Jack-o-lanterns

These quick jack-o-lanterns are a snack and a craft in one! We made them for breakfast this morning, and they were a hit. Make these the next time you host a playdate.

 

1. Take a whole wheat mini bagel or english muffin and toast it if desired.
2. Spread on a bit of pumpkin cream cheese.
3. Spoon some canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree into a small zip-top bag to form a pastry bag. Snip off a small tip and pipe “pumpkin lines.”
4. Add sliced shapes made of dried plums (a.k.a. prunes) to make a face, and attach a green bean stem. Enjoy!

 

You could decorate these with anything you have on hand if you don't have dried plums or green beans. Be creative!

Here is Lila's:

 

I keep whole wheat mini bagels on hand in the freezer – they make a great breakfast, school snack item, or lunch slider sandwich roll.

 

Today's tip: Make a jack-o-lantern today, no pumpkin carving required!

Pumpkin muffins

I've been making these muffins for years. They are sweet and warm with the spices of Fall: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Sometimes I make them as directed, other times I switch out chocolate chips for the raisins for a sweet mini-muffin recipe. Either way they are delicious!

 

Pumpkin Muffins
from Cooking Light, November 2006

 

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp salt
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin puree)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
¼ cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 18 muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in raisins and make a well in the center of the mixture.
3. Combine brown sugar, pumpkin, buttermilk, canola oil, molasses, vanilla extract, and eggs, stirring well with a whisk.
4. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.
5. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.

My notes:

• I used half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour and these came out great. I may try all whole-wheat next time after the success of the maple-apple muffins.
• For delicious sweet mini-muffins substitute ½ cup of mini chocolate chips for the cup of raisins. Scoop into mini muffin pan and cook for about 10 minutes or until done. This recipe makes tons of mini muffins!
• If you don't have pumpkin pie spice you can substitute: 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp cloves, and ¼ tsp nutmeg.
• If you don't have buttermilk in the house you can add 1 tsp vinegar to 1/3 cup of milk and let it sit for a bit as a buttermilk substitute.

Enjoy! Add fruit and these muffins are the perfect breakfast on a crisp Fall morning.

 

Today's tip: Bake up pumpkin muffins and enjoy a taste of Fall.

Preparing sugar pumpkins for baking

Fall is here! We've been enjoying apples, squash, and pumpkins as we celebrate the change of seasons. I love baking with pumpkin during the fall and winter. Usually I buy canned pumpkin, but this year I pureed sugar pumpkins for baking.

 

Sugar pumpkins are smaller than the ones you carve into jack-o-lanterns. They have the right water content for baking and are available now at farms and in the grocery store.

 

It took a bit of work, but Lila and I prepared four medium-sized sugar pumpkins. I decided to bake the pumpkins to avoid peeling. Here's what we did:

1. Cut the pumpkins in half, scoop out the pulp and seeds, and remove the stem.
2. Place the pumpkin halves (cut side down) in a shallow baking dish and cover them with foil.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 ½ hours or until very tender. Allow pumpkins to cool.
4. Scoop out pumpkin flesh and puree or mash it. Strain the mixture if you want your pumpkin to be very smooth.
5. Portion pureed pumpkin into bags for the freezer. A can of pumpkin contains 1 ¾ cups, so I used that measure to make portions.

If you'd rather boil them, you can take the pumkin halves, peel them, and cut them into small chunks. Cover  the pumpkin pieces with water and boil until tender, then drain and puree or mash.

There you go, mashed pumpkin that is ready for your favorite pie, bread, or muffin recipe (or to feed to your baby)!

We cleaned off the pumpkin seeds, seasoned them with vegetable spray and salt, and roasted them at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.

 

Today's tip: Prepare for winter baking by preparing pumpkin this fall.

Zucchini bread

When we were little my dad had a garden and must have grown zucchini. I remember mom making zucchini bread all the time. I especially loved when she would make CHOCOLATE zucchini bread, it was moist, sweet, and delicious!

 

Facebook is great for sharing recipes! A friend posted the status “making zucchini bread,” and I remembered mom's freshly baked treat. I asked my friend Deb for this recipe and she gladly shared. (That's how I came across the recipes for Veggie Pot Pie and Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread, too) Here it is for you all to bake at home!

