Cheesy Lunchbox Muffins

I found this recipe from The Sneaky Chef by: Missy Chase Lapine and it's a great way to sneak in carrot and sweet potato as well as some apple into your child's diet!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons vege or canola oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup orange puree
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup diced cooked ham, turkey, salami or bologna if desired (I didn't add it since I typically spread peanut butter on his muffins for protein)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375, line muffin tin with paper liners (if used, I just sprayed them)
2. In mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
3. In another mixing bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, applesauce, orange puree, cheese and optional meat. 
4. Fold dry ingredients into the wet, mixing until the flour is just moistened - don't overmix
5. Fill each muffin cup almost to the top, spooning about 1/4 cup batter into each 
6. Bake 25-27 minutes until tops are golden brown
7. Serve warm or wrap and store in refrigerator (for up to 3 days) or freezer (for up to 3 months)
8. Defrost and place in lunchbox with an ice pack

 

Result:

Kye loves them and I think they will be SO useful for when Kye has a little lunchbox to take to school. I like that I'll be able to offer him variety other than just pbj and that he'll be eating something healthy without even realizing it!

Purple Puree

This is used for all recipes that call for "purple puree" it is from the cookbook The Sneaky Chef by: Missy Chase Lapine.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw baby spinach leaves
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Fill bowl of food processor with spinach, blueberries, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water
2. Puree on high until as smooth as possible. If needed, use another tablespoon of water to smooth-out puree
3. This recipe makes about 2 cups of puree; double if you want to store more. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days or you can freeze 1/4 cup portions sealed in plastic bags (this is what I did).  

 Results:

This is the grossed looking puree of all! While it's gross looking, it was the easiest to prepare and I think it's one of the healthiest ones since it has both blueberries and spinach!

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This is a GREAT one for a party or when having company over for dinner. If I make it for just my little family we'll eat it as our entire meal. It's super easy to make and always a crowd pleaser :)

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts
• 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Drain and finely chop artichoke hearts
3. Mix all ingredients together in a 9 inch quiche dish or pie plate
4. Bake 20 min
5. Serve with crackers or veges

• We buy a loaf of French bread from the bakery at whatever grocery store we're at and I will cut it up into pieces and stick it in the oven for the last 5-10 min that the dip is in so it gets a little crispy!

I like that I can make this in advance when we have company and just keep it in the fridge until I need to heat it. I've never had anyone not like it and it's a good way to get Zach to eat some spinach :)

Orange Puree

This puree is used in all recipes that call for an "orange" puree. It's a blend of carrots and sweet potatoes and is from the cookbook The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato (or yam) peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks
• 2-3 tablespoons of water

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, cover carrots and potatoes with cold water and boil for 20 min until very tender (especially the carrots). 
2. Drain the carrots and potatoes and put in bowl of food processor with two tablespoons of water.
3. Puree on high until smooth. No chunks or pieces of carrot or potato should remain.

This makes about 2 cups of puree. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or you can freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags (that's what I did!).

White Puree

This puree is used in all recipes that call for the "white" puree. I also call it the "cauliflower puree." This recipe is from the Sneaky Chef by: Missy Chase Lapine.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cauliflower florets (I used frozen)
• 1-2 medium zucchini, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I used some from a bottle)
• 1-2 tablespoons water, if needed

Directions:

1.  On the stovetop, pour about 2 inches of water into a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Put a vegetable steamer basket into the pot, add the cauliflower, and steam for about 10 minutes until tender, drain. 
2. OR: to prepare in microwave (this is what I did) place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with water, and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes until very tender. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, place the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice in your food processor (I don't have one so I used a blender) and pulse a few times. Next add the cooked cauliflower and 1 tablespoon of water to the food processor (work in batches if needed) and puree on high until smooth. Stop occasionally to push the contents to the bottom. If necessary, use another tablespoon of water make a smooth puree, but the less water, the better.
4. This recipe makes about 2 cups of puree; double if you want to store more. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days or you can freeze 1/4 cup portions sealed in plastic bags (this is what I did). 

Results:

I think this will probably be the most useful puree out of them all. It's white so it's easy to sneak into foods and I've heard that cauliflower is basically tasteless. I plan on using it not only in the recipes that call for it but also in mashed potatoes!

Surprise-icle

I found this recipe online out of the cookbook The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine. It is a great summer treat that sneaks in both carrots and sweet potatoes!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Mott's Medleys Juice, Tropical Flavor
• 1/4 cup Orange Puree
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• rainbow sprinkles, optional (I didn't use them, my child isn't old enough to notice!)

Directions:

1. Blend ingredients except sprinkles together in blender until smooth. Drop a few spinkles (if desired) into each popsicle mold and then pour equal amounts of the mixture in each. Insert stick and freeze for at least 3 hours. (I have that popsicle making set of 4 molds and it fit perfectly!) 

I haven't had Kye try this yet as I just haven't been home around snack time but I'm sure he will like it! Especially since he's teething right now and anything cold always helps :)

Green Puree

This is taken from The Sneaky Chef by: Missy Chase Lapine I don't have her cookbook but I found the recipe online :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw baby spinach leaves (or 1 cup frozen, which is what I did)
• 2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup sweet green peas (frozen)
• 2-3 tablespoons of water

Directions:

1. If using raw spinach, thoroughly wash it, even if package says "prewashed"
2. To prepare on stovetop, pour about 2 inches of water into a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Put a vegtable steamer basket into the pot, add the spinach and broccoli, and steam for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the frozen peas to the basket for the last 2 minutes of steaming. Drain.
3. OR to prepare in microwave (which is what I did, of course) place the broccoli and spinach in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes, until very tender. Add peas for last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.
4. Place the vegetables in the bowl of your food processor along with 2 tablespoons of water. Puree on high until as smooth as possible. Stop occasionally to push the contents to the bottom. If necessary, use another tablespoon of water to smooth out the puree.

This makes about 2 cups of puree. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or you can freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags (that's what I did!).