New Blog & New lunch program

Hi families.  Denyse, Aiden's mother, is taking over the school lunch program.  Please contact her with any questions.  Her email address is: denyseore@gmail.com 

Thank you you so much for letting me feed your kids over the past few months.  I have enjoyed doing it.  

Week of July 9, 2012

Menu
 Monday: *Mushrooms and zucchini in miso broth over brown rice
               Fresh snap peas
               Fruit

Tuesday: **Chickpea, kale, corn and quinoa salad
               Cucumber slices
               Fresh Fruit

Wednesday: ***Ants on a log
                    Carrot sticks
                    Cheddar cheese blocks
                    Rasberry oatmeal "muffins" (it's just rasberry, maple syrup, flax seed, egg, and oatmeal)
                    Blueberries

*Mushrooms and zucchini in miso broth
-tbsp butter
-half an onion
-container of crimini mushrooms (I am sure any would work), sliced
-one zucchini, sliced
-one cup of miso broth (I like to cook with a mellow white miso)


Saute onion in butter.  Add veggies and broth.  Cook until the zucchini and mushrooms are at desired consistency.  I cook only for a few minutes because I like the veggies to remain hearty, I just make sure that I can get a fork in them.  Serve over brown rice (any grain would do).


**We got corn and kale in the organic vegetable box so I wanted to make something that used both veggies
Chickpea, kale, corn and quinoa salad.
-two cups quinoa cooked according to the directions in veggie broth
-one ear of cooked corn, corn cut off 
-1 TBSP olive oil
-one small yellow onion, diced
-one bunch of lanciato kale
-half a lemon, juiced
-1 can of Eden Organic (BPA free lined cans) of chickpeas

Saute onion in olive oil until soft, add kale and cook on low until wilted.  Set aside.  Mix quinoa, corn, and chickpeas.  Add the lemon juice.  Add kale mixture.  Toss.  Put in fridge for  awhile and eat cold.

 ***So, while at the store yesterday, I saw that fresh made almond butter was on sale.  So, I decided that the kids might rather fresh almond butter ants on a log than braised celery.
OLD MENU ITEM:
Braised celery over cous-cous
Carrot sticks
Raspberries from our garden

     

Week of the 25th of June

Tuesday will be rainy so I making something warm:
Veggie cheese quiche(onions, chard, zucchini, and cheddar cheese)
summer slaw (cabbage, apples, kohlrabi, & radishes)
Fruit

Wednesday:
Slightly steamed snap peas & broccoli
brown rice
Fruit

Thursday:
Sliced cucumbers, carrot sticks, tomatoes
Chunks of cheddar cheese
Bread
Fruit

Summer Sessions Lunch

Hello families.  The school week will be a little easier this summer because parents don't have to worry about bringing lunches.  I have decided to have really simple and easy summer lunches daily for the kids.  Lunch will be focused around fresh cut veggies and fruit.  I think that most days the kids will be eating finger foods so that picnics outside will be easy whenever possible. 

Please let me know if any kids have any allergies or if you do not want them to eat meat.  I will be making chicken salad for sandwiches if organically raised meats are acceptable to your families.  I would also like to include nuts and seeds but I will not if there are ANY kids that have allergies.

June 6, 2012

I decided to make the meal that the kids seemed to like the most over the past few months.

Menu:
Soto: Chicken Rice Soup (w/ collards)
Carrot Sticks
Organic local strawberries

May 30, 2012

Keeping it simple this week. I saw tons of snap peas this weekend at the farmers market so I thought that the kids should try them steamed.

Menu:
Brown rice with basil
Steamed veggies (snap peas and broccoli)
Basil butter *so the kids can put a dab on top of the veggies and watch it melt
Carrot sticks
Apples
 &
**Borscht (beets, cabbage, carrots, onion soup with a little vinegar)  I am just sending a little of this so that everyone can have a taste.  I have been getting so many yummy beets and I have tons of cabbage so I made this soup dish that can be served cold or hot.  We eat this a lot in Pennsylvania where there is a large Eastern European community.  It is full of vitamins, helps with your digestive tract, and is a beautiful bright red. I wasn't sure though that the kids would like it so I thought that they could try it out a little at this meal :)

Steamed veggies.  They should only be steamed for a few minutes.  The green color should be bright and vibrant.

Beets, cabbage, and carrots...BORSCHT

May 23, 2012

Menu:
Curried Egg Salad
Whole grain/whole wheat bread
Roasted Cauliflower
Carrot Sticks
Clementines

May 16, 2012

Menu:
Beet greens pasta (whole wheat)
Carrot sticks
Strawberry rhubarb oatmeal squares

Don't throw away those greens, cook them up and serve them to the kids!  Beet greens are often overlooked and full of vitamins (especially vitamin A and C).  I saute them and serve them with pasta, on pizza crust, on rice, or as a side dish.

