Kale Parmesan Quinoa Patties

With all the buzz about Gluten allergies, Quinoa has had quite a spotlight lately-and for good reason too!  Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain, and it is gluten free.  Quinoa is cholesterol free, high in protein, and is a great source of iron, fiber, and magnesium.  When you add in dark leafy kale, onion, and a little Parmesan cheese, these patties become a super nutritious and tasty item you can be proud to serve your family!

Ingredients

2 Cups low sodium chicken stock

1 cup Quinoa

2 large handfuls of Kale 

½ yellow or white onion, diced

4 eggs

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (or substitute gluten free breadcrumbs to make completely GF)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups chicken stock to a boil.  Stir in 1 cup Quinoa- (I use Ancient Harvest since its already pre-washed and ready to go)
Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and let cook until quinoa is light and fluffy. (You will see the “kernel” edge of the quinoa turn opaque) Let cool

Roughly chop kale and dice half an onion and sauté until softened. Let cool.

In large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, cooled Kale/ onion mixture and all other ingredients. Mix together until well combined

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on medium high heat.
Form palm size patties and place in skillet

Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until patties are browned

Will make 12-14 delicious patties to serve all week!

*Source http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnutrition/qt/Quinoa-Nutrition-Facts.htm

Sorting and Learning Colors Activity

Sharpen those sorting skills and help your toddler learn their colors with a few inexpensive items!  On a recent trip to the craft store, I grabbed a bag of Pompoms and a couple of colorful foam containers that were on sale 3 for $1.  I put them in front of my little guy and asked him to put the pompoms in the matching color container.  Watching the wheels in his head turn was awesome!  This kept him busy for a good 30 minutes, and he was so proud to when he got the right colors in the correct container!

Trash To Teachables- The Vino Edition

I had you at "Vino" didn't I?!  HAHA!  All kidding aside, its really easy to find ways to entertain your child using some stuff you just have laying around the house.  For us, we have a collection of wine corks.  So one rainy day, I was trying to find a way of keeping my rambunctious munchkin occupied, and he had no interest in any of his toys (go figure).  Anyways, I found an empty apple juice container and my wine cork and created a great fine motor skills activity that kept him busy for a long time!! 

Items Needed

An empty Plastic Jug- such as an apple juice or milk container
Anything to insert into container ex: Wine corks, straws, cotton balls, etc.  NOTE:  Please be very cautious and careful of any chocking hazards!