Veggie Chili & Cornbread

This past Sunday I made a meal for a family that just had a new baby (our community is great with organizing new baby meals).  Though most people tend to have their standard new baby meal for when they need to make a meal, I'm not quite there.  It would probably be easier for me to have that so I don't need to think too much, but I tend to get excited over food (in case you haven't yet noticed), so I end up making whatever I'm really in the mood for.  This week I wanted Veggie Chili and Cornbread.  I've made both before and they've been a hit with my husband and other company we've had over, so I hoped that maybe Henry would eat it too. 

I got the base for both recipes from http://www.allrecipes.com/.  But, I changed both of the recipes significantly.  I assumed that Henry would LOVE the cornbread, and I hoped that he would at least try the Veggie Chili.  The big surprise of the meal was that though Henry ate the cornbread, what he couldn't get enough of was the Veggie Chili.  Until his bowl of Veggie Chili was finished, he didn't even look at the cornbread!  And then, when we joined him at the table with our bowls of chili, he then proceeded to take bites from both of our bowls.  I guess I will have to make it again!

I apologize for the lack of pictures...we ate it too quickly :)

Vegetarian Chili (called The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World in allrecipes.com)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp oregano
1/2 Tbsp salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (12 oz) pkg Lightlife Smart Ground Vegetarian Meat Crumbles
3 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tsp ground black pepper
1/2 (15 oz) can white kidney beans (it's what I had in my fridge)
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 (15 oz) can yellow corn
1 (12 oz) bottle beer
Shredded low-fat cheddar or mozzarella cheese (optional)

1.  Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Stir in onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt.  Cook and stir until onion is tender, and then throw in the garlic, and cook 2 more minutes.  Mix in the vegetarian crumbles.  Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

2.  Mix the tomatoes into the pot.  Season with chili powder and pepper.  Stir in the kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, and corn.  Pour in half the beer.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 2 hours.  Monitor the pot, and as the liquid cooks down, you can add more beer (the longer you simmer, the more beer you will use).

3.  To serve top each bowl with a bit of shredded cheese if desired, and with a piece of cornbread on the side (below).


Corn-filled Cornbread (called Buttery Cornbread at allrecipes.com)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups 1% milk
2 1/3 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup canned corn (rinsed and drained)

1.  Preheat oven to 400.

2.  In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and honey. Combine the eggs and milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture. Then stir in the canned corn.

3.  Pour into a 13x9 inch pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, or until its cooked through.

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

New Veggie for the Whole Family

Last week I decided to experiment with a new vegetable - celery root or celeriac (or celery bulb as it was called in my shady vegetable market).

It's definitely not an attractive vegetable, but I really wanted to try it.  I had no idea how to prepare it, but then I found a recipe for Celery Root, Potato, and Parsnip Soup on the Foodie/Nutritionist Blog that looked relatively easy, and like something that we would probably like.  I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, but I skipped the evaporated milk and truffle oil, and instead added 1 additional cup of water and 1 cup of white kidney beans (for protein and texture).  I didn't try the celery root on its own, but it smelled just like celery when I peeled and cut it.  The soup itself was delicious, but it tasted more like parsnip to me than anything else.  I'm not complaining though because Henry ate 3 bowls' worth...and then tried to eat the bowl!

As is a toddler's prerogative, after loving the soup one night, he then refused to eat it the next two days that I put it on his tray.  I'm still saying he loved it though :)

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

Back to Normal

It was clear today that Henry was back to feeling 100%, and his appetite was 150% better...likely due to his lack of eating since Friday. 

For lunch, I had made a healthified version of the Spinach Caramelized Onion and Muenster Au Gratin Potatoes (that's quite a mouthfull!) from http://www.allrecipes.com/.  A friend of mine was coming over for lunch, and so last night I looked to see what I had in the house that I could make.  I had a huge package of muenster cheese (thank you Costco!), so I quickly did a search on allrecipes for some ideas that would incorporate muenster cheese.  I always end up making fritattas, baked noodle dishes, or tortilla based cheesy dishes, so a potato dish was a nice change.  It was definitely on the unhealthy side though, so I cut back on some of the fat and added more veggies.  Whatever I did, it seemed to work for Henry.  He ate an entire bowl (kiddie sized), and then finished a second bowl, followed by bananas and pineapple.

I kind of figured that lunch was Henry's big meal, so I didn't expect him to eat too much dinner.  Au contraire.  He downed a bowl of Chickpea & Kale Soup...and I mean downed! He used a spoon in one hand and his fingers from the other hand to shovel the food in.  And that's not all...he then had more pineapple...followed by half a banana and about an inch worth of corn on the cob at my sister's house (my nephews were having dinner while we were there). 

So, needless to say (but yes, I'm saying it anyway), Henry is feeling much better and is making up for lost time.  I could not be happier!

Healthified Veggie Potato Au Gratin (adapted from allrecipes.com)
6 small potatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 cup frozen spinach
1/2 cup frozen broccoli cuts
2 Tbsp light butter
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 cups 1% milk
1.5 cups shredded muenster cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2.  Spray 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray, and put potatoes, broccoli and spinach in there, and set aside (mix them up a little).

