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!

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!

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!

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!

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!