In the French Kitchen with Kids | Mr. Neil's Roast Chicken

It's an honor today to be posting about my friend Mardi Michel's new cookbook, In the French Kitchen with Kids. She and I connected back in 2012 as ambassadors in Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Community and we are both hanging in strong today as global Super Ambassadors. 

Mardi Michels of Eat.live.travel.write is a full time French teacher in Canada and also teaches children how to cook twice a week in her school's food lab. 

She is such an inspiration! 

I'm singing her cookbook "to the Mullies" and beyond today. (Pronounced "Muh-lies," this means "Geronimo." My sister and and I coined the phrase back in the early 80's while jumping off high, scary places with unknown landings.) 

Isn't that like cooking (with or without kids)?

I have fallen unabashedly, head over heals, for her delicious French recipes... And so have my kids. Her well thought out cookbook begins with "top tips for cooking with kids" which are spot on for anyone who is interested in welcoming little ones into the craziness of a kitchen. She also outlines the basics (pantry ingredients & equipment) to get your French Kitchen party started. NOTE: This is NOT fancy stuff - Super doable, realistic and time tested by Mardi who is one of the most seasoned, practical chefs and teachers I know! The holidays are coming... time to get those lists started, or a quick trip to TJMax. The "kitchen blowtorch" is on my wish list. Crème brûlée, I'm coming after you.

This is the first post of many from her cookbook - Bon Appetite! 

I decided to cook up Mr. Neil's Roast Chicken for our dear friends who moved away to the Bahamas (Krissy's Gone Coconuts) last week. It was totally impromtu (they were packing and needed to be fed!). I invited the boys into the kitchen with me and it turned out to be the most wonderful going away dinner ever.

Let's rewind the evening and tell the picture story of how Mr. Neil's Roast Chicken came together.

(This cooking instastory can be found under ⚡️FoodEdFun⚡️highlights here.)

Tommy is my youngest and most enthusiastic chef. He tells me he wants to go to culinary school and live at home forever... my heart goes pitter patter.

Tommy says: "I want to stay home because at college you have to sleep there and I don't know if I'm gonna have a creepy cell mate."

A confident rock-chopper.

Tommy says, "Rock-chopping like a T-Rex!"

We had some good laughs stuffing the organic, pasture raised bird with lemons, garlic and thyme from our kitchen garden. Tommy had never stuffed a bird's cavity before. 

Tommy says, "This was disgusting, I didn't want to shove a lemon up the chicken's butt. But it was ok."

When Tommy's friend Wolfi came over, he just watched for a bit. It's rather unnerving watching someone prep a chicken for roasting if you've never done this before (I'll never forget putting pats of butter under a bird's skin for the first time myself!). I invited the boys to help me, made it fun, we laughed and relaxed... and they decided to join me!!

Don't worry if your little cooks decide not to join in... they might next time. I LOVE how Mardi coaches you through the unexpected food education moments in her cookbook:

"Kids might be squeamish about touching raw chicken (especially when it comes to placing the lemons, garlic and herbs in the cavity and butter under and over the skin.) The more they see you doing tasks like this, though, the more normal (and less gruesome) it will appear. In the meantime, get them busy chopping the vegetables and mixing in the oil and seasoning in the roasting pan."  Mardi Michels - In the French Kitchen with Kids 

Tommy says, "It feels super weird to put the the butter under the skin and feel it."

Can you believe I stretched this recipe for our entire dinner party! I made a quick gravy with the drippings from the root vegetables (the vegetables are the VERY BEST PART!!!!). I also froze the chicken carcass in a gallon freezer bag to make stock for a future soup night.

Boom.

Tommy says, "It was really tasty. It was really fun cooking with you again Mom. Can we make the french fries and chocolate croissants (pains au chocolat/chocolatines) next?"

Yes Tommy. Yes we can.

I will be making Mr. Neil's Roast Chicken again and again for my family table. Thank you Mardi + Mr Neil for including such a special recipe in your 1st cookbook. 

I'll be first in line for your 2nd someday.

Here is her amazing recipe for you to share with YOUR family table! 

*ps If you would like to share your experience with Mardi and others in the food education world, don't forget to use the hashtag #inthefrenchkitchenwithkids and #tothemullies*

I can't wait to be inspired by your French cooking adventure!

