So, I had this great recipe lined up for you today for a date-night dinner with your Valentine. It was divine, really. But as we all know life interrupted and as my daughter was running around pretending she was a cow knocking over this and that to the soundtrack of my husband playing the guitar, the steak that was supposed to be today’s post didn’t made it out of the freezer in time. I rushed but by the time the spinach was sauteed, garlic chips were made and the red wine reduction was simmering away it was pitch black outside or as one of my favorite quotes says, darker than a black steer’s tookus on a moonless prairie night and it was to late to take a shot of anything. I just couldn’t bring you a post with out any photos. My apologies. But no worries I have a back up plan for Cupid later this week.

Not wanting to leave you empty handed today… this is a look at what we eat here for lunch. Super simple. No frills or fuss. You really don’t need measurements or a recipe. I don’t know if it’s the fact that in elementary school they served chalupas every single day in Texas in my youth that makes me constantly crave them or what but I do. And since a normal chalupa is probably one of the worst things you can feed a child here is our simple low-fat version.

Pita Chalupa

• 1 pita whole wheat pocket
• 4  Tablespoons of fat-free refried beans
• 2 Tablespoon of shredded cheddar, or monterey jack cheese
• any additional toppings you wish, cilantro, diced onion, bell pepper, tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Open and separate the pita pocket in two halves.
3. Place the pitas on an ungreased baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes or until firm.
4. Remove the pitas from the oven and spoon 2 Tablespoons of the beans onto each pita slice.
5. Top each pita with 1 Tablespoon of cheese
6. Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes until the cheese melts
7. Remove and top with what ever you like.

I like mine with onions, red bell pepper, cilantro, and habanero sauce. Mia likes hers with just beans and cheese but before I could take a photo of her plate she ran off and ate it.

With today being another snow day, I wanted to be able to make a recipe that Mia could help out with and enjoy. I searched and searched and all I could come up with were cookies that I had no interest in making. But as I was scrolling through the blogs I frequent most for ideas or recipes, I found the perfect savory snack for a snowy day. On one of my favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen, I stumbled upon and old recipe, Cheese Straws, and was immediately inspired to create these…Beet Heart Shaped Cheddar Crackers with flax seed. I choose to add beets not only to add a little healthy kick but because I had a childhood friend that was severely allergic to red dye #40. I mean it made her turn into a wild tornado of CRaZY and from the age of 5, I decided to stay far away from red food coloring. I really did think about these things when I was a kid. It is a miracle that I grew up partly sane (notice I said partly). With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Beet Heart Shaped Cheddar Crackers are the perfect simple, savory, and flaky snack for everyone!

Beet Cheddar Crackers with Flax Seed (makes 35 hearts)
inspired and adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Cheese Straws

• 1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces
• 3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) pureed beets*
• 1 tablespoon half-and-half (I used milk, because that’s what I had)

* A quick note: If you follow this blog than you know that we still puree food even though Mia is over 2 years old. I find I can put practically every puree into anything. To puree a beet: Preheat oven to 400°. Wrap the beet in foil and place on a baking sheet to catch any juices. Place in oven and roast for 50 minutes or until you can pierce the beet with a fork. Remove and allow to cool. Peel the skin off with your hands. Quarter with a knife and place in a food processor or blender for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Freeze in ice-cube trays and once frozen store in freezer bags. Each cube is an ounce. Keeps for 3 months.

Preheat oven to 350°

In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and the ground flax seeds in five 5-second pulses until…

the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (You caught me, I forgot to add the flax seeds and had to add them after I added the beets).

Add the beet puree and half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough till it is 1/8-inch thick. Honestly, you could go thinner than this for a crispier texture.

With your favorite cookie cutter, I chose a heart because it’s Valentine’s Day and the dough is perfectly pink/red, but you choose whatever you want, press the cutter into the dough. Repeat until all of the dough is used up. You will have to gather, re-roll, and use the cookie cutter at least twice.

Place the hearts on an ungreased baking sheet. If you have parchment paper use it.

Place on the middle rack in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until crackers are hard to the touch.

Remove from the oven and set the crackers on a rack to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Salty, cheesy goodness and seriously good. So good in fact I had to give half of the batch to my neighbors so I wouldn’t eat them all in one sitting.

seriously…good.

