Feeding

This week's Recipe of the Week, for Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce, comes from Susan of Our Family Eats, one of our Top 25 Foodie Moms.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 1/2 cup cilantro, minced, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 12 6" corn tortillas
• cooking spray
• salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar; cook 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and water. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered.
3. Nestle chicken breasts in sauce, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, about 12-20 minutes. (This will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken and the temperature of your simmer.) Remove chicken from sauce and set aside.
4. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain sauce into a medium bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to remove all liquid. Place solids left in the strainer into a large bowl. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
5. Shred chicken with two forks. Add it to the large bowl with the solids from the strainer, along with 1/4 cup sauce from the other bowl.
6. Add 1 cup cheese and cilantro to the chicken mixture. Toss well to combine.
7. Wrap tortillas in plastic wrap and microwave for 30-45 seconds. Spread tortillas out on a clean work surface and spoon 1/3 cup chicken mixture down the center of each. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 9x11 baking dish. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Bake uncovered for 5-7 minutes to make tortillas crunchy.
8. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 400 degrees. Pour sauce evenly over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

For more great recipes, check out our Top 25 Foodie Moms.

Image Source: Photo Source

Adding real foods to your child’s diet is such an exciting time for parents. It’s fun to see children try new things and develop their own preferences as they become less dependent on milk. The first foods of cereal, fruits, and vegetables are exciting, but as your children gain experience with these you’ll be able to introduce meats as well.

Your pediatrician can recommend when to start introducing meat to your child, but most recommend starting on very well cooked or pureed meats between 7 and 12 months. Babies need molars before they can start chewing small pieces of chicken or steak, so they can graduate to pieces of meat after those teeth have arrived.

When I started this process with my own children, I'd heard from other moms that many kids don't like the flavor or texture of meat initially. So I looked for recipes that could easily be pureed or shredded for beginners, but were full of flavors for the adults and older children. Here is how I brought meat into my children’s diet, and helped other parents do it as well.

1. The timing of when to try meat really is different for every baby, so look to your pediatrician for guidance.
2. Start with braises. Slow-cooked meats break down so they can be shredded easily or even pureed. Also, most braises include stock, vegetables, or beans, so you can prepare a complete meal in one pot that the entire family can eat. I loved the day when I could start making one meal for everyone in our house.
3. If you have grilled a piece of meat or even made a burger, you can easily puree it in a food processor. Adding cooked carrots, peas, or even cooked fruits can add extra flavor for the children and help produce a texture that’s easier for them to swallow.
4. Once your child does have molars and can chew foods more easily, try cutting up chicken, steak, and other meats into very small pieces.
5. Look for organic, grass-fed, and local meat whenever possible. I find it reassuring to buy from butchers who can tell me where the meat comes from, how it’s raised, and what’s in it. Choosing meats that are free of hormones and additives is a reassuring option.

Unlike other foods, meats have a very different texture, so don’t be surprised if it takes a few tries for your child to decide if they like meat or not. And if your child doesn’t immediately take to meat, waiting a few weeks before trying again can be really helpful.

As your children begin to eat meat, here are a couple of winners to try: Slow Cooked Chicken with White Beans and My Favorite Pot Roast.

Amanda Haas is a cookbook author, teacher, cooking video host, and the founder of One Family One Meal, a website that helps families menu plan, grocery shop, and cook on a budget. She's also on Twitter and Facebook.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

From workplace to park bench to a friend's living room, one of the issues every new breastfeeding mom wrestles with is when, how--and even whether--to breastfeed in public.

With three out of four new moms in the United States now breastfeeding during their baby's first weeks, nursing in public is becoming more common. And the tide of support is slowly rising as well. 44 states have legislation that makes it legal for moms to breastfeed in public, according to The National Council of State Legislatures, and more states, including Tennessee, have proposals in place to do the same, according to the Times Free Press.

A recent, informal Circle of Moms poll in the Breastfeeding Moms community asked community members if they thought moms should be allowed to breastfeed in public or only in private. More than 650 members, or 98 percent of those polled, say that women should be allowed to nurse their babies wherever works best in the moment, public spaces included. Only two percent of Circle of Moms members polled say nursing should always be done privately.

Many Circle of Moms community members strongly support breastfeeding in public, but make attempts to be discreet:

“I am all for it,” says Isabel C. in the Circle of Moms Young Mums Due in December 2010 community. “That being said, I choose to not subject everyone to it. I have a blanket and a nursing cover-up. My son needs to eat just like everyone else on this planet and it's what my breasts were made for.”

