Recipe: Tangy Broccoli Cheddar Chowder

If your kids love cheese (and who doesn't?), this creamy, cheesy soup will win them over - and get them to eat their broccoli! Not only that, but the adults will love it too. Packed with plenty of flavor and nutrients, this is a warming, tasty soup that will fill you up on a frosty evening - or pretty much anytime. :-)

Serve with some whole grain crackers or whole grain bread and butter for a healthy lunch, or a light supper.

Tangy Broccoli Cheddar Chowder
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

(Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

2 Tbsps olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 large gold potato, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, grated
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
6 cups chopped fresh broccoli, florettes and tender stems included
1 to 2 cups grated medium-sharp to sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tsps Dijon mustard

Directions:

• Get out a soup pot, add the olive oil and onion, and put over medium heat; cook until onions soften slightly.
• Add the diced potato and cook, stirring, until the potato softens, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
• Pour in the broth and bring mixture to a boil, then add the broccoli, stir, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer broccoli until just tender.
• Remove the pot from the heat and let soup cool slightly.
• Ladle soup into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, doing this in batches if you have to, removing each blended batch to a clean soup pot.
• When all the soup is blended, put pot on medium heat and bring temperature back up until it is hot, but not boiling. 
• Now, slowly add in the cheese, stirring until melted. Add as much cheese as you like, then stir in the Dijon mustard. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
• Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

Recipe: Green Bean Parmesan Soup

 If you have trouble getting your kids to eat their vegetables, try this creamy soup. It's tasty, super simple to make, and creamy and cheesy so even the kids will eat it! If they object to the color, just tell them it's what "The Hulk" eats for breakfast. :-)


Smooth Moves Green Bean Parmesan Soup
(Makes 4 servings.)

Ingredients:

8 oz fresh young green beans, trimmed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cream or half-and-half
kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a large soup pot, add the beans and olive oil, place over medium-high heat and stir until beans start to soften; about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
• Add the stock and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the beans are tender.
• Let cool slightly, then put into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
• Return the soup to the pot over low heat and stir until heated through again.
• Add the Parmesan cheese and cream and stir until cheese melts.
• Taste and add salt and pepper as needed; serve hot.

How to Create Healthy Harvest Soups Even Kids Will Love

Digging into a big pot of hearty vegetable soup might seem like the perfect meal to end a busy day, but not necessarily of you're a kid. It seems a kid's taste in soup is often limited to chicken noodle soup out of a can. When it comes to serving healthier soups, kids don't always appreciate your delicious creations.

Feeding kids a healthier bowl of soup can be tricky since most nutritious soups have a fair amount of vegetables in them. And picky kids tend to turn their noses up at vegetables, so it's pretty hard to get them to even try a bowl of soup that contains more than broth and noodles. Let's take a look at a few tricks to create a nutritious soup loaded with nutrients that even the fussiest kids will try.

Ranch Style Soup

As most parents know, dipping vegetables in creamy Ranch style dressing usually results in the kids ingesting at least some nutrition. Why not use this trick to serve a whole bowl of soup filled with vegetables? Cook up a batch of broccoli, for instance, then throw it in the blender and puree it until smooth. Now, sprinkle in a little bit of dry Ranch style dip seasoning and some milk, and puree again. Crush some whole wheat crackers into the bowl for a bit of crunch. Your kid may think they are eating a whole bowl of Ranch style dressing, but you know better. This trick works with any vegetable you can puree. However, if you prefer a chunky soup, just simmer chopped vegetables in broth until tender, then add Ranch style seasoning, milk, and stir. It's the flavor of the seasoning that will grab, and keep, a kid's attention.

Vegetable Noodle Soup

(Image courtesy of tiramisustudio at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

If chicken noodle soup out of a can is the only soup your child will even consider eating, why not give in – sort of.  To make the leap to a more nutritious option, begin by making chicken broth at home with lots of fresh garden vegetables. Simmer a variety of vegetables to get the most nutrients you can right in the broth itself. Use carrots, celery, onion, parsnips, kale, turnips, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, zucchini, yellow squash, beans, corn, sweet potatoes, and anything else you can pull or dig out of the garden. Simmer these vegetables until they are completely soft, then strain and set the solids aside to puree later for another soup. Use the super-vegetable broth to make a more nutritious chicken noodle soup. Add even more nutrition by choosing whole wheat, spinach, or sun-dried tomato noodles. Your child gets the beloved chicken noodle soup, and you get the satisfaction of knowing it's loaded with nutrition.

