If you have children, you know it can be a challenge raising them to eat healthy. But the rewards of doing so are so great that it is worth every second, without a doubt (and your future son and daughter in laws will surely thank you again and again).

For some tips on raising healthy eaters, check out my new story on FitFare.(EDITED TO ADD: The Fit Fare site no longer exists. 6/2/2011)

This is delicious on fresh bread, spread lightly. It’s delicious with pita bread or on flour tortillas with fresh veggies. My 10 month old son loves it and eats it by the spoonful. And thankfully, it’s good for him.

What is it?

My special roasted pepper and artichoke heart hummus. 

I used this cupcake recipe from All Recipes, and cut out a cone shape from the center once they cooled. I filled them with the filling from this Hostess knockoff recipe. Then I coated the tops with a simple bittersweet chocolate ganache.

Due to the flawed methodology of my filling (it would have been better to cut the cone from the bottom or to have used a pastry bag with a really small tip to poke up through the bottom of the cupcake and fill it), they aren’t the most picturesque cupcakes. But despite the dip in the center of the cupcake, they taste great and came out exactly like I wanted – kind of like a store bought cream-filled cupcake with a fresh taste.

And lets not forget about the wonderful antioxidant properties of chocolate. That’s how I am justifying this as an entry for Sweetnick’s ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays. Check her site tomorrow evening for a roundup of great recipes using fruits, veggies and other antioxidant rich foods.

Yesterday was a day off for me. I was busy putting the finishing touches on my garden so I can get to planting (at last) today. I have tomatoes, basil, thyme, tarragon and rosemary waiting planting in addition to several flats of flowers. They will be joining my beets, carrots, radishes, peppers and peas – already in progress.

Check back later for finished product photos.

. . . with my new mandolin.

While I couldn’t afford this beauty, my husband convinced me to pick up a less expensive model at Target today. It’s made by Oneida and so far works pretty well. At $29.99, it’s practically a bargain compared to the one I initially sought. Of course the De-Buyer is obviously a better machine, the Oneida will get me buy for some time, I’m sure.

Check it out here.

And expect a good deal of mandolin inspired recipes to make their entrance soon here. Julienne cuts anyone?

This loaf of homemade French bread didn’t come out exactly as I expected. I was thinking more along the lines of a baguette. But the taste won me over in an instant. It has a yummy salty crust and a delicious doughy interior. And I think it could easily be adapted into that baguette I dreamed of.

The recipe for this came directly from my bread machine owner’s manual. I have the Breadman Pro in stainless and it’s awesome. I’ve been using it for a year, but am only just beginning to experiment with different functions like the dough course and I have big plans for the fruit and nut course.

In any case, here is the recipe for this:

Dough ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp dry active yeast

Glaze ingredients:
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all the dough ingredients in order listed in a bread machine pan. Don’t mix together, just pour everything in.

Set the bread machine to the dough course and run.

When dough is complete into a rectangle, roll out on a lightly floured surface. This dough will be really sticky so it’s a good idea to sprinkle a little flour over the top of the dough as well. Once rolled out, roll up into a cylinder using the longest edge. Press the ends together to seal and taper the ends.

Lay the loaf on a greased baking sheet and cover with a towel. Place the loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size (I let it sit for about an hour).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl, brush across the top of the loaf (you don’t have to use the whole bowl, but be sure to cover the loaf evenly). Cut three diagonal slits across the top (I found a serrated knife worked the best for it.

Place the loaf in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

My friend , Angelmary over at Chocolate Shakti, turned me onto tilapia a few months back. See, her mom makes this amazing breaded tilapia that she said I just HAD to try. Her mom made it for me when she was visiting Angel and it was out of this world.

I’ve tried to duplicate her version, without luck. But I haven’t given up on it yet.

So anyway, I have fallen in love with the fish. It’s got this wonderful lightness that really makes it so tasty. Since my introductory encounter with it, I have had it three or four times, prepared in different methods. Every time has been excellent.

