let's all get our sheet together

Well I was going to call this "let's all get our shit together" but that sounded crass... but then I was just thinking that no one would realize what I was doing there now, in the title, because sheet? What? And now I've over-explained it (or did I?) and also --> no one cares. But here's what really matters: LORETTA IS FEELING BETTER.

Dudes? I have a tropical storm of a daughter and I absolutely love every undelicate hair on her powerful, demanding head but for reals, when she feels like hell, so does every person in a fifty food radius. This week all I want to do is recover from last week. We are so boring around here and it feels incredibly amazing. We will do laundry! Cook the meals on our meal plan for the week (boring meals, hurray!). We will file, recycle,tidy, and generally clear the house of the 50,000 bookmarks and torn paper treasures of the artist formerly known as Otto.

I may even indulge in a little potato-ing of the couch and dive into Downton Abbey. I have it on pretty great authority that it is, in fact, that good. 

I'm also really excited to read all of the posts from everyone who participated in Currently last week! So many!

And lastly, if you have a second, I have a little plug. Please head over to Brandy's lovely lifestyle and kids fashion blog Heart and Habit. I adore Brandy and have for a very long time. She's probably one of the first moms I really connected with via this blog world. She's stunningly beautiful, has great, understated street style, she's fit but also drinks way too much coffee, she uses the foul language just often enough to make me smile, and she adores her babies and dresses them like mini look books and takes ahhhmazing photos! Anyways, I was pretty flattered when this dynamo(m) asked me to participate in her Mom Time Out series (yay!) and I had a lot of fun putting together the perfect clothes and trappings for a fantasy day to myself, which is posted here. What do you think of my fantasy day? Amazing yes? I was even thoughtful with a math bath for the hubs because I'm super nice like that. ps. I for reals for realzzzzz want that Pendleton blanket! If blanket drool were a thing that is what I would have for that blanket.

Ok, I hope your sheet is all together this week too. Because potato chip high five!

A Delish Dish! Egg Free Banana Bread Recipe

This dish was an impromptu discovery the other day when I started peeling a banana for Ot & all 3 bananas on the bunch broke open at the top. The stars had aligned, I was required to use the other 2 bananas for banana bread, I had to! But then halfway through getting all the ingredients stirred together I realized I'd thrown out all our eggs in fear of the Dreaded Salmonella Eggs! Even though we always buy organic eggs, the whole recall thing just freaked me the [beep] out so I'd tossed ours "just in case"... Back to the dramatic banana bread story... (I know you're on the edge of your seat)... So, I thought back to my vegan days and decided to do a little subbing: applesauce for moisture/sweetness/binding and cornstarch for add'l thickening/binding. The result was eggless and sooooo good - extra moist and just 100% a success! Obvi from the pic, Otto couldn't wait to get his chubby little paws on it and he/we gobbled it up!

1. Preheat over to 350'
2. Get your ingredients together:
- 1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat) (but for a gluten-free bread use brown rice flour - you may need a smidge more flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 5 Tbsp butter - melted (salted butter)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed into 2 Tbsp cold water
3. Stir it all together and pour the gloppy batter into a greased bread pan
4. Bake for 50-60 minutes (until a fork stuck into the center comes out clean)
5. Then set oven to "Low Broil" and broil just a minute or so until the top is nice and browned. You can also brush a little extra butter on top before doing this step. Nom!

My prediction: Just like Van Gogh, you'll eat it all up! Unlike Van Gogh, you'll smile!

Serving suggestions: I lovvvve banana bread crumbled up over yogurt! Or heated and topped with a scoop of vanilla icecream!

-Lindsey

Mummy Tummy September - Here It Goes Again!

#MummyTummy is an online workout club for moms (or anybody) on Twitter that I launched back in July. I send you 4 dedicated #mummytummy tweets per day - each one a reminder to do a set of 20 crunches, situps, or whatever ab workout you're comfortable with.

