I buy whole wheat pita because I know it’s better for us, but I must admit I don’t like the taste as much as white pita. (Sometimes I just give in and buy the white stuff. For shame!) But, alas, now I’ve found the reason for whole wheat pita to exists – baked pita chips. O.M.G. I could eat 200 of these they are so good.
There are so many kid-friendly elements to making these chips. Including letting your kid cut them up into triangles using scissors and then inviting them to paint each chip with olive oil.
They bake up super fast and after a few minutes on the cooling rack you’ve got yourself a crispy, healthy and delicious snack.
They taste great on their own but even more fantastic with a nice white bean dip.
Look whose little hand immediately started grabbing for today’s snack! Now for the recipe… after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Sep 22nd, 2010 // Giveaway, Kid-tastic, Recipes, Snacks
21 Comments »
Chickpeas aka Garbanzo Beans are low in fat and an awesome source of fiber and protein. Most people enjoy them whipped up into a nice hummus, but in our house we’ve been known eat them straight out of the can. This time we wanted to do something a little different.
We had great fun splashing around while we washed them.
We picked through them to remove loose skins, patted them dry and then spread them out on a nice big Silpat lined cookie sheet. We sprayed them with a little cooking spray, roasted them and then finished with a bit of sea salt.
They were such a big hit I could barely snap a picture in between my kid picking chickpea after chickpea out of the bowl. This after school snack recipe is a keeper for sure…
after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Sep 21st, 2010 // Kid-tastic, Recipes, Snacks
41 Comments »
Look at those adorable bright orange ramekins – they are the perfect size and shape for serving up little apps or after school snacks! They come in lots of different colors and you could win a set of 4! Our What’s for Lunch Series was so popular that we’ve decided to do a new week-long series of after school snack ideas and we want to hear from you! We’ll be starting with our first snack idea at noon on the 9/21. We’ll post a new idea every day through 9/28. All you have to do is comment on one of our snacking ideas to be entered to win these ramekins. If you want more chances to win, come back each day and enter another comment. (Only one comment per snack please.) The giveaway will close at midnight on 9/28 and the winner will be selected at random from all the comments received. Can’t wait to hear from you!
Fine print: This giveaway is intended for play in the United States. Giveaway must be shipped to a valid address within the 50 United States. Void where prohibited by law.
posted by Rebecca // Sep 21st, 2010 // Giveaway, Recipes, Snacks
20 Comments »
Our friends came over for brunch with their baby in one arm and a bag of fresh fruit from the farmers market in the other. They asked for a cutting board, a knife and a bowl when they arrived. I thought this was such a lovely way to go about making a truly FRESH fruit salad. In between cuddling our newbie and their own they chopped up fresh plums, cantaloupe, strawberries and peaches. Then they took a big bunch of mint and chopped that up too and tossed it in with the fruit salad. I never put mint in my fruit salad so I couldn’t wait to taste it… after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Sep 18th, 2010 // Breakfast, Drinks, Healthy, Recipes
3 Comments »
I had to travel again for business again this week and my sweet husband has been orchestrating all of the activities for the little ones in my life. I was really excited to be flying home last night and I was very much looking forward to cooking with my kid in the morning but instead this happened: Just before 6pm some colleagues and I spent 15 minutes trying to hail a cab. It was drizzling so we knew it wouldn’t be easy. I finally flagged down an off duty cab and begged for him to take us to the airport. I promised a good tip and he agreed. Getting out of the city was a nightmare, but we assumed it would be smooth sailing after that. WRONG. 4+ plus hours later we were still 10 miles from the airport (the entire trip should have taken 30 minutes) and our plane had just taken off without us. We asked our off duty cabbie to turn around and take us back. He was so lovely about it even though he had complete license to be an ass. As we drove back, the radio spewed a million stories about traffic jams and tales of over 1000 downed trees, flipped tractor trailers and flooding. A tornado had hit New York! We arrived back at our hotel and re-booked ourselves for a morning flight and then headed out for Thai food in the city that never sleeps. Our adventure was far from over…
What you are looking at (above) is the guy who sat next to us on the plane. It was pretty obvious that he was either drunk or high. Immediately upon sitting down he opened a chocolate bar and then proceeded to go right to sleep. He slept with that chocolate bar melting in his hand and onto his other hand. He then woke up, stretched and rubbed his head with his chocolate covered hand. After doing a half-assed job licking the remaining chocolate off his hand he rang the call button for the flight attendant. No, he did not ask for a napkin. Instead he asked for milk.
