Recipe Time: Homemade Crackers!

Snack time in this house requires a crafty mommy. Maybe not so much if I was comfortable giving Lauryn the "snacks" you find on the grocery store shelves. But since Im not, I have to get creative when 2:30pm rolls around. Lots of kids snacks revolve around crackers. So I have been scouring the internet looking for a healthy, yet easy to make cracker. And I have finally stumbled upon a gem!

1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup water
Seasonings to taste - I used Herbes De Provence

 Pulse all ingredients, except water, in your food processor until crumbly.  *Be sure to add any seasonings now!

Turn your machine on and let it run as you add the 1/4cup of water. Continue to run your processor until your dough starts to ball up.

On a lightly floured surface, or on parchment paper as shown, roll the dough out to 1/4'' thickness. This dough rolls extremely easily. It freezes really well too.

Since Lauryn is going to be the only one really eating these crackers, I decided to use our handy 1'' flower fondant cutters. You could just use a pizza cutter and cut the dough into small squares if youre not into the shapes. I think it adds a cutesy little flair. :)

If you have little hands helping you with this process, dont fret if they decide to eat a "precooked" flower! The dough is perfectly safe raw. No raw ingredients means no chance for crummies in tummies. 

Place crackers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in a preheated 400 oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they start to lightly brown. 

*Again! Make sure you add your seasonings to the dough before you add the water. I completely forgot and had to dump some seasonings on the crackers last minute. The seasonings didnt stay on the cracker well after baking. 

As you can see, some of the seasonings survived baking, but most fell off when I removed the crackers from the parchment paper. Sigh. Theyre delicious though! And how easy are they?! About 30 minutes in the kitchen and I made 80 bite sized healthy crackers for my little girl.

Of course she had some crackers with cheese for snack today! Nutritious and delicious. Mommy and baby approved!

Be sure to check back soon! I have two recipes coming up that I am super excited about! Homemade goldfish crackers and homemade graham crackers! YUM!

Recipe Time: Banana Ice Cream

Moving not just to a new house but a new state put a pretty large amount of strain on all of us. Our first week in our new home, we decided to take a walk down to the locally owned ice cream shop. It was a short walk from our house and we all were in need of a little cheer. Since then, we have gone there for ice cream every Wednesday. Granted its only been 2 months, but its a new tradition that we all love! 

I however, started to feel a little guilty giving Lauryn ice cream every week. I know, it really isnt a big deal, but ice cream should be a treat. So I started looking for alternatives. She would never know the difference anyway. And that is how I stumbled upon this delicious and nutritious recipe! Oh and did I mention its just ONE ingredient?!

 

Thats it. Bananas. Yes, Im serious. 

 

Just slice them up and stick them in the freezer for 2 hours. Then stick them in the blender and let them go until smooth. I did add a tiny splash of milk, but it was totally unnecessary. 

 I sprinkled Lauryns with some fresh blackberries and strawberries! I mixed a spoonful of peanut butter and a little cocoa powder into hubby and I's. 

And as you can see, she didnt even care that it wasnt "real" ice cream. She gobbled it up. And I had absolutely zero feelings of mommy guilt over this Wednesday Ice Cream Day!

I kid you not, it tastes just like ice cream. Its creamy and rich. Absolutely delicious.

 

Recipe Time: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

If you havent noticed already, I hate buying things premade. Its never as healthy or as tasty, or cheap, as something you whip up fresh that day! My family is worth the minimal extra effort. My husband and I are pretty picky when it comes to pasta sauce. But this is a recipe that we both LOVE.

1 28oz can of organic crushed tomatoes
1 small can of organic tomato paste
1-2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh or dried basil to taste

 1. Heat your olive oil in a sauce pan on medium heat. Occasionally Ill add minced onion or garlic to this step and let that simmer for a little while.

2. Add the crushed tomatoes and 1/4cup of the tomato paste (its about half the can). Mix until the tomato paste is incorporated well. We tend to add fresh green peppers and mushrooms at this step also. Makes for a yummy sauce!

3. Add basil and stir. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.


Sorry for the lack of photos of the finished product. I completely forgot! Oops! Ill try to remember to update this once we have spaghetti again! Enjoy!

Friday Fives

Its Friday! Here's another set of oh so helpful tips and tricks!

1: A shot of WD40 will remove crayon marks from just about any surface!

2: Instead of buying non stick cooking spray loaded with additives and junk. Why not make your own? Just mix up a concoction of 5 parts water to 1 part oil in a small spray bottle. Shake it before use and voila!

3: Got a wide neck shirt or dress that falls off your hangers? Use a hot glue gun to create a zig zag pattern on the arms of the hanger. Let dry and enjoy pulling your clothes from the hanger, not the floor.

4: Keep a small plastic cereal container in your car lined with a small trash bag. It works a whole lot better than the floor as a garbage can!

