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Pre-Kindergarten Daily Schedule

March 16, 2020 by Lindsay 7 Comments

This Pre-Kindergarten Daily Schedule is an easy way to plan your day. Let your child choose an activity in each category and practice writing it if they can!

Hi friends!

I wanted to share this Pre-Kindergarten Daily Schedule I put together to help provide us with a little structure while my kids are not in school. My oldest is only in pre-k so I wanted something pretty basic but also something that would give him some ownership and let him choose as much as possible so that he would be excited to participate. I created this schedule so that together we could brainstorm and write down an activity in each of the following categories:

Learning
Movement
Art
Cooking
Reading
Building

This schedule focuses more on categories rather than doing things in a specific order. It allows us to choose some activities each day and then organize them in a way that works best for us each day without being restricted to doing things in the same order daily. My son thrives on routine and schedule, so my guess is we may start naturally doing things in the same order each day anyways, but I like the flexibility. Or who knows, he may just be happy going through the daily schedule each morning, even if it’s a different schedule from the day before.

Pre-Kindergarten Daily Schedule

Here’s an example of how we filled out the daily schedule:

Learning: Muffins (He wanted to learn about what makes muffins rise)
Movement: Simon Says
Art: Painting
Cooking: Pizza (He wanted to make homemade pizza)
Reading: Watch (He wanted to use Storyline Online to watch an actor read a book)
Building: Legos

And here’s how our day went:

Wake up/breakfast/showers/get dressed
Make schedule
Make pizza dough (watched a video on yeast while yeast was activating)
Free play
Snack
Painting
Simon Says for movement
Science experiment about the difference between baking soda and baking powder. (Find it here)
Lunch – shaped, baked and ate our pizzas…plus some math with pepperonis
Quiet time
Storyline online books
Daily mile – bike/walk/scooter + a little nature hike
Snack
Free play + dinner prep
Outside time
Dinner
TV
Bed

This is a flexible schedule that’s working well for us so far. Add your own categories to make it work for you. If you decide to use it, you can prompt your kids to help them choose the activity for each category:

Learning – Ask them if they want to learn about a certain animal or person, how something works, do a science experiment, learn a new skill, etc
Movement – They could make up their own workout, do Cosmic Kids Yoga, play a sport, build an obstacle course, go on a scavenger hunt or hike, play Simon says…anything to get their body moving
Art – Let them choose the art medium: paint, markers, crayons, watch a video to help them learn to draw something, help them illustrate their own story, make a collage, do a craft, etc
Cooking – Have your kids help you prep food for the week, prep food for dinner or help you make dinner, make their own lunch or breakfast, bake something, invent their own recipe…
Reading – Read a book, listen to a bok at Storyline Online, listen to an audiobook. After reading or listening, ask them to summarize what happened or ask a few questions to check their comprehension.
Building– Encourage them to use their imagination and create something using legos, Magnatiles, blocks, items from the recycling bin, playdough etc
Daily: Things we do every day- quiet time and free play, plus walk a mile (weather permitting)

If things come up during the day that you want to learn about the next day, fill them in before bed! During our day today we talked about woodpeckers on our nature walk and freckles & moles at dinner so we wrote them both down to investigate more tomorrow!

You can download your own copy of this Pre-Kindergarten Daily Schedule here!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Easy Pantry and Freezer Meals

March 14, 2020 by Lindsay 2 Comments

These Easy Pantry and Freezer Meals use staple ingredients, plus a few things that last a while in the fridge, to make simple, kid-friendly dinners.

Hi friends!

I’ve gotten a lot of requests for easy pantry and freezer meals so I wanted to put together a post of simple ideas for you guys! I used ingredients from my pantry and freezer, along with a few things that last a while in the fridge like pre-packaged hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, carrots, cheese, pesto etc! For veggies I relied on vegetables that have a long shelf life in the pantry like potatoes, squash and onions, carrots in the fridge, plus frozen vegetables (canned vegetables also work!). For fruits, I tried to include things like apples and oranges that last a while, plus frozen and canned/packaged fruit.