He opened the milk and then immediately fell asleep. Yes, with the milk open in his hand. What do you think happened next? Good guess! He spilled it ALL OVER himself and all over my esteemed colleague who had to change into her pajamas because, well, you know… were already wearing 2 day old clothes from getting stuck in NY in the first place. Speaking of milk, the morning before I left town my kid and I used up our milk and the left over New Year Challah to make French toast…
after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Sep 17th, 2010 // Breakfast, Recipes, Veggie Friendly
3 Comments »
Can you help us solve this mystery? I cut into this granny smith apple and handed it to my kid without looking twice. He took a little nibble and then I realized that the apple was very strange looking. The apple smelled normal, felt normal and looked totally normal on the outside. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Have you?
posted by Rebecca // Sep 15th, 2010 // Uncategorized
14 Comments »
I’m a sucker for Chinese chicken salad so the idea to make a sandwich using the same flavors was really a no-brainer for me. Plus, the main ingredient is peanut butter – which is is generally pretty kid friendly.
The dressing has apple cider vinegar in it. When we started to measure it in, my kid asked if it was apple juice. No, I replied. Can I try it? He asked. I attempted to explain that he wouldn’t like it but then I decided to let him give it a whirl. I think that was a mistake because he would not touch the dressing after trying that vinegar. Ooops!
He remained a dutiful helper none-the-less and we had some beautiful sandwiches to show for it. We even made one with tofu for my husband! Now for the recipe…
after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Sep 14th, 2010 // Lunch, Recipes
3 Comments »
We had friends over this weekend and it dawned on me that my kid and I have never really arranged food together. Mostly we just make the food and then he scurries off to was his hands before we sit down to dinner.
I love the way a fruit platter looks on the table especially at a brunch. It’s best if it is asymmetrical and all the fruit looks like it just kind of fell in pools onto the tray.
Although we tend to try to make things orderly, kids are really great at arranging things more randomly. Turns out my kid makes a great fruit arranger.
Funny, even after lining up these strawberries, his instinct was to then pool them together in the middle.
I think holding on to this skill might be more valuable than any recipe I could ever teach him. Does it get any more beautiful than this?
posted by Rebecca // Sep 13th, 2010 // Breakfast, Dessert, Healthy, Lunch, Recipes, Veggie Friendly
6 Comments »
I’m not ashamed to admit that in our house sometimes we cheat. Cheater cakes can be pretty awesome if you buy the right ingredients. It starts with boxed cake mix as the base but totally taste homemade. The key is to buy organic cake mix that doesn’t contain all that partially hydrogenated oil and in this case we also bought really good pudding mix.
Besides, who can resist a spice cake filled with chunks of apples and smothered in homemade caramel sauce? Not me. not my kid. We brought this cake to my friend Susan’s house for the holiday (Rosh Hashanah). Susan, did you think I hadn’t noticed that you gave me back the cake platter without any leftovers on it? I saw those few last slices on your counter. We’ll take that as a compliment. 
Betcha didn’t know it was a cheater cake! Now for the recipe… after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Sep 13th, 2010 // Dessert, Easy Cheats, Kid-tastic, Recipes
9 Comments »
If you’ve been following us you know that since we started cooking together my kid has gotten pretty awesome about trying new things. I try not to pressure him to do it, but most of the time it just works out that way. Most of the time with one exception: he completely refused to try tomatoes. Until today.
I really don’t know what got into him. I didn’t mention it. I simply suggested he pour the olive oil over these fresh cut veggies.
Then I showed him how to pluck the little leaves of the fresh oregano.
Then we added some torn fresh basil and salt. I turned around to get the baking dish and when I turned back around he had a tomato in his hand headed toward his mouth. I froze in disbelief. After biting in he shook his head “yes” and said “I like it.” !!!!!!!!!! O.M.G. !!!!!!!!!! My only regret is that I didn’t have a camera in hand. I wish I could say that something special about recipe made him try it but I don’t think that’s it. I think he was just ready. Hooray! Here’s how to make this super simple and unbelievably easy gratin …
after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Sep 12th, 2010 // Recipes, Sides, Veggie Friendly
4 Comments »
