Kudos to Cranium for coming up with this awesome idea…which we totally stole from their ad in Parenting Magazine ;o)

It’s Mix & Match Snack Time

What to do: Toss a variety of snack time ingredients onto a Piggy Platter and let the kids make their own creations. For instance, use rice cakes, peanut/almond butter and raisins and let the kiddos make their own silly faces. Or swap out the rice cakes for celery for good ol’ fashioned “ants on a log.”

What can your kids create?  Let us know below:

Faster than instant oatmeal. More powerful than a bowl of cereal. Able to make small children smile with a single spoonful…it’s Super Yogurt! This and a glass of milk is literally all our boys need until lunch. It’s full of protein and good fat to give them tons of fuel to start their day.

Here’s how you make it. In everyone’s bowl, drop in some:

Nancy’s Whole Milk Plain Yogurt (Or some other equivalent that’s not full of junk. Forgo that runny low-fat, high-fructose junk. Get the fattiest, thickest, plainest you can find. It’s delicious and chock full of goodness. Also the “good” fat content will give you more energy that lasts longer.)

Fresh/Frozen Berries (Our boys *love* the frozen blueberries from Costco. They are amazing!)

Granola (We recommend simple, basic, organic granola like this one from Cascadian Farm. No foof, no frills, no junk.)

Top it off with streaks of golden honey (Interesting note: we recently read that local honey helps abate pollen/grass allergies. Using local flowers and thus local pollen, acts like a serum. And you’re supporting a local company!)

Enjoy!

The peach trees are billowing juicy goodness here in the Pacific Northwest (and across the U.S. we’re told ;o). We’ve been test-driving some cobbler recipes to find you and your young ones something simple. And this one from Cooks.com is about as easy as it gets. (You can even substitute the flour and baking soda with some biscuit mix for a fluffier, easier treat!)

QUICK AND EASY PEACH COBBLER
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick butter
3/4 to 1 c. milk
1 lg. can sliced peaches
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
3 tbsp. sugar (optional)
Melt butter in a 2 quart casserole dish in 375 degrees oven while combining flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add milk to the dry ingredients and stir until blended. Pour the batter into the melted butter; dribble peach juice into the mixture and let the kids dump in the pile of peaches. Have the kids sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

1 cup flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp cooking oil
½ cup table salt
1 cup water
1 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil & water. Cook over medium heat until mixtureforms a ball. Pour onto waxed paper and knead. Store in airtight container.

NOTE: If a child eats this, it is NON-TOXIC. Easy, it lasts a long time, and the kids love it! It smells nicer than the store-bought stuff too!

Thanks to Aunt Renee, Redding, CA