Mama.Papa.Bubba. -
Menu
Skip to content
  • SHOP
  • preemie
  • baby
  • play
  • craft
  • learn
  • cook
  • DIY
  • kuwait
  • vancouver
  • contact
  • about

Tag Archives: Valentine’s Day treats

{Heart-Shaped} Strawberry Crispy Rice Treats

2 / 13 / 139 / 22 / 13

I must admit, since creating our first batch of healthy{er} crispy rice treats, we’ve made several batches since. The good news is that through all of the ‘testing’, we’ve learned that they last really well in an airtight container on the counter, they can be made into fun shapes using silicon moulds and ice cube trays, and they can easily be cut into shapes with cookie cutters {all while holding their shape just as well as regular Rice Krispie treats do}.  The one lesson we’ve learned along the way is that if you overdo the cereal, they turn out crunchier, more dry, and not nearly as yummy.  Lesson learned.

Healthy Strawberry Crispy Rice Treats

When planning some of the treats we’d serve at our annual Valentine’s Tea, Gracen’s most enthusiastic suggestion was “Crispy treats! Valem-time ones!”  Making the treats pink came to mind first, but since I’m not crazy about feeding Miss G a bunch of unnecessary food dyes, that got nixed shortly there after.

IMG 5456

The next thing that came to mind was one of Grae’s favourite treats… Freeze-dried strawberries.  We buy ours at Trader Joe’s, but I have seen them in other stores as well.  They’re just strawberries, but the process of freeze-drying them causes them to be super crunchy and astronaut food-like.

IMG 5458

I asked Grae if she’d like to experiment with making strawberry crispy rice treats, and she was on board all the way.

IMG 5460IMG 5462

To get started, we took about a half a cup of freeze-dried strawberries, ground them to a powder in our food processor, and added them to the wet mixture while following our usual crispy rice treat recipe.

IMG 5466

Of course, Miss G licked the cashew butter spoon, because, well… That’s probably the best part about helping with this recipe.

IMG 5468

Once we’d combined the cereal and the wet mixture, we took another portion of freeze-dried strawberries, crumbled half into the mixture itself, and then sprinkled the other half on top of the mixture after pressing it down firmly on a baking sheet.

IMG 5472

IMG 5472

We let the mixture cool completely, then used a cookie cutter to cut out heart-shaped treats.  Miss G liked helping with this job, but it required some serious muscle, so I had to help out.

IMG 5477

It’s a simple twist, but so far the feedback’s been great…  Strawberry crispy treat success! ☺

 

Healthier Crispy Rice Treats

  • 1/2 cup of organic brown rice syrup (found in the all-natural aisle of most grocery stores, somewhere between the nut butters, syrups, and honeys)
  • 1/2 cup of cashew butter (macadamia works great too)
  • 1/2 cup of freeze-dried strawberries, ground into powder
  • 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla
  • 4 cups of crispy brown rice cereal
  • 1/2 cup of freeze-dried strawberries, gently crumbled

Measure the brown rice syrup, cashew butter, ground freeze-dried strawberries, 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.  Next, add in a 1/4 cup of the crumbled strawberries and stir to distribute them evenly.

Dump the mixture onto a parchment-line baking pan and press it down firmly.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of freeze-dried strawberries on top of the mixture, and gently press them down into place.

Allow the mixture to cool completely (or almost completely).  Use a cookie cutter to cut out heart-shaped treats.

Enjoy!

♥

For fun extras, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

2 Comments

Valentine’s Day Slime Favours

2 / 5 / 132 / 11 / 19

Sparkly Valentine s Day Slime Favours

Okay, so not the most traditional of Valentine’s Day treats, but when you ask a two year old what she wants to give her friends for Valentine’s, you have to be open to the suggestions.  And those just happen to be heart wands and sparkly slime this time around.

IMG 5153

Luckily, fun-to-play-with slime is a cinch to make and requires ingredients we always have around the house.  Plus, we’re slime experts after whipping up 50+ slime treats this past Halloween.

