Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal

Summer is finally here and we are loving it!  For the past few weeks my garden has really gotten going, so I've had lots of fun as Mini Muffin has enthusiastically observed our seeds sprouting and growing into every bigger plants.  Not only are the veggies coming along nicely, but my rhubarb is up and producing like mad!  It's a good thing because I certainly do enjoy rhubarb!

While searching for ways (other than delicious pie) to use rhubarb, I came across the idea of rhubarb oatmeal on eatingwell.com and just had to give it a try.  So this morning, we broke from our usual mid-week breakfast routine and tried something new - Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal.  Yum!

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal

1 1/2c 2% milk
1/2c orange juice
1c old fashioned rolled oats
1c chopped rhubarb
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1c chopped strawberries
1tbsp maple syrup

1.  Chop rhubarb into ~1cm pieces (or finer if making for baby).
2.  In a medium saucepan, combine milk, orange juice, oats, rhubarb, cinnamon and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3.  Reduce heat until gently bubbling and cook, stirring often, for three minutes.
4.  Add chopped strawberries and cook an additional two minutes or until most liquid has absorbed.
5.  Cover and let rest for five minutes.
6.  Stir in maple syrup, adding additional to taste if desired.

Makes ~3 cups

Little Smiling Man and I both enjoyed having oatmeal with a sweet/tart twist for breakfast.  Since strawberry rhubarb is a common combination the taste was familiar, but somehow completely new being in oatmeal form.  It definitely made for a delicious and unique dish!

The oats held their shape very well, so after having some from a spoon, Little Smiling Man decided to turn it into a messy finger food and enjoyed feeding himself.  For younger babies, I would consider puréeing the final product, but for older babies ready to explore texture this is a great dish! 

I also took some to work for my afternoon snack.  It wasn't quite as satisfying for my sweet/tart cravings as rhubarb pie, but it was definitely a better choice and kept my energy levels steady through until dinner. 

With more rhubarb ready for harvest, I suspect there'll be some more recipe experimentation this weekend.  Stay tuned for more rhubarb goodness!

Toddler Friendly Juicer Recipe!

So, we're back from our weekend in Ottawa!  It was a lovely weekend, and my sister's wedding was just beautiful.  The kids did a great job as flower girl and ring bearer, and we managed to keep them and their clothes clean and uncreased until pictures were over!  Once they didn't need to be spotless, they enjoyed playing outside at the venue, dancing, and generally just being their wonderful selves while the reception unfolded around them.  I can also say from experience that just like it takes a village to raise a child, it definitely takes a village to get through a wedding (that happens during nap time) and a reception (that starts at bedtime) with one and three year olds.  I am so grateful for my family and my sister's inlaws for their help, patience and willingness to have fun with my little ones.  It really was a great day for everyone.  As a cute side note, Mini Muffin refers to Little Smiling Man's tux as his "bear suit" since he was the ring bearer!  Adorable.

Now that we're home, I wanted to share a juice recipe I tried for the kids tonight.  I don't normally share recipes requiring special equipment (i.e. a juicer), but when Mini Muffin's exact words were "This juice is delicious.  I really like this juice!", how could I not share?

Romaine - Apple - (and other stuff) - Juice

2c roughly chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cucumber
2 stalks celery
2 apples (I used Macintosh)
1 orange (or 1/2c orange juice)


1.  Add all ingredients to juicer, starting with romaine and ending with apples.
2.  Stir in orange juice.
3.  Serve cold

Makes 4 toddler servings, or 2 adult servings.

Source: Juice Recipes for your health



In all honesty, the only reason I tried this recipe was because I happened to have all the ingredients in the fridge.  Who knew it would be so tasty?  Or that Mini Muffin would drink her entire serving and ask for more?  I must say, it was a pleasant surprise, as well as a great and refreshing way to round out our dinner!

Zucchini Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins

What a fantastic long weekend we had!  Having spent it working and playing outside, as well as getting a few things done inside, I came out of the weekend on an absolute high.  We had so much good quality family time, were active all weekend, and got so much done!

One of my less fun indoor tasks for the weekend was cleaning out the cabinet I use to store serving dishes, wine glasses and recipe books.  As I was going through my clutter of assorted recipe books and cooking magazines, I realized how nice it is that my focus in cooking hasn't changed much over the years.  I'm as much about tasty, simple and healthy food today as I was ten years ago.  This makes it really interesting to go through all of my recipes, as I tend to find forgotten, delicious gems.

The recipe I'm sharing today literally fell into my lap.  As in I was sitting on the floor, pulling down recipe books, and a recipe that I'd printed out years ago but never tried fell from the stack and landed in my lap.  When I read it and realized that it incorporated zucchini and a very ripe banana (of which I had one of each that needed to be used up) as well as quinoa (which I love), I knew it was meant to be.

Thanks to the footer on my print out, I was able to trace where it came from.  The Healthy Foodie created this recipe, and when I browse around their website they seem to have created many more tasty creations in the years since! 

Naturally, I put my own tweaks to it, and the result is perfect for little ones.  I find these muffins hearty and moist, and both lightly sweetened and spiced.  Best of all, they have no added sugar, lots of veg, and all the goodness of quinoa.  Quinoa is a grain that I'd really like my kids to eat more of, but I haven't had much luck at incorporating it into finger foods until now.  No matter how well formed and sturdy my efforts seemed to be, they end up disintegrating into a mess of individual grains as soon as little fingers grasp them.  Happily this recipe bucked that trend so I know it's possible.  If you have an awesome recipe for quinoa based finger foods, comment below please!  I'm interested!

In terms of sweetness, I kept my batch plain and found the flavours to be subtle but pleasant.  If you like your muffins a little sweeter or your flavor profiles more complex, consider adding a bit of maple syrup, raisins or both to your batter. 

