Pumpkin spice oatmeal

This pumpkin spice oatmeal is the perfect steamy breakfast on a cool morning. Whole grain oatmeal is filling and hearty, while the bright orange pumpkin provides a day's worth of Vitamin A. The spices add warmth and delicious flavor.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

This recipe makes 3 adult-sized servings.

¾ cup pumpkin (canned or pureed from fresh)

3 cups skim milk

1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp cinnamon

1. Use a whisk to combine pumpkin, milk and spices in a medium saucepan.
2. Add oats and cook over medium heat until the mixture boils (about 10 minutes) stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and enjoy with your favorite oatmeal toppings. The following are delicious with this pumpkin spice oatmeal: walnuts, cranberries, raisins, brown sugar, or honey.

You can portion any leftover oatmeal into small bowls and refrigerate for a quick breakfast another morning.

Today's tip: Enjoy sweet pumpkin spice oatmeal for a warm, filling breakfast.

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!

Ravioli with squash and leeks

As the weather gets cooler I crave steamy soups, stews, and pasta. These meals are often family-friendly, plus easy to prepare in bulk and reheat as leftovers. I try to add as many veggies as possible to these dishes to boost the nutritional value.

 

A couple of weeks ago I was looking at a butternut squash and bunch of leeks from my farm share, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I threw them together with ravioli and a couple more ingredients, and loved the meal so much have I made it again with tortellini.

 

Ravioli with Squash and Leeks

 

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
one bunch of 3 large leeks
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
salt and pepper
¼ tsp dried sage (fresh would be great here)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 13-oz packages of frozen cheese ravioli or tortellini

 

1. Put water on to boil in a large pot. Cook ravioli according to package directions and drain.
2. While doing step #1, heat butter and oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cut off the dark green tops of the leeks and discard them. Slice the remaining white/light green leek sections in half lengthwise and run them under cool water, making sure to wash well between layers. Dry the leeks and slice them. Add the sliced leeks to the butter/oil in pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the squash, sage, nutmeg, and salt/pepper to the pan with leeks, cover and cook (stirring occasionally) for about 10 minutes or until leeks and squash are tender.
4. Stir in cooked ravioli, add more salt/pepper if needed and serve with parmesan cheese.

 

Today's tip: Squash your ravioli for fresh taste and nutrition!

Baby's first finger foods

I have an adorable 9-month-old niece who is ready to start finger foods. This process can seem scary to new moms as they navigate the world of introducing new food to their babies. It's really not difficult if you start thinking in terms of transitioning the baby from breastmilk or formula and baby food/purees to the same table food that the whole family eats.

At some time between 4- to 6-months of age we start feeding our babies purees and baby cereal. During the next several months parents carefully introduce many fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, beans, and dairy to the baby, watching for any preferences and food allergies.

After a while babies get the hang of being fed, and you can introduce safe finger foods so they can practice picking up food, putting it in their mouths, chewing (or as close to it as they can get without back teeth) and swallowing.

My sister wanted ideas of finger foods to introduce, so I suggested the following:

Baby “puffs,” or Cheerios

Small pieces of soft fruit: peaches, plums, grapes, bananas, apples or pears cut into tiny “matchsticks”

Small pieces of soft cooked veggies: carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, beets, squash

Tiny shreds of tender meat: chicken, beef, turkey

Beans (cut in half if large)

Shredded cheese

Whole wheat toast that has been cut into very small pieces

Scrambled eggs

French toast that is cut into very small pieces

Small pasta
Tofu

You get the idea. You can really feed your baby small pieces of any food that he/she has already been eating as a puree. You can also introduce any new foods they are ready to try this way, just be careful to keep an eye out for signs of food allergies.

Please be careful and watch your baby as they try new things. Some babies are fine with new textures while others gag more easily. Start out cutting food into the smallest size they can pick up. I remember sitting at the kitchen table with a knife just chopping food into tiny pieces for Ned, thinking he would never be able to handle anything bigger than a speck. I cut grapes into sixteenths. Slowly he has advanced (and gotten more teeth) and at 17 months he eats what we do – I am happy to hand him a piece of toast or bagel and watch as he chomps away!

Today's tip: Once your baby has the hang of being fed purees you can slowly introduce finger foods.

