Thursday, July 23, 2015

Picky Eaters Approved: Savory Fish Pudding.




This is a perfect way to introduce fish to babies and kids. It's a very mild recipe that is delicious and nutritious. 

Last week I browsed my recipes looking for the delicious fish pudding my kids loved so much when they were younger. I found it so here it is. I used to make it for them back when they were 9 months and up. Now they are 9 and 10 years old, but they love it all the same!

What the experts say: fish is very rich in zinc which is good for immune development and growth. Babies can eat fish as early as 8 months. Just be sure to buy a boneless fillet.

I used hake, but I hear cod is very similar? Please let me know if that's not the case. You can use any fish you like really. If it's boneless, much better!

For this kid friendly fish recipe you will need.


  1. Boneless hake or cod fillet 15 ounces or 400 grams of
  2. 2 eggs
  3. Finely chopped parsley 1/2 tablespoon
  4. Grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons
  5. Cooking cream 3 tablespoons
  6. Nutmeg a pinch
  7. Salt to taste
  8. Cooking spray


Steam fish. Once it's steamed, crumble using a fork. 




In a bowl beat the eggs. Add parsley, cooked fish, cheese, and grated nutmeg. Add the cream.



Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour the mixture inside and bake it, bain-marie, in a medium heat oven for 30 minutes, or until it's golden and firm. That's it! It's as easy to make as it is delicious.























Fish can be difficult to appreciate, I think. Does your little one like it? Good luck with your picky eater and please let me know if he or she likes it!























Remember to stay tuned for next week's "Picky Eaters Approved" recipes. 



P.S. A spinach tart that my boys love. 

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Cultivating Well-being: An Antidote to Anxiety



Cultivating Well-being series' third post is focused on worrying and anxiety. I wanted to let you know about a very effective technique that we can all implement. It's deeply related to our innate ability to become aware of our emotions.

Last Tuesday's post was about 5 ideas that are crucial to well-being. One of them was to limit negative thoughts and worrying

But, how do we do that? Easier said than done, right?

Well, it turns out it is not that difficult. The answer? Mindfulness and awareness. What is mindfulness


"..a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique."

It's a simple and powerful tool that all of us can put into practice, that is used to become aware of our emotions. In this case, destructive ones, such as jealousy, anger or anxiety. 

Usually, those who suffer from anxiety, get carried away by negative thoughts and fear which will only lead to more anxiety and worry. 

The best way of dealing with it would be to first, realize what it is that you are feeling: anxiety. Once you recognize this emotion, a complete shift occurs. You become aware of it. This is when a space or distance is created between what you feel and yourself. It's as if you are contemplating the emotion.

This simple change of state has the power, if sustained, to decrease and eventually vanish the damaging emotion.

Matthieu Riccard explains this very clearly when he says that, if you stop adding wood to a fire, it will eventually extinguish. Same thing with the preoccupation that makes you anxious. 

If you look at what you are feeling with the "eye of the Mind", also known as "your consciousness", you become aware. 

Now, you have the power to direct your thoughts. This is the time to guide thoughts to a calmer, more positive state. As Riccard says:"if you are aware of it, you are not [anxious], you are aware of it". 

Apparently, it requires practice and lots of focusing on your breathing! But it can be done. Well-being is a skill that can be learned through practice. 

I thought I would share the good news. Well, actually those who meditate have known this for ever, but only recently, not many years ago, psychology has been incorporating these types of techniques to their practice.




P.S. Cultivating Well-Being #4 (Why Altruism Works For Our Own Good?)






Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Healthy Banana Bread Recipe ( better than the classic one...)






This past weekend I decided to play chef and came up with my own banana bread recipe. I was very proud of myself up until I took it out of the oven. 

The banana bread, which looked very pretty on my Instagram, was actually too flat. It tasted good so we ate it but then realized I had forgotten to add baking powder, among other things...moving on, moving on...

Yesterday, I went back to the basics and did the right thing. "The right thing" or person, I should say, has a name and a website: Stephanie Jaworsky at joyofbaking.com. Her recipe is perfect. I had made it before and my family ate it during the course of an afternoon. So, I made it again. It turned out as expected, deliciously balanced and perfect.

To me, it's the best recipe I've encountered so far because it calls for yogurt, canola oil instead of butter, cinnamon and all those good things that I like. Plus, I love listening to Stephanie on YouTube. She seems so warm and sweet. She also gives the exact quantities in grams as well as in cups, which is always a plus. Here she is...



