Cooking: Mama's Sneaky Waffles

                           

Need a good weekend waffle recipe but you feel like they are just not that healthy?  Well, I just made some of my Mama's Sneaky Waffles and the kids (and my husband!) had no idea what was in them.

Carrots!  Flaxseed!  Omega-3's!  Oh My!

Hubby is our weekend waffle maker around here and he has perfected his recipe. So, I started with his basic recipe and I changed a few things around to make them a bit...well...more Mama friendly!


1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour*
1 cup shredded carrot or minced if you want to keep it hidden* 
2 cups of almond milk
2 Lg organic brown cage free eggs*
2 TBLSP sugar
6 TBLSP organic virgin coconut oil 
1 tsp whole ground flaxseed meal*
1 TBLSP baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

(See red index below for all items with an *) 

Start with the dry ingredients first and mix together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl add eggs, vanilla and beat together then add carrots and oil to the wet bowl.  Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (leaving the almond milk for last.) Once everything is mixed together continue stirring while you add in the almond milk.  The coconut oil solidifies once it gets cold so you want to blend everything together before you add in the cold milk.  Or you can avoid this all together if you let the milk and eggs come to room temp before.

Since I was putting my own spin on our weekend waffles I decided to make them a bit differently, so I turned them into "snowflakes." If you'd like to do this, the pictures below shows roughly how much batter you want to use so that they stay small and the edges are jagged.  Each one will turn out differently. These are perfect "toddler size" because they can hold them in their hands once they cool off. I've even packed the small ones in lunches. Great for pre-schoolers or kindergarteners! 

(*When I pack them for school, I leave off the butter and syrup or any other typical toppings, like yogurt, apple butter, peanut butter, etc. to avoid a big mess, and I just do them plain for lunches. The kids still love them that way!) 

  

Don't those look cute? Don't mind my waffle maker. We got it as a wedding gift and it has gotten used a million times since then. It's very well seasoned!! 

If you want to make them the regular size, but you don't want to make a mess on your counter, you want roughly this much batter (about 1/4 of a cup):

  

Index:
Flour*  If you are using regular flour use a bit more (2 cups.)  The whole wheat flour makes them thicker than regular flour, so you still might need to add a bit more liquid to thin out the batter a bit.
Shredded carrot* I have a juicer so I made carrot juice with about 3 large carrots. Then I used the carrot pulp  ("minced carrots") for the waffles. Feel free to shred the carrot with a food processor or cheese grater if you do not have a juicer.
Eggs*: I buy the organic brown cage free eggs with added Omega 3's. Do you use an egg substitute to make them vegan?  Please let me know in the comments section what you use! 
Ground flaxseed meal*  A Little Goes A long Way!! If your family is used to eating ground Flaxseed Meal in your food then feel free to add as much as you want. If you are not used to eating flaxseed meal, start with 1 tsp and work your way up. It tends to overpower the recipe if you use too much. I found that out the hard way. 

If you are going to use flaxseeds in your food make sure you get ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal. Our bodies can not digest a whole flaxseed, and it just passed it right though. So, unless you chew up each individual seed (unlikely), you are not getting all of the benefits of the flaxseed. I like Bob's Red Mill products because the prices always seem reasonable. I think I bought this at Target but I've also seen it at Sprouts.

You can sneak just about anything into your waffles. I like to keep them sweet or else they might taste funny with toppings. However, you can do savory waffles too and serve them with ranch dip or sour cream. 

Sweet add in's: Apples, carrots, bananas, peaches, pears, prunes, sweet potato, etc.

Savory add in's: Zucchini, bell peppers, squash, garlic mashed potatoes, herbs, etc. 

Along with the flax seeds you can add hemp seeds or chia seeds, you can even add small pieces of nuts like almonds, peanuts, pecans or walnuts. Go crazy and have fun!

