A Vegetarian Recipe for Black Bean Sliders with a Sweet Surprise Inside

I’ve been devouring the new book, Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School by dietitians Jill Castle and Maryann Jacobsen, and decided to cook up their recipe for Black Bean Sliders. My daughter, Leah, has been experimenting with being vegetarian—that’s a new decision, so the sliders looked like a great idea. I loved them. My husband, Don, loved them. Carolyn, who’s home from college, loved them. As for Leah. Well, let’s just say that when I presented them she asked “Is there pumpkin, squash, or sweet potato in these?” And when I answered, “Yes, sweet potato,” she wouldn’t take a bite. Isn’t it nice to know that even a Meal Makeover Mom can have a sometimes-picky eater?!

Black Bean Sliders via MealMakeoverMoms.com/kitchen #vegetarian

This recipe is so easy. Made with black beans, mashed sweet potato, shredded cheese, and cumin they come together in under 30 minutes. The sweet potato flavor is pretty mild, so I think if Leah had tried the sliders, she would have liked them. Oh well …

Black Bean Sliders

Makes 5 Servings

This recipe is adapted slightly from the Black Bean Sliders in Fearless Feeding. I served the patties on slider buns and topped them with cilantro and thin slices of red onion and tomato. Avocado slices would also be awesome. The sweet potato gives a subtle sweetness to the sliders and provides a full day’s worth of immune-boosting vitamin A. The next time I make the bean sliders (and yes, there will be a next time!), I will probably saute them in a nonstick skillet with some evoo to add a little more crispiness.

  • One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
  • 1 medium sweet potato, cooked and mashed (without skin)
  • 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend or Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place the beans, 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined (do not puree). Add the egg, bread crumbs, sweet potato, and cheese and pulse until combined.

3. Form the mixture into small patties (about 3 inches in diameter) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining oil and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Flip the patties after 10 minutes for even cooking.

Nutrition Information per Serving (2 sliders without the buns): 170 calories, 6g fat (2g saturated), 310mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 9g protein, 100% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 15% calcium, 10% iron

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For more Fearless Feeding recipes, check out their Mexican Lasagna and Greek Chopped Salad.

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1 Comment | Filed Under Beans, PickyEaters, Vegetables, Vegetarian 

A Recipe for Greek Chopped Salad, Tips for Feeding Kids from High Chair to High School … And a Giveaway of the New Book, Fearless Feeding (Podcast #218)

There is no shortage of new cookbooks on the market, but most don’t address the dos and don’ts of feeding kids a healthy diet. According to Jill Castle, mother of four and a dietitian who writes the blog Just the Right Byte, “Raising children to be healthy eaters is an 18-year process.” (We couldn’t agree more!) So together with Maryann Jacobsen—who founded another popular nutrition blog called Raise Healthy Eaters—she’s cooked up the new book, Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School. In our humble opinions, this book is the definitive guide on feeding kids. We’re thrilled because Jill joins us on this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast to share insight into mealtime challenges for moms as well as tip upon tip for success at the table. Tune in for invaluable advice and for two recipes from the book: a vegetarian-style Mexican Lasagna and Greek Chopped Salad (see below). We’re also giving away a copy of Fearless Feeding, so read on for details.

The cool thing about this chopped salad recipe is that you can tweak it to meet your family’s food preferences. Don’t like olives? Leave ‘em out or substitute with something you do like. Carrots perhaps? Also, instead of tossing, you can serve “dinner bar” style where you present each ingredient separately and then let family members build their own individual salads as they go.

ChoppedSalad4

Wondering why your ravenous toddler just decided to become “picky?” Fearful all those preschool birthday party cupcakes will sabotage all your good nutrition efforts? Curious how much calcium your teenage son or daughter needs? Or wondering if serving meals family style versus plating everyone’s meal will entice your kids to finally “just take a bite?” Fearless Feeding addresses those questions … and MANY more!

