Lactation Cookies

My little sister gave birth to adorable (and hungry) twins a few weeks ago.  She has been exclusively breastfeeding both of them, and her lactation consultant suggested that she try eating lactation cookies to help increase her milk supply.  She asked if I knew how to make the cookies, and if I had tried them.  I had certainly heard of them, and their benefits.  I breastfed both my babies, one for 9 months, the other for 6 months, and I had supply issues that I battled both times the entire duration.  I remember looking at recipes, and then losing motivation to actually bake them.  Babies are exhausting, and when you are breastfeeding, you get short little breaks between feedings that you'd rather use to shower or shove carbs down your throat; not standing in the kitchen baking.  That memory made me insist that my sister not worry about making the cookies; I would make them for her.  So for those of you new breastfeeding mamas; send this recipe to your mom, your sister, or good friend and have them bake them for you.  You go take a nap.

Easy Stir-Fried Tofu

The first time I ever had tofu, I was not a huge fan.  Then one day, at our local vegetarian restaurant The Grit, I ordered something called "The Golden Bowl" and was stunned to realize that the delicious morsels I was inhaling, was in fact, tofu.  I realized then that tofu can be amazing when prepared and cooked correctly...and kind of gross when it isn't.  If you are new to tofu, make sure to reference my earlier post on how to correctly prepare tofu before you try out this recipe (Tofu for Dummies).  This recipe is a great new-to-tofu recipe; easy to make and only takes about ten minutes to cook.  Make sure not to skip the nutritional yeast; it's the best part! You can find it in the bulk section of your local Earth Fare grocery store.  It's a great thing to have on hand to add a cheesy flavor to dishes while upping its nutritional profile.  

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

So today I have some news to share. You may have noticed that my blog entries have decreased a bit since January.  The reason? Well, I've been exhausted and sick.  Just the thought of most food makes my stomach uneasy.  Yup, that's right:  I'm pregnant!  Baby #2 is expected in early October.  I had a very tough first trimester, but now that I'm finally in the second trimester, I can start to feel my appetite and motivation trickle back.  Woo!

Stealthy Chocolate Bars

My daughter is the quintessential picky eater.  At one point, it got so difficult she actually ended up working with a food therapist for several months.  Now she is doing much better, and is much more willing to try different foods.  Unfortunately, she is still very resistant to eating most so-called "Superfoods".  So in an effort to sneak some nutritionally-packed produce into her diet, I came up with my Stealthy Chocolate Bars.  It tastes like dessert, but is made with mostly healthy ingredients packed with vitamins.  My child gobbles these up, while singing "yummy, yummy, in my tummy".  My husband and I both really enjoy it as a dessert too!

Savory Roasted Butternut Squash

Last week I decided to make butternut squash for my toddler; it sounded like the perfect healthy finger food.  However, I found myself sneaking piece after piece with my adult fingers, and decided that it was definitely good enough for grown-ups too!

Zucchini Tots

I had another great Pinterest find this month: Zucchini Tots.  The recipe is from The Curious Country Cook, and was described as a healthy snack for adults.  However, I took one look at the recipe and decided that those tots were also the perfect side dish for, well, tots.  Tots for tots!  They are the perfect size for little hands, and contain just enough cheese and bread to hide their nutritious secret.  Plus the recipe can be made in bulk and frozen, and reheated as needed.  So basically the Zucchini Tot recipe had everything I look for in toddler food. The only problem?  They were so good that I found myself eating half of every batch I made.  Oops!  Well, at least they are healthy for children and adults.

Broccoli Bites

I am constantly trying to come up with creative ways to sneak more vegetables into my toddler's diet.  Recently I saw a recipe for "Broccoli Bites for Kids" on a blog called Stacey Snacks.  I was doubtful that this was something my kid would eat, but I gave it a try any how.  Much to my surprise, my picky child ate the whole thing! True, I had to do the "Take a Monster Bite" song and dance (sung to the tune of Monster Mash, obviously) to get her to eat it, but this is a kid who won't even try a bite of pizza.  After she finished, it was one of those parenting moments where you honestly expect a six foot trophy to be presented to you.  I got my kid to eat something GREEN!  Woo!  Even better, the rest of the batch froze beautifully, and reheated easily in the microwave.  Which means I can have a healthy side dish on hand for dinner that only takes 30 seconds to prepare. Now where's my trophy?

Banana Bread Muffins

A few days ago, I found myself staring at some incredibly overripe bananas, debating on whether to throw them out or try to make banana bread with them.  I knew our family wouldn't be able to eat a whole loaf of banana bread before it went stale, so I came up with the idea to make Banana Bread Muffins and freeze them instead.  I looked at several Banana Bread recipes to get an idea of what sort of ingredients are used, and then using that as a guideline, created my own recipe, using as many healthy alternatives as I thought I could get away with, without sacrificing the flavor. Since I don't eat bananas, I had to rely on my husband and toddler to critique the outcome.  My toddler, who might be the pickiest eater ever, gobbled them down in under two minutes.  My husband pronounced it "delicious!" and was shocked when I told him they were healthy.  Success!  I froze the remaining muffins, so now I have an easy breakfast for them.  I just pop one out of the freezer, microwave, and voila, a relatively healthy breakfast in under 30 seconds.  

Apple Almond Fudge

I recently stumbled upon a recipe for All Natural Apple and Almond Butter Fudge on a blog called Inspired Edibles.  I loved that the recipe was completely made up of healthy and unprocessed ingredients.  It was a breeze to make, and every single person I've served it to has loved it: including my VERY picky toddler who pretty much hates everything.  I had originally thought it would make a good dessert, but after trying it, I feel like it makes an even better snack.  It's filled with protein and healthy fats, so it keeps you nice and full during those long stretches between meals.  

Natural Baby Wash & Shampoo

I had been using all natural products on myself for a few months, when I began to wonder why I wasn't doing the same for my toddler. I had been washing her hair with Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo, and cleaning her skin with Aveeno's Baby Wash every night.  I did some research on both, and was not happy about what I learned.  I don't have the energy to go into it all on my blog, but let's just say that both are full of unnecessary and sketchy (at best) chemicals, that I'd rather not lather into my child's skin. 

Skinny Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies

If you've been following my blog, then you've probably noticed by that I have a major thing for brownies. And I do, I truly do. I could eat brownies all day, every day, and never get sick of them. So when I stumbled upon another healthy brownie recipe, a Skinny Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie from Sally's Baking Addiction, I was excited to give it a try.  This particular recipe uses yogurt and oats instead of butter, oil, and flour.  The result?  A fudgy, delicious, and healthy brownie!  I changed the recipe around to suit my own needs and tastes, and to lower the calories a little more (the original had 200 calories, mine has about 100).  Because there is no oil, butter, flour, etc. in these brownies, and since they are made with yogurt and oats, it's actually healthy enough to serve for breakfast if you are in the mood for it! It's also a great snack for toddlers and kids, though I recommend using full fat peanut butter and yogurt if you are making it for your children.  Another great thing about these brownies, like most of my recipes on my blog, these only take a few minutes to whip up.

Two Ingredient Cookies

I have been seeing recipes for Two Ingredient Cookies all over the blogosphere lately.  Due to their inclusion of bananas (my most despised food), I have tried my best to ignore them, but eventually my curiosity got the better of me.  Well, my curiosity and my desire to find recipes that are healthy and tasty snacks for my husband and toddler.  It took barely any time to whip these cookies up, something as a time-pressed mom, I'm always grateful for.  

Although the cookies only call for two ingredients, there is room for add-ins, especially if you want a more flavorful cookie.  I decided to throw in a handful of mini chocolate chips and raisins, and tossed in a 1/4 cup of flaxseed to make it even healthier.  While I obviously didn't care for them (bananas, blech!), my husband thought they were pretty great for a healthy, quick cookie recipe.  My picky toddler apparently isn't ready for these cookies yet (she's very funny about textures), but I imagine she'll enjoy these a lot when she's a bit older. It was soft enough, though, for my toddler with only 8 teeth to chew and swallow without concern.  So my verdict? It's a great snack for both toddlers and health-conscious adults.  

Skinny Green Monster

I've been wanting to try the ubiquitous Green Monster smoothie for some time now.  Not only are they suppose to be delicious, they are packed with vitamins and minerals, and reportedly give you a great boost of energy.  However, two hurdles had prevented me from trying the Green Monster: one, they are always made with bananas (which I despise), and two, they are usually a little high in calories for just a snack.  I was once again motivated by  my non-vegetable eating toddler to try my hand at a hidden vegetable recipe.  I threw together some fruit and spinach I had sitting around, blended it up, and was shocked at how good it was. The best part? Me, my husband, and my toddler were all fighting over who got to drink it all.  I never thought I'd see the day where my 16 month old would snatch a drink made with spinach out of my hand.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I've seen a ton of recipes recently where an avocado is used to make a dessert item, especially pudding. What ended up motivating me to give it a try was my picky toddler. I have the hardest time getting her to eat any sort of vegetable and fruit at all.  It's gotten to a point where she'll only eat healthy food if I can disguise it as an unhealthy food (not unlike many adults).  A chocolate avocado pudding seemed like a perfect way to sneak in some good nutrition into her diet.  It worked like a charm: my toddler thought she was getting a special dessert, and I found a healthy recipe that takes five minutes to make.  You might be wondering how an adult might like Chocolate Avocado Pudding?  Honestly, I can faintly taste the avocado in this dish, which some might find off-putting.  However, I love avocados, so it didn't bother me at all.  My husband really enjoyed the pudding too. I think it would make a fantastic breakfast, snack, and/or dessert.  If you want to mask the avocado taste more, check out the notes at the bottom of the page for some tips on how to do that.

