Sweet Potato Fajita Quinoa Bowls

Today is the day! Feeding Littles & Beyond, my collaborative cookbook with Feeding Littles is published and officially available wherever cookbooks are sold! You can walk into a bookstore (call ahead!) and grab yourself a copy in the flesh, IRL! If you’ve pre-ordered, you’ve probably received your copy by now.

I am so grateful for this community for awarding me the opportunity to write a fourth cookbook and probably my best yet. I don’t like to pick favorites, but this cookbook is a reflection of how our family eats today. I’ve grown a lot over the past near-10 years since I started Inspiralized, and I am so grateful to bring this cookbook to life.

You can order the cookbook online here:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Indiebound
• Bookshop.org
• More retailers here.

To celebrate the launch, I’m sharing a recipe from the cookbook, one of my favorites (it’s such an Ali meal!) – the Sweet Potato Fajita Quinoa Bowls. I love the warm seasoned sweet potatoes with the bell peppers. I love tossing everything together for a satisfying bowl meal while serving it to all of my kids.

Each recipe comes with tips from Feeding Littles and myself, so you get the input on each recipe from an Occupational Therapist AND a Registered Dietician. There are quite a few stamps of approval on these recipes!

Here are the tips:

Feeding Littles Tip: Let your child assemble their own bowl to help the, become more comfortable with the components. They can use the guacamole as a side dip.

Inspiralized Tip: If your family likes steak, shrimp, or chicken fajitas, add the cooked protein to the bowl before serving.

I Can’t Even: Skip slicing the onion and peppers and just use frozen bell pepper strips here – it cuts cooking time in half, and if you add 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, you’ll get that onion flavor!

Prep Ahead: Prep the sweet potatoes and quinoa ahead of time so all you need to do is assemble when you’re ready to eat.

Cook the Cookbook Instagram Challenge

For the month of September, cook through the cookbook, share on social media, and enter to win a $100 Amazon.com gift card! More here and below:

Amazon Reviews

If you’ve received your copy and have had a chance to cook from it, I would love you to post a review on the book’s Amazon page. This allows people to find our cookbook and also encourages those who are on the fence to purchase! If you have photos from what you’ve cooked, include that as well.

If you post a review, send a screenshot to kids@inspiralized and you’ll be entered to win a $50 gift card each week for the month of September (starting this Friday!) The winners will be announced via Instagram and personally e-mailed!

Thank you so much in advance! I’m so proud of this cookbook and humbled to have written it with the amazing women from Feeding Littles.

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sweet potato fajitas quinoa bowl

In 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported that the “bowl trend” was catching fire on

Instagram (it’s a pretty presentation, so I get it). Regardless of wheth- er the craze

sticks around, it’s a handy way to build a meal. Bowls are for those times when you

are craving a lot of different textures and flavors and don’t want to commit to just one.

Here, we’re making a quinoa-based version of a can’t-miss meal: sweet potato fajitas.

The sweet potatoes are hearty and meaty and the quinoa adds a complete protein;

tortillas optional.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 large sweet potato (or 2 medium), sliced into wedges
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper
• 3 bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 cup chunky guacamole
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 (packed) cup shredded romaine lettuce
• Sour cream, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Combine the quinoa and 2 cups of water in a small pot and

  bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for

  about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is fluffy. Set aside and

  cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, set the potato out on the baking sheet, brush

  with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season with the chili powder

  and salt and pepper, and bake for 20 minutes or until

  fork-tender.
• While the potato is baking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon

  of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is

  shimmering, add the bell peppers and onion, sprinkle with

  taco seasoning, and cook until the vegetables are fork-

  tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Assemble the bowls. Divide the quinoa into 4 bowls. Top

  with the peppers and onion, salsa, guacamole, cheese,

  romaine, and sweet potatoes. Serve, drizzled with sour

  cream, if using.
• If your family likes steak, shrimp, or chicken fajitas, add the

  cooked protein to the bowl before serving.

The post Sweet Potato Fajita Quinoa Bowls (from the Feeding Littles & Beyond Cookbook!) appeared first on Inspiralized.

Easy Lunch Ideas for Kids (Nut-Free)

For reference, Luca will be 4 years old on September 25th! These are the easiest kids lunches we’ve found to make so far. To get started, here are the products we use when packing his bento box lunch:

• Bentgo Lunchbox – 5-Compartment Lunch Box – Ideal Portion Sizes for Ages 3 to 7.
• Pack It! freezable lunch bag – you freeze this whole lunch bag – it comes with liners that are built-in freezer packs! I place the Bentgo lunch box in this bag.
• Silicone muffin liners – to keep some of the foods easier to take out of the lunch box compartments – like raisins or nuts, for example!

