Nutritious Unicorn Smoothie

4 / 23 / 174 / 24 / 17

A couple of nights ago I went to my usual nearby Starbucks to plow through a bunch of emails and get some work done, and oh my goodness… It was total unicorn frappuccino madness! I was sitting at the back right next to the the drink bar and I’m fairly certain that 75% of the orders made during my 3 and a half hour stay were fluorescent blue and pink fraps. Even when they ran out of the blue drizzle, whipped cream, and both blue and pink sprinkles, people still ordered them! Prior to actually seeing them first hand, I think I’d maybe heard mention of unicorn fraps once or twice on social media, but I truly had no idea what a craze they were causing – the entire store was buzzing with unicorn frap excitement. {Kudos to you for a pretty brilliant marketing campaign, Starbucks!}

Homemade Almond Milk

2 / 16 / 172 / 27 / 17

Mmmm…. Almond milk. I love it, but honestly, most of the store bought stuff just isn’t all that good. And even if it does taste good, it most likely contains several ingredients that just aren’t needed when you make it fresh at home.

Nutritious Baby Cookies

2 / 15 / 172 / 27 / 17

I love, love, love making nutritious treats for my bubbas and thank goodness for that! While I really wouldn’t mind buying more and saving myself some time, I find that most of the treats and snacks currently marketed towards kids are filled with sugar and other unnecessary ingredients… Even the baby aisle is a scary place! With the exception of Love Child Organics products {which we absolutely love!}, I’ve noticed that most all baby puffs, teething biscuits, fruit / yogurt melts, and finger cereals contain added sugar. Even the stuff labelled as 6 or 7 months and up. Whhhhy?

Soft Nutritious Breakfast Cookies

1 / 30 / 172 / 1 / 17

Mmmm… cookies. And for breakfast no less!

These nutritious breakfast cookies have been on regular rotation in our house lately. I’ve been making a big batch on the weekend and pulling them out for easy breakfasts, snacks, and school lunches which has been such a treat. Both of the kids absolutely love them and gobble them up 3 at a time, which is absolutely fine by me! They’re jam-packed with good stuff – whole grains, fruit, veggies, and protein – and include absolutely no added sugar, which means I actually feel good about feeding my munchkins cookies – win!

5 Easy Lunch Ideas for Mamas Who Don’t Have Time for Lunch

10 / 21 / 161 / 6 / 17

You’d think that with Miss G in school full days and Sam being the happy little thing that he is, I’d have all kinds of time on my hands this year…

Hah. Yeah right.

School Lunches Made Easy

9 / 30 / 1610 / 2 / 16

All school year long, I hear fellow mamas commiserate about one of daily tasks that comes with being a parent of a school-aged child… Packing school lunches. Complaints range from not knowing what to pack, to it adding to the morning rush, to kids not eating the lunches they’re packed and it therefore being a completely thankless task. I get it. I do. …But truth be told? I actually enjoy packing school lunches. Like quite a lot. {Insane, right?} In fact, when Miss G was just starting Kindergarten, I think it was the one thing about school that I was actually looking forward to – hah!

Weekly Meal and Activity Planning {+ Shopping} Made Easy

9 / 16 / 1610 / 2 / 16

Oh my goodness… It goes without saying that our lives were totally turned upside down last November when our sweet Sam surprised us with his arrival 27 weeks into my pregnancy. We were absolutely blindsided and not the least bit prepared {hello, nursery that was still being used as a catchall room after our move home from the Middle East}. Add onto that a long NICU stay for Baby Bubba, us discovering that my appendix had ruptured {therefore causing the premature birth} a couple of weeks after his arrival, a 10-day hospital stay for me, us eventually bringing home a teeny tiny boy who screamed for several months, surgery for Sam, and then a pretty low-key summer with Brad at home, and to say that we’re just now starting to get into a groove as a family of four wouldn’t at all be an exaggeration. 10 months later, I’m still figuring out this mama of two gig. Wheeew.