5: To pick up small shards of glass that you cant see use a wet paper towel or qtip.

Be sure to check back next week for more tips and tricks and send yours in as well!

Friday Fives!

I cant believe its time for our second edition of Friday Fives! This past week has gone so fast! Here are your five tips and tricks for this week!

1.  Baby wipes work miracles on carpet stains. From blood to motor oil, they literally will remove just about anything!

2. Include a few tennis balls into each dryer load. Not only will it cut drying time by 25-50%, it will leave your clothes super soft and towels extra fluffy!

3. To easily shred a brick of cheese, toss it in the freezer for 30 minutes. The firmer the cheese is the less likely it is to leave a melty cheese mess on your grater!

4. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the grocery store. Leaving them all attached to the stem will ripen them faster.

5. Drop a penny into a vase with a pinch of sugar and fill with water to keep fresh cut flowers perkier longer.

Tune in next Friday for more handy tips and tricks! And as always, feel free to send your tips and tricks in!

Recipe Time: Homemade Applesauce

Sure, you can spend $3 at the grocery store and get those cute little individual packs of applesauce, loaded with sugar, preservatives and who knows what else. Or, you can spend $3 on a bag of apples, mixed with 20 minutes of your time, and BAM homemade applesauce, without the junk! This is such a simple recipe and it tastes delicious. Not to mention, you can freeze it for up to 6 months!

Crockpot Applesauce

1 3lb bag of apples (or 8-10 apples if youre mixing varieties)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Cinnamon or Nutmeg (optional)

1. Peel your apples! This is the hardest part, and seriously how hard is peeling apples?!

2. I use my handy apple corer for this, but if you dont have one, just slice the apples and cut the core out of each slice. Place them into your crockpot. Add 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar (you can add up to 1/2 cup of sugar to this, however, the first time I made this applesauce it was way too sweet, so we cut back a little) as well as any optional spices. Cook on high for 4-6 hours, low for 8-10. Perfect to throw in before work some morning! Your house will smell absolutely heavenly when you get home!

Mmmm. Applesauce! My whole family loves this recipe! We always have some in the fridge and atleast 1 frozen in the freezer. The whole recipe makes 4-5 cups of applesauce. Not bad for $3 and 20 minutes of your time!

Friday Fives!

Whoa! Friday Fives! That sounds fun! What is that?! One of the many ideas I've come up with on my break. Here it is. Remember how I was posting a massive list of tips and tricks every so often? Theyre gone! Yep, G-O-N-E, gone. Sad right? No! Because the Friday Fives are going to be replacing them! No longer will you have to sort through a laundry list of tips and tricks. Every Friday, I will be posting a list of 5 new tips and tricks for making your life easier! They'll range in categories from cooking to cleaning, to parenting and everything in between. And as always, if you have any you would like to share, send them in!

Here's our very first batch of Friday Fives:

1: When cleaning your windows, instead of wiping with a paper towel or a microfiber cloth, use a crumbled up piece of newspaper. It works like a charm to prevent streaks!

2. Use conditioner to shave your legs. Not only is it cheaper, but it moisturizes more, meaning your legs wont feel dry and itchy afterwards.

3. To keep potatoes from budding, throw an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

4. Store sheet sets in their matching pillow case. It saves room and makes it easy to grab everything you need at once.

5. Raw potato slices contain potassium. Place a slice over your eye and watch your dark circles disappear.

Thats all for this weeks Friday Fives! Check back next Friday for more helpful tips and tricks!

Recipe Time: Animal Crackers

Kids love animal crackers. I love animal crackers! But, I wasn't too keen on feeding the over processed snack to my daughter. So I scoured Google to find a homemade version. That is where I came across Julie.

Onto these adorable crackers!

Homemade Animal Crackers:

1 Stick Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Oats
11/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (Optional)

1. Cream together softened butter and brown sugar.

2. Add in the egg and vanilla, then combine well.

3. Now mix in the cinnamon, allspice, and salt. *I just used cinnamon for the plain cookies. For the chocolate cookies, I nixed the cinnamon and allspice completely.

4. Next add the oats, baking powder, whole wheat flour, and optional cocoa powder. Mix well. *I used 3Tbs of cocoa powder for our chocolate crackers.

5. Form dough into a ball and wrap with waxed paper. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of an hour, or up to overnight.

6. When ready, grab off a hunk of dough, and let it "warm up" for 15 or so minutes. I tried to roll it right from the fridge and it was hard as heck! Allowing it to warm up helped a lot! Roll the dough out to 1/4" thick on a lightly floured surface.

7. Cut out crackers and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I swear this step seems never ending! So many teeny crackers! Bake in a preheated 350degree oven for 5-7 minutes.

Store in an airtight container and see how long they last. They're absolutely delicious! I even include a few in my husbands lunches for work! Lauryn adores these, and they're super soft so they're easy for her to eat.