A Sneak Preview of our “Almost” New Cookbook (Podcast #110)

This week, we finished the manuscript for our second cookbook, NO WHINE WITH DINNER: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms. Now we move to phase two: editing, working on the layout and design, and selecting photos of our mom and child recipe testers. We offer a sneak preview of the new book on this week’s Cooking with the Moms and share a recipe from the new book for Cheesy Spinach Bake (read on for the recipe).

NO WHINE WITH DINNER is designed to helps busy parents turn mealtime whines into “wows” with nutritious and delicious recipes kids — and parents — will love. From a survey we conducted last summer of over 500 moms nationwide, we know that the number-one obstacle to getting healthy meals on the table is picky eaters who whine and complain. As registered dietitians, we understand the importance of serving healthy, balanced meals. But as moms ourselves, we also realize that no matter how super-nutritious a meal is, if kids reject it, no one wins. That’s why we wrote the book. And we couldn’t have done it without our amazing network of Facebook fans, blog readers, and podcast listeners … real-life moms who tested — and had their kids taste — every single one of the 150 healthy new recipes in the book.

  Mom tester, Jane, snaps a photo of daughters, Vera and Stella as they cook up our recipe for Cheesy Spinach Bake.

Cheesy Spinach Bake

Makes 8 Servings

Frozen spinach rocks: It’s inexpensive, nutritious, and a convenience ingredient you can feel good about. On its own, it’s far from appetizing—and one could argue that from a child’s perspective, it’s kind of gross. But combined with Italian bread crumbs, Cheddar cheese, and grated Parmesan, this simple side dish takes on a flavor and texture that appeal to kids. With 30 percent bone-building calcium in each serving and a boatload of vitamin A, we hope you’ll add these gooey, cheesy spinach bites to your lineup of favorite family sides.

  • One 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup 1% low-fat milk
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted butter
  • ½ cup Italian style seasoned bread crumbs
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Kosher salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2.  Drain the spinach very well by pressing in a colander with the back of a large spoon and using paper towels to remove excess moisture. Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and olive oil until combined. Whisk in the bread crumbs and baking powder. Stir in the spinach, Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese until well combined.

4.  Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until the mixture is set and the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.  Slice into 2 x 4-inch rectangles and serve. Sprinkle the tops with a few pinches of salt to taste.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 slice): 120 calories, 7g fat (3g saturated), 340mg sodium, 8g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 9g protein, 90% vitamin A, 20% calcium

Print Recipe

Our mom contributors also shared their best-ever secrets for getting picky eaters (or good eaters) excited about eating a wide array of good-for-you foods.

 Valerie, mother of four-year old George from Waipahu, HI offers this advice: “We gave our son his own apron, chef’s hat and bought some age-appropriate kitchen tools.   Having him help in the kitchen gets him excited to try his own creations!”

Here’s another helpful tip for Kim, a mother of three from Dexter, MI: “We always pick out a “try it” item when we go to the grocery store. One rule: NO junk food!  We have tried star fruit, kefir, and plantains.  Each week we pick one new thing and look up what to do with it.  My kids are always excited to try it, and as a result, we have added quite a few new foods to our diet.”

NO WHINE WITH DINNER will be available this October, and we can’t wait for all of you to see it. We’ll be hosting a Virtual Book Signing Party this fall … so stay tuned for more information on how you can join the fun.

July 16, 2010 | Filed Under Podcast, Sides, Vegetables | 14 Comments 

Whole Grain Goodness & Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway (Podcast #106)

Have you ever cooked farro or teff?  What about amaranth or barley? For the lowdown on every grain under the sun, visit the Whole Grains Council website, a fabulous resource for everything whole grains … or tune into this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast.  During the show, we dish about whole grains and all the easy ways to add them to your family’s diet.

Giveaway News: For fresh ideas on whole grains, our friends at Bob’s Red Mill are sponsoring a giveaway for our readers.  To enter, leave a comment at the end of this post with your favorite way to incorporate whole grains into your family’s diet or share a recipe using whole grains. Three lucky winners will receive an assortment of whole grain products from Bob’s Red Mill — things like Spice Apple Bran Muffin Mix, 13-Bean Soup Mix, 10-Grain Hot Cereal, Quinoa, and more.  Winners will be selected randomly using random.org, and the giveaway ends at noon on June 25th.

Several weeks ago, Janice had the pleasure of touring Bob’s Red Mill while in the Portland, Oregon during the annual meeting of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.  Bob Moore founded Bob’s Red Mill over 30 years ago to preserve the ancient craft of stone milling and to grind whole grains for the local community.  Now, with over 200 employees, the company offers 400 wholesome products including ground flaxseed, quinoa, teff, whole wheat pastry flour, millet, whole grain pancake mix, gluten-free all-purpose baking flour, and apple blueberry granola (over 100 of them are gluten free too). You name it … if it’s a whole grain, they grind it, mill it, mix it, and sell it!

After touring the facility and seeing the whole grains being crushed and ground, Janice went to the store and feasted on a breakfast burrito wrapped in a whole grain flour tortilla with grits and fresh fruit on the side.  There, she met Bob and asked if he wanted to be a guest on our podcast.  To her delight, he said yes, and he invited his program director, Lori Sobelson to join the conversation too.  Lori runs all the culinary classes and programs offered to the community, and she shared two of her favorite kid-friendly recipes including Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies and Hazelnut Quinoa Salad (see below).  These two charming folks spent close to an hour chatting with Janice about everything from how the company was started to how to get kids to eat more whole grains.

Breakfast Burrito and Fruit Salad at Bob’s Red Mill

Bob and Janice take a spin in his 1931 Ford

Bob’s Red Mill Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 24 Cookies

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (we used 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup canola oil)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled oats (not instant)
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.

2. In a bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter (or butter and canola oil if using both) and sugar until creamy and smooth about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.  Add the flour, baking soda, salt and old-fashioned oats.  Beat until well incorporated.  Stir in cranberries and walnuts.

3. For small cookies place about 1 tablespoon of batter on the prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.  For larger cookies, use an ice cream scoop or about two and one half tablespoons of batter per cookie.  If your batter is too soft, place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm it up before baking the cookies.  Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand and bake cookies about 10 minutes for smaller cookies and 13 to 14 minutes for larger cookies, or until light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cookies cool about 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

A recipe from Bob’s Red Mill Bakery, Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods

Print Recipe

As we mentioned in the podcast, on Bob’s 81st birthday he gave the company to his employees. He said, “I didn’t want it to be acquired by a competitor who would take it to pieces and fire everyone.  I couldn’t let that happen.”

Hazelnut Quinoa Salad

Makes 4 Servings (courtesy, Lori Sobelson)

  • 2 cups quinoa, cooked
  • 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and crushed
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 1/2 cup red seedless grapes cut in half

  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup strawberry fruit spread
  • 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (or white vinegar)
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon silken tofu
  • 1 medium clove garlic, minced
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

1. To cook quinoa:  In a saucepan over high heat, bring 2 cups water to boil.  Add 1 cup quinoa grain and ½ teaspoon salt.  Reduce heat and cook covered for 12 minutes.  Quinoa will be done when grain has absorbed all of the liquid.  Place quinoa on cookie sheet to cool.

2. In a medium size bowl combine cooled quinoa, hazelnuts, green onions and grapes.  Serve at room temperature or chill for 2 hours before adding dressing.

3. In a food processor or blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients.  Blend for about 1 minute or until smooth. Set aside until main salad ingredients are ready to serve.  Just before serving pour dressing over quinoa mixture.  Pour slowly as you will have more than you need.

* If you don’t like the dressing recipe listed above a low-fat raspberry vinaigrette may also be used.

Print Recipe

Good luck on the giveaway. We can’t wait to read about all of your ideas!

June 9, 2010 | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Giveaways, Grains, Podcast, Sides, Vegetarian | 170 Comments 

Cookbook Review: Joy Bauer’s Slim & Scrumptious

For the past few weeks, it’s been The Meal Makeover Moms versus Sweet Potato Fries. With the goal of including a sweet potato fry recipe in our new cookbook, we’ve been peeling and slicing sweet potatoes like there’s no tomorrow. After ten tries (I kid you not) we’re pretty close to coming up with a sweet potato fry our kids will happily eat!

Coincidentally, in the midst of all the sweet potato madness, I received a copy of Slim & Scrumptious: More Than 75 Delicious, Healthy Meals Your Family Will Love, a new cookbook by TODAY Show nutrition and health editor, Joy Bauer. I’ve known Joy for years (don’t ask me how we first met because I can’t remember) and was eager to review her book … especially after I spotted a photo of her crispy-looking Cinnamon-Sugar Sweet Potato Fries on the cover. Hmmm. What would my boys think of Joy’s sweet potato recipe?

