Faye Approved

The Best Roasted Chicken, Thomas Keller Style

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RaisingFayeRoastedChickenFinished

A heavenly roasted chicken that requires almost no work. 

Oh boy, oh boy. Are you in for a real treat with Thomas Keller’s Roasted Chicken recipe. Not only is the chicken moist, tender, and the skin ridiculously flavorful and crispy, but it takes barely any work to come together. That’s right, barely any work. There is absolutely not one iota of basting. Once it goes into the oven, you forget about it until the timer dings.

Simple Prep + Stunning Results = Recipe Staple. I literally roast two chickens every 10 days using this method.

What I love even more about this recipe is that for 15 minutes of prep work I get a roasted chicken for dinner, two carcasses and some meat for a stunning chicken soup (from which I make chicken soup ice cubes to use in Quick & Healthy Toddler food recipes), and additional cooked chicken that I use for toddler snacks and as the main protein for one or two quick to prep meals later in the week (I highly recommend Kimchi Fried Rice).

Honestly, even in 90+ degree weather, it is worth turning your oven on for these babies.

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Quick & Healthy Toddler Meals #2: Salted Edamame with Cheese and Fruit

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Salted Edamame with Cheese and Berries

Nothing in the fridge? Head to your freezer for this quick toddler meal.

This is one of my favorite quick toddler meals to throw together when I am in dire need of a trip to the food store, as I tend to always keep a bag or two of edamame in the freezer.

While I’m not a giant fan of giving soy to toddlers, edamame is such a nutritional powerhouse for a “I have nothing to feed you” kind of day, that I reserve it for those desperate times. A great balance of protein and carbs, it is also high in folate, choline, vitamin K, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and manganese. Edamame also provides each of the essential amino acids, meaning it is a complete protein food.

Another bonus: Faye loves squishing the beans out of their pods. If you have a toddler who isn’t a fan of sitting at the table, this “activity” might help to settle them down. Continue reading →

Quick & Healthy Toddler Meals: #1 Pan Seared Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Green Beans

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Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Green Beans

A healthy toddler meal in under 15 minutes

Multiple times a week I am faced with trying to create a healthy meal for Faye in less than 15 minutes. Sadly, I’ve been hesitant to share because the limited time I have before a meltdown (from hunger, exhaustion, or a combo of both) occurs doesn’t allow for me to set up for a nice photo shoot.

After coming to my senses, I decided that a non-ideal photo was a ridiculous reason to not share these ideas and recipes with other time-crunched caregivers.

Last night’s dinner is a pretty good example of what Faye gets when I am cramped for time: a well seasoned protein and a flavorful vegetable. (I limit non-nutritious carb heavy foods like pasta and rice, and sugar in every form except whole fruit is never offered.) She sits right up against the table in a Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair, a dishtowel secured around her neck with one of these clips, and serves herself from main dishes.

This is the first recipe in the series, but I’ll try my best to load it up as often as possible. Please let me know if you find recipes like these to be helpful!

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The Best “Cheezy” Kale Chips

/ Tracy Gromek / 1 Comment
RaisingFayeKaleChips

The best kale chips in the world.

Kale chips. You either love them, or hate them. Like with most of my food, I am fickle about kale chips. Spending close to $10 for 3 leaves of kale coated in a mild-tasting vegan concoction doesn’t have me jumping up and down the isles in the grocery store for joy.  This recipe, on the other hand, has me (and my family, and friends and their toddlers) doing backflips.

These cheezy kale chips will change your world. They are hands down, by far, my absolute favorite discovery from my vegan/raw days. Bursting with intense flavor, these chips kick all other chips’ asses. I’m not kidding–even kale/veggie haters gobble these suckers down like they are going out of style.

Whether you are trying to incorporate more greens and nutrients into your daily life, attempting to replace junk food with a healthier but phenomenal tasting alternative, or looking for a nutritional powerhouse of a snack for a toddler, I urge you to try the recipe below. You will not be disappointed.

Did I mention they are also great for your milk supply?

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Hearty Ham Hock and White Navy Bean Soup via the Crockpot

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RaisingFayeHamHockWhiteNavyBeanSoup

Lovely comfort food on a cold winter’s day

Originally, I grabbed a bag of small white navy beans to make a beautiful sausage and white bean dish, but when the norovirus took our entire family out of commission last weekend that dish (and anything but minimal effort to cook this week) went out the window.

Have no fear, this quick to prep dish is superb. It’s flavors are complex, the soup is extremely filling, and at around $3 a portion for all organic ingredients, the price tag can’t be beat.  

In a way, I’m kind of glad we were ridiculously ill. I got to eat ice pops, watch tv, and rediscover my crockpot.  

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Fried Eggs with Spanish Chorizo and Potatoes

/ Tracy Gromek / 1 Comment
RaisingFayeFriedEggsChorizoPotatoA

It tastes 1000x better than it looks – and it looks pretty delicious.

I absolutely adore José Andrés’ original recipe for Huevos Fritos con Chorizo y Patatas and thought in celebration of the day of love, I would make a less spicy version for Faye so that she too, could bask in the glory of its tastiness. (The original dish doesn’t use black beans and calls for regular white potatoes.) Using sweet potatoes in place of the white potatoes definitely cuts the spiciness of the chorizo enough so Faye will eagerly scarf down her portion.

As the original and this adaptation may be the best brunch dishes that I’ve ever eaten, I highly recommend that next weekend you grab yourself some friends, some eggs and chorizo, and enjoy one of the best breakfasts in the world. You are very welcome. Continue reading →

Healthy Baby: Raspberry Protein and Probiotic Smoothie (with Dairy-Free version)

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RaspberryProbioticSmoothie.jpg

Nutritionally dense, fabulous tasting, quick to make, and travels well. What more do you need?

We try to head out to a park or playground to burn some energy and get some fresh air twice a day: once after breakfast and once after afternoon nap. Faye is famished after running around for an hour or two, and tends to chow down on a ton of snacks on our walk back to the house.

Faye is a phenomenal eater, but I’ve been feeling more and more like she’s been filling up on these after-play snacks rather than her main meals, making it all the more important that the snacks I do provide are healthy and nutritionally dense (which is easier said than done – especially when they need to travel well). Hence, this smoothie.  Continue reading →

Slow Cooked Collard Greens with Bacon in Duck Broth

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Collard Greens with Bacon in Duck Broth

A bowl of comfort on a cold winter’s day.

Hooray for bacon! I guess I’m in love with this beast as it’s been featured in four dishes this past week.

These were the first collard greens I’ve ever made and I wouldn’t change a thing. The flavor is so deep and layered that we couldn’t get enough of them. I’m super excited that I made such a large batch as we will definitely be eating these greens tomorrow.

The dish took me longer to prep than I had originally estimated as the greens needed to first be wilted in order to fit into my crock pot. But man, was it worth that extra time. The smell permeating the house while these guys were cooking was amazing.

We served them alongside a friend’s chicken pot pie on a day when the wind chill made it feel like -20°F.  If you are looking for a comforting side for a casual dinner party, look no further. You found it.

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Creamless Cream of Zucchini Soup

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CreamlessZucchiniSoup

I’ve been on a soup kick lately because it is super easy to make and gives me a giant dose of veggies. Plus, soup has been known to keep one satiated longer which is great because I’m finding that I have to choose between eating, sleeping, or catching up on some mundane house chore. Usually, catching up on the house chores wins out (quickly followed by a small creative project) and when I finally head to bed (around 2ish) I find I’m starving.

Giant bonus, Faye completely digs this soup. I let her try a bit from her own spoon and she went nuts for it.

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