Sweet Surprise Soup

Take a dessert or sweet side dish and turn it into soup. Pumpkin is a good example of a vegetable that most kids equate with dessert. Use plain canned pumpkin and flavor with spices and a pinch of sugar to taste. Or, you can dice a cooking (sugar) pumpkin and simmer until tender, then puree until smooth. Add a swirl of heavy cream to the top of the bowl for a pretty soup presentation, and sprinkle with cinnamon or allspice. You can also use sweet potatoes in the same way, mimicking a sweet potato casserole. Add a generous sprinkling of crushed pecans to complete this nutritious soup that also happens to be just sweet enough to please a picky eater.

Look at your kids' eating habits right now. No matter what they like to eat, you can usually find a way to re-create those eating habits into new healthier habits. It takes a bit of imagination and, let's admit it, a bit of trickery, but it's all worth it. Soon you'll be feeding your kids healthy soups they will actually eat, and enjoy!

One-Pot Meals for Kids

If you have ever tried to cook with kids, you know the prep work can get frustrating. Kids aren't known for their patience, especially when food is involved. Any patience your kids have will fly out the window if dinner isn't on the table fast!

As your child watches you get out cutting boards, knives, colanders, beaters, cookbooks, peelers, whisks, measuring cups and spoons, pots, pans, baking sheets, etc. etc. etc., their eyes will most likely glaze over. Of course, we want our kids to learn to cook, but there has got to be an easier way, for both you and your kids.
The one pot meal is a cooking method made for kids. Having too many procedures can intimidate kids and make them want to skip the process altogether. Cooking should be fun, not frustrating.

Having a few simple one pot meals that a child can help put together is the easiest way to encourage a child to spend time in the kitchen cooking. Here is a list a couple of the easiest meals that kids can put together in one pot with ingredients that are simple to use.

Gourmet Mac-N-Cheese Pot

"Macaroni" and cheese. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Okay, it's really not gourmet, but your child doesn't need to know that. Start with a basic macaroni and cheese recipe. Get out a pot and prepare the mac and cheese according to the recipe. This is definitely a recipe every kid likes to make, so you're on your way already to a kid-friendly recipe.

After the mac and cheese is done, mix a frozen or canned vegetable into the mac and cheese. Frozen sweet peas work well, as does frozen broccoli. Your child may even like to try mixing in salsa and pinto beans or black beans for a Mexican macaroni and cheese dish. Just be sure your child chooses the ingredients so the dish is his or her own creation. You can stop there and serve, or you can create a cheesier version by adding more shredded cheese, or a creamier creation by adding cream cheese. And you can always stir in some shredded chicken if you want to add more protein and texture.

Ramen PB Crunch Thai Pot

It doesn't get much easier than this. Ramen noodles are turned into a delightfully delicious, and nutritious, meal with the addition of peanut butter (for protein) and veggies. Start simply by making the ramen noodles in a big pot according to package directions. You can use the flavor packets or leave them out. I recommend, however, that if you do use them, use only one.

Once the ramen noodles are done, take a tablespoon or more of good peanut butter and stir it into the hot ramen noodles. Now, here's where your child can choose other ingredients to add. If you keep cans of chop suey vegetables handy, that may be a good one to choose. Bean sprouts and water chestnuts alone would also be nice. Frozen french cut green beans or broccoli or sweet peas are all good choices. The more you let your child choose, the more likely it is that the meal will be eaten, and enjoyed.

Quinoa with Bacon and Vegetables (Photo credit: fritish)

Fluffy Veggie Pot

Instead of serving your child a vegetable or salad, which may very likely be pushed around the plate and not eaten, have your child cook up a full meal deal with veggies buried in fluffy stuff. For this dish you can choose either rice or quinoa for the 'fluff' portion of the meal. Start by cooking a pot of rice or quinoa according to directions on the box.

