Mac n' Tuna Bites

I have decided to no longer title each post with a "Day of the Week" type title it is just not reality that I can blog each and everyday so I will keep it to recipe names and other titles appropriate to the subject. One thing for sure is kids love mac and cheese. Noddles good..cheese good...I fully understand. I have made several types of Mac n Cheese over the years and have no definitive recipe for it. I basically have a simple base of butter, flour & milk and add what ever cheeses I have on hand until it is thick, gooey & tasty lol. I made up a big batch of Mac n' Tuna Bites Wednesday afternoon they are perfect for a after school snack or a quick lunch or dinner. I double them and they are gone with in 3 days. For this batch I only had about 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese so I used that plus 1/4 cup mozzarella, 1/8 cup of Parmesan cheese & 6 slices of Havarti dill cheese The kids said these where the best ones ever I thought they where quite tasty too.

Mac n' tuna bites
8oz macaroni noodles
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheese of your choice
salt & pepper
1 can tuna drained
3/4 cup frozen peas (cooked)
Ritz or saltine crackers
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350, spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray
cook 8oz macaroni noodles according to the package (and of course drain)
for the cheese sauce in a sauce pan melt butter then stir in flour it will resemble paste
add in 1 & 1/2 cups of milk and whisk to get out clumps. Add your cheeses of your choice
salt and pepper cheese sauce to taste
In a big bowl combine cheese sauce and noodles with one can of drained tuna &Peas
in a ziplock bag crush crackers & add Parmesan cheese
Scoop 1/4 cup of noodle mixture into each tin and sprinkle on about a tsp or so of cracker mixture. Cook for about 12-15 mins allow to cool slightly before removing. These keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days if they last that long
**I don't like tuna so I keep a little of the noodles separate for myself and they hold up just fine with out the tuna
**Thanks to Cathrine at Weelicious for the inspiration for this recipe

Mini Muffin Monday(Granola muffins)

My mini muffin tin is by far the most loved pan in the house. I have discovered that you can make lots of things other then muffins with them. Mini muffins are perfect for tiny toddler tummies that my feel overwhelmed by a big muffin. I like to play around with different recipes and things I have in the house. Last week I was cleaning out the pantry and seen I had a box of bisquick. It has been a good long time since I remember ever buying bisquick so I check the dates and surprisingly enough it was not expired. Then I started wondering other then biscuits or pancakes what can I do with this bisquick. So I started measuring out how much was left and it was 4 cups. That is a lot of bisquick to let go to waste so I started thinking what else do I need to use up? Granola! I had a double batch that I had a little left of. So we call these "Almost Expired muffins" Thats not so appealing and you might not sell to many friends on that Idea.. so Granola Muffins it is lol

Granola Muffins
2 cups of Granola (you can use homemade or store bought)
4 cups of Bisquick baking mix
2 large eggs
1/4 cup Honey or Agave
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 375, In a large bowl mix granola & bisquick. In a 2nd bowl whisk together wet ingredients. Gradually mix in the granola/bisquick mixture into the wet ingredients then fold in chocolate & peanut butter chips. Grease your muffin tins and add fill about 2/3 with batter. This recipe can be halved it makes about 48 mini muffins or 24 large muffins. mini muffins will bake in about 12-15 mins, larger muffins about 20-25. Check them with a toothpick and if it comes out crumb free then you know they are done! **you can substitute the chips with dried fruit**

Toddler Tuesday!

Toddlers are a strange breed! Some are great eaters. Some are good eaters one day and bad eaters the next. Some are so picky that you think you might pull each and every last hair out of your head trying to get just a few healthy bits of food into their little mouths. As a Mother of 4 I have had each and everyone one of these types. I am blessed that our current toddler loves just about everything. After nearly 12 years of feeding toddlers at various ages I think I might just have a few good tricks up my sleeve.

