Serve Up More Veggies to Your "Valentine" Kids

Beet Infused LOVE Pancakes!

Photo Courtesy Of Christina Smith, Parishville.

I am asked this question quite often:

"How do I get my kids to eat more vegetables and less junk?"  (This topic pertains to anyone in need of more veggies, not just kids!)

The easy answer is this: "Serve them vegetables and do not bring junk into the home. They can only eat what is available to eat."

So I know you Moms are chuckling and maybe thinking... easy for you to say Paula, you don't live with my kids. 

My kids ate every fruit or vegetable I gave them (Well, maybe not broccoli, but remember that cruciferous veggie taste is a strong one!) until a certain age. It was like veggie eating (not so much the fruits) almost stopped on a dime. It left me wondering what had happened to my happy to eat veggie kids. The funny phenomenon is this: when my oldest boy decided veggies did not tantalize his palate anymore, it was a license for my younger son to bag eating veggies too. "No way Mom, Jake doesn't touch them and I am not either."

What IS a Mom to do?

I say:  Sneak feed your kids more nasty (their word) vegetables!

Photo Courtesy Of Christina & Brycen Smith, Parishville.

1. Puree cooked beets in the blender with the milk, eggs, and butter for the pancake batter. Pour into mixing bowl and finish making your pancake batter.
2. Use cooked squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc. in the same manner. I do confess... broccoli in pancakes is not a winning combination with kids! Remember to add spices to these beautifully colored pancakes: cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, star anise... perhaps a dash or two of vanilla!
3. I used to add spinach to pancakes and called them "Shrek" pancakes. They loved it and gobbled them up. At the time, they loved the Shrek movies. When they finally figured out my scam... I was not popular in the kitchen for a bit of time. It did work for a couple of years so I was grateful for the added veggies.
4. Chocolate milk for my kids was this: raw goat's milk, cocoa powder, 1/2 ripe banana, vanilla extract, and cooked squash. Use enough squash to add sweetness but not so much that the end product is thick like a milk shake... unless, of course, you want to pass it off as a milk shake. For years my kids had no clue a milk shake actually contained ice cream!
5. Add cooked beet to a berry smoothie, not so much that it overwhelms the berry taste. Beets are very earthy in taste.
6. For more information on beet's blessing to your kid's and your body's health, click here and scroll down to read beet information: http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/blog/2013/01/26/the-beet-goes-on
7. Puree a bit of cooked squash into pasta sauce.
8. Chicken or other bone broth? Puree veggies into the broth. Use just enough veggies to add vegetables to the broth and your meal but not enough to turn the broth into stew. Bone broth video added below.

Fun shapes always amused my kids into eating veggie infused pancakes. 

Photo Courtesy Of Christina Smith, Parishville.

For more fun ideas of how to add veggies to your life, click here. 

Cheers and Happy Valentine's Day!

Whole Food Carrot Cake Recipe

Because so many of you asked 

for this... here it is!

Whole Food Carrot Cake

3 eggs 

3/4 cup buttermilk (I used raw goats milk soured with 1 tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar)

3/4 cup butter from grass fed cows

3/4 cup sucanat sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

3 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. unrefined sea salt

2 cups whole grain flour (oat, spelt... whatever you please)

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins

1 - 8 oz can pineapple with natural juice, no added sugar (I used the organic canned pineapple from the Coop, it is  a 14 oz can.  I will use the whole can the next time I make this yummy cake)

(All ingredients organic and naturally raised)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1.   Soak the cup of raisins in the pineapple juice.

2.   Beat eggs, then beat in buttermilk and butter.  I gently heat the butter to melt it.

3.   Blend in sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

4.   Mix in flour, b. soda, b. powder, and salt.

5.   Shred carrots on a cheese grater and blend into batter.

6.   Add coconut and walnuts.

7.   Chop pineapple pieces in blender to a puree and mix into batter.

8.   Add raisins and the pineapple juice and mix in well.

9.   Butter two 8" round cake pans, divide batter evenly between two pans

10. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until cakes is pulling from edge of pans and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Allow to cool until just warm and turn out on cooling racks.  When completely cool, frost the bottom layer, add the top layer and frost top and sides completely.

Frosting

Organic heavy cream, two 8 oz containers

Organic Neufchatel Cheese, one 8 oz package 

2 - 4 tbsp. dark maple syrup

1 tbsp. vanilla

Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer to whip into frosting consistency.

Enjoy this super yummy cake for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!  Paula