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Back To School: 5 Healthy Ideas For Lunches And After School Snacks

For some reason the hours between lunch and dinner make my kids crazy with hunger! I call it the late day feast. I'm always looking for ways to get my kids to eat more veggies and healthier foods, so the late day feast is the perfect time to sneak these things in because frankly, they will eat anything!  Especially if you just casually set it out on the table for them to run by and grab a quick bite of something. In our house we call these "hummingbird bites," because they are too busy to sit for a meal but we need them to eat so they just fly by and grab a bite and get back to playing. The meal gets eaten eventually and they get to keep playing. If it's something messy we will usually hold it while they take a bite or they will use a fork. This only works if you are not in a rush to get out the door and you have more freedom with time.

We are fortunate to live near large grocery stores like Mother's Market, Trader Joe's and Sprouts that offer great deals and sales on organic produce. I try to buy most of my fresh produce from the organic section, so whatever is on sale or special is usually what I'll buy.

Here are some different ideas for lunches or after school snacks. This is a list of stuff my kids will actually eat. They are 7 and 4 & 1/2. My little guy hasn't always loved eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies and for a few years was stuck in a rut of only carrots, corn, apples, blueberries and red grapes. However, I kept offering different things to him and would also set out veggie platters with a wide array of colorful options that would get eaten quickly by sissy if you didn't act fast! My daughter has always eaten like a rabbit sneaking into a farm! I mean, as a 5 year old she was munching on Brussels sprouts and asparagus! 

After many colorful veggie platter presentations with an array of different dips like ranch, creamy cilantro dressing and hummus, he finally started trying new things. So don't give up if your child doesn't like something. Keep offering it! Someday they might just surprise you and try it! 

1. The Veggie Platter. 

You're probably rolling your eyes at this one, and trust me, before I saw it with my own eyes I would too. But think back to your child at an adult party or a holiday dinner. There is bound to be a veggie platter there with different dips and your child is bound to be drawn to something on there. So start with serving that! Our veggie platters vary from meal to meal with whatever I have on hand, but I suggest stocking it with stuff your kids like for the first few times you set it out then slowly add in a few new items for them to explore on their own. If they ask what it is, just casually tell them the name of it, reach over and eat one (make yummy noises) and walk away. If you make a big deal out of it, they won't eat it! Things to add to the veggie (and fruit) platter: carrots, cherry tomatoes (these ones are from our garden!), cucumber, celery (I slice it very small into "shoelaces" as seen in the picture, because it can be pretty strong), mini corn cobs, olives, sweet bell pepper slices, small romaine lettuce chutes with ranch dip, jicama slices, even some veggies that are lightly blanched like: broccoli, green beans and asparagus spears. If your kids are really having a hard time eating only veggies you can add in a bit of fruit like apples and grapes, but I recommend not adding in too much fruit because it's so much sweeter than the veggies and they might just eat the fruit and leave the veggies to die on the plate! To mix things up a bit in the veggie department, I'll even make a fresh pressed juice (adding more veggies than fruit to avoid too much sugar) and that seems to keep the troops pretty full til the next meal too.

2. Fresh Organic Fruit. I like to have some things on hand that are already ready to eat like pineapple spears, cut melon like watermelon, honeydew, etc., cuties (the little clementine oranges), fruit cups (in water if possible, to avoid too much extra sugar), apple slices or apple sauce, berries, bananas, etc.

  

3. Healthy carbs. Everyone needs carbohydrates to help with proper brain function but empty carbs aren't going to help anyone, so opt for healthier ones with whole grains like rice cakes and whole grain crackers. We also like unsalted pretzels, snap pea crisps, whole grain chips and salsa, etc. My kids love rice cakes and they now come in a variety of different flavors. We usually stick to brown rice, light salted with sea salt. We love this brand by Lundberg and can find them at Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Mother's Market, Von's/Pavilions, etc. They have so many products I'd love to try them all!  These organic, non-GMO rice cakes are by far my favorite!


