Is it safe to say the Brianna’s is all natural? I always make my own dressing b/c I don’t like the chemicals in many bottled versions( or the taste for that matter)

I went on their website and called the company just to be sure.  The Briannas dressing I have suggested, Real French Vinaigrette, is all natural.  They have 14 flavors and only 3 of the dressings have sodium benzoate because they’re made with cheese.  I stay away from sodium benzoate (most sodas use it), so I wouldn’t suggest those ones.  But the others are all natural, no msg, no trans fats, “nothing artificial”.  There are very few dressings I like out of a bottle so I wouldn’t suggest one without really loving it. 

Grilled Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes, Salad

My husband marinated 2 pork chops with 1 shallot, 1 garlic clove, bunch of fresh sage, (all chopped) salt and pepper and a half cup of maple syrup (100% not pancake syrup) for at least 24 hours in a plastic bag in the fridge.  They were grilled and served with grilled zucchini and eggplant (just brush with olive oil, salt and pepper), peas (day before CSA pick up we tend to get low on fresh veggies if we haven’t been to another store/farm), mixed green salad and roasted red potatoes.   Pork chops can take some time to cook, so use that time to make the salad and other sides.  We put the potatoes in just after putting the chops on the grill.  Forgot to add earlier- put chops on indirect heat so they don’t burn (sugars in maple syrup will get too black over direct flames).

 

The potatoes are washed and cut then put in a mixing bowl with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, celery salt and pepper.  Toss and then put on baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes at 400.  I like the higher temps to get a nice crisp outside.  The kids love the flavors, but be careful as some paprika can be spicy.  Potatoes are another vegetable that I buy organic.

As I’ve mentioned I serve several salads per week.  Often they’re simple: mixed greens with romaine and maybe some chopped fresh herbs.  I find that some kids prefer the less-bitter taste of romaine to some mesclun mixes, so I often blend romaine in to counter arugula, frisse and radicchio. Other times I add fresh bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumbers, red cabbage, and/or avocados.  I believe we need a good supply of fresh raw vegetables (and different colored ones) in order to get the most nutrients.  They always go to school with carrots, cucumber and/or celery.  I also love a simple vinaigrette.  Just some oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper can make a wonderful dressing (and when I’m pressed for time, I use Brianna’s).  You add a nice flavor, the oil helps get the nutrients to the blood and you don’t add many calories. 

You might notice from the photos we serve juice at times for dinner.  I buy only 100% juice (except lemonade) and we serve it if they had milk for lunch.  Otherwise it’s milk or water. 

 

© 2010 mykidsreallyeatthis.com

 

Picnic and Barbecue Time

 

I find it really challenging to get kids to eat the healthier choices when we’re out.  We had several picnics and barbecues over the Memorial Day weekend starting with my kindergartener’s class concert/family picnic.  I made a quick lunch with leftover steak, egg salad, mixed greens salad and strawberries.  The dessert table was full of blue jello cups, blue punch, cupcakes and very shiny marshmallow treats.  I find it so hard to get the kids to eat anything healthy if other children are already on dessert, but they have to have some good things first before they’re allowed.  I also try to get the kids to not pick the artificially colored desserts and choose the more “real” stuff like ice cream and cupcakes.  Not sure that I’m on the right track but the color thing gets to me.  I don’t serve my children dessert at every meal or every dinner for that matter, but I do give them some sometimes.  And again, holidays and birthdays my rules get much more relaxed.  They’re even allowed soda on those days (I try to get the ones without preservatives and artificial ingredients- like Virgil’s- if I buy any, which is next to never) but I serve them real juice or water if it’s available.  

One of the parties we went to I brought my mother’s old standby rice salad with tuna.  It’s such an unusual combination but so many people love it.  Perfect for summer gatherings. My kids love it too!  Maybe it’s the crunchiness and sweetness of the apple together with saltiness of the tuna and pickle.

