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Kids Cooking Birthday Parties

As many of you know, Food Jules teaches at some local schools as part of their After School Enrichment Program. Food Jules also offers Kids Cooking Birthday Parties for those that are celebrating birthdays. This has been a growing area for us as many kids are looking for fun, new ways to celebrate their birthday. It’s a great opportunity for them to enjoy designing their own party from picking the theme, menu and being the top chef!

These parties are a lot of fun and a great way to introduce more children to the benefits of preparing and eating real food, especially for those kids that don’t go to our local schools and aren’t involved in our after school curriculum.

The themes and menu options are endless from Lasagna Rolls, stuffed with fresh ricotta, mozzarella and spinach from our Tutto Italiano party, to these Maple Oatmeal Scones from our English Tea party and Quiches, Waffles and Pancakes from our Breakfast All Day party. Plus, Food Jules always uses all-natural, whole grain, natural ingredients.

We have designed many fun themes for these parties and you’ll find all this information here on our website, in our Cooking Classes section. If your child or the child of someone you know, is interested in hosting a Food Jules Cooking Birthday Party, we’d love to hear from you.

October 11, 2013October 11, 2013

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White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup

Nothing beats a hearty, warm cup of soup during the cooler months and even though this past week, we’ve gotten quite a heat wave for October, I thought I’d share this hearty, comforting soup recipe with you’all. We made this White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup the other day and it was jam packed with so much flavor and nutrition, it hit all the right spots.

I prefer using turkey sausage, as it’s lighter in fat but not lighter in flavor. There are a lot of turkey and chicken sausage varieties out there, so pick the one you like the best. If you’re making this vegetarian, you can skip the sausage all together or substitute for a vegan type of tofu sausage.

Kale has become of my favorite greens. We use it in smoothies, soups, salads and stews. If you get the Lacinato (aka Dino Kale) Kale, the leaves are much more tender then the curly kale. You can still find a lot of fresh vegetables, including kale, at your local farmers market.

This soup will warm your body, heart and soul during the cold months of winter ahead.

October 5, 2013October 5, 2013

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Welcome Fall 2013

Today is the first day of Fall. I just can’t believe it but I already see leaves falling and changing colors, mums out on front porches, apple festivities around town and Halloween decorations in stores and homes!

Autumn is just beautiful here in New England. I love to see all the trees along the Merritt Parkway in full blown and the leaves in all different colors, it’s just gorgeous. The autumn harvest is plentiful here too with apple and pumpkin picking and butternut squash, yum! Plus, Julian was born in the Fall, which makes this season extra special! (Love you Julian)

However, I have to admit, Fall is a bit sad for me too…. because it means THE END OF SUMMER and a step closer to the dreaded Winter, ha! I know, I should enjoy all the four seasons here in Connecticut, but as you all know, Spring and Summer are my two favorite seasons. I love the warm air, the sign of re-birth and the sun on my face. Plus, school is out and we get to do more fun activities outside, go to the beach, hit the farmers markets and go on vacation!!! Ok, ok, enough about summer and back to the Fall.

So, in honor of this beautiful first day of Fall, let’s get in the kitchen and start cooking some warm, Autumn treats!

This morning, we started with the very popular whole grain, fluffy, sweet, Buttermilk Apple Cinnamon Pancakes (gluten free) served with REAL sweet maple syrup from Connecticut. The kids in my cooking classes absolutely LOVE these pancakes!

For lunch, we cooked up this hearty, mouthwatering, Turkey Shepherd’s Pie, made with ground turkey, carrots and peas and topped with fluffy mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese! I also made a small vegetarian version, made with mushrooms instead of ground turkey for my handsome, vegetarian hubby.

Finally, for an afternoon sweet treat, we baked up some Sweet Potato Muffins, (gluten free) made with whole grain oat and almond flour, ground cinnamon, delicious sweet potatoes and glazed with pure maple syrup.

Welcome Fall!

September 22, 2013

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Chocolate Coconut Chia Muffins

As you all know, I love muffins. They are a perfect sweet treat for any time of the day and if made with wholesome, organic ingredients, you don’t have to feel guilty about eating them. I have always enjoyed baking muffins at home, they are so versatile and so simple to make, plus you can pack them with so much nutrition and nothing beats a freshly baked muffin right out of the oven!

Chia seeds have become a new staple in our household. They are packed with protein, fiber and Omega 3s. They keep you feeling full longer and give you tons of energy and because of their unique structure and water retention, you can turn them into a gel and use the gel to replace up to half the fat in any recipe.

