This time of year is crazy hectic, so here’s a breakfast recipe that’ll make your life just a little bit easier (at least for a few mornings).

Whip up these Quiche Cups on Saturday or Sunday and after they’ve cooled, pop them in a Ziploc® plastic bag. Zap them in the microwave to reheat. (Uh…take them out of the bag, first!) Very easy. Very delicious.

Season them with your favorite seasoning salt (Old Bay, Lawry’s, etc.) or dried herb blend. You can fill them with whatever you’ve got on hand: chopped ham, cheese, chorizo or sautéed veggies. The best part: they make a great lunch or snack, too.

You can thank me sometime next week when you’re slammed because the alarm didn’t go off… or you forgot about the end-of-school-party… or that it was your turn to drive car pool… or you just don’t feel like cooking!

 

Quiche Cups

prep: 20 minutes
bake: 20 minutes

you’ll need…
1 box refrigerated pie crust, softened according to package directions
1 cup chopped ham, cooked chopped bacon or sautéed vegetables
1 cup shredded cheese
4 eggs
1½ cups light cream or whipping cream
1 teaspoon seasoning salt (your favorite)

let’s get to it…
Place oven rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°F.
Lightly spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick spray. Unroll crusts from pouch; press down gently to smooth out seams and cracks.
Cut 6 rounds from each crust with a 4-inch round cutter (or a glass about that size). Place one round in each muffin cup; press gently so that edges cup the sides to the top. Evenly divide the chopped ham, cooked chopped bacon or sautéed vegetables between the 12 muffin cups. Evenly divide the cheese between the 12 muffin cups: set aside
Beat the eggs, light cream and seasoning salt in a bowl until well blended. Using a ladle or measuring cup, pour egg mixture evenly into each of 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until eggs are set in the middle and the edges are golden. Serve immediately.

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Could you feed your children on one dollar per child per meal?

I don’t know if I could. It would be a struggle. But millions of American parents may have to tell their kids “there’s nothing to eat tonight.” Hard to believe, but it’s true.

Here’s a little background:
• Last week both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees passed separate versions of the Farm Bill.
• Those proposals would cut more than $20 billion dollars from SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program), the program that feeds millions of hungry people in this country and used to be known as food stamps.
• One in five Americans receive food stamps, most of them working-poor families with children.
• The full Senate will debate the bill next week.

The number of children who go hungry has grown dramatically over the past several years because there are more people facing poverty and unemployment due to the recession and an economy slow to recover.

Food stamps have always been a contentious issue because of the misperception that many recipients are just taking advantage of the system. But here’s what’s interesting: SNAP does what it is supposed to do… feed the hungry.

Cutting these benefits won’t do much to help the nation’s long-term financial issues. It will only keep hungry children from being fed. And that’s tragic.

Here’s a great idea: Before the vote, every member of Congress should take the “Food Stamp Challenge”. For one month, each of them must eat on a budget of about one dollar per person per meal.

THEN let’s see how many of them want to cut SNAP benefits.

Here’s a protein-packed salad for your next picnic… especially if you have vegetarians in tow.

This salad not only travels well, it stays fresh in the fridge for a couple of days so you can make it ahead of time. You can also add more veggies to the salad (diced carrots, jalapeños, radishes), depending on what’s in season.

Drew, my little vegetarian, loves this salad… and she always ends up fighting off the carnivores in the family to keep them from devouring it before she gets a chance to dig in!

Picnic Quinoa Salad

prep: 20 minutes
cook: 15 minutes

you’ll need…
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pushed through a garlic press
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar except balsamic)
5 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup chopped bell pepper
½ cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions, chopped

let’s get to it…
Place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Spread cooked quinoa on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes until cool.
Whisk the garlic, vinegar, olive oil and salt together in a large bowl until well blended.
Add the beans, bell pepper, cilantro and green onions to the bowl and gently stir with a rubber spatula, being careful not to break the beans. Add the quinoa to the mixture, continuing to stir gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Mama doesn’t believe in tricking picky eaters into eating healthy food… especially vegetables.

There are books and blogs dedicated to doing just that, I know. But if you introduce veggies early enough, and in small quantities, you have a better chance of bringing them into the tent.

Kale, the darling of the leafy vegetables world, is the perfect example. Kale used to be hidden in winter soups or boiled to death with other hearty greens.

Now, it’s roasted, sautéed and shredded into salads. There are entire Pinterest boards dedicated to Kale recipes.

Kale chips are even being tucked into lunch boxes. Guess what? Kids love them… even the picky eaters. The other day I saw a kid with a green smoothie… WHAT? Kudos to the parents (or the kid) for venturing into territory my kids would NEVER have explored. 

This all goes back to introducing kids to greens early… as soon as their little tummies can digest the fiber.

Mac and cheese, a kid favorite, blends beautifully with finely chopped kale, broccoli or spinach. Start with just a little bit, a teaspoon or two per serving is about right.

Another idea: sauté the chopped leafy veggies in the same pan that you fry bacon. Top with chopped bacon and a little cheese. Easy and delicious and goes great with a meaty main course.

Do your best to get them to eat their veggies. But at the end of the day, DON’T WORRY… they’re not going to starve if they turn their nose up at a dish.