Cooking for Multiple Families

Over the weekend we had three families come over all with small children. Our idea of an evening with friends is very different than what it was a few years ago but we had such a good time with everyone. Having the get together at our house was a great way for the children to be able to play and run around while the adults got to talk. I have never cooked for so many people nor for so many age groups before. Before I started to panic I decided to do something quick, easy and one dish that everyone could enjoy. I did my favorite lasagna. I know I posted the idea already but I didn't give a recipe nor did I know it would be great for a large crowd. I made the lasagna and garlic bread and our friends brought a salad and dessert.

Here is the super easy recipe which I used:

Prep Time ~ 20 mins and cook time is about 1 hour

Serves around 10 people

Ingredients:

About 12 pieces of uncooked lasagna noodles

2 Cups Cottage Cheese (can use low fat if desired)

2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

2 eggs- lightly beaten

6 cups of any pasta sauce

1 LBS ground beef or ground turkey (brown the meat and drain)

(You can also add any veggie you wish to the layering-spinach works well)

Preheat to 350

In a medium bowl add cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and eggs-mix well

In another bowl add the browned meat to the pasta sauce

In a 9"x13" pan spread 1 cup of the meat/sauce mixture on the bottom

Place 1/3 of the noodles on top.

Spread half of the cheese mixture over the noodles and top with another 1/3 of the meat sauce.

Repeat layering and top remaining noodles with eat sauce mixture

Cover with foil and cook for 55 minutes

Uncover and sprinkle with left over mozzarella cheese (or as much as you like)

Bake for 5 more minutes

Let stand 15 minutes before cutting in to it.

Whole Foods :)

My daughter has always been a 'climber' but lately she has taken it to new heights- literally! All she wants to do is climb on everything she sees. Her favorite thing to do is the climb on a chair and then up on the table. She is 16 months old and doesn't seem to understand discipline. I have tried everything and she just thinks it is all a game. She laughs hysterically when I tell her 'no' and even enjoys 'time outs' so much that she puts herself in one herself and giggles. Needless to say it is getting hard to cook anything because I can't turn my back for a second with out her ending up on the window ledge or the kitchen countertop. This is the reason for my post tonight. I had been feeling guilty that tonight I didn't make a long grocery list with the ingredients I needed to make meals for the entire week, I didn't go to the grocery store to find all of the ingredients while chasing an active toddler up and down the aisles and I didn't spend time preparing and cooking dinner one handed while holding and entertaining my daughter at the same time. Instead I went to Whole Foods and spent only $30 to get dinner for the three of us for three nights. I bought chicken and cheese sausages that were freshly made at the store, freshly prepared black bean burgers, whole wheat buns, broccoli, sweet potatoes, vegetable balls and cranberry stuffed turkey breast. All of these were made fresh that day and all I had to do was cook them by either sticking it in the oven or in the fry pan. I still felt like I had 'cooked' dinner but with out all of the hassle! The point of this post is that sometimes you can cut corners to make life a bit easier and you shouldn't beat yourself up for it. I saved time, I wasn't stressed out, my daughter didn't fall off of anything and we all had a wonderful meal! Hopefully you can enjoy a week off every now and then :)

Quesadillas Ideas!

Quesadillas are a very quick, easy and fairly mess free meal option. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1) Sweet Potato and Black Bean

2) Refried Beans and Cheese

3) Cheese and Broccoli

4) Chicken and Cheese

5) Almond Butter and Banana (Heated on the pan this tastes great!)

Be creative and Enjoy!!

10 Breakfast Ideas

1) Toad in a Hole (see above)- Remove some of the inside bread from a slice of bread and either butter both sides or brush lightly with olive oil. Spray a pan with cooking oil and heat. Place bread in pan and crack an egg in the middle of the bread. Cover with a lid and cook a few minutes until egg is almost cooked through, then flip and cook a minute on the other side.

2) Bread with pureed fruit spread on top

3) Oatmeal (you can add some cut up fruit, dried fruit or fruit puree)

4) Chicken breakfast sausages (cut up)

5) Cereal with milk

6) Egg and Canadian Bacon Sandwich

7) Whole Wheat Waffles or Pancakes with Fruit Instead of Syrup (You can find some healthy mixes or make them yourself)

8) Breakfast Wrap- Wrap up eggs, cheese and some veggies in a tortilla (you can add some breakfast sausage, chicken or ham for some added protein).

9) Yogurt with dry cereal mixed in.

10) Whole Wheat Bagel with Cream Cheese and Fruit Puree

Banana Bread

Banana bread is great to have on hand just in case company comes by, a quick breakfast on the go or a yummy treat or snack for your toddler to enjoy!

