Why?

For three weeks I’ve spent one day of each of those weeks taking the baby into the doctor. “She’s fine, she’ll beat it” I was told. Finally yesterday her ear infection, throat infection and cold turned bad enough that she needed antibiotics. (Note: I have NEVER been happier in my whole life to have a child go on medicine). I’m also happy to report that in addition to the above mentioned, she’s also cutting her two front teeth. At the same time. That’s right. I earned that badge. Three weeks of night and day fun.

Back to yesterday though. Little boy home with pinkeye, screaming crying baby, daughter in pain and moaning because she got braces for the first time yesterday and a call from the husband saying his insulin pump had run out. (When that happens his blood sugar rises and he gets really sick for a few hours until his blood sugar returns back to normal. And then after that he feels pretty crappy for the rest of the night as his body recovers). With no family close by, a husband who wouldn’t be able to help out, and patience wearing very, very thin I decided the only way to survive the night was with cookies.

You can’t tell me your mouth isn’t watering just a bit can you?

Yes, I realize my cookies don’t meet the standards of some other bloggers who have the most beautifully ornate cookies I’ve seen in my life. But these had to be edible, right?

And they were! I decided to NOT use royal icing and opted for a glaze like frosting that tasted just as good and performed like royal icing. It holds up great and you can flood your cookies like you do with royal icing. It’s wonderful to use!

I found the no fridge sugar cookie recipe from Wilton. (Time was short, I needed a fast cookie!)

And no, I won’t tell you how many I ate. Period. (Hint, there aren’t any left though!)

No Fridge Sugar Cookies

Adapted from Wilton

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In your mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter on medium speed for two minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl and mix on medium speed again for one more minute. Turn mixer to low speed and add the egg and vanilla. Mix just until egg is blended into butter mixture. Add the baking powder and flour, one cup at a time until flour becomes blended into mixture. The dough will become very stiff by the third cup of flour. Mix together by hand if necessary.

Roll dough to 3/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet, Silpat, or parchment paper. Cook at 350 degrees for approximately 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool on cookie sheet for several minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and place on wire racks to finish cooling.

Frost once cookies have cooled completely.

Anti Royal Icing Glaze

2 ½ cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

½ tsp vanilla or almond extract

¼ tsp. salt

In a mixing bowl, blend all ingredients until mixture becomes shiny. Add food coloring if desired. Place in a piping bag or  squirt bottle. Pipe onto perimeter of cookies.

To flood, thin frosting slightly with water (honey consistency). Fill in interior of cookie, run a toothpick through to fill any gaps and to remove any air bubbles. Allow to dry one hour before piping over the top with a different frosting. Allow frosting to set up completely for several hours or overnight.

With a new member of our family who enjoys food (a little too much),

(Yes, there is a baby underneath all of the food in the hair).

Mini muffins are the perfect size for babies. I love to freeze them and pull them out to thaw in the morning. Then I tear them into bite sized pieces for her to enjoy a little finger food with her morning puree.

It’s either that or her brother’s cereal. That didn’t fair well.

Strawberry Banana Muffins for Baby

1/2 cup strawberry puree

1/2 cup banana puree

1/3 cup baby formula, breastmilk, or milk (if baby is old enough)

1 egg yolk

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (can substitute whole wheat flour)

1 cup oatmeal flakes or oatmeal baby cereal

1/4-1/2 cup brown or white sugar*

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan or large muffin pan.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients with a whisk or spoon until blended well. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way full with batter. Bake mini muffins for 15-20 minutes, or regular sized muffins for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, allow muffins to cool before serving.

To freeze: Allow muffins to cool completely before placing in a single layer in a freezer bag. Label, freeze. To thaw, take muffin out of bag and allow to thaw at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes before serving to baby. Muffins will freeze for approximately one month.

Mini muffins: 4 dozen

Regular Sized Muffins: 2 dozen

*Just a Note: You can substitute your favorite sweetener for the sugar. However, children under 1 should not have honey.

Related Recipes:

Baby Bran Muffins from 101 Cookbooks

Baby’s 1st Muffin by Simply Pure Vegan Baby

Catey Baby Berry Muffins by Keeping It Clean

CNN Money in October 2011 projected that peanut butter prices on popular brands would rise stiffly as a result. Planters peanut butter was projected to raise by 40%, Peter Pan would raise by 20%, and Jif would raise prices by 30%.

Americans eat an average of six pounds of peanut butter per year and together consume 800 million dollars worth of it.

If prices are getting you down, there are plenty of alternatives on the market that are great tasting and good for you and your family. Here are a few that you can substitute for easily in recipes and sandwiches along with recipe ideas:

Almond Butter

Almond Butter is a wonderful alternative to peanut butter. It adds a rich flavor to many recipes. It’s also packed with some good (and bad) news. Two tablespoons provides half of your daily value of Vitamin E and maganese. However, it also packs about 200 calories per serving so be careful when using it! Try these delicious almond butter and banana roll ups from Feed Our Families. They fit perfectly in your child’s lunchbox.

