No One Said This Would Be Easy

I think we can all agree that this whole parenting thing is beautiful, amazing and hard as sh!t. Personally, I feel like any time I “figure something out” such as a nap schedule, what a certain gesture or grunt means, or how to deal with a tantrum, everything changes and my “go to” moves no longer work. I usually get about ten days to two weeks of feeling like “I got this” before it all implodes in my face. Sigh. But, this is not a Mommy Venting about How Hard Parenting Is type o’ blog. So, I will change the channel on this little vent-fest back to our regularly scheduled program of food- and eating-related happenings in this household.

Instead, I will now vent about the food- and eating-related happenings in this household as well as share some tricks and tips my friends and I have gathered to try to ease the food-related challenges we face. Because, even though no one said this would be easy, in my world everything is made easier, or a little less hard, by hearing about how others are handling the same lovely little issues. At the bottom of the post I included some delicious recipes courtesy of my friend Amy. (Thanks for sharing, Amy!!)

So far, Eliana has remained “a good eater” and will usually taste, if not actually eat, whatever we offer her. But, that does not mean that mealtime in our home is easy, carefree or always so much fun. Or, that my teeny tiny foodie isn’t hugely opinionated about what she wants to eat and when she wants to eat it. And because she is a toddler, she has what I think of as “Typical Toddler Testing Moments” which include but are not limited to the following during mealtime:

- Arching her back when I’m putting her into the high chair just because it’s fun to see   Mommy’s reaction

- Eating more or less of something she is served just because it is fun to see Mommy’s reaction

- Tasting a food and spitting it right back out just because it is fun to see Mommy’s reaction

- Moving food around on her tray because then I might think she has eaten it just because it is fun to see Mommy’s reaction

- Putting her food or fork into her hair just because it is fun to see Mommy’s reaction

- Pretending to choke herself with her fork just because it is fun to see Mommy’s reaction

- Tossing her food, fork or water off the tray just because it is fun to see Mommy’s reaction

Notice a common theme?  So. Super. Fun.

You all can probably predict that the last bullet makes this O.C.D. HelicopterMommy bananas. I can’t stand it! Eliana knows that I can’t stand it, and so this is when I have to work the hardest to make myself not react—so I simply remove her from her chair when she does it.

Keep calm and carry on, right? It’s better than screaming, “I’M IN CHARGE!!!!” which I try not to do. Aloud, at least.

So, without further ado, here is my list of tips, tricks and ideas that I’ve gathered along the way to help make mealtime a little less challenging.

·    Introducing a food more than once and in different presentations. For example, if sautéed zucchini wasn’t a hit, then I will grate the zucchini and mix it into pasta or eggs, or cut the zucchini into chunks and roast it or peel it into strips and sprinkle some lemon juice on it. Any way about it, Eliana tries a food many times and in many ways. Even if she spits it out, she is becoming more used to the flavors, textures, smells and tastes of a food.  

·    Staggering the introduction of various foods in her meals so she eats an “acceptable amount” of her protein, vegetables or fruit before the carbs come to the table. Because of Eliana’s love affair with all things carbohydrate, I make sure she has eaten lots of the other foods before I even bring bread to the table. Matt and I have taken to hiding in the kitchen to eat a piece of toast if Eliana is awake and not eating any herself. We also refer to it as B-R-E-A-D because she knows exactly what the words “bread” and “toast” mean when we say them. And believe me, once the bread does hit the table, there is no fun way to get her focused on anything else. The rest of the meal typically sounds something like this:

“Eliana, you can have more bread after you eat one more bite of eggs. Just one more bite and you can have more bread. Eggs then bread. See? Mommy does that too, so she gets her protein. Oh, good! Eggs are yummy, aren’t they? Okay, now here is a piece of bread. Okay, now more eggs, please.”

·    Filling foods she likes with vegetables. Frittatas and scrambled eggs work well for me. I load them up with sautéed or roasted vegetables. I do this with pasta too. I put a little pile of pasta or piece of frittata on Eliana’s tray and often, she picks out what she loves first. So the pasta, tomatoes and pieces of egg are devoured right away. Then, she will usually go back through the pile and pick out the vegetables, beans, tofu, etc.

·    Roasting vegetables to bring out their flavor. I started doing this when Eliana began balking at the concept of my feeding her rather than her feeding herself. That meant no more purees and a lot more finger foods. I think some vegetables are fine to give her raw, like corn and chopped tomatoes. I think she can swallow those without problems. But, vegetables like carrots were a little trickier. I found that throwing them in a pan and roasting them made the veggies soft enough for her to eat in little chunks. Roasting vegetables also brings out their natural sweetness. So, I think it might make vegetables that are less appealing, a little more so.