4. Healthy Protein. Pair your healthy carbs, fruits & veggies with healthy proteins like hard boiled eggs, lean lunch meats, tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad (easy chicken salad recipe found here), cottage cheese, low sugar yogurt, sliced cheese or cheese sticks, sea weed snacks, organic nut butters like, peanut (we love apples and peanut butter together!), almond butter or our new favorite, Honey Sunflower Butter from Wild Friends!  It's super yummy and the kids love it! They have other products too that I'll have to try. We found this at Costco. I'm eating it right now, in fact, on top of a rice cake!  Yum!

 

5. Kid Sized Sandwiches And Snacks. I have learned as a mom that my kids will try almost anything if it's cut cute and small. So in addition to these snacks I also like to do mini egg salad sandwiches, cucumber with cream cheese, peanut butter & jelly, tiny ham & cheese or turkey & cheese (both with pickles, of course!) or chicken salad sandwiches on whole grain bread (kinda like what you'd find at a fancy afternoon tea). We also keep on hand plenty of healthy trail mix made with unsalted nuts and unsalted pretzels, sesame sticks, dried fruit like cranberries or cherries, banana chips or plantain chips, popcorn, with yogurt chips for a little something sweet added in and I'll serve it in a small dixie cup to eat on the go! We also make mini banana or apple muffins with flax seed, chia or sliced almonds. Anything healthy to keep them full til the next meal!

What are your favorite healthy snacks?  Please let us know in the comments below!

My kids were making "sandwiches" with rice cakes, sea weed snacks and veggies. 

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*The products I'm featuring in this post are just some of my family's favorites. I was not asked to advertise for them. 

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The Trader Joe's Gourmet Presents: Pollo Asada Black Bean Chili w/ Farm Fresh Cilantro

Pollo Asada Chili.  Extremely simple and yummy!

So I'm not "officially" the Trader Joe's Gourmet, but I might as well be. I buy pretty much everything there and a lot of my recipes on here consist of ingredients you'll find at Trader Joe's. If you live in an area where it's too far away or you simply don't have one - GASP! - (my condolences) you can always find stuff similar elsewhere. After all, it's just food. BTW, I completely feel your pain if you like Trader Joe's but you don't have one in your area. There aren't any Trader Joe's in Hawaii and we lived there for a few years when we were first married and it was VERY hard for me to get used to not getting pretty much everything there. We also didn't have a Target. It was bad. I mean, no Target and no Trader Joe's?  You call that paradise? jk.

sorta.

So, this was dinner last night. I threw it together from stuff I had on hand and stuff that needed to be cooked so it didn't go bad and I also wanted to use some of the cilantro that had just popped up in our garden. The dish turned out to be pretty yummy which is always good when you don't follow any type of recipe so I wanted to post it here so I don't forget how to make it.

*I pretty much never follow a recipe and I usually forget what I've made so I'm trying to make a point to write recipes down so I can make it again. 

This made up the bulk of the dish. I didn't drain the cans before I added them to the sauce pan but will drain the beans next time so it's not too soupy. 

Fresh organic cilantro from our little family farm. Isn't it beautiful? And it smells AMAZING!

 There's nothing like fresh produce that you grow yourself. "Kids, run out to the farm and pick mommy some cilantro for dinner!" Awesome. 

I don't have a pic of the pollo asada. The next time I buy it I will update this post with a pic. But I bought a package of fresh, marinated pollo asada from Trader Joe's in their fresh meat/poultry section. It was a bit salty - more than we are used to anyway because I usually cook stuff from scratch and I don't add much salt at all. But it was still good. A little too hot for the kids. They didn't eat it. Good thing I had left overs from the other night of turkey, rice and veggies!  Hubby and I liked it though and plan to buy it again and throw it on the BBQ next time.

I sauteed the chicken in the pan with the juices and a bit of water added from the bag.  I browned it until the juices reduced down to a glaze on the pan. I de-glazed the pan with some water (you can also use chicken stock). I then sliced the chicken into chunks and added it and the de-glazed juices into my pot of black beans. (see below)

So far this was black beans, diced tomatoes, 1 garlic cube (see pics below), Hawaiian rock salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste and fresh cilantro from our garden torn into small bits. Next time I won't add the extra salt to the beans since the chicken was salty enough and I just saw that the black beans contain sea salt. My fault for not reading the can. 