I like to pack a school lunch in 5-10 minutes, never longer than that. I usually divide this into compartments – Main and Sides – because I find that helps me mentally compartmentalize as well. Here are some ideas on how to pack the lunch box:

“Main” –  I always try to choose a protein first and then I build the whole lunch around it

• Ham and cheese (in a tortilla or on bread)
• Turkey and cheese roll-up (in a tortilla or on bread)
• Quesadilla (cheese, black bean, chicken, or ground meat)
• Cream cheese & jelly sandwich
• Sunbutter & jelly (Wowbutter doesn’t have the best ingredients, but it’s the closest in flavor to regular nut butter)
• English muffin pizza
• Tortellini or other pasta salad
• Hot dog cut up or in a bun, sliced into manageable sections
• Blender muffins or muffins of any kind
• Veggie tots (from Inspiralized & Beyond)
• Leftover pizza!

“Sides” – I try to add some vitamins and some more nutrients so the lunch box has more colors:

• Roasted veggies – broccoli, string beans, sweet potatoes, peas/carrots
• Raw veggies – carrots, celery, cucumbers, sliced tomatoes
• Fruits – apple slices, berries, grapes, stone fruits, banana
• Cheese sticks
• Yogurt tubes
• Crackers and cheese slices
• Annie’s chocolate graham bunnies
• Meat sticks/jerky
• Hard boiled eggs
• Granola bars or other nut-free bars
• Pretzels
• Sweet potato fries or potato fries/wedges
• Cereal/O’s

These school lunches are quick, easy to make, and full of nutrients. They would work great for school, kindergarten, or camp. Remember, the key to a successful school lunch is variety and keeping it fun. Get your kids involved in the lunch-making process by letting them choose their favorite ingredients. It’s a great way to encourage them to try new foods and make lunchtime an exciting part of their school day!

I’d love to hear some of your easy kids lunch ideas! Drop a note below. Thank you in advance!

The post Easy Nut-Free Kids Lunch Ideas for Camp or School appeared first on Inspiralized.

Pumpkin Oat Cookie Drops

I’m excited to share a recipe from The Plant Based Baby & Toddler book with you all today! If you are looking for more plant-based foods to feed your littles, this book has it all. It’s a wealth of information from Whitney and Alexandra, the authors who run the Plant Based Juniors instagram, both registered dietitians.

If you ever were curious about feeding your baby a plant-based diet, you’ll feel reassured with this book! It’s primarily an informational book with so many tips, charts, and digestible information. There are even convenient handouts at the back of the book that you can tear out and constantly reference. If I wanted to feed my baby a plant based diet, I would definitely use this book!

There are 50 recipes to complement the information provided in the beginning of the book and they are all so delicious-looking, even for those that don’t eat a plant-based diet!

Some of my favorites recipes from the book that I can’t wait to cook through are:

• Blender Bean Muffins
• Tex-Mex Millet Meatballs
• Red Lentil Pizza Strips
• Bean and Corn Taquitos
• Lentil Sloppy Joe’s
• One Pot Teriyaki Stir Fry

These cookies were just a sneak peek of the easy and approachable recipes from the book! My kids gobbled them up, and I froze them for future grabable snacking! They don’t crumble, so they are a great on-the-go option and perfect for lunchboxes! As they say in the recipe, you can stir in some chocolate chips or dried fruit to sweeten them up a bit more!

I’m so proud to support Whitney and Alexandra, and I’m so happy there’s an adequate resource like this out there for parents! You can grab the cookbook here.

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Pumpkin Oat Cookie Drops

Servings 16 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• ¾ cup oat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 
• 1 large very ripe banana mashed 
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 ½ tablespoons almond butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, oat flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
• In a separate bowl, or in a blender, mix together the mashed banana, pumpkin puree, almond butter and vanilla extract. The mixture should be finely mixed together, without visible chunks of banana. Pour the banana-pumpkin mixture into the oat bowl and mix together. 
• Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, drop the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely on an oven rack. 

The post Pumpkin Oat Cookie Drops appeared first on Inspiralized.

Sweet Potato Noodle Ham and Cheese Cups

True story: for one full year, I requested a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. My mother used to always say, “Ali, please – anything else today!!” but I’d always say, “I want a ham and cheese!” I was a teenager who knew what she wanted, haha!

Ham and cheese is the perfect combo, because you get that salty ham and that savory, gooey cheese. Here, we’re using the same classic combo but ditching the bread and instead, using spiralized sweet potatoes for a little sweetness. If you’ve made these before, get ready for a better, easier version!

These are a hit with my kids, because they come in a muffin (aka “cup”) form and they love everything that comes as a muffin. Plus, they love sweet potatoes! And while they don’t like ham, the ham isn’t the main event of these cups, so the subtle salty taste lures them in.

If you don’t have ham, you could substitute hot dogs here! I love Applegate’s turkey hot dogs or if you want a fancier version, try pancetta (you’ll need to cook it entirely before adding to the sweet potato mixture.) You could even go with bacon and serve this with scrambled eggs. These cups are a lot of fun!

And if your kids really are picky and really love cheese, try sprinkling with a little extra cheddar cheese on top once you pack them into the muffin cups!

