if you know me…i'm certainly not a whiz in the kitchen.

i mean…i can clean a dish (i do all our dishes by hand).

but when it comes to making a meal, i get nervous and sweaty and anxiety-stricken.

i'd rather run five miles than make dinner.

but as of late (mostly because kaye eats so. much. food.), i've been whipping up some toddler-friendly recipes and i've been pleasantly surprised.

and if i can cram the dish into a one-skillet-wonder…that's all the better. less dishes.

TODDLER//ADULT-FRIENDLY QUINOA//ALFREDO W/BABY SPINACH & DICED TOMATOES (i need to work on the name)

(serves at least four people)



ingredients list //

  • (2) cups of finely chopped spinach
  • (1) can of diced tomatoes (mostly drained)
  • (1/2) jar of alfredo sauce (i'm sure you could make your own, but i certainly don't have time.)
  • (1) cup of quinoa boiled in
  • (1) cup of chicken stock &
  • (1) cup of water
  • (2) very unappetizing-looking chicken sausages
1// start boiling your quinoa. the typical ratio for quinoa is 1:2 (one part quinoa, two parts liquid). this will take the longest to cook.


2// dice up the sausage pretty smallish so that your toddler can easily chew the pieces. throw those into a good-sized skillet on med-high while you chop the spinach.


3// chop your spinach finely. once it is cooked down a bit it'll be easy for your toddler to munch through.


4// once your sausage is cooked, add your alfredo sauce, drained & diced tomatoes, and spinach.


5// stir it altogether and wait for your quinoa to finish up.

i'm not going to even bother your with a a picture of what this dish looks like plated. it looks absolutely terrible and so unappetizing. 

imagine a beige mush.

i'm also going to be honest and let you know that this dish is WAY better with whole grain pasta. it just is. 

but who doesn't feel a little bit healthier when quinoa is used in a dish?

the next time i attempt this i'll be adding the sixth step of pouring it into a casserole dish, topping it with some sort of finely grated cheese and baking it for twenty minutes at 350º.

i hope everyone had a nice, little weekend and didn't have to think about holiday shopping at all.

this is how kaye is feeling about all our cold weather after our california vay-cay…yay for -3 today.