                                                         

I added in half a bag of frozen organic corn (about 1 heaping cup+)

1 pouch of frozen, precooked rice medley of brown rice, red rice and black barely* (see pic above)

Fresh cracked pepper and more fresh cilantro. 

I cooked it until it was bubbling. 

*The box of rice comes with 3 (10oz) pouches. 

I topped the dish with some shredded jack cheese and more fresh cilantro because that was all we had on hand. Next time I might add some more toppings and I will squeeze in some fresh lime for sure. Can't have enough fresh lime. Yum!

Optional Toppings:

-Sour Cream

-Diced avocado

-Diced fresh tomato

-Diced raw onion

-Fresh salsa

-Squeeze of fresh lime

I don't have a pic of the finished dish because it was time to eat. Plus it was the first evening we ate al fresco on our patio since last summer and I didn't want my dish cooling off too much while I went to get the camera. (We have a no cell phone rule at dinner time so my cell was in the house.)

If you make this let me know how you like it and what you did differently. 

Enjoy!

Looking for more recipes using black beans and rice?  This one also has shrimp!  Yuuuuuuum!
Hawaiian Basil Buttered Shrimp with Black Beans and Wild Rice

Coming soon to this recipe: Homegrown organic tomatoes and homegrown organic corn. 

Just waiting for them to grow. ;-)

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Cooking: Summertime Chicken Salad Sandwich

Chances are during the summer you probably have some cooked chicken begging to be eaten in your fridge. It might be BBQ'd, grilled, roasted. The possibilities are endless. But no matter how it's been cooked it will most likely be really good as a chicken salad sandwich.

We bought a rotisserie chicken yesterday for a BBQ with friends and I knew I had some celery in the fridge too. On a hot summer day like today a chicken salad sandwich with lots of sweet crunch just sounded yummy.

I only made enough for a small batch so I didn't use very much of anything. I always recommend making things to taste anyway. If I were going to make a large portion of this I'd probably do it like this:

• 2 cups cooked chicken - cubed
• 2 stalks celery - diced super small (please consider choosing organic celery.)
• 1/4 cup cashews - chopped (I like to use the raw ones.)
• 1 apple diced super small (please consider choosing organic apples.)
• 1/4 cup Best Foods Mayo (or to taste)
• pepper - to taste
• Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Mix all together in a bowl and scoop onto a Hawaiian Sweet Roll or your favorite bread.

Enjoy!

Summertime Chicken Salad Sandwich with cashews, celery and apples.

*No red grapes were harmed in the making of this sandwich, however, they were really yummy as a side dish.


There is nothing like fresh fruits and veggies in the good ol' summertime. Before you venture out to the farmer's markets and grocery stores with your reusable bags print out this list for your purse. It's a good one to have on hand.

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Juicing with Mommy A.K.A "The Veggie Sneaker!"

I love my juicer.  Or I should say, "I LOOOOOOOOOOVE MY JUICER!!!!!" because that is how I really feel about it.

Today I made Watermelon Juice and it was a big hit. However, I didn't really mention exactly what was in it.  If I did that I knew I wouldn't get many takers. Including the big kid of the family - my husband!

This is how I made our breakfast Watermelon Juice: (Everything went in raw with skins on unless otherwise noted.)

Watermelon (Several large slices - remove rind)

2 handfuls of chopped up organic Kale*

1 1/2 small organic Zucchini

1 large organic Cucumber

1/2 organic Bell Pepper (orange)

2 large stalks of organic Celery and 2 small (with leaves still on)

4 large organic Carrots 

This made enough juice for my husband to take some to work in a large travel mug, the kids each had about 1/2 of a sippy cup worth and I had about 16+ oz over ice.  Everyone thought it was pretty yummy!  Kale* is a bit hard for us to eat raw since it's very strong in flavor so we are only using a bit of it at first to ease into it.  It's very good for you though so I try to add it into all of my juices, but if I put too much it overpowers it and no one drinks it, including me.  Trader Joe's finally has a prepackaged, washed and chopped up bag of raw organic kale so this is what I got the other day and I've been really happy with it since I can just reach in and take a handful. 