 

Zucchini Bread

 

1 ½ cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups coarsely shredded zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. Mix dry ingredients (flour through salt) thoroughly
4. In large mixing bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Beat until lemon-colored, about 3 minutes.
5. Stir in zucchini.
6. Add dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Of course I tried out a couple of changes!

• I used half whole wheat flour and half white – still yummy!
• I tried a chocolate version by adding 1/3 cup of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients – delicious!

 

Today's tips: Share recipes with a friend! Oh, and zucchini is plentiful now, so make some delicious zucchini bread for your family.

Southwest Squash Soup

I found this recipe several years ago in a 5 A Day program cookbook. I've made it so many times in so many different ways. Last week I picked up two big butternut squash at the grocery store and instantly remembered this favorite recipe.

 

The CDC has since updated the 5 A Day program to call it Fruits & Veggies – More Matter(TM). This was a great move, since we all need to remember to keep adding fruits and vegetables to all meals and snacks during the day. I find this easier than counting how many servings we eat each day.

Fall and winter fruits and veggies like butternut squash are heartier than a lot of the produce of summer. This makes it easier to keep tons on hand without fear of spoiled produce!

 

Butternut squash provides fiber, potassium, Vitamin C, folate, magnesiun, iron, and calcium to a healthy diet. It's orange color is a tip that it's a good source of beta-carotene (which becomes Vitamin A) an antioxidant with a key role in maintaining eye health and vision.

 

I did some chopping in the morning before school drop-off, then whipped this soup together while playing with Ned. The hardest part is peeling and dicing the squash – most stores stock peeled squash that will save you this step.

 

Southwest Squash Soup

 

2 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1-2 jalapenos, chopped
4-5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup tomato puree
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add onions, carrot, and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Cover pan, reduce heat and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.
3. Stir in squash, peppers, broth (enough to just cover the veggies), tomato puree, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Mash squash to a chunky puree with a potato masher. Taste for seasonings and add more if needed.

My notes:

• I used 1 jalapeno (without seeds or ribs) and it was spicy enough for my family.
• I used an immersion blender for a smooth soup. I have used the potato masher in the past and it leaves lots of texture (which is good, too).
• In the past I've added brown rice or white beans to make the soup more filling.
• This soup is great for topping! Try adding grated cheddar, sliced green onions, light sour cream or plain yogurt.

 

Today's tip: Make a delicious soup out of abundant (and inexpensive) butternut squash this fall and winter.

Apples

Fall is apple season here in New England. Apples are on sale at the grocery store, available as part of my CSA farm share, and abundant for picking at several local farms. We have a big bowl of apples on the counter so we can all enjoy this sweet fruit.

Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? Apples contain fiber – both soluble fiber that can lower cholesterol and insoluble fiber to aid digestion. Apples also contain quercetin, a powerful antioxidant. A medium-sized apple only contains about 80 calories but can be a filling snack.

We can't keep apples in the house long around here. We love to eat them plain, sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar, smeared with peanut butter, or baked into a tasty treat. I posted a recipe for delicious maple-apple muffins last week. Here is a simple apple recipe, applesauce.

I don't think this even qualifies as a recipe... it's pretty vague. I just wanted to let you know that homemade applesauce is easy to make.

Homemade Applesauce

Step 1: Peel, core, and chop apples (whatever amount you have on hand) into large chunks.

Step 2: Put the apples and a bit of water in a saucepan. Today I made applesauce using 7 apples and about ¼ cup of water.

Step 3: Cover the pan and heat the apples/water on medium until the apples are soft enough to mash. This takes a different amount of time for different varieties of apples. I used McIntosh apples and they took 20 minutes to soften.

Step 4: Use a potato masher to mash the apples to a chunky applesauce. Use a blender or food processor for a smoother puree. Cool and enjoy.

Today's tip: Make your own applesauce – it's easy, natural, and delicious.

Maple-apple muffins with oat topping

I found another muffin recipe in another novel! I already posted the recipe for coconut orange blueberry muffins from The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. I recently read the sequel, Knit Two, which featured another yummy-sounding (and healthy) muffin recipe. Now that it's officially apple season I had to give it a try.

