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Tag Archives: eats

Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {9}

5 / 2 / 125 / 9 / 12

Toddler Food

Here it is…  Our ninth instalment of Toddler Food.  Please don’t mind the fact that it looks as though I only fed my child lunch and dinner every other day this week…  I promise, she was well fed everyday!  The lack of photos means one of two things – either there were a lot of leftovers involved (very possible) or I simply forgot to take photos (very possible also).  Anyways, here’s a question I got from a fellow mommy this week:

Is there anything your baby doesn’t eat?  How do you handle it?

The answer is yes, there sure is!  It’s a strange one because it seems like such a kid / North American staple, but she does not like potatoes and has never liked them.  It doesn’t matter if they’re mashed, roasted, boiled, baked, or pan-fried, she puts them in her mouth, starts to chew, and immediately begins scraping her tongue off with her pudgy little hand.  So weird.  The other thing she really doesn’t seem to enjoy is raw tomato (I don’t blame her – I don’t enjoy them either! ☺)  She eats cooked tomatoes, tomato sauces and soups, but will always leave raw tomatoes on her plate.  I must say, we’re very lucky as those are really the only two things she doesn’t seem to like.

As far as how we handle it goes, I guess we kind of don’t “handle” it at all…  (Is that bad?)  If potatoes or raw tomatoes are included in the meal we’re eating, we put some on her plate, and let her eat as usual.  We may encourage her to try them if she’s tried everything else and not touched them, but in all honesty, we just kind of leave it.  If she eats them, she eats them, and if she doesn’t, she doesn’t.  (Again, this laid-back approach is very likely due to the fact that she’s a fantastic little eater and we’re never really worried about whether or not she’s getting enough nutrients / calories / vitamins / food groups.)

Here are some of the meals our growing little girl ate this week:

IMG 1350Breakfast // Wholewheat oat pancakes with stewed berries.

IMG 1470Breakfast // French chia and flax toast with berries and bananas.  Watermelon sticks.

IMG 1426Breakfast // Toasted Chia and flax bread with all-natural peanut butter and Crofter’s Organic Just Fruit Spread. Hard cooked organic egg. Fruit slices.

IMG 1542Breakfast // Breakfast banana split (banana, all-natural almond butter, plain organic whole milk yogurt, organic oats, organic raisins, strawberry slices, and a sprinkling of cinnamon).

IMG 1583Breakfast // Breakfast bagel (broiled cheese, scrambled organic egg, and avocado slices) with sliced strawberries.

IMG 1561Breakfast // Organic Greek yogurt with strawberry slices, mango chunks, and hemp hearts.

IMG 1354Snack // Multigrain Melba Toasts with toppings (all-natural cream cheese and avocado / garlic scape pesto and fresh grated parmesan / all-natural almond butter with hemp hearts, chia, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and raisins).

IMG 1458Snack // Mango chunks and fresh raspberries.

IMG 1545Snack // Pistachio, pecan, walnut, and cranberry trail mix.

IMG 1525Snack // Organic crispy apple chips.

IMG 1563Snacks {on the go} // No-salt-added black beans.  Mozzarella cubes.  Pistachio, pecan, walnut, and cranberry trail mix. Homemade wholewheat cheddar crackers. Red pepper slices. Watermelon cubes. Apple slices.

IMG 1546Snack // Homemade wholewheat cheddar crackers.

IMG 1456Snack / Lunch {on the go} // Pistachio, pecan, walnut, and cranberry trail mix.  Red pepper slices and carrot sticks. Mozzarella cubes.  Roasted chicken and avocado wrap.  Watermelon chunks. Apple slices.

IMG 1585Snack / Lunch {on the go} // Cape seed roll drizzled with olive oil.  Baby banana. Shredded grilled chicken.  Steamed carrot sticks.  Pistachio, pecan, walnut, and cranberry trail mix.  Organic no-sugar-added fruit leather.  Homemade wholewheat cheddar crackers.

IMG 1355

Lunch // Chicken, black bean, and veggie quesadilla with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

IMG 1523Lunch //  Leftover Sunset Corn and Chicken Soup from Burgoo.  Homemade wholewheat cheddar crackers.  Steamed broccoli and carrots.

IMG 1409Dinner // Cheddar and broccoli elk pasta.  Grilled chicken breast. Peas and corn.

IMG 1580Dinner // Sushi salad (brown rice, steamed carrots, edamame beans, nori, green onions, and sesame seeds) with grilled shrimp and avocado slices.

