Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

Posted on by Susan Posted in Eats | Leave a comment

It’s been a loooong time since my last WIAW post, but we’re finally starting to settle in to our new place. We’re still living amid unpacked boxes, but at least the kitchen is functional now, even though the layout is horrible.

Thanks to Jenn for hosting the What I Ate Wednesday blog party!

June’s theme is sensible snacking, but I’m still having trouble, preparing ahead. I am getting better though. Here are today’s eats (and a fun announcement all the way at the end of the post):

Breakfast: Steel cut oats , cinnamon, apple sauce

Same breakfast for the little guy + grapes on the side/table. Apparently food tastes better, when smeared all over the table first. ;)

Morning snacks:

Greek yogurt and banana for me, plain whole milk yogurt and blueberries for the little guy.

By the way, I love my new teeny tiny Tupperware dip container, I picked up at the market.

Lunch was easy-peasy:

Tarte d’Alsace from Trader Joe’s frozen section (thin crust flatbread topped with sour cream, onions, bacon) – shared with my son, even though he had his very own lunch plate with buttered penne and organic raspberries.

I was super productive and prepped dinner veggies with a lemon-olive oil -garlic marinade ahead of time during afternoon nap time.

Served for dinner, together with greens and fresh, wild-caught salmon:

Those are our lazy day eats. :)

Did you eat anything fun lately? I’m in love with the salmon, but it’s pricey! Also, roasted brussels sprouts – yum.

Announcement:

For all you eco-friendly folks & organic mamas out there: I have a fun green product review and GIVEAWAY coming up in a few days, so check back soon to find out what it is!

Until then, happy hump day!

What do toddlers eat? Munchkin Meals

Posted on by Susan Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I’m so excited to finally be cooking in our own (albeit tiny) kitchen again. This past week, we’ve had some wild salmon, Irish Nachos and Sweet Potato Nachos (inspired by Peas and Crayons), and I’ve also made a huge batch of bolognese sauce, just to name a few dishes.

With that being said, I thought it’s time for another Munchkin Meals post, linked up with Brittany of A Healthy Slice of Life. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of those posts, so here we go.

Our 21 month-old usually eats everything we eat.

The little guy loves spicy food! Mrs. Renfro’s Mango Habanero Salsa? Yes please! He will ask for “mehr/mer”  (German/Swedish for more).

Chicken satay? Why not!

 

But this is more what he’ll have on a regular basis:

Breakfast is usually milk and cereal + sippy cup with extra milk. He’s still a light weight, so we try and get extra calories into him, when we can, hence all the milk. Full fat, obviously.

He will have a lunch before nap time, and this is usually what I have, or bites thereof. The other day we shared a burrito bowl from Chipotle, and he could not stop eating the grilled chicken pieces. Other days it’s bites of cucumber, a slice of bread and cheese.

Post-nap snack is often a green smoothie (mooie in toddlerese), 1/2 a PB&J, pear slices, snap peas with hummus, or any combination thereof. Occasionally he is having banana, but unless he could peel it himself he wouldn’t look at it. And even then, he will eat only half, at most.

He will also ask for blaubeah or “Blaubeeren” (German for blueberries) multiple times a day, and usually I give him some. Again, the fact that he’s eating well now is a good thing, because of he’s so small.

Dinner really depends on the day. He can either eat great, or just graze on a few bites and call it a meal. We don’t want to force it, as I want him to understand and listen to his body’s signals, when he’s hungry. We usually do have to remind him to eat throughout the day though, as he is often too busy to realize he’s hungry. When it’s just me and him (which is often..), we usually have something quick and easy. Grilled Cheese, veggies, hummus, crackers, you name it.

Last weekend we went out to a steakhouse, and the little foodie happily munched on crab & avocado dip with nachos, lobster (!!!), and steak. What can I say, he’s got expensive taste! :P

Other days, however, he just wants plain buttered pasta and a couple of meatballs. I keep a stash of Trader Joes frozen meatballs on hand for him, because I can quickly heat them up in case a hungry toddler comes running and asking for mehr mea-bah  (“more meatballs, in case you didn’t figure this one out ;) )

So this is what our 21 month old is up to, food-wise. He goes through phases, so this is not a guarantee to remain the same, but I’m happy that we finally have our kitchen gadgets back, so we can eat as we please and no longer have to rely on takeout/hot bar/makeshift dinners all the time.

What are you or your kids eating throughout the day? You can hit up Brittany’s link-up for some fantastic kiddie meal ideas and for grown-up food, you can check out Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday posts! I can’t wait to join the #WIAW party soon again, when I get a chance!

Oatmeal Banana-Carrot Mini Muffins and Snack Loaf

Posted on by Susan Posted in Baking, Recipes | Leave a comment

Just some quick info: With Google Reader coming to an end in the very near future, I just wanted to let you know that you can also Follow my blog with Bloglovin! :)

Back to cooking. I’m finally reunited with my household stuff! We’re still unpacking, but guess what came out of the box first!

Slow cooker, blender, NutriBullet, I missed you!

Obviously I went right to work: Green Smoothies for the win!

I also had leftover carrot pulp from making carrot juice with my NutriBullet and I didn’t want to throw it out, so I decided to create something to nibble on.

I usually give our son a little snack, while I make our breakfasts, so I thought mini muffins would probably work well.

Here’s what I came up with:

Oatmeal Banana Carrot Mini Muffins (dairy-free)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup carrot pulp (about 3 small blended carrots – I squeezed the “juice” and water out for drinking and that’s what was left)
  • 1 medium smashed banana
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • dash of cinnamon and cardamom
  • 2 Tsp. melted margarine (I used Earth Balance)
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder, blended into flour
  • 1/2 cup steel cut oats (uncooked)

Cook your steel cut oats according to instructions. In the meantime, preheat oven to 375° F. Mix egg, sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and spices together. Add carrot pulp, banana, spices and melted margarine and whisk until well combined. Add flour, baking powder and cooked oats and mix until you have a smooth batter.

From here on, I decided to divide my batter. I scooped some into a greased mini muffin pan and baked them for 15 minutes. I then added some soaked raisins to the rest of the batter and poured it into a greased loaf pan and baked for about 30 – 35 minutes. It didn’t rise at all, so it’s a fairly dense cake. I cut mine into 8 slices and froze 6 of them (along with half of the mini muffins) to enjoy for a quick snack later on.

Do you have any fun food experiments to share lately? Leave a comment to share!

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