Are you in the throes of back-to-school madness? I know I am! Back-to-school can be a busy time. We are all getting back in the swing of a routine, adjusting to an increase in organized activities, homework, school drop off/pick up, and oh, yeah – finding the time to feed our families a healthy meal they will actually eat. That last one can be tough, and as busy parents, it can be easy to give in to the drive thru on a busy night. But I know with just a little planning, some recipe inspiration, and a few simple ingredients, we can make some healthy and fast meals without much extra sweat.
So when I learned about an opportunity to cook with Door to Door Organics Colorado and LiveWell Colorado during their Back-to-School Cooking Class, I jumped! I knew I would learn some great recipes and tips I could share with this community and keep in my back pocket on those really full weeks.
It was an honor to learn from Chef Chris Clarke of Door to Door Organics Colorado. Chef Chris is originally from upstate New York, and is a culinary veteran. Chris Clarke has almost 30 years of experience working in restaurants, catering, with natural foods and as a culinary educator. Her passion is teaching others how to cook instinctively and eat mindfully. A dedicated chowhound, Chris is a previous winner of “Denver’s Best Home Chef” contest and appeared on the Food Network. Her collection of cookbooks boasts more than 500 titles and her motto is, “It’s all about the food.”
The class was a ton of fun and we learned great tips and tricks to save time in the kitchen, as well as some kid-approved quick eats! Read on as I highlight some of my favorites and share a coupon code from Door to Door Organics at the end! Check out a few fun photos from the event:
Look at that perfect, organic produce for the recipes, and Chef Chris showing us her skills!
There were quite a few moms at the cooking class, which lent to great questions and lots of community. We partnered up in teams of two and cooked one recipe per team. The best part? Sampling everything at the end of course! My teammate, Emily, and I made fish nuggets. These were so simple to make and under 6 ingredients. A fun idea from Chef Chris was to have the kiddos make them into fish shapes with cookie cutters. I know my oldest would love to help with that! My tip: even though these are easy to make, if you know your weeknights are crammed, then make these fish ahead and freeze! The recipe for the Fish Nuggets is here!
Some of my faves from the event were, hmmm… Well, admittedly all of them! BUT a few I will highlight are the Pad Thai (better than any restaurant!), Pesto and Goat Cheese Pizza and Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Meatball Kebabs.
This Pad Thai was phenomenal! You could even switch up the veggies and really get the kids involved by allowing them to have a say in which of their faves to add.
- 8 ounces Rice Noodles
- 1 package Tofu drained
- 1 handful Bean, Pea, or Sunflower Sprouts optional
- 5 pieces Green Onions
- 1.5 pieces Lime juiced
- 4 tbsp Peanuts chopped finely
- 2 tbsp Garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp Thai Chili Sauce to taste
- 5 tbsp Soy Sauce regular or low sodium
- 3 tbsp Agave Nectar
- 1-2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- Cook rice noodles until they're al dente- not a moment later (otherwise the noodles will turn into a block-o'-noodles in the pan). Rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Thinly slice green onions.
- Mix together lime juice, soy sauce, agave, Thai chili sauce and crushed red pepper.
- Cut tofu slices, about 1/2 inch thick. Use towls or a tofu press to get a lot of the water out.
- Heat up 2 Tbsp sesame oil in a pan over high heat. Pan fry the tofu slices, 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Remove tofu and cut into 1/2 - 3/4 inch squares.
- Heat up another tablespoon of oil in the pan, and quickly pan fry the garlic. Add the rice noodles and as much sauce as you like (I put it all in, but I like strong flavors!), cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Throw in the tofu squares and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Plate or bowl the mixture, and place green onions, sprouts and chopped peanuts on top, and serve with a lime wedge.
Another fave? The Pesto and Goat Cheese Pizza! What kids doesn’t like pizza? Kids love to help make pizza and if you are loading it up with tomatoes – mom and dad can feel good about it too! This is another recipe you that is quick to throw together. If you needed to modify for GF, you could easily with a GF Pizza Crust. This recipe is courtesy of Chef Chris and you can get the full recipe here.
Next up – Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Meatball Kebabs. These were another amazing, easy and fun dish! My oldest son LOVES anything on a kebab! Don’t most kids? What a good way to get your kids to eat that much needed protein! This kid-approved recipe is courtesy of Heather Disarro and you can find it here.
Now for some real fun! Want to save some money?
Door to Door Organics in Colorado has extended an offer for my readers to save $10 off their first order!!!
The coupon code is LIVEWELL14. All you need to do is click the link below and it will direct you to the signup page and auto-populate the code:
https://colorado.doortodoororganics.com/signup?gift_cert=LIVEWELL14
A little more about Door to Door Organics:
- Door to Door Organics makes it easy to eat Good Food, food that supports your health, our communities, and the environment. We deliver the freshest organic produce and the perfect selection of local, natural, and artisan groceries from farmers and producers you can trust. We match your personal preferences to create a custom produce box just for you. Our produce is always USDA Certified Organic and sourced locally when possible. Each week, you can make 5 changes to your produce box and shop our growing selection of groceries.
- But why stop there? We help you put it all together to make seasonally inspired meals the whole family will love with our planning and Shop By Recipe® tools.
- And you don’t have to take our word for it — each organic box is 100% guaranteed to delight. Simply put, we deliver Good Food to your home. #joydelivered
Did you know that September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month? Check out what LiveWell Colorado is doing to raise awareness by following #COChildObesity or here on their site.
What a fun event! I hope you were able to pocket a few good recipes for the those busy weeknights, as well as learn some tricks on getting your kids to cook with you in the kitchen! A family that cooks together, lives well together!
A special shout out to Cook Street School of Culinary Arts in Denver, CO for hosting the cooking class and all of the moms!
Please share comments and images of the recipes you try in the comments section below!
Much love,
