Toddler Crafts & Fun for St. Patrick's Day

Our family isn't Irish (except maybe a teensy bit on my husband's side) but I love celebrating St. Patrick's Day. In college this meant heading to Savannah for parades and green beer. Nowadays it's more about crafts, cookies and some creative meal planning. 

I actually put more effort into celebrating than I had planned. Aside from the themed mantle, Bugga and I made Shamrock Suncatchers to decorate our windows. She is very proud of the result and was excited to tell her dad repeatedly, "I made that!", pointing at her masterpieces.

We also attempted the Fruit Loop Rainbow craft that you see all over Pinterest. I think she had fun, but the glue concept was new to Bugga, and she preferred to glue the cereal pretty much all over the page. Oh, and by the way, there are no blue Fruit Loops, so I think that just threw us off anyway.

I tried some new recipes for our St. Patrick's Day Dinner (which I actually made last night because all bets are off on Mondays) - corned beef, colcannon and shamrock chips. It was actually all pretty good, and my husband ate every bite (which is saying something).

Bugga helped me make shamrock sugar cookies - everything from helping me bake them (she mixed the ingredients together and helped with the cookie cutter) to decorating, to of course EATING the cookies.

We had a lot of fun - Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone!

Toddler Oatmeal Variation with Warning

A short while ago I posted a recipe for Toddler Crockpot Oatmeal. (You can find the recipe here.) Since we are now living in a colder climate, our mornings are chillier than the steamy Houston mornings. So obviously, oatmeal is a nice fixture to my morning. And being pregnant, this kind of breakfast is also an easy way to get a healthy protein with plenty of fruit into my body before the day barely gets started.

Being a crockpot recipe, I take literally 5 minutes to toss everything into my slow cooker right before I go to bed, and the house smells amazing by the time we wake up.

If you try this recipe around your mini-mes, I feel like I have to warn you. If I straight up ask my toddler what she wants for breakfast, everyday, without fail, she shouts, "WAFFLES!!!" (I have been feeding her the natural organic brand - the one with Cookie Monster on the box - from Whole Foods and she devours one each day. Unfortunately, the best I can do is the boring natural wholegrain style, as the organic version with blueberries are nowhere to be found up here (get with it Canada!)...anyway.) On mornings I know we have oatmeal, I offer some to her, and always get an immediate, "No." Fine by me. Now I don't have to share. Or so I think.

Without a doubt, the second I get an oatmeal-laden spoon into my mouth, Bugga is all over me with her "Bite, bite, bite!" chant. And then proceeds to eat at least half my bowl, waffle long forgotten.

It's good for her so I really am not complaining - but sometimes a pregnant mommy wants to eat all her breakfast too!

Don't say I didn't warn you!

My latest version of this recipe, adding a LOT of blueberries and sliced bananas. Yum!

Recipe: Toddler Crockpot Oatmeal

I have never tried steel cut oatmeal before and picked up a container at the Trader Joe's that just opened near us. Unfortunately when I got home and read the instructions, I was disappointed to see how long it takes to cook. 30 minutes?? Who has that kind of time to spend on breakfast?? Certainly not a mom. Then I found a bunch of recipes for cooking your oatmeal overnight in your slow cooker so it is ready to eat as soon as you are in the morning. Genius. 

This is healthy for me, AND my still-picky 14-month-old easily took 10 bites of this, which is a lot for her. 

Here is my take on the recipe!

Toddler Crockpot Oatmeal

Servings: 8
Ingredients*

2 cups organic steel cut oats
6 cups of water
3 tablespoons of organic brown sugar
2 tablespoons of organic butter
1 teaspoon of organic cinnamon
2 teaspoons of organic vanilla
2 mashed organic bananas (optional)
organic cooking spray

*This recipe was really easy to find organic items for everything I used, but if you don't have it in your area, the conventional version works the same as far as directions go.

Directions

1. Spray your crockpot with the cooking spray.
2. Combine all the ingredients and mix together.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours overnight to be ready for breakfast in the morning. Yep, that's it.
4. For freezing, portion into serving-size containers and put in freezer. To reheat, put in the microwave for 2.5 minutes at high.