Julia’s Rice & Tuna Salad

  • One and a half cups of white or brown rice (or 3/4 of each), cooled
  • One or two cans of tuna (depending on your taste preference)
  • 1/2 onion chopped (I prefer red)
  • 2 peeled and cubed tart apples, (Granny Smiths, Braeburns) soaked in a little water and lemon juice so they don’t turn brown
  • 2 pickles cubed
  • 2 chopped plum tomatoes –sans seeds if possible 
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs cut into large pieces (add last so they don’t break apart too much)
  • handful of chopped parsley
  • Tbsp fresh chopped basil or mint (optional)
  • vinaigrette or Italian style dressing
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

 Mix together and serve chilled.

 

I also have another great rice and fish salad that I adapted from Chef David Raymer’s chopped rice salad.  You can make it with white fish or salmon or even canned salmon. Fabulous for left-overs!

Make it same way as above but without the apples, eggs, tuna or pickles. 

 Use the rice, red onion, tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, and vinaigrette dressing.

Add veggies-(select your favorite or what ever’s left over) like zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli and green beans (prefer haricot verte)—all chopped. Add handful of nicoise olives, several handfuls of chopped mesclun greens and 2-3 Tbsp capers.  Really delicious!  Not all my children will eat the olives but they love capers …and the salad in general. 

 

 

 

©2010 MyKidsReallyEatThis.com

Asparagus, Steak, Salad

We don’t eat much beef (or red meat), but every once in a while we’ll have a steak or beef chili.  I bought a New England farmed top sirloin from Whole Foods and cooked it simply on the grill the other night.  Though my husband would never buy that type of steak (he’s a ribeye fan) he would approve of my cooking method.  I just put some sea salt and pepper on the steak before it went over the hot coals (he prefers charcoal to gas grills).  Just make sure you slice it thinly so it’s not too tough.  It smelled so good our local raccoon came looking for dinner with his nose up in the air.   I served it with asparagus, organic baby spinach and organic red potatoes.  “Conventional” asparagus is considered “clean” in terms of pesticide contamination.  If you’re wondering which vegetables and fruits to buy organic over conventional there are lists of those considered “clean” and those you should always buy organic (like I recently got reminded that strawberries contaminated with pesticides , which we eat almost daily, have been linked to ADHD among other problems).   I had been buying the cheaper conventionally grown strawberries because the price was right, but now I think the price I have to pay is greater in the long run.

Understand, I didn’t grow up with asparagus because my mother said she didn’t have an “asparagus cooker” and it was expensive.  Asparagus is often on sale in spring and you certainly don’t need a specialized cooker.  Just another thing to clutter your cabinets, an asparagus cooker is a tall, narrow pot with a basket where the asparagus rests vertically in the hot water.  Another wonderful trick I learned from my husband… cook in a sauté pan filled with water where the asparagus lies horizontally.    I take the whole bunch in its rubber band and chop off the bottom third of the stalk before I put it in the boiling water.  That is the woody part and what most people complain about.  You can save it for asparagus soup or just compost it if you’re like me.  Just need to lightly boil the asparagus for a few minutes until tender (you can always taste test one), take off heat, and cold shock with ice water.    It’s one veggie that needs to be cooled completely to stop cooking.  No one likes mushy vegetables.  Wish someone would tell/teach that to the cooks at the elementary school.  Once you’re ready to serve everything, reheat in a little butter, salt and pepper (once again, notice the pattern).

Tonight my middle son, who normally says, “I don’t want that” at every dinner, asked for more salad.  He’d eaten all his spinach, some of his brown rice, most of his bool kogi, and wanted MORE salad!!  He even asked his brothers if they would give up some of their salad.  No, they wouldn’t share!  I give several raw veggies a day and at least 3 salads per week, but it’s not always the favorite thing, not always first, or not always finished.   But today, all three ate all their salad (mixed CSA greens, organic Romaine, cilantro, Brianna’s vinaigrette) and wanted more!  Love that! 

When we were at a PTA pasta dinner not one of them ate the salad but had ziti and meatballs or pizza and ice creams for dessert.  I kept thinking if anyone sees them,  “Really my kids do really eat the foods I blog about.” Just not often when we’re out.  That’s why it’s so important to give them the good foods at home. 

©2010 MyKidsReallyEatThis.com