IMG 1463Dinner {out at Burgoo} // Gooey Cheese Griller on multigrain.  Sunset Corn and Chicken Soup with crema fresca and fresh cilantro.

IMG 1540Dinner // Rainbow cabbage salad (red pepper, carrots, yellow pepper, edamame beans, fresh herbs, purple cabbage, roasted sesame seeds, and Little Creek) with grilled garlic shrimp.

♥

6 Comments

Today’s Find

4 / 26 / 124 / 26 / 12

IMG 1407Organic, wholewheat pasta shaped like elk?!  Yes please.

6 Comments

Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {8}

4 / 25 / 125 / 9 / 12

Toddler Food

It’s crazy to me that this is the eighth Toddler Food post I’ve done…  Seriously, where has two months gone?! As they say, time really does fly when you’re having fun. Cheesey, but true.

On a different note, can you tell that we’re early risers and our house is still dark when we eat breakfast?  I have to apologize for all of the terrible morning photographs!  With summer on it’s way, hopefully that won’t be a problem for much longer.

Anyways, here’s a  look at some of the things our little doodlebug ate this past week:IMG 0978

Breakfast // Wholewheat flax pancake with plain organic whole milk yogurt, strawberries, and blackberries.

IMG 0920Breakfast // Avocado and cheese on sprouted grain sesame bread.  Fruit salad.

IMG 1089Breakfast // Baked blueberry and banana oatmeal with organic whole milk.

IMG 1214Breakfast // Toasted 12 grain flax bagel with all-natural cream cheese and avocado slices.

IMG 1021Breakfast // Multigrain french toast with almond butter.  Strawberries, blackberries, and black grapes.

IMG 0947Snack // Organic corn puffs, organic brown rice puffs, organic cranberries, and organic raisins.

IMG 0973{A Papa & Grae} Snack // Unsalted in-shell peanuts.

IMG 0982Snacks {on the go} // Raw almonds. Roasted garlic parmesan chickpeas.  Strawberries and blackberries.  Steamed edamame beans.  {Apple} LARABAR (one of our diaper bag staples).

IMG 0981Snack // Raw almonds.

IMG 1304{A Silly} Snack // Raw walnuts.  Black grapes.  Strawberry half. Cantaloupe slice.

IMG 1344Snack // Cheddar cubes. Raw almonds. Apple slices.

IMG 1098Snacks / Lunch {on the go and barely visible due to a sneaky little hand) // No-salt-added chickpeas.  Mary’s Organic Seed Crackers. Tofu chunks.  Organic no-sugar-added fruit leather. Red pepper strips.  Avocado half. Raw walnuts. Strawberry halves. Apple slices.

IMG 1046Snacks / Lunch {on the go} // All-natural peanut butter and Crofter’s Organic Just Fruit Spread on a cape seed roll.  Fruit salad.  Tofu cubes.  Red pepper slices and carrot coins.  Multigrain Melba Toasts.

IMG 0922Lunch // Veggie and quinoa soup.  Grilled mozzarella on seedy flatbread.

IMG 0976Dinner // Chicken and spinach lasagna.

IMG 1133Dinner // Warm chicken, grape, almond, and wild rice salad.  Spinach and avocado with Little Creek dressing.  Wholewheat pita.

IMG 0915Dinner // Wholewheat spaghetti with homemade roasted tomato basil sauce.  Edamame salad.  Grilled chicken.  Steamed beets.

IMG 1193Dinner // Turkey lasagna soup.

IMG 1347Dinner // White bean and arugula pasta salad (wholewheat fusilli, no-salt-added beans, arugula, feta, red onion, avocado, olive oil, and red wine vinegar).

IMG 1339Dinner // Wild rice with toasted almonds and grilled chicken.  Oven-baked parmesan zucchini chips.  Steamed broccoli with all-natural cheddar.

IMG 0971Dessert // Cantaloupe chunks.  Watermelon chunks.

IMG 1013Dessert // Banana almond flax yogurt pop.

IMG 0917Dessert // Plain organic whole milk yogurt with banana slices, organic oats, and raw sunflower seeds.

IMG 1018Dessert // Berry yogurt pop.

5 Comments

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.IMG 1305

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.

IMG 1309First up, we worked on our dry mixture.  In with the breadcrumbs…

IMG 1310Then the flax, herbs, and spices…

IMG 1313And then the fresh parmesan.

IMG 1315Gracen gave it all a good mix and it was ready to go.

IMG 1317Next, we worked on the wet mixture.  And let me tell you, things got wet.  Oopsies.  Like they say, don’t cry over spilled milk.