This is Texas. We still don’t know what to think about snow.

A far cry from the popular french street food, socca, these chickpea pancakes bring a new kick to the traditional pancake your mom used to make! Our own Ashley Bass, creator of Musings of a Mid-Life Mom, created these delightfully fluffy pancakes and has been on my “you know what” daily to post the recipe. Can’t you just picture her in the kitchen on a Sunday saying, “Chickpeas are good in humus, kids like hummus, why not Chickpea pancakes?” I’m not going to lie, although I was impressed with the creativity I was a little hesitant to make them. Finally, last night I decided to reward Miss Mia with pancakes for dinner after she apparently has potty trained herself. {That’s a story for another day, but it’s true. So far I haven’t had to do a thing but purchase a potty. Yes, you are welcome to throw rotten tomatoes at me.}

After making a batch, I have to say I don’t want to make pancakes any other way! A little healthier than your average flour pancake, this chickpea pancake recipe is made with whole wheat flour, applesauce (a little touch from me), and mashed chickpeas that bring a healthy amount of protein, fiber, iron, calcium, and Vitamin C and not to mention they make the pancakes ultra fluffy and moist! Top with maple syrup, honey, or this ginger apple compote for an amazing breakfast or even dinner! Thanks Ash.

Chickpea Pancakes with Ginger Apple Compote makes 16

• 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat White Flour (you can use white all-purpose as well or mix half wheat half white)
• 1 Tbs Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 16 oz can Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans
• 1 cup Organic Apple Sauce, no sugar added
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 4 Tbs Butter, melted
• 1 Tbs Honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

**to make a lighter version of this recipe, substitute the milk for 1% and the butter for 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil. {For those of you on Weight Watchers, this version is 6 points for 3 small or 2 large pancakes and add 1/4 cup of ginger apple compote for 2 points.}

In a small bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt).

Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and mash. You can also use a blender or food processor but make sure not to over puree.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients (applesauce, milk, eggs, honey, butter, vanilla) to the chickpeas and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.

Heat a griddle or skillet to medium. Add about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake to a greased griddle.

With a spatula, flip the pancakes when they begin to rise and bubble around the edges. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. Now you can serve just like this with a little syrup or….

Ginger Apple Compote makes 1 cup

• 2 medium organic apples (I used Fuji), peeled, cored, and diced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger peeled and shredded (with a microplaner) or 1/2 tsp dried ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 Tbs brown sugar

In a saucepan, add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until apples are cooked, water has reduced and the consistency is thick. Pour over pancakes and serve!

Or if you are anything like Ashley, you can always just throw some mashed chickpeas in pre-made whole wheat pancake mix and make this super fast! But where is the fun in that? Freeze any leftovers and pop in the toaster to reheat. Enjoy.

…and for something a little different, spoon the batter in greased muffin tins and place in a 400° oven for 10 to 15 minutes until cooked through. Crispy on the outside and moist and creamy on the inside these little pancake muffins are insanely delicious. Thank God I didn’t cook many because I really didn’t want to work out for 3 hours today!

Pancakes for dinner? Why, yes please.

Yes, it is still butternut squash season and yes, I’m still obsessed with them. It’s not even a guess anymore at the farmers market. He just hands me a bag full of the delicious winter squash without even asking what I want. I’m surprised we all haven’t turned orange by now. Here’s another one of our favorite recipes to use butternut squash in. Similar to the post Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese, this is a creamy, savory and slightly sweet pasta sauce that is a perfect pairing for ravioli (especially mushroom ravioli) or your favorite pasta.

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce serves 4 to 6

• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 Tbs flour
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 cup butternut squash puree fresh or store bought*
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp dried sage or 1/2 tsp fresh sage
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• pinch of pepper to taste
• 4 cups of cooked pasta

* You can find store bought butternut squash puree in the frozen aisle of your grocery store.

Over medium heat melt the butter. Add flour.

Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

Add milk slowly while whisking.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butternut squash puree and stir.

Add nutmeg, sage, salt and pepper. Stir. Freshly grated nutmeg makes this sauce really pop. Trust me, it is much better than ground but if ground is all you have that’s ok too.

