DIY Meals for Kids

I'm a big fan of kids in the kitchen. But I'll be honest, despite all of the reasons to get kids cooking, sometimes the reality of the giant mess that usually follows is completely unappealing. On the days that I just. cant. deal. with that kitchen mess, but still want to keep the spirit of kid involvement alive and well, I go DIY. 

Below are five ideas for you to have some fun with mealtime. They've been a huge hit in my house and as an added bonus: the prep is done by me so my kitchen isn't a complete disaster by the time the meal is served. I hope they're a hit in your house too!  

1. DIY Tacos
Who doesn't love tacos? Actually, one of my kids doesn't love tacos, so when we have DIY Tacos, he makes himself a quesadilla and eats beans and pineapple on the side. Fine by me. But for those who DO love tacos, you can make it fun with black beans, ground meat (season with chile powder and garlic), cheese, cilantro, limes, pineapple, avocado, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, peppers and cucumber. Don't forget the tortillas! 

2. DIY Bruschetta 
The inspiration for this one comes from What's Gaby Cooking. I saw it and was instantly smitten. My family went bananas for this because there are so many flavor opportunities! DIY Bruschetta is fabulous for entertaining as well. Here we've got grilled bread with: goat cheese, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella and a slicing cheese, grilled corn, roasted tomatoes, roasted pepper puree, bean dip, hummus, grilled mushrooms, olives, caramelized onions, guacamole, grilled steak, prosciutto and pesto. Note: when we do this for dinner for just my family, we don't have this many options! This photo was taken before entertaining some guests. :) 

3. DIY Oatmeal  
Cook a big old batch of oatmeal and put some favorite toppers in a muffin tin for the kids to choose from. Ours include: strawberries, raspberries, coconut, banana chips, pumpkin seeds, chopped apple, chopped banana and golden berries. 

4. DIY Pasta
Pasta can be a challenge in my house because my youngest can't eat dairy, my oldest loves dairy and doesn't like too many ingredients in her pasta and my middle child doesn't love meat and eats cheese sparingly. DIY Pasta is a blessing for us! We usually have it with meat or chicken (often leftovers cut up), peas, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, basil, tomatoes and peppers. I frequently have tomato sauce as well.  

5. DIY Egg Roll Ups
I got the idea for Egg Roll Ups from Aviva Wittenberg. Essentially, it's using egg as a tortilla replacement and it's pretty genius! Scramble the egg and fry it in a pan with a little butter, flip it after a few minutes and then slide out of the pan onto a plate. Once cool, you can use it like a tortilla and roll up anything you want! For us, it usually involves cheese, quinoa or rice, veggies (below, we have purple cabbage, zucchini, green beans and tomatoes) and ham or chicken (often just cut up leftovers). 

Are there DIY meals that you make at home? We'd love to hear about them! 

Breakfast Cookies

Okay so the words "breakfast" and "cookies" don't really go together. I'm not actually making cookies for my kids' breakfast. But these things are shaped like cookies and the name "breakfast cookies" is a really big hit in my house. 

Now that we have that out of the way, I wanted to give a shout out to Produce for Kids, whose Insta post for this recipe was an inspiration to me. (are you following them?) I've modified the recipe slightly and made it completely nut free and I can tell you, these things are an instant hit with my brood and for me. They are delicious with my morning joe. Give it a go! And when you do, keep me posted by tagging us on Instagram. 

Here goes: 

Ingredients
2 eggs (I used jumbo, because that's what I buy, but large will work too)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 large ripe banana, mashed
1 pear, chopped
1/2 apple, chopped
2 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of flour (whole wheat or white) 
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. Combine eggs, vanilla, honey, oil, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, banana, pear and apple in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Combine oats, flour, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. 
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones until thoroughly mixed.
5. Portion out "cookies" onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, and place about 1 inch apart. Bake for 18 minutes or until firm. Set aside to cool and enjoy! 

Pile into the Kitchen for Mother's Day!

There's a sweet collection of Winnie the Pooh stories that my 2 year old is obsessed with these days. The pages have been torn and taped in places from those moments that her excitement got the better of her. One of the stories is about a scavenger hunt, and ends with Christopher Robin telling Pooh and the crew that friends working together is the greatest thing in the whole world. I thought of that story over and over this Mother's Day. 

My husband had a Mother's Day plan. He and the kids would get up early and make me a fabulous breakfast (not in bed – I have a thing about food in bedrooms). How do I know about this plan? Because my kids can't keep a secret! Well, my 9 year old can. But her brother and sister spilled the beans. They created a menu using LaLa Breakfast on the iPad and each person claimed a role in the making of a delicious Mother's Day breakfast.

