"Mrs. May's" Perfect Beach Snack

We went to the beach yesterday afternoon with our neighbor, Beth, and her 2 kids (of course it rained). Anyway, any mom knows you can't go with a bunch of kids to the beach without taking food. It's messy enough going to the beach as is though, so why make things even messier by packing a bunch of messy snacks? Sure, it might be super easy to pack a bag of junky chips or a sugar-laden granola bar that has the nutritional equivalent of a candy bar, but that wouldn't be optimal for the kids.

My new favorite non-messy and very nutritious beach snack find can be bought in bulk at Costco and the kids love it! The snacks are called Trio (because they contain nuts + seeds + fruit) and made by Mrs. May’s (www.mrsmays.com). These vegan, zero trans fat, no additives, no preservatives, no gluten, no wheat and no dairy bars come in several flavors and the ingredients are as pure and natural as they come. Here’s the ingredients for the blueberry bar: cashews, almonds, pistachios, blueberries, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dates, raisins, rice malt, natural flavors, cane juice, sea salt.

Baked Butternut Squash-a-roni and Cheese

By now most of us are familiar with the popular cookbooks for kids that demonstrate just how easy it is to hide pureed veggies in your gullible child’s food. We’ll guess what? It’s not just the kids who need to eat their veggies! The whole family could benefit from some added veggie puree. This dish combines the fineness of classic baked mac-n-cheese with some major nutritional bang, thanks to the addition of pureed butternut squash and white soybeans. It’s considerably lower in saturated fat than your typical mac-n-cheese recipe plus it’s loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, delivering spoonful after spoonful of pure indulgence sans the guilt. Get your kids in on the act and let them do the pureeing (see step 3 below and photo above.)


Baked Butternut Squash-a-roni and Cheese

Serves: 8

3 slices sprouted whole grain bread, quartered
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons organic butter, divided
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 pound uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 package (12 ounces) frozen butternut squash, thawed
1 can (14.5 ounces) white soybeans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons Neufatchel cream cheese
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups organic 2% low-fat milk
2 cups organic low-fat shredded cheddar cheese


1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread pieces, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon melted butter in a food processor and pulse bread into coarse crumbs. Spread crumbs out over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake crumbs for 18 minutes, or until golden and dry. Let crumbs cool, then toss with the parsley and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Season with salt to taste. Set aside. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees.

2.Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain the pasta and leave it in a colander. Set aside.

3.In a food processor, combine the thawed butternut squash, white soybeans and cream cheese. Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

4.In a large heavy saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high. Stir in the garlic, cayenne pepper and paprika, cook about 30 seconds. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, bring liquid to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the butternut squash puree. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce is heated through. Gradually add the cheddar cheese and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Continue stirring until cheese is completely melted and sauce is smooth. Mix in the drained pasta. Season with the measured salt, plus more to taste.

5.Pour macaroni and sauce mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Bringing Back the Peanut Butter Suckers

My son is always hungry. Seriously, I often feel it is absolutely impossible to fill the boy up. He takes after me as I was a highly active eating and moving machine (it's pay back time I suppose). I drove my own mother berserk because she was constantly in the kitchen making snacks. Like me, my mom tried to feed me healthy foods and she didn't like me to eat a lot of sweets (anything that made me more active was definitely not desirable!) Just the other day I remembered the brilliant (+ filling, easy and very nutritious) snack my mom would feed me---she called it a "Peanut Butter Sucker" and it consisted of nothing more than a big tablespoon of peanut butter on a spoon. I thought it was the greatest thing ever and apparantly my son does too (see smiling boy in photo above!) Be sure to only buy all-natural peanut butter though! Read the ingredients and avoid those with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

The Ultimate 4th of July Watermelon Salad

Ok, everyone can agree watermelon is a must-include 4th of July food. I have about 2 seconds to enter this as I am way late for the BBQ at my sister-in-law's (plus Blake has been counting down the minutes ever since he woke up at 6 am and I can't take another reminder from him of how little time I have left before we MUST leave) Anyway, the watermelon salad is outrageous. True, the kids probably won't like it, but just serve them cut watermelon cubes straight up. They don't need anything fancy or elaborate---the fireworks will be more than enough excitement for them.



4th of July Watermelon, Feta and Pecan Salad

Serves: 6-8


3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
7 cups cubed watermelon, chilled
6 ounces crumbled low-fat feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons raw honey
2 tablespoons flax oil (we recommend Barlean’s brand)
1 tablespoon lemon juice


1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss pecans in the extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake pecans for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2.Place watermelon, feta, and mint in a large serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.In a small bowl, whisk together honey, flax oil and lemon juice. Pour over watermelon and gently toss ingredients together. Add toasted pecans. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving. Serve cold.

