FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Baby Breakfast: Green Pancakes

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Nothing could have prepared me for how much work feeding an infant would be. Perhaps I made life more difficult by going the Baby Led Weaning route, but at the time {6 months} it felt like the right approach. Five months later {at 11 months} I couldn’t be happier that we toughed out the messes and the meal prep. Fixing Ezra’s meals for the week is still a ton of work, but I’ve come up with a few “go to” recipes that make it easier. And seeing how independent of an eater he is just lights me up. His fine motor skill development and appetite for textures and flavors are pretty incredible.

I created this Green Pancake recipe as a solution for weekday breakfasts. I wanted a meal that was packed with nutrients, sized/textured for self-feeding, and easy to make in bulk then freeze. I’ve been modifying this pancake recipe in some form over the past decade – it’s wonderful!

I use a cookie scoop to make baby-sized green pancakes. I keep a few in the fridge for the current week and store the rest in the freezer for future breakfasts. I’m guilty of snacking on a few green pancakes here and there too!

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Scalloped Potatoes & Turnips With Gruyére

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Oh Thanksgiving! Or as I like to call it, casserole season!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for many reasons. It’s the first of the major family holidays I grew up celebrating. It’s paired with a long holiday weekend. And it’s filled with so many bites {and I love bites}.

I’ve never been a huge turkey eater. But I’m also extremely attached to the way my family did Thanksgiving, especially now that I don’t make the trip back to Florida anymore. So that means, I always cook a turkey. And it also means that I cook very similar sides that are made from real food ingredients. While not everyone in my family is on the healthy eating train, everyone is headstrong about cooking with real butter, real milk, real cheese, and fresh vegetables.

And because, all year long, I’m a fan of sneaking vegetables into ordinary dishes, I created a whole food, sneaky veggie casserole that’ll leave you feeling totally satisfied this casserole season: Scalloped Potatoes & Turnips with Gruyere {scroll down for recipe}.

If you’re new to cooking with turnips, there are a few things you should know. Most importantly, turnips are different than potatoes nutritionally. Turnips contain over three times as much Vitamin C, one third as many calories, and one third as many carbohydrates as white potatoes. Texturally, they aren’t as soft as potatoes, which can be great in certain recipes because they don’t fall apart. And flavor wise, they get a little sweetness when cooked. Ultimately, I don’t recommend completely swapping potatoes for turnips unless you’re a seasoned turnip lover. But I completely recommend swapping portions of potato recipes to increase the spectrum of vitamins you’re consuming as well as lower the calories and carbohydrates of your dish without sacrificing the use of real butter, real milk, and real cheese.

I was able to purchase all of the ingredients for this recipe at the new Whole Foods Market 365 store in Cedar Park, which is a huge plus especially during the busy holiday shopping season. I get super frustrated when I have to go to a separate store to find items and it was a huge relief to see that turnips and chives were both available in the Whole Foods Market 365 produce department.

The prices at Whole Foods Market 365 were also noticeably cheaper. I was able to purchase every ingredient for this recipe, and mostly organic products, for $20.80. Had there already been flour in my pantry and milk in my refrigerator, the I would have only spent $15.42, which is quite the steal for a casserole made with quality ingredients.

And lastly, I really loved the feel of the Whole Foods Market 365 store. It was clean and orderly beyond belief. The produce department was top notch. For almost every grocery item I purchased, there was a store brand available. And!! Oh, and this is the best part. The Whole Foods Market 365 store in Cedar Park collaborates with local companies like Juiceland {cold pressed juice to order}, Easy Tiger {freshly baked breads}, and Snap Kitchen {healthy eats to go}. Overall, shopping at this store was as pleasant as it gets. I’ll definitely be making the trip to the Whole Foods Market 365 Cedar Park store {20 minute drive} as often as I can to load up on 365 products.

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Easy, Complete Side Dishes

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This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Alexia.

I can’t seem to find the time for intricate side dishes lately. Whenever we cook at home, it is pretty much guaranteed that we’ll serve a protein with a sautéed green veggie. Sometimes I’ll go above and beyond with mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash. But I seriously can’t imagine preparing a protein and TWO lovely veggie sides {especially on a weeknight}. Which is why I was so excited to try Alexia’s complete side dishes.

Alexia used to be my go-to brand for dinner rolls {bring them back, please!}. And they’re the only brand of sweet potato fries on my radar. So when I saw they started making complete side dishes that are VERY similar to what I’d make at home, I couldn’t wait to try them!

Other than the flavor profiles being very similar to what I would cook, I appreciate that Alexia products are non-GMO, gluten free, and contain organic dairy ingredients. And, since we try to steer clear of the microwave, I liked that a handful of the complete side dishes have reasonable stovetop cook times. But for those who depend on the microwave, all of the side dishes cook in less than 10 minutes.

The two side dishes that we sampled were the cauliflower risotto with parmesan and sea salt and mashed butternut squash with butter and brown sugar. And, served along side homemade pork tenderloin, they made for quite a special Sunday supper. So special, that we brought everything outside and dined al fresco to celebrate the slow-approaching Texas fall weather.

The mashed butternut squash was the family favorite. I let Haven sample a spoonful before I plated our meal and she couldn’t stop asking “when is it going to be time for squash?”. Even while we were taking pictures, she couldn’t keep her hands off that squash! And I really enjoyed the cauliflower risotto because it’s so creative. There are plenty of frozen cauliflower rice options available, but then you’re left to find and make a recipe on your own. Alexia complete side dishes are just that – complete. And because they’re complete, you can put all your focus into a delicious main dish.

And that brings me to our pork tenderloin! I used this FoodFash recipe for the brined and seared pork tenderloin within this post. And then I sliced the pork and served it on a bed of sautéed onions and mushrooms. And together, with the cauliflower risotto and mashed butternut squash, it made for a delicious veggie-filled meal!

Alexia complete side dishes can be found at Giant Eagle, Kroger, Meijer and other fine grocers. In Austin, I’ve purchased Alexia products at Whole Foods and Central Market.

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Alexia.

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Quick, Veggie-Filled Macaroni And Cheese

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with compensation from Annie’s . As always, all opinions are my own.

Macaroni and cheese has been at the top of my favorite foods list for as long as I’ve been able to request macaroni and cheese. And even though it was a very long time ago, I’m certain that I fell in love at the time of my very first, cheesy bite.

 

But because it was a known thing in our house that a meal wasn’t a meal without a green vegetable, veggie-filled macaroni and cheese quickly became a top requested dinner. As an adult not much has changed except for the available brand options for boxed macaroni and cheese. Because Annie’s Homegrown products are made without artificial flavors, synthetic colors, preservatives, and high fructose corn syrup, they are the only brand of macaroni and cheese that we keep in our pantry.

I’ve since passed down my love of veggie-filled macaroni and cheese to my boyfriend’s three year old. This dish has been a total life-saver on school nights and plan-packed weekends. I always have a bag of organic green veggies on hand, whether it be in the refrigerator or freezer. And it’s a simple, no-fuss meal that I feel good about feeding the entire family.

We rotate green veggies as well as white cheddar shells, yellow cheddar shells, and traditional elbow noodles to keep things interesting. And we also keep Annie’s Homegrown’s sweet and savory bunny snacks on hand for an on-the-go treat.

Our H-E-B has a giant selection of Annie’s Homegrown products that are ALL buy 2, get 1 free until 8/22/17. The yellow coupon can be found in-store or online here. If you have any questions about H-E-B’s coupon policy, you can find the website information here.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with compensation from Annie’s . As always, all opinions are my own.

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