The book features lots of healthy versions of kid favorites — AJs Mac-n-Cheezy, Sesame Chicken Tenders, Mediterranean Meatloaf, Pumpkin Pancakes, and Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies — as well as recipes for more adventurous palates: Garden Lentil Burgers, Cod and Lentils with Smoked Paprika Sofrito, and Creamy Curry Cauliflower Soup. I love the photos — they’re mouth watering to say the least, and I like the layout, the font size (I can read her recipes without having to wear my reading glasses!), and the nutrition information that follows each recipe.  I decided to make two recipes from the book: the sweet potato fries and Joy’s Turkey Meatballs.

Cinnamon-Sugar Sweet Potato Fries

Serves 4

I always consider dinner a success when every last vegetable is consumed, and that’s exactly what happened when I made Joy’s sweet potato fries. Her technique yielded crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside fries … just what Josh and Simon love. They were easy to make (a sharp knife will come in handy when slicing the sweet potatoes) and the flavor combo of cinnamon and brown sugar was kid friendly all the way.

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat or oat flour
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Liberally coat a large baking sheet with oil spray. (The fries will be crispiest if baked directly on the baking sheet, without aluminum foil.)

2. Cut the sweet potatoes lenghtwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; then cut each slice into 1/2-inch-wide strips to form fries.

3. Combine the flour, flaxseed, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Crumble the ingredients together with your fingers until they are evently dispersed.

4. Place the egg whites in a shallow dish and whisk until frothy. Dip the fries into the egg whites; then tap them on the edge of the dish to drain away any excess egg white.

5. Add all the fries to the plastic bag, seal, and shake vigorously to coat the fries evenly with the breading mixture. Delicately remove the fries from the bag and arrange them in a single layer, evenly spaced apart, on the prepared baking sheet. Mist with oil spray.

6. Bake for 15 minutes. Then turn the fries over and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until crispy and browned. Let the fries cool slightly before serving to allow the coating to harden.

Print Recipe

Joy’s Turkey Meatballs

Makes 4 Servings

My boys are spaghetti and meatball fans, and they gave this recipe two-thumbs!  I used one jar of pasta sauce  for the recipe and one whole egg instead of the two whites (I didn’t have the heart to throw out the super-nutritious yolks), and the dish came out moist and flavorful. I also used a small onion versus a medium since my kids tend to shy away from onions. I served the meatballs over whole grain blend spaghetti.

  • Easy Marinara Sauce or 2 jars (26 oz each) store-bought marinara
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped or grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb blend (or 2 tsp dried basil plus 2 tsp dried oregano)
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey (at least 90% lean)
  • 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats

1. Prepare Easy Marinara Sauce or bring store-brought sauce to a gentle simmer in a 5-qt saucepan.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the onion, carrot, garlic, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Add the ground turkey, egg whites and oats. Mix thoroughly until the ingredients are well combined.

3. Shape the meat mixture into approximately 20 meatballs, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter.  Carefully place all the meatballs in the marinara sauce. Do not stir; stirring will cause the meatballs to break apart. Don’t worry if some of the meatballs are not completely submerged in the sauce. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

4. Remove the lid and gently stir the meatballs to thoroughly coat them with the sauce. Simmer, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes.

Print Recipe

I plan to make both recipes again, and I look forward to trying a few more — Buffalo Chicken Chili, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and Double Chocolate Pancakes. As for our sweet potato fries, Janice and I are definitely suffering from sweet potato envy, so we’ll continue to tweak our recipe with the goal of creating something that meets our kids’ criteria of crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and sweet all around.

May 10, 2010 | Filed Under Dinner, Eggs, Poultry, Sides, Vegetables | 9 Comments 

Podcast 94: Stress Busting, Health-Boosting Tips for Moms (and Dads) … and a Cookbook Giveaway

Today’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast is dedicated to YOU … all of our busy mom and dad friends out there who run ragged from morning till night taking care of everyone else but themselves. Sound familiar? For the show, we spoke with Joe Sweeney, lifestyle guru at the fabulous Rancho La Puerta spa in Tecate, Mexico, and author of I Know I Should Exercise, But …. Joe teaches a class there called Taking the Ranch Home, where he offers realistic tips for fighting stress while incorporating fitness, relaxation, and good nutrition into everyday lives.

