Sep 5, 2023
Smoothies are a delicious go-to breakfast option or a nutritious anytime snack for kids. Packed with fruit, vegetables, and milk or yogurt, smoothies are full of vitamins and minerals.
Try these kid-friendly recipes!
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Makes 1-2 servings
1 cup strawberries
1 banana
1 cup milk or milk substitute of choice
1 tablespoon peanut butter
Add ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pina Colada Smoothie
Makes 2 servings
2 cups pineapple chunks
2 frozen bananas
½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 ½ cups coconut milk
Add ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.
Mango Carrot Smoothie
Makes 2 servings
1 cup milk or milk substitute of choice
2 cups mango chunks (fresh or frozen)
¾ cup Greek yogurt
1 cup carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
Add ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.
Triple Berry Smoothie
Makes 2 servings
1 cup raspberries or blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup sliced bananas
1 1/4 cup milk or milk substitute of choice
2-3 ice cubes
Add ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.
Apple Banana Smoothie
Makes 1-2 servings
1 cup applesauce, (preferably unsweetened)
dash of cinnamon
1 cup milk or milk substitute of choice
1 banana, cut into chunks
Add ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.
Orange Smoothie
Makes 1-2 servings
1 orange, peeled and separated
¾ cup sliced peaches
1 cup peach yogurt
½ cup ice cubes
Add ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.
NOTES:
- Add oat bran, almonds, flax seeds, kale, baby spinach leaves, or wheat germ for an extra burst of nutrition.
- For smoothies, frozen fruit is best. It blends up thicker than fresh fruit and gives you a really cold smoothie to enjoy after blending.
- Avocados, peanut or almond butter, and yogurt are great for thickening smoothies and add nutritional benefits like protein.
- Add a burst of flavour with fresh mint, vanilla extract, cinnamon, or honey.
Sep 5, 2023
These pita pockets are crammed full of fresh vegetables.
Seasoned just right, they’re a great way to get your kids to eat more veggies!
Prep time: 15 mins • Makes: 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
-
- 1 pkg. spring mix salad
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 small cucumber, diced
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- 1 small yellow pepper, diced
- 1/2 small red onion, diced
- 3/4 cup feta crumbles
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- Pita bread, for serving
For the seasoning
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl, add the dressing ingredients. Whisk until combined. Add the chopped salad ingredients to the bowl and stir until everything is mixed together.
- Spoon chopped salad mixture into pita bread.
Additions/Substitutions – Kalamata or black olives make a great addition. For added protein, include chickpeas, nuts, tuna, grilled chicken, or chopped egg.
Jun 5, 2023
These moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with an irresistibly good homemade fluffy peanut butter frosting.
Prep Time: 20 mins • Cook Time: 20 mins • Makes: 24 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- water
- 30 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, divided
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
DIRECTIONS
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line two regular muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcakes according to the chocolate cake package directions.
- Spoon batter into cupcake pans, filling the liners three-quarters full. Place a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup into the center of the batter in each cup.
- Bake according to package directions.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Beat together butter, and peanut butter and mix until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat again until combined.
- Add milk and mix until light and fluffy. (Add more milk or powdered sugar if needed to make the frosting thicker or thinner).
- Frost cupcakes using a piping bag and a large round tip (or tip of your choice).
- Chop up the remaining pieces of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and gently press them into the frosting.
- Store leftover cupcakes, covered, in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Apr 3, 2023
This showcase dessert is pure decadence! It features a rich cookie base followed by a creamy cheesecake layer that’s studded with strawberries and then topped with a berry gelatin layer.
Plan on making this dessert the day before you need it as it can take several hours, plus 6 hours of cooling time. It can be made 4 days in advance and stored, covered tightly, in the refrigerator.
INGREDIENTS
For the Oreo cookie crust
- 24 Oreo cookies
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake filling
- 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Zest from 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
Berry Topping
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons gelatin
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.
Make the cookie crumb base:
- Place the cookies in the bowl of a food processor and process until fine. Drizzle in the melted butter and toss together until combined.
