Flubber

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 cups white elmer's glue (not washable or school glue...just all purpose)
food coloring (optional) use one drop till desired color

mix together in a bowl and set aside

1 1/3 cups warm water
2 level tsp borax

mix together in a different bowl until borax is dissolved

Pour the borax solution into the glue solution while stirring. Flubber will instantly form leaving excess water. Pour excess water out and kneed flubber with hands till smooth. Store in a class jar.

I have THREE fun ideas for this stuff:

1. This fun project makes flubber for kids to just play with like they would playdough or clay. It makes a great stocking stuffer and can be made into pretty colors.

2. For the magician in the family, you can place it in a glass jar as a magic trick. "Unspillable milk" in a jar can trick even the smartest adult if it's left white and no food coloring is added. Let the flubber settle into the glass for a day and it will look just like shiny liquid milk.

3. If you aren't too strict when it comes to laughing about gas (I've had to learn to pick my battles) then you can make your own "toots in a jar". I'm sure you've seen this stuff before where you stick your finger into the can and it makes wonderful toot noises. Ya, boys get a kick out of these silly things. Be sure to tint your toot flubber green. I don't know why, that's just the color it comes in at the store. This is another great stocking stuffer. Tie a little tag on it saying what it is with instructions to push your finger into the jar.

Easy Apple Sauce/Butter

I got this applesauce recipe from my friend, Katey but made changes. I try to simplify things as much as possible. I also love apple butter so my version is more like apple butter. Yum. When I was making it I felt like Diane Keaton in Baby Boom making Gourmet Baby Apple Sauce.

1. I core my apples and cut them in half.
2. I fill my crock-pot with them till it's full to the top.
3. I turn on the crock-pot on low for about 8 hours.
(I often do this before bed and let them cook all night.)
4. Then I sprinkle a heavy amount of cinnamon. (you can add as much as you like to your own taste.)

5. Once cooked, I puree the apples and then ladle it into jars.

That's it. I leave the skin on for extra fiber. I use gala apples which are a dessert apple and so sweet I don't need sugar. I don't add water because I want it to be thick like apple butter. I don't add lemon because I'm happy with my apple butter color (and the skins make it a dark apple sauce.

You can by all means peel the apples first.

Here is Katey's original recipe. Thank you for sharing it Katey!

4 lbs tart apples, cored and sliced thin

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1.       Mix apples (about 12 cups) with cinnamon and sugar and put into crock pot.

2.       Pour water and lemon juice over apples. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.(I cook them overnight and we have it for breakfast, yum!)

3.       Dump apples and juices into food processor and puree well.

Macaroni Salad

13 oz macaroni pasta (whole wheat or brown rice pasta)

4-5 diced large Clauson kosher dill pickles

3 2 oz cans sliced black olives

1 to 1 1/2 cups mayo

my kiddos love this....as do I.

Amazingly Creamy (and Healthy) Mac N Cheese

I've been searching for a very long time for a healthy mac and cheese recipe that doesn't taste awful. Seems like only the unhealthy ones taste good until now. Thanks to one of my favorite blogs, Heavenly Homemaker, I can now make healthy mac and cheese. Click here for her recipes.

Only difference for me is that I use brown rice pasta and it takes longer to cook, so I cook it in water till it's about half way cooked and then I drain it and finish cooking it in the milk.

Disclaimer- when I say "healthy", some people might be thinking HUH? because of the whole milk and cheese. As I continue to research whole food nutrition and learn more about eating naturally derived foods, I consider organic whole milk healthier than lowfat milk and I use raw organic cheese instead of processed and pasteurized cheese. To learn more, read Nourishing Traditions.

Sweet Potato Fries

My kids and husband WILL eat sweet potatoes this way and no other way....I love them like this too.

Peel and slice sweet potatoes. Steam till crisp tender. Toss with olive oil, garlic, and salt. Put under broiler till browned. Serve with fry sauce.

Fry Sauce:
mayo and ketchup mixed together.

Corn Dog Muffins

I saw this recipe idea on Heavenly Homemaker and had to try it. Corn dogs are one of my son's favorite food items and well, as you know they aren't the healthiest thing in the world so making them from scratch is a step in the right direction.

Couple of things:

-I use 100% beef, no nitrate hot dogs....the healthiest ones I can find minus the organic factor.

