Easy 3-Step Chili for Kids

My daughter Abby loves to cook. She's been an eager helper in the kitchen since she was about 2! Last week, she asked if she could plan a dinner that she could make by herself, and I was glad to oblige.

About 6(ish) months ago, I attempted to run a 'Cooking Basics Week' of sorts with my two older girls, because it's really important to me that they be able to at least take care of feeding themselves in the event of an emergency or if Mom is in bed sick for a day. I taught them how to make easy meals - scrambled eggs and toast, sandwiches - PB&J and deli meat, grilled cheese and canned soup, etc.

Now, we're stepping up our game! Abby decided she wanted to make a recipe she'd seen before for an easy, 3 ingredient chili. I stayed close by, but did virtually nothing to contribute to dinner.

 

This recipe was inspired by Pampered Chef's recipe 'Easy Campfire Chili'. I adapted it so it is gluten-free.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (you could use beef, pork, etc)
olive oil, salt & pepper to taste
16-oz jar salsa (any heat; we used mild)
1 29-oz can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed!
1 15-oz can plain tomato sauce
shredded cheese & g-free tortilla chips (optional)

Step 1: Brown meat completely (the olive oil is to keep the turkey from drying out too much; if you're browning beef or pork, the olive oil should be unnecessary). Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Step 2: Add salsa, beans, & tomato sauce. Stir well; bring to a boil.

Step 3: Turn heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Ta-da!!

Serve with shredded cheese and/or chips crumbled on top. Serves 2 grown ups and 3 little girls with enough leftover for one more bowlful!

It was delicious! Great job, Abby!

Abby is 6, and having a basic working knowledge of the kitchen, she was able to make this almost completely on her own (I needed to help her with the can opener, but that was it!). I stayed close by just in case, for safety, but she really was fine!!

What are your favorite recipes to let your kids make (or help with)?

For His glory!
~Lisha

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Cherry Vanilla Whip

What do you do when a child doesn't like a particular fruit or veggie, but you'd really like for them to consume it? You hide it in something tasty!

THE CHILD:

A sweet 4-year-old who comes to my home sometimes on the weekends for care.

THE FRUIT:

A banana

THE CHALLENGE:
Her mom would like her to eat a banana with her afternoon snack.

THE SOLUTION:

Cherry Vanilla Whip - a light, airy dessert-y type snack.

THE RESULTS:
Success!! This was such a phenomenal hit with my daughters and this dear little one - I can tell I'll be making this over and over!

Ingredients:

3 large bananas

1/2-3/4 cup of frozen cherries

1/4ish tsp vanilla (you'll probably need to play with the amount. I didn't actually measure)

1 Tbsp-ish of milk

dash of cinnamon (a last-minute decision, which is why it's not in the photo!)

How to:

1) Put the bananas in a food processor, and process till mostly mashed.

2) Add cherries & vanilla. Process till nice and smooth.

3) Drizzle in milk & cinnamon. Process for an additional 3-5 minutes, until it is light and airy.

The result was stable enough to eat with a spoon. (I thought it would be more like pudding, but it's more like those yogurt 'whips'.)

It made enough to fill 4 ramekins with a little left over - none of it lasted more than 5 minutes!

My daughter took a photo of the aftermath.
This is about 5 minutes after I served snack!!

How do you incorporate fruits & veggies into other foods?

Enjoying good food,

for His glory!

~Lisha

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Smooth(ie) Talk

My daughters would drink smoothies at every meal, if I let them. One of their favorite "games" is 'Guess What Mommy Put In Our Smoothies!', and they are usually pretty accurate.

Sundays after church and Monday mornings are our smoothie mealtimes - when the fabulous creations are the highlight of our meal. This morning's breakfast was a banana-orange-pineapple concoction that was delicious!

I don't necessarily use recipes. It's one of the beauties of smoothies; you just kind of throw fruits/protein sources/(sometimes veggies) in a blender and - ta da! [Although, sometimes it's NOT ta-da, but EWWWWWW. I adjust & learn as I go.] It's a great way to invite one of the girls to help me in the kitchen - because there's no pressure for exacting measurements. They love to experiment with amounts and different flavors.

Here's what I used today:

2 1/2 cups of Stonyfield Farms Low-Fat Strawberry Yogurt

1 banana

1 11-oz can of mandarin oranges, drained

1 20-oz can of pineapple chunks, slightly drained

1/8ish tsp cinnamon

Steps:

1) Empty ingredients into the blender.

2) Blend.

3) Ta-da!

An overly enthusiastic "Two thumbs up!" from Abby.

Some other exceptionally tasty combinations that my girls prefer:

1) French vanilla Greek yogurt, frozen cherries, & cinnamon [This one is our absolute favorite!]