Remember that these meals are flexible. You can easily swap in your favorite type of frozen vegetables, crackers, pasta, beans, frozen meat etc. I’m not sponsored by or endorsing any specific brands for this post. I took these photos using what I had on hand, without any special trips to the store because these are all actual meals I would make for my family, especially during this time when we might not be able to get to the grocery store as often as usual!

Easy Pantry and Freezer Meals

**The ideas in red do not have links. They’re just general ideas!**

Burger + Fruit + Veggies – Choose your favorite meat, fish or veggie burger and pair with steamed veggies and fruit
Pancakes + Smoothie – Make pancakes from scratch or use your favorite mix. Pair with a yogurt-based smoothie and throw in some frozen fruits (and veggies like spinach, cauliflower or zucchini if you want!) and healthy fat like peanut butter
Chicken Nuggets + Veggie Fries + Applesauce – Swap veggie fries for regular fries if you want and add an extra side of veggies
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas – Mix roasted sweet potatoes with black beans, corn and cheese. Spoon into tortillas and top with enchilada sauce and cheese before baking. If you have meat in your freezer you can cook and use that instead of sweet potatoes, or you could skip the tortillas and mix in some cooked quinoa, farro or rice and scoop with chips. You could also use canned chicken.
Snack Plate – Make a plate with crackers, sliced cheese, meat sticks/pepperoni/smoked meats, hard-boiled eggs and hummus for everyone to share. Throw on some carrots and a side of fruit if you want!
Pesto Pasta + Chicken Sausage – Cook the pasta, add sliced sausage and pesto and mix. Serve with steamed veggies.

Italian Salmon + Farro + Veggies – Drizzle salmon with dressing and bake. Serve with farro/rice/quinoa and your favorite veggies. If you have frozen broccoli or green beans etc you could roast them right on the pan with the salmon from frozen.
French Toast + Fruit + Yogurt – Mix eggs, milk and cinnamon. Dip bread and cook on the stove or griddle. Serve with packaged fruit and yogurt. If you don’t have yogurt, drizzle the french toast with peanut butter or add a handful of nuts to the plate!
Chicken & Chickpea Soup – Cook chicken in a dutch oven with garlic, onion and some frozen veggies. Add a can of chickpeas and tomatoes, some broth and your favorite noodles. Make it vegetarian by leaving out the chicken or swap chickpeas for white beans if you prefer!
Sausage Pizza + Carrots + Oranges – Make your own pizza dough. Top with pizza sauce, chicken sausage and cheese. Serve with carrots or another veggie and apple slices or clementines!
Pumpkin Mac & Cheese + Apples + Trailmix – Make a box of mac and cheese but stir in some pumpkin. Or skip the pumpkin and throw in some peas.
Breakfast Hash – Roast potatoes. Mix with black beans and scrambled eggs. Top with cheese and salsa.

And now here are some recipes already on the blog that can be made with little to no modification.

**click the recipe title to be taken to the recipe on the blog!**

Carrot Pineapple Turkey Meatballs – Swap green onions for white onions if you need to. You can also leave out the red pepper if you don’t have. Serve with rice/farro/quinoa/cauliflower rice and broccoli (roasted from frozen).
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs – Add extra vegetables if you want! Or serve with steamed veggies and rice.
White Chicken Chili – The recipes calls for fresh chicken. If you don’t have some in your freezer to cook you can sub canned chicken or use extra beans.
Instant Pot Pasta With Meat Sauce – If you don’t have an Instant Pot, just cook some ground meat, mix it with a jar of sauce and serve over your favorite noodles.
Lentil Veggie Curry – You can leave out the potatoes or peppers if you don’t have them. Swap lentils for chickpeas if you don’t have them.
Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Sausage – I’ve never roasted frozen green beans but I have done it with broccoli. Or you could just steam veggies and mix them in

