Host, Andrew “Kappy” Kaplan and his twins Leo + Ella share a recipe they created for Leo’s 1st grade teacher. Let kids join the fun by measuring ingredients, mashing, and being your personal timer. :)

Ms. B’s Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Potatoes serves 4-6

Gravy makes 2 cups (good rule is 2 oz/person- this makes enough for 6-8 people)

Potato Club Notes:

- add a handful of cheese to make these cheesy mashed!

- add a couple tablespoons of chopped, fresh herbs like chives, parsley or your favorite herb

Gravy Club Notes:

- This can be made a day or two in advance. Reheat in microwave or sauce pot over low heat.

- This recipe can be doubled depending on how many people you have.

- Keep warm in an insulated water bottle or coffee thermos - it will stay hot for hours.

For the Potatoes:

Kosher salt and pepper

1.5 pounds russet potatoes, about 2-3 medium size

1 cup half & half, heavy cream or milk

2 tablespoons butter

1-2 tablespoons sour cream or cream cheese, optional

For the Gravy:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour, you may use gluten free flour

2 cups chicken stock, or turkey or vegetable stock

Kosher salt and pepper

Optional Flavor Power for Gravy:

Apple cider- substitute ½ or ¼ of the stock for cider

Chopped fresh herbs- add in 1-2 tablespoons of thyme, rosemary, etc.

Soy sauce- add in 1-2 teaspoons

Drippings- add in or supplement the liquid with your turkey or chicken drippings- you’ll want to skim off the fat prior to using

For the Potatoes:

1. Peel and cut the potatoes into similar shapes and sizes. Heads up: the smaller the size, the quicker they will cook. Place the cut potatoes into a medium to large size sauce pot and cover with cold water by at least 1 inch.

2. Place the pot of potatoes over high heat and bring to a simmer. Once the water is simmering, add a tablespoon of salt, stir gently to dissolve and turn the heat down to a constant simmer.

3. While the potatoes are simmering, place the half & half in a small sauce pot over very low heat. You want to see some steam and have it warm, but do not let it simmer.

4. Meanwhile, let the potatoes simmer for around 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how small or large you cut your pieces of potato. You should check for doneness around 10 minutes. To do this, lift one of the larger size pieces out of the water and gently pierce it with a fork or the tip of a knife - the fork or knife should slide in very easily. If it does, the potatoes are done. If it still feels a little hard, let them cook for another five minutes.

5. Once fully cooked, strain and turn heat to low. Add the potatoes back to the pot and leave on low heat for a minute or two to dry them out a bit. Add the butter and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and gently start mashing with a potato masher. Add in the warm half & half, a little at a time, to make it the consistency you’d like. The potatoes will soak up a lot of the liquid mixture so we like to add a little more liquid, which also makes them fluffy. You can add the sour cream now, if using. Turn the heat off, give them a taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

For the Gravy:

1. Place a small to medium size sauce pot over medium heat and add butter. When it is just about melted, sprinkle the flour all over and mix- it should resemble the consistency of wet sand. Continue mixing for a couple minutes making sure it does not get too brown in color- you want a pale white color.

2. While continuously whisking, slowly add in half...

Alex Turnbull is a mom, registered dietician, and picky eater nutritionist. She runs The Family Nutritionist, a community where parents get simple, real-life strategies for raising curious, confident eaters.

Spinach Banana Pancakes

Make extras to eat throughout the week.

1 cup milk of choice

1 cup spinach, fresh - or 1/2 cup frozen

1 banana

1 cup pancake mix

Butter or cooking spray, for the griddle or pan

1. Preheat griddle to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Add milk, spinach, and banana to a blender and blend until spinach and bananas are well combined with milk.

3. Combine liquid mixture with pancake mix and stir until most of the lumps are gone.

4. Grease the griddle with butter or cooking spray.

5. If using a pancake batter dispenser, add the pancake batter to the dispenser. Pour 1/8 cup of batter, or roughly 2" pancakes, on the griddle. Once bubbles form, flip the pancakes to cook on the other side for roughly 3-5 minutes. Remove from griddle and enjoy!

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Follow Clean Plate Club on Instagram.

Tag your meal on social media: #CleanPlateClubPod

Follow Kappy on Instagram and Twitter

Executive Producer/Host: Andrew “Kappy” Kaplan

Co-Executive Producer: Ian Cohen

Producer/Editor: Joel Yeaton

Producer: Shant Petrossian

Digital/Social Media Producers: Red Summit Productions (Harrison Sims)

Kid Voices: Leo + Ella Kaplan

Music & Sound: Jeffrey Goldford and the Likeminds

Educational Consultant: Barbara Johnson

Album Artwork: Dave Bogart

Clean Plate Club is a production of Beyond the Plate.

Host, Andrew “Kappy” Kaplan and his twins Leo + Ella share a recipe they created for Ella’s 1st grade teacher and her daughter. Let kids join the fun by measuring ingredients, adding them to the mix, and being your personal timer for the mixer. :)

Ms. V’s Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

Makes approximately 24 regular size squares or 60, 1-inch cubes (our preference)

Club Notes:

- To make pumpkin spice flavor, reduce cinnamon to 1 teaspoon and add 1 teaspoon of ground pumpkin spice to cinnamon sugar blend that goes on top.

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1/4 cup set aside

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon if using pumpkin spice)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the long sides.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, and the brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, turning the mixer off as you add each batch. Mix until just combined after each addition- no need to overmix.

5. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and spread it gently in an even layer. You can use a small offset spatula, knife, or gently pat it down using a sheet of parchment paper.

6. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon (and pumpkin spice, if using). Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top of the dough- you may not need to use it all.

7. Place the pan in a preheated oven and bake until the bars are light golden brown and the center is puffed slightly, about 22-25 minutes- do not overbake. Let cool completely in the pan, remove from the pan using the parchment paper overhang, and slice into squares, bars, or like us, 1-inch size cubes.

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Follow Clean Plate Club on Instagram.

Tag your meal on social media: #CleanPlateClubPod

Follow Kappy on Instagram and Twitter

Executive Producer/Host: Andrew “Kappy” Kaplan

Co-Executive Producer: Ian Cohen

Producer/Editor: Joel Yeaton

Producer: Shant Petrossian

Digital/Social Media Producers: Red Summit Productions (Harrison Sims)

Kid Voices: Leo + Ella Kaplan

Music & Sound: Jeffrey Goldford and the Likeminds

Educational Consultant: Barbara Johnson

Album Artwork: Dave Bogart

Clean Plate Club is a production of Beyond the Plate.