IMG 1319Mess cleaned up, we continued on our way by adding some wholewheat flour to the milk.

IMG 1321And then just a little apple cider vinegar.

IMG 1322Then Miss G gently stirred it up into a thin paste.

IMG 1327With our wet and dry bowls ready to go, we began the dipping process.  First the zucchini slices got dipped into the milk/flour mixture…

IMG 1328And then into the breadcrumb mixture.  (Grae loved this job.)

IMG 1329Once they were nicely coated, we placed them on a baking sheet lined with foil.  (Note to self: Must buy more parchment paper.)

IMG 1331As you can see, things got a little messy, but such is cooking with an enthusiastic one-year-old assistant.

IMG 1333With our baking pan crammed full of coated zucchini coins, we popped them in the oven to bake for a bit.

IMG 1338In the meantime, my little helper and I cleaned up. ☺

IMG 1339Thirty 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.

 

7 Comments

Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {7}

4 / 18 / 124 / 18 / 12

Here it is…  Our 7th round of Toddler Food.  I got this question this question from a fellow mama this week and I thought I’d share:

How do you get your little girl to eat everything on her plate?  Also, do you spoon feed her, or does she feed herself?

To be honest, the answer to the first question is we don’t. Instead, we let her eat as much as she wants to eat, and when she says she’s done, we wash her hands and face and then let her be done.  We’d rather her learn to listen to her body and stop eating when she’s no longer hungry than make her eat a determined amount of food based on what we think is right.  Now keep in mind that she’s a perfectly healthy little girl who has always eaten a variety of foods, gained weight well, and reached her milestones “on time”, so we really have no worries about her growth or development (I’m sure we may feel differently otherwise).  That’s not to say that we don’t do things to encourage her to eat good meals, because we definitely do.  Firstly, we try to make sure that she doesn’t snack all day long, thus making sure that’s she’s actually hungry at mealtimes (we normally stick to the routine of breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and then dinner).  Secondly, we all sit down to eat together (when Brad’s home, otherwise it’s Gracen and I) and eat the same meals (no separate kid meals, thank goodness!)  Lastly, although we rarely have the TV on while Grae is awake, we make sure it’s off during meals and often listen to music instead.

As for spoon feeding her vs. letting her feed herself, she pretty much always feeds herself, even if it’s something like soup or yogurt.  She definitely likes to be independent (a like that started very early on) so she’s actually fed herself for a long while already.  Sometimes she uses a spoon or fork,  and sometimes she uses her hands.  We’ve embraced the fact that mealtimes are going to be messy and just let her do her thing and worry about cleaning up afterwards (on days where everything in a 5 foot radius is covered with quinoa, I remind myself that feeding herself is great for her fine motor development).  Of course, if she asks for help or needs assistance getting those last couple of bites, we help her.

Whew!  Those were long answers for what seemed like fairly simple questions.  Anyways, on with some of the things Miss G ate this week…

Toddler FoodIMG 0406Breakfast // All-natural peanut butter and bananas on toasted multigrain artisan bread.  Organic plain whole milk yogurt with Back to Earth’s Weeds & Seeds (buckwheat, hulled hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia, dandelion leaf, plantain leaf, black currants, and cinnamon) and strawberries.

IMG 0767Breakfast // Organic plain whole milk yogurt with hemp hearts, chia, diced apple, dried organic cranberries, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

IMG 0813Breakfast // Mango chunks and strawberry slices.  Cream of wheat with cinnamon and organic whole milk.

IMG 0837Breakfast // Avocado and organic egg scramble.  Sprouted grain sesame toast drizzled with olive oil.  Banana coins.

IMG 0392Snack // Apple cars (one of G’s favourites – she zooms them around until the wheels fall off before eating them).

IMG 0401Snack // Plain stovetop-popped popcorn.

IMG 0414Snack // Tofu cubes.

IMG 0810Snack // Walnuts. Almonds. Strawberry slices.

IMG 0508Snack / Lunch {on the go} // All-natural almond butter and bananas on multigrain artisan bread. Cucumber slice, orange sections, black grapes, and carrot sticks.  Cheese cubes.  Tofu cubes.

IMG 0389Lunch // Brown rice with spicy black beans and veggies, cheese, and fresh avocado.

IMG 0726Lunch // Homemade tomato basil brown rice soup.  Grilled mozzarella and pesto on multigrain artisan bread.

IMG 0808Lunch // Tuscan white bean salad (white beans, avocado, steamed beets, cucumbers, fresh parsley, fresh basil, grape seed oil, and balsamic vinegar).