Zucchini Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins

Zucchini Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins - fresh out of the oven

2c whole wheat flour
1 tsp gluten flour (optional)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg 
1c zucchini, grated (about 1 medium zucchini)
1c pumpkin purée
1c cooked quinoa
1 large, very ripe banana
2 eggs
2/3c 2% milk

Optional:
1/3c raisins and/or 2tbsp maple syrup

1.  Preheat oven to 425F and line muffin tins.
2.  Blend first seven ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.
3.  Grate zucchini, and squeeze away excess water.*
4.  Combine zucchini, pumpkin and quinoa well.  Then, add well mashed banana, eggs and milk.  Include maple syrup in wet ingredients if desired.
5.  Pour zucchini mixture into bowl with dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Add raisins if desired.
6.  Divide among muffin tins, and bake for five minutes at 425F.  Then, decrease temperature to 375F and bake another 17-20 minutes until lightly browned and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7.  Enjoy warm or cooled, they're lovely both ways!

Makes 16-18 muffins

* I've only recently come to appreciate the difference in final texture that squeezing moisture out of zucchini lends to my baked goods.  I simply transferred my grated zucchini to a clean tea towel, and squeezed it out over the sink.  It's amazing how much liquid a zucchini contains!

Little Smiling Man had one with dinner and his narrative was along the lines of "Harum, mum mum mum mum!", which I think means "Mmmm, mmm, mmmm"! 

Easy Mommy Win - Apple, Broccoli, Green Bean Purée

As I've previously mentioned, my husband is spending weekdays out of town.  We survived our first week with the help of my mom, but I freely admit that I wasn't feeling like my usual organised and (somewhat) on top of things self!  With being away part of the weekend, I didn't have a chance to do my usual meal planning/grocery shopping/food prep routine.  Then, with my husband being out of town I really didn't have a chance to catch up.  While we ate very well thanks to my mom, I really noticed the difference in the extras - my work lunches, and breakfast and snacks for the kids.  For one, my stash of healthy muffins in the freezer ran out, and on Friday I realised that the kids didn't get as many veggies in as they normally would.  Cue the mommy guilt.

This weekend, I've been trying very hard to get back on top of things.  The washer and dryer have been going... and going... as have my steamer and oven.  My goal is to have a week of well planned, minimal prep dinners, and lots of good, nutritious foods for the kids and I to enjoy for breakfasts, lunches and snacks.  While I was looking for recipes I came across a Baby FoodE recipe I'd bookmarked but never tried.  Their recipe for Apple + Green Beans + Broccoli Purée is great - no tweaks required! 

Now, I have never had much luck with purées.  No matter how carefully I'd select delicious, fresh, local produce, steam to perfection, and purée them just so, my kids just never seemed to enjoy my purées.  Store bought baby food pouches, they'll suck back in the blink of an eye on the other hand.  I was taking it pretty personally... until I really looked at the ingredient list.  While I was buying products with things like broccoli, spinach and kale in the name, the veggies were actually not at the top of the ingredient list, so my kids were getting mostly fruits (and some veggies) when they'd polish one off.  So, I decided to get more creative with my purées, and take a cue from baby food manufacturers and incorporate more fruit.  In my searches to try and find the right balance between fruit and veg, this recipe came up, and I'm so glad I bookmarked it for future use! 

Apple, Broccoli and Green Bean Purée

2 sweet apples, peeled and chopped
1/2c broccoli flowerets
1/2c chopped green beans

1.  Place chopped apples, broccoli and green beans in a steamer and steam until tender.
2.  Purée to desired consistency, adding water from the steamer as required.  (I added 3/4 c water, and used my regular blender.)

Makes about two cups


This purée reminds me a bit of my Orange (Carrot) Applesauce, and both kids are really enjoying it.  For Mini Muffin, who as a toddler/preschooler is well out of purées, we've framed it as Green Applesauce, much like the Orange Applesauce she loves.  She was hesitant, but we got there in the end.  I'll call this one an easy mommy win, and seeing Mini Muffin actually consume broccoli and green beans makes it all the better!!!

Celebratory Sweet Potato Waffles

Today is Mini Muffin's third birthday!  Everyone says it, but while the days can be long, the years truly are short.  Suddenly my little first born baby has grown into a little girl who is more preschooler than toddler, and is absolutely beautiful both inside and out.  She makes me laugh every day and makes me want to be the best mom I can be.  She's full of love, energy, joy and wonder, and I hope those characteristics only grow stronger with age.

This morning she woke up with a big smile on her face; she's been asking if it's almost her "Happy Day" since July, so it's been a long time coming.  After I finished singing Happy Birthday, her first question was "Where's my cake?".  Luckily I'd thought ahead, and had a great alternative available for her... waffles for breakfast!

My husband makes waffles almost every weekend, usually with Mini Muffin as his helper.  His version involves stiff peaked egg whites to make them light and fluffy and oh so delicious.  While I love them, I don't love the effort and extra dishes their preparation entails.  So last night I set about making my own waffle recipe and included sweet potato.  I will admit that with my husband out of town and my mom (who was staying with us to help) having gone home yesterday, I felt like a superstar when I got the kids to bed, did all my cleaning/straightening while the sweet potato was steaming, prepped the wet and dry ingredients (so all I'd have to do was combine them and cook in the morning), and still got to bed in good time.  This morning, I got up 15 minutes early to make sure I had time to get both myself and the waffles organised before my early rising Little Smiling Man got up for the day.  It all came together perfectly, Little Smiling Man "slept in" and I managed to take the last waffle out of the iron just as Mini Muffin woke up.  Hooray!

My sweet potato waffles are quite dense and slightly sweet, and as such I found them very satisfying.  I even took a left over waffle with me to have as a snack at work - it was tasty even unheated and without toppings!  As an added bonus, the texture of these waffles stands up really well to little hands so they make a great finger food.

Sweet Potato Waffles

Staying warm in the oven until the Birthday Girl awakes!

