Easy-Peasy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are a remix of some ideas I  have been seeing floating around. As always I do some trial and error and come up with my own.

I am always into making really great snacks for the kids that are healthy but they will enjoy. However, these cookies could also double up as a breakfast addition.

It's easy, fast and only requires 3 ingredients!!

Yes you heard right.

Give it a go people!

Ingredients:
2 bananas
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1 cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or raisins or craisins or dried fruit)

Steps:
Cut up the bananas and mash it up good. If you choose, add the sugar and vanilla at this stage. I sometimes add it, I sometimes don't, but it does enhance the taste a tad and also makes for mashing the bananas a bit easier.

Mix in the rolled oats, mix well.

Add chocolate chips and mix.

On a greased cookie sheet, scoop out the mixture in small balls. Pat it slighty to shape as small pucks (it is ok if not all uniform).

Bake at 350°F for about 20 min.

Cool.

Enjoy.

5 Foods I Love That My Kids Love

At some point, all, well I don't know about all, but I hear, kids go through a "picky eater" phase. When they are learning to eat they are blissfully unaware and open to putting basically anything in their mouths. As they get older, they develop more resistance, despite your best attempt to expose them to everything.

Caiden had recently gone through that and just starting to come back around, though still a few hurdles to go. I noticed my anxiety of him getting enough nutrition getting quite high. Though this is a common stage, I couldn't help it. Well, I am always on the hunt for healthy snacks and creating simple things in the kitchen, that is still yummy and nutritious.

Here are 5 things that I am so thankful that both kids enjoy, because I can always jam pack some nutrition in there.

1.  Pancakes and/or French Toast This is great, so I can pack in some wholesome items in the batters. I opt to add things like chia, flax, and berries and other fruit. Doing so, they eat it up without flinching. A really great item to use here is Seedibles. A tonne of fibre and protein, makes a one-dimensional food more versatile in its nutrition profile.

2.  Crunchy Foods They love things that go "crunch". So I try to include some crunch in snacks to make sure they have snacks they will actually eat. Things like cucumbers and carrots go over well.  Popcorn and chips are of course desired...so what I learned to do is make things like pita chips and kale chips at home.  It's a hit!! Just take these items, break into chip sized amounts, place on a baking sheet, add olive oil and choice seasoning and back to a crisp.

3.  Smoothies Not much to say here. They call it milkshakes, I use only fruit and milk and/or yogurt...add some extra stuff like flax or Seedibles and awesomeness!! Add in a nut butter and BAM you got yourself some healthy fats and protein to boot!

4.  Rice or Pasta This is kind of a hidden trick. I'm not big on trickery...but hey, it has made me sigh with relief, so whatever!  For some reason, starch was never a questionable food to Caiden, but he went through a phase of not wanting to eat meat or eggs etc. Now when I make rice or pasta, I mix in the veggies and the protein food all together and it goes down pretty easy. Works well with eggs, meat, fish, legumes or lentils and any cook-able veggies.

5.  Yogurt I love yogurt, not the sugar packed kind, it has such great things like calcium, protein, and probiotics.  So knowing they enjoy it, makes me super pleased. I make it fun still by doing things like mixing it with fruit and freezing it, so they think its yogurt candy...food can be fun too.

So that's 5 things that help with even the pickiest of eaters at my home.  

This mom can go to bed happy that they got some nutrition during their day...I can't help it.

Delicious Avocado and Fruit Smoothie

I love a good smoothie...who doesn't.

However, my goal with smoothies nowadays is my own taste buds and my son's.  Usually whatever I make, he helps make it or enjoys also.

Avocados are all the rage these days, and though I can just drink blended avocado and milk...my two year old likes a little more taste than that.  Not only that, but as a mom (and nutrition nut) I am always trying to ensure he is getting enough fruits and veggies in his day.  Smoothies are great for that...blend away and you can get at least 2 or more servings right there!

Anyways, on to this awesome smoothie.  I love it...I am sure you will too.

Oh!  And if you are still trying to lose some prego weight, this is a great one! It provides good essential fatty acids from the avocado, which helps remove unwanted fats from the body.  There is also plenty of calcium, fibre, and the strawberries give us vitamin C in this drink. 

Add the following ingredients in a blender and blend away!

-1 full avocado

-1 large banana

-3 to 4 large strawberries

-1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

-a dash of vanilla (optional)

Tip:  you can change the consistency by adding more of less milk (thinner add more).  Also, if you don't like the taste of the avocado in the smoothie at first, try a little less and work your way up to a full avocado.  

I want to mention this is totally kid-tested, and my toddler loved it!  The strawberries gave it enough sweetness to seem too good to be true (that it had no added sugar).

Enjoy!