These freeze well, too – so add them to your meal prep.

Sweet Potato Noodle Ham and Cheese Cups

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Sweet Potato Noodle Ham and Cheese Cups

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium sweet potato peeled, Blade D
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup cubed ham or 1 hot dog, cubed
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with olive oil spray.
• Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Once oil is shimmering, add the sweet potato noodles and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Let cook for 7 minutes or until noodles are al dente, but mostly cooked through.
• Transfer the noodles to a medium mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes (you can put them in the fridge to speed this up.) Add the egg, ham (or hot dog!), cheddar cheese, and toss to combine. Pack the muffin cups half way through. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the egg sets and the cups are firm. If you want, you can snap off any of the burnt parts on top of the muffins or keep them - I like the crunch! Serve.

The post Sweet Potato Noodle Ham and Cheese Cups appeared first on Inspiralized.

Pumpkin Spice Carrot Blender Muffins

If you know me, you know I love my blender muffins! But seriously, these muffins have been such a blessing with my picky toddler Luca. Some weeks, it feels like he won’t touch a single vegetable, but I know that he’ll crush a full batch of my blender muffins and that’s multiple servings of vegetables!

If you have a picky toddler or if you’re just looking for something new to make and serve to your little ones (or yourself – they’re one of my favorite snacks!), you’ll love these seasonal blender muffins, made with pumpkin spice, because…. well, fall = pumpkin spice, right?

The key here is really finding ripe bananas, so they’re sweet and add that needed sweetness to the muffins. These are meal prep friendly, packable, and honestly, there’s always about a dozen in my freezer!

I love these muffins slathered with nut butter or sun butter and served with a side of fruit for breakfast. Flaxseed, oats, eggs, and a veggie, these are the kind of muffins that make you feel like a supermama!

For an extra spin, pour the batter into a sheetpan, bake them, and use cookie cutters to make fun shapes! Or, add some chocolate chips and serve these as a healthy dessert! Heck, stick a birthday candle in them!

For more blender muffin recipes, try these varieties:

• Spinach Blender Muffins
• Beet Blender Muffins
• Carrot Cake Blender Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Blender Muffins
• Blueberry Muffins
• Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

and more here.

INGREDIENTS

• 2/3 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350. Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender. Pour the batter into muffin liners or muffin tins. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let cool before serving.

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Pumpkin Spice Carrot Blender Muffins

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender. Pour the batter into muffin liners or muffin tins. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let cool before serving.

The post Pumpkin Spice Carrot Blender Muffins appeared first on Inspiralized.

Luca’s Zucchini Oatmeal Bowls

Luca wasn’t always into oatmeal, but once he got into it, he’s been an oatmeal fanatic ever since. When he was going through a little vegetable strike, I started adding vegetables to all of his favorite foods (I literally stirred mashed carrot into his almond butter – I’m that mom!) When I tried it in his oatmeal and gobbled up the entire adult portion oatmeal bowl, I knew I had a winner – and now I’m sharing it with you all!

The key to this oatmeal bowl is to get the consistency right. Toddlers especially have issues with different consistencies, so I try to keep it the same every time. I’ve noted this in the recipe instructions, but if your oatmeal comes out too wet, be patient, it may thicken up a bit and if it doesn’t, once you add in almond butter, it’ll thicken up quickly. So, just remember you are still adding in almond butter. Thus, if you have the opposite problem and the oatmeal is too sticky and chunky, add some splashes of milk (whatever milk you serve your little one) until you get your desired consistency (keeping in mind, you will be adding almond butter, so it needs to be a little moist.)

If you want to serve this a bit deconstructed, serve the berries on the side, instead of mixed together. This is also for babies who might not have taken to oatmeal yet and need some familiar foods (fruits, in this case) to get them going!

You’ll be so surprised at how quickly this comes together and how simple it is! You’ll be kicking yourself thinking, “why haven’t I tried this already?” And for those mamas with super picky little ones, this may put your heart at ease knowing that at least they’re eating some zucchini first thing in the morning!

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Luca’s Zucchini Oatmeal Bowls

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 packet Nature's Path Organic Original Oatmeal
• 1/4 shredded zucchini don't pack the cup, just about 1/4 cup
• 1.5 tablespoons nut butter we use almond butter
• 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
• berries we use whatever we have on hand, but Luca loves either strawberries or blueberries in his oatmeal
• 1/2 banana small diced

Instructions

• Cook the oatmeal packet in the microwave, according to the instructions on the box. We mix together the oatmeal with 1 cup of water, microwaving for 90 seconds.
• While the oatmeal cooks, place the shredded zucchini in a paper towel or cheesecloth over a small bowl and squeeze out all of the moisture. Set aside.
• Once the oatmeal is done, if it's too thick, I add splashes of almond milk until it's smoother. If it's a big watery, keep stirring and let sit for another 30 seconds or don't worry, because you're adding nut butter and that will thicken it.
• Add the zucchini, almond butter and hemp seeds first. Stir very well to combine. Then, add the berries and banana and stir well again. Transfer to whatever bowl you're using for your little one and let cool a bit before serving.