IMG 0838Lunch {on the go} // Veggie sandwich (avocado, cucumber, spinach, and cheese) on sprouted grain sesame bread.  Mango cubes and strawberry slices.  Cheese cubes.  Carrot stick.  No-salt-added chickpeas.

IMG 0404Dinner //  Baked chicken and refried bean burritos.  Homemade guacamole.

IMG 0505{Breakfast for} Dinner (a while Papa’s working late special) // Veggie and egg scramble (organic eggs, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, and mozzarella).  Carrot walnut pancakes with cinnamon yogurt drizzle.  Orange sections and black grapes.

IMG 3213Dinner {out} // Steamed nori.  Veggie roll.  Edamame beans.  Steamed broccoli. Green salad. Teriyaki chicken on rice.

IMG 0766Dinner // Veggie and bean pasta and cheese (Don’t see any veggies? The sauce is made with chickpeas, steamed carrots, onions, zucchini, garlic, cheese, herbs, and spices.  A great option if you need to ‘trick’ your kid into eating more veggies.)

IMG 0812Dinner // Corn on the cob.  Roasted chicken. Tuscan white bean salad (white beans, avocado, steamed beets, cucumbers, fresh parsley, fresh basil, grape seed oil, and balsamic vinegar). Veggie and bean pasta and cheese.

IMG 0836Dinner // Crusted baked tilapia.  Spinach fettuccine  with basil pesto and roasted pine nuts.  Steamed carrots and peas.

7 Comments

Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {6}

4 / 10 / 124 / 10 / 12

I’ve received some really good feedback about these Toddler Food posts, so I’ll keep them coming for the next little while.  There are two questions I’ve received several times each, so I thought I’d share the answers in case anyone else is wondering the same things…

Do you cook something new for every single meal / snack?

No.  Absolutely not!  We’re all about the leftovers in our house.  None of us mind eating the same thing two days in a row and it makes my job a heck of a lot easier, so I’ll often cook a big dinner in order to have an easy lunch the following day.  And as far as snacks go, there’s rarely any cooking involved.  I keep them very simple (or extremely simple judging by this week’s photos of orange slices and banana chips) and most often I can have a snack on the table in 60 seconds or less.

Where did you get Gracen’s vintage-looking Peter Rabbit dishes?

All of the dishes actually used to belong to Bradley when he was a little boy!  The ones that are date stamped are labeled 1981 to 1984, making them actual vintage by most standards, I guess.  I love the fact that our little lady eats off of the same plates that her Papa did nearly 30 years ago.

So with that, here are some of the things Miss G ate this week…

Toddler FoodIMG 0306Breakfast // Wholewheat carrot walnut pancakes with all-natural almond butter and cinnamon yogurt drizzle.

IMG 9607

Breakfast // Cream of Wheat with flax, blueberries, toasted almonds, and whole organic milk.

IMG 9627Breakfast // Plain organic whole yogurt with hemp hearts, chia, and fresh fruit.  Toasted seedy multigrain with a drizzle of olive oil and avocado slices.

IMG 9675Breakfast // Toasted multigrain artisan bread with all-natural almond butter, organic raisins, and raw sunflower seeds (a combo Grae chose on her own).  Mango cubes and strawberry slices.

IMG 9851Breakfast {a very lazy one at least} // Organic shredded wheat cereal with freeze-dried strawberries and blueberries and whole organic milk.

IMG 9858Easter Brunch // Fruit salad.  Blueberry bran muffin section.  Veggie omelet.  Roasted potatoes.

IMG 0257

Snacks {on the go} // Organic corn puffs, walnuts, dried apples, and organic dried cranberries.

IMG 9632Snack // Orange slices.

IMG 0259Snacks {on the go} // Avocado.  Carrot sticks.  Strawberries.

IMG 0307Snack // Multigrain melba toasts with all-natural cream cheese and cucumbers / strawberries.

IMG 0310Snack // Organic no-sugar-added banana chips (a new treat).

IMG 9613Lunch // Organic egg salad and red leaf lettuce wrap.  Fresh veggies and all-natural dip.

IMG 9630Lunch // Turkey avocado sandwich (all-natural low-sodium turkey breast, avocado slices, pepper jack cheese, red leaf lettuce, and cucumber slices on multigrain artisan bread).

IMG 9678Lunch {on the go} // Ravioli avocado pasta salad.  Organic cottage cheese.  Mixed nuts.  Apple slices and black grapes.

IMG 0254Lunch // Warm orzo salad (orzo, steamed asparagus, avocado, red pepper, green onion, black beans, cucumber, olive oil, and spices).

IMG 0316Lunch // Spicy black bean veggie soup with sour cream and fresh avocado.  Organic sprouted grain sesame bread grilled with olive oil and herbs.

IMG 9591

Dinner // Wholewheat pasta with steamed spinach, roasted garlic, toasted pine nuts, and feta cheese.

IMG 9673Dinner // Authentic Italian ravioli with homemade tomato basil sauce and seedy turkey and oat meatballs.  Pan-seared zucchini with red peppers, onions, and cajun spices.

IMG 9802Dinner // Grilled wild Alaskan cod with garlic, onions, lemon, and fresh herbs.  Steamed carrots with olive oil and dill.  Mixed harvest grains (Israeli-style couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa).

IMG 0317Dinner // Hot and sweet chicken wrapped in turkey bacon (G does not usually eat turkey bacon, but this was a celebratory meal after getting some good news earlier in the day, so we made an exception).  Red nugget potatoes with olive oil, sour cream, and fresh rosemary.  Steamed broccoli and asparagus.

IMG 9620Dessert // Berry yogurt pop.

IMG 9805Dessert // Whole organic yogurt with banana slices and all-natural almond butter.

2 Comments

Our Easter Sunday

4 / 8 / 123 / 20 / 16

I don’t think we could have asked for a better Easter Sunday.  For starters, Bradley had the day off work and the weatherman was wrong in the way you always hope he’ll be wrong…  Despite the forecast for clouds and rain, the day was sun-filled and warm, which meant a healthy dose of fresh air and vitamin D for our little family.

IMG 9812Our day started with Gracen waking up to all sorts of goodies from the Easter Bunny.  She carefully went through her basket, spending a little time with each item before moving on to the next…

IMG 9815Inside, she found several books…

IMG 9819An egg shaker…

IMG 9824A new sunhat to fit that ever-growing Kossowan head of hers…

IMG 9838A beautiful new dress…

IMG 9842A button-up perfect for spring… (Plus new stamps and ink pads, stickers, cookie cutters, bunny ears, a baseball cap, a summer dress, and more!)

IMG 9843After enjoying all of the Easter Bunny’s treats, it was onto opening her gifts sent down by Grandma Charlotte and Grandpa Dave.

IMG 9849Again, she opened each item carefully, pausing to investigate them before moving on.  She especially loved her new wooden caterpillar puzzle.

IMG 9856Grae kept busy by strategically placing her new stickers all over herself (and the house) while we prepared Easter brunch.

IMG 9860Soon after, Uncle Brett arrived and we all sat down to eat.

IMG 9863With brunch cleaned up, it was time to pull out some of her new goodies!  This little lady is all about stamping right now.

IMG 9866When she’d had plenty of stamping, we put on her pretty new dress, got her egg collecting basket, and headed into the back yard.

IMG 9873Some spots were a little tricky…

IMG 9891And some were not.

IMG 9897Either way, she collected those eggs like it was her job!

IMG 9908And when she had found most of the ones out back, we headed out to the front yard to see if there were more there…

IMG 9914Team Ogasawara was there to give pointers, just in case.

IMG 9924And then it was off to find the really tricky ones.  Sometimes you just have to throw your hands up into the air!

IMG 9927Problem solved with the help of a shoulder ride!

IMG 9936When we sat down to take a closer look at Grae’s findings, we realized she had collected a new little friend in addition to her eggs.

IMG 9934A little wet slug!

IMG 9941Grae patiently opened each egg and placed the treats into her bucket.

IMG 9945Opening eggs is tough work.

IMG 9960Inside, she found all of her favourite treats – all sorts of nuts, raisins, freeze-dried berries, banana chips, and fruit leather strips.  She was thrilled.

{Yup, this one’s especially for you, Gar and Mikey.  Go on and make fun. At this point, I may as well participate in the daily ‘make fun of Jen and her parenting choices’ sessions…  It’s more fun that way, right?}

IMG 9973Out front, she picked out her first treat and sat down to enjoy it.

IMG 9989Of course she shared a little with Unky Brett.

IMG 9992And then it was off to do a little exploring…

IMG 9999One of the other things Grae found in some of her eggs were these very weird little mystery Easter pills.  We brought out a bowl of warm water, popped them in, and waited…

IMG 0015Some waited more patiently than others…  Uncle Brett just couldn’t stand the suspense any longer, and helped the surprise arrive in a more timely fashion.

IMG 0017Easter-shaped sponges – woooooooooow!

IMG 0029We spent the rest of the morning outside and only went in when it was time for Miss G’s nap.

