Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, St. Patricks Day, or Halloween, one of the things I love most about holidays is preparing special themed meals and snacks for our little lady. Here is some Halloween-inspired food she enjoyed this year…
Breakfast // Wholewheat flax spiderweb pancakes. (Just put your pancake batter into a squeeze bottle, use it to draw an asterisk, then connect the points with swooped lines.)
Snack // Jack-o-lantern oranges. (G seriously couldn’t get enough of these. Simply draw a face on a room temperature orange with black Sharpie. I did mine just before giving them to her – I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m not especially keen on the possibility of the marker fumes seeping through the peel.)
Lunch // {A slightly scary-looking} Jack-o-lantern quesadilla. (Just 2 red or orange tortilla shells cut by hand – think kitchen scissors – some cheese, black beans, and veggies.)
Snack // Home roasted pumpkin seeds.
Dinner // Roasted pumpkin soup with goat cheese, fresh parsley, and a grilled cheese on the side. (Not overly Halloween-ish, but you see what I’m going for, right?)
This is a breakfast both Gracen and I love. I love it because super healthy and I can throw all of the ingredients into a mason jar before I go to bed and wake up to an already prepared breakfast. I’m sure she loves it because it’s sweet, creamy, and it feels like you’re having dessert for breakfast. And that’s okay with me. I agree!
If you haven’t yet tried chia seeds, you definitely should. They’re often called the “super seed”, and for good reason. They’re packed with essential fatty acids, fibre, calcium, and a bunch of other vitamins and minerals, plus they can absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquid. Besides using them in puddings, around here we add them to yogurt, muffins, cereal, and smoothies too. In fact, they quickly became my secret smoothie ingredient when I learned that adding a tablespoon of chia to a blender of our favourite smoothie would keep it thick and prevent it from separating (even when kept in the fridge overnight!)
But onto the recipe. Here’s what we use to make our overnight mango coconut chia pudding… Your choice of milk (coconut milk is especially delicious in this recipe), pure maple syrup, chia seeds, pure vanilla, unsweetened coconut, and a mango (not pictured because it isn’t needed until morning).
I like to make this recipe in a mason jar because it seals well and I can give the jar a little shake every now and then, but any sort of bowl or container that has a lid will do.
To get started, add your chia seeds to the milk.
Then add the coconut…
The maple syrup…
And the vanilla.
Give everything a stir…
Pop the lid on and put the jar in the fridge. If you come back to the fridge again that night, give the jar a gentle shake to prevent clumping. If not, it’s not a big deal.
Now go to sleep.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz….
When you wake up in the morning, retrieve your mason jar of pudding. It’ll be thick and creamy by now and will resemble the insides of a passionfruit. Grab a mango too. (Though mango / coconut is one of our favourite combinations, strawberries, bananas, and blueberries pair well with the coconut too.)
Now peel and chop up your mango into small pieces…
And add them to the jar.
Mix everything together well.
Breakfast is ready!
Serve with fresh or frozen berries, mint leaves, or almond slices.
Put the first set of ingredients into a jar and stir. Put the lid on the jar and put in the fridge overnight. If you come back to the fridge later in the evening, give the jar a shake or two (if not, don’t worry about it).
In the morning, retrieve your jar and a mango. Peel and dice the mango, add it to the jar, and give everything a stir.
Serve with berries, mint leaves, or almond slices.
Only I would try to amp up the nutritional value of bananas… Haha! I kid. (Kinda.) The truth is, Miss G has been on a two ingredient ice cream kick lately. After asking for it for the third afternoon in a row, I decided it was time to switch things up a little bit. Though we’ve made frozen banana pops before (which Grae loved), I wanted to try something smaller and easier to snack on this time around. So along came the frozen banana bite. With only 3 ingredients, they’re a breeze to make, plus, dare I say they taste like banana cream pie? I do.
Here’s the ingredient lineup… Bananas (ripe, but not overripe), roasted ground flax seed, and cinnamon.
Start off by peeling the bananas and making sure all of the white stringy things are removed.
Chop them into coins (maybe about a half inch thick?) and set them aside.
Next, pour some roasted ground flax seed into a container with a lid (or a zip close bag).
Enthusiastically dump some cinnamon in too.
