LaLa Granola Bars and Food Revolution Day 2013!

As I've mentioned, (here and here) I've got nut allergies. It's really difficult to find a good tasting granola bar that's made without nuts, but beyond that, it's hard to find a granola bar that's made simply. So we take matters into our own hands at my house and regularly make our own, and affectionately call them LaLa Granola Bars. They're nut free, dairy free, full of delicious flavor and have zero added refined sugar. They are snacks that I feel great about packing for my kids' lunch and that I can safely consume myself. Win-win! 

My son spreading granola bars onto a cookie sheet for Food Revolution Day 2013

In honor of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day 2013, my son and I rolled up our sleeves and made these delicious and simple granola bars. Here's a link to the recipe we used. The whole process took less than 20 minutes but it's 20 minutes of well spent time together. I'm proud to see my son wielding a spoon, ready to help out. I believe that one of my many responsibilities as a parent is to teach him the importance of good, fresh ingredients and to show him the joy that comes from making meals ourselves. Today our Food Revolution Day celebration took part on a small scale but I believe that real change happens both from the bottom up and the top down and therefore, all of these small moments matter. I look forward to hearing him tell the story of our adventures in the kitchen this morning when we serve these granola bars to guests this weekend. 

Homemade LaLa Granola bars! 

Roasted Black Beans and the Healthy Lunch Challenge

You know that phase when kids start counting and then they delight in counting all the time? My son is there now and it's incredibly entertaining. He's super excited to count to 20 these days and, while he skips 17 every single time, it is amazing to hear him sing out his numbers. Though he doesn't truly understand quantity, addition or subtraction in the formal sense, he can see that ten grapes are more than 5 grapes, and if his big sister reaches over and takes one of his four strawberries he can count that he now only has three. Math and food are a thrilling combination. 

Our Healthy Lunch Challenge plan

Enter Crunch a Color, the Healthy Eating Game. It's an award winning card game that families can play together to encourage nutritious eating. The cards have colors, food lists, cute drawings and point values and the person with the most points wins. But there's deeper learning here; avocado and green grapes are both green foods but avocado gets 10 points and green grapes get 5. That makes for interesting conversation. My kids love to compare and it's pretty neat to see my daughter helping out her little brother with the tally (after the whole "haha, I win" bit is done, of course).

When Jennifer Tyler Lee, Crunch a Color's creator, asked me to be part of the Healthy Lunch Challenge, I was thrilled. My daughter chose the lunch below that features three colors, a protein, a healthy grain and no processed foods. We planned it using LaLa Lunchbox so I was sure to have everything I needed on hand. 

This lunch features a delicious and healthy new food that we are crazy about chez moi: roasted black beans! YUM. My daughter calls it black bean popcorn thanks to its satisfying yet light crunch and practically begs for it on a daily basis. We packed this lunch together and snacked along the way. Aside from the roasting time for the beans, this took less than 10 minutes to prepare.

Check out this deliciously colorful and balanced lunch!

3 colors: Green celery, Orange carrots and Red raspberries
Protein: Black beans (two ways: roasted and pureed into an easy dip)
Healthy Grain: toast crust from whole wheat bread
We always pack lunch with water (5 points extra) bringing the total points to 55!

I used half of one can of black beans for roasting and the other half to make a black bean dip that was finished in three minutes. I cut carrots and celery for dipping and added the toast crust (affectionately called Toast Crust Dippers in my house) that I cut from the bread of my anti-crust son. My daughter grabbed and washed a handful of raspberries and voila! Lunch is complete! 

Here's how we made the roasted black beans:

black beans, ready for roasting! 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Open one can of black beans. Rinse and dry them with a paper towel. Spread half of the can onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil and a scant sprinkle of salt. Roast in the oven for approximately 35 minutes or until crispy. 

Here's how we made the black bean dip:

Ingredients for black bean dip

We poured the other half of the beans into a bowl and then added: 
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* note: I initially intended to add fresh garlic but changed my mind at the last minute.  This dip can be made with either, depending on your penchant for garlic flavor. 

Using a stick blender, blend all of the ingredients until smooth.

Enjoy and happy lunching!

Seaweed Grain Bars!

My daughter is obsessed with seaweed these days. We've always had toasted nori sheets in the house and go through phases where they're a snack of choice but we're in a whole new realm of seaweed love chez moi. There's a company called SeaSnax, whose tagline is "strangely addictive" and the thing is, it's true. Maybe it's the salt. Maybe it's the papery-thin yet melty-on-my-tongue texture. Whatever it is, these things are delish. The thing I cannot stand about seaweed as a dry snack is the mess. It drives me up the wall to see little bits of seaweed paper all over the place. So I wondered – how could I get the same awesome flavor without the mess? Introducing the Seaweed Grain Bar! 

