Apron Goodness

In an attempt to fend off complete boredom and encourage Zoë to make good food choices I signed her up for summer cooking classes.   The hot dog consumption in our household had started to reach unacceptable levels.  Before Zoë was born I remember saying, "My child will never eat hot dogs!"  Um yeah.  All did not go as planned.  Hot dogs are one of the only "meats" she will eat.  Those and chicken.  Lovely.  I figured a healthy toddler cooking class would be a perfect remedy to that situation.  Of course since we were going to be cooking we needed aprons.  Coordinating Mother-Daughter aprons.  We couldn't cook in plain boring aprons. The horror!  So, immediately after registering for our class, I contacted the super talented Kim and commissioned her to make some aprons for Zoë and me.

Aren't they darling?!?  I need another apron like I need a hole in the head, but I just couldn't resist.  I happen to be somewhat of an Olive Juice & Co. groupie.  I now own three of Kim's beautiful creations and have purchased countess others as gifts. (That was hard because I wanted them all!) I have decided that one can never have too many aprons.  They almost make me want to cook. LOL!

As it turns out, the toddler "healthy" cooking class was kind of a bust.  Don't get me wrong, Zoë is having a great time.  I may even sign us up for the next session.  But healthy?  No.  If by healthy they mean the food wasn't deep fried then yes.  Last week the kids made smores.  A couple weeks ago they made banana cream pies.  That is not exactly my definition of healthy.

I do have some new yummy recipes to share with you though!  I got these from my SIL Tera while we were babysitting the boys.  I wanted to cook foods that Brodie was familiar with (and liked) and encourage Zoë to try new things.  It worked pretty well.  I am not saying that Zoë now gobbles down broccoli but she will choke it down if I bribe her with some chocolate pudding.

Easy Bistro Chicken

2 tsp. oil
3 cups sliced fresh mushroom
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (15oz.) diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup of Italian dressing
3 tbsp. tomato paste
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup low fat mozzarella cheese

Heat oil, mushrooms and onion.  Cook for five minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, Italian dressing and tomato paste.  Add chicken and cover.  Simmer for 12 minutes.  Serve over pasta (egg noodles work great) and sprinkle with cheese.

*I love this recipe.  I normally can't stand mushrooms but this is delicious!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt
2 lbs. fish fillet

Pre-heat your broiler.  Grease or line your cookie sheet.  In a small bowl mix: cheese, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and season with herbs.  Mix well and set aside. Arrange fish on a prepared pan.  Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes.  Flip and repeat.  Remove and cover with cheese mixture.  Broil for two more minutes.

I will leave you with one last cooking related tidbit.  I bought the Glad Microwave Steaming Bags at the store the other day and they are AWESOME.  So far I have steamed green beans and broccoli in them and they turned out amazing.   I give the steaming bags two thumbs up!

Comments

[Melissa]

Wow! Don't you girls look cute in your aprons!! Unfortunately, I'm not much of a cook myself, but I am definitely planning to buy one for my sister - she would love it!

And I hear ya on the hotdog thing - I can't seem to get myself together and cook when I get home from work. We're existing on takeout, BLT's, and fresh corn on the cob these days.

[Jennifer]

A toddler cooking class? How fun!! I think I need to buy a new apron to go with my new kitchen. Off to shop, LOVE Kim's stuff! You guys just look too cute in your aprons!

[Cathy Pascual]

oh gosh - those aprons are adorable!
sofi and i love baking cupcakes/muffins together so I may have to buy those now! thanks ;P LOL

the class sounds fun too!

[Heather]

You guys are SOOO cute! Almost makes me want to get one so that I can pretend to cook! :)

[Jenifer Higgins]

LOL! Doesn't that defeat the point if you bribe her with pudding? Dessert bribes don't work with my daughter. She just says, "I don't want dessert tonight, I'm done." Especially if we're having refried beans. I can't get her to eat them!

[Kim]

Sooooooo cute!!! Thanks Maeg. You're such a doll and I love ya to BITS!!
XOXO~