Last week while shopping we found these adorable push pop molds and for $1.99 I couldn't resist. They sat hidden below the sink for a week until I decided what to put in them. As I mentioned in my Avocado, Lime, Banana Smoothie recipe, I have a love affair with all things avocado! We decided to spike the recipe we used yesterday with some shredded coconut for a little texture. While I bought a bag of shredded coconut for this recipe; my daughter actually convinced me to buy a real coconut for her. Have you ever tried to crack a coconut? It's not as easy as it looks but thanks to a video I found on YouTube I learned a trick. After I attempted and only got a drop or two of coconut milk, my husband proceeded to crack it open using a hammer just like in the video. (How to crack open a coconut video) We had fun showing her what was inside, sipping the milk, and munching on the meat. Well worth the $2.00 I spent to show her where stuff comes from. Back to the push pops! ... [ Read More ]
Avocado, Lime, Banana Yogurt Smoothies
What could say summer more than a refreshing tropical smoothie? I've always been an avocado junkie (seriously, I could live off these things) but my love was revitalized last week when I saw a friend of mine post a recipe about Tropical Avocado Popsicles. They just looked absolutely delicious. Today on my trip to the grocery store I filled my shopping cart with a few ingredients that I was craving; avocados, limes, bananas, and some Smooth & Creamy Vanilla Stonyfield yogurt. My intention was to make some avocado push pops using some new molds we found at the store last week. My daughter has been DYING to use them. My little chef wanted to help in the kitchen too so I let her add all the ingredients to the blender and control the buttons! I love that she enjoys being in the kitchen with me. After we filled up our 4 push pops (recipe coming tomorrow) she begged me to drink the leftovers! Instead, we added a few more ingredients and made the mixture a little thicker for a ... [ Read More ]
Peeps Bunny Trail Mix
What do you do with a big box of Peeps (thank you Peeps and Co) if you don't want your kids to eat them all in one day? Cook and make snacks of course! I'm always looking for fun ways to include some sweet treats for the kids without going overboard on the sugar. With Easter just around the corner, I know we'll all be trying to ration the sugar to the little ones. This recipe could be modified any way you like. We used some of the cereals that we had in the pantry already and added a few snacks and sweets to make it fun and colorful. What you'll need: Your favorite Peeps 1 cup of 2-3 different types of small snack-able cereals. We used Cheerio's and Corn Chex. 1 cup of Annie's Bunny Grahams 1 cup of mini-chocolate morsels, raisins, or other small sweet snack 1 cup of jelly beans or malted milk balls leftover from the Easter basket There really isn't much to do to prepare this snack. Gently mix all the ingredients in a bowl and you're ready to nibble away on ... [ Read More ]
Peeps Waldorf Salad Recipe
What do you do with all that Easter candy if you want to moderate how much candy your kids eat? I decided to have some fun and add some peeps to my favorite Waldorf Salad recipe. As much as I hated to cut the adorable little peeps into little pieces, it added a little dash of color to the recipe while replacing the mini-marshmallows I would normally use. I also have a confession, when I received the generous box of Peeps (thank you Peeps and Co) I had no idea what I was going to make with them. This recipe was inspired by my husband! We haven't made a Waldorf Salad in years and I didn't know if the kids would even eat it. I made a few modifications to make the recipe a little healthier as well. I'm not a big mayo fan so I substituted with Stonyfield Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla - you choose how sweet you want it). The apples were from the local farmers market and the rest of the ingredients from the grocery store. What you'll need: 1 cup of halved grapes ... [ Read More ]
Snow White Sour Apple GoGo-Rita Cocktail #disneyside
We hosted a Disney themed party this weekend for some friends and since it was National Margarita Day on Saturday we spiced things up a bit with this fun cocktail recipe. Since we hosted the party for both kids and adults we had an alcoholic version of this recipe and a mocktail version for the kids. Just be sure to label the glasses so the kids don't sneak a sip of the "poison" apple! Snow White Sour Apple GoGo-Rita Cocktail #disneyside Print Prep time 5 mins Cook time 5 mins Total time 10 mins Show off your #DisneySide with this fun Snow White themed cocktail or mocktail. Author: Calley @TheEcoChic Recipe type: Drinks Cuisine: American Serves: 4 Ingredients 1 Frozen Margarita Bacardi Mixers 1 Mixer Can full of Bacardi Big Apple Rum 2 pouches of GoGo Squeeze Applesauce Handful of ice Instructions Add all of the ingredients to your blender and mix well. Continue to add ice until you reach the consistency you desire. Serve immediately and ... [ Read More ]
Frozen Cranberry Dessert Recipe (with Stonyfield Yogurt Substitution)