1c mashed sweet potato
1c 2% milk
1 egg
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp melted butter (optional)
1 1/2c all purpose flour*
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch salt

1.  Peel, chop and steam sweet potato until soft.  Mash well, minimising lumps.
2.  Combine sweet potato, milk, egg, maple syrup and butter**.
3.   Blend remaining dry ingredients.
4.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and combine to form a thick batter.
5.  Grease waffle iron and cook.  I found a lower heat setting to give fully cooked and lightly browned waffles - setting 2 of 6 on my iron.
6.  Enjoy with butter and syrup, fruit and whipped cream, fruit sauce, or on their own!

Makes 6 waffles

* Whole wheat flour and a small amount of gluten flour could be substituted for white flour; I chose white flour because the sweet potato makes these waffles pretty dense as is.
** In my bleary eyed state this morning I completely forgot to add the butter I'd planned to include - the waffles turned out well without!

Mini Muffin was thrilled at surprise week day waffles!  After I topped them with butter and little bit of maple syrup, she tucked in and I held my breath hoping she wouldn't notice that they weren't "normal" waffles.  Her first response was "Mmmm... mmmm...."; music to my ears! And about four bites in she added:

Mini Muffin: "Did you put cinnamon?"
Mommy: "Yes, I did."
Mini Muffin: "Does Mommy's waffle have cinnamon?"
Mommy: "Yes, it does."
Mini Muffin: "We like cinnamon!" (smiles)

Birthday Breakfast in Progress!

Sweet success to start my Friday morning.  I am one happy momma, and aptly so since as Mini Muffin says, a birthday is a "Happy Day".

Fantastic Family Fun

Mini Muffin is a big fan of soccer.  One day last year she suddenly proclaimed "I'm a Soccer Rocker!!!" and ever since she hasn't turned down a chance to kick around a ball.  I have no idea where Soccer Rocker came from, but it's now the official name of soccer in our home.  Not surprisingly Mini Muffin started ploughing through her dinner last night, giving us "Almost there!" updates after every bite when asked if she wanted to play Soccer Rocker after supper.  We'd decided to diverge from our normal weeknight routine of dinner, a few minutes of play and then bedtime; instead having a quick dinner so we could all go play in the backyard!  Mini Muffin ended up having a pretty big dinner, and before long we were all outside playing with a regular soccer ball, a mini soccer ball and a small net.

This was one of the first times we've been able to include Little Smiling Man in outdoor play.  Previously he'd be in the carrier or stroller watching from the sidelines, but now that he's walking he wants to be in the thick of it!  He spent most of the time toddling around on the uneven ground, trying to kick the mini ball, as well as picking up, carrying and throwing it.  When he got tired, he hung out by the shed watching, occasionally coming back into the foray to try and score a goal (or steal the ball)!  Not only was the fresh air good for him, but the activities were great for his gross motor skills.  Walking on grass is a lot more difficult than a smooth indoor floor, and his balance was noticeably improving by the time we headed inside.  And of course kicking and throwing skills are also great to practice.  I also liked that he got one on one active play time with each of his parents, as well as his sister and got to watch all of us interact as we played.

Mini Muffin was all over the place and loved every minute of it.  She chased down balls, dribbled and kicked both balls and was pretty shameless with using her hands to get the ball away from Mommy or Daddy.  She loved racing to get the ball from every corner of the yard as well; there was a lot of huffing and puffing!  Towards the end, my little Soccer Rocker was pretty tired so she turned her attention to throwing and catching the mini soccer ball.  Her catching skills are getting better, and she completely cracked us up when she missed catching the ball and would laugh saying "Silly Mommy!" or "Silly Daddy!".  As if it was our throwing skills that were the only issue!

My husband and I got to take turns playing with each of the kids, and we had some of our own soccer rocker battles full of laughter.  My husband is much better at controlling the ball than I am, so really all I could hope to do was deflect the ball, or kick it away from him.  In any case, we both managed to score a goal or two on each other, which was fun!  And, it was nice for me to clear out the cobwebs after a pretty dull and sedentary day at work. 

When bedtime was approaching we headed inside to give the kids a quick bath and tucked them happily into bed.  I really do hope that this kind of family time will form some the kid's earliest memories.  All of us having fun together, laughing and being active!

Sleep Update

Last night, I slept through the night!!!

This is not a milestone I expected to celebrate with one and (almost) three year olds, but a significant event it turned out to be. 

Here's why -

After getting his allergies under control in January, Little Smiling Man quickly got into a great sleep groove.  To recap, before we started actively managing his allergies, he was one itchy little guy.  He'd go to sleep pretty easily between seven and eight, probably due to sheer exhaustion.  Four hours later he'd be up, and he'd be up pretty much every hour until morning.  Sometimes it would take a good hour to resettle him, only for him to sleep an hour and be up again.  After nine months I was one sleepy mama!  Within a week of starting antihistamines, he went to bed even more easily, and was up maybe once a night.  Two weeks later he was able to sleep 11h straight most nights.  The change was amazing!

Then, two weeks ago my little guy got sick.  He had a nasty gastro bug that gave him tummy pains, and after three days that transitioned into less tummy distress with a high fever.  All in all, it was nearly a week of illness, and a week of him needing parental intervention from about 1am until morning.  He wanted comfort, to be held, to be rocked, etc.  It made for a very tiring experience for all of us, but he's been better for about four days now, hooray!

Breaking the nighttime comfort habit took a lot of willpower on my part.  We were all so tired from being up half the night for a week that the easiest thing to do would have been to give him what he wanted and spend the night dozing with him in a recliner so we all could get some rest.  But, instead we mustered up our strength and settled, and resettled and re-resettled him in his crib until he realised that the nighttimes of being held for hours are over.  The first night it took two exhausting hours, the second night it took one hour, then fifteen minutes.  Last night was golden - back to sleeping through the night!  Ahhh!

