Pumpkin Shake

My kids take after me with my seasonal pumpkin addiction! Since it's still warm here in New York, I wanted to make them a cool pumpkin treat to come home from school to. We can still get our pumpkin on even though the weather isn't very Fall like!

This is so yummy and very simple.

Pumpkin Shake

Ingredients:

1 cup Pumpkin Ice Cream (Trader Joe's is A-mazing)

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1 tbsp pumpkin butter (optional)

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

1 cup of ice cubes

Whipped cream for topping

Semi-sweet chocolate chips for topping

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together (except toppings!) until ice is completely blended.

Pour in glass and top with whipped cream and chocolate chips.

Makes two- 6 oz shakes

Healthier Whole Wheat Pancakes

Looking for healthier pancake? These are infused with sweet potato and wheat germ! Not only are sweet potatoes readily available, inexpensive, and delicious, there are many other reasons to love them! They are high in vitamin B6, they are a great source of vitamins C & D, they contain iron, magnesium, potassium, and are high in carotenoids like beta carotene. 

I added wheat germ because it is an excellent source of so many essential vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. It's considered to be one of the top ten healthiest foods! Because of its health benefits, I add it into anything I can such as oatmeal, yogurt, cereal, smoothies...I even mix it into breadcrumbs. The best thing, the kids have no idea! 

I adapted Gina's recipe from Skinnytaste.com by adding in my little extras. Max is a pancake fanatic- but not so much a veggie fanatic, so I have to get veggies in him whenever hiding them is a possibility! You cannot even see the sweet potato in the pancakes- no detection of veggies= happy Max & happy Mama!

            Healthier Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic whole wheat flour (Bob's Red Mill)
• 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups + 2 tbsp fat free milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• cooking spray
• 2 tbsp wheat germ
• 1/3 cup of sweet potato (baked)

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well with a spoon. 

I use a large electric griddle - so many pancakes can cook at once so cooking time is reduced! Spray your pan and pour on batter according to whatever size pancakes you like. Flip pancakes once you see bubbles. 

We read two books to accompany our breakfast. The first, If You Give A Pig A Pancake by Laura Numeroff. The second, The Hungry Thing by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler. 

If You Give A Pig A Pancake is close in comparison to daily life as a mommy. If you give your kid a pancake, they will surely ask for syrup...once they have the syrup- of course they'll need a fork.. and a drink... and a napkin!!! The little girl managing all of the pigs requests is exhausted by the end of the story- I feel ya girl!

The Hungry Thing is an adorable story that gets your children thinking! What exactly does the Hungry Thing want to eat? Shmancakes...and tickles...and feetloaf...and gollipops of course! Chloe loved guessing it was pancakes, pickles, meatloaf, and lollipops just to name a few. She was quicker than Max in the guessing department but he enjoyed the story just the same! 

Happy hiding & even happier eating!

Books to Belly; Blueberries for Sal & Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones

I've had this recipe for whole wheat blueberry scones hanging on my fridge for months. As soon as Gaga (my mom!) gave us the book Blueberries for Sal, I knew it was go time!  

My kids immediately loved the story because my dads name is Sal! They were so excited that Paw-Paws name was in the title of our next story and inspiration for scones.

I fell in love with this story before reading a word. The first page is wordless, depicting a little girl in the kitchen with her mom (need I say more!). Chloe said, "look ma, just like me and you"...as I was thinking the very same thing. Chloe had made a text to self connection with the story by comparing herself in the kitchen with me, to the little girl in the story and her mom- before even starting the actual reading. I was glad to see she was interested from the start because of this connection. As Sal and her mom head out to collect blueberries to can for the winter ahead, a bear and her cub go out to eat as much blueberries as they can for their winter hibernation ahead. The comparison between the human mom and child and the bear mom and cub is so sweet and similar in nature. Chloe and Max were both anxious to go blueberry picking after the story- so what's a city girl to do? Pack up the car and drive straight to Trader Joe's of course! 

As for the scones, they came out fantastic for our first go at them. I'm not a baker! However, I had my trustee sous chef Chloe at my side who also helped take care of my thumb that had a nasty run in with the grater (yikes!!!). Needless to say, the scones are long gone and the fam is not so patiently awaiting a second batch. Maybe when the thumb is fully healed! 

Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones (recipe from Parents magazine)

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. old-fashioned oats, divided
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup), frozen
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (of course!)
• 1 Tbs. coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup pats, brown sugar, and baking powder. Grate (yikes- be careful!) butter into flour mixture using the largest holes of a box grater; mix. 

In a small bowl, whisk egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir in berries. Gently stir liquid mixture into flour mixture until combined. Use your hands to bring dough together. Refrigerate 15 minutes if sticky.

Mix remaining 2 tbs. oats with coarse sugar. Sprinkle half of it over a cutting board. Form dough into 2-4 in. rounds using your hands. Set them in oat mixture; press lightly. Top with remaining oats and sugar.

Cut rounds into 6 wedges each. Set on a cookie sheet at least 1 in. apart; bake for 24 to 26 minutes.

We hope you enjoy Blueberries for Sal and the whole wheat blueberry scones as much as we did!

Books to Belly: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

We might be experiencing a heat wave here in New York this week- my prediction? Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs! 

In the town of Chewandswallow, the people get their meals by simply stepping outdoors! I'm ready to pack up and move! However, things get rather sticky (literally!) when the weather becomes unpredictable showering down syrup that floods the streets and pancakes that cover houses. The meatballs were so dangerously large that the towns people had to up and move in fear of their lives. Maybe hamburgers falling from the sky instead of rain isn't so great after all!