Put the lid on the container and give it a little shake.
Next, place the banana coins on top of the cinnamon/flax mixture.
Place the lid on the container again and shake until all of the banana coins are well coated.
Next, place the coated banana pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place the tray in the freezer for at least an hour.
Serve them frozen to your excited toddler and watch them disappear. (Without a word of a lie, Gracen gobbled up our entire batch – and that was after a full meal!)
Frozen Banana Bites (that taste like banana cream pie)
2-3 large ripe (but not over ripe) bananas
3 tablespoons of roasted ground flax seed
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
Peel the bananas and slice them into coins about a half inch thick, then set aside.
Put flax seed and cinnamon into a container with a lid or zip close bag and shake. Add the banana coins to the flax mixture and shake again. Place the coated banana pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put in the freezer.
After about an hour in the freezer, the banana bites will be frozen, but still a tiny bit soft, making them perfect for serving. If you aren’t serving them right away, transfer the bites into a airtight container. When you’re ready to eat them, you can serve them completely frozen, or let them sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes beforehand (my preference).
I’ve made these pancakesfor special occasions few times before, and let me tell you, they are delicious. Super healthy, however, they are not. So this morning, my little sous chef and I set out to make a healthier, wholewheat version, sans refined sugar and butter. I’m happy to say, they turned out amazingly well! While not the fluffiest pancakes in the world, they were light, tender, and full of lemony flavour, just the way we like them.
Now, I must admit, I was being a little bit chicken and didn’t go for all wholewheat flour this time around (don’t know what got into me – using white flour is not normally even an option in our house!) Next time, I’d just go all in and use wholewheat flour only. Here’s the version we made this morning…
Wholewheat Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
1 1/2 cups of wholewheat flour
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teeny tiny pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup of poppy seeds
2 cups of skim milk
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
2 organic egss
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon of your favourite oil
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla
zest of 4 large lemons
1/2 teaspoon of pure lemon extract (optional)
Pour milk into a measuring cup or bowl. Add vinegar and stir gently. Set aside. (Or just use store bought buttermilk instead.)
Measure out all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix well.
In a separate bowl, add all of the wet ingredients, including the homemade buttermilk and lemon zest, and mix well.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined (this is important – do not over mix!)
Cook on a 300 degree griddle, flipping when bubbles begin to form.
Serve with berries and pure maple syrup.
Enjoy!
UPDATE: Since making these the first time, we now always use only wholewheat flour, and the end result is just as delicious. Cutting the pure maple syrup down a little too doesn’t hurt a thing and when in a pinch, chia seeds make for a great poppy seed replacement.
Another Toddler Food post! I’m still playing catch up a little bit, so many of these photos are from the end of summer when our house was ridiculously hot and my motivation to cook was nearly non-existent. Now that autumn is officially here though, I’m looking forward to spending more time in the kitchen again, experimenting with some new meal ideas and whipping up some old favourites with my favourite little sous chef. ☺
Breakfast // Plain organic whole milk yogurt with diced apples and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon.
Breakfast // Peanut butter and apple salad (chopped apples, grapes, and bananas topped with all-natural peanut butter/plain yogurt/vanilla ‘dressing’ and peanuts).
Breakfast // Organic whole grain low-sugar cereal with raw walnuts, frozen blueberries, and organic whole milk.
Breakfast // Overnight coconut chia pudding (coconut milk, chia seeds, and vanilla stored overnight in the fridge and topped with almonds in the morning – adding mango is delicious too!)
Lunch // Wholewheat red lentil mac and cheese. Roasted rainbow carrots. Steamed beets.
Lunch {on the go} // Raw almonds. Chicken and Israeli couscous salad. Freeze-dried bananas and berries. Ice water. Fresh peaches.
{Picnic} Lunch {for two} // Raw almonds. Apple slices and peach chunks. Veggies and roasted red paper humus. Fruit and veggie bars. Turkey and avocado roll-ups.
Dinner // Turkey tortellini with homemade veggie-packed tomato sauce.
Dinner // Turkey, spinach, and pasta soup.
Dinner // Roasted carrots and green beans. Lemon and dill salmon. Smashed potatoes.
‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin, so today Grae and I decided to experiment with making a healthy, but delicious, pumpkin treat. I must say, we were definitely ‘winging it’, but our version of pumpkin spice muffins turned out great! They’re soft and moist inside, full of flavour, and perfectly sweet. Not to mention, they contain no white flour, butter/margarine, or refined sugar. Yay for that.
Here’s our line up of ingredients… Wholewheat flour, organic old-fashioned oats, ground flax seed, walnuts, pecans, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pure organic pumpkin puree, grapeseed oil, organic eggs, pure maple syrup, and pure vanilla.
Of course, having a sweet little wispy haired sous chef helps too.
Start by putting the flour into a large mixing bowl.
Add the oats and ground flax.
Be sure to cram as many oats into your mouth as possible when no one’s looking.
Next up, add the baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
Give everything a good stir.
In a separate bowl, pour in the pureed pumpkin.
Add the maple syrup and vanilla…
The grapeseed oil…
And the eggs.
Then give everything a good mix.
Next, add the dry mixture into the wet one.
Mix until just combined.
Then add the nuts…
And gently fold them into the batter.
Prepare a muffin tin by lining it with silicone baking cups or a light layer of grapeseed oil.
Fill the muffin cups almost to the top, but not quite, then pop them in the oven.
Take them out once the tops are cracked and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let them cool for a couple of minutes and serve to your very excited and very silly little munchkin.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin tin.
Mix together the dry ingredients (except the nuts) and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Add the dry mixture to the wet one and stir until just combined. Fold in nuts.
Transfer batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow to cool, then serve or store in an airtight container.
Enjoy!
See our favourite banana muffins here and our favourite carrot zucchini muffins here.
For the most incredible little girl (and her pretty decent daddy), for our wonderful families and friends, for bellies filled to the brim, for a lovely weekend away, and for the most gorgeous autumn weather… I am thankful.
This morning Miss G and I decided to try making something new for breakfast… Cookies! Not the traditional kind, of course. Healthy, hearty ones that fill you up and start your day off right. And I’m glad to say that despite my nonchalant ‘Ah, sure we’ll throw that in too’ attitude, they turned out pretty well.
Here’s our line up of ingredients… Old-fashioned oats, pumpkin seeds, raisins, ‘just apples’ applesauce (we just used the store bought stuff this time around, but homemade would of course be better), ripe bananas, cinnamon, and organic coconut oil and vanilla (which somehow didn’t make it into the photo…)
To start, my mini sous chef peeled our bananas and popped them into the food processor.
Then she added a capful of pure vanilla…
A generous amount of applesauce…
Some cinnamon…
And a dollop of coconut oil.
Then we blended everything up until it was mostly smooth, with just a few little chunks.
With our wet mixture transferred into a large mixing bowl, Grae added some organic old-fashioned oats…
Some raw pumpkin seeds…
And some raisins…
And gave everything a good stir.
The result was oats that were completely coated in the banana/applesauce mixture, but not ‘wet’ or batter-y (if that makes any sense).
We then dropped large spoonfuls of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, using the back of the spoon to shape them into little mounds, and popped them into the oven.
Fifteen minutes later, out came these soft, moist little oatmeal mounds. Now… Do they taste like a real cookie? No. Do they taste like a healthy bowl of cinnamon oatmeal compacted into a portable little serving? Yes! And the best part is that they’re not at all crumbly. To the point where I let Grae snack on these while in the Ergo on our recent house hunting adventures because I knew they wouldn’t crumble all over our potential landlords’ floors… Win!
Sugar-free, Dairy-free, Flour-free Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Cookies
Add the wet ingredients (plus cinnamon) to a food processor (or good blender) and mix well. Pour the contents into a large mixing bowl and add dry ingredients. Mix until everything is evenly coated.
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, using the back of a spoon to form them into mounds. Bake for 15 minutes and allow a couple of minutes to cool. Store in an airtight container on the counter for a few days, or pop them in the freezer and defrost as needed.
Wow… It’s been a while… A very loooong while since I put together a Toddler Food post, but here’s hoping they’ll be posted on a weekly basis again. Here’s some of what Miss G has been eating in {semi} recent days…
Breakfast // All-natural cream cheese on a 4 seed wholewheat bagel thin. Cantaloupe sticks.
