Busy Mommy Media» Cooking for Kids

Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Rachel — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:31:45 +0000

Finding healthy snacks that kids will actually eat can be a serious challenge. I try and always keep a few healthy snack choices in the house but the most popular choices seem to be the ones that my kids can just grab and eat. Even a few steps of preparation like slicing up cubes of cheese for cheese and crackers or cutting up fruit makes it more likely that they’ll opt for an unhealthy choice instead.

One of my family’s all-time favorite snacks is these super simple chocolate peanut butter energy balls — or as my 4 year old likes to call them, balls of energy. You can only imagine his activity level after eating a few of these!

These chocolate peanut butter energy balls are super easy to prepare and last for several days in the fridge (or at least they would if they didn’t get eaten before then).

One of the things that I love about this recipe is that I usually have all the ingredients already on hand. These will actually travel really well too as long as they don’t get too warm (and I’d avoid using natural peanut butter if you want to take them anywhere because they’ll stay firm for longer).

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup shredded coconut

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup flaxseed

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1/2 a banana – mashed

1 tsp vanilla

Preparation

This is so easy your kids can make them by themselves if they have a bit of supervision. Start by mixing together the oatmeal and coconut.

Add in the honey and peanut butter and mix well. You can do this in a mixer but I’ve found it’s just as easy to mix it by hand. It comes together quickly once you get going.

This is going to create the base of your peanut butter balls. Everything from here on out is optional. . . except the chocolate chips, because those are always mandatory.

I like to throw some ground flax seed in for added nutrients. You can buy flaxseed already ground but it goes rancid fairly quickly and doesn’t retain nutrients for long. I like to throw flaxseed into my Magic Bullet just before I use it.

It only takes seconds to do and it gives me a nice, fine ground that works for just about anything. Try grinding it up to throw in cereal or over yogurt in the morning. Yum.

You can leave the banana out if you like but it adds a nice flavor to these. They won’t keep quite as long with the banana in so if you need them to last a few days then you can just omit it, but reduce the oatmeal by 1/4 cup so they won’t be too dry. I throw bananas into a plastic bag and have my kids squish them by hand (this works great for making banana bread too).

Mix in the chocolate chips and vanilla and anything else you feel like throwing in there. Slivered almonds would be delicious as would a bit of cocoa powder.

Form the mixture into balls. You can either eat these right away or put them in the fridge for a bit to firm up.

Give Your Kids an Immunity Boost

Pamela — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 04:37:37 +0000

Cold and Flu season is upon us. That means it’s time to get a little boost in vitamin C for your whole family. While oranges are often our first thought as a natural source of Vitamin C, there are several other veggies that have much higher levels. The recommended daily amount (RDA) of vitamin C is 60mg – but don’t be confused because that doesn’t mean you can just eat 60mg of something high in vitamin C to get all that you need for the day.

If your house is like mine you might run into the issue of kids not wanting to eat lots of veggies. I have learned that making them more fun then food can help you get around that problem. Here are a few tried and true recipes:

Sausage and Peppers

Essentially a fancy hot dog and what kid doesn’t love hot dogs? Bell peppers are an amazing source for vitamin C. The key is to not cook them to mush. Get a red, green and orange/yellow bell pepper and cut them into strips. Get a chicken sausage – any flavor will do – and brown it in your skillet. In the same skillet simply warm up the pepper – you want them to still have a crunch or “bite” to them. Put the sausage on a whole wheat bun and top with the pepper mixture. Serve with a side salad of leafy greens like spinach (another great source of vitamin C) and you are good to go!

Fruits Kabobs

Guavas, Papayas and Kiwis all have large amounts of Vitamin C. Cube up these yummy treats and turn them into Kabobs with bamboo skewers. You can also include a calcium rich yogurt for a dipping sauce – because kids will eat just about anything if they can dip it too! For a frozen treat, use frozen versions of these fruits – this is great for when they are not available fresh because it’s out of season.

Spice Things Up!

