When asked, “What have you learned in the kitchen from Mommy?” my kids respond:
“Don’t forget to have protein at breakfast.” (12 y.o. Thomas)
“To ask ‘How can I help?’ before being excused.” (9 y.o. Austin)
“Is it ‘ice-cream day’ today, Mommy?” (6 y.o. Elita)
Take a moment this Mother’s Day to ask your family what they’ve learned from you (or from Mom) in the kitchen. Moms are the givers of the love-lessons of life. Children often love what (and who) their Mom loves. Kids can learn to love to plan and prepare healthy meals (and even to love their veggies) if Mom does it with a smile, and takes time to prioritize family meals.
I won’t get to see my Mom this weekend, so last night we served her a Thursday-night “Mother’s Day Brunch” including the recipe below, along with a refreshing salad (see your Best Body Cookbook & Menu Plan, page 100, for the 4-Ingredient Kale Salad). They went perfectly together and everyone certainly met their fruit and veggie quota! Enjoy your healthy feast, and cheers to all the Moms teaching meaningful love-lessons — and not just about food!
French Toast Lemon-Berry Bake:
Easy enough for kids to prepare the night before Mother’s Day. Just pop in the oven on Sunday morning while whipping up the lemon-berry sauce.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly coat a 9 x 13 dish with cooking spray. Layer 6-10 pieces of bread along the bottom of the pan, covering it with one row of bread (I used 8 small loaf pieces).
In a medium bowl, combine the following and beat until mixed well:
1 1/2 cups plain soy milk
6 large eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pour 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries over the bread and pour the egg-and-milk mixture over it. Gently press it all down with a fork to ensure each piece of bread is moistened.
Cover baking dish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. While baking, make the following lemon-berry sauce:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons of butter or coconut oil and frozen berries, and stir for 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, the juice of one lemon, and 1 1/4 teaspoons of lemon zest. Stir to combine while heating for about 5 minutes.
Allow both the sauce and baked dish to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting the french toast into 6 slices. Lastly, serve about 1/3-1/2 cups of sauce over each slice of french toast. Enjoy! Serves 6.
Nutrient breakdown: Calories 340, Fat 9g (2g saturated), Cholesterol 185mg, Sodium 210mg, Carbohydrate 56g (Fiber 5g, Added Sugar 4g), Protein 10g
Recipe by Sohailla Digsby, RDN, LD; inspired by Stone Soup blogger, Ea Stewart, MBA, RDN.
Recipe Analysis by Kim Beavers, MS, RDN, LD, CDE.
