tropical green smoothie

My 5th grader is a SUPER picky eater. He has been forever. It’s tough for me to digest (couldn’t resist), given my own love of food + cooking. Plus my own health journey has taught me so much about nutrition and the importance of what you put in your body, so my passion is real AND really thwarted by my son’s rejection of just about every vegetable known to this Earth. However, undaunted as strong mamas are, I persevere and sneak boosts in wherever I can. A few scoops of flax seed here, a little collagen there (I put it in pancakes, muffins, hot chocolate, smoothies…pretty much anywhere I can).

FORTUNATELY he’s always been game for a big cold smoothie and I can jam a ton of nutrients in there without his knowledge. Somehow he won’t eat a green vegetable, but a bright green smoothie doesn’t register as a problem. I don’t ask, I just feel grateful that it’s not a thing and pour him another splash. This Tropical Green Smoothie is one of our go-to after school or summer day snacks. It’s sweet and refreshing, but packs a pretty good punch of vitamins, protein and fiber that are totally undetectable. There’s quite a lot of fruit in there, so def some sugar, but it’s worth it to me to get the other stuff in there. So if you need to hide some good stuff inside something that tastes like yummy stuff, give this a whirl. Put everything into a good blender and whiz until smooth. Enjoy with your favorite picky eater. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup OJ [can sub milk/non-dairy milk for less sweetness]

• 1 banana

• 1 giant handful of baby spinach

• 1 cup fresh or frozen mango

• 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple

• 1 heaping scoop collagen

• 1 heaping spoonful of flax seed

• 1 heaping spoonful of hemp hearts

• big handful of ice if using fresh fruit

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gorilla munch cereal bars

ONE OF our very favorite third graders took a tumble last week and broke BOTH of his arms. Yeah. Rough. But he’s a trooper and is in excellent spirits despite not being able to scratch his own face or feed himself because of the two casts that run from shoulder to fingers on both arms. Gah. Poor kiddo and poor mama who has been kicked back to exhausting newborn baby mode, helping her previously independent 8-year-old navigate this unfamiliar helplessness [temporarily, thank goodness]. They are def going to need our support in lots of ways over the weeks to come, but today I started with just a little happy treat to try to brighten their hearts. I’m bringing dinner and the largest bottle of wine I can find for mama and these Gorilla Munch Cereal Bars for the intrepid patient.

THE BARS were inspired by Christina Tosi’s amazing Milk Bar Kids Only Cookbook, which is a treasure trove of creative and over-the-top fun recipes for everything from Fluffernutter Cookie Sandwiches to Corn Dog Waffles to Popcorn Shakes. Christina Tosi started the Milk Bar bakery in NYC in 2008 and has turned baking upside-down with her now-famous inside-out Birthday Cakes and a coveted recipe for the sweet, delicious Cereal Milk that pools at the bottom of your cereal bowl. Milk Bar Kids Only is all about using super appealing nostalgic ingredients that are all readily available so just about everyone can find them AND making things as fun as possible (healthy, not so much, but REALLY fun). If you’re a fan of cooking shows or even just interesting stories, her episode on Chef’s Table: Pastries was super inspiring and fun to watch. And the book is a great read for kids and adults alike. I have gifted it to a few of my favorite kiddo bakers, who loved it, and so I finally bought a copy just for me (I told you I’m all about the one for you, one for me style of gifting, right?).

SO, THIS recipe for EXTRA sweet + gooey Gorilla Munch Cereal Bars is not in the book, but she has a bunch of other awesome cereal bars (like these Coco Cabana Cereal Squares) and I just adapted it. Here’s the recipe for what I made, but feel free to sub any kind of cereal you like and mix in just about anything you want. It’s a very loose, sky’s-the-limit kind of a treat. And it starts with a big pile of marshmallows and butter, so you know it’s going to be good no matter what.

Gorilla Munch Cereal Bar Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 5 tbsp butter (save the paper!)

• 1 bag of marshmallows

• 1 cup mini marshmallows

• 8 cups of cereal (I ended up using about 6 cups of Gorilla Munch and 2 cups of Rice Chex; Kix would also be perfect and a little less sweet)

• rainbow sprinkles! (our guy DEF needs them, but they’re optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Coat your 11x13 baking pan with cooking spray

• Put the marshmallows and butter in a giant microwave-safe bowl and zap for 2 minutes. The marshmallows will puff up so make sure there’s space in the bowl or you’ll end up with a doozy of a mess.

• Mix the butter and ‘mallows and then zap for another minute if necessary until they’re smooth and all combined

• Add the cereal to the bowl and mix until well coated

• Add the mini marshmallows and mix

• Spread into the pan using the butter paper to smooth it all down (it was seriously worth the cost of the book to learn this trick from Christina’s grandma - did you already know this?!)

• Shake on the sprinkles

• Let cool until firm and then just try not to make yourself sick nibbling one fun little Gorilla Munch ball at a time until they’re all gone

I’M HOPEFUL these fun little bars will bring a smile to our sweet buddy’s face. Now if only I could feed them to him for his tired mama, it would be a real home run. We love you, M3! Hang in there. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

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banana oat blender pancakes

In the “before times,” my husband traveled quite a bit. When my boys were really wee, they would get super sad and inevitably meltdown at some point during the day, wailing “I miss dada!” Poor little guys. But as they grew and became more used to his jet setting, we began to get a rhythm to our no-daddy days and started a few little sweet traditions that made it feel special. Sometimes I’d bust out a new picture book at bedtime that I’d been saving for the occasion. Sometimes we’d have a pizza party with friends or do something fun after school to distract them. And we ALWAYS had pancake night. My husband s is not a breakfast for dinner kind of guy, but I’m a breakfast for ANYTIME kind of gal, so this became our special ritual when daddy was away. At least one night while he was traveling, we’d sit in front of the TV and eat pancakes and turkey bacon and overflowing syrup for dinner and watch a show. It was “our thing” and almost certainly will be again when my husband some day gets back to that “normal” travel schedule, whatever it may look like.

I’ve been making a just slightly modified version of these Mountain Mama Cooks Banana Oat Blender Pancakes (aka “mama pancakes” in our house) for the better part of 10 years. My guys devour them and since they have no sugar, I feel totally fine about them jamming in as many as they want. They’ve also become one of my own very favorite comfort foods. Over the years, I’ve been on all varieties of elimination diet (that dang fussy constitution again) which is never super fun, but I have almost always been able to pull off some form of these pancakes and they just make me happy. Now, these are NOT the fluffy diner pancakes you might be used to, but they are gluten free, have no refined sugar, have lots of protein AND are delicious, so.... I’m not knocking the fluffies, I LOVE those too, but these are another awesome option and are decidedly a bit healthier if you care. Here’s the recipe to make things super easy for you, but def check out Mountain Mama Cooks’ site, she is super talented.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups rolled oats

• 1 + 1/4 cups almond milk (or whatever kind of milk you like)

• 1 banana

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 scoop collagen powder (optional)

• pinch of salt

• 1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1 egg

• 2-3 tbsp flax seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Put all ingredients (except flax seeds) into a good blender and whizz until just combined. I recommend putting any wet or squishy ingredients in first so the blender doesn’t get jammed. Don’t over-mix. If your batter seems a bit thick, add a little more milk.

• Stir in the flax seeds if using (I have found that if I put them in the blender with the rest of the ingredients it turns the whole thing to cement)

• Put lots of butter or coconut oil on your favorite pancake-making pan and scoop out about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake (you’re making silver dollar size pancakes)

• Flip when ready and then place on a rack to cool so they don’t get soggy

• Slather in butter, syrup, blueberries, more banana, chocolate chips or anything else that sounds yummy and enjoy!

• Make sure they’re cooled completely before putting any leftovers in the fridge

And that’s it! It’s super easy. I also make these ahead of time and bring on rafting or camping trips when I know the group breakfast is going to be non-gf pancakes. Just heat them on the griddle with a little butter and you’re set. And maybe next time you need to mix things up, make pancakes for dinner. It’s the best.

