Easiest. Lemon. Chicken. Recipe. Ever.

What do you do when your husband is traveling on business and you're solo with three kids? You make life as uncomplicated as possible, that's what. So tonight for dinner, my kids and I are having Chicken with Meyer Lemons, sliced avocado and some sliced mango. Here's the great news: this chicken dish is the easiest thing ever and my kids are crazy about it.
We went grocery shopping this weekend as a family before my husband departed. The kids were intrigued by the Meyer lemons so we bought several. Meyer lemons are a delightful combo of sweet and tangy and they are incredibly juicy. They were recently the subject of a New York Times article and featured in this sea scallop recipe. They have a thinner peel than a regular lemon and when cooked, it is edible and delicious.

I came across a chicken recipe recently that called for (regular) lemons and shallots that was both easy to prepare and tasty. My kids enjoyed it but they both picked off the shallots (more for me!). Today I've made it even easier and made this dish with just the Meyer lemons (no shallots). My kids are going to love it. 

Here's how: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
Place chicken drumsticks on parchment paper in a baking dish. 
Slice a Meyer lemon. Place one slice underneath the skin of each drumstick.
Sprinkle with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. 
Add one slice of Meyer lemon to the top of each drumstick. 
Bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes or until juices run clear when cut. 

Enjoy!

Farro with Chickpeas, Olives and North African Spices

Lately I've been all about olives. I go through phases with olives but lately, everything from the texture to the saltiness is just pleasing me completely. There's a bakery in New York that I absolutely adore called Eric Kayser that makes the most fabulous olive bread I've ever tasted. Olives get a bad rap sometimes but they're chock full of flavor and a good source of mono-unsaturated fat, vitamin E and antioxidants. And as with anything with such an intense flavor, a little goes a long way. You can learn more about olives here. 

I made this farro salad for brunch last weekend for some folks who eat a mostly vegetarian diet. I served it slightly warm and the flavors melted nicely together. This dish is loaded with fiber, protein, good fats, and vitamins A and C. It's hearty enough to be a main dish but can also work well as an accompaniment. 

Ingredients
• 1 cup canned chickpeas
• 1 cup farro
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 pound butternut squash, cut into one inch cubes and roasted
• 3/4 cup pitted green olives
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• Juice of one lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place squash on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until squash has caramelized at the edges and is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, place farro in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer and cover for about 20-25 minutes or until water is absorbed and farro is cooked.
4. In a small bowl, combine turmeric, ginger, salt, cinnamon, red chili flakes and olive oil. Stir to make a paste and set aside.
5. In another bowl, add chickpeas, olives and lemon juice. Add cooked farro to that bowl once the farro has cooled. Add spice mixture and fold in to combine flavors.
6. Add squash once that has cooled.
7. Top with fresh, chopped cilantro. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.   

LaLa Lunchbox Eco-Friendly Grocery Bags - Giveaway!

Being a parent automatically qualifies you for membership in the Multi-Tasker's Club of Awesomeness. Ever balance an infant on one hip with spit up running down your shoulder while cooking dinner with the other hand and simultaneously reading a book to your other child? Been there. And while we parents are working all this magic, we're trying to save the earth too - by recycling, reusing, giving to our favorite charities and generally being good citizens. Wow. Thank god it's Friday because even acknowledging all of that made me exhausted. 

Anyhoo, we just got these awesome LaLa Lunchbox eco-friendly grocery bags and want to share them with you. You can teach your little monsters all about saving the world as you whiz through the aisles of the grocery store, purchasing what's on your LaLa Lunchbox grocery list. 
Here's what they look like: 

LaLa Lunchbox Eco-Friendly Grocery Bag!

Want one? Here's the deal:
1. Send an email to info@lalalunchbox.com and let us know your favorite thing about LaLa Lunchbox AND your least favorite thing about LaLa Lunchbox. If you are so inclined, you can also let us know features you wish were part of LaLa Lunchbox.

2. We'll put your email addresses into a random drawing and select five winners!

** Only one entry per person. Enter by Friday, February 1 at 5:00 pm EST. 
** Winners announced Monday, February 4, 2013. 

Good luck! 

Homemade Banana Chips - Incredibly Easy!

I'm becoming obsessed with my oven. Really. 
Everything is popping in there these days. And thanks to this recipe that I found on Pinterest, courtesy of Kia Robertson, I can now include bananas in that category. 

Homemade Banana Chips!

The great thing here is that I can decide whether I want the chips thick or thin and this recipe makes great use of two things I *always* have in my house: bananas and lemons. The bummer is that it takes a long time to make. Total time: almost 4 hours. Ugh. But the overwhelming majority of that time is hands off.  And when it's done, you have these beautiful, flavorful, inexpensive banana chips that are a great on-the-go snack for kids and parents alike. Next time I'm going to add ground cinnamon. 

Enjoy!

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Slice bananas (I used two), spread onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with lemon juice. Bake for 2 hours and flip. Bake for another 1.5-2 hours or until crisp. 

Omega 3s and Kids. Where and Why?

In general, my family eats a well balanced diet. Whole grains, lean meats, lots of fruits and vegetables. But because of my severe food allergies, there are certain foods that are never even brought home, like fish and certain tree nuts. All those health benefits of fish? Unfortunately we don't reap them. Here's the bad news: as it turns out, fish and nuts have really high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids, hailed as nutrition superstars. They are said to help the body reduce inflammation (and therefore help with things like heart disease and arthritis), reduce triglycerides, improve brain function and aid things like fatigue and dry skin. And according to Parenting.com, "Low levels of DHA [an Omega 3 fatty acid] in children have been linked to an increased risk of ADHD, vision problems, and depression." Thanks to my allergies, we all have to be more creative to get our fill so we don't fall into a pit of Omega 3-deprived despair! Ugh.

Here's what I've learned: There are three types of Omega 3 fatty acids: ALA, DHA and EPA. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) is primarily found in plants like nuts, beans, flaxseeds and leafy greens. DHA and EPA are found mostly in cold water fish like salmon and sardines. DHA can also be found in fortified milk, eggs and other dairy. I found this slide show about the top sources of Omega 3s interesting. 
So okay - back to the action plan. For anyone like me who can't have the so-called "best" sources of Omega 3s, you can buy organic eggs with added Omega 3, other dairy fortified with Omega 3. Frankly, I have no clue how Omega 3 can be added to eggs so I need to do more research.  Another option is to include flax, spinach and green leafy vegetables as a regular part of your diet. My husband and I eat loads of leafy greens but beyond the Weelicious Green Monster smoothies, my kids really don't. I've started adding flaxseed meal to almost everything I make for the family (pancake batter, oatmeal, baked goods, cereal, smoothies, salads) but I just read that the best benefits come if you grind them right before using. Man! I'm using these anyway and keeping fingers crossed that we can get at least some of the benefit.  

I grew up on Flintstone's vitamins. Do I need to give my kids a supplement of some sort for them to get the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids? Google "Kids Omega 3s" and a whole host of supplements and vitamins turns up in the results. In truth, I'm hoping that if Omega 3 fatty acids are, in fact, as beneficial as they are touted to be, that scientists figure out some non-fish, non-nut based way to unlock their awesomeness that doesn't involve me manually grinding seeds on a daily basis.