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Peanut Butter Nutella Graham Treats #kidsinthekitchen

October 31, 2013 by

I was in the mood for a new sweet treat this week so Shae and I worked on a spin of something that we made over a year ago. Using graham crackers as a base we decided to combine some of our FAVORITE flavors into a “bark” kinda dessert.

Peanut Butter Nutella Graham Treats #kidsinthekitchen

Shae was definitely main chef for this project. She laid out all the graham crackers, scooped peanut butter and nutella and spread the mixtures all over.

A quick set in the fridge and they are ready to eat.

Peanut Butter Nutella Graham Treats #kidsinthekitchenIngredients

  • graham crackers
  • peanut butter
  • Nutella
  • vanilla candy wafers

Directions

Cover a large baking dish in foil (reduces mess).

Spread graham crackers in an even layer.

Microwave a cup of peanut butter to a spreadable consistency, about 20 seconds.

Add a large spoonful of Nutella to the peanut butter and gently mix but don’t blend completely. You should still have a marbled look.

Pour this mixture over the graham crackers and spread evenly. Place in fridge to set.

Microwave 1 cup of vanilla candy wafers till melted. Pour this over your set peanut butter mixture and spread evenly.

Set aside in fridge again for 15 minutes. Break apart and enjoy.

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky





Peanut Butter Granola Recipe #kidsinthekitchen

October 24, 2013 by

We’ve been back to school for 2 months and I’m already running out of ideas for healthy snacks. The go to are granola bars and fruit. They are easy and always in stock in the house. I knew I needed to add something a little different and I then I remembered my kids LOVE granola.  I used to make granola A LOT a couple of years ago so maybe I should start again.
Peanut Butter Granola #kidsinthekitchen
This time Shae helped me with a Peanut Butter Granola recipe.  It’s as simple as dump the ingredients in a bowl, stir, bake, eat.
Peanut Butter Granola #kidsinthekitchen
Ingredients

  • 1 cup of peanut butter (i use creamy, if you use chunky you’ll have to increase oil)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 6 cups of old fashioned oatmeal
  • 1 cup chopped nuts of choice
  • 1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
  • 1 cup dried fruit (optional)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 275°.

In a LARGE microwave proof bowl combine peanut butter, sugar, honey and oil. Place in microwave for 2-3 minutes on medium occasionally stirring and wiping down bowl.

Your mixture should be melty but not completely liquid. Add vanilla, salt, oats and nuts and quickly stir together to coat all of the oatmeal. This is where the muscles come in handy.  Shae did all the stirring with a little help from her big brother.
Peanut Butter Granola #kidsinthekitchen
Pour the granola mixture on a large baking sheet. If you prefer 2 pans that is fine too, I’d rather not make any more dirty dishes.
Peanut Butter Granola #kidsinthekitchen
Bake for 30-40 minutes, gently stirring at 10 minute intervals.  When it has gotten to a golden brown remove it from the oven and stir in additional ingredients. If you decide on chocolate chips they will melt and you’ll get more of a drizzle effect. Let this cool completely before eating, it will get crisp as it cools.

This stores easily in a container with a tight fitting lid and will last about a week. This works perfectly over yogurt, ice cream or by itself.

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.
Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky





Witch Finger Cookie #FAIL #kidsinthekitchen

October 17, 2013 by

A few days ago I shared this link for Skeleton Gingerbread Girls. I showed it to Shae and she said she wanted to try to make them. I happened to buy a set of christmas cookie cutters this week so I was onboard but things went terribly wrong.
Witch Finger Cookies #Fail #kidsinthekitchen

We started with a shortbread cookie. I personally don’t like gingerbread very much and figured shortbread would be simple.

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour

Beat butter and sugar till fluffy. Add vanilla and mix till blended. Add flour and mix till combined.

Witch Finger Cookies #Fail #kidsinthekitchen

Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

This is where our experiment came to a halt. I could NOT get the dough to form right, it kept sticking to the counter even with flour. This is exactly why we don’t do rolled cookies. So we switched gears. Witches fingers!! We rolled some finger shapes, added sliced almonds for fingernails and baked them. THEY LOOKED AWESOME

Witch Finger Cookies #Fail #kidsinthekitchen

Another fail! The cookie dough was too soft so it spread out instead of keeping the finger shape. But they tasted good. You can never go wrong with a delicate sweet shortbread.

Shae did most of the work. She made the cookie dough, rolled the dough, tried to pressed out the cookie shapes, formed fingers and added wrinkles and fingernails. Isn’t that what it’s all about.

I have a “gingerbread” house cookie cutter. I’m thinking Haunted Houses would be super cute! Maybe a Sugar Cookie Dough will work better.

