Home ยป Kid-friendly Recipes ยป Page 64

Category: Kid-friendly Recipes

It is so important to cook homemade, healthy food. But it’s not always easy to find kid-friendly recipes.

That’s where I come in. I’ve got hundreds of kid-tested and approved recipes that won’t keep you in the kitchen for hours or stretch your budget too thin.

I focus on allergy-friendly, whole foods. But I always cook with kids in mind. I take all sorts of feeding challenges into account too.

We’ve dealt with every allergy possible, so I’ve created recipes that are gluten free, nut free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, corn free, coconut free and more!

Kid-friendly recipes don’t have to be boring. And they are certainly not limited to chicken nuggets and pizza every night.

A nourished child will enjoy a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Get your kids in the kitchen with you and start cooking! Have fun with food and your kids will learn to love eating.

French Toast

I made french toast for dinner last night. I haven’t had it in forever. And I LOVE it. Just the smell reminds me of being a child. My mom made it for breakfast/brunch/lunch (depended what time we all got up:) every Saturday. I tried a combo of my mom’s “recipe” (eggs and milk) and a Deceptively Delicious recipe. It worked really well. And we got a tiny bit of veggies in our french toast ๐Ÿ™‚ I don’t have my cookbook with me at the moment, so I can’t write the exact recipe. But I’ll write down what I did. I used butternut squash puree. There is a whole list of purees you could try it with…whatever you have on hand/is easiest. I served it with organic maple syrup, powdered sugar (Justin wanted to try that) and some cut up fresh fruit (peaches, nectarines and apples from the farmer’s market and pears from my in-laws). We all loved this. Even Rebecca gobbled it up…she would hardly eat anything else :p

French Toast
makes 5 large slices

3 large eggs (hormone free, cage free)
2 Tbsp. butternut squash puree (from our garden/freezer)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
cooking spray/butter
5 large slices whole wheat bread (natural)

Whisk eggs, squash, milk and cinnamon in shallow bowl. Heat a skillet over medium heat (I used an electric skillet set at 375). Spray with cookin spray or add a little butter. Dip bread in mixture until totally saturated. Place in hot skillet. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until golden.

Zucchini Enchiladas

For dinner on Monday I made zucchini enchiladas. I got the recipe from my SIL Shannon. This was so good!!! I made the sauce and the filling in the morning. Then assembled and baked at dinner time. I just used the tortillas we had in the freezer…4 Ezekiel and 6 flour. And there was still filling leftover. I added a little diced green pepper, tomato and roasted red pepper to the filling since I had some to use up. And I served them with sour cream, salsa and diced avocado. You definitely don’t miss the meat in this dish. Filling, great flavor and good for you! Definitely something I’ll make again. It made a lot, so there is enough for lunches, another dinner and some to have on hand in the freezer.

Black Bean, Corn, and Zucchini Enchiladas
Prepare the Enchilada Sauce a few days ahead of time, and refrigerate (I just made it in the morning).
Yield 8 servings (serving size: 1 enchilada)

1 tsp. canola oil (I used EVOO)
2 cups diced zucchini (from our garden)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn (organic)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (organic)
3 cups Enchilada Sauce, divided
Cooking spray
8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas (I used 4 (10″) Ezekiel, 6 (6″) flour) (use corn or other GF tortilla to make this GF)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350ยฐ.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups zucchini and corn; sautรฉ for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in beans.
Spread 1 cup Enchilada Sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/2 cup zucchini mixture down center of 1 tortilla; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese, and roll up. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, zucchini mixture, and 14 tablespoons cheese. Spread remaining 2 cups sauce evenly over enchiladas.

