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Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Parsnips

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I'm Maria, a Swedish-born, New England-raised dietitian with a love for good food and healthful living. Follow my blog for healthy family recipes, everyday wellness inspiration, and fad-free nutrition advice. Read More…

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halsanutrition

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T A C O night! 🌮
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It’s Tuesday. And that means it’s usually taco night at my house. 🌶Tonight it’s chicken fajita tacos. This recipe evolved from ”classic” chicken tacos to which I started adding more and more veggies! .
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Taco night is great for kids because they can design their tacos just how they like them. 💗Yes, it’s totally ok to let your kids pick out the veggies that they don’t want in their taco. Just sit back and and let them do their thing without commentary. If you don’t ever try serving more veggies they will never start eating more veggies. But you can certainly start gradually by adding just one veggie alongside the chicken that you know your child likes and then slowly over time adding more.💫
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My favorite part of taco night? 1) Everyone is excited for dinner. 2) The homemade guacamole! 😋
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#tacotuesday #recipelinkinprofile #taconight #chickentacos #veggiepackedtacos #lovemesometacos #joyfuldinners #familydinnertips #servemoreveggies #halsanutrition

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Stir-Together Pumpkin ENERGY Balls 🎃
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Happy Friday Evening! 💃I’m feeling pretty grateful for electricity right now...and all the people who have been working so hard to restore it.✨We just got our power back after the storm we had on Wednesday night took down a tree, a telephone pole, and lots of wires on our street. .
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It was an inconvenience, but other than that really wasn’t so bad. It gave me a chance to support our local coffee shop (thank you @bluecanoemhd) and was a nice excuse to pick up a new book @spiritof76books and dine out at @soallfood. It also brought everyone in the neighborhood out and about to check in with each other. 💗In addition, it was really nice to light some candles and just slow down. And it probably comes as no surprise that without lots of lights & screens we all went to bed earlier! .
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Of course, I also decided that I still had to “make something”...so I stirred together these pumpkin energy balls—and yes, @larisa_forman, there is real pumpkin in there! 😊
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Here is the recipe, it’s based in my 4-ingredient peanut-butter balls:
In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup old-fashioned oats, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup canned pumpkin, 1/4 cup flax meal, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, a pinch of Kosher or sea salt, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Form into balls & enjoy! .
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Have a great weekend! .
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#marbleheadma #northshorema #pumpkinspice #pumpkinenergyballs #nobakeenergybites #stirtogether #gratefulforelectricity #gratefulforcommunity #halsanutritionutrition

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Milk + c o o k i e s 💕
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Do you guys ever write down the things your child says? This was one of my younger son’s statements earlier this year while he poured himself some more milk to go with his freshly made cookies. 😊
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Yep, it’s true, they go really well together & can be a great way to get some nourishment into your child. Among other nutrients, milk provides protein, fat, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin B12. Important nutrients for growing kids. .
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And if your child is not a milk drinker or you prefer a non-dairy version, rest assured that is totally fine! These days there are several non-dairy milk options, including soy, oat, rice, almond, and hemp. Just be sure to look at the nutrition label to see what nutrients it contains. Except for soy, most plant milks will provide less protein. But you can usually find one that is comparable in all the other good stuff (calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 & fat).
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We drink a variety of milks at our house. My kids and husband prefer 1% milk while I like whole milk in my coffee and oat milk in cereal and tea lattes. I also usually use oat or almond milk when I’m baking or making smoothies. (In addition to cultured milk such as kefir.)
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Happy Weekend!!! 🤸‍♀️

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Sustainable Farming 🌱

So fun going to the @newentrysustainablefarming and @tufts_nutrition farm to table dinner last night @morainefarm with my friend & colleague Audrey. .
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In addition to the gorgeous setting it was inspiring to learn more about this amazing program that helps individuals get started with farming and provides more locally grown food for our area. ✨It’s an especially wonderful and important program for new immigrants. .
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One of the members who I spoke with also said they hope to partner with more schools in the area to give kids a chance to learn more about where their food comes from and all the hard work that goes into producing. I think this is such a great idea and something every child should have a chance to do! (Along with learning how to cook the food!) Ok, now back to #screenfreesunday.

#gratefulforfarmers #gratefulforfood #newentry #tuftsnutritionalum #registereddietitians #foodeducators #northshorema #farmtotabledinner #sustainable #eatlocal #fieldtoplate #locallygrown #supportfarmers

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Berry Smoothies 🍓

My 11-year old got braces yesterday. 😁😬In the short 24+ hours since then we’ve had some fun soft food meals—mac & cheese, whole grain Swedish pancakes, chicken noodle soup & smoothies—as he gets used to all the metal in his mouth and the first couple of days of discomfort subside.
For today’s smoothie I combined about 1 cup of @siggisdairy vanilla 4% yogurt (available in big containers now!), 1 cup @oatly oat milk, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup of frozen strawberries, and 1 T chia seeds in a Vitamix. I poured this into 2 glasses so we could both enjoy. 😋Cheers to after school snack time & smiles.
Next up. Mashed potatoes, cod & not too crunchy veggies for dinner! But first, a bike ride outside & guitar lessons. 🚴‍♂️🎸 Happy Wednesday!

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Chicken Salad ✨

If your kids don’t love traditional chicken salad try a different version! One of my favorite ways to make it is with Sky yogurt, chopped 🍏, fresh herbs, s&p, curry, and a little lemon juice. 🍋Mixing it with avocado, lemon juice, and s&p is another fav!🥑 My kids on the other hand love a super simple version: simply slice the chicken into large strips (so they don’t fall of sandwich as easily) and toss with a little olive oil, salt, pepper & a squeeze of lemon juice. Or, skip the s & p and toss with everything but the bagel instead. 🙌 Serve with crisp lettuce & thinly sliced cucumbers or apples on their favorite bread, toasted. 😋

I either pick up a Rotisserie Chicken at our local Whole Foods (so easy!) or bake chicken breasts in the oven the day before (an extra step, but also pretty easy). What’s your favorite kind of chicken salad?

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Cookies. 🍪
Cookies after school.
Cookies in the lunch box.
Cookies after soccer.
Cookies anytime. 😋

Who doesn’t love cookies? Fortunately, these family favorite cookies are also loaded with whole grains, fiber, chocolate, and love. ❤️ .
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𝕆𝕒𝕥𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕝 ℂ𝕙𝕠𝕔𝕠𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕡 ℂ𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕚𝕖𝕤

Makes: 30-36 cookies

1 cup sprouted spelt flour (or white whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned oats (I used sprouted oats)
½ cup chopped pecans (skip or try hemp seeds for nut-free)
¼ cup melted coconut oil
½ cup packed brown sugar
⅓ cup maple syrup
1 large egg
⅓ cup cinnamon applesauce
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup chocolate chips (dairy-free if needed)

Instructions:
1️⃣Preheat oven to 350˚ F.
2️⃣In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oats, and pecans with a whisk.
3️⃣In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat oil, sugar, and maple syrup together for 30 seconds. Add egg and beat until smooth. Then mix in the applesauce and vanilla extract.
4️⃣Turn mixer to lowest setting and slowly add the flour-oatmeal mixture. Blend just to combine and then add the chocolate chips.
5️⃣Use two spoons to drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto baking sheets lined with silpat or parchment paper.
6️⃣Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Cool on a cookie rack. Enjoy! 💫

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Meet Maria!

I'm a Swedish-born, New England-raised dietitian with a love for good food and healthful living. Follow my blog for healthy recipes, everyday wellness inspiration, and fad-free nutrition advice. Read More…

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