What Do You Do with 10 Lbs. of Carrots?

Shred them.

Stare at them.

Finally make something.

And maybe, just maybe, the construction workers next door that you take some warm carrot cookies to will give your little helpers a couple bucks to spend.

Here's the awesome recipe: lots of carrot, fall spices, raisins, and oats. Of course I contributed to the "less sugar than called for" and added white whole wheat flour. A great fall snack for you and your kiddies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar (I used 1/2 to 3/4 c.)
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/2 to 3/4 c.)
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I put half whole wheat flour in)
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.
3. Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough.
   

(Recipe courtesy MarthaStewart.com)

Create An Edible Still Life

If you've ever studied art history, you would remember the redundant studies on fruit as still life. Above Picasso, Manet, Van Gogh and, my favorite, Cezanne, turn the ordinary into artful masterpieces.

In our house, maybe because I am an art history major, I like to do the same, without all of the acrylic paint, that is.


It is tradition here that after buying produce we arrange the rainbow of goodness onto a white platter. (White serving dishes are best to show off food--think of all the fancy restaurants you've been to; they always serve on white dishes.)
The kids get involved in unwrapping each category of fruit and displaying it, while I make sure the more tender fruit/veggies are on the top of the arrangement. Fruit gets one platter, vegetables, another.

This simple activity does a couple things:

1. it provides variety in shapes, colors, textures for children to explore
   
2. on a beautiful platter it becomes a handmade centerpiece inspired by you and your children
3. placed on a table within reach will invite children to pick their fancy for snack time
   
4. it truly does become living artwork for your family to enjoy the earth's bounty year round
5. being constantly exposed to vegetables allows you to cook them with less resistance from your children as they "bond" with them all day
   

Season of Indulgence

This week was my first attempt in 3+ months of actually being in the kitchen and baking. Well, is making fudge really considered "baking"?

Either way, I did make something for my kids for the Christmas season. Here's some easy peanut butter fudge--it takes, seriously, 15 minutes. And by the way, don't look too closely to the ingredient statement. Besides, isn't it Christmas--the season of indulgence?

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup peanut butter (I used chunky PB for some texture)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth; pour into an 8x8 inch dish. Chill until firm and cut into squares.

Recipe courtesy of: allrecipes.com

Individual Cheese Balls

Here's a super easy snack that you could very easily have all of the ingredients for. The best part? Having your children roll the mixture into balls themselves.

Serves 4

• 4 ounces cold cream cheese (1/2 bar)
• 2 ounces yellow cheddar cheese, finely grated (1 cup loosely packed)
• 1 carrot, finely grated (1/2 cup)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, with a wooden spoon, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and carrot. With moistened hands, gently form 12 balls, each equal to 1 level tablespoon of mixture. Serve or refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, up to 2 days.

Simple, slightly crunchy, with a boost of shredded carrots. The kids hardly notice. Let your kids spread on crackers with a plastic knife and you're suddenly the coolest mom in the neighborhood.


Recipe courtesy MarthaStewart.com

Fiber Never Tasted So Good

Bran is one of nature's greatest sources of fiber. It essentially is the outer coating of the wheat kernel where most of the minerals, proteins, and vitamins are found. Use bran to sprinkle on yogurt or to add in muffins. Especially if you eat mostly enriched breads, cereals, and pasta, fill up on this incredible fiber source as much as possible.


Bananas are the answer to the dry, tasteless bran muffin of yesterday. Yes they add flavor, but they especially can turn many dull recipes into moist goodness that otherwise would be used as door stoppers. The combination of hearty bran and moist banana in a single muffin is as ironic as Alanis Morissette--until you try this awesome recipe.



Chunky Banana Bran Muffins
Makes 20 to 24 muffins

2 c. unprocessed wheat bran
2 c. buttermilk, shaken (Use milk if you don't have buttermilk)
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 c. unsulfured molasses
2 tsp. grated orange zest (not a big deal if you don't have it)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 c. raisins
2 c. large-diced bananas (2 bananas)
1 c. chopped walnuts (or whatever nut you have on hand)



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Combine the bran and buttermilk and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, 1 at a time. Scrape the bowl and then add the molasses, orange zest, and vanilla. (The mixture will look curdled.) Add the bran/buttermilk mixture and combine.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the batter just until combined. Don't overmix it! Fold in the raisins, bananas and walnuts with a rubber spatula.

