Day 517 | Black and White Cookies

The no-plans, rainy day has dragged on and on (and on and on) today. Seriously, it's 5pm as I type this and I wouldn't be surprised if you told me it was 7pm. One of those days.

To add a little excitement to our afternoon, I offered to make cookies for Chase. I made the mistake of asking what kind I should make and after looking at several recipes/photos online, of course he settled on the slightly-too-complicated Black and White Cookies. They do look delicious, don't they? And they are one of my favorite cookies, but not when I have to muster up the motivation to make them. Instead, I opted for the much-simpler Cracked Sugar Cookie recipe and then added "black" (more like brown) and white frosting in hopes of tricking Chase into thinking they were the real cookie he requested. It worked! Maybe not the most honest version of myself but no one was complaining during snack time.

For the record, these are a very quick and delicious sugar cookie variation. Definitely recommended.

Day 456 | Pasta

We had friends over tonight for a yummy pasta dinner. A tried and true recipe for Creamy Fettuccine with Corn and Arugula.

So nice to catch up with some lovely people after a few weeks away. 

Day 361 | Chicken-less Nuggets

I found the inspiration for this recipe when Chase was Robbe's age and have been making it sporadically (whenever I think of it) ever since. It does take a bit of extra prep time leading up to lunch so that's the main challenge for me. 

These are about the most simple chicken-less nugget imaginable. Two ingredients: tofu (I prefer the extra-firm organic variety in the square container) and whole wheat flour. Oh, and oil for the pan. 

Here's the scoop:

Cut the tofu into 1/2 by 1/2 inch strips. Once you have your strips,cut those into thirds (so they're about nugget-size).

Coat the tofu with the flour on all sides (you can add some seasoning, salt and pepper, if you prefer).

Heat oil in a pan on the stove over medium heat.

Cook until browned and turn as necessary.

There you go! Let 'em cool and feed them to the kiddos. Mine gobble them up. And I'll admit, with a little ketchup they do the trick for me, too.

Day 342 | The Great Snack Search

I'm always on the lookout for delicious, healthy, fairly-substantial, sugar-free snacks for my wee ones. The task is harder than it should be, in my opinion. And forget about finding something that fits the bill straight out of a box. 

I just remembered this yummy muffin recipe that I used to make for Chase when he was Robbe's age. These apple-banana-blueberry muffins check every box!

I had some big helpers for the baking adventure this morning. Chase continues to love to "dump" the ingredients and Robbe loves to "help" by emptying our cupboards.

Here's the recipe. For the record, I used whole wheat flour and water instead of apple juice, only because I didn't have any on hand. The muffins aren't all that sweet (even with all the fruit) but they are perfect for my little guys (and I think they're pretty satisfying, too).

Day 307 | Snow Day

Why yes, Robbe is wearing plastic bags over his mittens and "boots." And yes, we're sledding on a cardboard box. When you don't know if DC is going to get snow, there's no need to invest in heavy snow gear. :)

What a lovely snow day. We ended up with about six inches of the fluffy white stuff (according to my eyeball estimation).

The day started out with yummy muffins, a latte, a fun play date, and some outdoor playtime. After lunch, the boys took nice naps (ahhh, peace and quiet) and I made some delicious black bean burgers for dinner while watching my three boys giggle and play. See? Lovely. 

Day 288 | Happy Valentine's Day

Happy heart day! I've been fully enjoying the love from my favorite three valentines today. 

*Special note: in case you're curious what the perfect glaze frosting is to go with my cookies from yesterday's post, here it is:

4 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp milk
6 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp almond extract (the most important ingredient!)
food coloring

Just mix everything together and then you can dip the cookies in and let the excess frosting drip off. I've been working for years to perfect this recipe for Chris's dream cookie. This is as close as we're going to get. Try it. I promise you'll love them. I promise. 

Day 287 | Cookie Cuties

*Photo credit to Susan. Such a precious moment.

Susan and Caroline came up to make cutout cookies with us today. Chase's attention span lasted about four-cookies worth but Caroline stuck with it for a long time. Don't worry, though, Chase's stamina for eating cookies was much more impressive.

It was so much more fun making my annual Valentines cookies for Chris with friends. This is going to be my new tradition, for sure. 

And the best recipe I've found? Right here. But good luck finding a cuter baker than the ones I got to work with. 

Recipe update:
Don't forget the frosting! Here's the glaze frosting I've landed on after years of searching for the perfect compliment to the perfect cookies:

4 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp milk
6 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp almond extract (the most important ingredient!)
food coloring

Day 281 | Morning Muffin

I can't believe I haven't posted my go-to whole wheat blueberry muffin recipe yet. Time to remedy that. 

Here's the recipe I use. 

I've tried taking out the sugar but, alas, it needs it. I did reduce it to a 1/2 cup, though. That's not terrible. Even Robbe got a delicious taste of this morning baked good. Lucky boy!

Day 248 | Lentils Get a Bad Rap

When we were back in Wisconsin, just about everyone turned their nose up at the idea of me feeding Robbe lentils. Isn't it common knowledge that lentils are incredibly peppery and delicious? And that the smell of them cooking is nothing short of mouth-watering?

Give 'em a try. If I've sold two babies on the scrumptiousness of these little beans, there's a good chance you'll end up thanking me. 

Need a recipe? This

lentil soup

is a go-to for our family. Super easy and can be made ahead of time (a definite plus with our current lifestyle). 

Day 239 | Chris's Favorite Thing

After sharing the boys' favorite things a few posts ago, it's time to highlight Chris's favorite thing: the day after sandwich.

It includes all the fixings from the traditional Thanksgiving dinner (and Christmas dinner this year) all in one sandwich for lunch the next day. That means turkey, potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and gravy all piled high. Not my idea of delicious but if it makes him happy, I'm happy. 

Day 224 | Homemade Baby Food

'Tis the season for over eating, right? The perfect time of year to share my eight tips for making homemade baby food for your wee one.

1. Boil baby, boil: Boiling is the easiest way to turn raw or frozen veggies into pureed magic for your little one.Bring a large pot of water to boil and then add the veggies for just a few minutes until tender.
2. Economies of scale: Make several batches one right after the other. Use one big pot and keep the water boiling, use a strainer to fish out the food, and only wash the blender once (rinse out in between foods and wash at the end). Just remember to do any new food as the last batch in case the baby has a reaction (you don't want to taint the other batches).
3. Ice cube trays: The easiest way to portion-ize, freeze, and store your labor of love.
4. Keep food separate: As tempting as it might be to make peas+pears or mango+sweet potatoes, freeze the foods separate and mix them when you serve them. You'll have so many more options for combinations this way.
5. Multitask: It's definitely preferred to do several batches at once (see #2) but don't hesitate to throw on a pot of boiling water while you're preparing dinner or doing dishes to knock out one batch of green beans.
6. Make smart choices: Sometimes making the food is more trouble than its worth. Prunes, in my opinion, is one of those foods. Rehydrating before blending is not my idea of a time saver so I will continue to buy this yummy fruit. When you buy, though, keep an eye on the ingredient list. There are some good options on the shelves today without a lot of additives but there are some nasty ones, too (think tuna oil...yuck!), just be vigilant. Another good buy? Applesauce. Although making applesauce is super easy, you can buy organic, unsweetened, no additive applesauce for so cheap that it's not worth the energy (in my opinion) to make it. If it's too thick for your little one at the beginning (it was for mine), throw it in your blender to smooth it out a bit more. I didn't even need to add water.
7. Invest in good equipment: Chris and I rarely splurge on anything so when we do, it's been well-researched and vetted. One of our best splurges (and definitely the best when it comes to making baby food) has been the Vitamix. Expensive, but worth it. This thing can blend up anything: frozen fruit, raw oatmeal (you don't have to buy the boxed variety), and thick starches (think: sweet potatoes). Other good buys? These ice cube trays (they have covers) and a strainer like this.
8. The wonder of frozen fruit: Frozen fruit is the most economical, easiest way to make baby food. It's already cut, peeled, pitted, etc. Again, check the ingredient list, though. Sometimes there's added sugar (which never makes sense to me!). I just defrost the fruit on the counter for a few hours, throw it in the blender, and pour into ice cube trays. Ta da! Done.

Day 217 | The Taste of Christmas

I managed to squeeze in baking a batch of my favorite Christmas cookies into today's chaos (school for Chase, airport trip to pick up Dad, lots of cleaning, etc.). They are perfectly unique and festive for this time of year.

Here's the recipe but I use craisens and orange zest as a substitute for the cherries and lime. 

Highly, highly recommended. 

Day 184 | Pumpkin Bars

Just because Halloween has come and gone, it doesn't mean we have to stop eating delicious pumpkin treats, right?

We headed to a friends' house for dinner tonight and pumpkin bars were the perfect house warming gift. These are one of Chris's favorite desserts and are slowly making their way up to the top of Chase's list as well. Everyone got involved in the baking...even Chase and Grandma Mary. It's nice to have so much help.

You'll find the recipe below (and no, I didn't remove the sugar with these). A special thanks to my Aunt Karen for making these a special treat throughout my childhood. They are pretty amazing, but don't take my word for it...

Pumpkin Bars

• 4 eggs

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 cups pumpkin (one small can)

• 3/4 cup melted butter

• 2 cups flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 cup nuts (optional)

Frosting:

• 6 Tbsp butter, softened

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 3 ounces cream cheese

Directions

• Beat eggs lightly with a fork and add the sugar, butter, and pumpkin. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to this mixture.

• Pour into greased jelly roll pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

• Beat the frosting ingredients until smooth and put on cooled bars.

Day 182 | A Healthy Halloween: Part 2

Delicious pumpkin agave muffins? Yes, please!

I've been making these muffins since I first started looking for sugar-free recipes. They are AMAZING. Not exaggerating and I promise you won't miss the sugar. I'm not going to repost the whole recipe since I actually follow the original recipe pretty closely: just leave out the salt. I've also substituted applesauce for the oil in the past and ended up with good results. One tip? Fill them pretty full because they don't rise much. 