Beet greens pasta
-2 tbs olive oil
-one onion, sliced or diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-beet greens, stalk included, cut into small pieces (put the beets aside and use them in another recipe)
-1/2 c veggie broth
-salt to taste
-1 c tomatoes (fresh or out of a carton)
-2 tbs cream, half&half, or greek yogurt
-fresh grated parmesan cheese
-whole grain pasta, cooked al dente according to directions

Heat olive oil in saute pan.  Saute the onions and garlic until soft.  Add the beet greens.  Stir.  Add the veggie broth, tomatoes, and salt.  Cook on medium for about 10-15 minutes until the stalks are soft.  Add cream and cheese.  Add the pasta into the saute pan to mix.

We returned from a visit to Fallon's grandmother's house with 2 pounds of home grown rhubarb that Fallon helped pick.  So, I am trying to make it in all kinds of ways.  It's healthy, it's free, and it's yummy mixed with strawberries.  I generally do jams and stuff with it, but we already have a resident jam master, so I decided to try a really healthy oatmeal bar instead.  This is the first time that I have made this and I am sure that it could use some tweaking but I do think that it turned out very well.  I am sure that it would be tastier with more sweetener; however, I am trying to only provide foods that have maple syrup or honey to the kids when I am cooking.  This recipe is just like the muffins that I made the other week but there is an added egg and I baked them in bars.  So, I guess that it isn't too experimental!

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars *Experimental Baking
-1 lb fresh strawberries, stems removed and quartered
-4 stalks rhubarb, cut into small pieces
-half a fresh lemon, squeezed
-2 tbs maple syrup
-1 tsp vanilla
-3 c oatmeal
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 c ground flax seed
-2 eggs, mixed
-1/2 c coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 400.  I heated the strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, maple syrup, and vanilla together in a small saucepan over medium heat to soften them up.  I cooked them on medium low for about 10-15 minutes.  In a bowl, I combined all the dry ingredients and mixed them.  I then added the eggs and the milk.  Finally I mixed in the fruit.  I put this mixture into a buttered baking dish and baked for about 25 minutes (until the top was light brown and a toothpick came out dry).  I cut them into little bars for the kids and kept refrigerated until time to eat.


*I think that next time I will add a 1/2 c of some flour...rice, coconut, almond, etc. And bake for an additional 5-10 min.

May 9, 2012

Wow.  What a beautiful week.  This week, we are having more asparagus.  Right now, asparagus is so good and I just got a big bag of the small spears so I am roasting them again for the kids.  This tends to be the yummiest and I think that the little spears look so much like green french fries!

Menu:
Roasted mini asparagus spears
Roasted sweet potatoes
#Banana Oatmeal muffins w/ raisins (and ground flax seed for protein)
Fresh carrot spears
Pears (local and perfectly ripe)
*Hibiscus Iced Tea

Roasted veggies
I did these the same as always.  Preheated the oven to 425.  Tossed the veggies in olive oil.  Sprinkled them with sea salt.  The asparagus took about 15 minutes because the spears were really little and the sweet potatoes took about 25 minutes.

#This morning I woke up and noticed that we had 5 ripe bananas so I decided to bake up some super healthy muffins for the kids.  I make these muffins all the time because they are very easy and a great way to use up any ripe bananas.  This recipe can be tweaked to suit the tastes of any family.  I often add walnuts in addition to raisins or cranberries.  I think that chocolate chips would pair nicely as well.  This recipe also works well with pumpkin puree instead of bananas.  It's versatile...so tailor it to your family's tastes.
Banana Oatmeal muffins
-4 to 5 ripe bananas, mashed well (or 2-3 c pumpkin puree) (The more bananas or puree you use, the moister the muffins)
-2 tbsp real maple syrup
-1 tsp real vanilla
-1/2 c ground flax seed
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 to 1 tsp ground cinnamon
-one egg, beaten
-3 c oats (I use Bob's GF Rolled Oats. I have also used quick cooking rolled oats but I like the regular oats better because the muffins taste and feel heartier)
-1/2 c raisins

Preheat oven to 425.  Prepare muffin tins.  I don't use PAM or anything.  I feel as if butter or coconut oil is healthier so I just wrap a paper town around one hand and put some butter or coconut oil on the paper towel in order to "grease" the pan by wiping it around in any spot that the muffin mixture will touch.  I make sure that it is just a thin coating to keep the muffins from sticking.
Mix all the ingredients together.  I add them in the order that I listed them.  I use an ice cream scoop to scoop the mixture into the tins.  Put in the oven and bake 15-25 minutes.  Just keep looking at the muffins and they will begin to lightly brown on the tops and brown on the sides.  This recipe makes about 48 mini muffins or 16 large muffins.