The post Luca’s Zucchini Oatmeal Bowls appeared first on Inspiralized.

It’s important to expose your child to these whole form vegetables, so that they can understand their true flavor, their texture, and visually recognize them. The idea is that after 30+ exposures, one day, they’ll pick up that familiar vegetable and say, “Okay, let’s see what this is all about.” Recently, that’s worked for me with salmon. He’s probably been served salmon 20 times and he hasn’t eaten it since he was 10 or 11 months old. The other night, he decided to have a forkful and then ate half of a 4oz piece of salmon! While it was hard those other 20 times to watch him ignore the salmon on his plate, it was all worth it when he ate it!

So yes, it’s important to serve vegetables (and other foods) whole, but this blog post is what to do in the interim, while your toddler is being picky and you still want them to eat vegetables!

My Favorite Ways To Add More Vegetables Into Toddler Meals

1. Make this broccoli grilled cheese (you can use peas too!)
2. Make a cheese quesadilla with chopped up vegetables (Luca likes spinach or finely chopped peppers)
3. Make my blender muffins!
4. Make a pasta dish or something with veggie-packed marinara sauce.
5. Grate zucchini into oatmeal and stir well.
6. Add vegetables to baked goods, like these sweet potato loaves.
7. Use vegetables in place of lasagna noodles like with this enchilada bake.
8. Make these English muffin pizzas with broccoli or peas.
9. Add very finely chopped vegetables into burgers (turkey burger example here) or meatballs.
10. Make any pizza with lots of veggie toppings, just put them underneath the cheese!
11. This turkey, veggie and brown rice bake – the vegetables are in the rice and mixed with meat.
12. Smoothies with spinach or kale!
13. The Any Veggie Tots from Inspiralized and Beyond (I love using carrot, because it’s a hard vegetable for me to get Luca to eat!)
14. Cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s (hey, there’s cauliflower in there and it tastes like pasta!)
15. Finely grated carrot into applesauce (bonus points: hemp seeds too for protein!)
16. Spiralize vegetables and sub them for spaghetti!

Your Favorite Ways To Add More Veggies Into Your Toddlers’ Meals

Over on Instagram, I asked you what your tricks were for squeezing more vegetables into your kids’ diets and here are some the great ideas you shared:

1. Scrambled eggs with vegetables.
2. Shredded carrots and zucchini into marinara sauce with pasta.
3. Shred vegetables into cookies.
4. Mac and cheese sauce blended in with pumpkin/butternut squash/sweet potato.
5. Cauliflower rice in regular rice.
6. Spinach in waffles.
7. Zucchini and potato hash browns.
8. Freeze cubes of zucchini and add to smoothies.

What are some ways you squeeze more veggies into your child’s diet?

The post Creative Ways To Add More Vegetables Into Your Toddlers’ Meals appeared first on Inspiralized.

These vegan blueberry loaves are made with sweet potato, for vegetables in every bite! The loaves get their sweetness from banana, applesauce, and the roasted blueberries. These are meal prep-friendly and simple spices like cinnamon and vanilla extract from Simply Organic make these healthy little treats extra flavorful.

Vegan Sweet Potato Blueberry Loaves

There are three homemade foods I have in my freezer at all times – my veggie tots from the Inspiralized and Beyond cookbook, my blender muffins, and these loaves. Often, I make them with pureed pumpkin because that’s not a vegetable that we ever eat otherwise.

The ingredients are simple and wholesome and the sweetness comes naturally from a ripe banana and applesauce. The blueberries also add to the sweetness and when roasted, they pop and give these vegan loaves an added moisture and jam-like consistency.

For aromatics and flavor, I’ve also used easy seasonings you can find in your local grocery store – Simply Organic’s Pure Vanilla Extract and Cinnamon. As always, I feel good cooking (and baking!) with Simply Organic’s spices, seasonings and pantry items, because I know I’m getting the best quality, organic ingredients and I’m purchasing from a company with a strong social mission, dedicated to nourishing the food insecure.

Actually, Simply Organic is so committed to creating spices that are pure and potent that they’ve devoted an entire site to talking about how and why their spices are the best. I loved learning more about their sourcing and growing of spices – I found out that there has been extreme volatility in the global vanilla market recently that has caused many problems for farmers, and Simply Organic works with nonprofits and the local vanilla industry to ensure their vanilla beans are grown and handled the right, ethical and sustainable way to support those farmers!

The high quality, aromatic Cinnamon and cozy vanilla extract give these loaves an extra nostalgic baked good flavor. You know – the smell that used to fill your home when your mom baked something homemade. I used Simply Organic Ceylon Cinnamon, but the Simply Organic Vietnamese Cinnamon would be a great choice too- with it’s high-oil content, it is really potent in flavor!