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah at Play to Learn, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky




Making Breakfast #kidsinthekitchen

October 10, 2013 by

Getting kids interested in actual cooking isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I asked Shaun if he wanted to make pancakes for breakfast and he jumped at the chance.
Kids Cooking #kidsinthekitchen
him measurements but just told him to eyeball things. That’s the way I cook.
Kids Cooking #kidsinthekitchen
Things went pretty well, he even made breakfast for his little sister. He followed most instructions except he kept swinging the dirty spatula around like it was a sword. At the end of breakfast he asked if he can make breakfast on the weekends for the whole family. This kid knows how to warm my heart.
Kids Cooking #kidsinthekitchen

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingersfollow, Sarah of PlaytoLearnwithSarah and Sara at Sensibly Sarafollow, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky





Pudding Sundae Bar #kidsinthekitchen

October 4, 2013 by

Dessert time on our home is like Christmas Day. My kids love treats but we limit them to mostly weekends because ice cream makes a brief appearance in our home. Meaning that the time between when it’s bought and the time it’s devoured is short.

I want to be able to give my kids special desserts more often without it being a total bingefest. We have popsicles and frozen fruit on hand all the time but those just don’t have the same indulgent feel as a sundae. I figured we’d try a Pudding Sundae Bar instead. Pudding can be fat free and/or sugar-free making that a better option over ice cream from the beginning but adding a couple tasty toppings makes it a sweet treat for any day of the week.

Pudding Sundaes #kidsinthekitchen

What you see is Shaun and Shae discussing how to get the most bang for their buck. Shae tried to add both cookies but I knocked that down. She instead chose crumbled chocolate chip cookies and reeses ice cream topping sprinkles.  Shaun shocked me the most choosing chocolate chips and raisins. RAISINS!  He said with the cheesecake flavored pudding it was a really good combination.

Pudding Sundaes #kidsinthekitchen

Pudding Sundaes #kidsinthekitchen

 

Try this un-traditional sundae bar in your home.

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers, Sarah of PlaytoLearnwithSarah and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchenInsert Linky Rules Image Here

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky





Trying Dippy Eggs #kidsinthekitchen

September 26, 2013 by

My kids are creatures of habit when it comes to breakfast. Maybe it’s because school days don’t offer lots of time to work in a large hot meal or maybe they just really like eating their old standbys. This week Shae sent me into shock by asking for runny eggs so she can dip her toast. I like eggs like this, so does Rob but typically getting my kids to eat eggs is a battle.

Trying Sunny Side Up Eggs #kidsinthekitchen

I obliged and made her 1 sunny side up egg, a sausage link and a slice of toasted wheat bread. She spent the first couple of minutes poking the hell out of the yolk. She dipped and ate, dipped and ate. I then showed her how to scoop up the remaining egg to put on the other half of her toast. Her conclusion, she loved it! I’m still surprised but happy that she experimented a little and went for something unfamiliar.

Trying Sunny Side Up Eggs #kidsinthekitchen

What has been the strangest food request from your child?

What did you do in the “kitchen” this week? Did your kids try a new food or new family-friendly restaurant? Did you teach your littlest to count using their snacks ? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers, Sara at Sensibly Sara, Lisa of HooplaPaloozafollow and Sarah of Play2LearnwithSarah each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky

Don’t forget about the 2 sets of Felt Play Food giveaway going on. Enter here to to win for a little one your know!
Play Food #giveaway




Healthy Choices with #PlayFood #giveaway #kidsinthekitchen

September 19, 2013 by

Encouraging the kids to be in the kitchen isn’t a new concept for me. For years I’ve urged the kids to help with prep work, work in the garden, choose dinner menus and to try new foods. Even as toddlers and young children their play kitchens were just extensions of the real kitchen in our home.

Pretend Play Healthy Food Choices #giveaway #kidsinthekitchen

Playing with pretend cupcakes and ice cream is always fun but I’ve been able add teachable moments by incorporating healthy play food and accessories.
This is one my favorite videos of Shae playing in her kitchen 3 years ago, preparing a stir fry meal.

Shae is 6 now but still regularly plays with her kitchen and loves the wide array of food choices she can serve while she plays restaurant. She especially loves to serve sandwiches, wraps and tacos. There are so many combinations with the ingredients that it becomes a game if she can remember everything.

We explain that adding veggies to a sandwich or switching from a big roll to a tortilla wrap makes that meal more healthy. These lessons carry over in real life as she asks for these choices to be packed in her real life lunch box.