To bring joy back to the family dinner table, Jill and Maryann outline what they call their Fearless Feeding Strategy. That strategy goes as follows:
> Fundamental 1: WHAT to Feed Your Child
> Fundamental 2: HOW to Feed Your Child
> Fundamental 3: WHY Your Child Behaves That Way
> Putting It All Together

Who wouldn’t want that advice??!!

dinnerbar

Setting out a family dinner bar can motivate finicky eaters to try new foods. And let’s face it: Everyone has different tastes, so by serving the components of a meal separately, everyone can create their own meals with the ingredients they like best. Jill suggests serving everything from salads like this one to tacos and Pasta Primavera as a dinner bar versus plating individual portions.

Greek Chopped Salad

Makes 8 Servings

This Fearless Feeding salad is perfect for teens. It can be served as a side dish or a stand-alone meal. Add a second can of tuna for more protein, and toss in some toasted nuts if your taste buds crave more crunch.

  • 1 head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and chopped
  • 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
  • One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • One 5-ounce can tuna (we used Bumblebee Omega-3 Albacore Tuna)
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 small cloves garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. In a large, wide, and shallow bowl, layer the lettuce, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, beans, tuna, feta, tomato, and dill.

2. In a large measuring cup or jar, combine the lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano, and black pepper. Whisk the dressing together until it emulsifies (thickens). When you are ready to serve, toss the salad with the dressing or drizzle over individual servings at the table.

Nutrition Information per Serving:  240 calories, 16g fat (3g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 340mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 10g protein, 150% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C, 10% calcium, 10% iron

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9781118308592_Castle.inddGIVEAWAY NEWS: Thanks to Jill and Maryann, one lucky winner will receive their very own copy of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment here or on Facebook and tell us about your best tip for getting your kids to eat a varied and nutritious diet. If you have a picky eater at home, we’re especially eager to hear your in-the-trenches advice!

We will enter you into the giveaway additional times if you …

> Tweet about the giveaway with a link back to this post.
> Share the giveaway news with your Facebook fans and friends with a link back to the post.
> Follow us on Pinterest.
> Follow The Meal Makeover Moms on Twitter (@MealMakeovrMoms)

Please be sure to leave us a new comment every time you do something extra, and GOOD LUCK. The giveaway ends on May 22nd at noon, and as always we’ll use Random.org to pick our winner. Good luck!

Other nutrition bloggers who wrote about Fearless Feeding:

Mom’s Kitchen Handbook — Fearless Feeding: The Book Every Parent Needs
Tribeca Nutrition — Fearless Feeding Review and Giveaway
Elisa Zied — How to Fearlessly Feed Your Teen
Nutritioulicious — Fearless Feeding: The Definitive Guide to Feeding Children

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42 Comments | Filed Under Beans, Dinner, Giveaways, Lunch, PickyEaters, Podcast, Seafood, Sides, Vegetables 

A Cinco de Mayo Recipe for Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna … And a Sneak Peek of the New Book, Fearless Feeding

When I asked a few friends the significance of Cinco de Mayo, their universal answer was Mexico’s Independence Day, which is like our Fourth of July. Well, they were all incorrect (and I actually thought my friends were relatively smart)! Mexico’s Independence Day is celebrated on September 16th. Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French troops at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is not a national holiday and is celebrated mostly in the state of Puebla, Mexico where it is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla). In the U.S., it has evolved into a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and for some, an excuse to eat chips and guacamole and drink margaritas!

Mexican Lasagna

I was flipping through a new book Liz and I received called Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School (Jossey-Bass, 2013) by dietitian colleagues, Jill Castle and Maryann Jacobsen, and saw a recipe for Mexican Lasagna that I thought would be perfect for Cinco de Mayo. So I invited my parents to join us for dinner and gave it a try.