Best part? These are made in one bowl! I love to make them in mini loaf pans (these are the ones I use), because they’re easier to portion out and freeze for future defrosting. I slice them into half-inch thick slices, wrap them individually in foil, and freeze in a few large Stasher bags.

These are sweet enough for breakfast (try with some nut or sunflower seed butter spread on top!) or dessert (you could drizzle some melted vegan chocolate chips on top!), but mild enough to work as a snack. Luca loves these even for lunch! Thanks to the sweet potato and oats, there’s a fair amount of protein in these vegan loaves.

Luca couldn’t help but grab these while Mama was taking photos, and I bet your little ones (and you!) won’t be able to resist either.

Note: Although this post is sponsored by Simply Organic, all opinions are my own, always.

Watch our video for this recipe using the Inspiralizer and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

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Vegan Sweet Potato Blueberry Loaves

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large banana mashed
• 1 15oz can sweet potato puree
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup blueberries mashed
• ¼ cup whole blueberries

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Grease four mini loaf pans with coconut oil spray.?
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and add the vanilla extract, mashed banana, sweet potato, applesauce, and mashed blueberries. Stir until well combined.
• Pour into the prepared loaf tins, top with remaining blueberries, and press down to spread evenly.
• ?Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
• ?Let cool slightly and then cut into half inch slices.

The post Vegan Sweet Potato Blueberry Loaves appeared first on Inspiralized.

Blender Banana Nut Muffins

Welcome to muffin week! In partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, we’ve brought you FOUR new muffin recipes, based off of my smash hit blender muffins (you can find the original recipe here) and now we’re ending with the fifth recipe for Luca’s personal favorite, Blender Banana Nut Muffins.

As a parent, you’re constantly making decisions that affect the whole family. Choosing real, whole, and premium ingredients to use in my meals for my family is one decision that’s easy. If you have been following me through my main Inspiralized channel, then you know I’m a huge Bob’s Red Mill fan and now, as a mother of two, I feel even better about the ingredients I use in my cooking, thanks to Bob’s.

These blender muffins have a super easy base recipe: 1oz (or about 1/3 cup) of cooked vegetable, 2 eggs, 1 banana, 3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats and 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. And to note, make sure the banana is very ripe. Not browned and bruised, but ripe, so that the muffins are sweet enough, since there is no other sweetness added.

So technically these blender muffins are banana muffins, because the ingredients literally include a banana, but stirring in nuts and adding that extra slice of heavenly banana on top seals the deal as a Banana Nut flavor. Also, my son is obsessed with bananas, so whenever he sees these with the banana on top, he gets very excited – and it’s a fun way to sneak in nuts without worrying about choking hazards (make sure you really finely chop up those nuts!)

You can make these extra special by stirring some chocolate chips into the final batter to make these Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins, but I think they’re perfect as is! I hope you’ve enjoyed muffin week here on the blog and if you make the muffins, please use the hashtag #inspiralizedmuffinweek so we can share!

Note: Although this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, all opinions are my own, always.

Watch our video for this recipe and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

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Blender Banana Nut Muffins

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup cooked butternut squash
• 1 ripe banana + 1/4 banana to thinly slice for the tops of the muffins
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend all of the ingredients together except for the extra banana slices and nuts in a blender until smooth. Add the nuts to the batter and stir well to combine. Pour into silicone muffin liners or a well greased muffin tin. Top with banana slices and push in a little into the batter. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then pop out of the muffin liners/tin. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

The post Blender Banana Nut Muffins appeared first on Inspiralized.

Blender Chocolate Chip Beet Muffins

Welcome to muffin week! In partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, we’re bringing you FIVE new muffin recipes, based off of my smash hit blender muffins (you can find the original recipe here.)

As a parent, you’re constantly making decisions that affect the whole family. Choosing real, whole, and premium ingredients to use in my meals for my family is one decision that’s easy. If you have been following me through my main Inspiralized channel, then you know I’m a huge Bob’s Red Mill fan and now, as a mother of two, I feel even better about the ingredients I use in my cooking, thanks to Bob’s.

These blender muffins have a super easy base recipe: 1oz (or about 1/3 cup) of cooked vegetable, 2 eggs, 1 banana, 3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats and 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. And to note, make sure the banana is very ripe. Not browned and bruised, but ripe, so that the muffins are sweet enough, since there is no other sweetness added.

My favorite version of blender muffins in general is ones made with beets. There’s something extra delicious about adding beets, and I don’t eat enough of them outside of these muffins (they’re messy and kind of a hard vegetable to fit into your diet unless you’re making big salads.) And, to save myself so much time, I use pre-cooked organic beets (I love the Love Beets brand.)

I’ve added vegan chocolate chips here to add extra sweetness and look like a sweet treat, when really they’re a nutritious, protein and veggie packed muffin!

Note: Although this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, all opinions are my own, always.

