'Cocoa' for Bananas

This is our adventure in the culinary world as I prepare fun & healthy eats for my 8 year old son, Christian. Our fire behind this quest is he has Acid Reflux. Our goal is to eat his way thru this discomfort by avoiding bad foods and making healthier choices. Sounds easy right? Wrong! This is a boy who hangs from the fridge and swings from the pantry door so what better to start my little monkey out with than bananas.

Yesterday when searching for an afterschool snack "Cocoa-Nut Bananas" popped up on several different sites so decided to give it a try. It called for Cocoa Powder, Toasted Unsweetened coconut, bananas (sliced on the bias). You simply roll the bananas in cocoa powder, then dip in coconut. They didn't look as good as the online pictures, but hey... what do you expect?

When Christian came home from school and saw his snack sitting on the kitchen table he was so excited. He rushed to wash his hands and sit and take a taste. The fist banana slice was a success. "Yummy!" The second slice back-fired with a puff of cocoa. Christian got up from the table and grabbed a plain ol' banana from the peel and enjoyed it much more. My first failed attempt, but at least he still ate a healthy banana!

What is a healthy breakfast?

Ok so I have to admit that breakfast at our household during school days had been very rushed and not so healthy. I would always let Christian pick out the oh so common cereal box that we all see advertised on TV. I'd pour a heap of sugary cereal with 2% milk into a bowl and set it on the table. I've obviously been slacking and taking the easy, unhealthy way out. Breakfast is referred to as the most important meal of the day, but somehow I don't think that a bowl full of sugar is what they are talking about. Breakfast is supposed to refuel my child and help boost his brain power for a busy day at school. Recently I've been making a better attempt to start Christian's day out with a healthier meal. I am keeping on my track of incorporating more fruits and because we have a super-sized box of cornflakes in the pantry I figured we'd have to use them up first. At a closer look at the labeling though I realized that the cornflakes aren't so bad compared to

Tortellini, Tortellini

Christian and his dad are both fans of soup. Me, not so much. I have decided to start making soup because it can be a low-cal meal and to feed my family what they like. Although I am nearing my mid-30's I only consider myself a beginner cook and made my first pot of soup just a few weeks ago. I used to think that soup was difficult, but learned quickly that chicken stock is my new best friend. Yesterday I made a tortellini soup with my trusty chicken stock, minced garlic, onion, spinach, a little potato, can of tomatoes, and tortellini with a side of mini crab balls stuffed with mixed veggies. The tortellini were Christian's favorite part of the soup, of course. Christian has always had an afterschool snack, but it was never something planned. He'd just raid the pantry when he'd get home. More lately I'm preparing snacks to be ready & waiting for him. Last night I pulled some tortellini from the remaining soup, rinsed them & put them in a container wi

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken

Made the below recipe for chicken tonight. It was yummy! It has been a long day and I totally forgot to take pictures of the chicken, but I wanted to post the recipe so that I wouldn't loose it. Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Ingredients 1/4 c Dijon mustard 1/3 c Honey 2 tbs Light Mayo 1 tbs Steak Sauce 4 Chicken Breasts (4oz ea) Directions 1. Preheat the grill for medium heat. 2. In a shallow bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and steak sauce. Set aside a small amount of the honey mustard sauce for basting, and dip the chicken into the remaining sauce to coat. 3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken over indirect heat for 18 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the reserved sauce during the last 10 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning! Nutritional Info: Servings Per Recipe: 4 Amount per serving: Calories: 253.5, Total Fat: 3.9 g, Cholesterol: 68.4 mg, Sodium: 564.6 mg, Total Carbs: 24.4 g, Dietary F

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