Preheat to 350

Ingredients:

5 Very Ripe Bananas

1/3 Cup Melted Butter

1 Egg- Beaten

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Tspn Vanilla Extract

1 Tspn Baking Soda

pinch salt

1 1/2 Cup Flour

-Spray a 4x8 loaf pan with baking spray

-Mash bananas, add melted butter

-Slowly add sugar, egg and vanilla- Mix

-Sprinkle in baking soda and salt

-Slowly add flour

-Bake 50 mins

ENJOY!!

Fruit Salad

Simple and easy and great to keep on hand. The great thing about making fruit salad is you can sneak a new fruit in that your child doesn't normally eat and you may find her inhaling her new favorite food! Fruit salad is also great because you can portion out just the right amount for your child. My daughter can't eat an entire pear so either I have to finish it or it goes to waste. With a fruit salad she gets a good mixture of lots of different fruits and nothing goes to waste. I always add some pineapple in its own juice to prevent any fruit from turning brown. Make sure to only use very ripe pear, cut grapes up very small and avoid apple chunks as they are choking hazards. Enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!

I wanted to make my daughter a special Valentines treat that wasn't filled with tons of unhealthy ingredients and that was quick, simple and she could even help me with. These 'tortilla cookies' did just the trick. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Use any tortilla (whole wheat if you want to be a bit healthier) and cut out the 'cookies' with whatever cookie cutter shapes you have. Lay on a baking tray and lightly coat with cooking spray then sprinkle with decorative sugar (You can also use cinnamon sugar too). Bake for 4-5 minutes. These cookies can work all year round- just change up the shapes and colors :) My daughter was able to help 'cut' out the cookies and even helped sprinkling the sugar on. Above is a picture of her trying to get to the finished product. She pushed a chair over to the counter, climbed up on it and grabbed one! She loved it :)

Ravioli

I always keep on hand some ravioli (placing it in the freezer will keep it fresh longer and then you will know there is always something quick and easy to prepare when you don't have the time). In most stores you can find whole wheat ravioli and there are so many different kinds to choose from. The picture above is salmon ravioli with roasted sweet potatoes.

Prepare the ravioli as stated on the package. You can add a pasta sauce with veggies in it or if you want a cleaner meal you can go without.

Roasted sweet potatoes are very easy and most toddlers love them! Roast at 375 for about 45 minutes.

Chicken FIngers You Both Will Love!

My daughter had her first chicken tender the other night and I felt good about it since it was one that I prepared myself! All of us loved these! We made marinara sauce for dipping but you could have BBQ sauce, honey mustard or ranch.

Ingredients:

About 1/2 cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

~1/2 C. Flour

2-3 Eggs

1 C. Panko (Type of Breadcrumbs)

1 C. Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 1/2LBS Chicken Tenderloin Stips

Place flour in one shallow dish. Beat the eggs and place in another shallow dish. In a third dish combine Panko and Parmesan cheese.

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season one side with salt and pepper.

One at a time dip the chicken first into the flour then the eggs and lastly the Panko mixture.

Heat a fry pan with half the oil and cook the chicken until golden brown (a few minutes) and then cook the other side.

Sandwich Ideas!

Sometimes we just need something super quick and easy to make our little ones. Sandwiches are the perfect 'go to' food! We all know about grilled cheese and pb&j but here are some other healthy alternatives. I love going to the bakery and buying a good high fiber bread or a nice grain bread.

1) Almond Butter and Smashed Bananas (Almond butter is a great alternative to PB as it has no sugar or salt!)

2) Shredded Chicken and Smashed Avacado

3) Cream Cheese & Fruit Puree (I like using fruit puree over jelly since it is 100% fruit)

4) Egg and Cheese

5) Cheese & Broccoli

6) Tuna Salad

7) Chicken Salad

8) Mashed Banana and Fruit Puree

9) Shredded Chicken with BBQ sauce

10) Hummus with Cooked Carrots or Zucchini

Veggie Frittata

This dish is easy and you can customize it to whatever veggies you have in the house. You can add bell peppers, spinach, onions, tomatoes and corn. Depending on the size of your fry pan you should use around 10-12 eggs. First cook your veggies in the pan with some olive oil under soft. In a bowl combine eggs with salt and pepper to taste (whisk together). Add the eggs to the pan and stir until almost cooked through. Even the eggs out and add some fresh cut up basil on top and cheese (you can use feta, cheddar etc...) Put a lid on until eggs are cooked through and cheese is melted. My daughter loves this meal and my husband has breakfast ready in the morning!