Watch our video for this recipe and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

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Chocolate Chip Beet Muffins

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup cooked red beets
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1.5 tablespoons vegan chocolate chips + more for sprinkling

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend all of the ingredients together except for the chocolate chips in a blender until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and stir with a spoon or spatula. Pour into silicone muffin liners or a well greased muffin tin. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then pop out of the muffin liners/tin. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

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Blender Blueberry Muffins

Welcome to muffin week! In partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, we’re bringing you FIVE new muffin recipes, based off of my smash hit blender muffins (you can find the original recipe here.)

As a parent, you’re constantly making decisions that affect the whole family. Choosing real, whole, and premium ingredients to use in my meals for my family is one decision that’s easy. If you have been following me through my main Inspiralized channel, then you know I’m a huge Bob’s Red Mill fan and now, as a mother of two, I feel even better about the ingredients I use in my cooking, thanks to Bob’s.

These blender muffins have a super easy base recipe: 1oz (or about 1/3 cup) of cooked vegetable, 2 eggs, 1 banana, 3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats and 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. And to note, make sure the banana is very ripe. Not browned and bruised, but ripe, so that the muffins are sweet enough, since there is no other sweetness added.

Now these muffins are especially exciting, because you’d never guess the veggie, since the muffin itself looks white, like a flour-based muffin! Well… it’s parsnip! Yes, we’re approaching fall and wintertime produce and parsnips are one of my favorite, nutty vegetables that roast to perfection. These muffins are no exception – paired with the sweetness of that banana, it’s a tasty muffin that packs in lots of veggies!

If you’re nervous about parsnips, you can sub in sweet potato or butternut squash here! And tomorrow, we’re sharing our Chocolate Chip Beet Muffins!

Note: Although this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, all opinions are my own, always.

Watch our video for this recipe and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

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Blender Blueberry Muffins

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup roasted parsnips or use butternut squash
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup blueberries

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend all of the ingredients together except for the blueberries in a blender until smooth. Add the blueberries and stir with a spoon or spatula. Pour into silicone muffin liners or a well greased muffin tin. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then pop out of the muffin liners/tin. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

The post Blender Blueberry Muffins appeared first on Inspiralized.

Blender Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Welcome to muffin week! In partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, we’re bringing you FIVE new muffin recipes, based off of my smash hit blender muffins (you can find the original recipe here.)

As a parent, you’re constantly making decisions that affect the whole family. Choosing real, whole, and premium ingredients to use in my meals for my family is one decision that’s easy. If you have been following me through my main Inspiralized channel, then you know I’m a huge Bob’s Red Mill fan and now, as a mother of two, I feel even better about the ingredients I use in my cooking, thanks to Bob’s.

These blender muffins have a super easy base recipe: 1oz (or about 1/3 cup) of cooked vegetable, 2 eggs, 1 banana, 3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats and 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. And to note, make sure the banana is very ripe. Not browned and bruised, but ripe, so that the muffins are sweet enough, since there is no other sweetness added.

My favorite vegetables to use for these muffins include butternut squash, carrot, and spinach. For this week, I’m doing five straight days of brand new blender muffin flavors and we’re on day #2!

These Lemon Poppyseed Muffins are zesty and sweet. You won’t believe the vegetable we snuck in here… acorn squash! Now, if you don’t have access to acorn squash (it’s out of season, not accessible where you live), you can use butternut squash here instead – the flavors will be very similar, as well as the color. But, I encourage you to try acorn squash, it’s a very versatile veggie with it’s own unique profile of nutrients.

You could even do a little lemon glaze on top here, if you’re feeling extra. Tomorrow, we’re sharing our Blueberry Muffins!

Note: Although this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, all opinions are my own, always.

Watch our video for this recipe and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

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Blender Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 23 minutes minutes

Total Time 33 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup roasted acorn squash or use butternut squash
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 lemon zested + 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon poppyseeds

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend all of the ingredients together except for the poppyseeds in a blender until smooth. Add the poppyseeds and stir with a spoon or spatula. Pour into silicone muffin liners or a well greased muffin tin. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then pop out of the muffin liners/tin. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

The post Blender Lemon Poppyseed Muffins appeared first on Inspiralized.

Blender Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Welcome to muffin week! In partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, we’re bringing you FIVE new muffin recipes, based off of my smash hit blender muffins (you can find the original recipe here.)

As a parent, you’re constantly making decisions that affect the whole family. Choosing real, whole, and premium ingredients to use in my meals for my family is one decision that’s easy. If you have been following me through my main Inspiralized channel, then you know I’m a huge Bob’s Red Mill fan and now, as a mother of two, I feel even better about the ingredients I use in my cooking, thanks to Bob’s.

These blender muffins have a super easy base recipe: 1oz (or about 1/3 cup) of cooked vegetable, 2 eggs, 1 banana, 3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats and 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. And to note, make sure the banana is very ripe. Not browned and bruised, but ripe, so that the muffins are sweet enough, since there is no other sweetness added.

My favorite vegetables to use for these muffins include butternut squash, carrot, and spinach. For this week, I’m doing five straight days of brand new blender muffin flavors!