I want to thank the glorious Mojo Mama for taking over in August and kicking all our asses! My abs thank her too! Plus I heart her big time! You can (and you really should) follow Mojo Mama on Twitter here.

Introducing #MumBum
Jenny from Monkey-Toes Shoes, a creative genius and one of my favorite Twitter friends, suggested we switch it up this month by alternating days. One day abs, the next, SQUATS! That's right, the dreaded squats, deal with it whiner, and you'll be glad you did! You can thank Jenny for your soon-to-be-firmer butt by following her on Twitter here.

Rock and Roll!
In honor of #MummyTummy and #MumBum September I'd like to veejay a song for you. I hope you love this song & inspirational video by Ok Go "Here It Goes Again" as much as I do! Seriously, too cool. I love it.



Sign up For MummyTummy September! Do it. Do it.
Just comment below with your Twitter name and from September 1 through 30 I'll tweet you 4x a day! And don't stress it, we're all busy with lives, there's no penalty for skipping a set or a day. This is just a fun way to motivate each other and even make new Twitter connections.

Ok, Go!

Rosemary 'n Black Pepper Quick Bread (No Machine) That Makes Amaaaaaazing Bruschetta!

Nom! Nom! And here's the recipe, cuz...

First things first I'm going to give you the recipe for the quick bread because it stands alone as delicious, moist, cakey bread that makes great toast or would sop up soup in a heavenly fashion or you can just sit there at the pan and eat handfuls of it like I did. I was inspired to make Rosemary & Black Pepper bread by Whitney (aka Waddlebug) from The (Un)Balancing Act of Motherhood; she has a recipe on her blog for a bread machine loaf that I was (sigh) unable to attempt because I lack the key appliance! Whitney is a cool chick and she's a great source for gluten and dairy free recipes!

Rosemary & Black Pepper Quick Bread Recipe:

This is a modified recipe, based on Joy of Cooking's "Mediterranean Olive Bread" ...

- Preheat oven to 350'
- Grease a loaf pan

- Get all of the following measured and ready cause you're gonna stir em all together at once:

2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

(or use brown rice flour for gluten-free, that's what I did)

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp dried rosemary or 3 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp ground black pepper plus a pinch

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup olive oil

- Stir it up!

- Dump batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly

- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes (or until a fork inserted into the center comes out clean)

- Let cool for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a plate (should pop right out if you run a butter knife around the edge)

- Try not to eat the whole loaf in one sitting!

Getting Bruschetta Freaky Deaky:

This bread made the freakiest deakiest bruschetta I've ever had. For reals. The bread melts in your mouth and the rosemary and black pepper just tasted phenomenal with the mozzarella and basil!

Thanks!

-Lindsey

What Tastes Like Banana Bread, Looks Like a Pancake, and Is Loaded With Oatmeal Heartiness?

I was reading in one of my parenting books recently about how good oatmeal is for kids. I tried feeding Elliot some good old fashioned oatmeal, but he wasn’t having it. Even when I spiced things up with raisins, brown sugar, or apples, Elliot just didn’t care for oatmeal.

I came across this recipe for oatmeal pancakes and decided to give it a shot. I added the cinnamon for that extra zing and Elliot went crazy for these pancakes. They are super fluffy and really good with butter and a little bit of syrup.

If you add banana slices just after the first time you flip them, they come out tasting like banana bread.

These pancakes taste amazing and are a great way to get your kids eating oatmeal! Enjoy!

OATMEAL PANCAKES RECIPE:

1 1/3 c. wheat flour

2/3 c. quick-cooking oats

2 tbs. sugar

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 egg

1 1/3 c. milk

3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

1/8 tsp. cinnamon


1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Beat in the milk and butter.

3. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined; let stand 5 minutes.

4. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush the skillet lightly with butter, margarine, or oil. For each pancake, drop 3 tablespoons of batter onto the skillet. Cook until one or two bubbles start to burst on the top; turn and cook until golden on the bottom.

