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Tag Archives: healthy snacks for toddlers

Homemade Fruit Sauce

2 / 22 / 202 / 23 / 20

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama Papa Bubba

Homemade fruit sauce…  One of my go-to snack options for the kiddos!  You’ll often find my freezer PILED high with little pots of it and for good reason.  It’s super easy to make, it keeps well, it defrosts quickly, and it’s a healthful addition to lunches and snacks. Low on fresh fruits and veggies?  Pull out some fruit sauce! Produce on its last legs?  Turn it into fruit sauce!

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.{this post contains affiliate links}

You can make fruit sauce with all kinds of different fruits, but apples and pears are my go-to ‘base’ fruits.  Both are grown right here in the Okanagan and since both store pretty well, I can pretty much find locally grown varieties year round.  That and when cooked and blended, they both have a good texture for fruit sauce.  I add all kinds of other things to our fruit sauces, but I almost always start with apples and / or pears first.

I get so many questions about how to make fruit sauce at home and it really couldn’t be easier…  No recipe required!

Here’s what we do…  First,  wash all of our apples and pears.  Sometimes I soak them in a water and vinegar solution for a few minutes beforehand and sometimes I don’t, but I always run them under clean water and kind of rub them to help remove any residue that might be on them.

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Once your apples and pears are clean, you’re ready to make your fruit sauce!  I like to make big batches, but it doesn’t really matter how many apples and pears you have…  Just use what you have on hand.

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Okay, onto the pot…  I really like using a thick-bottom pot like my Lodge cast iron dutch oven for fruit sauce because it means I can basically forget about it for an hour, but if you don’t have one – no worries.  You’ll just maybe want to check in on your fruit now and then to make sure it doesn’t burn / stick to the bottom.

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Alright, here it is… Remove the cores from all of your apples and pears, toss the fruit into your pot, add a tiny bit of water (for this giant pot full of fruit I add 1/4 cup of water – for a smaller pot I might only add a tablespoon or two), cover it, and turn your element onto the very lowest setting.  Every stove is slightly different of course so you’ll definitely want to be more attentive on your first go, but we leave a big pot of fruit covered on low without touching it for about 45 minutes to an hour usually.  A smaller pot of fruit will need less time of course.

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

When we come back at the 45 minute / hour mark, the fruit is soft all the way through.  You basically want to be able to mash it with a fork and have it fall apart on you.

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

After our fruit has had a chance to cool, we transfer it, along with any liquid it’s produced, into our Vitamix blender and process it using the smoothie setting (50 seconds).

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

If your blender is having a hard time at any point, feel free to add little bits of water at a time to help it out.  The goal is to have it turn out completely smooth, so don’t be afraid to run it for more than 45 seconds if needed either.

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

When you’re done, you should have a perfectly smooth fruit sauce that can be transferred into mini mason jars and put into the fridge or freezer for storage.  (Just be sure to leave some space at the top of the jar if you plan on freezing yours.)

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Plain apple and / or pear sauce is absolutely delicious all on its own, but we often mix in other fruits and veggies too!  Grae and Sam love the different flavours and it’s a nice way to switch things up too.  If we have fresh fruit outside of apples and pears that need to be used up, we’ll use that, but our go-to add-ins are largely frozen fruit (strawberries, mango, blueberries, or mixed berries) or fresh spinach.

Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

When using almost any add-in, fresh or frozen, we add it to the pot of apples and pears and cook everything together.  The one exception?  Spinach.  (Or other greens – I think kale would probably work great too.)  With spinach, we always add it raw to the blender of cooked fruit and then blend.  I like doing it this way because I feel like once you cook spinach it has a taste, but you can blend it into almost anything when fresh and it doesn’t change the flavour at all.  (You can check out our hulk sauce recipe here – it’s a favourite of ours and includes spinach AND chia seeds!)

So a quick recap…

– wash and core apples and pears

– put them in a pot

– save spinach and kale, add any other fruits or veggies to the pot (berries, mango, even carrot!)

– add a little bit of water (1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup)

– cook covered on very low heat until fruit/veggies are fork soft

– allow cooked fruit/veggies to cool

– transfer the cooked fruit/veggies to a blender (including any liquid in the pot)

– add fresh spinach or kale if desired

– blend until completely smooth

– transfer into small jars for storage

These will keep in the fridge for about a week and for ages in the freezer.  To defrost them, I simply take them out of the freezer and let them defrost on their own either on the counter at room temp or in the refrigerator (depending on how much time I have).  You can also pop them into your kiddo’s lunch bag frozen and come lunchtime, the sauce will be thawed and ready to eat!  Bonus?  It serves as an ice pack in the meantime.

How to Make Homemade Fruit Sauce | Mama Papa Bubba

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Apple Sandwiches {An Old Favourite}

6 / 10 / 136 / 12 / 13

Apple Sandwiches | Mama Papa BubbaI’ve been making these fun and easy apple sandwiches for Miss G for a long time now (we didn’t follow the usual no nuts until the age of 2 rule) and they’ve always been a total hit.  And because we load ours up with all kinds of healthful fillings, they make a perfect breakfast or even lunch!