Turkey Meatballs

Most children love meatballs! You can pair them with pasta and sauce or just plain. Serving them plain turns them into a fairly mess free finger food! I make a big batch and my husband and I will have ours with pasta and the leftovers will go in the freezer for future meals.

1 LB ground turkey or ground beef

1/2 cup Italian Breadcrumbs

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup parm cheese

1-2 garlic cloves (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the above together (you may not need to use all of the water)

Shape into balls and place on baking tray

Broil until golden brown then turn them over and brown the other side

Do a side of whatever veggie you want. I always keep organic frozen veggies in the freezer so I always have something on hand. I just take out the amount my daughter needs and place it in a small dish, cover it with water and microwave for about 30 seconds (longer for cauliflower).

Southwest Chicken

Easy, slow cooker meal for the entire family.

Around 1LB boneless, skinless chicken breasts (one package)

1 can- drained and rinsed of black beans

1 can- drained corn

1 large jar of salsa

Sour Cream (as much as desired)

Shredded Cheese (as much as desired)

Optional- You may add some jalapenos to the pot after you have taken out your child's share

Add chicken, beans and corn to the slow cooker. Pour salsa on top to cover all of the chicken. Cook on low all day.

When finished take 2 forks and 'shred' the chicken.

Place in bowls and top with sour cream and cheese.

Salmon Patties With Applesauce

This meal is so quick and easy and a great way to get some more fish into your toddler's diet. If your toddler is old enough this can be a fun meal that he/she can help out with too! This is the only way that my daughter will eat applesauce too. You can use some plain yogurt instead of applesauce too if you wish. Following the directions below will make 4 salmon patties.

1 can boneless, skinless pink or red salmon

1 egg- lightly beaten

1/3 c. breadcrumbs (I use Panko Breadcrumbs) and 1/4 c. extra for coating

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Applesauce (as much as desired)

Flake up the salmon and add the egg and 1/3 c breadcrumbs (panko)

Using clean hands shape into 4 patties

Using the remainder 1/4 c of breadcrumbs, roll or press the patties into

Heat up the oil in the pan and cook both sides under golden brown (about a few minutes per side)

Tonight was lasagna, a staple of mine and probably most families. You can use any recipe but I suggest going with one where you don't have to boil the noodles first (saves a ton of time and clean up). I also like to add in some spinach to sneak in some more vegetables. Add a side of whatever veggie you have on hand and it is a great meal for your toddler and the rest of your family. If there are leftovers you can have them for lunch or freeze them in individual containers.

Pasta with veggies and cheese. This meal is very quick and easy. I made enough for around 6 meals so I froze the leftovers in individual portion sizes in the freezer. Just pop it in the fridge the day before and you will have lunch or dinner all ready for the next day!

I used an organic, whole wheat, alphabet pasta which is filled with vitamins, iron and zinc. A side benefit is the pieces of pasta are small enough that I don't have to cut them up. In most grocery stores you can find 'mini' shaped pastas. I cooked the pasta according to the directions, drained, returned to the pot and added enough pasta sauce for it to still be clumpy (if your toddler is trying to feed her/himself this makes it easier to pick up or get on to the fork or spoon). I then put in some frozen veggies (here I used corn, peas, carrots and green beans) and cooked it all until the veggies were no longer frozen. Finish it off with some shredded cheese and your child (and you) will love this easy but nutritious meal. If you want to amp up the protein you can add some chicken sausage, ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey or cut up chicken breast to the meal.

When my baby turned into a toddler I was stumped on what to make her to eat for three meals and two snacks every single day! I felt so overwhelmed. I wanted to make things that were quick and easy so I didn't spend my entire day in the kitchen. I also hate following long recipes and spending hours in specialty grocery stores trying to find ingredients that I have never heard of.

I wanted to make this blog to help other parents of toddlers figure out what to feed their children besides hotdogs, mac and cheese and the famous grilled cheese sandwich! I am not a professional cook by any means but I still want my daughter to have nutritious meals with good protein, dairy, whole wheat, fruit and veggies. I am also trying to make dinners that my entire family can all eat together. When I come up with a new meal idea I will post it here with a picture and how to make it. I will try to put meals up that are easy and no brainers. Some will need to have recipe lists and really explain how to make them step by step but I will try to keep them quick and easy. I will also post some healthy snack ideas because it is easy to get stuck in a rut and just give them same snack everyday. Please email me or comment if you have any questions, advice or tips. I am learning as I go so help and suggestions are accepted. I hope you enjoy reading this and it helps you to come up with some good toddler ideas.