I have to admit, a small part of me has raged every time I have gotten one of those “old-fashioned” recipe exchange chain emails since the start of the Covid-19 Quarantine. Isn’t it enough that we are homeschooling, working our day jobs, cooking, and cleaning? Do we also have to take the time to choose a Pinterest-perfect recipe for everyone else?
The truth is, I have been cooking a lot because I have had 3 hungry boys to feed and unfortunately I raised my kids with too-sophisticated a palette. They require variety. They wouldn’t if I would just give them Annie’s Mac and Cheese every night, but I’m only allowing that option once a week.
Of course, like everyone else, I have totally relaxed my standards. The kids breakfasts are mostly cereal, oatmeal, and toast, and lunches are quesadillas or nachos with a lot of fresh fruit. I try to make most dinners a simple protein with vegetables to be healthy and not time-consuming. Pre-Covid we rarely baked because my kids were always being given so many treats at school and birthday parties. It is a nice change to be able to bake with them and make healthier versions of some treats.
Some recipes have been bigger hits with certain family members than others, but everyone has found something they liked. I’ve been trying not to do any “extra” cooking because I have enough on my plate, but we do need to eat three meals a day and it is nice to have things the kids can grab themselves for snacks and breakfast if I’m busy or still sleeping.
Happy Cooking!
P.S. All recipes not from a cookbook are on the RLS Recipe Pinterest Board!
Our Current Favorite Cookbook
My mother-in-law generously asked if she could buy the kids a cookbook at the beginning of the quarantine. I picked out Super Foods for Super Kids Cookbook from Politics & Prose, our local bookstore. Here is the Amazon link if you must, but please try to support your local book store. It took a few weeks to arrive, by which point the kids were more than ready for some fresh recipes. I think we made a different recipe from the cookbook every day for a week!
Mighty Turkey Chili
This is the Mighty Turkey Chili from the Super Foods for Super Kids Cookbook. It took about 15 minutes to put together before simmering by itself on the stove for an hour, tasted delicious, and lasted for a few meals. I didn’t even have the exact tomatoes the recipe called for and it still turned out perfectly. You can’t mess it up. Thumbs up for everyone! Only Max (8), who is usually my adventurous eater, refused to even try it. I have no idea why. Kids…
Avocado and Pea Brownies
The Avocado and Pea Brownies from the Super Foods for Super Kids Cookbook. Yes, this is supposed to be dessert! The funniest thing was how obsessed Max was with making these from the moment we received the cookbook. Of course with every recipe he wanted to make, I had to scan the ingredients for what we had, what we could get, and when we could get it. It took a few weeks but I finally had cocoa powder, dark chocolate chips, and avocados all at the same time. I took the liberty of subbing out avocado oil for olive oil. Although this recipe was supposed to be brownies, it really tasted more like chocolate cake, which was fine too!
Zippy Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are the Zippy Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies from the snack section of the Super Foods for Super Kids Cookbook. At the time we made these I had not yet procured chocolate chips so I threw in some chopped up dried cherries and raisins and called it a day. Hmmm…Maybe we should make them again now that I have a plethora of chocolate chips?
Zucchini Dishes
We’ve had a little bit of a zucchini situation at my house. I had ordered a bunch of zucchini in our Hungry Harvest box. Mr. Real Life Style had no idea so he purchased a bunch more from Whole Foods the same morning as our delivery . The two zucchini recipes I’ve made multiple times are these Paleo Banana Zucchini Muffins (James, my 6 yr-old’s favorite!), and this Sweet Corn and Zucchini Pie. I added about 16 more eggs to the “pie” recipe, used a quarter of the cheese, and put it in a large casserole dish. However, the best change I made to the recipe was swapping out the sweet corn for Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn. If you’ve had it before you know what I’m talking about. Yum…
Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
Week 1 of the quarantine I was trying to use what we had and it wasn’t much since I had previously been trying NOT to stock up too much on baking supplies and such. We do live in an apartment in the city! I had about three cans of pumpkin and an unopened bag of Teff flour. I did some googling and came up with these Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Teff Muffins, which my family inexplicably loved. Don’t tell my vegan twin sister, but I un-veganed them and used 2 eggs instead of the flaxseed mixture meant to be the egg replacer.
King Arthur Scones
If you are not a baker and you or your kids really want a breakfast or afternoon treat, the King Arthur scone mixes are pretty easy to find and make. They sell them at regular grocery stores, but I ordered some Blueberry Sour Cream off Boxed.com and my mom gave me the Lemon Blueberry mix pictured above. If you are having a hard time finding baking supplies, you can order directly from the King Arthur website.
In case you were wondering, these are the reusable silicone muffin liners I use. They go in the dishwasher and you don’t even have to grease them before use. Thank you to my friend Beth for suggesting them! What are you cooking during the Covid-19 Quarantine? Did you like this blog? Do you want to see more blogs like this? Let me know by emailing me at lani@real-life-style.com. Thank you!
Real Life Style is a style consulting firm that teaches busy women to wear their power so they can live their lives fully and confidently. Lani Inlander and Kyle Dunphy are based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and serve clients across the country. We offer personal styling services, an on-demand e-course, corporate services, and training to become a personal stylist.
Once in a while, you can find Lani Inlander and Real Life Style on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Mostly, they are happily busy serving their fabulous clients, not hanging out online!
