Honey and Almond Salmon

This recipe was kind of a fly by the seat of my pants deal, as I just used what I had around. Luckily, it panned out! Even Beckett loved it! Score!

Ingredients:

* 1 pound of salmon

* 1/2 cup of almonds (finely chopped)

* 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 

* 1/4 cup honey 

* Fresh rosemary 

* 1 teaspoon minced garlic

* 1 tablespoon lime juice 

Mix all ingredients, except almonds, and pour over salmon. Then sprinkle almonds over salmon and press down lightly. Drizzle Damon with honey. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20-30 minutes (depends how thick your piece is). 

Serves well with honey glazed carrots, salad, quiona, or sweet potato.

ABC Montessori Box

This week's nap time project: putting the kiddos' ABC box together. The purpose of the box is create a hands-on learning approach for the alphabet. 

What else does it do? This box assists your child in developing phonemic awareness and helps them to learn independently (once introduced).  You are building their literacy skills and confidence which will be a huge blessing as you enter preschool and kindergarten. Literacy is the foundation to a successful education. 

How did I find all my trinkets? 

I collected items from around try house, from the favor section at Party City, Toobs from Michael's Crafts (you can also find them on Amazon), a few miniatures in the dollhouse section,  and a few little items from the Dollar Store. Below I provide a list of items I used. If I couldn't find an item I wanted, I printed a small picture on card stock. 

As your child masters each letter, you can add to the box. It grows with the child! 

You also need in include a capital and lowercase letters. You can use letter tiles, magnets, foam letters, or wooden letters. 

I used a took storage chest and scrapbook alphabet stickers to label each drawer (the vowel stickers have dots; consonants are solid). NOTE: The children won't have access to the entire storage box, until all letters have been introduced. I will use small boxes to introduce letters at the beginning. 

If you look at the picture above you will notice the letters are not in alphabetical order. When you introduce the alphabet you typical start with the song, maybe a puzzle, flash cards. These are all great things and helpful to memorization.  The purpose of this box is to not only have children recognize (and memorize) the letters, but to also learn their sounds. This assists in developing early literacy skills. 

Before I list all of the trinkets in my alphabet box, I wanted to share a list of ways to use the box (there are also some great blog resources out there - check out Living Montessori for additional resources). 

1. Letter of the week (if you are starting early - say 20-28 months). Introduce the letter and objects. Get them out each morning, practice sounding them out. To extend- add a color page for the letter, a boon for each letter, a song, etc 

2. Choose a grouping of 3-4 letters per week. The letter grouping should contain one vowel and 2-3 consonants which should NOT sound the same or look the same (this is one of the reasons my alphabet box is not in alphabetical order).  Introduce them the same way as listed above, then play seek and find. "Can you find objects that sound like Ff?" 

3. Sort the objects by sound/letter. 

4. Find other objects around the house or outside (you may leave a few strategically lying around) and have them help sound the word out and add them to their box. 

TIPS:

1. Introduce one box/drawer at a time when beginning at age 2 or 3

2. Once all letters are introduced, group them in letter groups of 3-4 and explore.

3. Incorporate money, food items, shapes, colors, animals, and household items to assist in shaping a wide vocabulary. You are also then teaching math but introducing money and shapes! Bonus! 

4. Let kids play with the objects and explore. Maybe put them in water, kinetic sand, the tub, or in play doh. Do collect items and put them away each day or your box will become a disaster quickly. 

Okay - let's talk trinkets! My minimum was three per letter (although I got stuck a couple times, as you will notice). Most have more than three though! I will not give eight a time, but am listing all of my objects to give you options.