3.  In a saute pan or small pot, melt butter, and saute onions until slightly brown (about 7 minutes).  Stir in garlic and flour, and cook 1 minute more.  Season with salt and add milk.  Bring to a simmer, and cook and stir until sauce thickens.  Stir in 1 cup of muenster cheese, and allow to melt fully.  Pour mixture of potatoes and veggies.

4.  Cover and bake in over for 30 minutes.  Then, uncover, and bake for 20 minutes more.  Finally, sprinkle with remaining muenster cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

A Recipe Wasted...

Prior to Henry getting sick, I had decided to try a new gefilte fish recipe.  In the past he really liked gefilte fish (it has a pretty mild fish flavor), and I thought Henry might actually eat it even though he is now much pickier.  Alas, he got sick on Friday, and even though he was mostly better by Friday night, fish was not going to be his first food.  I probably would have tried it on him yesterday, but since I didn't feel well, the idea of taking out fish would have been enough to put me over the edge.  So, I thought tonight would be the perfect night to try it.  And then I got the call at work...Henry seemed to feel fine but he was having diarrhea (is it wrong that I was sort of happy that I was at work so I didn't have to change those diapers?).  So, instead of trying some Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Gefilte Fish:

Henry ended up with this:

Not quite as gourmet, but the BRATT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, tea, toast) was definitely the better choice to help Henry get back to his normal self.  Henry loved it though, and happily ate it all.  If only he would do that with veggies...

Oh, I did get to try a couple of rehydration solution recipes though.  Since I had the car at work, and since my husband was home again (this time because he still wasn't feeling well), I had him try a couple of the homemade remedies for Henry since we didn't yet have the Pedialyte.  Here is the resource I used: http://www.wenourish.com/docs/CNW2010_Ireton-Jones_ORS_Outcomes.pdf.  Anyway, we tried using 1 cup Powerade to 1 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, but Henry refused it.  We then tried 1/2 cup OJ, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (which contains sodium), 4 teaspoons sugar, and 2 1/4 cups water.  Henry seemed to like that one, so we stuck with it.  On the way home from work I picked up some Pedialyte, but hopefully we won't have to use it anytime soon...

Anyway, my husband and I really enjoyed the gefilte fish, and I gave the leftovers to my parents who also really liked it, so I figured I'd share the recipe:

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Gefilte Fish

1.5 cups sundried tomatoes (in oil)

1 cup cilantro (this was the only herb I had - parsley would work just as well...can't really taste cilantro over the tomatoes)

1/2 cup black olives

1/2 cup walnuts

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp olive oil

pepper to taste

2 Gefilte Fish loaves

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Put 1st 6 ingredients in food processor and blend.  Then add the olive oil.  Season with pepper.

3.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Spread about 1/4 cup of pesto on the bottom of the pan.  Unwrap the gefilte fish loaves and place on top.  Spread about 3/4 cup of pesto all over the fish. 

4.  Bake in oven, covered, for 1 hour.  Then, remove foil, and bake for 30 minutes more.

5.  Serve cold or at room temperature with additional pesto on the side. 

Note: Leftover pesto is also great on pasta or sandwiches!

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

Pedialyte Vs. Powerade

Today was an unsuccessful food day since my husband and I apparently caught whatever Henry had on Friday.  Luckily we weren't throwing up, but the nausea was quite real, and it knocked us both out (isn't there some rule that both parents can't be sick at the same time?).  As a result, Henry spent a lot of time in front of the TV, and when he opted to eat only challah and pretzels today, there wasn't much of a push for him to have anything else.


But, I am feeling mostly better now, and I wanted to do a little research on Pedialyte versus Powerade since I received a few comments and emails regarding the choice to give Henry Powerade on Friday when he was sick.  I'll start off by saying, not that much thought went into it on my part (shocking...and I'm supposed to be the dietitian??).  Before I left for work on Friday, I asked my husband to take Henry to the doctor in the morning, and then after the appointment to pick up some Pedialyte - honestly, it's the only children's rehydrating solution that I knew, so I figured that was the way to go.  But when my husband went to the appointment, the pediatrician recommended getting Gatorade or Powerade since in his experience children of Henry's age (16 months) didn't like the taste of Pedialyte and refused to drink it.  Going with the doctor's recommendation, we stocked our house with Powerade.


So what are the major differences?  According to the Pedialyte website (www.pedialyte.com):

Pedialyte is an oral electrolyte solution that is specifically designed to replace fluids and minerals (electrolytes) that are lost when a child has diarrhea with or without vomiting. Pedialyte is effective because it contains only small amounts of sugars (dextrose and fructose) that are balanced with appropriate levels of electrolytes.  Pedialyte is designed with this precise combination of sugars and electrolytes to promote quick fluid and electrolyte absorption. In general, other household beverages such as sports drinks, sweetened sodas and juices are too high in carbohydrates (sugar) and too low in sodium -- an important electrolyte that is lost during diarrhea and vomiting.

