brands, like Sahara, turning a simple Pita into a food nightmare by using preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, soybean oil, and refined flours.

 

Pinned It, Did It! Hasselback Potatoes

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I saw these potatoes on Pinterest and immediately showed my husband. Of course they looked delicious, but were they everything Pinterest cracked them up to be? The vote is in…. drumroll please…. YES! They were absolutely awesome for so many delicious reasons!

How I Did It


First, I should say I used red potatoes. I saw a variety of potatoes being used but my husband grocery shops and he picked red potatoes so red potatoes it was!

Second, I used butter instead of olive oil. Sometimes I do toss potatoes in olive oil before baking but I wanted to put slices of butter between the potatoes because it looked cool! I didn’t put butter between every slice, I onlyput 3 really thin pieces in each potato.If you want to do this make sure your butter is cold or it might not work out so well.

Third, I saw a few different spice mixes but I went with good ol’ fashioned kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Fourth, I baked them in a cast iron skillet and this was the  key to getting this really amazing, crispy bottom that made them some of the best potatoes I’ve had. I wouldn’t even consider making them without the cast iron skillet!

Cutting the Potatoes

To get your slices spread apart like an accordion for a nice, crispy finished product you need to slice ALMOST the whole way through. If you don’t go far enough your potatoes wont spread apart, but if you go too far you’ll slice through the potato. So you see, it is kind of an art that takes practice. My slices weren’t as thin as I could get them, so next time I’ll keep that in mind. I also accidentally sliced through one or two potatoes but it was no big deal, I just stood the slices up next to the others and it was fine. I realized toward the end that if I angled my knife I had a better idea of when to stop cutting. Overall, there were a few imperfections but they were still amazing and will be our new go-to potatoes!

 

 

Flounder Cakes (With Whole Grains and Mushrooms)

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If you saw my Toddler Lunch post today you might have known a Flounder Cake recipe was in the works! Most people think of Crab or Salmon cakes when it comes to a dish like this, but the truth is you can use any type of fish that you like. My husband always buys Flounder but the fish in these is the interchangeable part. This recipe would go with just about any type of fish so you can use what you have on hand.


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I have to admit that making these, or any type of fish based cake, is a process that looks “ugly” until the end when they are cooked. There is something about grinding up fish that is slightly disturbing but having worked in restaurants for years I am used to it. If you are making these and start thinking I’m completely crazy for suggesting this, just wait until they are cooked! I promise they are delicious! This recipe does use my Whole Grain Breadcrumbs, and if you check out that post you will see why I never use store bought breadcrumbs (I’ll give you a hint they contain 59 ingredients!). I serve these cakes a number of ways but they go great on a bed of spinach or with some brown rice and veggies.

Toddler Lunch: Day 15 (How to Get Your Toddler Eating Fish!)

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Todays Lunch: Mushroom and Flounder cakes, apples with almond butter and raisins, raw cashews, and peas.


Fish is one of those foods that toddlers either love or hate. With many health benefits, it is a great food to introduce early in life! My kids have been eating fish since they were babies, so the earlier you introduce, the better! Often times, we think of fish as “adult food” or only feed our children processed fish sticks or shapes. The problem with the processed versions is they have tons of additives that take away from the fish being good for us. The brand Mrs. Paul’s slogan is “100% Whole Fillets” which sounds like a great option. However, here are the ingredients:

Ingredients: Alaska Pollock (Fish, Sodium Tripolyphosphate to Retain Fish Moisture), Bread Crumbs (Wheat Flour, Sugar, Salt, Yeast), Water, Vegetable Oil (Cottonseed and/Or Canola, and/Or Sunflower, and/Or Soybean With Tbhq and Citric Acid As Preservatives), Wheat Flour. Contains 2% Or Less of: Wheat Flour (Enriched With Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Salt, Soybean Oil, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Sugar, Wheat Flour, Extractives of Paprika (Color), Dextrose, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Spice contains Fish (Pollock), Wheat. Manufactured On Equipment That Also Processes Other White Fish.

While this ingredient list is one of the better I’ve seen there is one HUGE red flag, Cottonseed Oil. I recently talked about cottonseed oil in my post about Non-Dairy Creamer, and my rule with this ingredient is if I see a company using it I NEVER purchase from them again. Cottonseed oil is highly refined and cheap. It is high in saturated fats and low in monounsaturated fats. Companies claiming they may be using one of the three are almost certainly trying to throw you off by putting a few other oils in there that aren’t as horrible for your health. Cotton crops are also sprayed with high levels of pesticides which could end up in the oil. All the way around, I would NEVER feed my children cottonseed oil!

I also see the letters TBHQ, an abbreviation for Tertiary Butylhydroquinone. Any abbreviated preservative is a red flag because I want to feed my children food, not science experiments! TBHQ is linked to a TON of issues and side effects ranging from nausea or hyper activity in children to damage to our DNA. Sorry, but no thank you on that note Mrs. Paul’s!

I also see soybean oil and modified food starch, both likely sources of GMO’s, which we also stay away from.

Toddlers and Fish

If your toddler has decided they don’t like fish, here are a few things to try:

  • Vary the type of fish you are trying to serve
  • Vary the way you are trying to serve, for instance try cakes
  • Pair with other foods your toddler likes
  • Put into casseroles or other dishes where fish isn’t the main ingredient

How do you get your kids interested in fish?

Garlic and Parmesan Popcorn

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The Popcorn

I’ve discussed previously how dangerous store bought microwave popcorn is. Its infuriating to see food manufacturers using partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats!), GMO corn kernels, fake sugars, fake colors, and unknown ingredients labeled as “natural or artificial flavorings” all in a seemingly “healthy” product. These companies even stoop as low as to market their inferior products as weight loss snacks, using the weight watchers points calculations to lure in dieters wanting to make better choices. Trust me, almost every brand uses trans fats and some form of a genetically modified crop in their products!


It is super easy to make your own with real ingredients, just be sure to get corn kernels that are NON-GMO. The best thing about making your own is flavoring it yourself, to your own taste. No more overpowering fake butter taste, or “light” popcorn that is tasteless! Here is another family favorite of mine, Garlic Parmesan Popcorn.