Spinach Balls and Other Fun Stuff

I’ve been through quite a few recipes for my kids.  They are really picky eaters.  I go back and forth beating myself up between, “you shouldn’t obsess about food so much and just give them whatever and they’ll probably be healthier on their own and accept more variety” and “you shouldn’t let them snack so much, need to be more ‘Bebe-ish’ and give them anchovies all the time” and “you need to make each meal and snack healthy and get those veggies in them or they’ll eat nothing but french fries and ice cream, be morbidly obese, get diabetes and cancer and you’ll fail completely as a mother.”  Oh and not to mention my 4 year old and 1.5 year old like completely different stuff.  As does my husband (a steak and potatoes guy) and myself (a relapsed vegetarian forced into eating organic chicken because I can’t continue to make myself delicious veggie entrees that no one else eats).

Similar issues to what every mother deals with…or at least that’s what I tell myself.  Good times for all.

Anyways, the real winners are when you find recipes that are easy to make, not overly complex in flavor but taste good, and healthy.  Enter Spinach Balls.  Found them on the website Picky Toddler Recipes.  I changed her recipe up a bit (see my version below) and they were a big hit with my toddler – got two lunches and a snack out of them!  Then I found my husband sneaking them in the middle of the night as well!

So, here they are…good luck :)

Ingredients
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 cups whole wheat Italian seasoned bread crumbs (Whole Foods has a good version)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 3 eggs, beaten

**I found the mix a bit dry, so I added some EVOO – Probably a tablespoon or two to make the balls stick better.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl combine spinach, stuffing mix, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, black pepper, Italian seasoning, melted butter and eggs. Shape into walnut-sized balls and place on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through and browned.

Lenny Kravitz at THE WALL

Last night, Lenny Kravitz and art dealer Vito Schnabel partied it up at the hottest Tuesday night party in Miami: Favela Beach at WALL Lounge. 

The Brazilian-themed, soiree had revelers partying into later hours than usual as they celebrated the Miami HEAT victory in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. While Lenny said “no” to the booze he and a few friends enjoyed the company of several woman at a private table. Vito Schnabel, who parted ways with Demi Moore last year, was spotted across the lounge dancing with friends and ordering bottles of Champagne for the ladies.

Good Fish Mercury App

During my pregnancy, I became somewhat obsessed with figuring out the mercury in fish and debating what was good/bad/other.

I wasn’t eating any meat but fish at the time, so I was especially concerned with this issue.  I found an excellent app that breaks it down for you and makes looking up fish easy when you’re at the counter.

Now that my kids like fish, I find myself using this app even more.  For $.99 it’s an excellent way to protect yourself from too much mercury and protect the fishies from becoming extinct (also tells you if they’re endangered when you look up the species).