Sarah T., a member of Circle of Moms Nature's Way UK Community agrees, saying she doesn’t understand what offends people so much about breastfeeding in public: “I just don't understand the issue as long as the mother isn't flashing her breasts about and is discreet,” she shares. “And for the record, discreet is not putting a blanket over the baby’s head, as this is just wrong in my opinion. Why don't we all sit with a blanket on our heads next time we have a meal?"

But some Circle of Moms members believe that if it makes others uncomfortable, breastfeeding moms should cover up or breastfeed in private.

“I strongly believe that if it makes others uncomfortable, especially children, then that person should have an obligation to cover up,” says Suzanne K., who was careful to be discreet when she breastfed her two children. She adds, “Seeing this part of the body naturally makes people uncomfortable no matter how you try to justify it.”

But Laura H. of the Circle of Moms Breastfeeding Community urges moms who nurse in public to keep on doing so:

“If no one nurses in public, then the public will not know there are women nursing,” says Laura. “If we don’t nurse in public then young girls will grow up only ever seeing bottles feeding babies. And, if we don’t nurse in public then the snotty people who will make bad comments about it will never get ignored, or set straight. And they could keep on discouraging other moms.”

How do you feel about breastfeeding in public?

Image Source: _Shward_ via Flickr/Creative Commons

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

Have you ever left your children with the grandparents, only to discover they managed to feed them all kinds of junk food in the little time you were gone? It seems like I’m not the only one who has had this happen (see Khadijah L.'s post, Nana & Grandpa not as health conscious as I am). The funny thing is that my mom raised my sister and me on an extremely healthy diet. We were the kids no one wanted to swap lunches with because of our plain peanut butter sandwiches on whole grain bread. When other kids brought birthday treats to school, my mom would send us with an apple or plain popcorn to eat instead. So you can imagine my surprise when she became the worst offender of stuffing my kids with junk food!

Every time a grandparent comes to visit us, we can expect a bag full of treats. My father-in-law shows up with candy, trail mix full of candy, cookies, and more candy! My mom suddenly wants to treat the kids to dessert every night. Last Easter, my dad let my older son eat so much candy he threw up!

My husband and I have come to grips with the fact that all of them consider it an expression of love. Also, grandparents know that it’s their chance to make up for the rules they had to set with us. (Can’t you see them laughing at us as they drive away, knowing our children are about to have a sugar meltdown?) So we finally figured out a few ways to deal with this routine with a little compromise and a dose of humor. Here are my best tips for striking a balance with the junk food:

• Feed your children really well before the big visit. The week before our families arrive, I really limit the treats for my kids.

• Explain your reasoning to your parents. I think our generation is more knowledgeable than ever about how the right foods can positively affect our children. Once your parents understand that you’re trying to do what’s right by your children, they may be more respectful of your requests.

• Decide what you’ll let slide and what you won’t. I’m OK with my kids going to the ice cream shop with grandma after lunch, but I’m not OK with candy for breakfast followed by a hot chocolate chaser. (This actually did happen!) So we’ve politely tried to give them the heads-up on what’s OK and what’s not.

• Be prepared to meet in the middle. I’ve had to let some of it go, but all of our parents have been more respectful since we’ve spoken with them-even if they are snickering behind our backs. So now when the grandparents come to watch the kids, I do my best to fill the fridge with healthy meals and snacks, then I try my best to roll with the treats. And I always remember to toast the grandparents as my husband and I are out on a date night or weekend away, thanks to them!

For a fun recipe to try before the grandparents arrive (and one of the few salads my kids really love), try this Chopped Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing.

Amanda Haas is a cookbook author, teacher, cooking video host, and the founder of One Family One Meal, a website that helps families menu plan, grocery shop, and cook on a budget. She's also on Twitter and Facebook.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

“What am I going to make for dinner tonight?”

It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up, and has been for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been the spontaneous cook who loves to think up something fun for dinner, then I’ll run to the grocery for ingredients. But since having my children, this process quickly lost its luster. It’s hard enough taking your kids to the store once a week with a game plan, but running back for a few extra ingredients every day just got old-not to mention really expensive! What used to be my idea of fun is now my idea of stress.

So after a few years of this ridiculous routine, I decided to listen to some of my sage mom friends and give meal planning a try.

