Sweet Potato Balls

SWEET POTATO BALLS

(a fun finger food for kiddos that's packed with nutrients!)

Recipe:

1 sweet potato (steamed or roasted until mushy-soft)

1 cup cooked lentils

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1T nutritional yeast (optional)

mix the ingredients together and roll into little balls!

**shocking tip: babies love lentils!! (ok...I can't speak for all babies, but I have been taking my own mini poll and most give a chubby little thumbs up!) 

to cook lentils: add 1 cup lentils and two cups veggie broth to a pot. put the lid on, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about 20 min. use a very low sodium broth...or make your own.

to make veggie broth: add 8 cups water, 1 bay leaf, 1T thyme, 1T parsley, 1 garlic clove (chopped), 1 onion (chopped), 2 carrots (chopped), 2 celery stalks (chopped). bring to a boil then simmer for a couple hours. Then let cool a bit and strain into airtight container and keep in the fridge for about a week. (use to cook grains and beans for the week) It's really that easy and these are ingredients that we usually have on hand. chopping the ingredients give you the most flavor out of them!

Nutritional info: 

These yummy balls are little nutritional power houses!!

SWEET POTATOES provide a huge punch of vitamin A, plus iron, calcium and vitamin C

LENTILS are a good source of potassium, calcium, zinc, niacin and vitamin K, and are particularly rich in dietary fiber, lean protein, folate and iron

QUINOA we all know by now as a great source of protein

NUTRITIONAL YEAST is a wonderful source of B12 vitamins

Growing up with whole foods

START THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH WHOLE FOODS EARLY!

 (Even if it's one pot of tomatoes or basil or carrots...they'll love to taste what you've been growing!)

Even before Owen turned 1, I would take him to the garden with me and let him crawl around and explore the dirt, grass, weeds, plants... He would get super dirty and have a ball! Once the plants started to grow and produce our greens and veggies, it gave me the perfect opportunity to teach him about smells, color and taste! He loved putting all the different foods in his mouth and rolling them around in his hands.

 

Tasting fresh garden tomatoes! YUM!

Include your kids in dinner preparation! This is Owen watching me cook up some kale from our garden. Whether it's food from the garden or from the grocery store, try to include them in your plans for each item. Chances are, your kiddos are doing the grocery shopping with you, so explaining how that yellow squash is going to turn into a yummy dinner will not only teach them how to cook healthy meals, it will get them involved. Let them pick out the perfect squash! If they are involved in the process, they'll be more inclined to taste the end result!
(summer squash is a great source of antioxidants and vitamin C!)

**tip to try: If your kiddos are not crazy about the simple roasted squash (squash rounds with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper roasted at 400* for 25-30 min) dish you made one night (although who could resist??!), talk to them about how you could prepare it next time...like breaded and baked with tomato sauce! The next squash night will be an event they'll look forward to! 

Squash breaded and baked with tomato sauce:

you'll need:

5-6 squash (yellow or zucchini both work great!)

1.5 cups whole wheat breadcrumbs (bonus points for using stale homemade bread buzzed in a food processor)

3/4 jar of your favorite tomato sauce (or make your own with recipe below)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (mix some in with breadcrumbs and save some to sprinkle on top!
3T ground flax seed mixed with 6T water (to make flax egg mixture)

slice up squash into 1/4 inch rounds. dip in flax egg mixture and roll around in breadcrumb/nutritional yeast mixture. lay on parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 400* for about 20 min. flipping over half way through. we just want them to dry out and brown a bit. lower over temp to 350*

grease a baking dish (with veg oil spray or a tiny bit of olive oil). spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on bottom of dish, layer 1/3 squash, layer more sauce, then 1/3 squash, then sauce then last 1/3 of squash, then the rest of the sauce. SO SIMPLE!bake at 350 for another 20 min. sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top and eat!

MAKE YOUR OWN TOMATO SAUCE:

you'll need:

5-6 tomatoes diced (or 1 lg can diced tomato)

2T tomato paste

1t basil

1t parsley

1 clove garlic minced

pinch salt

pinch pepper

Throw it all in a sauce pan and simmer for at least 30 min.

Easy Delicious Homemade Bread

 

If only you could smell my house right now....mmmmmmm! 

Nothing beats the smell of fresh baked bread!

You CAN make your own bread. It's not too hard and not too time consuming, I promise!! We eat sandwiches almost every day for lunch around here. Nut butter sandwiches, veggie sammys with hummus, smashed bean and greens with avocado.....sandwiches are the BEST and they are even yummier and healthier when you make them yourself from trusted, wholesome ingredients. My go-tos are Whole Wheat-Quinoa-Flax loaf and Whole Wheat-Oatmeal-Flax loaf. (I like Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat) The quinoa loaves have protein, iron and the flax gives those great omega-3s. The Oatmeal loaves have a comforting, hearty bite and have folate, calcium, and of course those omega-3s. Bread is NOT empty carbs!! It is delicious and an easy way to pack more nutrients into the tummy's of your loved ones!!

 What you'll need: (makes 2 loaves)

5 Cups lukewarm water
4 Tablespoons of raw sugar
2 Tablespoons of salt
2 Tablespoons (or packets) of yeast
5-8 Cups of whole-wheat flour
3 cups of either Quinoa flour OR Oat flour (ground up oats)

1/2 cup ground flax-seed

1 large mixing bowl
1 large wooden spoon or spatula

• Pour 5 cups of lukewarm water into the large bowl. Add the sugar, salt and yeast. Stir until all ingredients are dissolved.

•  Add 5 cups of whole-wheat flour and 3 cups of Quinoa or Oat flour (depending on which type of bread you're making) into the liquid mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon until it comes together into a ball. This is when you ditch the spoon and use your hands.
• knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. (tip: I just knead the dough right in the mixing bowl because then there's no mess!) You'll need to add some whole wheat flour as you go until the dough is no longer sticky (when you can stick your finger into the center of the ball of dough and it comes out clean, you can stop adding flour).
• When you're done kneading, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 1 hour. Then punch it down and cover and let rest for another 45 minutes. Then punch the dough down and slice down the middle into two equal balls and plop balls into greased pans. Let rise for another 45 min. 
• Bake at 375 for 30 min. 

 **HERE'S THE BEAUTY OF THIS BREAD: If you have to leave the house and can't be held to the 1 hour, then 45 min, then 45 min of rising for these loaves....NO WORRIES!! It happens to me all the time! I'll come back after two hours the first rise and punch it down, then let it rise for another hour or so, then pop it in the oven...it's very forgiving!! the key is to make sure it's risen in the bread pans to a height that you like when you're ready to bake...that's it!! It'll be delicious, don't be scared!! ;) **

 

Have your kids help! The more involved they are with the cooking, the more they'll learn about whole foods, and the more they'll get excited about whole foods and eat them!!

anything goes...I have one bread pan and a whole bunch of cake pans, so when I make bread use one of each. Just plop the dough in the center of the greased pan and it'll rise enough to fill it. 

**It's fun having different sized loaves because it makes for different sized sandwiches!**