9.16.2012

ethan's weekly eats

MONDAY:

Monday's lunch was an epic failure. My husband and I spent a lot of time the day prior at the health food store consulting with a very helpful fellow shopper who knew her stuff about the healthiest "jelly" on the market. She helped us select an organic apricot fruit spread by Bionaturae with no refined sugar and the least amount of calories per simple sugars. I was really excited about our find, especially because Ethan hasn't had apricots since the days I pureed his food and even then, he loved them! I toasted a slice of whole wheat bread and topped it with the fruit spread and some banana slices. When Ethan took a bite, he screamed bloody murder and grabbed his tongue in an attempt to pull it out of his mouth. He wouldn't even look at the sandwich. He wouldn't even eat the bananas that touched the fruit spread, no matter how well I (thought I) wiped them off. It appears I've found the first food Ethan avidly dislikes and it's a shame, because I was really excited about those Bionaturae fruit spreads!

I had paired this lunch with some fresh organic sugar snap peas dipped in hummus. He was so upset by his sandwich that he refused to touch them at lunch time, but after his nap he finished them all. I've noticed Ethan loves food he can crunch and the crisp sugar snap peas are perfect for that!


TUESDAY:

Tuesday's lunch was such a hit that it made up for Monday's little mishap. I made Ethan these adorable spinach nuggets and he loved them. You can shape them however you like, though Ethan didn't get much variety because apparently the only non-Hanukkah or non-Christmas cookie cutter I own is a simple star shape! He didn't seem to mind.

To make these spinach nuggets (which I served alongside a nectarine), you need: 16 oz. of frozen cooked spinach, 3/4c whole wheat breadcrumbs, 1/4c wheat germ, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1 1/2c shredded cheddar cheese, 2 eggs, 3 oz fruit or vegetable puree (I used a Peter Rabbit Organics grape and apple fruit snack pouch).

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil.

Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until combined. Once combined, shape your spinach nuggets and place them onto baking sheet. You should be able to roll out "the dough," but I found it easier and less messy to place the cookie cutter on the baking sheet, press the mixture into it and then lift the cookie cutter up. The shaped mixture stays put and there is less of a mess!

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees, turn nuggets over and continue to cook for 15 more minutes. Serve warm!


WEDNESDAY:

Wednesday's lunch was leftover spinach nuggets and some sliced green grapes, which ended up being the perfect take-along lunch for our trip to our local butterfly garden.


THURSDAY:

Thursday's lunch was even more of a hit than Tuesday's. What looks like plain old macaroni and cheese is actually macaroni and veggies with a little bit of cheese. (More clever name still pending! I'm open to suggestions!) The rain canceled our plans on Thursday so Ethan and I spent most of the day experimenting in the kitchen. I had tried and failed -- miserably -- to make him homemade Baba Ghanoush a little earlier, but luckily I came through with lunch. What looks like a cheese sauce is actually a homemade vegetable puree of zucchini, cauliflower and carrots and the delicious breadcrumb topping is actually mostly comprised of arugula leaves.

For this, you'll need macaroni (I used DeBoles "Kids Only" organic alphabet whole-wheat durum pasta), cauliflower (I used about 8 florets), carrots (I used 4 organic baby carrots), 1/4 peeled zucchini and breadcrumbs*.

First, to make the breadcrumbs, I threw 1 slice of whole wheat bread into a food processor along with some fresh parsley and close to a handful of arugula leaves.

Boil your pasta and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once your pasta is cooking, make your "cheese sauce." I steamed my cauliflower florets, zucchini and baby carrots. Once they were ready, I put them into my trusty Baby Bullet and pureed them until smooth:

Once your pasta has finished cooking, drain it and return it to the pot. Mix in your vegetable sauce. It's up to you how much cheese to add -- I added a little less than a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and a few pinches of fresh parmesan cheese:

Once everything is combined, pour the mixture into a baking dish and top with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are toasted and the cheese is bubbly!


FRIDAY

Last week, my husband and Ethan had falafel for lunch at a local vegetarian cafe and Ethan loved it. I mentioned that I wanted to figure out a way to make homemade falafel but baked instead of fried. This was my first attempt. I made these baked falafel in a muffin tin, so I guess I'll call them baked muffin tin falafels. They came out cute and Ethan loved them but they were a little bit crumbly. It was my first attempt and I want to try again to make them a little less crumbly next go-round, but I think they were a success! I served these falafels with some avocado and peach slices.

To make these, you'll need 1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained), 1/4c red onion, 1/2c fresh parsley leaves, 1/2c fresh cilantro leaves, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and a tiny pinch of salt.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and then throw all of your ingredients into a food processor. (I used my trusty Baby Bullet again. It's just easier.) Once everything is smooth, grease a muffin tin with olive oil. Fill your muffin cups close to the top -- the falafel don't really rise much.

Bake for 25-30 minutes and let sit for 10 minutes before removing from muffin tin.


SATURDAY:

I spent all of Saturday immersed in the daunting task of preparing and throwing my sister's sweet sixteen. My husband took Ethan to ride the steam trains at a local park and then he and my father-in-law took Ethan to Chipotle. Ethan ate rice and beans. (He was originally supposed to eat leftover falafel, so Saturday would have still been rather uneventful.)


SUNDAY:

A few "Ethan's Weekly Eats" features ago, I made Ethan a Very Cheesy Caprese Sandwich. (I'm still sticking by my theory that "Caprese" sounds better when I pronounce it incorrectly and rhyme it with "cheesy.") It was okay, but I had pureed the basil and tomatoes to make a paste. I had said I wanted to try it again but with whole tomato slices instead, so that's what I did. It's a simple sandwich: basil, tomato and mozzarella cheese. I paired my do-over sandwich with some grapes, a plum and some Pirate's Booty.

3 comments:

  1. I love those nuggets!! I am so going to have to try those for my girls!!

    Stopping by from Crazy Mama's Hop!
    http://healthyfitnfree.com/blog/
    https://www.facebook.com/CoachCarrieSymes

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  2. I LOVE this blog!!! Really, this is the kind of thing I was hoping to find on a blog hop! I love your food options for Ethan and think the nuggets sound yum!

    Hope you'll stop by for a visit sometime!
    http://longingforaprons.blogspot.com/

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  3. Hi there! I'm a new follower from the Wednesday Blog Hop! I'd love a follow back at www.sugarplumsandlollipops.blogspot.com and Pinterest! I follow back all of my Pinterest followers :)

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