UltimateMama likes to have an easy night “off” of cooking every once in a while and has found dinner quesadillas to be a nice “break”. They are simple to make and loved by all. To do:

-Grab 2 or 3 cups of filling from canned or cooked beans or any leftovers you have, including cooked shrimp, grilled chicken, vegetables, or rice

-Get 4 large flour or corn tortillas ready

-Shred 1 cup of cheese (cheddar, fontina, Monterey jack, etc.)

-Place tortillas on a warmed skillet or pan and top with the cheese and filling

-Watch for the cheese to melt and carefully check the underside to make sure no burning occurs

-Fold the quesadilla in half and secure with a toothpick

-Move quesadilla to a cutting board and slice as desired

(NOTE: Keep quesadillas warm on a cookie sheet in a 200 degree F oven if you have many to make)

-Serve with guacamole, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes or onions, and chips/salsa! Lime, lemon, or orange slices also add a nice touch.

-Enjoy!

UltimateMama and her girls can’t resist thinking back to their trip to Spain a few years ago and longing for the excitement of Barcelona.  Since flying to Europe was out of the question last weekend, UltimateMama decided to do the next best thing–make paella with her girls for Friday night dinner. Using a brilliant Matiz paella rice recipe, the girls made an out of this world seafood paella! The one catch–make sure you have saffron on hand–expensive but worth it.

Matiz Seafood Paella recipe:

Heat 8 cups of fish or chicken broth with 1 teaspoon of saffron (we used a bit more) in a pot.  In a separate (very) large pan, heat 1/2 cup of olive oil over medium heat.  Add 1-2 medium sized diced onions to the oil and fry until translucent (6 minutes, approximately). Add 1 chopped red bell pepper and 1 chopped orange-yellow bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 16 oz diced artichokes (canned), 28 oz diced tomatoes (canned), and 4 cloves of diced garlic — simmer for 5 minutes.  Pour in 4 cups of Matiz Paella rice and stir until the rice is fully covered with the sofrito tomato mixture.

Carefully add the broth to the paella. Gently move the rice mixture around until evenly distributed. Do not “stir” the rice after this part.

After 10 minutes place your fresh seafood (white fish, uncooked shrimp without the shells, mussels, clams, etc.) into the mixture one by one and evenly distribute the seafood. After about 10 minutes add piquillo pepper to garnish and add color. In another 15 minutes or so the water should be completely absorbed and you can remove from heat. Cover with foil and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. You can serve it directly from the pan (add wedges of lemon or lime if you want to impress).

UltimateMama and her kids love to make colorful fruit pops all year round.  UltimateMama’s three ingredient ice pops are simple and healthy. Here’s how you make this simple recipe for kids:

2 cups of cleaned and strained raspberries (or strawberries)

4 kiwi (peeled and cut into cubes)

1 cup of orange juice, you can add more if needed (or pineapple juice)

Puree all of the fruit and place into three separate bowls.  Fill your popsicle containers with the pureed raspberries by carefully pouring the fruit into the mold then freeze for about 45 to 60 minutes.  Pour the pureed kiwi on top and freeze for another 45 to 60 minutes.  Top off with the orange juice then cover with the popsicle lid/sticks and freeze until solid.  Remove and enjoy your 4 fruit pops!

UltimateMama tries her best to use any dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. That way she can spend more quality time building sandcastles in the summertime with her kids! A nutritious and easy lunch with last night’s grilled chicken and vegetables (roasted red peppers, green peppers, and onions) was UltimateMama’s delicious open faced avocado toast!  To make:

– Toast 2 slices of thinly sliced wheat bread

– Place sliced avocado on the toast

– Top with roasted vegetables and grilled chicken

UltimateMama likes to serve it with blueberries, peppers, cucumbers, and a few chips on the side!

UltimateMama relaxes by teaching her children to cook.  A simple, easy, yummy, and favorite recipe makes for a fun afternoon.  These zucchini lemon muffins are great on their own or can be turned into dessert muffins by adding chocolate chips or broken pieces of a chocolate bar.  With or without the chocolate, UltimateMama’s kids could not believe a whole zucchini was in the muffins!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup shredded zucchini (in food processor–can even be in puree format)

1 egg

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

Optional

1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks if you want to make a “sweeter” version of this recipe.

To do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. This recipe makes 12 muffins to line your muffin pan with a dozen paper baking cups.

