kid-friendly Archives - Page 21 of 21

Pretzel Kiss Candies

December 19, 2011 ·

Pretzel Kiss Candies are the ultimate salty sweet treat made using only three ingredients. Colors can be customized for holidays and events, making these a go-to for any party! Make a lot, because they disappear quickly!!

Pretzel Kiss Candies | alidaskitchen.com

Pretzel Kiss Candies are a fun and easy treat for the holidays. These candies have been circulating around the web for some time now, and with good reason. They are easy and SO good! You have the salty-sweet thing going on, plus they are a cute addition to your holiday treat plate. Use your favorite M&Ms for the topper, choosing whatever goes with your celebration. The white chocolate Hershey’s Hugs tend to melt faster and smoother than their milk chocolate counterparts, but they are both equally delicious.

Simple to make, Pretzel Kiss Candies are perfect for a last minute get together, or simply because they mood strikes you. Whatever the reason, Pretzel Kiss Candies are a must-make for the holidays!

More easy pretzel treats:

Pretzel Kiss Candies

Yields: varies

Ingredients

Square waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey's Hugs or Kisses
M&Ms candy, any variety

Instructions

Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Set pretzels on lined cookie sheet. Place an unwrapped Hershey's Hug or Kiss on top of pretzel.
Bake oven for 4-6 minutes until softened (note: Hugs will soften quicker than Kisses). Remove from oven and press an M&M candy into the center of each Hug/Kiss.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then place in refrigerator to harden for 15 minutes to overnight.

Filed Under: dessert, Favorites, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: candy, chocolate, christmas, easy, entertaining, holiday, pretzels, quick, white chocolate

Banana Graham Muffins

December 12, 2011 ·

One of the reasons I often make muffins or quick breads is so that Mike can take breakfast on-the-go. With this lastest muffin creation, I wanted to make something that Adam would love as well. It definitely did not take me long to come up with this one. It is no secret that toddlers love bananas and toddlers love graham crackers. So why not put the two together in a muffin to create the ultimate toddler treat!

I must confess that Adam is not the only banana and graham cracker lover in this house ~ yours truly is a huge fan as well. These muffins definitely did not disappoint! The crushed graham crackers definitely add a tasty spin on an otherwise simple banana muffin recipe. In fact, they ended up being a nice combination of the two flavors. They were not overly graham cracker-y but also not like banana bread. I added some cinnamon, which ended up very subtle in this recipe. That amount could be doubled if you’re looking for something cinnamony to go with your banana and graham.

So did Adam love them? He sure did! In fact, we all did, and I hope you do too!

Banana Graham Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup crushed graham crackers
1 cup all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
¼ cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tin with paper liners (or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the graham crackers, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar.
In a separate bowl, combined the mashed bananas, oil milk, egg anv vanilla.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients, folding gently until combined (be careful not to over mix).
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Adapted from Baking Vintage

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: baby/toddler, banana, brunch, cinnamon, easy, graham, graham cracker, muffins, quick, snack

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

November 22, 2011 ·

Here are the Pumpkin Banana Pancakes I alluded to in yesterday’s post. Thankfully I did not lose the eggs and was able to make them. It’s a good thing too. I was excited to try a new spin on an old recipe, and Adam absolutely LOVED them! Similar to Pumpkin Banana Bread, these definitely taste like a cross between pumpkin pancakes and banana pancakes. Not a bad thing if you ask me!

The recipe made around 50 small-ish pancakes. I typically make a huge batch for the freezer and package them in groups of 6 (enough for a few days in each bag). I figured Adam would eat 1 or 2, and I would have the rest to use for pictures during nap time. Well…that morning he ate 4. Then he asked for another one for snack. This left me with 1 pancake for pictures. I couldn’t quite take a picture of just 1 pancake, so I decided to do pictures the next day and took out another 6-pack from the freezer. Of course, what did Adam do the next day? He ate 4 pancakes! I feared having fewer, so I made do with the 3 that remained. I’m just so glad he likes them. I hope you do too!

