Please Don’t Take This the Wrong Way

Mondays always bring something new. I could write a book with the conversations that I have daily with my children. Today was no different. I bring you a birds eye view of the conversations in the Mom on the Run kitchen.

Tajiah (our middle daughter) was observing me intently while I was cooking the pork medallions that were on our weekly menu. She says in her very matter a fact voice,“Please don’t take this the wrong way but I regret to inform you that I don’t eat things that start with the letter P now.”

Me: "Wow, that is really unfortunate because I regret to inform that you will not be able to eat pizza now. You do know that that begins with the letter P?”

Tajiah: “Mommy, you can forget my last statement. I love things that begin with the letter P.” As she walks away I hear her mumble under her breath, “I got to get better at this.”

Really?! Are you kidding me? These are the moments that I have to remember that she is only 7, but where does she come up with this stuff. I do applaud her effort and creativity on this one. Cooking for kids is a tough job. I no longer take offense to the negative statements or faces of distain. I would have given up long ago if I did. Instead I prepare fresh, healthy meals that will make my girls better students and athletes. I have hits and misses every week, but no kid goes hungry in this house. What helps keep meals fresh for me is making sure to create a weekly menu plan. I always try to rotate a already kid approved recipe in the mix. Keeps the critics happy at least for one night.

I now have another kid approved recipe to add to the rotation. It is actually a funny end to the girl who didn’t want to eat food that began with the letter P. When I served her plate for dinner she begin to eat right away. A few minutes later she gives me her critique. “This steak is great. What did you do to it? It is the first time I actually like protein. Can I have another piece?” AMAZING! Instead of acting just like her and saying what I really wanted to say (something along the lines of I told you so) I took the high road and served her another piece.

Crispy Pork Medallions

Cooking Light November 2011

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 8 medallions
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Rub mustard evenly over pork medallions.

Combine panko, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Dredge pork in panko mixture.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pork; sauté 2 minutes or until golden brown. Turn pork.

Place skillet in oven; bake at 450° for 8 minutes or until pork reaches 145°. Let stand 3 minutes.

Vanessa Pruett, Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2011

Do you have tricks to get your kids to try new things? What type of foods did you hate as a child that you may like now?

Fall Comfort Food

I love fall smells, activities, and most of all the root vegetables. Many of my favorite food creations have come from the fall season. There is something about the earthy smell of baking winter squash that makes any Sunday dinner even better. Now my children have a totally differing opinion when it comes to squashes and another favorite of mine, sweet potatoes. Anytime I can incorporate these starchy veggies into dishes I do because I really detest making several different dishes for dinner. The less work I have to do in the kitchen the better. My girl, Rachael Ray, created another crowd pleaser. My children love meatloaf. By adding sweet potato and chipotle sauce this meatloaf became a new family favorite.

Kickin’ Mini Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato (10 oz.), peeled and cut into 1/3-inch cubes
• 3 slices firm white bread, torn (I used gluten free bread)
• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
• 1 egg
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 2 tsp. sauce
• 6 tbsp. ketchup
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease 4 cups of a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan. In a saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the sweet potato until partially cooked, about 3 minutes; drain.

Using a food processor, pulse the bread to form breadcrumbs; transfer to a large bowl. Add the beef, egg, onion, cilantro, chipotles, 1 tsp. adobo sauce, 2 tbsp. ketchup, the garlic, 1 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; stir to combine. Stir in the sweet potato. Divide the beef mixture among the greased muffin cups, packing well and mounding slightly.In a small bowl, combine the remaining 4 tbsp. ketchup and 1 tsp. adobo sauce and coat the tops of the meatloaves with the mixture. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through and browned on top, 40 minutes.

This meatloaf was fantastic. The flavors worked really well with each other and my children loved the “cupcake” serving of meatloaf. Anything that is served differently is even more appealing to their dinner appetites.

What are some of your favorite fall flavors or recipes? I am trying to compile more recipes to make my families mouths water.

Perfect Brownie Pan Meet Mom’s Perfect Quick Meatloaf

A few months ago my grandmother (whom I love dearly) found The Perfect Brownie Pan knockoff at a local discount store.

Personally I think it was a hint for me to make her favorite gluten free blondies. Now if you have been following Mom on the Run for a while you know that baking is not my forte. I find little joy in baking. When I ponder my resistance to baking I realize my distaste stems from the fact that baking requires precise measurements. I am more of a little of this and a lot of that until it meets my flavor satisfaction. I dabble in baking from time to time and surprise myself with what I can create, but usually it leads to an angry Mom.  It is a runny joke in my house that if I am baking that I must be feeling ill.

The other night I was running late and my dinner plans became a little frazzled. I had taken out ground beef to make meatloaf because I had leftover pasta and rice. I was going to make a 2 for meal; Italian meatloaf to compliment the leftover pasta and Cajun meatloaf to mix with the rice. Love it or hate it, meatloaf is a quick meal that satisfies my whole family. One dilemma with the meatloaf tonight, I really did not have time on my side to cook a meatloaf. While rustling through my pans my perfect brownie pan fell into my hands and my brownie meatloaf became a reality. Now my meatloaf would take less time to cook and already be portion controlled. DOUBLE KITHCHEN BONUS!

For the Italian Meatloaf, I used my Mom on the Run Meatball Recipe. It is simple but tasty. When the meatloaf was almost cooked through I topped each meatloaf with a little leftover prepared tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. For some reason I did not snap any pics of these. Goes to show you I was in a rush. Since I used the brownie pan for these loaves I improvised and use a muffin tin for my other recipe.

Mom on the Run’s Cajun Mini Meatloaf

Ingredients (I used dairy, soy, and gluten free ingredients):

1 pound of ground protein (I used lean free range beef)

1/2 cup of gluten free bread crumbs

1 tsp of Cajun seasoning

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 medium onion chopped

1 medium green pepper chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 of Dairy Free Cheese (I used Daiya Pepperjack)

1/3 cup of Wild Thymes New Orleans Creole Marinade (Found at Whole Foods)

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add oil to medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic to pan; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.

Combine onion mixture, breadcrumbs, and Cajun Seasoning in a large bowl; stir well to combine.

Shape meat mixture into each muffin tin coated with cooking spray.

Spread Creole Marinade evenly over top of meat loaf muffin; bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165°.

Both meatloaves came out wonderful. My kids thought I was a kitchen genius. For some reason they eat better when it dishes come in small size portions. Daijia commented that things taste better when they look cute. Whatever the case maybe mini meatloaf night was a success.

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