recipes – toddlers

easy, homemade microwave sweet potato chips

06/18/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Microwave sweet potato chips? Really?!

That’s exactly what I thought when I first heard of this! I have been ignoring the concept, until I started intensely craving sweet potato chips today and decided to do something about it.

Usually I make sweet potato fries, in the oven. They are delicious, but always lack the ‘crunch’ I crave.

I was so skeptical of using the microwave, as I’m not a huge microwave user in general, but the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense.

Have you ever tried to microwave something soft and moist, like bread, cake or cookies? And you know how hard and dried out they get if they stay in there even a few seconds too long?

Well, use that drying-out to your advantage for some homemade chips!

A light toss in some oil & spices and thin slices of sweet potatoes turn into crunchy, golden chips in just minutes!

Heaven!

easy homemade microwave sweet potato chips

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

10 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

1 medium sweet potato

Ingredients

parchment paper
1 medium-large sweet potato, washed
1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the tray of your microwave.

Slice the sweet potato as thinly as possible (preferably with a mandoline). Toss the slices in a bowl with a teaspoon of melted coconut oil and some salt & pepper.

Lay the coated slices out evenly on your parchment-lined microwave tray. Cook on high for 4+ minutes (this number will depend on your microwave and how thick the slices are). Start at 4 minutes and then keep adding about 30 seconds at a time until the chips are just brown.

Take them out of the microwave and let cool a few minutes for maximum crunch. Toss with a bit more salt if desired!

(I like to add chipotle chile powder and garlic powder to mine, with the salt & pepper. A salty/sweet version with cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar would be delicious too!)

http://sweetannas.com/2013/06/easy-homemade-microwave-sweet-potato-chips.html

www.sweetannas.com

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - appetizers, recipes - gluten free, recipes - healthy, recipes - kids, recipes - natural, recipes - snacks, recipes - tips and tricks, recipes - toddler, recipes - toddlers, recipes - trim healthy mama, recipes - vegetarian ·

healthy peach berry crumble smoothies

05/27/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

These smoothies are a healthy meal in and of themselves. All the sweet, luscious flavor of a summer-fruit smoothie and a juicy, peach berry crisp, without any of the guilt.

Dairy-free, sugar-free, and flavor-FULL!

(By the way… if you’re on the Fast Metabolism Diet like I was, this is a Phase 3 breakfast or lunch!)

Chia seeds and coconut oil give you the healthy fats your body craves, and no one (ahem, toddlers!) will ever know there are fresh greens packed inside their treat!

((Commence the silent cheering so as not to wake the house-full of sleeping kiddos!))

I don’t know about you, but my kids just don’t really eat too many green foods willingly. And any way I can sneak more good-stuff into their tummies is a good thing!

crazy healthy good chocolate chip pan cookie

05/13/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Ok, maybe not super healthy, because this does have sugar in it. But even that sugar is organic, and part of it good-for-you coconut palm sugar!

What does this cookie not have? Flour, eggs, butter… seriously. I know. Stop it already, right?

This cookie sounds crazy. Almost horrible. But so crazy that it is worth trying, if only just to say you did.

(Yep, that’s why I tried it. My friend kept talking about it, for like – years, and I thought she was just a tad bit nutso. But I also got tired of wondering why she kept talking about it and so, maybe just a little to shut her up if it was not good, I tried it.)

And you know what? I am so glad I finally tried it!

And you will be glad you tried it… and your friends and family will never know it’s so healthy, I promise!

I tested this out on myself, my husband, my kids, and even my father-in-law… and everyone agreed that it does not taste one bit healthy.

Crazy, huh?

Ok, so what makes it so healthy, besides all that stuff that’s not in it? Beans. Garbanzo beans (aka Chickpeas. They are the same thing.) to be exact. Lots of beans. And some apple sauce. Weird, weird stuff. So weird, you have to try it to believe it.

