Mother’s Day is almost here and moms deserve an awesome day (or the whole week if you ask me). Taking mom out to brunch is a popular way to go, along with flowers, cards, etc. Another option is to avoid the crowds and let mom enjoy a delicious, relaxing meal at home on mother’s day, but what to make? Here are a few tasty recipes that will let the kids have fun getting in on the action, plus they’ll be so proud that they were able to help cook something for mom.
Ricotta, Blueberry and Grape Toasts
For little and big kids: Let them help measure and spread the ricotta on the bread. For big kids: Let them cut the grapes in half.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup sliced, skin-on almonds
- 3/4 cup red seedless grapes, halved
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1 tablespoon honey, plus more for drizzling and serving
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 baguette, cut into two 6-inch pieces, halved horizontally
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes; transfer to a small bowl, and set aside.
Toss the grapes, blueberries, honey and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir together the ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl.
Dividing evenly, spread the 4 baguette halves with the butter. Transfer to the rimmed baking sheet, and toast until lightly browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.
Sprinkle the toasted halves with a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper, and spread each with 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture. Put each half on an individual serving plate, drizzle with honey, top with a generous 1/4 cup of the fruit mixture and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the toasted almonds. Serve with more honey on the side.
Waldorf Chicken Boats
For little and big kids: Let them whisk the dressing and scoop it into the lettuce leaves or cups.
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded
- 1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded
- 1 small crisp apple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup red seedless grapes, halved
- 3 scallions, whites and greens divided and chopped
- 3 scallions, whites and greens divided and chopped
- 8 hearts of romaine leaves or 12 Bibb lettuce leaves
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the dressing: Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, oil, vinegar, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl until combined; set aside.
For the salad: Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet, and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then break up into 1/4-inch pieces.
To assemble: Toss the walnuts, chicken, apples, grapes and scallion whites together with the dressing in a large bowl until everything is well coated; season with salt and pepper. Scoop a scant 1/2 cup of the salad into each romaine leaf, and arrange 2 on each serving plate. Garnish with the scallion greens, and serve.
Roasted Turkey and Basil Cream Cheese Pinwheel Sandwiches
For little kids: Let them wash and spin-dry the lettuce. For big kids: Let them layer the ingredients and roll up the sandwiches.
Ingredients:
- 1 large head romaine lettuce
- 4 ounces whipped cream cheese
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves, loosely packed
- 8 large fresh basil leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Four 10-inch flour tortillas
- 8 slices oven-roasted deli turkey (about 8 ounces)
- 1 whole roasted pepper from a jar, sliced into 1/4-inch strips (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
Directions:
Special equipment: Toothpicks
Pull the largest four romaine leaves from the outside of the bunch and wash and dry carefully, trying not to tear the leaves. Cut the leaves at the base where they were connected to the root; the pieces should be about 9-inches long. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the center rib so the leaves roll up more easily. Set aside.
Combine the cream cheese, spinach and basil in a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper.
Lay one of the tortillas on a clean work surface and add one of the romaine leaves to fit neatly on top. Place 2 slices of turkey next to each other, covering the lettuce. Spread 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture over the surface of the turkey and line up a quarter of the roasted pepper strips along one edge. Line up 1/4 cup of the shredded carrot just above the peppers. Roll up the wrap tightly starting from the edge with the peppers and carrots, so the wrap holds together with the peppers and carrots in the middle. Place the wrap seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, vegetables, turkey and cream cheese spread. Cut the wraps into 1-inch pieces, then pierce each segment with a toothpick or skewer from the outside of the tortilla through the seam on the bottom.
Pizza Skewers
For little kids: Let them dump the ingredients into the bowl, stir them up and tear the basil leaves over the skewers. For big kids: Let them measure out the ingredients, roll out the dough and thread the skewers.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce, warmed, for dipping
- Grated Parmesan, optional
- Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for oiling the grill grates
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1/2 pound pizza dough, cool to the touch (optional)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes (24 to 30)
- 12 ounces cooked sweet Italian chicken sausage links (about 4 links), sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Directions:
Special equipment: Eight 12-inch wooden skewers
Soak eight 12-inch wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. Prepare a grill for medium heat. Cut a 12-inch-square piece of aluminum foil.
Stir together the oil, Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
Dust a work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 11 by 6 by 1/4 inches. Using a pizza wheel or a knife, cut the dough into 1-inch strips, then into 1-inch squares. Add the dough squares, tomatoes and sausage to the seasoned oil, and toss gently to coat.
Working quickly to keep the dough from getting warm, thread the skewers, alternating sausage pieces (skewer them through the casings), tomatoes and dough squares (skewer them through opposite sides of each square, keeping them as flat as possible so they cook through). Leave 1/2 inch of the skewer at both ends empty. Each skewer should have 4 pieces each of sausage and dough and about 3 tomatoes.
Grill the skewers, covered, until the tomatoes have dark grill lines and the dough squares have started to puff, 2 to 3 minutes. Put the prepared foil square on the grill, and transfer the skewers onto the foil cooked-side up, so that they are almost touching. Top with the mozzarella, and grill, covered, until the tomatoes are soft, the dough squares have doubled in size and the mozzarella has melted, 3 minutes more.
Divide the skewers among 4 plates. Tear the basil leaves over the tops. Serve with the marinara sauce, for dipping, and pass the Parmesan and red pepper flakes.
Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
For little kids: They can mix up the batter and scoop out cookies. For big kids: Measure ingredient amounts, mix and scoop.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 medium Bananas, 1 cup mashed
- 1 1/2 cups Quick Oats
- 1/2 cup Chocolate Protein Powder
- 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Dark Cocoa Powder
- 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds, optional
- 2 tablespoons Ground Flax Seed, optional
- 2 tablespoons Mini Chocolate Chips
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mash the bananas. Stir the oats, protein powder, cocoa powder, chia seeds, and flaxseed into the bananas.
- Drop the mixture into 15 even spoonfuls on a nonstick baking sheet or a pan lined with a Silpat. Press each cookie flat. You can also use your fingers to keep each cookie in a nice round shape.
- Sprinkle the top of the cookies with the mini chocolate chips.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Gently remove the cookies to parchment paper or a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in a loosely sealed container.
Note: Never leave children unattended in the kitchen and limit the child to tasks that are safe and age appropriate.
Recipes courtesy of foodnetwork.com
We wish all of the wonderful moms a very Happy Mother’s Day!
Contact TNT today for more information and your free consultation.
Phone: 704-549-9550
Email: information@tntgetfit.com
Recent Comments