Food
Superfood-Stuffed Recipes That Kids Will Love
Written by Erin Feher
Photography by Photography by Carina Skrobecki for Simply Real Eating
Mar 9, 2020
Want to get your kids to eat butternut squash and beets for breakfast? Then you definitely need to get you hands on Sarah Adler’s latest cookbook, Simply Real Eating. And unlike so many kid-centric recipes that encourage “sneaking” healthy foods into dishes, Sarah’s approach is all about using the healthy, fresh, and sometimes unexpected ingredients because they make the final dishes super delicious and fun to eat. Bringing joy to the act of eating is major for Sarah, as she, like so many women, had a complicated relationship with food for much of her life, obsessing over counting fat, calories, and carbs. It was a trip to Italy that changed her perspective, and sparked a healthy love affair with cooking and eating. Now a mama to adorable (and green-smoothie-loving) Noah, age 1, her philosphy of using simple ingredients and finding joy in the kitchen is even more important. With delicious recipes like smoothie bowls packed with raspberries, beets, and avocado, and butternut squash and cardamon pancakes, Sarah is using wholesome ingredients to create dishes that kids will want to eat. Not to mention, the recipes are all gluten-free, many with five ingredients or less, and all have options to customize for other dietary needs.
Below, Sarah shares eight of her favorite superfood-stuffed recipes for kids from her new book below. Click through them all then give one a try tonight!
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These (almost) too simple and healthy pancakes are great served with natural peanut or almond butter, homemade whipped cream, seasonal fruit or a drizzle of maple syrup or raw honey. You can also replace the squash with pumpkin and remove the cardamom for pickier palates.
Ingredients:
1 large ripe banana
¼ cup butternut squash puree
2 organic cage-free eggs
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil (for cooking)
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Or, mash the banana and squash by hand, then add the eggs, baking powder, and spices to a bowl and mix well. Transfer mixture to a measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring. Heat a bit of butter or coconut oil on a griddle or cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Once warm, pour the batter as you would for normal pancakes, flipping halfway when slightly browned, approximately 4 minutes on each side.
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Because mint and chocolate together is never a bad idea. This may be the most guilt-free way to enjoy the two: in a green smoothie that will serve and lift you up in the hours that follow it. This smoothie is also great without the mint. For a version with double boost of energy, try the Coffee Chocolate Green Buzz Smoothie that follows.
Mint Chocolate Green Smoothie
Ingredients:
½ banana
2 cups spinach or kale leaves
15 mint leaves
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs or 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/2 zucchini, roughly chopped
2 dates, pitted
1 scoop natural protein powder (optional)
1 cup ice
Coffee Chocolate Green Buzz Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup cold or room temperature coffee
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
1 banana, frozen
3 cups spinach or kale leaves
1 cup ice
¼ cup milk of your choice, or 1 teaspoon coconut butter (optional)
Place all ingredients for selected smoothie, except ice, in a blender, and blend until well combined. Add ice and continue to blend until smooth. Serve cold. Top coffee smoothie with extra cinnamon or cocoa powder to serve, if desired.
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Ok, I know I’m not supposed to pick favorites, but this dish just might be my favorite cozy fall and winter meal of all time. I can’t even count the times I have made or brought this dish to friends and family, when a hug in a bowl is needed. Even the pickiest eaters have been known to lick the plates.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb organic ground turkey sausage
6 carrots, quartered and chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 zucchinis, quartered and chopped
1 head kale, torn or chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons pepper to taste
Herby Parmesan Polenta (recipe follows)
In a large stock pot over medium high heat, cook the sausage first, browning on all sides. Add carrots next and let cook for 5-7 minutes before adding bell pepper and zucchini. Season with sea salt and pepper. Add the kale during the last 2-3 minutes and cook until wilted. Meanwhile, make the Herby Parmesan Polenta. When the polenta is ready, scoop into bowls to serve hot, topping with the sausage and veggie mixture. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese, if desired.
Herby Parmesan Polenta
Ingredients:
4½ cups broth or water (or a combination)
1 cup loose polenta (corn grits)
1 tablespoon herbs de provence or Italian
herb blend
2 large pats butter or ghee
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup parmesan cheese (optional)
Bring water or broth to a boil in a saucepan with a lid. Add polenta, herbs de provence and sea salt and cook for approximately 10 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Add the butter and parmesan cheese if using, to melt. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese, if desired.
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Instead of regular noodles, this recipe calls for carrot noodles, which gives it a great color, texture, and makes this a guilt-free version of everyone’s favorite Thai food dish. Feel free to use brown rice or zucchini noodles in this recipe if you prefer. If you love soup, you can easily turn these leftovers into a soup by adding broth and coconut milk.
Ingredients:
10 carrots, spiralized into noodles
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup basil, chopped
½ lime, cut into wedges
sea salt and pepper to taste
Phad Thai Sauce
Ingredients:
¼ cup natural almond or peanut butter
½ lime juiced
1 tablespoon tamari sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon turmeric, grated or ¼ teaspoon ground
1 teaspoon ginger, grated or ¼ teaspoon ground
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons water
Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan over low heat and stir occasionally as you prep the other components. Prepare noodles of your choice, and heat in a large skillet over medium high heat until they soften. Add noodles to serving bowls and pour warm sauce over the top. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, basil, and lime wedges to serve.