 

These muffins were easy and so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly as written, except that I couldn't leave well enough alone and had to add an oatmeal crumb topping. I had them out on the counter and my sons wouldn't stop asking for them, then requesting seconds.

 

Each muffin contains 1/3 of an apple – not bad if you are having trouble getting your kids to eat fruit. Plus they are made entirely with whole wheat flour for added nutrition over white flour. You can also easily make them gluten-free.

 

I can't find the recipe officially posted anywhere, so I'm retyping it here in it's original form. The topping is my invention, though!

 

The only change I may make in the future would be to add a little maple extract. I couldn't taste maple in the muffins and would have liked that flavor to be stronger. Let me know how it turns out if anyone tries this.

 

Maple-apple muffins – from Knit Two by Kate Jacobs

 

1 ¾ cups whole wheat or gluten-free flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
¼ cup oil – I used canola
½ cup applesauce
1/3 cup maple syrup – use the real thing!
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 ½ cups of peeled, cored, and chopped apples (the recipe calls for Granny Smith, I had macs in the house and they worked well)
½ cup chopped pecans, optional – I didn't add these

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with baking cups.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Add the oil, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla and stir. Mix in the brown sugar.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine. Stir in the apples. Add the nuts if desired.
5. Pour batter into muffin cups, filling to the top.
6. Make oat topping: mash 1 Tbsp softened butter with 1 Tbsp whole wheat (or GF) flour and 2 Tbsp brown sugar, plus a dash of salt and 1/3 tsp cinnamon. Stir in 2 Tbsp oatmeal. Top each muffin with this mixture, pressing it together lightly to form a crumble.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are set and lightly brown. Remove the muffins from the baking pan and cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 muffins.

 

Note: If you are trying to make these muffins gluten-free you can either: omit the topping, make the topping without the oatmeal, or make it using certified gluten-free oats.

 

Today's tip: It's apple season, so mix up a batch of delicious muffins for your family.

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread

I know what you're thinking, “ANOTHER banana recipe?” Hey, if you have young kids like I do (or even if you don't) chances are pretty good that you buy bananas regularly and rarely eat them all before they start turning brown. In my house, brown bananas go into a zip-top bag in the freezer for future baked goods (like traditional banana bread).

When I posted the recipe for banana-chip cookies my friend Helene said that she was baking a banana bread with chocolate swirl. She shared the Cooking Light recipe she uses and I just got a chance to try it out today.

I had all the ingredients in the house except egg substitute, so I just used an equal amount of egg whites. Deacon helped me mix up the batter. I was pleased by the easy way the few ingredients came together – it was so easy to make the banana batter, mix chocolate into a portion of it, and swirl them both together.

Deacon actually kept coming into the kitchen to check on the bread as it baked – he couldn't wait to try it! We weren't disappointed, it was light and just chocolatey enough (especially warm out of the oven) to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Tomorrow I plan to follow the recipe's suggestion and make a snack of a slice of toasted marbled-chocolate banana bread smeared with peanut butter. Yum.

Today's tip: Try this easy recipe as another way to use those overripe bananas.

Pizza fish

My grandfather was a Gloucester fisherman. I remember that he used to get haddock fresh off the docks, freeze it in portions, and fly it down when he'd visit us in Maryland. We always had a stash of fish in the freezer, thanks to him.

 

My mom invented pizza fish, thinking it sounded more appealing to kids than plain baked fish. Fish IS nutritious but can be a tough sell to kids unless fish sticks are on the menu. I remember that pizza fish was a special dinner in our family, so I recreated it for my family.

 

It all starts with mom's homemade pizza sauce (feel free to use it on traditional pizza, too!). I took thin filets of white fish (although mom used to use thicker filets in a baking dish and it worked really well), cut each filet in half and topped each portion with pizza sauce. I baked the fish at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes until the fish was cooked through -- bake longer if you use thicker filets. Then I added part-skim mozzerella and baked the fish for another couple of minutes. It was easy and delicious!