Here's the recipe.

Today, the lucky recipients were Chase's school friends for their Halloween party. And by "party," I mean they celebrated by having this special snack and using festive napkins. No costumes allowed (apparently some kids get overwhelmed by them?) so no big reveal yet. Stay tuned tomorrow. When I asked if Chase was going to tell his friends that I made the muffins, he said "no." Embarrassed by me already? That can't be true!

Side note: Grandma Mary comes today! We're picking her up post-nap and, as you can imagine, we're all a *little* excited. Chase has asked about her whereabouts at least 100 times in the last three days. 

Day 148 | Zucchini Pancakes

We had two proud members of the clean plate club today at lunch. Chase gobbled up his zucchini pancakes so quickly I decided that I should share another recipe with today's post. This is a good one!

Unfortunately, Robbe didn't get to test the pancakes, but he had no complaints about his avocado and squash combination.

Here's the recipe:

Zucchini Pancakes

• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup flax seed
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch dried oregano
• 1/4 cup olive oil, or as needed

Directions

• Blot grated zucchini with paper towel to remove moisture. Stir zucchini, eggs, and onion in a large bowl. Mix in flour, cheese, baking powder, and oregano (right in the same bowl, is fine).
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil and pan fry until browned, 2-3 minutes per side. Drain pancakes on a paper towel-lined plate.

*Recipe modified from this website.

Day 61 | A Blueberry Popsicle Kind of Day

The sun is shining, the temperature is high and the blender was calling my name. The perfect opportunity to use our popsicle molds for the first time (they were a wedding gift eight years ago!).

Here's the recipe I used

.

Pretty much followed directions except I omitted the sugar and didn't substitute anything for it. I think they turned out plenty sweet so no regrets there.

The popsicles were just as yummy as they look. The yogurt was a little overpowering but still delicious. Chase appreciated the flavor (blueberry, of course) and enjoyed getting ridiculously sticky. He does have some work to do preparing his teeth for cold treats, though. He couldn't bite into the popsicle so I had to assist more than I should have!

Happy summer. :)

Day 18 | Banana Bread

I've been trying out a lot of sugar-free, whole wheat recipes since being pregnant with Chase.  This desire increased when I ended up with a toddler in need of healthy snacks. It has dawned on me that a lot of baked goods really don't need the added sugar especially if there's fruit in them.

It's possible that my taste preferences have changed but so far I've successfully taken sugar out of recipes for pancakes, banana bread (which Chase helped me make this weekend), pumpkin muffins, oatmeal balls, fruit muffins, and more. I'm sure I'll share all these recipes (and hopefully a few new ones) as the days go on. Hope you can start to enjoy a few more sugar-free snacks in your life. 

*Sugar-free, Whole Wheat Banana Bread

• 2 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed

• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

• 1/4 cup honey

• 2 eggs

• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease pan.

• Whisk together the flour and baking soda.

• Mix mashed bananas with yogurt, honey, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.

• Add flour mixture and stir until just blended. Do not overmix.

• Pour batter into prepared pan.

• Bake large loaf for 40 – 50 minutes or until it comes clean with a knife.

Recipe modified from this website.

Day 14 | Green Oatmeal

Chase's green oatmeal.

To continue with the morning theme, here's what a typical breakfast looks like. Chase's green oatmeal (see recipe below) has recently started being doctored up with Cheerios and/or blueberries and he takes his banana "cut up" these days. Most mornings, Robbe is at the table with us but today he slept in. :)

I know the thought of veggies in oatmeal is not particularly appetizing for most of us but Chase has never known any different and I love that he gets a decent serving of veggies in with his first meal. If he doesn't fight it, I'm not mixing it up. And so far, since he was about 9 months old, he's gobbled it right up. 

Green oatmeal:

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup water 

1/3 cup almond milk 

1 cube broccoli (I freeze the blended veggies in ice cube trays)

1 cube kale

Sprinkle of Cheerios and/or blueberries

Heavy sprinkle of flax seed

Directions:

Microwave oats, water and milk for 2 minutes. Stir in frozen cubes. Add flax seed and any extras once cubes are dispersed.

If you end up trying the recipe, let me know how much you love it!

Day 9 | An Ode to Oatmeal Balls

Delicious!

When I was pregnant with Chase, a friend made delicious no-bake oatmeal balls and shared them with me. Unfortunately, one of the reasons they were so yummy was because they had a decent amount of brown sugar (so good!). I was on a no refined sugar diet as directed by my midwife practice so I went on a mission to find a sugar-free alternative to these yummy treats.

2.5 years later and I can count on one hand the times that my refrigerator has been without these balls. Seriously. They are an easy (one-handed!) snack that is really filling and full of pretty healthy ingredients.  Even better?  Chase now loves them, too.  A great toddler snack!

*Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup oatmeal
• 3/4 cup  unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Mix everything together then pat firmly into bottom of bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour (I've also done it overnight) then roll into one-inch balls or cut into squares. Patting it into the bowl first makes this process easier.  Refrigerate to store.

Enjoy!

*modified from this original recipe.