IMG 8812You certainly don’t need all of these things, but since we almost always have them all on hand and Miss G enjoys the variety, we usually go for it.  In today’s lineup was peanut butter, almond butter, and a pink lady apple, plus unsweetened coconut, pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, old-fashioned oats, sunflower seeds, and hemp hearts. Also needed is a sharp knife and small cookie cutter of some sort (though you can do without if needed).

IMG 8814Apple sandwiches are really so simple to throw together that I’m sure instructions aren’t needed, but this is how we normally make ours…  First off, I slice them up quite thinly.  We usually get 8 or 9 slices (not including the 2 end pieces) per apple.  Then we separate them into two piles – one where the seeds have to be cut out, and the other where there really aren’t any seeds at all.

IMG 8815Next, we use our small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the centres out of the seedy slices. You can use an apple corer or a sharp knife to the trick too.  These pieces will become the sandwich tops.

IMG 8816On to the bottoms!  Since these really don’t have any seeds, there’s no cookie cutter needed.  Just slather them with your favourite nut butter…

IMG 8817And have your munchkin sprinkle them with the toppings of his or her choice.  

IMG 8823Then pop the tops  on and you’ve got a yummy snack or meal ready for your little one (or you!) to gobble up!

♥ 

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Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {31}

5 / 16 / 135 / 21 / 13

Toddler FoodIMG 8714Breakfast // Plain organic yogurt with Anita’s Organic ancient grains breakfast boost.

IMG 9281Breakfast // Ezekiel cinnamon raisin toast with all-natural peanut butter.  Berries.  Chinese pear slices.  Satsuma slices.

IMG 9141Breakfast // Crispy brown rice cereal with chia seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and almond milk.

IMG 7941Breakfast // Plain organic yogurt with strawberry slices, almond slices, and chia seeds.

IMG 9617Lunch // Wholewheat couscous with steamed asparagus, edamame, baby green peas, feta, and herbs.

IMG 8208Lunch // Grilled chicken, spinach, and brie on wholewheat flax seed bread. Green grapes.  Red pepper slices.

IMG 8256Lunch {for 2 on the go} // Homemade carrot zucchini muffins.  Almond butter, oat, hemp heart, and chia multi-grain roll-up.  Baby cucumbers.  Avocado. Orange pepper slices.  Seedy crackers.  Apple slices.  Grapes.  Mango.  Mixed raw nuts.

IMG 8252Lunch // Quick Gracen-made pizza (all-natural apple chardonnay chicken sausage, orange pepper pieces, asparagus chunks, and grilled onions).

IMG 8185Lunch // Mixed brown rice bowl with grilled corn, onions,  peppers, black beans, fresh avocado, fresh mozzarella, and sour cream.

IMG 8750Lunch // Baby potatoes, asparagus, snap peas, cucumbers, green onions, and chickpeas in plain yogurt and dill.

IMG 8929Dinner // Mexican black bean salad.  Asian noodle salad.  Edamame salad.

IMG 7940Dinner // Sweet potato hash, asparagus chunks, grilled onions, spinach, and all-natural herb and garlic chicken sausage with a dollop of sour cream.

IMG 8110Dinner // Grilled coconut chicken.  Avocado chunks.  Rocket and harvest grains salad.  Strawberries.

IMG 8219Dinner // Wholewheat roasted veggie calzone.

IMG 8292Dinner // Wholewheat spaghetti with ground turkey and tomato basil spinach sauce.  Roasted beets.

IMG 9618Dinner // Grilled chicken.  Warm beet salad.  Warm baby potato salad.

♥ 

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Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {30}

5 / 6 / 135 / 9 / 13

Toddler FoodIMG 6099Breakfast // Plain organic yogurt with homemade granola and frozen blueberries.

IMG 6435Breakfast // Scrambled eggs.  Fruit salad.  Wholewheat oatmeal flax pancake with all-natural peanut butter.

IMG 6681Breakfast // Hot oatmeal with almond milk, fresh blueberries, and chia seeds.

IMG 7143Breakfast // Wholewheat sourdough french toast with all-natural peanut butter.  Plain organic yogurt for dipping.

IMG 6336Breakfast //  Plain organic yogurt with homemade granola, fresh blackberries, and fresh strawberries.

IMG 7159Breakfast // Scrambled basil parmesan eggs.  Sweet potato hash.  Pink lady slices.

IMG 7626Breakfast // Plain organic yogurt with fresh mango, unsweetened coconut, and chia seeds.

IMG 6677Snack // Edible rainbow made out of strawberries, sharp cheddar, yellow peppers, edamame, blueberries, and banana slices.

IMG 6682Snack // Roasted garlic parmesan chickpeas.

IMG 6338Lunch {on the go} // Steamed beets.  Cottage cheese.  Blackberries.  Satsuma slices.  Pistachios and cashews. Yellow pepper slices.  Baby carrots.  Unsweetened banana slices.  Organic yogurt-covered raisins (the queen of all treats in our house!)

IMG 7636Lunch // Potato leek soup with chickpeas, baby green peas, and fresh parmesan.

IMG 6479Lunch {on the go} // Avocado.  Banana coins.  Seedy crackers with sharp cheddar.  Cashews.  Apple sandwiches filled with almond butter, oats, and chia.  Baby carrots.  Broccoli florets.

IMG 7845Lunch // Wholewheat pita pockets filled with almond butter, banana slices, and chia seeds.

IMG 6412Lunch {on the go} // Strawberries.  Blackberries.  Starfruit.  Mini wholewheat flatbread.  Seedy crackers.  Avocado.  Miniature chickpea patties.

IMG 7998Dinner // Lentil & veggie pasta and cheese.  Steamed broccoli.

IMG 6335Dinner // Coconut encrusted chicken.  Roasted sweet potato.  Roasted Brussels sprouts.  Steamed beets.

IMG 6557Dinner // Ravioli soup with fresh parmesan.  Roasted broccoli.

IMG 6575Dinner // Roasted sweet potato, cauliflower, beets, and carrots with pan-fried onions and all-natural apple chardonnay chicken sausage.

IMG 6729Dinner // Baked potato.  Barbecued chicken and veggie skewers.  Green salad.

IMG 6744Dinner // Baked spinach pasta and cheese with turkey and green peas.

IMG 7631Dinner // Chicken and bean ‘soft tacos’ with sautéed peppers, cheddar, avocado, and black beans on the side.  Sour cream and green salsa for dipping.

IMG 7775Dinner // Homemade pizza (roasted veggie and barbecue chicken).  Spinach salad with apples, feta, and sunflower seeds.

See all of our Toddler Food posts here.

♥ 

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Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {29}

4 / 24 / 134 / 26 / 13

Toddler FoodAnother week, another Toddler Food post. ☺  Admittedly, I’m still catching up, so these photos were from quite some time ago… Uh, probably from around Valentine’s Day given all of the heart-shaped food.  Oy.  Either way, here’s some of what Miss G’s eaten semi-recently. 

IMG 5455Breakfast // Scrambled organic egg with fresh parmesan and basil rolled in a wholewheat flatbread.  Strawberry slices and black grapes.

IMG 5599Breakfast // Yogurt parfait made with homemade granola, organic plain yogurt, fresh strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, and a tiny drizzle of pure maple syrup.

IMG 5745Breakfast // Wholewheat flax pancakes with all-natural almond butter.  Kiwi slices.

IMG 5898Breakfast // Wholewheat bagel with all-natural cream cheese and hemp hearts.  Strawberry quarters and blackberries.

IMG 5826Breakfast // Wholewheat rye toast with all-natural cream cheese and avocado slices.  Fresh pear.

IMG 5959Breakfast // Organic oatmeal topped with strawberry slices, freshly whipped cream (unsweetened), and chia seeds.

IMG 5914Snack // Chocolate coconut banana muffin.

IMG 5682Lunch {and snacks on the go} // Banana berry muffin.  Dill havarti slices.  Raw almonds and kamut puffs.  Seedy cranberry breakfast bar.  Cucumber slices.  Carrot sticks.  Edamame beans.  Alphabet pretzels.

IMG 5967Lunch // Wholewheat couscous with avocado, red and orange peppers, black beans, red onions, olive oil, and freshly squeezed lime.

IMG 5637Lunch {and snacks on the go} // Banana berry muffin.  Heart-shaped strawberry crispy rice treat.  Mixed nuts and organic o’s.  Carrot hearts.  Veggies and all-natural cream cheese on seedy wholewheat.  Strawberries.

IMG 7627Lunch // Tuna and avocado in mini wholewheat pitas.  Red pepper slices.  Baby carrots.  Cucumber slices.

IMG 5727Lunch {and snacks on the go} // Pear chunks.  Strawberry halves.  Kiwi slices.  Mixed nuts.  Wholewheat flax pancakes.  Heart-shaped strawberry crispy rice treat.  Carrot coins.  Cucumber slices.  

IMG 5422Lunch {and snacks on the go} // Apple slices.  Strawberry halves.  Red grapes.  Red pear.  ‘Gracen mix’.  Orange pepper slices.  Edamame beans.  Chickpeas.  Watermelon strawberry fruit chews.  Avocado, hemp hearts, and all-natural cream cheese rolled in a wholewheat tortilla.

IMG 5332Dinner // Turkey zucchini spinach meatloaf.  Pesto tortelini with fresh parmesan, spinach, garlic, and olive oil.

IMG 6098Dinner // Quinoa ‘mac n’ cheese’ with broccoli, red peppers, and leeks. 

IMG 5970Dinner // Southwest chicken chili with grated sharp cheddar, sour cream, and avocado.

IMG 5344Dinner // Wholewheat fusili with zucchini turkey tomato sauce and fresh parmesan.

IMG 5421Dinner // Veggie soup with harvest grains and chickpeas.  Avocado and all-natural cream cheese in an Ezekiel wrap.

IMG 5681Dinner // Squash and ricotta-filled pasta with homemade spinach pesto, baby green peas, and pine nuts.

