{Healthy} Frozen Banana Pops

7 / 15 / 127 / 20 / 12

With a freezer already full of two ingredient ice cream, frozen bananas waiting to be turned into smoothies, and a few beginning to speckle bananas in the fruit bowl, I decided we’d try something new today… A much healthier version of one of my childhood favourites – frozen chocolate-dipped bananas from Dairy Queen (does anyone remember those?)

Our line up of ingredients: bananas, all-natural peanut butter, wooden popsicle sticks, and toppings. (Grae picked sesame seeds, organic raisins, sunflower seeds, and organic brown rice puffs, but almost anything would work… Dried cranberries, chopped nuts, and granola would be yummy too.)

To get started, peel a couple of bananas.

And then chop them roughly in half.

Now for the messy part… Spread your peanut butter on the banana halves. (Gracen started by spreading peanut butter on one side, then I’d insert the popsicle stick, flip the banana over, and gently cover the other side.)

It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you want most of your banana covered in a layer of peanut butter by the time you’re through.

Next, take your banana and roll it in the topping(s) of your choice. Larger items, such as raisins, can be added by hand afterwards.

Place your pops on a tray and pop them in the freezer for at least an hour or so.

In the meantime, let your little munchkin {messily} lick the spoon and snack on the leftovers.

Once they’re at least semi-frozen, serve them as a snack or for dessert.

Or heck, why not breakfast?! If there’s ever been a breakfast-appropriate popsicle, this has got to be it.

{Healthy} Frozen Banana Pops

Bananas
All-natural nut butter
Toppings of your choice
Wooden popsicle sticks

Peel your bananas and chop in half. Gently cover the bananas in nut butter and insert your wooden popsicle sticks. Holding onto the stick, roll your banana in the desired toppings. Place on a tray or baking sheet and freeze.

Enjoy!

Crispy Asiago Edamame Beans

7 / 15 / 127 / 15 / 12

This afternoon we did something I’ve been avoiding for much of the week… we used the oven {the perks of a much cooler day}. When I came across this recipe from allrecipes.com on Pinterest a little while back, I knew it would be right up my little edamame lover’s alley. We tweaked the original recipe just a tad, and it turned out great.

The best part is that it’s really simple. Here’s everything you need: edamame beans, olive oil, fresh-ground pepper, sea salt, and some cheese (we used asiago).

First things first, run your beans under some cool water for a few minutes to thaw them.

Next, have your sous chef place them all in a large mixing bowl.

Add a drizzle of olive oil…

Your cheese…

A generous grinding of pepper…

And just a tiny touch of sea salt.

Then mix everything together.

Lay your beans out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (who doesn’t love easy clean up?!) and pop them in the oven, flipping them once about half way through.

Take them out when they’re golden brown and have a good crunch to them.

Let cool for a few minutes and serve while still warm. Mmmmm!

Crispy Asiago Edamame Beans

1/2 a package of thawed, shelled edamame beans
1/4 cup of finely grated asiago
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of freshly-grated pepper
1/8 teaspoon of sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well. Lay beans on a parchment-lined baking pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping once about halfway through. Let cool for a few minutes and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Homemade {Toddler Approved} Kale Chips

7 / 5 / 125 / 26 / 19

If you’ve ever wanted your toddler {and the rest of your family} to eat kale, but didn’t know how to prepare it, or got the thumbs down on the way you did prepare it, this is for you. Not only are kale chips fun to make with munchkins, but if your little ones are anything like Gracen, they’ll munch them up by the bowl full. I’ve always liked kale, but I must admit, the first time I tried kale chips I was not a fan. I’m not sure what it was, but I’m so glad I tried them again recently. For me, the key to delicious kale chips is that they are very crisp (who wants to eat soggy chips?!), not overly oily, and slightly salted. And eating them when they’re fresh out of the oven increases the deliciousness even more. Here’s how Miss G and I whipped up our batch this morning…

{Scroll to the bottom to see our updated method… But in the meantime – Baby G – GAH!}

First, start with a couple of bunches of kale. The fresher, the better.

Fill your sink with cool water and give the leaves a good washing.

Rinse your leaves under cool running water, shake them out, and place on a clean towel to dry.

Place another clean towel on top of the leaves and pat gently to remove excess water.

Next, remove the stems and chop the leafy parts into chip-sized pieces.

Although the chopping part is obviously not toddler-friendly, while I did the chopping, Gracen’s job was to collect the soon-to-be chips and place them in a large bowl. In order to keep her little fingers safe, we stuck with the same rule we always use – no touching anything on the chopping board. This is something I’ve reinforced since I started cooking with her and she’s very good about waiting for me to move things onto the counter before she touches them.