Mr. Neil's Roast Chicken {Poulet Roti}

Serves 4

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: about 1.5 hours

INGREDIENTS

2-3 c roughly chopped assorted root vegetables (we used rainbow carrots, celeriac, turnips, potatoes)

2 medium yellow onions, thickly sliced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 small lemons, grate the zest of one and use both for the chicken

6 sprigs fresh thyme (we also added 2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves here)

2 tsp flaky sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 whole chicken (ours was organic, antibiotic free and pasture raised from a local Midwest farm)

2 cloves garlic, unpeeled but smashed

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

1/4 c salted butter, at room temperature

1-2 tsp dried Herbes de Provence or dried thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

FOR BASTING

1/4 c salted butter melted

2 cloves garlic, unpeeled but smashed

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Scatter the chopped vegetables in a roasting pan with olive oil. Add lemon zest, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper to the vegetables and, using your hands, mix until all the vegetables are coated. Make sure the vegetables are sitting evenly on the bottom of the roasting pan.
3. Pat the cavity of the bird dry using a paper towel.
4. Cut both of the lemons in quarters and place them in the cavity of the bird with the smashed garlic and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. If all the lemon quarters don't fit, you can pop them in the pan with the vegetables - just don't forget to take them out when you are serving the chicken.
5. Cut about half of the butter into small pieces and place them under the skin of the bird. To do this, start at the cavity end of the chicken and slide on or two fingers between the meat and the skin. Work slowly, separating the skin from the meat as far as you can reach. Squish the butter pieces slightly and fit them under the skin as best you can.
6. Spread the remainder of the butter over the outside of the skin. The easiest way to do this is with your hands. Season the bird with the Herbes de Provence or dried thyme and a touch of pepper.
7. Place the bird directly on the vegetables in the roasting pan and place in the oven for 20 minutes, until the skin starts to brown nicely.
8. Add smashed garlic to the melted butter and place this over very low heat on the stovetop. You will use this to baste the chicken while it's roasting.
9. Turn down the oven to 400 degrees and roast the chicken for 60 to 70 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the high part of the the thigh registers 165 degrees. Normally, you can count on about 20 minutes' cook time per pound of chicken but to be absolutely sure, a meat thermometer is the way to go!
10. While the bird is cooking, baste it every 20 minutes or so with the melted butter and smashed garlic. This will season the bird even more.
11. Once the bird is cooked, remove it from the oven (leave the vegetables in the roasted pan), place it on a cutting board (preferably one that has a drain ridge to catch any juices), cover it loosely with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before you carve it.
12. Give the vegetables a good stir and place the roasting pan back in the oven until you are ready to serve the meal. If the vegetables are not crispy enough, you can set the boiler to high (around 400 degrees) and broil them for about 5 minutes, but do keep an eye on them as they might burn.

Follow Mardi with me on social media:

instagram.com/eatlivtravwrite

twitter.com/eatlivtravwrite

facebook.com/eatlivtravwrite

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

Cooking with Tommy - A Simple Hummus + Cilantro Pesto

Tommy was super proud of himself. Here's how it went down :) 
#lemonlickinggood #gowashyourhandsagain

Find this recipe and more information of Food Revolution Day here :

I am in the Netherlands, typing next to Terri at her kitchen table. We are about to start prepping to host her Food Symposium (aka pop-up cookery school) at Fifteen Amsterdam Friday! 

Here's how she drove me home to her house from the airport: Driving Miss Lindsey

The Netherlands is amazeballs.

xoxoL

Bringing the JOY Back to the Kitchen - Giveaway extended to March 2nd!

Chef Hollie Greene wrote such a wonderful blog post yesterday about her Joyful12™ giveaway and about how all we got connected a few months ago.  I just had to share it with you all! 

Click here to hop on over and read her post! Check out her incredible site and learn about how YOU can win a lifetime membership into her amazing Joyful12™ learning lab community! 

Our giveaway is now extended to March 2nd!

Here's how to enter:

1. Follow @52tries on twitter (Not on twitter? Well make it your new #52tries!!!! HA! I use Twitter more than anything else nowadays to get my information. It's better than the rest, really.)

2. Tweet: "@Joyfoodly inspires me to _____ (fill in the blank). @52tries #giveaway #joyful12

Hollie is indeed a kindred spirit and a friend that I surely hope to meet someday! OH would we have fun cooking together!!

Cheers to keeping it "real" together in the kitchen!!!! 

Thank you so much Hollie - It's so much FUN spreading the food love with you and Tiffany over at 52tries:) I think you'll really enjoy hearing how much of a impact you are having on team Shifdog in my diary post tomorrow.