- Transfer the crumbs into an 8 x 3-inch round springform pan. Press them down firmly in an even layer using your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup. The crust should not come up the sides of the pan.
- Bake the crust until golden brown around the edges for 20 to 25 minutes. Set it on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Leave the oven on to bake the cheesecake.
- When the springform pan is cool enough to handle, tightly wrap the bottom and sides with 3 pieces of heavy-duty foil cut to about 18 inches long. Place the wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan and set it aside.
Make the cheesecake filling:
- In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until very smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the heavy cream until just incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Stop mixing it as soon as the eggs are fully incorporated. Overmixing will cause too much air in the filling and will cause the cheesecake to crack as it bakes.
- Add 2 cups of blueberries. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the blueberries into the filling.
- Use the rubber spatula to evenly spread the filling over the baked crust. Place the roasting pan (with the springform pan set inside) into the oven.
- Carefully pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake the cheesecake until slightly puffed up around the edges and 2 to 3 inches in the center is slightly unset; about 1 1/2 hours.
- Turn the oven off and open the oven door about 1 inch. Let the cheesecake finish setting in the oven until there is barely any jiggle left in the center, about 1 hour.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Loosely cover the cheesecake with a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate until it has cooled completely, or for at least 6 hours. The cheesecake will firm up and set completely in the center.
For the jelly layer:
- Sprinkle the gelatin over a cup of water in a small saucepan. Add the coconut sugar and whisk until the gelatin and sugar have dissolved.
- Add the frozen blueberries to the saucepan and heat gently for 2 minutes.
- Place the mixture into the food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Pour through a sieve onto the cheesecake layer. Refrigerate until set.
To Serve: When ready to serve, run a small knife around the outer edges of the cheesecake to separate it from the springform pan. Unclasp and remove the springform. Carefully remove the cheesecake from the base of the spring form pan using a large, flat, spatula and place it on a serving platter. It’s fine to leave the cheesecake on the base of the pan.
Apr 3, 2023
This simple fry sauce makes an amazingly delicious dipping condiment for anything from fries to fish, veggies, and other seafood.
Prep time: 5 minutes • Makes: 3 cups
INGREDIENTS
- 16 ounces mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar (use less if you use ketchup instead of tomato paste as an ingredient)
- Hot sauce, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, optional
DIRECTIONS
- Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl or a small food processor. Stir or blend to combine.
- Check the seasoning and adjust to taste. Note: For a spicier sauce, add some hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or chili flakes to taste.
- Pour the yum yum sauce into an airtight container and allow it to sit overnight in the refrigerator for best results. Stores well for up to two weeks.
Mar 29, 2023
These homemade lemon curd cookies are soft, melt-in-your-mouth buttery, and lemony. Use an egg-shaped cookie cutter to make these spring sweets for a festive Easter treat.
Prep Time: 1 hour • Cook Time: 10 minutes • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 7 oz unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup homemade or store-bought lemon curd
DIRECTIONS
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set them aside.
- In a medium bowl, place the butter, then put in the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour and mix the ingredients with a spatula until the cookie dough comes together. Using your hands, mix the dough until completely combined.
- Divide dough in half and half again and pat each half into a disc. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
- Roll out the other dough disc to about ¼-inch thick. Using a 3-inch round or egg-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Gather the scrap dough, roll, and repeat until you have 15 pieces. Place the cut-out cookies onto a lined baking sheet spaced about 1 and ½ inches apart. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- While the first half of the cookies are chilling, cut 15 rounds from the remaining dough and transfer to a baking sheet. Using a smaller cookie cutter (1-inch round) cut out the center of each piece. Chill for 15 minutes while you bake your first batch of cookies in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Do not overbake.
- Remove from the oven, cool the cookies on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, and then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat for the second batch.
- Dust the cooled cookies that have the cutout centers with powdered sugar. Then fill each larger, whole cookie round with one teaspoon of lemon curd. Gently place and press the cookies with the cutout center on top. Repeat until you have about 15 cookies.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let come to room temperature before eating.