-I cut the hot dogs into small pieces and stirred them into the batter which we were really happy with.

Double this corn muffin recipe:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tbsp honey
¼ cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk (or milk)

Stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, honey, butter and buttermilk. Stir until just mixed.

Cut up 5-6 hot dogs and add to the batter.

Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown (about 15 min.)....dough may be a little greasy around the hot dogs but as long as it's cooked you are good to go.

These are great because you can make a bunch of them and freeze them and they are a great quick lunch for hungry kids!

Healthy Quesadillas

Chop up fresh spinach and sliced avocados to add to your quesadillas.

You can also try adding:
a sprinkle of ground flax seed
a sprinkle of wheat germ
chopped cooked broccoli
chopped cooked cauliflower
chopped sauteed kale
chopped fresh onion
sliced fresh leeks
a few beans
a little corn
some cooked lentils
some sauteed sliced cabbage
or some rinsed sauerkraut

Cream Cheese Eggs

I realize that this post might gross out some people but I have to post it all the same. My mom made these for us, and my Aunt Noreen made these for her kids (this is the only way her kids would eat scrambled eggs), and now I make them for my kids. They are so creamy and yummy.

Cut up small cubes of cream cheese and just before scrambled eggs are done cooking add the cream cheese cubes and stir till they soften. (the picture also has some diced green onion in them)

Making Homemade Babyfood

Making homemade baby food is actually quite easy. It's healthier, cheaper, and makes the transition to whole foods much easier. It does take some prep time but is well worth the quality and frugality it provides. At the heart of homemade baby food is feeding your baby whole healthy foods. I was surprised when my kids were babies just how easy it was.

I recommend these supplies:
food processor (or blender but the processor works better)
strainer
ice cube trays or small containers

VEGGIES
Steam or bake veggies.
Squash and carrots (butternut, zucchini, hubbard, crookneck, etc.) can be sliced in half and the seeds removed. Place on a cookie sheet face up or down and bake till fork tender. Scoop out flesh and puree in processor.
Peas, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, etc. can be steamed on the stove top until fork tender. Puree in the processor. For younger infants, strain the peas and beans after pureeing.

FRUITS
Steam cored and peeled apples on the stove top till completely tender. Puree in processor.
Peaches, pears, and nectarines can be pureed fresh after removing skin and pit.

GRAINS
Prepare grains (cream of wheat, brown rice, oats, etc.) either in crock-pot over night or on stove top and then puree if desired.

You don't add anything to the foods. Leave them as they are without butter, salt, seasonings, or anything of the like. Your baby will appreciate the fresh taste of foods unaltered. Be sure to use fresh ingredients instead of canned. Fresh from the garden is great but if you don't have that, choose fresh organic produce or fresh frozen when there are no other options. Fresh will give your baby the best tasting produce.

Storage:
I recommend making baby food in large batches and freezing in a deep freeze in labeled with dates on containers or Ziploc freezer quality bags. Be sure to use the oldest dates first. You can freeze directly in small containers that are easy to grab and go and reheat or in ice cube trays which then are transferred to baggies.

My favorite way to make baby food was to use my baby food mill. It was fast, easy, and convenient when out and about. You may be leery of the power in this hand cranked mill but trust me it's amazing. I carried it in my diaper bag in a large 1 gallon Ziploc for easy clean up and to keep it clean in the first place. Place food off of your own plate into the mill with a little water, milk, or dressing to moisten it and grind. It produces pureed food in the little bowl shaped top that you can serve baby right out of. Don't think it's powerful enough for food off of your plate.....how about BBQed steak? Yep, I've done steak and chicken in it!

Feeding your baby whole foods without the taste of perservatives or canned jars, will make the transition to real foods easy. And, since babies don't eat that much at one meal, making a big batch of baby foods that are ready to grab will keep you stocked for quite some time.

Tips and Links About Getting Kids to Eat Healthy

I get asked often about how I get my kids to eat certain foods and often hear other moms complain about how their kids eat so much sugar or won't eat veggies, etc. I will list here are few things that have worked for me over time. Key word "time". Keep in mind that I'm not a food or child expert but rather a mom who was desperate to get her kids eating healthier foods after establishing bad eating habits with them when they were toddlers. I kept a watchful eye observing other moms and here's what I learned. I'm sharing my personal journey with you and don't take my advice as professional.

