Cheesy Cauliflower Sticks

I have to say, I had my doubts about these.  Cauliflower pizza crust is a thing, I know, and as much as I love to health-ify the foods we eat at home, pizza is off limits.  There's no replacing that chewy, doughy crust.

Cheesy bread sticks, however, are fair game.  So I set out to recreate the popular cheesy snack, with cauliflower.  And it was a sneaky veggie snack success.  The crust couldn't pass itself as a pizza crust, it's not 'bready' enough.  Instead it's dense, tasty, and cheesy.  It held together fairly well, it wasn't overly soggy, and most importantly - it didn't taste like cauliflower.

I will definitely be making these again.

Cheesy Cauliflower Sticks

Ingredients

2 cups riced cauliflower, approx. 1/2 of a large head of cauliflower
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups mozzarella or marble cheese, or a combination of the two
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Cover baking pan with parchment paper.  Process cauliflower florets (not the stalks) in food processor by pulsing until it looks like rice.  Cook cauliflower in a microwave safe container for 2 minutes on high, it should still be fairly dry.  If you find there is too much moisture in the cauliflower, sit in a wire mesh strainer while allowing it to cool.

Combine cooled cauliflower in a large bowl with one cup of the cheese and all of the remaining ingredients except parmesan cheese.  Spread mixture onto prepared pan, shaping into rectangle.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.  Once baked, sprinkle with remaining cheese and parmesan cheese, and return to oven for 5 more minutes.  Slice and eat.

Best served warm!

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Greek Yogurt Jello Bites

I could have titled this That Time We Became Experts at Bone Healing Nutrition. 

Our boy is on the mend (go ahead, click the link...I think we need to frame that particular x-ray image).  He's bored beyond description, but he's healing. 

 I've been on a crash course in bone healing these past few weeks.  Our bodies have an amazing ability to mend and heal. That his bones can rebuild themselves is an incredible thing.

I read that our bodies use up to 6,000 calories a day to mend a broken bone.  All of that new cell growth requires an enormous amount of energy.  

Six thousand calories.  And a twelve year old boy who could easily be the poster child for picky eaters.  He needs nutrients - minerals, vitamins, and plenty of protein.  Not only do I have to find ways to get a massive amount of calories into him, but I have to make them count.  It would be easy to ply him with fast food, those calories really add up, but the nutritional value is negligible.

So, in addition to his regular rotation of favourite meals (yes, he gets special treatment right now!), he's been getting smoothies morning and night, loaded with yogurt, fruit, spinach, hemp, flax, or chia seeds, and a protein supplement.  We also squeeze in a couple of paediatric meal replacement drinks.  And we try to make his snacks as nutrient dense as possible, while trying not to take away the fun factor that kids expect from a snack.

Enter Greek yogurt jello bites.

This boy loves Jello.  It's one of his favourite treats.  And he likes yogurt.  So when I saw these on Pinterest, I knew I had to give them a try.  They were a hit, not just with him but with a few of the other kids as well.  I need to make a new batch almost every night to keep up with demand.

Two ingredients.  Only a few minutes to make.  Calcium, protein, and gelatin.  Good bone building stuff.

Greek Yogurt Jello Bites

Adapted from Rachel Cooks

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups vanilla flavoured Greek yogurt
• 1 package (3 oz / 85 g) Jello powder, any flavour

Directions:

Mix yogurt and jello powder in a medium sized microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for one minute, stir. Continue microwaving and stirring at one minute intervals until gelatin is dissolved, 2-3 minutes total.

Spoon into 24 non-stick mini muffin pan cups. Place in the fridge and chill until firm.  I usually leave them overnight, but a couple of hours is all they need.  Mine popped out easily, as my pans are fairly new.  Lightly grease your mini muffin pan if needed, or use paper liners.

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