*I decided to make Iced tea for the kids this week because 1) it is really nice out and fruity tea is so refreshing and 2) Hibiscus tea is full of Vitamin C.  This tea is easy to make, refreshing, and healthy.
-One pot of water, boiling
-add a few scoops of hibiscus leaves to a tea basket and place in the water (I buy these in the bulk herbs section at the grocery store.  Always get organic because there has been some great research showing that organic herbs have more health benefits than non-organic.)
-steep the leaves in the water for 10-15 minutes
-add 2-3 tbsp raw local organic honey (again, make sure that the honey that you use is local and raw.  When honey is processed, the processing removes the great benefits of honey.  We live in a fabulous place that has many many bee farmers whom we can support by visiting local farmer's markets, New Seasons, or food co-ops such as Food Front.)
-After steeping, pour the water over some ice.

**I also make this when it's sunny by just placing a jar of water with a tea basket full of hibiscus leaves in the sun.  This is a really fun project to do with kids because as the water warms up, you can see the water flow through the tea leaves and come out a beautiful red color.

**If you have belly problems, add some mint leaves (also easily purchased in the loose herb section of a grocery store such as New Seasons)

May 2, 2012

Menu:
Broccoli/ Cauliflower Rice Casserole
Carrot Sticks
Pears and Apples

*I just wanted to note that when I use cheese, it always comes from a brick (I generally use Tillamook) and then shred it myself.  Often, pre-shredded cheese has added ingredients to keep it from sticking together in clumps.  These added ingredients are often chemicals or even a wood derivative.
*I also will not ever use any pre-made soups or cream bases.  I find that these things (ex. cream of mushroom soup) are often easy to make, much healthier when homemade, and certainly much tastier.  And it doesn't take that much more time to make them.

Broccoli & Cauliflower Rice Casserole
-half a head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces *
-one head of broccoli, cut into small pieces *
-2 tbs butter
-one onion, diced
-three celery stalks, diced
-1 tbs GF all purpose flour
-1/4 c ground flax seed
-1 1/4 c 2% milk
-3 tbs half&half (I normally would use cream but didn't have it)
-2 c cheddar cheese (any cheese would do but Fallon really likes Cheddar)
-3 to 4 c cooked brown rice
-2 to 3 c chopped spinach
-salt & pepper to taste

Steam the broccoli and cauliflower for a few minutes until tender.  The broccoli should be bright green.  I like the vegetables to remain a little crunchy.  I also leave the vegetables in semi large pieces; however, it would work with tiny pieces as well which are easier to hide in the food.  I generally keep the veggies larger because I want the kids to know what they are eating.  Set the veggies aside.
In a pan, melt butter on medium.  Saute onions and celery for a few minutes until tender.  Turn the heat down to medium low.  Add the flour and combine.  Then add milk and cream.  Slowly stir in the cheese.  Do not allow the mixture to boil and stir slowly to completely melt the cheese.  Add in the veggies, the rice, and the spinach.  Mix together well.  Put the mixture into a greased casserole dish.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

April 25, 2012

Menu:
Meat and Rice
Roasted green beans and asparagus
Bananas


The meat and rice on the menu is a meatloaf that I crumbled up and added to brown rice because I thought that the kids might like it better.  They seem to love rice dishes and rice is certainly a healthy grain.

The meatloaf and rice dish works well with anyone's meatloaf recipe.  I combined one meatloaf that I crumbled with two cups of brown basmati rice and two small chopped tomatoes. My version of this week's meatloaf is below.  I always use a green in meatloaf be it collards, kale or spinach...this one uses kale.  I also use ground flax seed in place of one egg to provide extra fiber and omega-3s.

The asparagus went over really well with the kids too.  I am so happy that they are enjoying the roasted veggies.  I plan to make sure that at least one day a week next year consists of seasonal veggies roasted and paired with a grain.

