My intention was good. Make a batch of wholesome, homemade granola bars to last us the week. I grabbed oats, wheat germ and slivered almonds. Up next, dried fruit. Shredded coconut caught my eye. That’s dried fruit. Hmm. What else? Raisins. Nah. Cranberries. Perhaps. Dried apricots. Definitely maybe. Let’s see, what goes well with almonds and coconut?
As I ran through my options—my healthy options—chocolate chips caught my eye. Almonds. Coconut. Choc… No. Focus! Dried fruit. But… No, buts! Well, except, dried fruit is full of sugar. (Right?) Despite my efforts to stay on the fruit-n-nut express, I was derailed. I couldn’t stop thinking about the scrumptious combo of chocolate, almonds and coconut. (Hello, Almond Joys!). It had to be made.
These may not be the everyday snack that I set out to make, but they are a way healthier treat than any candy bar! And I totally nailed wholesome.

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My littlest ChowBaby is already 5 months old. I can hardly believe it! Time is flying and, relatively speaking, it’s been a smooth ride. But, all that said, my big guy is missing me. Lots. And so I’ve decided to carve out even more one-on-one time with him. We’re having tons of fun, but our new Monday afternoon excursions are putting a cramp in my dinner style. By the time we’re back home and settled in, it’s about 30 minutes to eatin’ time. And, when trying to coordinate dinner, 2 baths (ha!) and 2 bedtimes, there isn’t much flexibility.
So the new challenge: come up with even more healthy and SUPER quick recipes. This one was inspired by the Martha Stewart app, my new source for perusing recipes (on the go!). This recipe couldn’t be easier. And in the 30 minutes that it takes from start to finish, you can also make rice (cook in rice cooker or on the stove top according to package directions) or quinoa pilaf (cook on the stove top according to directions then toss with olive oil, white wine vinegar, dried cranberries, slivered almonds and green onion) and roast some asparagus (clean, trim, toss with olive oil and salt on a rimmed baking sheet; as soon as salmon is done, heat oven to 350 degrees and roast asparagus until cooked through, time will depend on how thick your asparagus is).
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This week is all about the Best Of ChowMama 2009! To help ensure that you begin 2010 with a recipe box loaded with quick and healthy recipes that your whole family will love, I’ve hand selected my favorites (recipes that I return to over and over again) and the most popular recipes as measured by traffic and comments (ones that worked out well for me and you).
Phew! 2009 was a busy year filled with lots of ChowMama goodness. I hope this week’s picks help kick off a delicious 2010 while we gear up for a new year of recipes, tips and discussions. To end the “best of” extravaganza, I’m highlighting a few posts that fall under the “parenting” header. Instead of highlighting a recipe, these posts focus on a tip that (hopefully) makes cooking for your family easier, a way of thinking that (maybe) sparks a shift towards more inspired eating, or a topic that (with any luck) gets a thoughtful debate started. These are my favorite posts to write. I hope you enjoy them, too. Let me know if you do!
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Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

This week is all about the Best Of ChowMama 2009! To help ensure that you begin 2010 with a recipe box loaded with quick and healthy recipes that your whole family will love, I’ve hand selected my favorites (recipes that I return to over and over again) and the most popular recipes as measured by traffic and comments (ones that worked out well for me and you).
You’ve been waiting for today, haven’t you? Healthy sweet treats and desserts it is. Enjoy! Tomorrow is the last day of this “best of” extravaganza and we’ll delve into parenting posts, because how we feed our families is central to how we raise our kids.
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Photo: Freakgirl

I usually make these delicious, wholesome muffins with pumpkin puree, but gave sweet potato a try when I couldn’t get my hands on pumpkin (may seem irrelevant now, but you’ll be glad for this variation come the end of the holiday season!). This version is also healthy and equally addictive. So much so that, topped with your favorite icing, they can easily fill in for cupcakes.
These are a sweet, healthy treat for all. This recipe is for mini-muffins which make a great finger food for the littlest ChowBabies, a just-right toddler sized dessert, a yummy lunchbox snack, and a perfect on-the-go breakfast for ChowMama and ChowPapa.  Make a bunch and pop em in the freezer—you’ll be happy to have a stash on hand at all times. (Plus, reheating them makes the cream cheese filling gooey and delicious all over again, as though they’ve come straight out of the oven.)
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Photo: Food Network

No matter how hard I try to be good, Halloween week ends up being a bloodbath. (Is it just me?!) I do my best to keep it healthy, lower sugar, and all homemade, but the bottom line is that it’s sweets week! (And that’s fun, damn it!) One of the ways that I keep myself—and my family—in check is by serving lighter meals heavy on the veggies in between all the Halloween fun.
This meal was inspired by my to-die-for Polenta “Creamed” Spinach. I simplified this quick polenta side to make an even healthier vegetarian main. Now, if you’ve been reading ChowMama for a while, you know how vegetarian dinners usually go over in my house. If you haven’t been reading for a while, not well is the point. But this meal was a winner! Like pasta, this Spinach Parmesan Polenta is hearty enough to fill the boys’ bellies, especially topped with garlicky Roasted Broccolini. (No daydreaming of meatballs this time!)
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