Easy, low fat, batter baked veggies, your kids will hopefully eat.

This is like the ultimate cheat recipe!
They will taste deep fried and unhealthy! But they are baked and really only have oil on the bottom of pan.

Ingredients
Evenly sliced veggies, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflowers, even zucchini (sliced big)

Pancake batter
2 eggs
About a cup of milk (the only one I found not to work so far would be coconut milk)
Flour (any flour will work), enough to get a batter consistency
1 teaspoon Baking powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Mix all together, until a smooth batter consistency is attained.

Cover the veggies first in flour, and then mix them into the batter bowl, until everything is evenly covered.

Oil bottom of baking sheet.
Place veggies on baking sheet and bake in oven for 8 minutes, then turn around and bake a final few minutes, making sure nothing burns or over cooks. Approx 3 minutes (unless potatoes are really thick)
Sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper and serve hot.

My 2 favourite sauce suggestions would be : soya sauce &honey or mint and yogurt.
Enjoy!

Homemade play dough, fast and easy

What you will need

1 cup of flour
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Food coloring
Glitter (optional)

Start by turning your stove top burner on, at medium high.
Pour all the dry ingredients in a sauce pan (not yet on the burner),
then add oil and water. Stir and add food coloring.
Stir and place on preheated burner, bringing it down to medium.
Stir, stir, stir, it will be lumpy at first. (You would want to add the glitter in here, if you're using it)
Now stir your little heart out, until it is play dough. (You can occasionally stop stirring)
You will know it is ready, when it is one big lump. It can take anywhere from 45 seconds to 3 minutes.
Take out of pan, and let cool.

This is my favorite part. The one where I get to play with it a little before the kids, claiming it is too hot ;)

Keeping eggshells for the garden

Eggshells can be put directly into your earth for zucchinis, tomatoes, peppers, melons, aubergines and most likely many more plants that I still have yet to discover
Let the kids plant fairly large pieces of eggshells upright around your plants, then snails will slice themselves in half before they eat your plant away.

Kids love gardening! Involving our children is a great way of getting them to eat what they've grown.
There's a huge world within every garden!
Enjoy

Tomatillo salsa

About 4 cups tomatillos,
An onion chopped
2 regular tomatoes
1 any color sweet pepper (like bell pepper)
Cilantro
Hot pepper
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Vinegar

Cook the whole thing for at least 30 min. Then either puree electronically or just with a manual potato masher..
Most kids will claim it looks like vomit!
Heck they can't ALL be kid friendly recipes. He he he
Enjoy!

Slaw it up

Carrots, beets, daikon, kohlrabi, celery root, and onion.
Beautiful!

Living Gluten Free... Or at least trying to!

Hard, but not impossible, eliminating gluten from everyday diet can be quit the task.

After numerous years of trial and error with my son's digestive system, we've finally discovered that he is in fact gluten intolerant.

It was really hard at first to convince a 10 year old child that he cannot eat his favorite bread and peanut butter anymore, in fact most cereals are out too. The only way I noticed that made an impact was by letting him eat a little once in a while and getting him to realize on his own that gluten gives him a mean belly ache. Little by little after every gluten meal, I would hear “ohhhh I'm not eating pizza again” or “oh no more hamburgers”. Of course everyday I would try a new recipe that would bring him the same joy as eating his old favorites. At first rice pasta was seen as disgusting, but then when I served it for everyone and didn't tell him, well we all started liking it! I also keep a batch of gluten free crepe batter handy for a fast substitute to bread. Ham and broccoli or spinach and cheese toppings rolled up in a crepe, is not only fast but also more nutritious than the average sandwich.

A few interesting points I've learned about gluten in the system and this can be true whether you are intolerant or not.

• Excessive gluten (keep in mind in our Western Culture it is used in a whole lot of food) can lead to fatigue
• Constant fatigue can lead to laziness.
• Laziness can lead to inactivity.
• Inactivity can lead to depression.

What an awful vicious cycle! And I must say I noticed it within my son's attitude.

We are now well on our way to a gluten free diet, and well hey! It's not so bad after all...

sources

http://glutenfreeworks.com/gluten-disorders/gluten-sensitivity/

http://www.naturalnews.com/031660_gluten-free_diet_health.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten

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Quinoa, alternative baby food cereal

Quinoa, the sacred food of the Incas, once referred to as the "Mother Seed".

It is in fact part of the same family as beets chard and spinach. Very nutritious, gluten free, and a delicious alternative to rice, pasta and potatoes for supper.

Quinoa is high in protein (12 to 18%) and like oats, it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source, unusual coming from a plant.

It is also a great source of dietary fiber and phosphorus. As if that wasn't enough, it is high in magnesium and iron as well.

It's also easy on the stomach making it great as a starter baby food cereal/vegetable.


FOR BABY FOOD:

Cook quinoa according to package instructions.

It may be a little bitter for Baby so try pureeing it with any other fruit or veggie you have on the menu.

My Baby's personal favorite? Pears and quinoa... I even make a little more for myself.