Sunny Side Up Nutrition

A cooking, nutrition and family feeding blog to simplify your life

Dinner

Corn Pudding: An Easy Side for Thanksgiving (or any day!)

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When I was a child, each summer, we would load up the wood paneled station wagon and head west. We drove from Raleigh, North Carolina to Moreland, Kentucky where my mother’s aunt lived. She lived on a big farm and I remember climbing the willow trees and playing in the corn fields. On many of these annual trips, we visited Shakertown, a historical site and interactive museum. We always ate at the Shakertown restaurant, where we enjoyed the farm fresh foods and recipes of the Kentucky Shakers, who once lived on the site. One year, we went to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at Shakertown. No matter when we went, we always enjoyed corn pudding. 

A “Go-To” Side Dish

Since then, my family has included corn pudding in our Thanksgiving tradition. This is an extremely easy recipe that can be enjoyed at any time of year. Each year, when we have it at Thanksgiving, I wonder why we don’t make it more often. It can be made with ingredients we usually have one hand, milk, eggs, butter, flour and canned corn. The recipe simply requires mixing and putting it in the oven.  

Holiday foods are often new foods.

I also wish I offered it throughout the year so it wouldn’t be a new food each year to my kids. So many holiday foods are new foods for children. I know at my house they see corn pudding, stuffing, roasted turkey, and cranberry sauce only once per year. For more cautious eaters, we shouldn’t expect them to eat a food they’ve seen for the first time or haven’t seen in 364 days. Then, we add on the pressure and excitement of the day! Honestly, I don’t see why we think our kids will eat anything on Thanksgiving! 

Tip: Always include one item you know your more cautious eaters will eat. This helps them know they can “make do” and will reduce their and your stress.

Increased Food Acceptance

I cooked corn pudding this past week and hope that will help with the acceptance on Thanksgiving next week. I also included a helper in the kitchen which always helps with food acceptance. My daughter was so happy to crack the eggs and mix the ingredients. She was proud of serving it to her siblings and of course had to try her masterpiece.

I’ll say it again: I plan to cook corn pudding more over the next year. It’s warm, nourishing, easy, and yummy. 

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Corn Pudding

Easy holiday or weeknight side

Adapted from Shakertown Cookbook

  • Author: Anna Lutz
Scale

Ingredients

1 15-16 ounce can of corn, drained

2 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 3/4 cup whole milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 325 F degrees.

2. Mix together flour, salt, butter, and sugar with mixer. 

3. Add eggs, beat well. 

4. Stir in the drained corn and milk

5. Pour into buttered casserole dish – deep dish pie pan works well. 

6. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes

7. Stir once halfway through baking. 

8. Remove from oven when a knife comes out clean and the corn pudding is brown on top.

Notes

If you double or triple the recipe for a crowd, cooking time will increase. 

A 15 Minute Recipe: 7 Different Ways

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A 15 minute black bean recipe you can use 7 ways!

NOW is the perfect time to share one of the EASIEST recipes.

For those of you with children, we hope this first month or so of school is off to a smooth start. If you’re like me, in addition to work, you’re juggling packing lunches, making dinners and coordinating logistics of everyone’s after school activities. It definitely takes time to get settled into a new rhythm when school starts. WHEW!

So, now seems like a great time to share one of the EASIEST meals around! This is SO very easy!  It really does take only 15 minutes to make these black beans. In my house, at least for the moment, it’s a favorite reheated with rice and packed in a thermos (along with some cheese and avocado on the side) to take to school.

A 15 minute black bean recipe you can use 7 ways
  • These 15 minute black beans make an easy reheated packed lunch.
  • 15 minute black beans you can serve 7 different ways

1 Recipe – 7 Easy Meals

This is one of those versitale recipes that will simplify your life! Let me know if you make it and discover new ways to serve it.

  1. Rice and black beans with cheese, avocado and sour cream
  2. Black Beans, rice and cheese burrito
  3. Top a baked potato with black beans, grated cheese and sour cream
  4. Serve the black beans over roasted chicken thighs with rice 
  5. Top nachos with grated cheese, black beans, guacamole and sour cream
  6. Spoon black beans over roasted salmon (or scallops or shrimp) with farro or rice
  7. Top scrambled (or fried) eggs on a warm corn tortilla with black beans, cheese and avocado

A New Food? Provide Structure Not Pressure

For younger children or more selective eaters, serve the black beans next to the rice, chicken, fish, etc. It’s easier to eat around the beans if they’re worried about trying them. Or serve it in a big serving bowl and allow them to serve it to themselves (even if they’re a toddler). You’re maintaining structure by offering the food and then allowing your child to decide if they serve themselves some of it. And by serving the beans on the side, it offers more selective eaters a chance to approach the food in a way that may feel less pressured.

Just keep offering. Yes, even if everyone doesn’t eat them!

We often remind our clients (and ourselves) to make foods they know their children don’t typically eat. WHAT?! Why would I do that, you ask? Because, children may need many, many exposures (sometimes more than 20) to foods before they’ll try something new. Remember, you’re going to serve one item you know they like – for example, your child might only eat the rice and none of the beans.

Sometimes, I personally fall into periods where I forget my own advice. That’s what happened with this recipe. I started making this recipe as black bean burritos when my husband and I were in grad school (about 20 years ago). I can’t remember exactly when I stopped making this or even why. I’m going to guess that one of my children didn’t like it, or maybe I just got tired of it myself. It wasn’t until Anna posted her Easy Black Beans and Rice recipe (click here to read it) that I remembered I used to make something similar!

The Perfect After School Snack

When I finally reintroduced this recipe, everyone enjoyed it. WOW! It’s not often everyone likes the same meal. This one is back in my “go-to meals” rotation on a regular basis. Especially for lunches and snacks served over rice with grated cheese, avocado and sour cream. As kids get older they often need a second lunch after school and this is an easy one to reheat on their own. I often make a double batch of it along with some rice over the weekend so there’s plenty for the week.  

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Easy Black Beans with Corn and Tomatoes

These super simple and delicious black beans with corn and tomatoes take only 15 minutes to make.

  • Author: Elizabeth Davenport
Scale

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic chopped

2 – 15 oz cans of black beans drained and rinsed

1 – 15 oz can of corn, drained 

1 – 15 oz can of diced tomatoes

¾ of a 4 ½ ounce can of chopped green chiles**

1/4-1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Salt and pepper to taste

Splash of red wine vinegar (about 1 teaspoon)

Instructions

  1. Peel and chop the garlic. 
  2. Add the garlic and olive oil to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Open all the cans.
  4. Drain and rinse the black beans and corn and add them to the pan.
  5. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juice, the water and the green chilies.
  6. Add the coriander, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Then turn heat down to medium low and simmer for about 5 minutes.

 Serve over rice or one of the 6 other suggested ways to serve these beans.

 

Notes

*To add a little kick to the beans, add a pinch (or more to taste) of red pepper flake when you sauteé the garlic.

**Use the whole can of chilies if you prefer a stronger green chili flavor.