Produce for Kids: Apple Pumpkin French Toast Muffins

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It’s Fall Y’all!!! This is seriously my favorite time of year!! I love sweatshirts, the crisp in the air and baking yummy treats for my family! I was craving a fall like treat that would be simple, easy and healthy! I knew Produce Kids wouldn’t disappoint, so I headed over to their website to see what I could find! Pretty quickly I found a recipe that caught my eye that I had to try! Apples and pumpkins are two must-have fall flavors, and they pair perfectly in these no-sugar-added French toast muffins! Yes, mommas, you read that right, NO SUGAR added!! I made these muffins for a quick after dinner snack, and we also had plenty of leftovers for breakfast!

For a sweeter flavor, top with honey or pure maple syrup.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 New York gala apple, finely chopped
  • 1 (12 oz.) loaf French bread, torn into small pieces

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Spray 12 medium muffin cups with cooking spray
  3. Whisk eggs, egg whites, milk, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and pumpkin in bowl until frothy.
  4. Combine apples and bread in separate bowl. Pour egg mixture on top, stir and let sit 5 minutes. Press mixture evenly into muffin tin.
  5. Bake 45 minutes, or until tops begin to brown and are cooked through. Immediately run knife around edges of muffins to loosen and remove from muffin tins.

One reason we love Produce for Kids is because they have partnered with several grocery retailers in Arkansas and Missouri this year to support Feeding America® food banks. Many of those food banks are right here in Southwest Missouri. They are helping moms like you and I provide healthy meal options for their families–and that is a big deal!

Harps, Woods Supermarkets, Country Mart, Food Pyramid and Price Cutter are some of the retailers participating in this campaign. Whenever you buy fruit and veggies from 10 produce sponsors, a donation will automatically be made to Feeding America!

Click here to view the full list of participating grocers.

 

Produce For Kids: Brocoli Tator Tots for the WIN!

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One cardinal rule at my house… momma doesn’t cook dinner on Sunday night! We all jokingly refer to Sunday as “Snacky Sunday” and the kids love it! I don’t care what you eat, honestly, I don’t even care if you eat, but I won’t be cooking! I mean after-all, the Bible says we should rest on Sunday, right?

This Sunday was a little different… Keeping in theme with our “Snacky-Sunday” tradition, I wasn’t up for cooking a full meal, but we decided to give the Produce for Kids Broccoli Tater Tot recipe a try. I had all the ingredients on hand and was itching to give them a try (a Produce for Kids recipe has yet to disappoint). The kids had been snacking all afternoon so I thought if I whipped up a batch of these healthy tots I would have plenty left to send in their lunch on Monday (I was wrong, but we will get to that later).

I have to admit, when I first decided to try the broccoli tater tot recipe I was a little skeptic. I thought I could probably get my kiddos to try a bite, but there was no way they would actually say they LIKED them! Let’s be honest, I have yet to find a broccoli recipe that they say they actually LIKE!

After finishing up making the Produce for Kids tots, I put them to a true test–I blind folded my kids and had them taste them! I put the broccoli tater tots on their plate alongside traditional tater tots that they were used to eating.

After sampling both tater tots, the votes were in! I had one that said they liked the broccoli tater tots MORE than the traditional tater tots and one that said it was a TIE! I call that a win-win!

Are you ready to put these tater tots to the test at your house? 

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium RPE, Inc. russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Place potatoes in large stockpot and add enough cold water to cover. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer 3 minutes. Add broccoli; don’t stir. Cover and cook 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Mix egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder in large bowl until just combined. Add potatoes and broccoli to food processor. Pulse 8-10 times until finely grated. Add to breadcrumb mixture and stir to combine. Use tablespoon to scoop potato mixture into 40 mounds. Shape each into an oval and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes; flip and bake 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remember my original plan of using the left-overs to send with the kids for lunch on Monday. Yea, that didn’t happen because they ate every last one of them. Needless to say, this recipe will become a regular at our house.

 

 

 

 

One reason we love Produce for Kids is because they have partnered with several grocery retailers in Arkansas and Missouri this year to support Feeding America® food banks. Many of those food banks are right here in Southwest Missouri. They are helping moms like you and I provide healthy meal options for their families–and that is a big deal!

