Follow me on Twitter too! @mykdsrllyeatths
Follow me on Twitter too! @mykdsrllyeatths
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I’m a 19 year-old girl without kids, but that doesn’t stop me from loving your blog! I’m striving toward healthier living so this has been a very helpful tool for recipes!
Thank you! Good luck with it all!
Marinated & Grilled Shrimp
I don’t have photos of this, but thought I’d pass on the recipe since the kids devoured them with such gusto.
Used about 1 pound of frozen shrimp. Thaw in cold water. In a bowl mix 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp lemongrass, 2-3 cloves garlic chopped, 1-2 inch piece ginger grated/chopped, juice of 1 lime, 1 lemon, 1 orange, dash or two of cayenne or chopped chili pepper (habanero, serrano), handful of chopped cilantro. Place defrosted shrimp in marinade and let sit for at least 2 hours in fridge. Optional tsp galangal.
Grill & enjoy!
No battles tonight
We’ve been getting some beautiful vegetables from our CSA and other local farms. We had the local corn my youngest help shuck with cocozelle zucchini from our CSA, broccoli, brown rice and chicken. I made two types of chicken, a curry yogurt marinade (trying for something like Tandoori) and some with a crunchy coating. I mixed plain yogurt and Patak’s Hot curry paste in which I marinated some drumsticks and breast pieces. I then roasted the chicken along with some pieces coated in panko with herbs de Provence, olive oil, salt & pepper for my youngest two, especially my middle son who’s very sensitive to spice. 
The boys all liked what they were given, except that my eldest said he didn’t like zucchini (which he ate all of anyway). I remember being his age and my brother and I staying at a friend’s house while my parents were away. The mom made zucchini that was cut really thin and overcooked. The seeds were huge too. I did not want to eat it, nor did my brother, but we were not allowed to leave the table until we did. I stuck it out for a while, but eventually gave in and ate the cold, soggy zucchini (probably holding my nose while I did!). My brother was at that table for hours. I think she gave up on him eventually so she could go to bed. I avoid situations like that. I wasn’t going to make my son eat more than a taste, but he just ate what was on his plate, after speaking his opinion.
I do cook my zucchini differently from that family friend. I par boil the entire courgette until it’s almost soft, then shock, then slice lengthwise then across on a bias and finish in my usual butter, salt and pepper. I think the chunkier pieces that aren’t overcooked are more pleasant in the mouth than limp, thin slices. If they were raw, maybe the opposite would apply. Also using a type of zucchini with small seeds probably helps. But the main thing is that my kids aren’t going to have to sit at a table for hours turning dinner into a battle of wills. If they don’t like it, I’ll try again next time. I would rather they test their mettle on something more worthwhile.
I wanna help!
My two youngest sons are the most enthusiastic of the three about helping in the kitchen. The other night while I was preparing dinner, my youngest came in and shouted, “I want to help!”. Now often if I try to help him help me, he often shouts, “I can do it!” (He’s a loud boy and really wants the independence of accomplishing it on his own.) Well, since I’d done most of the prepping/cooking already, but my husband just got home and said he’d help by shucking the corn (local white corn, so delicious!), my son joined him out on the back deck to shuck. It was the cutest sight, especially since the wee man was in his hot-weather-comfortable (lack of) clothes. 
My husband showed him how to remove the silk from the corn by rubbing a tea towel along the ears.
The next night my husband made crab cakes and salad for dinner. The chorus of “I want to help!” resounded before he’d finished processing the bread for bread crumbs. So this time they helped in making the crab cakes (“Form balls then smush flat.”), 
peel carrots (“Turn them around so you’re not peeling it away to nothing.”)
and grating the carrots and beets (“Careful when it gets small so you don’t cut your fingers.”).
They loved their dinners both nights and my youngest said “It tastes even better when I help make it!” One of my girlfriends said that’s because you put love in as an ingredient.
Getting them to help in the preparing of the meals, especially the vegetables, might be the trick if you have reluctant eaters. 
This is the video I made at my friend’s house showing how to cook Swiss Chard. Some of our kids were running around and making comments. Her daughter was so cute in some of hers! It was like a screen test, but I haven’t made another how-to video yet.
I didn’t finish cooking it as it was hours before my friend and her family was actually eating. As I mention, I’d finish it off with butter, salt & pepper.
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
Hi, I was wondering if you had any ideas on how to make a tuna fish sandwich that’s HEALTHY but still DELICIOUS. Some ideas I’ve heard of (for the delicious part) include curry powder, hard boiled eggs, chopped pickles, parmesan cheese… Any other ideas? I appreciate it so much, and I love your blog! Keep up the great work!!
I guess healthy is what your perception of healthy means. I think there is nothing wrong with a classic tuna sandwich made with real mayonnaise, celery, salt & pepper on good bread. Adding lettuce and tomato make it more nutritious.
I am a firm believer in eating real food. I never buy “light” or “fat-free” versions of foods that should have fat in them. We actually need fat— even saturated fats, in order to absorb certain nutrients. It’s just the old adage of everything in moderation. And that goes for tuna fish, especially canned. It has a high mercury content versus other fish and tuna is being depleted from the oceans.
Now if you’re looking to expand your tastes for something different… How about tuna nicoise salad (tuna, eggs, haricot verte, good olives— nicoise, kalamata, potatoes, greens, anchovies, mustard vinaigrette) or a grilled tuna club with wasabi mayo or my rice salad with chopped greens?
Thank you so much and good luck!
I Don’t Want It! I Hate It!
That was the mantra from my sons when they saw dinner. I told them to just sit down at the table. They still said they wouldn’t eat it. I didn’t try to persuade them. I didn’t say they had to eat it; just to sit down with us.
Then they both started trying to pick out the rice and eat that. Soon they were eating up the shrimp and vegetables too— basically eating the whole bowl full that they were given. Here toward the end of dinner, the 2 boys explain how they reacted to their dinner. (Youngest son was not feeling well & asleep.)
Shrimp, arugula, kale, chard, garlic, garlic scapes, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, Singapore Spice (citrus curry) over rice.
Sometimes it just takes being firm. Not giving in. Sometimes the kids actually will enjoy the food they’re given if they’d just give it a try.
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Yeast at work!! Gasses from the yeast reaction formed a bubble in the plastic wrap. This became my no-knead spelt bread.
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It’s my middle son’s birthday party/campout tonight. I made a S’mores cake for our camping theme! Used TJ’s chocolate cake, marshmallows I softened in microwave, my own recipe vanilla cake and meringue frosting. Then topped it with graham cracker crumbs.