Homemade Goldfish Crackers

We made bear shaped. These are a fun cracker for kids to make from start to finish. I was ready to take the quick route and cut the cookies all into strips and then squares, but luckily my girls jumped in and took over and cut each little bear out one-by-one. This was our first time making these and they make a yummy snack!

8 ounces, weight sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes (next batch I want to try 2 tablespoons coconut butter and 2 tablespoons butter)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (next batch I want to try whole grain spelt flour)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold water

Pulse everything (except the water) together in the food processor until the dough resembles coarse sand (we used our very clean hands). Pulse in water, 1 tablespoon at a time (we again used our hands). The dough will be crumbly. Don't add extra water. Just keep working the dough until it sticks together. You may want to wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator to make the dough easier to work with. Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. We really had to work the dough with our hands to flatten and make it stick together. You can use a toothpick to make the eyes and a smile if desired. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until crispy. Makes approximately 6 dozen crackers. Enjoy!

Sun Dried Berry Fruit Leather

Get loads of seasonal berries while you can! Support your local berry growers and pick them yourself or buy from a farmers market close to you. This recipe is great to do with kids. You have to have a bright sunny summer day and it takes some patients, but it is well worth the wait.

4-5 cups fresh berries (3 cups pureed)
1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Place the fresh berries into a blender with the honey. Blend until the berries are a smooth consistency. You should have 3 cups of fruit puree. If you would like you can press the puree through a cheese cloth to remove the seeds (this will give you a nice smooth fruit leather). I did not do this. I driedthe fruit with the seeds and all. Place a piece of wax paper onto an edged baking sheet (15x12 inch)(or any 15x12 dish with a slight rim around it). Pour the pureed fruit onto the wax paper. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Place the dish in full sun for 6-8 hours. When it is all dry (the kids checked on it every hour or so) peel the fruit leather off the paper and enjoy!

Gingerbread Cookies (vegan and gluten free)

This dough makes a wonderful soft gingerbread cookie. These would be perfect with raisins for the buttons and eyes, but I only thought of this after I baked them. They make a lovely holiday snack!

Complements: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook

1/2 cup softened coconut oil
1/4 cup whole raw cane sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger

In medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, sugar, maple syrup, molasses, pumpkin puree, vanilla and sea salt. In a separate bowl, combine the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well with a wooden spoon. Form dough into a ball and wrap in waxed paper; place in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour a surface for rolling out your dough. Place the dough on the surface and roll until it is about 1/4 inch think. Cut out with your favorite cookie cutters and then place cookies onto an oiled baking sheet. You may decorate the cookies before baking by gently pressing whole nuts or raisins into the cookies. I used very old cinnamon balls that I found in my baking supplies. I will do raisins next time! Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Then remove from cookie sheet and place onto a rack to cool. Enjoy!

Ambrosia Fruit Salad

Our 7 year old daughter planned lunch for us today. It included Ambrosia fruit salad and whole grain spelt bread toast. She used the recipe from the book, "Kids Cooking". She was the cook from start to finish. It turned out lovely!

4 cups for copped fruit (it is fall and she choose apples, oranges and grapes)
1/2 cup organic vanilla yogurt (it called for sour cream, but she made the decision to change to yogurt)
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons coconut
1 handful of mini marshmallows (can't leave this out mom!)
a sprinkle of cinnamon (another change my daughter made, she added cinnamon (what can I say she is like her momma and has to tinker with the recipe :) )

Place chopped fruit into a serving bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over fruit. Stir until combined. Serve right away. Enjoy!

Cooking with Kids!

Your kids see you cooking in the kitchen from day one of their lives. Do you desire to raise healthy, wholefood loving children? Children are going to learn to eat from example, exposure and experience!

Right around the ripe age of 7-9 it is time to start your kids in the direction of independence in the kitchen! (You want them cooking meals for you by age 10 right :)). "Kids Cooking" is one cookbook that is great for starting your kids off in the kitchen. It has pictures for the ingredients and a picture for each step of instructions.

If you have a 7, 8 or 9 year old start by having them choose one meal to make each week or every other week (or once a month). Have them start by making a grocery list from the ingredients listed for their chosen recipe. Then when it comes time for them to prepare the meal have them gather everything from around the kitchen and do each step as much on their own as possible. This particular book calls the adult in the kitchen the assistant (my kids love that part of it).

A few examples from the book include: Four ways to cook an eggceptional breakfast (4 ways to cook an egg), Guacamole, Popcorn (using the stovetop!), homemade applesauce, alphabet soup (from scratch), spaghetti (sauce from scratch, well using a can of plan tomato sauce and adding all the yummy spices, but you can explain how the sauce is just purred tomatoes, or better yet puree your own to use :)), non-yukky vegetables (cooking/steaming your vegetables just right and not over cooking them, or use the chance to talk about the benefits of eating vegetables raw too!), green salad with homemade dressing, frozen bananas (covered with dark chocolate, walnuts and coconut), banana and strawberry smoothly and even recipes for homemade playdough and giant soap bubbles.

*NOTE: This book is only one small example of a kid friendly cookbook. The recipe book, "Kids Cooking", that I have posted here was not created to be a wholefoods super healthy cookbook for kids. The point is to get your kids in the kitchen. Make it fun. They want to feel in control. This book is just a platform for talking about healthy eating habits, learning how to read a recipe and practicing cooking techniques. You can mention how a recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but encourage them to use whole wheat pastry flour or half spelt flour. Point out how they use honey for making the ambrosia salad and honey is an excellent alternative to refined white sugar. If they make the "Buried Treasure Muffins" you can talk about why you are using raw cane sugar instead of refined white sugar and inform your child that the raw cane sugar still has molasses left in it which is a source of healthy nutrients (not to mention all the chemicals used to process the refined white sugar that they are missing out on).

Your children WILL learn from example, exposure and experience. If they see you cooking with wholefoods on a daily basis then it will rub off on them. They'll get it. If you are offering a raw salad or vegetable tray a few times a week (or better yet sometime each day) eating raw vegetables will become a habit. If you go to the farmers market and pick out fresh and local (and it would be great if it is organic too) fruits and vegetables this will be part of a way of life for your kids.

Always talk about any unusually ingredient you are using. Hopefully, unusually ingredients (for example: various grains/flours, all different healthy oils, alternative sweeteners, raw foods) will not be unusually to your kids when they leave the nest!

Happy cooking with those little ones and enjoy!

Fruit Juice Gelatin

A refreshing snack!

Complements: www.thenourishinggourmet.com (I did change it a bit)

4 cups of 100% juice (apricot nectar or papaya juice mix are especially good and organic if possible)
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons gelatin
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups fresh berries (I used blueberries and Rainier cherries)

Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Leave for 5 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, heat about two cups of the juice and the honey on the stove and bring to a boil. Place the gelatin/water mixture in a medium size bowl and add the hot water, stirring for one minute and the gelatin is thoroughly dissolved. Then add the rest of the juice. In 8 ramekins or a small casserole dish, place your berries and pour over the gelatin juice mixture. Place in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours to set. When cool, you can cover with plastic wrap. Enjoy!

Cooling Stawberry Orange Blueberry Smoothie

Freeze freshly picked strawberries and blueberries for a refreshing cool shake. It is like adding ice cubes to your drink.

2 cups frozen strawberries
1/2 cup fresh peach slices
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (or a blend of organic fresh juices)
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!