My Family Friendly Veggie Lo Mein

Happy Thursday my loves, I meant to get this up over the weekend but dang migraine really lingered on. I am going to start sharing more of the recipes I make on rotation, the ones that aren't super special but so good and SO easy but most of all recipes that the whole family will love. So enter the family friendly lo mein.

This is another dish I have been making for so long and the whole family really loves. The best thing is that this taste even better reheated a few days later so it's great one to double or make ahead for a busy week. And I am telling you if you don't meal plan and have your meals planned out you are really missing out on having a factor of your day planned out.

(someone realllyyyyy likes her noodles!)

These are really simple ingredients that come together deliciously with a yummy sauce. But the best parts is the ingredients can be interchanged whatever veggies your family loves. Please note, we barely cook the carrots, red peppers and only cook the green beans pretty a bit longer, because this is what our girls prefer. And I am all for making it easier for them to love a dish.

So if you have younger kiddos who need softer foods, cook them longer. If you don't like ginger or paprika, then skip it. Do you prefer or have a different noodle at home, then use that. Make it tailored to you and your family (even I switch it up based on what we have on hand, like diced sweet potatoes, spinach, sugar snap peas, mushrooms or broccoli and you could do tofu or any protein too). We also really love how nutritious mung bean sprouts are (big bonus that the girls love them so I toss them in everything) but you can use scallions or an onion!

The thing I love the most about this recipe is that it's a great way to introduce flavors to your kiddos, anddddd a different way to serve noodles. But the ease of the recipe wins the award, the prep takes the longest but putting it together is easy peasy.

Sauce Ingredients

2 tbsp Sesame Oil

2 tbsp Olive oil

2 tbsp Fish Sauce

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Agave

1 - 3 tbsp Sriracha or hot sauce or skip (depending on heat!)

2 tsp 5 Spice Seasoning

Lo Mein Ingredients

Lo Mein egg noodles (or any noodles you prefer!)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced ginger

mung bean sprouts

julienned veggies, I used:

red peppers,

green beans

carrots

dash of red pepper flakes

(see above in the post for other ideas on what else I have included)

Recipe

First mix all sauce ingredients and whisk well. Put aside.

Second, cut up veggies.

Third, make noddles per instructions on package and set aside.

Fourth, sauté oil, garlic until fragrant. Then add ginger.

Fifth, toss in sprouts and stir. Add green beans, stir well and cover for 2-3 minutes (more if you like your veggies soft)

Sixth, toss in noodles! Mix well.

Seventh, toss in the rest of your veggies, mix well!

Eight, pour the yummy sauce, stirring to make sure all veggies and pasta are covered. I like to use tongs for this.

Now cover for 2-8 minutes, this will depend on how soft you like your veggies. We like them super crunch, so minimal time covered.

Finally, garnish with cilantro! We are an herb loving family so the more the better for us.

This is a favorite in our home, and reminds me of my single barely making ends meat days when I use to make dinners to last me all week. Now as a mama I just want something everyone will eat, that is healthy and heats up well!

I really hope you love it as much as we do!

xoxo

Natalie

Family Friendly Winter Meals

So much craziness going on in DC, and I have a lot to say about it but first wanted to say thank you to those that took the time to have some really raw, honest conversation on IG yesterday. And second I will be back this weekend to share some resources and how/when other parents are discussing news/current events. Parenting is hard but it doesn't have to be done alone and I hope you know that being someone or providing something to lean in on is a big part of this blog. We got this TOGETHER.

And now onto some other (less serious) issues. Dinner time.

Is everyone else getting exhausted of having to cook all the time? I mean we do our share of weekly local restaurant support but in efforts to reduse that pandemic 15 I've been trying to cook more at home. So I thought I would go back to my roots of rounding up seasonal meals. This helps me not only just plan out meals but ignites some creative energy in the kitchen for me! Only prerequisite is I need them to be fast, warm and yummy to everyone at home.

Here are some favorites I saw around the web.

One Pot Coq A Vin (I got her one pot meal cook book and it looks soooo good!)

Gigi Hadid Spicy Vodka Pasta is a SUPER similar recipe to one I use to make ages ago, and well pasta night is a hit at our house.

Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto) and Oven-Baked Gorgonzola Polenta, omg I don't know if the girls would like polenta, but I will try and maybe make with a white rice as a side for them!

Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie, I am playing around with shepherd's pie recipes and the idea of a lentil or white bean one makes me super excited.

If you know you know that I love a white bean soup, you can inject so much GOOD flavor into them, this White Bean and Orzo soup looks soooo good.

Creamy tomato tortellini soup with spinach, ok so I am not a creamy soup person but i could easily make this a brothy soup!

Drunken Shrimp looks soooo good, great for a family style meal, with a big loaf of bread and salad.

Instant Pot Whole Wheat Spaghetti & Meatballs, looks sooo good and easy peasy.

Pulled Brown Sugar Chicken for some nachos would be the perfect football food!

