Recommendations for little kids, big kids and movies you’ll love watching together Between all the Ho-Ho-Hoing, the holiday season also means extra trips to the store, rehearsals for every pageant you can imagine and so much present coordinating. Thinking. Ordering. Tracking. Wrapping. Hiding. Who else is exhausted? Here to save the day are… Kid-Friendly Christmas…
Fool-Proof Christmas Cookies for Beginner Bakers
With a holiday break coming in 8 short hours (not that our kids are counting down or anything), we’ve got Christmas cookies on our minds! Here are my favorite Christmas cookies to make with kids because they’re easy to make–with adorable results every time! If you don’t have time to make them yourselves, then consider…
Star Wars Christmas Cookies
“Those. Are. AWESOME!” That’s the review from the rascals when they saw the finished Star Wars Christmas Cookies. Our Star Wars Christmas Cookies are a combination of two ideas: Our Homemade Star Wars Graham Crackers and the Christmas-camoflauge pattern from So Yummy (see it here on our Facebook page.). Kids can help but these Star Wars…
You’re Only 4 Ingredients Away from Chocolate Peppermint Truffles
If you’re looking for an easy recipe for chocolate truffles with a crunchy peppermint coating, these are the truffles for you! My six-year-old whipped up a batch for a holiday teachers’ gift this week. Almost entirely by herself. Yep, these chocolate truffles are that simple. And what are truffles doing on a site like…
Phoebe’s Fantastic Microwave Fudge (That Cooks in 5 Minutes Flat!)
This was such easy fudge recipe to make that my eight-year-old tackled the whole thing herself. That’s because it’s not just five-minute fudge. It’s microwave fudge! To make this simple fudge, all you do is assemble the ingredients in a glass bowl — and without even stirring — pop the whole thing in the microwave…
8 Holiday Gifts Teachers Love Most, According to Teachers! (And 3 to Skip)
Looking for a holiday gift for teachers? When I saw a recent article brazenly titled “12 Holiday Gifts Teachers Do NOT Want” my curiosity was piqued. So was my insecurity. I have four small kids and all of them adore their teachers. Each year they LOVE offering a holiday gift to the adults who guide…
Easy French Toast Casserole with Blueberries
Baked French toast casserole is one of my favorite special breakfasts. Like our awesome sheet pan pancakes, there’s no flipping and everyone gets to dig in at once. Plus you can prep the whole thing the night before and just bake it when you’re ready in the morning. What you need to make baked french…
3-Ingredient Shortcut Danish Pastry
Around this time last year, my 7-year-old and I scoured Pinterest looking for the perfect Christmas breakfast. We settled on a recipe for lemon buns that looked amazing. Then proceeded to spend four hours making them. Guess how they turned out? Gooey. Drippy. Tasty but a totally laughable mess. This year, we’re making one of…
No-Cut Chocolate Bark with Dried Fruit & Nuts (Safe for Kids to Make!)
As our series of Easy Cookies Kids Can Make continues, we present the easiest one yet! Inspired by a batch we saw on 100 Days of Real Food, we wanted to know if these cookies were as easy AND as delicious as they seemed. Answers: yes and OH, yes. For today’s super simple cookies (which…
Reindeer Snickerdoodles: Simple Christmas Cookies Kids Can Make
I love easy Christmas cookies kids can make and these Reindeer Snickerdoodles do not disappoint! Two were mailed off to my step-father, who has Parkinson’s and lives in a round-the-clock care facility. Looking for a way to spread a little cheer, my mom told me that snickerdoodles and sugar cookies are his favorite. You get…
Easy Melting Snowmen & Sparkly Santas: Simple Christmas Cookies Kids Can Make
Today’s post is part of a series we’re doing on Easy Christmas Cookies Kids Can Make. The first two are Easy Melting Snowmen & Sparkly Santas. You’ll need 2 cookie cutters: a star and a circle. (Which are part of a basic cookie cutter set like this one.) If you want to give these cookies…
Slow Cooker Apple Butter (No Sugar Added)
HOMEMADE APPLE BUTTER IS one of those things Paul and I remember loving as kids. Both of our moms made it. In fact, apple butter has been shipped to our kids by two different grandmothers to two different countries, only to be devoured in one week flat. That’s because it’s delicious. But with four small kids, I…
Christmas Tree Grapes & Cheese Platter
IS THERE A KIDS’ HOLIDAY PARTY GOING ON near you? Our kindergartener’s class is hosting a holiday party at the end of the week. When our Room Parent emailed everyone asking about a healthy, low-sugar snack, this Christmas tree platter made of grapes and cheese immediately came to mind. Storing grapes properly is one of the important…
Low-Sugar Cranberry Sauce Your Kids Will Gobble Up
“Can we make those cranberries again?” my five-year-old asked the other day. Noting this was a request for fruit (right?) rather than say, bunnie-shaped crackers, I dove right in. “Oh, the muffins?” I guessed remembering how many batches of these low-sugar cranberry oat muffins we made last year, totally congratulating myself on baking something so tasty…
a new spin on…brussels sprouts: just add cranberries
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE RECIPE FOR BRUSSELS SPROUTS? Let me rephrase that, do your kids have a favorite way that you make Brussels sprouts? Ours is roasted brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt, though I’ve seen tasty ideas for pan cooking too. But when we had a small surplus of cranberries in the…
6 healthy Christmas cookies & treats to make with (and for) the kids
BOY ARE WE BAKING! ‘Tis the week for using every pan in the kitchen right? At least these Christmas recipes for kids are pretty simple, fairly healthy and all of them are kid-tested, which I hope makes for happy meals at your house too. Merry Christmas! Whole Wheat Pita Crisps with Cinnamon Sugar Dried Cranberry…
little things that work: simple Christmas tree brownies
HAVE YOU SEEN THESE YET? For part 2 of this holiday themed “little things that work” post, we bring you brownies cut into triangles and voila, Christmas trees! Along with the kids, I made them for our preschooler’s Gingerbread Fest and they were so fun and so easy that we’ll definitely do it again next…
little things that work: simple Christmas shapes for sandwiches
ALL YOU NEED IS ONE BIG COOKIE CUTTER plus five spare seconds and lunch will be served with an equally large smile. (Save the outside of the bread to make eggs-in-the-hole later in the week. Another smile, coming right up.) I have a gingerbread, a snowflake (a ghost and a pumpkin too) and doing this one…
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…
Make-Ahead Breakfast Pockets with Egg, Cheese & Ham
For a delicious breakfast that comes together in a snap, you can’t beat these breakfast pockets full of eggs, ham and cheese. Plus the whole thing can be assembled ahead of time and baked when you’re good and ready. What you need to make breakfast pockets with eggs, ham & cheese 1 package of 8…