IMG 0034When Grae woke, the three of us headed down to Stanley Park to partake in more Easter festivities.

IMG 0036And guess who was there!  The Easter Bunny himself, that’s who!

IMG 0042It’s a good thing our little doodlebug is a collecting machine, because she participated in yet another egg hunt.

IMG 0064The only problem was that the baskets were so small that her eggs kept spilling out when she’d bend down to retrieve more.

IMG 0052Not sure what it is about these things, but I just can’t seem to pass them up.

IMG 0067And with that, we boarded the Stanley Park miniature train.

IMG 0076We rode around, watching closely for animals and Easter eggs – both of which, Miss G pointed out plenty of.

IMG 0100On the way into the park, I had spied a little organic popcorn station hosted by Whole Foods, so after our train tour, we stopped in a grabbed a bag as a treat.

IMG 0103Gracen was all over it and kept saying, “Moore. Moore!” the way she does in her little accent.

IMG 0115We stopped and played at this crowded playground for a bit before heading down the hill.

IMG 0123Grae found herself a flower patch that kept her entertained for a while…

IMG 0149And when she had exhausted herself with flower picking, she bounced on Papa’s tummy instead.

IMG 0178With it nearing dinnertime, we headed back up to the hill to our car.

IMG 0166The best ending to a busy, fun-filled day?  Deciding that stopping at Cactus Club for dinner is the way to go.  Yay for a night off from cooking!

For a little trip down memory lane, you can see how we celebrated Gracen’s first real Easter here and see how we spent last year’s Easter Sunday here.

♥ Happy Easter from the Kossowaras! ♥

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Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {5}

4 / 3 / 124 / 3 / 12

Toddler FoodIMG 9157Breakfast // Baked blueberry banana oatmeal with whole organic milk.

IMG 9146Breakfast // All-natural peanut butter and banana slices on a multigrain bagel.  Organic cottage cheese.  Fruit slices.

IMG 9110Breakfast // Cream of Wheat with walnuts, whole organic milk, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  Apple slices. Fresh blueberries.

IMG 9265Breakfast // Wholewheat pancakes with all-natural almond butter.  Scrambled eggs.  Strawberry, kiwi, and banana slices.

IMG 9374Breakfast // Multigrain cinnamon french toast.  Plain organic whole yogurt with Back to Earth’s Weeds & Seeds (buckwheat, hulled hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia, dandelion leaf, plantain leaf, black currants, and cinnamon).  Fresh strawberry slices.

IMG 9420Breakfast // Organic egg and pepper jack cheese on a wholewheat English muffin.  Strawberries.  Avocado slices.  Watermelon.

IMG 9151Special Drink // Blueberry milk.

IMG 9112Snack // Dried organic mango.  Dried organic banana.

IMG 9185Tea Party Treats // Raw almonds, walnuts, kamut puffs, and dried apple pears.

IMG 9421Snack // Apple sandwiches (all with all-natural peanut butter and old-fashioned oats, one with sunflower seeds and raisins, another with sliced almonds and dried cranberries, and the other with unsweetened coconut).

IMG 9154Lunch // Tomato spinach orzo soup topped with feta.  Tuna melt sandwich.

IMG 9162Lunch // Cheesy radiatore noodles.  Steamed carrots with olive oil and black pepper.  Edamame beans and green peas.

IMG 8789Dinner // Homemade chicken noodle veggie soup. Multigrain flax flatbread grilled with garlic and parmesan. Whole organic milk.

IMG 9232Lunch // Multigrain artisan bread with organic artichoke pesto.  Cottage cheese.  Veggies.  Apple chunks.

IMG 9268Lunch {on the go} // Grilled mozzarella and avocado on multigrain artisan bread.  Tofu chunks.  Carrot sticks.  Water melon chunks.  Strawberry slices.

IMG 9431Lunch // Mexican soup (harvest grains, black beans, corn, onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, and celery) with shredded pepper jack cheese, tortilla crisps, avocado slices, and a dollop of sour cream.

IMG 9191Dinner // Chicken, wild rice, and grape salad in multigrain flax pockets.  Potato wedges.

IMG 9235Dinner //  Wholewheat rotini with turkey tomato basil sauce. Roasted veggies.  Steamed beets.

IMG 9369Dinner // Mexican Harvest Grain Bowl.  Mixed harvest grains (Israeli-style couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa).  Sautéed veggies (onions, celery, tomatoes, jalapeños, and corn).  Black beans. Shredded cajun chicken.  Fresh avocado slices.

IMG 9193Dessert // Watermelon.

