Whining 'N Dining

Toddler Test Kitchen: Scrambled Eggs with Goat Cheese & Basil

Trader Joe's has done it again. They inspired me with a tasty sample of scrambled eggs with goat cheese and fresh basil. I'm officially hooked on this stuff and so is my whine 'n dine girl.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

10 large eggs (sometimes I do half full eggs and half egg whites to make it a little lighter)

1/4 cup coarsely crumbled soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. butter or butter spread

Directions:

Whisk eggs in large bowl until well blended. Add goat cheese, chopped basil, salt and pepper; whisk to blend. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add egg mixture; cook 2 minutes without stirring. Using spatula or large spoon, gently stir and turn over portions of the egg mixture until cooked through but soft, about 4 minutes.

Divide scrambled eggs among 4 plates. Garnish with basil, if desired, and serve.

Web Resources for Parents of Kids With Food Allergies

Next week is National Food Allergy Week, so here's the first of a few posts on the subject.....

First off, I'd like to say that my heart aches for you parents of kids with food allergies. It's hard enough to feed non-allergic kids. I know that many of us parents of non-allergic kids take our lack of label-reading for granted. I know that the rest of us fail to appreciate how hard you have to work and monitor every morsel of food that goes in your child's mouth.

This would be the moment where I would have all of the parents of allergic kids stand up, so the rest of us can applaud you. We admire your resolve and perseverance. Hang in there and keep fighting the good fight.

Meg over at Lunchbox blog served up this comprehensive overview of websites that discuss food allergies. (Besides her food allergy tidbits here, Meg has got oodles and oodles of great ideas for school lunches. So, by all means, check out her site.)

Costco Find: LARABAR Variety Pack

We love LARABARS in our house. Ever had one? LARABARS are a "delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices - energy in its purest form" (according to the description on the website). It's a great alternative to a cookie!

LARABARS are all of the following:
All natural
No added sugars or sweeteners
Raw
Non-GMO
Non-irradiated
No sulfites
No preservatives
No fillers
No colorings
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Soy-free
Vegan
Kosher

This weekend, I was excited to discover that Costco sells a LARABAR 18-bar Variety Pack for $15.59. Such a great deal!!

Healthy, Dairy-Free Blueberry Muffins

• INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 cup soy milk (you can use buttermilk if you don't have lactose issues)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan, or line with paper muffin cups.

2.       In a large bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, oat bran, quick-cooking oats,  baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently stir in the blueberries.  In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed banana, soy milk (or buttermilk), egg, oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Spoon into muffin cups, filling all the way to the top.

3.       Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly touched.

-Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com "Health Nut Blueberry Muffins"