March 14th, 2014
Healthy Snacks: Peanut Butter Dip
Delicious, healthy snacks always seem like the hardest recipes to come by, so I had to share this quick Peanut Butter Dip that I whipped up for classroom snack duty. (Yes, we can bring peanut butter to school, but you can also use Sun Butter or your other favorite peanut butter alternative in this recipe.)
This easy recipe uses wholesome, kid-favorite ingredients like peanut butter and honey to create a sweet and nutritious dip that makes serving fruit—or celery or whole grain crackers—more fun. You can pack it in your little’s one lunch box, save it for after school, or even swirl some into vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt for dessert.
posted in:
12+ mos | 24+ mos | back to school | dessert | fast & easy | gluten free | snacks | vegetarianMarch 10th, 2014
Citrus Salad with Avocado and Hearts of Palm
Everybody’s thinking spring—and, really, I’m all for it!—but I ran through snow flurries today. A cruel reminder that though we’re close, it’s still winter here on the east coast. And the only upside is that it’s also still citrus season and I can make this Citrus Salad with Avocado and Hearts of Palm.
I’ve been buying blood oranges and clementines, grapefruits and Meyer lemons like they are going out of style. Because, well, they are. The season’s almost over, so now’s the time if you haven’t taken advantage.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | 6+ mos | 8+ mos | dairy free | fast & easy | fruit | gluten free | salads | vegetarianMarch 7th, 2014
Healthy Breakfast Donuts with Yogurt Glaze & other easy breakfast recipes
As breakfast week comes to a end here at One Hungry Mama, allow me to put down my bowl of Lucky Charms, uh, I mean, my super healthy power breakfast, and leave you with healthy breakfast recipes that will realistically fit into your mornings, including these Whole Grain Pear Breakfast Donuts made in one bowl.
And, yes, you caught that right: realistically. I told you at the beginning of the week when we first talked about taking control of breakfast: this is hard for me, too. These breakfast ideas are ones that I’ve committed to at home and lets just say that I like to sleep until 7 a.m., even on the weekdays. I know a little something something about the morning rush, and these recipes—which I’m sharing in the form of my meal plan— are working.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | breakfast & brunch | dessert | finger foods | fruit | nutrition | parenting | rice & grains | snacks | sweet baked stuffMarch 5th, 2014
How to choose healthy breakfast foods—cereal, too
Every parent knows that breakfast is important. After all, weren’t we repeatedly told by our own parents that it’s the most important meal of the day? We’re no dummies! That said, I took that value of breakfast at face value for a long time. It wasn’t until I started a career in food that I realized just how true that old adage is. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.
To save you the hardship of starting your own career in food, I asked a nutritionist to give us the straight dope on breakfast so that you, too, can have a meaningful understanding of what make a breakfast good for you. Once you have that, you can make a clear plan for how to take control of breakfast in your house.
March 3rd, 2014
Taking control of breakfast: Cardamom Apple-Pecan Oatmeal Muffins
I’d had it. The arguing over cereal had gotten completely out of control in my house. (Does this happen in your house, too?!) Breakfast, especially during the week, is hard enough as it is. The last thing I need is fighting over what gets served. And though it’s easy to resort to pop-up waffles and cereal everyday (they certainly take care of the fighting), the last thing my kids need every morning is a heaping mound of sugary, processed carbs. Finding breakfast balance has been a serious challenge and I finally took it head-on, with some help from these Cardamom Apple-Pecan Oatmeal Muffins.
This week I’ll be talking about the breakfast conundrum: providing our kids with healthy, wholesome breakfasts that actually fit into the morning rush and give them the nutritional boost they need to make it through their day.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | back to school | breakfast & brunch | finger foods | fruit | nutrition | parenting | snacks | sweet baked stuffFebruary 28th, 2014
Honey Mustard Chicken Cutlets
You guys, I can’t kick it. I’m still in vacation mode. I’m moving as slow as molasses and am ready for that mojito anytime now. I sit at my desk all day, but am still falling behind on work. It takes everything in me to keep from running a Shahs of Sunset marathon and, though I’ve managed to control myself, it hasn’t helped my productivity.
