I wasn't always the healthiest eater. Â In junior high, I ate an ice cream bar everyday with my lunch. Â After school, the snack I devoured, every single day, before my sports practices, was a Snickers bar. Â I certainly didn't grow up eating Larabars. I distinctly remember my first Almond Joy. Â My ...
Snack Recipes
Beat the Winter Blues Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
This recipe is my attempt to rebel against winter. Â No Mr. Winter, I'm not going to make soup today. Â What's that you say? Â You want me to cook a heavy casserole? Â Sorry, I've had it with your warming comfort foods. Â Enough is enough. Â Do you hear me? Â We. are. over. Â Next Wednesday is Ground Hog ...
Maple Multi-Seed Snack Cookies (Nut and Gluten-Free!)
Yesterday the temperature hovered somewhere around zero, the roads were coated with ice, and it was clear that I was not going to leave the house. Â What's a mom to do when she's stuck inside during the winter? Â Bake cookies! Â Healthy cookies, of course. With a vague idea of a sort of snack cookie I ...
Raw Banana Bread Cookies
The first time I picked up a Larabar at the grocery store, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Â Meghan became instantly addicted, wanting to eat them for her snack every day. Â At $1.79 a pop, that just wasn't going to happen. Â I started experimenting in the kitchen and found out that ...
Homemade Herbed Croutons
I rarely buy ready-made croutons from the store. Â Making them at home is simple, less expensive, and homemade croutons just taste better. Â Most of the store brands will use cheaper, less healthy oils and many have a host of other unwanted ingredients. Â Keep it simple. Â Make these easy, delicious ...
Healthy Snack Idea: Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas
While there is nothing I can do to make this snack look pretty, please believe me when I say that looks are very, very deceiving. Â I'm always looking for new snacking ideas. Â I really love snacks. Â Quick confession time: Â I eat at night. Â Everything I read tells me I shouldn't snack in the evening. ...
Toddler Eats: Stone Ground Whole Wheat Crackers
My mother-in-law put out some appetizers on Thanksgiving which included a spread of cheese and crackers. Â Even though I knew we would be eating dinner in an hour, I let Meghan have free reign on the crackers. Â I rarely buy store-bought crackers so she must have thought it was a special treat. Â The ...
Immune Boosting Smoothie
I hope everyone had a happy, healthy Thanksgiving holiday. Â I hope you enjoyed my non-recipe posts as we were visiting my in-laws and I didn't do much cooking. After two days of driving, Meghan woke up this morning with a low-grade fever, no energy, and not much of an appetite. Â My poor sweetie ...
Perfect Meal-on-the-Go: Pizza Muffins
Anyone getting ready to travel for the holidays? Â We are going on a twelve-hour road trip to visit family for the Thanksgiving holiday. Â Twelve hours in a car with a two-year-old. Â Sounds fun, right? Â We break the trip into two days, which means we'll have four meals plus snacks on the road. There ...
Grandma’s Famous Bread with Pumpkin Butter
Browsing through some old recipes, I came across my late grandmother's recipe for whole wheat molasses bread. Â One of the most prominent memories I have of time at my grandmother's house is eating this bread, toasted with apple butter. It seems she always had a fresh loaf with homemade apple butter ...
Toddler Eats: Cinnamon Raisin Cookie Bars
All right, I'll admit it. Â I like the homemade 'Larabars' just as much as Meghan does. Â I do make them especially for her, though, so I will call them Toddler Eats. Â These fruit and nut based bars have become a go-to snack for us; they are really perfect. Â They take about 5 minutes to make. Â For a ...
Toddler Eats: Gluten-Free Quinoa Peanut Butter Balls
We have been blessed with a child who hasn't shown any food allergies or intolerances in her two years of life. (Will you please knock on wood for me?) Â So no, I don't need to create gluten-free snacks for Meghan because she is allergic. Â It is important, however, to eat a variety of whole grains ...