So, we'll admit it, we've turned into kitchen nerds in the last year or so. We love to cook, experiment, and try out new recipes. But, while we do love it, not everyone does, nor can many of us sacrifice large amounts of time in the kitchen night after night. We're here to save you from the misconstrued thought that eating unprocessed has to mean you are a slave to your kitchen! Take, for example, our dinner tonight. After spending several nights on more involved meals this week, I was ready for a break, and more time to spend with my kids and family.
Our menu tonight was:
Baked Apples (see recipe below)
Cooked Carrots (low sodium, from a can)
Steamed lemon garlic green beans (see recipe below)
Brown Rice Couscous (box)
All Whole Foods. All easy peasy. The Brown Rice Couscous is processed (came from a box), but the ingredient list was short and were all recognizeable.
Baked Apples were a staple in my house growing up. My mom's version contained white (refined) sugar and brown sugar, neither of which are necessary for this to be simply delicious! When I went "unprocessed" last year, my taste buds changed a lot. Now I simply enjoy the sweet "syrup" the apples make all on their own!
Dawn's Baked Apples
Apples (my favorite are golden delicious)
Cinnamon
Splash of water
See, that's easy already, right! The hardest part of the entire dish is peeling and slicing the apples. Though, I imagine you could leave the skin on, which would be more nutritious, I have always made them without the peel. Peel and slice apples. I cut mine fairly thin, but not so thin that they will fall apart after baking, as my kids really eat them better if they can stick them with a fork and not have them fall apart. Experiment with what size slices you like. Super thin slices will create almost an applesauce texture. I plan for 2 apples per person (my family loves these). However, if I want leftovers, which are also delicious chilled, I would plan for more. Fill a baking dish with a thin layer of water, just enough to cover the bottom. This helps the apples "steam" without drying out. Pile the apples in, sprinkle some cinnamon, stir. Cover with plastic wrap. Bake in microwave for 6 minutes. Remove & stir. Re-cover and return to microwave for 6 more minutes. Experiment with the length of time, to get the texture you want. We like them soft, but not mushy.
Lemon Garlic Green Beans
Fresh green beans OR bag of frozen steamable green beans
2 T. pure lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon)
Garlic powder
Sea salt
Steam green beans. Squeeze (or pour) fresh lemon juice over beans. Season with garlic powder and sea salt to taste. Stir & serve.
Happy green eats,
Dawn
Ok- any great tips for encouraging your kids to eat veggies? I feel like we have pretty consistently offered veggies with meals, especially dinner. My oldest loves spinach salad, which is great....and corn. But that's about it. The middle one I can't get to eat any veggies unless I sneak it in something. Which is fine, but it's not that often I can do that. The youngest is hit or miss, but mostly miss. I LOVE veggies and wasn't picky as a child so I don't understand! They do really like fresh fruits, but i'd love for them to eat veggies!! I even offer to let them dip them in ketchup or ranch....to no avail!
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