Top 4 Party Tips and PB&J Poppers (Revised)!

Party Tips for a Happy Halloween!

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You will surely be encountering lots of sweets and parties this weekend, which will be fun! Enjoy the good company and smiling (or scary) faces :) As for sweets and treats, here are some helpful tips (ACCHEW!: Away CHeck CHoose Eat Water!):

• EAT up your healthy stuff (some chili, hummus, popcorn, Triscuits, guacamole, an apple, some toasted pecans, etc.) before you encounter all the goodies! It is so much EASIER TO RESIST with a full belly than a growly one.

• CHECK OUT everything that's there, and CHOOSE what really looks like the thing (or things) that you want to enjoy the most! Don't eat anything until you've SEEN the whole spread. Check out Savor Your Sweets!

• Always have a glass of WATER IN HAND at the party. Sometimes people just keep eating and drinking because it's there. If you have your water to drink, that can be the thing that you keep putting to your mouth. Check out Hydrate!

• Finally, MOVE AWAY from all the food. There are plenty of other spots to socialize. Maybe you could snuggle up by a fire!

Try PB&J Poppers for your sweet tooth! One of my FAVORITES!! You can eat them BEFORE the party and/or bring them to SHARE!

PB&J Poppers REVISED*

1 c walnuts

1/4 c peanuts

3/4 c raisins (be sure no sugar is listed in ingredients)

Blend everything in food processor until everything starts sticking together, then form into desired shapes! I almost always do balls, but you could use holiday cutters for a spooky treat!

*The original and this revised recipe are equally delicious, and the revised is even healthier with walnuts (healthiest nut!) and no cherries (since they are usually sweetened)!

Plus, check out these darling little pumpkins that someone made at school :)

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COMMENTS: Do you like to dress up? What was your favorite Halloween costume ever? My favorite was a simple one that I made for my daughter. She was a flower in a flower pot. It was fun to put it together :)

The New Nutella (Homemade)! YUM!

Nutella, oh Nutella, how you "seem" so very wholesome and healthy! Why does your first ingredient have to be sugar?!?! Well, here is a delicious solution!

Homemade Nutella!

This recipe came from www.mywholefoodlife.com -- THANK YOU Melissa!...with a little input from Chocolate Covered Katie's recipe!

Homemade Nutella!

3/4 c hazelnuts, toasted at 375 for 10 min

2 Tbsp date paste

2 Tbsp almond milk

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

2 tsp vanilla

Combine everything in a food processor until smooth, and enjoy!  YUM!

Homemade Nutella

COMMENTS: How do you like your Nutella?  Toast, spoonfuls, on ice cream, in a tortilla?

9 MORE Super Baby Foods that Don't Come in a Jar! (Part 2)

First, there is NO rush with infants eating food, new foods, etc.  They have their WHOLE life, so take your time!

Traditionally, and definitely in the beginning, foods are best introduced to babies INDIVIDUALLY.  Space a few days to one week between the introduction of each new foods to distinguish reactions to one food or another.

Be CHOOSY about what you feed your child.  

You have a huge opportunity here!  You can shape and mold your child’s TASTE preferences so that she prefers healthy foods!  This AMAZING GIFT to your child will last her whole life!

Here is a discussing taste in the context of PICKY eaters; specifically there is an article linked there that interestingly discusses the up-sides of “liking” foods.

Here is a link to my TOP 5 QUICK and EASY BABY FOODS!  And now for another 9!

~ Canned PUMPKIN puree -- seasonally, this comes on sale, best time to buy, since it’ll last forever!  Plus, you can look for deals on amazon for the smaller organic cans.  Also, seasonally, you can MAKE IT FROM SCRATCH, but here, I am really going for the very EASIEST options that are also really HEALTHY choices.  
Another post to come about making baby food from scratch.

You can divide the pumpkin puree into smaller portions and freeze it -- here is a post on how silicone cupcake pans can help with FREEZING.

~ Trader Joe's Fat-Free REFRIED BEANS -- any can that has NO hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list is great -- and this is one product I know fits the bill!

~ Egg YOLK (free-range, organic is best!); you can try egg whites later since they are more difficult to digest.

~ COTTAGE CHEESE (although expensive, organic is ideal, and if you’re just buying it for your baby, it will go a long way, so it’s a small expense!)

~ UNsweetened APPLESAUCE-- adding a little cinnamon is nice! Best to start fruits after LOTS of veggies, since babies are VERY likely to enjoy sweet fruit, especially after veggies!

~ Any HEALTHY recipe you make -- PUREED!

Once several foods have been introduced, after a few months of eating table foods, around 12 months or so, AND IF you (the parents) aren’t particularly susceptible to allergies, you can make simple recipes, my recipes often have few ingredients, and if all goes well, you’ll know your baby is ok with all the foods in the recipe.

This will help your baby to become familiar with and enjoy a variety of FLAVORS, flavors which you would like to serve him or her in the FUTURE!  Who wants to make separate meals for each child?  Not me!  I like to figure out ONE HEALTHY MEAL and have everyone eat that!

A food processor, even a small one, is a super useful investment for anyone who wants to eat a healthy and delicious diet, and especially when you have a LITTLE one!  

You can blend up any meal: pasta with sauces, beans and rice dishes, casseroles, even eggplant "Parmesan"!  

You could try Easy Eggplant Parm blended with pasta!

Or "Chicken" Artichoke Casserole!

~ HUMMUS -- here is a SIMPLE RECIPE; go easy on the garlic at first, then add more with each batch, because your baby will get used to this very healthy food for life! 

In light of “taking your time with table foods” as discussed above, you can hold off on the SWEETS for a long time!  By doing this, rather than neglecting them of a happy childhood, YOU are doing them a FAVOR!  They don’t even know what they are missing, I promise!  

This is harder to get away with when feeding children who have an older sibling, since they see what their older siblings enjoy.  

On the other side, if you teach the FIRST-BORN good habits, he will likely teach his younger siblings what he has learned, both verbally and by example.

Here are 2 early desserts!  SO healthy, they could be eaten daily for breakfast ;)

~ TRADER JOE’S FROZEN MANGO (love this stuff!) and frozen pineapple make FABULOUS mango SORBET!!, frozen dark tart cherries or peaches from Gordon Food Service are other tasty options, and of course anything fresh will blend to a mash quickly and be eaten in a flash by your little one!

Thanks to www.binging-for-food.blogspot.com for this photo!

~ Chocolate chip COOKIE DOUGH!  ...minus the chocolate chips!

COMMENTS: What are your favorite foods to feed your baby? Do you (the adult) ever eat baby food? I LOVE baby food peaches :)