Normally, these are the times when even I fall off of the cooking wagon. But the one thing I’ve managed to do well this week is get easy, homemade dinners on the table. I forced myself to scratch together a meal plan on Monday, the day after we returned from our trip, and went shopping that afternoon. I stuck to simple meals that I know I can count on like these Asian Pork Sliders from the Keepers cookbook. And even came up with a new one: these quick and tasty Honey Mustard Chicken Cutlets.
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12+ mos | 24+ mos | dairy free | dinner | fast & easy | gluten free | main entree | poultryFebruary 25th, 2014
The mighty Muffuletta sandwich—and what it teaches us about sandwich making
Mardi Gras is coming up and what better excuse to celebrate the food of New Orleans. The muffuletta sandwich might be the mightiest of all foods that hail from New Orleans and, well, even if you’re discovering this not around Mardi Gras time, it’s worth a watch. Because the muffuletta is no ordinary sandwich. Oh no, the muffuletta is the quintessential sandwich. A specimen that speaks to how all sandwiches be made.
February 24th, 2014
Make-Ahead Red Enchilada Sauce
I have a fierce love of Mexican cuisine, from light Vera Cruzana seafood to cheesy Tex-Mex, from intense Oaxacan moles to Mexico City street food that booms in your mouth as loudly as the city booms in your ears.
Many years ago, when I first got serious about cooking, I bought my first serious—and still most worn—cookbook by Mexican food expert, Diana Kennedy. I took a class on Mexican cooking at a culinary school in New York City where I learned how to patiently mash and layer flavors in my new molcajete, a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle carved out of stone. I showed off by throwing dinner parties where I served 15 people regional Mexican feasts, every bit, down to the chips, made by scratch. I explored my love of Mexican food and honed my skills as a cook at the same time, with a voracious appetite that never felt sated, in the best way.
Then I had kids.
I haven’t made a mole by hand in 10 or 12 years. And, other than a quick pico de gallo or guac, I thoughtfully prepare a regional salsa about once a year, usually for a dinner party or Cinco de Mayo. And that’s about all the action my molcajete sees. Ever. It may not be about cooking for you, but you know the story.
This doesn’t mean that we don’t eat Mexican at home. Not all Mexican food is hard earned. Rather, much of it, like this red enchilada sauce can come together easily, even from scratch.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | 6+ mos | 8+ mos | dairy free | gluten free | sauce | vegetarianFebruary 21st, 2014
Spice-Rubbed Chicken Thighs with Pineapple-Cucumber Salad
Awesome family food find alert! I recently found a recipe for Broiled Chicken Thighs with Pineapple-Cucumber Salad in the May 2012 issue of Everyday Food. Being the devoted reader that I am, I must have seen this recipe before, but this time it caught my eye as an alternative to my easiest Chili Rubbed Steak, another quick dish where you rub meat with practicaly nothing more than chili powder. Given how delicious the steak comes out, I knew that the same approach would make a delicious chicken dish. And with pineapple-cucumber salad? Yes, please!
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | dairy free | dinner | fast & easy | gluten free | main entree | poultry | saladsFebruary 19th, 2014
Amaaaaazing quick and easy homemade bread in minutes
I don’t typically like making bread. Even no-knead seems like too much work, or at least takes too much time, but a new cookbook discovery has changed all that. Thanks to The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, I’m currently obsessed with baking bread from scratch. It’s easy with this book’s completely groundbreaking-to-me approach. Seriously. I think you could get hooked, too. And, yes, I know how busy you are!
Making bread from scratch might seem insane to many of you crazed mamas and papas, but part of what’s so great about The New Artisan Bread approach is that you can take 10 active minutes on Saturday or Sunday to make dough that will sit ready-to-go in your fridge for up to 14 days. Then, when you decide it’s time to make bread anytime in that 2 week period, you take another 10 minutes to prep a loaf, let the bread rest, and then bake.
There is no kneading, no punching, and only one major rise (with some rest time on bake day). And though the book encourages a pizza peel and baking stone, I managed to make that amazing boule pictured above using a thin wooden cutting board coated with cornmeal and small cast iron skillet. No special equipment.
