Try this high protein, 30-minute, noodle recipe

"But I don't like red sauce!" My 10-year-old whined as I was about to top her noodles with a scoop of marinara.

"I just want plain noodles!" she persisted, as I rolled my eyes and put the spoon back in the sauce pot.

I have a love-hate relationship with noodles. You could say noodles are a pretty healthy food. They are fortified with iron and folate. They have a little bit of protein. If you buy whole wheat noodles, they are also a good source fiber. They are fast to make, easy to eat, and as universally loved as baby shark.

However, you can't live on noodles alone.

Noodles lack fat and protein, which means they won't keep you full for long. If you eat them without a high protein sauce, you will be hungry again soon.

I don't want my kids to be hungry again soon.

Which is why I created this month's COOKING CLUB recipe: 30-minute peanut noodles.

One serving of these peanut noodles has 14 grams of protein and 14 grams of filling, healthy fats.

Reminder: small humans aged 1-3 only need 13 grams of protein daily.

Your kids are less likely to ask for a snack 30 minutes after dinner when they eat a meal that includes fat and protein.

Why else would you want to make this recipe?

The sauce is almost as easy as a can of red sauce: you just microwave peanut butter with soy sauce and optional flavorings.

The ingredients are inexpensive and keep in the freezer and pantry for a long time.

You'll only use one pot, a grater, a measuring cup and a tablespoon, which means less time spent cleaning up dishes after dinner.

And your kids won't whine for plain noodles when this recipe is on the menu: it's delicious!

Want to try it out for yourself? Here's the recipe link: https://www.ddinutrition.com/30minutepeanutnoodles

Want to try cooking it with us? Families enrolled in DDI VANTAGE Early Head Start can join a live zoom cook along with me, Nicole Buhler, Registered Dietitian. Class will be held Tuesday, February 28th at 11 am, 5 pm or 6:30 pm. Ask your family advocate for signup information today!

P.S. Here's my menu for the week:

Monday: Nicole out of town, family eats leftover lasagna from the weekend + green beans

Tuesday: Nicole out of town, family eats leftover walnut tofu baked stir fry + rice

Wednesday: peanut noodles with frozen veggies + oranges

Thursday: 10 year old cooks one pot sausage noodles with kale + grapes

Friday: 12 year old makes one pot chicken and rice + applesauce

Saturday: quesadillas with beans, bell peppers and onions + applesauce

It's National Peanut Butter Day: Here are 3 Recipes to Celebrate

Last night my brother texted me saying "Tomorrow is National Peanut Butter Day!"

I wrote back "Awesome!!! I should celebrate by eating peanut butter for every meal!"

And then I realized that I did that yesterday. And the day before that, and the day before that. Which is probably why my brother notified me of National Peanut Butter Day.

I love peanut butter.

My family eats a lot of it. A lot, a lot, of it. We've eaten 4 cases of peanut butter since the case lot sale in October!

Why so much peanut butter?

• It's cheap

• It's nutritious

• It's convenient

At about $1.25 a jar, peanut butter is one of the least expensive forms of protein. Two Tablespoons provide 50% of a toddler's protein needs for the DAY! It's also high in iron and zinc, which are important for a toddler's brain development. The healthy unsaturated fat found in peanut butter will keep you (and your little ones) full.

Peanut butter is also the most convenient form of protein for lunches: peanut butter sandwiches stay safe without refrigeration.

Besides PBJ, what are my favorite ways to use peanut butter?

#1 Peanut Butter Oatmeal: https://www.ddinutrition.com/peanutbutteroatmeal

This is our go-to breakfast. My kids eat it almost every day and love it. It has more protein and fat than breakfast cereal, which means it keeps little tummies full for hours.

#2 Peanut Butter Pumpkin Muffins: https://www.ddinutrition.com/no-flour-pumpkin-muffins

I make these muffins in the BLENDER, they are that easy. Just blend, pour into muffin cups and bake. One muffin has enough protein to meet a child's needs for the day.

#3 Peanut Butter Green Smoothie: https://www.ddinutrition.com/green-smoothie

I always feel full and refreshed after eating this smoothie each morning. I keep ripe bananas and spinach in my freezer for this smoothie.

Those are my top 3 peanut butter recipes!

Do you love peanut butter too? Let me know in the comments! Looking for more peanut butter recipes? Try my oatmeal peanut butter cookies or my pumpkin peanut butter curry, both are a great way to celebrate national peanut butter day. Or sign up for February's cooking class, we're making peanut noodles! (signups will go out next week).

Happy National Peanut Butter Day!

Nicole

Try this easy homemade soup recipe with your kids when it's cold outside

"Why is it snowing again?" I thought to myself as I looked at the fat snowflakes floating past my window. The meal plan for the evening had been peanut noodles, but I wasn't in the mood for peanut noodles. I wanted something warm comforting and simple to improve my mood on this cold snowy night.

It was the end of the week and all I had in the fridge was wrinkly carrots, limp celery, and Belgian dark chocolate that I was hiding from my kids.

I had everything I needed for Veggie Noodle Soup (and everything I needed for a soul-soothing treat after the kids went to bed).

This easy, 15-minute recipe is a family favorite. It's my 10-year-old's favorite meal. When she was about 3, we checked out the "Disney Princess Cookbook" from the library.

This soup recipe was labeled "Seven Dwarves Soup." Every time she got to pick what we had for dinner, it was "7 Dwarves Soup." After checking the book out about 20 times, we finally purchased it.

Now that she's 10, she often cooks Veggie Noodle Soup by herself. It's so easy, you can make it by yourself too. But it's much more fun to cook it with your kids.

Here are 3 reasons to give this recipe a try:

1. It's less expensive than buying cans of chicken noodle soup

2. It's healthier than canned soup (more veggies + whole grains, and less salt!)

3. It's fun to cook soup with kids!

Here are 4 things little kids can do to help you make this soup:

1. chop celery with a butter knife

2. measure the water

3. put chopped vegetables into the soup

4. watch for the water to boil and add noodles

If you let your kids help cook when they are in diapers, they'll be cooking on their own by the time they are 10. Trust me, the effort is worth the reward.

Looking for another great recipe to make with your kids? Try this bread recipe to go along with your soup. It's what my baby is helping me cook in the photo above.

You can also signup to cook bread and lentil soup with me and my kids at Cooking Club next Tuesday, January 24th at 4pm.

Click this link to signup, there are still slots available even though the signup closure date has passed: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdRuNWY-zgfZ4P4_S3FS5hbrzd8JfCBTu9p4AQHQrZfwzJwtg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Happy Cooking!

Nicole