A - apple, asparagus, airplane, alligator 

B - balloon, barn, bucket, bear, bird, bananas, bowl, book

C - cow, cat, coral, car, camel

D - dime, dog, duck, dinosaur, donut, drill

E - elephant, eye (googly eye), egg

F - feather, farmer, flag, fork, frog, fish, french fries

G - gorilla, glue, guitar, giraffe (this one should be introduced later as it is not a hard g sound), golf clubs, gold 

H - horse, hippo, hedgehog, hay, hamburger

I - ice, infant (this should be introduced after ice as the sound is not the same), iguana (sounds like "e" - should be introduced later) 

J - jug, jet, 

K - kite, key, kaleidoscope, kitty

L - lion, lobster, lantern, links 

M - marker, mouse, measuring tape, Mickey, monkey

N - nut (as in nuts and bolts), nail polish, nickel, Nemo

O - oval (sounds like the letter o), octopus and octagon (this is that vowel sound we are trying to recognize) 

P - paint, Panther, pig, penny, pan, pot

Q - question mark, quarter, Quartz (rock)

R - rabbit, rectangle, rhino, rooster, ravioli 

S - star, spoon, starfish, square, sponge, sandwich, skunk (these words also work well when introduce consonant clusters - st, sp)

T - treasure, turtle, tractor, tiger 

U - umbrella (doesn't sound like "u") unicorn (hard "u" sound), 

V - violin, vegetables, violet 

W - wagon, whisk, Winnie the Pooh, warthog, wrench (wr consonant cluster A to be introduced later)

X - x-ray, xylophone 

Y - your, yellow crayon, yogurt 

Z - zipper, zebra, zoo

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken thighs
• 2 Cups Sweet Potatoes
• 1 Cup Frozen Peas
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic
• 1 Tsp Ginger
• 1 Can Coconut Milk
• 1 Can Tomato Sauce
• ½ Cup Chicken Broth
• 2 Tablespoons Curry Powder (more if you want)
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin
• Sprinkle cayenne (more for more heat)
• 1 tsp salt
• Optional: Fresh cilantro, 1 lemon, halved

 

Instructions:

1. Layer sweet potatoes., peas, and chicken in slow cooker (or freezer bag)
2. Mix all remaining ingredients  in bowl and pour over chicken
3. Cook on low for 5 - 6 hours (8 hours if frozen)
4. Serve over rice

My Favorite Chicken Pot Pie

NOTE: This recipe makes two pot pies! I double the recipe to make 4 and share/freeze them for us and family or friends.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I do carrots, peas, corn, green beans)
• ⅓ cup butter or margarine
• ½ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup whole or evaporated milk 
• 2 cups roasted chicken, chopped
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked and chopped russet potatoes 
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. pepper
• 4 unbaked pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)

INSTRUCTIONS

To Make the Filling

1. Sauté butter and onion in large skillet

2. Boil chopped russet potatoes for 12 -15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Roast (or buy) a chicken using herbs and spices that are soft (Rosemary, thyme, etc)

4. Go back to skillet and add flour and stir until mixed and smooth.

5. Add broth and milk. Keep on medium and stir with whisk slowly until it bubbles and is thick (about 10-15 minutes). 

6. Mix in chicken, frozen veggies, salt, and pepper, and potatoes.

7. Let cool completely 

8. Place pie crust in pans. Fill and then top with a second crust. Fold edges under and crimp. Poke slits in the top. 

To bake now: 375 degrees for 30

Minutes; then let cool for 10.

To freeze: prepare same as above- cover with foil and place in freezer. When ready to cook it can go straight to the oven from frozen. Bake at 375 for 75 minutes. 

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 chicken breasts cut into large cubes
• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 3/4 cup chunky natural peanut butter
• 2 - 3 teaspoons minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

Optional :

• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish
• Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Directions

1. Place chicken in slow cooker or freezer bag.
2. Stir together coconut milk, peanut butter, garlic, honey, soy sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes; mix until (mostly) smooth) 
3. Pour mixture over chicken. 
4. Freeze or cook in slow cooker on low for 4 hours ( 5 - 6 if frozen).
5. Serve chicken and sauce over cooked white or brown rice, cooked rice noodles, or stuffed inside large lettuce leaves, as wraps. Garnish with chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro, and additional red pepper flakes, if desired.

