While I was finishing up my manuscript for Kid Food, I started keeping a running list of items I hoped to share with you as soon as I could resume blogging. And topping my list was a terrific new book by Sally Kuzemchak, the mom and registered dietitian who blogs at Real Mom Nutrition.
It’s no secret to anyone who’s followed The Lunch Tray that I’m a huge fan of Sally’s, both for her family-friendly weeknight recipes and the warmth and empathy she brings to her writing about child nutrition. Her blog totally lives up to its promise of being a “no-judgments zone about feeding a family,” and her dietary advice never falls victim to the latest “superfood” hype.
All of those qualities are reflected in Sally’s latest book, The 101 Healthiest Foods for Kids, which helps parents answer the perennial question, “What should I feed my kid??” With beautiful photography and an easy-to-read two-pager on each food, Sally offers fresh new information on familiar foods, while demystifying the less familiar ones, like kefir and hemp seeds. The book is full of great recipes, preparation tips, and useful advice — and would actually be an excellent resource even for adults without kids.
Sally is offering a free “Try New Foods” printable to those ordering the book (details here) and if you’d like to listen to her recent interview about the book on the Liz’s Healthy Table podcast, you can find that here. In the meantime, Sally was kind enough to let me share a recipe from the book with TLT readers.
Enjoy!
Baked Quinoa Bites
These cheesy bites are a fun way to serve quinoa to your kids. If they don’t dig broccoli, use a half cup of another veggie they like such as sweet red pepper or spinach. Or leave out veggies entirely at first and try again later.
- Nonstick cooking spray, for preparing the muffin tin
- 2 cups (370 g) cooked and cooled quinoa (2⁄3 cup [115 g] uncooked)
- 2 eggs
- 1 heaping cup (115 g) shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1⁄2 cup (36 g) broccoli florets, cut into very small pieces
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and coat a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, eggs, cheese, broccoli, mustard, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and pepper until combined. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups, placing about 1 tablespoon (12 g) in each. Press down on each bite firmly with the back of a spoon. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove immediately from the pan and set on a cooling rack. Serve warm. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a lidded container.
Yield: 2 dozen bites
Do you love The Lunch Tray? ♥♥♥ Follow TLT on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! You can also subscribe to Lunch Tray posts, and be sure to download my FREE 50-page guide, “How to Get Junk Food Out of Your Child’s Classroom.”