Produce with Amy

“Eating habits are learned behaviors; they’re not intuitive. So what your children learn to eat at home early in life sticks with them well into adulthood.”
-Ann Cooper and Lisa M. Holmes
The trees in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan have taken on an ethereal glow and the school year has kicked into gear. It was Homecoming last week, at the district in which I teach, and my step kids Avalon and Lukas dressed up each day for Spirit Week. They were excited that their Grandpa Waldo came to visit and we went to the football game. Since I am the co-adviser for the junior class, John and I chaperoned the Homecoming dance. While I thoroughly enjoyed my summer holiday, it feels great to be back to my work routine. I have an incredible group of 9th and 8th grade students this year and I am also working on an Education Specialist degree at Northern Michigan University (the program is a precursor to a Doctorate in Education – EdD). I am fortunate that my life is rich with opportunities and my heart is full of love and thankfulness.

The kids have made a remarkable transition to a new school. They both adore their teachers, are thriving with an early bedtime (8-8:30), have made new friends, and are progressing well in their studies. Avalon was excited about having her first locker – and I confess that I may have gone a little overboard on buying her locker swag – but it was worth it to see how excited she was. I know that my mom would have done this for me when I was a little girl too – if they would have had cool locker accessories back then. 😉

John and I work hard to create structure and we focus on quality family time. We try to prepare homemade meals (with many ingredients that we raise ourselves on our hobby farm) and we eat around the table as a family. This time is precious in the stories and laughs we share and in the values and manners we are trying to instill in Avalon and Lukas. Avalon often goes grocery shopping with me and enjoys the time we share in the kitchen. As a parent I feel it is my responsibility to teach her how to take care of herself, inside and out, and as Lukas gets older I hope he takes interest in learning his way around the kitchen as well.

After attending the elementary school Open House, Avalon decided that she wants to earn a perfect attendance award. Therefore, I have been talking to the kids about staying healthy during the cold and flu season. Since we live in Michigan, winters are fierce and I believe in fortifying one’s immune system with whole foods, plenty of fruit and vegetables, and water. I admit that getting my family on board with healthy food has been a bit of a struggle but we have had many conversations about the difference between a snack (small portion of a healthy food) and a treat (sweets/dessert). I think that the key is balance and moderation – both of which I am working on encouraging in the coming months.

It was a victory last week when Avalon requested raw veggies for her school snack. Granted, it may have been short lived – and the vegetables may have found their way into my lunch bag – but I believe firmly that baby steps build up to big things.

The kids were with us all but three weeks this summer and we tried to take full advantage of the beautiful weather by swimming and playing outside. We dined al fresco as much as possible and I tried to make breakfasts special. Since we have free range hens, farm fresh fresh eggs are never in short supply so we often add them to our plates. (We also pay Avalon’s incredible math tutor LeeLa Heinzel with fresh eggs…how lucky we are to have her brilliant help.)

Avalon and I talk about places we would love to travel. While adventures in Italy and Greece are at the top of my list, Avalon often dreams about France. She read a book this spring about a little girl who travels to France and the beautiful, romantic description went straight to her heart. Therefore, I thought that crepes would be the perfect dish for Avalon to create and help her explore her culinary skills – and I was correct. The final product was marvelous and fit for a princess (and prince).

Here is how we created this marvelous dish:

CREPES:

We used the Basic Crepes Recipe by Martha Stewart. We had 2% milk, so we substituted that for the whole milk and added a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

We processed the batter in our Vitamix blender and made sure to let it rest in the refrigerator (we let ours sit for approximately 1/2 an hour and not the two hours that the recipe suggests).

In spite of how thin the crepes are, they are surprisingly easy to handle and we were able to spread them with nutella and roll them up.

Add a couple of teaspoons of the yogurt sauce over the top of the crepes, dollops of whipped cream, and a few caramelized pecans. Serve with sliced fruit on the side.

 

 

 

 

FILLING:
*Nutella hazelnut spread (a teaspoon – or more – per crepe)

TOPPING:
*Fold 1/2 cup fresh sliced strawberries into 1 cup of Honey Vanilla Greek Gods Yogurt (If you eat yogurt you HAVE to try the Greek Gods brands. My family chooses it over ice cream. Lukas and Avalon LOVE the black cherry flavor)
*After adding the yogurt berry sauce garnish with a couple dollops of whipped cream
*Sprinkle on a handful of caramelized pecans 

CARAMELIZED PECANS
*1 Tablespoon of butter
*1 Tablespoon of brown sugar 
–per 1/2 Cup of pecans–
*Cinnamon
*Nutmeg

Melt butter and add sugar along with a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon (depending on how many pecans you are using. I usually make a large batch of pecans (4-5 cups) so I add a couple teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg). Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the pecans and stir to coat.

Spread the pecans out on a tinfoil lined cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove and cool. The nuts are indulgent and delicious and a few go a long way.

Pin this recipe HERE.

One of the beautiful things about crepes is that they are versatile. They can be a main course or serve as dessert and can be made sweet or savory (it is easy to make both to satisfy different tastes). One morning this summer Avalon and I divided the batter into two portions. We added fresh snipped chives from our garden to one batch and filled with ham and cheese for Lukas. The other batch we added cinnamon and vanilla extract and filled with fruit and drizzled with syrup for her. Lukas tends to be a purist when it comes to food and does not like extravagant flavors or condiments (not even ketchup) and Avalon is a little more experimental with flavors (and I think ketchup is her favorite food). As time progresses I hope that they both continue to try new things and I find that when they help prepare a meal – they are better eaters.

I hope that you have access to farm fresh eggs like we do. If you do not raise your own hens, make sure that you support a local farmer. I never thought that I would have chickens, but as my friends and family would tell you, I have grown quite fond of them. They are sweet, gentle, and love to roam all over the farm. They have been feasting on the sweet apples that fall from our orchard and they wildly chase me to the compost pile to see what treats are in store for them.

Thank you to my friends for following my food journey and for the nuggets of advice and support that you give me. Your congratulations on our marriage and well wishes in my new role of being a mom and owning a hobby farm mean so much. My hope is that future posts will share gardening and canning tips as John and I follow our dream of growing more of our own food. It is exciting to have the opportunity to live in such a gorgeous place with plenty of land to plant, dream, and satisfy my passion for photography. I promise to keep sharing. Make sure you check out my Facebook page and Instagram (links on the upper right side of the page).

What delicious dishes are you preparing in your kitchen? How do you encourage your family to eat healthy? Have you tried any of my recipes? Avalon and I would love to hear from you!

For more kid friendly recipes, check out Avalon’s Kid Friendly Recipes

 

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