CInco de Mayo

Mom and Dad were good sports and tried one of Don’s margaritas and Leah helped make the lasagna by slicing the green onions and chopping the mushrooms. Her parakeet ‘Jazzy’ kept a watchful eye! One of the tips in Fearless Feeding is to get teens into the kitchen cooking so they can learn and master some basic culinary skills … and that’s exactly what my daughter, Leah did tonight :)

MexicanLasagna

I made a couple of modifications to the recipe since Leah doesn’t like corn and is currently experimenting with a vegetarian diet; I substituted sauteed mushrooms for the corn and meat-free grounds for the ground chicken.

Ingredients for Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna 

Makes 10 servings

This is the vegetarian version of Mexican Lasagna from Fearless Feeding, but you could certainly make it with ground chicken or turkey and use corn in place of or in addition to the mushrooms. I served the lasagna topped with chopped avocado that I tossed with the juice of a lime, a bit of extra virgin olive oil, and a handful of chopped cilantro. For good measure, I added a spoonful of light sour cream.

  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped fine
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • One 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • One 12-ounce package veggie protein crumbles
  • One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup salsa
  • Six 8-inch flour tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cumin, and chili powder and cook, stirring frequently about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are softened, about another 5 minutes. Stir in the veggie crumbles, black beans, and salsa and heat through.

3. Coat the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the tortillas in half and layer 6 halves on the bottom of the pan, covering completely. Add half of the filling on top of the tortillas. Top with half of the shredded cheese (1 cup). Layer the remaining 6 tortilla halves. Top with the remaining filling. Cover with 1 cup shredded cheese and sprinkle the sliced green onions on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the lasagna is heated through and the cheese is melted.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 240 calories, 7g fat (3g saturated), 710mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 19g protein, 25% calcium, 15% iron

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Stay tuned for an interview with Jill Castle, co-author of Fearless Feeding, on this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast.

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2 Comments | Filed Under Beans, Dinner, Holidays, New, PickyEaters, Vegetables, Vegetarian 

Do-It-Yourself Taco Seasoning Mix and a Recipe for Beef & Bean Taco Bundles

Whether you’re an avid do-it-yourselfer or simply looking for an easy way to clear excess packaging and yucky, fake-o ingredients from your diet, you’re going to love this homemade recipe for Do-It-Yourself Taco Seasoning Mix. Our virtual friend and fellow dietitian, Melanie Zook from Fresh Start Nutrition, created the recipe and shares it on her blog with other DIY treats and tricks … and now she’s sharing it with all of us.

Melanie will be joining us on this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, but as a teaser, we decided to feature her taco seasoning recipe today along with a new creation from our kitchen for adorable and super kid-friendly Beef & Bean Taco Bundles.

DIYTacoSeasoningMix

Do-It-Yourself Taco Seasoning Mix

Makes About 7 Tablespoons

Why turn to salty packaged taco seasoning mixes (one packet can have upwards of 2,000 milligrams of sodium) when you can easily make your own taco seasoning from scratch? Everyday spices come together quickly for this naturally flavorful mixture!

  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) chili powder
  • 1½ teaspoons onion powder
  • 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

1.  Place the chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper on a paper plate. Fold slightly and pour the spices into a small jar. Place the lid firmly on top, shake to combine, and store in your spice cabinet.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 tablespoon): 35 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 160mg sodium, 8g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 0g protein, 15% vitamin A

Print Recipe

Serving meals nestled inside egg roll wraps is a playful way to get kids (especially finicky ones) excited about what’s for dinner. We have two other bundle recipes in our cookbook, No Whine with Dinner: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms, including one for Chicken Pot Pie Bundles.

Use more cilantro if you’re a big fan of this herb. We certainly are :)

Beef & Bean Taco Bundles

Makes 8 Servings

If your kids are on the young side, we suggest a portion of two bundles for dinner with a fruit and veggie on the side. For older kids (i.e. Liz’s teenage boys), three bundles is more appropriate. Gauge the exact serving size on your family’s appetite.