IMG 9371Dessert // Plain organic whole yogurt with Back to Earth’s Weeds & Seeds (buckwheat, hulled hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia, dandelion leaf, plantain leaf, black currants, and cinnamon).

IMG 9432Dessert // Banana almond yogurt pop.

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Lunch with a View

4 / 1 / 124 / 1 / 12

IMG 9272Today we headed back to our regular Sunday play gym session after a short good weather hiatus.  Since our last visit, they’ve decorated the upstairs windows with paper grass, flowers, and rabbits in preparation for Easter.  Strangely enough, Grae loved the decorations so much that she preferred spending her time walking back and forth along the hallway windows rather than in the gym filled with toys, kids, and play equipment.  We eventually settled on a compromise of some gym time first, followed by lunch in front of the windows.  Our silly little doodle was happy enough with that.

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Berry Yogurt Pop Taste Test

3 / 31 / 124 / 1 / 12

After dinner tonight, we pulled out Gracen’s first homemade popsicle…

IMG 9239IMG 9237IMG 9252IMG 9254IMG 9263Apparently she thought it was pretty delicious!

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Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {4}

3 / 26 / 123 / 26 / 12

Toddler Food

IMG 8545

Breakfast // Wholewheat oat pancakes with stewed raspberries.

IMG 8567Breakfast // Wholewheat english muffin with all-natural cream cheese and sliced cucumber.  Sliced strawberries and kiwi.  Organic cottage cheese.

IMG 8793Breakfast // Banana walnut oatmeal with cinnamon, ground flax, and whole organic milk.  Orange slices.

IMG 8902Breakfast // Broccoli and cheddar scrambled organic eggs.  Homestyle herbed panfry potatoes.  Fruit salad.

IMG 9070Breakfast // Organic shredded wheat cereal with strawberries, bananas, and whole organic milk.  Orange slices.  Avocado kiwi smoothie.

IMG 8437Snack // Cheddar crisps.

IMG 8368Snack // Whole organic yogurt with banana slices, toasted ground flax seeds, and cinnamon.

IMG 9065Snack // Apple and grape cars.

IMG 9071Snack // Almond butter and shredded coconut / sunflower seed banana bites topped with organic raisins.

IMG 8451Lunch // Cottage cheese with fresh veggies (avocado, grated carrot, onion, and cucumber).  Homemade wholewheat  tortilla crisps for dipping.

IMG 8733Lunch {on the go} // Homemade chicken noodle veggie soup.  Assorted crackers and cheddar crisps.

IMG 9074Lunch // Homemade basil tomato soup.  Tuna cheddar melt on multigrain bread.  Snap peas.

IMG 8538Dinner // Broiled Haddock with garlic lemon cream sauce.  Brown rice medley with black barley and daikon radish seeds. Steamed broccoli with olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon.

IMG 8563Dinner // Mexican rice bowl (brown rice medley with black barley and daikon radish seeds, tomatillo sauce, black beans, corn, onions, salsa, jalapeño cheddar, and fresh herbs).

IMG 9095Dinner // Wholewheat all-natural chipotle turkey sausage pizza.  Wholewheat orated veggie and feta pizza.  Green salad with toasted seeds.

IMG 8897Dinner // Brown rice medley with black barely, daikon radish seed, sautéed onions, and garlic.  Avocado, snap pea, and feta salad.  Steamed beets.  Garlic and fresh herb turkey meatballs.

IMG 9060Dinner // Southwest Turkey Chili with all-natural pepper jack cheese and fresh avocado.

IMG 8453Dessert // Organic whole yogurt with frozen raspberries and homemade granola.

IMG 8539Dessert // Celery sticks with all-natural peanut butter.

IMG 8899Dessert // Grapes, blueberries, and strawberry slices on whole organic yogurt.

IMG 8565Dessert // Organic whole yogurt with walnuts, almonds, baby bananas, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

IMG 8791Dessert // Fresh berries with whole organic milk.

IMG 9097Dessert // Fresh strawberries with almond cinnamon yogurt dip.

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Healthy Homemade Popsicles for Toddlers

3 / 25 / 123 / 14 / 13

It must be the spring sunshine we’ve had this weekend, because this afternoon Gracen and I set out to make some healthy, wholesome, toddler-friendly popsicles.  We decided upon two kinds; banana almond yogurt pops (these ones are much like G’s favourite banana almond oatmeal smoothie) and raspberry blueberry yogurt pops.  IMG 8973
We got started with a few simple ingredients…  Whole organic plain yogurt, frozen bananas, frozen blueberries and raspberries, some honey, toasted ground flax seeds, and all-natural almond butter.