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

1¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups milk (whole, skim, 1%, whatever you like)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cooking spray

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir and sift flours, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice.
In another bowl, beat eggs with pumpkin, banana and vanilla. Add milk and oil and mix until smooth.
Fold pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat griddle to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
Drop pancake batter by the generous tablespoonful onto griddle. Cook until bubbles appear (about 2-3 minutes). Flip and cook until set (about 2-3 minutes). Repeat.

Notes

These freeze really well. I store them in a plastic baggie in groups of 6, with each pancake separated by wax paper squares. I then put all of the plastic baggies in a freezer bag.

Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: baby/toddler, banana, brunch, pancakes, pumpkin, snack, toddler

Spiced Pumpkin Molasses Muffins

October 17, 2011 ·

I am always looking for new and different recipes for muffins. They are an easy make ahead breakfast that Mike can take on the go, on his way to work or while traveling. They are also easy for me to grab while I’m chasing after Adam, who then insists (very persistently) that I share with him. Pumpkin season seems to be very popular with everybody these days, and our family is no exception. For this muffin, I was looking for something pumpkin, healthy and with a little pizazz. Enter Spiced Pumpkin Molasses Muffins.

These muffins fulfill all of the above requirements and then some. The pumpkin and molasses flavors are nicely balanced, with neither one outshining the other. I topped the muffins with a mix of chopped pepitas, oats and brown sugar, which added some nice texture and visual appeal. The muffins would be delicious without this optional topping, but I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend making these muffins!

Spiced Pumpkin Molasses Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup white whole wheat flour
¼ cup flaxseed meal
¼ cup rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
3 tablespoons molasses
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ pepitas, chopped (optional for garnish)
2 tablespoons rolled oats (optional for garnish)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional for garnish)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin cups with liners (or sprady with cooking spray). In a small bowl, mix together chopped pepitas, oats and sugar for garnish, if using. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the flours, flax seed meal, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
In another large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, yogurt , eggs, molasses, oil, and vanilla until well-blended.
Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, folding until just combined (do not over mix).
Divide the mixture into the prepared muffin tins, and sprinkle each muffin with the pepitas-oats mixture.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Adapted from All Recipes

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: brown sugar, brunch, fall, molasses, muffins, pepitas, pumpkin

healthy chocolate peanut butter oat coconut bites

Healthy Peanut Butter Balls

October 5, 2011 ·

Healthy Peanut Butter Balls are an addictive, no-bake snack, made from simple ingredients found in your pantry.

It is no secret that I love peanut butter. So you can imagine my excitement when I was selected to participate in the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with the National Peanut Board. The task was to create a snack recipe using peanut butter and incorporating other ingredients found in most homes. Easy enough!

I wanted to make something healthy, convenient and easy. I also wanted to make something with oats. It was time to roll up my sleeves, grab ingredients from the pantry and experiment.

healthy chocolate peanut butter oatmeal coconut bites

After adding a little here, a touch there,…voila! I finally got the results I was looking for, using simple wholesome ingredients found in my pantry.

This healthy snack could not be any easier to make. The recipe requires no baking; simply measure, mix, roll and chill. The mixture may seem a little dry at first, but as you continue to mix it comes together (or add a little more honey or peanut butter to moisten the mixture to a consistency that works for you). Rolling the balls in a coating as optional. It makes the balls a little less sticky on the fingers, and also is a fun way to vary the flavors, but it is not necessary.

Healthy Peanut Butter Balls are a healthy and delicious snack, or even a quick breakfast on-the-go, featuring one of my favorite foods of all time…peanut butter!

Healthy Peanut Butter Balls

Print

Yields: 16-18 balls

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter, natural is preferred (chunky or creamy)

2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)

1 cup rolled oats

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed or wheat germ

2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut

cocoa powder, wheat germ, powdered sugar, chopped peanuts, (optional) – for coating

Instructions

Heat peanut butter and honey in the microwave until easily mixed, about 15-20 seconds. Stir until blended.

