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You know you’re getting old when prune recipes start looking really good!  Even though Liz was up in New Hampshire skiing with friends and Janice was back in Boston celebrating with a crowd of 20, we each prepared recipes featuring prunes (AKA dried plums) over the New Year break.  We hadn’t spoken in over a week so clearly there was some sort of warped mental telepathy going on!

Liz was at Loon Mountain visiting her friend Wendy. For New Year’s Eve dinner, they prepared Chicken Marbella from The Silver Palate Cookbook.  Instead of a whole chicken cut into pieces, they used boneless, skinless chicken breast halves.  The recipe was intended more for the seven couples at the party than the kids (though a few did try it) given its somewhat sophisticated ingredient combination: capers, pitted prunes, Spanish green olives, dried oregano, and white wine.  The prunes added a delicious sweetness to the dish, not to mention a nice burst of fiber and health-promoting antioxidants.

For New Year’s day, Liz created a simple, hearty slow cooker recipe using two pounds lean stew beef, one medium onion (diced), one cup of the leftover pitted prunes (that’s about 24), and one cup of all-natural BBQ sauce.  It cooked for about seven hours on low. When it was done, Liz pulled the meat and prunes apart using two forks and then served the savory mixture on whole grain burger buns.  This was without a doubt one of the most family-friendly recipes ever!

Now for Janice’s prune story.  On New Year’s Eve, she took about 25 pitted prunes, wrapped each one with a small slice of Prosciutto, secured it with a tooth pick and then baked them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet.  The combo of sweet and salty made this easy-does-it appetizer a real crowd pleaser.

Besides tasting great, we’re pleased to report that our recipes helped to ring in 2009 with an extra dash of good nutrition!

Don’t you just love it when you cook up a healthy recipe that makes everyone at your dinner table happy? Tacos are one of those tried-and-true favorites that elicit nothing but compliments from our kids. So last week, we took the ingredients from our Have-It-Your-Way Tacos – lean ground beef, black beans, cheese, and salsa – and used them in a new recipe for Black Bean & Beef Tortilla Pie. The inspiration for the recipe came from Everyday Food, so we can’t take all the credit for the idea!

So here’s the back story: Initially, when we tested the recipe, we decided to make it vegetarian by using meat-free grounds (they’re made from soy). But after making the pie not once but twice, we decided we weren’t crazy about the flavor of the grounds in this dish. Maybe it was one too many bites that put us over the edge, so we decided to use lean ground beef instead. If you’re a vegetarian, by all means, substitute the beef with the soy grounds (don’t let our little “issue” dissuade you).

Black Bean & Beef Tortilla Pie

Makes 6 Servings

• Four 10-inch flour tortillas
• 1 pound lean ground beef (90% or higher)
• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup salsa (we like mild)
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (canned, frozen or fresh)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim the tortillas with kitchen scissors or a paring knife to fit a 9-inch springform pan (use the removable bottom of the pan as a guide). Assemble pan with the bottom upside down. Lightly coat the bottom and sides with nonstick cooking spray and set aside
2. Cook the beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the large pieces, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat.
3. Add the beans, salsa, corn, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder and stir to combine.
4. Place one tortilla in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread with a third of the beef mixture, then 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat with two more layers. Top with the last tortilla, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and the olives as desired.
5. Bake until the top is lightly browned and the cheese melts, about 15 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan and remove sides. Cut into wedges using a serrated knife (we like to serve with reduced-fat sour cream and/or guacamole).

Nutrition Information per Serving 360 calories, 12g fat (6g saturated), 770mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 32g protein, 10% vitamin A, 35% calcium, 20% iron

If you like to use beans in your recipes (which, by the way, are technically a vegetable), you may like some of these:

Black Bean Vegetarian Burgers from Super Healthy Kids.

Gnocchi with White Beans and Pesto from The Toddler Cafe

Polenta Bean Pies from What’s Cooking

If you try our fun Tortilla Pie for dinner, let us know what you and your kids think of it.

Imagine a hearty, nutritious, kid-friendly dinner entree that costs just $2.50 per serving. If a recipe with all those attributes sounds too good to be true, then read this blog post! Recently, we found a website called www.MakingLifeBetter.com featuring budget-conscious recipes. There, we noticed a dish for skillet pasta & beef dinner which we decided to cook for lunch today. Since Leah (Janice’s 9-year old) was home from school, she offered to be our official taste tester. Thanks Leah!

In the spirit of full disclosure, we must admit that we couldn’t resist the urge to tweak the recipe just a tad. We added a finely diced red bell pepper, used lean ground beef (look for 90% lean or higher), a whole wheat blend pasta (whole wheat can be a bit of an overachievement so we compromise with the whole wheat blends from Barilla Plus … plus they’re really delish), and switched to part skim mozzarella.

The dish was incredibly easy to make and a definite winner as far as Leah was concerned. She actually gave us a really cool idea: For kids who pick out and eat the pasta first, you can use the savory meat sauce like a sloppy Joe and add it to a whole wheat hot dog or hamburger bun.

Skillet Pasta & Beef Dinner

Makes 5 Servings

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 pound lean ground beef (90% or higher)
• One 26-ounce jar pasta sauce (we like Light Ragu Tomato & Basil)
• 2 cups water
• 8 ounces dried whole wheat blend rotini (we like Barilla Plus)
• 1 cup preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes
2. Add the meat and cook, breaking up the large pieces, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat.
3. Stir in the pasta sauce and water, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Cover and let stand until the cheese melts, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese as desired.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 410 calories, 10g fat (4g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 620mg sodium, 46g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 34g protein, 35% vitamin A, 70% vitamin C, 25% calcium, 15% iron

On a final note, our November 12 Cooking with the Moms radio podcast will feature the topic of Healthy Eating on a Budget so stay tuned.

Liz & Janice

In today’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast, our featured topic, Back-to-School Brain Food, highlights the importance of feeding kids a delicious array of foods rich in omega-3 fats, iron, and zinc — all important for brain health. Be sure to listen in as we share two family favorites, Teriyaki Salmon in Foil and Szechuan Beef Stir-Fry. Also tune in to hear our 9-year old guest, Simon (Liz’s son), talk about clever ways to get kids to eat their veggies and to learn about his latest food jag: quesadillas. Here’s a recipe Simon asks for when he’s having a quesadilla craving:

What is your resolution for 2008? Ours is to start a weekly audio podcast, redesign our website, and get serious about writing our second book. We’re counting on our club members to hold us to it! If one of your resolutions is to cook healthier meals for your family, here’s a recipe for beef stew to get you started. Click here to see how easy it is to make it.

Sweet & Hearty Beef Stew
Makes 6 Servings

8 ounces presliced mushrooms
2 pounds lean stew meat
One 16-ounce bag baby carrots
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
6 whole wheat rolls

Place the mushrooms in the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with the stew meat and carrots.
Pour the tomato sauce, maple syrup, and vinegar over the top and sprinkle with the salt.
Cover and cook for 6 to 7 hours on low. When done, whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until well blended and then stir into the beef mixture along with the peas.
Allow the mixture to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the whole wheat rolls.

Tip: Take your peas out of the freezer when you start your slow cooker and allow them to thaw on the counter until you’re ready to add them to the stew.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 340 calories, 11g fat (4g saturated), 520mg sodium, 29g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 32g protein, 220% vitamin A, 20% vitamin C, 30% iron