Feeding The Family

    Feeding little kids and stubborn parents has always been a challenge. Even though my younger brother is now 15, he is still the kind of kid who dines on Captain Crunch for breakfast. However, if he is going to play football in high school, he is going to need a little more nutrition at breakfast. And, it's not just breakfast, he pretty much eats the same thing for lunch and dinner everyday. Lunch consists of a turkey sandwich with some snacky foods like cashews, dried mango, some grapes, and usually some cookies. Dinner is either meat like chicken or steak smothered in good ole BBQ or cheese pizza. Sometimes, he eats a side of veggies (yay!) and bread of some sort (rolls, French bread, cornbread). But, from what I hear, eating the same thing everyday is not going to give you a much needed range of nutrients. Although his meals are not completely awful, my brother (and my parents) have a bad habit of snacking throughout the day or even after dinner on chips, popcorn, nuts, ice cream, etc. It gets a little nerve racking when you feed them a perfectly filling healthy meal and they immediately sit down on the couch and spoil it with some junk food. Yuckkk...

     So, I have taken on a mission: to feed my family healthy food they will enjoy! Since I have been home from college this summer, I have been able to broaden their horizons a little by making them fresh smoothies, healthy meals, and secretly healthy desserts.. shhh... I have seen a huge difference in their food choices, which makes me so happy! But, I still have a lot of work to do! Today, I just wanted to share a few of their favorites I made this week.


First up,
My Secretly Green Smoothie
* 1/2 avocado
* 1/2 cup kale
* 1/2 peeled cucumber
* 1 banana
* 1 cup frozen berries (my favorites are blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry)
* 1 tbsp coconut oil
* about 1 cup of water (depending on your desired consistency)















 Second, I made this for my brother who loved it!
Homemade Applesauce
-Warm apples in a boiling pot of water
-Slice and toss in Vitamix blender
-Add desired amount of cinnamon
-Blend!

Lemon, Garlic, Romano Gnocchi
-Cook Gnocchi according to package
-Chop garlic & toss in a skillet with some olive oil, cook on medium until golden
-Mix together Gnocchi, garlic, squeezed lemon, and sprinkle of Romano cheese

Third, for my parents who were definitely impressed...
Pomegranate, Tangerine, Avocado Salad
-De-seed pomegranate
-Slice avocado into little cubes

-Peel tangerines
-Toss fruit on top of spinach leaves

Tangy Chia Vinaigrette
-minced ginger
-juice of a lemon
-apple cider vinegar
-extra virgin olive oil
-cilantro
-chia seeds
Mix together desired amounts of each and drizzle over salad!


Healthy eating for my family never tasted so good! All these meals were full of flavor and nutrients! Enjoy!