Feeding Kids: Get them to Eat a Veggie-Filled Sandwich

Today is a behind the scenes look at what daily lunch is like in the Catudal home. I get asked a lot how it is my girls readily eat anything I’ll put in front of them, from spinach to bell peppers, from spicy salsa to salmon. It all comes down to the main rule: “You have to at least TRY everything I put on your plate.”  Then I’ll repeatedly put the same thing on their plates, over and over that week, and by the end of the week they like the new food…  even if it starts with just one bite.

Feeding Kids: Get them to eat a veggie filled sandwich

Besides the main rule, there are things I’ll do to help the girls enjoy the meals as they get used to a diverse world of flavors. This go-to panini is my favorite quick, easy, and nutritious packed thing to give my girls these days. At first I was just making the sandwiches as I would for myself, but I found that it was difficult for my girls to get a good bite of the sandwich without large pieces of meat falling out, tomatoes slipping off, and avocados gooping out the back.  The solution was simple and it’s become my life-saver. At the end of lunch there isn’t a scrap of sandwich or vegetable left on their plates. No more wasted food (my pet-peeve)! Click here to Read More

Posted on by Tawny in Sandwiches 8 Comments

Maca No-Bakes with Cacao and Coconut: Supremo-health treats

I know little snack cookie balls are appearing everywhere on the web these days, all varieties, all claiming to be healthy snacks, and tasty as can be. True most of them are tasty, but rare are they actually as healthy as they boast. My husband is a healthy-nut-guru-master, and he’s the first to warn me how “non-healthy” most of these no bake cookies actually are. It kind of takes the fun out of eating half a batch fresh after they’ve been made. I should thank him in reality for saving me from a few un-needed extra pounds on the hips.

These no-bakes, however, have a great big stamp of approval from the “health-food officer.” All the credit goes to my Mom for this one, this special cookie is her creation. Thank’s to her living gluten free for years, and being fully dedicated to having a balanced, healthy, capable body, we’ve finally found the no-bake drop cookie to feel good about.  She’s been perfecting and tweaking this recipe for a long time, and it’s finally reached it’s point of perfection. With such ingredients as sucanat, cacao powder, coconut milk, and maca powder, this cookie is a mouth-full moment of bliss. (Plus the cup of granola added in the end allows for a small crunch that other drop cookies lack.) Click here to Read More

Posted on by Tawny in Cookies and Candies, Dairy Free, Gluten-Free Meals, Snacks and Healthy Treats 1 Comment

Hazelnut Infused Chocolate Cheesecake with Hazelnut Caramel Drizzle and Skor Chips- Naturally GF Crust

Hazelnut Infused Chocolate Cheesecake with Hazelnut Caramel Drizzle and Skor Chips- Natually Gluten Free!

Lynette, This one is for you! I made a cheesecake that had a naturally  gluten free crust and tested it out! A good gluten free crust option is using nuts as a base. My favorite nut happens to be hazelnuts, and if you ever have the chance to be in France and taste the hazelnut chocolates and every other delicacy that the French put these soft nutty gems into, you will fall in love with them too. Click here to Read More

Posted on by Tawny in Cakes and Cupcakes, Desserts, Travel Inspired 7 Comments

Brandy Sauce

Brandy Sauce

This brandy sauce/topping is going on practically everything from ice cream, pancakes, on cake, dipping bananas and other fruit, with crepes, and the list can go on. This time around I used a hazelnut liqueur instead of brandy for my hazelnut cheese cake! This is a great simple recipe that anyone can make! Just make sure you doing a lot of stirring! Click here to Read More

Posted on by Andrea in Spreads and Sauces 3 Comments

Carob Fudge, All Natural, and Fun Finds with new Products

carob fudge

Carob Fudge is a great treat. My mom will make a lot (especially at Christmas) and wrap individual fudge squares in wax paper and stores them in a jar! Tastes just like fudge but made with all natural ingredients.

Today I made mine with peanut butter, but my mom favors tahini. Both ways are great! Tahini (sesame seed paste) in Hawaii is like buying gold, so I opted for the cheaper version of this recipe. Let me know what your favorite is!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with carob powder, it is very similar to cocoa powder but some consider it slightly healthier and it does not contain any caffeine. For someone who is allergic to chocolate this is a great alternative. This recipe works great with cocoa as well (same measurements).  Click here to Read More

Posted on by Andrea in Cookies and Candies, Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten-Free Meals, Snacks and Healthy Treats 5 Comments