My Veggie Beef Meatloaf:
1 lb of lean ground beef (*we just bought a beef share from a local farm)
one small onion
2 garlic cloves
2-3 celery stalks
one sweet red pepper
one bunch kale
1/4 c ground flax seed
salt
pepper
handful of fresh parsley
tsp ground mustard
oregano (about 1-2 tsp)
egg, blended

Preheat oven to 375.  In a food processor combine the onion, garlic, celery, pepper, and kale.  Mix well until everything is in tiny pieces.  Combine that with all the ingredients in a bowl.  I always mix it by hand.  Form by hand and bake for an hour to an hour and half depending on the thickness of the meatloaf.  The outside will be pretty dark with a thin "crust".  If it isn't cooked well enough, it will fall apart when you place a spatula under it.  I prefer to place my meatloaf on a broiler pan so the excess fat drips into the bottom of the pan.

Roasted asparagus and green beans:
-Bunch of asparagus
-Green beans
-Olive Oil
-Salt (I use sea salt)

Preheat the oven to 400.  Prep the veggies.  For the asparagus, I bend each piece toward the bottom to remove any hard portions.  For the green beans, I just snap the ends off.  I put the veggies out on a cookie sheet.  Pour a TBSP or so of olive oil over the veggies and move them around to make sure that they are totally covered.  For smaller veggies, it is easy to just toss them with olive oil in a bowl; however, asparagus is easier to be tossed on the cookie sheet.  Make sure the veggies aren't crowded in the pan.  I often use two separate pans if I have a lot of veggies.  Sprinkle with salt.  Cook for 15-25 minutes.  I can't give an exact time on them because asparagus varies widely in size as it can be very skinny or super fat.  Just check them after 15 minutes.  When veggies are done, they will be brown on some of the edges which is what gives the vegetables the great caramelized sweet flavors.

I added some broccoli florets to one pan as well because I know that there are a few kiddos who really like it.

*Here is where I get the majority of my meat:
http://www.kookoolanfarms.com/Beef.html
If you are interested in this, I highly recommend it.  

April 18, 2012

Menu:
Slow cooker pot roast with potatoes
Bread
Carrot sticks
Broccoli trees
Oranges

April 11, 2012

So, today I thought that I would like to try out some chickpeas on the kids.  They are super healthy and have a texture that kids seem to like.  I certainly would like to encourage everyone to eat more meat free meals and beans are great way to get the protein that little bodies need.  Additionally, as a side I took the kids some raw cabbage.   I want them to taste it and get used to it on their plates as I intend to incorporate it into future meals.  Fallon eats bowls of shredded cabbage for snacks and loves it.  Weird, I know but cabbage does have a flavor, it is mild and crunchy.

Menu:
Pasta with spinach, dill, and chickpeas
Raw shredded cabbage
Apples

Pasta with spinach, dill, and chickpeas
It's spring and although many veggies are just not ready yet, there is plenty of spinach, leeks, and fresh herbs.  I saw a beautiful bunch of dill so decided to incorporate it into the children's meal for today.   I used pagoda quinoa pasta; however, any whole grain pasta will work.  I think that the small shapes are best for this type of pasta dish and the kids tend to like them as well.  These pagodas are especially fun because they are tri-colored.

-One box of pasta, cooked per the instructions (al dente) on the box and drained
-3 TBSP Olive oil
-two leeks, white parts only chopped
-two cans of chickpeas (I ALWAYS buy Eden organics if I don't pre-soak dried beans because they come in BPA free cans...soaking overnight is preferred but it does require that the beans also be cooked for about 10-20 minutes before being incorporated into the recipe)
-salt and pepper
-spinach: cleaned, stems removed, and chopped into small strips...no need to dry it, allow it to be a little wet
-1/2 c fresh dill, chopped
-one lemon

Chop the leeks, prep the spinach, and dill.  Heat olive oil in a saute pan on medium low heat.  Add the leeks.  Saute for a few minutes until soft, moving them around the pan often to ensure that they don't burn or get too browned.  Add the chickpeas and warm through.  After about 2-3 minutes, add the spinach and dill.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.  Once the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes, add the drained pasta. Heat through. Add the juice of one large lemon. I usually add one more pinch of salt at the end.

This can be eaten warm or cold.  I prefer it warm.  It is also yummy without any pasta at all;  however, I figured that the kids would prefer those pretty pasta pieces mixed in.

And we're back! April 4, 2012

So, here we are back at school again after a long break.  I hope that all the families had a great time. 

Menu:
Greek inspired green beans, potato, and tomato dish (Fassolakia Lathera)
Carrot sticks
Celery sticks
Apples and pears

There is a restaurant in NW where my in-laws often eat that serves this dish.  I really like it and decided that I wanted to try it out on the kids.  I looked at a bunch of recipes and this is what I did.