I have posted a recipe for Chocolate Banana Chia Muffins made with chia seeds in the past, which we still make and love. However, when you’re not in the mood for bananas, I now make these Chocolate Coconut Chia Muffins. They are so moist and sweet, that you feel like you are eating chocolate cake without all that fat and sugar! As a matter of fact, if you made these for your family, they wouldn’t even notice the difference between a traditional white flour chocolate muffin and these whole grain, chocolate chia muffins.

This muffin recipe is gluten free, made with oat or almond flour but can easily be substituted with whole wheat flour. However, it’s always a good idea to keep all your food intake in balance, just like everything else in life. So, I challenge you to give the oat or almond flour a try. Trust me when I tell you, that you won’t even taste the difference and it is so much healthier.

So, get out your mixing bowls and bake some of these muffins today!

September 13, 2013September 13, 2013

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In memory of Tio Antonio

On Friday, August 23rd, my Uncle in Portugal (aka. Tio Antonio) died. The world lost a compassionate, kind and loving man.

Tio was just diagnosed with cancer about a month ago and sent immediately to the hospital for surgery, but unfortunately, the cancer had already taken over his entire body. It was such devastating news. My entire family was overwhelmed with such sadness. Luckily, my parents were in Portugal when he was in the hospital and got to visit with him every day during his last weeks here on earth.

Tio Antonio and Tia Ermelinda (pictured above) are amazing people and anyone who gets to be loved by them, is so very lucky. I have known them all of my life, even though I live here in the US, my parents and I visited every couple years thorough out my entire childhood. We were also fortunate enough to welcome them both here in 2003, just a few short weeks after Lilliana was born. That was their first visit to the United States and their first and only airplane ride. We were so blessed and so happy to have them here.

A couple years ago, a few months after Julian died, we decided to go to Portugal. I wanted to visit with them and with the rest of my family that still resides in Portugal. It was such an amazing and special trip and I am so glad that we were lucky enough to do that. It was the first time that they met Lucas, although they got plenty of photos, letters and phone calls.

Lilliana and Lucas absolutely loved being there and my aunt and uncle were so very happy to have us there. I remember one evening at their home, I was reading a bed time story to both of them and my uncle stopped at the bedroom door, and was just watching us and smiling. I will never forget that cherished moment. I am a very lucky woman to have such a beautiful, sweet, compassionate family.

So, as you can imagine, this sorrow has just compounded my already existing grief over losing my sweet Julian in 2011, my loving Godfather in 2012 and now my uncle in 2013. Both my Godfather and Uncle were not just part of my family, but they were like father figures to me and they accepted and loved me since I was born and it is extremely sad that they are not here on earth anymore.

Hopefully, if there is really a heaven, my Julian is there with both of these amazing men and for that, I am thankful. It makes me feel good that they are there to take care of him and that all three of them, along with my Grandparents and my other family members (my aunt, other two uncles and my two cousins) are all forming their little family there and that one day, we will all be together again. It’s a little sad that we have so much family on the other side, but I guess that is part of life. It’s just hard to handle at such a fragile time, one year after another.

This post is in memory of Tio Antonio, as we are sending him and my family all of our love and tears, as we remember all of our days with him.

August 26, 2013

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Back to school blues

Well, the time is almost here, the end of summer fun with my children. In another week, they will return to school.

It’s a big year for my little ones. Lilliana will be starting 5th grade, her last year at elementary school (loads of tears here) and Lucas will be in school full time, starting 1st grade!!! For the first time in 10 years, I will be alone. Not only is it sad because I will miss them so much but it also reminds me that Julian was supposed to be here with me, smiling at me and keeping me from tearing down as my kids get on that bus. Now, no one will be here to do that and it will be an extremely rough patch for me. I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be super depressing.

I know, I should be excited for them, their life is growing and they will be going on new adventures in their lives. Of course, I will be happy for them, but I know that deep down in my soul and heart, it’s not going to be all a sea of roses. It’s going to be hard. It already is really hard.

It’s been quite a summer, filled with good times and bad times. I wish I could say it’s been an amazing summer but it hasn’t, our family has experienced more sorrow this summer, but I guess I should try to focus on the good days. The days we were able to enjoy the sun at the beach or pool, go to a matinee movie, visit with friends, go on a little vacation, helping Lucas catch his first fish etc. This is all part of life, there is happiness and sadness. Sometimes, I just wish there were more of the happy days and much, much less of the sad days, but unfortunately, that isn’t how it works in this life.

When I was younger, I remember some of my biggest problems were passing my exams or trivial issues with friends, but now as an adult, the problems in life are so much bigger.

Well, I guess I must button it up soon and try to enjoy these last few days of summer at home with my kids, because I love them so much and love the time I have with them so much. They are the best thing that has ever happened to me (aside from marrying my hubby). Hope you all enjoy these last few sunny days that are coming our way.

August 22, 2013

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