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.

Quinoa

My spell-checker does not know what quinoa is. Do you?

Quinoa (pronounced “KEEN-wah”) is a protein-rich seed. It falls into the “whole grain” category, since it contains the nutrient- and fiber-rich outer layers that are removed when grains are processed and refined.

The protein in quinoa is a complete protein, which means that it contains all of the essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce on their own. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Essential amino acids are necessary for good health and must be obtained through food. Typical sources of complete protein are: meat, egg whites and casein (the protein in milk). Since quinoa is a plant source of complete protein it is a good addition to vegan diets.

Quinoa is also a good source of magnesium, riboflavin, manganese and copper. A serving of quinoa has about the same amount of fiber as a bowl of oatmeal and is gluten-free.

I set out to try quinoa as a side dish for our family's dinner. Since it was a beautiful summer night, I decided to mix in grilled vegetables for texture and flavor. I often blend vegetables into a grain side dish to increase the kids' exposure to them.

Here's how I prepared our quinoa:

1. I rinsed the quinoa under cool water per package instructions.
2. I added one part quinoa to two parts liquid (I used broth for added flavor) to a pot on the stove, brought the mixture to a boil, and them covered and simmered it for 10-15 minutes until the liquid was absorbed (again, per package instructions). I used 1 ½ cups quinoa and three cups of broth for our family.
3. Meanwhile, I sliced one eggplant, one green pepper, and one red pepper. I brushed these with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper, then cooked them on a pre-heated grill (about medium flame) for 5 minutes per side.
4. I finely minced one clove of garlic and added it to about 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a large bowl. When the veggies were done I cut them into bite-sized pieces and added them to the bowl, then dumped in the quinoa when it was ready. I stirred all this together with about 4 oz of herbed goat cheese and salt/pepper.

Since this was a totally new food for the kids, I kept some of the quinoa plain and served them both the plain quinoa and the quinoa-veggie mixture so they could try both. I also sliced some raw peppers for them to enjoy plain, too.

I just added “quinoa” to the dictionary on my computer, and to our family's food repertoire. You should introduce it to your family, too. Oh, and I'm still working on the crock-pot meal I mentioned the other day – you'll hear about it when it has been perfected.

Today's tip: Try quinoa for a side dish or vegetarian meal.

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.

Peanut butter and WHAT?!

My older kids are HUGE fans of peanut butter sandwiches and I wanted to inject some variety (and more nutrition) into this favorite lunch. Since it's summer we have plenty of fruit around – and peanut butter/banana is one of my favorite combinations. I decided to experiment.

I made three sandwiches on whole wheat flatbreads: peanut butter and banana, peanut butter and apple, and peanut butter and plum. I presented the sandwiches to the kids on a platter, then cut each one in half for tasting. I added carrot sticks and cucumber spears and lunch was served.

Lila liked the apple sandwich, but then asked for plain pb. Deacon shocked me by eating half of each sandwich – the biggest lunch I can remember him eating in a while!

Peanut butter and jelly is a common sandwich choice, but the fruit in jellies and jams has been cooked down with added sugar. Using fresh fruit decreases the sugar in the sandwich (while keeping the natural sweetness of the fruit) and gives the sandwich a little fiber boost.

Peanut butter is a great source of protein. Be careful of varieties with added sugar and hydrogenated oils (which add trans fat). Because peanuts are one of the most common food allergies, I am careful to only serve it at home. It's also a choking hazard for kids under 4 -- I spread a thin layer on sandwiches, crackers, apples, or toast to reduce this risk.

Try some of these other fruity sandwich ideas, too:

• Grilled cheese with apples or plums
• Turkey with apples
• Ham with peaches or plums
• Chicken salad with grapes or raisins mixed in
• A sweet sandwich treat of Nutella and strawberries or bananas

Have other ideas? Please comment to let me know!

Today's tip: Add nutrition and surprise to sandwiches with fruit.

Lunch snapshots

Sometimes it's hard to come up with new ideas for lunch. Here are pictures of recent lunches the kids have enjoyed.

It's a classic for a reason! Peanut butter on whole wheat bread, served with a small apple and baby carrots. I buy natural peanut butter to avoid the sugar and hydrogenated oils that are added to most brands. Whenever possible, I also buy tote bags of small apples, so the each kid can have their own without too much waste. They love to chomp into whole apples!