To start, since it’s back-to-school and the fall season, we’re sharing Pumpkin Spice Muffins. The secret ingredient? Pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice! These muffins are cozy and the perfect way to celebrate the crisp fall season. Luca loves these with almond butter and I love them as is, with an almond chai latte!

No matter how you enjoy these muffins, you’ll be amazed by how easy and simple yet flavorful these muffins are! Tomorrow, we’re sharing our Lemon Poppyseed Muffins!

Note: Although this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, all opinions are my own, always.

Watch our video for this recipe and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

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Blender Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Pour into silicone muffin liners or a well greased muffin tin. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then pop out of the muffin liners/tin. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

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Broccoli Grilled Cheese

Let’s be honest – who doesn’t love grilled cheese? From a parents’ perspective, it’s one of the easiest meals to prep for our little ones in advance and with this broccoli twist, it’s an easy way to squeeze in more veggies into your family’s diets!

The secret to making this broccoli grilled cheese a slam dunk every time is not using too much broccoli. Sometimes, I pile on the broccoli, and I notice Luca won’t eat nearly as much of the sandwich. I’ve gotten the ratio down to a science (and you will too, once you make this a few times for your kids!) so there’s a perfect balance of bread, butter, cheese, and broccoli!

I love cooking this on the stovetop in a pan with butter, because it’s easy cleanup and the butter is a quick and easy fat source for growing little ones. To make it even easier, I use frozen broccoli! I heat the broccoli up in a small saucepan with chicken or vegetable broth (for flavor) and then chop off the stems. Then, I finely chop the broccoli so they’re made into tiny florets.

It’s important to keep the broccoli whole here (and not puree it) for your child to recognize broccoli (I’ve noticed that since making these sandwiches, Luca is a lot more receptive of broccoli – he’s started touching it more, playing with it, and taking little nibbles.) If you “hide” vegetables, your child will never understand that they’re an important part of the diet and won’t properly take part in their texture and recognize them on their plates.

With two slices of cheese and some tasty multigrain bread (I love Dave’s Killer bread), this sandwich is something I make for Luca once a week and he’s guaranteed to eat an entire sandwich, usually the crust and all! I hope it’s just as successful for you!

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Broccoli Grilled Cheese

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup frozen broccoli florets
• 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth or just use water
• 1 tablespoon of butter divided (or 2 tablespoons, if you want it more buttery!)
• 2 slices of multigrain or whole wheat bread I like Dave's Killer bread
• 2 slices of cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Place the broccoli and broth (or water) in a small pot over high heat. Boil until broccoli is cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and slice the stems off the florets and then finely chop the florets. Set aside.
• Place a small skillet over medium heat and add in half of the butter. Once butter melts, add a slice of bread and top with broccoli, spreading it evenly out over the piece of bread. Top with cheese slices and other piece of bread. Press firmly down and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip, compress again with a spatula and let cook for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.
• Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board and slice according to your kids' preferences. Serve.

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Mini Potato and Carrot Quiche Cups

We’re always looking for ways to save time but not sacrifice on flavor or health, when it comes to cooking and feeding our families. With these Mini Potato and Carrot Quiche Cups, you can batch cook breakfast for the week or make a healthy breakfast for a big family.

Instead of a traditional quiche crust, we’re using slices of potatoes, a great source of potassium, antioxidants, fiber, and Vitamin C. I feel like potatoes don’t get enough credit – they’re a vegetable, too! The crust is made with the potato slices, baked in the oven, and then baked again with an egg mixture with more veggies (carrots!)

I love these because they squeeze in extra veggies into your diet and they save and reheat well. Plus, I feel like anything grab-able is usually kid friendly, or at least that’s how it is for Luca (he’ll eat almost anything in muffin form!)

You can also use sweet potatoes as the quiche “crust” here to switch it up. Also, try adding some crumbled sausage or ground meat for extra protein and iron, if you’re trying to incorporate more of that into your child’s diet.

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Mini Potato and Carrot Quiche Cups

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12 quiche cups

Ingredients

• 2 medium red potatoes
• cooking spray
• salt and pepper
• 6 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese optional
• 1/3 cup grated carrot

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large muffin tray.
• Slice the potatoes halfway through lengthwise. Spiralize on Blade A to yield chip slices.
• Place the potatoes into the muffin cavities so they overlap and cover the bottom and sides of the muffin cavity. You may need to trim the potato pieces to fit. Spray the potatoes with more cooking spray and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes, until tender. Let cool for 5 minutes. Keep the oven on.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, garlic powder, almond milk, cheese, and carrot.
• Once the potatoes are done cooking, pour the egg mixture into the muffin cavities, about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 25 minutes or until eggs puff up and are set in the center.
• Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool 5 minutes before popping out of the muffin cavities.

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What a week of meals looks like for our family

Each Friday, I make a meal plan for Saturday through the following Friday. With this meal plan, I plan out Luca’s meals: two snacks and three main meals. We try to stick to this, in an effort to minimize food waste, ensure a balanced offering of nutrition and food variety, and to keep some sanity!

