< Back Quick Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Serves: 12 cookies PDF download for printing This recipe uses oatmeal packets, bananas, and peanut butter to make a completely WIC-friendly cookie! I also added vanilla for added flavor, but you could leave out the vanilla if you don’t have any. Ingredients 4 oatmeal packets (I like maple + brown sugar flavor, but try whatever you have!) 2 ripe bananas ½ cup peanut butter (I used creamy, but chunky would work) 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional, you can leave it out) Preparation Mash bananas in a bowl until pureed. The banana should be mostly liquid. Stir oatmeal, peanut butter, and vanilla into the banana. Stir until well combined. There should be no blobs of peanut butter - make sure it is mixed evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Previous Next

< Back White Chicken Chili Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 4-6 PDF download for printing Get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes with this white chicken chili recipe. This versatile recipe uses pantry staples, so you can make dinner even if you haven’t been to the store for a while. You can also cook it in the crock pot if you want dinner to be ready (and your house to smell delicious) right when you get home. Ingredients 1 onion, chopped (optional, you can sub 1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes if needed) 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped (also optional, you can sub 1 teaspoon garlic powder if needed) 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin ½ teaspoon oregano ½ teaspoon paprika or chili powder (optional) 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (regular works fine, but low sodium is healthier) 1 or 2 (4 oz) cans green chilis, do not drain 2 (15oz) cans white beans, drained (great northern, cannellini, any white bean) 1 (10oz) can cooked chicken (can replace with fresh chicken, just brown 1-2 breasts in the first step before adding the onion) Optional: 8 oz low fat cream cheese OR ½ cup whole milk yogurt OR ½ cup sour cream Preparation Chop onion in pieces as small as you can (or measure 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes) Chop garlic into pieces as small as you can (or measure 1 teaspoon garlic powder) Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat in a pot. Once oil is hot, add in onion and cook over medium heat until it is soft and see through ( skip this if using dried onion ) Add garlic and cook 1 minute ( skip this if using garlic powder ) Add chicken broth and green chilis (do not drain the chilis) Drain the beans and add them to the pot Drain the chicken and add it to the pot Add 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin, ½ teaspoon oregano and ½ teaspoon paprika or chili powder Turn heat back to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to a simmer (barely bubbling) and simmer for at least 5 minutes, but up to 30 minutes (to combine all the flavors). Optional: When soup is finished cooking, stir in cream cheese OR yogurt OR sour cream. Cream cheese tastes the best. My husband cannot taste the difference between sourcream and whole milk greek yogurt. Serve with quesadillas or chips and/or avocados and a big green salad. Also good with rice and bean salad. Previous Next

< Back High Protein Pumpkin Muffins Prep Time: 10 minutes prep + 20 minutes to bake Cook Time: 10 minutes prep + 20 minutes to bake Serves: 12 muffins PDF download for printing These are EASY to make (just blend it all in the blender!) and super NUTRITIOUS muffins. (1 muffin = 75% of your child’s protein needs for the DAY!). The peanut butter and eggs in this recipe provide zinc, iron and vitamin E, which are all important for healthy brain development. Because the muffins are high in healthy fats (from the peanut butter), they will keep you full for a looooong time. The first time I made them, I ate 3 muffins….and had no appetite the rest of the day! Just make sure you don’t serve them too close to dinner😉! Ingredients 1 ⅓ cups peanut butter ⅔ cup canned pumpkin 4 eggs ⅓ cup maple syrup (real or artificial), can sub honey or white sugar 2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice ⅛ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ cup chocolate chips (optional, but the recipe is much yummier with them!) Preparation Preheat oven to 375 Put everything EXCEPT CHOCOLATE CHIPS in the blender. Blend on high until completely blended. Stir in chocolate chips Spray 12 muffin cups with non stick spray Fill muffin cups evenly (about ¾ full) Bake for 20 minutes I don’t know how well they store because we eat them ALL as soon as they come out of the oven! Previous Next

< Back Baked Oatmeal Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Serves: 6 PDF download for printing Now you can have your cake and eat it too. My family refers to this favorite breakfast recipe as “oatmeal cake.” You can make it and bake it right away, but I like to assemble it the night before, stick it in the fridge and then bake it in the morning. It will make your house smell amazing! This recipe is adapted from “Maple-cinnamon apple & pear baked oatmeal” from Ohsheglows.com Ingredients 2 cups regular rolled oats 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ½ cup applesauce 1 fresh pear OR half a (15oz) can of pears, DRAINED and chopped 2 apples, peeled and diced as small as you can ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional, leave out if you have a baby who cannot chew) Preparation Preheat the oven to 350 degrees In a 9x13 baking pan (or other casserole type dish), mix together the oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Stir well. In the same 9x13 pan, pour in milk, applesauce and vanilla. Stir to combine. Cut and peel the apples Drain and chop the pears Stir apples and pears into the oatmeal, spread them out evenly. If using nuts, sprinkle them on top and gently press them into the oatmeal. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes If you like your oatmeal milky and loose, bake it for 30 minutes If you like your oatmeal well done, cook it for 45 minutes You can even eat this uncooked if you like an “overnight oatmeal” type of texture, everything is safe to eat uncooked Previous Next