Cover with foil; bake at 350ยฐ for 30 minutes. Uncover; top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
ใ€€
Enchilada Sauce
Yield 3 cups (serving size: about 1/3 cup)

1 tsp. canola oil (I used EVOO)
1/2 cup diced red onion (I used yellow, from the farmer’s market)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic) (I used organic chicken better than bouillon w/ water)
1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. honey (locally made, I used a little more than this to balance out the spice for us)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained (I used petite diced)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sautรฉ 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in broth and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Last night I made some red pepper hummus for our picnic today. Super easy and very good! I’m excited to have it tonight. This was my first time using tahini. Probably something I should keep on hand for good hummus ๐Ÿ™‚ I got the recipe from All Recipes. Not the best picture but I was in a hurry.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice (I only used about half this much)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

In an electric food processor, combine garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add roasted peppers and basil; process until the peppers are finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer hummus to small bowl, cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

Pesto, Goat Cheese and Zucchini Quiche

For dinner last night I made a modified version of a quiche I’ve made before. This time I used a crust (no gf :), homemade basil pesto, goat cheese and sauteed zucchini and onions. So yummy!!! We all loved it! Yet another recipe with zucchini that Justin loves. I’m starting to think he doesn’t dislike zucchini as much as he thinks :p Anyway, I’ll link to the original recipe and post what I did yesterday. I doubled the eggs this time since it was so thin last time.Pesto, Goat Cheese and Zucchini Quiche

1/2 cup pesto
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (I made it from scratch…replacing all of the shortening with butter for the first time…worked really well) (you can make it without a crust for it to be GF…still tastes great!)
4 Tbsp. crumbled goat cheese
6 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1 small yellow and 1 small green zucchini, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a combo of mozzarella and cheddar)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg
Saute zucchini and onion in skillet with a little EVOO. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread pesto evenly in the bottom of the pie crust. Sprinkle goat cheese over pesto.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg. Add cheese and veggies. Pour over goat cheese in pie crust. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until set.

Tuna Zucchini Cakes

I created a new recipe last night. I combined fish cakes and zucchini pancakes (I’ve made them both before). I based it on a Robin Miller recipe I made once. I didn’t measure anything, just added and mixed as I went. I prepped these in the morning. Then right before cooking them I coated them in a cheese breadcrumb mixture. They were really good!! Definitely something I’ll make again. We both loved them. I’ll try to write down what I did…so I can remember next time ๐Ÿ™‚ This can easily be doubled or tripled if you want to freeze a bunch. They are pretty filling. We each had 1 1/2.

Tuna Zucchini Cakes

 
1 can chunk light tuna in water, drained well (you could use any kind of fish)
1 small yellow zucchini, grated
1 small green zucchini, grated
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 – 1/2 seasoned dry whole wheat bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. dijon or spicy brown mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

 

1/4 – 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 – 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

 

Mix first 8 ingredients. Add extra breadcrumbs if too moist. Form into patties. At this point you can place them on wax paper and refrigerate or freeze them. When ready to eat mix last 2 ingredients on a small plate. Coat the cakes in the mixture one at a time. After coating place on a hot non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Cook 7-8 min. per side. Serve plain or with tartar sauce. Makes 5 cakes.

Zucchini Waffles

Last week I made blueberry topping (froze most of it). So I wanted to make waffles for a meal to try it out. And then I thought, I wonder if I could put zucchini in waffles?? So I did a quick search. Sure enough, I found some zucchini waffle recipes. I found one that uses whole wheat flour too. They turned out great!!! And a little healthier than some waffles. Plus they were very easy to make. I made a half batch and got 3 waffles out of it (the large belgian waffle style). I had a little overflow. I probably could have gotten 3 1/2 out of it. So a full batch would make about 7 large waffles. The next time I make them I’ll probably do a full batch and freeze some. Whole wheat zucchini waffles, homemade blueberry topping, walnuts and readi-whip (I don’t like the stuff, but Justin does)…yum!!! And some sliced fresh peaches and homemade blueberry buckle on the side. What a treat.

Zucchini Waffles
2 cups nonfat milk (I used 1%)
3 eggs
1 zucchini, grated
2 cups white whole wheat flour (try King Aurthur’s brand) (I just used regular whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
 
Beat first 3 ingredients together, with a wire whisk or a fork, until well blended. Add dry ingredients and mix gently until well combined (but don’t overmix). Cook according to your waffle-makers instructions.

Zucchini Fries

Yes, another zucchini recipe…and another success!! My husband and I both really liked these. I don’t remember where I got the recipe. I didn’t tag it. But they are very easy  to make and very tasty – a great side dish. We had them with grilled hot dogs (organic, all grass fed beef…very good) and grilled corn on the cob (from the farmer’s market). A great summer meal. I only used 1 zucchini. If I were using 2 (like the recipe says) I would double the bread crumb mixture I think.