In a separate bowl, mix oats, flaxseed and coconut (if using) until combined.

Add peanut butter mixture to oat mixture and stir until incorporated. (Mixture may seem a little dry at first…just keep mixing).

Form a rounded tablespoonful of the combined mixture into a ball and place on a plate. Repeat until all mixture is used. Now, if you do not want to coat the balls, skip to step 6.

Roll each ball in whatever coating suits your preference. Cocoa powder, powdered sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon sugar and chopped peanuts are some ideas.

3.5.3251

Disclaimer: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I was provided with 2 jars of Planters peanut butter, from the National Peanut Board, for free. The details of my experience are exclusively my opinion, and I was not otherwise influenced or compensated.

Filed Under: dessert, gluten free, healthy, kid-friendly, Popular, Recipes, vegan, vegetarian Tagged With: chocolate, coconut, flaxseed, honey, oats, peanut butter, product review, snack, tastemaker

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

August 22, 2011 ·

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins are a healthy muffin that tastes good too! They are made without any butter or oil, yet the are moist and delicious due to the zucchini and banana.

New magazine day is one of my favorites days of the month. Since I subscribe to several magazines, this translates into several favorite days a month! Actually, I think Mike might like new magazine day more than I do. Especially when after just one quick perusal, it looks like this…

10 flags after just a quick glance. Not bad, eh? Just wait until I get a chance to be more thorough!

It was hard to choose what to make first, but there was clearly no better way to kick off zucchini week here than Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins! Good thing too, because these might be the tastiest muffins ever! I know, I know, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. But this time I mean it!

After one bite, you will never guess that these are healthy and low fat! Sure there is zucchini and banana, but I’m sure you’ve noticed a lot of times muffins find some way to become glorified cupcakes. Not these. There is no butter and no oil added to these muffins, yet they are incredibly moist and delicious. For an additional nutrition boost, I subbed in some whole wheat flour. I also replaced whole milk with buttermilk since it seems everything is made better with buttermilk.

This week I will be featuring several zucchini recipes throughout the week. I hope you will all enjoy them as much as we have!

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ cups coarsely grated zucchini (I used 1½ zucchinis)
1 mashed ripe banana (approx ⅓ cup)
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
In a small bowl, stir zucchini and mashed banana together. Add to flour mixture and stir to combine.
In medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir gently until combined (do not overmix).
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely (about 30 minutes).

Notes

Adapted from Everyday Food, September, 2011

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: banana, brunch, everyday food, flaxseed, low fat, muffins, zucchini

Chipotle Black Bean Tacos

August 1, 2011 ·

Chipotle Black Bean Tacos are a delicious meatless taco recipe filled with black beans and vegetables. {gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, depending on toppings}

Chipotle Black Bean Tacos | alidaskitchen.com

Chipotle Black Bean Tacos are my favorite dish for meatless Monday, taco Tuesday or any day. They are fabulous! These tacos are made with mashed black beans, onions, peppers, chipotle peppers, spices, salsa, some broth, and then topped with any of your favorite taco toppings. The taco filling reheats well, and I often enjoy leftovers for lunches throughout the week (that is if there are any leftovers).

These Chipotle Black Bean Tacos can be vegan and gluten free, depending on the tortillas and/or toppings. I enjoy them as a vegetarian options, since I like to add a bit of cheese. The taco filling reheats well, and I often enjoy leftovers for lunches throughout the week (that is if there are any leftovers).

Chipotle Black Bean Tacos

Author: Alida Fischbach

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1-2 teaspoons chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
⅓ cup vegetable broth
2 15 ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup salsa
6 10-inch whole wheat tortillas
Topping ideas for serving: spinach or lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, chopped green onions, salsa

Instructions

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and peppers to pan and saute for 3-5 minutes, until crisp-tender.
Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and chipotle chilis, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add beans and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat until medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until mixture has thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in salsa. Mash lightly using a potato masher (or fork).
Stack tortillas, wrap in damp paper towel and microwave for 45-60 seconds.
Serve ⅓ cup filling for each tortilla along with desired toppings.

