Food Fun: Koolaid Playdough Recipe

Well, playdough is not technically a food, but it's a recipe so I'm sharing.  Last Fall we joined a homeschool co-op.  One of my jobs was to be a teacher assistant in one of the kids' classes.  The teacher and I clicked!  She had a lot of great ideas, and I really liked the playdough she made.  I asked her to share it with me. 

 RECIPE for Koolaid Playdough:
3.5 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
3 small packages unsweetened koolaid
3 T baby oil
2 c. HOT water

Mix first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. 
Add baby oil and hot water.
Mix well and knead when cool.
Add flour and oil as you need to acquire desired consistency.
Store in an airtight container.

I'm not sure how long it lasts, but it seemed like we used this for quite a few weeks (maybe a few months) because the teacher kept it airtight.

The kids played for about an hour and half!!

Jessna made grape.

Shrade made strawberry.

Food Fun: Raspberry Chocolate Walnut Baked Oatmeal

A few years ago I found Lynn's Kitchen Adventures and she featured a baked oatmeal dish for breakfast and I have been making them ever since!  I really like baked oatmeal because as it cools, it is not mushy, but becomes more like a bar.  I then cut and put on a cookie sheet and flash freeze.  The next day I can put these frozen bars in a bag and then take them out to thaw and be ready for breakfast.  They are so yummy and you can put so many good things in them.  We like blueberries, peanut butter, cinnamon, apples and always the base includes bananas. 

This week Jessna and I made Raspberry Chocolate Walnut Baked Oatmeal.  I adapted this recipe from Lynn's basic oatmeal recipe.

You can find the recipe on Woman to Woman as I submitted it for being a winner on their blog for a cookbook.

Jessna is really good at oiling the pan we use for cooking!  She also helps with mashing bananas and stirring while I pour in the ingredients.  She is always eager to cook with mommy!

 

Oatmeal is ready to be cooked!

 

You can find the full recipe HERE. 

 

 

Let us know if you try this one!  We love it!

 

Blessings, Shonda

Food Fun for Kids: Make Your Own Fruit Pops

Hi Friends-  I often am found in the kitchen cooking or baking.  I invite my kids to help and my daughter has definitely decided that she wants to cook with mommy in the kitchen.  In fact, she is even finding recipes for us to try.  She picked this one out of the High Five magazine.  "Mommy, can we make this?"  If we have the ingredients I always say YES!!

 

 

Basically this one was putting a slice of banana at the bottom of a paper cup, stick a popsicle stick in it, cover with vanilla yogurt and freeze it.  To eat, just peel off the paper cup.  Pretty easy and yummy!

They are so fun!

 

Lunch Fun and Ideas!

Lunch is probably the most unplanned meal of the day!  I usually end up slapping together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and open up a jar of homemade applesauce and call it good.  But as much as I plan for breakfast (LOVE making breakfast food) and dinner (something that makes me anxious), I want lunch to be the no brainer.  But I know that lunch can be another great meal if I make the effort.

I literally go numb thinking about what to have for lunch!  I want it to be healthy, yummy and fun.  I want diversity and uniqueness.  It's not that I want to be exotic, but I want to be as creative as I am with breakfast and dinner.  But coming up with lunch ideas leaves me a blank slate.  SO, I went to one of my favorite food blogs and found a LUNCH LIST!  Yes!!

You can download your healthy lunch list from Heavenly Homemakers.

 

Another idea that I found after I got my smartphone was a podcast for kids.  We listen to Karen & Kids every day at lunch.  Karen and a bunch of kids sing and tell Bible stories and make them relevant for  real life.  My kids love the songs and I often hear them singing these songs through the day.  That gives us something positive to talk about and also it gives me a break from talking!

The other day we got a surprise from Karen & Kids!  We sent them a letter and they sent us back 8 CD's, stickers and bookmarks.  My kids were so excited and I was as well.

After lunch I've started a training time.  I'm reading a book by the Duggar girls and they shared that their family plays The Obedience Game.  Basically, you give each child a special little task and they have to say "Yes, mom, I'd be happy to!"  Off they go and then they report back.  Big high fives for everyone!  I'm hoping as I do this, my kids will respond well in REAL situations.

Also, we are enjoying reading The Boxcar Children for a calming story time as we prepare for quiet time.  We are on book 7.  While I read both kids are writing or drawing in their journals.

That sums up our lunch hour.  I've learned to try to make each moment count.

Blessings, Shonda

Learn to Cook and Teaching Your Kids to Cook ebooks for SALE!!!

I absolutely love cooking and I have gathered my kids in the kitchen on occasion to help me, but I really need some direction and kid-friendly ideas and recipes that will help them to be confident in the kitchen someday.

I recently sent my copy of Teaching Your Kids to Cook to be published into a print notebook so I can start working with my 4 year old in the kitchen more often with good ideas. 

What is in the book:
*19 Teaching Your Kids to Cook Activities like a scavenger hunt, how to measure, keep it clean, follow directions, make a list and much more!
*Simple Kitchen Jobs kids can do
*Kid-friendly recipes at different levels (1-3)
*Activity printables

I am so excited to start this journey with my son. 

This week Heavenly Homemakers is offering a HUGE discount for both books through May 30.  Be sure to snag this deal right away!  I still need to purchase Learn to Cook.

Click here to visit Laura Coppinger @ Heavenly Homemakers.

TEACHING YOUR KIDS TO COOK

LEARN TO COOK

Cookie Baking and Giving

Getting ready

Decorated

Making cookie plates

We made several of the cookies that I wrote about for our December Monthly Plan. Can't wait to give cookie plates to our neighbors.

What's Cooking? Banana Peanut Butter Yogurt (and Prayer Pail)

Both of my kids just love this yogurt and I am ecstatic that neither are allergic to peanut butter. My husband and I don't have those allergies, but so many kids do now, but I love making things with peanut butter so I'm glad both my kids can have this.

Banana Peanut Butter Yogurt
1/2-1 cup yogurt
1 mashed banana
1-2 T peanut butter
drizzle of agave

Mash one banana and peanut butter together. Mix well. Add in yogurt and drizzle agave. Ta-da!

OK, so you may have noticed this cute little prayer pail in the foreground of the yogurt picture.  I got this idea from In Lieu of Preschool.  I copied off the 25 prayers and glued to craft sticks.  We found an old baby food jar and put stickers on it.  Check out Genny's post for more instructions.  We pray these before breakfast and lunch!

What's Cooking? Banana Smiles :)

I am always trying to find comic relief amidst our days of independent three year old attitude. So everyday at lunch I attempt to make a banana smile! Shrade has even asked to make his own too, but both of these are ones I made for him. Eventually I will have him make them for himself and Jessna. So go ahead and make a banana smile today! You and your kids will smile!

Directions:
*Peel and cut banana however you want.
*Place banana pieces on a plate to make a face with a smile
*Add cheerios, raisins, chocolate chips or marshmallows.
*Enjoy!

What's Cooking? Sweet Potato Bread (Gift for teachers)

  

Recently I was hanging out at Susan Case's blog (who wrote Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents, which I recently reviewed and highly recommend!) and I found this yummy pumpkin bread recipe.  Well, I don't have pumpkin, but I have lots of sweet potato puree so I tweaked the recipe a bit and came up with this Sweet Potato Bread that is just perfect for giving to teachers.  I also just acquired this wonderful bread pan with room for 12 loaves of bread.  However, this recipe can be made into 24 muffins or 4 regular loaves of bread.

Sweet Potato Bread: (Susan's recipe uses pumpkin)

Dry ingredients-
3 1/2 cups flour 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
2 teaspoons soda 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon cloves 
pinch of nutmeg 

Wet ingredients-
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup applesauce (I used pear sauce) 
2/3 cups vegetable oil 
4 eggs 
2 cups sweet potato puree
  
1 cup chopped pecans (optional) 
½ cup raisins or chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Bake 350° for 35-40 minutes in greased and floured pans. Yield: 4 medium loaves or makes 24 muffins. Bread will be very moist if you let it sit for a few days. 

Shrade and I really love his teachers at church so we decided to make these and give them to our special teachers!  Shrade was so cute when he gave them the bread and said "Thank you."  I'm trying to develop a thankful spirit in my little guy.  He had fun making the bread with me and also delivering it in person.

What's Cooking? Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

I'm having Shrade help me more and more in the kitchen.  He just loves it when I ask him to cook!  I try to let him help me make things that he is going to eat like Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal!  I get all my baked oatmeal recipes from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.  This time I added blueberries (from our garden that have been frozen) to the oatmeal and it's divine!

Mashing bananas!

Adding blueberries

Right out of the oven

Cool, cut and place on tray for freezing

Taste- Yummy!

Baked Banana Oatmeal

• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup mashed banana or about 3 bananas
• 1cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1. Mix all ingredients together and stir well.
2. Spread in a greased 9×13 pan.
3. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Food Fun: Dehyrating Apples

As you can see from our kitchen in the background, we have lots of homemade canned food (applesauce, grape juice and pasta sauce, just to name a few).  We also do a lot of dehydrating.  You can see 2 big bags of dehydrated apples right above Shrade's head.  My husband is the one who does ALL of this.  I help sometimes when I'm not busy doing other things, but this year we are trying to get Shrade more involved.  So we had him put apple slices on the dehydrating trays.  He also took many snacks.  He LOVES dehydrated fruit, so we thought it would be appropriate to show him how it's done and have him be a part of the process.

