Don't spend this Winter in the doctor's waiting room! You may take your lil one for her flu shot and wash your hands incessantly, but there's still more you can do to help prevent the flu from entering your home this year. Boosting tots' immune systems from the inside out – packing them with nutrient-rich foods – may be the ticket to health. Check out the five foods your kids should be eating to help ward off illness in the midst of cough and cold season.
One of my favorite Spanish dishes is espinicas con garbanzos, a simple tapa or side that combines two humble ingredients, fresh spinach and garbanzo beans. While it may not seem like an extraordinary meal, I assure you that it's filling, flavorful, and fabulous. The key is in the seasonings: a hand-ground mixture of coriander seed, cumin, paprika, and fried garlic and bread. It's hearty and scrumptious on its own, but it also makes a superb side for roasted fish or chicken. Still want to keep things vegetarian? Top the savory mixture with a fried egg. To learn the easy and delicious method, keep reading.
If you're an avid hostess like me, a good stuffed mushroom appetizer recipe is a must. Stuffed mushrooms are a classic and crowd-pleasing hors d'oeuvre that can easily be made in advance. While some recipes incorporate pork products like sausage, mushrooms are meaty enough on their own, so I prefer to make them vegetarian-friendly. 
My stuffing is a festive red and green mixture of wilted spinach, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and lots of garlic. Parmesan cheese provides a scrumptious saltiness, while breadcrumbs add a slight but necessary crunch. Since mushrooms release a lot of liquid when cooking, it's important to partially bake them before stuffing; this will ensure that nothing gets too soggy. Ready to learn the method for stuffed mushrooms? Keep reading.
Don't call panettone fruitcake: The fruit-studded Italian dessert bread is also a hallmark of the Christmas season, but it's much fluffier and less cloying than its dense and ridiculed American counterpart. Panettone is wonderful alone or with butter, but it can also be incorporated into a weeknight meal. This creative recipe calls for the eggy, voluptuous bread in lieu of sourdough in a late-Fall panzanella. This bread salad's packed with nutrient-dense butternut squash, spinach, and apple cider.
To add a holiday touch to a healthy meal, read more.
Don't forget that kid-friendly food can still be delectable for adults. Sometimes, all a meal needs is a little touch of creativity to go from mundane to mouthwatering.
For tonight's supper, try this finger food, which is fun not only for the whole family to make but to devour as well. Forgo a predictable crust of Italian breadcrumbs or panko in favor of one made from an American pantry pastime, Cheez-Its.
Serve alongside buttered, wilted spinach, and spuds, and you've got a new household favorite! Want the recipe? Keep clicking.
FitSugar reader prepel added a simple salad recipe to our Healthy Recipe group. She substitutes rice cakes for croutons. Genius!
The recipe features cucumbers and tomatoes; learn the other ingredients when you read more
Sweaters and hot chocolate be damned. Summer may be gone but my smoothies are here to stay. The produce section of my grocery may be looking a bit different lately but my freezer's frozen fruit selection is looking pretty good. Adding to my list of delicious breakfast drinks, I've turned once more to Victoria Boutenko's Green for Life book of recipes. Easy as ever, this peachy refreshment packs a flavorful punch while providing some essential vitamins and nutrients.
It's easy to gulp down a cup full of fresh fruits blended with juice and yogurt. Also easy? Adding a few powerful ingredients to make it just as tasty (if not more) and much healthier. Add some nutritional oomph to your sumptuous smoothies with these five ingredients.
Add some allure to the idea of eating at home by serving your family, quite literally, a modern twist on a weeknight classic like lasagna.
Rather than layering sheets of pasta with sauce and cheese, present the noodles as individual-sized roll-ups, each stuffed with its own helping of ricotta, wilted spinach, and marinara, and topped off with melted mozzarella.
Don't be afraid to modify the recipe to your liking: make the dish worthy of weekend cooking by incorporating homemade tomato sauce and fresh cheese, or add in sausage crumbles if you're looking to up the protein. Want the recipe? Then keep reading.
As lil tykes around the nation prepare for the return to school, many mamas use the new school year as an opportunity to revamp their daily menus. On The Today Show, nutritionist Joy Bauer discussed the healthy foods tots should be eating for a healthy lifestyle and optimal brainpower. We've rounded up the recommended items and paired them with kid-friendly recipes that will bypass the balking that often accompanies a new dish.