< Back Frankenstein Avocado Toast Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: 2 PDF download for printing Do you like avocado toast? If so, you'll love this Halloween version. We used bell peppers, olives and radishes to dress up our toast for Halloween, but use whatever you have in your fridge. Ingredients 2 slices whole wheat toast 1 avocado 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1/4 cup olives, sliced 1 radish, sliced Preparation Toast bread, cut avocado in half and mash onto the bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with bell pepper slices, olive slices and radish slices to make it look like Frankenstein (or whatever you want!). Previous Next

< Back Pumpkin Cake Prep Time: 15 minutes prep + 30 minutes to bake Cook Time: 15 minutes prep + 30 minutes to bake Serves: 12 PDF download for printing To this cake healthier than other recipes, I added less sugar and use half whole wheat flour instead of all white flour. Pumpkin adds vitamin A and fiber. If you like things sweeter, add a cream cheese frosting! Ingredients 1 cup white flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 + 1/3 cup white sugar ​ 4 eggs 1 cup canola oil 1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree Preparation Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix "dry" ingredients together in a large bowl: whole wheat flour, white flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon Make a "well" in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the "wet" ingredients: eggs, canola oil and pumpkin. Beat the eggs into the oil and pumpkin in the center of the bowl, when they are mostly mixed, stir to combine them with the dry indredients. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Pour the batter onto the tray. Bake in the center of a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Delicious warm or cooled. If desired, top with cream cheese frosting. My kids prefer their pumpkin cake without frosting. Previous Next

< Back Tropical Green Smoothie Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: 3 (1 cup) smoothies PDF download for printing This Recipe is inspired by the "Oh She Glows" cookbook by Angela Liddon. My teenage daughters LOVE having this for an afterschool snack. If you don't want to spend money on coconut water (I rarely do) just use unflavored milk (soy, almond or cow). Ingredients 1 cup milk (light coconut milk or coconut water is a yummy variation) 1 cup frozen spinach 1 cup frozen mango 1/2 cup canned (or frozen) pineapple juice from a lime (1 Tablespoons) 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1 cup pineapple juice juice from the can of pineapple Preparation Blend everything on high speed until no chunks remain. Add more milk if needed to aid with blending. Add 3-4 ice cubes for an icier texture. Previous Next

< Back Red Lentil Pumpkin Curry Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Serves: 4-6 PDF download for printing This hearty curry recipe is perfect for fall! Adding pumpkin not only makes this fun, but it also increases the nutrition! Red lentils cook faster than brown, but if you want to use brown lentils, go ahead, you will just have to cook the dish longer. Ingredients 1 yellow onion 1 Tablespoon olive oil 2 to 5 cloves garlic (more if you like garlic!, less if you don’t) 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1 Tablespoon curry powder 1 15oz. can pumpkin purée 1 15 oz. can coconut milk 1 cup dry red lentils* (You can use brown lentils, but you will need to increase the cooking time to 40 minutes instead of 20) 3 cups chicken broth ½ cup peanut butter (optional) Optional spice add-ins: 1 teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon coriander, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes Optional add veggie add-ins: vegetables of any kind (potatoes, peas, carrots, broccoli) just add the last 10 minute of simmering Preparation Place lentils in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with water (about 2 cups). Place in the microwave and cook for 3-5 minutes on 50% power so that the water doesn't overflow. Drain the water before adding the lentils to the curry. This just helps the lentils get soft so they cook faster. You can skip this step if you want, or just soak the lentils on hot tap water. Dice the onion. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wide saucepan or pot over high heat. Once oil is hot and shimmering, add onion and stir until coated with oil. Immediately turn the heat down to medium. Cook the onion for about 5-7 minutes over medium heat , until it is soft, see through and starting to turn brown. Stir it occasionally so it cooks evenly. While the onion is cooking, mince the garlic, and grate or finely chop the ginger. When the onion is mostly done, add the 1 T finely chopped (minced) garlic, 1 T grated ginger and 1 T curry powder to the onions. Stir and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Be careful, garlic burns fast. (if adding the extra spices that are listed above, stir them in now). Next, add 3 C veggie or chicken broth, 1 can of coconut milk, 1 can of pumpkin and 1 cup lentils (if you pre-soaked them, be sure to drain the water first). Stir to combine and turn heat to high. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium and cover the pot . Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. ***If you want to cook this ahead of time, you can prepare the recipe up to this step and pour it in a crock pot to finish cooking. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours. If you want to add more vegetables, add them in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Stir in the peanut butter (if using) at the end, taste the soup and add salt to taste. Serve over hot rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired. Previous Next