When you don’t know what your next meal is and don’t have a plan, it can get overwhelming and you end up reaching for convenience foods over and over again and thus, not offering a lot of variety and ultimately spending more money.

Now, we don’t stick to this meal plan 100%. Sometimes, I don’t have time to cook something, so I’ll pull something out of my freezer and reheat it, OR we may go out for a meal that we didn’t intend on going out for and thus, have to switch things around.

Where I build my meal plans

I keep it simple. And since, like I said, I switch things up all the time, I love to have a virtual meal plan that I can swap around, copy and paste, etc. Thus, I use Evernote. I also use Evernote, because this is where my daily to-do list lives, so it’s all in the same place, so while I’m working off of my to-dos, I have our meal plan to reference easily.

Basically, each Friday, I build a new “Note” in my Daily To-Do “Notebook.” In this Note, there is an outline of the meal plan, which looks like this:

I build this for the week. Then, usually on Monday, I’ll drag the old meal plan Note into an archive of Meal Plans (so I can reference back if I’m ever stuck for ideas!) and just have our Monday through Friday to work off of. Then, again, on Friday, I build for the next Saturday through Friday.

A few things to keep in mind

While dinners are always enjoyed together (my husband is not home yet, but I always sit down and have a mini portion of our dinner with Luca), all of the rest of our meals are not the same. On the weekends, we all eat breakfast together, and about 50% of the time, during the week, Luca and I have lunch together.

Sometimes, we have the same lunch, but to be honest, my work days are unpredictable and I can’t always sit down with Luca and I’m often grabbing something outside of the house or defaulting to the same type of sandwich or meal, later on in the day (and Luca eats at 12:15pm everyday.) This is something I want to get better at – being present at his lunch times, so we can eat the same things, together. When we are able to be together, I make sure at least one of the things on his plate is the same as on mine. For example, if I know I’m eating something later, I’ll just have some steamed carrots, if that’s what’s also on his plate. I’ll basically have a snack.

As for breakfasts, since I work out in the mornings, I usually just have a PerfectBar or something snack-ish before my workout, and of course, Luca has his own breakfast. I usually sit with him (unless the morning is hectic) and sometimes I’ll take a bite off his plate or give him some of my bar, but breakfast is such a slam dunk meal for him (he eats SO much), that I don’t worry too much about us eating the same thing or me eating with him.

So to clarify: this meal plan is what Luca is offered each day, and we (Mom and Dad) also eat the same dinner as him. On the weekends, we eat more similarly, but on the weekdays, because of work, we eat separately from Luca for breakfast and lunch.

On the weekends, our schedules are a bit unpredictable, and I find us eating out a lot or using up what’s in the freezer (convenience foods like Spinach Littles and leftovers.) I tend to plan those days more loosely, because I’ve found that when I plan to cook and buy groceries accordingly, there’s a lot more waste.

Reoccuring dinners on my meal plan

There are a few dinners that I like to make each week for our family, because I know they’re hits with Luca and we love them. These include:

• Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Pasta (recipe coming soon!)
• Turkey Bolognese with Zoodles (I also do this with spiralized sweet potatoes or broccoli and couscous to switch it up)
• Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Pizza on Simple Mills crust (usually a Friday night tradition!)
• Cauliflower Curry (no butternut squash noodles)
• Roasted Salmon with Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes (Luca usually only eats the sweet potatoes, but it’s a meal we love and can eat together with him, because he’ll at least eat those.)
• Pressure Cooker Salsa Chicken
• Turkey meatballs in Rao’s Tomato Basil sauce with a veggie (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans, etc.)
• Burrito bowls (I’ll usually also make a family style serving of cheese quesadillas, because I know Luca loves them and it’s a fun treat for us, since we rarely eat quesadillas!)
• Veggie Raviolis with Rao’s Tomato Basil sauce and a veggie (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans, etc.)
• Margherita Broccoli Slabs with roasted potatoes and white beans
• Pork and Green Bean Stirfry with Sweet Potato Fried Rice (we switch up the protein – sometimes it’s chicken or shrimp, for example.)
• Lentil Meatloaf from Inspiralized & Beyond

Sample Weekly Meal Plan

Now, of course, Luca doesn’t eat all of this food at each meal time, but this is what’s offered. And we don’t stick to it 100%. Sometimes, for example, if I have a lot more blog leftovers, I’ll swap one of his lunches for that. Or, if I can’t get my stuff together for a dinner, I’ll pull together something easy from the fridge – or just some Mac and Cheese, with veggies stirred in.

But having this meal plan “set” for the week takes off a LOT of pressure and allows me to grocery shop quickly and not stress out about that aspect of our busy lives. Most importantly, it lets me look at the week ahead and make sure I’m offering him a balanced variety of fruits, veggies, proteins, whole grains, and dairy products. And we can plan leftovers better!

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