Did you know that red and green chilies have the most Vitamin C per volume than any other natural food? A single green chili of average size has more than two times the RDA of Vit. C making it the best bang for your buck. However the heat factor may automatically turn your family off. Since these little peppers are so densely packed with vitamin C you only need to consume a little bit to get all you need. A really great recipe is to make green enchiladas – take whole wheat tortillas and roll them up with shredded chicken, a thin strip of green chili (with the seeds removed), and a sprinkle of Monterey jack cheese. Line them up in a baking dish with a small amount of green enchilada sauce in the bottom and then pour the remained of the green enchilada sauce on top. Put them in a preheated 350deg oven for 30 minutes and serve it up with some black beans and brown rice.

Hide it in a Smoothie

When all else fails, sometimes you have to resort to trickery and hide the good for your stuff in the good stuff. Some great sources of vitamin C are some of the least favorite veggies known to kids. Spinach, Kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are almost always on the “icky list”. However, in their raw form they have a rather mild flavor, which means that they can easily be added to fruit smoothies without your child noticing. Simply add strawberries, bananas, spinach, and vanilla yogurt to a blender with ice. Mix it up and serve it for breakfast or even dessert!

Creamy Yogurt Cups a Perfect After School Snack

Heather — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:22:36 +0000

Two times of the day that can be a little hairy at our house are breakfast and after school. The kiddos are hungry and they are looking for whatever isn’t nailed down to eat. If not careful, they will eat their body weight in junk and empty calories. One trick I have is to make sure to have healthy, tasty alternatives ready at hand. One of my secret weapons is a super rich and creamy yogurt with granola and berries ready and handy in the fridge for them to easily grab.

I know this isn’t a new concept at all but what makes it a little different and super economical is the way I make the yogurt extra special. Instead of buying the more expensive individual cups or even the creamy and a little more decadent Greek yogurt, I buy the cheaper low-fat or fat-free vanilla yogurt that you can purchase in large containers. This is then where the magic a happens…

I pour all of the yogurt in to a mesh strainer lined with a paper towel and let that sit in the fridge for a few hours. This drains some of the excess liquid from the yogurt and makes it extra decadent and creamy. My kids LOVE it! I top it with berries, granola and then drizzle a little Agave nectar over it and they couldn’t be happier.

So here is what you will need…

Large container of your favorite yogurt
Fresh or frozen berries
Granola
Agave nectar or honey
Small containers in which to store individual portions of the tasty treat {optional}

For more fun tasty treats and some crafty idea as well, come visit me over at WhipperBerry. Stop in and say hello!!

Nutella Marshmallow Puffs

Heather — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 08:00:12 +0000

With the start of school I know we are all looking for a fun, easy after school treats for the kiddos and this one couldn’t be easier! This recipe is rather near a dear to my heart because it is one of my families favorites after a fun trip to Paris a few years ago.

Walking down a picturesque street on a chilly December day in Paris with with a warm chocolate croissant in hand. That is one of those memories that is burned into ever sense of my body. I can feel the warmth in my hands, the sweet buttery taste in my mouth along with hearing the “oh my goodness” rolling out of our mouths. One of those magical memories forever burned in my mind.

The good news… you don’t have to know how to make croissants! All you need are five basic ingredients to recreate this fabulous treat.

Nutella
Marshmallow creme
Frozen puff pastry
One egg

First, you will need to thaw the puff pastry. Once thawed, unfold and cut into four squares.

Put a spoonful of Nutella and marshmallow crème on the puff pastry. Oh, it’s looking good already!!

Fold the square into a triangle and crimp the edges of the pastry with a fork. Brush the pastry with an egg wash {one egg, beaten} and sprinkle with a little bit of sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until the pastry is lightly browned. Take out of oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes and then ENJOY!!

Recipe: Raspberry Lemonade Poke Cupcakes

Rachel — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:08:47 +0000

When it comes to cupcakes, I’m normally a straight chocolate fan. My oldest son is not a huge chocolate fan though (I know. I have no idea how he’s related to me) so for his 8th birthday he requested raspberry lemonade cake. It wasn’t until his party that we realized I’d made him a pink cake with pink icing but loved the way they tasted so much that he didn’t care what color they were.

This recipe uses a simple technique that involves poking the cake so you can add some extra flavor. The end result looks fantastic and the best part is it’s really simple to make.

Even though it wasn’t chocolate, this was still a pretty fantastic cupcake!

