Meals Kids Love: Dana Willard from MADE

Where in the world did the week go??  The first week of spring came and went in a blur of beautiful, sunny, warm days (except for yesterday, which was a rude jolt back to reality… cold!).  Have you had a good week?  I have been busy with crafts, acting as chauffeur, guest posting, and spring cleaning with Project Simplify (photos forthcoming).  It’s been a productive week!


Today is the grand finale of the Meals Kids Love series and we’re ending with a bang.  Today Dana from MADE is sharing with us!  You all know how much I love Dana.  Did you know that her blog is the reason that I took up sewing almost 2 years ago?  It’s true.  I’m so thankful to have met her online and in person.  Did you follow along with Celebrate the Boy?  It was a ton of fun!  I’m so glad to have her at The Southern Institute today!  You’re going to love her recipe…


Hello SIDAC friends!  I’m excited to share a totally experimental recipe with you that totally worked out!  In fact, direct quote from my kids (as their cheeks were stuffed with food), “I LOVE THESE Mom!”
I hope your kids do too.  And if they’re anything like mine, getting them to eat veggies is an uphill battle.  I hate to fight it and I often give-in to other food options.  But then I always feel guilty that they’re not eating better.  Do you work the same way?


Then enter:

I know what you’re thinking, sounds weird. But trust. They’re totally great!

I combined two of my favorite recipes, Coconut Lime Banana Bread (minus the coconut and lime) and Carrot Cake (minus the frosting) and put a few extra twists on it.
Here’s what’s inside:
Let’s get started!

VEGGIE MUFFINS
Yields appx 20-24 muffins

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups All-purpose Flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 of a stick) softened butter
2 eggs

1/4 cup Prune or Apple juice
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli (frozen or fresh)

1 to 1 1/2 cups smashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup yogurt (vanilla, plain, strawberry, whatever flavor)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Start by mixing your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) in a small bowl. Set aside.

Mix the sugar, butter, and eggs in a separate bowl or mixer. Beat for a couple minutes till everything is combined.

Next, prepare your veggies. Grate the carrots, smash up the bananas,

and prepare your broccoli puree.

This is my favorite part of the recipe. You need about 1/2 cup of puree when done, which takes about 1 1/2 cups of broccoli–frozen/thawed or fresh/steamed–and 1/4 cup of juice. I used prune juice but apple or grape works too.
Combine the broccoli cuts and prune juice in the food processor and pulse till finely mixed. If you don’t have a food processor, use a blender or try to finely chop it up (but the chunks will be more visible to your kiddos).

And you should end up with this. Um, looks appetizing.
Okay, throw the broccoli puree, carrots, bananas, yogurt, and vanilla into the butter mixture and beat for a minute. Finally, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined and wet.
I know it looks like broccoli soup, but give the batter a taste. It’s yummy!

Scoop the mixture into a prepared muffin pan (you can also use cupcake liners if you want them to feel like “cupcakes”. That word always makes my kids excited about food).
Depending on how much you fill in each cup, the recipe makes about 20-24 muffins.

Bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the tops are slightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let them cool for a few minutes.
And….give your kids the taste test!
Verdict:
They love em! Lucy ate 2 1/2, Owen ate 3. And the rest were placed in the freezer so we could munch on them throughout the week.

Thanks Jenny for having me!
Check out my other recipes HERE on made.

Thanks so much for wrapping up the series for us, Dana!  I’ve archived all of our guests’ recipes here so that you can find them all in one place.  As for those of you who linked up and shared your recipes with us, I’ll have a place for that in the archives as well!  A BIG THANK YOU to all of my guests… you have made this a great series!

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Jenny Yarbrough

Administrator

Jenny is a wife and mother first and foremost. You can find her here at The Southern Institute, as the founder and owner of the blog, as well as at unboundbirth.com. She enjoys blogging and sewing, cooking for her three picky eaters, and playing tennis with her husband, Tom.

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