-Megan

#MummyTummy August! The Ab Ripped-ness Continues!

The Mama of Mojo is taking the #MummyTummy reigns for the month of August! Love that Mojo Mama! Click the link below to sign up!

#MummyTummy is a Twitter based ab workout club that I started last month. You get 4 dedicated #mummytummy tweets per day each one a reminder to do a set of 20 crunches, situps, or whatever ab workout you're comfortable with.

Sign up for the August #MummyTummy at The Mama of Mojo website by commenting your Twitter name on this blog post: http://www.mojomamablog.com/2010/07/mummytummy-part-deux.html

I'm all signed up already and hope to see you there too! My mantra for August "No More Muffin Top!"

ps. You can follow Mojo Mama on Twitter here and I'm on Twitter here.

-Lindsey

Creamy UnChicken Enchiladas from Mommy D's Kitchen!

Mucho Mucho Bueno Bueno!

I wanted to share with you an awesome recipe I discovered at the amazing Mommy D's Kitchen blog (that link will take you to the original recipe - yum!). I made Mommy D's creamy chicken enchiladas but subbed out Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips.

Other than the chicken substitution, we followed the recipe to a T and ended up with a super delicious dinner than will definitely become a regular on the menu at my house (even my 18month old, Otto, loved these enchiladas and he is famous for his "no tortilla" attitude).

That's right, Otto hates tortillas, how dare he!? Haha, but these enchiladas made the grade!

I loved that this recipe was quick to make but allowed for the use of super healthy and hearty ingredients. So even though it's quick and simple, the end product was very healthy!

♥♥♥♥♥♥

-Lindsey

Giveaway! Baby NasaKleen & Mama Nasaline - Breathe, Eat & Sleep Better! (Closed)

SQuiP manufactures a line of gentle, homeopathic and medically tested products that promote good health including nasal rinsing systems for adults, children, and infants. All parts of Baby NasaKleen are DEHP/phthalate, BPA and latex-free.

SQuiP provided us with a Nasaline nasal rinsing system and Baby NasaKleen nasal aspirator to review as well as one of each to give away! One of my close, wonderful mommy friends (Jennifer) agreed to do the reviews:

Jennifer's Review #1 - Nasaline Rinsing System (the adult one):

I had never used a nasal irrigator before. However, I took a quick glance at the large, colorful, and easy to understand instruction sheet, filled the Nasaline up, hummed ahhhh (which closes the back of your throat), and plunged away. Easy peasy, and it doesn't hurt a bit. The purpose of a nasal irrigator is to treat symptoms associated with allergies, sinus infections, colds, or the flu. It is a wonderful option especially if you don't like the side effects of decongestants or allergy medications, or if you are a pregnant or nursing mom and need to avoid those medications. The Nasaline also comes with 10 pre-measured packets of pure powdered salt to mix the optimal saline solution. This is important because a saline solution that is either too strong or too diluted can aggravate nasal congestion by causing the nasal membranes to swell. It probably takes a wee bit of practice to use the Nasaline perfectly. I experienced a little salty drip at the back of my throat, and some dripping from my nose afterwards. This is probably because I didn't take the time to make sure I blew my nose and tilted my head to get all the solution out. Overall though, I highly recommend the Nasaline.

Jennifer's Review #2 - Nasaline Baby NasaKleen

When we took Milo home from the hospital, we were prepared with one of the standard items every new parent purchases (or is given) -- the bulb syringe aspirator. What a terrible invention. It doesn't work worth a hill of beans and only leads to frustration and tears for all. Of course, there is no need for nasal aspiration except for when your baby is congested and feeling yucky -- which serves to exacerbate the frustration/tears scenario. Fortunately, when he was only a few months old, I found out about "snotsucker" devices. Baby Nasaline is a "snotsnucker" type of device. Snotsuckers consist of a nozzle, a plastic chamber with a hygiene filter, a tube and mouthpiece. You gently put the nozzle against your baby's nostril and, you guessed it, suck out the boogers. It is helpful if you don't really think about what you are doing and just trust the instrument. Which is fine, because then you can look at your baby and make sure he is doing okay while you entirely control the suction process, instead of pinning him down while trying to work that dumb bulb syringe. (Note: you may still need to pin them down, but eventually most babies realize that they feel much better after the snot has been sucked out -- unlike the useless hateful bulb syringe.)

