This week marks the end of our month long experimentation with four common veggies. Each week, including this week’s Green Bean-fest, led me to at least one new recipe that one of the 2 Kids liked. Sophia even managed to surprise me this go around by asking for a second helping of one our recipes.

Herb Roasted Green Beans –
As I mentioned during carrot week, I got the idea for this recipe from Phnewfula over at Turtle Pie’s Drool Session. It’s a bunch of green beans (and carrots this time around) placed in an aluminum foil pouch with some olive oil and herbs, then placed in the oven to roast.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – I thought they were good, especially with the carrots. A few fingerling or baby red potatoes would’ve been a nice addition too…but we all know I like my veggies…

Alex – Wasn’t enthusiastic about the green bean portion of this blend. He did eat them, but said he preferred the carrot.

Soph – She preferred the beans in this dish to the carrots, which is unusual for her. She only ate a few though.

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic –
This is another of my own inventions. I basically steam the green beans in a saute pan, then pour off the water, add olive oil, garlic and a bit of salt and let them lightly brown.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – Hey, I made them, so you know I like ‘em

Alex – Said they were ‘medium’. Medium in Alex language means he will eat them…so that works for me.

Soph – This is where Soph surprised me. She ate them. She ate all of them and then….OMG…she asked for more. I was in shock. Yes, the Mom will be making this recipe again.

Green Bean, Walnut and Feta Salad -
I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com. Honestly, it was less of a ‘finding’ and more of a ‘looking for.’ I love green bean salads and thought it would be a good recipe for us to try. I will say that when shopping, I forgot the red onion, so I made it with a white onion, adding a bit more harshness in the onion dept. BUT, my kids don’t eat raw onions and I really didn’t have high hopes for them liking this recipe at all, so I made it knowing I’d be eating most, if not all of it. I suppose I should’ve made something I was more hopeful about; but kids, well they are not predictable.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – I hated it…Just kidding I liked it. I had made it earlier with red onions and prefer them in the recipe to the white, but it was ok with white too.

Alex – On this one, I got a medium to high…oh yeah! I don’t know if I believe him though, he only ate one bite. I’m gonna make it again with red onions and we’ll see what he says then.

Soph – Well, I bribed her into taking a bite of just the beans. Then she went to the sink and spit it out. Personally I think she just didn’t give it a chance, but I don’t think she’ll be asking me to make it again any time soon.

So there you have it, the end of our veggie testing month. I’ll have to say it was fun, at least for me. I actually think we might keep these taste-testing experiments up. There are lots more vegetables out there, just waiting to be tasted–I know Alex and Soph can’t wait for brussel sprout week! ;D

Soph likes ‘em, Alex does not. As the Mom, I not only think they’re delicious, but I know they are packed full of nutrients. So, as part of our recognition of National Nutrition Month, this week is carrot recipe experimentation week. We tried three recipes that spruce up the typical cooked carrot to see how the 2 kids like ‘em.

Polka Dot Peas and Ribbons -
We found this recipe at SuperHealthyKids.com. Yes, I snuck some peas in on carrot week ;D…don’t worry though, the kids did not eat them

Our Thoughts:
Mom – Loved it! I looks adorable, is easy for the kids to help make and it tastes delicious…

Alex – As I mentioned earler, Alex is not a carrot eater, BUT, he liked these carrots. He didn’t eat the peas, but he did like the carrots.

Soph – Upon seeing the dish, her first words were, “I’m not eating the peas.” but after one bite, she decided the carrots were to her liking.

Roasted Carrots –
I got the idea for this recipe from Phnewfula over at Turtle Pie’s Drool Session. I actually added some green beans too (next week is green bean week…), some olive oil and herbs, roasted everything up and they were Mmmm Mmmm good.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – Roasted veggies are easy to do and always tasty in my opinion.

Alex – He ate them. Not his favorite, but he ate them without complaining and said he’d be willing to eat them again.

Soph – Although I usually have no difficulty getting Soph to eat carrots, she wasn’t crazy about these. I think a different herb combination might have proven better for her…we’ll see next time I make ‘em.

Orange Marmalade Glazed Baby Carrots –
Since sweetness is something both of my children are fond of, I had to try a glazed carrot option. Unlike my kids, I am not a huge sweets eater, so I’ve never really glazed anything before, so this was a total experiment. I basically took about 1/4 cup or so of Orange Marmalade, a little butter, some dried rosemary, a dash of salt and poured it over some cooked carrots.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – It was edible. As I stated, I’m not a huge sweet eater, I prefer a more savory dish, but it wasn’t bad.

Alex – ‘Not bad,’ he said, and ate his complete serving

Soph – Loved ‘em. She inhaled everyone and even a couple more!

