Getting kids to eat enough fruits and veggies is a common problem. My solution is to give them the illusion of choice! Setting up a colourful salad bar with a wide range of options, then letting them assemble their own bowlful of goodness can make kids feel like they’re in control.
My rule is usually “Take 5,” meaning they have to select at least five items from the many choices offered. This tropical-themed buffet has lots of variety and is packed with flavour and nutrition; you can vary the ingredients and quantities to suit your family’s preferences.
When I read about Nutella-stuffed puff pastry being cooked in a waffle iron, I knew I had to jump on the "puffle" bandwagon. Reading reviews of the original post on Epicurious, it seemed as though it would take a juicy, flavourful filling to balance out the plain-tasting puff pastry. My food-obsessed brain then starting thinking about cheesecake, and I was pretty sure I had a winning combination. You can prepare the cream cheese and blueberries the night before, leaving you just a quick assembly job in the morning.
When it comes to cheesecake, I am a big fan of the crust. Crunchy, sweet, and packed with flavour ... why, it just makes sense to put it on top instead of hiding it at the bottom! These single serving mini cheesecakes are speedy to prepare and even easier to serve – no more worrying about whether that delicious crust will hold together from pan to plate. Best of all, you can make them with many different kinds of fruit (and you even can cheat successfully by using jam!) PLUS they can be baked up a day or two before serving.
I sometimes think kids will eat just about anything if it doesn’t involve cutlery. Think about it – pizza, sandwiches, sushi, hotdogs, burgers…and my personal favourite, tacos! I have to confess, though, that while I love what goes into tacos, I struggle with the packaging. Hard tortilla shells are impractical as they break so darn easily – when my kids were little, I knew at least one of them would be in tears when their taco fell apart.
I am a little bit surprised how many kids like sushi - I'm not sure mini-me would have been a fan. I see tots packing it in their school lunches, grabbing the house made packages at the grocery store and hitting up the all-you-can-eat Sushi spots. It's fun to make sushi at home, but California Rolls, especially the inside-out kind (my daughter's favourite) can be a little finicky and time consuming. Enter the sushi salad – think of it as a big bowlful of deconstructed California Rolls.
I woke up this morning to the sound of birdsong in the air. As I craned my neck to watch and listen to our neighbourhood cardinals calling out from their usual perch, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Maybe, just maybe, this long winter is finally drawing towards its conclusion. I knew I had to celebrate with a spring-like dessert; to me, nothing says spring like maple syrup! The ricotta layer gives the tarts a bit of a cheesecake taste – and who doesn’t love cheesecake?
Flash cooked asparagus is tender and mild-flavoured, making it the perfect backdrop for a sweet or smoky Balsamic dressing. The shards of parmesan provide the ideal creamy, salty counterpoint. This dish would be welcome on any Passover or Easter brunch, lunch, or dinner menu. And the best part? The preparation takes less than ten minutes and can be done hours before you are ready to serve, with just a moment of assembly time at the last minute. The shards of cheese look really pretty on top; you can buy them premade or make your own using a vegetable peeler and a block of Parmesan.
I love how kids with latch onto any old holiday. Between the classroom, television, and their own imaginations, I think they figure out pretty quickly that whatever the calendar’s special day, there just might be edible treats involved. A great example is St. Patrick’s Day, where families (like mine) without so much as a drop of Irish blood rise to the occasion and celebrate with all sorts of unique foods. Personally, I don’t think dyeing milk green and adding it to a bowl of Lucky Charms is quite the way to go.