How to Train a Green Monster Early

Riley loves working my juicer. She is always well supervised, and i do the leafy greens myself, but she is fast and efficient. Today we made a huge batch to freeze for the week, i got a big delivery from FD last night.
Our favorite combos:

cucumber-lacinato kale-green apple-ginger-lime

cucumber-celery-green apple-green pear-ginger-lime

cucumber-spinach-parsley-green apple-pear-ginger-lime

*lemon is good too, but i LOVE lime in almost anything

I do take Natalia Rose's advice and add 3 drops of NuNaturals stevia, it takes the edge off and lets me explore some greens i normally wouldn't have (like chard and beet greens-mostly saved for green smoothies).

I have been known to throw in the spinach from salad bags if i need extra...

My favorite salad dressing:

fresh lime juice
honey
avocado or almond oil

and the miso version:

lime or lemon juice
honey
white sweet miso
olive oil
optional mirin or rice vinegar

Eucalyptus-Not just for Koalas Anymore!

Strangely, it has flurried for about 1 minute twice today. Maybe that's why we all have sore throats...
I ordered a bunch of dried herbs for teas and infusions, and i have to say, I am totally surprised by some. I knew astralagus was sweet, licorice was sweet and spicy, but eucalyptus? I was thinking more like Vick's. Its amazing with some honey!

You can have fun without all the junk!

I myself am against snacking. I feel that if you eat enough of the right things at a meal, you shouldn't feel the need to eat between meals. I could do 5 small meals, if i had the time. But i prefer a green juice breakfast and 2 meals, personally. It's not about the quantity, the need to constantly fill myself with calories. It's about the consuming the highest quality foods for optimal nutrition and health. Nutrition density, i believe is what that's called. Getting the most out of your calories.
However, children and even adults are conditioned at school and socially to have a snack between meals. I understand if you get hungry. Just try to have a bigger lunch or dinner so you don't get the munchies. Of course. fresh veggies are good any time of the day. I keep trying to find new and creative recipes to use them. Cookie cutters can work for cukes and peppers. Suggestions?

Don't get me wrong, we eat occasional whole wheat and GF pizza, and we love to bake and try out new things. That's why my freezer is so full! Its good to invite us out for shabbat lunch, we have lots of home-baked treats as a hostess gift. Challah and babka are favorites that we make on bad weather days in winter and spring. Joe is insistent that my Marbled Blondie Bars (to die for) be made only with white flour. That's where i draw the line. We just try not to eat these much at home...

House Rules:

No artificial colors or flavors, no exceptions
NO hydrogenated oils, no exceptions
Avoid all refined grains (save only for blondie bars)
Limit added sugars
Enjoy natural sugars wisely
Always plenty of fresh fruit and veggies each day


So, when the girls come home after school, if they've had a good lunch, they can have something small and special. I don't want them to feel deprived and possibly sneak sweets behind my back!

Our favorite snacks and treats:

Fresh fruit
Fresh veggies, cut into interesting shapes and sizes
Dried fruit (my personal weakness)
Freeze-dried fruit (a huge hit in my house)
Multi-Seed crackers and nut butter
Goat cheese on whole rye mini-toast
Natural, dark chocolate-coated dried fruit or raw truffles
Organic peanut butter protein bars
Chocolate and strawberry probiotic granola bars
Raw nut and fruit bars (lunch!)
Organic, goat milk, raw nut or coconut-based ice cream
Carob or chocolate-coated rice cakes
Organic fruit leather and fruit twists

Almost all of our snack and real food comes from Trader Joe's. We're luck enough to have 3 in our vicinity, so i have a choice. Whatever else i need, i order online or get from fairway or whole foods.

In the Kitchen-Making Pretzels

We had a few surprise guests today, so i thought it would be fun and adventurous to try something new. Always a cooking opportunist. Lacy said she wanted to make pretzels. I was thinking cauliflower, but ok, pretzels it is...
we developed a yummy multi-grain version that was crunchy outside and soft and doughy inside. Could have used an egg wash and some sesame seeds... up next: GF version!!

Getting kids to eat well-what does that mean?

everything is better with a little butter! pan-roasting some rockin' sprouts with my secret blend of spices-crunchy and creamy!


This is also a sticky wicket. Fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, grains, oh my! How much is enough, etc... It's enough to drive you crazy. It drives me crazy on a daily basis, because Lacy almost refuses to eat anything unbreaded, and Riley is a super-crazy fruits and vegetable kid, but not so into protein. One thing we can all agree on is that we like ice cream and peanut butter. You would never think that when you walk into my house. But i won't get preachy, that happens enough. We do eat ice cream. Organic, or coconut-based, goat milk or raw and nut-based. Yum! So, i have a pantry with fruit leather, freeze-dried fruit, natural chocolate and toasted nori sheets (for Riley) and some GF alternatives for social situations. Ever had quinoa cookies? Even Lacy likes them. Will wonders never cease?
We eat 4 different breakfasts, lunches and dinners a day here. Joe and Lacy are all about animal protein, Riley likes raw treats and fresh produce, and I do mostly green juices, green smoothies and creative salads. Everyone ends up picking from plate at some point :)
SO, for those of you trying to get your kids to eat better, more, less or different, keep up the hard work-it has to pay off!!
I'll give some sneak peeks into my recipe stash to hopefully keep things interesting at home.

Kosher Vegan in a Carnivorous World?

(seasonings courtesy of Lacy)
(unbelievably delicious and creamy roasted cauliflower)
(delicious raw cauliflower)

This is a tricky one. I was fully vegan for a while, mostly raw, and vegetarian for a long time too. I find that incorporating raw vegan in my diet was easier and better-because i wasn't focusing on baked, grain-based foods. This is not easy in a kosher community. I was bringing my own food places most of the time. Now i plan ahead and coordinate to make sure that i have enough of the right foods to eat when i'm out. When i'm home, that's another story. I live to create new raw and vegan delicacies in my office. My family is pretty accepting, though not always willing to try new or weird looking stuff. I have to say, though, my friends are always impressed!!

100 % Natural, 100% Kosher-Meet the Mini Chefs

Welcome to Mini Chefs! I'm an East Coast girl who is very comfortable calling my kitchen "the office". Its where we live and have created some amazing things to share with you.
Whether you have picky ("diverse") or adventurous eaters at home, you can definitely find something to inspire.
We're 100 % kosher, 100% natural, 75% gluten-free and mostly vegan.

A family Favorite for us girls (the token man has yet to be impressed): KALE CHIPS!!

(if you're not into the raw version, i will share my baked crunchy version later)
if you have a dehydrator, more power to you. otherwise, you can use an oven at 170 or 200 degrees-not entirely the same, and not technically raw, but better than potato or corn chips! (oh, the pesticides)

2 heads curly green kale
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp bragg's aminos

gently wash the kale with vegetable cleaner. Pull the leaves off the stalk in large strips, place in a large mixing bowl. Mix liquids with kale, to coat thoroughly. Toss in the yeast, and mix to coat evenly. Lay on texflex sheets in the dehydrator and run at 110 for about 4-5 hours. If using the oven, spread onto parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for probably4-6 hours, checking and moving the pieces around. When completely dry, store in a plastic zip bag. I use the dessicant packages inside the bag, not necessary. Should last 2-4 days at room temp.