Sheet Pan BBQ Meatballs with Sweet Potatoes – Use whatever ground meat you have. Or try these Pesto Lentil Balls.
Baked Ranch Chicken Taquitos – Swap chicken for canned chicken if you need to or make them vegetarian with extra beans.
Tuna Quinoa Cakes – You can also use canned salmon or probably even canned chicken
Lentil Sloppy Joes – Leave out the mushrooms if you don’t have them
Crispy Chicken Bowls with Potatoes – Swap steamed veggies for roasted and mix with potatoes. You could also use chicken nuggets from the freezer.
BBQ Pulled Pork Loaded Sweet Potatoes – If you don’t have meat, make a vegetarian bean chili with canned beans and tomatoes and serve over baked potatoes

A couple of other ideas? Tuna casserole with egg noodles, frozen mixed veggies and a can of cream of mushroom soup or black bean nachos!

Hope this was helpful!

–Lindsay–

Indoor Activities for Kids

March 13, 2020 by Lindsay 2 Comments

Here are 35+ Indoor Activities for Kids that are perfect for helping preschoolers and kids in elementary school keep their bodies and minds active indoors when it’s too hot, cold or rainy to go outside.

Hi friends!

A few years ago, I shared these Indoor Activities For Toddlers and Cheap Toddler Activities and they were a big hit! Now that my kids are older and in preschool, I’ve been meaning to compile a list of indoor activities for slightly older kids! Now that many of us will be spending a lot more time at home, it seemed like the perfect time to put it together. So here are some simple ideas to help keep your kids entertained and maybe even give you a little time to yourself! These should be good for preschoolers and younger elementary school-aged kids. And if you need more ideas you can find them in my At-Home Activities for Kids post! (PS- If you have good weather, here are some Scavenger Hunt Ideas For Kids!)

Indoor Activities for Kids

Get Cooking – Let them help you cook or bake. As they gain the confidence they can do more and more themselves. Check out these Kitchen Tasks for Toddlers.
Dot Simon – Make a few colored dots and spread them around the room. Make a home base. Call out one color and have the child run to it and then back to base. Next call the first color + another color. The child runs to color 1 and then color 2. Continue adding a color each time until the child can no longer remember the order once they start.
Recycling Robot – Turn the kids loose on the recycling bin. Give them some tape or help them use a hot glue gun to build a robot or any creation they can imagine!
Make Your Own Puzzles – Draw a picture, cut it into puzzle piece shapes and mix them up. Let them put it back together.
Build an Obstacle Course – Make them as hard or easy as you want, get out a timer and let the kids go through as quickly as they can.
Make Your Own Workout – Let the kids make up their own workout and then do it with them!
Scavenger Hunt – Tape words, letters, numbers etc around the house and send the kids to look for them. You can write all the words you hide on a piece of paper and give them the list on a clipboard so they can cross them off as they find them. Bonus points if you let them do all or some of the writing. Or take it up a notch and write a bunch of clues so that they have to figure out each clue in order to find where the next one is hidden and leave them a prize at the end.
Guess It Box – Put 3-4 small objects in a box. Cut a hole and let the child stick their hand in and try to guess the objects just by feel.
Homemade Playdough – Let them whip up a batch of homemade playdough

Play Cards – Teach them games like go fish, crazy eights, rummy, war, solitaire etc
Paper Airplanes or Origami – Find some instructions online and challenge them to create a paper airplane or an origami animal
Tongs – Challenge them to do anything with tongs! Cut a slot in a box and let them use tongs to put the magnatiles through the slot, spread pom poms on the floor and have them put them into a cup, etc
Build a City – Connect multiple kinds of toys -Make structures and roads with magnatiles/blocks, make schools for people, a farm for animals, garages for cars, etc
Take an Adventure – Use the Nugget or some couch cushions, or even painters tape, on the floor to make a boat or plane or train and go on an adventure
And Scene! – Make a stage and let them film their own show or movie
Make Your Own Game – Play some board games for inspiration and then let them create a game of their own, make the rules, design the pieces etc.
Free the Dinosaurs – Freeze mini dinosaurs in ice cube trays. Let them melt the ice cubes with hot water and a syringe
Toy Wash – Dump some animals or cars in a bin with dish soap and water. Give them a toothbrush and towel and let them go to down. Bonus points if you go rub the toys in some sand or dirt first to make it more fun. Worried about a mess? Let them sit in the bathtub.

Cosmic Kids Yoga – You can find it on youtube or Amazon Prime for free!
Make A Collage – Grab some magazines/newspapers/junk mail catalogs/grocery store ads etc and let them make a collage
Make Puppets – Use old socks or some paper lunch sacks and make puppets!
DIY Things – Give them a theme and let them use stuff around the house to make their own musical instruments, superhero masks, stuffed animals etc!
Find the Treasure – Draw a treasure map for various rooms around the house and see how quickly they can find the treasure.
Bowling – Set up some cans and go bowling with a tennis ball.
Toss It – Set up paper plates or tape circles on the ground and practice tossing a small toy onto certain ones
Play Restaurant – Let them write a menu, write down your order, pretend to (or actually make) the food etc
Build it – Practice fine motor skills by making paperclip chains, building structures with toothpicks and mini marshmallows/grapes etc
Cut it – Let them practice their scissor skills!
Writing practice – Give them things to tracing or write, make dot to dots and mazes
Go Camping – Have an indoor campout with a tent (real if you have one or make a fort with blankets), sleeping bags, a flashlight or lantern etc
Pillow Fight – No explanation needed.
Painters Tape – Endless things to do with it! Make shapes and have them do different activities to each shape (ie run to the circle, hop to the triangle, crabwalk to the square), put a couple lines on the floor in a row and have them jump/hop/backwards/run and jump etc from a starting point to see which line they can reach each time….

Draw Your Own Story – Roll out a long piece of paper or staple a few folded pieces of paper together, let them make up their own story and illustrate it! (You can help!)
Hot Balloon – See how long they can keep the balloon off the ground with their hand, a spatula, a fly swatter etc
Go Skating – Put some paper plates on the floor (or wear some empty kleenex boxes to skate around the floor.
Match the Paint – Have some old paint chips lying around? Challenge them to find things in the house that match the colors.
Active Puzzle – Grab a toddler puzzle with 6-8 pieces and spread them around the room. Have them do a movement from each piece to put it in place. Ie wheelbarrow walk, crab walk, hop on one foot etc.
Science Experiments – a quick google search will give you lots of easy ideas, or this book Awesome Science Experiments for Kids is great (aff link)
Drawing Lessons – Check out Art Hub for Kids or search for draw with me videos on YouTube

If you’re looking for more physical activities, check out my Sensory Diet Ideas for Sensory Seekers post.

If you’re looking for a few new toys to purchase like Magnatiles, craft supplies, puzzles and more, I have lots linked in my amazon shop in the KIDS section (all affiliate links).

I’ll continue to add to this post as new ideas come to me!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Banana Flax Waffles

February 21, 2020 by Lindsay 17 Comments

These Banana Flax Waffles are made with just seven ingredients and no added sugar. They freeze well and make a great breakfast or snack!

Hi friends!

I made these Banana Flax Waffles three times this week because I knew I needed to share them with you as soon as possible. My youngest is a huge waffle fan and I’ve gotten into the habit of buying a couple of boxes of frozen waffles each week at the store so we can both eat them for breakfast. I’ve had it on my list to develop a new homemade recipe because I think a good waffle recipe is something you should always have in your back pocket.

In my opinion, a good waffle is hearty, not overly sweet and can easily be frozen and then popped in the toaster for a quick meal or snack.