Tweet Tweet!

xoxoL

the pollen family table + the mullies family table

"this is the dish of awesomeness mom."
- mac

"i kind of like it. i really like the sausages. now can i get 3 chocolates?"
- tommy

"i really like it, it's the best thing ever."
- abbie

= my kids reaction over the pollan family table's inspired baked ziti (how i've never made this dish before... i don't know...)
12/19/2014

let's get to it.

i have been given the pleasure to review a new cookbook:

the pollan family table 

"My Grandmother Mary taught us, "Cooking is not a science, but an art, mistakes are ok, messes are fine - The pleasure is in the creating and the sharing of the result."
- Lori Pollan @PollanFamilyTable.

about two and a half years ago, i gave away/donated most of my cookbooks. i was in the early throws of our family food change and i reasoned if the cookbook didn't fit my new standards of clean food or if it wasn't gluten free, it just couldn't stay.

my perspective is evolving quite a bit. nowadays, i am drawn towards cookbooks that have something more to offer than just a required list of amazing recipes. i want a story. i want to go into an author(s) mind and go on a journey. is there a common thread to connect our kitchens and pantries? why do they love food? what made them write a cookbook? can this book help me & my family get more "cooked"?

the pollan ladies (corky, lori, dana & tracy) are the masterminds behind this new cookbook. lori, dana and tracy's brother, michael pollan, joined the family cookbook party and wrote its poignant forward.

from the get go, this book tapped into my earliest of food memories, the family tables that shaped my life. about a paragraph in, i looked up and closed two dampish eyes (i am a major weeper). first, it brought me back to sitting at my childhood family table with my mom, dad, sister and brother. our meals, our laughter, our ups and downs... growing up with mom's famous lasagna, waffles.every.weekend, steak dinners, tuna casserole (oh i need to make that again!). my dad unequivocally teaching me the art of food experimentation (close your eyes lindsey and taste this!)

secondly, it took me back to my "grandma.on.the.farm's" family table. my grandma dorothy canning everything from her huge garden; i can still taste her peaches on my tongue; her rolls were made by hand with local lard (cinnamon rolls were the very best); my favorite job was picking fresh beans from her garden for dinner (and eating them raw of course); she was the first person i had ever known to make homemade salad dressing (because my grandpa tom hated "that crap in the bottle").

thirdly, i traveled back to my aunt valerie's family table and my "grandma.on.the.lake's" family table where emil and millie inspired us to make and eat kolachki, potica, cream sausage, beet salad, cucumber salad, and crab dip with endless fruit-veggie-cracker spreads - the mullies kitchen sits in the footprint of their quaint cottage i miss almost everyday.

ooooohhhh the memories of these family tables and all who dined together with us!

this cookbook successfully wove together my past, present and future kitchens: memories of cooking and eating as a child, teenager, adult, wife and mom well into 14 years of marriage and a family food change. all of it swirling together with my current daydreams of my children (all grown up) cooking in their own kitchens and coming back home to me.

what kind of food memories will i leave in my children as my mother and grandmothers have given to me? will mac, abbie and tommy wax poetic about dishes from their childhood and request recipes to make over and over again?

so i just asked them: "what are your favorite dishes that i make?

mac: "the dish you made last night and homemade pizza"

tommy: "taco nachos with cheese"

abbie: "homemade pizza, taco nachos, ribs, the cheesy pasta we had last night and smoothies."

honest food sophistication.

gulp. i'm in the process RIGHT NOW of forging their food memories. i've made plenty of mouth watering dishes for the kids (+ plenty of thumbs down meals) but perhaps i haven't made any dishes often enough (other than pizza, tacos and nachos apparently) for my kids to be remembering them enough to request them.

this list must blossom in 2015.

what perfect timing for the pollan family table to enter into my kitchen. i clearly need some help in forging a shifley family table full of favorite meals. lori, dana and tracy all have kids, they all lead busy busy lives and these recipes work at their family tables. and that's exactly what i am looking for:

time tested
thumbs up
belly filling
simple
clean
dishes of awesomeness

to get my kids waxing poetic and coming back for more at our family table = a 2015 new year's resolution.

michael pollan explains it perfectly in his forward:

"My mother and sisters are not professional cooks, and this, oddly enough (or maybe not so oddly), probably explains why this eminently practical cookbook really works. Because most of us aren't professional cooks either. They never lose sight of the few core principles that set this cookbook apart: All the dishes can be made with ingredients available at any American supermarket; most can be put on the table in less than an hour (some in half that time); the recipes take nothing for granted and never assume lots of prior experience in the kitchen; and they all appeal equally to kids and adults."

this book is not a special diet book. anyone can cook from it no matter where one is on the food continuum. they don't overly proselytize about eating "healthy" or tell you to cut this or that out of your diet. the focus stays on cooking, sharing and togetherness around the table. they discuss the importance of using fresh, organic, local and sustainably sourced ingredients when you can & when budgets allow. if you are on a special diet or if you have an allergy, substituting for it should be a snap (many recipes are naturally gluten free!). i like to cook plant based as much as possible so i'm itching to try out the"vegetarian and meatless monday" section on my family. most importantly, their pantry item list is no fuss, simple and solid. i super love the "culinary ABC" section and "sage advice" - it is so helpful to have these vital tips & practical (best friend) explanations of cooking terms all in ONE PLACE.

the pollan family got me thinking about what kind of family table i want to create, about what really happens when we all get a chance to sit down and share a family meal. our table captures the full range of human emotions... a 5, 8, 10, 37 and 41 year old's happiness, sadness, frustration and excitement... you name it and we've been there. it's a pendulum swinging back and forth, teaching and breathing life into our hectic, hungry souls. thank you pollan family for helping me to embrace everything that happens when we sit down together.

so our pollan family table adventure begins with baked ziti.

this ridiculously simple recipe sent mac back for three helpings and sent us all to.the.mullies with my best cooking compliment yet. i subbed in some breakfast leftovers - farmer nick's bacon and sausage (a local lake county farm that produces antibiotic free, pasture raised livestock) that i buy now from our new mundelein gem: dakotah's indoor farmer's market. you better betcha the kids and i will be back to make those luscious turkey meatballs soon!!

baked ziti with bacon and sausage
inspired by the pollan family table's "golden baked ziti with bite-size turkey meatballs" pg 158

sea salt
1 pound gluten free ziti
4 strips of antibiotic free/nitrate free bacon
6 links of antibiotic free/nitrate free pork sausage
1 c of homemade tomato sauce (i had leftovers i needed to use!)
1.5-2 c grated manchego cheese
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

preheat oven to 375 degrees. salt boiling water and add pasta. cook pasta until "al dente, about three minutes less than directions on the package. meanwhile, chop up the bacon and sausage. drain the pasta and transfer it all back into the still hot cooking pot. dump in about a cup of pasta sauce (mine was leftover, thick tomato soup) plus the meat and mix thoroughly. dump it all into a baking dish and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.

"it has some sort of cheese layer over it and the cheese layer makes me die of awesomeness because it is so good. it has bacon, i mean, who doesn't like bacon. i don't know how you did it mom, but you put all my favorite foods in one dish. i love it."  - mac

a worm hole has opened to my past, present and future. i am quilting my kitchen & cooking adventures into fabric made from food and family. for good food is the one thing we can never walk away from nor stop from doing. eating and cooking well is the one thing i hope my kids will do with or without me.

it's time to eat and cook more together for good food is for-ever. thank you pollan family for inspiring me and my evolving family table.

now i need to go call my sister - cuz i have a book i really need to talk to her about...

we have some recipes to tackle together katie!!!

i'm so excited your family will be joining my family in our new sister series:
to the mullies with the pollans - coming soon in 2015.

X+0=L


IT'S A FIRST MULLIES GIVEAWAY DAY!
comment below with your favorite childhood food memory (who do you remember first cooking with?) and i'll enter you into my.very.first.mullies.drawing for your very own copy of the pollan family table cookbook. on behalf of the pollan clan and myself, we can't WAIT to give it to you!