Chickpea

Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are another great alternative to peanut butter. Look for hummus which is made of these beans. They are wonderful to use because they have no saturated fat or cholesterol. They are also high in protein and are a staple for vegetarian and vegan diets. Try this pretzel and hummus dip from Super Healthy Kids for a great lunch or afternoon snack.

Cream Cheese

Cream cheese can be a wonderful alternative to expensive peanut butter. There are some wonderfully tasting low and non fat versions. It’s a great alternative to fattening peanut butters and cheeses. The downside of using cream cheese is it doesn’t contain as much calcium and protein as other cheeses. But it’s easy to substitute in sandwiches. This delicious fruit filled grilled cream cheese sandwich from Burnt Apple is a delicious twist on the traditional grilled cheese sandwich.

Hazelnut Butter

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word hazelnut would have to be Nutella. With a blend of hazelnut butter and cocoa it’s the perfect alternative to a plain old peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It also works great for substituting in recipes calling for peanut butter. While still a little pricey, it’s rich flavor will leave you using less than traditional peanut butter. To save money, Stephanie Gallagher came up with her own hazelnut and chocolate spread. Or, you can make this ricotta and hazelnut butter sandwich from Rachael Ray.

Soynut Butter

Soynut butter is another great alternative to peanut butter. Ground up soybeans mix with soybean oil to create a flavorful peanut butter like consistency. Soynut butter can be used in place of peanut butter (although be warned it has a strong nutty taste and may not meet the approval of little ones right away). Two tablespoons has around 170 calories but includes 16% of your daily value of protein. For a sweet treat in your children’s lunch, try these soynut butter muddy buddies from Kitchen Goddess. This apple and soynut butter pita sandwich is also a delicious lunch for kids or adults.

Sunflower Seed Butter

This is one of the easiest nut butters to switch children to without having them notice much. Sunflower butter seems to enhance the taste of a sandwich when combined with jelly. It also contains high levels of vitamin e and maganese along with cholesterol lowering phytosterols. Peas and Thank You shows you how to make your own sunflower butter recipe here. This stuffed apple snack is made with sunflower seeds, but you could mix it up with sunflower butter for a fantastic spread.

Tahini

Popular in middle eastern societies, tahini is made from ground sesame seeds. It’s a popular ingredient in hummus, and one serving contains 15% of your daily value of fiber. It also contains 30 grams of polyunsaturated fat and is rich in calcium, iron and vitamin B. Try this lemon tahini dressing from Gone Raw on your favorite salad or a chicken souvlaki pita with tahini sauce. 

REFERENCES:

Peanut Butter Prices Increase, CNN Money

After morning after morning of cereal, I got tired and needed something different. For some strange reason I started craving a grilled cheese sandwich. Wanting something a little more “grown up” I decided to throw together this quick and easy grilled cheese sandwich. I also had it for lunch too. It was that good.

Really, it’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, a “breakfast for lunch” dinner or even dessert.

Fruit Filled Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2 pieces whole wheat bread

1 oz (1-2 tbsp) reduced fat cream cheese

1-2 tbsp organic strawberry jam

Fruit of your choice: Blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries (I used blackberries this time)

Butter, softened

Heat a large pan or griddle to medium high heat. Butter one side of each slice of bread evenly. Spread an even layer of cream cheese on the non buttered side of bread. Top with a small layer of jam. Slice and assemble fresh fruit evenly over the top of the jam. Place sandwich together. Grill on each side of sandwich for approximately two minutes or until bread becomes golden brown. Flip sandwich and grill on the other side. Remove sandwich from heat, cut and enjoy while warm.

Related Links:

Bacon and Egg Breakfast Grilled Cheese by Incredible Edible Egg

Breakfast Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Maple Syrup by Closet Cooking

Grilled Cheese and Chicken Breakfast Sandwich by Boldsky

When I taught a class on baby foods several years ago I was given the opportunity to review a book called Baby Bistro. I love the recipe box and book style format Baby Bistro provides. I also love the use of organic foods. They provide great recipes and feeding ideas for every age baby is at. Today I’m sharing a recipe for oatmeal baby biscuits. My baby loves them!

If you want more information on Baby Bistro or for ordering information, click here. Also scroll down to the “Related Links” to view other great sites that offer help for making, freezing and preparing baby food from scratch.

OATMEAL BABY BISCUITS

Adapted from Baby Bistro

1/4 cup regular or ground oats (I used baby oatmeal cereal)

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tbsp butter or Earth Balance butter alternative

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp brown sugar

1/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter or butter alternative until the mixture becomes a coarse meal. Stir in the buttermilk and mix until the dough is moist. Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp flour on a cutting board. Knead the dough 10 times, then roll dough into 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the biscuits into quarters. Place on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the biscuits become lightly browned. Cool and serve in baby bite sized pieces.

Makes 4 biscuits.

Note: The biscuits can also be frozen and taken out of the freezer when read to use.

Related Links:

What Baby Foods Will/Won’t Freeze by BurntApple

Organic Baby Food by Wholesome Homemade

Organic Baby Food Recipes by Love to Know Organic

Have you ever had a honey wafer? I had no idea what they were to be quite honest. They are 90 calories of pure honey and wafer combined. They are delicious when warm and add flavor to anything you are making.

This is a simple and easy recipe. Simply warm your wafer in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, add some grilled apples on top, caramel (mmm!!) and maybe a few walnuts if desired. Note: It’s only 6 weight watchers points without the walnuts.

Where can you find honey wafers? I only found one place that has the original honey wafer. It’s called the Honey Wafer Baking Company. They’ve been making them since 1925. If you’re lucky enough to find them in a store near you–great! But if not you’ll want to order some and have them delivered.

HONEY WAFER CARAMEL APPLE DESSERT

1 honey wafer, warmed

1 apple, any variety sliced and grilled

1-2 tbsp caramel sauce

2 tbsp walnuts (optional)

Core and slice one apple. Place apples in a stovetop pan to grill if cold outside, or on a grill outside if warm. Arrange grilled apples on top of the warmed honey wafer. Top with caramel sauce and walnuts if desired. Use a pizza cutter to cut dessert pizza into slices. Serve warm.

It’s time.

I’m suffering from growing pains here on the site, and I turn it over to you to help me learn what I need to do next. How do you go about growing your site, increasing SEO’s, and who are good (and ligit) web designers? What kind of costs are involved and how long does the process usually take?

Send me your advice and knowledge!

And have a great weekend!!

A dear friend brought me a pomegranate for a Christmas gift and I knew it wouldn’t sit on my counter for long. I’ve tried a lot of pomegranate recipes but I was craving something a little bit different.

I found this recipe at Eating Well. This vanilla pomegranate parfait hits the spot. The rich, sweet taste of pure from scratch vanilla pudding mixes with the tangy pomegranate compote to make a delicious meal. And it’s easy. I MADE PUDDING FROM SCRATCH!! If I can do it, you can too!

BUT……You don’t have to make the pudding from scratch if you don’t want to. A vanilla pudding mix can be substituted. For best flavor though, I highly recommend the from scratch version.

VANILLA POMEGRANATE PARFAIT

Taken from Eating Well

POMEGRANATE COMPOTE

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds (see Tip)
• 2/3 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

PUDDING

• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (to garnish)

1. To prepare the compote: Mix 2 tablespoons sugar with 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add the pomegranate seeds, pomegranate juice and lemon juice; stir to combine. Place on burner and bring to a boil over medium-high heat Stir until mixture becomes syrupy, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a small bowl. Place in refrigerator to cool while you make the pudding.
2. To prepare the pudding: Combine the milk and half-and-half ina large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from the vanilla bean (or add the vanilla extract). Place pan on burner and bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat. POnce mixture has begun to simmer, remove from heat, cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk egg, egg yolk, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch. Reheat the milk mixture just until steaming. Whisk one-third of the steaming milk into the egg mixture. Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with the whisk until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
4. To make parfaits: Divide the pomegranate compote among six parfait glasses, ramekins or other small dessert cups. Spoon the pudding mixture over the compote. Cover and refrigerate until the pudding is well chilled and firm, at least 3 hours. To serve, garnish each parfait with pomegranate seeds.

TIPS:

* You can freeze pomegranate seeds for up to 3 months.

* For tips on removing seeds from a pomegranate, click here

RELATED RECIPES:

Baked Pomegranate Yogurt Pudding by Meatless Monday

Rice Pudding with Pomegranate Syrup from Cooking Light

Chocolate Pudding with pomegranate by A Cozy Kitchen

Pomegranate Orange Salsa by Burnt Apple

Pomegranate Walnut Salad by Burnt Apple

As we start the new year, our entire family is enjoying one of my favorite ways to start the new year–watching the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl afterwards. I can’t think of any better way to start the new year!

Healthier eating is one of my top priorities for my family this year…as it seems to be every year. Introducing the kids to new and exciting flavors, trying to make traditionally unhealthy meals better for our family. While we are miles away from being considered a super healthy family I continue to work hard to get my picky eaters eating healthier. The hubs continues to be one of my harshest critics, but I’m working on him.

Today we’re sharing some of the top healthy kid friendly meals on our site to help you kick start your new year. Enjoy!

BREAKFAST

Applesauce Cinnamon Pancakes

Freezer French Toast

Fruity Granola Cup

Quinoa Fruit Salad

Under an Hour BEST Whole Wheat Bread

LUNCH/SNACKS

Caramel Apple Sandwich

Frozen Grapes

Fruit Popsicles

Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

Vegan Cheese Crackers

MAIN DISH

Fish Sticks

Grown Up Spaghetti for kids and Parents

Turkey Rice Balls

DESSERTS

Baked Doughnuts

Broccoli Brownies

Homemade Pop Tarts

“I Have Food Allergies But Am Still Craving Girl Scout Cookies” Recipes