1. Start young.
From the time your baby begins eating solid foods you can develop good eating habits. Feeding your infant a balance of fruits, veggies, and whole grains is key. Don't be tempted to only feed them fruit baby food just because YOU don't like pureed peas. AND, don't make wincing faces like "YUCK" when you are feeding your baby veggies. Babies are smarter than you think and if you are making a horrid face while trying to shove a spoon of veggies in their mouth they'll catch on that something isn't right about that mush when otherwise they probably would have thought it was fine. If you do this step you can disregard all the other steps! =0) If you didn't start young, keep reading!

2. If you didn't start young, realize that it will take a long time to turn the ship around.
Kids don't change bad eating habits quickly. They need TIME to get used to new foods. It took me about 3-4 good years of making changes to get my kids off their bad eating habits and into eating healthy whole foods. And, even then, there are still new foods they are learning to eat. It's a process and it takes patience and time. Give yourself YEARS to get them switched over. Make small changes first and not all at once. And be prepared for some complaining a long the path to changes!

3. Involve your kids in cooking.
Making your kids a part of the cooking process can do wonders for their interest and excitement about trying new foods. The fact that they had a hand in preparing it can go a long way. Not for all, but for some. Either way, get them involved in a fun part of food...the cooking! They will be more likely to try new foods down the road and have a healthy and positive attitude about food in general.

4. Be an example.
If you say you don't like it then they will most likely follow suit. Be a good example and eat good foods in front of your kids. I often tell my kids "we have to eat foods that we don't like sometimes because they are good for us!" We have to demonstrate that concept.

5. Be the parent.
It's our responsibility to ensure our children's safety and health. If they are sick we take them to the doctor, if they've got teeth, we make them brush their teeth, and so on. Well, I guess not all of us do. We live in a world where not all parents care about the health, safety, protection, and well being of their children. But, if you ARE a parent that IS concerned about your child's health and safety then realize that getting your kids to eat healthy is a priority in their best interest. They'll thank you later for not letting them survive on mac n cheese and pizza! It's hard work and it's tough love sometimes but taking responsibility is key. If your kids are eating too much of the wrong things, then stop buying them and making them available to them. Take responsibility for what you buy and what you make available to your kids. Just like your kids depend on you for clothing, for education, for shelter, your kids depend on you to train them to eat healthy and supply healthy food for them.

6. Introduce new foods slowly and in small quantities.
I'm going to break this process down for you into parts. This method is something I figured out over time by observing other wiser moms and it worked great for us:

• Just on the plate. Start with putting the new food (just one tablespoon of it) on the child's plate. Don't mention it, don't draw attention to it. If they ask what it is, tell them what it is and leave it at that. PURPOSE= is to get the child familiar with the food. They get used to seeing it on their plate without having to taste it. They get familiar with the shape, the color, the smell and they watch you eat it. Once they've gotten used to the new food on their plate you'll be surprised that sometimes, many kids eventually will just start eating it without any coaxing! I was shocked the first time my son just out of the blue picked up the "new food" that I had been placing on his plate over the past month and he gobbled it down. Suddenly it wasn't "new" anymore because he was used to seeing it. Once they get used to seeing this foreign object on their plate a few times without trying it, move on to the next step. (no, I do not place it there every meal...only when I'm serving it in our normal meals but I do try to have that new food a little more often when I'm introducing it.)
• Just one bite. If they haven't already, it's time to give it a little taste. Just one bite. Tell them that they can spit it out if they don't like it but they need to start having just one taste and see if they like it (or if they've had it in the past, see if they've changed their minds about it). If they spit it out, don't think you haven't made progress. They just got that taste in their mouth and that means MORE FAMILIARITY. Yep, they are getting used to it without even realizing it. From now on, that food has "just one bite" status and each time it's presented on their plate, they need to get in just one bite. Over time, they actually start developing a taste for it. Watch, you might not even have to mention the "just one bite" before they've finally decided that it's just not so bad and eat it on their own.
• You need to eat it because it's good for you. After a few months of "just one bite" status, assuming that we aren't having major gagging issues over this one food (more on that later) then it's time to move to this new level. Yep, it's good for you. By now you've talked long many times with your children about why our bodies need healthy foods, you've checked out books from the library that educate them on what healthy foods are, you've made them a part of picking out veggies and fruits at the super market and they understand that they grow big and strong by eating healthy foods so they totally get "you need to eat it because it's good for you." Remind them that even mom and dad have to eat foods that they don't like so much because they are good for them. My kids can now recite this statement to me without coaxing. Altogether now, "We have to eat foods we don't like sometimes because they are good for us!"
• Allow your kids to NOT like food. Okay, I know this sounds hypocritical but what I'm talking about is a sincere dislike for something. Your kid might be a great eater and love just about all the healthy foods you give him but he just has this strong aversion to peas that he just can't seem to get around. That's okay. Allow your child to have their one or two things that they just can't handle the texture or taste of. Just train your child how to handle the times when they are served that one disliked food in public so that they don't cause a scene. =0) Most adults have these picky foods that they just can't get past and that doesn't mean they aren't a healthy eater. Allow your child the freedom to express his personal taste in foods. Even in this case, you may find with time that they change their minds as they grow and their taste buds change. My son hated pasta for the longest time. It was his one food texture that he couldn't stand and then one day he got a hold of some pasta and poof, it was gone. He ate it all. So, don't worry if your child has a dislike for one particular food item, time could change that..but if it doesn't, that's okay too as long as they are getting what they need in other healthy foods. Kids have more taste buds than adults. We lose them with age which is why elderly people usually like a lot of salt on their food. So, this may explain why kids don't like strong tasting foods until they are older....spicy is usually 10 times as spicy for kids.

