All time favorite - 15 minute kids dinner

My friend Kristina told me that somebody once said to her: :If you don't know what you are cooking be 3:00PM that day it is going to be a struggle to get food on the table." Actually I have plenty of those days, when you are too busy with laundry, play dates, kids gym and preschool that you have no idea what to cook for dinner. This is when I serve my kids all time favorite...

Pasta, Chicken and veggies....the wonderful thing about this is that you can have all the ingredients at home at all times... the chicken and the veggies in the freezer and you'll be able to find some sort of pasta in the pantry.

Here is what I do:

I keep mixed frozen veggies and tyson's all natural chicken in the freezer and use it whenever I need a fast dinner. The chicken is easily prepared in the grill/toaster oven, while the pasta is cooking on the stove. The veggies I sear in a little pan or pot, either in oil or in butter adding salt and a tiny little pepper to taste. Some times I add some shredded parmesan cheese (my kids eat anything with cheese on it ;-))
After the pasta is cooked I usually toss it in a little extra virgin olive oil. Just for the taste...

That's it... tonight my kids wanted tortellini... (the benefit... a serving of beef. To get them to eat any other meat than chicken is pretty hard) .



For dessert we usually have fruit...any kind of fruit. Lately we love clementines...

Dawn's chocolate cake

My neighbor Dawn makes the yummiest chocolate cake. Needless to say, my kids LOVE it.

Here is the recipe for the easiest chocolate cake that will wow your friends.

Cherry Chocolate Cake
1 box of chocolate cake mix (I use Duncan Hines dark chocolate)
1 can cherry pie filling
3 eggs

mix together and bake according to the box

Frosting suggestions:
Buttercream frosting
3 3/4 cups powder sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
3-4 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, with mixer at low speed, combine sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed 1-2 minutes until creamy.


No-Cook Fudge Frosting
3 cups sifted powder sugar (about a pound)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup softened butter
1/3 cup boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add butter, boiling water and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed/ If necessary, cool for 20 minutes or until mixture reaches spreading consistency.

Everyone enjoyed Dawn's fantastic chocolate cake at our neighborhood Christmas party...especially Ella

German/Hungarian Goulash Soup

This is not really a kids recipe... my kids tried it but didn't really like it. Nevertheless, it is everyone else's favorite and perfect on a cold snowy winter day like today...

Grandmothers German/Hungarian Goulash Soup...
2 lbs. beef (cut in small cubes)
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 medium onions (chopped)
2 cups of baby carrots
2 tbsp. sweet paprika
1 clove garlic (minced)
salt & hot pepper (I use black and red hot pepper) to taste
1 tsp. carraway seeds
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
3 c. water
2 c. beef broth
1/2 c. red wine
4 medium potatoes (cubed)
8 oz (small container) half and half
3 tsp. flower to thicken the soup if desired

Brown the beef in the vegetable oil.
Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are transulactent.
Add red wine
Add water
Add beef broth, paprika, carraway seeds, bay leave, tomato paste, potatoes
bring to boil, then simmer on very low heat for 3 hours
add half and half...
thicken soup with flower (diluter in water before you add it to the soup) if desired.
tastes best the second day.

Pasta, pasta and more pasta

My kids Love pasta..it is a good thing Pasta comes in so may different shapes and sizes... we have bow tie pasta one night and fusilli the next night... here is another favorite recipe you can make with any pasta shape!

Ingredients
1 lb (1 box) Pasta of your choice
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon diced onion
1lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cubed
Salt to taste
Black Pepper, Freshly Ground to taste
6 ounces Baby Spinach (minced... I do that for my kids!)
1cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated

BRING a large pot of water to a boil.
HEAT oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high.
ADD chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 3 minutes.
ADD spinach and cream; reduce heat and simmer mixture for 5 minutes.
COOK Pasta according to the package directions. Drain and toss with the sauce.
STIR in grated cheese before serving.

Chicken Pasta

All time favorite.


Ingredients:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter ( or olivol with less fat)
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1/2 cup white wine
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup
4 ounces cream cheese with chives (fat free cream cheese for less saturated fat in your dish)
1 pound angel hair pasta (or any other pasta shape your kids love, the angel hair is a little messy but a lot of fun for the kids)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in wine and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over.
Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.


Nutrition per serving
Calories 528
Total Fat 18 g
Saturated Fat 10 g
Cholesterol 107 mg
Sodium 1265 mg
Total Carbohydrates 48 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Protein 37

This has a lot of fat but the kids just love it! I am substituting the cream cheese with fat free cream cheese and the butter with olivol. that cuts your total fat down and makes the dish a healthier dish! I am also not using the wine if I plan on serving it to the kids.

Tonight we had this dish with bow tie pasta...

Green Chicken Curry - for kids

I discovered that my kids love rice! They also love coconut! So this dish had to be a home run! The best about it: this only takes 15 minutes to cook!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (14 ounce) can reduced-fat coconut milk
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 tablespoons green curry paste (make sure it is not too spicy! I use the green curry paste from wholefoods and I am only using 1/2 spoon instead of 1 1/2)
3 cups skinned and shredded or cut cooked chicken
1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained
1/2 cup slivered fresh basil leaves (I mince the leaves/ or use the dried spice, that the kids don't really realize that it is in there)
3 cups hot cooked rice

Directions
In a 4- to 5-quart pan, mix sugar and cornstarch smoothly with coconut milk, broth, soy sauce, and curry paste. Stir over medium-high heat until simmering.
Stir in chicken and bamboo shoots. When hot, add basil. Serve with rice.

We are back!

After a full year of "food fights" and tantrums at the dinner table, I finally came to the conclusion that I have to relax! My kids are not going to die, if they refuse to eat carrots and broccoli and even if have the occasional drive though at "Chick fil a" is not a problem either. My kids are going to be fine.

Food has become such a big deal in our socciety. Either you are too thin or too fat. Weight is never right and there are only 5% of people who are able to maintain a perfect weight throughout their whole life. Celebrities are getting bashed for being to FAT to too thin, while a whole generation of teenagers has no idea how to deal with the social pressure and falls into some sort of eating disorder before they even go to collage. This fear is a crucial one for us moms. Wanting only the best for our children we tend to overdo it, we tend to go the whole 100 yards trying to overachieve everything from diapering and nap schedule to feeding. We are so busy to listen to all those parenting magazines, grandmother, friends and blogs that we forget to trust our instincts and our kids. They know when they are hungry, they know more than we give them credit for. Food is just food and it won' kill your child to have fries here and there, or eat at the mall food court. It is all in our heads and the stress we feel about it is not necessary.
I have stressed, I felt guilty, blamed myself, had sleepless nights and wondered what I did wrong, seeking help and advice wherever I could get it, only to find out that nothing worked. I could do a dance, bribe my child, threaten her, try to trick her, negotiate... she just would not eat any vegetables.

Now she is almost 3 and all the sudden, just like anything else it stopped. She is interested in trying whatever I eat. She loves broccoli and edmame... eats soups with all kinds of vegetables in it...eats tomatoes, lettuce and raw carrots!

So the best advice I can give you is RELAX. Keep offering the foods, no pressure, no hiding foods, no bribes... just set a good example and eat it yourself and just like that one day they will mimic you just like they mimic you by putting their dolls into time out ;-)! Until that day comes, feed a lot of fruit and V8 Fusion juice ;-)