Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream Cones

It's been awhile since I posted. I have had tons of posts written in my mind, but between being pregnant, chasing a toddler, dealing with summer heat, and almost moving, writing them actually down has eluded me.

Even though I just finished a book on toddler foods, feeding a toddler still remains a mystery to me. Every day I learn something new and every day I am surprised. I thought I would share a few observations and then share with you a really easy and healthy summer treat. Maybe we can make amends for my prolonged absence from the blogosphere?

Feeding a Toddler

My two year old clocks in at under 24 pounds. This means there are some 9 month olds I know that weigh more than my toddler. As a food writer and recipe developer, sometimes I take this a little personally.

I have gone through phases where I thought I could fatten her up. The only thing that happened was that my waistline thickened. You can't force a kid to eat. Together, we made chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. She ate all the chocolate chips out of the cookies and then wanted watermelon. I ate three cookies. I made homemade macaroni and cheese for lunch. She only wanted cucumbers and I ate two helpings of mac and cheese. Probably not my smartest mama move......

Sprinkles are my gateway food. Are sprinkles the healthiest food in the world? Nope. But if they get my daughter to eat a 2-egg banana pancake for breakfast, I'm in. You will see I use them in the recipe below. I have no problem adding a sweet treat to foods when it's something I can control. I'm still not a fan of sneaky sugars (like sugar in flavored yogurts), but that's just me. And come on, sprinkles are pretty awesome.

We remain a one family, one meal household. I always serve something that I know she will like: bread, fruit, yogurt; but I am not making multiple main or side dishes. It's hard enough cooking one meal, I refuse to start making two.  And besides, do you know how frustrating it would be to make a separate main dish and then have her not eat it?

The best way to get her to eat is to have her help me in the kitchen. My daughter will try and eat anything that she has helped me make, but only if she eats it right after she makes it. Wait an hour, and she won't touch it. I don't get it, but I have learned it. She tries new veggies, salads, dips, anything, as long as she can dump it in or stir it or do something that contributes to making it.

Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream Cones

For me, summer is not summer without ice cream cones. I have no problems with the real deal ice cream cones, but I'm always looking for a way to turn a normal junk food into something reasonably healthy. My daughter loves Greek yogurt and she's only had plain, so that is her favorite. Throw in some sprinkles, cut up fruit, and graham cookies, and you have have a sweet, frozen treat.

 ***This recipe is based on approximations. Don't bother measuring, make them by taste.

Ingredients: 
 
6-8 mini ice cream cones

Few healthy dollops of Greek Yogurt

Handful of cherries (or berries) roughly chopped and pits removed (for cherries)

Few good shakes of sprinkles

Handful of smashed graham cookies or crackers


1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together yogurt, sprinkles, crackers, and fruit.

2. Place ice cream cones in an ice cube tray or another dish with sides. I find the ice cube tray works best as it keeps them upright and prevents them from freezing together. 

3. Spoon yogurt mixture in each cone and top with sprinkles. Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours. Serve out of the freezer.

 

Enjoy!!

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What have you learned about feeding a toddler? What are your favorite summer treats?

Veggie-Packed Pizza Rolls

This post deserves a preamble. Mainly because a year ago, I would have never posted such a recipe or even considered it. Why? Because at that time, I had a very different definition of clean eating. It would not have even occurred to me to make a recipe out of refrigerated crescent rolls. It was not even on my radar.

I need to be clear this preamble does not mean that our family no longer 'eats clean'. We still follow the same rule that we do not eat foods that contain chemicals. We are loyal label readers. And I don't foresee that ever changing. 

But our eating habits have changed and I think that is worth addressing.

Defining Clean Eating Then and Now

THEN: we were a lot stricter in our definition of clean eating. With the exception of hummus, salsa, condiments (ketchup, mayo, etc), and occasionally marinara sauce, we didn't buy anything pre-made. If we wanted crackers, I made crackers. If we wanted bread, I made bread.  Not surprising that I wrote a book called Homemade Snacks and Staples, is it? Until Baby G was a year old, processed foods or even foods-made-by-someone-other-than-me never touched her lips.

Then our baby grew into a toddler.
And I got pregnant.
And I was writing another cookbook.
And I wrote that book with a toddler always at my side. My pregnant side. My first trimester pregnant side.

And we got a little looser in our eating habits.

NOW: We still don't eat chemicals, but we do buy pre-made foods that have all real food ingredients. My dad used to complain that there was nothing in our pantry that he could just take out and eat. That has changed. You will find crackers and even fruit snacks in our pantry. I am falling in love with a brand called Immaculate Baking Company.  They make refrigerated crescent rolls and cinnamon rolls with no chemicals. They even have baking mix with (gasp) all real food ingredients.  It's about damn time if you ask me.