Bacon and Potato Egg Cups

8 / 31 / 169 / 13 / 16

Oh my goodness… I’ve been so bad about planning and preparing meals this summer. I swear 5 o’clock just pops up out of nowhere and suddenly I find myself in the kitchen scrounging around like a mad woman trying to find something that I can throw together in 20 minutes and call a meal. As a result, there’s been a whole lot of quinoa salad and other one bowl dinners happening around here this summer…

Veggie Lentil Mac and Cheese

4 / 21 / 164 / 22 / 16

While most mac and cheese dishes aren’t overly nutritious, this version is packed with protein, veggies, and whole grain pasta, so I feel good about giving it to Miss G and she’s just thrilled that she gets to eat a giant bowl of pasta and call it a day.

Rainbow Fruit Parfaits With Clouds on Top!

3 / 14 / 163 / 14 / 16

I can’t tell you how excited I am about the fact that our local market has recently started stocking berries that a) don’t cost an arm and a leg and b) actually taste good again… I look forward to this time every year! Of course, a fridge filled with all kinds of colourful fruit means delicious fruit parfaits, and with St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching it means rainbow fruit parfaits {with clouds on top just for fun!}

Baba’s Homemade Perogies

3 / 3 / 163 / 14 / 16

Each summer growing up, my brother and I would spend a good chunk of time at my Baba’s house a few hours away from our hometown. Our visits were filled with things kids’ dreams are made of – exploring, gardening, painting, fort building, teepee making, and cooking – and one of the things I most looked forward to each summer was making homemade perogies! There’s really nothing not to like about them… Doughy little pockets filled with potatoes and cheese and served with butter and sour cream? Yes please! Plus they’re fun to make too.

So with Baba currently visiting us on her way through to Singapore for a cruise {lucky duck!}, we just had to make perogies. After all, who better for Miss G to learn from than the perogy master herself?! {Seriously, I’m guessing that my Baba has made tens of thousands of perogies in her lifetime – the woman could probably make them in her sleep!}

And the fact that Miss G got to experience making perogies with my Baba just as I did as a little girl? That makes my heart very happy.

Here’s a peek at the process {and Baba’s go-to recipe}…

First the dough…

Wholewheat Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

9 / 27 / 1510 / 1 / 15

Mmm… These delicious pumpkin spice pancakes are quickly becoming a weekend staple in our house… In fact, they’re so good that it’s very likely that I might not go back to making regular pancakes until next spring. {Not that I think anyone around here would mind.}

Apple Peanut Butter Salad

9 / 25 / 159 / 27 / 15

Mmmm… Apples and peanut butter. Such a good combination. Even better? Apple peanut butter salad that incorporates crunchy grapes, sweet bananas and the yummiest peanut butter ‘dressing’ too. Miss G loves this salad and it makes for a perfect after school snack {or breakfast or lunch in Grae’s opinion}. It’s easy to make too!

Homemade Real Fruit Yogurt Tubes

9 / 15 / 159 / 21 / 15

As I was brainstorming some fun lunchbox ideas last week, one of the staple kids’ lunchbox snacks that came to mind was yogurt tubes. Kids love them… They’re fun, usually covered in branded characters, and sometimes even turn your tongue blue. Plus, they can be frozen ahead of time and not only stay cool until lunch or snack time, but also serve as an icepack in your lunchbox. ☺

Homemade Apple Pear Squash Fruit Leather

9 / 12 / 159 / 21 / 15

Apple Pear Squash Fruit Leather | Mama Papa Bubba

Mmm… Homemade fruit leather. One of our favourite treats! I’ll admit that it took me a while to delve into the world of making our own at first, but once I realized that it doesn’t require any special equipment and it’s pretty much as easy as making a fruit sauce, I was hooked. It’s a great way to use up overripe fruit and it makes for a perfect sugary fruit snack alternative in lunch boxes too!