THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO MAKE THESE–one involves chocolate while the other is packed with chia seeds, flaxseed and dried cranberries–and believe it or not, both are delicious. We’re focusing on the second option here, but you can zip right over to eHow to get our chocolate version too. In a long line of yummy…
mini mac & cheese cups (with carrots too)
LAST WEEK WE HAD A BIRTHDAY PARTY LUNCH for 6 preschoolers to celebrate Estelle’s 3rd birthday–and at the birthday girl’s request, these mac & cheese mini cups were the main course. Like our broccoli & cheese pasta cups, they’re essentially macaroni and cheese (with a built-in veggie) to go. And like our broccoli & cheese pasta…
sandwiches on a stick
FOOD ON A STICK has got to be the easiest way to make food fun. (Except for maybe making parfaits with yogurt, chili, whatever…but I digress!) It was our turn to bring the preschool snack again and we picked these little sandwiches on a stick, which could certainly work for lunch too. I liked that we…
honey-sweetened strawberry smoothies
THINKING OF SOMETHING PINK? Even in wintertime, a smoothie hits the spot. And if a little pink goes a long way with your crowd, try this honey-sweetened strawberry smoothie. The star of this show is frozen organic strawberries, which double as ice cubes and make the whole thing frothy as well as sweet, not to…
no-bake oatmeal chocolate chip energy cookies
I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING–Why would my kids need more energy!?–and I hear you. About the 50th time I’ve scooped George off the kitchen counter each day, or looked down only to find something like this happening, I have the same thought. And also this one. Who can make such a mess with toothpicks?
Simple White Bean Hummus with Lemon Juice
YOU KNOW HOW YOU’RE ALWAYS TRYING/BEGGING/PLEADING to get the kids eating more veggies? This easy white bean hummus is one new way to do it, no bribes needed. Get Kids Excited For most kids, homemade white bean hummus will be is a new food and ours were no different, so I used a couple of…
2-Ingredient Banana Oat Bites (Neither One Is Sugar)
THIS WAS OPRAH’S IDEA, these super simple snacks. In a recent issue of O magazine, the one I read cover to cover with so much longing for the actual Oprah show that I practically ate every page–Oprah! Where are you? Now that I am finally, for the first time in my life, actually at home…
better-for-you morning glory muffins
I LIVE IN A ONE COFFEE SHOP TOWN NOW, as opposed to Rome where you could buy a cappuccino on practically every corner. Our place is outside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina and what our town lacks in coffee, for making coffee 10 Best Drip Coffee Makers For Your Money, it makes up for in…
sweet & salty “lollipop” cheese balls
“THEY LOOK LIKE LOLLIPOPS!” That’s what 2-year-old Estelle said when we made these, and you’d think that would be enough encouragement for the preschoolers at Phoebe’s school to dig in. It wasn’t. Despite our best efforts (though they weren’t actually very hard), these snacks crashed and BURNED when we brought them for the class to…
3 amazing cheese balls for kids
COURTESY OF “GREAT BALLS OF CHEESE” by Michelle Buffardi, we bring you the most amazing generic valtrex buy online snacks your kids will see all year. Here are the recipes and how-to details for each one pictured above: Herbed Caterpillar Nacho Cat Mouse Bites
whole wheat pita crisps with cinnamon sugar
THESE CINNAMON TREATS ARE SO SIMPLE THAT OUR PRESCHOOLER MADE THEM practically by herself. They’re also quite healthy and definitely delicious. We’re big on cinnamon here, because it’s a tasty way to add flavor without sugar, but also because it’s so dang good for you. Just a sprinkle of that magical stuff can do everything…
Very Versatile Whole Wheat Tarts with Dried Apricot (or Jam or Nutella or…) Filling
WHEN GRANDMA COMES TO TOWN, our kitchen goes into overdrive. Paul’s mom and dad were here for a visit over Thanksgiving and made one of Paul’s childhood favorites, apricot tarts. It’s an old recipe, the original could have, maybe come from a newspaper but this version has definitely been passed around church groups, through family…
mouse bites, a cheese ball recipe for kids
*MICE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SWISS CHEESE for reasons I don’t understand, but I do understand that Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard is a winning combination best served shaped like tiny mice with big sliced-almond ears and outlandishly long tails made from chives.
nacho cat, a cheese ball recipe for kids
*AS FAR AS PETS GO, I’m more of a dog person, but I’ll take a cat in cheese ball form any time. The nacho-cheesy flavor of this cat works really well with tortilla chips, but if you try to dip a chip into this feline it’ll break. Instead spread the cheese onto tortilla chips, or…
herbed caterpillar, a cheese ball recipe for kids
*FRESH HERBS ARE KEY HERE–the bright green color not only looks really nice but the herbs also brighten the flavor of the feta and lemon. Don’t worry too much about which herbs you use; choose a mixture of whatever green herbs you can find, or use all parsley–you can always find fresh parsley.
Low-Sugar Cranberry Oat Muffins with Fresh Cranberries
These cranberry muffins with fresh cranberries are moist and delicious, but also good for you! Ours are lower in sugar than most cranberry muffin recipes, plus full of whole oats for added fiber and of course, all those fresh cranberries. Best of all, kids love these muffins. Just ask my trusty helpers.
it’s turkey time! our new favorite nut-free cheddar & cream cheese ball
DID YOU KNOW MOST CHEESE BALLS INCLUDE NUTS? And all sorts of spicy ingredients? At least the recipes I found do. This was a problem because two forces aligned this week: it was our turn to take the preschool snack and my former Martha Stewart Omnimedia alum, Michelle Buffardi, has an adorable new book out…
peanut butter hot toddies
IT’S NOT SMOOTHIE WEATHER ANYMORE. We’re heading straight into hot chocolate season here but I’d rather not spend the rest of fall with three kids crying, wrestling, climbing kitchen counters and “mommmmmmy-ing”, all thanks to the inevitable sugar crash from cocoa. No can do. Enter, the warmest little mug of goodness to hit our kitchen…
maple syrup sweet potato whoopie pies
IT’S ON. Fall is here and things are so pretty in our corner of North Carolina that I don’t miss Rome one bit. Except for maybe the food. And the amazing architecture. And the 1 euro cappucini on every corner. And the general public’s unabashed love for children. Except for that stuff. But here’s something…
pumpkin bran muffins with chocolate chips
WELL, WE MAY HAVE A PICKY ONE. Usually a voracious little eater, every time I’ve tried to give 17-month-old George a bite of anything other than carbs lately, he chucks it across the room. Airborne. Veggies, cheese, certainly meat, all of it hits the floor moments after I set the offending food in front of him….