Broccoli Bites

I am constantly trying to come up with creative ways to sneak more vegetables into my toddler's diet.  Recently I saw a recipe for "Broccoli Bites for Kids" on a blog called Stacey Snacks.  I was doubtful that this was something my kid would eat, but I gave it a try any how.  Much to my surprise, my picky child ate the whole thing! True, I had to do the "Take a Monster Bite" song and dance (sung to the tune of Monster Mash, obviously) to get her to eat it, but this is a kid who won't even try a bite of pizza.  After she finished, it was one of those parenting moments where you honestly expect a six foot trophy to be presented to you.  I got my kid to eat something GREEN!  Woo!  Even better, the rest of the batch froze beautifully, and reheated easily in the microwave.  Which means I can have a healthy side dish on hand for dinner that only takes 30 seconds to prepare. Now where's my trophy?

White Chicken Chili

I've always been intrigued by the idea of a White Chicken Chili, but somehow have made it my entire life without making it or even trying a bite of it.  The other day I decided to remedy that situation and make a huge pot of it.  As I have a habit of doing, I looked at many different recipes for White Chicken Chili, and then came up with my own.  Not to toot my own horn, but the chili turned out to be wonderful!  Not only did it taste great, but it is under 200 calories for a huge bowl of it, and chock full of healthy ingredients.  While it does take around an hour to cook, it makes a massive amount; about ten servings.  I recommend freezing half of it, so you have a dinner (or three) for another day.  Don't forget the garnishes for the chili; I really enjoyed mine topped with diced avocado and shredded cheese.

Banana Bread Muffins

A few days ago, I found myself staring at some incredibly overripe bananas, debating on whether to throw them out or try to make banana bread with them.  I knew our family wouldn't be able to eat a whole loaf of banana bread before it went stale, so I came up with the idea to make Banana Bread Muffins and freeze them instead.  I looked at several Banana Bread recipes to get an idea of what sort of ingredients are used, and then using that as a guideline, created my own recipe, using as many healthy alternatives as I thought I could get away with, without sacrificing the flavor. Since I don't eat bananas, I had to rely on my husband and toddler to critique the outcome.  My toddler, who might be the pickiest eater ever, gobbled them down in under two minutes.  My husband pronounced it "delicious!" and was shocked when I told him they were healthy.  Success!  I froze the remaining muffins, so now I have an easy breakfast for them.  I just pop one out of the freezer, microwave, and voila, a relatively healthy breakfast in under 30 seconds.  

Pimento Cheese

My favorite Southern food (other than Buttermilk Pie), has to be Pimento Cheese.  It saddens me to think that this delicious concoction is not easily available to such a huge portion of our country! Okay, I'm being just a tad dramatic, but for real, y'all, Pimento Cheese is the bees knees.  Some folks like to eat with crackers as a dip, where others prefer it between two slices of Sunbeam white bread. As for me?  I'm a big fan of making it the "cheese" part of a cheeseburger: just spread it on your bun cold, and the warm burger will make it gooey.  My newest favorite way to eat it is to make a sandwich of it--grilled or cold--with a topping of pepper jelly.  I can't take credit for this idea; I had it served to me at a local restaurant (Em's Kitchen) and have loved it ever since.