< Back Whole Wheat Quick Bread Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 1 hour Serves: 6 PDF download for printing What’s better than warm bread on a cold day? This is a quick bread, which means that it uses baking powder instead of yeast. Quick breads are faster than yeast breads because they don’t have to rise before baking. Be sure to follow the ingredient list and directions exactly. Ingredients Bowl #1 Ingredients 8 oz (1 cup) PLAIN yogurt 1 egg ¼ cup canola oil ¼ cup sugar 1 cup quick oats ¾ cup milk (any type, cows milk is best) Bowl #2 Ingredients 1+ ⅓ cup whole wheat flour (or white whole-wheat flour) 1 cup all purpose flour 2 + ¼ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda 1 ¼ teaspoon salt For the loaf pan Nonstick cooking spray (any variety will work) 1 Tablespoon quick oats For the top 1 Tablespoon quick oats Preparation Preheat the oven to 375 and place the oven rack in the middle position. You will need 2 bowls to make this recipe. In bowl #1, beat together 1 egg, 1 cup yogurt and ¼ cup canola oil. Then add ¼ cup sugar, 1 cup quick oats and ¾ cup milk. Stir until well combined and set this bowl aside. In bowl #2, whisk together the 1+⅓ cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose (white) flour, 2+¼ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda and 1+¼ teaspoon salt. Make sure you whisk them together well, or you will get chunks of baking powder in your bread (which is yucky). Pour flour mixture (bowl #2) into the bowl with the eggs and yogurt (bowl #1). Stir gently until just barely combined. If you stir it too much, your bread will be tough and gummy. Prepare the bread pan by spraying it with cooking spray. Make sure to coat it thoroughly on the bottom and sides. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of quick oats on the pan and shake the pan to spread the oats on the bottom. Pour the bread dough into the pan. Sprinkle the top with 1 Tablespoon of quick oats. Place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 40 minutes. Test with a knife, if it comes out clean, it’s done. If the knife is not clean, leave it in the oven and re-check every 5 minutes until the knife comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting, otherwise the bread will crumble apart. Previous Next

< Back Mummy Toast Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: 1 PDF download for printing Halloween fun doesn't have to be limited to candy. This pizza bread shaped like a mummy is filling, healthy and delicious! Ingredients 1 Tablespoon spaghetti sauce 1 string cheese 1 olive 1 slice whole wheat toast Preparation Toast the bread Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bread Pull the string cheese into thin strips. You can cut block mozzarella into thin strips instead of string cheese. Place cheese on top of spaghetti sauce. Cut the olive in half and put on top of cheese to make 2 eyeballs. Melt cheese under the broiler in the oven for 1-2 minutes. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn. Previous Next

< Back Easiest Ever Breakfast Burritoes Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: 1 PDF download for printing This simple method for breakfast burritos results in fluffy eggs and a crisp outer tortilla. With 20 grams of protein per burrito, you will stay full until lunch! Ingredients 2 teaspoons butter 2 eggs 1 whole wheat tortilla 2 Tablespoons cheese Preparation 1)Melt butter over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet. This recipe works best in a nonstick skillet, you might need more butter for a skillet that is not non-stick 2)Crack 2 eggs in a bowl and whisk with a fork until light yellow. Wisk in 1/4 teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper 3)Add eggs to the pan. Tilt the pan to spread the eggs in a thin layer across the cooking surface 4)Cook over medium-high heat, until the egg is cooked on the bottom, but runny on top, about 2 minutes 5)Place the tortilla on top of the unset eggs 6)Cook over medium heat for 30 seconds, lifting the tortilla around the edges until the egg sticks to the tortilla and lifts easily off the pan 7)Flip the tortilla/egg so that the back of the tortilla touches the pan 8)Put cheese on top of the egg 9)Continue to cook over medium heat until the egg is puffy, the tortilla is light brown, and the cheese is melted 10)Fold the tortilla in half and serve Previous Next

< Back Emotional Toast Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: 2 PDF download for printing Maybe these fun faces will help your child eat some veggies on their toast! Ingredients Whole wheat sandwich bread Reduced fat cream cheese (or hummus) 1 radish 1 cucumber 1 can sliced olives Preparation Toast whole wheat bread until firm. Top with low fat cream cheese or hummus. Add sliced olives, radishes and cucumbers to make different faces. You can bite the middles out of cucumbers (and bite them in half) to make the mouth shape. Experiment with any vegetables you have in your fridge or pantry. Try using egg salad or grated carrots for silly hair. Bonus: Read a book from the library about emotions like “The Feelings Book” by Todd Parr Previous Next