Next, drizzle a small amount of oil on the leaves (a little goes a long way). We used grapeseed oil because it’s flavourless, but olive oil works too.

Mix well.

With the oil evenly distributed, move about half of your leaves onto a large baking pan (Judging by her heaping pile, G got a little excited).

Arrange them so that they are in as close to a single layer as possible…

And grind just a very tiny touch of sea salt on top.

Do the same thing with the other half of your leaves, and pop both pans into the oven. Be sure to watch them quite closely and flip them every now and then to ensure an even crispness.

Voila! Done. They may not look like the prettiest things, but I promise they’re yummy.

Serve them on their own as a snack, or in this case, as a side with lunch (smashed avocado and chickpea roll ups).

Homemade {Toddler-Approved} Kale Chips

2 bunches of kale
2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Wash, rinse, and dry your kale. Remove stems and chop leafy parts into large chip-sized pieces. Drizzle kale with oil, sprinkle on salt, and mix well until oil is evenly distributed. Using 2 large baking sheets, arrange leaves so that they are in as close to a single layer as possible. Bake at 400 degrees, flipping them every now and then. Remove chips as ready to avoid over-browning. Eat immediately or store at room temperature.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: After years and years of making kale chips at home, a) they’re still a favourite and b) our method has changed just slightly. First off, we’ve discovered lacinato kale – the kind that has fairly flat leaves {we get it at Nature’s Fare here in Vernon}. WELL. Game changer. It cooks much more evenly which means that you always get the perfect, crisp kale chip. We also add garlic powder {and sometimes nutritional yeast} because… YUM. As far as prep goes, we now use a salad spinner (so much faster and easier) and we’ve switched to doing just one bunch of kale at a time which I think helps the chips crisp up better. With two bunches / pans in the oven at once I was finding that it sometimes got steamy in there, which is not really what you want when making crisp chips.

Here’s our updated recipe {though the first one does still work just fine}…

Crispy Homemade Kale Chips (UPDATED VERSION)

1 bunch of lacinato kale (approximately 10 leaves)
1 tablespoon of olive or avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
sprinkling of nutritional yeast (if desired)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash your lacinato kale leaves and dry them fully using a salad spinner. Using a knife, remove the stems and cut each leaf into 4-6 big pieces. Dump the kale onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner and drizzle the oil on top. Use your hands to toss the leaves and evenly distribute the oil. Sprinkle on the garlic powder, sea salt, and nutritional yeast if using, and toss them with your hands once again. Arrange the kale in a single layer and pop them into the oven for 10 minutes. When the timer goes, remove the pan, flip each individual chip, and bake for an additional 3 minutes.

Serve fresh out of the oven or let cool completely and then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Enjoy!

Toddler-Friendly Strawberry Applesauce

7 / 4 / 127 / 6 / 12

Before going on vacation, I had washed, chopped, and frozen a bunch of fruit we hadn’t yet gotten around to eating. Well this morning, when a bag of strawberries landed at my feet as a result of opening the freezer door, I decided it was time to put some of that fruit to good use. I did consider making a smoothie, but I wanted to try something we don’t make all the time already. I ran through a couple of options and quickly settled on applesauce when I saw my dish rack full of apples from washing them the night before. Miss G really enjoys applesauce and although you can easily buy organic ‘just apples’ applesauce at most grocery stores, nothing beats the real thing. I gathered my {always enthusiastic helper} and a few ingredients and we got busy in the kitchen.

The line up of ingredients: strawberries, apples, pure maple syrup (optional), vanilla, and water.

Get started by peeling and coring your apples. (I haven’t yet taught Gracen how to peel things, so I peeled and cored our apples while she gathered all of the scraps and placed them in a bowl for composting.)

Next up, chop your apples into smallish pieces. (We both did this job – Gracen using a regular butter knife, of course. FYI: I’ve done this several times with my Kindergarten classes and decent-quality plastic/wooden knives work too.)

Then, chop your strawberries.

Dump everything into a large pot.

Add a little bit of water…

Just a touch of pure maple syrup… (Only if you want some extra sweetness – turns out ours could have easily done without.)

And a good amount of pure vanilla.

Give everything a quick stir and pop it on the stove at medium heat.

Slowly cook the fruit, stirring occasionally, until everything is soft and easily mashed with a fork.

Remove from the heat and mash until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. If you like a smoother texture, an immersion blender works well.

Dish out a small bowl…

And give it to your extremely excited toddler. Watch her gobble it up and ask for more.

Strawberry Applesauce

2 large apples (the sweeter they are the better – we used Fujis)
Approximately 10 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
4 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of pure maple syrup (completely optional – ours would have been plenty sweet without)

Peel, core, and chop apples. Chop strawberries. Add all ingredients to a large pot and cook over medium heat for approximately 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pot from heat and mash or blend fruit until it reaches desired consistency. Serve warm or refrigerate for later.

