Who knew Cheerios were so fun? Seriously. Who was aware of this and why didn’t they tell me earlier? Inspired by today’s sponsored post, I got my hands on FOUR kinds of Cheerios (again, who knew?) and put the rascals to work. These are 3 ideas I found online then adapted in our own way. We…
5 Simple Ways to Make School Lunches Special
It’s lunch box season again! I pack lunches for 3 of our 4 small kids. Every day. One is (going to be) a first grader this year; the other two are preschoolers. (And the baby eats with me.) Last year I shared my strategy for packing school lunches without going crazy, including all the foods my…
Popsicles for Breakfast! How to Make Yogurt Parfait Popsicles
Did you know that popsicles were invented in the 1920’s? But to this day, it’s one of most versatile snacks that any kid would love to have. By now you know I’ll whip up homemade popsicles out of anything–and the kids will eat it with the biggest, drippiest smiles you’ve ever seen.Spinach? Yep. Lemonade? Of…
DIY bruschetta kids love
Well, something amazing happened. Picture 5:30pm. On a bad day. You know, when the kids are yelling and fussing, you’re trying to get plates on the table and just as you do…everyone groans? Your husband is still at work and you’re wondering why you even bother making fresh meals for a knee-high crowd who doesn’t care? Now…
Healthy School Lunch Ideas
Are your kids getting 5 servings of fruit & vegetables a day? That’s what experts recommend. At least. Sound hard? That’s where our healthy school lunch ideas come in. About lunch boxes My four kids love their PlanetBox lunchboxes. Made out of stainless steel, they’re practically indestructible and boy do they make food look nice….
Cheesy Bagels with Sliced Tomatoes
When my husband walked into the kitchen he was still buttoning up his dress shirt. Glancing over at the kids diving into these bagels he asked, “Wow, are you guys having pizza for breakfast?” Kind of! These cheesy bagels with tomatoes are the easiest “cooked” breakfast I’ve ever made, requiring no more work than toast. The whole…
Ginger Peanut Noodles with Bell Peppers
These cold noodles are a summer staple. Because they are awesome. At least some of our kids think so. Use any shape of pasta your kids like and don’t worry about the flavor of whole-wheat pasta taking over because in this salad, that nutty whole-wheat taste holds up perfectly. Even better than regular pasta. These noodles are a simpler…
Sliced Cucumber Sandwiches
No bread here, just crunchy slices of cucumber. The cucumber IS the bread. Why? Because we have 457 million cucumbers growing in our garden right now. Plucking 4, 8, 12 cucumbers out of the yard every day means my fridge is overflowing with the darn things. (Are they mating in there? Raising happy little families right…
The Best Way to Cut a Watermelon
I JUST DISCOVERED THE BEST WAY TO CUT A WATERMELON. And it’s changed everything. No rind. Just watermelon. Leave it in strips or cut into chunks. Without the bulky rinds, it’s also easier to store. Cutting a watermelon like this is an easy method: Cut off both ends. Slice off the rind, leaving a big juicy…
Birds’ Nests: Baked Pasta Cups with Spaghetti & Spinach
Leftover pasta becomes an easy lunch for kids, one with a little imagination that makes for cute lunch discussions. It also includes spinach. Because you know my policy on making things Florentine: Do it as often as possible. We’d had spaghetti for dinner the night before. I threw in an extra handful of whole-wheat pasta, then stored…
American Flag Fruit & Cheese Platter
We’ve done an American flag with fruit on skewers. It was fun and not nearly as hard you might think. But this new American flag fruit and cheese platter is SO easy, I’ll do it every time I get the chance: 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day. All the Days! If it looks familiar, this…
Real Food Starter Recipes Tested By Real Kids: 5 Simple (& Healthy) Dishes Kids Love
Trying to move toward more home cooked meals and less processed food? Worried about time? What about going to the trouble of cooking only to have the kids give your meal a big thumbs down? Well if you are looking for classic and modern party recipes, Richardsons Smoke House provides the inspiration for the same…
Slow Cooker Cheesy Rice with Beef & Beans: A One-Pot Tex-Mex Meal
WE’RE ON A BIT OF A ROLL with meals like this slow cooker rice, beef, beans and peppers. There’s been quinoa enchilada casserole, slow cooker shredded chicken Tex-Mex, and one-pot Mexican casserole–each one a total success with the munchins. I mean, I don’t want to jinx it or anything. Because if there’s a roll, I want…
2-Ingredient Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles
MY KIDS DON’T USUALLY DRINK JUICE. It’s just too sugary. If we’re going to have a lot of sugar, I’d prefer a big ol’ cake. Or better yet, some ice cream. Just go for it, I say. But the one exception is lemonade. Sometimes my husband makes a batch of fresh lemonade with the rascals. Sometimes…
Easy Pita Pizzas with Cheese & Spinach
There’s nothing like an easy lunch for the kids. Unless it’s a healthy lunch. And this one’s both. Bonus, even though these easy pita pizzas with cheese & spinach are warm and gooey, the whole thing is done in 5 minutes flat. Our kids don’t always like a “cooked lunch”. I’m guessing because they often have to…
Cod with Lemon Orzo & Peas: A 15-Minute, One-Pot Dinner
Two people in my house love fish. Two people in my house think they don’t like fish, then try it. Then decide they love fish. They are preschoolers and do this every time. One person may never love fish. Hint: He shaves. When it comes to seafood, my husband is in the same camp as Jim…
7 Fresh Fruit (& Veggie) Packed Popsicles Kids Love!
Who said delicious homemade popsicles couldn’t be full of fresh fruit and even a couple of veggies? These are our favorite fresh fruit & veggie popsicles, a fun way to get kids closer to the recommended 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Spinach & Pineapple Popsicles Strawberry Chia Seed Pudding Pops Peaches & Creamsicles Cantaloupe…
15 Healthy Cakes & Cupcakes for 1st Birthday Parties
Healthy cakes and cupcakes for 1st birthday parties were hard for me to find when my oldest daughter turned one. But now we’ve got a bunch of great healthy cake & cupcake recipes for kids. And when I say “cupcakes” I also mean muffins. Why not? Every yummy muffin and cake on Foodlets is low…
Recipe: 4-Ingredient Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (on a John Deere Tractor Cake)
This is the creamiest, richest, most melt-in-your-mouth chocolate buttercream frosting you may ever have. And guess what, there’s no white sugar involved. Only honey. In fact there are only 4 ingredients. If you don’t count the tractors. All you need for this simple chocolate buttercream frosting is: vanilla cocoa powder honey butter For this particular birthday…
Healthy Party Food for Kids: DIY Raw Veggie Cups
Party food for kids needs to be festive. Fun! Colorful! Fresh! And with any shred of hope, simple. Nothing says “Happy Birthday” like getting so stressed out about entertaining a group of kids that I’m shrieking at my own offspring all morning long. Enter veggie cups. We discovered kid-friendly raw veggies served in cups with a dollop of Ranch dressing…