Snacks & Lunch {on the go} // All-natural peanut butter and granny smith sandwich. Fresh strawberries and blueberries. Sugar snaps. Raw almonds and walnuts. Old cheddar cubes. Red pepper slices.
Lunch // Veggie sandwich on multigrain (cream cheese, cucumber, red onion, red pepper, and avocado). Watermelon sticks. Gouda cubes.
Dinner // Spicy black bean and chicken rice bowl with avocado and sour cream.
Dinner // Steamed broccoli, beets, and carrots. Lemon and herb salmon. Fresh spinach pasta.
Today Miss G and I made one of our favourite weekend dinners… Homemade pizza. Though I do find it takes a little advanced planning to make pizza from scratch, making the dough just after breakfast and letting it sit on the counter all day until we’re ready to make dinner in the evening is easy enough for us. Plus, this recipe makes two BIG thin-crust pizzas, which allows for a few (or at least a couple) of good meals {even when your husband scarfs down 12 pieces in one sitting… hi babe! ☺}
Here are the ingredients for our go to dough, adapted from the lovely Pioneer Woman’s recipe… Wholewheat flour, dry active yeast, table salt, olive oil, and warm water.
First, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and set it aside.
Next, add the flour…
And the salt to the bowl of your electric mixer. (This could be done by hand too, of course.)
Put the paddle attachment on your machine…
And give the dry ingredients a quick mix.
Next, measure out the olive oil…
And slowly pour it into the bowl while mixing.
Next, give the yeast and water a quick stir…
And with the mixer on, slowly add the yeast water to the flour/salt/oil mixture. Mix on low until the dough starts to come together in a sticky mass.
Prepare a separate large mixing bowl by drizzling it with olive oil.
Use your hands to pull the edges of the dough downwards and shape it into a ball. Place your dough in the bowl and gently toss it to coat it in olive oil.
Now cover your bowl tightly with plastic wrap. It can be put in the fridge and stored for 3 or 4 days, or it can be used later on in the day. If we’re making pizza the same night, we just leave ours on the counter.
Now, for my favourite… A very simple roasted veggie pizza. Chop up a bunch of vegetables of your choice (these are my favourites), drizzle them with a little bit of olive oil, and put them in a 400 oven for about 10 minutes.
While they roast, grate some cheese (we use fresh mozzarella or, like tonight, an all-natural extra sharp cheddar) and slice some fresh mushrooms.
Take your veggies out of the oven when they’re slightly soft and just beginning to turn golden in some spots.
With your toppings ready, it’s time to retrieve the dough you made earlier in the day. By now, it should be well over double its original size and soft and spongy to the touch.
Prepare a baking pan by lining it with parchment paper and sprinkling on little cornmeal (this is completely optional, but it does add a nice texture).
Using 1/2 of the dough, press it down into a thin rectangular shape. Don’t worry too much about holes – just patch them up as you go along.
For this pizza, we often use a fresh pesto sauce, which is really yummy. Equally delicious, however, is just a drizzle of olive oil and a tiny sprinkle of sea salt.
Next, arrange the veggies on the dough {stuffing as many of the red peppers into your mouth as possible, if you’re like Gracen}.
Top with cheese (adding some feta into the mix is really good too!} and pop it into the oven.
Remove when the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown and let cool for a few minutes.
Now onto the one Brad prefers… A BBQ chicken pizza. Tonight we used roasted chicken breasts cut into small chunks, raw diced orange pepper and sweet onion, and some white kernel corn (adding jalapeños is really tasty too).
Prepare your pan and dough the same way as before, then spread a thin layer of BBQ sauce onto the uncooked crust (this is one of Miss G’s favourite jobs).
Add the toppings…
Cover with cheese…
And bake ’til golden.
Voila! Dinner is done. Serve on its own, or with a fresh salad.
Wholewheat Pizza
1 teaspoon of active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups of warm water (not hot, but not lukewarm)
4 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of olive oil
Sprinkle yeast over warm water.
Mix flour and salt together. Add olive oil while mixing. Give the yeast/water mixture a quick stir and add it to the mixture while stirring also. The mixture will be sticky and wet, which is perfect.