IMG 5155

Detailed instructions can be found here, but basically all you have to do is mix the glue, glitter, food colouring, and some of the water together…

IMG 5157

And the other bit of water with the Borax separately.

IMG 5158

Then pour the two mixtures together, knead it together a bit…

IMG 5164

And watch oozy gooey slime form.  It’s honestly so easy that Miss G can do almost everything (save the measuring) on her own.

IMG 5165

For packaging, we like using these 125 ml mason jars because they’re the perfect size and can be reused for something else afterwards (plus they’re pretty cute!)

IMG 5167

Filling the jars with was Miss G’s favourite part of the process this time around, especially when she discovered that she could create all kinds of silly noises by forcing the slime down into the jars.

IMG 5169

Though she’d asked for red slime with red sparkles, this is what our finished product looks like {even after using a half a bottle of liquid food colouring}.  Luckily the pink and red combo is perfect for the occasion and Miss G was pleased with how it turned out.

IMG 5324

For the tops, we created simple paper circle inserts that include a little ‘Valen-slime’ saying and a sparkly red heart.  Here are a few close ups…

IMG 5318

‘Be mine, Valen-slime.’

IMG 5316

‘Be my Valen-slime.’

IMG 5315

‘Will you be my Valen-slime?’

Surely we’re the first ever people to give out slime on a holiday centred around love and friendship, but who wants to be run of the mill anyways?

Want to make your own?  Download our printables here:

Printable Valentine’s Day Slime Favour Labels

 

Sparkly Slime

(This is essentially the exact same recipe we used last time, but in a bigger batch.  This recipe yields 24 – 26 mason jars of slime – perfect for a class of kids – or in our case, 12 mason jars and a big batch to use for sensory play.)

  • 3 cups of white glue (approximately 6 regular sized bottles)
  • 2 1/4 cups of hot water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of fine glitter
  • food colouring (as much as desired)
  • 1 1/2 cups of hot water
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons of Borax
Combine the first set of ingredients until the mixture is smooth and free of glue globs.
In a separate measuring cup or bowl, combine the second set of ingredients until the Borax is dissolved into the water.
Slowly pour the Borax mixture into the glue mixture, stirring as you pour.  When the slime comes together in a large mass, knead it for a minutes until if is soft and stretchy.
Package in pretty little mason jars and gift to friends.
A few helpful tips: 
  • While clear glue with work just fine for this recipe, environmentally-friendly versions will not.  Trust me.  We tried it.  TWICE.
  • If your finished slime seems too stiff and not soft/stretchy/runny enough, add some really hot water to it, knead it in vigorously, and let it sit a few minutes.  The texture will improve greatly.
  • Borax is a laundry booster and can be found near the bleach/stain remover/oxy clean in most big stores.
  • If you wonder about the safety of using Borax with children (as I did) this post is helpful.

Are you following us on social media?

Find us on: Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Twitter

    We’d love to have you!

31 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!

♥

Keep up with all the Mama.Papa.Bubba. fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

 

10 Comments

find us here

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email

looking for something?

want our posts to your inbox?

popular posts

  • Frozen Ocean Animal Rescue {salt, water, & ice play}
    Frozen Ocean Animal Rescue {salt, water, & ice play}
  • Sand Play Dough With Loose Parts
    Sand Play Dough With Loose Parts
  • EASY Portable Activity Kit for Road Trips
    EASY Portable Activity Kit for Road Trips
  • Make Ten {an easy card game for kids}
    Make Ten {an easy card game for kids}
  • Chunky Monkey Frozen Yogurt Bites
    Chunky Monkey Frozen Yogurt Bites
  • Morning Routine Flip Chart
    Morning Routine Flip Chart
  • Magic Mystery Painting
    Magic Mystery Painting
  • Homemade Air-Dry Modelling Clay {aka baking soda clay}
    Homemade Air-Dry Modelling Clay {aka baking soda clay}
  • Portable Activity Kit for Little Travellers
    Portable Activity Kit for Little Travellers
  • Mermaid Necklaces
    Mermaid Necklaces

archives

Site made with ♥ by Angie Makes
Angie Makes Feminine WordPress Themes