While I enjoy my mini-maternity leave, I’m thrilled to present a guest post from fellow mom and former colleague, Marie Facini. The genius in this drink is threefold: it’s exceedingly simple to prepare, it’s a great way to pack the all-important calcium punch, and it puts spring’s bounty of strawberries to good use.
strawberry banana frozen yogurt pops
WITH THE ARRIVAL OF OUR NEWEST FOODLET this week, we haven’t been cooking much. But that doesn’t mean that things aren’t delicious, and fun! Enter the tastiest way to celebrate sweet baby George, summer and all the fun to come…homemade frozen yogurt pops!
tea for three: a tea party birthday for phoebe
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A LOLLIPOP CAKE, everything was purple and lavender. Heavily influenced by a certain Fancy Nancy, Phoebe’s third birthday party was a color coordinated, albeit small affair. Since she’s expecting a baby brother any day now, we celebrated Phoebe’s special day a little early with a tea party for three. Along with…
Apple cake pops for Teacher Appreciation Day
TALK ABOUT MAKING FOOD FUN! My friend Amber emailed these amazing cake pops that she made for Teacher Appreciation Day. Besides being so cute I can hardly stand it, they’re filled with…OREO truffles.
Healthy chocolate pudding: no-cook chocolate pudding with banana and avocado
PRETTY GOOD! Not as rich as real pudding. But you don’t cook it, so this dish earns points for simplicity–and healthy ingredients. Nary a grain of sugar but packed with Omega-3s and potassium (plus a shot of agave for sweetness), even the bitter unsweetened chocolate is a nutritional boost. Since my kids don’t know about…
carrot cake muffins with cream cheese filling
THESE ARE DELICIOUS. I could probably end this post here but I’ll go on at least long enough to share the super simple — and healthy — recipe. It was inspired by a comment from my friend and most loyal Foodlets reader, Lori, who substituted carrots for zucchini in a muffin-baking pinch. Whether orange or…
low-sugar chocolate covered banana cake pops for estelle’s first birthday
SHE’S ALREADY ONE! And to celebrate Estelle’s first big day with friends, we made cake pops. But not just any cake pops. These started with a healthier version of David Lebovitz’s amazing banana cake, in honor of Estelle’s favorite fruit, then we dip, dip, dipped our way to chocolate covered bliss.
Low-sugar banana cake, a David Lebovitz recipe makeover
THE ORIGINAL VERSION, Banana Cake with Mocha Frosting and Salted Candy Peanuts, looks so amazing that I was tempted to bake the whole thing twice. And I still might. But for now, behold the oatmealy goodness that is the kiddy version of David Lebovitz’s prize-winning banana cake. (And you’d better do it quick because it’s…
Better-for-you Valentine’s Day cupcakes from a mix (chickpea variation)
YOU DON’T EAT THEM EVERY DAY so why mess with a good thing? Because in our house we’re dealing with babies. And toddlers. And neither one is a pretty sight in the company of too much sugar. Actually, Estelle hasn’t really had sugar yet and Phoebe talks a good game but after a few bites…
Healthier cupcakes from a mix and chocolate butter cream frosting (Happy birthday Estelle!)
HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY ESTELLE! We took it easy this year (certain people are very tired because somone keeps waking up every night “complaining” about new teeth coming in) but still had a blast for Estelle’s big day. A family celebration, complete with wheat germy cupcakes (plus secret ingredients: applesauce and carrots) and homemade butter cream…
Fresh ginger cake, a David Lebovitz recipe makeover
I MAY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY EATEN a whole cake this weekend. Yes, Phoebe helped and so did Estelle but really, it was my determination that got it done.
10 absolutely adorable ideas for Valentine’s Day
SO. MUCH. CUTENESS. Not sure if I can take it! Looking for Valentine’s Day inspiration of my own, I clicked through some of my favorite blogs and all I can say is, wow. These are all unique ways to say it with sweets–and I especially love those with a nod toward nutrition. Gift tag shaped…
Fudgy chocolate brownies from Gwyneth Paltrow
CAKES! THIS IS EASILY Phoebe’s favorite food. Especially chocolate. Especially when she gets to help make them. So the fudgy chocolate brownies from “My Father’s Daughter” by Gwyneth Paltrow were a hit before they were even baked. And after.
Toasted apple butter hand pies (a Martha Stewart makeover)
DESPITE THE UBER-URBAN SETTING, I WAS OBSESSED with all things domestic during my NYC days. Single, living in a series of 4th floor walk-ups and working all hours…it was an unlikely fit. (And definitely not very cool.) Then there was the question of space. None of the six apartments I eventually lived in had what…
Healthier chocolate chip cookies
IT WASN’T THE COOKIES’ FAULT. After whipping up a batch of The Sneaky Chef’s “Unbelievable Chocolate Chip Cookies” (pictured above) and another batch of “Chocolate Chip Cookies” from Weelicious, the whole family came down with the flu. Before things took a turn for the worse, we had just enough time to come up with this…
5 ways to make any dessert recipe a little healthier
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR. Once the tree goes up, the Christmas cookies come out and most of us, my pregnant self included, aren’t kidding around when it comes to enjoying the festivities! But if you want to avoid a sugar-induced meltdown (or two, or seven…) for the smaller members of the household here are…
How to make a brownie mix healthier in seconds
IF YOU’VE GOT A BUSY HOLIDAY SCHEDULE this one’s for you. This weekend we had a Christmas party for the playgroup that Phoebe used to attend (and love). For the fun of seeing old friends plus 30 others who just speak English, we baked up four dozen mini brownies and headed out. On the bus,…
a sweet shop birthday party theme: happy 8th birthday, rian!
NOTHING COULD BE SWEETER than a candy store birthday party. “Rian’s birthday is the day before Halloween,” says mom Amber Schotemeyer from her Virginia home. “She wanted to do a sweet shop party so we tied it in with a sweet Halloween theme.” Here’s how they pulled off the best bash of the year.
a Halloween party menu plus healthier Halloween cupcakes
DESPERATE FOR A LITTLE TRICK-OR-TREATING, we hosted our own Halloween party for ex-pats this weekend. The result: 13 kids, 15 adults and countless cupcakes. Costumes for the Mathews crew included one garden gnome (and if you’ve never heard a 2-year old try to say “gnome” I highly recommend it) and one flower. Monster Mash played…
Barefoot Contessa Makeover: Plum-blackberry crisp
WE WERE HEADED FOR THE BEACH and needed to bring a dessert for lunch afterward. The requirements were simple enough: must be baked ahead of time and also hold up for an hour in the car. (And if it could not involve a 30-pound Le Creuset baking pan, even better.) There would be six adults,…