SPONSORED POST: I’ve partnered with Milk & Eggs, an amazing farm direct grocery delivery service, to bring you guys some delicious, super seasonal, and always healthy recipes a few times a month.  I’m so excited to share some of my favorite dishes with you!

In this installment of our collaboration seasonal cooking with Milk & Eggs farm direct grocery delivery, I am really excited to talk about more wintery seasonal eating, particularly of greens.  Dark leafy greens are one of the most nutrient-rich and delicious foods that come out of winter, and this is the perfect time of year to increase our intake of these blood-purifying, immunity-boosting foods.

To get the most out of the season’s local produce, specifically greens, nothing beats the Milk & Eggs Organic Farm Sampler Bag (pictured below), which is the most budget friendly way I’ve found to get a load of delicious, local, seasonal cooking going on in my kitchen and onto my family’s plates.  At the insanely reasonable price of $29.99, you get SO MUCH ORGANIC PRODUCE, it’s kind of crazy.  This week, I received a big bunch of kale, a bag of spinach, two heads of green leaf lettuce, celery, beets, a bell pepper, 3 heads of broccoli, a few bananas, an assortment of citrus fruits and a carton of strawberries.  WHAT?!  This usually costs me $50 or more at Whole Foods or my neighborhood natural foods store.

In addition to being super budget friendly, the organic farm sampler is a great way to get all the fruits and veggies you need for the week!  This one bag has yielded countless salads, smoothies, soups, and toddler meals this week, and with the addition with a few other items in our standing order (organic greek yogurt, sprouted whole grain bread, wild-caught salmon), I’m able to feed our family of three delicious, healthy meals that come straight from our local California farms.  Boom!

My two favorite seasonal cooking recipes this week are lovely little showcases of winter’s bounty that made perfect use of my Organic Farm Sampler Bag!

This Kale, Roasted Beet and Lentil Salad with a Spicy Tahini Dressing has been my yummy lunch for a few days this week, and it doesn’t disappoint.  Super easy to make ahead and throw together in a couple of minutes, it’s a great way for me to get a nutrient and protein-rich lunch without needing to “cook” at all.  I like the spiciness of the dressing, which warms up the dish a bit (an important element when eating raw foods in the colder months).

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Wintery Kale, Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad with Spicy Tahini Dressing

This delicious salad is perfect for a lighter winter lunch or hearty dinner salad. Full of nourishing seasonal produce and yummy plant proteins, this salad won't disappoint!

Course

Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine

Gluten-free, Healthy Eating, Vegan

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

20 min

Servings

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 beets (rinsed, scrubbed, and quartered)
• 1 cup cooked lentils
• 4 cups kale (stems removed and ripped into pieces)
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces raw
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp organic maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• Sea salt & pepper to taste

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish, Salad Cuisine Gluten-free, Healthy Eating, Vegan Prep Time 5 min Cook Time 20 min Servings Ingredients Salad 2 beets (rinsed, scrubbed, and quartered) 1 cup cooked lentils 4 cups kale (stems removed and ripped into pieces) 1/2 cup walnut pieces raw 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 pinch sea salt Freshly ground pepper to taste Dressing 1/4 cup tahini 1/2 lemon juiced 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp organic maple syrup 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper Sea salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. Toss beets with olive oil and a sprinkling each of sea salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and roast in oven for 20-30 minutes, until they reach your desired level of doneness.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine kale, lentils, beets, and walnuts.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
5. Pour dressing over salad, toss to combine, and serve!

Recipe Notes

Nut allergy? Use sunflower seeds instead of walnuts.

Want more protein? This salad is super yummy topped with grilled salmon.

Have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's? Use arugula instead of kale.

 

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My farm sampler bag also had a bunch of broccoli, spinach and bananas in it, which had the makings of some delicious toddler muffins!  I am constantly searching for new ways to feed greens to my 16 month old (who can’t handle raw greens yet, and is no longer a fan of sautéed greens like she was when she was just beginning her solid food journey), and muffins and patties have become a daily mainstay in her diet. These toddler muffins are loaded with greens, and just enough sweet fruitiness to make them palatable for even the most finicky eater.  Little M loves them, and we had them for dinner along with a protein like beans or salmon all week!

Print Recipe

Broccoli Spinach Banana Toddler Muffins

These delicious muffins are a great way to get some nutrient-packed greens into your baby or toddler -- the addition of just the right amount of fruit makes them a bit sweet, to satisfy even the most picky of palates. You can customize this recipe to suit your needs -- adding other veggies like zucchini or carrots, decreasing the fruit and adding some herbs to make them more savory, etc.

Course

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine

Baby-Led Weaning, Gluten-free, Healthy Eating, Toddler Meals

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

17 min

Servings

regular sized muffins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup broccoli florets steamed
• 2 cups spinach, organic and raw
• 1 banana
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup applesauce organic and unsweetened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract organic
• 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
• 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil organic and unrefined
• 1 cup gluten-free flour (I like Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour organic
• 1 tsp baking powder (aluminum-free)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch Cuisine Baby-Led Weaning, Gluten-free, Healthy Eating, Toddler Meals Prep Time 5 min Cook Time 17 min Servings regular sized muffins Ingredients 1/2 cup broccoli florets steamed 2 cups spinach, organic and raw 1 banana 1 large egg 1/2 cup applesauce organic and unsweetened 2 tsp vanilla extract organic 1/4 cup organic maple syrup 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil organic and unrefined 1 cup gluten-free flour (I like Bob's Red Mill) 1/2 cup coconut flour organic 1 tsp baking powder (aluminum-free) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Steam your broccoli florets until they're soft.
3. Add steamed broccoli to the remaining top 7 wet ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
4. In a bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix with a spatula until combined. If necessary, add a splash of almond or coconut milk to loosen the batter up a bit. It will definitely be thick!
6. Spoon the mixture into a lined muffin tin (I like to use unbleached natural parchment muffin liners).
7. Bake for 20 minutes (or 15 minutes if you're using a mini muffin tin), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
8. Cool and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Serve with some beans or other protein on the side to make a complete, nutritious toddler/baby meal!

These muffins work great for baby-led weaning.  Some babies will do just fine tackling the muffin whole, while others may need it cut in half.

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