 

See all of our Toddler Food posts here.

♥ 

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Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {28}

4 / 14 / 134 / 19 / 13

Toddler FoodWhew!  It’s been a while…  A very long while since our last Toddler Food post.  Realistically, here’s some of what Miss G ate a month or two ago.  ☺

IMG 4525Breakfast // Cinnamon french toast made with wholewheat shepherd’s bread, stewed blueberries, and chia.  Orange slices.

IMG 4641Breakfast // Coconut chia pudding with strawberry slices and raw sliced almonds.

IMG 4332Breakfast // Oatmeal with raw sliced almonds, chia, hemp hearts, and frozen blueberries.  Orange pepper slices.

IMG 4697Breakfast // Organic brown rice cereal with sliced almonds, hemp hearts, loads of cinnamon (she’s obsessed!), and almond milk.

IMG 4845Breakfast // Toasted squarely bread, colby cheese, and a scrambled egg. 

IMG 5124Breakfast // Plain organic yogurt, homemade granola, freeze-dried strawberries and blueberries.

IMG 5238Breakfast // Old-fashioned oats with granny smith apples, almond butter, and cinnamon.

IMG 4986Breakfast // Star-shpaed scrambled organic egg.  All-natural peanut butter and old-fashioned oat banana bites.

IMG 4647Green smoothie // Banana, old-fashioned oats, all-natural peanut butter, coconut milk, vanilla, and spinach.

IMG 4695Green smoothie (though not actually green) // Banana, apple, avocado, kale, frozen blueberries, frozen raspberries, chia, and water.

IMG 4847Smoothie // Banana, pear, apple, frozen blueberries, steamed beets, chia seeds, and water.

IMG 4815Snack // Homemade apple carrot pear fruit leather.

IMG 5057Snack // Homemade wholewheat cheddar crackers.

IMG 4848Snacks & Lunch {on the go} // Baby carrots.  Orange chunks.  Homemade banana berry fruit leather.  Cashew pieces.  Avocado.  Hard-boiled organic egg.  Orzo with feta.

IMG 5242Lunch {on the go} // Mixed fruit.  Homemade banana berry fruit leather.  Homemade wholewheat cheddar crackers.  Raw almonds.  Avocado, cucumber, and cream cheese roll-ups.

IMG 4746Lunch // Tuna and avocado on wholewheat rye.  Baby carrots.

IMG 4824Lunch // Red lentil pasta and cheese.  Baby peas and corn with dill.

IMG 4840Lunch // Grilled all-natural peanut butter and no-sugar-added jam sandwich (an oddly delicious favourite from my childhood).

IMG 5107Lunch // Curried tuna apple salad on a wholewheat croissant.  Strawberry chunks.  Grapes.

PhotoLunch {on the go} // Red pepper slices.  Cucumber slices.  Grapes. Strawberries.  Avocado.  Edamame crackers with organic cheddar.

IMG 5331Dinner // Personal turkey meatloaf.  Mashed potatoes.  Roasted carrots.  Roasted Brussels sprouts.

IMG 4524Dinner // Homemade chicken tenders.  Steamed carrots and snap peas with fresh herbs.  Roasted baby potatoes.  Homemade honey mustard sauce.

IMG 4588Dinner // Wholewheat fusilli with fresh spinach and all-natural chicken sausage in a clear sauce.

IMG 5105Dinner // Harvest grains, edamame, steamed carrots and snap peas with grilled prawns.

IMG 5108Dinner // Homemade mulligatawny with granny smith cubes.

IMG 4556Dinner // Wholewheat couscous. Mini chickpea/veggie patties.  Hummus.

IMG 4751Dinner // Spinach tortellini with carrots, broccoli, edamame, onions, and fresh parmesan.

IMG 4917Dinner // Potato and leek soup with chickpeas and feta.  Grilled cheese on wholewheat shepherd’s bread.

IMG 5031Dinner // White bean chicken chili with colby jack, avocado, and fresh cilantro.

See all of our Toddler Food posts here.

♥ 

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A Rainbow Snack

3 / 14 / 133 / 15 / 13

Healthy Rainbow SnackEver since our recent Shopping Sense tour, Gracen’s been talking about “eating a rainbow”.  I really had no idea she was even paying attention to the registered dietician during the event, but since she’d never mentioned eating a rainbow until dinnertime after the tour, I’m guessing she was.  It’s amazing to see what little sponges they are, isn’t it?  Now she says things like, “Look, Papa… There’s orangey, purple, and green!  Grae Grae’s eating a rainbow for dinner!”

This afternoon when she requested a snack “including all the colours of the rainbow”, I decided to do something fun.

IMG 6672Fruit lends itself to creating a rainbow so well that I could have easily made the entire thing just from one food group, but I decided to try and include at least a little bit of protein, dairy, and veg too.  I ended up with strawberry chunks, all-natural sharp cheddar cubes, low-sodium chickpeas, edamame beans, fresh blueberries, and banana coins for the clouds (sorry indigo and violet – skipped you this time!)