Enjoy!

Fruit Cars

6 / 21 / 126 / 23 / 12

Apple cars are one of Gracen’s all-time favourite snacks. Since we’re heading out on vacation tonight and today’s goal was to eat up as much of our produce as possible, I decided we’d take the apple car idea to a new level and use other kinds of fruit too.

Miss G riffled through the crisper and found kiwi, apples, and nectarines (perfect for car bodies) and blueberries and grapes (perfect for wheels). While fruit cars don’t really lend themselves to a ton of toddler participation, Gracen was my official passer and counter. First, we cut thin slices of kiwi, apple, and nectarine, then we chopped the grapes in half. Since the blueberries were already quite flat, we just left them as is. Gracen’s favourite part was taking the spaghetti noodles and breaking them in small pieces – a job that’s easy and perfectly safe for toddlers.
Grae carefully passed me spaghetti pieces one at a time and I poked one through the front and back of each car body.

Next, we added our wheels. Two on one side…
And two more on the other side.

Soon we had a whole fleet of little fruit cars.

Snack time!

But before you can eat them, you have to zoom each one around the plate of course.
Then carefully disassemble the cars and neatly pile the spaghetti sticks on the table…

Then eat! A perfect snack for a summer’s day.

♥

Endurance Crackers

5 / 31 / 126 / 1 / 12

When I stumbled upon this recipe last week on Oh She Glows, I knew we had to give it a try very soon. Gracen loves all things crunchy (crackers especially) and lives for nuts and seeds, so the recipe really couldn’t be suited to her any better. Plus, the list of ingredients includes things we always have in the house… Score.

To get started, we collected our ingredients (this has become one of Gracen’s favourite parts of cooking… I retrieve the items from the cupboards and fridge, and she walks back and forth, carefully depositing them on the butcher block one at a time)… Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, Chia Goodness (plain chia seeds would work just as well), sesame seeds, finely chopped sweet onion and garlic, water, and kosher salt is what you’ll need.
Start off by dumping your pumpkin seeds into a large mixing bowl.

Add the sunflower seeds…

Sesame seeds…

And Chia Goodness (or plain chia).

Give the seeds a little mix and set the bowl aside.

Get out a separate smaller bowl, and dump in your onion and garlic.

Then add the water.

Stir the mixture for a minute.

Next, pour the water mixture into the seed mixture.
Stir really well, allowing enough time for the chia seeds to absorb the water and thicken the mixture.

If you’re a seed fiend like this little one is, now would be a great time to sneak a few pinchfuls into your mouth.
Next, take a few pinches of kosher salt, add them to your mixture, and stir again.

Dump the mixture onto a large parchment-lined baking sheet.

Using the back of a spoon, spread the mixture out into a very thin layer. Don’t be too worried about holes – they’re easy to patch up at the end. (If you’re working with a little one, this part will definitely require a little grown-up help. I let Gracen flatten the mound at the beginning and pat down my spreading job at the very end and she was pleased with that.)
If your monkey is anything like mine, they may try to lick the seeds straight off the pan. (No joke – this really happened. Multiple times in fact. Crazy girl.)

In the end, we settled on her licking the spoon in exchange for keeping her tongue off of our oven-ready crackers.
Next, it’s time to pop the pan into the oven.

Halfway through the baking time, remove the pan from the oven and slice up your crackers (I used a pizza cutter and it worked great). Crackers can be as big or as small as you want them to be and can be cut in squares, triangles, diamonds, or any other shape your little heart desires.

Once cut, use a spatula to help you flip the crackers over (this step was surprisingly easier than I expected it to be) and pop them back in the oven for the remainder of the time.
When you take them out, they should be crispy and golden.

Allow to cool, then gently remove them from the pan.
Serve to your very anxious and excited toddler. Be prepared to hear “Mmmmmmmm!” and “More! More! More!” endlessly.

These crackers are truly delicious. They’re light and crispy and have a perfectly nutty / savoury flavour. Not to mention that they’re vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, and oil-free, so they’re the perfect snack for just about anyone!

Endurance Crackers

1/2 cup of raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup of raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of raw sesame seeds
1/2 cup of Chia Goodness (or plain chia seeds)

1 cup water
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon of finely chopped sweet onion
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the seeds together. In a small bowl, mix the water, garlic, and onion. Whisk well.

Pour the water mixture onto the seeds and stir until thick and combined. Season with salt to taste. Add spices or fresh herbs if you wish.

Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet with the back of a spoon until it’s less than 1/4 inch thick. Not to worry if a couple parts become too thin, you can just patch them up at the end.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, slice into crackers, and carefully flip onto other side with a spatula. Bake for another 30 minutes, watching closely after about 25 minutes. The bottoms will be lightly golden in colour. Allow to cool completely on the pan. Store in a container or plastic baggy.

Enjoy!

You can see our other favourite homemade crackers here.

Making Moon Dough

5 / 27 / 1211 / 25 / 13

This is something I’ve been planning to make with Gracen for a long while now and I’m so glad we finally tried it today. Moon dough, often also called cloud dough, is a silky, mouldable mixture of just two ingredients many families probably already have on hand. Fun and easy – love it!

To whip up your own batch of moon dough, all you need is some white flour, some baby oil, a mixing bowl, and a whisk.

Start by adding 8 parts flour into your bowl.

Then add 1 part baby oil.

Mix well, ensuring all the large clumps are broken up and the oil is evenly distributed through the flour.

When you’re done, the mixture will be light and fluffy and the clumps should be minimal. That’s it – so easy! Transfer it into a large bin and add some cups, moulds, straws, spoons, and cookie cutters for your little one(s) to use while exploring.

Cloud Dough

8 cups of white flour
1 cup of baby oil

Put the ingredients into a large bowl and mix really well. Store in an airtight container or bag for several months.

Enjoy!

Refreshing Watermelon Ice Pops

5 / 20 / 125 / 20 / 12

We were on a roll with our mango smoothie popsicles today, and when the disappointment of our kitchen fun being over set in for the little one, I decided that we may as well whip up another batch of popsicles. I mean, why not? Of course, Gracen was more than game.

We chopped up a couple of big slices of watermelon, grabbed a lemon and lime from the fridge, and clipped a couple of mint sprigs from the garden, and we were good to go.

This recipe is pretty much identical to the one for the citrus mint watermelon cooler we made a few weeks back, other than the addition of lime and the fact that you freeze the mixture instead of just drinking it as is. But here it is anyways…

Put your watermelon chunks into a blender.

Taste midway through to ensure yumminess.

Next, juice a lime…

And a lemon.

Pull out the seeds and pour the juice and pulp into your blender.

Next, sniff in the deliciousness that is fresh mint.

Then pop it into the blender.

Secure the lid on the blender and blend everything until smooth. (Depending on the juiciness of your watermelon, you may need to pulse and shake the blender a few times in order to build up a little liquid.)

Once fully blended, carefully pour the mixture into your popsicle moulds.

Then add the sticks and pop them into the freezer.

If there’s any leftover, let you toddler have a little taste and watch her eyes light up with excitement. If Grae’s reaction to the frozen pops is anything like the reaction she had to the juice, I know she’ll love them.

Refreshing Watermelon Ice Pops

2 cups of chopped watermelon (a few seeds won’t hurt)
A small handful of fresh mint leaves
Juice and pulp from 1 lemon and 1 lime

Place everything in blender. Pulse and shake a few times in order to build up a little liquid. Blend the entire mixture until smooth. Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze.

Enjoy!

Healthy Mango Smoothie Popsicles

5 / 20 / 125 / 20 / 12

With our abnormally long string of sunshiny-weathered days coming to a screeching halt today, we spent our rainy day inside, stocking up our freezer for the next our next stint of beautiful weather… With homemade popsicles of course!

Cases of mango seem to be everywhere lately and since our crisper was overflowing with them, I decided we’d put them to good use and whip up some creamy mango smoothie popsicles this time around (see our banana almond yogurt pops and our raspberry blueberry yogurt pops here). I quickly peeled and chopped a few mangos, then recruited my little lady to help in the kitchen.

We started by gathering our ingredients. Here’s what you need: mango, plain Greek yogurt, lemons, and pure vanilla (and a blender, spoon, and popsicle moulds of some sort).

Get started by putting all of your mango chunks into your blender.

Then add a generous amount of really good, thick Greek yogurt. (We used the no fat kind this time around because it’s what we had on hand, but since these popsicles are really for Gracen more than anyone else, I’d normally use the full fat kind.)

Next up – juice a couple of lemons…

And add the juice and pulp to the blender.

Lastly, add a splash of pure vanilla for a little hint of sweetness. (Depending on the sweetness of your mango, you may want to add a tiny bit of honey or pure maple syrup at this point too, but if your mango is ripe and naturally sweet, you won’t need it).

Next, blend away!

While your mixture is blending, get your moulds out and ready. (I love these old-school Tupperware ones from Gma Char… They remind me of summers on the back deck as a kid!)

When your mango mixture is smooth and creamy, pour it into the moulds, leaving a little room at the top for expansion.

That’s it! Let your little one slurp up the extras, put the lids on the moulds, and pop them in the freezer!

