Field trip day!

LQ is going on a field trip and she's sooooo excited!  They were originally going on the trip last week but it was postponed due to the bad weather.  So this excitement has been building up for over a week.  The only con with field trips is that she can't take her lunchbox which means that she can't take food that needs to stay cold, but here we go!

Peanut butter and raisins on a whole wheat English muffin

Chobani strawberry greek yogurt

Apple slices

Popcorn

Trailmix (unsweetened banana chips, Barbara multigrain cereal, crasins and walnuts)

First Lady #GimmeFive Challenge

With the fifth year anniversary of the Let's Move campaign the First Lady has challenged people to give her a list of 5 things they're doing to live a healthier life.  Here's my list for all you mommy's!

#GimmeFive mommy's edition:

1.  Play with your kids and get your heart pumping.  I like to do swats and lunges with my 10 month old son in the baby carrier, it adds a bit of weight.  I run around and play "P.E." with my 3 year old daughter, it get her moving too!

2.  Let your kids see you eat what they should eat.  It will not only make you eat healthier but you will also be setting a great example for them.

3.  Take time to distress, even if that means being away from your family.  Stress has been shown to affect how our body digests and absorbs nutrients.

4.  Don't forget to hydrate.  Water plays a lot of roles in the body including acting as a solvent for vitamins and minerals that are consumed.  Without water most of the bodily processes would cease.

5.  Get some sleep!  People who get 6-8 hours of sleep each night tend to eat less and in turn weigh less than those who are continuously sleep deprived.

Hummus

Morning snack: blueberries, raspberries and pomegranate and Greek yogurt

Lunch: Hummus, Triscuits, organic colby jack cheese, yellow bell peppers and cucumbers

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Oh my goodness, hummus.  This is another one of my favorite foods and not only because it's delicious.  I basically add it to everything or I eat it on its own with raw vegetables or whole wheat Triscuits (also one of my favorites, it only has 3 ingredients!).  I make my hummus for every get together and the flavor depends on my mood.  Of course LQ likes the basic one, the one I use as a base for all the others.  In the past I've made roasted red pepper hummus, avocado hummus, roasted garlic hummus, oregano hummus, sun-dried tomato and basil, and chipotle hummus.  But, they all start with this recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup dried garbanzo beans

2 medium garlic cloves

1/3 cup tahini

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 TBS ground cumin

salt to taste

Method

In a large pot, cover the garbanzo beans with water and turn heat to high.  Once it begins boiling cover and lower heat.  It takes a while for the garbanzo beans to cook, make sure to keep a watch on the water level.  Add more water when needed.  Once cooked, cool the beans to at least room temperature. 

Food process the garlic cloves.  Add all the other ingredients and process until smooth.  Add more lime juice or olive oil if the hummus is too dry.  I generally opt for lime juice over olive oil because I just love the taste.  

Enjoy!

Carrot Zucchini Muffins

Morning snack: carrot zucchini muffin and blueberries

Lunch: Quorn "chicken", sharp cheddar cheese, raspberries and steamed broccoli

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LQ loves baking!  It's the cutest thing.  She calls out the ingredients as I pull them out and says "got it, check" then writes an imaginary check mark on the palm of her hand.  She wants to measure out all the ingredients.  This can get REALLY messy, but it's totally worth it!  On Sunday was made these carrot zucchini muffins. 

Carrot Zucchini Muffins - adapted with slight modifications from Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 TBS melted butter

1/4 cup honey

1/8 cup agave

1 flax seed egg (or 1 medium egg, if not vegan)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup finely grated zucchini

1/2 cup finely grated carrot

1/2 cup raisins

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Combine wet and dry ingredients.  Pour in to a pregreased muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes.  Enjoy!

For the love of English muffins

Morning snack: cottage cheese and cantaloupe

Lunch: turkey melt on an English muffin, bosc pears, and steamed peas

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So LQ's new food obsessions are cantaloupe and English muffins.  Her favorite English muffin is turkey and cheese.  Which is why she's having it for the second time in less than a week.  But she's been home from school the last two days and it seems that she asks for an English muffin at each meal.  She's tried almond butter with honey, peanut butter with raisins, egg with cheese, and avocado with cheese.  It's funny because she's never been a sandwich kind of girl.  I'd make her a sandwich every once in a while but she never used to ask for them.  I'll have to come up with new combinations to keep it interesting!  

Keeping it simple

LA morning snack:  a rice cake with almond butter topped with raisins and about 1/2 a mango.  

I saved some mango to give to LA (10 months), as he was napping during snack time.  But LQ said,  "Mommy I hope LA doesn't like mango so I can eat his for lunch". Tough break kiddo, LA loved it! 

LQ lunch:  turkey,  peaches,  sharp cheddar cheese, steamed peas and multicolor goldfish

LA lunch: turkey,  peas and mango. 

Can I just say that I love the simplicity of feeding children (or should I say my children).  Their taste buds haven't been overwhelmed or recalibrated by over processed foods filled with sugar, salt, additives and preservatives so they're happy to eat very basic foods.  Just as we as adults are accustomed to eating foods loaded with fats, sugar and salt we can adjust in the other direction and not include these items.  Well children, if you start them out with basic food can continue eating this way.  Which is great!  You hear people talking about "clean eating" all the time.  Well here it is!  Everything that is on LQ's plate is clean food.  

Turkey Melt

Morning snack: cottage cheese and cantaloupe

Lunch: Turkey melt on an English muffin, blue berries and cucumber

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I'm a big bagel lover!  I never buy them because I'm not sure I can eat an entire bag of bagels before they go bad (ok, maybe I can).  I generally eat them when we go out of town and the hotel has them as part of the breakfast bar.  The last few times LQ has asked for me to share.  So when we went to the grocery store the other day I thought, hmmm I should get a bag of baby bagels.  So I grab a bag and before I put it in the basket LQ says "Mommy, can we get English muffins instead?".  What the hay!  How does she even know about English muffins?  But she pointed them out and we got them.  

