Chocolate (Pumpkin) Donuts

I mean...what kid wouldn't be excited to hear those words come out of mom's mouth? And Mom, you can feel good about it! My 4 year old and I love to make these and they are always a hit. The recipe is an adaptation of a Jessica Seinfeld recipe, just tweaked a bit, a la #fitmamafitwifefitlife 

Makes 12 medium donuts

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 coconut palm sugar
1/2c milk
1 egg white
1T Vanilla
1T coconut oil

1c AP flour (you can use whole wheat flour but it would need to be WW pastry flour to keep donuts light)
1t cinnamon
1t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1T unsweetened cocoa powder
(Powdered sugar to make them pretty after baking)

Heat oven to 350*, spray donut mold (mini muffins work too if you don't have the donut pan)

Beat together palm sugar, egg white, pumpkin, milk, oil, vanilla. Add in flour, baking soda & powder, cinnamon & cocoa.

Fill pan and bake about 16 minutes (less for mini muffins)

This is my signature move, ladies.

Cauliflower. I mean... if you have been following my Facebook page or know me in real life, you already know that cauliflower is MY JAM! So even though many of you already know about it, this blog would seem incomplete if I didn't dedicate a post to my beloved Superfood.

On this particular day, Benny had a bowl. Nat had 2 bowls. Elle had 3 bowls. Stair-step Noodle Success.

The facts: cauliflower packs tons of vitamin C, fiber & antioxidants. But the really good stuff is this fancy word Glucosinolates which you can learn more about here. Bottom line, its SUPER good for you and your family.

Now, my kids eat pretty well, but theres no denying that they love mac'n'cheese above all else. It reigns supreme and is the BEST bribery tool in our dining room drama.  So I do what I can…and try to balance the meal so this is where cauliflower has been HUGE!  Any time cauliflower is on sale, I buy 5-10 pounds, steam it, puree it, and package it up using my Squeeze Station.  I put the pouches in the freezer and pull out a couple each week to be fridge ready for macaroni emergencies.  I boil the noodles, drain, add the cheese and then become a rule-breakin' mama…I omit the milk and butter. Oh yeah, you heard me.  #risktaker  For each regular size box of mac'n'cheese, I use one-4oz squeeze of cauliflower puree and voila! Healthier "cheesy noo-noos" with a dose of hidden veggies.

Jessica Seinfeld turned me on to the hidden veggies and this has since become my signature move any day of the week. My kids are so used to it that its a non-issue and they go back and forth between restaurant mac and mine without batting an eyelash.  If you try it the first time and think a flavor difference is very noticeable, I challenge you to fix mac'n'cheese a few more times with it before you make a final decision.  It's too good of a veggie opportunity to give up too soon!

Other cauliflower yums to try:
Eggs - Using the Pureed cauliflower mentioned above, simply squeeze a little bit into your eggs before scrambling.  If you are concerned that kids will notice, put a bit of cream cheese in the eggs as well. They'll be extra light and fluffy and have a nutrient bonus! Cheese improves everything.

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce - put it on everything!

Cauliflower Fried Rice - make it your own with whatever veggie or protein additions you love in traditional fried rice

Almond Meal Chicken Nuggets: Make some Memories for Dinner

As a kid, my husband learned early how to make a few meals on his own: Mac'n'Cheese, Grilled cheese, Quadruple-decker PB&J, and Chicken Tenders. #classickidfood

When his single-working-mom had to work past dinner time, he could easily coat some chicken tenders in ranch, crunch up corn flakes in a ziploc, and toss the chicken before baking. Just a couple of simple steps to a home-cooked dinner. To this day, homemade chicken tenders still remind him of helping out in the kitchen.  When we were first married he would make us his "Famous Chicken" dinner every once in a while…and while his nuggets might not win any James Beard awards, I can certainly appreciate that he was sharing his memories with me through his cooking. These days we make our nuggets a little bit differently, but the process is still a chance for our little ones to help out in the kitchen like he did as a kid.

We use egg whites, bread crumbs & almond meal and make a yummy honey mustard dipping sauce - although my husband still can't has no desire to stop using ranch as a dipping sauce as well.

If you have Panko breadcrumbs on-hand, that's a perfectly good substitute for the Ezekial bread crumbs that I use.  They will turn out just as delish. I promise.  I just like the Ezekial crumbs for the extra nutty-flavor and nutrition that the "live-grain" bread brings to the table.

Start by cutting up a pound of chicken breasts into "Nuggets." This is an adult-friendly task, but don't worry, kids, the fun is headed your way soon!  (Want to remove a step?  Buy chicken tenders…no cutting needed. We just like the smaller size of nuggets.)

Whisk 2 tablespoons water into 2 egg whites.  Once blended, cover the chicken with the egg mixture and soak for about 30 minutes.

Once the chicken has soaked in the egg whites, put the bread crumbs of choice & almond meal into a ziploc bag.  Shake to blend.

I toasted 4 slices of Ezekial bread, cut them into quarters and pulsed them into a fine meal.  You can skip this step and use Panko Crumbs if you prefer.

A couple pieces at a time, let the excess egg drip off the chicken and move it to the bag.  Let the kids shake it around to cover in crumbs.

We like to dance during this portion of our cooking.

 

Once all the chicken is coated in crumbs, we place it on a parchment lined cookie sheet and lightly sprinkle with sea salt. I often put paprika and pepper on the adult portions as well.  Bake at 425* for about 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking time.

While the chicken is baking, we make our honey mustard.  So simple. 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons dijon mustard, 2 TEAspoons vinegar (we have apple cider vinegar on hand so I'm using that…white or rice works well too!)  Mix it up. Done.

Cut up some fruit, veggies and dinner is ready to go!  Finger food at its finest, and some memories-in-the-making too!

Chicken Nuggets:
2 Egg whites
2 Tablespoons water
1 pound antibiotic-free chicken breasts OR tenders
4 slices Ezekial bread, toasted and pulsed to crumbs in the food processor OR 1C Panko Breadcrumbs
1/2C Almond Meal
Salt & Pepper to taste

Honey Mustard:
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Honey
2 teaspoons vinegar

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees and cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk egg whites and water.
3. Soak chicken (cut if desired) in egg white mixture for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
4. Combine Ezekial Crumbs/Panko and Almond meal in a ziploc bag.
5. A couple pieces at a time, add chicken to the bag (let excess egg white drip off before placing in the bag). Seal bag and toss the chicken pieces to cover completely in the meal. Remove chicken from the bag, shaking off any excess and place on parchment lined pan.  Repeat until all chicken is coated.
6. Lightly season chicken with sea salt.
7. Bake chicken for 10 minutes, flip pieces and cook for another 10 minutes.
8. While Chicken is baking, combine mustard, honey and vinegar.  Blend well and reserve for dipping at dinner!