Those Tricky Leprechauns

Remember a few years ago when Jessica Seinfeld wrote a book about sneaking vegetables into kids food?  I remember hearing some debate over whether or not you were actually doing a disservice to your kids by sneaking vegetables into meals, versus teaching them to like them, straight up.  This was before I had kids, so you can guess which side I took.  Now, as a mother with years (3) of experience, I'm all about lying to the little stinkers.

Speaking of lying, how about leprechaun tricks, traps, and shenanigans?  My kids have been talking about nothing but the creepy little green men for past 2 days.  So far, our leprechaun has not been very creative (green water in the toilet, green water in the flower vase, a green banana stuck in the couch cushions- yep, even I don't understand that one).  Luckily, my kids are using their imaginations to my advantage, upgrading our leprechuan a notch or two.  They have been seeing him hiding above the kitchen cabinets, and hearing him in the dining room, prompting them to eat their dinner nicely.  They are finding "tricks" all over the house, my favorite of which was tonight, when Blake ran into the kitchen, saw a container of spinach, and screamed, "Wow!  The leprechaun brought us salad!"   Nope, not the leprechaun, just your sneaky mother.

The spinach was turned into frosting.  To top cupcakes made with beets and zucchini.  Quit gagging.  Seriously, knock it off.  If I hadn't told you, you'd never know what was in them.  What would you do if a box of produce containing beets and zucchini unexpectedly showed up on your doorstep?  (Wait a minute, damn leprechauns...)  Add chocolate, of course!  I've seen recipes for chocolate zucchini cake, and recipes for chocolate beet cake, so I figured I could mix it all together, and luckily, it worked.  I also had recently seen a recipe for frosting that used spinach for green coloring, and so it was decided.  Zucchini beet chocolate cupcakes with spinach frosting.  Eat your heart out, Jessica Seinfeld.

Mmm.. beets a' boiling

 The dry

 How about some veggies with your cupcake batter?

 Fresh from the oven

It's frosting time!

Zucchini Beet Chocolate Cupcakes

adapted from this recipe

makes 28 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix together:

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.

Add:

 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (raw, unpeeled)

1 1/2 cups shredded beets (cooked and peeled)

Mix, then portion into muffin tins, greased or with liners.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool, then frost if desired.

The cupcakes are moist, dense and chocolatey.  Sure they contain sugar and white flour, but pre-frosting, they can't be any worse than most muffins.  They made a perfect afternoon snack for my kids.

Spinach frosting

inspired by this recipe, and this one.

In the bowl of food processor, mix:

 2 1/2 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup softened butter

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 TBSP milk

3.5 cups powdered sugar

Chop/mix until smooth and combined.  Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand or handheld mixer, then whip until thick and fluffy.  Frost cupcakes, then keep refrigerated.  This frosting is a bit on the thin side, and tastes like powdered sugar frosting with a twist.  Had I remembered to buy whipping cream, I would have whipped one cup of cream until stiff, then folded in the spinach frosting mixture.  If you try it, let me know how it works.

Yum!

Paint-Free Bathroom Transformation

Hadley and Blake's bathroom has remained mostly untouched since we moved into our house.  This is partly because we're out of time, energy, and patience.  I've done enough painting for a long while.  I've spent far too much money at Lowe's.  Plus, the kids hardly use the room; the bathtub is in a small space and has a sliding door, so it makes it hard to bathe the kids there.  Thus, the kids (and 100+ bath toys) have taken over our big tub.  And, their bathroom has gone ignored.

Except, every time I come up the stairs and head down their hall, I stare at the ugly, plain, beige room.  Something had to be done.  Project mini bathroom makeover started last week when I let the kids each choose a hand towel at Target- Hadley picked blue stripes, Blake chose green.  I looked at all of the "kid" bathroom sets, and while they were cute, I didn't love any of them.  So, we left with two towels.  A few days later, a friend suggested I check the bathroom section at World Market.  I had planned to be near the store that evening anyway, happened to have a 25% off coupon, and the bathroom section happened to be 20% off that day.  Destiny.

A couple of throw rugs, a curtain rod, and a shower curtain (for looks, not function.  I think the sliding doors are ugly), and we were in business.  The instant transformation was amazing!  As in, I kept going back into the room and to just stare in awe.  Behold, the power of 2 rugs and a shower curtain!   Yet, something was missing.  A pinterest search for free printables, some $1.99 Ikea frames that were stashed in the closet, and 15 minutes during nap time...Bingo!

Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells (and Cookie Pie!)