I always thought meal planning would take the creativity out of my cooking, but in reality it has done the opposite. By creating a game plan and sticking to it, it’s like someone came and removed a big piece of stress out of my life. (I never knew how good it could feel to have a refrigerator full of groceries!) And because I take a few minutes each week to come up with some variety, we’ve never eaten better. The best part is that if I’m not around, my husband or a babysitter can run with what I’ve got figured out for dinner. So what am I doing? Here’s my strategy:

1. I write down 5-7 dinner ideas for the week. I like to create a variety between types of foods and price points so I can stick to my budget. I also ask each of my kids to choose a few recipes from my website www.onefamilyonemeal.com so I know they’ll love what we’re having for dinner.
2. I make my shopping list. I write down my dinner ingredients, then I figure out my lunches and breakfasts for the week. If I notice I’ll have leftover ingredients from dinners, I’ll incorporate them into my lunches by making quesadillas, pasta with a simple sauce, or chopped salads. For days where I don’t have lunch ideas, I fill in with my kids’ favorites, like turkey sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly, etc. Then I add any breakfast ingredients and snacks I’ll need.
3. I shop once a week for the bulk of my food. Sometimes I fill in with a lighter load towards the end of the week if I need items that are really perishable like berries or fish. (Tip: If you really want to shop just once a week, you can plan to serve the most perishable foods at the beginning of the week, then save the recipes with dry ingredients and less perishable fruits and veggies for the end of the week. With a little crazy strategizing, you can get your grocery trips down to once a week!)

After a month of this routine, I couldn’t believe how much time and money I was saving. As other moms promised, I have shaved over a hundred dollars a month off of my grocery bill, and I’m no longer throwing away unused food. And now I have extra time to actually hang out with my kids after school instead of running them back to the store for just one more thing. I still wake up dreaming about what’s for dinner, but love knowing that all the choices I need are already in my fridge!

Amanda Haas is a cookbook author, teacher, cooking video host, and the founder of One Family One Meal, a website that helps families menu plan, grocery shop, and cook on a budget. She's also on Twitter and Facebook.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

Oprah Winfrey fell in love with this turkey burger at Donald Trump’s resort in Florida. After just one bite, I knew why! I couldn’t believe how juicy and flavorful a drab turkey burger could be! My kids go crazy for them, and we love the complexity of flavors.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 celery ribs, finely diced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely diced
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey meat
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp hot-pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
• 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 tbsp Major Grey’s Chutney
• hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls

Preparation

Over medium heat, saute the onion, celery, and apple in the canola oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add the spices, Tabasco, lemon juice and zest, and chutney, along with the sauteed onions and apple to the turkey and stir gently to combine. Shape the meat into 6-8 oz. burgers that are about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (They need to be really cold to hold their shape.)

Prepare a grill (or indoor grill pan) for cooking over medium-high heat. Lightly oil it just before cooking. Grill the burgers for 5-7 minutes per side or until the meat is thoroughly cooked. Let them sit for 5 minutes before serving. (I like to grill the buns for a few minutes after the burgers are done.)

The burgers are phenomenal with just a little bit of the chutney on top, or you can use the usual trimmings.

Amanda Haas is a cookbook author, teacher, cooking video host, and the founder of One Family One Meal, a website that helps families menu plan, grocery shop, and cook on a budget. She's also on Twitter and Facebook.

Image Source: Courtesy Amanda Haas

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

Finding a way to incorporate healthy ingredients into our children’s diets, especially when they're not fond of vegetables, is an issue that crops up frequently on Circle of Moms. With almost 8 years of parenting behind me and access to great cookbooks through my work, I’ve been introduced to practically every approach. But after all this time, I’m still happy with my philosophy. I prepare recipes that my husband and I like, then make a few small changes to ensure the food is more age appropriate for my kids.

And why do I do it this way? I want my children to learn how to eat at our level and not the other way around. Call me altruistic, but I truly believe we can teach our children to eat the same nutritious foods we adults like to eat. Also, when I cook the same meal for everyone in our family, it creates less work for the cook, less cleanup, and it shows my children that mealtime is about coming together. And most importantly—get ready for it!—I’ve found that my kids actually will eat healthy foods when given the chance.

If this sounds impossible to you, don’t fret. Whether your children have settled on eating the same three things for dinner every night or if they hardly ever try new foods, I have a few tips for encouraging your children to try healthier ingredients.