Pour sauce over pasta and gently stir.

Simple, easy and delicious! Even Mia likes it.

This is a perfect meal for babies 6 months and up! Created by Tyler Florence, this recipe is naturally sweetened by roasting the bananas. A technique I would have never thought of until I stumbled upon this. The original recipe is below and on his blog , TylerFlorence.com – Banana Brown Rice. I didn’t want to make a full batch because I wasn’t sure if Mia would like it but, of course, I was wrong and she loved it! Here is Florence’s recipe and my reduced portion version with photos for baby and a toddler version for our older kiddos. Make this naturally sweet treat for your little loved one today!

Banana Brown Rice makes three cups by Tyler Florence

Time: 40 minutes

2 cups cooked brown rice

3 bananas

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*

filtered water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake bananas on a roasting pan in their skins for 30 minutes.  Use a large scoop to remove flesh then puree with brown rice, cinnamon and filtered water until you have a smooth, creamy consistency.

Banana Brown Rice for baby, stage 1 or 2 makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 bananas
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon*
• filtered water (or breast milk if preferred)

* Cinnamon is suggested to be given to baby after 8 months old. Some children have a cinnamon sensitivity like Mia. At two years old she still breaks out in a horrible diaper rash. Omit if baby is under 8 months old or has a known sensitivity. Please check with your doctor before introducing new foods.

Preheat oven to 350°. Place bananas on a baking sheet (I cover mine with parchment). Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes until they look like this….

Use a large scoop to remove the banana from the peel. Yes, that kind of looks like a big grub worm but I assure you it taste like honey and bananas.

Place the bananas, rice, and cinnamon* in a food processor or blender for 1 to 2 minutes. Puree until smooth adding water a little at a time until you reach the right consistency for your baby. Use more water and puree for longer for the younger babies as they are still trying to get used to texture. Serve. This will keep in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Banana Brown Rice For toddler

Like I said, Mia devoured this and I wish I would have made this for her when she was a baby. Doesn’t mean we can’t  adjust it for her now!

• Follow the original recipe but add milk instead of water, cinnamon,* 1 tsp of honey optional (if over 1 year old), and a 1/2 Tablespoon of organic raisins. YUM!

Recently, I was up in Dallas where there is salvation in the form of a Whole Foods. I had an amazing “salad” for lunch called Roasted Fall Harvest or something like that. I can’t really remember. But what I do remember was how simple and delicious it was. After talking to one of the Whole Foods chefs I found that it was supper easy to make and perfect for the kiddos to help out with. Mia helped by siring all of the veggies together and if we weren’t completely covered with olive oil by the end of her creation I would have snapped a pic. Try this slightly sweet side dish warm or cold and enjoy all that fall has to offer. Carrots can also be replaced with butternut squash.

Roasted Green Bean, Beets, and Carrots serves 4 to 6

• 1 large beet
• 5 carrots
• 2  large shallots
• 1 pound green beans
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp honey

Preheat oven to 400°. With a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off the beet.

With a sharp knife, slice the beet into quarter inch thick bite size slices and place in a large bowl.

Peel the carrots and slice into quarter inch slices. Place the slices in the bowl with the beets.

Peel the shallots, slice in bite size pieces and place in the bowl.

Snap the tough ends off the green beans and place in the bowl with the other veggies.

This is where I have to stop and tell you that when I was a kid I was forced into child labor. True story. I’ve mentioned her before, RoRo, my beloved nanny. I really don’t like to say she was me nanny because she was almost like a second grandmother. She took care of my great-grandparents when she was a teenager, helped raise my mom’s younger siblings and then, helped raise my brother and I. Whenever I think about her I smile and tear up a little. All of my fond memories have her included somehow and this is one of them. RoRo was an amazing cook! I learned almost everything from her since my mother was a hard working mom and hardly stepped foot in the kitchen. RoRo was known for her fried pies, collard greens, and fried catfish but what I truly loved was how she cooked green beans. Maybe one day I will share the recipe when I decide to forget my ever growing behind and cook a real southern RoRo style meal. but for now I’m keeping it to myself. It was her green beans I begged for everyday. So while blueberry muffins baked in the oven, RoRo and I would sit down in the living room with a big pile of beans and a large bowl. She would turn on her stories and say, “Squirt Tail (that was her nickname for me) if I’m gonna make beans for you again you’re gonna snap’em.” So in the midst of the daily dramas of The Young and Restless I would learn the ways of love, deception, how to style my hair 20 feet high (it was the early 80′s) and snap beans. There was nothing I’d rather do and still to this day every time I snap a bean I think of my RoRo, the smell of blueberry muffins and her stories.

Ok…back to it. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil over the vegetables in the bowl.

Add the salt and pepper and mix well.

On a foil or parchment lined sheet (you don’t have too, it’s just for easy clean up) spread the vegetables out and place in oven. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Once finished, drizzle honey over the vegetables and mix. Serve warm or cold. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did and if you actually live in a town with a Whole Foods and don’t want to cook stop by and try this today.

Fall is here, thank God! If I had to take the sweltering heat one more minute I was going to have to check myself into the mental hospital. There is something about the dog days of a Texas summer that can turn a native into a blubbering idiot. It is this reason I have stayed away from the computer the last couple of weeks. My brain had melted, I could no longer coherently put a sentence together, and I knew if I were to continue posting that I would certainly loose all of you dear readers. Oh how I wish that were actually true. In all honesty I just have had a lot on my plate lately and my family needed me first before my computer did. My husband once said, “I’ve never met a family like yours before, someone stumps their toe and everyone comes running with a band-aid.” Thanks for all of the wonderful e-mails about how you can’t live without this blog and how I need to get back to it (ok, you weren’t that enthusiastic but I did enjoy all of your kind words including that one sarcastic threatening e-mail, thanks Katie). Hopefully we are back to normal now and I will try to get back on schedule with posting.

In all seriousness, fall is upon us and that means truckloads of apples, winter squash, and Charlie Brown specials. My favorite time of year! To celebrate, here is an extremely easy homemade applesauce with a little nutritious vegetable kick for the entire family to enjoy. Make it before work or throwing the kids off to school and have a tasty fresh applesauce just in time for dinner’s desert. Not to mention it makes your house smell amazing! A scoop or two is sinfully good in oatmeal as well. Mia didn’t even know she was eating a full serving of vegetables this morning and that makes me one happy mama. Enjoy and happy Great Pumpkin hunting!

Crock-Pot Butternut Squash Applesauce serves 6 to 8

• 2 pound butternut squash
• 3 pounds organic apples (I’m using Gala but Macintosh will do), apples are on the dirty dozen list of produce to by organic if possible
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon* (optional)
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg* (optional)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar* (optional)
• 1/4 cup of water

* Please note that apples and butternut squash are perfect stage 1 baby foods (6 to 8 months) but spices should to be introduced after baby is 8 months old. And some babies (Mia was one of them) have a temporary sensitivity to cinnamon in their first year. Be cautious if you have never given your baby spices before.

With a very very very sharp knife, cut both ends off the butternut squash. Place up right and slice off the outer skin.

With the squash still standing, cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Cut the squash in 1 to 2 inch cubes.

Peel and core the apples.

Slice the apples in quarter inch thick slices.

Place the apples and squash in a large bowl and add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Mix to evenly coat everything with the sugar and spices.

Place the apples and squash mixture in your crock-pot, slow cooker whatever you want to call it, and add 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 hours. At least once towards the end of cooking mash the squash and apples with a wooden spoon or potato masher. After it has finished cooking and your house smells like a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting, mash the squash and apples until you reach your desired texture.

Serve warm or cold. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. For easy storage, freeze in a ice-cube tray and store in a freezer container or freezer bag. There is nothing like homemade applesauce to bring in the fall!

My girl LOOOOVES chips. Ninety percent of the time potato chips are not allowed in the house because the big kids, aka the husband and I, eat them like ravishing piranhas. When I recently found my 22 month old breaking into a kitchen at her second cousin’s birthday party for the salty addictive treats I realized I should probably find a good substitute. Hence, the creation of sweet potato and beet chips. You can find recipes all over the internet for these but for something so simple there are many different ways to do so. After plenty of testing I found that low and slow is the key and parchment paper is a must! Healthy, nutritious and amazingly tasty, she fell for the switch and ate them like there was no tomorrow! Also a great paring for this.

sweet potato and beet chips

• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 medium beets
• sea salt optional

Let’s start with the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 300°.