Who doesn't love Italian food?  How about Italian food that is quick and easy?  This recipe makes a lot of food and is easy to double, so it's great for a crowd or to have enough for leftovers.  You might even be able to sneak spinach into your kids (no guarantees, though).  Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells are like little individual servings of lasagna, or perhaps like manicotti, but easier to prep.  I found the recipe on Skinny Taste (linked here- sorry, I forgot to take a picture).  We've made this dish three times in the past few weeks and for some reason it always turns out a little differently, but still good.  I've always used jarred marinara instead of the meat sauce (this is my favorite), as well as fresh baby spinach instead of frozen.


A simple green salad is my favorite side dish to serve with pasta, so no recipe is needed there (tonight was romaine, cherry tomatoes, red pepper, and cukes).  And then there's the bread.  Oh, the bread.  How can you eat pasta without bread?  If you are going to eat carbs, well by golly, go all out.  Sometimes we like to dip our bread in oil and spices (I highly recommend this one), but it's hard to beat roasted garlic spread over a slice of crusty bread.

Slice the tops off a head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and wrap in parchment paper or foil.

Bake at 400 (or really whatever temp your oven is at for the rest of your meal), for 30-45 minutes or until soft. 

Your house is going to smell amazing!

Pop the cloves out and spread on bread, or eat them straight up if you love garlic as much as I do!

Now, on to dessert.

I love to bake, and I often preach about my love for real butter and real sugar, as long as it's done in moderation.  Now, I still believe in these rules when making a chocolate birthday cake, but for a Monday night (cheese laden) dinner with friends, I'm okay with going the healthier route.  I was hesitant to make a dessert featuring garbanzo beans (buy dry and make your own- recipe here), but this cookie pie got rave reviews.  It didn't hurt that we topped it with oreo cookie ice cream from our favorite ice cream shop (Goody's), which completely negated the healthy ingredients in the cookie.  Oh well. 

via

This recipe also happens to be vegan, gluten and dairy free (depending on the chocolate chips you use), so it's great for people with allergies/special diets.  Find the recipe here, and enjoy!

Gasp!

Some shocking news:  I made a dessert tonight that contained no chocolate.  No cocoa powder, no chocolate chips, chunks or pieces.  Actually, it didn't contain any flour, eggs, or dairy.  Pretty much, we had fruit for dessert.  I think people that have fruit for "dessert" are weird.

Here's what went down.  We had friends coming for dinner and I didn't feel like cooking.  Thai takeout- check!  When serving a non-homemade meal to guests, I always bake something for dessert.  Chocolate cake seemed too heavy to pair with thai food, so I decided to make an angel food cake with mangos and whipped cream.   And then I got lazy.  Instead of baking cake, I cut up the mangos and tossed in some raspberries.  The kids had cara cara oranges for lunch, and though I wouldn't normally mix oranges with the other fruits, these are no ordinary oranges.  They are so sweet and delicious; I can't believe it took me 30 years to discover them.  So anyway, in went the oranges.

Not wanting to be one of those fruit-for-dessert-weirdos, I had to do something to kick it up a notch.  I decided to try the coconut milk whipped "cream" recipe that's been floating around the net.  Chill a can of coconut milk, pour the thicker white portion (in my can it was all but the bottom inch or so) into the bowl of an electric mixer, mix on high for 5 minutes and add a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract near the end of mixing.  Here is what I got:

You won't get it to beat to stiff peaks, but it does make a nice light and airy alternative to whipped cream.  Plus, it tastes like coconut, which in my book = delicious!  (Side note for my Boise peeps- Creme de Coconut ice cream at Goodies?  Awesomely full of toasted coconut and worth every calorie.  Do it.)

Dish the fruit into small bowls and top with coconut whipped cream.  Yum!

Blake, my tutu wearing taste tester, approves!

Eggs In The Microwave

...And 95% of you just said, "Eww, gross!"  But, give me a chance here.  

My kids are constantly asking for snacks, from the moment they wake up, to the moment they go to bed.  They ask for snacks in the middle of dinner, for Pete's sake.  Most of our snack options seem to be sweet and/or starchy, whether it's fruit, granola bars, crackers or cereal.  So when I find a non-sugary snack option that contains lots or protein, is quick and easy, and the kids will willingly eat, well, I think it's a keeper.

I'm not big on scrambled eggs, but I think these taste as good as those made in a frying pan, and the prep time and clean up are both decreased.  (Side note- you may want to spray the mug with Pam first, as well as giving it a good rinse before putting it in the dishwasher.  If you don't, the mug might come out of the dishwasher with dried-on egg chunks, and you might not notice and put it back in the cupboard.  You also might not notice when you stick it under the Keurig on a dark sleepy morning.  But when you start drinking your coffee, trust me, you will certainly notice.)  The kids like these, especially because they get to help with the cooking.  I've yet to complete the scientific research, but I'd estimate that the kids eat 50%-75% more of anything they help to cook/prep

Without further ado, the recipe can be found here.