strawberry peach smoothie

MY LITTLE was desperate to chef it up this afternoon and wanted to make something out of his book, The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs. We checked out ALL of the yummy-looking recipes and decided we had the ingredients we needed on hand to make this refreshing Strawberry-Peach Smoothie. He wanted to do it all on his own, so I just kept him company and the result was cool, creamy, sweet perfection. Both boys slurped it right up and had nice full bellies [for at least 20 minutes]. I’ll bet you have most of these things on hand, too, so enjoy. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ripe banana

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 cup frozen strawberries [if using fresh fruit, add ice]

• 1 cup frozen peaches

• 1 cup yogurt [we used this]

• 1/4 cup oj

• 1 scoop collagen [not in the original recipe, but I add it to ALL of our smoothies]

DIRECTIONS

• Add the banana and honey to the blender and whiz until smooth

• Add everything else and continue blending until it’s all well combined and there are no big icy chunks

• Pour into two glasses and cheers your little helper [or down the whole thing on your own]

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double chocolate banana bread

OK, SO I could go ahead and say that I made this Double Chocolate Banana Bread just because I had a bunch of rotten bananas that I really needed to use up, which would totally not be a lie. But the REAL honest truth is that I’ve been dreaming about it since I first saw it on Smitten Kitchen [like maybe 24 hours ago] and HAD to make it. Like stat. It is super easy, made with all stuff you probs already have and SO SO SO good. I made mini loaves and had to hide the second one so that it didn’t get devoured before there was photographic evidence of its existence. My boys were seriously blown away, muttering lots of ‘mmmms’ at this one. And let’s face it, I’m just out here trying to wow my little guys.

IF YOU’RE not familiar with Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, you should set aside a solid day to get lost in the gorgeous recipes on her site or pick up her book [and this one] for the most incredible collection of stunning food [her Pea Pesto is heaven]. Plus she’s a fantastic writer and funny. Anyhoo, I’m sharing her Double Chocolate Banana Bread recipe here to make things crazy easy for you. Let me know when you bake a loaf and I’ll be right over. xo

Double Chocolate Banana Bread RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 3 big super ripe bananas

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 3/4 cup brown sugar (I used dark on her rec, but either light or dark will work)

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon table salt

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I subbed GF and it’s perfect)

• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

• 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips

DIRECTIONS

• Heat your oven to 350 and butter or spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan (or a few minis like I did)

• Mash bananas really well in the bottom of a large bowl

• Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla

• Add baking soda, salt and flour

• Sift cocoa powder through a sifter or fine-mesh strainer over the wet ingredients to get out the lumps and chunks

• Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined

• Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.

• Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes

• Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and pop it out onto a cooling rack

• Share at least one slice with someone you adore or wrap it up and deliver it to someone who could use a MAJOR boost of delicious chocolate LOVE

THE LOAF will keep for up to 4 days covered at room temperature, but seriously, if you last 4 minutes with this in your house, I’ll be super impressed. Enjoy, lovelies.

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double maple mummy cookies

SO PART of me can’t believe it’s almost Halloween and the other part is like ‘didn’t we do that 3 weeks ago?’ Maybe it’s because there has been Halloween stuff in the stores since July or because our weather has been so spectacular that it still feels like we’re tiptoeing away from Summer. In any case, my boys had their last Flag Football games of the season yesterday and it felt like treats were in order, so I figured I’d stick with the spooky theme until the bitter end. I saw these Runamok x Lenox Bakery Maple Mummy Cookies the other day and they looked so fun + yummy [and EASY]. And it turns out they are even better [and easier] than I expected, like SO so delicious that we might need to just give them all away. My boys were gushing and my little woke up this morning asking if he could have a cookie for breakfast [um, no, but I love the enthusiasm for my baking]. And if you leave off the goofy eyeballs, they’d be a fantastic treat anytime of the year, like maybe right next to the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.