Notes

Adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from Cooking Light

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, kid-friendly, main dishes, Recipes, vegan, vegetarian Tagged With: beans, black beans, dinner, easy, Mexican, quick, vegan, vegetable

Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

July 6, 2011 ·

Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are made with whole wheat flour, studded with blueberries and a bright flavor from the lemon. These are a wonderful breakfast treat!

Recently, my favorite (well,…only) pancake turner met an early and unfortunate demise. Let’s just say the combination of a very hot pan, quesadillas sticking to said pan and a non-silicone turner resulted in a slightly melted pancake turner (and a slightly not pleased Alida). Now I am armed and dangerous with a fancy silicone pancake turner, ready to take on the world…of pancakes!

What better way to christen this handy new tool than by making ricotta pancakes. Ricotta pancakes are delicate to flip, so they’re sure to put this new device to the test.

Not just any ricotta pancake recipe would do, however. It was time to liven up my go-to ricotta pancake recipe from Everyday Food. First I swapped lemon zest for the orange zest, and whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour. I then decided to add vanilla and blueberries to the recipe.

The result was fabulous! We thought they were perfect without any topping, though you could add a little confectioners’ sugar or maple syrup, if desired. While these pancakes are easy to make, the batter is quite thick, thus requiring a few extra minutes to cook and extra care when flipping. In the end, it is all worth it – trust me!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

Author: Alida Fischbach

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

15 ounces low fat ricotta cheese
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 cup blueberries
cooking spray
confectioners' sugar or maple syrup, for serving (optional)

Instructions

In a medium bowl. whisk together ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, grated lemon zest and vanilla extract.
Fold in flour until just combined; add blueberries, gently mixing until combined.
Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium-low heat. Add batter, using a scant ¼ cup for each pancake. Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve hot, with confectioners' sugar or maple syrup, if desired.

Adapted from Everyday Food

Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: blueberries, blueberry, brunch, lemon, pancakes, ricotta

Strawberry Yogurt Muffins

June 29, 2011 ·

Strawberry Yogurt Muffins are an easy, healthy muffin recipe made with lots of fresh strawberries and Greek yogurt.

After picking up 8 pounds of strawberries from a local farm, I noticed these were the most perfect strawberries I have ever seen. They had a perfect shape, a perfect stem and were a deep red throughout (no white inside these berries). My husband wondered what I could possibly do with 8 pounds of strawberries? Spend a LOT of time experimenting in the kitchen, that’s what!

In fact, I was thinking 8 pounds might not even be enough. I eat strawberries on my plain Greek yogurt every day. My son eats strawberries by the fistful. There is also a long list of goodies that I want to make with strawberries…hmm.

For the longest time, I have been searching high and low for the perfect strawberry muffin recipe. I was inspired by this recipe for Strawberry Bread on Cate’s World Kitchen. I love that Cate uses yogurt, a good dose of vanilla, and this recipe uses more actual strawberries than other recipes I found. From the original recipe, I reduced the amount of sugar and used plain nonfat Greek yogurt. The recipe below is written accordingly.

These muffins smelled incredible while baking in the oven. It was hard to resist digging in while they cooled, but I knew they would be worth the wait. And worth the wait they were indeed! They are moist, delicious and have bits of sweet strawberries in every bite. We are definitely going to make another trip to the farm to pick up more strawberries, and I will definitely be making more of these muffins!

Strawberry Yogurt Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1½ cups white whole wheat flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups strawberries, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease 12 muffin cups.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine eggs, yogurt, oil and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture and gently mix until combined (Be careful not to over mix). Gently fold in strawberries.
Divide batter evenly between muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to wire rack and let cool completely.

Adapted from Cate’s World Kitchen