Most important first step? Coffee. My husband took charge of that one. The kids created a Mother's Day Breakfast Sandwich that they knew I'd love – the SAT sandwich: Applegate Sausage, Avocado and Tomato with fruit on the side. My husband, armed with the camera, sat back and watched the collaboration magic. My littlest one washed berries: 

My middle guy chopped bananas:

My 9 year old stole the show. I'm so impressed to see how motivated she is in the kitchen these days. She's eager to prepare foods and has been careful to watch, listen and learn new techniques. She toasted bread, sliced avocado and tomato, and even prepared the sausages all by herself and brought their sandwich vision to life. 

The Greatest Gift in the Whole World! The sandwich was delicious, of course. But as I sat in my bedroom – under strict orders not to come out until they gave the green light – I remembered that I'm celebrating my 10th Mother's Day this year. Tenth! And my big family is finally getting to a place where we're able to pile into the kitchen and work together as a team. It's an absolute thrill to see a spark of independence in all three of my kids. And sure, it sounded hectic in the kitchen at times (I sat quietly playing Words with Friends and drinking coffee) but look what came out of it! The SAT is a perfect sandwich, and this savory breakfast with a hint of sweet was a delicious way to kick off Mother's Day. Awesome teamwork! 

Apparently parts of it had to be made a couple of times: 

I'm grateful at my soul's core for the opportunity to be a mom to my three kids. Thanks to them I feel hope, courage and tenderness in ways that I hadn't previously even comprehended. I'll be celebrating later today with my phenomenal mom, without whom none of this would have happened. 

Three cheers to moms everywhere and to the folks who love them and make their lives richer! And best wishes to you and yours for a happy and healthy Mother's Day! 

My son was busy drawing a heart for me on the iPad and didn't want to be part of this photo. 

Hot Cocoa Pancakes

My kids beg for chocolate chip pancakes. Do yours? I've made them a handful of times and apparently the experience is stuck in their heads as the ultimate breakfast treat. I decided to use my go-to pancake recipe and added my homemade hot cocoa mix. Boom! Hot cocoa pancakes. 

First, make the pancake batter. Next, add the homemade hot cocoa mix. Stir to combine. 

Fry these babies in butter or coconut oil. Flip when little bubbles start to appear on top. 

Woot woot! 

Hot Cocoa Pancakes 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup buttermilk or plain kefir

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add buttermilk and oil and mix to combine, making sure not to leave any big flour lumps. Add egg and gently fold into the batter. Add flax meal, cinnamon, cocoa, sugar and vanilla extract and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. 
Pour desired pancake size into a hot, buttered pan. Flip pancakes when tiny bubbles appear on the top. This recipe makes enough pancakes for my three kids for three breakfasts. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.  

You might also like: 

Banana Oatmeal Bars
My 5 favorite quick breakfasts for hectic mornings

Banana Oatmeal Bars: A Fast, Easy, Healthy Breakfast

'Tis the season to be hectic. 
I don't know about you, but amid all of the awesomeness of the holiday season, I'm just pooped. Truth be told, my husband and I are relieved when the kids want cereal with milk and a banana or toast with a banana for breakfast these days. My kiddos choose their breakfasts and lunches in advance, which certainly makes things easier for me because I don't have the added stress of thinking about what to serve (let alone dealing with an argument about it). That said, I still have to prepare and serve those meals and unfortunately, there are no holiday fairies that take care of that for me. 

It's times like these that make Banana Oatmeal Bars so very amazing. 

These things are so easy to make, my kids do it themselves now, which frankly is one of the greatest holiday gifts ever. One batch makes 9 bars in our house – but it can make 16 more if you cut them smaller. My kids generally eat two apiece with breakfast. With just four ingredients, they're simple to prepare, quick to serve, and full of healthy goodness. Trifecta! In fact, putting two of these on a plate with some fruit is even easier than serving a bowl of cereal with milk. These bars also make for wonderful snacks! They're dairy free, gluten free, vegan and naturally sweet thanks to those super ripe bananas. 

Download the image below and add it to your LaLa Breakfast Food Library and/or your LaLa Lunchbox Food Library so that your mornings are just a teensy bit easier. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have about that. 

Banana Oatmeal Bars

3 super ripe (aka brown) bananas
2 cups of rolled oats (not instant)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
* optional: 1/2 cup of one of these: dried cranberries, raisins, nuts, pumpkin seeds or chocolate chips

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 dish with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas until they are smooth.
3. Add the oats and mix to combine.
4. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
5. Pour into baking dish. Bake for 25-28 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy.

Here are some other recipes you might like: 
Banana Sweet Potato Muffins
Banjo Muffins
Oatmeal Muffins
Banana Pancake Kebabs
 

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