While the rice or quinoa is cooking, have your child choose the veggies for the pot.  Any assortment works just as long as your child gets to choose. When the quinoa or rice is done cooking, fluff it up with a fork, then toss in the veggies. It's that simple. Add seasoning to taste. If your child likes Mexican food, they might want to sprinkle in some taco seasoning and perhaps add pinto beans, corn, and some chopped tomatoes. The idea is to let your child have fun fluffing up the ingredients in the pot and then sitting down to a scrumptious bowl of healthy goodness.

We know that when we get kids involved in preparing and cooking their own meals they eat better. Try these simple one pot meals with your kids and they could start branching out on their own, looking for even more ways to create delicious meals for themselves, or maybe the whole family!

Cooking for Little Ones

Cooking for toddlers and growing children presents some unique challenges along the way. While you want to provide them with those ever so important nutrients, it is often difficult to get them to eat those foods that are best for their growing bodies. We are all probably well aware of the food pyramid and the number of servings our children need of healthy grains, proteins, fruits, vegetables, and calcium products. Getting them to eat these nourishing foods is another matter all together unfortunately.

Image via WikipediaThe good news when cooking for children is that you do not necessarily need to incorporate all the important nutrients into every meal. The truth of the matter is that raw cucumbers, thinly sliced and sprinkled with salt, make a much healthier snack than potato chips and many little ones actually love this for a snack. You get a vegetable in their system and they are getting a treat at snack time. The same holds true for melon and cantaloupes. These make excellent snacks and can also be a great and healthy part of the diet for little ones.

When it comes to cooking for little ones, however man, woman, and child cannot live on macaroni and cheese alone. (It's been tried and tested and failed miserably.)  Try mixing things up whenever you can while keeping meals kid-friendly. It is important that you try to introduce whole grains, proteins, and vegetables whenever possible at meal times around your home.

Cooking healthier meals for kids is now easier than ever before. Fresh fruits and vegetables are best whenever possible. However, if you cannot manage fresh, you should avoid canned (fruits especially as they are often swimming in sugary sweetness) whenever possible. Frozen is far preferable to canned when it comes to both fruit and vegetables, as there are often fewer additives, and frozen foods are often frozen soon after picking, preserving many nutrients which may be lost from canned foods during processing.

If you need some great meal ideas that are kid-friendly and easy on the budget, you can often find recipes readily available online. You can meet your child's calcium and dairy product needs by adding milk as the drink of choice for meals or a slice of (REAL - NOT "American") cheese melted over their favorite vegetable. Ice cream, yogurt, and pudding also make excellent calcium rich treats, in moderation of course.

Image via WikipediaEncourage your children to try new things rather than cooking the same few meals over and over again that you know they are likely to eat. This prevents two things from happening. First of all, it helps you not to get bored when cooking for your children. Second, it allows your children to try new flavors and textures and form opinions about them. By trying new things they will learn not only about the things they dislike but also the foods they really enjoy. And they are more likely to grow up to become adults with a more adventurous (and healthy) palate when they are out on their own and cooking for themselves!

You should also keep in mind that your children are people too when cooking for them. Just as you have foods you like and dislike, they also will develop tastes over time. Those tastes may also change in time as well. It's frustrating, I know, to spend time and money preparing a meal only to have your child push the plate away and refuse to even try the meal. For this, I recommend enlisting their help in the kitchen. Children are much more likely to eat the things they had a hand in preparing as a matter of accomplishment and pride. (It's psychological warfare I know but all is fair in war and dinnertime!)

Perhaps the greatest gift you can give yourself (much greater than the help in the kitchen) by 'forcing' your little ones to help prepare dinner is that they will learn to better appreciate your culinary efforts and eat peacefully rather than sullenly. This tactic has met with great success in many households when cooking for little ones. I hope you will enjoy the same degree of success as well. (We'll talk more about cooking with your kids in our next post, so  be sure to check back later this week!)

Cooking Ideas for Kids: