Hide the vegetables!

As my son got older and started becoming pickier about what he ate, I had to get a little sneakier about getting some vegetables into his diet. I read the book "Deceptively Delicious" and got a few great ideas, but it was more of an inspiration for my own creations. I don't have the time or patience to puree every type of fruit and vegetable then put it in every meal I make. The recipes I use frequently in my house are easy and the whole family likes them better than the original recipe.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

I tried this recipe using only cauliflower and pureeing it into "Mashed Potatoes" when I was on a low carb diet. I didn't mind it, but my husband wasn't a fan. Marraige is about compromise, so I decided to make the recipe with half potatoes and half cauliflower. The flavor and texture turned out great. I haven't made regular mashed potatoes since!

4 Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
1 head of cauliflower chopped
1 tsp of garlic salt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Buttermilk or chicken broth
Pepper to taste

Boil potatoes and cauliflower until soft. Add butter (I use Brummel and Brown yogurt butter), buttermilk or chicken broth (to desired consistency adding a little at a time), garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and pepper. Blend with a hand blender to desired consistency.

**Add liquid very slowly. You don't need as much as regular mashed potatoes because of the consistency of the cauliflower. If you add too much it could turn into a soup very quickly (which is actually really good if that is what you are trying to make!). Add more buttermilk or skimmed milk to the leftover mashed potatoes to make a potato soup.

Rookie Moms Recipes: A Healthy Easter Desert

At almost 6 months pregnant, I am starting to get to the "I feel like a whale" part of the pregnancy. The two pounds I gained in one week confirmed it for me. With that being said, I have been trying to find a way to create a desert for the whole family that will be healthy but still somewhat indulgent enough for a holiday feast. Angel food cake always reminds me of spring because it is light and spongy, goes well with fresh berries, and is probably the lowest calorie cake you can make. I always like to make strawberry shortcake at Easter, but my son doesn't like strawberries, so I came up with this delicious and low fat desert creation.

Angel Food Cake and Berry Bread Pudding

1 box of Angel food cake Mix

1 Lemon

Plain lowfat yogurt

Raspberries

Blueberries

Blackberries

Honey

Whip cream

Prepare Angel food Cake as directed on the box. Grate some of the lemon peel into the cake mix before baking. Let cake cool completely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Mix together plain yogurt, a couple of tablespoons of honey and the juice from a half a lemon. Break the angel food cake into cubes. Layer the cake, then the yogurt mixture, then the berries into a glass bowl and repeat until ingredients are gone. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Scoop into serving dishes, top with whip cream, and enjoy!

The Rookie Mom's first recipe

What is a once workaholic turned stay at home mom to do with all of her time (at least while the kids are napping!)? Well, why not start a blog....

I love to cook, and besides spending time with my 2 year old son and taking it easy while I wait for baby #2 to arrive in August; having time to prepare healthy meals for my family is something that is very important to me. My son already loves to help mom out in the kitchen and we have so much fun creating new recipes. Having a 2 year old as your sous chef can be a bit messy, but it's worth the extra effort.

Some of my best creations have come from looking through the refrigerator and preparing something based on what items need to be used up before they spoil. It's always a challenge to cook something without running to the store for more ingredients. I often come up with these great recipes but then forget what I used to make them. When I attempt to recreate them, it just doesn't taste right the second time around.

This is a great way for me to share some of my recipes (and keep them consistent for myself as well)!

This morning I had a sweet tooth, so I created a sugar free banana oatmeal muffin that turned out great. It was super moist and delicious and easy to prepare. These are great with coffee, to put in your kids or husbands lunch, or for an afternoon snack. You could probably put some frosting on them and even pass them off to your kids as cupcakes.

I had one cup of the light bisquick leftover, one over ripened banana, a cinnamon applesauce that my son hadn't eaten, a packet of maple and brown sugar oatmeal, some honey, and brummel and brown yogurt butter on hand. Since I was short on quantity of ingredients, I only got about 8 muffins. Here is the recipe as I would do it next time to make more:

SUGAR FREE BANANA OATMEAL MUFFINS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put liners in your cupcake pan and spray with pam cooking spray

Mix together:

2 cups of light bisquick (the healthy version of regular bisquick)
2 packets of maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal (maple and brown sugar is my favorite). You could use plain (if you like your muffins less sweet), strawberries and cream, cinnamon roll, or apple and cinnamon would all be good.
2 applesauce cups (apple cinnamon flavor, or regular applesauce and add cinnamon)
2 tablespoons of "Brummel and Brown Yogurt Butter" or any other margarine or softened butter.
1/4 cup of honey or Agave nectar

Put into muffin tins and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!