**the contest starts today and ends on 12/31/2014 so that you can join me in revolutionizing your family table in 2015**

here's mine:

my 1st "cooking" memory: in 8th grade, my mom called from work and asked me to get the blueberry muffins started. it was my first solo job. i thought to myself, "i'm making bread!" therefore, "mix by hand" = stick my fingers in the eggs, oil and powder and go to kneading town.  "wait... where is my ball of dough?" i'll never forget my mom calling me to see how it went and her laughing and laughing... when i questioned why it stuck so horribly to my fingers. she explained, "mix by hand" meant mix with a spoon/whisk you silly willy.

santa's got a sweet spot for mamacita's holiday G-hoppers

watch me now - to the mullies with holiday G-hoppers on youtube

the kids and i cooked (or should i say mixed?) this craziness up together this past sunday, november 30. i finished editing the video on tuesday, december 2nd, our lovely 14 year wedding anniversary. 

it's a special video because of the sweet timing + it truly captures the energy, the fun and the unpredictable adventures we're having cooking together in the kitchen. this recipe was developed with gumption (no recipe to lead the way, just concepts i have learned over the last 2+ years of clean food experimenting). i'm so very proud of it.

enjoy and make this recipe stat... cuz eating these g-hoppers will surely hit your sweet spot.

~~~~~~~

it came upon a midnight clear...

when lindsey (santa's mamacita) took on the 52 new foods no-bake holiday cookie challenge, she immediately knew what delicious dessert concept she wanted to tweak.

she loved two types of ice cream: mint chocolate chip and pistachio.

her favorite birthday + college dessert = grasshopper pie (the house dessert at her northwestern KKG fraternity house).

mamacita's first idea was an ice cream xmas tree cookie. she envisioned rolling out the cacao dough, stamping out xmas trees, topping them with the holiday green ice cream and garnishing them with crushed dye-free candy cane... pretty and festive yummies. however, the xmas trees and icing seemed a bit tedious and not so easy peasy.

like a bolt of lighting, a glorious idea came to life: "what about mini grasshopper pies!?" alas, lindsey couldn't find dye-free candy cane, so, with santa's nice 52 new foods list in her head, she thought, "but of course!  i'll yank some gorgeous pomegranate seeds out from their fridgy-bed!" 

away to the kitchen, mamacita flew like a flash, donned her red apron and gathered her reindeer & stash. she sprang to her food processor, to her team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

merry christmas to all (you filthy animals) and to all a good night!

to the mullies with holiday g-hoppers 

inspired by 52 new foods: avocados, pomegranates & raw cacao

raw cacao crust:

2 c raw almonds (soaked overnight, rinsed and drained)

2 c raw cashews (soaked overnight, rinsed and drained)

(click here to find out why i like to soak my nuts)

1.5 c organic raw cacao powder

12 pitted medjool dates (for the 12 days of christmas of course)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c sun dried goji berries (soaked in water for 10 minutes to soften. rinse and drain)

1/2 c almond butter

1 tsp sea salt

raw g-hopper ice cream:

4 organic avocados

2 c organic coconut butter (i found my jar at AWH)

4 tsp pure mint extract

2 tsp vanilla

12 T (3/4 c) pure maple syrup or coconut nectar

large handful of fresh mint leaves (stems discarded)

pinch of sea salt

note #1: the raw cacao crust recipe is enough to fill either 2 full pans of mini g-hoppers or 1 pan of mini's and a pie crust. i made a french silk ice cream pie with it (we haven't taste tested yet, so i'll get back to you on that classic filling!) i have doubled the avocado recipe (the video shows us making a single batch as i.had.no.idea what the final product amount would be!) i figure with the holidays, you need the double batch amount! if not, just cut both of these recipes in half. 

note #2: not a fan of mint? well, i gotcha bunny! omit the mint leaves + extract and process in pistachios. play with your nut amount! i would start with a 1/2-1 cup and taste test from there. no need for salt probably either, as pistachios are salty indeed. also, i would also use a vitamix (or any powerful blender) if you would like it smooth vs chunky.

using a large bowled food processor, process the nuts together until you have a small, uniform mince. add in all ingredients and process until smooth and thick play-dough like consistency.  your kids will have a ball with naming this concoction...

clean the food processor.  add in all of the ice cream ingredients and process until smooth.  

assembly: using a 1 inch ice cream scooper, place balls of pie crust into each cup.  cover your finger with a plastic baggie and press to form a mini pie mould. (super funny stuff to do... i have such potty humor... and let's face it, kids think this is absolutely gross-hilarious!) clean your ice cream scooper (aka pooper scooper) and scoop out your g-hopper ice cream into each cacao cup.  smooth tops with a butter knife or spatula and garnish with crushed pistachios, pomegranates, crushed dye free red/white peppermint candy, mini chocolate chips... so many festive options!!! be creative!!!

FREEZE OVERNIGHT!!!!!!!  

