Soba noodles for the family

I taped a Back to School segment today-chock full of great ideas for healthy lunches and snacks for kids. It will air all weekend on News Channel 12 on the What's Cooking segment.

1 recipe I demonstrated was Soba Noodles. My friend had made these recently and brought them to my house, and the kids loved them. I tweaked the recipe a little, here it is. I made these noodles tonight for dinner with friends and the kids were slurping them up.

There are so many things you can add to this dish- shredded carrots, diced cucumber, boiled shelled edamame, cooked chicken cubes, a few cilantro leaves, a handful of crushed peanuts or diced scallion.

My kids ate them plain with a little shredded carrots added in (we didn't have anything else to add!)

They are very easy to make and everyone will enjoy them.

Boil soba noodles for 3-4 minutes. Drain in a colander under cold running water.
Combine:
¼ C. low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. Asian sesame oil (or vegetable oil)

Back to school dinner

The girls came off the bus this afternoon seemingly happy (not as happy as Kirk and I, we had perma-grin's on all day). We walked home, got a short run down of the day and they both wandered up to our bed to watch a cartoon. Within 5 minutes the elder was sound asleep and the younger was chattering away to herself.

Back into our routine, we cleaned out lunch boxes and I began dinner. My husband offered to help and I asked him to make the girls lunches while I prepared dinner. GULP... The task that usually takes me 5 minutes takes the poor guy upwards of 30. I walked him though the choices and he set out on his way.

I prepared dijon and and panko crusted pork chops, couscous, and peas. Nothing fancy.

Preheat oven to 425. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spread a little dijon mustard to each side of a boneless pork chop, then in a separate bowl combine about 1 cup of panko with a good tablespoon of Adobo seasoning, and a few grinds of pepper. Dredge each pork chop with the mixture and place on the cookie sheet.

Bake for about 10 minutes per side. They come out crispy on the outside and always juicy on the inside with almost no effort.

While those cooked, I made a box of couscous, actually my little one wanted to help in the kitchen, so I let her measure out the water, and pour it in a small pot, she added in a little olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Once that came to a boil, I let her add in the couscous and I covered the pan.

I boiled some water for peas and added a little butter and pinch of salt and pepper. I have to admit that I still love peas.

The kids set the table and we all enjoyed a quiet family dinner. No drama tonight! Yea...

The girls said they want to learn how to make chicken, so I think Moron Chicken is what we will be having tomorrow night with some roasted new potatoes and a veg.

Happy school!

News 12- What's Cooking

Many of you ask me when I will be appearing on tv, I am taping a What's Cooking segment on Cablevision News 12 on Thursday which will air alllllll weekend.

It will be a packed segment full of great ideas for how to pack healthy lunches and snacks for your kids.

I am not a food nazi by any means, but as I sit looking at the school menu for September and all I see is pasta, pizza, chicken nuggets and a Pork Riblet (?) I can't help but wonder where the roasted chicken drumsticks, turkey chili, and baked potato bar is on these menus.

Ok, stepping off of my soap box now... Anyhow, Thursday's segment is all about how to give your kids healthy lunches and snacks that 1) are easy for parents and kids to make and 2) won't break the bank!

Tune in for some great ideas to add to your next lunch box.

Greek Pasta Salad

We went to a neighborhood beach picnic this evening. It's an annual thing and something that I really, really love about our neighborhood. We are a real community and growing up, I never really knew anyone much less everyone on our street. I know it sounds a little Beaver Cleaver, but it makes me feel safe and happy.

Anyhow, I made a simple pasta salad and wanted to share the recipe with you.

Boil a box of pasta ( I think I used elbow)

In a bowl, add a can of rinsed garbanzo beans, chopped steamed broccoli, thinly sliced snap peas, a little green onion, and diced cucumber. In retrospect, I would have added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes, but I forgot. Add 1 C. of crumbled feta cheese with Mediterranean Herbs (You can find a block of this at the market)

Add a handful of pitted Greek green olives, a good pinch of kosher salt and pepper.

Once the pasta is Al Dente, rinse under cool running water.

Make a dijon vinaigrette of :
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
the juice from 1 lemon
1/2 C. olive oil
1 tsp. Greek Seasoning (McCormack makes it)
a pinch of salt and pepper

Stir to combine and add vinaigrette to the bowl. Add pasta and stir to combine. I made this earlier in the day and stored until ready to use.