Seriously amazing.
posted in:
12+ mos | 24+ mos | entertaining | family cooking school | gluten free | rice & grains | savory baked stuff | sweet baked stuffFebruary 17th, 2014
Coconut Mango Smoothie
It’s hard out here for a fruit and veggie lover. There are so many wonderful things about living in NYC, but winter produce is not one of them. So I smoothie. I throw in less-than-perfect veggies, like in my Cherry Vanilla Super Smoothie, and use tons of frozen fruit, most of which is frozen at peak freshness and has much better flavor than what’s available to me fresh these days. Sometimes I use milk, other times juice. Sometimes yogurt, sometimes not. And no matter what, these elixirs hit the spot with a burst of fresh flavor.
With all the snow falling in NYC these days, I’ve been craving the tropical flavors of my latest concoction, this Coconut Mango Smoothie. This one isn’t just a taste of freshness, it’s also a taste of sunshine. Much needed warm sunshine.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | 6+ mos | 8+ mos | dairy free | drinks | fast & easy | fruit | gluten free | snacks | vegetarianFebruary 14th, 2014
One-Bowl Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
I’m on a tear y’all. I did a big accounting of how much I spend on groceries every week and also on my food waste. I had once been so good, but somehow things have gotten out of control again. Throwing away leftovers instead of using them. Losing track of perishables in my fridge. Letting my freezer overflow with outdated food. And spending way too much to compensate for all of this. Sound familiar?
I’m cracking the whip and am working on some fun ways to help you crack the whip, too, if you want. In the meantime, I found myself with a whole lot of leftover homemade ricotta cheese this weekend. I had made a triple batch for a party that we hosted on Saturday night and needed to use the leftovers. So why not make a Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake, right?
posted in:
12+ mos | 24+ mos | breakfast & brunch | dessert | fruit | gluten free | snacks | sweet baked stuff | vegetarianFebruary 11th, 2014
5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cakes perfected for Valentine’s Day
This year, instead of fussing over elaborate Valentine’s Day treats for the kids, I plan on taking it easy and keeping it delicious with these 5-minute chocolate mug cakes. Less time in the kitchen, more time with my boys. All three of them.
If you also like the sound of whipping up warm chocolate cake in 5 -minutes after school or after dinner, this Valentine’s day, check out how to make these delicious microwave chocolate mug cakes. I’ve perfected the recipe to yield a super moist crumb that’s far tastier than most of the other microwaved chocolate cakes I’ve tried. This is the one, folks. Just in time for Valentine’s Day.
February 10th, 2014
Simple Valentine’s Day treats that say, “I love you!”
I say it with hugs. One likes hugs more than the other, at least the long, snuggly kind. The other one likes quick hugs. Sometimes just a quick touch is enough for him. A moment to connect and make sure that I’m still there. I am. Always will be.
I say it with words. I can’t keep track of the number of times I say, “I love you,” everyday. Too many, probably. Especially for the big one, especially while in public. I won’t stop, though—I don’t really think he wants me to (yet)—but I may start whispering more.
I say it with food. Mostly I think it’s about my commitment to healthy, homemade meals. Because all of that—all of this—started for them, you know. But really, it’s about how much I love cooking. Sometimes I see it and the big one has even said it: they taste the love.
On Valentine’s Day I want to say it with treats that bring together all three: warm hugs, loving words, and delicious food. These six simple Valentine’s Day treats that send a clear message of love are sure to hit the spot.
February 7th, 2014
Tuna and White Bean Salad
Sometimes, even in the dead of winter, when a warm, long cooked stew is in order, I need to throw together a no-cook dinner and call it a night. Anyone else with me?
On these nights, I make sandwiches or scrambled eggs (which technically violates the no-cook part, but who’s keeping track). Last week, I threw together this Tuna and White Bean Salad, which I normally save for a lunch or pre-BBQ snack during the summer months. I had a baguette that was on the verge of stale, a can of tuna, and a can of white beans. So what that there was snow on the ground. We at this salad on crusty bread with some leftover veggies on the side and all was fine. Good even.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | 6+ mos | 8+ mos | appetizers | beans | dairy free | dinner | fast & easy | gluten free | lunch | salads | seafood
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