Kid-Friendly Recipes

Father’s Day is just around the corner.  Now is the time to start thinking about a creative and useful gift that the kids can make for dad so you don’t have to scramble the day before.  This year, let the kids have some fun in the kitchen by creating a finger lickin’ good barbecue sauce and matching spice rub for a homemade gift set that Dad is sure to love.  

If your kid can play in a sandbox – they can make a spice rub. It is beyond easy just dump everything into a bowl, mix it up and Bam! You are done. The sauce is also quick and easy to put together with most ingredients coming right out of the pantry, but , it does require minimal chopping and a little sautéing.  Something an older child can easily do.  Both items take about 30 minutes in total to complete.

My son and I make this exact gift set for my father every Father’s Day and it is delicious. The sweet and tangy sauce is most definitely a tasty alternative to store-bought bottled sauces and the freshly made rub totally complements it. The set is especially a nice idea if you have two children,  let the younger child mix up the rub and the older one prepare the sauce.

If the man in your child’s life is a city guy aka grill deprived, store this gift idea away for future use, the set also makes a thoughtful, well received not to mention effortless hostess gift for barbecues and other summer invites.

We mostly write about things to do, trying to keep you posted on alll the amazing activities and events out there for kids. But some times it's great to just put the world on hold and do nothing too.

This is our first installment of Mommy Poppins Down Time, ideas and suggestions for spending time at home together to stop, reconnect and decompress with your kids. It doesn't have to be elaborate, the idea is just to schedule something once a month that you can all look forward to that doesn't involve anything much except being together.

We invite you to give it a try. If you do, you can log onto our facebook page and post photos of your family enjoying your time together, share the highlights and any suggestions you have from your family's experience. Why not start this week while the kids are on Spring Break? They will love it.

The sweetest Valentines are always the ones you make, especially if they are made of chocolate! It is so simple to make molded chocolate lollipops for Valentines Day that even little children can make them without too much help. It takes only 1 ingredient, 3 steps and only about 15 minutes “hands on” time. 

One of my favorite things is birthday cake, especially from a box and double especially covered in frosting. I'm not a fan of all the fancy buttercream frostings and fancy cakes. I like regular old moist and fluffy chocolate or vanilla birthday cake slathered in rich, sweet frosting. But knowing that your cake is filled with hydrogenated oils and trans fats really takes the fun out of it. Especially as a mom. How can we enjoy stuffing our faces with cake when we know how bad it is for us?

Thankfully, Nora Schultz, a New Jersey mom, has solved this problem with her Naturally Nora cake and frosting mixes, made from 100 percent natural ingredients. There are not even any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. (The confetti cake is colored with things like spinach extract and turmeric!). They are also dairy and soy free. But most importantly, for me, Naturally Nora mixes contain no trans fats or hydrogenated oils.

Everyone is feeling the strain of the economy, whether they have been directly affected or tangentially. And, I suppose, we are all dealing with it in our own ways. Me, I'm baking my way through the economic crisis.

You might think that makes sense. Cooking at home and baking save money. But I think the real reason I've taken solace at my stove is that it reassures me. If I can bake, then everything is OK. If I can bake, then how can my life not be great? If I've made homemade granola bars for healthy after-school snacks, then how can I not be doing a good job as a mom? Plus, there's nothing to reduce stress like the smell of warm baked goods in your home. How could anything be wrong when your house smells like melting chocolate?

Today I'm sharing a recipe for my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. These are delicious. Plus they are low fat and have lots of healthy protein and vitamins. Or as my friend, Katia says, "they're basically delicious muffin-shaped power bars." The recipe makes a whopping 36 muffins. Freeze some for later.

Easy, Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe