Board Books for Babies.

Board Books for Babies.

Just like most mamas out there, I feel that it’s so important to instill a love of reading in our children from an early age. We have a vast array of board books at our house because I have a terrible time passing up a children’s book marked 50 cents at a library sale or garage sale. In my recent attempt at making our home feel less cluttered, I ran through the bookshelves and moved some out to a bin in the garage so that we have a rotating library. Right now all of our favorite baby board books are easily accessible on the bottom shelf.

Here are a few of our favorites for the very young:

1. Mommy’s Best Kisses – The illustrations of mama and baby animals in this book are gorgeous and the text is very sweet.

2. The Runaway Bunny – One of my favorite classic stories…a little bunny who talks about all the ways he is going to run away, and his mama tells him all the ways she will find him. (Not sure if this is still available as a board book).

3.I See – I love these simple little books by Helen Oxenbury. On each page is a simple and lovely illustration and one word. In this book the child sees the moon, a flower, a plane, and more. Other books in this series include I Hear, I Touch and I Can. It looks as though they are out of print, so if you see them at a thrift store or garage sale, you may want to pick them up.

4. Flora McDonnell’s ABC – The bright, whimsical illustrations in this book are enjoyable for little readers and bigger readers, too.

5. My Little Book About God – This book is one of my all time favorites. I would read this to my first born when he was about a year old, and he was comforted by the words. Jane Werner Watson talks about God with such childlike wonder…she manages to convey the vastness of His world and the intimacy of our relationship with him in a way that a young child can understand. I love Eloise Wilkin‘s illustrations, the way she draws both children and animals is innocent and magical. The drawings alone make this book worth picking up.

Books with pictures of babies are always a favorite. We love all of these:

We also really love touch and feel books right now. These are a few that we read again and again:

These are just a few of my favorites for the little readers. What are your favorite books for babies?

Original article and pictures take i0.wp.com site

Blueberry-Banana Green Tea Smoothie

Blueberry-Banana Green Tea Smoothie

This post gives a delicious recipe for a blueberry-banana green tea smoothie that contains lots of wonderful antioxidants.

This week’s healthy homemaker recipe is for a blueberry-banana green tea smoothie!! I’ll be honest. I occasionally drink green tea, but this was the first time I actually tried to make anything with it!

Image by lekyu

This traditional Asian beverage is chock full of antioxidants to both prevent and fight disease!

A Japanese study conducted during the 2008-2009 flu season, found that schoolchildren who consumed 1-5 cups of green tea per day were less likely to develop the flu!

What’s more, various studies have shown green tea to potentially:

• protect against heart disease,
• fight cancer,
• lower cholesterol,
• prevent diabetes and
• decrease risk of stroke and dementia (source)

I came up with this smoothie based on what I had on hand! Enjoy!

First, I gathered my ingredients: green tea, almond milk, frozen banana and frozen blueberries.

Original article and pictures take thehumbledhomemaker.com site

Blueberry Spinach Muffin Recipe

Blueberry Spinach Muffin Recipe

Contributor post by Erin Long of Home & Grace

Veggies. I will go to great lengths to get them into my kids, especially for breakfast.

I pretty much feel like Super Mom if I can get a serving of vegetables into my kids’ tummies before 9 am. Seriously, what more do I need to do with my day? MY KIDS ATE VEGETABLES FOR BREAKFAST!

Smoothies are a natural stand-by and adding veggies to scrambled eggs is a classic. But sometimes I want variety. Something familiar enough that the kids won’t turn their noses up at but still packs a veggie punch.

Enter the Blueberry Spinach Muffin.

These blueberry spinach muffins became an instant favorite in our house.

They’re sweet enough to keep the kids coming back for more and made with awesome ingredients that make me want to keep handing them out. They’re even good without the blueberries!

These muffins have so much going for them: they’re egg-free, sweetened with honey, just as good when made dairy-free, packed with veggies, are freezer friendly, whip up in a jiffy and keep well on the counter.

They’re great slathered with butter and served along with eggs for an all-around fantastic breakfast. Or packed along on an outing for a snack.

They have all the deliciousness of a muffin but without the sugar and unhealthy fats. Instead you’re getting honey, healthy fats, blueberries and spinach!

