Bunny Rabbit From a Toilet Paper Roll!

It rained all day today, and I needed to do something to keep my toddler busy.  Using a toilet paper roll and a little creativity, we created a fun project that kept him busy and amused!

Simply paint a toilet paper roll; cut out construction paper for ears, eyes and nose; and glue a cotton ball to the back!

Egg Carton Caterpillar

Turn an egg carton into a cute caterpillar with a little paint, and a little construction paper!  This was a  great activity to do on a rainy afternoon!

Simply Cut a row from the egg carton

 Paint it

 Cut Strips of construction paper for legs

Make some eyes using construction paper and a glue stick and glue on the front.  

Once dry,  Turn the caterpillar over and glue strips into the inside of the egg carton and then crease slightly

Done!  A Cute little caterpillar!

My son was so proud of his little creation!

Superfood Packed Pancakes with Blueberries, Banana, and Spinach!

I know what you are thinking… Spinach in my pancakes??  At least that is what I thought, until I tried these!  You do not even taste the spinach!  The blueberries and banana sweeten them up, along with a touch of vanilla extract and some agave nectar.  
These superfood packed pancakes have just the right amount of sweetness, are packed with antioxidants, and are high in potassium, iron, vitamin C, and Vitamin K! 
What a great and healthy way to start the day! 

Ingredients

1 cup raw spinach
1 banana
1/2 cup blueberries (or more depending on your taste)
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Directions

1. Put Spinach, banana, blueberries, almond milk, agave nectar, and vanilla extract into blender and Puree. My little buddy loves to help mommy put all the ingredients in! :0)

2. Pour mixture into a bowl and add in egg

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients

4. Once dry ingredients are combined, pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and which together until well combined

5. Heat pan to medium heat and spray with olive oil.  Add 1/4 cup of batter at a time (use your measuring cup for a perfect size).  Cook until you see them bubbling a bit and then flip!  Continue cooking until they are a delicious golden brown.  

Serve with a drizzle of agave nectar, honey, or syrup.  Delish!!

Broccoli Pasta

There are many vegetables that my little guy will eat, but for some reason he will not touch broccoli.  I think it is the texture- he just spits it out.  Needless to say, I was challenged to find a different way to get this superfood into his little belly.  So I just created a little sauce instead. It is SUPER easy and gets perfectly lodged into corkscrew pasta, which he gobbles up! 

Boil ½ box of whole wheat corkscew pasta

Steam a bunch of broccoili

Dice 1/4- 1/2 of a white onion

Put steamed broccoli, diced onion, and 1 Teaspoon chopped garlic, and 2 teaspoons olive oil into food processor with a couple of tablespoons of parmesean cheese (optional) 

Pulse until chopped finely

Mix together with pasta and serve!

Note:  if you feel like broccoli mixture is too dry and isn't sticking to the pasta, add a little more olive oil to make it more pasty

Beach Bash Theme Party

For my son's 2nd birthday, I decided to do a casual beach party....until I went on Pinterest.  It was then that I realized that I do not often do things very casually, lol!  What can I say, I love color and decor!  Here are a few things we did that made the party so much fun!

Beach Cupcakes-  A little blue frosting and some crushed graham crackers made the beach and water.  Add a Teddy graham floating in a Life Saver and a drink umbrella, and viola!  instant cuteness!

I also did some "sun bathing bears"-Just a layer of frosting covered with crushed graham crackers.  The "towel" is Fruit By The Foot, which I anchored by sticking the umbrella through.  I put a dot of frosting on the back of the teddy graham to make it stick.

I carved a Watermelon Shark to house the fruit. You can watch a great step by step instruction video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTh64oFeyos

HAHA!

I wanted to make the other food pretty simply. I bought Chicken Meatballs at Costco.  They were pineapple teriyaki flavor, so I called them "island meatballs". I just warmed them in the crockpot ahead of time so they were ready to serve at the beach. I also got a platter of ready made sandwich rollups- "sand"wiches- haha ;0)

I got some grass skirts for the tables at www.orientaltrading.com and some paper lanterns bought at Party City for some colorful and festive decor.  I also got some beach balls for 97 cents at Target to have on the ground for kids to play with.

A kiddie pool and water table kept the little ones busy for hours!

Beach Buckets bought at the dollar store made the perfect party favors! I stuffed them with some bubbles and sunglasses which I bought in packs at Party City. 

Baked Brown Rice Broccoli Cheddar Bites

So my son has discovered carbs.  He loves all thing pasta, crackers, and rice.  He loves them SO much that he will sometimes forget everything else on his plate and sweetly say "MOMMA I MORE RICE! PEEEAAAASEE!"  So in my ongoing mission to try to get him to eat his veggies, I started googling ways incorporate greens into his carbo-licious tastes.  Lo and behold, I discovered Rice Balls- aka Arincini.
This recipe makes scrumptious cheesy bites loaded with healthy broccoli,  encased in brown rice, and rolled in yummy crunchy bread crumbs!  The best is that he now can PICK UP his own rice and eat it, instead of me having to find tiny grains of rice all over everything!

Ingredients

1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon powdered garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Mix Panko, oregano, basil, garlic, and salt on a plate

2. Steam broccoli until fork tender

3. Place steamed broccoli, 1 egg, and chopped garlic in food processor.  Blend until smooth

4. Combine broccoli mixture, brown rice, and shredded cheddar cheese into a bowl.

Mix until well incorporated

5. Take spoonfuls of rice/broccoli mixture and form balls.  Roll into Panko mixture, and place on greased baking sheet

6. Cook at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Finish on  broil for 2-3 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.

And there you have it.  Brown Rice and Broccoli that you can pick up and pop in your mouth! YUM!

Freeze the left overs and reheat in toaster oven or oven.  

Sneaky Moms Chocolate Puddding- made with avocados!!

There are some combinations that are just right- macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, chocolate and avocado... Wait what?? Yes that's right I said chocolate and avocado.  This recipe for chocolate pudding is so easy and your little one will never know that you are getting them to eat an amazing superfood!

Ingredients

 1 Avocado
1/4 Cup cocoa powder
1/4 Cup almond milk
1 Tsp  vanilla extract
1 Tblspn Honey or Agave nectar

Directions
Put all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth
Chill in fridge and serve!

Felt board Shapes Matching Game

I don't know about you, but when I need to get things done around my house, my son's high chair is my best friend. Now don't get me wrong, I am not trying to lock him in there un-entertained. This activity kept him busy while helping him learn shapes, and I was able to mop my floor. A huge victory as far as I am concerned ;0)

1. Go to a craft or fabric store and buy some felt. You can usually find 8 x 11 felt sheets for 30 cents or so. Buy 1 for your canvas, and get 6 different colors for your shapes. 

2. Draw out some shapes on paper (preferably card stock or card board if you have it) to make shape templates. Any shapes will do-circle,square, rectangle, star, etc. I made 6 as they fit well on my canvas.

3. Trace each shape on your canvas so your child has an outline to match the shapes on. 

4. Cut each different shape in a different color

Viola! You have a shape matching game that will keep him occupied while mastering shapes!