Broccoli and Chickpea Salad

- Amanda

Never in a million years did I think I would be so excited about last night’s leftover salad for lunch. But then again, never did I think I would be quarantined in an apartment with a pair of very energetic 6 and 3 year-olds and not allowed to see any of our family or friends or do anything else outside the confines of these walls for that matter. I guess this is a time for lots of first’s. But back to the latter. This Broccoli and Chickpea Salad had me really looking forward to lunch this week, because it is that good. It’s crunchy, a little sweet, a little tangy, and just the right amount of spicy. It really is so different than many a salad I’ve tried before, especially those with broccoli. (It even had me secretly hoping my husband didn’t finish it off so I could repeat for lunch on day 3… Shhh)

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PB&J Energy Bites

- Amanda

The classic PB&J, aka peanut butter and jelly sandwich, is the absolute lunch of choice for my little guys. Who am I kidding, they’d eat it for every meal if they could. Well, unfortunately for them, that doesn’t happen. (We have to ration our beloved peanut butter after all and well eating it everyday might not be the healthiest thing.) Even pre-Covid-19 days, stretching out our peanut butter usage was necessary as there’s only so much we were able to bring back from the states. It’s available here, don’t get me wrong, but not quite the pure sea salt and peanuts kind we like. So that means, we try to enjoy it only maybe once a week.

Well last week, the kids agreed to forego the sandwich and we decided to include some peanut butter in our Banana Peanut Butter & Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies. (Recipe coming soon, promise.) But this week, in honor of National PB&J day, which is today April 2nd, we’re gonna go crazy and not only enjoy the sandwich, but also these PB&J Energy Bites.

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White Bean & Veggie Soup

- Amanda 2 Comments

What do you do when you find exactly one cup of dried white beans left in the cupboard? The answer for me was to make soup. It’s easy, feeds a crowd, there’s sure to be leftovers for tomorrow’s dinner and well, it’s soup. Which means it’s the belly-warming-immune-boosting goodness we’re supposed to be indulging in right now. And if I needed one more reason, the kids will always eat beans.

On the other hand, they (one 3 year-old in particular,) don’t always jump for joy when their soup is loaded with vegetables. Especially if that vegetable happens to be anything other than broccoli, peas or carrots, little Miss Sparkle’s holy trinity of veggies. No worries though, that just means I have to get creative in how I sneak in the other stuff.

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Chocolatey Banana Oat Squares

- Amanda

It took me a while to decide what to call these. At first, I was sold on banana chocolate oat brownies. But my husband didn’t think they fit the bill for what he might call a brownie. Then I was leaning towards bars. But, Mr. T, my 6 year-old, said that bars are “usually a little harder and not so soft.” And for some reason, cake just didn’t work for me….So, Chocolatey Banana Oat Squares it was. And I’m still not 100% sold on that title, but tomato tomata, the only thing these need to be called, is really good. Because that’s exactly that they are.

This cake, bar, brownie is so soft, moist and packed with chocolatey banana flavor. And I bet, if you tasted one, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you they are made with whole wheat flour. And, they contain healthy ingredients like oats and ground flax seeds. What’s not to love there?!

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Coconut Red Lentil Dahl

- Amanda 2 Comments

I’ve been meaning to share this recipe for a while now. It is the perfect warm and comforting dinner I think we could all use right now. And what’s even better, is most of it includes pantry staples and it feeds a crowd or can be enjoyed for a few nights in a row. I’m not exaggerating when I say it got us through three dinners this week. I know I know, a lot of people can’t repeat meals like that, but these days when supplies are scarce or trips to the market are difficult or even impossible, being able to stretch the food we have is a valuable thing.

Red lentils are really nutritious and packed with protein. About 25% to be exact. That means, they make a great substitute for meat whether you’re going vegetarian, trying to eat healthier or there’s literally no meat left in the refrigerated section at the market. We enjoy lentils in different recipes at least once or twice a week in our home. One of our all time favorite ways to eat red lentils, besides this dahl, is in this Turkish Red Lentil Soup.

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