Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Wordless Wednesday? No, something better!

I know i know... today is supposed to be Wordless Wednesday... but how can I be wordless when I have so much to say!! Today I have to talk to you about the new love of my life.... Yogurt... Almost every morning for breakfast Zave gets a big bowl of Organic Oatmeal & Yo!Baby Yogurt. I love that he can eat something SO amazingly healthy and really enjoy every bite. Plus, its organic so I know he is getting the best of both worlds. Oatmeal is super high in fiber and can help reduce the risk of diabetes. Diabetes is a major factor for heart disease so Oatmeal is an easy way to help prevent it. Just half a cup of oatmeal offers five grams of heart healthy fiber and only 130 calories and it even helps to keep baby full rather than a small breakfast then one snack to the next. And yogurt? There are SOO many reasons why to love Yo!Baby Yogurt...

"YoBaby contains our exclusive blend of six cultures, including the probiotic L. rhamnosus. it provides 25% of your baby’s daily need for zinc, the mineral that helps support a healthy immune system... YoBaby provides at least 25% of your baby’s daily needs for calcium, protein, and vitamin D, plus other nutrients essential for babies' growth." Now, I have been using Yo!Baby since they were both little... so over 2 years now... and though I am completely loyal, I can only get the Fruit & cereal yogurt at my local Target. :( When shopping yesterday for groceries... I found something new... and one step above my love for my Yo!Baby yogurt options... Horizon's Natural Little Blends...

I am ALWAYS fighting with my kids to get them to eat their Vegi's and they always win... but with this, they have no clue... no fighting... just eating... like I said before, im in love... Horizon's Little Blends are "produced without the use of artificial flavors, preservatives, colors, and sweeteners, Little Blends is natural. And that means no high fructose corn syrup and only milk from cows free of growth hormones (rbST). In fact, every container supplies 25% of the recommended daily value (DV) of protein, 20% DV of calcium (crucial to developing strong bones and teeth), 20% DV of Vitamin A, plus Vitamin D, Iron, and probiotics. Little Blends is also a source of DHA Omega-3, a nutrient that doctors agree children don’t get enough of. Shown to help support eye, brain and heart health for growing kids, DHA Omega-3 is a fatty acid that has been recognized as playing an important role in children’s development." If you check out the ingredients you will see they use Organic Milk and lots of other Organic ingredients... so I still know Zave is getting the best I can give him... and now, even better than before.

This week - were trying out the Strawberry & Carrot's and also the Apple & Butternut Squash. So far so good! Babies are eating it up and mama can sleep easy knowing they are getting all the goodies they need in their tiny bodies & brains. Hurry and get some yourself! Its on sale at target right now... a 4 pack for $2.50 (2/$5)... Their website also has coupons available so you can save even more. I believe it is $1 off a 4 pack... which makes them just $1.50 right now if you hurry!! HOpe you enjoy my little rambling today... I was really excited to find this new yummy yogurt.

I wanna share with you guys ONE MORE THING that I am sure you will love... back when i worked retail, I worked in a store that had a HUGE cooking section... and before I left I bought the book "The Toddler Cafe"

This book is so beyond amazing and I have not even got to try the majority of them yet. Some are really simple ideas like "Waffle Grilled Cheese" which is as easy as it sounds... just like making a regular grilled cheese but on a waffle maker instead of a skillet... Or, the Banana Hotdog?? Hot dog Bun... Banana... PB & j... crazy right? But genius... all the fun of a hot dog... with none of thr gross fats and fillers of a hotdog! But my favorite that I have been dying to try for the boys Lily Pad Pancakes.

Yield: makes 15 silver dollar-size pancakes
Ingredients
8 ounces (about 1½ cups) frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons water
1 egg
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Vegetable oil, as needed
Butter or plain yogurt for serving
Directions
Preparation: Set aside 1/3 cup of the peas.
Add the remaining peas to a blender with the water and egg; purée until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder and gradually mix with a fork or whisk. Stir in the reserved 1/3 cup peas; let the batter rest for 10 minutes while you clean up.
Place about 2 tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan, warm over medium heat until shimmering, and drop 1 tablespoon of batter into the pan. Gently cook for about 3 minutes, until you see bubbles forming around the edges. Flip and cook on the second side until very lightly browned. Continue until all the batter is gone. Serve warm with butter or plain yogurt.
Variation
1. Add in cooked bay shrimp, diced chicken, or fresh corn.
Notes
Use petite green peas when possible; do not use canned peas for this recipe.
Toddler tip
If your child won’t usually eat peas, make sure you add all the peas to the blender in the first step so they get puréed.

These ingredients will TOTALLY be on the grocery list this week... I know the boys will love them... There are SO MANY more creative and healthy recipes like these in The Toddler Cafe... I really recommend that you go out and grab one for yourself! Also - be sure to check out her blog where you can find random fun recipes that she comes posts through the year! Maybe if you guys comment enough, I can talk her into doing a giveaway on the blog!? COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT! What are your favorite creative kid recipes?

(I am in no way being endorsed by ANY of these products... just items I personally love and use regularly.)

2 comments:

  1. I love to see my book being used. I hope it gets sticky and crusty from all the use. It really is a book to inspire, the recipes are a guide to start from. It is all about creativity and your readers have that I am sure. Thanks so much.

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  2. I love creative ways to get Gavin to eat! I'll have to see if Gavin will eat the Yo baby stuff he's been pretty big on activia but we had to be milk and dairy free until he was a year old and never got into the habit of giving him yo baby. I just added the book to my amazon list to order this weekend :)

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