I like the Baby NasaKleen because it has a soft silicone nozzle which would feel comfortable to a baby's nose (some snotsuckers have a hard plastic nozzle). The Baby NasaKleen also comes with a generous supply of replacement filters, well written and illustrated instructions, and a storage case. (Although, in my experience, because there is only one baby using the aspirator, a filter can be reused after being washed in very hot water and left to air dry.) Honestly, it will be quite a few years before your child will learn to blow his or her nose effectively, and until then, he or she deserves a snotsucker instead of a bulb syringe (did I mention that I think bulb syringes are a piece of crap?).

Can't Wait to Aspirate? You can buy SQuiP products online here.

Wanna Try to Win The Set? Read On...

Entry is easy! There is no mandatory entry but there are multiple opportunities to enter! Please remember to leave a comment for each entry to increase your chances.

* Comment your thoughts about nasal irrigation. Have you done it before? Does the idea make you nervous? Whatever it is, I'd love to know. And if you have questions, put them in your comment and I'll reply as best I can.

* Follow @squipUS on Twitter and comment, make sure to include your Twitter name.
 
* Tweet the following and then provide a link to your tweet. You can do this up to 3 times a day!
 
 Down with sinus congestion! I want to WIN Nasaline & Baby NasaKleen systems from @squipUS and @OttosMomBlogs http://ow.ly/2b80H #GiVeAwaY !  
 
* Visit the SQuiP website and tell me what other products you'd like to try or anything else interesting you find there.

Make sure we can reach you by including your email or Twitter name.

Giveaway ends 11:59pm Pacific Time on August 15. We will use Random.org to choose a winner.

Many thanks to SQuiP for contacting us to do this review/giveaway! We were not otherwise compensated. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own and the lovely Jennifer's.

-Lindsey and Jennifer

Congrats to the winner of this giveaway Kim@ChubbyCheeksThinks with comment #48. I'll be contacting you via email and Twitter!

Good Clean Fun - Bubbles & Bath Fizzies Review and Giveaway! - CONTEST ENDED

We are very excited to have been approached by the eco-conscious guys over at Smith & Vandiver to review and host a giveaway of Good Clean Fun Dino-Bubbles and bath fizzies!

Among the features and benefits of these wholesome, cruelty-free products:

- PH balanced to be gentle and non-irritating to skin and eyes
- Sulfate-free and non-toxic

- Phalate-free certified natural fragrance
- Paraben and formaldehyde free
- No colors, synthetic fragrances or animal by-products

Check out "Mr. Cute City" (aka Elliot) posing with his Party Fizzy and Dino Fizzy for the review!

Our awesome contributor Megan volunteered to take a Party Fizzy, Dino Fizzy, and Ducky Bubbles home to try out with her 2 year old Elliot. Here's what she had to say about Bath Fizzys and Ducky Bubbles:

Bath Fizzys Review:

First off, they are really cute, the packaging is cute and fun, and they smell really good (on the strong side, but good). Even though these toys are geared for kids ages 2-10 I think the fizzys were a bit too much for my two year old and I would actually recommend them for kids over 3 years. They fizzed like crazy! Which would probably be a lot of fun for an older kid, but Elliot was overwhelmed by all the fizzing and didn't want to be in the bathtub with it. Once the fizzing stopped the toys inside appeared and that was a nice little touch. Again, though, because of the tiny size of the toy discs inside I would recommend for over 3-year-olds because littler ones (like Elliot) might be tempted to put the toy in their mouth.