I used a decent-size crockpot since that is the only one I have, and we had enough left over for half of it to freeze for upcoming breakfasts, and another 2 servings (after we gobbled up this morning's bowls) for breakfast tomorrow on what is sure to be a busy Monday morning. Obviously you can use a smaller 2-qt or whatever, but just reduce the ingredients accordingly.

Recipe: Toddler Power Pancakes

Do you have a picky toddler? Apparently we all do. And since I dread most mealtimes right now, fearing the defiant refusal of all things edible, I'm constantly trying to find things that Bugga will eat. And it isn't much. Fortunately she does have some favorites. And luckily they go well in pancakes.

The wonderful thing about feeding your toddler pancakes is that you can pretty much sneak in the pureed version of anything healthy, and as long as there is something they like in there too that dominates the flavor, you should get lucky. Below is the recipe I used this morning, and my kiddo scarfed down two of these bad boys. And I made enough to freeze and use whenever I run out of berries or need a quick snack or meal.

Toddler Power Pancakes

Ingredients*

1 cup of organic whole-wheat pancake mix**
1 organic egg
2/3 cup of organic whole milk
1 mashed organic banana (optional)
1 cup of organic blueberries (optional)
3 tablespoons of organic cottage cheese (optional)

*This recipe was really easy to find organic items for everything I used, but if you don't have it in your area, the conventional version works the same as far as directions go.
**Yep, I could have really gone with flour, sugar, etc. instead of a ready mix but today is more about the add-ins.

Directions

1. Mix pancake mix with 1/2 cup of milk and the egg. 
2. Add optional items and continue mixing until evenly distributed.
3. Add additional milk as needed to get a slightly-runny consistency.
4. Heat griddle or skillet on medium heat.
5. Use cooking spray to ensure pancakes won't stick to your griddle.
6. Add batter to griddle. Once sides start to harden or bubble, flip pancakes to other side.
7. Once pancakes can be lifted easily from griddle using spatula, they are done.
8. Enjoy!

I thought about going all creative and pulling out the pancake shape tools, but honestly, I am still cutting Bugga's food into bite-size pieces so the shapes would be lost on her at this age. Maybe by the end of the year!

Recipe: Healthy Baby Mac

My 13-month-old kiddo - though she started out a great eater and would gobble up anything - is no longer a fan of most foods. Meals are starting to stress me out because the variety is really limited and I'm shocked how fast she will push aside a favorite that she used to eat every meal (like bananas...what??). I thought a healthy twist on macaroni and cheese would include all things she loves (or at least did) right now and maybe give us another option to plain pieces of pasta.

This recipe is both toddler (and baby, depending on your child's eating skills) and grown-up friendly. I actually made two simultaneous batches of this, substituting the whole milk ingredients for skim ingredients. Us parents don't need all the extra fat, so this can be made pretty decent for your waistline versus the classic recipe. 

Though these are the ingredients I used, some of the organic items might not be available in your area, and you can always mix it up to work for you with the types of cheeses and pasta.

Healthy Baby Mac

Ingredients

1/2 lb of organic whole wheat macaroni
1 1/2 cups of cubed organic butternut squash
3/4 cup of organic fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup of organic whole milk
1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 Tablespoon of plain organic whole greek yogurt (this took FOREVER to find - most are low fat)
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 cup of shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup of shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup of whole wheat breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Sprinkle a coating of the breadcrumbs in each muffin spot.
2. Cook the macaroni as suggested by the box directions. Mine said to add macaroni to boiling water, cook for 5-7 minutes, then drain.
3. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, add the squash, chicken broth, milk and garlic together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the squash is very tender.
4. Pour your squash mixture into a blender and pulse until smooth. Add the yogurt and pepper and pulse a little more.
5. Pour blended mixture into a large mixing bowl, and fold in both cheeses until melted and mixed thoroughly. Then fold in the pasta and make sure all ingredients are mixed well.
6. Spoon pasta mixture into the muffin tin. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumbs across the top of the macaroni mixture in each cup.
7. Bake macaroni for 15 minutes. If you want the browning on top, turn on the broiler for another 3 minutes.
8. Serve once cooled. If you want to freeze for later meals, pop the muffin tin into the freezer for a bit to "lock" these into cup shapes, then pop out and drop into a Ziploc freezer bag.