IMG 6677The chickpeas were scooped up by my hungry little monkey before I had a chance to assemble the rainbow, so they were replaced with chunks of yellow pepper (just as well – she loves those too).  Using a small plate and following its arc made shaping the rainbow really easy.

IMG 6679And you should have seen the eyes on my little rainbow loving girl when I set the plate down in front of her…  She loved it so much that we had a great brainstorming session about all of the foods that could  be used to create a rainbow snack (and she of course had way more ideas than I did).  

Here are some of the options we came up with…

Red:  strawberries . raspberries . red peppers . grape tomatoes . cherries . kidney beans .

Orange: cheddar . oranges . carrots . orange peppers . homemade cheese crackers . cantaloupe . apricots . 

Yellow: yellow peppers . chickpeas . pineapple . mango . swiss cheese . yellow tomatoes . 

Green: edamame beans . green peppers . cucumbers . pickles . broccoli . snap peas . avocado . kiwi . green grapes . 

Blue / Purple: blueberries . blackberries . beets . red grapes . purple peppers . plums . 

White: bananas . mozzarella cheese . tofu cubes . cottage cheese . plain yogurt . white kidney beans . hardboiled eggs

 

You never know… We just may have to repeat this idea on St. Patrick’s Day (or use it for a rainbow party one day!)

♥ 

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Healthy Chocolate Coconut Banana Muffins

2 / 24 / 131 / 6 / 14

Healthy Chocolate Coconut Banana Muffins

One of the little traditions we do on Gracen’s half birthday (ohmahgerd, I have a two and a half year old) is make a fresh batch of muffins (aka ‘cupcakes’) to top with freshly whipped cream and candles later in the evening.  So today we used our usual no sugar added banana muffin recipe, tweaked it just a little bit, and came up with these delicious chocolate coconut creations.  They are super yummy and truly do feel like a cupcake instead of a healthy muffin… Especially if you add the dark chocolate chips I added to the adult half of the batch (with which I doubt they can be remain in the ‘healthy’ category, but hey – I try my best). ☺

IMG 5912

Here’s the recipe…

Healthy Banana Chocolate Coconut Muffins

  • 4 large ripe bananas
  • 1 organic egg
  • 1/3 cups of coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons of cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups of wholewheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut shavings
  • dark chocolate chips (optional – we used 1/3 of a cup in half the batter)

Preheat oven to 350° . Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan by brushing it with coconut oil.

Mix the bananas, other wet ingredients, and cocoa until the mixture is mostly smooth and only slightly chunky.  In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (save the coconut and chocolate chips) well. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Slowly stir in the coconut (and chocolate chips if adding them).  Fill greased muffin tin with the mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let cool.

Enjoy!

 

13 Comments

{Heart-Shaped} Wholewheat Cheese Crackers

2 / 1 / 139 / 22 / 13

Wholewheat Cheese Crackers

Today Gracen and I whipped up a batch of what is easily her most loved treat in the entire world – our homemade version of the classic ‘fishy crackers’.  Though I’ve shared this recipe before, I thought I’d share it again as we did things a teeny bit differently this time around…  Plus, this heart-shaped version would make a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day.

IMG 5032

First off, our ingredients…  We used the usuals, but tried using a coarse stone ground wholewheat flour, replaced the cheddar with Colby and fresh parmesan, and added some basil into our spice mix.

IMG 5033

Then my little helper dumped everything together.

IMG 5036

Instead of mixing everything in our mixer like we have in the past, this time we did it in the food processor I got for my birthday. It definitely allowed the dough to come together more easily, and as guessed, adding a touch of water wasn’t necessary in the food processor.

Dough

With all of the ingredients well mixed, we dumped everything out onto our workspace and used our hands to form it into a large mass.

Rool

Then we patted it down by hand, covered it with parchment, and rolled it out nice and thin.

IMG 5047

It must be all the talk about Valentine’s Day festivities, because Grae chose a heart-shaped cookie cutter this time around.

IMG 5048

We cut out endless hearts, carefully lifted them with the flat edge of a butter knife, and transferred them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

IMG 5053

We popped them in the oven, and in no time, we had crispy, tender crackers that are full of flavour and free of preservatives.

IMG 5059

See our original recipe here.

Wholewheat Cheese Crakers

  • 2 cups of Colby cheese
  • 1 cup of fresh parmesan
  • 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 dried basil
  • 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt (optional)
  • 1/4 cup of warm water (if mixing by hand or using an electric mixer – not necessary in a food processor)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients and gently form dough into a ball.

Sandwich dough between two layers of parchment and roll it out to 1/8 of an inch thick. Form shapes with a cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time if needed. Gently transfer crackers to a parchment-lined baking sheet using the flat edge of a butter knife if needed.

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!

♥

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10 Comments

Apple Pear Carrot Fruit Leather

1 / 25 / 138 / 27 / 13

Homemade Carrot Pear Apple Fruit Leather

After getting our batch of banana berry fruit leather in the oven, Gracen and I decided to give round two a go, this time with a different combination of ingredients…

IMG 4698

We had a couple of bruised pears that I really wanted to use, and while digging in the fridge for an apple, Grae suggested carrots too (sure, why not?)  We added the other half of our lemon to the mix and called it good.