Valentine's Day Breakfast

LQ was sooo excited about Valentine's day.  This kid is just so full of love and I love it!!!  She ran into our room this morning showering us with hugs, kisses and I love yous.  It was beautiful!  So I thought I'd reciprocate with a LOVEly breakfast.  So I made heart shaped whole wheat pancakes, strawberries, vanilla Greek yogurt and white chocolate stuffed raspberries.  She said "Mommy, this is the best breakfast EVER!"  How about that?

Pita Pocket (mommy's gotta eat too)

Whole wheat pita stuffed with spinach, hummus, avocado, red bell peppers, grilled eggplant and Parmesan cheese with a side of pretzels.  The pretzels and the bell peppers add that crunch I always need when I'm having a sandwich/wrap/pocket.

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

Morning snack: Hard boiled egg and strawberries

Lunch: Mac and cheese and steamed broccoli

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I don't pack hard boiled eggs that often because LQ likes to peel her own and it can get a bit messy.  But with LQ's increasingly limited protein options I decided to cook some up.  Hard boiled eggs are funny little things.  Cooking them too long and they turn a bit green, not appetizing and can even get an "eggy" smell.  Or if not cooked long enough the yolk doesn't firm up and they can be a bit runny.  So what to do?

Place raw egg in pot covered with cold water.  Turn the heat to high.  As soon as the water gets a rolling boil cover the pot and turn off the heat source.  Set a timer for 10 minutes.  Once the timer goes off place the cooked eggs in ice water to stop the cooking process.  Tah dah!  Congratulations, you've just made perfectly cooked eggs.

Peanut Butter Banana Raisin Oatmeal Cookies and White Chocolate Cranberry Granola Bars

I occasionally make different kinds of healthy, no or minimal sugar added bars, cookies or cupcakes for LQ.  (Previous recipes here, here, here, and here.)  Every time I send something to school she'll ask me to pack extra so that she can share with her friends (aka everyone in her class).  From the very little that she shares I've gathered that she shares her special treats with her best friends but now more and more of her classmates are asking that she share.  So for the last few weeks she has asked me to make these special treats for everyone in her class.  Being the fantabulous mommy that I am, I'm happy to do so!

So last week I made white chocolate and cranberry granola bars (which I forgot to take a picture of).  The granola bars were a BIG hit at preschool last week so I thought I'd share the recipe.  This week I made peanut butter banana raisin oatmeal cookies.  These are great because they have no sugar, include protein, a good source of fat, 2 sources of fruit and can totally be eaten for breakfast!

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Granola Bars
Makes 20 small bars
Semi-adapted from My Kitchen Escapades.

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup puffed brown rice cereal
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/8 cup agave
1/8 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup cranberries

Method

In a large mixing bowl combine oats, cereal and coconut and set aside.  In a small saucepan over medium-high heat melt the butter.  Add the honey, agave, brown sugar and salt.  Stir until combined then let boil.  Once boiling commences allow it to boil for 2 1/2 minutes.  Add vanilla.  Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients.  Add the white chocolate chips and cranberries.  Place parchment paper in an 8x8 pan and pour in mixture.  Press down firmly to form a bar.  Place in refrigerator and allow to cool overnight or for at least an hour.  Cut and enjoy!
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Peanut Butter Banana Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 24 mini cookies

Ingredients

2 mashed ripe bananas
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup raisins

Method

Set oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the wet ingredients and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients and combine well.  Spoon cookies onto preg-reased mini muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

On the upside

Morning snack: cottage cheese and cantaloupe

Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich, baby carrots and strawberries

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I read a funny post on Facebook the other day that reminded me of how finicky kids can be about food.  Maybe you've seen it.  As you all know, I've been dealing with a little bit of that myself with Miss I don't eat chicken or turkey anymore.  Oh and as a bonus, she's now added veggie crumble to that list.  Anyway, I'm just happy and grateful that this new pickiness has only affected protein and that she still loves fruits and vegetables!  

Do your kids have any random food habits, rituals, dislikes, etc.?

Nacho-ish

Morning snack: whole wheat rice cake topped with peanut butter and raisins and a clementine

Lunch: brown rice, peas, veggie crumble, a couple of corn tortilla chips and a sprinkle of cheese.

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Cheesy situation

Morning snack: cottage cheese with a sprinkle of cheese and Triscuit

Lunch: sharp cheddar grilled cheese sandwich, blueberries and red bell peppers

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I've been having a bit of a hard time getting LQ to eat turkey or chicken lately.  In fact, she took the turkey out of her pita yesterday.  She is, however, eating all the proteins I eat.  These include peanut butter, dairy, legumes, hummus, nuts and vegetarian meat alternatives.  Her favorite....cheese, of course!  

Maybe she'll be a vegetarian like her mommy!  

Greek yogurt oatmeal breakfast cookie

Morning snack: Greek yogurt oatmeal breakfast cookie and clementine

Lunch: Turkey, cheese, avocado, hummus pita, baby carrots and grapes

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One of the most important things I've learned from my three year old is that calling something a cookie automatically makes it more delicious!  

Greek yogurt oatmeal breakfast cookie

Ingredients

2 cup oats

1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

2 TBS almond slivers

2 TBS raisins

2 TBS melted butter

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup agave

1/8 cup honey

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Method 

Set oven to 350 degrees.  Place all the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in a second bowl.  Use a whisk to make sure the wet ingredients are completely combined.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients.  Pour into a pregreased 8x8 baking pan and bake for 20ish minutes.  Enjoy!