Freshly Squeezed Orange Popsicles

Go get some oranges and a few fun containers and make a delicious summer treat.

A few days ago, after juicing some oranges using Little Bit's juicer, I started thinking about how yummy it would be to freeze some OJ and make popsicles.

Then....I got this in the mail...

and, lo and behold, there was a whole article on making your own popsicle molds. While we didn't cast our own molds out of silicone, we did follow the mag's suggestion to use shot glasses (or other containers with interesting shapes) for freezing the juice.

We started from scratch and let Little Bit do some juicin'!

 

Then she did much of the pouring as well. Undoubtedly this was her favorite part...she loves to pour.

Next, I secured the popsicle sticks in place by taping toothpicks on either side of the sticks and then securing them to the glasses.

After just a couple of hours in the freezer (i.e. one toddler nap) they were ready for consumption.

Here you can see the two different shapes we got.

 
"Tasty."

I'll have to agree with her. They were quite tasty! We only used orange juice in our popsicles, but you could easily change it up by adding yogurt or combining different fruit juices.

Have fun and let me know if you try it...I'd love to see what cool shapes others can find!

Easy and Delicious Homemade Ice Cream

I recently tried out this recipe for homemade ice cream with Little Bit and I could not believe how EASY it was, nor how tasty it turned out for being so incredibly simple to make. Your kids will love making the ice cream as much as they enjoy eating it.

First grab:

• One gallon-sized resealable plastic bag
• One resealable sandwich bag
• Kosher salt (or ice cream salt)
• Half & half
• Vanilla extract
• Sugar

Fill half of the large bag with ice and add 1/2 cup of salt.

Then pour 1 cup half and half, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract into the little bag.

Now put the little bag into the big bag...Make sure both bags are sealed tight!

And shake. Shake. Shake. Shake. Shake your bootie off. Shake for about 5 minutes.

Little Bit had a hard time shaking the bag. It was just a smidge too heavy for her. :)

After shaking for a few minutes, check the consistency of the cream mixture. Once it's nice and thick, you can scoop it out and enjoy!

This ice cream was so good. You could easily change it up by using different flavored extracts. I'm thinking a little almond extract would be yummy!

Tuesday's Toddler Tornado #3: Protein Snack

I love, love, love this book and have found so many wonderful ideas within its pages. Most recently, I served up one of the snack ideas it mentions and it totally hit the spot!

The book calls this snack, "Peanut Butter Pinwheels" but I think a better name would be "Goopy Protein Roll-ups".

Ingredients:

• peanut butter
• granola
• honey
• flour tortillas

Spread the PB, sprinkle the granola, and squirt the honey onto the tortilla shell, then roll. Slice into bite-sized pieces and serve. I made these during Little Bit's nap and chilled them until she woke up so that they would firm up a bit, thus cutting down on the gooey factor.

The first thing she said after trying them was, "More?" Which is always a good sign! However, these little bite-sized morsels of goodness are very filling and oh-so-very sweet. So, don't think you need to make a bunch at one time. I could only eat about two of the pieces before feeling like I'd had enough. I made two tortillas and it was more than enough to go around.

Enjoy!

 

Do you have any tips for parents of babies and toddlers, or even preschoolers? Parenting lessons you'd like to pass on? Snack ideas your just itching to share? Or a product you think every Mommy and Daddy of little ones should know about? Post your link here every Tuesday and check to see what others are doing!

 

 

Scrumptious Snacking: Berry Grahams

Here's your chance to break out that KidCo Food Mill you bought when you swore you would make every ounce of baby food from scratch. This tasty little treat will satisfy your toddler's sweet tooth without making you feel like you're dooming him to a life of obesity. And, the best part is that it is incredibly easy to make!

Ingredients

1/3 cup cream cheese

1/3 cup fresh blueberries

1 tsp sugar

Handful of graham crackers or graham cracker sticks

Scoop cream cheese into small bowl. Grind blueberries in food mill and add to cream cheese. Add sugar and mix until well blended. Use sticks to dip or spread onto crackers. Enjoy!