Cooking with Kids, Recipes, Dining Out with Kids, Takeout Food, Vegetables, Meal Planning

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear.

Nicole's meal plan for this week features one-pot Asian chicken with rice and bok choy, rice with grilled summer squash, fusilli with olive and pancetta, tortilla soup, and this grilled shrimp flatbread with chickpea puree and cilantro pesto.

In the summer, I am always looking for light and healthy meals that don’t have to be cooked indoors. This is a quick and easy recipe, which can be made in minutes if you own a food processor. Just use the same food processor bowl for both the pesto and puree, making the pesto first. Also, make sure to buy peeled and deveined shrimp. Doing it yourself is time consuming and who wants to deal with the mess?

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay.

Servings: 6–8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

When we last wrote about our adventures in vegetable gardening this season, we were just seeing some tomato and pepper seedlings emerge. Now that we're firmly in the midst of summer, the garden is taking off. It seems that it was just yesterday when all the plants were little seedlings, but now they're well on their way to producing some veggies. We transplanted the tomatoes and peppers, all of which are doing pretty well, and direct-sowed two varieties of heirloom summer squash, Ronde de Nice and Zucchino Rampicante, and purple podded pole beans.

In order to save some space, this year, we're going vertical! At first I contemplated creating a sturdy trellis structure to support everything, but after examing the garden, I realized things didn't have to be so complicated. I ended up lining the back of the fence with some nylon trellis netting and the beans and vining Zucchino Rampicante squash started doing their thing and climbed away. This way, we were able to plant a lot more in the garden space that we have, and we definitely have a lot more growing in our garden than we did last year.

The beans, which are supposed to get to around six feet tall, have actually grown past that over the top of the fence. The kids are totally fascinated with the growth of the beans, and I am, too. Shades of Jack and the Beanstalk, I guess. Some of the bean plants have wrapped themselves around our neighbors' tree; I've assured them they can have any beans that hang down on their side of the fence.

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear.

Nicole's meal plan for this week features bucatini in a tomato and eggplant sauce, zucchini ricotta fritters, vegetarian tostadas with homemade refried beans, the yummiest peanut tofu stir fry ever, and this fresh and easy spaghetti with zucchini.

This is a quick and easy recipe that can be done in a flash using seasonally fresh zucchini. The trick is to julienne (AKA very thinly slice) the zucchini as finely as possible. This can be done with a knife or with a mandoline. If the zucchini is super fresh, you don't even need to cook it. It will be great raw.

Servings: 4–6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, julienned
• 1 pound spaghetti

Like many families these days, we find ourselves grabbing lunch or dinner on the go probably more than we should. Of course all this dining out adds up after a while and has the potential to be a major drain on the wallet (especially during this economic climate). Fortunately, there are plenty of great family-friendly restaurants in Marin that offer free dining for kids—usually with the purchase of an adult entree (and only when dining in)—one or more days during the week. Here's our list, broken down by location.

All information presented here is, to our knowledge, correct at the time of publishing, but deals come and deals go, so you should confirm with the restaurant before you go, just in case.

Multiple Locations

• Pasta Pomodoro offers free dining for children on Tuesdays. The children's menu includes a variety of traditional kids' menu dishes like grilled cheese and pizza, plus the chance to make your own pasta creation. Pasta Pomodoro has locations in Strawberry Village in Mill Valley, (415) 388-1692, and Vintage Oaks in Novato (140 Vintage Way), (415) 899-1861.

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear.

Nicole's meal plan for this week features Chicken Bouillabaisse, One-Skillet Cheesy Beef and Macaroni, Skirt Steak with Haricots Verts, Linguini with Cherry Tomato Sauce, and this Not-so-White-Trash Burger with Special Sauce

Think In-n-Out Burgers gone high-end and you have my Not-so-White Trash Burgers. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t pine over In-n-Out Burger and this recipe is pretty terrific. What makes it "white trash"? Well, that’s the iceberg lettuce and special sauce. I add heirloom tomatoes just to take it up a notch.

Who doesn't love a sweet, refreshing, frozen treat during the summertime? Make it a little more healthy with sweet fresh strawberries and tangy Greek yogurt. You don't even need an ice cream maker to make this dessert.

It's fantastic scooped into a cone or frozen into ice pop molds—whatever tickles your fancy this summer. My kids and I made this sorbet with fresh strawberries that we picked up at the farmers market.

Our recipe calls for strawberries, but you can use whatever fresh berries you happen to have. Frozen berries work perfectly well, too, so you can make this at an time of year. You can also feel free to substitute low-fat yogurt, but do try to use extra thick Greek yogurt; it makes a difference.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh strawberries
• 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup sugar

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear.

How about this for a healthy and easy snack for the kids? Chickpea poppers! Katie Workman of The Mom 100 Cookbook has hit on a great idea. I think most of us parents are looking for healthy snacks and I just love this one. Even though I am not big on giving my son snacks, I think I will make a concession for this one. My son relishes savory foods and he gobbled this one right up.

Alternative ways to dress up the chickpeas are with chili powder and cumin or just plain with salt. I am sure many more options are out there. Why not try them for yourself?

Original recipe by Katie Workman.

When the temperature rises, one of the things we often cool off with are aguas frescas, those refreshing traditional Mexican-style drinks made from various kinds of fruit. You don't have to go to your local taqueria to get them, either—they're inexpensive and easy to make at home. Kids love them, and they're a healthy alternative to sodas and other soft drinks.

We often make aguas frescas with melons, usually canteloupe or watermelon; whatever we happen to have on hand. It's a great way to use up all that watermelon that's been sitting in the refrigerator, which is what we made out latest batch out of. You can use other fruits, like strawberries and even pineapple, but melon tends to be an economical choice, and a tasty one, too.

Here's what you need to make melon agua fresca:

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear.

Nicole's meal plan for this week features the utlimate Napa Valley cheeseburger, chicken and two-cheese torta, the ultimate grilled teriyaki chicken, spaghetti with a raw tomato sauce, and this penne with roasted tomatoes, garlic, and white beans.

This week I have my fun and amazing 15-year-old niece in town so unfortunately I won’t be focused on creating new recipes. Too much shopping and fun things to do to get any “real” work done this week. So, to make my life easier and to cram more into my day, I have chosen a few great new recipes from some fabulous chefs and trendsetters, which I will be writing about this week.

Today’s recipe is from Ellie Krieger. My son is obsessed with rice and beans so when I stumbled upon this recipe I thought I would have a winner. We really enjoyed the rich taste of the roasted tomatoes and garlic with the cannelloni beans and pasta. It was easy too! This one might have to be a staple for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.