Mini Food Blogger in Training

She doesn’t blog about mini food. She is mini and she’s already thinking like a food blogger.

Today I told Wanda it was lunch time and she said, “I want lunch abouuuuuuut apple sauce!” She added that she also wanted apple slices of the orange variety. All sliced fruits are apple slices, just different flavors.


The apple sauce is topped with probiotic powder or as we call it, “Sprinkles.” The Thomas train is not for consumption. Maybe I'll catch her with some protein or grains later. For now, I'm excited when she expresses interest in anything that's not candy.

I took this picture because once she’d laid out all the food, she said, “Okay, now take a picture of my lunch like this!” She staged and I shot. We are good team.

World’s Simplest Fruit Salad

Don’t let your fruit languish, my friends! I always seem to have a drawer full of sad fruit that nobody wants. When the berries and bananas are gone, we’re left with apples, oranges, melons and a scattering of fruits that no one’s excited to eat.

I’ve adapted Heather’s husband’s fruit salad recipe to help me deal with this problem. It’s probably overstating things to call this a recipe. It’s more of a preparation suggestion. However, I’ve made this for showers and parties and always get compliments and recipe requests. So, here it is:

Choose a sampling of fruits from your fridge, or if you’re making this for a baby shower or potluck, choose a sampling of fruits that look and taste good together from your local grocer. This is good, even if all you have are apples and oranges but it's fun to go a little more exotic every once in a while.

Chop the fruits into small pieces, the smaller the better. For example, grapes are ideal for this when cut in quarters.

Place all the fruit in a bowl.

Add a dollop of yogurt. Less is more here. You want just enough to moisten and flavor the fruit but not enough that you ever have “gobs” or white. No one wants “gobs” on their fruit salad. I prefer vanilla yogurt for this but I’ve used just about every flavor imaginable. Personally, if I’m using plain yogurt, I like to add a couple of tablespoons of applesauce or all-fruit jam to sweeten it a bit.

Gently stir to coat the fruit and you’re done!

I’ve served this as a side-dish at dinner in individual ramekins with a slice of orange on top and the kids can’t get enough. They will literally eat two to three times as much fruit when I serve it this way than when I simply chop it and serve it on a platter.

Cut-and-Paste Recipe

Simple Fruit Salad

www.biteuponbite.com

4 cups fruit
¼ cup yogurt (vanilla preferred)

Chop fruit into small pieces, no bigger than half an inch. Place them in a bowl with yogurt and stir gently. Take a minute to wonder why you printed off this non-recipe recipe card.

Honey-Lime Chicken

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because it was dinner time and the chicken was justifiably scared, considering how often we devour its kinfolk.

If you eat chicken as frequently as my family, you’re always looking for new ways to cook it. One of my favorites is this simple honey-lime preparation. With only five ingredients, all things I generally have around the house, it’s one of my go-to meals when I haven’t planned ahead.

It’s adapted from a Cooking Light recipe book I quite like.

Pour your soy sauce into a shallow baking pan, 8x8 or 9x13 depending on how much chicken you’re cooking.

Place the chicken in the soy sauce and turn to coat.

Bake on the middle rack at 350F for 30-40 minutes until done in the middle or until they reach an internal temperature of 165F. I almost always slice my chicken open to make sure there’s no pink in the middle.

While chicken is cooking, chop green onions or chives and set aside. Measure lime juice and honey into small sauce pan.

When chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from soy mixture and place on a serving dish. Add ¼ cup of the soy/drippings mixture to the honey and lime juice sauce pan. Heat them to combine and then pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with the fresh green onions and serve. This goes great with veggies, rice, quinoa, or even whole wheat couscous. 

Cut-and-Paste Recipe

Honey-Lime Chicken

www.biteuponbite.com

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup honey
¼ cup lime juice
One bunch green onions or chives

Preheat oven to 350F. Pour soy sauce into shallow baking pan, big enough to hold all the chicken pieces with some space between them. Add chicken pieces to soy sauce and turn to coat. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

While chicken is cooking, chop green onions or chives and set aside. Measure lime juice and honey into a small sauce pan. When chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from soy mixture and place on a serving dish. Add ¼ cup of the soy/drippings mixture to the honey and lime juice sauce pan. Heat them to combine and then pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with the fresh green onions and serve.