I must admit that Brad and I tried these tonight while the doodlebug was asleep. The verdict? They’re yummy! Can’t wait for Grae to try them tomorrow!

Healthy Mango Smoothie Popsicles

3 medium-sized mangos, peeled and chopped
1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (you could easily use vanilla instead if you want extra sweetness and don’t mind some added sugar)
1 1/2 lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
1 tablespoon of good honey or pure maple syrup (if desired)

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture into popsicle moulds and freeze.

Enjoy!

Healthy{ish} Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

5 / 11 / 125 / 12 / 12

When I spotted big, bright pink stalks of rhubarb at the market this week, I just couldn’t pass them by. Rhubarb brings back all sorts of memories for me… Summers at my Baba’s (grandma’s) house, her immaculately kept yard and gardens, and fresh rhubarb stalks picked from the garden and paired with little glass bowls of dipping sugar… Best.thing.ever.

And while I’m not quite ready to be handing Gracen little bowls filled with white sugar, I was sure we could use our rhubarb to whip up something delicious and healthy{ish} together.

So today, after a morning with friends at Campbell Valley Park and an afternoon outside in the backyard, we decided to bake a strawberry rhubarb crisp while our dinner warmed in the oven. (These are the perks to making a big dinner the night before and having more than enough for a second night.)

First things first, gather the following: rhubarb, strawberries (fresh or frozen), wholewheat flour, vanilla, pure maple syrup, old-fashioned oats, and olive oil. The biggest necessity however? One silly little doodle sporting a tiny apron and her “smile face”.

To get started, dump your fruit into a large mixing bowl.

Enthusiastically add some wholewheat flour…

Some pure maple syrup…

And a touch of vanilla.

Then mix it all up. If you’re feeling adventurous, follow Grae’s lead and sneak a piece of flour-covered rhubarb into your mouth (yuck).

When everything is mixed, pour the fruit mixture into a glass baking dish and spread it around evenly.

With the fruit filling complete, it’s time for the topping. Grab a fresh bowl (or rinse the one you have) and dump in some wholewheat flour.

Next, add some old-fashioned oats…

Some cinnamon…

Some olive oil…

And a little bit of pure maple syrup.

Mix everything well.

Next, shake your oat mixture out on top of your fruit, trying to distribute it {somewhat} evenly over the dish. Gently pat everything down in place.

That’s it! Now pop it into the oven for a bit.

And take it out when the fruit is bubbling and the oats are golden brown. Let cool on the counter while you eat dinner.

Then dish out two little bowls, one for you and one for your toddler, and listen to her exclaim “Mmmmmmmmm! Nom-a-nom-a-neh” while she shovels heaping spoonfuls into her mouth. Be prepared – she’ll most likely finish before you do and then ask to eat yours on top of her own. ☺

I honestly wasn’t sure how this recipe would turn out… I’ve made many crisps before and significantly reduced the amount of butter and brown sugar, but I’ve never omitted both ingredients all together and replaced them with olive oil and maple syrup. I’m happy to report, however, that it turned out really well. Although it’s not as sweet as a regular crisp, it’s just sweet enough to balance out the tartness of the rhubarb, plus it’s got lots of flavour and a good crunch to it. And the best part is that I feel okay about giving our wee one a little bowl to enjoy too.

Of course, if you wanted to sweeten it up a little bit, you could increase the amount of maple syrup, add a touch of honey, or, my personal favourite – top it with a little bit of whipped cream or ice cream.

Healthy{ish} Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

4 cups of chopped fruit (we used about 3 cups of rhubarb and 1 cup of frozen strawberries)
1/4 cup of wholewheat flour
3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

1 cup of wholewheat flour
1 cup of organic old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 – 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the first set of ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spread the fruit mixture in the bottom of a glass baking dish.

Put the second set of ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Shake out the oat mixture on top of the fruit, trying to distribute it evenly over the fruit. Gently pat down with your hands.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the oats are crunchy and golden brown.

Allow to cool a while, then scoop into bowls and serve.

Enjoy!

Nutrient-Packed Energy BItes

5 / 8 / 121 / 26 / 19

Note to self: When planning on doing a cooking project with Miss G, don’t make mention of it until it’s actually time to begin. I learned this the hard way today when I casually asked Gracen if she wanted to make a treat with me while finishing up a load of dishes. I went to pop the dishtowels in the wash and came back to a butcher block littered with with containers – cocoa, cream of tartar, beans, and baking powder. Not sure what she planned on making, but she obviously got a little excited and jumped the gun. My bad.

Today we whipped up a little something I’ve seen a lot of while browsing Pinterest… Energy bites. Here’s our version, and let me tell you, they’re delish. Sweet and satisfying like dessert, but packed with healthy fats, protein, fibre, and vitamins.