IMG 8974First up – the banana almond yogurt pops!  Gracen popped a couple of frozen bananas into the blender to get us started.

IMG 8981Then she added some all-natural almond butter.

IMG 8985And a generous amount of whole organic plain yogurt.

IMG 8993We decided to add in a little sprinkling roasted ground flax seed at the last minute too…

IMG 8999Then we blended it all up.

IMG 9007And poured it into our little containers (I’ve been searching for mini popsicle molds for a while now, but haven’t had any luck…  This is my interim solution).

IMG 9001Miss G was pretty stoked at the fact that there was a little left over.  Mmmmmm!

 

With one batch done, we got started on the raspberry blueberry yogurt pops…

IMG 9012No need for a blender with these ones…  Grae started us off by putting some yogurt into our bowl.IMG 9017
Next, we added some no-sugar-added frozen blueberries and raspberries.IMG 9022
Just a little squeeze of honey for sweetness…IMG 9028
And a touch of cinnamon.

IMG 9030And then Gracen mixed it all up.

IMG 9051And we poured it into the remaining containers.IMG 9043
There wasn’t any left over this time around, but Gracen was just as excited to lick the spoon.
IMG 9055We put on the tops, popped in some wooden popsicle sticks, and put them in the freezer.  Tomorrow we shall see how they taste!

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A Comical Breakfast

3 / 23 / 123 / 27 / 12

Everything about this video makes me giggle…  From the fist pump dancing, to the painful spoon-to-mouth journey, and the not being able to continue on until that single cottage cheese curd is retrieved from her lap.  Morning comedy at its finest, I tell ya…

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Pancake Assistant

3 / 22 / 1211 / 1 / 13

IMG 8540

Since moving from Kuwait, I haven’t been able to find our go-to pancake recipe (I know, who keeps their favourite recipe on a cue card  nowadays?!).  We’ve tried several new ones since, but hadn’t found “the one”…  Until today, that is.  I came across this recipe this morning and my little sous chef and I decided to give it a try.  These pancakes were seriously delicious.  No need to look any further…  This will definitely be our go-to recipe from now on.  Here’s our slightly modified version:

Wholewheat Oat Pancakes

  • 2 cups  wholewheat flour
  • 1 cup organic old-fashioned oats
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Enjoy!

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{1 ingredient} Cheese Crisps

3 / 21 / 1210 / 23 / 14

1 Ingredient Cheese Crisps | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

These little cheese crisps are Gracens ULTIMATE favourite snack.  We don’t make them that often, but when we do, they have to be kept in a high cupboard hidden from both Grae and Bradley if they have any chance of surviving more than a day or two.  They’re the kind of snack you pull out when your little one’s getting his or her hair cut, or when you’re attempting to complete a 10 kilometre seawall walk with your munchkin strapped into a stroller for an hour and a half.  The bonus is that they’re ridiculously easy to make and take all of 3 minutes from start to finish.

IMG 8423

All you need is some cheese (we normally use an all-natural cheddar and today we also tried some jalapeño havarti) sliced and cut into squares {the thickness doesn’t really matter – both thin and thick work perfectly} and a griddle or a frying pan and a stove top.

IMG 8427

We start with the griddle unplugged and off so that Miss G can help out like a little sous chef should.  Place the cheese squares on the griddle leaving plenty of space in between each (we placed ours too closely together today and ended up with a couple of GIANT cheese crisps).

IMG 8430

Once your cheese is on the griddle, plug it in and crank it up to 300 degrees {when we use the stove, we just start with a hot frying pan over medium heat}.

IMG 8431

Watch closely as the griddle begins to warm up and work its magic.

IMG 8435

Give it a few minutes so that all of the cheese is fully melted and bubbly. Here’s the key… For the first bit, the cheese will look melty and very oily (yes, gross).  But suddenly, the oil will seem to disappear and the cheese will look slightly browned, crunchy, and ‘dry’.  Dry is the key.  At this point, you want to use a spatula or flipper to remove the rounds from the griddle.  Place them on a couple of paper towels to cool and use another paper towel to gently blot any extra oil from the tops of the crisps (I despise using paper towel because it’s not at all environmentally friendly, but I have tried using a cloth towel, and it just doesn’t seem to do the job quite as well).

IMG 8449

When they’re done, your cheese crisps should look something like this.

IMG 8443

Give a couple to your toddler and watch her gobble them up like you haven’t fed her in a week.  Quickly hide the rest and hope they last longer than a day.

 

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