Posts

Roasted Sweet Potatoes A little soft and a little crispy, these sweet potatoes are one of my go-to vegetable recipes for kids. I love them since they are great for babies and toddlers (as well as us adults!), they are easy for the kids to eat, they work well warm or chilled. Plus they’re super versatile—they pair with all sorts of flavors. We love to have them with Baked Chicken Tenders, Marinated Chicken Tenders, Chickpea Fritters, Breakfast Burritos, and more....

It probably comes as no surprise that I love lasagna, I mean who doesn’t? You’re talking layers of cheesy, creamy, saucy noodles. Crispy edges and tender centers. But making lasagna requires making multiple components that then must be carefully layered before being baked. And I’m all about that, sometimes… and yet, usually a box of lasagna will sit untouched in my pantry for months before I decide to put in the effort....

Healthy Halloween Treats Admittedly, turning food into art is not something I have much patience for—but doing a super easy Halloween treat in a fun design is something I actually love doing with my kids. The key? Keep the idea really simple and easy to execute with a few simple methods that work across a range of foods. And to not worry (at all!) about perfection. The goal is to do an activity together that the kids can eat—or to make them a fun snack!...

If you want to impress at potlucks this summer, the fruit pizza cookies are the answer. They are handheld, fresh and delicious, and like an easy, unpretentious take on a classic fruit tart. Our version combines the most wonderfully soft & chewy sugar cookie base with a tangy cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit toppings. It’s an especially good recipe for getting kids involved in the kitchen. They love to help decorate the cookies with their favorite fresh fruits....

I love baking with pumpkin in the fall and winter (or anytime I just need a house full of happy smells!) and this recipe is a great way transform a can of pumpkin puree into a delicious breakfast or snack. The bars are super moist, so are easy for little ones to chew, and they are flavorful enough for us grownups too. These healthy pumpkin bars have more oats than flour for lots of whole grain goodness (and fiber!...

How to Cook Eggs Learning a few ways to cook eggs for your kids can make a giant difference in whether they’ll eat them. Many kids have a preference for how they like to eat them, but sorting through the options can be tricky. I’m going to share my favorite ways to cook eggs for kids, starting with babies, then toddlers, and on up. Here’s a look at some of the most common ways to cook eggs:...

Tender, perfectly seasoned meatballs are drenched in a simple homemade marinara sauce, and then baked to succulent perfection. Serve them with your favorite pasta or some crusty bread, and you’ve got a dinner that will be loved by all. Meatballs are always a fun meal that brings out everyone’s inner child, and we’ve cook plenty of them from all around the world in our kitchen. Swedish Meatballs, Spanish Meatballs, Vietnamese Meatballs, and so much more....

I’m lucky enough to live in walking distance to both a fully vegan Jamaican restaurant and a Caribbean with an elaborate vegan menu. Lucky because I love Jamaican food! It’s spicy, has bold flavors, creamy curries, the most delicious puffy breads, lots of beans, and have you had a Jamaican patty yet?? The cuisine lends itself well to vegan cooking, possibly due to the multicultural influence and also the Rastafarian Ital cuisine....

Juicy, tender, smoky shredded pork that you find almost everywhere in Hawaii, on their classic lunch plates, at their Luaus, family get-togethers and potlucks is just a 3-ingredient wonder!! You don’t need to cook it under the ground, which is what it is famous for in the islands. You can very easily make that authentic tasting Kalua Pig in your own kitchen… How does authentic Kalua Pork taste? Simple. It’s juicy, it’s tender, it’s smoky and it’s a TON flavorful....

I love serving them as part of a mezze platter with pita bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and tzatziki sauce. If you agree that there can never be too many types of meatballs, it’s time to add these keftedes to your cookbook! Greek food is amazing in its variety. Maybe that’s why I am always cooking it! From great dips like Tzatziki and Tyrokafteri, to the ultra rich Moussaka casserole, to my very favorite soup, Fasolada, I love it all....