~~~~~~~

i hope this post and the many other #52newfoods simple recipes this holiday season inspire you to get cooking just one day a week with your kids - the lovely & manageable premise of the 52 new foods challenge cookbook. 

the mullies kitchen = my training room and we're adding more weight every week!

note to self: don't fret or give up when those kitchen performance "plateaus" hit... it takes a bit for that new muscle memory to take hold (believe me, i know).

go food revolution + team 52 new foods = december's blog of the month!!!!!

happy happy no-bake holiday partying with your kids!

to the mullies we go...

xoxoL



ps

special props to my dear friend jenn who lovingly came up with "holiday hopper" and i added in the g (is for grasshopper) spot. silly, creative, foodie friends are the best.  love + thank you jenn!!

pps

a lot of peeps have been asking me who puts together these lovely videos.  i do.  just me and my iphone with just shy of 3 GB's of memory:)  here's the challenging part: i unfortunately only have a 16 GM phone (i can't even get the new apple update at this point) and i have to delete all pics and videos off my phone to have space for a new video undertaking.  so i know i can shoot about 1.5 GM's of photos and video before i begin editing through imovie (or else i don't have enough space to save the finished product to my phone and upload!)  aahhhhhhhhh!  needlesstosay, i have developed quite an easy process:  shoot what i'm doing in the moment = exactly how cooking with kids shakes out = thumbs ups + thumbs downs + endless comedy + love + a family cooking legacy + fun.

tommy's feel better green smoothie

there is nothing better than having an excuse to stay in my pj's...  tommy asked for a green smoothie and i happily + shockingly obliged with some impromptu mullies video coverage. 

who would have ever thought?  

the recipe is in the video:)  don't get hung up on measuring... just dump it all in.  

as for this perfect song...  big thank you's to the icarus account.  i found these lovely musical artists on twitter, fell in love with their song and they gave me a double thumbs up to use it someday.  i had no idea what i was going to use it for and when i pasted all the clips together, i.just.knew.  thanks guys!

happy friday - happy weekend

xoxoL

to the mullies with 52 new foods

"the 52 new foods challenge is about more than the foods - it's about the journey the foods take you on.  along the way, you will experience failure and frustrations, successes and celebrations.  in the end, though, you will transform the way your family eats because of the experience you have together."    - jennifer tyler lee, author of 52 new foods challenge

oh my dear jennifer...

did you write this book just for meeeeeeeeeeeeee?!  

because it's exactly what i need to keep me plugging along in the mullies kitchen.

for what you have found in your kitchen is indeed what i have found in mine. 

if you're new to the mullies, here's a quick poetic recap on why i became a food ambassador a little over 2 years ago:

my daughter was a new 1st grader and a year behind in school.

struggling with paying attention, socializing, following directions, reading... 

intervention meetings were part of our worried life.

i decided to make a food change before the next panicky step (official ADHD diagnosis & ?!?)

we kicked out the fake food: preservatives, plastic additives, fake color, artificial sweeteners.

cut back on added & refined sugar.

went gluten free (gulp).

she was symptom free less than a month later.

what a celebration!

what a new gig to keep up!

i became a food revolution ambassador. 

spreading food education for all.

no longer cooking good food for only myself.

getting my kids to cook with me & change picky taste buds.

the evolution of a food revolution.

thank you thank you thank you for writing this book.

i dedicate this post to you, to all of the parents out there trying to find balance with... 

our kids

our schedules

our spouses

our friends

our lives

our health

"meet your family where they are, and move forward from there.  everyone will start at a different place, and everyone can make lasting changes.  this is your family's adventure, and like any good recipe, the secret is to make it your own."  - jennifer tyler lee 

youtube: 52 new foods is a classic - start cooking and hold the plastic! 

this classic book takes it one week at a time, step by step to help us cook more real food and move off of the fast & plasticky (yup some foods have plastic in them!) processed food high way.  holy moly could i have used this book two years ago AND it's still relevant to me today as a mom and ambassador in the trenches, working to get my kids cooking and hoping to inspire others to ride along with me!  

let's tap into our inner indiana jones.

let's go after the adventure and the treasure we might not yet see in our kitchens, hearts and bellies.

so what if a snake (er... i mean... insert your picky eater here) scares you off and makes you want to jump off the train!

they do it to me all of the time.

this 52.ligit.map can help you + me stay.on.the.tracks.

each of the following recipes were cooked by yours truly and developed with gumption (except for jennifer's lovely brussel sprout chips) around a chosen few of her 26 fall & winter foods.  any of her 52 new foods can be found in bold throughout this post.  each of my recipes is gluten free and the produce gathered for the recipes was either from my organic garden, my local organic CSA share at midnight sun farm or the organic produce box program at all ways healthy. 

here we go, here we go, here we go now!!

