Bringing Your Own Food

Hey Superstar (felt like an appropriate greeting for this rainy, Monday afternoon),

Have you ever tried to bring your own food somewhere and been denied?  Maybe you or your kiddos have food allergies or you're just trying to feed real food to your family?

This is something we are faced with all the time.  Usually it's no big deal - we just bring our little cooler bag everywhere with us.  However, there are some instances where outside food is not permitted.  

What do YOU do?  What has your experience been like?

Let's change the culture!  If there is a facility that cannot accommodate allergies and those looking to eat mostly unprocessed food, then they should be allowing outside food.  We're more than happy to buy silly souvenirs to make sure you make money on us.  :-P

In good health,

Tara

Oatmeal Bites

Full disclosure here...

Sometimes it gets quite tedious to feed Jagger (the baby) anything liquid-y and messy like oatmeal.  Often, his time in the highchair eating breakfast is when I like to chat about what we're doing for the day, eat my own breakfast, and/or load the dishwasher while no one is trying to crawl inside.

I decided it was about time to create another recipe that got in some healthy, breakfast ingredients in convenient, finger-food bites.

Alas, these oatmeal bites were born.

Jagger-dude polishes these off within minutes and Magnolia feels like she's getting dessert for breakfast.  I don't correct her - these could absolutely be used for a dessert at well!  

I've since experimented by adding and subbing lots of other mix-ins, and let me tell you, these bad boys are pretty versatile!  Feel free to get creative and let me know how they come out for you.

Oatmeal Bites

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups of quick oats (we use gluten free)
• 1 cup pureed carrot (pumpkin or sweet potato work well too)
• 2 large & ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 medium & ripe avocado, mashed
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 T crushed walnuts (optional)
• 2 T raisins (optional)
• 1/2 large carrot, grated - save half for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
3. In a blender, mix the wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients.
4. Spread batter in a greased, 8X8 cake pan.  (Any baking pan with an edge will be fine, just keep a close eye and adjust cooking times).
5. Add grated carrot garnish to tops, if using.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until top is golden brown and batter no longer jiggles.  
7. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares (or triangles or dinosaurs…whatever will make your kiddo smile).

Enjoy!

In good health,

Tara

Need more veggies? Here are 8 ways to get them in!

"…but I don't like veggies!"

"My kids would never eat that!"

"The fiber…it's no good for my belly."

"I'm saving room for dessert."  :-P

No matter the excuse, most of us know that the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, bioflavenoids (words that just mean plant magic), fiber, and perfectly-slow-digesting carbs that come packaged in food we know as "vegetables" are really important to our overall health goals. 

So, put your big girl (or big boy) panties on and watch this video for 8 tips on increasing the amount of veggies you (and anyone you love or even mildly tolerate) consume in a day.

How do you make sure to get your leafy greens and rainbow-colored veggies in?

In good health,

Tara

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ladies and gents, it's November 11th / Veterans' Day... and the end of an interesting week here in America.  Thanksgiving is 13 days away and the temperatures are starting to fall here in NY.  What I'm trying to say is, bring on the soup.  All . the . SOUP!

This Cream of Mushroom Soup is a gluten-free, dairy-free version of the Thanksgiving Day classic.  Not only is it a great side dish to bring or serve for those with special dietary needs, it comes packed with protein and fiber to help you fill you up on the good stuff.  Make extra - you can freeze some to enjoy for a quick dinner when you come home late from holiday shopping. ;-)

This recipe calls for the soup to be pureed into a smooth, creamy consistency, but feel free to keep it "chunky" if you and your guests prefer it that way.  For comfort and toddler purposes, I went with the puree option this time and it worked out well.  

Toddler tip: Magnolia (3 years old now), taste-tested this recipe and helped me "adjust" the spices to her liking.  She also watched me chop the onions and garlic and put her two cents in about when the soup was done blending.  I let her lick the spoon after mixing and once I got the final chef's stamp of approval, I served her the soup over green beans.  All of this involvement requires front-loading of time - more time getting the kiddos involved in the prepping and cooking process will save you time, money, and stress of untouched meals.

Enjoy!

In health,

Tara

Cream Of Mushroom Soup to soothe the soul and enjoy this Thanksgiving!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

(Dairy-free, gluten-free)

Ingredients:

5 cloves garlic, minced

½ medium onion, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, chopped

2 cups chickpeas, cooked

2 cups cashew milk

1 cup coconut flour

2 T coconut oil

1 tsp Thyme

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp pepper

Directions:

1.    In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil, garlic, and onion.  Cook about 3-5 minutes (until onions become translucent).

2.    Add mushrooms and cook another 2-3 minutes.

3.    Add chickpeas, cashew milk, and coconut flour and bring to a boil.

4.    Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

5.    Add thyme, salt, and pepper.

6.    Use immersion blender to puree (or transfer into regular blender in batches with towel firmly pressed over top of blender to prevent leakage).

7.    Enjoy as is or pour over cooked green beans or other veggies.

*This recipe is high in protein, high in fiber, and low glycemic.