Have Fun With Your Food! Get Your Family’s Meals Back on Track With Weelicious

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One Family. One Meal.

I like to consider myself a cookbook enthusiast. For me, my cookbooks don’t just decorate my shelves; I read them cover to cover. I dog-ear pages and take notes in all of the margins as I test out the recipes. A few of my cookbooks I have even cooked all the way through, start to finish. The first time I ever attempted a challenge like that was with Catherine McCord’s Weelicious cookbook. I had picked it up, in part, because it was so bright and beautiful, but primarily because it promised to deliver on a pretty tall order: one family, one meal. At the time, my youngest son was just starting to eat solid foods, and I was excited to see what Weelicious had to offer in terms of meals that I could simultaneously feed my six-month-old, my four-year-old, and my meat-and-potatoes husband. Spoiler: it did not disappoint! Weelicious perfectly hits that sweet spot where fun, kid-pleasing food, and healthy, delicious food meet.

School Lunch Solutions

When my oldest son started kindergarten, I snagged the Weelicious Lunches book, eager for lunchbox inspiration. We’re still using it regularly, years later. My boys like to pull it from the shelf, peruse their favorite sections, and mark their requests for the week. Not only does this get them excited to try new, healthy foods, and to revisit old favorites, it also gives them a sense of pride in being able to make their own food choices. It doesn’t hurt that this system means one less thing for my decision-fatigued “mom brain” to have to worry about for the week. I know that if a recipe is coming from Weelicious, it’s going to be both healthy and tasty.

Weelicious Wisdom

Over the years, I have learned so many family food lessons from Weelicious. For example, I learned early on that popsicles for breakfast can be healthy, convenient, and make you the “best mom on the planet!” I discovered that pancakes and waffles can be loaded with protein and whole grains and can be awesome alternatives to bread for sandwiches. I can now make perfect hummus to pair with everything from raw veggies to pita bites. And most recently, after making every single smoothie in The Smoothie Project this year (What can I say? Some turned to quarantine sourdough; I turned to smoothies!), I have learned that frozen cauliflower can be hidden in many smoothies for added creaminess and to pack a nutritional punch without your kids ever suspecting that it’s in there. Who knew?!

Chatting With Catherine McCord

Thanks to the magic of the internet, I was lucky enough to score an interview with this creative mom chef, who really does believe that “all kids can be great eaters, and mealtime must be easy.” Hopefully, she can inspire you and your family to get back into the swing of things this fall with her healthy and fun approaches to breakfast smoothies, school lunches, family dinners, and everything in-between. Here is what she had to share with us at the Pensacola Mom Collective:

What inspired you to start Weelicious.com and to write your cookbooks?

After attending culinary school, I worked in several restaurants and then had my son. I realized I could cook a three-star dinner, but had no idea how to cook for a kid and make him a great eater from day one. I started documenting everything he ate, where I bought our foods, tips, tricks, and Weelicious was born. My three children have been my inspiration in the kitchen. My kids have taught me so much about food and even myself. For instance, I never liked olives (or so I thought). From the age of two, my middle daughter, Chloe, ate them non-stop. She would beg me to eat them, and I realized by saying “no” I wasn’t modeling what I was preaching. I grew to enjoy olives, and now they’re one of my favorite foods. Kids can be inspirations in so many ways.

How did the “one family, one meal” concept come about?

When I was a kid my mom made one meal, and we ate together every night at 5pm. Before I had kids I saw so many of my friends making a different meal for their spouse and each child and complaining about feeling like a short-order cook. I never wanted to fall into that trap. All of the recipes on Weelicious and in the cookbooks are meant for kids and adults to love equally.

Do you make a full breakfast for your family most mornings, or do you have food prepared ahead of time to grab-and-go?

Every morning we have smoothies for breakfast. I try to make a different flavor each morning or a variation on a few from the Smoothie Project cookbook. My philosophy has always been that if you eat fruit, vegetables, and protein for breakfast to help you feel energized then you have less guilt during the day when you want to be a bit more indulgent or stay on the same program of eating your very best. If it’s going to be a busy morning I make smoothies ahead of time and cover them to enjoy the next morning or at least have everything in the blender ready to go!

When you pack lunches for your family, does everyone get the same meal?

When I make and pack lunches my three kids get a slight variation on the same meal. My five year-old is dairy free, my son is a vegetarian, and my other daughter eats everything, so I have to make a few tweaks here and there. I always pack lunches at night so I don’t have to stress in the morning and have more time to hang as a family.

What are your tips for meal planning?

I’ve never been a huge meal planner, but everything changed with the stay at home order. With only one trip to the grocery and one to the farmers market, meal planning is saving me time and money. I use One Potato for three dinners a week, and the other days I let my kids pick one meal they want to eat. This way everyone has a say in what we eat and enjoy together.

What do you do if you find yourself in a cooking rut?

If you’re in a rut grab some cookbooks to leaf through, go on a food blog you’ve heard about and never tried, or go to your local farmers market to grab a new fruit or vegetable to try and make something new with it.

What are your kids’ favorite meals?

They love Chicken PaillardCrispy Smashed PotatoesBrown Rice Cakes and Taco Salad Pizza are recent favorites.

Do you ever put something on the table that your kids turn their noses up at?

My kids rarely, if ever, turn their nose at a new recipe. It’s much more about curiosity. My husband and I generally dive right into the dish and don’t make a big deal about it showing our interest and love the dish. Within seconds our kids generally dive right in.

What are some of your family’s go-to meals and snacks when you need to get something on the table quickly?

Egg Pesto MeltCaprese Quesadilla, and Avocado Toast.

Which ingredients are staples in your kitchen?

Eggs, milk, whipped cream cheese, frozen fruits, and an array of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

You can find all things Weelicious on Catherine’s website: weelicious.com. If you’re a fellow book lover like me, you can find her books, Weelicious, Weelicious Lunches, and The Smoothie Project in the Weelicious store or wherever books are sold.

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