Kitchen Crumbs

Just until last year I used to always buy my breadcrumbs. That is, until I discovered how simple it is to make! Never spend another penny on breadcrumbs...

please.

Ever.

All you need are a few pieces of sliced bread. We prefer whole wheat. The key here is to read the label on your bag of bread to ensure that it does NOT contain any high fructose corn syrup. You will be amazed at how many out there do. High fructose corn syrup has been linked to obesity and high cholesterol.

Next, take out a few slices and leave them out overnight. You'll want them to turn stale. Then simply pop them into your food processor or blender and you're done - Breadcrumbs!

You can use this as an opportunity to show your little ones about measurements and counting. Daniel did most of the work, but Mia watched happily as we counted the number of pieces we needed to cut the bread into, in order to fit them into our Ninja food processor.

Make Your Own: Valentine's Day Wreath

Love is in the air.

Something about the middle of January kicks me into full Valentine planning mode. It's the perfect excuse to preoccupy our minds with something positive, as opposed to the dreary, cold weather, right?

There are plenty of fun, inexpensive Valentine's Day decor out in the party stores and dollar stores. We have some of those and happily put them up. But this year, I really wanted to make something that my children could get involved with and was hoping they could learn something along the way.

Last weekend, I took Daniel and Mia outside for some fresh air.  We went to the far end of my yard where there were remnants of trees that had been torn away during Hurricane Sandy. It was a perfect opportunity to teach them about parts of a tree, and very neat for them to see the inside of a tree trunk and the growth rings.

They were especially amazed at the sea of pinecones that had fallen recently and covered the ground nearby. So we got to picking,
and picking,
and picking!

We picked so many that I thought we could turn them into something special for Valentine's Day. Our own little pinecone heart, if you will. Here it is and here is how we made it.

1. Collect lots of small pinecones.
2. Spray paint them red, or your favorite color. I'm sure white would look very lovely too.

3. Next, find a thick piece of card board. I used red craft paper I had left over from Christmas.

4. Fold your paper in half and draw the outer and inner outline of a heart.

5. Cut out your heart.

6. Tie or glue a ribbon to the top of the heart.
7. Using a hot glue gun or strong adhesive, glue on your pinecones.

And that's it! Your kids will enjoy seeing that what they picked turned into something special for the whole family to enjoy.

Make Your Own: Kid's Box Cars

I'm a little late, but Happy New Year! Better late than never, right?

This year, in addition to food ideas, I'm going to begin including some craft ideas as friends continue to ask me to share some of my arts and crafts projects.

I am a craft JUNKIE! And now that Pinterest exists, my addiction has become a bit chronic. I absolutely love being able to make home-made decor and projects. My favorite excuses to make projects are usually centered around:

holidays,

birthdays, and

kid's fun and educational.

This weekend, we were gearing up for our Friday night movie night. We usually rent a kid-friendly movie, pop some home-made popcorn (link for a super easy recipe), and cuddle up in our pjs. But I had this lingering itch to make use of some old diaper boxes I had been saving in our garage. Just seems like such a waste to throw them away every month. So I thought, we could turn those boxes into box cars and have our very own little drive-in movie!

All you need are:

1. big cardboard boxes (old diaper boxes, Christmas gift boxes, almost anything bulk from Costco will do)
2. wrapping paper or child friendly-paint/spray paint
3. painters tape or Duct tape
4. glue stick or Elmer's glue
5. construction paper or black paper plates
6. embellishments of your choice

BEFORE

Honestly, this is so simple. Be creative as you'd like.

First, cover your box. You can simply wrap it in left over wrapping paper or if you are going to paint it, prime your box with white paint. Once dry, paint your color of choice. Daniel chose brown for his and pink for his baby sister. Let it air dry.

Next, if you have black paper plates, glue them on as wheels. Or you can use a plate to trace large circles onto black construction paper, which is what I did. I then cut out smaller yellow circles to glue inside the black circles.

Here is where you can get creative. Decorate to your heart's content. I only had blue painters tape on hand, but Duct Tape makes some very fun, colorful tapes with different designs that you can use instead. Tape around the edges for added flair.

Finally, add whatever embellishments your child likes. I added their names to the front with foam letters I found at the Dollar Tree. You can add glitter, buttons, sparkles, stickers, etc. You get the idea!

I hope you have fun creating these box cars for your little speedsters!

AFTER

Have a Very Merry and a Holly Jolly!

From our family to yours...

Have a...

VERY MERRY

and a

HOLLY JOLLY!

xoxo,

baby Mia, big boy Daniel, Mari & Dave

(shirts and tutu made by this momma)

Healthy Kid-Friendly Christmas Meals

And just like that...Christmas is upon us. Eight days, to be exact. Why am I counting, you may ask? 

Oh no, no, no. It's not me. It is my five year old Daniel, who since December, thought waking up an hour earlier every day would ensure he is the FIRST person who makes it to our Christmas countdown pillow, and moves the candy cane one day closer to Christmas. He's right! He is definitely the first at 6 am! And all, for this...

If you have kids visiting on Christmas, (highly likely if you're a parent) you may be wondering what meals to prepare for them. It is so easy to give into the abundance of sweets and quick drive-thru or prepackaged meals during the busy holiday season. But I'm here to give you a few clever little ideas that don't require a whole lot of time, and will be healthier choices for your little elves. 

First, I can't think of a cozier way to warm up Christmas morning than with a cup of warm cocoa. Make your own, so that you can avoid the harmful partially hydrogenated oils (which can raise bad cholesterol) and control the sugar content. By presenting it in a festive mug with a "cheerio" candy-cane charm, the kids will have fun sipping and munching, while opening gifts. 

CANDY CANE COCOA

To make the candy cane charm, you will need:
1. toasted oats cereal
2. red pipe-cleaners

Simply thread about 20 toasted oats through the red pipe-cleaner and cut off the rest with a pair of scissors. Tuck the ends over, to prevent the cereal from slipping off. Then hang from your favorite mug!

To make the hot cocoa:
1. 1 tbsp. unsweetened dark cocoa
2. 1 cup organic or raw milk
3. 1-2 tbsp. sweetener of your choice (honey, stevia, coconut sugar, or agave)

Warm the milk over low heat with the cocoa powder. Mix frequently. Before the milk comes to a boil, remove from heat and pour into your mug. Add your sweetener of choice.

RUDOLPH SANDWICH

To make Rudolph, you will need:

1. whole wheat sliced bread (read the label and avoid partially hydrogenated oils)

2. mini pretzels

3. raisins

4. cherry or grape tomatos

5. creamy filling of your choice (hummus, cream-cheese, peanut butter)

6. heart-shaped cookie cutter

7. toothpicks

First, fill your sandwich with your filling of choice. Then, use your cookie cutter to cut out your reindeer's head. Add the pretzels as antlers. The filling will act as a paste to hold them in place. Dab a bit of filling on the back of the raisins to hold them in place as eyes. Cut a toothpick in half and place at the tip to hold your tomato in place as the nose. When serving to children, be sure to remove the toothpick before they dig in.

For more details on the candy-cane charm and reindeer sandwich, please visit our friends at www.thepetitesoiree.blogspot.com.

While brainstorming ideas for more kid-friendly Christmas meals, I came across these other wonderful ideas. I could not resist the cuteness and they look super easy to make! Clicking on the images will lead you to their websites for more details.

RUDOLPH PANCAKES

CHRISTMAS TREE SALAD

SANTA STRAWBERRIES

Here's to some festive meal-planning from our family to yours! Bon Apetit!

Mixed Emotions

Today is a day of mixed emotions.

Earlier, I was excited and happy. Excited because I was featured as a guest blogger for a children's event planning company that I adore, The Petite Soiree. I felt completely honored and thrilled.

Then minutes later...
Unbelief and Confusion.

I read of the tragedy in Connecticut where a 20 year old human being shot and killed 20 innocent people, most of them being children.

I certainly don't understand all of the motives and theories behind this horrible tragedy. I don't understand what he was thinking or anything about his past.

All I understand is...
Sadness.
Pain.
Doubt.

While we await the final details of the news reports, please help me pray for the families of the angels that were lost. May they ultimately find comfort in knowing that their angels are sitting next to their maker, in peace.

He will cover you with his feathers, 

and under his wings you will find refuge; 

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (Psalm 91:4)

Breakfast Baby

This morning my cupcake (Daniel) woke up craving waffles. He is a "warm food" kind of kid and prefers warm meals in the morning like a comforting bowl of cream of wheat or a freshly toasted egg and cheese sandwich.

The challenge is squeezing in the time in the morning, while balancing getting myself and both of my little ones ready. It would be fabulously easier to pop open a box of cereal every morning or throw some pre-frozen waffles in the toaster. Not that there is anything wrong with that on occasion (I hear my dad's voice whispering "everything in moderation"), but there is something to be said about knowing what ingredients you are putting into your kid's food. Especially when you can add extra healthy goodness to the mixes, like fruits or chia seeds.

Chia seeds are my new favorite food add-on. They are so easy to hide into mixes like pancakes, waffles, and muffins and come from the plant source with the highest source of Omega-3. Plus, they are full of antioxidants and are a complete protein with amino acids, calcium, and magnesium. Score!

Home-made pancake and waffle mixes are great because you can make a big batch of batter and refrigerate whatever you don't use for the next day. Or even yet, cook a bunch and freeze what you are aren't going to eat. Then simply pop them in your toaster straight from your freezer.

This morning, cupcake wanted to help me make the waffles. It was a great ad-lib lesson on math and measurements as he helped read and measure the ingredients. We put everything into my Go-To mixer, the Ninja Master Prep. I love it because it mixes really well, saves counter space, and doesn't make a big mess.

Once everything was well mixed, we poured the batter into our waffle maker and voila! Yummy banana waffles! You can find a good waffle maker inexpensively at most retail chains, like Target or Wal-mart.

Our Waffle Recipe:
2 cups of whole wheat white flour (we like King's Arthur)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs (organic, free-range)
1 1/2 cups of milk (organic or raw is what we like)
1 ripe banana
3 tbsp un-salted butter
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp chia seeds

Place all of the ingredients, except for 1 cup of flour, milk, and baking powder in the mixer. Mix until well blended. Then add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Warm up your waffle maker and pour your batter in. Cook and enjoy!