Good Clean Fun Ducky Bubbles Review:The Ducky Bubbles would be appropriate for kids of any age. The packaging of all these products is fun and cute! The smell of the Ducky Bubbles is sweet but subtle. We added about 1/3 of the package to our bath and that created "optimal bubbling" (a scientific term). The bubbles were thick and fluffy.

The Giveaway - Enter to Win Dino Bubbles and 4 Bath Fizzys!Smith & Vandiver have provided 1 winner a Good Clean Fun prize pack of:

WIN THE PARTY PACK!
(1) Dino Bubbles
(1) Dino Fizz Tyrannosaurus
(2) Bath Party Fizzies!

How to Enter:

This is the last day and their website seems to be wonky so entries are easy today! Lots of ways to enter!

- Follow TidbitsParenting via Google Friend Connect (2 bonus entries) (if you already follow us that counts too!)

- Follow @OttosMomBlogs on Twitter (2 bonus entries) (if you already follow me that counts too)

- Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this page in your tweet. In your comment below make sure to put a link to your tweet (up to 3 bonus entries per day - 1 per tweet - 30 mins apart or more please)

- Like TidbitsParenting on Facebook (2 bonus entries) (if you already like us that counts too)

- Grab the TidbitsParenting badge (on the right) and in your comment leave a link to your badged up blog homepage (4 bonus entries) (if you've already got the badge that counts too)

Please Note:

Just remember to leave a comment for EACH entry. For example, if you follow us on Facebook since that's worth 2 bonus entries make sure you leave 2 comments for that.

Make sure that I can reach you if you win - via email or Twitter. We will contact the winner on August 1 and they will have 48 hours to claim the prize or we will choose a different winner.

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm Pacific Time on July 31st. We will use Random.org to choose a winner and will verify that the winning entrant has played by the rules so it only makes sense to be honest!

The opinions expressed here are 100% my own and Megan's.

- Lindsey and Megan

Here's to Big Boy Beds! Smooth Transitioning From the Crib...

We recently decided to take the plunge and get rid of Elliot’s crib in favor of a toddler bed. Elliot has slept through the night since he was 2 months old, and up until recently had very consistent sleeping patterns. Just before his second birthday in April, he became more reluctant to fall asleep, and night after night he would cry and scream at bedtime. We decided maybe what he needed was a “big boy” bed.

Finding the right bed took some time; I spent a few hours looking at different beds online trying to get one that was cute but practical. We bought one at IKEA and after assembling it realized that you have to buy an IKEA-sized mattress to fit it; the crib mattress was too small, grrrr! Damn you, IKEA and your Swedish measurements! Finally we settled on a bed from good old Babies R Us.

"How do you get a toddler to sleep in a toddler bed?"

I wasn’t sure how to proceed….how do you get a toddler to sleep in a toddler bed? I had my husband assemble the bed and we left it in the living room for a day or two so Elliot could sit, lie, and play on it without feeling that it was a “threat” to his enjoyable crib life. Then I moved it into his room but didn’t insist he sit on it, I just wanted him to get used to it being there. Surprisingly, he took to it happily. He was very proud of his toddler bed and asked to sleep in it. So that day, at nap time, I went about our regular nap-taking routine and simply put him in his toddler bed. He was absolutely tickled about having the freedom to get in and out of it. He came out of his room a few times with the biggest grin on his face! He was so proud of himself! He said, “I’m supposed to be napping mommy!” Trying to hide my laughter I told him he needed to go lie down and take his nap. After two or three times of coming out to show me his cleverness, he finally fell asleep….in his toddler bed…..just like that.

It has been three days now, and we have taken apart the crib and put it in storage. He never asks about his crib or complains about his new sleeping arrangements. It is such a delight to wake up to his little face in mine, asking me to “wake up mommy!” I think that when it’s right for them to transition from a crib to a bed, they’ll let you know in their own special way, which is crying and throwing a fit at bed time; aren’t they little darlings? Our sleeping routine has become a lot less chaotic, and even though it takes a few times of turning him around and putting him back into it, the toddler bed has been a huge success in our family! Here’s to big boy beds!