In a large bowl use a wooden spoon to mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a small bowl use a wooden spoon to mix the zucchini, egg, olive oil, and lemon juice.

Add the ingredients from the small bowl to the larger bowl and stir.

Fill the 12 baking cups equally and bake for approximately 20 minutes (give or take depending on your oven).

Test doneness with a toothpick.

Remove from oven.

Cool or eat a bit warm!

UltimateMama loves cooking one-pot dishes for her family. She tends to serve the dish then freeze the rest for another day!  UltimateMama’s kids enjoy this easy chicken tagine or chicken stew recipe because it is warm and sweet.  UltimateMama loves the fact that it is packed with nutrients.

UltimateMama’s Easy Chicken Tagine or Easy Chicken Stew recipe as follows:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 medium-sized red onion, finely chopped 

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

• 1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes

• 1 Fuji apple without the skin that is diced 
• 1 cup of carrots, diced (save yourself time and used the baby ones)
• 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
• 1 red pepper, remove seeds and cut into cubes or thin strips
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, cubed

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained (15 oz can)
• 2 cups chicken broth 

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons orange juice 
• 2 large figs 

1. Get a heavy pot with a lid and heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, ginger, and garlic cloves for about 4 minutes.

2. Add the chicken breast and cook all sides, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the apple, carrot, parsnip, red pepper, sweet potato, tomato, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), and broth.

4.  With a wooden spoon, stir in the cinnamon, orange juice, and figs. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 35-45 minutes. Make sure chicken and vegetables are tender, especially parsnip and carrot.   

5. Serve some and freeze the rest for another meal! You can serve it with rice, couscous, noodles, or alone!

A little parental advice for you…this is what UltimateMama fed her children (ages 1 and 3) for dinner last night:

3 year old: Pork Chops, applesauce, steamed broccoli, cooked shells (pasta), milk, water

1 year old: Pork Chops, applesauce, steamed zucchini, cooked shells (pasta), milk, water

Quick and Easy Pork Chops

4 garlic cloves (one per pork chop)

3 teaspoons of basil (fresh or dried)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 thin boneless pork chops (about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick)

Turn on broiler. Peel and dice garlic finely. Combine olive oil with basil and garlic and rub on the four pork chops. Broil pork chops in a broiler pan for 3-4 minutes on each side. Turn only once. Make sure pork chops are cooked through (use a knife and cut into them to check).  Take them out of oven and cool for 6-7 minutes.

We have a snow day so no school in NYC today!  This is what UltimateMama fed her children ages one and three for breakfast today:

Three year old:  Pancakes (with a hint if maple syrup), watermelon, milk, and water

One year old:  Raspberries, Cheerios, milk, and water

**I would note that I attempted to feed both of them an egg but it was an ill-fated attempt at best! That sometimes happens…we shall try again another day!

A little parenting advice for you…this is what UltimateMama fed her children (ages 1 and 3) for lunch on Sunday:

Three year old: Turkey Meatloaf with ketchup, boiled sweet potatoes, cucumber, Stoneyfield Farm yogurt, thin slice of wheat bread, milk, water

One year old:  Turkey Meatloaf, boiled sweet potatoes diced, cucumber pieces diced, Stoneyfield Farm yogurt, thin slice of wheat bread, milk, water

UltimateMama's Easy Turkey Meatloaf recipe is as follows –

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup diced onion or green onion

1 cup of diced celery

1 cup diced carrot

2 egg whites

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup bread crumbs (can be seasoned)

1 pound lean ground turkey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take a little olive oil and grease a loaf pan.  Pour olive oil in a skillet or pan over medium heat than add onion, celery, and carrots.  Saute for 8 minutes, then remove from heat. In a large bowl, mix egg whites, ketchup, oregano, and pepper.  Then add ground turkey, breadcrumbs, and the vegetables.  Mix everything. Pour mixture into loaf pan for baking.  Brush a little ketchup on top.  Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes.

(Sometimes sneaky chef UltimateMama finely dices some zucchini and adds that to the vegetables as well!)

A little parenting advice for you….this is what UltimateMama fed her children (ages 1 and 3) on Sunday morning for breakfast:

Three year old: Bagel, hard boiled egg, pineapple, milk, water

One year old:  Bagel (cut up into small pieces), hard boiled egg, blueberries and strawberries, milk, water