Whipped Sweet Carrots

I'm sure I'm not the first parent to declare this, but my toddler is the pickiest eater ever.  It's been a struggle trying to get her to eat anything.  My child even hates chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. What kid can hate those? Mine, apparently.  However, during the holidays, I let her try some of my Sweet Potato Souffle, and she could not get enough of it.  So I brainstormed about how I could make this work for other vegetables too.  I played around in the kitchen, and came up with the perfect recipe: Whipped Sweet Carrots.  It was simple to make, and my daughter literally shoveled it into her mouth with both hands. I've even been able to hide pureed spinach in it, with her being none the wiser.  It really is the perfect toddler food.  The only problem?  It is the perfect adult food too, and I struggle not to grab her spoon and steal a bite when she's eating it.  Due to its deliciousness, Whipped Sweet Carrots have become a grown-up side dish in our house now too.  As an added bonus, it is diet friendly, yet tastes so decadent it could pass as dessert.  

Peanut Butter & Banana Pancake Muffins

I recently found a recipe on Pinterest called "Toddler Muffins" made with pancake mix and bananas. I made them and my kid loved them, but I just didn't feel good about giving them to her on a regular basis. The recipe called for 1 cup of pancake mix (the "just add water" kind), 1 diced banana, 2/3 cup water...and 2/3 cup of maple syrup.  That's a lot of sugar.  It's no wonder my 14 month gobbled it up. The little voice inside my head was repeating "increasing her risk of diabetes" over and over every time I gave it to her, but she's become such a picky eater, and it was literally (and I mean literally) one of the few things I've been able to get her to eat lately.  So I decided to create my own Toddler Muffins recipe; one that was made with a little  bit healthier ingredients.  Fortunately, my first attempt was met with resounding success.  She gobbled them down just as quick and happily as she did the high sugar ones.  

Fruit Bites

On Pintrest this week I stumbled upon Homemade Healthy Fruit Snacks, and pinned it immediately.  I'm always on the lookout for an easy snack to give my toddler that isn't just Cheerios.  Lately she has been picky when it comes to fruits and vegetables, so I'm having to be sneakier with them.  This snack provided the perfect solution, and since I already had the ingredients on hand, I decided to give it a try.  

Homemade Pedialyte

This past weekend, my baby girl had too much dairy, which is problematic because apparently she is still has cow milk sensitivity.  Lesson learned (and hello, Goat's Milk!).  She had diarrhea for several days, and I was worried about dehydration. She didn't seem too keen on drinking plain water, so I considered going out and buying some Pedialyte for her.  However, after some research, I learned that I could make my own Pedialyte with ingredients that I always have on hand.  Not only was it super easy to make, it was  extremely cost effective!  

Homemade Baby Teething Biscuits

My daughter began teething at 4 months old.  It was awful: constant drool, increased fussiness, chewing on everything.  She is a sensitive baby, it seems like she feels things more acutely that most other babies.  It took two months for that first tooth to pop through, and it was quickly followed by another.  We had a short reprieve, and then at 8 months, teething began again.  Those two top teeth just haven't broke through yet! Stubborn little things.  So we are doing the tricks we did last time: ice cubes in a mesh feeder, teething toys, wet frozen washcloth, and Tylenol for the bad nights.  However, since she is older and eating solids now, there is a new thing to add to our repertoire:  teething biscuits! 

Baked Hard Boiled Eggs

I love reading cooking tricks and tips on Pinterest.  My current favorite trick is how to make easy, no-fuss hard boiled eggs in the oven.  I've been meaning to make a batch of hard boiled eggs for a while now.  The egg whites the perfect snack: low in fat, high in protein.  And what to do with the yolks? Give it to the baby of course! Babies cannot have egg whites until they are a year old, but can have egg yolks at 8 months.  It is high in protein and fat; perfect for a growing baby. Yet I kept putting it off, because, frankly, hard boiled eggs are a pain in the rear to make. The water has to boil a certain way, for a certain amount of time, and there are all these additional things you have to do to make them decent (aka not green). Ugh, I get tired just thinking about it. So when I saw a pin on Pintrest on how to easily bake hard boiled eggs, I was eager to give it a try.