-Megan

Pudding With Green Beans

"Eek!?"

Well kind of. More like, "Errrk?".

This post was supposed to be called "Pudding Like Your Dad Used to Make" because when I was making Otto's dinner tonight I decided to whip up some instant Trader Joe's pudding mix & throw in sliced strawberries & Annie's chocolate chip bunnies (a twist on my dad's classic banana 'Nilla Wafer pudding parfaits).

Gosh dang my dad used to make some freaky deaky pudding! Anyways, mine is good too, and a bit healthier I guess since I use organic rice/soy/or cow milk and organic berries and Annie's bunnies.

Yeah, Yeah, Get to the Green Beans...

Otto's bowl was berry and bunny free (probably tmi but since he's been eating fruit and fig bars all day I thought his diapers could use a break). On a lark, I tried sprinkling raw green been bites from his dinner in the pudding and he gobbled it up!

I always taste these little food experiments of mine when I'm feeding Otto something that sounds totally appalling and disgusting. Well guess what: pudding with green beans is actually kinda sorta yummy.

It's always easy to forget how sweet veggies actually taste. Green beans don't = rainbow sprinkles, but they're a nice sweet little crunchy gift from nature just the same.





Well, whatever, just thought I'd share along w/ the cute pics! No recipe here cause it's pretty much just what it is: PUDDING YUM!

-Lindsey

Tilapia to Make You Happy-a!

Super super healthy and easy as anything, even for weenie freaks like me who are completely intimidated by the idea of cooking fish. (I grew up in a house where we never ate fish unless we were scooping it out of a can and into our mac and cheese.) Anyways, this recipe is soooo easy and makes a delicious, citrus-y summer dinner for the whole fam in under 30 minutes. Guaranteed to make you happy-a!

I found this recipe in the June 2010 "Parents" magazine and then tweaked it to meet my needs, which included cooking the fish quite a bit longer than necessary to appease my undercooked-fish-will-give-me-cooties fear. I also added more veggies, used lemons instead of oranges, skipped the salt, and switched out Mrs.Dash for my favorite organic seasoning blend.

Let's get going. Preheat your oven to 400'.

Gather:

- 4 boneless tilapia filets (2-3 oz. each)

- 24 asparagus spears

- 1 TBSP seasons blend (my favorite organic blend from CostCo is pictured or Mrs.Dash garlic herb)

- 2 liz lemons

- Parchment paper

- EVOO

- Frozen organic brown rice - prepared (aim for 2 cups)

- 1/2 cup frozen organic vegetable blend - steamed

Put it together:

1. Cut the parchment paper into 4 squares, each about 12". Fold each square in half to create a pouch.

2. On each parchment page lay on one side of the fold a tilapia filet. Garnish that guy with 6 asparagus spears, drizzle lightly with EVOO, squeeze almost 1/2 of a lemon onto it, and then sprinkle with the seasoning.

(Note: between the 2 lemons you just want to set aside about 1/2 lemon worth of juice for the brown rice with veggies.)

3. Fold paper over the fish/veggies and roll up the edges of the parchment paper all around so you're creating a "sealed" pouch. Arrange your 4 pouches on a large baking sheet.

4. Bake for 17 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet 1/2 way through. At this point they should be done and you can check by testing the fish to see if it is flakey. Me, though, I keep those bad boys in there for another 5 minutes just to be sure they're d-o-n-e. (Note: "Parents" suggested a 12 minute cooking time, but I found that by almost doubling that there were no negative effects. The fish still comes out moist and lovely.)

5. While the fish is baking, prepare your organic brown rice and veggies separately. Then mix them together and squeeze about 1/2 of a lemon over the top.