THIS RECIPE calls for Runamok maple syrup, but obvs use whatever kind you like. I will say, the Cinnamon + Vanilla infusion I used in the glaze was next level and I’m guessing any of Runamok’s Infused [Cardamom would be amazing] or Barrel Aged syrups would be super delicious. I modified the original recipe slightly to accommodate my family’s dietary needs and it worked perfectly. SO, if you still need a fun + scrumptious treat for this season or the next [or the next], give these little mummies a whirl and enjoy eating them with your favorite ghouls + ghosts [or little turkeys]. xo

Double Maple Mummy Cookies Recipe

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE cookies…

• 1/2 cup butter

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup [I used Runamok Sugarmaker’s Cut]

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 eggs

• 2 1/3 cup flour (I use King Arthur Measure for Measure GF)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• candy eye balls

FOR THE glaze…

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1/3 cup maple syrup [ I used Runamok Cinnamon + Vanilla Infused]

• 1-2 teaspoons milk (I used almond, but you could probs just use water, too)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350

• With a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and light brown sugar

• Add in the eggs, maple syrup + vanilla

• Mix in the flour + baking soda

• Line a baking sheet with parchment and scoop the batter into little ping pong-sized balls

• Bake for about 10 minutes or until they have just started to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven to let cool. 

• Make the glaze by mixing together the powdered sugar, maple syrup and milk until well combined, then drizzle it on the cookies to make the cutie mummies. I started with 1 tsp of almond milk and then added a bit more to thin it enough for drizzling.

• Add the candy eyeballs if you’re making mummies

• Gobble them up with your favorite ghosts and ghouls [or little turkeys]

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twist cone smoothie

MY LITTLE guy was a *little* grumpy and asked me for a “cinnamon smoothie” (aka our tried and true Banana Oat Smoothie). Alas, we are all out of almond butter, so I improvised a bit and ended up with a SUPER delicious combo that tastes like a good ol’ fashioned chocolate + vanilla twist soft serve. Except it’s made from real stuff that’s actually good for you. SHHH! It’s a perfect mid afternoon snack or cool treat. Just blend it all up and sip away in a shady spot. Yum. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup almond milk (or any milk you like)

• 1 banana

• 1/3 (ish) cup of rolled oats (I like these sprouted ones)

• 2-3 tbsp Justin’s Chocolate Almond + Hazelnut Butter or sub Nutella or plain almond butter + some cocoa powder

• 1 scoop Orgain Vanilla Bean Protein Powder or something similar

• 1-2 tbsp ground flax seeds (I use this flax + chia combo)

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• heaps of ice

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the donut lady

MY LITTLES’ class is quarantining this week, so we’ve been kicked back to home learning. That combined with some seriously dreary weather called for a major shakeup at our house. So I pulled out my decade-old secret weapon…Well, actually it’s Jessica Seinfeld’s secret weapon that I co-opted for my big guy’s second birthday nearly 10 years ago and BLEW some toddler minds. I’ve been making them ever since with almost the same response each time (my big guy just snatched almost a dozen off the cooling rack on his way to MTB practice). Some of our little friends used to call me “the donut lady,” a name that stuck for years. I’ll totally take it. These sweet little rings bring an instant giant smile. And… they have vegetables in them. SSSHHH! Don’t tell my boys, it’ll spoil a decade’s worth of epic mama trickery.

SO MY super secret recipe actually comes from Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious cookbook from 2007. It’s a fantastic book designed to help you sneak veggies into everyday foods that kids like. If you have picky littles (or bigs) or you’d just like some creative ways to add more veggies to your cooking, it’s totally worth picking up a copy. In the meantime, here’s the recipe, only very slightly modified from the published version. It’s super quick to put together and if you don’t have a donut pan, you can def use muffin tins, though the exciting part where your kids think you’re letting them have donuts might be *slightly* diminished.

INGREDIENTS

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup sweet potato puree (I use canned for this, too)

• 1/2 cup milk of your choice (I use almond)

• 1 large egg white

• 1 tbsp butter or oil

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup AP flour or whole-wheat pastry flour (I sub GF and it’s perfect)

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (I’ve never bothered with it because they’re sweet without)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a donut pan or muffin tin with cooking spray.

• In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, pumpkin + sweet potato purees, milk, egg white, butter or oil, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spice and mix until completely incorporated.

• If using a donut pan, pour the batter into a Ziplock bag (or pastry bag if you have one) and cut a little tip off the bottom corner on one side. Squeeze the batter through into the donut mold. Bake until the tops are lightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean, around 15-20 minutes. Turn the donuts out onto a rack to cool. When cool, dust with the confectioners’ sugar if using.

• You can store in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a month. But… I challenge you to make these last 2 days in the eye line of any kiddo.

THESE little guys smell so amazing while they’re baking and the sweet potato puree gives them such a sweet and delicious flavor. I’ve made them in big donut pans, mini donuts pans, muffin tins… you name it. I once added spooky spider rings to the middle of each for a good allergy-friendly classroom Halloween treat and the kids absolutely devoured them. So go bake a batch and you, too, could forevermore be known as “the donut lady.'“ xo

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