Shephard's Pie Stew from Skinny Taste also looks delicious!

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup, I love a weekly soup all Fall and Winter and even chilly Spring days!

Tomato and Cannellini Bean Soup, Another delicious soup I want to try!

Pomegranate Sesame Chicken with Ginger Rice Pilaf, looks so pretty and HBH never fails with incredible recipes.

Peri Peri Chicken and Tomato Bulgur, looks so good and bulgur is a different grain that I don't make often!

I love to take Sundays to plan out my meals, grab any missing items from the food marker and even maybe create a few short cuts. A couple hours well spent on Sunday can make for a much easier week. I plan on doing more of this in the next few weeks.

For example, any grains or pastas can be made ahead of time and just reheated or a couple sheet pans of roasted veggies, sweet potatoes and onions can be had as a meal or side! And my favorite is make a double batch of soup or stew on a Sunday and have it for another night that week (bonus points if you can have enough for lunch or freeze for a future busy night!).

Happy weekend!

xoxo

Natalie

Greek Yogurt Kid Approved Banana Bread

Well, hello there my friends. Sitting here on this Tuesday, feeling like I cannot sit still but also cannot do much. My mind has been scattered and my heart racing. So I am listening to what I think I need, meditating and watching my two girls play. And I felt the need to share this recipe I made last week ( and have made SOOOO many times before).

I love to make something special on Fridays, and always make extra for the weekend. Introducing, kid approved and adult loving, healthy-ish greek yogurt banana bread that will have even the pickiest mouths happy. With this bread, I suggest you double it and drop a loaf off at a neighbor or freeze for a special no hassle treat or if your home is anything like mine just keep one in the fridge since an entire loaf ill easily be polished off in a couple days.

As for changes, you can easily swap out the banana and make with pumpkin puree or even apple sauce! But a way to make it super special is to add a 1/2 cup of rainbow sprinkles to the banana bread to make it a sort of "funfetti" banana bread, I am going to do that for the girls this week and will try and show it on IG. :)

GREEK YOGURT BANANA BREAD RECIPE

2 cups whole wheat flour (all purpose flour also works here!)

1/2 cup brown sugar (agave or maple syrup also works here)

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs ( I have swapped 1/2 cup of applesauce for the eggs!)

1/2 cup plain, full fat greek yogurt (sour cream or buttermilk have world when I have on hand!)

1/2 cup of butter, softened

2-3 ripe bananas, mashed and fit in a cup

2 tsp vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

RECIPE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease ( we use a coconut spray an 9″ bread pan and set aside.

2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until it is smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add brown sugar and yogurt. This means beat it for about 2 minutes until it is fluffy, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

3. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well until incorporated, scraping the sides.

4. In a small bowl, use a fork or potato masher to mash about 2 and 1/2 very ripe bananas. It should come out to about 1 cup.*  A little more or a little less banana, and you are still going to get banana bread. (More banana=more dense. Less banana does NOT make your banana bread not-moist.) Add to the mixer.

5. Add flour to the bowl, but do not stir yet. (You can mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl but I am too lazy.)

6. In a small spoon or in the measuring cup you used for the flour, stir in baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt into the flour. You don't want any clumps of salt or soda in your bread.

7. You can add cinnamon and teaspoon each cloves and nutmeg. This bread is still really good without the spices, they are optional.

8. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until incorporated, scraping the sides and bottom.

9. Fold in the bananas.

10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.

11. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes. Every oven is different and you are probably going to have to check it a few times ( this is huge!!). (for muffins I baked at 350, for 23-25 minutes)

12. Let the bread or muffins cool completely (okay, well at least for 20 minutes or so) on a cooling rack before slicing into it. If you don't devour a warm slice immediately with copious amounts of butter, it's a crime against bananas everywhere.

There is nothing sadder than undercooked banana bread, so make sure with a toothpick inserted very deeply into the center of your bread (stick it right into the crack that has formed) should come out with no wet batter on it. Very moist crumbs are ok, as the bread will continue cooking just a bit once pulled out of the oven. The bread should look nice and brown on top and should be pulling away from the sides of the pan.

* I love saving ripe bananas for future use like in this bread or smoothies!

Here’s what I do: peel them, freeze in a ziplock and mark with the amount of bananas and date. Just remember that when you use frozen bananas for banana bread (or any baked dessert), you will have to microwave it long enough to be able to mash it. When you microwave it, a bunch of liquid will melt off of the banana. Don’t throw it away! Add it to your banana bread. It will make your bread extra moist!

** new edit! I have made this recipe swapping out the bananas with 1 cup of blueberries, diced apples and applesauce (all have come out really amazing!)

One of the best parts of this blog is that I continuously am reminded that these family recipes that I can make from memory are the ones I need to write down and share!!! So I hope that this sweet little recipe that I have been making for so long is one you use for years to come.

Sending love during an anxious ridden, but hopeful time and reminding you all that coming back to your breath is always a way to get grounded.

xoxox

Natalie