 

Pizza Sauce

 

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft.
2. Add tomatoes, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes.
3. This makes enough sauce for 2-3 large pizzas. I used about half of the recipe to make pizza fish, which I sauced pretty generously.

Today's tip: Serving fish but the family wants pizza? Try pizza fish!

One more ice cream: yogurt, honey, and cinnamon gelato

I tried another gelato recipe from weelicious.com after remembering the delicious simplicity of the coconut gelato. I know, I'm on a bit of an ice cream machine kick, but this is ice cream season!

It's hard to believe that three basic ingredients: greek yogurt, honey, and cinnamon could make such a creamy treat. Lila and I set out to blend the mixture then we poured it into the ice cream machine so it could magically become gelato. The recipe states that it can easily be made into popsicles if you don't have an ice cream machine.

We enjoyed our treat after dinner with cocoa-dusted raspberries. It was so good!

I've already discussed the health benefits of greek yogurt and cinnamon. Add in honey for sweetness and this recipe is a winner. It uses full-fat yogurt, so stick to a small scoop to keep calories in check. Do not serve honey (or uncooked recipes containing honey) to babies under 1 year old.

Stay tuned, I have the crock-pot out for tonight's dinner. If it comes out well I'll post the results! Fall is around the corner...

Today's tip: Turn yogurt, honey, and cinnamon into a creamy gelato or delicious homemade popsicles.

Summer tomato pasta

It's tomato season! All year I look at the sad tomatoes in the grocery store and long for the end of summer when ripe red tomatoes are abundant. Now's the time, so grab them from your farm share depot or farmer's market, harvest them from your backyard garden, or hit up a neighbor who grew too many.

I needed a quick family dinner last night, so I mixed up this pasta. The longest part of the preparation process was waiting for the water to boil!

It's more of a method than a recipe, use as much of each ingredient as you like. You can make this recipe for one person or for ten. Here's what I did:

1. Put on water to boil.
2. Chop tomatoes and add to a large bowl with finely minced garlic, chopped basil leaves, cubed mozzerella, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Boil pasta according to package directions. Add beans to last few minutes of pasta cooking time. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking liquid.
4. Toss hot pasta with tomato mixture. If the pasta seems dry to you add the reserved cooking liquid.

You can choose the ingredients and amounts you like. I used plum and grape tomatoes (it amounted to about 3 cups when chopped) from the farm share, part-skim mozzerella (about 4 oz), and whole-wheat pasta (the whole pound), plus about ¼ cup of olive oil, about ½ cup chopped basil, and about 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. I added about 1 ½ cups of precooked/frozen white beans. I used one garlic clove and thought it was very garlicky – you could try ½ a clove if you aren't a fan of strong garlic flavors. We topped our pasta with parmesan cheese and it was delicious!

Today's tip: Grab summer tomatoes and enjoy them while they are at their best!

Fun Pop Quiz: What culture invented boiled pasta?

Gingerbread pancakes

I remember that mom was on a fiber kick for a while when I was little. She would put Kellogg's All-Bran cereal in everything, from muffins to meatloaf.

 

She had good reason to be excited about fiber. People who eat higher fiber diets have been found to have:

• lower cholesterol
• improved digestive system health
• reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer

Fiber also makes you feel full after eating fewer calories. Studies show that consuming a high fiber diet is one way to avoid excessive weight gain (or to lose weight and maintain weight loss for any parents who are interested).

 

Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Bran is the high-fiber outer layer of grains like wheat, oats and rice. Whole grains still contain this layer, while refined grains like white rice and flour have had it removed. The All-Bran cereal mom was obsessed with contains 10 grams of dietary fiber per ½ cup serving.

 

The USDA recommends that adults consume 25-38 grams of dietary fiber per day, (based on gender, age, and size) while children should get 19-31 grams per day (again, based on age and size). Check mypyramid.gov for personalized recommendations for your kids.

 

Mom has since stopped stashing cereal in her meatballs and instead focuses on including plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in her diet. I still love the recipe for Kellogg's All-Bran original bran muffins. While searching the Kellogg's All-Bran website I found a recipe for gingerbread pancakes. These are delicious – I have been making them for a few years. These tender pancakes are sweetened with molasses and spiced with cinnamon and ginger. Lila and I made them this morning and Ned ate two!

