Some nights at the dinner table go better than others...

Last night was a bad night at the dinner table. Dekker (my 5 year old) is my pickiest eater. Lately it's gotten really bad. For a while I thought it was a contro thing (and maybe it is), so I would just ask that he try a bite of whatever I ate, and then he could have a PB&Honey instead. But then the other two would want to do the same. So then he had to wait till we were done eating- but I still found the other two eating less at dinner and requesting a PB sandwich and I felt my efforts to make a real meal unimportant. Lately I've decided he's not going to starve himself, so he can eat what I make, or not eat at all.

Last night I made wild rice, a mushroom sauce, roasted broccoli, and applesauce. While I was making dinner Dekker kept saying how good it smelled, but when it was on his plate in front of him he refused to eat it. He took one bite of rice (no sauce) and one bite of broccoli so he could have a helping of applesauce and then after much whining and complaining, chose to go to his room for the night instead. Am I a bad mom?

Tonight was a better night. Tonight I made pan-fried tilapia, Rhodes Rolls with a rub of garlic butter and herbs, and roasted brussel sprouts. Dekker came to the table with a smile and said he'd try a bit of everything. He gobbled his fish and roll, and tasted the brussel sprouts! Josh had two rolls, an adult size serving of fish and tried his brussel sprouts. Naomi had a little fish, two rolls, and also tasted the brussel sprouts. Jake, who "doesn't much care for brussel sprouts" loved them, ate seconds, and said they were the best he ever had. I actually like roasted brussel sprouts, and so also enjoyed them along with the fish and rolls. Serving bowls were empty. I was so happy I pulled out a new recipe I'd found for single serving cakes in mugs (cooked in the microwave) and we all made our own little desserts later!

Monday night was kid-friendly and successful as well. Jake was the last to catch our weekend stomach bug, and so didn't have an appetite. I kept it simple and made tuna melts, mac and cheese, sliced oranges, and peas. I served it all in their little lunch plates Nana gave them for Christmas with each thing in its own little pocket, and they all were good eaters.

You win some, you lose some. But I've learned that making the effort to sit down as a family, and trying to make good choices about what we eat eventually pays off. Josh has become a pretty good eater, and is generally very grateful for the meals I prepare. Jake NEVER complains, usually enjoys, and ALWAYS thanks me for my efforts. And so we keep plugging along.

Other breakfast smoothies

Now that I'm not as close to the wonderful Costco, I find myself running out of spinach and other green smoothie ingredients more often. So I get a little creative:

Healthy Orange Julius
ice
water
banana
honey flavored greek yogurt
carrot juice
orange juice
frozen pineapple & mango

Breakfast Milkshake
Ice
water
Vanilla Coconut milk
Frozen fruit
Honey flavored greek yogurt
two handfuls rolled oats

Both tasted really good, and were actually kinda nice to change things up a bit.

African/Indian Sweet Potatoes

Indian Sweet Potatoes

My husband and I LOVED this. I adapted it from what I think was actually and African recipe- but it reminded us of some of our favorite Indian flavors. The kids ate it okay. Sorry there's no picture, we gobbled it up to fast.

2 Tbsp Peanut oil
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 large onion
2 carrots
3 celery ribs
2 tsp minced garlic
2 lbs sweet potatoes
2 cups veg broth
28 oz crushed tomatoes (I used half canned, half diced fresh)
1 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 almond butter
1/2 cup light coconut milk

1. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into chunks. Dice carrots, celery and onion.
2. Heat peanut oil in large skillet. Add curry powder, onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 min. Add garlic and 1/2 tsp salt cook for 1 more minute. Stire in sweet potatoes, broth and tomatoes and bring soup to a boil. simmer covered 20-30 min.
3. Season with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, nut butters and coconut milk stirring to combine. Let simmer 20 minutes. Serve as soup or over rice.

Shrimp Tostadas

Made these last night and they were a huge hit. Everyone had seconds (except for Naomi, who just ate one).

I just heated black refried beans in a pot.

Threw a taco rice mix in the rice maker.

Then sauteed shrimp in some lime juice with smoked paprika, garlic and fresh cilantro.

Also made a "salsa" topping of avocado, tomato, cilantro, red onion with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and salt.

Other toppings included shredded cheese, plain greek yogurt, and lettuce.

Stack em on home made or pre-made tostada shells and enjoy!

Substitutes

What healthy substitutes do you use on a regular basis?

One of my new favorites is using plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. For a while now I've been sneaking it into my sour cream container so my husband wouldn't know. He finally found out the other day, and said to just keep putting it in the sour cream container so he didn't have to THINK about the fact that he was eating yogurt instead of sour cream! You really cannot tell the difference though. I've used it when cooking, baking, as a topping, etc and it always works great.

I also recently saw Flaxseed Milk in the store and thought I'd give it ago. My body doesn't handle milk very well, and there are all kinds of recent studies that show that the cow's milk isn't good for you. Especially with calcium being available in other sources- like the Flaxseed Milk. Well, it was my favorite milk substitute so far- especially as far as consistency goes. Unfortunately, its a newer product, and I've been back to the store that I bought it at and unable to find it again. I'm hoping it grows in popularity so I can find and buy it more often.

A seafood night standby

Fish Tacos!


We started making these after our trip to Alaska when we brought bake 100 lbs of halibut. Since I can't usually gut the price of halibut, now I make them with tilapia. I usually have a bag of frozen tilapia filets in the freezer so I can make these on a whim.

My batter is done by eye, but goes something like this:

2 parts bread crumbs
1 part corn meal
1 part flour
1 tsp paprika
then season salt, salt, and pepper to taste.

I pan fry them in butter. About 1-2 Tbsp of butter per filet (depending on size).

I like them with napa cabbage, avocado and either fresh salsa or Cafe Rio dressing.

Everyone gobbles them up.

The easiest Vegetarian Enchiladas EVER!

Sorry for the lame picture. I had leftovers for lunch today, and this was my attempt at making them look good the second day.

Seriously though- these are the easiest vegetarian enchiladas ever. And they were a hit with the whole fam!

Quick n tasty Veggie Enchiladas
1 cup of brown rice
2 cups of water

1 can Bush's Grillin Beans- Black Bean Fiesta

Shredded mexican blend of cheese

Your favorite tortillas

1 can of your favorite enchilada sauce

Directions:
Put brown rice and water in rice cooker and let it do its thing.
When done mix with can of Fiesta Beans. Spoon into tortillas (I dip mine in enchilada sauce first), sprinkle with cheese, and roll up. Place in a baking pan. Repeat until filling is gone. Pour excess enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375* until bubbly and crisping on edges. Top with favorite toppings and enjoy!