But before we share Joe’s strategies, we have to tell you about our latest giveaway. To help you eat a healthier diet packed with delicious, seasonal meals, one lucky blog reader (or podcast listener or Facebook fan) will win a copy of Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta. This beautiful cookbook was written by spa founder, Deborah Szekely, and it features a bounty of delicious-sounding recipes — Corn, Cilantro, & Arugula Salad with Yogurt Dressing, Lasagna Azteca, and Chocolate Banana Bread. We have cooked quite a few recipes from the book including Squash-Apple Soup with Thai Red Curry and Mexican Red Rice, which you’ll find further down in this post.

To enter our Cooking with the Seasons cookbook giveaway all you have to do is post a comment on this blog post or on our Facebook fan page with your best tip for how you squash stress, relax, or fit fitness and nutrition into your day. The giveaway ends on Friday, March 5 at noon.

We Will Enter You into the Giveaway Multiple Times if you do any or all of the following (just be sure to leave us a new comment every time you do one of these things):

> Tweet about our giveaway on Twitter.
> Tell your Facebook friends about it with a link back to this blog post.
> Become a Facebook Fan.

We hope many of you will enter the giveaway and listen to this week’s podcast, and we certainly hope you’ll read on for Joe Sweeney’s realistic tips … that really do work.

Address Your Stress:
> Schedule at least 10 minutes of relaxation daily.
> When you’re in stressful situations, breathe deeply to calm yourself down.
> Worry for 10 minutes every day. After 10 minutes, no more worrying permitted.
> Look for the humor in life. Begin by taking yourself more lightly.
> Exercise to relax: stretching, yoga, birdwatching, easy walking, easy bicycling.

Make Time for Exercise:
> Make exercise fun. Select activities you enjoy, and frequently vary your workouts.
> Start small and build gradually to at least 30 minutes of exercise every other day.
> Plan to move. Schedule your exercise for the upcoming week by adding it to your calendar in red ink.
> Take active vacations such as spas, walk or bike tours, raft trips, or environmental vacations.
> Make exercise a priority by committing to it for 30 days. After that, it will become a habit.

Other Tips from Joe:
> Switch your weight loss obsession to healthy habits.
> The worst thing for weight loss is to try to lose weight. Instead, focus on gaining health (we really LOVE this tip).
> Don’t give up your favorite foods. Instead, eat less of them.
> Location, location, location: Pack healthy snacks and plan ahead.
> Write down specific and realistic health goals, find a friend to do the same thing (a “goalmate” if you will), and touch base every two weeks to offer support and encouragement.

Below, are two recipes from Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta. We consider these recipes more on the adult friendly side than kid friendly (especially the soup since it’s got a bit of heat from the Thai curry paste). Let us know what you think.


Squash-Apple Soup with Thai Red Curry

Makes 6 Servings

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (we used 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes (we used a 1 pound, pre-peeled/sliced squash)
  • 1 apple, cored, peeled, and diced
  • 2 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 2 teaspoons thai red curry paste
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt, or more to taste (we used 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
  • Thinly sliced chives
  • Thin strips of orange zest, optional

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the squah, apple, leeks, carrot, celery, and basil and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened; do not brown (this took about 15 minutes). Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the stock, water, brown sugar, and salt. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft.

2. Cool for 30 minutes, then in a blender or in the bowl of a food processor, puree until absolutely smooth.

3. Reheat and taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Serve very hot, with a sprinkling of chives and the orange zest, if desired.

Print Recipe

Mexican Red Rice

Makes 6 Servings

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 small white onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice, about 1/2 cup
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1/2 small green bell pepper or anaheim chile, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice (we used half a red bell pepper)
  • 1/2 cup minced carrots
  • 1 teaspoon ground California chili (we used chili powder)
  • 1 cup long-grain brown rice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (we used kosher salt)
  • 1 medium tomato pureed with 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup cooked green peas or cooked edamame, optional

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions, garlic, green pepper, and carrot for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the rice, chili powder, and salt and cook for 1 minute.

2. Add the tomato puree to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

3. Remove from heat. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the peas or edamame if desired. Replace the lid and let the rice steam for 10 minutes.

Print Recipe

For all of our Rancho La Puerta photos, visit our flickr page.

February 24, 2010 | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Giveaways, Grains, Podcast, Sides, Soups/Stews, Sustainability, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 32 Comments 

Next Page »