 
Baked Zucchini Fries
2 medium zucchinis, cut in 3″ sticks
2 egg white
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
 
Heat oven to 425.
 
Beat egg white and milk in bowl. Mix cheese and bread crumbs in another bowl.
 
Dip the zucchini in the egg mixture, then in bread crumb mixture.
 
Place on a baking sheet.
 
Bake 25-30 min. Flip them half way through to evenly brown.

Peachy Avocado Salsa

Last night I made corn and goat cheese quesadillas for dinner. I added some diced zucchini and summer squash to them (cooked them with the corn). Another hit! This is the 3rd meal in a row with zucchini that Justin has really liked ๐Ÿ™‚ I love that zucchini can be used in so many ways. Normally I make my white bean avocado dip when I make anything Mexican. But I decided to try a new salsa recipe that uses peaches!! I found it on All Recipes. The recipe says to use canned peaches, but I used fresh. It was really good. The peaches add just a hint of sweet and brightness, but not a strong flavor. I added diced green pepper and left out the jalapeno…we’re not spicey people. And I added a little corn that I didn’t need for the quesadillas. Depending on how large or small you dice the veggies this could be a salsa or a salad. It would probably even be really good over rice with some black beans mixed in for a complete meal. I prepped this in the morning and then just added the avocado about a half hour before dinner. That seemed to work well.

Peachy Avocado Salsa

 

1 (15 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained and diced (or fresh, peeled and diced)
1 medium ripe avocado, diced
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 cups diced, seeded tomato
1/4 cup diced onion
2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro or parsley
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. seeded chopped jalapeno pepper (I used half of a green pepper, diced)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
*black beans, corn can be added

 

In a bowl, combine the peaches, avocado and lime juice. Add the remaining ingredients; lightly toss just until combined. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, fish or chicken.

Zucchini Pesto Risotto

I came up with my own risotto recipe for yesterday to use up some zucchini. It turned out really well! I used fresh basil, pine nuts and paremsan cheese…that’s why I call it pesto risotto. I didn’t actually make/add pesto, but I added the main pesto ingredients. I didn’t measure anything, but I’ll try to write down what I did. Justin and I both LOVED this. That’s one more meal where Justin said he actually liked zucchini ๐Ÿ™‚ I didn’t make a huge batch…enough for our meal and a lunch. It could easily be doubled or tripled.Zucchini Pesto Risotto

1/2 cup arborio rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
1 medium green zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 cup grated paremsan cheese
6-8 fresh basil leaves, ripped or chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. EVOO

Warm broth in a saucepan. In large pan saute onion, zucchini and squash in oil, about 5 min. Remove most of the zucchini and squash. Place in a bowl and add frozen peas. Set aside. Add rice to pan. Cook about 3 min. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, stir. When broth has been absorbed gradually add warm broth one ladle at a time, stirring, until absorbed for about 18 min. total. After 10 min. add veggies back to pan. Continue the broth/stir step. During the last 3 minutes add the cheese, basil, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve with extra cheese and pine nuts to sprinkle on top.

Zucchini Bread

I made a batch of zucchini bread this morning. Yum!! I used my mom’s recipe. It’s almost identical to my MIL’s recipe except a few spices. I decided to do a little variation. I did 2:1 white flour to whole wheat flour. I used 1/2 canola oil and 1/2 coconut oil. And I made 3 loves…1/2 the batter as is, 1/4 with mini chocolate chips and 1/4 with chopped walnuts. I can’t wait to try some ๐Ÿ™‚ Zucchini bread is always good. I also grated some zucchini to freeze so I can make zucchini bread in the winter ๐Ÿ™‚

Edited 1/19/13 – Updated ingredients.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs (or 4 egg yolks + 3 Tbsp. water or milk)
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
2 cups organic cane sugar
3 cups flour (organic all purpose or whole wheat)
3 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon

 

*can add chopped nuts, raisins, blueberries and/or chocolate chips

 

In a large bowl beat eggs. Stir in zucchini and oil. Add dry ingredients and stir. Fold in any add-ins. Pour in 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 50-60 min.