-large onion, diced
-2 to 3 garlic cloves
-4 cups of diced tomatoes (I used a combination of fresh and one box of Pomi diced tomatoes)
 -1 cup Vegetable broth
-handful of fresh parsley, chopped
-salt
-pepper
-4 large red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces (I left most of the skin on the potatoes)
-one pound of green beans, ends trimmed and chopped into desired size
-Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
-Optional: Feta cheese crumbed on top

Saute onion and garlic in large pan or dutch oven.  When soft, add tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Add vegetable broth.  Cook for a few minutes on medium high.  Add potatoes and mix.  Layer the green beans on top of the potatoes but do not mix them in as they will steam and stay crisper this way.  Add the other handful of parsley on the top.  Cook for about 30 minutes on medium low.  Mix together.  Add crumbled feta cheese on top.

*This is what I did not do but will do next time.

**When I made this to try out.  I also cooked some ground beef in a saute pan.  I removed the ground beef and drained.  In the saute pan, I then added a diced onion and some minced garlic cloves.  Once soft, I added half a cup of diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp of tomato paste half a cup of veggie broth, 1 tsp of oregano, a pinch of salt, pepper, and a quarter cup of milk.  Once warmed, I added the meat back in. 

This combo is great for pasta.  I actually added it to the above recipe and it was awesome!  I did not know if the kids would like the meat or not so I thought that I would start them on the bland side since kids seam to like blander foods. 

March 14, 2012

Menu:
Swiss chard and red pepper quiche with sliced potato crust
Carrot sticks, Radish half moons, and Broccoli Trees
Pears


Swiss chard and red pepper quiche with sliced potato crust
-two TBSP Olive oil
-one red onion, finely chopped
-1/4 red pepper, finely chopped
-a few fresh basil leaves, minced
-one bunch swiss chard, stems removed and chopped
-1/2 cup of milk
-6 eggs
-salt
-about 1/2 c to 1 c shredded cheese (I used a mix of Monterey and Cheddar)
-1 TBSP butter
-Four red potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick with a mandoline

Heat olive oil in a pan.  Add onion and saute until soft.  Add pepper, continue sauteeing for a few minutes.  Add basil and swiss chard.  Continue sauteeing on low heat covered until the chard is soft.   In a seperate bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add the milk to the eggs.  Combine the egg mixture and the swiss chard mixture.  Add salt. 
Grease a pie plate with butter.  Line the pie plate with the sliced potaoes.  I overlapped the potatoes a little bit.
Put the eggs/chard mixture into the pie plate.  Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese.  Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes until the eggs set.

This is a recipe that is really easy to change around depending on what you have in the fridge.  Last time I made it, I used a yellow onion, leeks, mushrooms and swiss chard.  I topped it with Monterey Jack.  This picture makes it look a little burnt but it isn't.  It's just browned on all sides.

March 7, 2012

Menu:
Sweet potato/potato pancakes
Broccoli rice pancakes
Pears & Apples

The lunch pancakes

I had a bunch of local potatoes and a few sweet potatoes so I decided to try a potato pancake that is a little healthier.  I have to say that since trying this new recipe, I decided that I like the regular ones better because the regular ones taste best with sour cream; however, I don't know any kids that actually appreciate the tastiness of sour cream so I think that they will like this new version better!

I also had a large bunch of yummy broccoli so I decided to make a new recipe so that I can try it out on the kids.  The broccoli pancakes turned out wonderfully and I think that I will make them a regular at our house because they can be so easily warmed up as leftovers and they are super healthy to boot!  I used ground flax seed, farm fresh eggs, and almond meal as binders so they have omega-3s and protein.

Both pancakes are firm enough to be held in the hand while eaten so it makes clean up after dinner a breeze.


Sweet potato/ potato pancakes:
-Yellow onion,chopped
-Four yukon gold potatoes (unpeeled and grated)
-One large sweet potato
-2 eggs, beaten
-1/4 c brown rice flour (any flour would be great)
-Fennel frond, chopped
-Coriander, ground, 1 tsp
-Salt 

Heat the oven to 350.  Mix the onion, potatoes, and sweet potatoes (I then got a cheese cloth and squeezed some of the liquid out of the potato blend because I once read that it best to get the liquid out of the potato before making lattkes but I am not sure if this is necessary).  Then add the remainder of the ingredients and mix together.  I found a jar lid in the cubbord that was the perfect size and used it to mold the pancakes.  I filled the jar lid with the mixture and placed it onto a greased baking sheet.  Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Take them out, turn them over and bake for another 10-20 minutes.  They were browned on both sides when I took them out of the oven.  Let cool for a few minutes.
*I think that applesauce would be a good addition.
*For regular potato pancakes, omit the sweet potato, fennel, and coriander.  Add chopped chives or green onions and pepper.  Serve with sour cream and chives.