  • 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean or higher)
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded on the large holes of a box grater (about 1 cup)
  • 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup salsa (we used mild)
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix (see recipe above for Taco Seasoning Mix)
  • 1 cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend
  • 16 egg roll wraps (NOT the smaller wonton wrappers)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat and carrot and cook, breaking up the large pieces, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat.

3. When the meat is done, add the beans, corn, cilantro, salsa, and taco seasoning mix and stir to combine. Cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in the cheese until well combined but not totally melted.

4. To prepare the bundles, use a muffin pan with 12 medium-size cups (do not coat with nonstick cooking spray). Gently place 1 egg roll wrap into each cup, letting it extend over the sides.

5. Place 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into each wrap, and fold the corners up and over the top of the filling and press to seal the edges (it doesn’t have to be perfect!). Spray the tops lightly with nonstick cooking spray or brush lightly with expeller pressed canola oil (you’ll need less than a teaspoon total).

6. Bake until golden and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 4 bundles. Cool slightly before eating.

Nutrition Information per Serving (2 bundles): 270 calories, 7g fat (3.5g saturated), 550mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 21g protein, 35% vitamin A, 15% calcium, 15% iron

Print Recipe

Tune into Cooking with the Moms later this week for our complete DIY coverage and a recipe from Melanie for DIY chocolate syrup.

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4 Comments | Filed Under Beans, Beef, Dinner, PickyEaters, Snacks, Vegetables 

French Kids Eat Everything Giveaway and a Recipe for Five-Minute Fish en Papillote (Podcast #195)

Getting kids to eat and LOVE a healthy, veggie-filled diet can be a challenge for some families. Here to the rescue is Karen Le Billon, mother of two and author of the new book, French Kids Eat Everything: How our family moved to France, cured picky eating, banned snacking, and discovered 10 simple rules for raising happy, healthy eaters. Wow, that’s a mouthful! Karen joins us on this week’s Cooking with the Moms radio show to chat about her secrets for getting children everywhere to adopt a healthier way of eating and to share two of her recipes: Cauliflower Casserole (also known as Gratin de Chou-Fleur) and Five-Minute Fish en Papillote. We’re also giving away a copy of Karen’s book, so read on for the details.

 Janice made Karen’s five-Minute fish and used two 12-ounce fillets of barramundi.  The flavor of the dish was very lemon-y thanks to the juice of an entire lemon.

Sometimes you just have to improvise. Janice didn’t have any plain yogurt on hand, so she used a combo of light mayonnaise and low-fat sour cream instead.

If you don’t have parchment paper, use aluminum foil. We use it for our Teriyaki Salmon in Foil recipe and it works wonders.

Five-Minute Fish en Papillote

Makes 2 adult Servings

Here’s what Karen has to say about this recipe: “Cooking en papillote means tightly wrapping something (usually fish) in parchment paper and baking it in the oven. The dish steams in its own juices, and the flavors are wonderfully concentrated. Bring the baking dish to the table, and watch everyone’s faces as you unfold the wrapping to release the savory steam.” From French Kids Eat Everything.

  • 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
  • 1 fillet of fish per person (salmon, sole, and halibut are our favorites)
  • 1 medium zucchini (for every 2 fillets), sliced thin (but not peeled)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or mayonnaise or creme fraiche, if you have it)
  • 1/2 cup fresh minced chives
  • Optional: salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Choose a baking dish that’s just big enough to hold the fish in a single layer. On a work surface, spread out a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil that’s twice as big as the dish. Spread the oil over half of the sheet and lay the fish on the oil (skin-side down, if appropriate).

3. Layer the zucchini slices on top of the fish.

4. Mix the lemon juice, yogurt, chives, and salt and pepper, if desired, and pour the mixture on top of the fish.

5. Fold and close the paper tightly so that no steam can escape (I usually make two or three folds with the two edges, then tuck the ends under). Bake for 10 minutes per inch measured at the thickest part of the fish (no peeking!). You’ll know it’s done when it flakes easily when a fork is inserted gently.

