It’s my birthday today! So instead of sharing my meal plan, which is limited this week with the festivities, I thought I’d share this new salmon recipe I tried last week.

Salmon is our favorite fish dish around here. When I first saw this recipe from Kraft, I knew I had to try it. It was soooo good! My husband and son ate it up and my daughter who doesn’t eat salmon (yet) liked picking at the mushrooms while she ate the mac and cheese. Yes, I often make this dish with mac and cheese (whole grain). It’s the ultimate compromise.

Instead of using the dressing the recipe calls for, I used a marinade I adapted from All Recipes. 

If you try it let me know how it turned out. Happy Monday!

Ingredients:
1-1.5 pound salmon
2-3 TBS olive oil
1 TBS lemon juice (fresh is better)
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups spinach chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tomato chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a small dish and set aside. Chop/slice tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms and then mix together in a bowl. Spray 13×9-inch baking dish with canola/olive oil spray and place fish skin down. Spoon marinade over fish and then top with veggies.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Over the past couple of months I’ve heard about Kale Chips from various people.  And because I am a roasted-veggie convert (see Broccoli Parmesan and Pamesan Crusted Asparagus) I thought I’d give them a try.

I got this one from All Recipes but it’s very simple.  Just rinse the kale and break off into little pieces, toss in olive oil, sprinkle with seasoned salt and put in the oven (350) for 10-15 minutes.

I loved the crunchy texture and overall the taste was good despite being a tad well done (should of done 10 minutes instead of 15).  My 10-month old ate them willingly while my daughter said “no thank you.” She’s such a polite picky eater.

Kale is high in nutrients including vitamins A and C, so they make an excellent replacement for chips or other snack foods.

Anyone else ever tried to make these?

I think it’s safe to say that roasting vegetables with olive oil and Parmesan = yummy. I don’t think I’ll steam again! I got this recipe off Julie Negrin’s blog, a nutritionist and cooking instructor. Her specialty is teaching kids how to cook. I’m going to have her on for my “getting kids to eat” series. She knows how to get kids cooking (and eating) whole foods.

But back to the recipe. It’s really easy and delicious. Unfortunately my daughter wasn’t willing to try it like she did the broccoli parmesan. But I’ll keep making it. If you make it let me know how it turns out.

Ingredients
1 pound green (or white) asparagus stalks, ends cut off
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of ½ lemon (zest is finely grated lemon peel – it’s best to grate with a microplane)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup grated parmesan
¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Arrange asparagus on baking sheet. Whisk olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice in small bowl and pour over asparagus. Toss asparagus stalks gently to coat. Spread asparagus in a single layer. Sprinkle parmesan and salt evenly over stalks. Roast until asparagus is tender, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves 2-4

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Okay…this vegetable isn’t just for kids. But I’m adding this section to my meal ideas because I’m on a mission. I want to make the most rewarding and tasty vegetables for my family. And this one was good.

I got the recipe off The Food Network but an exact recipe is hardly needed. Just toss cut-up broccoli in some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven (400 degrees) for 10 minutes, add the Parmesan cheese, and cook for another ten. When it’s done, sprinkle with the juice of a lemon.

My 3-year old rarely tries newly prepared vegetables but lately I’ve noticed a change in her. When I first offered her the broccoli she said no. I happily ate them but then asked her, one last time, if she wanted to eat one before I finished them off. She said yes and had four pieces!! I could tell she was very proud of herself. I guess creating “scarcity” (or chowing  down in front of her) worked.

I like that these are crispy — a nice change for broccoli. And even though I loved the flavor, next time I’ll add some garlic. Because my daughter seems more receptive to new foods earlier in the day, I’m going to keep trying veggies at her our afternoon snack when we are usually home.

If you have some tasty ways to make vegetables for your kids — and want to let fellow parents know about it — let me know!

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Last week I tried another recipe from the Fix-It and Enjoy-It Healthy Cookbook I reviewed last week.  I love sweet potatoes and my daughter loves fries so it sounded perfect.  Unfortunately, it was one of those nights she wasn’t interested in dinner so she didn’t even try them (even though I had her help me in the kitchen!). 

I think the fries turned out well except they were a little underdone.  The recipe calls for 30 minutes but I should have left them in longer for a crisper finish.  Next time I’ll try brushing the potato wedges with olive oil instead of using the spray.

Healthy Sweet Potato Fries
Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
Olive oil cooking spray
2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into wedges
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Coat baking sheet with organic olive oil cooking spray.
3. Arrange potato wedges on baking sheet in a single layer. Coat with cooking spray.
4. Sprinkle potatoes with salt, pepper and any additional optional seasoning of your choice,
5. Roast 30 minutes, or until tender or golden brown.

“Reprinted from Fix-It and Enjoy-It Healthy Cookbook. Copyright by Good Books (www.GoodBooks.com). Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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