It was delicious, healthy and super easy. P.S. You can also add chopped artichoke hearts.

Grilled chicken and a mess o'veggies

I can tell summer is coming to an end, the evenings are getting cooler and the sun is setting earlier. I have to admit I always look forward to those cool crisp fall mornings when the sun shines a little bit differently, and I can pull out my long sleeve shirts and pants.

I was having lunch with a friend today and we made a top 10 list of reasons to be happy summer is almost over, #1 being that the kids go back to school!!

Anyhow, I met a friend and her kids this afternoon and the kids all played, then a couple kids came back to our house for dinner. 1 has a gluten intolerance so I kept it really simple and made boneless, skinless, grilled chicken thighs with olive oil, the juice from a fresh lemon and a good pinch of kosher salt and pepper.

I have made these a million times and I've found the key to great grilling is to sear the food on the grill at a very high heat, then remove from the grill, cover in foil and continue cooking in a 500 degree oven until cooked through. The meat always stays tender and juicy.

While the chicken finished cooking in the oven, I quickly steamed broccoli, rinsed some snap peas, and sliced some cucumber. I also added a handful of baby corn, some sliced strawberries and blueberries.

I made a little pasta, but not much as 1 child can't have it and I didn't want the other 3 to fill up on it.

Everyone came to the table, ate happily and not one complaint about a missing nugget, french fry or chocolate dipped anything.

Kids LIKE simple food, kid food is not meant for kids or anyone else for that matter...

Back to School at Whole Foods, September 12

School starts next week! yippeee!!!! Summer has been fun, but I am ready for the girlies to go back to school.

The new lunch boxes are bought, and it's time to start thinking about packing lunches. The school lunches in our town are abhorrent so for now, I am happy to pack the kids lunch.

I am doing a great Back to School event at our local Whole Foods in Westport on Friday, September 12 from 4-6 p.m. to offer advice on how to pack healthy and EASY lunches and snacks for kids.

I got to peruse the aisles today, one of my most favorite things to do, and came home with a bunch of new foods that the girls taste tested.

I will also be giving suggestions for gluten, dairy and nut free selections.

Tonight's dinner, turkey meatballs, meatless hamburgers which my little one devoured and shaped ravioli (all from Whole Foods).

The weather was beautiful today and we spent a great afternoon at the beach, I even paddled on a boogie board with Abby today in the ocean, it was so much fun.

peaches and blueberries

I took the kids to pick peaches and blueberries today and wanted to ask for any ideas of what to do with 25 pounds of peaches and blueberries- got any good recipes you'd like to share??

Meatballs in a flash

We went to a Bridgeport Bluefish game tonight with some friends and I wanted to feed the kids before we went. My younger daughter had been asking to make meatballs, so we made them today- she even helped- a little!!!

We used 1 lb. of 85% lean ground beef (ground turkey works well too)
about 1/4 C of egg whites
1/2 C. seasoned bread crumbs
a good shake of garlic salt

Combine all ingredients (your hands work best). Heat a little olive oil in a nonstick pan on high heat.

Roll meatballs and add to pan once oil shimmers. Let the meatballs brown on all sides (don't roll them around, let them get good and brown before turning).

Once meatballs have browned on all sides, add a jar of marinara sauce to the pan, a finely diced onion and a bunch of sliced mushrooms. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover and let meatballs cook through for about 20 minutes. You can turn the heat way down and let them simmer much longer.

Boil some pasta and -viola!

Another friend stopped in today and all of the kids ended up eating dinner. Everyone was happy and had 2 or 3 servings.

Curried shrimp with couscous

We had friends over for dinner last night and I had made some grilled curried shrimp for a party recently, so I decided to make these. The recipe is very easy and great for a dinner party.

Defrost 1 bag of uncooked, peeled, cleaned and deveined shrimp
Once thawed, add to a Tupperware with
3 Tbs. of Olive Oil
2 Tbs. of Curry powder
1 Tbs. of ground Tumeric
1 Tbs. cumin
pinch of kosher salt and pepper

Let marinade overnight or for at least 20 minutes.

Heat grill to HIGH. Once hot, add shrimp and cook for 1 minute per side, turn once. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I served this with a couscous that I made with golden raisins, toasted slivered almonds and chopped green onions.

It was a great summer time meal and very easy to make.