2) Blueberry yogurt, frozen mixed berries, & apple juice (just to thin it a little)

3) Blueberry yogurt, frozen peaches, & cinnamon

4) Strawberry yogurt, banana, & mango (or papaya!)

5) Plain Greek or regular yogurt, honey, cocoa powder, & cinnamon, & a little PB

I usually serve smoothies with raw veggies, sunflower seeds, peanuts, whole grain toast, or mini-muffins to make it more of a "meal".

Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? I'd love to see it - we're always up for trying new combinations!

For His glory!

~Lisha :)

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Tea Time

Do you have a favorite time of day?

Seeing a recent Facebook post asking that question, I answered that my favorite time of day is tea time.

It's not a set time; on our schedule it most often falls around snack time (2ish), but sometimes it happens at breakfast or lunch - or if we are having a crummy day and need a "restart". Whenever it occurs, it has become a staple in my -and my daughters' - day. They are 7, 6, and almost 3.

I call "tea time in 15 minutes!" and put the kettle on. We use real mugs. Sometimes, the girls dress up "fancy" and set the table with "fancy" saucers (salad plates), too. There is often a small treat (mini-muffins, fruit, etc). I usually cheat a little and have coffee instead, and Elizabeth likes peppermint (or chocolate mint) tea; Abby likes rosehip & hibiscus tea; Hannah loves lemon tea. Or for a real treat, I make a round of vanilla chai for everyone. A little sugar or honey sweetens things just enough.

And we sit and talk about big ideas. Or giggle. Or sing goofy songs together. It's 20-ish minutes of time to connect with my girls. Time for them to get to know me better, and for me to be surprised by the young ladies they are so quickly becoming!

In the midst of the day's demands and urgencies, I'm often quick to forget that the little girls I'm instructing, correcting, & directing will some day be grown - and if I hope to have a close relationship with them as adults, I need to nurture that now by enjoying time with them.

It won't last forever - the "little girl" stage, I mean. But for now, I thank God for tea time with three of the most precious ladies-in-training I'll ever know; praying that in another twenty years there will be similar tea times with three precious women.

A recent tea time, while on vacation!

What is your favorite time of the day?

Taking tea with my daughters,
for His glory!
~Lisha

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Even More Kitchen Creativity...

It's been about three weeks since I've been able to go full-on grocery shopping. I've been using anything and everything that's in my cupboards (...except the few things I found that had obviously run the course of their shelf lives). I've had a lot of fun rising to the challenge every evening!

Tonight, this is what I had on hand:
6 fresh eggs
4 medium-sized baking potatoes
various seasonings (salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika, etc)
shredded cheese
about 1 cup cottage cheese
sugar
the last lemon in the fruit drawer
sprinkles

Add about 35 minutes, et...voila! Dinner.

Scrambled eggs with Oven Roasted Potato Chips
Shredded Cheese (optional - my girls don't care for it)

Preheat the oven to 450F. Clean potatoes, and slice them using a mandoline (I like my Pampered Chef one! One of the most useful kitchen gifts I ever received!) very thinly. Immediately put the slices in a big bowl of icy water to keep them from turning black (from the starch). On a kitchen towel, lay out a handful of the slices to drain some of the water off. On a cookie sheet, put one layer of potatoes flat (do not overlap!); sprinkle with desired seasonings (you could probably drizzle them with oil first, but I didn't have any in the house!). Bake for 15-20 minutes(ish), checking occasionally till they are the desired crispness. I had to do four batches (2 cookie sheets at a time, twice.) It took about 35 minutes for them all to cook.

Laying out the potato slices to dry a little after soaking them in an ice bath.
This is just before they went onto baking sheets and into the oven!

Meanwhile, make scrambled eggs. Plate everything up, top with cheese if you wish, and dinner is served! My girls LOVED the potatoes done this way - "like potato chips, only tastier!"

This may be a new family favorite! Scrambled eggs & roasted potato chips!

And for dessert, a variation on cottage cheese "ice cream" with sprinkles:
Put cottage cheese, sweetener of choice (to taste), and the juice of 1/2 a lemon into a food processor. Blend until it is smooth (it could take a couple of minutes!). Empty into a freezer-safe container (...or just leave it in the processor) and freeze until it's a desired consistency. We prefer it frozen solid! Then when you're ready to serve, add sprinkles (or any other toppings you have on hand!). Enjoy!

Cottage Cheese "Ice Cream" - Lemon-flavored

And last night, we had ground turkey & quinoa with roasted cauliflower:

Preheat the oven to 450F. Spread the cauliflower (I used 16oz of frozen florets) out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little oil, salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix well to coat. Bake until the cauliflower looks nice and crispy!

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown ground turkey to your liking. I add garlic, salt, & pepper, along with a little vegetable oil. When it's done browning, add some chopped onion, 1 cup of uncooked quinoa (rinsed and sorted!) and 2 cups of liquid (I used water because that was all I had, but chicken, beef, or veggie brother would be good too). Bring it all to a boil, then let it simmer until the liquid is all absorbed and the quinoa is tender. This dinner was incredible!! My girls said that the roasted cauliflower was "better than French fries!!" WIN.

Ground turkey & quinoa with roasted cauliflower!

Thankful for the chance to create for my family,
for His glory!
~Lisha

This post is featured over at Growing Home, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Hope in Every Season, and at Teaching What is Good!

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Kitchen Creativity

As I wrote the other night in my post Q&A, Will thinks that I should blog more about the every day things that I do around here - cooking, homeschooling, etc.

So today's post has to do with being creative with just a few ingredients. Yesterday was shopping day, and I didn't get over to the store for a number of reasons. Thus, today's lunch was one of those "hmm, there's not much in the house...what can I do with what I've got?" lunches.

We've also been through various seasons where the money for food was limited - and I've found it's one of the best ways to work my creativity muscles! So, I'm thankful for the chance to practice creative cooking.

I think it's also beneficial for the girls, now that they are old enough to actually help me with meal prep. It helps them learn which foods & seasoning go together well - and which ones don't (trial and error!). It teaches them (& me!) spontaneity. It shows them that sometimes, they'll have to do without - and how to make do, joyfully...and tastefully.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite dishes that were borne out of a mostly-bare pantry. And please - feel free to share any creative recipes that you have!

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Cottage Cheese & Frozen Fruit "Ice Cream"
(this is what we had for lunch today!)

1-2 cups lowfat cottage cheese
1-2 tsp sweetener of choice (I use a sugar/stevia blend)
frozen fruit of choice (I used a peach/mango/berry mix)

Put cottage cheese, sweetener, & frozen fruit in a food processor. Blend until the mixture is really smooth (resembling ice cream) - I let it go for 2-3 minutes. You can serve it immediately, but if you put this in the freezer for a little while it's pretty amazing. My girls like this as much as ice cream!

Serves 3 hungry little girls, about 1 cup each!
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English Muffin Garlic Bread
(one of Will's all-time favorites)

English Muffins (a 6-pack will make 12 pieces; 12 will make 24 pieces, etc)
butter
garlic salt
shredded cheese, Italian seasoning, etc

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the English muffins in half (like you would to toast them, you know?). Put as much butter as you'd like on each half, then sprinkle with garlic salt to taste. Use Italian seasoning if you'd like. Place muffins on a baking sheet and bake for about 5-8 minutes (keep a close eye on them!); just as they are beginning to get golden, add shredded cheese if you want. Bake a few minutes more until the tops are a delicious golden color, or until the cheese is melty. Wait a couple of minutes before trying one!

(I'd plan on 2-3 of these for each person!)
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Wegg-affles
(Will wanted a fried egg sandwich one evening, and we had no bread left. But we did have waffles...)

2 frozen waffles
1 egg/egg substitute
1 slice of cheese
ham/bacon/sausage (optional)

Toast the waffles. In a small pan, fry the egg to your liking. Then place the cheese and/or meat on top of the egg to heat through. Make a sandwich using the waffles! THIS is actually Will's favorite kitchen creation.

(serves 1!)
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Berry-berry "Lemonade"
(...created on the day we didn't have any juice in the house)

Water, about 2 quarts
Ice
Frozen berries
a lemon
a little bit of sweetener
a dash of cinnamon

Fill a pitcher with some ice and a cup or two of frozen berries. Slice up a lemon and throw that it, too. Add sweetener and cinnamon, and then fill the picture the rest of the way with water. Stir well. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then enjoy! My girls now prefer this to juice (...and so do I!).

(I use my 2-quart pitcher for this, but I end up making it 2-3 times over because the girls drink so much of it!)
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Kind-of-like Fried Rice
(we eat this quite a bit!)

a pat of butter (or coconut oil, or olive oil...whatever you use)
2-3 cups leftover (chilled) rice.
1-2 eggs/egg substitute equivalent
2-3 cups veggies (carrots, broccoli, asparagus, peas, corn, green beans...whatever you've got on hand!) - precooked until fork-tender
salt, pepper, etc to taste

Heat butter over medium-low heat. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, then scramble them over medium heat till they are well-cooked. Add rice and veggies, and heat through. Add seasonings to taste (my girls also ask for a bit of soy sauce sometimes). Mix well and serve!

(This serves the girls & I for dinner, and there are never any leftovers!)
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What are your favorite recipes that were inspired by "what have we got here?"

Cooking creatively,
for His glory!
Lisha

I may be sharing this post at the following Link-up parties!