Ingredients

Cake:

1 box raspberry jello (4 oz)
1 cup hot water
1 box white cake mix
1/2 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed (frozen limeade would be fantastic in this too)
1/4 cup of water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 egg whites

Icing:

1 package of cream cheese, 8 oz
1 stick salted butter
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Fresh raspberries

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Place cupcake wrappers into a cupcake pan and spray them with non-stick spray. I used paper wrappers but you may be better off using foil wrappers since the jello liquid seeps through a bit before it sets up.

To add some extra flavor (and color) this cake includes raspberry jello. Mix together the Jello mixture an hot water and stir until the powder has fully dissolved. Set that aside. You’ll need it in a minute

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, 1/4 cup of the jello mixture, 1/4 cup of lemonade concentrate, water, egg whites, and oil. Spoon the cake mixture into the cupcake wrappers so they are evenly filled and bake them for 18-20 minutes. You can check to make sure they are done by sticking a toothpick or fork in the top.

Now this is where it gets fun.

While the cupcakes are still warm, poke each cake with a fork several times.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining jello mixture and the remaining 1/4 cup of lemonade concentrate and mix together. Pour about 1 T of the jello on each cupcake. Be sure to pour the mixture so that some goes down each hole. This will give you better color in the finished cake and spread the flavor out more.

Place the cupcakes in the fridge to cool for about an hour.

How to Make the Frosting

If you want to stop there, you can just frost each cake with canned white frosting but it just wouldn’t be the same.

Mix together the butter and cream cheese. You can do this by hand but a mixer makes the job much easier. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until you get the texture that you want. Mix in the vanilla extract.

This frosting would be delicious just like that. It’s a great basic cream cheese frosting recipe. If you want to make it even better though, throw in a handful of fresh raspberries. If you don’t have any on hand, I really like the Thrive freeze dried raspberries as an alternative.

Top each cupcake with a fresh raspberry and serve. This are a huge hit at a children’s birthday party or perfect for any celebration.

Cheese Cracker Crusted Chicken Recipe

Rachel — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:21:47 +0000

My 8 year old son loves to cook (and I am solidly behind teaching him anything that frees up extra time on my end) so I’ve been searching for recipes that he can make on his own. One of his favorite recipes to eat is a peanut crusted chicken so we made an easier alternative to that using crushed cheese crackers.

This recipe was super simple (my 8 year old made it on his own with minimal supervision) and it made a really tasty dinner that everyone in the family approved of. This would be great for lunch or heated for leftovers the next day.

Ingredients

1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
2 cups of cheese crackers
3/4 cup of italian flavored breadcrumbs
2 egg whites
Wheat germ (optional)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Spray the bottom of a cookie sheet with olive oil spray or non-stick cooking spray.

Put the cheese crackers and breadcrumbs in a plastic baggie and seal the bag, locking in as little air as possible to prevent the bag from tearing. Crush the crackers by hand – this is a great job for even the youngest kids to help out with.

The finer the crackers are crushed, the easier it will be to get them to stick to the chicken. If you want to add wheat germ, now is the time to do that as well. If you have picky eaters, sneak the wheat germ (or whatever else you think you can get away with) into the plastic bag.

Lay out two large bowls, one filled with egg white and one filled with the cracker/breadcrumb mixture.

This is a good opportunity to remind your kids about good hand washing habits, especially since they’ll be working with raw meat. Show your child how to dip each piece of chicken, first into the egg white, then into the cracker/breadcrumb mixture. If you want a thicker breading, repeat.

Sprinkle the breaded chicken with salt if wanted. My kids didn’t notice the difference so I left it off. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Serve with your dipping sauce of choice.

Did you try this recipe? We’d love you to share what you thought of it with us in the comments below.

Giveaway: Cupcake Cuties

Brekke — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:46:07 +0000

***Congratulations to Michele Malone! She is the winner of our Cupcake Cuties Giveaway!***

I am a photographer by trade who recently developed a cupcake obsession. I have been baking up a storm the last few weeks learning to make them from scratch, making all sorts of frosting and learning to decorate them like the pros. Okay, I am not a pro yet, but I’m making progress.

I love anything cupcakes so I was thrilled when I was asked to try a product called “Cupcake Cuties”. I agreed before even knowing what they were. I went online and found their website and started looking around. At cupcakecuties.com, I found they had a wide assortment of products to help decorate cupcakes for pretty much any occasion. From birthday parties to Super Bowl parties, they have a large variety of kits ready for you to complete your cupcakes.