Toddler Feeding Tips
Portion Control- Toddlers have tiny tummy's and can be overwhelmed with huge portions half of which may end up on the floor, them self, or even you. I generally give toddlers about a TBSP or 2 of each food item or if its a casserole type dish 1/4 cup. If they love it great give them more!
Finger foods- Most toddlers see forks and spoons as merely something to hold in their left hand while the feed them self with their right hand. Try cutting everything in bite size pieces that are easy for them to pick-up and self feed. They love self feeding because it gives them a little control in an environment where they have very little control! I will say that my mini muffin pans are an asset I make lots of muffins, mac n cheese, pasta bites etc in mini muffin size this is a big hit for the kids for after school snacks too.
Dipping- Almost every toddler will eat so much better if they can dip their foods into things, messy yes but if it means I just got a bunch of raw veggies or chicken in them I will take the mess.
Smoothies- this is like a secret assault weapon, so many things you can add into smoothies to sneak in some healthiness. Banana avocado smoothie anyone?
Cookies & Muffins- A yummy treat that can also pack in some nutrition too, all kinds of ways to sneak in carrots, zucchini, flax seeds, beans etc.
Pasta- I would say about 99% of little ones love pasta. You can add many veggie purees to tomato sauce, or try veggie Alfredo or even pesto is a big hit here.
Fruits, Seeds/Nuts & spreads- Caution of course with seeds & nuts. My toddler loves to munch on Pepita's, sunflower seeds, dried fruits and leathers and nut or sun-butter or nutella on some whole wheat toast.
Shapes & colors- Bright colors and fun shapes bring a lot to the table for toddlers. How fun is it to eat some star shaped pancakes with some Cantaloupe & Honeydew melon balls?
Reintroducing previously dissed foods- Toddlers can be so finicky maybe they didn't like black-eyed peas last week but try it again in a smaller portion this week. You never know they may ask for seconds!
If it ain't broke don't fix it- if you find your toddler adores certain foods keep giving them those foods maybe jazz it up with different variations of the foods they love
Use Caution- Certain foods need a bit of caution in little ones. Cut hot dogs into fourths, cut grapes in half long ways, give only a few raisins, nuts/seeds & popcorn at a time. Avoid honey until a year of age and if your family has a history of nut allergies you may want to avoid them or slowly introduce them at an older age.

These are just a few tips that I could put together at 1am in the morning I may do more posts on the same subject at another time. If these tips help you out let us know, or if you have some tried and true tips of your own please comment!

MMMMM Monday (Chocolate Chip Cookies)

What kid doesn't like chocolate chip cookies. The smell alone of chocolate chip cookies reminds me of simpler times of my childhood. Erynn my oldest daughter has a huge sweet tooth just like her mom and always asks me to make cookies. Even worse she always wants that refrigerated cookie dough at the store. While those are super easy and all they are not very good for you. I never want to be the mom that doesn't allow treats and desserts. Moderation is key and when you make healthy treats its all the better.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about 36 cookies)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup coconut oil, softened (or you can use margarine)
2 large eggs
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
chopped walnuts optional

Preheat your oven to 375 and grease you cookie sheets well
in a large bowl cream together coconut oil, raw sugar & brown sugar stir in eggs and vanilla
in a large bowl mix remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips and walnuts. Gradually blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients then fold chocolate chips and walnuts in. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets bake for 8 to 10 minutes until done leave on cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. You can also make these into bars by pressing into a jelly roll pan and cooking for 12-15 minuets.