Don’t be intimidated by our giant line up of ingredients… These are all things we always have on hand and I wanted to jam pack these little suckers with as many nutrients as possible, so we used a little of everything. It doesn’t have to be this involved though. I like the way Heidi from Food Doodles stated it… This is more of a formula than a recipe. You could easily get away with less than half of these ingredients. Our list includes organic oats, pure maple syrup, honey, all-natural almond butter, hemp hearts, chia, ground flax seed, wheat germ, raw almonds, walnuts, unsweetened coconut, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and pure vanilla.

To get started, put your almond butter into a large mixing bowl (any nut butter will do, so feel free to pick your favourite).

Next, add some old-fashioned oats.

Then gather your “goodies”. For us this included hemp hearts, chia, ground flax seed, wheat germ, raw almonds, walnuts, unsweetened coconut, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds, but it could really be any combination of dry ingredients.

Dump your goodies into the mixing bowl.

Next, add a generous amount of good vanilla.

And a spice (or spice combination) of your choice. We kept it simple in the spice department and chose cinnamon, but you could really use any of your favourites… Nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice could all be good options.

Mix everything together so that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.

While you tidy up, pop your mixture into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (or cheat like we did and pop it into the freezer for half the amount of time).

With your mixture chilled, now you’re ready to form your bites. We found it easiest to take a tablespoon measure, dip it into a mug of very hot water (this would work even better if you were using a metal measuring spoon), fill the scoop, and press the mixture down into the spoon to compact it.

Little dome-shaped bites should easily pop out into your hand or onto your baking sheet.

Tada! Little nutrient-packed mouthfuls.

After you’ve formed all of your bites, pop them into the fridge / freezer for storage or feed them to your desperate toddler immediately. (In all honesty, she stuck around to help form the first five and then begged for me to put her in her seat so she could start gobbling down her creation.)

You may not be able to tell, but she’s got a giant mouthful, plus a fistful, and she’s frantically saying “More! More!” You think she liked them?

‘Mama, don’t you hear me saying “more”? Must I sign it for you also?’

I highly recommend you whip up some of these as soon as possible. The original recipe can be found here and this is our tweaked version:

Nutrient-Packed Energy Bites

1/2 of a cup of all-natural nut butter (at room temperature)
1/4 of a cup of honey and pure maple syrup (we used mostly maple syrup with just a little honey because I’ve always found the sweetness of honey to be a little overwhelming, but using more honey will definitely increase the stickiness of the mixture, thus making it easier to form the bites)
1 cup of organic old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups of dry “goodies” (your personal combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, unsweetened coconut, wheat germ, ground flax, hemp heats, chia, etc.)
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla
1 teaspoon of your favorite spices or spice combination (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg would all be yummy)

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Stir well.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or pop in the freezer for 15). Dip a tablespoon measuring spoon into a mug of very hot water and fill the spoon with the mixture, pressing it down in order to compact everything. Gently shake spoonfuls out onto a baking sheet and place in the fridge or freezer to firm them up.

Serve or transfer into an airtight container and store in the fridge or freezer. Pull bites out for a quick, delicious, and nutritious snack.

Enjoy!

Are you following us on Facebook and Instagram yet?

We’d love to have you!

Southwest Turkey Chili

5 / 7 / 1211 / 3 / 13

Let me tell you, our little girl loves to cook. This afternoon I made mention of the fact that I might need some help with dinner and she had her apron around her neck and was pushing a chair into the kitchen before I had even gathered my canned goods. On tonight’s menu was one of our household staples – turkey chili. Super hearty, easy to pull together, loved by everyone, and even better as left overs… That’s my kind of meal.

Here’s the line up of ingredients: Ground turkey (cooked with a couple of diced onions, a couple of chopped celery stalks, a few minced garlic cloves, some olive oil and lots of freshly ground pepper), frozen corn, baked beans, kidney beans, black beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chill powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper.

Once you’ve browned your ground turkey (ground chicken works just as well), you basically just add everything to a pot and let it do its thing. In with the baked beans…

Side note: I hate buying baked beans. I’m rarely able to find a good low-sodium, low-sugar option and always end up juggling 5 cans in an effort to accurately compare their labels while entertaining a toddler who wants the shopping cart to keep moving. Must find a good brand and stock up.

Drain and rinse your black beans and add them to the pot.

Same drill with your kidney beans (white or red both taste great)… Drain, rinse, and add.

Next, add your diced tomatoes. I buy a petite diced low-sodium olive oil and garlic option – more flavour and no chopping!

Next, add in some corn.

And some tomato paste.

Then add your ground turkey mixture.

On with the spices! First, add a generous amount of chill powder…

Then some cumin…

And a touch of oregano.