IMG 4700

This batch took a wee bit more prep than the last one.  Grae peeled carrots {ever so cautiously}…

IMG 4703

While I prepped the apples and pears (I peeled the apple, but not the pears).

IMG 4705

When everything was ready to go, my little sous chef added the produce to a big pot…

IMG 4707

And attempted to squeeze the juice from the lemon.  (Her exact words just before this shot was taken were, “Com’on, lemon… Why you not working??”)

IMG 4709

Then she poured in some water (quite a bit more than with our first batch because carrots don’t produce their own juice while stewing).

IMG 4712

Then we popped our pot on the oven, put a lid on it, and let everything simmer for about half an hour on medium heat.

IMG 4736

It looked absolutely horrible when it was done cooking (like some kind of veggie stew gone terribly wrong), but smelled delicious.

IMG 4742

During the stewing process, my little girl helper was replaced by this equally cute kitty helper.  Luckily, she likes to help just as much and saw to it that our mixture was pureed perfectly.

IMG 4743

Then we poured it out onto a parchment-lined sheet.

IMG 4744

This time we were a little more careful to make sure the mixture was an even thickness all over the base of the pan. Then it was into the oven on the lowest temperature.

IMG 4754After eight hours, we had a lovely sheet of fruit leather.

IMG 4757

Once again using kitchen scissors, I cut the sheet into strips…

IMG 4764

And rolled it up using strips of parchment paper and baker’s twine.

IMG 4816
And though our berry banana version is very tasty {despite being a tad over dried}, I think these are even better.  They’re sweet and flavourful and have just the perfect bit of tartness.
IMG 4819
Gracen seems to agree.  She gobbled up this entire strip in 3 minutes flat and promptly asked for another.
 
Carrot Pear Apple Fruit Leather
  • 2 Red Anjou pears
  • 3 large carrots
  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 cup of water
Peel the carrots and peel and core the apple.  Put all of the produce into a large pot along with the water and the juice from the lemon.  Cover the pot and stew the fruit/veggies on medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool a while.
Pour the stewed fruit and veggies into a blender or food processor and puree.
Pour the pureed mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and use a spatula to evenly distribute  the mixture over the base of the pan.  Bake at 150 degrees for about 8 hours, removing it from the overn when the leather is no longer sticky to the touch.
Peel away the parchment paper and cut into strips using kitchen scissors or a pizza cutter.
Enjoy immediately or roll using parchment strips and baker’s twine and store in an airtight jar.

♥

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22 Comments

Berry Banana Fruit Leather

1 / 25 / 138 / 1 / 13

Homemade Banana Berry Fruit LeatherOne of the few ready-made packaged foods I buy now and then is organic all-fruit fruit leather strips.  They’re a very special treat for Miss G and I don’t feel horrible about letting her have one once and a while (as long as her teeth are brushed extra well that day), but I’ve always known that I should probably be making them at home instead.  Recently, our local grocery store stopped restocking their organic fruit leather supply (I think they’re getting rid of the current stock and then no longer carrying them) and they were down to just two lonely strips on our last visit. It was the perfect push I needed to try making my own. 

IMG 4699Today I asked Gracen if she’d like to try making some fruit leather of our own, and she responded enthusiastically with, “Sure!  Purple ones.” so I decided we’d try  a berry variety first.  Since we don’t really buy many berries when they’re out of season, we went with what we had in the freezer – strawberries, raspberries, and wild blueberries.  Plus an apple and half a lemon for texture and a little kick.

IMG 4713As we were prepping the fruit, which really only consists of peeling and coring the apple, we decided to add a banana in the mix for sweetness.

IMG 4715With all of the ingredients ready to go, Gracen popped them into a large pot…

IMG 4720Then squeezed the lemon on top…

IMG 4722And added a little bit of water.

IMG 4724Then we popped the mixture on the stove to stew over medium heat for a while.

IMG 4725About a half hour later, this is what we had.

IMG 4727We let it cool for a little bit and then dumped it in the food processor to puree for a bit.

IMG 4728With our mixture nice and smooth, we lined a baking sheet with parchment paper…

IMG 4731And poured our berry mixture on top.

IMG 4732Using a spatula, we spread the mixture out to cover the entire base of the pan (on our next attempt, I’d spend a little more time getting it as evenly as possible) and put the pan in the oven on the lowest temperature.

IMG 4758Eight and a half hours later (yes – it takes a long time!) this is what we had.

IMG 4761We carefully peeled off the parchment paper…

IMG 4762And then I used kitchen scissors to cut it into strips.

IMG 4769A little parchment paper and baking twine later, we had our own homemade {and healthy!} version of a Fruit Roll-Up.  ☺

 

Banana Berry Fruit Leather 

  • 1 cup of raspberries, frozen or fresh
  • 1 cup of strawberries, frozen or fresh
  • 1 cup of blueberries, frozen or fresh
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • juice of 1/2 of a lemon
  • 1/3 cup of water
Peel the banana and peel and core the apple.  Put all of the fruit into a large pot along with the water and the juice from the lemon.  Stew the fruit on medium heat (uncovered) for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool a while.
 
