Easy and Nutritious lunches for kids (fried rice)

Anne and I always talk about what we should be giving our kids for lunch. It is a meal that gets overlooked so often (at least in my house!) during the busy days. Yet, with a little effort, they can be nourished and can enjoy a good meal in the middle of the day. I have noticed a huge difference in my kids when they eat well for lunch during the "witching hour", that 4:00-5:00 time that they seem to be so difficult. They need good fats at lunch to replenish to be able to face the rest of their day. They also need to fill up so they don't drive you crazy begging for snacks all afternoon! Here is one I go to very often, not very different from my regular fried rice, just a little more kid friendly.

Start with some leftover cold rice and coconut oil. I always use coconut oil for the kids, I think it is especially great for them! I try to find little ways to sneak it in and this is an easy one. Warm up a couple of Tablespoons and add the rice. Fry for about 5 minutes and add some peas. I add frozen organic peas straight from the freezer.


Once the peas are cooked through, push the rice over and add a couple of eggs onto one side of your pan. Scramble them right in there.

Lastly, incorporate it all together and you have a yummy nutritious lunch the kids will love in under 10 minutes.


Do you have any great lunch ideas for kids? We would LOVE to hear them!

This post is part of Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet.

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Coconut Rice

This is one of our favorite ways to make rice.  It is very mild and fragrant and compliments many other dishes.  I use the leftovers to make fried rice even more flavorful.  The kids love it! 

*2 cups rice ( I prefer white Jasmine, brown Basmati is pictured)

*1 TBS coconut oil

*10 oz coconut milk

*water

*cilantro to garnish

Start by rinsing your rice well and cooking off the excess water.  Add your coconut oil to the rice and cook until fragrant and rice begins to brown.  Add coconut milk and enough water to cover by about 1/2 inch.  Stir and let settle.  Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down and let simmer until cooked through.  (About 20 minutes.)  Turn the heat off and let rest about 5 minutes.  I love to garnish ours with cilantro, although we have also used toasted almonds and toasted coconut with great results.  

Enjoy!

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday

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Asparagus Risotto

Photo Credit

This warm and creamy traditional Italian side dish was made from a mix of fresh asparagus from my Abundant Harvest box and arborio rice.  I must admit that, while my husband and I love risotto of all kinds, my children are not crazy about this dish.  They love rice in general, just not "the slippery kind".  What can I say~ I have little boys. =)

• 1 lb. fresh asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 cups homemade chicken broth*
• 2 cups water*
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 onion, diced (or shallots)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Butter or Olive Oil for sautéing
• Celtic Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste*

*As to the chicken broth and water, you may use all chicken broth, as I did, just make sure to not add any salt.  The flavor will be very, very rich (which we prefer) if you do not cut it with the water.

1.  In a saucepan combine the chicken broth and water and heat on med-high until simmering.  Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
2. In a large skillet cook the asparagus in about 3 TBS butter until tender-crisp.  Remove the asparagus and keep warm.
3. In the same skillet sauté the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes in your choice of fat.  Add the rice and cook another 2 minutes.  Add in the wine, deglazing the pan with it until most-to-all of the liquid has evaporated. 

4. Increase the heat to a med-high and add in 1 cup of the broth-water mixture.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been absorbed.  Continue stirring and adding 1 cup of the liquid at a time, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding the next.  This should take between 25 and 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the texture is creamy.
5. Stir in the asparagus, cream, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and simmer another 2 or 3 minutes.  Serve immediately. 

I paired this with grilled chicken and a salad for dinner, although it is more than filling to enjoy as a meal of its own!  

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Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Even though it is spring time, even in California we have had cool enough weather to extend soup season.  This makes me happy.  :)  I love soup, and this is one of my favorites!  Comforting, creamy, flavorful and nourishing.  I hope you enjoy it! 

* 4 cups free range chicken broth

* 2 cups water

* 2 cups leftover free range chicken meat, shredded

* 1 cup cooked wild rice

* 1 TBS all purpose seasoning of choice.  (I prefer the one from US Wellness Meats)

* 1/2 teaspoon celtic grey sea salt

* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

* 3/4 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour

* 1/2 cup butter

* 2 cups heavy cream (I use whole raw milk)

* Vegetables of choice (optional)

Combine broth, water and chicken in a large stock pot.  If you do not have leftover chicken, start raw chicken in the broth and water and simmer all afternoon until falling apart.  Shred chicken and add vegetables.  Cook until veggies are tender.  Add rice and simmer until heated through. (Add water as needed to replace what evaporates.)

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in  seasoning of choice until bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

Stir cream mixture into broth mixture. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.   Enjoy!

This post is part of Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet.

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Fried Rice Perfected

I have always loved fried rice. It is probably my favorite food of all time. I used to love getting chinese as a kid, and would just get a huge plate of fried rice and nothing else. It is the ultimate comfort food, but as I've found lately, it is also very easy and versatile. It can also be very nourishing if you do it right. Lately, I've been making a big pot of rice a few times a week and chilling it. It is so easy to just throw some together if you have chilled rice already waiting for you. The kids even love it, so it is definitely a favorite around here. Here is my fried rice recipe:

*4 Cups cooked chilled rice
*4 Tbs fat
*4 Eggs
*Whatever veggies you have on hand

Start with your fat.  I usually chop up some bacon and fry it until done.  The fat leftover is perfect for frying, and the little bits of bacon are wonderful in your rice, although you can also use coconut oil, or even olive oil with good results.  After you have your fat ready to go, add your veggies.  Cook until tender.  When veggies are finished, add rice.  I probably cook it for about 5 minutes.  Just long enough to heat through and encorporate the fat all the way through the rice.  If you want to add eggs, just transfer your rice to a serving dish and scramble your eggs in your pan.  Add your eggs to your rice, and you are good to go! 

Yes, it is very simple. However, this is what I have come up with after years and years of tinkering. I think fried rice is the first thing I tried to learn how to make. I actually remember cooking it at my childhood house, and I don't think I did much cooking there at all. Yes, many years of trial and error...much trial, and many errors! But this is it, easy and so so good. I usually stick to the 1:1:1 ratio when making it. I just put 4 up there because that is the amount I make for our family for dinner. Here is the secret: cooled rice. I cannot stress this enough. Your rice must be cold, or it will turn into a big clumpy sticky gooey mess. Also, you must use a good fat. Do not use vegetable oil. Only good fats, our favorites are bacon fat, coconut oil or beef lard. I can't wait to try some duck fat... I am planning to try this the next time I cook duck. I bet it is out of this world! The veggies don't matter so much, whatever you love. I usually just do peas and carrots because it is the old standby and the kids love it. In this picture, I used leeks and kale. It was extremely yummy this way. Just use your imagination! Oh, and I almost forgot: Only flavor with tamari. That is fermented soy sauce, and the flavor is so much better than your average soy sauce... you will never go back! :) Enjoy!

This post is a part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

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