Patriotic Pancakes

Patriotic pancakes! Here's a festive way to start the fourth of July! These are actually quite easy to make too. :)

Here's what you need:

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon honey
1 egg, beaten
10 oz milk
3 tablespoons coconut oil
Blueberries
Greek vanilla yogurt
Powdered sugar

What to do :

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients and the applesauce together.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, milk, honey, and vanilla together. Then pour into the dry ingredients and mix.

3. Then melt the coconut oil in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and add to the pancake mix.

4. Add about 10 drops of red food coloring and mix well.

5. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan on medium high heat.

6. Pour or scoop the pancake mix onto the pan. Then cook until brown on both sides.

7. Cut the pancake into a rectangle, and slice off the top brown layer so that the pancake is more red.

8. Add a small square blueberries in the top left corner to represent the blue part of our flag.

9. Add a few white stripes of yogurt to represent the white stripes on the flag.

10. Sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar of the blueberries to represent the stars on our flag.

11. Enjoy!!!! :) :)

Red and blue star shaped cookies

Gotta love holiday themed cookies!! :) We made red and blue star shaped cookies for the fourth of July. :)

Here is what you need:

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cup flour 
Food coloring 

How to make these awesome cookies:

1. First, using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. (Note: If the butter is softer, it works better.)

2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together.

3. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture..

4. Slowly pour in the dry mixture while blending each time until completely mixed. 

5. Roll the dough into 2 balls.

6. Place one ball of dough in a mixing bowl at a time, add 8-10 drops of food coloring, and blend with a mixer.

7. Roll the dough out on a flat and lightly floured surface, and cut out the shapes.

8. Bake at 375F degrees for 12-15 minutes.

9. Enjoy!! ;)

Fireworks in a bottle!

Do you want to make fun and safe fireworks for your kids? Well, now you can! The "fireworks" are super easy to make and fun for all ages. :) They also make excellent sensory toys.

Here's what you need:
1 cup of sparkling (seltzer) water
1  1/2 cups vegetable oil
6-8 drops food coloring (any color)

What to do:
1. Pour the sparkling water and vegetable oil into a bottle.

2. Then add food coloring.

3. Shake the bottle and watch the colors explode, or flip the bottle upside down to watch g the colors explode.

**This is a great way for kids to safely make their own fireworks. Harry had a lot of fun with this, and he spend about 15 minutes flipping the bottle. He loved it!

Homemade Cheese Crackers

Making your own crackers is actually quite easy! Harry loves cheese, so I thought I would make him his own cheese crackers. This saves me time at the grocery store because I have to quadruple check all the food labels due to Harry's peanut and tree nuts allergies. 

These cheese crackers are quite healthy for you, and they are a delicious snack!!! :) Harry loves them.

Here's what you need:

2 1/2 cups ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 cups shredded cheese

4oz. milk 

**Note: I used breast milk because I have a giant supply in the freezer. Lol.**

What to do: 

1. First, mix the dry ingredients together. (Flaxseed, sea salt, and paprika)

2. Then add the unsweetened applesauce and mix until crumbly.

3. Slowly stir in the cheese and milk, and then roll the dough into a ball.

4. On a flat surface, sprinkle some flour down and flatten out the dough.

5. Cut into shapes or whatever you'd like, and place onto a greased cookie sheet. 

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake for about 18-24 minutes. 

7. Cool and enjoy! :)

Watermelon Cupcakes

Dessert doesn't have to be unhealthy for you or make you feel guilty. It can healthy, guilt free, and quite delicious!! I made watermelon cupcakes. Yummy!!

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sea salt

1 banana

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup prune juice

1/3 of a small watermelon

What to do:

1. First, mix all of the dry i ingredients together (flaxseed, flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and sea salt).

2. In a separate bowl, mash up a banana. 

3. Then, add the mashed banana, unsweetened applesauce, and prune to the dry mixture and mix well. 

4. Mash up 1/3 of a small watermelon in a separate bowl, and stir it into the batter.

**Note: You might have some watermelon juice and small watermelon pieces. That is ok.**

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and fill up a cupcake pan with liners. (Or if you are like me and don't have liners, grease the cupcake pan.)

6. Fill the cupcakes up about 3/4th full, and bake for about 25 minutes.

**Note: The cupcakes will be a little moist. That is ok!**

7. Cool and enjoy!!

Homemade fruit snacks

Scott loves fruit snacks! He could eat them all day. So, for Father's Day I decided to make Scott his own fruit snacks that were a bit healthier than the packaged ones. It was very easy to make! 

Here's what you need:

1 cup of berries (I chose strawberries and blueberries)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup 100% pure fruit juice (I chose prune juice because we love prune juice.)

1/4 cup water

2 packets of regular unflavored gelatin

What to do:

1. Combine the berries and water into a sauce pan,  and heat on medium until they boil.

2. Mash up the fruit, and then add applesauce. Heat on medium again until they boil. Cover and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, add the cold fruit juice, and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let it sit for about a minute. 

4. Add the berries/applesauce to the fruit juice and gelatin, and stir for about 3 minutes.

5. Pour into molds, ice cubes trays, or whatever else works. Refrigerate for about 3 hours, and enjoy!!! :)

Bubble Paint

Bubbles and paint?!?! Seriously this is so cool!!! You can have colorful bubbles and make some cool pictures. Harry and I had so much fun with it. 

Here's what you need:
Bubbles
Food coloring
Paint

What to do:

1. First, mix some bubbles and paint together.

2. Then, add about 5 drops of food coloring to each bowl, and mix again. 

3. Blow the bubbles into the air and catch them on the paper, or blow them directly on them the paper.

**Note: The bubbles will dry different colors and make cool designs on your paper!**