Tip: Kids love helping to prepare this meal: wrapping the fish in it’s “cocoon” before it heads into the oven feels festive, like preparing a lovely present.

We adore the French Food Rules outlined in the book. They can all be easily adapted to North American kids: Slow food is happy food (as in eat slow); Remember, eating is joyful; Eat your veggies … think variety; Kids eat what adults eat … no short-order cooking! Karen is a mom after our own hearts :)

GIVEAWAY NEWS: One lucky blog reader, podcast listener, or Facebook fan will win a copy of Karen’s new cookbook, French Kids Eat Everything.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment here or on Facebook and give us your BEST tip for getting your kids to eat a healthy diet, packed with nutrient-rich foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, seafood, and beans!  We will enter you into the giveaway additional times if you …

> Subscribe to our RSS feed.
> Tweet about the giveaway with a link back to this post.
> Share the giveaway news with your Facebook fans and friends with a link back to the post.
> Follow us on Pinterest.
> Follow The Meal Makeover Moms on Twitter (@MealMakeovrMoms)

Please be sure to leave us a new comment every time you do something extra, and GOOD LUCK. The giveaway ends on August 9th at noon, and as always we’ll use Random.org to pick our winner.

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36 Comments | Filed Under Dinner, Giveaways, PickyEaters, Podcast, Seafood, Sides, Vegetables 

A Recipe for Cauliflower Casserole and a Sneak Peak at “French Kids Eat Everything” by Karen Le Billon

We spend a lot of time chatting with fellow moms about strategies for getting their picky eaters to try new foods and to become more adventurous at the dinner table. Now, to the rescue with her own set of strategies is Karen Le Billon, author of the new book, French Kids Eat Everything. Karen will be a guest on our Cooking with the Moms radio podcast in a few weeks, but we in the meantime, we couldn’t resist sharing a few tips from the book and Karen’s simple recipe for Cauliflower Casserole (or as they say in France, Gratin de Chou-Fleur).

We don’t know about you, but we’re always on the lookout for new veggie recipes everyone will devour. This vegetable side dish hits the spot.

The subtitle of Karen’s book is: How our family moved to France, cured picky eating, banned snacking, and discovered 10 simple rules for raising happy, healthy eaters. The “eaters” she’s referring to are her two daughters whose eating habits improved dramatically after a few months living in France, and Karen’s French Food Rules make a lot of sense. We’ll tell you more about them when the podcast goes “live,” but here are a few to whet your appetite:

> Parents: You are in charge of food education.
> Kids eat what adults eat … no short-order cooking.
> Eat your veggies: Key … think variety.
> You don’t have to like it but you do have to taste it.
> No snacking: It’s OK to feel hungry between meals.

Karen’s recipe calls for milk in the béchamel (white) sauce. We went with 1% low-fat milk because that’s what we always have on hand. It was perfect. We also added a tablespoon of chopped, fresh tarragon from Liz’s garden because this herb is often used in French cuisine so it made sense to add it (and it turned out to be an awesome addition).

Cauliflower Casserole

Makes 6 Servings

This recipe is adapted from French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon (Morrow, 2012). We changed it up a bit by using 1% low-fat milk (gotta love all the calcium) and 3 tablespoons of butter versus 4 and by adding fresh tarragon.

  • 1 medium-size head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups 1% low-fat milk
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Optional: salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon (we added 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh tarragon)

1. Put a pot of water to boil on the stove, preheat your oven to 350°F, and butter a medium casserole dish.

2. Meanwhile, add the cauliflower to the pot when the water is at a rolling boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes while making the white sauce.

3. To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour, stir well (until the flour is absorbed), raise the heat to high, and stir for 30 seconds. Add the milk and stir constantly until the mixture has thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, and other optional seasonings.

4. To make the topping, mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan in a small bowl.

5. To make the gratin, drain the cauliflower (which will be soft but not flopping) and place it in the dish. Pour the white sauce on top, sprinkle with bread-crumb mixture, and bake for 10 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown and crunchy.