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I love this salad so much—it keeps great for multiple days in the fridge, has so much flavor, and is a great way to turn pantry staples into a meal, and use up any extra herbs you have on hand. It’s also a great base for whatever you have in your fridge already. Fun additions to this recipe could include chopped tomatoes, chopped apricots, olives, or shredded chicken.
Ingredients:
¼ cup chives, chopped
¼ cup dill, chopped
¼ cup mint, chopped
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 cups dry quinoa
6-8 cups arugula or spinach
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained or 2 cups cooked
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Cook quinoa first by adding it to 4 cups water with a generous dash of sea salt to a medium saucepan. Cover, bring to boil, then turn stove off until all the water absorbs, approximately 10 minutes or so. In the meantime, chop the rest of your ingredients and add to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and sprinkle generously with sea salt and pepper. When quinoa is done cooking, let it cool for a few minutes before fluffing and adding it to the herb mixture. Gently fold in the arugula or spinach leaves and sprinkle feta on top when you are ready to serve.
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This is my favorite version of a chocolate chip cookie. The olive oil adds a layer of richness and gooeyness that's hard to beat, and even the biggest cookie connoisseurs won't know this is gluten-free!
Ingredients:
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup coconut flour (or more almond meal, though you'll get a slightly softer texture)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large organic, cage-free egg
1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the ingredients together in a medium bowl and scoop into 12 to 14 rounded cookies depending on your size preference, spacing them about one inch apart. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes for mini cookies, or 10 to 12 minutes for medium ones. Sprinkle with sea salt when done.
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While those classic acai bowls are beautiful (and delicious), they’re also usually very high in natural sugar, which can spike and crash your blood sugar within the hour. A little upgrade? This recipe takes the same idea, but adds some good healthy fats and protein to help keep you satisfied in the hours after it. The secret key to a great and thick smoothie bowl texture is using as little water and liquid as you can, and freezing the bananas ahead of time.
For the Green Kale Smoothie Bowl, I add a healthy boost of greens and for the Red Raspberry and Beet Smoothie Bowl I use leftover beets, which are packed with folate (the most absorbable form of iron) and vitamin C, for a stunning color and immune-system boosting powers. Use whatever smoothie add-ins or toppings you like; but I love these combos.
Green Kale Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients:
2-3 stalks kale, stems discarded, or 3-4 handfuls spinach
½ avocado
½ banana
1-2 teaspoons cashew butter (or peanut/almond or a handful of nuts of your choice) (optional)
2 teaspoons chia seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon natural protein powder
1 cup ice cubes
toppings:
sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa nibs
sprinkle of chopped walnuts
sprinkle of large coconut flakes
sprinkle of mulberries or dried blueberries or goji berries
Red Raspberry & Beet Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients:
1 small beet, roasted or cooked
½ cup raspberries
½ avocado
½ banana
1 tablespoon natural protein powder
1 cup ice cubes
optional toppings:
hemp seeds
chia seeds
goji berries
raspberries
sliced apples
coconut flakes
In a blender, combine all ingredients for your selected smoothie bowl (except the toppings) with ¼ cup water. Blend until smooth. Add ice, and continue to blend, adding small amounts of water if needed to blend. Scrape the smoothie contents into a serving bowl using a baking spatula. Sprinkle with toppings of your choice to serve.
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Never made buckwheat? It's worth giving a try. It has a tasty flavor and chewy rice-like texture, and cooks just as fast as quinoa, at around 10 minutes. Find it in the bulk or grain section of your natural food store, or use organic white rice, quinoa, or your favorite gluten-free grain instead. This dish also makes an easy savory breakfast on the go if you divide it among a few glass storage containers or individual mason jars to let the sauce absorb. Add grilled chicken, steak, shrimp or avocado on top, if desired. You can also use any leftover roasted, grilled, or sauteed veggies. The Coconut Lime Parsley Sauce is amazing on almost everything. Try it on any grilled fish, meat, potatoes, grains, or veggies. You can also make it ahead; the sauce keeps in the fridge for up to eight days.
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for buckwheat and veggies
1 cup uncooked buckwheat groats, or other gluten-free whole grain of your choice
Olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for veggies
4 carrots, sliced into rounds
1 bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 baby bok choy, halved
2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup snow peas
Coconut Lime Parsley Sauce
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
6 ounces canned coconut milk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
Leaves from 1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped, some reserved for garnish
Leaves from 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped, some reserved for garnish
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place 2 cups of water, the sea salt, and the buckwheat groats in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Then, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until the water absorbs. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a bit of olive oil with some sea salt and pepper in a large skillet. Add and cook, in the following order, the carrots, bell pepper, bok choy, zucchini, and snow peas until warm but still crunchy.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: Heat a splash of olive oil in a separate medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and ginger and cook until golden brown. Then, add the coconut milk, lime juice, lemon juice, the chopped herbs, and the sea salt and pepper and quickly whisk. Remove from the heat and leave as is, or blend everything together in a blender.
Divide the cooked buckwheat among individual serving bowls, add the veggies on top, and pour the sauce all over. Serve warm. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro and parsley, if desired.
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Hungry for more?
You can buy Sarah Adler's new cookbook, Simply Real Eating: Everyday Recipes and Rituals for a Healthy Life Made Simple right here!
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