Friday Feature (Weelicious)

Fridays I will be Featuring other blogs, websites & recipes that I have tried. If you have a recipe that you would like me to test out and review for you or have a blog related to cooking or parenting and would like to be featured please contact me at Kitchenfullofkids@yahoo.com

Weelicious hands down is one of my favorite sites to browse when I am feeling uninspired by my own recipes. I have tried several different recipes and I have been thrilled with each and every one. Today I tried one that I haven't tried before and I was really shocked at how much I liked them. The kids got awfully excited when they got home from school and they see a container of mini muffins waiting for them on the table. Today we tired out her Banana Wee-eat Germ muffins I had a few spotted bananas that needed to get used today and as much as I love my Great Aunts Banana Bread recipe I wanted something a bit healthier this was Perfect. I used my Rachel Ray mini muffin tins which are likely the most used piece of cook wear in the house. The wheat germ gives the muffins a nice hearty taste and after eating a few where quite filling. These muffins would be great for a breakfast on the go or a lunch treat for the kids. All 4 of my daughters loved them and trust me anything that makes all 4 girls happy makes this mama very very happy!!


Photo from weelicious.com

Thursday Themes

I thought it might be nice to have a theme day. Where I will maybe share a group of recipes, list of helpful links, and topics. With school in session for most I thought it would be nice to talk about sandwich ideas. Sandwiches seem to be a popular lunch choice because they are easy on moms and what kid doesn't like sandwichs...for a little while anyway. Possibilities are endless when it comes to sandwiches. Here are a few Sandwich ideas for you.

breads

whole wheat sandwich bread

whole wheat pita bread

flat bread

wraps

tortillas

pancakes

waffles

English muffins

bagels
matzo crackers

Melba toast

Spreads & fillings

Hummus

Cream Cheese

Cheese/cream cheese spreads

Sun or Nut Butters

Jams & Jellies

Cheeses & sandwich meats

alfalfa Sprouts

lettuce

shredded carrots

cucumbers

pickles

leftover turkey & chicken

egg salad

tuna salad

ham salad

chicken salad

Another thing I have found a great love for is Sandwich cutters and large cookie cutters. It's much more exciting to open you lunchbox to a Sandwich shaped like a heart or a star. I keep the trimmings of the sandwiches for my own lunch at home so their is no waste. Pinwheel sandwiches are also fun for the kids. Experimenting a few days ago I made some pinwheel sandwiches with lemon almond chicken salad (recipe coming soon) and sprouts they where a huge hit. Its so simple to just slather a spread and veggie on a tortilla roll it up and cut into fourths.

Taco Tuesday!

Taco's and pretty much anything Mexican gets lots of cool points for mom around here. Taco's are quite versatile and give kids lots of choices for their fillings. Cady (21 mts) is happy with just beef, sour cream and pico de gaio (no shell) Morgan (5 years old) pretty traditional soft taco, beef, cheese, lettuce, sour cream & taco sauce, Aria (8 yrs old) is all about hard shell with beef or chicken with cheese & sour cream. Erynn (11 yrs old) Beef, beans, cheese, lettuce & ranch. I always give lots of topping options and not always beef, ground turkey & chicken. Sometimes even Mexican rice & guacamole make it to the "Taco Table" as the kids call it. My one major gripe with tacos is the mess. Anything to avoid messes gets an A+ around here. So we came up with mini taco pizza's.

Mini Taco Pizza's (makes 12 mini pizzas)
1 Package whole wheat English muffins
1 pound ground beef (chicken or ground turkey are good as well)
1 package taco seasoning (we like simply organic)
Salsa (you can make your own or we like Newman's Own Salsa)
Shredded Cheddar cheese (we like extra sharp)
sliced black olives (I leave these off mine I am not an olive lover but all my kids adore them)
toppings of your choice such as guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, beans etc.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350, brown meat and follow directions on taco seasoning.
Split English muffins and spread about a table spoon of salsa over them, then cover with beef, then cheese & place olive slices on top. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese in well melted. Then add what ever toppings you like. By placing the cheese over the beef you cut down on pieces of greasy meat hitting your nice clean floors.

With out additional toppings added you can freeze these and you can pop them in the toaster oven for a nice afternoon snack. Or even defrost and warm up in the oven on a cookie sheet. My kids like these as is with out the extra toppings. I like to double or triple most of my recipes so that on nights when we need something quick I have a few go to favorites on hand.