As we prepare for Thanksgiving later this week I'm looking forward to one of my favorite holiday dishes; my Grandmother's frozen cranberry dessert. This year I decided to swap out the sour cream with some healthier Stonyfield Greek yogurt. Did you know that you can substitute Stonyfield yogurt for sour cream, butter, mayonnaise, heavy cream, oil, and buttermilk? Stonyfield Greek yogurt is fat free, lower in calories, organic and GMO-free. With all the other indulgences on Thanksgiving it's nice to know that I'll be replacing some of the higher fat ingredients a more nutritious yogurt. You can refer to the Stonyfiled Yogurt Substitution Guide to see the recommended amount of yogurt to substitute for your favorite ingredients. Frozen Cranberry Dessert Ingredients: 1 can whole cranberry sauce 1 small can crushed pineapple 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 bag mini marshmallows 1 cup Stonyfield Greek yogurt (plain) Directions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well ... [ Read More ]
Homemade Chicken Nuggets by Weelicious Lunches (Review & Giveaway)
What's in a chicken nugget? I don't even want to look at the ingredients of processed nuggets to see if there is anything that I can pronounce but I doubt there are many natural ingredients listed. In an effort to find a healthier alternative I found Weelicious Lunches. Easy, healthy, and fun lunch ideas for every age! Once kids walk out the door for school, all bets are off. Will your son toss the nutritious food you've included and jump right to the treats? Will your daughter trade her sandwich for her best friend's prepackaged meal? Determined to improve what kids eat both at school and on the go, weelicious.com founder Catherine McCord offers innovative solutions for quick, delicious, easy-to-make, kid-friendly lunch box meals that little ones and their older siblings won't be tempted to swap. Filled with lots of great menu planning ideas; tips, tricks, and reusable product suggestions to make lunch fun; inspiring color photographs, advice on dealing with food allergies and ... [ Read More ]
Chocolate Nutella Toffee Banana Bites Recipe
While searching aimlessly on Pinterest one evening I found a few pictures of chocolate covered bananas (like this one from Little B Cooks) and knew that my entire family would devour them. My dear sweet husband recently found something similar in the freezer section of the grocery store but I hate buying things that are processed and pre-made. I decided to tweak the recipe just slightly and add our own flare to it. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Chocolate Nutella Toffee Banana Bites Recipe Print Prep time 20 mins Cook time 1 hour Total time 1 hour 20 mins Banana bites covered in chocolate-nutella and sprinkled with toffee chips before frozen. A little bit healthy and a little bit heavenly. Author: Calley @TheEcoChic Recipe type: Snack, Dessert Cuisine: American Serves: 4-8 Ingredients 1 cup of fairtrade organic chocolate morsels ½ cup of Nutella (or peanut butter would work well too) 1 cup of toffee chips 2 fresh bananas ... [ Read More ]
Banana & Pear Smoothie Recipe for Squooshi Reusable Pouches
I don't know what it is about bananas and pears but they turn bad within a day or two of coming home with me. The best way to get my kids to eat them is to drink them so it's time to pull out our Magic Bullet and make smoothies. Recipe & Directions: We always start with a base of Stoneyfield organic yogurt (we used Vanilla Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt) and then add in our ingredients. This week we added one banana and one pear cut into cubes to our mixture. We also added a splash of milk (almond for my daughter and regular milk for my son) and a tablespoon of local honey. Blend until smooth and enjoy. Instead of serving our banana & pear smoothie in a cup we tested out our new reusable food pouches by Squooshi. My kids love to suck down those fruit pouches that you can find at the grocery store and it can be a strain on my wallet (and the environment). I was so excited when the Squooshi team contacted me about their brand new refillable pouches. ... [ Read More ]
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving friends! I hope and pray that you all have a fabulous day with family and friends. Me? I'll have a quiet day with my kids while my husband works in the morning. Then we'll have a quiet Thanksgiving dinner with just the 4 of us. No huge meal plans, no fancy table settings, no friends or extended family - just the 4 of us! I may not even clean my house for dinner and try to enjoy the day playing with my kids. The weather is so gorgeous still in Florida that I'm sure we'll be outside most of the day. Tonight I made the first part of our little Thanksgiving meal, my dads Frozen Cranberry Salad (a yummy dessert). Ingredients: Container of sour cream (Small or large depends on how many you are feeding) Whole cranberry sauce - 1 can Crushed pineapples, drained - 1 can Mini-marshmallows - about 1-2 cups (again depending on how many you are feeding) Handful of chopped pecans Directions: In a freezer safe dish or pan mix all of the ... [ Read More ]