Note: Slow cooker times may vary depending on your slow cooker

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken with Carrots

Ingredients:

• 6 - 8 chicken thighs or 3 - 4 chicken breasts
• 16 ounces baby carrots
• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions: 

1. Place chicken  and carrots in slow cooker or freezer bag
2. Mix all remaining ingredients with a whisk and pour over chicken
3. Cook on low 4 - 5 hours (6 - 8 if frozen)

Note: Slow cooker time may vary depending on your slow cooker

Slow Cooker Cashew Nut Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 - 4 boneless chicken breasts (chopped into large chunks)
• 3 tbsp cornstarch (this is optional - see below)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 garlic gloves minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger (less if not freshly grated)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of cashews

Instructions

1. Optional: in ziplock bag put cornstarch and pepper and chicken and coat - then brown in skillet (about 2 minutes per side). If freezing this meal - skip this step (I don't do it in general but some people like it a little crispy and this will give you that texture).

2. Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and chicken. Mix well.
3. Put chicken in slow cooker (or in freezer bag) and pour mixture over.
4. Freeze or put in slow cooker for 4 hours on low (5 - 6 hours on low if frozen)

Note: Slow cooker times may vary depending on your slow cooker 

Woodland Themed Birthday

I found a variety of woodland animals this fall at the craft store and saved them for this day! The squirrel was hot glued to the sign! I just printed the sign at Walgreens and Used modge podge to attach it to canvas! 

We did easy food this year: pork and chicken BBQ sandwiches, baked mac and cheese, hickory and brown sugar baked beans, mini apples, and mixed berries! 

Mini apples are so fun for toddlers!

The dessert bar! We had chocolate cupcakes with vanilla marshmallow frosting and crystal "snow" (sprinkles). Hedgehog donut holes, extra large marshmallow s'more pops, "bear poop" (chocolate covered cranberries), and S'mores trail mix. 

The s'mores pops were so easy! Just melt dark and semisweet chocolate in a bowl and dip extra large marshmallows, sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs! 

The hedgehog donut holes were so fun! Just make or buy plain donut holes, make a powdered sugar/milk "glue," and roll in chocolate sprinkles! Use an edible marker to draw eyes and a nose! 

Cupcake heaven! These are the easiest cupcakes! I used marshmallow / vanilla icing and then rolled them in white sprinkles. I made them a little messy when icing, so it would look like snow. The toppers are round wood cutouts from the craft store with hot glued toothpicks. Easy breezy! 

Fun straws and evergreen trees to continue the theme. 

Lots of woodland animals, pine cones, and moss to decorate.  It maybe took 10 minutes to decorate the table. 

Quinoa Butternut Squash Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning squash
• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups water
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds or sliced almonds
• Juice of 3 large oranges
• Zest of 1 large orange
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:  

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place butternut squash on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss until squash is well coated. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the squash for 30 minutes, turning once, until tender.
2. While the butternut squash is roasting, cook the quinoa. Let cool to room temp.
3. Combine quinoa, butternut squash, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds/almonds.
4. Whisk together the orange juice, zest, olive oil, and honey. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle over quinoa salad. Toss until ingredients and enjoy as a meal or a side.

Toddler Learning: The Color Brown

Last week we focused on the color brown. Seems drab, but the color brown is all around us just waiting to be explored!

Books: 

- Brown Bear, Brown Bear

- Five Little Monkeys 

- In My Jungle (a finger puppet book) 

- In My Forest (a finger puppet book)

Activities: 

- Find and collect brown leaves and pine cones  from outside 

- Put together heads and tails for the Brown Bear characters (link here: http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/BrowBearBrownBear.html)

- Act out Five Little Monkeys with finger puppets or printables (you can print monkeys and put them on Popsicle sticks as well) 

Crafts: 

- Use stamps, such as, footballs, bears, and horses and stamp them in the color brown

- Color or paint brown animals 

- Paper Plate Owl Craft (see link: http://easypreschoolcraft.blogspot.com/2012/04/flying-owl-paper-plate-craft.html?m=1) 

Food: 

- Make brownies together 

- Use peanut butter 

- Baked potatoes 

Toddler Learning: Interactive Reading Choices

My toddler NEVER. STOPS. Okay, reality check - no toddler ever stops!

Here are some great options to get your toddler moving and to help them stay engaged while reading (it livens things up for parents too). 

#1 Clap Your Hands by Cauley 

This book is great because it gets kids moving and helps them to follow directions. I would use this book in my elementary classroom to work out wiggles and have a few laughs for even fifth graders, yet it is easy enough for a two year old (or younger) to participate.

#2 Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi 

Based on Raffi's hit song, this is a great book to explore before bed or any other time of day! It gets the whole family moving and laughing. 

#3 Tumble Bumble by Bond 

This was a new one for our family and is quickly becoming a favorite! Follow a tiny bug on a walk, where he meets new friends and gets moving. It is great for getting wiggles out and also teaches about making new friends and trying new things. 

#4 From Head to Toe by Carle

Another great find written by Eric Carle. This one helps your toddler learn the parts of their body, while getting up and moving. A classic favorite in our home.

#5 Don't Push the Button by Cotter

This one is a winner because it plays directly into every toddlers hands: they can't push a button. So, what do you think they want to do the entire book? Push the button. It is terrific for teaching following directions and is just wildly comical to see the look on your child's face when they are allowed to finally touch the button. 

#6 How Loud is a Lion by Beaton

My toddler is obsessed with animals and their silly noises, which makes this book a hit in our home. He loves to make all of the animal sounds and we even get up and move like the animals sometimes. There is also a hidden lion on each page, making for a fun scavenger hunt! 

#7 Jump Frog Jump by Kalan

We made this book into a let's get up and move book. The frog in this book finds himself in several circumstances in which he better escape fast! What does he do to escape? Jump of course! So what do we do each time the frog jumps? We jump like a frog! It is simple and fun! 

#8 Are You Ticklish by Bendon Inc

This book is normally only available used now but it is worth it! Each page has a new animal to tickle (touch and feel book)  and it just cracks my toddler up! He now lives to tickle his little brothers toes and he would tickle the dog as well. Lots of laughs for as young as 10 months. 

#9 Little People Lift and Flap Books by Fisher-Price 

There are so many Little People lift the flap books to choose from and they are all wonderful! They have one for each holiday and their books coordinate with their Little People play sets.  A few of our favorites are:

- The Farm

- Let's Go to the Zoo

- Planes, Cars, Trucks, and Trains

These are great for independent play/reading once they have been explored with a parent. 

#10 Slide and Find by Priddy

Priddy has put together over a dozen slide and find books which are great fun for toddlers! There are holiday themed slide and find books, as well as everyday books (trucks, colors, etc).

They are great learning tools and can be independently played with after introduced by an adult. 

Our Dairy Free Life: Snacking Away

I am a slacker and needed a couple go to snacks that were quick and dairy free. This is what I'm enjoying so far:

- Hummus with peppers, triscuits, or veggie straws

- Chocolate Teddy Graham's or Oreos for a sweet treat fix

- Plain popcorn with flaked coconut or semisweet chocolate chips (Costco has their own Kirkland brand and they are dairy free) 

- Triscuits with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes 

- Nature Valley Oats and Honey bars

- Lots of fruit :) 

- Edamame with sea salt 

Our Dairy Free Life: Recipes Round One

How have we been surviving going dairy free? Pretty well, surprisingly! Here is what our menu looked like last week:

Monday: Chicken kabobs with sweet chili sauce and sweet potatoes with a sprinkle of brown sugar

Tuesday: Sausage, Egg, Spinach, Feta muffins cups 

Wednesday: Paleo Pancakes with strawberries

Thursday: Roasted chicken with butter lettuce, champagne dressing (Gillard's light champagne dressing - very yummy), strawberries, croutons, and sunflower seeds

Friday: Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken (click here for recipe - you can use almond milk instead of coconut milk) and skinny fried rice 

We filled the gaps with scrambled eggs, roasted chicken, salad, and smoothies with just fruit and orange juice. 

