RECIPE: THREE BEAN SALAD

Hi guys! A long time ago back when we didn't have kids Ornan and I were full on vegan. Because of that I've found some really cool healthy recipes that wouldn't normally come to mind. It was a really fun time to explore vegetables and grains and figure ways to cook them differently. Beans were a huge staple then and the various ways you can cook/make beans would boggle your mind.

This recipe is a super simple bean recipe and total cook time is like... I don't know...10 minutes depending on how fast you can handle a can opener. I love that this uses honey rather then a whole cup of sugar to get the sweetness. Most of the recipes call for sugar and I'm not into it. I first tried Three Bean Salad at Costco and immediately went home and made it. Mainly cause I'm cheap and didn't want to pay that much when I could just make it. It came out so tasty and now we double the recipe to be able to munch on it for the next couple of days. 

Added bonus, it's super healthy and busy mom friendly. You get the best taste by letting the salad sit and marinate, but it has a clean light taste if you just want to eat it right away. I hope you love it as much as we do!

THE ORIGINAL RECIPE HERE!

OUR VERSION (Very minor substitutions)

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can green beans

1/2 diced red onions

1 stalk celery diced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp ground dry mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayanne
Salt to taste

Mix all sauces/spices together in small bowl with olive oil. Mix all other ingredients together in big tupperware with lid. Combine sauce with bean mix and stir. Refrigerate for two hours and then turn tupperware upside down and put back in refrigerator for another two hours. Then eat all the goodness up!

RECIPE: PEA PESTO SPAGHETTI

trying it out

Hi guys! Sorry it's been awhile since I posted, I've been navigating life with two kiddos and trying to get back into some sort of routine. Now that things are starting to fall into place I can get back to writing once in awhile. I wanted to do more recipe posts because I think one of the things I get asked most frequently is what I'm cooking and how to find time to do it.

One tip for finding time to cook is I usually make the next days lunch the night before. That way when lunch time comes around everything is ready and then both girls go down for their naps. It has made a world of difference for me and I can still ensure they are eating homemade healthy meals.

This recipe for example I made while I was throwing together some dinner that night. Then I just put it in the fridge for the next day. It is super easy and isn't mine, however I did tweak a little bit just because I didn't have some ingredients. Penelope loved it so much she asked for thirds and I love that it's healthy, easy, and time friendly!
GET THE ORIGINAL RECIPE HERE.

MY VERSION (INCLUDING PASTA):

1 cup canned peas

3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp dried basil

3 tbsp (or so) of olive oil

dash of salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

75% of a box of whole wheat thin spaghetti

Boil a pot of well salted water for pasta. Meanwhile, blend all sauce ingredients together while streaming in olive oil, set aside. Once water is boiling, break pasta in half and toss it in the pot. Cook until al dente. (DO NOT LET PASTA GET MUSHY!!) Save one cup of pasta water and drain the rest of the pot in strainer. Return pasta back to pot and mix in pea pesto. Use 1/2 cup of the pasta water you reserved to get it mixed together nicely. Take the extra 1 tbsp parmesan cheese and sprinkle over pasta, using the other 1/2 of reserved pasta water to mix it in. Add salt as needed. Serve immediately for best results...but still tastes great the next day!

toddler approved!

RECIPE: SNICKER DOODLE APPLE STRUDEL

Guys, I think for like...years, on my Fall list of things to do is making something with apples. I finally did. It felt so Fall-ish. Is that a word? My husband and I cooked it together while P was sleeping and it's super simple. It makes your house smell delectable and it makes my baby inside my tummy jump around. It's a snicker doodle cookie, on TOP of cinnamon sugary goodness apples. Baked, warm and topped with vanilla ice-cream? Sooooooooooo yum and totally not my recipe, so here's the link and enjoy!

P.S. I am not a professional food photographer, so please excuse my amateur food photography skills!

6 HEALTHY & NATURAL ON THE GO SNACKS FOR BABY

I remember when it became time to figure out what Penelope would snack on throughout the day. It was really difficult to find anything packaged I agreed with. So I stuck with nature. Stores and supermarkets make it so easy to buy processed foods, but I'm of the mindset that with a very little prep we can do so much better then snacks with 30 ingredients on the back. 