Seaweed Quinoa Bars and Seaweed Oat Bars

I decided to experiment with grains and eggs and see where that got me. The formula is easy: 2 cups of cooked grains + 4 eggs + 1/2 cup vegetable stock + 4 sheets of toasted nori. I began with quinoa. I was a little afraid that the nutty flavor of the quinoa would overpower the seaweed but it didn't. Next time I might add another sheet of nori though, for a flavor boost. Then I wondered about steel cut oats. For this batch, I added the shavings of one carrot. I wasn't sure whether this could be for breakfast or for snack so I ate a piece for both. I love the heartiness of steel cut oats and I love that they are so adaptable to both sweet and savory flavors. 

When I asked my daughter to try these, she initially put her nose up to the idea. Admittedly, she's not a quinoa fan so she took a mouse-sized nibble of that one and proclaimed it "not for me, Mom." She bit into the oat version and wasn't sure what to make of it... she giggled a little and said oats were for breakfast but seaweed was a snack! She preferred the Seaweed Oat bar but prefers the paper thin snack version for now. My husband and I, on the other hand, cannot get enough of these. When I think about what's in them, I'm delighted. Fiber-rich whole grains, mineral-rich seaweed, protein-packed eggs. This thing is a winner. 

Here's the recipe:

Seaweed Grain Bars
2 cups cooked grains (quinoa, steel cut oats, farro, etc)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable stock
4-5 sheets of toasted nori, cut into small pieces
Shavings of one carrot (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 375. In a bowl, add the beaten eggs and vegetable stock to the cooked grains. Combine thoroughly. Add the nori pieces and make sure they're evenly distributed. Add the carrot shavings (optional) and evenly distribute. Pour into an 8x8 dish lined with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 28-35 minutes (note: there was a longer cooking time with the oats than with the quinoa) 

Enjoy!

What do you love? Do your kids know?

I came across this question on Twitter earlier this week: if you could describe your mom in one word, what would it be? Admittedly, I couldn't do it. But it got me thinking about other things that I could articulate about who my mom is as a person, in addition to being my mom. Do I know about the things she loves? Where she finds joy? And what about me? Do my kids know about what I love outside of being their mom? 

My mom, doing one of the things she loves best! 

As moms (and I suspect dads are no different), we are focused on our children's happiness and their health and their ability to navigate the world with grace and fortitude, of course. But as humans, we long to be connected and understood. My kids may know that I love to exercise, as one example, and at this stage in the game, they don't need to understand all of the reasons why. I'm happy to continue to show them that I have interests beyond my work and my parenting. My hope is that over time, knowing about their mom and dad's outside pleasures will help them learn the importance of developing interests and hobbies of their own and understanding that people (adults and kids alike) are complex with needs and hopes and wants and individual lives.

My mom loves history and politics. She loves the Impressionists and the color green. She likes to plan vacations and it makes her incredibly happy to cook for hours. She doesn't like to swim or talk on the phone and she takes great pride in her green thumb. My mom is strong and fit; she has been known to make whipped cream from scratch at the same pace as a hand mixer. 

Do your kids know about what you love? This Mother's Day, make part of your day about letting them in on these gems that make you a wonderful, celebrated individual.

Shout Out to Moms Everywhere

I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mom in 2006 when my daughter was ten days old. That officially makes this my 8th Mother's Day as a mom. Yipee! Happy Mother's Day weekend to every Mom! 

To celebrate Moms everywhere, LaLa Lunchbox is on sale for half off all weekend. The busy moms in your world will love using LaLa Lunchbox to help lessen the load of the morning crunch, and kids everywhere love the fun, colorful monsters and having a voice in what they eat for lunch. 

We are honored to be featured on the App Store in two categories! The first is in the Mother's Day Gift Guide and the second is part of Moms on the Go, within the Mother's Day feature. Thank you, App Store!

And thank you to Moms both old and new, whose tireless efforts, dedication, warmth, intelligence, intuition and smiles help us all power through shiny days and dull ones.

My mom and my first born - May 2006

Happy 7th birthday!

Seven today!

My big gal is 7 today. SEVEN! I think that's officially big kid territory. Maybe 6 was and I have just been in denial for a year. But there's no doubt about it, she's a big kid now.

I got an email last night from a friend of mine – a very pregnant friend who I am secretly hoping has her baby today – saying she felt like there should be something that parents say to other parents on their children's birthdays. I agree - but I wonder what that would be exactly? Is it congratulations? As in, congratulations on having a 7 year old? That's kind of weird. Is it congratulations as in, congratulations on surviving the drama, the Ramona Quimby obsession, the homework, the playdates, the 16 cartwheels in a row, the 'I-can-make-my-own breakfast, Mom' independence? Would you say "Whoah nellie?" As in, whoah Nellie, your face and your child's face have both really aged in the last 365 days! Would you say "good luck in the coming year"? I suppose that's appropriate but it doesn't acknowledge the sentimentality and amazement that every parent feels about the years that have flown by already. I awoke this morning to the smiling face of my now 7 year old. And in an instant I remembered the day she was born and how it felt to load her into the back seat of our car as we left the hospital and her teeny neck flopped to one side in the seemingly ginormous infant car seat. I remember the first bath I gave her in my kitchen sink and putting her wet slippery 7 pound body into one of those little hooded towels for the first time and wrapping her up in it like a burrito. I remember staring at her for what seemed like infinity and wondering what color her eyes would be and when she would lose her first tooth (grey; 5 yrs old). It sure doesn't feel like yesterday, but it doesn't feel like 7 years ago either. 

one day old

I've been making cupcakes all morning to bring to her school later. Two flavors: vanilla, from this absolutely phenomenal recipe, and chocolate wacky cake which is dairy and egg free. I got this recipe from a friend of mine years ago and have made it so many times with great success. It's apparently generations old - I guess really a tried and true recipe. I've added dairy free mini chocolate chips from Enjoy Life because I love them. 