Each kit comes ready to decorate up to 24 cupcakes. They include cupcake wrappers to fit the theme and whatever decorations are required to complete the look, minus the frosting. The two I received were the Bunny Face for Easter and Jungle Animals. I opened each box and just as advertised, everything I needed was included.

To start, I needed 24 cupcakes for each kit. Normally I would bake my cakes from scratch, but to save time, I used a box mix for each batch. For the Bunny Faces, I made a white cake, but colored it pink for a fun Easter look. For the Jungle animals, I wanted a chocolate fudge, but my shelf was empty so I settled for a bright red velvet. Then, for the frosting, I hadn’t set out any butter or cream cheese so I settled for canned frosting.

After I had 48 cupcakes ready and frosted I pulled out the kits and with the help of my eight year old daughter and our six year old neighbor, we started to decorate the Bunny Cakes. The pipe cleaners that came with the box were full length and we had to cut them down to two different sizes for the bunny ears. Guessing, I cut some in half and some in thirds, this made for just the right size to double them up and make the ears. I showed the girls how to wrap the cake with the liner, which was to simply pull the tab off the sticky end, wrap it around the cake and press it together. Then I demonstrated, according to the instructions that came with the kit, how to put in the pipe cleaner ears. They seemed confident, so I let them assemble the bunnies while I cut the rest of the pipe cleaners. It was simple and the girls had fun mixing the colors and putting their own touch and ideas to it. When we were finished, we had 24 cute little funny bunnies smiling back at us.

The Jungle Animals turned out much simpler and I loved the look of the finished cake. The box came with 12 zebra and 12 cheetah spotted cupcake wrappers, two jars of sprinkles, one black and one white, and then two dozen plastic jungle animals. According to the directions, the sprinkles came first. I put the sprinkles in two small bowls and simply “dipped” the frosted cake into the sprinkles giving them a nice even covering. Then the girls wrapped the cupcakes with their choice of pattern and topped them with the animals. It was simple and fun and my boys really wanted to take the animals off the cakes and play with them.

Now I had 48 Cupcake Cutie cupcakes and no party in sight. Good thing it was scout night, and I happen to be an assistant den leader. I took both trays of cupcakes to pack meeting and at the end of the night not a single cake was left. I heard some of the boys talking excitedly about getting to keep the animals and the little girls loved the bunnies. A couple of moms asked about them and I told them about the company and the kits and how simple they were to put together.

I thought they were fun and creative and can simplify putting together your dessert for a themed party (I wish I had seen them before my favorite team won the Super Bowl this year). They even have a Cutie of the Month Club where you automatically receive a shipment of a kit for whatever holiday is happening for every month. All the kits I looked at were fun and cute and seemed simple to put together, easy for grown ups and great for kids to help out too.

About the Author: Brekke Felt is an award winning photographer from Pleasant Grove, Utah. Specializing in child portraiture with a side specialization in food photography and a new found addiction to cupcake baking. See her professional work at www.feltphotography.com, and follow her journey baking and photographing her favorite treat, cupcakes at www.brekkecakes.com

Enter to Win

One lucky winner will win her (or his, Hi there busy dads) choice of cupcake kits from Cupcake Cuties

To enter, visit the Cupcake Cuties website and comment on this post letting us know what your favorite kit is.

This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and will end on April 6, 2011

In compliance with the FTC Guidelines, please note that this is a sponsored post. I was given Cupcake Cutie Kits to review free of charge, however, I was not paid for the review and the opinions are my own. Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions for a complete list of our contest and giveaway rules.

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Vote for Busy Mommy Media in the Mom Central Grant Program (Once a day)
Follow Busy Mommy Media on Twitter
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Become a Fan of Busy Mommy Media on Facebook
Tweet this giveaway by clicking on the box in the upper right hand side of this post or copying and pasting the following into twitter:

I just entered to #win a @cupcakecutiekit #giveaway from @BusyMommyMedia! http://bit.ly/i9Ao6F

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Tea Parties Are For Mama’s Too!

Guest Writer — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 19:22:45 +0000

I don’t know about you but my life is out of this world crazy. Between work, two busy little boys, a house to take care of, mountains of laundry that need washing and countless other little life issues that pop up I barely have time to sit down and ~~breathe~~ blog. It’s been weeks since I have had a conversation with my girlfriends and even longer since we had been able to get together and spend an afternoon chatting and relaxing. Well enough was enough! On a Saturday afternoon I scheduled in a tea party on my planner. That’s right a tea party.

