Breakfast Pita Pockets

Jul 8th, 2010 // Breakfast, Recipes

A friend recently brought us a lovely ripe zucchini from her garden so we decided to use it in our eggs this morning to create these light and delicious breakfast pita pockets. It turned out to be an excellent use of the zucchini. But your kid doesn’t have to like zucchini for you to take advantage of this invention – the pita pocket was the real appeal.

We all liked these pockets so much that we’ll certainly be trying different variations as we work our way through the package of whole wheat pita we bought. Get creative and start stuffing!  Now for the recipe… Read more after the jump…

Cold Sesame Soba (aka Peanut Butter Noodles)

Jul 8th, 2010 // Dinner, Recipes

We ate Chinese food almost every Sunday night of my childhood. One of the highlights of the meal was always the Cold Sesame Noodles. Last night my kid and I attempted to recreate these in a slightly healthier version. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that even though I still have 10 pounds of maternity weight to lose, I ate an entire bowl of this in 2 minutes flat and then went back for seconds. I could not get enough!

The great thing about using soba is that the noodles are made of buckwheat which tastes surprisingly great with the peanut buttery sauce. Soba is a Japanese pasta that is roughly as thick as  spaghetti and can be found at most supermarkets and specialty stores. It cooks in just 3 minutes. Speaking of fast cooking, it’s important that the broccoli is blanched (not cooked all the way through), otherwise it does not hold up well in the sauce. Now for the recipe…

Read more after the jump…

Pouch Baked Carrots

Jul 6th, 2010 // Healthy, Picky Busters, Sides, Veggie Friendly

I was reading my new Jamie Oliver Cookbook, Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals, when a recipe for Baked Carrots in a Bag caught my eye. I knew my kid would be all about cooking something in a bag! Jamie’s recipe looked tasty, but it included bacon (my veggie husband will not eat) and some other things I didn’t have in the house. But I did use his recipe as inspiration to come up with my own.

I showed my kid the picture of the aluminum foil bag and before we even started making this my kid started running around the house shouting “we’re making carrot pouches!” He munched on raw carrots as we pulled together the ingredients and kept peaking in the oven once they were baking. Everything about this recipe was a hit including the finished product. Now for the recipe… Read more after the jump…

Baked Apple Donuts

Jul 5th, 2010 // Healthy, Recipes, Snacks

I stopped by a cake store the other day and noticed they had donut pans. I asked about them and I was told they were for baking donuts. I’d never heard of baking a donut, but I was intrigued enough to buy a pan. After researching a lot of different recipes, I cobbled together my own to make these tasty and somewhat healthy donuts.

My kid was really excited about the prospect of donuts especially since I had the idea of making them with apples and cinnamon. Watching them grow in the oven and sprinkling on the powdered sugar were highlights of the baking process. We’re excited to share this recipe with our friends at Prudent Baby who made the “heart attack” version of these last week (Apple Fritters)! Now for the recipe… Read more after the jump…

Beets with Orange Vinaigrette

Jul 4th, 2010 // Easy Cheats, Healthy, Sides, Veggie Friendly

By now you already know how much I love the Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks. You also know how much I love Trader Joes. They had a total eclipse when I discovered that Trader Joe’s carries pre-made baby beats in the refrigerated section of the store. I used them to make this recipe. My kid was a very good helper but as you might imagine he would not touch the stuff.

While making this dish my kid discovered zesting – that he liked. He was also fascinated by the red stain left by the beets. That’s where the love affair ended. Oh well, at least I’m exposing him to new things! Now for the recipe… Read more after the jump…