DIY Pita Bar

The holidays may be over, but with football season in full swing, you may still be entertaining guests. If you're out of ideas or sick of the chips, nachos, guacamole theme, this Pita Bar might be right up your alley! Here's what we served at the Pita Bar for our New Years Eve party for six kids and six adults, and there was something for everyone:
* Pita
* Hummus
* Baba Ganoush
* Labne
* Tabbouleh
* Fattoush Salad
* Roasted artichoke hearts
* Roasted red peppers
* Feta cheese
* Guacamole
* Pickled red onions
* Fresh veggies
* Grilled chicken (boneless thighs and boneless breasts) 
* Lamb meatballs

We bought most of the ingredients already prepared, with the exception of the Fattoush salad, the guacamole, the pickled red onions, the grilled chicken and the meatballs. It made hosting a party of 12 much more feasible! The meatballs were a huge hit, and here's the recipe: 

Lamb Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground lamb
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unseasoned panko
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, making sure that the consistency is uniform. Roll into 2 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for approximately 20 minutes. Enjoy! 

Quick Weeknight Meatballs

I'm all for letting my kids have a say in their breakfasts and lunches. Their choices aren't a free for all; I customize the foods available to them by managing the Food Library on our LaLa Lunchbox and LaLa Breakfast apps and the rest is (well documented) history. The process makes my life easier, and as a working mom of 3, it's exactly what I need to survive. 

But dinner is all mine. I love thinking about and talking about what to cook and what to eat for dinner. While I appreciate the occasional request, and even ask my family what they're in the mood for when I'm in a dinner rut, I like being Queen of the Dinner Castle. Lately I've been making turkey meatballs with tomato sauce and pasta about once a week. It's a meal that comes together in under 30 minutes, it's filling and satisfying and if I'm lucky, there are leftovers (usually requested for lunch by my 3 year old). Despite the fact that 2 of my 3 kids won't go near a tomato, somehow they like it in the form of sauce, so this is a meal that all five of us can enjoy together. Major victory. 

Here's the secret: A couple of months ago, we harvested a bounty of basil from our tiny garden and I pureed it to make vegan pesto with garlic and olive oil and froze it in small containers. It's the "flavor pouch" to our meatballs, and as long as I can remember to defrost one of those containers in the morning, everything else falls into place. It's easy to find basil even if it's not in season, so don't fret – just puree a large handful of basil leaves with one clove of garlic and 1/4 cup of olive oil and you've got it. Here's the confession: I don't always use homemade sauce. Time is tight. There are a few places by me that make a good marinara sauce (and in a perfect quantity) so if there's no time to make this one, I outsource the job. Bottled sauce also works perfectly well. 

These Quick Weeknight Meatballs have just 5 ingredients: 
1.5 pounds of ground turkey (I prefer dark meat to white meat)
3/4 cup panko (or unseasoned breadcrumbs)
1 jumbo egg
2 tablespoons pesto
1 scant teaspoon salt (or salt to taste) 

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and form meatballs about 2-3 inches in diameter. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. 

The meatballs will be fully cooked. You can eat them just like this! Or you can place them in a pan, cover with tomato sauce and heat until everything is warmed. While this is happening, cook the pasta as directed. We make 1 pound of pasta for our family of 5, and because it's not a ton of pasta, the meatballs really take center stage. While you wait for the water to boil, it's a great time to enlist the help of kids to quickly gather and wash salad ingredients, peel produce or do some basic chopping, if they're old enough. Dinner will be on the table in 30 minutes or less. Score! 

What are your go-to weeknight meals? 

Meatballs, Deconstructed

You know that person who always has a cold? I'm the opposite of that person. I am never sick. It's a point of pride, if you must know. 

But I've been put in my place this winter. Any whiff of smugness that I once had about my ninja ability to stay healthy is over. Winter has smacked me in the face with two stomach bugs and now a virus with fever that has basically flattened me.  

I'm not alone in this; my babysitter had it and my girls have it. Misery does not love company. My mission is to keep my son and my husband fever free and care for my girls and myself in the meantime. I'm unbelievably grateful that my babysitter is feeling better! Last night, with super low energy, I decided that instead of going through the steps to make meatballs (originally the plan before the fever hit), I'd make them deconstructed - which really just meant I'd use all of the intended ingredients but throw them together instead of carefully construct them. So I threw the ingredients in a frying pan and served them with spinach linguine, deconstructed. You know what? It was tasty. And fast. And it's something I'm going to keep tinkering with. I realize I'm posting this recipe and have only made it once, which is not typically something I like to do. But I've done it, so there. 