Our Dairy Free Life: Getting Started

Just over a week ago we went dairy free. Okay, I went dairy free because my sweet peanut was experience severe reflux symptoms (even with medication). He is now much happier, which may be due to the lack of dairy I have been consuming.

Going dairy free was intimidating, to say the least. It is in EVERYTHING and is hidden under several aliases. You can find the complete list and more details here: http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-free-grocery-shopping-guide/dairy-ingredient-list-2

So, I started reading labels and had a meltdown. Dressings, breads, all kinds of sweet treats... All contained dairy. I wondered if I could do it. Why not just go to specialized formula, but that is not what I really wanted. I realized I needed to continue my research, so using www.godairyfree.org and Pinterest, I began my dairy free adventure. I also found an amazing dairy free breast feeding group on Facebook. The information and support immediately made my attitude change (search: Dairy Free Diet - breastfeeding and you will find it). 

Here are a couple other links I found helpful while traveling down this new road.

http://www.chop.edu/pages/breastfeeding-baby-food-allergies#.VfoU5373arW

http://kellymom.com/health/baby-health/food-sensitivity/

Just know it can be done! I will confess... I miss my Reese Pumpkins, but I am losing weight! 

Toddler Learning: The Color Green

Books: 

- Jump Frog Jump

- Why Are Animas Green? 

- Edible Colors 

- All the Colors of Busyland

Activities: 

-Shop for the green food in the play kitchen and sort in a muffin tin

- Find and collect green leaves from outside 

- Dye the bath tub water green and play with green bath toys

- Sort green blocks 

Crafts: 

- Make a green turtle craft (see pic below)

- Paint green animals

Food: 

- Greenbeans

- Green bell peppers 

I used construction paper to cut out the limbs, tail, and head of the turtle. Then I taped them on the plate. I cut up different shades of green construction paper and let my LO glue them on. Then he colored the edges with different green crayons. Super easy and fun! 

Toddler Learning: The Color Yellow

I

Books: 

- Five Little Ducks 

- Edible Colors 

- All the Colors of Busyland

Activities: 

- Find and collect yellow leaves from outside 

- Help make scrambled eggs

- Sort yellow blocks and pegs 

- Watch Five Little Ducks video and play with duck paper plates (find out more here: http://m.lifeovercs.com/fd6skx5/articles/69484/Five-Little-Ducks-on-the-Pond-Gross-Motor-Activity)

Crafts: 

- Use yellow markers to color yellow animals

- Place puffy bumble bee stickers in a bumble bee "jar" and count them

Food: 

- scrambled eggs

- avocado (yellow and green)

Peach Balsamic Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 4 - 6 springs of rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
• 3 peaches, sliced
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 - 4 chicken breasts

Instructions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In a pan saute onion in olive oil or coconut oil until clear, then add rosemary, salt, pepper, and peaches for about five minutes
3. Add honey and balsamic vinegar and simmer for 5 minutes
4. Place chicken in greased baking pan and pour mixture over.
5. Bake for 75 minutes 

Note: Use extra peach sauce as a dressing on spinach and almond salad - delicious

Toddler Learning: The Color Red

Now that baby R is here and everyone is going back to school, I felt it was time B and I had something to focus on each week. So, this fall we will focus on colors first (with a dash of numbers, learning about fall, and farm animals). 

We began with the color red! 

How do I break our week down? 

Books: 

- Ilama Ilama Red Pajama 

- The Little Red Hen

- Edible Colors 

- All the Colors of Busyland

- The Color Red

- Red, Blue, and Yellow Too

Activities: 

-Shop for the red food in the play kitchen and sort in a muffin tin

- Find and collect red leaves from outside 

- Go apple picking 

Crafts: 

- Make a red hen

- Use red ladybug stickers on a coloring page 

Food: 

- Strawberry smoothies 

- Homemade pizza with red sauce, pepperoni, and red peppers 

Next week is the color green!