On the Mini Muffin front, bedtime continues to be a challenge.   I've previously written about our naptime power struggles, and her general need for comfort and having a parent with her to fall asleep.  We tried extending the strategy to bedtime, going through our routine and then letting her do what she wanted (so long as it was quiet and in her room) until she was ready to sleep.  It was an epic failure.  Mini Muffin really enjoys playing independently, so we ended up pulling the plug on the whole philosophy when after a week she was consistently still playing at 11pm when we'd go in and insist it was bedtime.  So, the bedtime process continues to be long (minimum of an hour, and often two) and full of frustration. 

My husband usually handles her bedtime, and they're pretty good at winding each other up, which also exacerbates the situation.  Last week, I interjected one night when it was becoming clear that my husband needed a break.  I tried something new and gave her a flashlight.  I told her that she could play with it until she was ready to sleep, but that she had to do it quietly and stay in her bed.  The consequence of not following that direction was that she'd lose the flashlight.  It's been almost a week now, and it's working wonderfully!  We do her bedtime routine of vitamin, pjs, teeth and face, good night to myself and her brother, stories with daddy ending with "Night Night Little Pookie", and then lights out.  We ask if she's ready to go to sleep (one night the answer was actually yes!), and if the answer is no, she's offered the flashlight.  My husband then leaves the room.  When she's ready to sleep she calls for one of us, and we put away the flashlight, tuck her in, start some white noise, and hold her hand for a few minutes until she drifts off.  Without an audience, and being fairly still and in the dark, flashlight time seems to help her settle down more quickly.  Without the frustration of sitting with Mini Muffin while she mucks around the tries to keep herself awake, we all have less frustration.  And since no one is getting frustrated, the calmer atmosphere seems to really help bedtime progress more quickly.  It's still a bit more of a production that I'd like, so there's still work to do, but overall we're all happier and Mini Muffin is sleeping on average half an hour earlier than she was!

I still find it amazing that my kids are so different in their sleep habits.  I did a few things slightly differently between them, but I think most of it is due to nature as opposed to nurture.  I continue to learn a lot along the way, and while our sleep situation (with Mini Muffin in particular) continues to have its moments of frustration, we really have come a long way!
  

Shrek Juice

Today we practiced what seems to have become a weekly ritual.  Today was our official try-to-sneak-green-food-into-your-strong-willed-and-picky-toddler day.  So far I've been having the most success with putting greens into beverage form, and have previously posted about some of our favourites (Shamrock Mock-shake and "Chocolate" Thick Shake).  This time, I decided to revisit a favourite of Mini Muffin's that I haven't made for a few months; Shrek Juice.

Gloriously Green - Shrek Juice!

The recipe for Shrek Juice came from Homemade Smoothies for Mother and Baby by Kristine Miles, that my husband picked up for me on a whim at the grocery store about a year ago.  It's been the source of a couple of good ideas for kid friendly smoothies, a few good mama smoothies and, well, a few flops along the way.  From those we've tried, Shrek Juice is a definite gem!

So, without further delay -

Shrek Juice

1 1/2 c coconut water
Large handful of baby spinach
2 dates
1/2 avocado
1 ripe banana
Ice

1.  Soak dates to soften.  I like soaking them overnight to get them as soft as possible.
2.  Add spinach, then dates, then coconut water to blender.  Blend well (no chunks should remain).
3.  Add banana and avocado, blending until smooth.
4.  Add ice, blend and enjoy!

I find this smoothie to be very well suited to the toddler/preschooler pallet.  The banana and avocado make it creamy, the banana and dates make it naturally sweet, and the banana flavour does a great job at hiding the taste of all the other ingredients.  And of course it's a wonderful shade of green that could only be favoured by ogres!  I also like that it gives Mini Muffin healthy fats from the avocado, electrolytes from the coconut water and of course a good helping of spinach! 

Since it's been a while since I've made it, today was Little Smiling Man's first Shrek Juice experience.  He's not as tough a customer to please as his sister, but he greeted it pretty enthusiastically and screeched for some of mine as well.  Mini Muffin eyed it up, then she eyed me up, then conceded to try a sip.  Happily, that sip turned into her drinking her cup.  I think Shrek Juice is officially back in my rotation!

Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins - A Hit!

A couple of months ago I started cleaning my fridge out every Friday.  It's made a huge difference; reducing fridge clutter and food waste simultaneously.  It gives me a good view of what I have, what I need, and what I need to use up in the very near future.

This past week, I realised that a jar of unsweetened applesauce had been open for a while, and needed to be consumed quickly.  Instead of trying to feed my kids a lot more applesauce than normal, I thought I'd turn it into muffins.  My quick recipe search was uninspiring; oatmeal applesauce muffins galore.  Then, I found a fantastic recipe for whole wheat carrot muffins at 100 Days of Real Food.  Now this was a recipe I could work with!

So, after a few tweaks to meet my family's tastes, here's my version:

Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins

Still warm and ready to be enjoyed!

1 1/2c whole wheat flour
1 tsp gluten flour (optional)*
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch of salt
1/2 c butter, melted
1/3 c honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c unsweetened applesauce
1 c grated carrots


1.  Preheat oven to 350F and prepare muffin tin (grease or use muffin cup papers).
2.  Combine whole wheat flour, gluten flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix well.
3.  Add grated carrots and mix until carrots are coated.  Create a well to receive wet ingredients.
4.  In a small bowl, combine butter, honey, egg, vanilla and applesauce.
5.  Add wet mixture to the well in the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined.
6.  Divide among muffin cups and bake 22 - 24 minutes.

Yields 12 muffins

* Gluten flour is an optional ingredient and was not included in the original recipe.  I find adding a bit of gluten flour to whole wheat baked goods results in a more tender texture.  Essentially you get all the goodness of the whole wheat flour without the toughness it sometimes yields.  Gluten flour is available in bulk stores, as well as in the health food section of many grocery stores.

