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Monkey #3
Who are the 3 Munching Monkeys?
Hi! My name is Allaina, and the aforementioned monkeys are my darling daughters. The eldest is currently 9 years old and the twinkies just turned 4. They all love to help in the kitchen and our family's love of food and cooking has inspired the eldest to strive toward owning a bed and breakfast when she grows up. I call my girls my monkeys because they all shriek, climb things and generally spend much of their time tumbling around. Often I feel like I run a zoo, not a household!
Who is in Charge Around Here?
I am a 35 year old Mother to 3, deliriously happy wife of 10+ years, graphic designer, singer, artist and quadriplegic. I find such joy in preparing delicious food and sharing that love with friends and family. I also can not resist the challenge of using difficult ingredients in new and resourceful ways and I strive to create irresistible flavors with much of what I have on hand - who has time to always run to the store?
Nutrition is very important to me. When we started receiving our organic CSA share a few summers ago, I was overwhelmed by the number and variety of vegetables we were receiving. I didn't know what to do with half of them. I despaired at my children's suspicious glances into the bags. I began in earnest to try to create recipes that would entice the kids to the table but allow me to feel good about what they put in their mouths. In this process, I discovered quite happily that I have a knack for being sneaky in the kitchen.
This blog is my attempt to share my recipes and observations, empower other parents in the kitchen and have more happy family dinners throughout the nation.
Category Archives: Sneaky
Lemon Terragon Pasta with Zucchini and Summer Squash
This is a light and simple dish that looks elegant and is easy to prepare. Lemon can be adjusted to suit any taste. NUTS and BOLTS Vegetable Stock 1-2 tsp Vegan Margarine 1 cup Small Dry noodles (Orzo, Alphabet pasta, … Continue reading
Super Sneaky Garden Vegetable Frittata
A frittata is your friend in the sneaky kitchen. Much like quiche, it functions as a Trojan Horse for all kinds of veggies. I had a lot of fresh produce and needed to find a way to get it into … Continue reading
Quick Chicken Noodle Soup with Kale
I am apparently raising a little chef. My oldest has been coming up with recipes lately. We finally had the opportunity to try one out. You know what? It was fabulous!! This is a great way to get a homemade … Continue reading
Breakfast Quinoa
My twinkies love oatmeal, particularly the flavored instant oatmeal sold in individual packages. There is a lot of unnecessary junk in those, however. Oatmeal made from scratch is nice, but I was striving for something with more rounded nutrition. Some … Continue reading
Quiche in a Basket
I love quiche. I don’t love how fattening it can be. This is a slimmed down version that I made appetizer / child size. I added all kinds of things to my batter – broccoli, mushrooms, chicken, red peppers, green … Continue reading
Prune and Pumpkin Puree’ (for the little ones)
This recipe was sort of a spur of the moment, last ditch effort to get my twinkies to eat prunes. The smallest has been holding it all in with a stubbornness to match my own and is now in serious … Continue reading
Chocolate Surprise Cake
Dessert is a true weakness of mine. I could eat it after every meal, every day. I am always trying to find ways to make desserts that are wicked in flavor and high in satisfaction but low in fat and … Continue reading
Broccoli Bacon Stirfry with Maple and Tamari
In my endless search for ways to get my daughter to eat broccoli, I turned to a universal favorite. BACON. Also, CANDY. Kids eat all kinds of sweet items, why not candied broccoli or cauliflower? This recipe is adapted from … Continue reading
Whole Grain Cinnamon Pancakes
Who loves pancakes? I don’t – not usually, anyway. If I am going to eat a pancake, it would have to be interesting. If I am going to make pancakes, they would have to be worth it. They would have … Continue reading
Apple Ginger Chicken Salad
I don’t know about you, but I have often found chicken salad to be a bit of a bore.. I won’t order it out and rarely eat it at parties. In my search for ways to dress it up, I … Continue reading