Broccoli rice pancakes:
-Yellow onion, chopped
-one bunch of broccoli, chopped (I used a food processor)
-three cups of cooked brown rice
-1/2 c to 1 c of cheddar cheese grated small (I used a half cup but I think that 1 c would work too)
-1/4 c almond flour
-1/4 c ground flax seed
-2 eggs, beaten
-Tbs parsley (I used dried but would have loved to use fresh)
-Salt
-Pepper

Heat oven to 350.  Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.  I used the same same jarlid that I used for the potato pancakes to form the rice cakes.  Put them on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes then turn and back for another 10-20 minutes.  Just check on them throughout to ensure a nice browning all sides.
*These are yummy serviced with sour cream and chives.

February 29, 2012

Menu:
Very veggie mini meatloaf
Mashed roasted cauliflower and turnips
Mandarin Oranges


 Very Veggie Mini Meatloaf:
-one acorn squash
-one onion, finely chopped
-3 cloves of garlic
-one carrot, finely chopped
-one red pepper, finely chopped
-bunch of collard greens, finely chopped
-2 tbs thyme
-1.5 lbs dark turkey
-1.5 lbs light meat turkey
-2 eggs, whipped
-1.2 tsp ground clove
-tbs soy sauce
-tbs rice vinegar
-1 c bread crumbs
-2 tbs tomato paste
-Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 350.  Cut the acorn squash in half and place in a baking dish, cut side down, in about an inch of water.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until the squash can easily be penetrated by the fork.  When cool, scoop the flesh out and set aside. 
Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large pan or dutch oven.  Add onions, garlic, carrot, red pepper, and collards.  Saute until the onions are translucent and the house smells amazing which is about 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool down.
In a small mixing bowl, whip the eggs and add to it the tomato paste, soy sauce, vinegar, cloves, and thyme.  In a large bowl, mix the dark and light meat turkey with bread crumbs and the mixture from the small bowl.  Add the sauteed veggies and half of the acorn squash.  Mix well.
I put them in small muffin tins and baked for about 35 minutes.  You can also easily put the mixture into loaf pans or larger muffin tins and just adjust the cooking time.

The veggies cooking before being made into meatloaf

-

Little Mini Meatballs

Mashed roasted cauliflower and turnips:
-2 tbs olive oil
-one head of cauliflower
-2 turnips
-salt
-pepper
-1/2 to one cup of milk (depending on how thick you want the mash)
-half cup of veggie broth

This is so amazing.  Pre-heat the oven to 425.  Cut up the turnip into 1/4 inch slices and the cauliflower into small size chunks.  Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt.  Roast the vegetables for about 15-25 minutes.  Just check on them at 15 minutes and check back every few minutes to make sure that they do not burn.  The edges will be browning.  After removing from the oven, place the veggies in a saucepan.  Add 1/2 cup of milk and a 1/2 cup of veggie broth.  Heat on medium low until warmed through.  Use immersion blender to mix.  If the mash is too thick, just add more milk to suit your tastes.

February 22, 2012

I am not posting until today because I didn't actually roast the vegetables until this morning before school so that they would be super fresh.

The menu:
Roasted broccoli and cauliflower
Brown rice cooked in vegetable broth
Kiwis

Roasted broccoli and cauliflower:

• large pieces of vegetables
• olive oil
• salt
• lemon
• Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425.  Toss the veggies with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt.  Put them in the oven.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes (depends on the size, so check on them).  They will start to brown and caramelize on the edges.  Take them from the oven and squeeze some lemon juice on them (I used half a lemon).  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I chose to make roasted veggies for the kids because it brings out the sweetness of any vegetable.  We eat all kinds of roasted vegetables at our house.  I  made roasted cabbage wedges last night!  I really think that roasting veggies is a great way to get kids to try new things because the vegetables are sweeter and I always add a little cheese too.  There are no rules for roasting and you can be really creative.  At home, I add whole garlic cloves but I wasn't sure that the kids would like it so I omitted it for school lunch.  I also add basil or other fresh herbs sometimes.  I find that fresh basil is good with broccoli and cauliflower.  Fresh rosemary, thyme, and/or sage are great with root vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, and rutabagas.  This is a very simple way to make veggies and requires very little other than cutting the vegetables.

Kale takes about 10 minutes
Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, beans, and cabbage take anywhere from 20-30 minutes
Root veggies take anywhere from 40-60 minutes

Here are some pics of the awesome eaters:

Atom is HILARIOUS in this picture!

