Recipes – Page 6 – The Creative Salad

Toddler Approved Healthier Smoothies

This is our go-to smoothie for that point in the afternoon when I know our daughter needs to eat and drink something, but she just won’t hear of it. (Can you tell we have a three year old in the house?!) In times such as these I need to break out something special. My secret weapon is this delicious smoothie fortified with yogurt and ground flax seeds.

The toddler gets to choose the flavor. I’ll like whatever we make, but she feels empowered being able to make the decision. Today she picked peach.

Load up the blender with a banana, tablespoon of ground flax seed, half a cup of plain whole milk yogurt, equal parts apple juice and water, and then that fruit of your child’s choice (peach, mixed berry, strawberry, or blueberry). Blend until smooth. Taste. Add more apple juice if the fruit isn’t quite sweet enough. Water down if the smoothie is too thick (a big no-no for our toddler audience). Pour into a sturdy cup and serve with a bpa-free straw (we love these stainless steel babies).

Simple and delicious!

A Fruity Yogurt Snack with Three Part Lesson

Mix jam (fruit sweetened, no sugar added) into plain yogurt for a healthful, everyday snack.

This homemade version is less expensive and more versatile than buying smaller individual containers of flavored yogurt without the ton of sugar typically added.

Plus, toddlers who love to help can make it themselves! Score, an everyday learning activity!

1) Vocabulary/concept building: First stir your spoon clockwise, then stir it counter-clockwise. “Quick, switch! Time to stir your spoon clockwise!”

2) Color lesson: What color is the yogurt mixture? Mix in some more fruit spread. How does the color change? Is it darker or lighter? What color is it?

3) Taste lesson: Discuss the taste of the plain yogurt. As you’re mixing in the fruit, stop occasionally to see how the yogurt begins to taste sweeter. Mix in a different flavor (i.e. mix blueberry into the strawberry yogurt) and talk about how the taste changes.

Yes, we really do stuff like this at home.

Yes, we’re nerds.

Yes, we can’t help it. For us, it’s fun!

Vanilla Coconut Milk Ice Cream Recipe

Tired of spending $6 a pint on the most delicious vegan ice cream on the planet, Coconut Bliss? We certainly were, so David bought me an ice cream maker for our anniversary and I’ve developed a vegan coconut milk ice cream recipe that could rival the professionals.

This isn’t just for vegans, this recipe is for everyone. Coconut milk is extremely creamy and delicious, even if it is not exactly figure friendly. (At least it’s good for you coconut milk fat! Perfect for breastfeeding mothers!) You’d never know there wasn’t any dairy involved.

Here’s our recipe:

Mix together:

28 fl oz (2 cans) original coconut milk (none of the low fat mumbo jumbo)

1/2 cup raw agave nectar (perhaps a little less… please let me know what you think!)

2 tablespoons vanilla extract and/or as much of a vanilla bean as you can afford (I typically use 1/3 of a bean)

Pop it in your ice cream maker for 25 minutes, then chill in the freezer.

Remove from the freezer and allow it to soften for about 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: approximately 1 quart

Enjoy!

Grapefruit and avocado salad

Grapefruit and avocado salad on a bed of arugula and cilantro with pear dressing served with last nights dinner. So simple! So yummy! We are SO going to make it again soon. (Inspired by this Domino recipe!)

Btw, check out our new love: Missy Higgins. David recently discovered this wonderful Australian musician. We’ve bought a cd and are so hooked. You can hear her most recent disc online at her website. Check it out!

p.s. What do you think of our new layout?! Expect lots of tweaking.