Depending on how spicy you like it, shake in some cayenne pepper. (We often add some jalapeños at this point too, but we like a little heat.)

Now mix everything up really well…

So that it looks something like this.

We use an awesome really heavy oven-safe Kitchenaid pot (wish I knew what it was really called) that Brad’s parents bought us, so we put the lid on, pop it in the oven, and come back an hour later to a hot dinner. (A stovetop pot or slow cooker works just as well.)

If time allows, let your chili stand before serving.

Dish into bowls and top with your favourite toppings… Avocado, sour cream, jalapeños, and grated cheese are some of our favourites.

Southwest Turkey Chili

*This recipe is very flexible and easily lends itself to changes, so don’t be afraid to experiment and get it just as you like it.

1 package of lean ground turkey (ground chicken works too)
2 small / medium onions, diced
2 celery stocks, chopped
2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
freshly ground pepper to taste

1 can of no-salt-added black beans
1 can of no-salt-added kidney beans
1 can of low-sodium, low-sugar baked beans
1 can of petite diced low-sodium tomatoes
1 cup of frozen corn
1/2 can of all-natural tomato paste
2 – 3 tablespoons of chili powder
1 heaping tablespoon of cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons of oregano
cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Sauté onions and celery for a few minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add turkey and freshly ground pepper. Sauté until the turkey is fully cooked, making sure to break up big pieces every now and then.

Add turkey mixture, along with all other ingredients into an oven-safe pot. Stir well. Place lid on pot, pop into the oven, and let cook for a full hour. (If you’re really on your game and have the time to spare, cook for 2 hours at 350 degrees.) Remove chili from heat and let stand 10 – 20 minutes before serving. Taste and add salt if desired.

Top with cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, or avocado.

Enjoy!

Citrus Mint Watermelon Cooler

5 / 4 / 125 / 4 / 12

I must admit, we’re pretty strict when it comes to Gracen’s eating habits. She’s 20 months old now, and we’ve managed to stay clear of all refined sugars, processed foods, and other junk foods thus far (although she did taste her first ever tortilla chip a few days ago while celebrating her Papa’s 30th birthday). So far, we’ve also avoided all juices too.

But today as we were waiting for last night’s leftover pizza to warm in the oven and I was attempting to chop watermelon with a hungry little munchkin tugging on my pants, I needed a way to get her involved in the lunch preparation for a few minutes. Off the top of my head, I decided we’d turn the watermelon into a smoothie of sorts, so I sent her into the crisper to retrieve a lemon and we headed outside to pluck a fresh stem of mint from the yard. What do you get when you combine these 3 simple ingredients? A citrus mint watermelon cooler (which totally reminds me of something we would have seen on an elaborate “drink” menu during our years in Kuwait). Truthfully, I had no idea how this would turn out, but it was deeeeelish.

Here are the required ingredients…. Chopped watermelon, fresh mint, and a lemon or two (ours was of the sweet variety, hence the orange colour, but any lemon would do).

First step – put your watermelon in a blender.

Be sure to save the last chunk for eating purposes. ☺

Pluck the mint leaves off of the stem.

And put them in the blender.

Next, squeeze the juice out of your lemons and into the blender.

Be sure to remove the seeds first or catch them while squeezing!

Then, blend! At first, it may seem as though there is not enough liquid to allow the mixture to blend properly. Start by ‘pulsing’ and then removing the blender from its base to give it a good shake. After doing this a few times, you’ll have plenty of liquid to blend the entire mixture. For a smoother texture, blend for a couple of minutes, and for a chunkier texture, blend less.

Pour a munchkin-sized glass for your wee one…

And a mason jar full for yourself!

If I’m being honest, Grae took a sip or two in the very beginning and let out an enthusiastic ‘Mmmmmm!’, but then promptly asked for water and left her glass of watermelon juice just sitting there for the duration of lunch. It truly was really yummy and she loves all of the ingredients separately, so I’ve come upon the decision that she’s just not a juice girl. She had the same reaction back in January when she was sick and we offered her the juice from a freshly squeezed orange. Oh well. I’m perfectly happy having a kid who would prefer water over juice anyways.

Citrus Mint Watermelon Cooler

2 cups of chopped watermelon (a few seeds won’t hurt)
A small handful of fresh mint leaves
Juice from one or two lemons

*Play with the ratios to get it tasting exactly as you like.

Place everything in blender. Pulse and shake a few times in order to build up a little liquid. Blend the entire mixture until your desired consistency is reached. Serve with ice and a fresh mint sprig.

Enjoy!