 

Gingerbread Pancakes (from Kellogg's)

 

1 cup Kellogg's All-Bran cereal
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 ¼ cups skim milk
¼ cup molasses
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

1. In large mixing bowl, combine cereal, oil and milk. Add molasses and egg and beat well.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to cereal mixture, stirring only until combined.
3. Cook on greased preheated griddle until brown on both sides, flipping only once. Serve hot with preserves, warmed applesauce, or syrup.

Today's tip: Check mypyramid.gov to figure out your family's fiber needs, then track your diet for a few days to see if you meet the recommendation.

Coconut Gelato

My sweet tooth is showing these days!

I revisited Weelicious, the blog where I found the infamous beet hummus recipe in search of a brilliant new summer recipe. Success! I found a recipe for coconut gelato that inspired me to break out the ice cream machine in our basement.

My children LOVE making ice cream but I often forget that we have the machine and rarely have cream in the house. This recipe impressed me with it's simplicity – how could I not take a few minutes with the kids to mix coconut milk, agave nectar, and vanilla to create this treat? Catherine McCord is a genius! You can bet I'll be trying her recipe for yogurt, honey and cinnamon gelato as well.

Coconut milk (the liquid obtained by pressing and straining the liquid out of coconut meat) does contain saturated fat, but studies of healthy populations that consume a great deal of coconut milk have found that it does not raise bad cholesterol. I was surprised to read that the main fatty acid in coconut milk, lauric acid, is also found in breast milk where it plays a role in building brain cells and healthy bones. Plus lauric acid has antimicrobial properties – coconut oil is being tested as a medical treatment for diseases such as HIV and influenza. It will be interesting to see future research on this topic. That said, it is important to limit your intake of saturated fat, so stick to a small scoop!

This recipe uses agave nectar for natural sweetness. Agave nectar is extracted from a cactus-like plant. It is cooked down in a process similar to maple syrup (although at a much lower temperature). It also has antimicrobial properties. Agave nectar's sweetness is mainly from a complex sugar called inulin, which has a low glycemic index. It does not cause the rapid spike in blood sugar (followed by a quick crash) that other sweeteners can cause.

The smooth, creamy coconut gelato is vegan and gluten-free. It is a delicious treat for hot summer days. We will definitely make this simple recipe again soon! Next time I may mix the ingredients in the blender, since the coconut cream tends to separate from the milk when chilled.

Today's tip: Whip up some homemade ice cream with your kids for a wholesome summer treat.

Banana-chip cookies

This post will be short and sweet!

An awesome friend tipped me off to a delicious cookie recipe – how could I not try it? The kids and I baked these banana chocolate-chip cookies and they were so good. Here's another great way to use bananas that are getting a little mushy (I already posted my favorite banana bread recipe).

Everyone thinks that, as a dietitian, I only feed my kids vegetables. However, all kids like occasional treats and these cookies are a great little bite of chocolatey sweetness. Plus they have the nutrition of a little banana thrown in there! And nothing goes better with a glass nutrient-rich milk than a cookie (every now and then).

I used a very small scoop to make lots of cookies that were just the right size for a little sweet tooth. I also used mini chocolate chips so there is a chocolate in every bite. Try dark chocolate chips for more antioxidant power.

Today's tip: Bake up a sweet treat with your kids.

Kid Superfood: Tomatoes

By now we've all heard the news: tomatoes are loaded with lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that is associated with a lower risk of developing cancer and heart disease. Lycopene is more readily absorbed by the body in cooked and canned tomato products, making canned tomatoes, ketchup, and salsa excellent sources. Lycopene is also found in other red fruits like watermelon and pink grapefruit. Tomato season is coming – you just can't beat the flavor of fresh-grown summer tomatoes!

This may be a good place to discuss antioxidants. (I found the following explanation in the book Food and Nutrition Controversies Today: A Reference Guide by Myrna Chandler Goldstein and Mark A. Goldstein, M.D.) Tissues in our body are susceptible to damage by free radicals, which are reactive oxygen molecules that are present everywhere. Diseases like arthritis, cataracts, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are associated with free radical damage. Antioxidants are molecules that “take the hit” by being damaged by free radicals and neutralizing them. Ok, enough science, more food!

