Tag: High Five

Hummus Four Ways

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Hummus (2)

My son loves hummus. A classic recipe is always a hit, but it’s also easy to add a few extra ingredients to introduce your child to new tastes. Start with the basic hummus recipe below, (thanks High Five magazine!), and then test out the variations with your sous-chef. Kids can help with most of the steps, including squeezing the lemon and pouring in other ingredients.

Hummus (1)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lemon
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a food processor.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

Hummus (5)

Olive Hummus variation: Count out 15 pitted kalamata olives and add them to the food processor before blending.

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Travis loved helping count along, and ate a few along the way!

Pesto Hummus variation: Stir in 4 tablespoons homemade or jarred vegan pesto.

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Spinach Hummus variation: Add 1/2 cup baby spinach to the food processor before blending.

Hummus 4 (a)

If you have access to a good vegan feta, either store-bought or homemade), stir in 2 tablespoons of that as well.

Hummus 4 (b)

Which was your favorite? Please share in the comments below!

Hummus (3)

Paint Up a Storm

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Paint a Storm (7)

This idea from our April copy of High Five magazine was the perfect project on a gray day as we head into rainy April – what better way to help children enjoy all those April showers that will bring May flowers??

To start, we looked out the window at the stormy day, and I asked Travis what colors he saw, pointing out various tones of gray and deep blue. I asked him if he wanted to paint the day, and his enthusiastic answer was yes!

I set out watercolor and watercolor paper, but first we needed to add our “raindrops”: tear bits of masking tape into pieces, and adhere to the paper; when you remove the pieces later, you’ll have white raindrops left behind.

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Travis barely paused for this step before diving for the paints. He talked as he worked about the various shades of blue he made…

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…and then impressed me by painting “puddles”!

Paint a Storm (5)

Mama made her own watercolor while he worked, and we collaborated on a third, ending up with three stormy paintings.

Paint a Storm 6)

Let the watercolor dry completely before removing the tape and revealing your “rain drops”.

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The paintings are perfect to transform into gifts. We folded one in half to make a “Cloudy Card” as a gift for his grandpa. A second one we cut into strips to be “Rainy Day Bookmarks.”

Finally, we glued a photo in the center of the third, making a Stormy Weather Picture Frame – the perfect gift for daddy’s desk!

Paint a Storm (1)

What other gift ideas can you think of with these stormy paintings? Please share in the comments!