If you need a fun, unique, and delicious dessert to bring to a get together, this orange carrot cookies would be high on my list! The flavor combo with the soft, tender cookie and the vibrant orange flavorful glaze is unforgettable. In fact, my friend Jana (this is her Grandma’s recipe, by the way) brought these to a cookie exchange we went to and they were so good I had to have the recipe and background scoop....

Just imagine succulent shrimp coated in that herby, garlicky, nutty pesto sauce. Sound good? Now pile them on a bed of creamy grits enhanced with fresh parmesan cheese. If you love comfort food, this is a new star in your kitchen! So does pesto shrimp and grits even exist? It does at GypsyPlate! And why not? If we can make chicken tikka gyros we obviously don’t mind mixing and matching cuisines here and there....

It’s literally a breeze to throw together this easy fried rice recipe, and it’s the perfect use for leftover rice. Tender pork, an array of colorful veggies, and the perfect balance of sauces make this recipe even better than takeout. All in about 20 minutes! We love experimenting with our own recipes when we crave Chinese takeout. General Tso’s Chicken, Mongolian Beef and Hunan Shrimp are some of our favorites....

When it’s pumpkin season, some of our other favorite treats to make are Pumpkin Juice, Pumpkin Ice Cream, and Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting! I love the combo of pumpkin and chocolate. Especially in bread form like this Pumpkin Chocolate Babka that I shared two years ago! But making a babka can be intimidating and time-consuming, so honestly, I make this easier chocolate chip pumpkin bread much more frequently during pumpkin season....

This post is sponsored by Stonyfield. Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce After years of making my Cauliflower Mac and Cheese and requests for an easy Alfredo sauce, this recipe seemed like a must-make. The sauce is incredibly easy, it’s just as creamy as you’d want from an Alfredo, and it’s not remotely intimidating. Plus, you can even make the sauce ahead of time and stash it in the fridge, so when you’re getting ready for dinner all you need to do is cook the pasta....

Recommended Daily Sugar Intake The recommended daily sugar intake is the amount of sugar that’s recommended we eat in any given day. It’s typically presented in grams and is the upper limit of what we should eat, according to health organizations such as the American Heart Association. It correlates to the grams of sugar you see listed on a nutrition label on a food package. The newest recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines says that kids under 2 should avoid eating all added sugars since their food intake is relatively small and eating foods with added sugars could replace an opportunity to eat healthier food....

I love rhubarb so much that I decided I needed an all rhubarb pie recipe on the site, even though I also have a Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Pie that we love. Both are delicious and both deserve attention when rhubarb is in season, especially if you happen to have a rhubarb plant growing out of control in the backyard. I always freeze rhubarb to have some on hand so we can enjoy this pie all year long!...

I’m not the biggest salad eater, so when I post a salad recipe, you know it’s going to be a good one that is absolutely packed with texture and flavor! Some of my other favorites are this Fall Panzanella Salad, Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing, Curried Chicken Salad, and this Chopped Kale Salad. Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese Whenever Paul and I go to nice restaurants in San Francisco for a date night, we almost always find ourselves order the roasted beet salad if it is on the menu....

I love this because there are no extra pots and pans to clean afterward, and there are so many ways to serve this dish full of veggie power. It’s perfect for those nights when I want to clean out the fridge and still have a delicious dinner! Imagine you come home from work tired, but you need to eat and feed your family. All I want is to somehow magically make that dinner happen....

Beef Burrito Recipe We regularly have Mexican foods on Tuesday nights, so this Slow Cooker Beef Burrito Recipe is now firmly in our family dinner rotation. You can get it going in the morning, it makes plenty for dinner and lunches the next day, and it’s super versatile and yummy! The beauty of this meal is that there are a nice amount of vegetables right in the mix so you don’t have to worry about making additional sides, and those veggies add lots of flavor and moisture (and nutrition)....