I am so pleased with how these muffins turned out - I will absolutely be making them again!  They're moist, lightly sweet, and have quite a delicate crumb.  Mini Muffin ate an entire one with gusto for her "sert" (aka dessert) last night.  And while each muffin only contains just over a tablespoon of grated carrot, I'm in full support of any extra little bit of veggies that my kids can eat - and enjoy!

My kind of Saturday morning...

This morning, we broke from our usual Saturday morning routine of waffles, play, and then Mini Muffin's gymnastics.  Instead we had breakfast and playtime, my husband started switching over to our summer tires, and then he took Mini Muffin to gymnastics solo.  Little Smiling Man and I packed up and headed to a mom to mom consignment sale instead!  Now, I've previously sung the virtues of my favourite consignment store, but now it's time to heap praise on how amazing mom to mom sales are!  I seriously recommend checking out what's available to you locally; there are great deals to be had!

The sale I attended was an annual one hosted by our local multiple births society.  The vendors aren't exclusively twin parents, but many of them are which means that there are lots of good quality items... in multiple. Last year I had some great scores on everything from potties to swim gear to sippy cups.  Pricing is often better than consignment stores since the sellers want to be sure they sell everything they've brought, and there tends to be lots of variety.  My strategy for these sales is that since you never know what you might find, go with a shopping bag ready to fill with treasures and an open mind (e.g. no shopping list). 

Little Smiling Man and I arrived to a packed parking lot about an hour after the sale had started.  Once I finally got a parking spot, I popped him in the carrier and headed in.  After my first survey of the tables I mentally sighed that you win some, you lose some.  I was not inspired.  Most tables were almost exclusively clothes, and as you might recall I really dislike sifting through second hand clothing looking for gems.  Many had the same pricing as my consignment store, so I figured I may as well sift through well organised racks at my leisure, as opposed to heaped tables in a crowded gymnasium. 

Then, I found it - the table designed just for me!  The seller must have had boy/girl twins because everything was being sold in the same sizes for boys and girls.  Her organisational scheme was fantastic; Ziploc bags with three of this, or five of that at super low prices.  I didn't get to see exactly what I was buying, but at $1 for three 4T skirts, I didn't have much to lose.  So, I stocked up on great finds for Mini Muffin this summer, and for Little Smiling Man a year or two from now.  All I can say is $29 can go a long way... and that includes the $2 entry fee.

Here's what I came home with:

• 1 pair size 9 girls rubber boots

  

  The Haul - I love a good bargain!

• 1 pair size 9 girls water shoes
• 1 pair size 4 boys sandals
• 2 insulated sippy cups
• 1 straw cup
• 1 gender neutral tshirt
• 3 size 4T skirts
• 5 size 4T girls tank tops
• 2 pairs size 4T girls pjs
• 1 size 4/5T girls Columbia brand coat
• 3 pairs size 3T boys pants
• 2 size 3T boys dress shirts
• 1 pair size 3T boys dress pants
• 6 small toy trucks

All in all, I'm feeling pretty pumped about my finds.  I love that they're all good quality, and they're all things we need and will use.  And, I love that they were a small fraction of full price.  What a great way to start the weekend!

Simple Kitchen Sink Quiche

When I’m home with the kids our daily routine sometimes seems to revolve around food – breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner – and everything else needs to fit into the gaps.  With the responsibility of nourishing small, growing people my own eating habits have definitely shifted.  I eat more fruits and vegetables, fewer processed foods, and certainly eat more regularly than I once did. 

Since my return to work some additional changes in my eating patterns have been necessary.  On a work day, I’ve generally finished my breakfast by 5:30 (as opposed to the leisurely 8:00 I enjoy when at home).  With nearly six hours between breakfast and lunch, a morning snack is more of a necessity than ever!  And, let’s call a spade a spade; because my morning is so long, my morning snack is more like a small meal than a quick bite.  With that in mind, I’ve been trying to make sure my morning snack is a) enjoyable, b) varied from day to day, and c) packs a nutritional punch.

This morning I snapped a picture of my morning snack since it was looking so good, and thought I’d share the recipe!  This quiche can be whatever you want it to be; mine changes every time based on what I have in the fridge and want to use up!  It’s simple and quick to make, can help to reduce food wastage, and as I’ve learned this week makes a great snack or meal for young children and mamas alike!

Simple Crustless Kitchen Sink Quiche

Simple Crustless Kitchen Sink Quiche

4 eggs
1c 2% milk
1c self raising flour
1 medium zucchini*
2-3c of other veggies, meat and cheese, finely chopped or grated** 

1.        Preheat oven to 350F, and grease a casserole dish or baking pan (approx 10” square).

2.       Grate zucchini and combine with other finely chopped or grated ingredients.

3.       Add self rising flour and mix well.

4.       In a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk.

5.       Add eggs and milk to zucchini mixture and stir until just combined.

6.       Transfer to prepared pan and bake until firm in the middle and lightly browned around the edges; approximately 40 minutes.  Time will vary based on size of pan and thickness of quiche. 

* Grated zucchini is a key ingredient for this dish – it gives the quiche its final texture and helps hold it together.  I do not recommend omitting zucchini from this recipe.
** You can plan this quiche (e.g. broccoli and cheese), or use it as a kitchen sink dish to use up odds and ends in your fridge like I do.  The quiche pictured contains – 1 zucchini, 1 carrot, 1 seeded tomato, 2 green onions, handful of leftover cooked broccoli and corn, cheddar cheese and peameal bacon.

To dress your quiche up, consider laying asparagus spears or tomato slices on the top before baking.  A quick spray with a non-stick cooking spray or oil atomizer will also help brown the top.