If you struggle to get your kids to eat veggies or if you’re trying to eat more of them yourself these muffins are for you.

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup butter or coconut oil (melted and cooled)
• 6oz baby spinach
• ½ cup milk or non-dairy milk
• ½ cup ripe banana (about 1 large or 2 small)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 - 1½ cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Melt butter or coconut oil and set aside to cool.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a blender, combine butter/coconut oil, spinach, milk/non-dairy milk, honey, banana and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add spinach mixture. Mix until just combined with some lumps. Gently fold in blueberries.
5. Scoop muffin batter into muffin tins, filling ¾ full. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Original article and pictures take redandhoney.com site

Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Syrup

Blueberry Pancake and Waffle Syrup

This little gem of a recipe has been tucked away on my Whole Wheat Waffle page for years. But I decided it needed to be brought out of hiding. Everyone must know about this. And you should also whip some cream and plop it onto your waffles with this Blueberry Syrup because then, you will experience bliss.

Wondering how to make Whipped Cream? You’ll want to click over here to learn the easiest way I’ve found to make it. You can even make it ahead of time to pull out just before serving! Now anytime I serve waffles with fruit topping and whipped cream, my boys call them “Super Mama Waffles!”

Trying to get ahead? Make this syrup ahead of time, refrigerate or freeze, then rewarm when ready to serve.

Other fruity recipes you’ll love:

Of course I can’t provide you with syrups and toppings without also providing you with pancake and waffle recipes:

And we can’t talk about toppings without also mentioning that Peach Syrup, Raspberry Syrup, and Blueberry Syrup are wonderful on ice cream. Check out this post detailing how to set up a Brownie Sundae Bar. Wouldn’t it be nice to offer any of these fruit syrups as an option?

As you can see, once you know how to make a Fruit Syrup, your options for serving it are many. Such a tasty way to enjoy fruit!

What’s your favorite way to top a waffle?

Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site

BLT Wraps – The Perfect Summertime Meal

BLT Wraps – The Perfect Summertime Meal

Nothing says “I’m a humble cook” like shouting really loudly that this is the best recipe you’ll ever eat! My bad. What can I say? There’s bacon in it. And cream cheese. The goodness of this recipes has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the amazing mixture of ingredients all rolled up in a tortilla.

This recipe is so easy that my kids made it on their own for our family to eat on Mother’s Day. These can be made ahead of time – or at the very least, you can cook the bacon and prepare the tomatoes and lettuce so that you can put them together right before serving time.

The best part? Well…the bacon, duh. Yeah, but the other best part? These wraps really hit the spot on a hot day. There’s minimal cooking involved, so the house won’t heat up. Serve these with a variety of fresh fruit like pineapple, watermelon, or strawberries. Set out some sweet peppers, sliced cucumbers, and carrot sticks. What a wonderful, nourishing meal.

BLT Wraps

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• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup shredded spinach, romaine, or green leaf lettuce

1. Mix cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.
2. Stir in bacon crumbles and chopped tomatoes.
3. Spread mixture onto tortillas.
4. Sprinkle shredded lettuce on top evenly.
5. Roll tortillas up tightly.
6. Cut each into 5 diagonal slices.
7. Chill until ready to serve.

Tip: Make the cream cheese filling ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Then simply fill your tortillas at meal time, wrap, and serve! These work great for brunch, lunch, party, snack…pretty much any time.

Which do you like better: bacon or cream cheese? How sweet it is that you can have both in this recipe, at the same time. :)

Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site

Blood Orange Banana Smoothie.

Blood Orange Banana Smoothie.

This blood orange banana smoothie is such a pretty shade of pink and contains tons of antioxidants and vitamin C. A great way to start your day and stay healthy this winter!

This is the time of year when one of my favorite fruits appears…the blood orange. I love all the citrus fruits available in the winter months, but there’s just something extra special about blood oranges.

There’s just something so neat about them…they look fairly normal on the outside, but slice them open, and you see their gorgeous ruby red flesh. I love the flavor – it’s sweet and slightly less acidic than other varieties of oranges. And when you add the juice to this blood orange banana smoothie, it makes the prettiest pink shade. Just right for Valentine’s Day!