I already posted my recipe for tomato sauce, a great way to add tomatoes to your family's diet. Canned tomatoes are easy to keep on hand. Buy them on sale and stock up! I add canned chopped, crushed, or whole tomatoes to soups, stews, chili, and rice.

Deacon and I made “tuna boats” for lunch. I cut a roma tomato in half, then we scooped out the seeds to make boats. We mixed up tuna salad and loaded it into the boats, then placed them on lettuce “waves.” Deacon would grab tomatoes and eat them like apples if I kept them in his reach!

Please comment, I'd love to hear your suggestions: what else would you stuff in a tomato?

Today's tip: Add antioxidants to your diet with fresh tomatoes and tomato sauces, ketchup and salsa.

Kid Superfood: Blueberries

While all berries are great sources of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, blueberries win the superfood designation. In fact, blueberries have the highest antioxidant activity of any food according to the USDA. Antioxidants work to help your body fight diseases like cancer and heart disease. Blueberries contain color pigments called anthocyanins that are powerful antioxidants – another reason to include colorful foods in your family's diet.

In the summertime we go berry picking every weekend. The kids love to fill our baskets with fresh berries, sampling along the way! In New England, blueberry season starts in mid-July. My kids are already talking about it! Find a farm near you for summer berry-picking fun.

We used fresh blueberries to make pancakes over the weekend. Deacon loved them so much he was still talking about them at swimming lessons later that day! We used a boxed multigrain pancake mix, then added blueberries to make faces or initials before flipping the pancakes.

Blueberries make a delicious addition to salads, baked goods, cereal, or oatmeal. Stir some into yogurt for a quick breakfast or snack idea. Add some to a dish of ice cream. Frozen blueberries are just as nutritious and available year-round – I made a big batch of blueberry puree for Ned using frozen blueberries over the winter. I stirred this puree into applesauce, yogurt, sweet potatoes, and even veggies like cauliflower.

I've already posted some blueberry ideas and recipes, check out the yogurt parfaits we made last month, try blueberries on one of my sweet pizza ideas, or the original recipe for oatmeal, blueberry and orange muffins.

Today's tip: Give your family antioxidant power with blueberries.

Pizza Party

Turn your kitchen into a pizza parlor! Everyone likes pizza, and it is an easy meal to make with your kids. We like to make individual pizzas for a couple of reasons:

• It's easier to roll out a small ball of dough, and less messy to transfer the small rolled-out “crust” to the pan
• Everyone gets to add the toppings they like
• Kids love having their own little pizza for lunch

The kids loved “waking up” the yeast with warm water. We watched it bubble for a few minutes, then added the rest of the ingredients. We made the dough in a bread machine that did the rising and kneading for us. The kids took turns looking through the machine's window to watch the dough twirl and rise.

Here is the pizza dough recipe from the Food Network that I've been using for years. My version has the exact same ingredients, but the instructions are modified for our bread machine:

Bread Machine Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 package dry yeast
1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp salt

1.Pour water and yeast into bowl of bread machine and let sit for 5 minutes or until bubbles form.
2.Add the rest of the ingredients and set bread machine on “pizza dough.”
3.When dough cycle is complete, turn dough out onto a floured surface. Cut dough into thirds (each third makes a big pizza). These sections can be frozen for future use at this point. Take one section and cut it into four pieces for individual pizzas.
4.Roll dough out to desired thickness and move to a baking sheet. Top with your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings.
5.Bake at 450 degrees for 7-8 minutes for a thin-crust pizza... longer if your pizza is thicker.

Here are our finished pizzas. We were in a rush that day and kept it simple with sauce and cheese. They were still customized, though -- Lila only likes cheese, Deacon likes tons of sauce and cheese, and Ned's pizza had typical amounts of each. The sky's the limit, though, so encourage your child to try new toppings. Set up a pizza bar of toppings and challenge your kids to be creative chefs.