Spinach linguine with deconstructed meatballs, sautéed spinach and strawberries. A really fast dinner! 

Deconstructed Meatballs
1 clove of garlic
1/2 pound ground meat (I used ground pork but anything should do the trick)
1/4 cup of plain unseasoned bread crumbs
1 large egg  
1/2 teaspoon salt
olive oil for frying
Grated parmesan to sprinkle on top

Serve with pasta (we used spinach linguine) 

Method:
Place olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the ground meat and stir, breaking it up into small bits. Add the breadcrumbs, egg and salt and combine well, using the side of a spatula to make it piece-y. 

Continue cooking until the meat is fully cooked. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and prepare pasta as directed. Serve the meat on top or combine as I've done. Garnish with grated Parmesan.  

Resolution Meals for Kids

Every August, parents are bombarded with articles, tips and suggestions for healthy kid lunches. Each new school year begins in earnest with balanced, beautiful lunches. We pat ourselves on the back for doing our part to help little minds and bodies grow. But somewhere around November (December if you’re lucky), the rut sets in. Whether your children are planning their lunches or it’s a parent-led decision in your home, January is the perfect time to infuse your lunchbox routine with some new options and a renewed commitment to healthful meals.

This month we'll be posting some food suggestions to refresh your breakfast and lunch routines and will include some downloadable images (below) to add to your LaLa Lunchbox Food Library. Click here to see how to easily add images to your Food Library. Keep checking this page for new food additions throughout the month and click through for the easy, kid-friendly recipes. (click the images to access the recipes)

Happy New Year to you and yours! 

Resolution Food #1: Ricotta Cheese 

Ricotta Apple Pancakes

Ricotta Carrot Roll Ups

  Resolution Food #2: Quinoa

Quinoa with Avocado

Resolution Food #3: Eggs 

Egg Eyes

Resolution Food #4: Dried Mango

Chickpeas with Dried Mango and Avocado

 Vietnamese-Style Quinoa Meatballs

Egg Salad with Dill

Bulgur Wheat with Dried Mango

Resolution Food #2: Quinoa

Okay hear me out.

Red Quinoa with Avocado

I do realize that quinoa isn't the first thing that came to mind when you were thinking about reinvigorating your breakfast and lunch routines. But seriously, quinoa is good stuff. It's so easy to make - just set up 1 cup of quinoa (rinse first) with 2 cups of water or stock, bring to a boil and cook covered on a low heat until the liquid has evaporated - about 15 minutes. And on top of the fact that it works well in sweet and savory dishes, it's loaded with protein, fiber and iron, among other things. 

We've had successes and failures with quinoa in my house. My toddler absolutely loves it. It's great with fruit in the morning and this recipe for Breakfast Grains with Blueberries, Hazelnuts and Lemon from TheKitchn is fabulous (we omit the nuts). My girls enjoyed Quinoa with Avocado for lunch recently and with just 5 ingredients, I couldn't be happier. 

Red Quinoa with Avocado
1 cup of cooked quinoa (we used red quinoa but any will do)
1/2 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
 

Place all ingredients in a bowl and gently combine. Add salt if desired. 

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Ground beef, quinoa meatballs

More thoughts on quinoa... 

I thought about kibbeh the other day out of the blue – Middle Eastern meat and bulgur meatballs, usually deep fried. I wanted to create something using quinoa and had some fresh mint on hand. I baked these Vietnamese-inspired Quinoa Meatballs and served them in DIY lettuce wrappers. Big thumbs up, especially from my husband who added Sriracha. My kids are not typically fans of lettuce but got a kick out of eating and holding it this way. 

Vietnamese-Style Quinoa Meatballs 
2/3 cup cooked quinoa
1 large egg
1/2 cup chopped red onion
6 oz ground beef
1.5 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup chopped kale (we used frozen)
Romaine hearts
Sriracha to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the quinoa, egg and red onion in a mixing bowl. Add the ground beef and gently combine. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, mint, ginger and kale. I found it most efficient to use my hands to ensure that the ingredients were evenly distributed. Form into balls (about 2 inches in diameter) and place on parchment paper on a baking tray. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. Serve on romaine hearts with or without Sriracha. 

Check out other New Years Resolution foods right here. 

Vietnamese Style Quinoa Meatballs with Sriracha