Organic dried fruit can get expensive even though Penelope loves it. So the top two here on heavy rotation are bananas and apples and recently carrots. I really take our health as a family important and I put in a little extra work to make sure P has homemade meals and snacks. I want her to see me putting in the extra effort so she begins to see it as the norm that she will do for herself later. Especially in a society that runs off of convenience.

The end goal is not only to raise a healthy kid, but also to establish healthy habits early that she will carry into her adult life. The snacks when were at home are a wider variety, but that will be a whole 'nother post! Let me know what kind of snacks you guys are giving the kiddos on the go, I'd love to add to the collection!

HEALTHY TODDLER MENU

Health for our family is really important to me and first and foremost is the food I'm putting on our table. Being a first time mom and developing a menu with a wide range of options for Penelope was a little daunting at first but it's become fun. Since she's just turned one, I feel like I have full freedom now for all food groups like shellfish and less formula.

I'm a firm believer in if you want a non-picky eater, give your child different flavors from early on and also don't give her the option to eat something else. What she has on her plate is what she will eat. With this method, sometimes she does curl up her nose and roll her food around on the plate but she always ends up eating it which is my goal.

The biggest problem I faced when Penelope wanted to pretty much only feed herself was finding healthy finger foods that were varied. After a couple of months I've got some of her favorites that are really simple to make, most of which can be made ahead and microwaved the next day for an easy lunch. Below I've listed some of Penelope's favorites separately so you can mix and match together.

Spinach ravioli, roast chicken and chickpea salad. DINNER!

Breakfast Ideas:

- Scrambled eggs w/ chopped veggies and chia seeds

- Whole wheat organic toast w/ almond butter and honey

- Oatmeal with fruit, brown sugar and cinnamon (not a finger food!)

- Any fruit - Cantaloupe, blueberries, bananas, blackberries, watermelon, honeydew, strawberries etc.

- Cheerios, bananas and almond milk in a sippy cup

Lunch Ideas:

- Baked chicken

- Avocado

- Bananas

- Grilled fish

- Stir fry - I love tofu, kale, mushrooms, bell pepper, swiss chard, spinach...anything quick

- Steamed veggies - Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots 

- Leftovers from last night!

- Sliced cucumbers

- Baked sweet potato fries

Dinner:

- Stuffed baked bell peppers

- Pasta - (Get rotinis, easier to handle for baby)

- Roasted butternut squash

- Chickpea salad w/ feta, tomatoes, celery, corn

- Ravioli

- Shellfish - Shrimp, clams, crab

- Roast - Pork or chicken

- Steamed veggies - Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top

- Stir fried eggplant

- Brown rice

- Quinoa (this is not really a finger food)

- Healthy lasagna (tofu lasagna is really good)

- Pesto pasta - Make your own pesto and add some walnuts or pine nuts

- Stir fried zucchini

- Fish - Salmon, tilapia seasoned with some lemon pepper 

- Curry - Thai yellow curry is mild or Indian curry recipes

- Black bean salad

- Stuffed mushrooms

- Lentil salad

- Veggie fried rice

Snacks:

- Raisins and walnuts

- Cut up organic apples

- Cut up organic pears

- Blueberries

- Steamed carrot sticks

- Slice of whole wheat organic toast

- Cheerios

- Dried fruit organic - Penelope loves apricots

- Hard boiled egg

- Brown rice rice cakes w/ almond butter

- Slice of cheese

- Banana

- Seedless grapes (cut in half)

Great on the go (minimal mess) snacks:

- Organic apple or pear wedges

- Steamed carrot sticks (you want the sticks to be steamed through but still firm)

- Brown rice cakes (I like Happy Munchies from Target)

- Rice crackers (Hot Kid Baby Mum Mum from Target)

- Cheerios (In a snack catcher)

- Any dried fruit

As far as milk goes, we decided to opt out of dairy and are giving her almond milk for breakfast and dinner. Totaling around two cups. Also, we haven't stopped her on formula because we still want her to get the nutrients from that. We've reduced her intake to two bottles a day and less scoops per bottle.

So far she's loving all of the food and eats like a champ. Do you have any other great finger foods I can try? Let me know!