• Do what it takes to get it down. What do I mean by that? No, not force feeding them. Time to get creative. You can get creative in the ways you HIDE IT, SERVE IT, and DIP IT. Let's take each one of those one at a time.

1. Hide It. If you are going to hide it, you have to hide it good. Puree it and put it into recipes is the best way to hide it. Check out Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld to learn how you can start getting healthy foods into your kids BEFORE you've accomplished getting them to eat it on their own (cause remember, it takes a long time to do the above process). This way, your kids are getting the foods they need while you patiently do the above process AND believe it or not, they are possibly still developing a taste for certain foods that are hidden. You can hide it also by mincing it, using dried versions of it (like onion), and mixing it into other foods.
2. Serve It. Be creative about how you serve foods. Make it fun by building bugs out of veggies and raisins with peanut butter, chop up several new foods and some they already love and serve them in a muffin tin. Kids love little cups and dishes that are divided. Check out the new bento box idea..it's all the rage for healthy school lunches but they could also be a fun way to get kids to try new things at home too. Make food into shapes...use cookie cutters and shaped pans. Decorate food with things your child already loves. If they love olives, try topping those yucky mashed potatoes with olive slices. Sounds gross to adults but you'd be amazed what little tricks get kids to eat things.
3. Dip It. For a very long time this method got my kids to eat all kinds of things they didn't want to try. I would ask them during the food prep time when they were cooking with me, "what should we serve this with to dip it in?" and they would usually say ranch dressing. If they knew they could dip it into their favorite dip (even if it sounded gross to me) then by golly they got to dip it! I was amazed what foods I could get into my kids with the dipping technique and yet again, here they were developing a taste for some new food without even realizing. Slowly over time I would give them less and less of the dip and eventually I'd conveniently "forget" to offer the dip and they'd end up eating the "new food" plain without even missing the dip.

Our hide it, serve it, and dip it days are over and so I want to encourage moms with younger ones that success is possible! It might take years (like it did in our case) but now I'm reaping the rewards of healthy eating kids. It was well worth the time and effort.

Here are some links for some other posts on blogs that I found helpful! They all have to do with eating:
Why What Your Kids Eat Is YOUR Responsibility
Parenting Style
Kids Learn By Example
Getting Kids to Eat Fruits and Veggies
How Much Sugar is Okay For Kids?
Switching to Whole Grains
Healthy Snacks for Kids
I love Dr. Oz...and here you can see the 5 things to avoid..great tips in terms of feeding your kids
Places You Wouldn't Think To Find High Fructose Corn Syrup
The 411 on High Fructose Corn Syrup

This last one I thought was a really cool post about how our healthy eating effects others in our lives...when it comes to having people over for dinner and not offending others with our food preferences. It can apply to how we train our children to eat but I thought was helpful mostly for adults when it comes to the making all these changes part.
Extending Grace

Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese and Soup

This amazing combo has a pepperoni pizza flavor...by adding pepperoni to the timeless grilled cheese and tomato soup combo.

sourdough bread
mozzarella cheese
turkey pepperoni slices
tomato soup

While heating the tomato soup, make a grilled cheese sandwich with the cheese, bread and turkey pepperoni slices. Dip the sandwich in the tomato soup (the sauce on the pizza) for the complete taste of pepperoni pizza.