Another kid classic: macaroni and cheese. I make the traditional packaged version very occasionally for a quick lunch. I'd prefer the organic box, but my kids won't eat it. I served a scoop of mac alongside an apple and baby carrots on this day, too. One note about the carrots: I served them raw and crunchy to Lila, who is almost 5 and beyond the risk for choking on hard foods. I boil them for a couple of minutes to soften them up a bit for Deacon (just turned 3), and chop the boiled carrots for Ned (1).

Beet hummus on a whole grain english muffin with baby carrots. Yummy and colorful!

Leftover grilled chicken drumstick with brown rice and tomato/avacado salad. Lila is picky about meat, but recently discovered drumsticks and loves to munch on them. My kids are big fans of rice, too.

Black bean soup with a wedge of cornbread -- so delicious! There are tons of beans and veggies pureed into this soup.

The day after Deacon's birthday party we had leftover pickies, so the kids enjoyed "party lunch": whole grain crackers, cheese, fruit and farm fresh cucumber slices.

This was Ned's chopped party lunch: crackers, leftover grilled chicken, cucumbers and fruit.

Today's tip: If you are in a lunch slump try something new today. Feel free to borrow one of our ideas!

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.

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.

Making everyone happy!

Ahhh, Saturday morning! Time to make a yummy breakfast! With help from Lila and Deacon, I made waffles with warm bananas (sauteed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little butter and brown sugar) and toasted walnuts. Deacon and I loved them!

However, Lila is the queen of plain food. She took one look at breakfast and said, “I only like plain waffles.” I planned for this by keeping some plain waffles, bananas, and walnuts aside for her.

This is a tactic I often use. While cooking a meal, I keep ingredients separate for her when possible. For example:

• If we eat chili, she will have a plate of beans, corn, peppers, and whatever meat I cooked up.
• When we have pasta and meatballs in tomato sauce she has plain pasta and meatballs (separately on the plate) without sauce.

Ned got cut up plain waffles and bananas. I was happy to make one meal for all of us.

I still give her a very small taste of our “real” meal – this morning she tried a bit of the bananas. Sometimes she will surprise herself and like our meal!

This way she gets food she will eat, but I'm still only preparing one meal for the family.

Today's tip: Try to satisfy picky eaters without preparing different meals for everyone.

Cereal -- for breakfast and beyond!

Healthy cereal is a great pantry staple to keep on hand. In general, cereal is a good source of whole grains, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Here are some guidelines for selecting the healthiest cereals:

• Aim for cereal that has at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving.
• Pick a cereal that provides at least 25% of the recommendation for vitamins and minerals.
• Try to keep cereals with 5-10 grams of sugar (or less) per serving around. Make these the most popular cereals in the house by serving them up often!

I stock up on cereal when it is on sale at the grocery store to avoid high prices. Two of our favorites are Cheerios and Wheat Chex. I often pack these alone as snacks, or mix them with more popular dry snacks like Goldfish or pretzels. These make great snack mixes to pack for car trips and play dates!

Obviously cereal makes a healthy choice for breakfast, too! These additions can boost it's nutritional power:

• Skim milk or yogurt add protein and calcium (for strong bodies, bones, and muscles), plus vitamin D (which helps your body absorb calcium), potassium (which can help maintain healthy blood pressure), and more! If your family chooses to not drink milk you should try to find a soy, rice, or other beverage that has been fortified with all the nutrients of milk, and shake it well before serving.
• Fruit adds more fiber, plus natural sweetness and potassium, vitamin C (helps with growth, repair, and healing bodies), and folate (helps make blood cells), and other vitamins and minerals.
• Nuts can add crunch plus omega-3 fats (the “good” kind found in fish that lowers your risk of heart disease), protein, and antioxidants to fight disease.

Today's tip: Stock up on cereal for your family.

mmmmm... Muffins!

Deacon and I had fun baking muffins today! I wanted a quick project, so we used a boxed muffin mix. Deacon has recently started cooking with me, and loves it. He is always asking me for the step stool so he can make something.

It can be a little scary to cook with young children. Believe me when I say that I am a control freak. I would never cook with the kids if it meant cleaning batter off the ceiling when we are done! Plus Deacon has a tendency to taste the ingredients or batter if he is left alone for any amount of time. My kids have started out doing small cooking tasks, adding more as they get older.

Here is how the muffin baking went:

1. Deacon put muffin liners in the muffin tins while I got the rest of the ingredients ready and turned the oven on.
2. I cut open the muffin mix and we dumped it into the bowl together.
3. I measured the water and he carefully poured it into the bowl.
4. I cracked the egg and added it to the bowl.
5. We stirred the batter together with both of our hands on the wooden spoon.
6. Deacon counted the muffins as I scooped the batter into the liners.

He was very excited to taste the muffins. I have to keep an eye on him or he will steal them off the counter while they cool.

When Lila and Deacon were younger they would just stand on the step stool by the counter as I cooked. Now that she is 4 ½, Lila can crack eggs into the bowl for me (then we wash her hands right away!), dump in measured ingredients, stir carefully, and spoon out dough onto a pan if we're making cookies. Plus she helps me dry off fruits and veggies when we wash them while making meals.

Today we used Trader Joe's Triple Berry Bran Muffin Mix, which was very good. It contains whole wheat flour, bran, and dried fruit (among other ingredients) – just add egg and water. The resulting muffins tasted great and had 7 grams of fiber and only 150 calories.

We often make bran muffins using The Original All-Bran Muffin recipe, which are also yummy. Sometimes we add whatever fruit is in the house, or a teaspoon of jam in the center.

Today's tip: Let your kids help you cook, even if you're just preparing a snack.

Vegetable Barley Soup

Lila and I made a big pot of soup yesterday. It was a rainy, cool evening and this soup really hit the spot. Both Lila and Deacon ate it, so I consider this recipe a success!

Lila just discovered barley this winter and loves it! Barley is a high-fiber whole grain, with many of the same health benefits as oatmeal.

Vegetable Barley Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in sauce
8 cups of broth
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
¾ cup barley
1 cup green beans, cut small
1 ½ cup beans (either soaked if dried or drained and rinsed if canned)
1 cup frozen peas

1.Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots and cook for about 10 min until tender
2.Add tomatoes, broth, thyme, bay leaf, and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to simmer.
3.Add barley, green beans, and beans and simmer for about 30 min until barley has swelled and is softened.
4.Add peas and let heat for 5 minutes. Check to see if it needs more salt and pepper, remove bay leaf, and you're ready to serve!

Notes: You can adapt this recipe to your family's preferences. My version is a little heavy on the carrots (Deacon's favorite) and has plenty of barley and beans (Lila's favorites). Add whatever veggies you like. If your family likes spice add a little crushed red pepper flakes when sweating the onions/celery/carrots. I used low-sodium chicken broth since that's what I had – vegetable broth would make this completely vegetarian.

Today's tip: Try barley in this soup or one of the recipes listed on the whole grain council's website.

Easy Oatmeal

We love to have oatmeal for breakfast. ¼ cup of oatmeal mixed with a smushed banana is Ned's favorite way to start the day! By making oatmeal myself, I get to control the amount of sugar it contains. Since breakfast time with three little kids is CRAZY, I have a hard time making oatmeal from scratch most mornings. I've found a cool short-cut: cook-ahead oatmeal.

When I do have time to make oatmeal (sometimes this is in the afternoon or evening), I make extra and throw it in the fridge. The next morning I pull it out, add a little milk or water, heat it up in the microwave, and we're ready to go.

Just follow the cooking instructions for your favorite variety of oats (quick, old fashioned, steel cut, etc).

Oatmeal is good for everyone in the family! All varieties of oats are whole grain. Studies show that oatmeal lowers bad cholesterol while improving intestinal health (read: helps you stay regular) and controlling appetite.

To make super-nutritious oatmeal even better, try one or more of these ideas:

• Make it with milk instead of water for added protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals
• Add your favorite fresh, dried, canned (drained), or frozen fruits
• Add spices like cinnamon or nutmeg
• Sprinkle on a handful of nuts

Today's tip: Make a batch of oatmeal and portion it into covered bowls. Pull them out tomorrow for a quick and healthy breakfast!