The Kinder-Garden Chef Recipes full of nutrition from my heart to yours

          

The Kinder-Garden Chef  

Recipes full of nutrition from my heart to yours

Create menu then create grocery list

Monday:      Veggie turkey Chili topped with quinoa

Notes: make enough chili to have for lunch the next day

Tuesday:     Lemon Chicken with  Greek Roasted potatoes and Salad

Notes: Buy pita or wraps to fill with chicken and salad for tomorrow’s lunch on the go

Wednesday:     Veggie Lasagna with Tossed Salad

Notes:  Make one extra lasagna to freezer,  when you are tired and stressed out one day you will be so thankful to have dinner ready to go, just pull lasagna out of the freezer and bake. There you have it! One less thing to worry about except for the pile of laundry that needs to be folded lol. Buy extra vegetables for Friday’s minestrone soup.

Thursday:      Salsa Chicken over wild rice

Notes: Serve salsa chicken over wild rice or quinoa. You can also serve salsa chicken inside of taco shells. This recipe is a crowd pleaser,  even that fussy eater will love it! I wasn’t meaning your children lol husbands and boyfriends can be pretty picky too!

Friday:     Minestrone Soup

Nothing better than homemade soup! This soup recipe is super easy and super healthy!! Children love making too!! If you have little ones it’s nice to get them  to practice chopping the easy vegetables to cut like mushrooms and zucchini. This soup can be stored in a container for  Saturday’s lunch along with Zucchini grilled cheese for the perfect lunch!!

Saturday:    Grilled zucchini and cheese melts

Notes: Grilled cheese is a comfort food for many especially when you are creating lots of comforting memories making them with your little ones. Kids love grating the zucchini and cheese for this recipe, true crowd pleaser!                                                           

                  Kale Banana mango smoothie a fun and healthy treat!!

Sunday:  Baking day!  Anything goes muffins and Banana Bread

Notes: Baking with helpers is a great way to teach your children how measure out the  ingredients and learn some good math skills by counting, adding and fractions  It might take a little bit longer in the kitchen baking with children always does. When you take the time to teach them and create special memories in the kitchen your children will truly cherish the memory for many years to come. I know I sure have! I will never forget helping my mom in the kitchen.

When cooking always think one step ahead of the next step. Plan your weeks meals and menu a head of time, write a list and stick to it. Do one big shop at the beginning of the week. Use ingredients for more than just one recipe. Freeze your meet into portions in zip locks  for the week. Shop for bigger dry goods, like pasta, rice, flour, tomato sauce. Stores like Superstore or Costco are great for none perishable ingredients . Shop at produce markets with your children on the weekend for something fun to do. It is also a great way to teach your children how to shop for healthy ingredients. Teach them the health benefits at the same time while you walk through all the produce market.  Try to stay away from the store in the week. One big shop should help you with that. 

Lasting words from the KinderGarden Chef

Be creative and have fun cooking my recipes from the heart! I am so blessed for all of you who attended my work shop meal planning 101. I truly hope my work shop and recipes will help you and your family to enjoy wonderful meals together all the while having fun in the kitchen together.

If you are interested in the recipes and grocery list to this menu  for 10 dollars I will send it to you in a pdf file.  contact me at 

Andreahoblak@gmail.com

Sunday Morning Pancakes

Do you think you can be a big helper and measure out the flour and stir the batter? It’s good to be a good helper in the kitchen

1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour  

1 ¼ cup of ground flax

1/3 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup applesauce

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, divided

1/4 cup maple syrup

Preparation

Lightly spoon the flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours,  and next 4 ingredients, in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine milk, applesauce, and egg in a medium bowl, stirring until well blended. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Let batter stand 5 minutes.

Heat a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto pan; sprinkle each with 2 teaspoons raisins and 2 teaspoons walnuts. Cook 1 minute or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over, and cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining batter, raisins, and walnuts. Serve with fresh fruit for a yummy breakfast.

Add anything you like to these healthy pancakes, like raspberries, bananas, pureed pumpkin. Be creative and have fun making these delicious pancakes with someone you love.

Baking Creates Memories

At the Mom and Tots show I was so blessed to meet so many kind people who really inspired me! One story really stuck out was a very kind mother told me was that she always bakes cookies with her two year old son who loves to mix and stir when they make cookies together. She said one time for Halloween she thought it would be fun to make these Halloween shaped cookies from a package, one of those mixes ones that you just place on the cookie sheet and bake. She said as her son was helping put the cookies on the cookie sheet he looked sad. He said to his mommy that he wanted  to do the measuring and stirring with a disappointed   look on his face. She said she thought to herself wow I must have done a good job then because my son wants to do the work, he wanted to make them from scratch. I told her that is totally true about kids, they want to mix and stir and get busy with you in the kitchen, it's not just about eating the cookies, it's about spending time with mom and having fun getting your hands into the dough and creating a memory together. I still remember mixing and helping my mom. It may take a little bit longer to mix up those cookies with little ones but it is totally worth it!! You are creating a special memory with a special reward of enjoying the treat at the end of it. Kids actually like to work for things, especially when they are yummy cookies made with lots of love. The best ingredient you can ever put into your cooking and baking is the love I always say.

Here is a really good cookie recipe to try making with your little ones

Granola flax honey Bars 

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup flax seeds 
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 ½  cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, 3/4 cup honey, and lemon juice until well blended. Combine the flour,  oats, and  flax seeds; mix into the honey mixture. Spread evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs while gradually pouring in 1/4 cup honey. Stir in dates, apricots, coconut, and sesame seeds until they are evenly distributed and well coated. Spread over the crust in the pan.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until center is set, and the top is lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Nutrition Facts

Servings per Recipe: 24