This is the one time where a mandolin is absolutely necessary. I found a cheep one at Target of all places. It might not last me forever but $14 sounded a lot better than $200. Leaving the skin on, slice the potato as thinly as possible. Watch those fingers!

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I was out on this round and found it to be my biggest mistake. The parchment paper creates a barrier between the heat of the baking sheet and the chip. If you do not have parchment paper watch the chips carefully during baking or they will burn fast! Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping the chips once during baking. Note: keep an eye on the chips after 15 minutes. They tend to burn at varying times. It’s like they have a mind of their own.

Immediately remove from baking sheet and place on a drying rack to cool. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the chips if desired. At this time the chips will be slightly damp and pliable. Allow them to dry and soon you will have a crisp chip.

Repeat the same steps with the beets. The beets did have a tendency to bake faster so watch them.

After drying you will have a crispy fun treat! Store in an airtight container.

I think we will be taking some of these on our vacation next week! Would you like to join us? The husband, Mia and I are taking our first family vacation to the mountains of Colorado to escape this blistering Texas heat. As always I expect it to be full of adventure, fun and humorous mishaps. That’s just how we roll. Please join us next week while we invade Colorado!

You heard me right, blueberry and spinach french toast and it is wonderful. It tastes like a blueberry cream cheese danish and you would never know that it is packed full of healthy spinach. I used the blueberry, apple, and spinach puree recipe posted here months ago. The only change was when I recently made this puree I was out of apples and turned it into blueberry and spinach puree. You get the point. This french toast is one of Mia’s favorites and I am always jealous when I make it for her!

blueberry & spinach french toast makes 1 sandwich

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbs milk
• 1 ounce (or 1/8 cup) of blueberry spinach puree**
• 1 large Tbs cream cheese
• 2 peices of bread
• 1 tsp of butter, margerine, or cooking spray

In a bowl lightly beat together the egg and milk. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix together the puree and cream cheese.

Spoon the blueberry, spinach and cream cheese mixture onto one slice of bread. Place the other slice on top.

Dip the entire sandwich in the egg wash making sure to coat all sides.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet. Place the sandwich in the skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until the bread is a nice golden color.

Serve with your choice of honey, powdered sugar, syrup, or nothing at all.

** Update:  I just tried this and it worked. If you don’t have or don’t want to make puree, add 1/4 cup of fresh blueberries and a handful of fresh baby spinach (if possible try to use organic, blueberries and spinach are on the dirty dozen list of foods to buy organic) into a food processor or blender. Pulse for 1 minute or until the mixture is as smooth as possible. Use in place of puree.

Welcome to the usual Monday posting of yummy goodness for baby, toddler, kiddos and sometimes for us too. Another recipe of peas you say? Well, I had a lot leftover from last week’s post, Pea Puree for Baby and Pea and Cheese Quesadillas for the Picky Eater. This is just another way to sneak veggies into your everyday foods for your toddler and kids. It’s full of cheesy goodness that kids can’t ignore and healthy enough that you don’t cringe when you give it to them. If you don’t have pea puree (see Pea Puree for baby for instructions) on hand or don’t want to make it you can always smash a 1/2 cup of peas with a fork.

Pasta with a Sneaky Green Sauce

• 2 cups of small pasta or 3 cups of large, I’m using egg noodles(3c)
• 1 Tbs butter*
• 1 Tbs flour
• 3/4 cup milk*
• 1 cup monterrey jack cheese*
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese*
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup pea puree (that’s 4 cubes frozen & defrosted if you made last weeks puree)
• 1/4 cup of peas (optional)

In a medium pot, boil 4 cups of water for pasta. Once boiling add pasta. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes until pasta is tender. Strain pasta and set aside.

In the same pot, that you boiled the pasta in, (why get another one dirty, right?) melt butter. Add flour and whisk continuously. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes.

Add milk and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer (low heat).

Next, add the remaining ingredients, and stir until combined.

Pour over pasta and serve. Enjoy!

This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an air tight container.

* This recipe will work just fine with margarine, 2% or skim milk, and low-fat cheeses.