Vegetables Tag

Everything Bagel Kale Chips on Baking Sheet

How to Make Kale Chips

I am always amazed by how much I love homemade kale chips. I have to negotiate with myself (“just two more…okay three”) to keep myself from eating the whole sheet pan’s worth of flavorful, crispy chips. If you’d like to make kale chips at home—and...

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Zucchini Bread Waffles cut into strips

Zucchini Bread Waffles Recipe

Waffles are a terrific food for self-feeding babies: tender, simple to cut into sticks, and easy to pack with healthy ingredients like whole grain flours and even veggies. These Zucchini Bread Waffles for baby-led weaning, from my cookbook Baby-Led Feeding, are one of my favorite recipes...

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Red lentil and spinach puree

Red Lentil and Spinach Baby Food

If you've ever doubted just how crucial the food is that we feed our babies, check this out. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released a policy statement urging pediatricians to advocate for a diet rich in specific nutrients during the first two years of life. These nutrients--including...

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Minty St. Patrick’s Day Shake

So many St. Patrick's Day treats for kids involve some sort of green food coloring. I am not averse to a drop or two of the fake stuff over the course of a year--especially around Christmas or Valentine's Day--but if it's not necessary I prefer to skip it, and I know many parents agree. This special smoothie from Smoothie-licious gets its gorgeous green hue from baby spinach and mint leaves. The spinach is virtually undetectable in the drink. But, if necessary, you can omit that ingredient when you tell your kids what's in their special St. Patty's breakfast or after-school snack.
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Pumpkin muffins

The Pumpkin Muffins That Made Me a Liar

As parents when we want to convince our kids to eat new foods it seems natural to extol their health benefits. "Jicama is soooo fun to eat--and full of fiber!" "Milk will help fill your tummy and build strong bones!" "Plain yogurt is the best--none of those nasty added sugars!" Sounds enticing to me, but it turns out that kids are not impressed. A 2014 study found that children are actually less likely to eat a food if they have been told how healthy it is. Just like a kid, right? I witnessed this very phenomenon with my own eyes a few days ago. Saturday morning I baked pumpkin chocolate chip muffins adapted from a quick bread recipe in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. I switched up the method a bit, subbed in some whole wheat flour, cut the sugar, and trimmed the amount of chocolate chips. The result was delicious -- tender, still sweet, and very pumpkin-y.
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My #1 Tip for Getting Veggies on the Table

A veggie side dish or two are always on the dinner menu at our house, but some days it's a race to the finish, and occasionally my green veg just falls off the menu altogether. But, after years of family dinners I've finally realized a foolproof way to make veggies appear on the table. Hint: it's not about the cooking; it's about the prep.

How long does it take to put broccoli in a steamer and turn on the stove? Or toss brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper and then slide them into the oven? Or dress shredded kale with olive oil, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of Parm? The answer, in all cases: not long. What takes active time is washing, drying, and prepping the vegetables -- cutting the broccoli into florets, trimming and halving the brussels sprouts, de-ribbing and then shredding the kale.
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