Our journey into the land of carrots this week was tasty and successful. Even though Soph didn’t c one of the recipes, Alex, the non-carrot eater, ate all of them and even liked one! For this mom, that’s a success. Plus, now we have a few more ways to add some carrot variety to our meals.

Make sure to stop by next week when we get adventurous with green beans–a veggie both my kids dislike–oh yeah, it’s gonna be a fun one! ;D

In our quest to expand our vegetable repertoire as part of our recognition of National Nutrition Month, this week is Pea week. Just like last week, I made three different recipes that featured peas; Then, Alex, Soph and I each tried them and provided our opinions.

Before I proceed I will let you know that neither Alex nor Soph are huge fans of peas. I was still able to get them to at least taste each recipe though

Sugar Snap Peas with Mint -
We found this recipe at Allrecipes.com.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – I thought this recipe was good. It’s a nice change of pace for us, eating the peaps in sugar snap form.

Alex – Ate them all up. He said he liked ‘em a lot, AND he said he’d gladly eat them again

Soph – At first, she said she loved them. She did eat them all, which is more than she usually does with peas; but, now only says she likes them a ‘little’.

Cream Peas -
This is my own personal recipe, although I’m sure there are many out there that are very similar. It’s basically just a cream sauce with butter, salt and pepper.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – I love cream peas. They are not, however, light, so I don’t make them that frequently. You can lighten it by using 2% milk and less butter without much flavor loss.

Alex – He said, and I quote, “they are creamy, but I don’t love them.” He again, did eat them all.

Soph – She took one bite and stated that she did not like them.  She was in a mood so I’ll try again with, hopefully, better results.

Ginger Butter Peas -
Again, my own invention, and the picture to the left is NOT the actual peas…we ate them before I could snap a picture. All you need is some butter and fresh ginger poured over some fresh or frozen steamed peas. The ginger adds a hint of spice that makes these peas special.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – Is there really a need to ask, I like all  food and veggies are my favorite. Anyway, they’re good.

Alex – He ate them all and said they ‘weren’t bad’.

Soph – She ate them, but not enthusiastically. This is no different from when I make just plain peas.

Overall our experimentation with Peas went well with Alex and fairly unspectacularily with Soph. The Sugar Snap Peas were a hit though. And, I had fun cooking peas again. I guess I’ve decided that even if the kids don’t love ‘em, we’re still gonna keep eating ‘em. There are a lot more recipes out there, too. It’s like a long term goal, finding a Pea recipe Sophia loves–I will, oh, yes I will…

Make sure to stop by next week for our Carrot extravaganza. Sophia likes carrots, so this time Alex is gonna be the one I have to win over. Luckily, I love a challenge

Last week, I shared with everyone the fact that March is National Nutrition Month. I also announced that Alex, Soph and I are celebrating the month by testing out some veggie recipes. Each week we’re focusing on a particular vegetable, and this week the focus is on broccoli.

Honestly, both Alex and Soph like broccoli; BUT, they only like it steamed with a little butter and salt. So, to try and broaden their broccoli-eating horizons, we tested three recipes. Links to the original recipes, along with our thoughts on each, follow:

Broccoli Bites -
This is a recipe I found at one of my favorite recipe sites, allrecipes.com.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – First, there is broccoli in here, but there is also cheese, and it’s fried…not the healthiest way to cook; BUT, I loved ‘em. They’d be a great hors d’oeuvres.

Alex – Said, ‘Not bad’ and ate a couple. He said he’d eat them again.

Soph – Ate a half of one and said she liked it…I’m not sure how promising that is, but, again, she did eat some.

Broccoli and Cheese Mini Egg Omelets -
This one I found at Gina’s WW Recipes , although I ‘un-weight watchered’ it a bit.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – Again, I thought this one was super delicious. I did alter the recipe a bit though, using 8 whole eggs instead of the 1 cup of whites and I used full-fat cheese. They keep nicely in the fridge, too, for microwave reheating as a quick breakfast.

Alex – Would not try them. He’s not a huge eggs and cheese fan, so I wasn’t surprised.

Soph – Tasted it, made a face and said she didn’t want anymore. This was disappointing to me because she likes eggs, cheese and broccoli. I have hope she’ll at least try it again.

Broccoli with Lemon -
I found this one at About.com in the Southern Food section.

Our Thoughts:
Mom – I liked it, but it was pretty standard steamed broccoli with butter; a bit boring…the lemon did brighten it though and it was quick and easy to make.

Alex – Loved it…had two helpings. He likes citrus on everything, so no real shocker here.

Soph – Loved it and exclaimed it was sooo good! She, like her brother, is a huge fan of the lemon.

Overall we had a lot of fun with our little broccoli-o-rama. Even though the kids didn’t love all of the recipes, they were family-cooking friendly and we had a great time making ‘em. Check back next Monday for our Pea-Fest. It should be interesting since neither of the kids is pea lover