Nutrition Information per Serving:   190 calories, 9g fat (g saturated), 280mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 9g protein, 100% vitamin C, 20% calcium

Print Recipe

Karen Le Billon is an inspiration, and her ideas for transforming kids’ diets from ho-hum to spectacular are right in line with our Meal Makeover Mom food philosophy. We hope you’ll check out her site and tune into Cooking with the Moms when the show goes “live.” Stay tuned :)

We hope you enjoy this cauliflower casserole as much as our families did.

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3 Comments | Filed Under PickyEaters, Sides, Vegetables 

A Recipe for Simple Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Casserole AND a Giveaway for The Mom 100 Cookbook (Podcast Episode #191)

No one ever said feeding kids would be easy. Just when you nail one mealtime dilemma, say getting kids well fed and out the door on time in the morning, more dilemmas pop up: making school lunches that won’t get tossed or returned, finding a kid-pleasing main dish that’s not a burger or hot dog, and serving healthy snacks that don’t come in a crinkly bag. You get the drift. Right? Coming to the rescue with real-world solutions is Katie Workman, a mom of two and author of the fabulous new book, The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket.

We met Katie back in April  at the annual meeting of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She’s the Editor in Chief of Cookstr, a website that organizes the world’s best cookbooks and best-tested recipes, and we knew she’d be the perfect guest for our radio podcast, Cooking with the Moms. So this week she joins us on the show to share her smartest solutions for all the cooking-for-kids dilemmas that parents face every day, tips for getting finicky eaters to try new foods, and favorite go-to ingredients for busy moms. She also serves up her recipe for this Simple Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Casserole.

There are 20 recipe chapters in the book. Each addresses a different mealtime dilemma and then offers five recipe solutions. Lots (and we mean lots) of recipes caught our eye: Flaky Fish with Balsamic Glaze, Sesame Noodles, Tofu Veggie Stir Fry, Sauteed Spring Vegetables, Lazy Oven French Toast, Ice Cream Sandwiches, and this easy-does-it pasta dish.

One of the best things about this book is that Katie encourages readers to change up her recipes with Fork in the Road ideas to suit picky eaters as well as Variations. For her pasta casserole for example, Katie says you can keep it plain Jane or add slices of roasted peppers, sliced black olives, or drained canned artichoke hearts … or add chunks of cooked chicken or shrimp, or slices of turkey kielbasa … or add crumbled bacon on top.

Simple Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Casserole

Makes 6 Servings

We took this recipe from The Mom 100 Cookbook and added our own Meal Makeover Mom variation. We switched to a whole wheat blend pasta, used a bit less cheese, and added baby spinach. For the spinach, we sauteed a minced garlic clove in EVOO. Then we added a 6-ounce bag of baby spinach.  We sauteed it for about five minutes until the leaves wilted. Then we chopped up the spinach and added it to the pasta. By the way, we agree with Katie: The vodka sauce really makes this dish!

  • 1 package (16 ounces) dried pasta, such as ziti, penne, cavatelli, bow ties, or any chunky fun shape
  • 1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) vodka sauce
  • 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt and let the water return to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until almost al dente (follow the package directions but stop a minute or two before the pasta is completely tender). Drain the pasta.

3. Return the pasta to the pot and add the vodka sauce. Mix it all up, stir in the mozzarella (and any other add-ins), then spoon the mixture into a  3-quart baking dish (we used a 9×9-inch baking dish) and sprinkle the Parmesan on top, if desired (we used it).  Bake the casserole until the top is a bit brown and everything is bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes.

* Depending on the ages of your kids, this casserole may serve more than six. It’s also great as a hot leftover in a lunch box thermos!

Print Recipe

Giveaway News:  Thanks to the folks at Workman publishing, we are giving away a copy of The Mom 100 Cookbook by Katie Workman.

To Enter: Leave a comment here or on Facebook and tell us about your biggest mealtime dilemma and your best recipe solution. We will enter you into the giveaway additional times if you …

> Subscribe to our RSS feed.
> Tweet about the giveaway with a link back to this post.
> Share the giveaway news with your Facebook fans and friends with a link back to the post.
> Follow us on Pinterest.
> Follow The Meal Makeover Moms on Twitter (@MealMakeovrMoms)

Please be sure to leave us a new comment every time you do something extra, and GOOD LUCK. The giveaway ends on June 22nd at noon, and as always we’ll use random.org to pick our winner.

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47 Comments | Filed Under Dinner, Pasta, PickyEaters, Podcast, Vegetables, Vegetarian 

General Tso’s Chicken Gets a Healthy Makeover AND Food Rules for Your Family (Podcast Episode #186)

This month, we had articles published in two magazines: Kiwi and Every Day with Rachael Ray. For Kiwi, our story on The New Dinnertime Rules featured rules like No TV or Cell Phones, One Family, One Dinner and Take a “No Thank You Bite,” and we made the point that better nutrition can be achieved when families eat together … happily (something you can more easily achieve with realistic food rules). For Every Day with Rachael Ray, we contributed a recipe for General Tso’s Chicken to their Makeover Meal section … a recipe lower in fat and sodium (and filled with veggies) than the meal you’d find in most Chinese food restaurants. We dish about both articles on this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, and we hope you’ll tune in!

The recipe we share below is a bit different from the Every Day with Rachael Ray version. That’s because RR had to shorten ours up a bit so it fit on one page! Feel free to make either version … but be sure to let us know what you think of it.

We LOVE these magazines!

General Tso’s Broccoli Chicken Stir Fry

Makes 4 Servings

Lean chicken breast and just 2 tablespoons of heart-healthy canola oil help to cut back on the fat, and reduced-sodium soy sauce keeps the sodium in check.

  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1¼ pounds head broccoli, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets (about 5 cups)
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and cut on the diagonal into thin rounds (about 1 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Thinly sliced scallions, optional
  • Sesame seeds, optional
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, black pepper, and salt until well combined. Add the chicken and toss until evenly coated.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Carefully add half of the chicken in a single layer. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Stir occasionally. Place the cooked chicken on a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.

3. While the chicken cooks, place the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon ginger, red pepper flakes, and the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside.

4. When the chicken is done, wipe out the wok to remove excess oil. Add the water and garlic and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and carrot, cover, and simmer until crisp tender, 3 minutes.

5. Uncover, add the sauce and stir until it thickens and bubbles, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken until well coated with the sauce and heated through, about 1 more minute. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds as desired and serve over rice. (Yields 6½ cups chicken/veggie mixture.)

Nutrition Information per Serving (2 cups): 480 calories, 15g fat (2.5g saturated, 0.8g omega-3), 630mg sodium, 56g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 30g protein, 90% vitamin A, 100% vitamin C, 15% iron

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Here are some of the food rules we featured in Kiwi magazine … (see the Kiwi article for more details).

ONE FAMILY, ONE DINNER:  Promote Mom or Dad from short-order cook to executive chef. Plan the nightly menu and stick to it: Once the kiddos realize that one meal and one meal only will land on the dinner table — versus a different meal for each family member — they will know not to ask for grilled cheese instead.

NO TV OR CELL PHONES:  Electronic devices are a distraction, so turn them off during family mealtime. Checking work-related emails or returning texts from friends can certainly wait until after the table is cleared. With fewer distractions, family members can slow down, relax, and talk about their day. Talk about the perfect time for family bonding!

TAKE A “NO THANK YOU BITE” … To encourage family members to eat, or at least try, what’s been served. Then kids, (or parents!) can either say, “No thanks. I’m not a fan,” or “Thanks, I’ll have some more.” It’s a low-key and often amusing way to introduce new foods and flavors.

… UNLESS YOU HAVE A “TASTE BUD TURNOFF” PASS:  Some rules are meant to be broken … sometimes. It’s important to respect personal preferences. So if a family member has a short list of “taste bud turn off” foods — foods they’ve tried before and just can’t seem to stomach, then they get a pass on the “No Thank You” Bite.

Do you have rules in your house that make mealtime more pleasant? Please share!

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Comment | Filed Under Dinner, KiwiMagazine, New, PickyEaters, Podcast, Poultry, Vegetables 

Hamburger Helper Gets a Recipe Rescue: Give our Healthier Hamburger Helper a Try!

Walk into your local supermarket and chances are, that sitting along a very long shelf, you’ll find not one, not two, not three but as many as 40 varieties of Hamburger Helper. Convenient? Yes. Nutritious? Well, we’ll let you be the judge. Nicole, a mom of two from Havertown, PA often relies on Hamburger Helper to get dinner on the table for her two “picky” teens.  According to Nicole, “The kids love the Lasagna-flavored Hamburger Helper.  It’s kind of like spaghetti and meatballs but all mixed up. It’s something easy I can make, but I know it’s not healthy.”  So what’s a busy mom to do? Nicole posted on our Facebook wall and asked us to give Hamburger Helper a healthy makeover. We knew it would be one of our most extreme makeovers ever, but we gladly took on the challenge. Read on for all the yummy “rescue” details and the surprising reaction from Nicole’s family.

A 1 cup serving of Lasagna-flavored Hamburger Helper (prepared according to package directions) has 11 grams of fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat, and 770 milligrams of sodium. It also contains some ingredients we’re just not crazy about: Monosodium glutamate, yellow 5 and 6, and red 40. Our rescued version is made with wholesome ingredients. It’s a lot leaner and more nutrient rich thanks to ingredients like lean ground beef, 1% low-fat milk, no-salt-added tomato sauce, frozen chopped spinach, and whole grain pasta.

At first glance, Nicole thought our recipe might have too many steps, but it cooked up quickly. “I’m not used to thickening with corn starch but it was great. I liked the texture and the creaminess,” she told us. Nicole also tried the recipe with ground turkey, but she felt the lean beef imparted a richer flavor and deeper, more pleasing (and familiar) color.

Healthier Hamburger Helper

Makes 8 to 10 Servings

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1½ cups)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef (93 or 95% lean)
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • One 32 -ounce carton all-natural chicken broth
  • One 8-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
  • 1 cup 1% low-fat milk, divided
  • One 10-ounce box chopped frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
  • One 12-once bag dried whole grain, wide egg noodles (we used Ronzoni Healthy Harvest)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.

2. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the meat, Italian seasoning, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and cook, breaking up the large pieces until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess fat.

3. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, 3/4 cup of the milk, and the spinach, cover, and bring to a boil.

4. Stir in the pasta and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil, covered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 9 minutes.

5. In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup milk until well combined.  Stir the cornstarch mixture into the pasta. Maintain at a low boil and stir gently until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

6. Top individual servings with additional Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and chopped basil as desired.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 generous cup):  290 calories, 8g fat (2.5g saturated), 400mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 20g protein, 80% vitamin A, 15% calcium, 20% iron

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Nicole made the recipes twice — once with wagon wheel shaped pasta and the second time with the egg noodles. Taste testers, Nina and Alex preferred the wagon wheels (so feel free to use either shape in this recipe), and according to Nicole, the kids liked the recipe and no one tried to pick out the spinach since it blended right in!

We can’t thank Nicole and her kids enough for trying the recipe. We are thrilled everyone liked it! In fact, this summer when the family first tried the recipe, 16-year old Nina packed our Healthier Hamburger Helper in a Thermos and took it to camp for lunch. If you have a recipe that you think needs a “rescue,” send it our way … or tell us about it right here on the blog.

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9 Comments | Filed Under Beef, Dinner, Grains, New, Pasta, PickyEaters, RecipeRescue 

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