Breakfast Smoothie Kids Will Love!

We're back! I have been away for a while, but I have plenty of fun posts planned for summer.

My four year old saw a smoothie at a restaurant one day, and was immediately hooked. My blender had been sitting in the cabinet for the past four years, but I took it out the next morning, and we have been making smoothies every day since! It took a few days to find a good recipe that gave a good consistency, but we have settled on the recipe below which everyone loves. I am so happy that they are getting some nutrition at breakfast time, and I love that I can hide things in the smoothie like flax seeds and probiotics.

Here is our go to recipe:

• 1 cup of skim or 2% milk
• 3-4 ice cubes
• 4-5 strawberries
• Half a banana 
• Handful of frozen mango and/or peaches
• Small handful of frozen blueberries
• 2-3 spoonfuls of canned pineapple tidbits 
• Sprinkle of flax seeds on top

On my KitchenAid blender, I use the crush ice feature for 20-30 seconds, followed by the puree setting, and then finally the liquify setting for a minute or two.

I have substituted other random fruits when we were running low, and the smoothie still tastes delicious.

Smoothie Time!

We love starting our mornings with smoothies! What's your favorite smoothie recipe?

Vanilla Cupcakes for Baby's First Birthday

Photo courtesy of niner bakes

I adapted this recipe from the niner bakes blog. I was looking for a healthier cupcake recipe, and these came out delicious!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of whole wheat or white whole wheat flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 a cup of applesauce + 2 tsp of oil

1/2 cup milk + 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar

sprinkles (optional)

I'm pretty much the laziest baker ever, so I didn't follow her steps. I mixed the milk and vinegar separately, and then combined all the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then I added the milk mixture to the batter. I mixed everything by hand, and it worked out well. Munchkin helped out as well, so it was a great bonding activity for us. I baked them at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

They taste really good! Baby E is not a huge fan, but everyone else in the family is definitely enjoying them. I put some whipped cream and a candle on top when we sang Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday Baby E!

Cooking Fun

     A is 2.5, and loves to help me cook and bake. It is a great opportunity to spend quality time together and to learn something too!

I've been trying out different kid friendly muffin recipes lately, and I really like this one from the Homemade Baby Food Recipes website. I have made these a few times with carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash purees (either on their own, or in combination). They are so good, and my husband and I love to snack on them as well.

Sweet Potato Muffins
4 oz (1 cup) rolled oats
4 oz (1 cup) whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
8 oz (1 cup) mashed, cooked sweet potato
4 oz (1/2 cup) dark brown sugar
3 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp dried cranberries 
2 fl oz (1/4 cup) milk (I use water or soy milk also)
1 egg

I just mix everything together in one bowl, and spoon into a regular muffin tin, or mini muffin tin.

A loves to help me measure, pour, and stir. There are many opportunities to practice counting and work on our motor skills. 

I usually have A stand on a chair, but I'm always nervous that he's going to fall. I have looked into getting the learning tower, but it takes up a lot of space, and we have a small kitchen. 

Here are some tips to remember when cooking with kids in the kitchen:

• Get out all your ingredients, bowls, and spoons out before starting. You don't want to have to turn your back while your toddler has access to the bowl of batter.

• Give your toddler an easy job that he can work on, while you do other tasks (stirring, sorting, etc.)

• Make sure your toddler is safely out of the way when opening the oven or handling sharp knives.

Happy Baking!

From Homemade Baby Food Recipe website. All ours get eaten before I remember to take a picture!