Little Smiling Man and I have been enjoying this quiche for a couple of days now.  It’s quick and easy to add to his dinner, and he really seems to enjoy it.  Plus, it's firm enough for little fingers to pick up easily, yet still soft enough to be easily eaten before any molars come in.  I’ve had it both as a packed lunch with a side of spinach, or on its own as a snack.  It holds its shape well, and reheats nicely, so it’s a great work day dish!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies for Baby

As I was getting ready to return to work, in addition to my flurry of preparing freezer meals, I worked on finding easy, freezable, wholesome finger foods I could make for the kids.  My vision was to have foods, preferably containing some form of vegetable, ready to go in the freezer so that when my hungry littles got home I could put something in their hands to help them wait until dinner's ready.

The first baked creation I tried was a tweaked version of Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies from Amy's Healthy Baking.  It came highly recommended from an online forum I frequent, so I had to give it a try.  The original recipe looks absolutely delicious for grown ups, but for my kids I did need to tweak it a bit.  The end result was a moist and flavourful cookie that Little Smiling Man devoured each and every time I handed him one!  I definitely ate my fair share of them too, and I may or may not have had some breakfast at some point before they ran out...

So without further ado -

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies for Baby

Soft and delicious Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

1c instant oats
3/4c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch salt
3/4c pumpkin purée
1/4c maple syrup
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4c raisins

1.  Preheat oven to 325F
2.  Blend dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl, created a well in the middle.
3.  Combine pumpkin, maple syrup, butter and vanilla.  Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. 
4.  Add raisins, and mix until well distributed.
5. Spoon onto parchment lined cookie sheet.  Using a spoon, press down and form cookies.  These cookies do not spread at all during baking, so form the cookies however you'd like the final product to look.  I used a cookie-sized ice cream scoop to get the volume and round shape I was looking for, then just pressed them down.
6.  Bake 12-14 minutes.  The cookies should still be soft, and slightly browned on the bottom.  Cool on pan for a few minutes before transferring to a rack.

Makes 18 large cookies

Among the many things I like about this recipe (aside from the cookies of which I ate quite a few myself!) is that it gets its sweetness from raisins and a bit of maple syrup as opposed to large quantities of added sugar.  I also like that they work well with whole wheat flour, and have a healthy portion of pumpkin in them.  All in all, they're a well rounded cookie, and did I mention that they're delicious?   

Healthy "Chocolate Thick Shake"

I had a major mommy win last night. Since shortly before my return to work, Mini Muffin has been kicking the picky eating up a notch.  A lot of it, I think, is around the changes in our routine and that's leading to her retesting boundaries and trying to exert control over what she can - in this case whether or not she eats.  It's been a huge struggle as she's been rejecting foods she loves, and generally eating like a bird, which in turn makes her cranky, and well, you know the drill.

One of the significant challenges I've had are vegetables.  I've been struggling to get any form of veggie into her, and it's so frustrating!  Last night I tried something new, and was so happy that it worked!  I found a recipe in a smoothie cookbook I have, gave it some pretty significant tweaks, and the result was a "chocolate thick shake" that when served in a coloured straw cup to hide the green tinge, went down like a treat!  Mini Muffin of course has no idea what a thick shake is, so took to calling it her chocolate drink.

Mini Muffin's Special Chocolate Drink

Large handful of baby spinach
1/2 med or 1/4 large ripe avocado
1 1/2 c coconut milk
1 banana
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Ice

1.  Add spinach, avocado and coconut milk to blender, and blend until smooth.
2.  Add banana, cocoa powder, honey and cinnamon.  Blend until smooth.
3.  Add ice, and blend.  Adjust consistency with extra avocado and/or ice to make thicker, or extra milk to make thinner if desired.

Makes two servings. 

I made and served this drink while Mini Muffin was out of the room, since it does have a bit of an odd colour to it.  However, once she tasted it, she was pretty intent that it was all hers!  She drank about half of the recipe (so a big glass full), and Little Smiling Man and I split the rest.

I totally did a happy dance behind her back as she slurped it back!

Dinosaurs on the Stairs?

Mini Muffin's imagination has been flourishing lately.  She's doing really well at independent, creative play, and loves pretending to be various animals and creatures.  Frogs, puppies, tigers and dinosaurs feature heavily, as do Anna and Elsa from Frozen of course!

Her imagination has also been encroaching on dinner time recently.  One of her new dinner procrastination techniques is seeing a "scary dinosaur", and either running away, or being so distracted by it that she can't/won't eat.  I love her use of imagination and certainly don't want to interrupt it, but I also need her to eat dinner (and stop distracting her brother from his dinner with screams, roars, and the like!)... What to do?

One evening I found a solution that's working perfectly (for now) - I turned to the dinosaur and gave it a serious talk.  I explained that Mini Muffin was having dinner, and that he needed to leave her alone so she could eat her healthy supper and grow big and strong.  I told the dinosaur that if he couldn't do that, he'd have to go sit on the step. (Background: When Mini Muffin is struggling with big emotions we sit with her on the step and take deep breaths and talk until we can resume normal play.)  The dinosaur was even talking back a bit - cheeky guy! So, I sent him to the step until dinner was over. 

Can you spot the dinosaur?

Mini Muffin looked at the step regularly, and we talked about how even dinosaurs have to behave at supper time.  After dinner, the dinosaur didn't seem to be an issue anymore, though every couple of days I find myself sending some creature or another to sit on the stairs during meals, snacks or at nap time.  Things you never thought you'd find yourself doing...

Simply Delicious - Healthy Shamrock Mock-Shake

It's been quite the week!  Little Smiling Man turned one over the weekend!!!  I'm still not even sure how that's possible, time is going so quickly.  We had a nice time celebrating as a family, and tomorrow are having some extended family for a visit to celebrate.  He's taking some early, tentative steps, is babbling up a storm and is into everything.  He really is awesome.

At the same time, my maternity leave is rapidly drawing to a close, so our days at the moment are chocked full of appointments.  Mini Muffin had a very successful dental check up, Little Smiling Man will be going to his 12 month well baby check up, and I'm also due for the dentist and a trip to the bank to talk mortgages.  Busy times!

Spring is also upon us, which is drawing me back to summery things... like smoothies.  Mini Muffin hasn't been doing very well with her veggies lately, so I've been trying to get more innovative.  And so, today I'm sharing our long standing favourite Shamrock Mock-Shake.  Kinda timely with St Patrick's Day around the corner as well!  Super easy, and definitely toddler and preschooler approved.  Due to the presence of honey, this recipe is not appropriate for babies under one year.

Healthy Shamrock Mock-Shake

Perfect Afternoon Snack!

1 large handful of baby spinach
1 1/2 cups milk of choice (we use almond milk)
1 small (or 1/2 medium) ripe avocado
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
honey (to taste)
ice

1.  In blender, add spinach then pour milk over top.  Blend until no spinach chunks remain.
2.  Add remaining ingredients, except ice, and blend. 
3.  Add ice and blend until smooth.  Serve immediately.

And just like that, both you and your littles can enjoy a seasonal, refreshing and creamy smoothie complete with a good dose of spinach and healthy fats from avocado.  And, I must say, it makes a great afternoon snack!

Kid's Clothes Shopping Spree for Less

Last week I realised that both kids have gone through a growth spurt.  Mini Muffin has grown 2" in the last two months and her 3T shirts are quickly becoming belly shirts.  Little Smiling Man's 12 month sized pants are looking more like capris, and he's popping snaps on his 12 month onesies.  It truly is incredible how quickly these kids grow!

As I started packing away the too small clothes, and pulling out the gifts, hand-me-downs, and previous purchases of the next sized up clothing, it quickly became apparent that neither Mini Muffin nor Little Smiling Man had nearly enough clothing for the coming weeks or months... or until the next growth spurt strikes!

So, on Friday I headed to my favourite consignment store to shore up my supplies of kid's clothes.  I can't even pretend to enjoy shopping, and the thought of consignment shopping has always sent a shiver of fear through me - wading through crowded, disorganised racks of clothing in poor condition, searching for the gems.  Thankfully, about a year ago I found my kind of consignment store.  It's well organised and spacious, and they only buy new or very gently used quality clothing. 

Little Smiling Man scoping out the toy section

They price according to type of clothing, and regularly have clearance sales to keep their store from becoming over crowded with unpopular items.  It's fantastic not having to carefully inspect each item, and the organisation and pricing scheme makes it easy to shop, and even to be picky about brands.  When I have lots of time, I almost enjoy sifting through for amazing finds from Baby Gap, Carter's and Children's Place.

Unfortunately, when I went shopping on Friday, Little Smiling Man was not in the mood to stay still, and was very much enjoying wiggling away from me, crawling around corners, down aisles, and generally keeping me nicely distracted from the task at hand.

As a result, my shop was hurried, and I was less discerning than normal so there were more "expensive" (aka $4) purchases in my pile than normal.  At the till, I had a bit of a shock when the total came to $75!!  That is, until I looked at my huge bag of purchases, all name brand, and started estimating the retail value.  I'm confident that I enjoyed massive savings, for a total of 27 high quality kid's clothing items, and was so excited I had to share!



So, for a grand total of $75, I was able to purchase the following -

Girl's 4T:

Girl's 4T

• 1 sundress
• 1 summer skirt
• 1 overall style dress
• 2 pairs of pants
• 1 fleece jacket (dressy)
• 1 sweatshirt
• 1 hat
• 6 long sleeved shirts

The highlight purchases were:

• Osh Kosh brand dress in new condition - $4
• Dressy fleece jacket from Old Navy in new condition - $4
• Big Hero 6 shirt featuring Honey Lemon - $1
• Disney brand Frozen sweatshirt for my little Frozen fiend - $2

Boy's 18-24 Months:

Boy's 18-24 Months

• 1 3pc fleece outfit
• 1 2pc outfit
• 1 spring jacket
• 1 hooded sweater
• 2 short sleeved rompers
• 2 long sleeved rompers
• 1 short sleeved shirt
• 2 long sleeved shirts
• 1 swimsuit
• 1 hat

The highlight purchases were:

• 3pc Carter's fleece outfit in new condition; we had the same one in the 12 month size and I loved it.  So happy to find another for only $4 instead of its original $20 retail price!
• Spring jacket in new condition - $3
• Brimmed summer hat with chin strap, new condition - $1

With the cheapest items likely running around $8 new, and the more expensive items being in the $20 range, I estimate that the average retail price for these items would be around $14, putting the total value of my purchases at about $380 (not including taxes) and nearly $430 including HST. 

I must say that an estimated 80%+ savings on items we need is not bad for half an hour's distracted shopping!  Next time I'll have to find time to go solo and see what finds I can find!   

Valentines Completed!

We finally finished!  24 Valentine's Day cards from a two year old have been completed!

We started on Sunday, and finished this afternoon (Thursday).  Obviously we spent just a little bit of time working on them each day, and it worked out very well since it stayed fun for Mini Muffin the whole way through.  She's always loved craft time, and since every time we sat down there was a new component to work on, they made for a pretty interesting project.

Our process was as follows -

First, I prepped the cards and used my Cricut to cut out hearts.  I then put glue on the hearts and passed them to Mini Muffin to stick to the front of each card.  Some of them are very centred... others not so much.

Next, I addressed the cards, and Mini Muffin "wrote" in them with pink crayon. 

And, finally we pulled out my container of dollar store craft goodies (pom poms, flowers, jewels, etc), and Mini Muffin showed me where she wanted glue on the front of each card to finish up decorating them.  Luckily for the first two thirds she was happy just putting one thing in the middle of the heart.  Towards the end, the cards were becoming pretty heavily adorned (and time consuming as well!).