A Note On Using Organics: Since I'm not removing any skins for my juice except for the watermelon rind I like to use as much organic produce as possible to reduce the amount of pesticides and harmful chemicals we're ingesting.  
Buying Guide: When buying organic produce I tend to follow the Dirty Dozen list that was put out by EWG (Environmental Working Group) who tested each fruit and veg on the list to see which ones contain the most pesticide residue. You can print out this list and keep it in your purse or wallet so you'll always have it with you at the store or farmers market.  According to the EWG website, "You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce."  
What is the #1 most contaminated fruit on the list? Apples! 
Farmers Markets: It's important to know too that not all produce at the farmers market is organic. To be sure you are buying and paying for organic produce, you need to ask each stand before you buy. I always try to ask the farmer who owns the stand if they are there, or the manager of the stand as they are your best bet in getting an honest answer regarding the produce. 

Be sure to buy a rainbow of colors and don't forget your reusable bags!  

Happy Juicing!

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The Toddler Gourmet: SNACKS-Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Toast. It's sure to pass the yummy test!

For our first edition of The Toddler Gourmet I thought I'd give a shout out to my favorite season, Pumpkin Season! Having two kids who are eating regular meals now, I need to get creative as to what to fix so that they can both eat the same thing so I don't feel like a short order cook. My lil guy who is a year old already (that year whizzed by, let me tell you!) just got the OK from our ped to start eating peanut butter. And since no one in our family, immediate or extended is allergic to peanuts, I figured that would be a great snack to help fill him up.

My good friend Leah gave me some awesome pumpkin butter for my birthday (thanks Leah!) and we've been putting it on our toast in the morning. One day by accident because I was so sleep deprived I spread pumpkin butter on my already peanut buttered toast and...Voilà, Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Toast was born! I let my daughter have a bite and all I heard were the "yummy noises" and the fact that I needed to make another piece so I could actually have some was enough for me to add it to our regular menu. I made some for the baby and cut it into tiny pieces (which is sort of a mess, btw) and he loved it too!

What you'll need:

-Organic unsalted, creamy peanut butter.*-Pumpkin butter
-Whole grain bread**

Toast the bread for however long you like (lightly toasted if it's for a baby). Add a layer of peanut butter and top with pumpkin butter (as you would jelly). Cut into 4's for an older toddler or into a million tiny bits if it's for a baby. ;-)

*Try to buy organic whenever possible (AKA "affordable"). If you shop at Trader Joe's, you can find organic products that are just a bit less than their conventional counterpart. (I once saw only a 20 cent difference in zucchini at Trader Joe's in the summer! I was shocked!) I also like to do unsalted creamy for the kids. My preschooler can do unsalted crunchy when spread thin, but since I'm doing this recipe for both of them I opt for unsalted creamy.

Variations:

Bread **
We like to use anything whole grain. Raisin bread is quickly becoming a fan favorite in our house, and we just discovered a new bread at Trader Joe's that is called Panetone Bread (just like the Italian bread you find around the holidays) but this is in a loaf and sliced. My preschooler LOVED it!


And of course this edition of The Toddler Gourmet is even a hit for mama when paired with a pumpkin spice latte, a good book and 20 minutes of quiet time! If you are lucky enough to make this happen please light your holiday candle to go with it!

Enjoy!
Photo Notes:
Baby Boy: Yes, you're right...I probably should've wiped his nose before taking his picture for the world to see. And it's neither Thanksgiving nor Baby's first Thanksgiving either. Let's just say he's lucky he's not still wearing his sister's princess jammies with the poofy sleeves from the night before. We're recycling. Recession and all...
Big Sister: Pay no attention to the junk on the shelf behind her. C'est la vie...with 2 kids! And the black dot on her bread is a raisin....I hope...



Will your toddler eat anything with pumpkin? If so, what are your favorite pumpkin inspired recipes for the kids?

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