I’ll admit there was something a little silly about it, but every time I called up one of my friends and asked “So are you free Saturday, I’m having a tea party?” I got a huge smile on my face and a giggle out of them. Everyone I invited wanted to be there. Maybe it was remembering those afternoons as a little girl filling our plastic teapots with water and sneaking cookies out of the kitchen. Or maybe it was just a fun afternoon to escape life. Either way, it was an afternoon worth the effort.

I tried to keep the menu very simple because I didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. But at the same time wanted it to be some nice food, that we don’t normally have. I did some research on English teatime and found some food suggestions.

What I made

Vegan cupcakes with almond frosting
Marzipan strawberries
Madelines
Almond Mango Thumb prints
Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps
Roast Beef and Swiss Tea sandwiches
Moroccan Mint tea

I think these strawberries are so cute. I always marveled at these tiny little cookies they make in Morocco. For our wedding there were lemon marzipan cookies (I love lemon). But I thought there must be some trick to this. No trick just some artistry. A lot of people don’t like the taste of marzipan and that’s ok – just accept them as a cute little addition to a plate!

Almond Mango Thumbprints – sooo good. I’m going to be honest. I had every intention of sharing this recipe but…I forgot where I wrote it down! I’ll have to make these again to figure it out, but in the meantime you can use any almond cookie or sugar cookie recipe for thumb print cookies to get great results. The mango jam was really what made this for me!

Then the Madelines. People are really intimidated by these. Maybe it’s because of the seashell pan? But they’re not hard and they are so tasty! The hardest part might be getting the pan. I’ve never seen a Madeline not in this shape. But I will share this recipe with you!

2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1/4 cup butter – melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F.
Melt butter. In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and salt until light and airy.
Continue beating while slowly adding sugar; continue beating for about 5 minutes.
Turn down the speed of the beaters to low (or fold in with a spatula) and slowly pour flour into the egg mixture about 1/4 at a time.
Add orange blossom wanter and melted butter. Quickly combine butter and orange blossom water.
Butter and flour the madeline pan (I use Pam baking spray with flour – works wonderfully!)
Fill each mold with batter to the top of the seashell. (If you have additional batter place it into the refrigerator until you’re ready for the next batch).
Bake about 15 minutes until cookies are slightly brown. You don’t want them too brown because they should remain a spongy cookie, not hard.
Remove from oven and use a knife to gently break the seal of the cookie in the pan. Turn out onto a cooling rack.
Bake 14 to 17 minutes, or until cakes are golden and the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertip.
Use the tip of the knife to loosen madeleines from pan; invert onto rack.
You can sprinkle with powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, cocoa powder or dip in chocolate. I love them plain.

It’s so important for mom’s to take a break to reconnect with their girlfriends. I really encourage you to take an afternoon off, and host a tea party. Trust me you’ll feel like you’re 8 again!

Amanda is a curious world traveling, mom of two busy boys, foodie at heart, addicted to social media and lover of all things Moroccan. If she’s not talking about food and Morocco at MarocMama.com, she is engaged in her daytime role as a non-profit fund development and community outreach coordinator.

Holiday Giveaway: Learning Tower from Little Partners

Rachel — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:25:53 +0000

Cooking is so much a part of our every day life that it’s hard to imagine excluding our kids from that experience. Cooking is about more than preparing food. It’s an opportunity to bond for parent and child, an educational experience that can teach math and reading skills, and a valuable life skill that every child needs to learn. Having kids in the kitchen can be a safety issue as well, though, so it’s important to have the right tools that allow you to include your children in food preparation while keeping them safe. The Learning Tower from Little Partners is invaluable for parents of young children and it will amaze you how easy it makes it to include your children in kitchen tasks.

The Learning Tower is, more or less, a step stool, but it’s a step stool that allows you child to safely reach counter height and be included in kitchen tasks. Regular stools or chairs pulled up to the kitchen counter are extremely dangerous for young children. My almost 5 year old hopped up on a step stool to wash his hands at the kitchen sink recently and the stool slid out from under his feet as he leaned forward on the counter. Chairs present another problem. Toddlers and preschoolers tend to lean against the back and tip it over if the back is away from the counter. If the back of the chair is against the counter they can pinch their fingers. The Learning Tower solves all of those problems by providing a stable surface and a frame that goes all the way around the child to prevent falls.

