Category: Recipes

Dirt Balls

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Mud Balls (5)

This was my first recipe not just for Veronika, but with Veronika! Yes, even a 16 month old can help in the kitchen, given a simple enough task. In this case, I involved her hands-on during several steps, including crushing graham crackers in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin, rolling sticky balls of dough, and more.

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During steps that she couldn’t help with, I sat her in the high chair with a few ingredients to sample. She loved nibbling on graham crackers and putting raisins in and out of a snack-sized box!

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For the actual recipe, you’ll need the following:

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar
  • 1/2 cup vanilla-flavored vegan protein powder
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
  1. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, agave, protein powder, and raisins. Note: If you do eat dairy, you could make this recipe with dry milk powder; however, I like that using protein powder adds an extra nutrient boost to each serving!
  2. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs until you have a workable “dough”; you may need to add a little more or a little less.Mud Balls (3)
  3. Roll the mixture into small balls. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat.

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Note: If you want to make “Mud Balls” instead of “Dirt Ball”, you can roll these in a little cocoa powder.

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Red Beans & Rice

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Red Beans and Rice

This mildly-spiced take on the classic pairing of red beans and rice is a sure winner with kids!

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup carrot puree
  • 1 tablespoon wheat germ
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 cups cooked brown rice
  1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the beans, marinara, carrot puree, wheat germ, oregano, basil, and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes, until warm.
  2. Meanwhile, place the cooked rice in a large bowl. Add the bean mixture and stir to combine.

Agave Carrots

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Agave Carrots (2)

I used to be scared of feeding carrots to babies and toddlers, but this sweet recipe is the perfect way to introduce this nutritious veggie. Steam the carrots until they are super soft to begin with, then add this decadent sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound carrot coins
  • 1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter
  • 3 tablespoons agave nectar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  1. Steam the carrots for 10 to 15 minutes, until very tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the agave and lemon juice.
  3. Add the carrots and cook for a final minute or two to heat thoroughly.

You can serve these warm or chilled, depending on your kids’ preference.

Maple Barley Breakfast

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Maple Barley (1)

This warm breakfast cereal is a nice alternative if your kids are tired of oatmeal.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 2/3 cup cooked pearl barley
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Meanwhile, divide the cooked barley among two bowls. Drizzle evenly with the milk and syrup.

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Creamy Salsa Dip

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Creamy Salsa Dip (2)

This easy dip has big flavor but appeals to little tastes buds! It’s incredibly easy to halve the recipe or make a bigger batch, which means you can always tailor it to your needs.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup non-dairy cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup mild salsa
  • 2 teaspoons agave nectar
  1. Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl.

My kids like this with steamed carrot sticks for dipping.

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It’s also great with tortilla chips!

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Spinach Tomato Scramble

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Spinach Tomato Scramble a

Make this hearty tofu scramble for breakfast or dinner. Either way it’s a crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (1 pound) package firm tofu
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomato
  • 1/2 cup shredded Daiya mozzarella
  1. Combine the tofu, milk, and turmeric in a bowl and mash with a fork until the mixture looks like scrambled eggs.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu mixture and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
  3. Stir in the spinach, tomatoes, and cheese, and cook a final few minutes until heated through.

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For variation, you can use 1/2 cup mild salsa in place of the fresh tomatoes. You can also substitute collard greens or kale for the spinach.

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Note: because of the watery salsa, I omitted the almond milk in this second version, and I think the kids liked it better!

Broccoli with Meatless Crumbles & Rigatoni

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Broccoli Rigatoni a

This hearty recipe makes enough for the whole family, one of those rare gems that pleases kids and adults equally.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound rigatoni pasta
  • 8 ounces meatless crumbles (such as Gardein)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter
  • 4 minced garlic cloves
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 1 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Non-dairy Parmesan cheese sprinkles
  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside in a large bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the meatless crumbles in a skillet for about 5 minutes, until browned. Transfer to the bowl with the pasta.
  3. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the broccoli, water, and bouillon cube; simmer for 8 minutes, or until the broccoli is very tender. In the last minute, stir in the basil and parsley.
  5. Add the broccoli mixture to the pasta mixture, and stir to combine.

We like this topped with the Parmesan shreds from Follow Your Heart!