Pour the stewed fruit into a blender or food processor and puree.  
 
Pour the pureed mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and use a spatula to evenly distribute the mixture over the base of the pan.  Bake at 150 degrees for 8 to 9 hours, removing it from the oven when the leather is no longer sticky to the touch.
 
Peel away the parchment paper and cut into strips using kitchen scissors or a pizza cutter.
 
Enjoy immediately or roll using parchment strips and baker’s twine and store in an air-tight jar.  
 

♥ 

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5 Comments

Healthier Crispy Rice Treats

1 / 13 / 131 / 11 / 14

Healthier Crispy Rice Treats

I don’t know why, but lately I’ve had a real hankering for Rice Krispie treats…  Of course I could have easily whipped up the classic butter and marshmallow version I grew up with, but number one, I wouldn’t feel good about letting Miss G try one (which is slowly becoming the determining factor of whether or not any of us should eat particular foods), and number two, have you ever read the ingredient list on the side of a bag of marshmallows?!  It’s not good.

So today Miss G and I set off on a little mission to create our own healthier version.

IMG 4301

To be honest, I really had no idea if it was going to work.  My thought process went something like this… Hmmm… I guess I could replace the butter with a nut butter (still lots of fat, but good fat with some added nutrition mixed in). Then I could replace the marshmallows with a more natural sticky sweetener (Maybe maple syrup? Honey? Brown rice syrup?) And the regular Rice Krispies cereal could easily be swapped for a sugar-free crisp brown rice cereal.  It at least sounds like an okay plan, right?

In the end, I decided to go with cashew butter… It’s light, has a mild flavour {that is almost mallowy}, and is super creamy.  As for my sweetener, after a bit of online research, I decided to go with this brown rice syrup.  I haven’t used brown rice syrup a whole lot in the past, but that’s only because I hadn’t yet done my research.  What I found out is that brown rice syrup is a natural sweetener produced by fermenting cooked rice and treating it with natural enzymes from sprouted barley.  It’s about half as sweet as sugar, has a mild flavour, and is thick and syrupy (somewhere between pure maple syrup and a good honey).  The benefits are that it has a low glycemic value, and it’s a good source of minerals and minor nutrients.  Sold.  In order to add just a touch of sweetness, we added a little bit of pure maple syrup, and pure vanilla is a must in almost all baking projects in our house.

So there you have it – crisp brown rice cereal, brown rice syrup, cashew butter, pure maple syrup, and pure vanilla – and all were available in our nearby {regular} grocery store.

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Just for fun, we decided to make our treats in individual portions using a muffin tin, so Grae prepared the tray ahead of time by lightly brushing on some grapeseed oil.

IMG 4305

Now for the actual cooking part…  First, we put our brown rice syrup to a large pot…

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Then we added our cashew butter…

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And a little bit of pure maple syrup for sweetness.

IMG 4310

Then we transferred the pot over to the stove and stirred the mixture over medium heat until it was hot and liquidy, but not bubbling.

IMG 4313

Next, we added a good amount of vanilla, gave the mixture another quick stir, and removed it from the heat.

IMG 4314

While you could just as easily dump your cereal into the pot and dirty one less dish, we opted for dumping our cereal into a large bowl and pouring the mixture on top so Miss G wouldn’t have to worry about the hot pot during the mixing process.

IMG 4315

Then we mixed everything up until the cereal was evenly coated with the gooey mixture.

IMG 4318

Working quickly, I filled each cup with a heaping scoop of crisp rice mixture.

IMG 4319

Then we placed a large sheet of parchment paper on top and pushed the mixture down firmly into the cups.

IMG 4321

Voila!

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After a little bit of time in the freezer, I used a butter knife to pop out our treats.

IMG 4325

The verdict on Miss G’s first ever crispy rice treat?  She LOVED it.

IMG 4330

We all loved them in fact.  They’re soft and gooey just like regular Rice Krispie treats, with a similar flavour that is just slightly more caramely.

The true determining factor of success?  Brad {my sometimes picky husband who doesn’t always love the ‘weird food’ G and I cook} announcing that he likes them just as much as the classic variety, only to later decide that he thinks he likes them more.  Score. ☺

 

Healthy Crisp Rice Treats

  • 1/2 cup of organic brown rice syrup
  • 1/2 cup of cashew butter (or your favourite nut butter)
  • 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla
  • 4 cups of organic sugar-free crispy brown rice cereal

Measure the brown rice syrup, nut butter, and maple syrup into a large pot.  Warm over medium heat, stirring almost constantly.  When the mixture is hot and liquidy (but not bubbling), add the vanilla, give it another quick stir, and remove the pot from the heat.

Add in the crispy rice cereal and mix well to ensure the cereal is evenly coated with the sticky mixture.