Carol Gamble, the founder of Little Partners says,

The truth is, kids want to be actively enrolled in what other members of the family are doing. They need to establish that sense of belonging at a very young age. Seeing a parent prepare for dinner, translates into, “I want to be like Mommy,” “I want to help.” On one hand, Mommy or Daddy want to teach, spend quality time with, and have the little one help in some capacity; however, let’s face it- this is not always an easy task.”

The Learning Tower is really easy to adjust. It’s great design allows for quick raising or lowering of the standing platform, simply by lifting it up and then sliding it down to another height. The grooves that hold the platform keep it extremely stable and don’t allow it to shift out of position when a child is standing on it. The Learning Tower is perfect for children ages 18 months and up. My 7 1/2 year old, who is now learning more advanced cooking skills, loves standing in the learning tower at it’s lowest height because it allows him to forget about keeping his balance on a stool and focus on the cooking skill he is practicing.

The large standing platform on the Learning Tower really make it feel like you are simply standing on the floor. It’s large enough that 2 children can fit on it comfortably and because a child can exit from any side, you don’t have to worry too much about any pushing and shoving trying to climb down from the Learning Tower.

Learning Tower Accessories

The Learning Tower has some great accessories, including a reversible art easel, with a white board on one side and a chalk board on the other. The art easel comes with a kit to attach it to the wall if you’d prefer so you can move it back and forth to fit into whatever space you have available in your kitchen. My kids love using the art easel on the Learning Tower to draw while I’m in the kitchen, because even when they aren’t helping out, they like to be close by.

Enter to Win

One Busy Mommy Media reader will win a Learning Tower and Art Easel – over a $230 value!

To enter, comment on this post and tell us what you would use a Learning Tower for.

This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and will end on December 17, 2010

In compliance with the FTC Guidelines, please note that this is a sponsored post. I was given a Learning Tower and Art Easel to review. I was not paid for the review and the opinions are my own. Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions for a complete list of our contest and giveaway rules.

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Merrin & Pearls Kid Friendly and Festive Caesar Salad

Guest Writer — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:40:59 +0000

My daughters, (and the Human Body Detectives), Merrin and Pearl have discovered the Caesar salad. They love it and whatever entices them to eat more veggies, I am all for it.

However, store bought ceasar dressing is not so healthy, so I figured we would try and make it by scratch. We poured through recipes and tested some out, although we soon discovered that most caesar salad dressing ingredients are not so kid friendly – like worcheshire sauce (too spicy for most!). We decided to take what we like from the recipes and create our own. Since we are going into the festive season, we added walnuts and cranberries. They add an extra crunch and a touch of sweetness!

(PS the kids liked the idea of a coddled egg, so we decided to add that in!)

Merrin & Pearls Kid Friendly and Festive Caesar Salad

Ingredients

2 crushed garlic cloves
11/2 tsp anchovy paste
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp of red wine vinegar
1 coddled egg*
1/2 cup of a medium sized lemon – squeezed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts
1/3 cup of dried cranberries
½ cup of croutons or toasted bread sticks
5 heads of baby romaine lettuce

Wash the baby romaine lettuce and set aside to dry.
Mix 2 crushed garlic cloves, anchovy paste and olive oil. Blend well.
Crack in the coddled egg, add 2 tsp of red wine vinegar and lemon juice.
Whisk all together until the dressing is light and creamy.
Toss with the baby romaine lettuce.
Mix in the parmesan cheese, walnuts and cranberries.
Garnish with breadsticks or croutons.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

* Bring a pot of water to boil. Add an egg (still in shell) and let stand for 1 minute. Remove the egg and let cool.

Dr. Heather Manley, who in 2001 received her medical degree from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, is a practicing physician whose primary interest is preventative healthcare for families. She is the author of Human Body Detectives, her educational series of story-telling audiobooks and accompanying activity workbooks. She also promotes wellness and naturopathic healthcare on her website. She lives on the Big Island of Hawaii with her husband and two daughters, and is currently at work on the next Human Body Detectives adventure.