Which one is your favorite, the low fat or the classic one? Starting next week I will be posting healthy recipes for little picky eaters, do you have anyone like that at home?



P.S. The best lemon brownies and Homemade Popcorn.



Friday, April 17, 2015

A Spinach Tart Recipe That Kids Love







In the post "A Trick to Get your Kids to Eat Veggies"  I say that I make a spinach tart or pie that my kids love. Well, this is my secret weapon in regards to veggies. I may or may not have added different vegetables in the past, without them noticing, but definitely did.  

It is workable that way. You can add grated carrots or any new vegetable that you want to introduce to them (broccoli or eggplant) in the mixture and it will not be visibly obvious! The important thing is that they taste it, realize that they like it, and only then you tell them what vegetables they are eating and most importantly, liking. OK enough conspiracy, for now.

You can use your imagination and add whatever you wish. I make one with eggs, ham and cheese, and another one with onions and fish which is very good also. Just be creative, it'll turn out well, once you get the hang of making tarts you'll be coming up with new ones very often.

Ingredients 
Disclaimer: there's a lot of eyeballing in this recipe, to me, it's as easy as making rice or boiled eggs.

Onions: 2 or 3 big ones.
Spinach: 1 or 2 bags depending on how thick/tall you want your tart to be. I used 1.
Eggs: 2 raw and 3 boiled
Parmesan cheese: a bit less than a cup, more cheese is good, less is fine too.
Ricotta cheese or liquid cream : again a bit less than a cup.

How to make it

First, steam the spinach. Squeeze all the water from it. Sautè the finely chopped onions with olive oil and a bit of butter. Once the onions are cooked, put them in a bowl with the spinach. Add the parmesan and ricotta cheeses, the 2 raw eggs and stir all the ingredients together with salt, pepper and any spices you like. I like nut meg, especially with spinach.

Place the bottom layer of the dough in a tart pan and spread the filling. Cut up the 3 boiled eggs and situate them over the spinach mixture. Cover everything with the other dough disc. Stick the edges of the dough by pressing them together one over the other.




Bake it until brown or for 20-30 minutes in a medium to high preheated oven.

In case you make the dough
Second disclaimer: I now become the queen of eyeballing, be warned.

Flour: about 2 cups. 
Salt: 1 teaspoon.
Milk or water: add as much as the dough needs but start with...1/2 cup. 
Olive oil: approximately 1/2 cup, sometimes more, depending on how much flour you use.

Start by whisking together salt and flour. With your fingers, or a spoon, make a hole in the middle and pour olive oil and milk. Stir in and knead until a ball forms. Separate the dough into two balls and roll them out into discs. Done!

Do you like vegetarian tarts? Do you usually make them? What ingredients do you use? Let me know in the comments.



P.S. If you are interested: How to make Argentine Empanadas and Dulce de Leche.



Thursday, April 9, 2015

How to Ricotta Gnocchi: Only 5 Ingredients



Home made gnocchi with shrimps and herbs. Have you ever tried the kind of soft light pasta that almost melts in your mouth without even chewing? This is it!  It's definitely tastier than getting dry pasta at the supermarket. And is very easy to make! 

These are the ingredients. Only 6! (5 if you count salt and pepper as one :)




Put the flour, salt and pepper, and 2 cups of ricotta cheese in a bowl. Add the egg. Mix until you see that you have a nice and even dough.



Sprinkle a bit of flour on your counter top and cut pieces of dough. Like this.







































































How I cooked the shrimp.

While you wait for the salted water to boil, finely chop a garlic glove and some fresh herbs. I used the ones I have which are rosemary and ciboulette. If you follow me on instagram you will see how I finally kept them away from my bunny! Then, saute them in olive oil and a bit of butter. Add shrimp and cook for a while until you see they are done. You know when they look done, right?



































































Now, carefully put the gnocchi in the boiling water and wait until they look like this (gnocchis on top and foam included)...

























I prefer to drain gnocchi with a skimmer because if you use a colander they might brake. Anyways, gnocchis are delicious no matter the shape.



And that is how you make them. It is pretty easy, isn't it? Have you ever made them? Do you like pasta dishes? Let me know! To keep up to date with what I am working on for the blog you can follow me on instagram and twitter @eclecticalu. 



You might like: flan with dulce de leche and empanadas