Tada!  Beautifully decorated cards for friends!

I love the end result!  I think she did a great job, and they're definitely from the heart.  Tonight, I'll attach a mini container of bubble solution to each of them, and they'll be ready to go!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Simply Delicious - Fruity Oatmeal Bites

Little Smiling Man has seriously been enjoying raspberries this week.  It's the first time in a couple of months that we've had them on hand, and he will truly eat as many as I give him.  He just can't seem to get enough!

This morning, I decided to make a quick and easy breakfast I haven't made in ages and that Little Smiling Man has actually never had before (and would give him that raspberry taste he loves so much)!  I originally came across this recipe on an online forum focused on babies, as an idea for baby finger foods, and have made it many times since.  It's a fun way for babies and toddlers to enjoy their oatmeal, and makes a nice change from the usual cereal, bowl of oatmeal or toast.  It also makes an easy breakfast or snack on the go since it's a non-sticky finger food.  Enjoy!

Fruity Oatmeal Bites

Cooked bites, after being transferred from plate.

1/2 banana
5 raspberries (approx.)
1/4 cup quick cook oats

1.  Thoroughly mash banana and raspberries.  The banana should be mashed until the point that it's pretty much smooth.
2.  Mix in oats, making sure that they're thoroughly coated with banana.
3.  Transfer to a plate, forming the mixture into a square.
4.  Microwave on high, for approximately three minutes.  You're looking for the oatmeal to be held together enough to lift off the plate as a square, but still soft enough for little ones to enjoy.  If it's undercooked it will be too soft to transfer off the plate, and if it's over cooked it gets very chewy/hard as it cools.  It may take a few times to find the right time for your microwave.
5.  Cut into bite sized pieces and serve once cool enough.

Ready for little fingers!

The final verdict?  Little Smiling Man thought it was fantastic and gobbled the whole thing up.  I suppose it's not really surprising since bananas and raspberries are two of his favourite things!  I suspect that I'll be making this one for him many times in the future.  We may also start experimenting with a few variations, like adding some nut butter for protein, or using different berries.  So many possibilities.... 
     

Cutest Conversation

Mini Muffin will be two and three quarters this weekend.  Where has the time gone?  She's very talkative these days, and enjoys telling us all about the world around her in a stream of consciousness style of monologue.  Sometimes she comes out with some real gems!

As I write, she's having her nap.  We went through our normal naptime routine, but diverged slightly for a very cute conversation once the lights were out.  Normally once the light is out, she knows she needs to be still and quiet.  Today however, as we were holding hands and she was settling in to her rest, she said in a very serious voice:

"Mommy, can I talk to you for a couple of minutes?"

I felt like I was in one of those parenting videos - this would be a defining moment where my child would learn that she can always talk to me and that I'll always listen, and it would help her to grow into a confident and well adjusted kid.  Feeling like she was about to open up her little heart to me, I replied:

"Of course you can, sweetheart."
"Okay... So, how is your day going on?"
(stifling a chuckle) "I'm having a very good day, thank you.  I've been having a lot of fun with you and your brother.  How is your day going?"
"My day is good.  I got to play, and I had peanut butter bites for lunch...  How is my brother's day going on?"
"He's having a pretty good day I think.  He got to play with his baby friends this morning.  But, I think he's pretty itchy as well, so that's not great."
"He's having a rough day I think, if he's all itchy."
"I guess he is.  Now, we can talk more after your rest, it's time to be quiet and still now."
"But, we're talking about our day!"
"Yes, and I love hearing about your day, but it's time to be quiet and still for your rest.  We'll talk lots more after you wake up."

What a sweetheart!  I thought it was the sweetest thing when she wanted to ask after my day, and she did so in such a serious way; it let me know that it was important to her.  I thought it was cute that she mentioned her lunch as a highlight, since I had specially made her favourite lunch for her.  And, I thought it was so sweet that she wanted to know about Little Smiling Man's day as well. 

The whole thing was just warm and fuzzy and oh so cute.  After she finished talking, she snuggled in and drifted off for her rest.  It really was one of those parenting moments that you just want to hold onto and play back in your mind as they grow up and change.  I am so fortunate to have such a precious little daughter!

Kid's Books We Love - B is for Breakdancing Bear

Earlier today, we were reading a recent addition to our favourite books - B is for Breakdancing Bear.  My sister discovered this book, and gifted it to us for Christmas.  I have to say, it's fantastic - it's so much more than your average ABC book!  It's been in heavy rotation ever since we received it, and as such I decided to highlight it as the first in the "kid's books we love" series (read more about the background for this series here).

Available for purchase via Amazon (and other great retailers)

As the cover boasts it's "an awesome alphabet of astonishing animals", so there's a surprise at each turn of the page.  You will not believe what these animals get up to - they're DJs, they ice skate, they zip line, they box.  It makes for a fun read, full of laughter and surprises.  Can you think of a better way to learn your alphabet than through fun and laughter? 

Little Smiling Man is still a bit on the young side to be really into it, though he does keep grabbing at the pages so he must be somewhat interested.  Thankfully it's a sturdy board book, so it stands up to his attempts to take over our reading sessions! 

Mini Muffin loves it.  Simply loves it.  A typical reading goes something like this; I read the start of each page - "A is for acrobatic..."; then Mini Muffin chimes in - "Alligator!".  She's even learnt a few new animals through the process, such as the Officer Orangutan, and the Undercover Urchin.  A typical reading session that involves this book often includes at least two readings, if not more, and she has fun with it each time.

So, all in all, this is a kid's book we love - it's fun, educational, surprising and silly.  And, with a title and cover art that feature a breakdancing bear, how could you go wrong?  If you choose to search this one out, I hope your family loves it as much as mine does!