6. Plate, dish, eat. Yum! Or, if you're like me, take 1 pretty picture and then throw it all in a bowl and cut it up into a homogenous gruel for your toddler.

Check out Otto scarfing down Yo Yo Baby yogurt after polishing off his tilapia, brown rice and veggies!

See (she says to herself) cooking fish doesn't have to be scary at all. And because this is cooked in parchment paper, cleanup is minimal.

-Lindsey

Zora's zucchini muffins

It has always been so fun cooking with Zora. She gets really into it, and says the greatest things while doing it.

For awhile, we made these mini muffins at least once a week, froze them, and then took them along with us on playdates. Big hit!

While making these one morning, I wrote down 4 consecutive statements of hers - these just came out one after another:

"It's all googly" (when stirring the wet ingredients into the dry)

"Yuck! It smells like sugar, but it doesn't TASTE like sugar!" (when I let her try a bit of cinnamon from my fingertip).

"This will take a lot!" (referring to how much stirring is necessary to get it thoroughly mixed).

"Wow, look at the fork, it stands up!"

That is the great thing about cooking with kids - they are really making so many observations, and are just fascinated with the process.






Here is our recipe, if you want to try it yourself!

ZORA's ZUCCHINI MUFFINS
makes 4 dozen mini muffins or 2 dozen regular sized

3 eggs
1 cup oil or applesauce or a mix (we do 1/2 oil 1/2 applesauce)
1 cup sugar (white or brown or a mix - we do a mix)
2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 large zucchini)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour (we do a mix of whole wheat and unbleached - 2/3 regular and 1/3 wheat)
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp (or less) salt

Preheat oven to 350

line muffin tins or spray HEAVILY with organic pam spray - these will stick to the tin, if not.

Medium bowl - beat the eggs, then mix in oil/applesauce sugar. Combine with grated zucchini and vanilla (all wet ingredients)

Large bowl - combine all dry ingredients

Mix them all together now in the Large bowl

spoon into muffin pans - well greased or lined! (Zora is really good at this part).

Bake for 14 minutes (mini) or 20-24 minutes (regular sized) - you will know they are done when your child says, "wow, those smell good." I frequently bake until that perfect smell hits - that is the true gauge.

Freeze half of them for later - these freeze really well.

Enjoy! Zora has 3 at a time (of the minis).

ps. we have a KinDer Perch, and find that this makes cooking so much fun. We highly recommend it.






http://www.tinybirdsorganicbabytoys.com/cgi-bin/item/WickedDecentKinderPerch/search/Wicked-Decent-Kinder-Perch-Learning-Tower

Cookie Cutter Banana Pancake Dippers

As quick and easy as any other pancake preparation, using an aluminum cookie cutter as a mold adds much charm and makes the pancakes perfect sized for picking up and dipping!

You'll need:
- Spray cooking oil

- Open face aluminum cookie cutter(s)

- Batch of pancake batter with 1 thinly sliced banana folded in (my recipe can be found below)

And go!

1. Start by coating the interior of the cookie cutter with the spray oil (this will ensure the batter doesn't stick when it's time to flip) and spraying the skillet

2. Place cookie cutter with its "cutting" edge directly on your hot skillet

3. Pour batter directly into the cutter, about 1/4" to 1/2" deep

4. Cook until you see little bubbles appear in the batter, plus 30 seconds

5. Use a tea towel or lightweight potholder to grasp the cookie cutter and lift up, the pancake should ease out of the mold and will now be sitting on its own in the pan (see image)

6. Flip to brown opposite side

7. Serve with dipping sauce of choice

Below is a picture of my little guy, Otto, dipping his banana butterfly pancakes in some no-sugar added blackberry sauce from Apple Annie's (a local southern AZ farm with amazing jellies, syrups, salsas and relishes).