Prepare a separate mixing bowl by drizzling it with olive oil. Using your hands, shape the dough into a ball by gently working the edges downwards and underneath. Gently toss the dough in the bowl to coat in olive oil, then cover tightly with plastic wrap. Store dough in fridge for up to 4 days, or leave on counter if using later in the day.
When ready, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and sprinkling it with cornmeal. Flatten the dough on the pan, top with sauce and toppings, and bake for 10 – 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Remove from oven when the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden. Cut into squares and serve.
Today, after a trip to our fruit and vegetable market, Grae and I came home and put together some fun mini fruit skewers. We washed the fruit together, I did the chopping, and Gracen did the assembling. Grae had a ton of fun poking the fruit pieces onto the toothpicks and sliding them along to make room for more. As she created her snack masterpieces, she counted the pieces and named the fruits in her singsongy voice, adding each skewer to the plate when finished.
Now although we could have just mixed up our chopped fruit and eaten it as fruit salad, everything is better on skewers, right? Not to mention, making them was the best part – just look at that proud little face. Plus, they’d be great finger snacks for a play date or party… Or just as dessert for a mama and a babe. ☺
Miss G and I got to experimenting in the kitchen this afternoon… We had been out in the garden collecting some goodies earlier in the day, and although we’d eaten most of our finds with lunch, we had a few measly beets left over. We’d decided we’d make a smoothie, and since we regularly add spinach and kale to our blends, I figured, why not beets? The result was a BRIGHT magenta smoothie that was yummy enough for Grae to label it “pink ice cleam” and have two cups full instead of just one.
Here’s our list of ingredients: Plain organic whole milk yogurt, frozen no-sugar-added strawberries and raspberries, a ripe frozen banana, a handful of baby beets, a few teaspoons of chia seeds, and some whole organic milk.
Another must for this recipe? Supergirl and her super girl baby.
Get started by dumping your frozen berries into your blender. Closing your eyes makes for a better challenge. Nothing Supergirl can’t handle though.
Chuck in your frozen banana. Again, amp up this step by trying it with your eyes closed.
Next, add your beets in one. by. one.
And then dump your chia seeds in too.
Next, carefully add your milk. The more you can get into the blender, the better.
Lastly, add a generous scoop of yogurt.
Blend everything up until thick and bright.
Serve with a straw or a spoon. Or both.
Watch your little superhero gobble it up.
Nutrient-Rich Beet Berry Smoothie
1/4 cup of plain organic whole milk yogurt
2/3 cup of frozen raspberries and strawberries
1 ripe frozen banana
5-6 baby beets (or one regular sized one), steamed and peeled
3 tablespoons of chia seeds
1/2 cup of organic whole milk
Put everything into a blender and mix until smooth.
Enjoy!
Another perk, besides the added nutrients, to adding chia to your smoothies? They keep overnight without becoming separating and getting watery. Try it!
With our {essential} popsicle stash running on low, Gracen and I decided we’d whip up a new batch this afternoon. I really had no recipe or flavour in mind, but as we rummaged through our fridge and freezer, Grae caught sight of frozen blueberries (her favourite!) and our decision was quickly made.
In addition to the blueberries, we gathered up some plain organic whole milk yogurt (with just a tiny touch of honey added), our new Ring Pop-esque popsicle moulds, and our food processor.
Gracen started us out by putting the blueberries into the food processor (at least the ones that were lucky enough to not be eaten).
Then she added our yogurt and honey…
And we blended it up for a decent amount of time. That’s it. Tout fini!
Now, if you don’t enjoy a bit of texture in your popsicles {and you have the patience}, you could strain the mixture at this point, but since we don’t mind the grit and I feel like they must be more nutritious with the skin bits left in, we left it as is.
With some help, Grae scooped a little bit of the mixture into each mould…
Then snapped the lids on and into the freezer they went.
Simple Blueberry Popsicles
2 parts frozen blueberries
1 part plain yogurt
1 tiny drizzle of honey (if desired)
Blend everything well in a food processor or blender. Scoop into popsicle moulds and freeze for at least a few hours.
Enjoy!
Oh, and be forewarned… There’s sure to be a similar fig popsicle recipe happening soon. We’ve got a tree bursting at the seams with fresh figs and I’m going to have to start getting creative. Surely figs must make good popsicles, right?