One day we had Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers…
Who knew making a vegetarian slider was so easy?! I didn’t exactly follow the recipe because I didn’t blend the quinoa and the beans together and I did without the fried french onions and used whole wheat bread crumbs and threw two eggs in the mixture too. We put it on whole wheat buns with arugula and some quick-made chipotle mayo… and bam! We all loved it!
Another day was for Spicy Tofu and Soba Noodles…
This was a wing it recipe based on what I have learned about ingredients these past few weeks of cooking. I also topped the noodles with bok choy because we had some on hand. I couldn’t try it until after Ben tried it because I was nervous about how it would taste since I didn’t follow any recipe. When he said it was good, I felt comfortable trying it. I liked it too! The girls are all about soba noodles, so that was pretty much devoured.
And we also had Shrimp and Tofu Spring Rolls…
I made this a long time ago when Ben and I were dating so I knew it was going to be liked by the girls. We also made a spicy peanut sauce to accompany the rolls. True still doesn’t like tofu, but she liked everything else inside. We’ll get there. One day I will find a recipe with tofu that will get it just right for True. Until then, we just keep exposing her to it in different ways to see what she thinks.
If you wonder if my children eat the same things we do, they do. We have a rule that they must try things at least once and are not allowed to say yuck at the table, even if they think that. So what you see pictured is what they eat too. Of course, I have to accommodate for True’s food allergies (she doesn’t get the peanut sauce), but for the most part they are served the same thing. If they don’t like all the ingredients in a dish, they just eat the parts they do, but there hasn’t been an entire dish that they didn’t like at least most of it. Like with the tofu dishes, True will pretty much eat everything except the tofu. After dinner they will also have fruit and some yogurt, but if they don’t like the main dish, I don’t make them something just for them.
We also don’t force them to eat their entire plate or their vegetables. We tell them, if they are hungry then they can eat, if not, they don’t have to, but they still have to sit at the dinner table with us.
Week 4/7 – 4/11
Monday: Grilled Salmon
Tuesday: Scallion Meatballs with Soy Ginger Glaze (made week 7)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Pizza
Meals are a bit busier here lately because since Ben has been home, we have all been eating lunch together too. Maybe I need to start meal planning lunches for this month too! If you are home with your kids during the day, what types of things are on your lunchtime menus?
those spring rolls look really yummy, now i'm hungry!
Everything looks yummy this week! We usually eat leftovers for lunch or something simple I'll make that's more kid oriented since it's just me and them at home.
I intentionally fix an extra portion to take to lunch the next day or I try to re-invent the leftovers. For instance, extra grilled salmon could become a cold salad the next day with some broccoli slaw. I very often eat “snack platter” for lunch, which is just a collection of odds bits – maybe an apple cheese and some bread, or carrots, hummus and rice crackers.
I'm totally making those poached eggs this week – thanks for the idea!
shakshuka is so so so so good! mmmmmm!!!!!! my cousin made this one by smitten kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/shakshuka/ when we went to seattle. love the spicy kick in it, too! 🙂
love your food philosophy with your kiddos. i see so many kids with parents who end up being short order cooks and whose diets are full of “kid friendly food” aka junk food. it is so refreshing to see a family who eats together! 🙂
yum!! these look amazing! must try the quinoa burger!