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Little Passports: Brazil

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On the heels of his welcome package from Little Passports, Travis was thrilled to receive his first country package in the mail, all about… Brazil!

There was lots of similarity to the format of his Early Explorer’s envelopes, making me glad I started him off with that subscription. But it was immediately evident that now he’s in a higher age bracket (ages 5 to 8), particularly with the booklet activities. The booklet was chock full of interesting facts about Brazil, and the Amazon Rainforest in particular.

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Although he needed some help with the more word-heavy activities (a word scramble, a word find), he gamely wrote all the letters and loved the art activities, including drawing a spider monkey, following mazes, and uncovering hidden animals among blue morpho butterflies.

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There was a new coin to add to his coin chart, a new sticker and luggage tag for his suitcase, a stamp for his passport, and a “push pin” for his world map.

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We were quick to discover that Little Passports has many bonus features online. Travis loved the vibrant photographs of Brazil to scroll through, 3 samples of Brazilian music to hear, and Portuguese words to learn.

Souvenir:

The gift this month was an amethyst, with a card explaining how Brazil is one of the top producing countries for amethyst worldwide. I knew he would love it, and for this reason had opted for a full Mineral Kit add-on. Travis adored peering at all of the minerals with the provided magnifying glass.

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Activities:

First up, futebol puppets! This adorable game was to highlight the popularity of Brazil’s favorite pastime: soccer. We printed out the template of a boy and girl soccer player. Cut these out and secure the strap with tape. Your pointer finger and middle finger become the legs.

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It was Travis versus mommy for a shoot-out!

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He also loved coloring in a Brazilian flag for a flag garland (we’ll be adding to this in the future with later countries!), very carefully following an image online.

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Finally, he followed the online instructions to draw more rainforest creatures. He was so proud of his tree frog!

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Recipe:

A trip to a new country isn’t complete without sampling the food of course. This month’s recipe was for brigadeiros, a Brazilian sweet popular at parties. Both Nature’s Charm and Let’s Do Organic make canned condensed coconut milk; look for it in the baking aisle.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter
  • 1 (11-ounce) can sweetened condensed coconut milk
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • Shredded coconut to taste
  • Chocolate sprinkles to taste
  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.LP Brazil (10)
  2. Add the coconut milk and cocoa powder. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick. If you drag a spoon through it, the mixture should take a moment before it runs together again.
  3. Pour onto a cookie sheet and let cool for about 20 minutes.
  4. Now scoop up the “dough” and roll it into small balls. Having buttered fingers helps! LP Brazil (11)
  5. Alternate rolling the balls in the coconut and chocolate sprinkles. Transfer to the cups of a mini muffin tin and chill for at least 15 minutes before serving.

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These were a big hit for dessert. And Travis can now proudly say, “Obrigado“.

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Spicy Pumpkin Muffins

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Pumpkin Muffins (2)

This recipe makes generously sized muffins, perfect for hungry kids after school or for a great boost in the morning. The addition of molasses means extra B vitamins. Use nutmeg in place of the cloves, if desired, and increase the applesauce to as much as 3/4 cup if the batter seems too thick.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 and 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup agave nectar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  1. In a bowl, combine the flour, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves; set aside.
  2. In a second bowl, whisk together the applesauce and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon baking powder.
  3. Stir in the canola oil, molasses, agave, vanilla, and pumpkin.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then divide evenly among the cups of a muffin pan coated with cooking spray.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 27 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

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Crunch Time Toast

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Travis got to use the toaster for the first time today in this experimental snack project. It was a great edible tie-in to some recent learning about telling time.

The challenge was to toast two bread slices, but for different lengths of time, and then to compare and contrast them. Carefully, Travis popped in the first slice and set the timer for only 2 minutes.

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He was impatient after 1 minute, hence the very un-toasted slice of bread!

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We popped down the second slice and this time set the timer to 5 minutes. Again there was some impatience, so I would say this was a 3 minute slice of toast.

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But he clearly noticed how more time meant a browner slice, as well as crisper. To finish the snack, we added avocado to the top (sliced on the first and mashed on the second). He proudly sprinkled on salt and pepper for this very big-boy snack.

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The verdict was that he liked the toastier toast better!

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