Of course if you can’t find blood oranges in your area, you can substitute any variety of orange that you like. And if you can find them, and haven’t tried them yet, you should grab some the next time you’re out! I think you’ll love them.

As you may have guessed by looking at their rich color, blood oranges contain a lot of antioxidants. Just like all red and blue fruits and vegetables, blood oranges contain anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that can help prevent or even fight cancer. Blood oranges also have a very high amount of vitamin C, as do the strawberries in this smoothie. This particular combination of fruits is wonderful for boosting your immune system and reducing inflammation in the body. I’m all for recipes that taste amazing and do an awesome job of protecting my health, aren’t you?

Blood Orange Banana Smoothie.

A vibrant and healthy blood orange banana smoothie is a lovely way to start your day!

Do you like blood oranges? What’s your favorite way to enjoy them?

Follow along:

Original article and pictures take i0.wp.com site

Blended Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Blended Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Sometimes, you just want to enjoy a treat that doesn’t make you feel guilty. Or yucky. Or fat. Or in a diabetic coma from pounding your system with truckloads of sugar. I know, I know – I’m so high-maintenance.

We’re in a season of needing to take the ‘path of least resistance’ with our diet, so I’m not personally eating dairy-free at the moment. I do know that my body doesn’t tolerate dairy amazingly well, however, so I tend to limit my intake to cheese, yogurt, and butter.

I like to use non-dairy milks (except for soy, which is on my avoid-like-the-plague list, like margarine, trans-fat, and MSG) whenever I am making something that calls for milk.

I’ve tried many non-dairy milks on the market today, and I’ve even made my own almond milk and coconut milk from scratch, however in busy seasons I tend to buy it from the store instead.

Silk is one of my favorite brands to buy because it doesn’t contain carageenan – a controversial additive linked with intestinal and gut damage. I also love that it’s non-GMO.

When those treat cravings hit and I need something sweet to stuff in my face ASAP (patience is not my strong suit), I often turn to this recipe. It’s lightly sweetened with real maple syrup, thickened with the incredible, magical chia seeds, and rounded out with a splash of vanilla extract (I make my own).

The base for all of this is Silk’s incredible new creamy cashew milk. It’s seriously the creamiest non-dairy milk I’ve ever tasted – perfect for recipes that require a touch of decadence, like this one.

This recipe has just five ingredients, and other than letting it set for a while in the fridge, it pretty much whips up in a jiffy. (Good golly, do cool people say “jiffy” anymore? What is a jiffy, anyway? I have no idea. Roll with it.)

I know that a lot of chia seed “puddings” are not blended – the chia seeds remain whole. I don’t love the mouthfeel of the goobery chia seeds all puffed up. The texture just does not agree with me. Easy solution: blend it up, baby! I get the best consistency when I grind the chia seeds ahead of time, but you can try skipping that step if you want. Let me know how it turns out, if you do.

Here’s the super-duper easy and fast (more or less) recipe that I love:

Blended Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

4 tablespoons ground chia seeds

2 cups cashew milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cocoa

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender (I used a vitamix) and blend on high for 1 minute.

2. Pour into small serving dishes, like ramekins, and refrigerate for an hour or more. (The longer it’s refrigerated, the more “set” it will be. Try overnight for less jiggle!)

3. Suggested toppings: whipped cream, berries, chocolate shavings

Check out the Silk Canada facebook page for more creamy goodness!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Looks delicious! In case you didn't know though, the original cashew milk is sugar sweetened. It's the "Unsweetened" you need to get if you really want this recipe to be only sweetened with maple syrup. :)

Original article and pictures take redandhoney.com site

Blackberry Empathy

Blackberry Empathy

• 
  They Told Him He Was Doing An Interview For A Book, But He Was In For A Big Surprise
• 
  This Clever Man Reveals One Brilliant Technique To Cut And Serve Watermelon
• 
  When These Kids Start Singing, The Judges Can't Help But Tear Up
• 
  He Was There To Watch The Game, But Then They Pointed The Camera At Him
• 
  Her Father Kept This Secret For 13 Years, When He Finally Revealed It, She Was Shocked
• 
  One Of The Most Intense Experiences In A Photographer's Life

Original article and pictures take themetapicture.com site