·    Hiding the vegetables. Honestly, I don’t love this idea because I believe that Eliana should know what she is eating. But, if it comes down to it, I will do this more so Eliana still consumes vegetables even if she doesn’t know it. This trick is something I did fairly often when I was making purees for Eliana. For me, it was more of a way to get her to eat vegetables I thought she would have a hard time eating on their own, such as sautéed greens. She couldn’t manage them very well, so I typically put sautéed spinach, kale or arugula into purees I was already making. Plus, it was a good way to make sure my fruits and vegetables didn’t go to waste. I’d steam and puree them and stick some in the fridge and some in the freezer. I realized that store-bought vegetable ravioli is a good trick, too.

My friend Amy is pretty masterful with hiding vegetables in really clever ways. She takes it to levels I’ve never thought of before. Her husband does not eat vegetables at all, so for years she did things like sauté and puree spinach and/or broccoli and add it to the meatballs she made him. I can’t say he didn’t notice a slight difference, but he ate them anyway. More recently, her son Joey, 4 years old, hasn’t been as cooperative as he used to be about eating his vegetables. One trick Amy told me about was to puree cooked spinach with marinara sauce and put it on a mini whole-wheat pizza she made for him. Joey ate it all up!  See Amy’s yummy recipes below.  If you have any recipes or tricks you’d like to share, either send me an email to jory1217@gmail.com, or even better, post it in the comments section of ttf!

Marinara Sauce (See below for how to add secret veggies, meat or tofu)

·    2 tablespoons olive oil

·    1 medium onion, chopped

·    2 teaspoons garlic, minced

·    1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

·    1 teaspoon oregano, dried

·    1 teaspoon basil, dried

·    1 whole bay leave (optional)

·    1/2-teaspoon sugar

·    Salt and pepper, to taste

Over medium heat, heat oil in a large pot until hot. Add onion and garlic, sauté for 3-5

minutes until the onions begin to appear translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir. Add in the

herbs and bay leaves. Sprinkle in sugar, salt and pepper. Stir. Lower the heat and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally.

Marinara Sauce with Secret Veggies 

Marinara Sauce with Secret Vegetables or Secret Meat

Veggie Version:

Steam or sauté spinach, broccoli, or your favorite veggie. When you are done cooking the veggies, drain off extra liquids. Put 1 cup of marinara sauce in the mini prep and add the veggies. Food-process the veggies and sauce. The sauce will become a brownish red.  When it is very smooth, you can combine this veggie sauce to more plain tomato sauce and hand mix.  This helps to hide the veggies even more.

Meat or Tofu Version:

Add pureed cooked chicken, meat, turkey or uncooked tofu the same way to add to sauce.

Spaghetti Squash with Sauce

·    1 Large spaghetti squash or 2 small ones

Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and clean as you would a pumpkin. Completely submerge the squash, 1 half at a time, in a large pot of boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes until the inside is just tender to a fork and pulls apart in strands. (It is better to undercook the squash if you're not sure.) Remove, drain and cool squash in a cold water ice bath to stop the cooking process. Scoop out the cooked squash from its skin with a spoon as you would an avocado and discard the skin. Use a fork to fluff and separate the squash into "spaghetti-like” strands. You can also use your hands. Just before serving, put the cooked squash into a strainer and dip it into boiling water to reheat. You can cook it more if it is a little too al dente for your liking as well.

Serve with one of the sauces above.

Amy’s Cook’s Notes:

·    1 cup of spaghetti squash is a full serving of veggies.

·    Making homemade sauce cuts out several grams of sugar as well as fat.

·    My favorite kitchen tool is my Kitchen Aide mini-prep. You can get them for between $30-$40.

·    For my Marinara Sauce with Secret Veggies, I use broccoli and spinach because they are really good for brain development. 

Whole-Wheat Mini Pizza with Hidden Veggies

·    Whole Wheat pita

·    Veggie marinara sauce (recipe above)

·    Shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat the toaster oven to 375°. Put a few tablespoons of the veggie marinara sauce on the pita.  The veggie marinara sauce should be very smooth with no lumps.  Sprinkle the cheese all over the sauce so no veggie sauce is showing.  If you want you could put a few teaspoons of plain marinara sauce on top of the cheese.  Cook for 10-15 minutes.  Use a pizza cutter to cut pizza into 4-6 pieces.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Veggie Marinara Sauce

A happy Joey eating his pizza!

Amy’s Cook’s Notes:

·    I like to use Horizon brand organic shredded mozzarella for my pizza.

·    Whenever I buy whole-wheat pita, I make sure the first ingredient listed is “whole wheat.”

Amy’s Green Lentil Crusted Baked Chicken Cutlets

·    ¾lb to 1lb of thin-sliced organic chicken cutlets

·    1 organic egg

·    Splash of milk

·    Organic Green Lentil Beans (Ground in the mini-prep to powder consistency)

·    Grated Locatelli or other Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°. Beat the egg and add a splash of milk to the bowl. Pour lentil powder on a plate and sprinkle in some salt, Parmesan cheese, and pepper. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture. Then press chicken into lentil “flour” on both sides. Place on either a non-stick cookie sheet or one that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes turning over once in the middle.

Variations:

**To turn into green lentil baked Chicken Parmesan with hidden veggies:

If using sautéed chicken cutlets, put in a dish and pour marinara with or without hidden veggies over chicken. Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese over chicken. Bake for 10 minutes.

**To make the baked cutlets into Parmesan:

Bake the cutlets above for 10 instead of 15 minutes.  Take out of the oven.  Gently spoon sauce over chicken and add mozzarella cheese.  You can put in a dish or keep on the cookie sheet. Cook for an extra 10 minutes at 425.

Amy’s Cook’s Notes:

·    I make a bunch of ground lentil flour and use it to replace flour whenever I cook. It adds fiber and protein with much less carbohydrates than breadcrumbs.

·    You can also cook the chicken in a pan with a little olive oil for 3 minutes on each side for total of 6 minutes instead of baking it first.

And here are some photos of my tomato sauce with zucchini and summer squash mixed into it. I guess I was inspired by Amy!

I love the colors here!

Mostly, I pureed it out of laziness because I didn't want to take the time to cut up the vegetables even more.

With whole wheat penne

Happy Cooking!

Recipes for Homemade Pizza

Over the summer, Matt and I had a few date nights at home when we cooked pizza together. Previously, I’d always used pre-cooked pizza dough, but this summer we began using fresh pizza dough instead that we bought from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. We prefer to use whole-wheat dough like this one. Below are some tips and tricks we learned these last few months about cooking pizza using fresh dough, cooking it on the grill and baking it in the oven. Recipes are at the bottom of the post.

General pizza-making tips and lessons learned when using fresh pizza dough:

·    This meal is not a quick meal. Making pizza can be a multi-step process depending on what you want to use as toppings. Here are sample steps.

       -Step 1: Remove pizza dough from the refrigerator around 3-5 hours before preparing  

        the pizza. I learned the hard way that it takes a while for the dough to be malleable        

        enough to stay flattened-out.

       -Step 2: Prepare the tomato sauce (Unless you are using jarred sauce.)

       -Step 3: Prepare the topping(s)

       -Step 4: Prepare and cook the pizza

·    Your pizza(s) won’t turn out to be beautiful, concentric circles like the guys at the restaurants make. Get yourself over it. Your oddly shaped concoctions will still taste yummy.  And they might even look like a state or country.

·    An actual pizza cutter is a brilliant invention.

·    If you make a “sweeter” pizza, top it with something more savory to balance out the flavors. For example, a corn and caramelized onion topping is delicious served with fresh arugula on top.

Tips for cooking pizza on the grill:

·    Unless you have a fancy pizza-sized spatula or paddle to use on the grill, it is way easier and a lot less stressful to cut the pizza dough in half and make two smaller pizzas. Use a well-oiled flat-edged cookie sheet to slide the pizza(s) onto the grill. Start the cookie sheet at the back of the grill and, moving forward slowly, let the dough slide off as you bring the cookie sheet toward yourself.

·    Cooking pizza on the grill is fast. Only about 3 minutes per side. Have your toppings ready to go and next to the grill so when you flip the crust after 3 minutes, you can quickly top your pizza(s) and get the cheese to start melting without burning the bottom of the pizza.

Tip for cooking pizza in the oven:

·    After stretching-out the dough to fit your baking pan, cookie sheet or pizza stone, cook the dough alone for around 3-5 minutes so it will be cooked through underneath all your yummy toppings.


So, you may be wondering if Eliana the teeny tiny foodie liked these recipes too? Wellll,
unfortunately, she hasn’t really had the opportunity to taste the homemade pizzas yet.
Matt and I usually love the pizzas so much that we eat the whole pizza right then and
there selfishly leaving none for our darling daughter. Eliana has tried these recipes in
deconstructed parts or in other forms such as zucchini parmesan slices with her dinner
the other night or the corn and caramelized onions mixture with arugula as pasta
“sauce.” But, we promise, we will make it as a family one weekend so Eliana gets her
fair taste of this yumminess!

Hmm, what's this? 

That zucchini part is fine but scraping off the breading with my teeth is THE BOMB!

And, here are the recipes.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Zucchini Parmesan

This is a 3- to 4-step recipe depending on whether or not you make your own tomato sauce. The first step is to make sure the pizza dough comes to room temperature. Steps 2 and 3 are to make the tomato sauce and prepare the zucchini parmesan and they are interchangeable. Step 4 is to prepare and cook the pizza.

·    1 package of fresh whole-wheat pizza dough

·    Around 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced

·    Around 1½-2 cups of tomato sauce (Homemade or jarred. My recipe is below.)

·    1 zucchini, sliced into thin disks

·    3 egg whites, lightly beaten

·    1½ cups Italian style breadcrumbs

·    1½ cups whole wheat flour

·    Grated parmesan, salt and pepper and olive oil to taste

Step 1: Room temperature pizza dough

I learned the hard way to take the pizza dough out of the refrigerator around 3-5 hours before preparing the pizza. Just leave it in its bag on the counter.

Steps 2: Preparing the zucchini parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350°. Slice zucchini and set aside. Into a shallow bowl pour the breadcrumbs. Mix in grated parmesan, salt and pepper.  Spray a baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with a Silpat or parchment paper. Set up your dredging station by arranging from left to right the whole-wheat flour, egg whites, breadcrumbs and your baking pan. Take a slice of zucchini and dredge both sides in the flour, egg whites, and breadcrumbs shaking off the excess in between each bowl.  Lay the zucchini onto the baking pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini slices begin to lightly brown, flip the zucchini slices over and bake for 10-12 minutes more. Transfer to a cooling rack.

The dredging station

Step 3ish: Make the tomato sauce

See my recipe below.

Step 3 or 4: Preparing and cooking the pizza in the oven (See below for “on the grill”)

**First and foremost, follow the cooking directions listed on the label of the pizza dough even if the temperature or cooking time is different than what I’ve suggested.**

Preheat the oven to 450°. Pour around a tablespoon of oil onto a baking pan or cookie sheet. Stretch out the dough to fit the pan. Bake just the crust for 3-5 minutes. Remove the dough and cover it with tomato sauce. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pizza and add the fresh mozzarella and zucchini slices. Bake for 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan, slice and serve.

A big, tasty blob of Zucchini Parmesan Pizza!

Homemade Tomato Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

·    3-4 large tomatoes, chopped

·    1 medium yellow onion, chopped (For this batch, I had 3 shallots so I used those instead)

·    1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

·    Olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste

·    Chopped fresh herbs such as basil

Pour olive oil into a large pot on medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Stir. Sauté for around 3-4 minutes or until the onion starts to become translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and stir through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix through and let simmer on low heat for at least 10 minutes. Add fresh herbs, stir and let simmer for another few minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Variations: Let sauce cool slightly, then puree in blender or mixer.

Add chopped fresh vegetables with the onion to make a primavera sauce

I use this sauce for pizza and for pasta.

To cook pizza on the grill:

Heat the grill to medium heat. Oil the grill and place the dough (1-2 pieces) onto the grill. Close the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the dough, cover with sauce and topping(s), close the lid and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the grill, slice and serve.

Grilled Pizza with Corn and Caramelized Onions

Another multi-step recipe listed below

·    1 fresh whole wheat pizza crust, at room temperature

·    1 medium onion, sliced and caramelized

·    1 ear fresh corn, kernels removed

·    Around 1 cup of part skim ricotta cheese

·    Around 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella, cut into small chucks

·    Around 1-1½ cups of grated parmesan

·    2 parts rosemary to 1 part basil, finely chopped

·    Garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

·    Organic arugula, chopped

Step 1: Caramelize your onions

Here is a link to an easy recipe I found online that I use to caramelize onions. Add a little water or white wine to deglaze the pan if the onions begin to stick. While the onions cook, you can begin Step 2. After the onions have cooked, transfer them to a plate to cool slightly.

Step 2: Prepare and set aside your greens and parmesan

Chop the arugula and your herb mixture and set them aside separately. If using a block of parmesan, grate and set aside. If using store bought grated parmesan, pour it onto a bowl or plate so it is ready for you to use. 

Step 3: Assemble your topping

To a large mixing bowl add the kernels of corn, ricotta, some of the grated parmesan (reserve some for topping the whole pizza later), ¾ of the chopped herbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix and taste. Adjust seasoning if needed. Add the caramelized onions and stir.  Set mixture aside.

Step 4: Prepare and grill the pizza

Either, roll out dough into a circle using a rolling pin or flatten it out with the heels of your hands. Brush the grill with olive oil then set to medium heat. Place dough onto the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Hold your breath for ultimate success, flip over the dough and brush with olive oil.  Spread the ricotta mixture onto the crust and add mozzarella chunks. Cook 2-3 minutes more. Remove from the grill, top with remaining herbs, shaved parmesan and arugula. Slice and serve.

Corn and Caramelized Onion Pizza in the shape of a non-specific country.

Topped with chopped arugula. YUM!

Happy Cooking!