Kid Friendly Recipes Archives - Page 10 of 12

Super Smoothies (GF)

From left to right: Berry-licious Smoothie, Go-Green Smoothie and Tropical Smoothie. Mmm!

Sweet and delicious, smoothies provide an excellent opportunity to increase the daily amount and variety of fresh fruits and veggies that you and your children consume. And by adding kefir to your smoothies, you’ll get a nice healthy serving of probiotics in every sip!

Below are three yummy combinations we enjoy. Each works great with water kefir, whole milk kefir or coconut milk kefir. Or you can substitute with plain whole milk yogurt or kombucha. If you have access to pastured eggs, you may want to consider the significant nutritional benefits of adding a raw pastured egg yolk to your smoothie. But only if you are certain your eggs come from healthy pastured chickens.

The Go-Green smoothie was inspired by my youngest’s favorite Naked Juice flavor – Green Machine! I have to say this is much more affordable! And it’s fun because he loves to help me make this – another great opportunity to get your Kids in the Kitchen!

Looking for MORE delicious and nutritious smoothies? Check out this amazing Apple Pie Smoothie recipe and learn more my new-found favorite book High Protein, No Powder Bars & Smoothies. It’s chock-full of helpful tips and recipes for making nutrient dense high protein smoothies and bars.

Tropical Smoothie (GF)

Yield: 1 serving

Tropical Smoothie (GF)

Ingredients

1/4 cup plain whole milk kefir
1/4 cup 100% pure pineapple juice
1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1/4 cup frozen mango chunks
1 baby carrot (halved for easier blending)
1 thick slice of banana
1/2 tbsp raw honey
1/2 tbsp golden flax seed (or chia seed)

Instructions

Place all ingredients into your blender or VitaMix and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until smooth.

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/super-smoothies-gf/

Berry-licious Smoothie (GF)

Yield: 1 serving

Berry-licious Smoothie (GF)

Ingredients

1/4 cup plain whole milk kefir
1/4 cup filtered water
1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves (tightly packed)
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
5 frozen strawberries
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1/2 tbsp raw honey
1/2 tbsp golden flax seed (or chia seed)

Instructions

Place all ingredients into your blender or VitaMix and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until smooth.

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/super-smoothies-gf/

Go-Green Smoothie (GF)

Yield: 1 serving

Go-Green Smoothie (GF)

Ingredients

1/4 cup plain whole milk kefir
1/4 cup 100% pure pineapple juice
1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves (tightly packed)
1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
5 frozen strawberries
2 thick slices of banana
2 thick slices of apple
1 leaf of fresh kale
1/2 tbsp raw honey
1/2 tbsp golden flax seed (or chia seed)
1 tsp spirulina powder (see note below)

Instructions

Place all ingredients into your blender or VitaMix and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until smooth.

Notes

Spirulina is a superfood that is high in protein and immune enhancing vitamins and minerals. It's mild taste makes it the perfect healthy boost for smoothies.

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/super-smoothies-gf/

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Cinnamon-Walnut Buttons (GF)

By Kelly · 5 Comments

These scrumptious little grain-free, sugar-free cookies are certainly not flavor-free! But they are guilt-free – that’s because their sweetness comes from fiber-rich dates and their crunch from walnuts packed with omega-3s. These are so delicious, you may want to make a double batch!

And, they are so easy to make! Just add the ingredients to your food processor. This recipe comes from Delicious Living magazine – I simply substituted with coconut oil for increased nutrition and flavor!

Cinnamon-Walnut Buttons (GF)

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Cinnamon-Walnut Buttons (GF)

Ingredients

2 cups of walnut pieces
10 whole dates, pitted and roughly chopped
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Place walnuts and dates in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.
Then pulse in cinnamon, salt, oil and vanilla.
Continue to pulse until mixture begins to form a ball, as shown in photo above.
Scoop dough, one tablespoon at a time, and using your hands, form into tightly-packed dough-balls. (If you do not use your hands to press and roll into little dough balls, the cookies will not hold together and will come out crumbly.)
Gently flatten dough balls slightly using a fork to make a decorative criss-cross pattern. (If fork gets sticky with dough, simply wet lightly.)
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until firm. Cool completely on baking sheet. (Original recipe from Delicious Living magazine.)

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/cinnamon-walnut-buttons-gf/

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Healthy Valley Ranch Dressing (GF)

By Kelly · 25 Comments

This recipe came about because my oldest son and I wanted to create a healthier version of the most popular commercial ranch dressing – sans “hidden” msg!

In fact, one of the best ways to help your kids better embrace healthy eating is to encourage them to join you in finding healthier versions of their former favorite processed or packaged foods. For more tips on cooking with kids, check out “Kids in the Kitchen.”

Time-Saving Tip: My friend Brooke shared a great idea to save time when making this recipe. She makes up little pre-measured packets of this ranch dressing recipe, so she can quickly grab a “seasoning packet” and add it to the mayo and kefir for faster turn-around time! What a stellar idea! I love saving time in the kitchen!

Healthy Valley Ranch Dressing (GF, DF Option)

Yield: 3/4 cup of dressing

Healthy Valley Ranch Dressing (GF, DF Option)

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain kefir or homemade yogurt (for Whole30, or if DF, use almond milk or *coconut milk)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp, plus 1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1 pinch dried dill weed
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch of red pepper flakes (if you like it a little spicy)
*Optional: 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder to thicken

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together until well blended.
Place in small mason jar and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours (or even better, overnight) to allow flavors to meld together.
*Note if using coconut milk or coconut milk yogurt in place of whole milk yogurt, the dressing will have a slight coconut flavor. The longer the dressing sits, the less noticeable the coconut flavor will be once the dressing ingredients have a chance to meld. If you prefer no coconut flavor, be sure to use almond milk.
Keep refrigerated; use within seven days. (It's so yummy, that won't be hard to do!)

Notes

*Arrowroot powder is an herb used to thicken foods. It is a healthier option (more easily digested) than cornstarch. However, if you're following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, you may wish to omit this ingredient since it's merely used as a thickening agent.

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/healthy-valley-ranch-dressing-gf/

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