Why stop there? Get crazy and make one of these sweet yet healthy pizzas:

Fruit pizza – Bake a crust without toppings and let cool. Top with light cream cheese or greek yogurt and your favorite fruit.

Peanut butter banana pizza – Bake a crust without toppings and let cool. Top with peanut butter and banana slices....yum!

Chocolate berry pizza – Bake a crust without toppings and let cool. Add a thin smear of Nutella and sliced strawberries. Or sprinkle a still-warm crust with dark chocolate chips (a delicious source of antioxidants), let them melt for a few minutes, then top with raspberries.

Now I'm hungry for a dessert pizza. Good thing I have dough in the freezer!

Today's tip: Make pizza at home instead of calling the delivery guy.

Yogurt Parfaits

I tempted Lila and Deacon with a “treat” after lunch today. They were thrilled to see me putting some of their favorite foods on the table: yogurt, berries, and nuts. I gave them each a clear glass and a spoon and we got to work layering the ingredients into parfaits.

This is a great way to make custom treats – each child can pick the yogurt flavor, fruit, and other additions that he or she likes. Plus they get to “cook” by spooning everything into their dishes. They ate every last drop!

Yogurt is a great source of protein and calcium for growing children, plus other essential nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin, and niacin. The probiotics (good bacteria) in yogurt promote health and help with lactose digestion – even lactose intolerant children can enjoy small amounts of yogurt.

I just looked around the kitchen to put together these parfait ingredients. Use whatever you have available! Other good additions would be:

• Fresh, dried, or canned fruit (select canned fruits in juice for less added sugar and drain them well)
• Any nuts or seeds
• Your child's favorite cereal
• Low-sugar fruit preserves
• Crushed pretzels
• Toasted coconut

 Here are our parfaits -- guess which one I made!

Today's tip: Set up a yogurt parfait bar and let your kids create a delicious treat.

Fruity Muffins

Last year I read a novel called The Friday Night Knitting Club that had this recipe in it for Oatmeal, Blueberry, and Orange Muffins. The muffins sounded delicious, so I gave them a try. The oatmeal and coconut give them a great texture!

Today Deacon and I made them, but we didn't have blueberries so we used bananas. They came out really well... the orange, coconut, and banana combination is tropical and fun. Deacon snagged a lot of bananas while we were cooking -- another reason to make healthy food with your kids. He will eat anything if it is an ingredient!

Here is my modified version. I tossed the diced bananas in the orange juice before adding them and they didn't turn brown.

Banana, Oatmeal, and Orange Muffins

Makes 16 muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup plain rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp each baking powder, baking soda & salt
Grated rind of one large orange
1½ cups flaked sweet coconut
½ cup liquid pasteurized honey
1 egg
3 tbsp canola or extra-light olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
Juice 1 orange & add water to make one cup of liquid
1 1/2 cup diced bananas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a muffin tin with paper cups.

Combine the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl: oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Next, add the coconut flakes and orange rind to the dry ingredients.

Get a separate bowl and beat the egg. Then incorporate the wet ingredients: honey, oil, vinegar, juice and water.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and stir until just moist. Then fold in bananas.

Pour batter into muffin cups, careful not to let any batter spill onto the tin. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. (Check to see if the muffins are fully baked by inserting a toothpick before removing from the oven; it should come out clean.)

Remove muffins from the pan and cool on wire rack.

Egg Triangles

My kids aren't huge fans of scrambled eggs, but they love egg triangles! They are just as easy to make for a yummy breakfast, brunch, or quick dinner like the one the kids had Saturday night (after a day of too many snacks).

Beat up as many eggs as you need with a little water or milk. Lila (4) can eat two, Deacon (2) just gets one. Preheat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour a thin layer of eggs in the pan and let them cook until they are practically set. Gently flip the eggs over to quickly cook the other side. Remove to a plate and slice like a pizza. Voila, egg triangles! They can be cut further if your child wants to use a fork (in our house they are finger food). My kids dip them in a bit of ketchup, but salsa would be a great choice here, too.

Lila helped me cook these, so I broke all the eggs into a container with a tight-fitting lid. She shook the eggs to beat them, then I did the cooking at the stove.

 Today's tip: Try egg triangles instead of scrambled eggs.