Basically, Pedialyte contains 2.5 times more sodium and 55% less sugar than Powerade.  The idea being that more sodium is needed to replenish the body after vomiting and diarrhea than after a workout.  In addition, sugar can exacerbate diarrhea, so Pedialyte uses only a small amount of dextrose and fructose, and then adds artificial sweeteners (sucralose and acesulfame potassium) to help make the beverage more palatable to kids.  Powerade just uses High Fructose Corn Syrup as its sweetener.  One note here is that the World Health Organization's Oral Rehydration Solution, which is considered the "gold standard" contains about 10 grams of sugar for an equal volume of Pedialyte (6 grams sugar) and Powerade (14 grams sugar).

So which should you choose? Well, you should talk to your doctor for his/her recommendation based on your child, as well as go with what you are most comfortable with.  In Henry's case, he had only vomited 4 times and did not have diarrhea.  Our main concern was keeping him hydrated, and since he liked the taste of Powerade, he was able to drink more Powerade than he would drink water.  So for our needs, it worked well.

And what would I do next time? Well, I'd definitely keep Powerade on hand since I know Henry likes the flavor.  But, given that Pedialyte has less sugar, I would like to try that next time, especially if Henry has diarrhea.  And if Henry absolutely can't stand it, at least I'll still have some Powerade.

Or maybe next time I'll try a homemade oral rehydrating solution...wishful thinking. When your kid is puking and you're running around cleaning vomit-drenched sheets and clothes, and trying to get to work, there's not really time for homemade remedies...

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

Puke & Powerade

Disclaimer: The following post is not for the queasy.

Friday morning Henry woke up at 4:40AM.  Needless to say I was not pleased, but I quickly went into his room to see why on earth he was up so early.  When I got there, he was sitting up surrounded by vomit (hey - you read the disclaimer...).  I took him out of his crib, changed his clothes, and my husband removed the sheet from the bed.  The remainder of the morning did not go much better.  He proceeded to throw up in my husband's shoe, in my husband's face, and in a couple of different toilets as well (I got pretty lucky). 

Unfortunately, I had an all-day meeting that I had to go to, so since I'm normally the one working from home, my husband took one for the team and worked from home on Friday.  Before I left, I told him to skip the milk, and to buy some Powerade, and to only feed Henry if he asked for food...and then to only give him bread or maybe oatmeal.  Well, right after I left, my sick son asked for food.  My husband happily watched while Henry ate the entire bowl, and then asked for more.  And then, as my husband turned around to make the next bowl, Henry threw up for the 4th time, all over his highchair. 



I like to add pics to my posts :)



And then the day of Powerade started.  My husband texted me from the store to find out which flavor to get (he really doesn't like to make any decisions).  This time I was actually happy that he asked because I had meant to tell him not to get any red flavors - this way we wouldn't think he was vomiting blood if he threw up again. So, "blue" was purchased (juices in general skeeve me out, but especially odd-colored ones), and for the rest of the day that's pretty much all he had.  Actually, not much eating happened at our house yesterday at all -my husband and I couldn't seem to get the stench of vomit out of our noses (or minds).  Here's hoping we don't have any more vomit fests anytime soon (luckily Henry was 100% better this morning, but his appetite is still lagging - I'm guessing that will change tomorrow).

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating - assuming I didn't just totally nauseate you!

Spinach Quiche - Another Frozen Treasure

At the start of the week, when I was organized, I made a big pan of eggplant rollatini.  The plan was for Henry to have it for lunch or dinner today and for a meal tomorrow too.  Unfortunately, when I broke into the pan last night for my dinner, the dish was a dud.  As a lover of shortcuts in cooking, this time I went too far.  No need to hash out all my mistakes...I promise to slow down in my cooking next time (maybe).  Though I will still eat the dish since I won't waste food, I did not want to give it to Henry and then have him distrust eggplant forever.  So, into my freezer I dove...

Lo and behold, I still had a few pieces left of the spinach quiche that I had frozen for Henry for when I was out of town for work.  Score!  I defrosted the piece and left it for my nanny to feed to Henry while I was at work today.  When I got home, my nanny said Henry devoured the whole slice.  Oh trusty spinach quiche, how I love you!


Quiche right out of the freezer



Za'atar Spinach Quiche

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1/2 to 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (I've done with both...depending on how many mushrooms I have)

1 - 10 ounce pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/2 cup light feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1.5 tsps za'atar (taste the mixture to see if you want to add more...sometimes I end up adding more)

salt & pepper to taste

4 eggs

1 cup 1% milk

1.  Preheat oven to 375.

2. Put oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until softened (about 5 min).  Add mushrooms and saute about 3-4 minutes more.  Stir in spinach, feta, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.  Season with za'atar, salt, and pepper.  Taste to see if you need more seasoning. (Be careful on the salt - feta is pretty salty).

3.  In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.  Add the mixture to the skillet, and gently mix in. 

4.  Transfer skillet to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.  Then, sprinkle top with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and bake for another 30 minutes, or until center is set. 

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!