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara,  Lisa of HooplaPalooza and Sarah of Play2LearnwithSarah each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.
Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky


Give your kids healthy food choices while playing pretend with this giveaway of Play Food from Gummylump.com. Enter to win a Felt Food Sandwich Set and a Felt Food Taco & Burrito Set from LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! just by telling us what other play food choice your child would love.

Play Food #giveaway
EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above. Please note the changes to the entries and frequency, entries that don’t follow rules may be disregarded/ignored/deleted

Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Friday, October 11, 2013. The winners will be emailed and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. This contest is open to Contiguous US residents, age 18 or over. For complete rules please read our blog contest rules page.




Gluten Free Chewy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie #kidsinthekitchen

September 13, 2013 by

I had my niece Madi over last week for a few hours but my own kids weren’t home so I needed something fun to do. I figured BAKE! Kids like to eat and play with their food so the answer was easy. The problem lies with her Celiac Disease. Madi can’t have wheat, rye or barley. This crosses off most breads, cakes, cookies and treats off the lists of allowable food. This is hard for a 3 year old. She’s a trooper though.

Gluten Free Chewy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie #kidsinthekitchen

As I was scanning labels in my pantry she asked “Are you checking to see if that has gluten?”. I got your back kid! I found a recipe online a Gluten Free Chewy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie.

Gluten Free Chewy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie #kidsinthekitchenAs I got all the ingredients into the mixer she washed her hands and then pulled herself up to the table.
The dough took a couple minutes to put together so I did that on my own but then handed over the mixing bowl and a cookie sheet for Madi to roll the dough into balls.

The recipe can easily be doubled as this only makes 12-15 cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Directions

In a mixer, cream together peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
Beat in the egg.
Add oats and baking soda, and mix until it comes together
Roll dough into 2″ ball and place on cookie sheet
Using a fork press to flatten cookies
Bake for eight minutes or until the cookies turn slightly brown.
Cool cookies on a rack, Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chewy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie #kidsinthekitchenI would make these again. They were easy and they tasted good. I don’t like peanut butter cookies but I ate 2 of these. Next time I’m going to add raisins or chocolate chips and a couple squirts of honey to enhance the sweetness from the brown sugar. These additions will keep it gluten free too!

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers, Sara at Sensibly Sara, Lisa of HooplaPalooza and Sarah of Play2LearnwithSarah each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.
Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky




Baking Biscuits with the Kids #kidsinthekitchen

September 5, 2013 by

Last week I showed off my autographed cookbook from David Venable and said we’d be showing off a recipe from that book this week. The cookbook came with flags sticking out of certain recipe he thought I’d like or my kids would like. He was right. We made his Mom’s Mayo Drop Biscuits and everyone like them.

It was simple recipe, 5 ingredients that mixed up in just minutes and were ready in 15 minutes. This is a great recipe to get Shae involved. There was mixing, measuring, pouring and scooping; all great skills to work on in the kitchen.

Baking with Kids #kidsinthekitchen

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

I want to introduce you to our 2 new co-hosts, Lisa of HooplaPaloooza and Sarah of Play2LearnWithSarah. I hope you welcome them with open arms.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers, Sara at Sensibly Sara, Lisa of HooplaPaloooza and Sarah of Play2LearnWithSaraheach week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky




Comfort Foods Kids Will Love from a cookbook #kidsinthekitchen

August 30, 2013 by

This week is a little different instead of talking about something we did I’m gonna show you something we’re gonna try this weekend.  I came home from a couple days at the Jersey Shore to this little gift from David Venable of QVC.

Comfort Foods Kids Will Love #kidsinthekitchen

David Venable might be the most popular host on QVC. He’s known for his passion of food and the excitement he exudes on air during In The Kitchen With David. He’s great at what he does because I want to buy everything he’s showcasing. He’s also a sweetheart who will chat you up about food, family, kids and everything in between.

I did my own Happy Dance when I saw my new cookbook. Comfort Foods the Take you Home is a peek on what started his love of food in his mother’s and grandmother’s kitchens.  I was especially impressed with the post-it flags highlighting dishes that my family would love. The first one caught my eye and stayed with me as I browsed the rest of the book. Mom’s Mayonnaise Drop Biscuits sounded odd at first but it really makes so much sense. I add mayonnaise to dishes to add flavor and fat and moisture so why not biscuits.

Cookbook from David Venable #kidsinthekitchen

We are making these this weekend!  I want to thank David for remembering our conversation about #kidsinthekitchen and sharing tips for getting the kids to help out more with meal prep and cooking.

Next week we’ll share our experience with your recipes.

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did you craft something fun with popsicle sticks? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky





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