Seriously. GO make this cookie. You won’t regret it!!

crazy healthy chocolate chip pan cookie

Ingredients

3 cups garbanzo beans (2 cans, drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup old fashioned or quick cooking oats
1/4 cup applesauce
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened is fine)
1/2 cup Wholesome Sweeteners organic coconut palm sugar (can substitute for more brown)
1 cup Wholesome Sweeteners organic dark brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
(optional: additional chocolate chips and coconut for sprinkling on top)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 10" cast iron skillet, or a 9x13" baking dish, and set aside.

In a large food processor, combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips and pulse until well combined.

Dump the dough into a large bowl and stir in the chocolate chips. Spread everything into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving... with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top if you want to really trick your friends, I mean... be decadent!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/05/crazy-healthy-good-chocolate-chip-pan-cookie.html

www.sweetannas.com

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - cookies and bars, recipes - dessert, recipes - desserts, recipes - freezer, recipes - gluten free, recipes - healthy, recipes - kids, recipes - make ahead, recipes - natural, recipes - snacks, recipes - tips and tricks, recipes - toddler, recipes - toddlers, recipes - vegetarian ·

simple, spiced heart waffles

03/05/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

The little boys and I needed a special treat last weekend. Daddy and big brother were going to be gone for a whole day (picking up our new-to-us piano! Yay!!) and we were all so sad to be left behind.

I asked the boys if they would like me to make waffles for second breakfast and they were so excited, they immediately ran to the freezer and started scouring for Eggos and then started to cry when they didn’t find any.

“Mommy! You said we could have WAFFLES!?”

I guess it’s been a few years since I’ve pulled out the waffle iron.

(Of course, in my world, a waffle is just not a waffle unless it is heart-shaped, so heart-shaped they were!)

I slathered mine with butter and pure maple butter (the best thing. ever.)… the boys got butter and cinnamon & sugar.

And the best part?

I froze half the waffles (after we ate until we were stuffed!) and reheated them in the toaster the next day for a quick, but still special breakfast.

I think this may become a new weekend tradition!

simple, spiced heart waffles

Ingredients

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together the milk & lemon juice and set aside to 'sour' for a few minutes. (You can use buttermilk here if you have it, but I never have buttermilk on hand!)

Preheat the waffle iron.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in the rest of the ingredients until just smooth. Pour the batter (about 1/3 cup or so, depending on your waffle iron!) onto the hot iron (grease it before the first waffle, but you shouldn't need to grease it again after that).

Cook until the iron is no longer steaming and the waffle is browned to your liking. Serve hot with your favorite toppings!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/03/simple-spiced-heart-waffles.html

www.sweetannas.com

Recipe adapted from the original 1950s edition Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - breads, recipes - breakfast, recipes - kids, recipes - toddler, recipes - toddlers ·

dark chocolate almond shortbread hearts

02/13/2013 by Annalise · 1 Comment

Are you a procrastinator like me? Do you want to make something fun and easy for Valentine’s Day tomorrow that you probably already have all the ingredients for and can whip up in just a few minutes?

These delicious, cute little cookies are the perfect last-minute V-day treat! I whipped up two batches yesterday in practically no time and the kids had so much fun helping me with these.

If you’re not a huge almond fan, you can substitute pure vanilla extract, but I absolutely adore almond flavoring. I have never met an almond treat I didn’t like!

I especially love that these cut-out cookies don’t require any chilling time and keep their shape beautifully. I pretty much despise most roll-out sugar cookies for their finickiness (is that even a word?!) and these have none of that frustration.

Also, they are loaded with butter, which is never a bad thing in my book!

dark chocolate almond shortbread hearts

Ingredients

1 cup butter, cold
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment-paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and almond until smooth and fluffy.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed butter a little bit at a time until the dough is well mixed and just starts to clump together and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a round, flat disk. Roll the dough out with a lightly floured rolling pin to about 1/4" thick and cut into hearts with a 3" or bigger heart-shaped cookie cutter.

Place the cut out hearts onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, about an inch apart, re-roll the dough scraps and cut a few more hearts.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Cool completely before frosting.

In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and oil together, stirring well every 30 seconds until smooth. Spread the melted chocolate on one half of each heart cookie and let cool completely before storing.

http://sweetannas.com/2013/02/dark-chocolate-almond-shortbread-hearts.html

www.sweetannas.com