Now that things are settling down, I foresee us having a balance between homemade and pre-made. I enjoy baking and making crackers, so I want to keep doing that, but I also forgive myself for buying shortcuts.

These pizza rolls are a short cut and I hope you love them as much as we do.

Veggie-Packed Pizza Rolls

If you are a mom and a fan of Pinterest, you have probably seen some sort of recipe for pizza crescent rolls. Most involved pepperoni, pizza sauce, and a hunk of string cheese. When I developed this recipe, I had these recipes in mind, but wanted something a little healthier. I developed this because G won't eat pizza and I happen to like pizza. A lot. And when I would order bread sticks for her, that meant I was also eating bread sticks with my pizza. Bread sticks that were loaded with cheese and had no redeeming nutritional value. So I wanted something bread-stick-y but with some added veggies so I could feel a little good about giving them to her (and eating them with my pizza). 

 

Ingredients:

1 container Immaculate brand crescent rolls (or another brand that does NOT contain any chemicals)

approx. 1/2 cup pizza sauce

[1/4] cup shredded carrots, chopped

[1/4] cup spinach, chopped fine

[1/4] cup shredded mozzarella cheese OR 3 pieces string cheese cut in 1-inch chunks*

Sprinkling of garlic powder and Parmesan cheese

*Older kids may like the string cheese better, but for G, it was too much cheese. She just pulled it out or spit it out. She did better with the shredded cheese.


Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 dg(F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, combine pizza sauce, carrots, and spinach.

3. Roll out crescent rolls. Put a thin layer of sauce on each roll. If using shredded cheese, sprinkle some on top. You don't need much! If using string cheese, roll dough around string cheese.

4. Sprinkle garlic powder and Parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with leftover sauce.

This was a huge hit with Baby G. She devoured two rolls in one sitting. It wasn't as popular with her buddy, Hudson. You can't win them all, I guess. I liked them better than my pizza.

Notes:

I think the shredded cheese works a little better for the toddler crowd. Older kids would probably like the string cheese version.

I used shredded carrots that I just cut up more finely. You could also grate carrots and that would probably blend into the sauce a little better. Finely chopped cooked broccoli could also work well here. When I cut the spinach, I rolled the leaves together and then cut it into thin strips. That was enough for the spinach to blend into the sauce.

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What are some of your favorite chemical-free packaged foods?

Chocolate and Greens Smoothie Packs

This is going to be a short post. I wanted to share with you a recipe from my other blog, that grown-up one, Badger Girl Learns to Cook.

I just shared my recipe for Chocolate and Greens Smoothie packs.

With just a little prep, you can have a freezer stocked with healthy smoothie packs. It works wonders on busy morning and allows a chance for little hands to help you in the kitchen.

It's a great solution if you are having trouble getting your little one to eat vegetables, or hey, if YOU have trouble eating your veggies. And the best part? Tastes like a chocolate shake!

I will be back soon with some meal plans AND a recipe for veggie-packed pizza rolls. Here's a preview:

I promise they tasted even better than they looked. Even Baby G ate two of them!

Currently (and Meal Planning)

The cookbook is (almost) done. I still have some review left and a few articles to write, but the bulk of the work is done.

Here is what is going on currently.

Currently: we are no longer buying whole milk. Baby G has not been drinking much of it. It was part of our routine- get up, drink some milk. Before we put her down to sleep, we gave her milk.  We took it out with no problems. She eats enough dairy where I am not too worried about it. We have been offering her almond milk, but she's not too interested. My husband and I don't drink cow's milk, so it fits well with our life.

Currently: we are snacking on freeze dried fruit. I feel like I am the last one on the bus for this trend, but we are loving freeze dried mango, bananas, apples, and strawberries. They make a nice, crunchy snack for Baby G and me. I just love that it's a one ingredient snack! I have learned that you still need to read the labels, some brands add oil or even sugar. If there is interest, I am happy to share our favorite brands.

Currently: I am on a cooking strike. Well, as much of a cooking strike as I can be on. Planning to make lasagna this week, but it's because I need to test something for the cookbook. In addition to being tired of cooking, I am on my own for most dinners this week, so I am learning that life is a lot easier if I make something easy for dinner when I am on my own.

Currently: Baby G is obsessed with Frozen. I found a Frozen book so she gets most of her fix through the book. I don't know what Disney does in their movies but I swear there are subliminal messages.

Currently: Baby G is on a veggie kick. More specifically, a mixed-veggies-with-hummus kick. I buy the frozen mixed vegetables, cook them, and I give them to her with hummus so it's easier for her to keep them on her spoon. It works wonders. She had three servings one night! This is the same girl whose only vegetable for a whole month was salsa.