PUMPKIN

banana pumpkin muffins

2 smashed bananas

1 c home roasted pumpkin pulp

2 local pastured eggs (midnight sun farm egg share)

1/4 c melted coconut oil

1 c coconut palm sugar

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 c gluten free (gf) flour

1 tsp xantham gum

2 tsp gf baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  combine first 6 ingredients in stand mixer until fully incorporated.  in a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and slowly add to mixer.  using an icecream scooper, fill up your paper cups 1/2 way and and bake for 25 minutes.  place a toothpick down the center of the muffin and if the stick comes out clean, you're good!  (i also gently push on the top of a few muffins to see if they spring back at me).

how to roast a pumpkin

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  cut off your top.  scoop out the pulp and seeds (save the seeds for jennifer's savory or spiced roasted pumpkin seed recipe!).  rub extra virgin olive oil over inside of pumpkin.  sprinkle with sea salt.  wrap in a double layer of tin foil and bake for an hour.  once cooked, slice pumpkin in half and scoop out the flesh for your recipe.  jennifer's cookbook includes a different method that is just as good!

pumpkin gnocci

1/2 c home roasted pumpkin pulp

1 lb organic russet potatoes

1/4 c grated parmesan reggiano (or use cashew cheese to make it vegan)

1 pastured egg

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp sea salt

7-10 turns of freshly ground black pepper (adjust to your taste)

3-4 c gf flour

8 oz manchego cheese cut into small cubes (inspired by mambo italiano!)

christina erickson (girlfriend, mom, high school foods teacher and food ambassador) and i got our kids together for this fun dinner cooking party!  

using a food processor, combine all ingredients except for the flour until smooth.  transfer to a large bowl.  combine with 2 cups of flour.  continue mixing in more flour until dough is just thick enough to handle and shape into logs like play dough (you gotta use some gumption here!).  sprinkle flour over a large cutting board or clean smooth surface.  dust your hands and go to town making logs and balls.  gently press a cube of cheese into the center of the ball and smoosh over with dough to form a ball.  your kids will be super into this!  tommy (above first picture) was not wanting to take turns with the gnocci roller and had a little cooking tantrum (is it possible to be happy about a tantrum!?) you can also use your fork to make fun lines or just make plain ol ballz!!!  ...and hey, the thumbs-up come with thumbs-down... stay the course:)

watch tommy and i make sweet potato gnocci here! 

RAINBOW CARROTS

plum gumption sauce

tip: if you use the purple carrots in the sauce as you'll get a very purply sauce!  leave them out for a more traditional tomato sauce color (thanks for the great tip food ambassador terri!)

1 lg red or yellow onion diced

2-3 orange and white rainbow carrots diced

3-4 stalks of celery stalks (you can add in the leaves too!) diced

(i add in red pepper and zucchini diced sometimes too!)

1/3 jar of oven roasted organic roma tomatoes packed in olive oil

5-6 large quartered garden tomatoes 

3 plums pitted and diced

1 handful purple garden basil

1/2-1 red chili minced (optional)

1 c vegetable stock 

1/2 c white wine

coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

heat a 5 quart dutch oven (the video's recipe is doubled for a 10 qt dutch oven) on low heat and coat with a few T of oil.  sauté onion, carrots, celery to make your soffrito.  mix occasionally and cook low and slow for 20-30 minutes until veggies are translucent, fragrant and beginning to slightly caramelize.  add tomatoes, plums, chili, basil, vegetable stock and and bring to a boil.  once boiling, add wine, stir and cover.  turn burner down to low.  simmer for at least 45-60 minutes.  using a handheld emersion blender, puree.  or keep it chunky and lovely.  

excluding the soffrito base, this sauce recipe is one that changes with the contents of my fridge.  

watch our plum gumption cooking video here 

homemade ranch dressing (beware: its highly addictive)

i eyeball everything with gumption to taste.  here's my best guess and feel free to tweak it yourself.

about a cup of organic or soy free vegenaise

2 T 21 spice blend (trader joes or costco has this blend)

1/2 T each dried basil, parsely and chives

1 clove garlic minced 

1/2 sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

juice from one lemon

2-3 T plain yogurt (optional)

organic rice milk (i add this to thin it out... some like it thick, some like it runny... you pick!)

combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.  play with ingredients!  i use sriracha sometimes, add ketchup, salsa or even sprinkle in old bay seasoning.  the combinations are endless.