Warning- kids are inclined to like this

Homemade Noodles (fun with kids)

Making noodles with your kids can be a fun and healthy project. By making my own noodles I can also use all organic products and save a bit of money in the process. Noodles can be made for immediate use or frozen in batches for later use. I've had this recipe in my archives for over a year now and finally got around to making it!

You will need:
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water

Mound flour on a work surface and make a deep "volcano".
Break the egg into the volcano and add water.
Beat the egg and water lightly with a fork, being careful not to break down the volcano walls.
Begin to draw in flour from the inner sides of the volcano.
Continue to blend in flour until the dough becomes stiff. Eventually using your hands, knead the dough until smooth and stiff. You will not use all of the flour most likely so spread the excess flour around on your counter for rolling the dough out.

Refrigerate for about 1 hour to make dough easier to work with.

To shape the dough, either use a pasta maker or roll out with a rolling pin until very thin. Roll the dough out as thin as you can for thin noodles or roll them a little thicker for country style thick noodles. Keep in mind that the dough will thicken upon cooking though. Don't worry about the shape of the rolled out dough unless you are going for perfection. =0) The key to rolling out noodles is to use plenty of flour under the dough and on top of the dough.

I like to roll my dough into a log and then cut with a knife pressing straight down to make little wheels of dough. It's important to keep the top of the dough well floured before rolling so that the dough doesn't stick together when you unroll it.


Then, have kids with floured hands begin unrolling the dough to make long noodles. You can also make short noodles by first cutting the wheels in half. If you prefer to cut the noodles without rolling the dough, you can use a pizza cutter for easy cutting of strips. You can make the noodles as skinny or wide as you like.

I usually make these noodles up fresh while a pot of soup is on the stove simmering. Just add the noodles to the soup and let them cook for a few minute. Excess uncooked pasta dough can be refrigerated in an airtight bag for up to 4 days and frozen for a month.

For extra fun shapes, let your kids use mini cookie cutters to make shaped noodles.

The noodles in the picture were rolled very thin and left very long. We call them "ribbon noodles".

Variations- you can use whole wheat if you'd like to but I do not recommend whole wheat pastry flour as it leaves a grainy texture to the noodle. They work with the whole wheat pastry flour but they just aren't as good as white flour. =0)

The chicken soup pictured was:
1 diced medium onion
2 cooked chopped boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 carrots sliced
2 celery stalks
1 box chicken broth
6 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of rosemary
1 minced garlic clove
1 tbsp olive oil
1 batch homemade noodles

Saute onion, carrots, celery in olive oil till tender. Add remaining ingredients other than noodles. Simmer for 45 min. Add noodles and cook for 5-10 more minutes. Serve.

NOTE- Yes, you can make the dough in a food processor using these measurements: 3/4 c flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp ice water. Use more flour or water as needed to make a dough ball that you can roll out. =0) This method is quicker and a lot less messy.

Edible Play Clay

My daughter begs me almost daily if she can bake something. She really just wants to mix dough and roll it out and cut it into shapes. AND nibble on the dough. This homemade play clay is not only incredibly fun and easy to make but it's edible (and HEALTHY) so your little ones can pretend bake and nibble away. You can store it in a container in the fridge for a few days and take it back out and let it sit at room temperature till softened.

This recipe provides hours of entertainment at our house.

1/2 c smooth peanut butter (I use Costco's organic PB)

1/4 c honey (I use Fit To Eat brand, non-pasteurized)

1/4 c unbleached flour plus a few tbsps extra as needed (I use white organic flour)

Mix together the above until crumbly like in picture adding 1 tbsp at a time of extra flour to get the right consistency. Then knead it till smooth.