It’s always good.  The secret sauce is made of soy sauce, fresh grated ginger, toasted sesame oil, a little olive oil, and freshly crushed garlic.

Here’s the healthy Stir Fry Recipe.

Actually, the story was born after Anika declared she is “tired of having soup all the time!” There was a little teenage angst coming coming from our four-year-old regarding our having soup again, so I pulled the old “it’s princess food” trick.  It worked like a charm.  And then Princess Clementine gave her a clementine from her clementine orchard for dessert. She really liked that one, too.

Is using fairy tales at the table bad form?  Hey, not if it gets your kid to eat her soup!

1. I bring a big tub of pre-washed spring mix, spinach, or lettuce to work on Monday. I keep it in the fridge, alongside a nice bottle of healthy salad dressing.  The big Costco-sized bag lasts me half the week, or the whole week if I ration it.
2. I also bring a pre-mixed bag of toppings. And no, they’re not sundae toppings, they’re raw nuts and dried fruit type stuff.  A good combo to get you started is: pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, and golden raisins.
3. Oh, and I keep a fork and plate in the drawer. Anything else for the salad?  I don’t think so… not unless it’s an extra special day.

That’s it.  Here’s a photo for some eye candy (this was an extra special day with smoked salmon):

To Simmer

• 6 cups water
• 1 ¾ cups brown lentils
• 1 butternut squash, chopped in 1/2″ to 1″ cubes
• ½ cup golden raisins

To Sautee

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions (optional)
• 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
• ½ teaspoon red curry paste
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

Add-in

• ¾ teaspoon sea salt, add more to taste
• ½ cup walnuts or cashews (raw)

Wash and bring lentils to boil in 6 cups water, reduce heat and add raisins and chopped squash. Simmer for 20 to 30 min or until lentils are soft. While that is cooking, chop or food process the onion(s) red pepper; sautee these with olive oil, red curry paste, curry, and cinnamon for 5 minutes and mix into lentils. Add some salt and simmer together another five minutes. Add walnuts or cashews and mix in then serve.

The problem was, I wanted food

1. I wanted it FAST
2. I wanted it healthy
3. And I wanted it real (as in, like a meal)

Kind of hard to do, right? Years ago I might have stopped at step one, but this time I used a few brain cells, got creative, and saw that we had some rinsed romaine in the salad spinner in the fridge.

SCORE.

It pays to have prepared food at times like this. But what substantial food could I add to the lettuce?

AHA! Black beans in the pantry. I didn’t want to spend the time heating them and cleaning a pan, though. So I opened them, drained them, put them in a bowl an added a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil. Then I mixed it up with a fork and spread it over the romaine.

That was it.  It was gone in a few minutes, AND IT WAS VERY ENJOYABLE.

So what’s the point of this story?

The point is:

1. It’s a good idea to have a meal plan, but…
2. If you don’t have a meal plan, it’s good to have some healthy, fresh food prepared. And…
3. If you don’t have healthy fresh food prepared, at least you can have some healthy items stocked in the pantry.
4. THUS… it’s not necessarily hard to eat healthy in a hurry (if you take a few minutes to get some helpful tips and info)

So, what should you do?

We’re in the process of putting together some FREE QUICK TIPS on eating healthy.  Sign up and we’ll start sending them to you as they’re ready.

Isaac especially liked it.  Listen to Isaac’s Opinion on the Kale with Black Eyed Peas.

Helping kids overcome their aversion to textures like that of kale can be a challenge, but it’s never too late to learn.  The fact that it’s not sweet or fruity makes it even harder to swallow.  But don’t despair!  A positive, fairy-like excitement over healthy food (without pushiness!) can excite younger kids to venture forth.  Even with the most stubborn eaters, repeated exposures to the same food will help make eating it seem natural and enjoyable.

Check back and we’ll post some tips and resources for helping kids be more adventurous eaters!

They freeze well, and go great in the car as a convenient avoid-fast-food snack, or as a dessert.  They’re high in fiber, raw (mostly), and all natural.  You can’t beat it!

Since I had been playing soccer, I got home late.  I had the foresight to pack a snack of fig knutens and trail mix (raw pistachios, shredded unsweetened coconut, and sweetened tart cherries), so I wasn’t particularly hungry when I got home.  But who could resist it?  I loved it.  I ended up adding a lot more lettuce to it than is shown in the picture.  I think lettuce is so good and lightens up a sandwich nicely.

For lunch, we had canned smoked salmon with vegenaise and fresh lettuce on a whole wheat bun, with fresh raw corn on the cob.

For dinner, we had a large Spinach Salad with Couscous & Salmon along with steamed broccoli straight from our garden.  The broccoli has done very well this year!