Currently: We are at the very beginning of potty training. I wasn't planning to do this for another 6 months, but she is really into going to the bathroom on the potty. Sigh. We are not pushing it, but we are not discouraging it. And let's be honest, we could still be dealing with this in another 6 months. The biggest problem is that she is too small for pullups. 

So, that's what is going on currently. Here is what we are eating this week:

Dinners:

Chicken Tenders, Sweet Potato Fries, and Sauteed Zucchini and Red Peppers: This meal was supposed to feature homemade veggie burgers, but I am missing an ingredient, and let's be honest, it was going to be a lot of work. Will have to do these another week....

Night out/Jimmy John's for G and sitter: Baby G can say 'Jimmy John's.' Should I be concerned?

Veggie Packed Lasagna, Garlic Bread, and Salad: Believe it or not, Baby G will have a few bites of salad. She really likes Thousand Island dressing. I am just going with it....

Leftovers

Panko Tilapia, Sweet Potato Fries, and Mixed Veggies: Baby G won't eat hot dogs or mac and cheese, but she will eat tilapia. She loves breaded fish.

Birthday Party

BBQ Chicken/BBQ Chicken Quesadilla: My husband pointed out the obscene number of BBQ sauce bottles in our fridge. Guess I need to do something with them....


Lunches:

Hot Dogs and Baked Beans: We did this today and it was a big old fail. I keep wanting G to eat some normal kid foods and all she wanted was cucumbers. I give up.

Avocado Sandwiches: This is one of my favorite lunches and it's another one I am trying to get G into. So far, no deal. However, she loves the veggie sub from Jimmy John's. What gives?? Will keep trying.

PBJ

Hummus and Tortilla- An old standby.

Indian food: I plan on having this for lunch this week. I will offer it to G, but my guess is that she will end up eating veggies and hummus.

Grilled Cheese: I will try to slip some veggies into the sandwich. As long as she can dip it in ketchup, she doesn't seem to mind.

I realize that I am doing a lot of variations on sandwiches. Hmm....I would love to hear if you have any good non-sandwich lunch ideas!

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Any recent food trends you are going through with your kiddo? What are you cooking this week? What are some of your favorite lunches?

I'm Baa-aa-ack: Meal Planning and Joys of Toddler Eating

It's no coincidence that my last blog post was right when I was getting started on the cookbook. Life has been a whirlwind of recipe testing and development, dirty kitchens, and toddler tantrums. I'm not quite done with the book, but can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, I wanted to check in briefly about meal planning with a toddler (and writing a cookbook), and the what is new with feeding a toddler.

Feeding Baby G

Two major developments with Baby G: She refuses to sit in her high chair. This came out of the blue, and I have to be honest: we are not putting up a fight. We're not sure if it's a phase or not. She eats either in her learning tower or sitting on a regular kitchen chair. It's a little messy, but honestly, she's eating way more than she did before. I would rather have her eat than not eat much in her high chair.

The other weird thing is that suddenly Baby G, who is now 20 months old, wants me to feed her. This is the same girl that ripped the spoon out of my hand when I fed her the first time. Little Miss Independent wants nothing more than me to feed her. Is anyone else going through this? I thought she was supposed to get more independent as she got older. She eats more when I feed her, so again, I don't want to challenge it too much yet. I'm just happy she is eating.

Meal Planning

I have been pretty good about meal planning throughout the cookbook process. Usually I just do dinners, but after I realized that I was feeding her PBJs way more than I was comfortable, I decided to include some lunch ideas this week. By having a few lunch ideas written down, it helps keep me out of the rut.

Dinners
Spaghetti, Veggie Noodles (from our spiralizer), Meatballs (from the cookbook), Marinara, and Garlic Bread

Rotisserie Chicken with the fixings (made by me or the deli)

Veggie Frittata and hashbrowns- Baby G would eat eggs and salsa at every meal. I'm trying to go with it a little more and am hoping to slip some veggies in with the eggs.

Babysitter! Will order Jimmy Johns for G and the sitter while I go out

Take Out Fish Fry

Lunches

Hummus and Cheese Quesadilla

Chicken Salad

PBJ

Coconut Rice and Mango (cookbook)

Baked Falafel (cookbook)

Cookbook to-do's

Nut Butters

Applesauce

Chicken, Kale, and Sweet Potato Puree

Cake

Donuts

Yogurt

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So, you'll notice dinners are made as easy as possible because there is so much other cooking to do.

What are some of your go-to lunch ideas for your toddler?