The kids enjoying the food...

Yum.  Yum. Indo style chicken and rice.

MMM...collards, rice, squash, and kiwi

February 15, 2012

Menu:
Sweet potato, carrot, and kale soup
Snap peas
Mandarin Oranges

I thought that this week could be an orange and green week.  The soup is full of vitamin C and fairly sweet so it's a pretty easy soup for little ones to like.  I just saw snap peas that looked good so I thought that it might be a fun fresh veggie for the kids to eat and "prepare" themselves by picking the ends of off.  Lastly, I thought that the oranges were delicious so I think that the kids will love them too.

Sweet potato, carrot, and kale soup:

• 2 tbs olive oil
• one red onion, diced
• one shallot, diced
• three large carrots, cut into small pieces
• three sweet potatoes, cut into small pieces
• half a bunch of kale, stems removed cut into pieces (any kale will do, I used Lanciato)
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• tsp sage
• tsp coriander 
• salt and pepper to taste.

Heat olive oil in dutch oven (or large pot).  Add onions and shallots.  Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft.  Once soft, add the carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, and vegetable broth.  Cook on medium or medium high until the vegetables are soft. Add sage and coriander.  Use immersion blender to blend vegetables until they are to your liking.  I make it so the soup is really thick and the veggies are completely mixed together with very little chunks.  If you don't have an immersion blender, just put the soup into a food processor or blender.
I eat this alone or if you want to add protein add a tbsp or two of cottage cheese or greek yogurt.

February 8, 2012

So sorry that this is late in coming up.  I need to get prepared earlier in the future so that everyone knows what is coming up.

The meals that I am making are always inspired by a food that I find at the Farmer's Market that looks delicious.  This week, it is collard greens.  They are in season, look so beautifully green, and are super nutritious.  I decided to make this week's meal, vegetarian instead of cooking the greens in ham shank which is what I often do.  I wanted to make something that the kids could eat over brown rice since that seems to be a crowd-pleaser.  I am making some carrot sticks for those who might refuse to try some delicious collards.  The carrots come from our favorite farm at the Farmer's Market, Gathering Together.  They are our CSA provider so we try to buy from them outside of the CSA season too.  I recommend them.  Their farm was really flooded a few weeks ago so now they mainly have root vegetables. The collards came from another farm as did the local kiwis which were being sold 10 for $1!!!

Menu this week:
Collard greens over brown rice
Buttercup squash with apples
Carrot sticks
Kiwi 

Collard Greens

• 2-3 tbs olive oil
• small onion, chopped
• one small red sweet pepper, chopped
• one small yellow sweet pepper, chopped
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth
• a bunch of collard greens
  
• 1/4 cup coconut amino acids
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Clean the collards.  Cut the stem out of each leaf, stack them up, and cut them into 1/2 strips.  Set aside.  Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven on medium heat.  Add onions and cook until clear.  Add the peppers and cook until soft.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes or until the collards are soft. 
Serve over rice. Or eat on it's own as a side dish!

Buttercup Squash with Apples

We also grabbed this squash at the market and I thought that the kids would like it with some cinnamon and maple syrup. They are really similar to sweet potatoes and are full of Vitamin C.

• one buttercup squash, cut in half
• 2 tbs butter
• one apple, chopped
• tbs lemon juice
• cinnamon
• 2 tbs maple syrup

Toss the chopped apple in lemon juice and throw them into the squash.  Put a tbsp of butter on each half.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Pour maple syrup onto each half.  Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes or tender enough to pierce with a fork.

Kiwi.  I was so excited about this find.  Perfect to share with the kids!

Crunchy colorful Slaw

Indonesian Chicken and Rice

I did not intend for this first meal blog post to be such a long recipe; however, I know that there are a lot of viruses going around right now and everyone has been getting sick.  So, I decided to make a healthy chicken soup with ginger and turmeric to give the immune system a boost.

Crunchy colorful slaw
*This is just a super easy way to get kids to eat raw vegetables.

• Head of purple cabbage, sliced thin
• Four carrots, julienned
• Broccoli stalks, julienned
• Six radishes, julienned
• Olive Oil
• Coconut Amino Acids (This is a vinegar made from coconuts that is full of amino acids, even more than apple cider vinegar.  It has a slightly sweet flavor.

 Mix all the veggies in a bowl, add about a tbs of olive oil and about two tbs coconut amino acids.  I have made this with other vinegars too and it is a hit every time.