Homemade Cheddar Crackers

4 / 29 / 129 / 15 / 14

I don’t think I know a single toddler who doesn’t love crackers. The problem is that many of them are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, sugars, sodium, artificial colouring, and a bunch of other ingredients that I can’t properly pronounce. Luckily, we have found several healthier options that Miss G loves (like these, these, and these), but that doesn’t stop us from whipping up a batch of these delicious goldfish cracker knock-offs every once and a while. They’re ridiculously yummy, easy to make, and only require a handful of ingredients. Doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

Here’s the ingredient line up for our homemade cheddar crackers… Wholewheat flour, olive oil, good cheddar cheese, some garlic or onion powder (plus cayenne if you wish) and a tiny bit of sea salt. (You may also need a touch of warm water if you’re using a mixer instead of a food processor.)

Of course a tiny little kitchen assistant is a necessity also.

First things first, measure your wholewheat flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add in LOTS of old cheddar.

Be sure to sneak a little pinchful into your mouth while no one’s looking.

Then add your spices. We use a combination of garlic powder and cayenne pepper, but you can pretty much add what you like.

Next, add some olive oil.

And just a teeny tiny bit of sea salt.

When all of the ingredients are in the bowl, mix everything up. If you’re using an electric mixer like we did, or mixing by hand, you’ll probably have to add just a touch of warm water to help the dough come together. If you’re using a food processor, the moisture from the olive oil and cheese will probably be enough.

Take a look inside your bowl and stare in awe.

Right now, your mixture should look something like this.

Dump the contents of your bowl onto a clean work surface, and gently form your dough into a ball.

Lightly flour your counter and rolling pin and roll out your dough fairly thin.

Using a teeny tiny cookie cutter, cut out tons of tiny crackers. You may want to flour it every so often to ensure a clean cut.

Gracen chose a moon-shaped cutter, so millions of tiny moons it was.

Lay them on ungreased baking pans.

And then pop them in the oven to bake.

Take them out of the oven just as they begin to turn slightly brown, let them cool, and serve!

I highly recommend making a batch of these sometime soon! The original recipe can be found here, and this is our modified version:

Wholewheat Cheddar Crackers

3 cups of sharp cheddar
8 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne paper
1/8 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 cup of warm water (if mixing by hand or electric mixer)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients and gently form dough into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/8 of an inch thick. Form shapes with a cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time to ensure a clean cut. Gently transfer crackers to an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake the crackers for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are just barely browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Baked Zucchini Chips

4 / 25 / 124 / 26 / 12

This afternoon my little sous chef and I gathered a few simple ingredients and got to work on making one of my recent ‘pins‘ – baked zucchini chips.

To get started, we got out a couple of small zucchinis, wholewheat bread crumbs, freshly grated parmesan, ground flax, dried basil and oregano, garlic powder, ground black pepper, cayenne, sea salt, wholewheat flour, milk, and some organic raw apple cider vinegar.

First up, we worked on our dry mixture. In with the breadcrumbs…

Then the flax, herbs, and spices…

And then the fresh parmesan.

Gracen gave it all a good mix and it was ready to go.

Next, we worked on the wet mixture. And let me tell you, things got wet. Oopsies. Like they say, don’t cry over spilled milk.

Mess cleaned up, we continued on our way by adding some wholewheat flour to the milk.

And then just a little apple cider vinegar.

Then Miss G gently stirred it up into a thin paste.

With our wet and dry bowls ready to go, we began the dipping process. First the zucchini slices got dipped into the milk/flour mixture…

And then into the breadcrumb mixture. (Grae loved this job.)

Once they were nicely coated, we placed them on a baking sheet lined with foil. (Note to self: Must buy more parchment paper.)

As you can see, things got a little messy, but such is cooking with an enthusiastic one-year-old assistant.

With our baking pan crammed full of coated zucchini coins, we popped them in the oven to bake for a bit.

In the meantime, my little helper and I cleaned up. ☺

Thirty minutes later, our zucchini chips were ready! We added them to a plate with wild rice, chicken, and steamed broccoli, and dinner was served.

If you want to make some zucchini chips of your own, we followed this recipe fairly closely. Here’s our slightly modified version:

1/2 cup of wholewheat breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan
2 tablespoons of ground flax seed
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of dried basil
1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

1 cup of milk
1 heaping cup of wholewheat flour
1 teaspoon of organic raw apple cider vinegar

2 small zucchinis, washed and thickly sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the breadcrumbs, cheese, flax, spices, and herbs together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, flour, and vinegar together.

Dip the zucchini slices into the wet mixture first, and then dredge with breadcrumb mixture. Place coated zucchini coins on a lined baking pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once half way through.

Enjoy!

*Note: When we were done, we had A LOT of our wet mixture leftover. In order to avoid being wasteful, I would cut that part of the recipe down by half in the future.