A few weeks ago we were playing up in the loft and Shrade put a bunch of blocks in a bag and told me he was going to take them over to the dehydrator and he promptly walked across the room and put them by the fan.  It was so cute to see him imitate his daddy using blocks!

Holiday Hospitality Ebooks!

Have you ever been so overwhelmed with planning for all the holidays that you don't know where to start? Well, Laura at Heavenly Homemakers has developed these great ebooks that take all the hard work and put  the enjoyment back into your holiday planning.  These books are great for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years!

Take a look inside: Heavenly Homemakers Guide to Holiday Hospitality
This is an ebook full of organizational help and holiday time inspiration.  Including scheduling, menu plans, seasonal print out pages and lots and lots of recipes!  Mmm, I love recipes!  You will absolutely love the simple ideas in this book.

Take a look inside: Heavenly Homemaker's Guide to Holiday Hospitality (For Kids!)
This is a packet filled with holiday recipes, craft ideas, games and activities for kids of all ages.  Laura creates everything kid-friendly and fun!

EACH book is $6.95

OR

You can get the ebook package for just $12!

So check out Heavenly Homemakers for these and other great ebooks to get you through the holidays!
Many of these would make great gifts for friends and families!

Smart Sweets Ebook from Katie at Kitchen Stewardship on SALE!!

It's HERE!  The Smart Sweets Ebook by Katie at Kitchen Stewardship.  I'm just dying to make these yummy, yet healthy treats.  Click HERE to see the contents and see more pictures.

Check this out for the first week:

• Use the code DESSERTSLAUNCH for 50% off the first 100 copies.
• Use the code 2DAY35OFF for 35% off through midnight 11/18.
• The code for the free “Buttered Life” eBook will be in the email to your Paypal email that includes the Smart Sweets download.

There are cookies, bars and brownies, cakes and cupcakes, pies, candy, frozen desserts and MORE!  Can they really be healthy?  The recipes have easy directions and many variations.  

Be sure to snag the FREE download for Apple Crisp if you haven't already.

 Visit Kitchen Stewardship for more details!

What's Cooking? Yummy Muffins (& chores that go with cooking)

I've posted this recipe before for Yummy Banana Bread, but this time we decided to make muffins and I can see they last longer this way.  Plus they are good and easy to pop out of the freezer for a quick snack.  Shrade helps me make these muffins and I taught him that we also need to clean up when finished.

What's Cooking? Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Shrade and I had fun eating this yummy Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie from Amazing Moms website!

What's Cooking? Chewy Crispy Rice Bites

Shrade put the balls on the pan

    

Chewy Crispy Rice Bites

Yield: approximately 2 dozen small balls
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

1/2 cup almond butter (or other nut butter of choice or coconut cream concentrate)
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups brown rice cereal (I just used Rice Crispies)
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Mix the almond butter and brown rice syrup together in a medium saucepan. Stir and heat until melted and bubbly; approximately 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

Roll into small balls with oiled or wet hands to prevent sticking and chill in the refrigerator or freezer.

Eat!

Recipe courtesy Sarah Shilhavy (Tropical Traditions)

Hey, did you like this recipe?  Well, you can win a jar of Organic Brown Rice Syrup.  Just head over to The Knowlton Nest for the giveaway!

Food Fun 4 Kids: Mystery Muffins (Revisited)

Last year I had a guest post where Tima's son. Ethan, made these Mystery Muffins!  Shrade and I thought we would give them a try.  It was fun to decide what to put in the middle!  Every muffin was different.  We used frozen raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, chocolate chips and marshmallows.  Make these and see what you come up with!

PS.  Would you like to GUEST POST on my blog this summer?  Please fill out this FORM.

What's Cooking? Pistachio Pudding Salad

Shrade absolutely loves it when I say it's time to "cook."  He eagerly washes his hands and steps up on the ladder.  We read through the ingredients and identified each type of food that we dumped in the bowl.  He is also very good about cleaning up by helping put dishes in the sink.

Ingredients:
*12 oz Cool Whip
*20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
*1 cup sour cream
*2 cups marshmallows
*small package pistachio instant pudding

Mix all ingredients.  Sprinkle some marshmallows on top.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. 
Great no baking recipe to do with kids!

Ready to stir!

Adding marshmallows

Licking- the best part!

All done!