Dump the mixture into a parchment-lined baking pan or scoop into a greased muffin cups and press it down firmly.  Pop the pan into the freezer for about 15 minutes to allow the treats to set.

Enjoy your much healthier crispy rice treats!

♥

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37 Comments

Healthy Trail Mix Cookies

11 / 6 / 1211 / 6 / 12

This weekend, Gracen and I tried a new healthy cookie recipe.  Knowing how most healthy cookies turn out (good, but very healthy tasting), I didn’t have my hopes set too high.  Much to my surprise, however, these cookies turned out to be delicious.  Slightly crunchy on the outside while still soft on the inside, super sweet, and chocked full of yummy seeds and nuts.  Even Brad commented on how good they were.  So today, only a few days after making the first batch, we made another.  

Healthy Trail Mix Cookies

Here’s a quick rundown on how we like to make our new favourite cookies…

IngredientsGather the ingredients.  

IMG 1796Place the pecans on a baking sheet and pop them into the oven to toast for about 10 minutes.

IMG 1802In the meantime, put some of the oats into a blender or food processor and turn them into oat flour.

IMG 1803Pour the oat flour into a large mixing bowl.

IMG 1804Add your regular old-fashioned oats.

IMG 1806Then the ground flax and hemp hearts…

IMG 1809Plus the salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.

IMG 1812Give all of the dry ingredients a good stir.

IMG 1814Next, pour in the pure maple syrup.

IMG 1817Coax the coconut oil into coming out of its bowl…

IMG 1820Add the honey…

IMG 1821And vanilla.

IMG 1824Stir the sticky mixture well.

IMG 1825At this point, it’ll be crumbly and sticky all at once and you’ll wonder how on earth it’ll ever become cookies.  Don’t fret.

IMG 1826By now, your roasting pecans will smell lovely and will be ready to come out of the oven.

IMG 1829Allow them to cool a moment and pop them into a blender or food processor, pulsing them just a handful of times to create small bits.

IMG 1831Then add them to your cookie mixture.

IMG 1832Next up, the add-ins.  Dump in your raisins…

IMG 1835Plus the sunflower seeds and almond slices…

IMG 1838And stir everything up really well.

IMG 1841Now for the tricky part…  With a bowl of warm water nearby, wet you hands, scoop out a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough, and shape into a ball, pressing firmly.  Repeat for the remainder of the dough, rewetting your hands every couple of cookies.  

Now pop them in the oven…

IMG 1844And take them out approximately 10 – 13 minutes later, when the outsides are golden and crispy, but the centre is still very soft to the touch. Let the cookies cool completely before removing from the pan.

IMG 1846Serve with a glass of cold milk, or if you prefer ‘the Gracen special’, with a small bowl of plain yogurt (she plops the cookie in, then smashes it into the yogurt with her spoon – I think they remind her of granola ☺).

 

Healthy Trail Mix Cookies

Adapted from this recipe from Oh She Glows

  • 1 cup of pecans, toasted
  • 1 cup of old-fashioned oats, blended into oat flour
  • 1/4 cup of rolled oats
  • 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
  • 1 tablespoon of hemp hearts
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
  • 2 heaping tablespoons of honey
  • 1tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla
  • 1/3 cup of raisins
  • 3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
  • 3 tablespoons of sliced almonds

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spread pecans onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, use a blender or food processor to grind your oats into oat flour.  Put the flour, along with the other dry ingredients, into a large mixing bowl and stir.  Add in the wet ingredients and mix really well.  

By now, your pecans should be ready.  Remove them from the oven and crank up your oven’s temperature to 350 degrees. Pop the pecans into your blender or food processor, and give them just a few pulses to break them up into small bits.  Add the pecans, as well as the raisins, sunflower seeds, and sliced almonds to the cookie mixture and stir well.  

With a bowl of warm water nearby, wet your hands and press firmly to shape approximately 1 heaping tablespoon portions of cookie mixture into a balls.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 – 13 minutes.  When you remove them from the oven, the cookies should be golden, crispy on the very top, but very soft to the touch still.  Allow them to cool completely before removing from the cookie sheet.

Enjoy!

1 Comment

Frozen Banana Bites

10 / 24 / 1210 / 24 / 12

Frozen Banana BitesOnly 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.

IMG 0941Here’s the ingredient lineup… Bananas (ripe, but not overripe), roasted ground flax seed, and cinnamon.  

IMG 0943Start off by peeling the bananas and making sure all of the white stringy things are removed.

IMG 0946Chop them into coins (maybe about a half inch thick?) and set them aside.

IMG 0947Next, pour some roasted ground flax seed into a container with a lid (or a zip close bag).

IMG 0949Enthusiastically dump some cinnamon in too.

IMG 0950Put the lid on the container and give it a little shake.

IMG 0953IMG 0957

Next, place the banana coins on top of the cinnamon/flax mixture.

IMG 0960Place the lid on the container again and shake until all of the banana coins are well coated.

IMG 0961Next, place the coated banana pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

IMG 0962Place the tray in the freezer for at least an hour.

IMG 0966Serve 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).

Enjoy!

16 Comments

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