Indonesian Chicken and Rice
 *Paul's family is Dutch-Indonesian.  Several years ago, his Oma taught me how to make Soto Ayam which is a favorite of everyone in the family. It is chicken rice soup flavored with tumeric, lemongrass, kaffir leaves, and ginger.  She showed me how to cook this soup without giving me any exact measurements which is how I make it now.  Soto Ayam is always served with a lot of condiments, hard boiled eggs, and potato dumplings.  I simplified the recipe for the kids and added some spinach to the broth.

• One large shallot, chopped
  
• One small onion, chopped
• A whole chicken (a half could be substituted)
• Fresh ginger (a few inches peeled and cut in large chunks)
• Fresh turmeric (half the amt of ginger, peeled and chunked or about a teaspoon of powdered)
• Kaffir lime leaves
• Lemongrass (one stalk hit a couple times with a pestle or meat hammer)
• Salt
• Spinach, about 1/2 a pound
• Brown rice (I used basmati)

To make the broth, clean the chicken, remove the skin and cut off any fat.  In a large dutch oven, heat a tbs olive oil.  When hot, add the chopped onions and shallots until they soften.  Add the chicken, ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, and lime leaves.  I usually put the ginger and turmeric in a tea basket or bag so that I don't have to find them in the broth later and remove them before serving.  The lemongrass pieces I leave large enough that I can just grab out of the broth.  Cover the chicken with water.  Heat on high until it starts to boil.  When a low boil begins, put the lid on top and turn the heat to medium low.  Cook for about 30-60 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, turning over halfway through.  When it is done the meat will be white and the thighs will just start almost falling off.  Take the chicken out of the broth and let rest for a few minutes.  When it is cooled down a little, cut/ tear the meat off the chicken and add back into the broth.  Add salt to taste.  Lastly, add the spinach to the broth.

Serve this over brown rice. For the kids, it will be less like soup and more like a rice bowl.

Getting Started

My name is Jessica van Waardenburg; otherwise known as Fallon's mom.  I love to cook and create new kid friendly recipes.  There is something so satisfying about providing a really healthy nutritious meal to my family and friends.  I am hoping to share that love of healthy food with the kids at Community Montessori.

Over the past few years, I have become obsessed with local organic whole foods.  It all started when I was studying for my Master's in Public Health.  I learned so much about individual health, food security, and childhood obesity.  With my newfound knowledge, I decided to change the way that I think about nutrition and I began purchasing food from local farms.  Then, when I found out that I have an autoimmune disease I worked with my healthcare provider to modify my diet in order to reduce inflammation and boost my immune system.  I cut down on processed foods and started trying to make more recipes from scratch always making vegetables a really important part of the meal.  I try to make sure that every meal is at least 50% vegetables which can be really hard sometimes especially for kids who like to eat all carbs!  I buy organic or from farms that I know to be pesticide and hormone free (for meat) as much as I can.  The meals that I make change frequently with what is in season.  I supplement with organic produce grown outside the local area when foods we like aren't in season.  For example, we can't live without broccoli and cauliflower so I just get that at the store instead of a local farm in the winter.  Now this kind of cooking is time consuming because I spend hours each week cutting vegetables and often the meals are experimental since I am constantly trying to make everything kid friendly.

As a mom, this love of food has helped me create healthy, colorful, and nutritious meals that Fallon loves to eat.  She is an adventurous little eater who we can almost always goad into trying just about anything.  My endeavors are not always successful as her tastes change, expand, or even shrink but I keep trying. Since she was born, this has been a learning process and will continue to be so as we grow.  I've found that kids don't always eat what I prepare, but if I give them space and continue to offer what I know is a healthy choice...they will eventually come around.  I try to offer foods that have lots of color and texture. 

I was asked if I wanted to share some of my veggie-laden dishes with the wonderful kids of Community Montessori and I jumped at the chance.  I am hopeful that families will want to take part in this lunch program and find that it makes life easier on Wednesdays since no lunch will be necessary.  I will be making lunch for all the kids at school whose parents are interested in participating on Wednesdays.  Meals will always include veggies, a grain, and a fruit.  Sometimes, meat will be involved but not always.  I will provide a little menu along with pictures and recipes when I can. I would like to get the kids involved in preparation of the food whenever possible and I am hopeful that we can use food from the garden so that the kids can watch the entire process of planting a seed, watering it, picking it, preparing it, and then eating it all while at school. 

So far, the kids tried some veggie enchilada casserole and a warm quinoa dish that had kale, dried cranberries, and almonds. I will just put those two recipes up without pictures since I didn't think about taking pictures until this week!

Thanks so much for visiting the site and please check back to see what the kids will be eating.