Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Cooking with Kids

Kids can be picky. They will often not like something just for the sake of not liking it. Often it has nothing to do with the food itself but the fear of the unknown. Getting your kids in the kitchen is a great way to get them involved with their food. Bring your kids to the grocery store; let them pick out one or two vegetables they’d like to try that week or even give them a choice between some of your own favorites. When you get home let them help you put away the food so they understand the full process behind what gets on their dinner plate. Finally, let your kids cook! Get a pair of child safe scissors that are only used for the kitchen. (I would suggest for kids 3 years or older) Let your kids cut romaine or pepper strips for salad; mix up a salad dressing, measure and roll out pizza dough. All children are different but by the time they are about 3 years old they should be able to help with whisking, measuring, mixing, tossing and cutting vegetables with child safe scissors. Let kids wash vegetables and watch as they transform from a giant bunch of kale to a small amount in the pan. Cooking to me is always rewarding, especially with the kids. It is amazing to see their faces when something they helped to create is on the plate to be consumed. 


            
Today E and I decided to make banana bread. Now, it wasn’t the healthiest banana bread. I didn’t go crazy with making too many alternatives for the recipe. I did a couple easy changes and just enjoyed the time baking with my lovely three year old. She smiled the entire time. Baking can also be turned into a math lesson. E helped with the temperature on the oven making sure it was at 3-5-0. We also counted ½ and ¼ cups, eggs and bananas to make sure we were following the recipe. It is always such a fun experience cooking with her and I always want to figure out more ways to get her involved. A couple great books on the subject are Rachael Ray’s “Yum-O! The Family Cookbook” and Ella’s Kitchen’s “The Cookbook: The Red One” and “The Big Baking Book: The Yellow One”. Here is the banana bread recipe we used today inspired by Tyler Florence’s version but made just a little healthier.

Banana Bread
1 cup AP Flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tbps ground flax seed
2 tbsp wheat germ
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
4 very ripe bananas (I like to save bananas that are past their prime peeled, in the freezer in a freezer bag)
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup Earth Balance Butter, melted and cooled
¼ cup apple sauce
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup chocolate chips (optional, we didn’t use chocolate chips today since Jared is allergic)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Spray non-stick spray on a light colored 8” cake pan, aluminum is nice. Then cut out a circle of parchment paper to stick on the bottom and spray once more. Be sure to get the sides.

Combine flours, flax, wheat germ, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they are chunky but not complete mush, set aside.
In a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer beat the remaining two bananas and sugar until well incorporated. About  1 ½ minutes for stand mixer and 3 minutes for hand.

Add in eggs, the cooled butter, apple sauce and vanilla and mix until just incorporated.

Add in the flour mixture slowly so you don’t end up covered in powder, and then add the mashed up bananas.

Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place it in the middle of the preheated oven for 1 hour or until the sides are coming away from the side of the pan and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. (Look at the toothpick, if it’s mushy delicious banana on there that’s fine, you don’t want to see raw batter.)
Let the cake pan cool about ten minutes before turning out the banana bread. Let cool an additional half hour before serving. I suggest with a cup of tea.

Steps where the kids can help:
Measuring the dry ingredients
Mashing the bananas with a fork
Cracking eggs
Scraping the batter bowl into the cake pan
Enjoying every last bite when it comes out of the oven!

Some resources for cooking with kids:

Sunday, July 27, 2014

How to Be a Super Parent (Kind Of)


There are times in parenting you may feel defeated. The sink is full of dishes, your toddler is running around in their underwear and you never quite got around to those Pinterest crafts you’d been pinning all week. We see all these blogs with moms creating animals out of their kids’ breakfast; they have spotless homes and seem to have enough time at the end of the day to go to the gym to workout. This type of image can make parents feel like they aren’t good enough. Every parent wants to be a super mom or dad. Here are my not so traditional tips to achieving this phenomenon:

1. Know that no matter what, you are a super hero.

To your children you are the world. They don’t care if the laundry isn’t folded or if you haven’t dusted in a week. All your kids want is to spend time with you.

2. Take a second to reflect on the things you have accomplished.

If you are feeling like there just isn’t enough time in the day take a second to go over what you have already accomplished and feel good about that. Maybe write a to-do list; every time you cross off a task you’ll feel a lot better. But remember, schedule in time for your kids or even ask them to help with small chores so you’ll have more time to spend together.
 