Super Quick (and Gourmet!) Lunch Break for Mom

I'm not sure what to call this lunch, but as long as you have the roasted artichokes pre-made the whole thing takes no more than 5 minutes to assemble. Here's what you need:

1 package (10 ounces) semi-thawed frozen artichoke hearts
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup drained roasted red peppers from a jar (pat dry and cut into strips)
1/2 cup chopped roasted rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup crumbled low-fat feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Make ahead: Roast the artichokes ahead (preheat oven to 400 degrees, arrange artichokes on foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast artichokes for 30 minutes.

1.In a medium size serving bowl, layer black beans, roasted red peppers, roasted artichokes, rotisserie chicken, feta cheese and walnuts. Place in microwave for about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Eat quick before kids start bothering you!!!

Now, what to serve the kids? Remember that snazzy red cafeteria-like divider kid’s plate (June 24th blog entry) that I bought from Target? A super easy and very healthy lunch for the kids: put rotisserie chicken with a blob of ketchup in one of the dividers, some black beans in another, cut fruit (such as apples or sliced strawberries) or grapes in another, and some walnuts in another spot. You can also try giving the kids baby carrots with store bought hummus too. Seriously, this is not a time consuming lunch to prepare and it way beats lunchables!

Easy Scallop Dinner with Semi-Homemade Salad using Stonewall Kitchen's Champagne Shallot Walnut Dressing

The scallop dish is sort of a cross in flavor between chicken a la king and classic tuna casserole, but with a little more uptown flair. It’s super easy to make and significantly healthier than either classic standby but it's still totally family friendly with spoon-licking comfort food appeal. The semi-homemade salad is beyond easy. Here's how you make it: Cook about 1 pound of trimmed asparagus in a large pot of boiling water for about 3-4 minutes, or until firm tender. Drain asparagus and plunk immediately into an ice bath. Drain asparagus again and toss in a large salad bowl with about 4 cups of arugula. Add about 1/2 cup sundried tomato strips (look for ones that have been marinating in extra virgin olive oil) and about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Drizzle on some Stonewall Kitchen "Champagne Shallot Walnut Dressing" (which is completely fine for the kids) Season salad with salt and pepper and serve.

The scallop recipe is also beyond easy....



Easy Broiled Scallop Casserole

Serves: 4


2 tablespoons plus 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon white pepper, plus more to taste
Salt, to taste
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 ears corn, shucked, kernels cut off
2 tablespoons white wine
2 egg yolks (from omega-3 rich eggs)
1/2 cup 2% low-fat organic milk
2 tablespoons prepared hummus
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups frozen petite peas, thawed
1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons whole wheat Panko crumbs (such as Ian’s Natural Foods brand)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high. Add chopped onion and cook until very soft, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Season onions with paprika, white pepper and salt to taste. Add red bell pepper and corn to the skillet and cook 3-4 minutes, or until corn softens. Set vegetables aside.

3.In a small saucepan, whisk wine, egg yolks and milk together; heat over low heat for 6-7 minutes. Whisk in hummus and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Pour cheese sauce over vegetable mixture, add thawed peas and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to an 8 x 8 inch casserole.

4.Toss scallops with 2 teaspoons of the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, paprika and salt to taste. Arrange scallops on top of the vegetable mixture. Bake casserole for 6 minutes. Remove casserole from the oven. Turn on the broiler.

5.In a small bowl, combine the panko crumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and remaining teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top of scallops. Return the casserole to the oven and broil for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until crumbs are crisp and golden. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve warm.

Adult Style Greek Tomato Salad with Kalamata Olives and Feta + Kid Friendly Easy Cucumber Salad

We live in south Florida, thus we spend the majority of the year simmering in a sultry stew of air. The heat makes us crave and yearn for salads and yet sometimes we want more than just a bunch of leafy greens. This Greek salad satisfies a salad craving with zero lettuce. Most kids won't eat tomatoes (not many we've met anyway) but they do eat cucumbers if you peel, seed and dice them. Depending on how many kids you have, simply buy 1 or 2 extra cucumbers when you are making the below recipe and toss the kids cucumbers in a little bit of flax oil, sugar, salt and red wine vinegar. It's a super easy way to get your kids to eat their veggies while you enjoy a grown-up salad.

Note: I didn't have Kalamata olives at hand last night so I used the green olives photographed above and they worked just fine---but I do think Kalamata olives would have been even better

Greek Style Tomato Salad with Kalamata Olives and Feta

Serves: 4
2 pints grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (about 4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 medium shallots, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
3/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 tablespoon flax oil (we recommend Barlean’s brand)
4 ounces low-fat crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1.Place a paper towel in the bottom of a medium bowl, add tomatoes and toss with sugar and measured 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover tomatoes with another paper towel and let sit about 15 minutes, so juices will drain.

2.Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high; add the the garlic, shallots and oregano and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until shallots soften. Add red wine vinegar and cook 30-45 seconds. Season shallots with salt and pepper to taste.

3.Remove the paper towels from the bowl with the tomatoes. Gently toss the shallots with the tomatoes. Add the cucumbers, olives, flax oil, feta cheese and parsley. Toss ingredients gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.