• Find 5-10 healthy ingredients your kids love, then look for new ways to prepare them. As babies, my kids loved green veggies, sweet potatoes, and fish and meat, so as they’ve become older, I still turn to those ingredients. I’ve gone from pureed sweet potatoes to Baked Sweet Potato Fries. Green beans are now sauteed with shallots and lemon juice. Plain fish is now Fish in Parchment Paper.
• Get them involved in the healthy choices. If you have the chance, take your child to the produce section or the farmer’s market and tell them they can choose any fruit or vegetable they’d like to eat. You’ll be amazed how allowing them to have some control over the choices promotes buy-in like nothing else. And maybe you’ll try a new food in the process!
• Take requests. When I find a healthy recipe that my kids like, I’ll make it over and over for them. In our house, this means lots of turkey meatball minestrone, pinto bean and sweet potato chili, and Oven Roasted Broccoli. It even means lots of pizza and pasta, but I make versions with healthy ingredients, like pasta with chicken apple sausage and broccoli or Pizza with caramelized onions and mushrooms.
• Remove an ingredient or two. I certainly don’t expect (or want!) my young kids to eat spicy dishes like Kung Pao Chicken or salsa with jalapeno. If I want to make something spicy for the adults, I simply leave the heavy spice out of my children’s meal. They’ll get the experience of the actual recipe, and you won’t feel like you’re a short order cook.
• Only offer healthy choices at dinner. This is some of the best advice I’ve ever been given. If your child isn’t offered less healthy choices at the table, they’ll eventually choose better options. If this is a totally new way of thinking for you, remember that it takes time! Start by offering 3 different foods at dinner (say chicken or fish, a veggie, and a starch like roasted potatoes or baked sweet potatoes). Now here’s the hard part… try to stay calm if they don’t like all of it. When they like something new, I really compliment them for trying it, but I also try to not make a big deal out of it when they don’t like something. I usually ask my kids to try one bite of everything, but then I just don’t sweat it if they eat all of one thing and nothing of the other two choices. Eventually, kids tend to balance out their diets and get what they need.
• Make it pretty. I’m not the cool mom who cuts my children’s food into great shapes, but I do take 30 seconds to arrange things on their plates.We all eat with our eyes, so taking that extra minute to make food look appealing makes everyone want to eat more of it!

Every child is different and reacts differently to new foods. Some might be on board right away, and others might take weeks to try new things. But each time you have a success, make a note of it so you can try it again. As your children begin to broaden their palettes, you’ll be able to expand the list of recipes you’re using.

For two of my favorite recipes with really healthy ingredients, try Oven-Roasted Broccoli and Insane Turkey Burgers.

Amanda Haas is a cookbook author, teacher, cooking video host, and the founder of One Family One Meal, a website that helps families menu plan, grocery shop, and cook on a budget. She's also on Twitter and Facebook.

Image Source: Courtesy of SweetonVeg on Flickr

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

How far would you go to feed your baby formula? Formula feeding, though pricey, is as easy as popping open a can or scooping out some powder, but some breastfeeding advocates want to make it more difficult by requiring moms to get a prescription for the liquid gold.

An Australian doctor of midwifery, who now has the support of the Australian Breastfeeding Association, is asking stores to remove formula from their shelves and place it behind the pharmacy counter so parents have to speak to their pediatricians before purchasing it for their tots. According to Dr. Jennifer James:

It's about looking at ways of ensuring that women get the support and the education they need when they need it. Having to get some sort of prescription ... then the woman is sitting with a health professional who can go through her breastfeeding problems and set up a plan of action to help her achieve her goal of successfully breastfeeding her baby.

What's your opinion?

It's a joyous day when your lil one gets the go ahead to start eating solid foods. Starting with rice cereals and moving on to purees and eventually finger foods, we're here to help you get your tot started on a solid food regimen. Check out some of our solid food coverage and start creating meal plans that will inspire your new eater.

Top 100 Baby Purees	A Solid Start: 5 Foods to Avoid	Solid Food Feeding Quiz
10 Tips For Introducing Finger Foods	10 Foods to Kick Solids Into High Gear	Five Foods to Chop So Tots Don't Choke

OK, so we don't see friends feeding carrots to giraffes everyday like these gals at an amusement park in South Korea, but most of us have witnessed a friend who really loves their pet offer up a face-to-face treat. Have you ever fed Fido or Felix with your mouth?