My recipe:

The recipe I use is a barely re-worked version of the Joy of Cooking "basic pancakes" recipe. I've reduced the size of the batch by half without reducing the quantity of banana so mine end up crazy banana heavy; I also combined some of the stirring steps (in the original version you mix all the dry stuff together, then all the liquid, then combine - but I find that if you work fast there's no need to do this in 3 steps and dirty extra bowls); and we use whole wheat flour instead of of all-purpose.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 & 1/2 TBSP sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cups milk

1 & 1/2 TBSP butter or unsalted butter

1 jumbo brown egg

1 big banana sliced very thinly

Optional - a wee splash of vanilla, almond extract, pinch of nutmeg, and/or cinnamon

1. Preheat skillet on med/low (just under the halfway mark on the heat dial) for about 3 minutes

2. Throw all ingredients in a bowl and briskly stir with a fork until combined

3. Follow the above recipe and you'll end up with dipping pancakes!

-Lindsey

10 Minute Whole Wheat Pita Pizzas

This recipe truly takes just 10 minutes and has only 3 key ingredients - talk about fast, easy, healthy, and delicious. It's also a great recipe for young chefs. Quick clean up too.

Ingredients:

- Whole wheat mini pitas (our Trader Joe's always carries these)

- Pizza sauce (you can add nutritional value by stirring in pureed pumpkin at a ratio of 3:1 [sauce:pumpkin] and it won't affect taste or consistency)

- Shredded mozzarella

Set your oven to low broil.

1. Use a butter knife to halve the pitas so that each pita "pocket" becomes two pita "discs". Lay the discs rough side up on an ungreased baking sheet.

2. Smear on pizza sauce to taste

3. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella to taste

4. Option - top mozzarella with whatever you like. The ones I made tonight (pictured) have a bit of shredded basil from my garden on top. Customize for each member of the family! I love "old man" toppings like green olives and artichoke hearts. My husband takes his Kevin McCallister style (plain cheese). And Otto digs chopped veggies added to almost anything.

5. Broil until the cheese starts to brown (about 5 minutes).

Done! In the image pictured I posed a Thomas the Tank Engine in the pan so you can see just how bite-sized the finished pizzas will be.

If you want to add another 2 minutes to the recipe you can pre-toast the pita discs under low broil for about 2 minutes before adding sauce and cheese. this will guarantee you a crunchier "crust" for your pita pizzas. But honestly I never do it that way. They're definitely not soggy if you skip this step.

Yummmmmmm

-Lindsey

Which Fruits and Vegetables Should I Buy Organic? The Dirty Dozen

Heard about the dirty dozen? These are the 12 fruits and vegetables that are considered the "dirtiest" (meaning most pesticide-ridden) and that should (as recommended by experts, I'm just relaying the info here) be bought organic whenever possible. Even though I'd heard of the Dirty D, I never took the time to find out which fruits and vegetables they were. Except today I did and here's the list:

DIRTY:

• apples
• bell peppers
• celery
• cherries (good to know, this time of year I'm so tempted but I'll hold off for organic)
• grapes (imported)
• nectarines
• peaches
• pears
• potatoes (whoa, very good to know)
• raspberries
• spinach
• strawberries

Then again, there is also a list of fruits and veggies that are considered clean enough whether you buy organic or factory-farmed:

CLEAN(er):

• asparagus
• avocado*
• banana*
• broccoli*
• cauliflower*
• corn*
• kiwi*
• mango*
• onion*
• papaya
• peas*
• pineapple

* indicates fruits/vegs that are widely available organic and from personal experience don't really cost that much to buy the organic version (at least in the southwest US where I live). So, I don't think this CLEANer list will affect my past shopping habits as far as stopping buying these items organic (fresh and frozen); I'm going to keep doing just that. However, I'm super-happy to see asparagus and pineapple on the CLEANer list because they are not as readily available organic and are both favorites.

Here are a couple of website stories that get deeper into this information (and that I used as sources):

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/13737389/page/2/

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-12-Most-Pesticide-Ridden-Fruits-and-Veggies&id=73473

-Lindsey