I’ve included below some ideas for fantastic pancake-making gifts in case you love someone who loves to make [or eat] pancakes (if you’re looking for a good set of mixing bowls, look here). xo

1. Crate & Barrel Glass Syrup Dispenser // 2. Beehive Handmade Heart Pancake Spatula // 3. All Clad Double Burner Griddle // 4. Trees Knees Butter Maple Syrup (they have other flavors, too, that sound amazing) // 5. Hand-Carved Wooden Pancake Spatula via Etsy // 6. Linda Hsiao’s gorgeous Bird Pitchers would be amazing syrup dispensers // 7. Tomie DePaola’s wordless book Pancakes for Breakfast was always one of my favorites // 8. Badger Pancake Plate via Etsy // 9. Clea Speckled Measuring Cups from Anthropologie // 10. Maison Plus Gold Measuring Spoons + Cups from Food52 // 11. Lodge Cast Iron Square Griddle via Crate & Barrel // 12. Ekobo Bamboo Nested Measuring Cups // xo

Hey! Just a heads up that this post includes affiliate links, but rest assured that I stand by all product recommendations 100%. Questions? Reach out, I’m always here for you. xo

daddy smoothie

OUR FAVORITE ACAI + OAT SMOOTHIE

THIS NOW-beloved smoothie is named for my husband after he improvised trying to make our old favorite Banana Oat smoothie while mama was away and ended up accidentally creating a brand new favorite. It’s not that pretty looking [the color’s weird, just saying], but it is delicious and super nutritious. My little asks for a ‘daddy smoothie’ most mornings [and after school] and I’m happy to make it for him as a fantastic way to start the day. Well, he asks for the smoothie and an entire package of bacon. You need some balance, right?

I’M NOT much for measuring when I’m making smoothies (and my husband DEF isn’t), so adjust according to your likes. Throw it all in a good blender and whizz until smooth. And then cheers my little guy and his giant plate of bacon. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup almond milk (or favorite dairy/non-dairy milk)

• 1/2 cup rolled oats

• 1 banana

• 1 packet frozen açaí [frozen blueberries or blackberries or all 3 would be yummy, too]

• 1 heaping scoop vanilla protein powder [we use Orgain Organic Vegan Vanilla Bean but use whatever kind you like - if you use a plain one, just add a dash of vanilla extract]

• a couple shakes of cinnamon

• a big squirt of honey

• a big handful of ice cubes

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banana chocolate chip muffins

WE WERE away for the weekend and came home to a *bunch* of VERY ripe bananas. There’s only one thing I know of to do with them, so I made a batch of my tried and true banana muffins. I’ve made this recipe so many times in the last 10 years and it’s so easy that I don’t even need to look at the directions anymore. It takes like 8 minutes to put together. Really, promise. And probably with all things you already have. I add chocolate chips because my littlest loves them, but on top of the chips, I also add fresh blueberries or raspberries to half of the batch for me. If you’ve never had a raspberry chocolate chip muffin you are seriously missing out on one of the best flavor combos around. This recipe is very slightly adapted from Simply Recipes Banana Bread to add the berries, chips and collagen (I add a scoop of Vital Proteins collagen powder to just about all of my baking, smoothies + pancakes for a nutrition boost). Though this is not a GF recipe, I use King Arthur Measure for Measure and it works perfectly. If you prefer a loaf to muffins, just add it to a greased pan and bake for 45-60 minutes. I also rounded up some really pretty mixing bowls that would make amazing gifts for the chefs and bakers you love. xo

INGREDIENTS

• 2 or 3 very ripe bananas

• 5 tbsp butter, melted

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 scoop collagen powder (if using)

• Pinch of salt

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (or GF flour)

• 1/2 - 1 cup of chocolate chips depending on how chocolatey you want them

• 1 cup of fresh berries (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 and either spray or add paper cups to a muffin tin or two (I usually end up with 18 muffins total)

• In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.

• Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, collagen powder, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.

• When well combined, fold in the chocolate chips and/or berries

• Fill your muffins cups about 2/3 of the way and bake in the center rack for 12-15 minutes

• Share a few with your cutie baking partner, preferably slathered in even more butter. Yum.

Mixing Bowls Make Great Gifts

+ Sustainable + pretty Bamboozle Nesting Bowls

+ I use these Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls ALL the time

+ I own and love these Moser Glass Mixing Bowls in Jadeite

+ Great Jones’ Stir Crazy ceramic bowls have such a fun pattern

+ This Duralex Lys Glass Bowl Set is on the list of My Favorite Kitchen Tools

+ These Food52 X Rosti Margrethe Nested Mixing Bowls have really useful lids

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