Chloe and I  agreed that our turkey meatballs would be a perfect accompaniment to the story Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. She has seriously become my little sous chef! She's even asking for cooking lessons!

I use ground turkey opposed to beef not only because it's healthier, because I like the taste better and honestly- they taste just as great. My Italian dad loves them!

Turkey Meatballs

• 1.3 lbs lean ground turkey (shady brook farms)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Line a baking pan with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray.

Mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl.

Roll turkey into balls (not tight) and place on tin. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

If you're making sauce, cook meatballs in sauce for another 20 minutes.

Chloe ate 2 meatballs for lunch after she helped make them today! We read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs prior to making our lunch and discussed all of the food we would love to fall from the sky while we waited to eat. Ice cream, oreos, pizza and empanadas like Grandmas were a few!

Making these connections between reading and food have been so much fun. Chloe is enjoying cooking as much as the literature...and I am loving spending this special time with Chloe. 

Creating meals based on children's literature not only helps you connect to your child, but also helps your child make connections to the text- a very important part of being a good reader. This is also an excellent way to get picky eaters to try new foods! I hope you are enjoying Books to Belly as much as we are!

Baked "Cupcake" Eggs

Making the right food choices is a constant battle for me. I love carbs- especially pizza! Ive learned that working out alone doesn't do it for my body. Exercise and diet go hand in hand for me. When I am being really good, I get in this zone that puts me in this mindset that certain foods, like pizza, are not an option...not even the crust that Max leaves on his plate!  I still make the kids the foods they like, I've just conditioned myself to stay away from them. Yes, its hard- but very worth it. 

I am human and do fall off the foodie wagon! Last week between all of the BBQ's and extracurricular activities I partook in, I ate and drank like it was nobodies business...but I'm paying for it with my fluffiness! I'll work extra hard this week by paying close attention to what I put in my mouth and bring out the she beast at the gym! I did a run on Saturday and a spin class on Sunday to start the process. 

In my house, breakfast is our favorite meal. I should seriously consider housing a chicken- that's how many eggs we go through! I happily cook up eggs in the morning because of the protein they offer. When my kids were toddlers, I would whip up spinach and cheese omelette's and they would gobble them up along side me. As they grew and got pickier, spinach in eggs were no longer an option- for them. For me, I love throwing some greens into my eggs. Instead of making two batches of eggs, I utilize my cupcake pan to make every one's breakfast to their liking. 

I use my 2 cup measuring cup to crack the eggs and to mix them up (I despise dishes!). It's also much easier pouring them into the cupcake pan using this. 

Ingredients

• 6 eggs (makes 8 cupcake eggs)
• 1/2 cup of 2% milk (or whatever you have)
• salt & pepper to taste
• American cheese (shredded or diced)
• asparagus (I used 3)
• goat cheese (crumbled)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk your eggs with the milk. 

Spray the cupcake pan with non-stick spray. Right now, I'm loving Trader Joe's coconut oil spray. There's no fat, no calories, no sodium, sugar or carbs! 

Fill your pan with the eggs starting with halfway then fill more with the remaining eggs.

Top off four of the eggs with American cheese. As well as cracking and whisking the eggs, Chloe and Max assist with topping off their eggs. I feel like this gives them ownership of their meal, making them want to eat their creation. 

Top off the other four with asparagus and goat cheese. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Check them at 18 by sticking a fork in. If the fork is clean, take them out- just like real cupcakes! If the fork has egg on it, leave them in for the 20. 

I made biscuits with the eggs that I didn't eat! I had a small bowl of Kashi cereal on the side. Making simple changes like this will help pounds come off and your body healthier. This is an easy way to prepare something for your family that everyone can eat at the same time. Alter your ingredients to your liking and to switch things up.

Books to Belly; Dragons Love Tacos & Shrimp Tacos

Forget dinner and a movie- dinner and a book is way better! 

It wasn't hard getting inspiration to create a meal based on the children's book Dragons Love Tacos!  Much like my family, the way to a dragons heart is always through his stomach! 

Chloe and Max chose Dragons Love Tacos at our local library and I immediately knew we had to have tacos to accompany the story! 

Creating a meal based around a children's book is a great way to promote a love of reading over the summer. Part of being a good reader is making connections to what you are reading. What better way to connect to a story than through food! Its also an excellent way to introduce new foods to your children and get picky eaters to try new ones. 

I read the story before preparing our shrimp tacos. Chloe and Max loved hearing why dragons love eating tacos so much. They especially enjoyed checking off the ingredients dragons love in their tacos because we were including most of the same in ours. We were very careful not to include the one ingredient dragons should never have in their tacos (anything spicy) because we do not like spicy either!

I truly enjoyed this time with my children. I cannot wait to select the next book with Chloe and Max and cook a meal together. Chloe loves to help in the kitchen and I hope through this, she will love reading just as much.

I look forward to sharing more "Books to Belly" posts with you and your families! 

                                                                                 

Shrimp Tacos

• 2 pounds of shrimp (feeds 4)
• taco shells (hard or soft- or both if you want to get crazy!!!)
• lettuce
• tomato
• avocado (optional)
• shredded Mexican cheese (I use Sargento Mexican blend)
• reduced fat sour cream (optional)
• Margie's all natural mango herb & garlic marinade for the shrimp.

Cook shrimp until pink throughout. I did ours in a pan on the stove. You can grill them on the BBQ as well. 


Involve the kids by having them assemble the ingredients in a platter. Before heating the pan, I had Chloe scoop the shrimp into the pan and clean the celery in the sink.