I picked up some a few weeks back and popped it in the freezer. So tonight I defrosted that batch to grill, something I haven’t done with it before. It turned out to be very quick and easy. It took just a few minutes on either side and was ready to go.

The marinade that I created was perfect for tonight too. It was a very subtle sweet and tangy flavoring and went great with the jasmine rice I prepared with it. If you wanted to zing it up a bit more, just double the vinegar and/or hot sauce.

Now without further ado . . .

1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup tarragon vinegar
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano, or 1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp black pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp Tabasco, or hot sauce of your choice
2 tilapia fillets

In a mixing bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, tarragon vinegar, apple juice, oregano, parsley, pepper, garlic and hot sauce and stir until well combined. Pour over tilapia fillets in a shallow dish and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (covering would be a good idea too).

On a preheated grill, cook the tilapia for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until white all the way through and flaky.

NOTE: Use a spatula to flip the fillets to avoid breaking them apart by accident. I used tongs and it didn’t work as well.

I am currently working on creating new archives for my recipes and organizing them a bit since I’ve found that I lack space for some great things I’ve created recently like the broccoli slaw. Bear with me, I am working on it. Sorry for any confusion!

If you want to read about the broccoli slaw, click here.

If you just want the recipe, click here.

I’ve spoken before here about my successes on the Sparkpeople program, losing weight. In fact, according to my weight this morning, I have now lost 32 pounds with this healthy living program. What I really love about it is how much it’s taught me about eating better.

One of the things that I’ve really learned and internalized is that low-fat, low-calorie and low-carb foods are not necessarily healthy. They may contain hidden dangers like excessive sodium (causes bloating), unhealthy ingredients (high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, etc), or could be devoid of nutrients (iron, potassium, calcium, etc). As a result, and to cut down on the amount of time grocery shopping takes, I have gone the whole foods route – buying fresh fruit and veggies, meats and fish, etc – and making my own snacks at home like fresh popcorn (not from a bag, but in a popcorn popper), homemade cookies, and fun Phyllo snacks (mmm, chocolate wrapped in Phyllo with a sprinkling of cocoa…mmmm).

Apparently, my transition to home cooking over canned, frozen, boxed and bagged foods is a good one. In the Washington Post today was an AP article by Candice Choi that talked about this issue exactly. ‘Healthy’ Foods a Pitfall for Dieters talks about how dieters confuse labels such as “organic” and “natural” for truly good for you eats. And worse yet, people take for granted that good things yogurt and granola are all healthy – some contain amazing amounts of fat, calories or carbs.

So if there is a lesson to be learned from any of this: don’t take for granted that you are buying a healthy product just because the enthusiastic packaging makes it seem that way. Read the labels and understand what they mean. That’s the only way to really know if you are really getting the best thing for you.

Yes, my obsession with the grill continues . . .

These lovely grape tomatoes were $1 for the pint at my local Big Y supermarket this week (sorry to all the Eat Local bloggers, farm markets here have yet to open. In fact, most aren’t opening until late June/early July.) In any case, I decided to use these bargain tomatoes to try out grilled tomatoes.

My kitchen is sadly devoid of my favorite herbs right now – dried or fresh. I have used up my entire supply of basil, oregano and am running dreadfully low on rosemary and thyme. So I was forced to do without any herbs to heighten the flavors here. But if you choose to try this, I suggest throwing a few shredded basil leaves or perhaps some chopped tarragon in the package while you grill.

As it stands, these did taste quite nice. I love garlic. Really love it. Like vampires would run away if they met me, love it.

Here’s how to create these:

Grilled Garlic Grape Tomatoes

serves 2-3

1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 clove garlic, crushed
pinch salt
1/2 tbsp olive oil

Take a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and fold up four sides to create a basket. Place the grape tomatoes in the center and top with garlic and salt.

Fold the sides of the foil together, sealing the package.

Place the foil package on the grill on a rack above the grates. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to direct heat (the grates) and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes or so.

Remove from heat, open the foil and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

These go great with beef kabobs.