Here's the recipe for Wacky Cake:

1 1/2 Cups cake flour 
3/4 Cup of sugar
4 Tablespoons of cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of white vinegar
1 Cup of water
5 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2/3 Cup dairy free mini chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all of the dry ingredients together and sift them to prevent the cocoa from getting clumpy. Add vinegar, water, oil and vanilla extract and stir until thoroughly combined.  Add chocolate chips. Line a mini muffin tin with cupcake liners. Bake at 350 for 14 minutes. 

Do your kids ask to eat fruits and veggies?

The Rainbow Kit from Today I Ate a Rainbow is a great system that focuses on rewarding children for choosing a rainbow of foods during the day. My kids are definitely more fond of fruit than vegetables so it has been fascinating to see them figure out how to get in their five colors each day, given the parameters of their taste preferences. 

We are thrilled to be giving away a Rainbow Kit to one lucky family and are so excited that Today I Ate A Rainbow has generously provided it for our LaLa Lunchbox readers!

Today I Ate a Rainbow Kit

The Rainbow Kit helps kids track what foods and colors they eat during the day using brightly colored shape magnets. Initially, my kids fought over who would get to use the star magnets (my daughter won that argument by convincing my son that circles were like car tires and because he loves cars, he should love circles too). This morning, my son had banana pancakes and orange slices. He proudly put his circles on yellow and orange. My daughter had banana pancakes and raspberries and placed her stars on yellow and red. They chatted over breakfast about what they needed to complete the rainbow day. They struggle to complete it some days; my daughter always has trouble with purple and my son always has trouble with green, though I would imagine that will change when summer comes along when plums and honeydew melons are in season. 
I love that the Rainbow Kit incorporates planning and organization. It has also been the impetus for some interesting breakfast conversations: "Mom? If my grapefruit is pink but has a yellow skin, is it in the yellow category? Or is it red?" 

Want to be part of the Today I Ate A Rainbow giveaway? Please enter to win below. You can either "like" Today I Ate A Rainbow on Facebook or leave a comment about your child's favorite rainbow colored food for a chance to win. One lucky winner will be drawn at random and announced on Wednesday, May 8. Good luck! 

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The Scramble

I recently joined The Six O'Clock Scramble. I have found a wealth of helpful advice from Aviva Goldfarb on Twitter and wanted to explore more deeply. At its essence, The Scramble encourages families to eat dinner together and assists them in that process by providing subscription-based meal planning. 

I look at recipes all the time. I cook all the time. I love to explore new flavor combos and serve my kids new foods but because of my fish and nut allergies and because I am now dairy free (though my family is still very much pro-dairy), it can be limiting at times. I love that I can browse recipes on The Scramble by Nutritional Requirements and featured ingredients. Subscribers rate the recipes – another handy feature. 

Leafy Greens and Quinoa Salad with Cranberries

In honor of Try it Tuesday, I decided to make a quinoa salad for the family to go along with dinner. My husband and I are big fans of quinoa and I have a go-to recipe that we eat regularly but my kids have never wanted to try it. I discovered a Spinach and Quinoa Salad on The Scramble that looked amazing. I eliminated the nuts and cheese in the original recipe and replaced baby spinach with a mix of baby spinach, baby kale and baby chard. This dish was *awesome*.  I see how the crunchiness of nuts would add a terrific texture layer but alas, it's not in the cards for me. I love quinoa salad after it has been sitting for a day but I have to admit, there's barely enough of this left over for me to have for lunch! The recipe calls for dried cranberries, which my son found delightful. It also calls for fresh mint leaves, which my daughter found delightful. Yay! I allowed them to nibble on the ingredients as I prepped the salad, which got them excited about the dish as a whole. They were not thrilled with the raw greens, but I am thrilled to have found a recipe that they tried without trepidation. For those of you who are already subscribers or become subscribers, definitely check out The Scramble's original recipe for Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Toasted Cashews and Dried Cranberries. 

Here's my adaptation:
Quinoa Salad with Greens and Dried Cranberries
1 cup of cooked red quinoa
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 oz baby spinach, baby kale and baby chard, roughly chopped
3 chopped scallions (green and white parts)
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh cracked black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, add the lemon juice and olive oil to the cooked quinoa and mix thoroughly. Fold in chopped salad greens, scallions, mint and dill. Add cranberries and salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy!