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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.

Corn Custard Pudding Casserole

This is another recipe from Justin’s mom. Very good! And you can prep it ahead and just put it in the oven when you need to. This photo is sideways too. Not sure what the deal is with Picasa. I’ll try to fix them later.

Corn Custard Pudding Casserole

1 pkg. frozen corn, cooked until separated (I just microwaved it for a couple minutes)
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. margerine, melted (I skipped this)
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 350. Beat egg in bowl. Add corn, milk, butter, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to combine well. Pour into a well greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole. Place in pan of hot water. Bake for 1 1/4 hours.

*I used an 8″ baking dish.
*I totally forgot about the pan of hot water. It still turned out fine 🙂

Scalloped Potatoes

We had the Voogt Christmas party yesterday. I’ll post some of the recipes from the food I made. I’ll start with the potatoes. I got this recipe from Justin’s mom. Not sure why the picture is sideways :p

Scalloped Potatoes

4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I used red potatoes with the skins on)
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. diced onion
2 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/4 cups milked, warmed

Heat oven to 350. Arrange potatoes in layers in greased 1 1/2 qt. round casserole. Sprinkle each layer with salt, pepper and onion. And dot with butter. Pour hot milk over top. Bake covered 1/2 hour. Bake uncovered 1 hour, until tender.

Fudge

I made fudge for the first time yesterday. I’m pretty impressed that it turned out on my first try 🙂 And it was only made possible with the new digital thermometer Justin got me for Christmas. I got the recipe from my mom. A little nibble reminded me of being a kid 🙂 I haven’t cut it up yet. I’ll update with a better picture after I do that. We should have a pretty good spread of goodies for the Voogt gatherings now…cherry cookies, Christmas cookies, fudge, banket, banana bread and honey almonds. And I’ll be making cheesecake for tomorrow’s dessert.

Old Fashioned Fudge
1 pound

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Grease a 9x5x3 in. loaf pan. Combine sugar, milk, chocolate, corn syrup and salt in a 3 qt. saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and chocolate is melted, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until mixture reaches 238 degrees, or until a small amount of mixture forms a soft ball when dropped in cold water. Remove from heat. Add butter, but do not stir. Cook to 110 degrees, being careful not to disturb the pan. Bottom of pan will feel luke-warm when cooled. Pour mixture into a bowl. Add vanilla extract. Beat with mixer at medium until mixture loses its gloss and holds its shape. Add nuts if desired, and spread into prepared pan. Cool and cut into squares.
Cherry jubilee

Cherry Jubilee

Holidays are a great time to enjoy a special treat. Just because you eat a real food diet, does not mean you can’t have a dessert here and there.

Should you Avoid Dessert?

I try to keep our sweets to a minimum, especially during the winter when sickness is going around.

But I do let my kids pick a treat when we are at a party. We just don’t make it a habit at home.

No-Bake Cheesecake Dessert

This cherry (or blueberry – my personal favorite) jubilee has been one of my favorites for many, many years. It’s sort of like no-bake cheesecake. But way better than something you’d get out of a box mix.

It’s a recipe I got from my mom. She got it from her mom. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that doesn’t like it.

Cherry jubilee is a super simple dessert. No baking required. I made it in less than 20 min. while I was making lunch! Gotta love that.

Prep-Ahead Party Dessert

You can prepare cherry jubilee in advance. I like to do it the day before a party. But before I even make the full dessert I make gluten-free graham crackers to use in the crust. If you’ve never tried a homemade graham cracker, you need to.

Try this simple, prep-ahead dessert for your next holiday gathering or church potluck. Just make sure you get a piece, because there probably won’t be any leftovers!

Cherry (or blueberry) Jubilee

Ingredients:

3 cups graham cracker crumbs (crush in food processor)
1 stick melted butter
2 Tbsp. organic cane sugar or sucanat

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups whipped cream OR 1 pkg. dream whip, prepared as directed

1 can cherry or blueberry pie filling OR 2 cups fresh fruit

Instructions:

  1. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar. Press into a 9×13-inch pan.
  2. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and whipped cream with a mixer until well-combined. Spread over the crust.
  3. Top with fruit. Refrigerate.
  4. Serve cold. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Hashbrown Egg Bake

Justin has been talking about egg casserole with hashbrowns lately. So I found a simple recipe on All Recipes and tried it last night. He really liked it. I didn’t have any…I don’t care for sausage or hashbrowns that much. It was super simple to make, though. And could be prepped ahead. So it’s going in my recipe file:) I did a half recipe and put it in an 8″ square pan. It would probably be good with some sauted onion mixed in. And I might cut down slightly on the hashbrowns next time. Seemed like there were a lot of potatoes compared to egg and meat. Maybe it’s just me, though. I like an egg casserole to be more “eggy” than this was.

**I made this again (1/2 recipe) and used 6 eggs and a little less hashbrown. Worked very well. But it probably needs and extra 10 min. in the oven.

**Edited 12/5/10 – I am  updating this a bit to match the way we eat now – following NT.

Hashbrown Egg Bake

2 cups hashbrowns
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled (or cooked sausage or ham) (be sure they are nitrite/nitrate free)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1 cup milk
salt, pepper

Combine hashbrowns, meat, 1/2 cup cheese and seasoning. Put in greased 8″ square pan. Beat eggs and milk. Pour on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Top with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 3-5 min. longer.

For a 9×13 dish double the recipe.

Hot Fudge

This is a recipe I got from my mom. I don’t know where she got it, maybe my grandma? It’s the best hot fudge recipe! So good and so easy. I always have some in the fridge. I made this batch to have for the holidays…to put on cheesecake 🙂 Yum!!!

You can make this gluten free. You could leave out the butter to make it dairy free.

Hot Fudge

makes about 2 cups

1 cup organic cane sugar
1/3 cup organic cocoa
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour OR 1 Tbsp. tapioca flour (to make it gluten free)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup boiling water
1 Tbsp. butter
3/4 tsp. vanilla

Blend sugar, cocoa, flour and salt in sauce pan. Turn on heat and add boiling water. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Store in refrigerator.

*The sauce will thicken more as it cools.

Italian Pasta Bake

This is the other meal I’m making for a family from church. Another old favorite 🙂 I think it’s a Kraft recipe. I’ve been making it for years. Easy and yummy! And I pretty much always have all the ingredients on hand. The picture isn’t of the finished product (it still needs cheese on top and to be baked), but this is how I’m bringing it, so it’ll have to do.

 

 

Italian Pasta Bake

 

 
1 lb. ground beef
8 oz. broken spaghetti or 3 cups penne or rotini pasta, cooked, drained
1 jar (26-28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

 

 
Brown meat in skillet. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and noodles. Mix. Spoon into 9×13 baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 20 min.

Turkey Noodle Bake

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. It’s simple and delicious. I’ve made it with turkey, chicken and ham. They all work well.

It’s a good casserole for using up leftover meat after a big holiday meal. I made this batch for a family from church. I doubled the recipe since the original only makes an 8×8 pan…and I have to make this for 7 people 🙂

It would also be good with peas or green beans added to it to make it more of a one dish. You can add any seasoning you like.

Turkey (chicken, ham) Noodle Bake

 
Ingredients:
 
3/4 cup milk or milk substitute
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup or homemade dairy-free cream sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 – 2 cups egg noodles, or brown rice noodles, cooked
1 cup turkey (chicken or ham), cooked, cubed
1 slice bread, ripped into chunks
1/2 cup cheddar cheese or dairy-free cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
 
Directions:
 
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grease an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch glass pan.
  3. Blend the milk and soup.
  4. Stir in the egg.
  5. Add the noodles, turkey, bread, cheese, and butter. Stir well.
  6. Spread in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Butternut Squash and Italian Sausage Soup

I got this recipe from Elaine at church. It is really good!! It does take a little bit of work, but it makes a huge batch of soup, so it’s worth it. I managed to use up another squash (only half was necessary for the soup…that’s how big they are!). Two to go yet 🙂 Gotta find more squash recipes. I was trying to make a half batch of soup since it makes so much, but ended up making closer to a full batch since our squash is so big. I did cut down on the beans and tomatoes (I only had 1 can of beans, and Justin isn’t crazy about tomatoes). And I used sweet Italian turkey sausage (removed meat from casing). I didn’t get the best picture. The soup has great color and looks quite fancy 🙂

Butternut Squash and Italian Sausage Soup
8-10 servings

1 Tbsp. evoo or lard (I skipped this…the sausage has plenty of fat to cook on its own)
16 oz. Italian sausage (I used turkey sausage)
1 red or yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp. finely diced garlic
1 large butternut squash (a/b 3 lbs.), peeled, halved, seeds removed (1 lb. = 1 cup mashed)
1 (15 oz.) can corn kernels, drained and rinsed (I used frozen corn)
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15 oz.) cans northern beans, drained and rinsed (or dried beans soaked and cooked)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
fresh, chopped parsley for garnish

In stockpot heat oil. Add sausage. Brown and remove from pan, leaving grease to saute onions (I drained the grease). Transfer sausage to a plate lined with paper towel. In stockpot add onion and saute until translucent. Add peppers and garlic and saute a couple minutes. Meanwhile, cut squash into 1″ dice. Add to pot. Add 1/2 of corn. Cover with water (6-8 cups), depending on how thick you want your soup. Add seasoning. Cook squash until soft, about 20 minutes (I cooked mine for at least 30 minutes).

In batches in food process or blender, puree soup (I used an immersion blender). Return to stockpot. Add tomatoes, remaining corn, beans and sausage. Add cream and adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with parsley.
*If you don’t like sausage (or don’t have any on hand) this would still be great without meat. Or chicken or some kind of seafood would work really well in it too.

Shepherd’s Pie

I’ve never made shepherd’s pie before…I don’t think I’ve ever actually had it before. And neither had Justin. But I decided to make it with our leftover mashed potatoes. I looked up quite a few recipes…they are all a little different. So I decided to not use a recipe and make my own 🙂 I didn’t eat it (I was using up other leftovers). But Justin did. He really liked it. So I guess I’ll try to create a recipe based on what I did. We didn’t have that many potatoes left, so there wasn’t a very thick layer on top.

Shepherd’s Pie
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup ketchup
salt
pepper
2 cups mashed potatoes
Heat oven to 375. Cook beef, onion and carrot in skillet. Drain. Add peas, corn, broth, ketchup, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 min. Put in 8″ baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake 25 min.