APPLES, PEARS & QUINOA

to the mullies with breakfast cookies

ambassador christina (pictured in the gnocci recipe!), gave me the outline for this recipe over a year ago and i have tweaked it into this lovely concoction!

2 c gf oats

1 c cooked quinoa (usually have leftovers from dinner!)

3/4 c almond meal/flour or gf flour 

1 apple grated 

1 pear grated

3-4 mashed bananas

1 tsp salt

1 T honey

1 tsp vanilla

raisins & mini dark chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.  line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.  place large spoonfuls of batter on the baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes or until browned.  

leftover pancake n crab cakes with apples and kale

make pancakes for breakfast and reserve a cup of batter for these crab cakes!

1 c leftover gf pancake batter (52 new foods has a great whole wheat flour pancake recipe!)

8 oz wild caught lump crab

2 green onions finely chopped

1/2 chili finely minced (no seeds)

1/2 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

coconut oil

organic apples

quick jam jar dressing

juice of 1 lemon

3 T plain yogurt

3 T avocado oil

pinch of sea salt

freshly ground back pepper

a squirt of honey

combine all crab cake ingredients in a bowl.  over medium heat, melt coconut oil and coat pan.  place two spoonfuls of crab cake into a patty shape and cook approx 3-4 min on each side until cooked through with a nice brown crust.  serve over a bed of curly kale tossed with dressing and top it all off with a ton of freshly chopped organic apples.

GARLIC

chimichurri

this recipe was inspired from a wonderful trip with friends to the dominican republic last year.  i recently brought this to a friends house and we piled it on top of gorgeously grilled new york strip steak.   hummina hummina.

1 small onion

5-6 radishes

2-3 green onions

1/2 c sliced raw almonds

3 cloves garlic 

1 jalepeno finely minced

1 bunch garden cilantro

1 bunch garden parsley

1 bunch garden oregano

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c red wine vinegar

2 T freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 tsp sea salt

place all ingredients into a food processor and whiz.  

chimichurri goes with everything as far as i'm concerned.  meat, fish, pasta, toast, soup... it's balls out.

BRUSSEL SPROUTS

52 new foods challenge inspired brussel sprout chips 

jennifer, not only did the kids love to help me with this, but it totally beats the hellerrrrs out of kale chips (and we all like kale chips!)  

brussel sprouts

1-2 tsp melted coconut oil

pink sea salt 

freshly ground black pepper

(i love em with a little tequila lime seasoning on them too!)

peel em, toss em with oil and sprinkle with s&p.  i baked these for only 15 min at 350 degrees and took them out because they were done!  finger lickin good.

video: to the mullies with 52 new foods - brussel sprout chips

AVOCADO & ARTICHOKE

a crab salad with avocado & artichoke

mixed greens

sliced avocado

marinated artichokes & red pepper

kalamata olives

wild caught lump crab meat

homemade ranch

sriracha

the picture says it all.  oh yea.

a cacao and avocado smoothie/fudgsicle
my kids like this so much that i make a batch at least 2x's a week!  mac can make it on his own now, which is really cool.

2 frozen or fresh bananas
5 pitten medjool dates
2-3 T hemp seed
3-4 T raw cacao powder
1 avocado (flesh only)
1 scoop unflavored vegan plant protein powder (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 T almond butter
2 c chopped ice (not necessary if you are making fudgsicles)
3 c almond milk

place all ingredients into a high powered blender (i have a vitamix) and whiz.  add more almond milk if needed to thin.  if the kids don't finish the smoothie, i put it in the fridge and it's a perfect after school snack!  to make fudgsicles that bring us back to childhood, simply pour them into a pop mold and freeze.  briefly run the plastic under hot water and get those suckers out!

light up the food revolution with me!

let's strike a match and start.it.up with this brand new cooking map.  wanting more info? you can pre-order this puppy & get an exclusive cookbook bonus and definitely check out this 52 new foods challenge video for more inspiration.

turn up the music
get your apron on
invite a little chaos in the kitchen (my sanity comes and goes)
get chopping with those kiddos, family and friends
make & eat your own rainbow with 52 new REAL foods

play + cook + eat = a healthier & happier you + me!

xoxoL