With an ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill the muffin cups to the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

(Recipe Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa at Home)

Making a Come Back: Corn

Here's a simple after school snack. And from what people are saying, get the yellow corn over white. Although corn started out white thousands of years ago, after a genetic mutation which turned the corn yellow, it also acquired a chemical called carotenoids. This chemical is now found to have high levels of vitamin A. (npr.org)

Your kids will be pleased that they can eat popcorn over carrots now to improve their sight!



It is simple:

Pop your popcorn. I prefer using the Whirley Popper because it is so easy to use. Once your stove top is hot, put oil and corn in and crank the handle. You really get perfect popcorn every time.

Then experiment with toppings. I like to shave parmesan cheese on the popcorn while it is hot. Fresh parmesan is salty and pungent enough to hold its own without adding much more.

And the great part, it takes 5 minutes to make. What is your favorite popcorn topping?

The Health Nut's Cookie

Here's a great cookie for the health nut in you. Loaded with whatever dried fruit you have on hand and nuts, these cookies act more like a granola bar that totally satisfies rather than an overly sweetened cookie would. These are the kind of cookies you'd want your kids to get a liking to because of their heartiness and flavor with fruit and whole wheat.

If you've never tried baking a whole wheat cookie, try it. The orange juice in this recipe and many whole wheat recipes tones down some of the bitterness of pure whole wheat. You'll be surprised at how good a 100% whole wheat cookie can taste.

Cranberry-Apricot Chocolate Chews

(Adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking)
Yields 2.5 dozen cookies

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
2 TBSP orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 c. traditional whole wheat flour
2/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips (I use a mix of semisweet and milk chocolate--the extra sweetness from the milk chocolate gives this cookie more flavor)
2/3 c. dried cranberries (I've tried a mixture of cranberries, pineapple, and apricots)
2/3 c. dried apricots, snipped into 4 to 6 pieces each
2/3 c. chopped pecans


Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Cream the butter, sugar, orange juice, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs, scraping the bowl. The mixture will look curdled; that's OK. Add the flour, beating until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips, cranberries, apricots and pecans. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls on the the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies, reversing the pans midway through (top to bottom, bottom to top), until they're barely beginning to brown around the edges, 14-15 minutes. They won't look set in the center. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the pan.

Children's Snacking at Its Best

Photo: MarthaStewart.com

The temptation at the grocery store is to load up on "easy" snacks for the kids at home. You know how it is, you enter the snack aisle and you lose your sense of control, from Cheez-its to Dora the Explorer fruit snacks. And the little short people you shop with, yanking on your pants as they pass every colorful enticing snack, don't help.

I got tired of the "empty" nutrients in these standard kid's snacks. Yes the label says, "Made with Real Cheese", but look at the rest of the list: 4 different kinds of cheap oils, sugars, artificial flavorings, etc. And I don't know about you, but I was using these snacks 1-2 times a day. No wonder they weren't tiding over my 3 year old, either. There was nothing substantial in these typical snacks, like unadulterated whole grains.

I took the matter into my own hands, literally. My 3 year old, Caroline, and I began to bake our own healthy snack. Every Monday morning when my youngest, Johanna, goes down for a nap, Caroline comes up on the counter with me to bake. I find the perfect recipe Sunday night so not to lose time or a 3 year old's attention span when it is baking time.

Cookbooks, baking books, and especially, the internet, have 1,000s of healthy snack ideas, based on the amount of time you have each week. Some of our favorites: granola bars, fruit roll-ups, homemade cookies (yes, cookies-- homemade means YOU control what goes inside the dough), homemade cheese crackers, juice popsicles, and muffins. Most of our snacks last through the week either stored in air tight containers or in the refrigerator.

As you become your family's nutritionist, you will become empowered with the great things you can do for your family. Making your own snacks can take 10 minutes (simply making your own trail mix of nuts, dried fruit, and pretzels and filling individual snack sized Ziplocks to grab throughout the week) or longer for a more intricate treat that will not only affect the health, energy, and longevity of you and your child, but actually create memories.

Caroline putting the cut apples into the blender for fruit roll-ups; eating this one and that one as she works.