Veggie and oatmeal toddler muffins

My son is almost a year old and loves loves his finger foods! Its of course easy to just pick pre-made snacks and food from the store but sometimes I like to bake little goodies for my baby so I know exactly what ingredients are in his food. we are leaving for an 18 hour road trip today and I made these for snacks/breakfast in the car. This recipe has veggies that are "hidden" ,great for picky eaters.

I really recommend using a food processor for this recipe. I do not have one but it would have made this a little easier and less time consuming if I did! I took a couple different recipes and tweaked it a little to make it my own. There are lots of wAys to add or subtract ingredients in this recipe. Next time I will try something new, maybe add a little more cinnamon because my son really seems to enjoy cinnamon! I hope you and your kiddo enjoys these!

Veggie and Oatmeal Toddler Muffins

Ingredients:
1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C rolled oats
1/3 C oil ( I used vegetable oil because I ran out of coconut oil)
1/2 C organic unsweetened applesauce
2 ripe organic bananas
1 small organic zucchini
1 C shredded carrots
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix oil, eggs and applesauce in a bowl with a whisk or fork in a large bowl. Finely chop the carrots, zucchini and banana (or use a food processor) and add to the mixture. Stir in all dry ingredients. Use muffin cups or grease the muffin pan. I used mini muffin pans and this recipe made about 59 muffins.fill the cups 2/3 full and bake for 15-17 minutes.

This is how fine I chopped the carrots

Liam is "helping" 

Here is the first batch, yum!! Baby approved !

Healthy snack Ideas

Being a stay at home mother is the best job in the world but it isn't great for my eating habits. I tend to snack throughout the day instead of having actual meals. Which is fine if every snack was a healthy one. So I decided to stop messing around and take the first steps to better eating habits. If I want my children to eat healthy and continue to eat healthy throughout their lives I need to start now.

The first step is to change the way I grocery shop. If I make better decisions at the store I won't have any other choices while at home.
Making a grocery list is key to this step. Also, I'm sure I am not alone in saying that if I go shopping hungry, I end up bringing home several things I don't need and probably not on the list.
 

Here is a list of some healthy SNACK ideas:

1. low fat cottage cheese and peaches
2. apples, oranges
3. whole wheat flatbread and cucumbers dipped in hummus
4. fat free yogurt (I buy dairy-free yogurt such as soy or almond milk)
5. raw almonds
6. grapes
7. baby carrots, celery and broccoli with fat free ranch dressing
8. oatmeal
9. air popped popcorn
10. peanut butter on Triscuits or celery
11. Kashi crackers and granola bars
12. hard boiled eggs
13. fat free wheat thins
14. organic fruit leather
15. low sodium veggie chips
16. organic applesauce
17. pretzels
18. chunk light tuna in water, drained and placed on a bed of lettuce
19. one 1 oz package of Planters NUT-trition nuts (these are SOOO good!)
20. Annies organic crackers
21. whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, sliced banana and a light drizzle of honey (great filling breakfast option too!)
22. Apple slices with peanut butter
23. Kale chips
24. clementine oranges
25. raisins

I'm BACK!

Holy cow it has been a long time since I have posted anything ! Time has just slipped away! It was a very busy summer and fall and I have been busy preparing for Christmas since Thanksgiving ! I have many post ideas and hopefully will be able to stay more active on my web page.
I first want to wish everyone Happy Holidays ! I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings and I hope this merry season will be filled with family friends joy and good food !

A lot has changed in my daily life. Everything from my skincare/makeup routine to having to do some major baby-proofing throughout my home. My son is 11 months already! And boy have I learned a lot ! Looking forward to sharing family recipes, product reviews, my new and wonderful skincare finds, and plenty of fun holiday DIYs!!

How to live like every day is Earth Day

In honor of earth day I wanted to share some of the things me and my family do daily to be "green" and also our goals to improve our lifestyle  and health as an Eco friendly family.

Simple ways to be Green:

1. Always turn off lights, tvs, radios and computers when not using them
2. Unplug all electronics when not using them. We unplug our coffee pot , toaster, cell phone chargers etc because even if they are off they are still using energy. (this will save you money too)
3. At night we try to use candles for light when we can
4. The obvious :RECYCLE ! Recycle paper, plastic ,glass, grocery bags, batteries , electronics, clothes and furniture(remember ,donating to organizations such as Goodwill is still recycling !)
5. Use plastic reusable containers for food instead of one time use bags

DIY Painted Mirror

I love garage sales and Goodwill and always seem to find something I like, but sometimes it's not exactly what  I want so I have to make it my own. Today I painted this wood floor length mirror a minty blue/green. My room is mainly neutral colors so I thought that this would add a nice springy pop of color ! I only did one coat of acrylic paint (Americana in sea breeze) because I wanted just a hint of the wood to still show through the paint to get a little "shabby chic". I have painted all sorts of goodwill items such as frames, clocks, candlestiks, even a basket I now use in my baby's nusery to hold his blankets.
Pick out some paint at the craft store, get a couple different size brushes and get painting !
Don't forget:

• wear old clothes
• always lay a tarp or newspapers down first
• have paper towels and water there for mess-ups
• plan ahead!

My Spring Cleaning Checklist

My spring cleaning checklist does not have every single cleaning to-do on it. I leave out some of the daily/weekly/monthly to-do's and try to concentrate on things that are often left unnoticed by me. I also find that I get inspired to get rid of things I don't use or wear anymore during springtime  ( probably so I can make room for new things !)

1. Go through food pantry- check expiration dates, wipe off tops of cans with wet rag, drop off food to shelter that has been sitting on your shelf for months

2. Go through fridge- again check expiration dates, take everything out and clean/disinfect entire fridge ( don't forget under and on top too!)

New Momma Tip # 4

Dollar stores are my new favorite place to get cleaning products, personal items, décor, craft items and more !
For most cleaning products , dollar stores are the place to go. I get my "pledge", glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner, toilet cleaner, and even wipes for my wet Swiffer! The only product I buy from other stores is a natural kitchen cleaner that does not contain any harsh chemicals.


Decorative items are also great finds at the dollar store, if you know what to look for and how to use them. Picture  frames , candles, incense, vases, etc. are super cheap  ways to add charm to your home. I love to get simple small baskets and use them for decorative storage around my home. Baskets can be quite pricey so buying them for a dollar means you can buy several !