Hooray Dad

Tag: Dairy

  • Broccoli Cheddar Smash Bites

    A girl needs more broccoli. Certainly our toddler does.

    Tried this broccoli cheddar smash that I saw online and was surprised how easy it was to make. Mom and dad were fans, but it looks like the little lady might need a few more chances to acquire the taste.

    She liked the cheese at least. Might add some garlic next time to spice things up. Definitely see this becoming a staple in the house to keep our vegetables up.

    Ingredients

    • bag of frozen broccoli
    • cheddar cheese block
    • mozzarella cheese block
    • paprika
    • garlic powder
    • cumin

    Steps

    1. Rinse the frozen broccoli. Soaking in vinegar for a few minutes optional.
    2. Bring a medium pot to boil.
    3. Boil the broccoli florets for 3-5 minutes—we don’t want to overdo it here.
    4. Blanch in a bath of ice/cold water.
    5. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper.
    6. Grate a layer of cheese onto the pan.
    7. Spread the now-cold broccoli in a single layer all over the cheese with enough space to flatten down the florets.
    8. Smash the broccoli as flat as you can using a jar or heavy glass.
    9. Give the florets another sprinkling of cheese.
    10. Dust the bunch with whatever spices you like.
    11. Bake at 420ºf / 215ºc for 25-30 minutes.
    12. Remove from the oven and break the florets apart as they cool.
    13. Enjoy!

  • Hella Easy Overnight Oats

    As Dad, my job in the mornings is to prepare brekkie for the little one as well as their lunchbox for school. This leaves me little time to get my own breakfast going, which is why I like to keep our fridge stocked with overnight oats.

    I can bang out a week’s worth of oat meals at the start of the week and dip into them whenever I’m feeling peckish.

    The chia seeds are such a cheat code for loading up on fiber and omega-3’s to start the day. When we eat them we usually add a generous scoop of peanut butter and a handful of fruit—blueberries or bananas usually.

    While this recipe already replaces cow’s milk with nut milks, you can make this extra lactose-free by dropping the yogurt from the recipe.

    For jars, we’ve recycled our Santa Cruz Organics peanut butter jars to use for our oats, but mason jars or any other container works just fine. I like the uniformity. You can tell we eat a lot of peanut butter.

    Ingredients (per jar)

    • 1/2 cup of rolled oats
    • 1 tbsp chia seeds
    • 1 tbsp or more of yogurt
    • 3/4 cup of milk or milk alternative.
    • Water to top off

    Steps to make overnight oats

    1. Add the oats, chia seeds, and yogurt to a jar
    2. Add the milk and/or water until the dry goods are covered
    3. Cap the jar and shake well
    4. Store in the fridge overnight. You can eat them after 20-30 minutes if you’re craving it now.

    Optional mix-ins

    I like to add these right before eating so they don’t get soggy/stale/overripe.

    • 1-2 tsbp of granola
    • 1 tbsp of peanut butter or other nut butter
    • 1/2 banana, sliced
    • Handful of blueberries