3. Take time for yourself.

Even if you feel like you don’t have time for yourself, make time. Your children will not benefit from a stressed out parent who hasn’t showered and is humming Disney songs all day. Your kids will be happiest when their parents are happiest.

4. Being a super mom or dad does not mean perfection.

Most of us know that no one is perfect. But, as parents we strive for perfection. We want the cleanest homes, the happiest kids, the perfect work-life balance, the ability to cook a four course meal every night. This is a false sense of reality that social media wants us to believe is attainable. Pick your battles and do what is best for your family and time. Striving for perfection and stressing out is not a good example to be setting.

5. Realize your kids won’t be little forever.

Time is precious. Embrace every second. Choose what’s important and try not to stress about the rest. You are perfect just the way you are.



Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Meal Planning Tips




I tell anyone who ever asks me how to lose weight, eat healthier and/or save money that meal planning is the absolute best thing you can do. Going to the grocery store without a plan is the worst thing you can do for your health and your wallet. Taking an hour or two  just one day a week to take inventory of what you already have and then writing down a solid plan of what you will cook each night is totally worth the money you will save and the amount of junk you will stop buying.
                Every Monday morning I head over to Starbucks with E, Kindle, pencil and meal planning template (google meal planning templates, there are literally thousands) in hand. I get a cup of tea and sit down to write my meal plan and grocery list for the week. I get inspiration from cookbooks, magazines, the internet and what E and my husband have actually told me they enjoyed. Sometimes it’s easiest to set days of the week to certain themes that way you aren’t eating chicken five days in a row. Here are some theme examples:
Monday
Mexican
Monday
Crockpot
Monday
Chicken
Tuesday
Italian
Tuesday
Leftovers
Tuesday
Beef
Wednesday
American
Wednesday
Grill
Wednesday
Vegetarian
Thursday
Indian
Thursday
Braise
Thursday
Chicken
Friday
Spanish
Friday
Stir Fry
Friday
Soup/Sandwich
Saturday
Take Out
Saturday
Take Out
Saturday
Take Out
Sunday
Asian
Sunday
Roast
Sunday
Pizza

                As you write down what you plan to make each day be sure to think about the amounts of each ingredient you will need and try to estimate totals. If you think you will have a hard time with that then try using cookbooks or magazines to help with exact amounts. I absolutely love my kindle fire! I get magazines and cookbooks all in color all in one spot; it is definitely my go to for meal planning.
I often divide my grocery list into sections of the grocery store to make it easier when I am there, rather than realizing half way through the store you forgot something over in produce. This is how I separate my shopping list:
Produce
Meat
Dairy/Eggs
Pantry
Freezer
Household Items
                Now go to the store and stick to your list! This may take some time and self-control but you can do it. At the end of each week ask your family which meals they liked best and keep the recipe with shopping list in a note book or on an index card that way you can rotate your family’s favorite into each week’s menu without a thought. Here is a sample meal plan from the Mazza House:
Days of the Week:
Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Breakfast
English muffin w/ jam and fruit
Bagel thin w/ cream cheese
Whole wheat pancakes w/strawberries
English muffin w/ jam and yogurt
Yogurt w/ fruit
Bagel thin w/ cream cheese
Breakfast Take Out
Lunch
Sunday Family BBQ Tradition
J – Take out at work
T & E – Sandwiches, Soups, Yogurt, Fruit, English Muffins etc.
J – Take out at work
T & E – Sandwiches, Soups, Yogurt, Fruit, English Muffins etc.
J – Take out at work
T & E – Sandwiches, Soups, Yogurt, Fruit, English Muffins etc.
J – Take out at work
T & E – Sandwiches, Soups, Yogurt, Fruit, English Muffins etc.
J – Take out at work
T & E – Sandwiches, Soups, Yogurt, Fruit, English Muffins etc.
Leftovers from week
Dinner
Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken with Brussel sprouts and roasted potatoes
Whole wheat pancakes, bacon, strawberries
Crock pot soup with BLT and avocado sandwiches
Sloppy Joes with steamed broccoli
Falafel pitas with salad
Veggie Stir fry with brown rice
Take out

 
P.s. You probably already know this but, never go to the grocery store hungry! Ever! Promise?