Day: September 29, 2020

Bean & Avocado Quesadilla

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Bean and Avocado Quesadilla (2)

Beans and avocado give an extra nutritional punch to a plain cheese quesadilla.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (4-ounce) jar carrot puree
  • 4 flour tortillas
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese
  • Salsa for serving
  1. To prepare the black bean mash, combine the beans and carrot puree in a saucepan; cook for about 5 minutes, until warmed through. Mash with a potato masher in the saucepan.
  2. Spread about 1/2 cup bean mixture over two of the tortillas; reserve any remaining bean mixture for another use.
  3. Peel and mash the avocado, then divide evenly over the bean mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese and top with the remaining two tortillas.
  4. Cook in a heated skillet for about 4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Cut into wedges and serve with fresh salsa if desired!

You can try variations on the filling if you want to keep things fresh for the kids. Try pinto beans with butternut squash puree instead.

Bean Quesadilla alt

Or black beans mixed with a little bit of canned pumpkin!

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All the options are guaranteed delicious.

Bean and Avocado Quesadilla (3)

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Playdough Numbers

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Playdough Numbers (3)

Veronika can count up to 10 by rote, which is not uncommon for toddlers; it basically means she’s memorized the order of words, but not the meaning behind them. Today I thought it would be fun to draw her attention to the symbol of each number!

I drew numerals 1 through 8 in thick black marker on sturdy white paper. If you’ll want to reuse the set, particularly with preschool kids, laminate them or cover with contact paper.

Playdough Numbers (1)

Then show your little one how to roll long snakes of playdough and arrange them over the marker to form each numeral.

Playdough Numbers (2)

As I worked on each one, I told Veronika the name of the number repeatedly. Of course the playdough lasted about one second before she picked it up and mushed it! But I steadily worked from 1 through 8 in this way.

Playdough Numbers (4)

I didn’t expect Veronika to make the one-to-one connection between word and symbol yet, or to be able to shape the playdough herself.

Playdough Numbers (5)

Rather this activity was more about introducing the concept that numbers have both a word and a symbol that go with them. And she certainly loved the chance to play with playdough!

Playdough Numbers (6)