Harps, Woods Supermarkets, Country Mart, Food Pyramid and Price Cutter are some of the retailers participating in this campaign. Whenever you buy fruit and veggies from 10 produce sponsors, a donation will automatically be made to Feeding America!

Click here to view the full list of participating grocers.

Produce for Kids: Caramel Pear and Apple Nachos

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Just like you, we struggle to get dinner on the table night after night (after night) and also find healthy options for dessert. While this is a sponsored post, all opinions are our own.

These dessert nachos were a hit in our house! The weather today was so perfect! The girls didn’t want to come inside to eat, so outside we stayed! We needed a quick, healthy snack to hold the girls over until dinner and produce for kids once again came to the rescue!

For this version, we thinly slice apples and pears, drizzle with caramel dip and sprinkle with shredded coconut and mini chocolate chips. The best part is they’re so easy to customize! Try drizzling with melted peanut butter or sprinkling with granola, chopped fruit or nuts.

Ingredients:
3 CMI Hero Snack Size gala apples, sliced
3 snack size pears, sliced
2 tablespoons caramel dip
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Arrange apple and pear sliced on plate. Drizzle with caramel dip and sprinkle with coconut and chocolate chips.

If you want to see the full nutritional value of this recipe click here. For more healthy and tasty recipes from Produce for Kids click here.

One reason we love Produce for Kids is because they have partnered with several grocery retailers in Arkansas and Missouri this year to support Feeding America® food banks. Many of those food banks are right here in Southwest Missouri. They are helping moms like you and I provide healthy meal options for their families–and that is a big deal!

Harps, Woods Supermarkets, Country Mart, Food Pyramid and Price Cutter are some of the retailers participating in this campaign. Whenever you buy fruit and veggies from 10 produce sponsors, a donation will automatically be made to Feeding America! Click here to view the full list of participating grocers.

Moms + Meals: Thanksgiving Day Tips

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by Becca Couch

Thanksgiving is tomorrow!! We posted this last year, but found it so helpful and wanted to share again!

I’m sure you have your favorite Thanksgiving dish on your mind. Here are just a few tips to help you set up a delicious thanksgiving meal!

  • Turkey bags work wonders! I double up to make sure I don’t lose any turkey juice. You’ll want to use all that for the gravy!
  • Make homemade rolls! They’re simple the best!
  • Don’t skip the beans! If you’re not a fan of green bean casserole (like myself) fry up bacon and onions throw in a couple cans of green beans (drained) and sear green beans. Top with butter and salt. Delicious ! How can you go wrong with butter and bacon?
  • Team work! Now if you’re like my family, we like a lot of food. Everyone has their favorite appetizers, main dishes, and of course tons of dessert. There must be enough leftovers to enjoy after a long night of Black Friday shopping. Don’t put this all on your mother or your aunt. Help out! Cook a day or two before and make sure everyone chips in on bringing a couple dishes.
  • Everyone can help, even those sisters that don’t cook! Last but not least, we all have that family member that just can’t or shouldn’t be cooking, for example, my sister Rachael. Here is the list we always save for her: plates, cups and napkins as well as a vegetable, meat and cheese tray and drinks.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving shared with lots of love, laughter, and full bellies!

Becca and her husband Kenan live in Aurora with three adorable kids. She spends her days learning more than she ever imagined while homeschooling her kids. She loves to cook and try new recipes out! Kenan is the lucky guy that gets to test them out for her. They attend James River-West Campus Church and love spending time with friends and family.

Moms + Meals: Family Dinner Challenge

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A few weeks ago, we told you all about the annual Rock4Kids Zombie Run from our sponsors at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fitness. What a great family event to get you and your kiddos moving and having fun together!

This year, the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fitness has teamed up with the Missouri Beef Industry Council to remind us all the importance of eating family dinner together when possible. And we couldn’t agree more!

Please take a minute to read the benefits of eating a family meal together and also enjoy two yummy recipes provided by the Missouri Beef Industry Council at the bottom of the post. We can’t wait to give them a try!