I'll be honest, my husband was a little confused by the butternut squash taste in the grown-up (lower-fat) version of this recipe - he's used to what I call "crap in a box" and was expecting the faux cheddar that is typically mixed with the macaroni. I am NOT a mac & cheese fan (I know, I'm weird), but THIS recipe was delicious.

Recipe: Baby's Banana Mini Muffins

I had a few bananas that were ripening faster than we could eat them so I started looking into recipes online for baby-friendly banana bread. Instead I found several variations on banana bread muffins and landed on a combination of several, along with some substitutions that a) worked with what I had in my kitchen and b) catered to my baby's health.

The result? A delish banana apple mini muffin that is SUGAR-FREE, EGG-FREE, ORGANIC and IRON-FORTIFIED...so pretty much a great go-to snack. One quick comment on my organic approach: I am trying to feed my child (and in turn, the family as a whole) as many organic foods as possible. Now that we are back in our full-time home (versus our hiatus in Alaska) I am slowly turning over everything I can in my pantry to organic items. Obviously organic is interchangeable with inorganic, and it is a personal choice, as these things are typically more expensive and do not last as long as conventional ingredients. 

I plan on freezing whatever we don't plan on eating in the next couple days, and then pulling out one or two at a time and reheating in the microwave under a paper towel. Enjoy!

Baby's Banana Mini Muffins

Ingredients
2 Cups of Earth's Best Whole Grain Oatmeal (you can substitute any kind of flour or blended oats)

1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t ground organic cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg (ok all I had was allspice and cloves so I went with cloves :-)...need to put that on the grocery list...)
3 very ripe organic bananas
1/4 Cup organic apple puree (just popped a few cubes out of a ziploc in the freezer!)

1/4 Cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Mix most of dry ingredients together in a large bowl: 2 Cups of oatmeal, 1 t baking powder, 1/2 t baking soda (half of what you'll need), 1/2 t of salt, and the 1/4 nutmeg/ allspice/ cloves/ whatever. Set aside.
3. Peel and mash bananas in a medium bowl. Add the apple puree and the other 1/2 t of baking soda.
4. Combine the banana mixture with the dry mixture, adding in the melted butter. Stir thoroughly. This will be pretty lumpy.
5. Add heaping teaspoons into each muffin spot in your tin. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

One quick comment: Not sure if it is my wonky oven (we have been trying to get to know each other since we bought the house in June and still aren't seeing eye to eye) or the recipe, but the muffins do not really rise and instead sink a little bit. The upside I see to this is they are perfect for a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top if grown ups are eating these (Bugga is not eating dairy yet).

Because they didn't rise, I was sure I screwed something up (still not positive I didn't??) but they are actually delicious. I hope there are some left by the time Bugga gets up from her nap!

Recipe: Easy Vegetable Udon

I might start posting recipes from time to time, as I am happy to share something yummy, and this is a good place for me to keep things I want to find later. The following recipe was whipped out of nowhere the other night...we are moving soon so I am trying to cook what is in the kitchen (as best I can) so we have less to deal with for the move. So the udon (yes, I have oodles of udon in my pantry) came up, since we can't get enough of it since our trip to China a few years back...

Easy Vegetable Udon

Ingredients

1 T vegetable oil

2 T sesame oil

1 Cup frozen pepper & onion medley (or any peppers and/or onions you have on hand)

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 T sugar

2 T soy sauce

1 Cup fresh spinach (or frozen)

1 can chicken broth + 1 can of water

2 generous portions of udon based on your preferences

Directions

Heat the oils in a wok or saucepan. Add peppers & onions and garlic, cooking until soft. Add sugar and soy sauce. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add spinach, broth, and water. Simmer until spinach wilts, or about 5 minutes. Add noodles and cook until heated and tender (careful about overcooking). Serve immediately.

Yum!