This recipe fits the bill. It’s made with just seven ingredients. It’s a good way to use up a couple of ripe bananas if you’re tired of muffins or bread. And they freeze beautifully.

Banana Flax Waffles

These Banana Flax Waffles can be topped with peanut butter, syrup, yogurt or smashed berries. You can add chocolate chips, hemp or chia seeds or peanut butter to the batter. And they’re nut-free so they’d make a great addition to a school lunch box!

They’re made with kefir, which I think is part of why they’re so good. But you can also use whatever dairy or non-dairy milk you have on hand!

Here’s how you make them. (I have this Cuisinart Waffle Maker (aff link) and love it. Basic but you don’t need anything fancy).

Banana Flax Waffles

Print Recipe

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5 from 12 reviews

These Banana Flax Waffles are made with just seven ingredients and no added sugar. They freeze well and make a great breakfast or snack!

Author: Lindsay
Yield: six waffles 1x

Ingredients

Scale

3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (approx 2 medium)
2 eggs
1 cup plain kefir (i use whole milk kefir, or any dairy/non-dairy milk should work)
1/4 cup oil (i use avocado oil)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1.5 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp baking powder
Optional mix-ins: chocolate chips, blueberries, hemp seeds, chia seeds

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

In a bowl, combine mashed bananas, eggs, kefir and oil.
Stir in ground flax, flour, cinnamon and baking powder.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes while waffle iron preheats.
Grease waffle iron and scoop approx 1/3 cup onto waffle iron and cook as directed

Notes

You can sub 1/4 cup peanut butter for the oil if you want, or mix in some peanut butter in addition to the oil. Omitting the oil will make them a little bit denser but just as delicious.

To freeze, cool completely on wire cooling rack, break in half and stack. Place in a ziploc or reuseable bag, remove excess air and store in the freezer. Pop them in the toaster when ready to eat!

These will definitely be a new staple in our house. My youngest has taste-tested all three batches and is a huge fan.

I think you could make these vegan by turning the ground flax into 2 flax eggs and using non-dairy milk, but I haven’t tried it myself!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Sensory Diet Ideas for Sensory Seekers

January 31, 2020 by Lindsay 31 Comments

These Sensory Diet Ideas for Sensory Seekers may be helpful if your child struggles with sensory processing disorder and needs extra sensory feedback. Work them in throughout the day to help the child regulate their behavior, attention and emotion.

Hi friends-

This post will not be for everyone. But if you have a child with sensory processing issues, specifically a sensory seeker, this might be helpful. I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately and educating myself about Sensory Processing Disorder. There are several components and I’m not an expert but the one we deal with at our house is sensory seeking. One podcast I listened to said that to understand what your sensory seeking kid is living with you should imagine living your life underwater. That’s why they’re so loud, constantly fidgeting and moving. They’re seeking out those sensations that are muted to them.

If you’re interested in reading more about SPD or are wondering if your child may be dealing with it, here are a few resources:

The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz (Aff link) – A great book that explains SPD in an easy to understand way with lots of checklist, examples, etc
The Out of Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Kranowitz (aff link) – lots of activity ideas for kids with SPD
The STAR Institute for SPD – a great website with lots of info, resources, checklists etc

A few excerpts from The Out of Sync Child that describe a sensory seeker:

“He may be a ‘toucher and a feeler’ a ‘bumper and a crasher’. His brain and body are telling him he must act but he often acts in a disorganized way.”
“He may chew on his shirt cuffs and collars for extra input.”
“To get vestibular sensations, the child may seek to resist gravity in unusual ways. For instance, she may hang over the edge of her bed, or place her head down on the floor and pivot around it.”
“The child may frequently seek intense movement sensations such as jumping from the top of the jungle gym or running fast when a sedate pace would do.”
“The sensory craving child is a ‘bumper and a crasher’ He craves active movement, pushing, pulling, making ‘crash landings’ by throwing himself to the ground, and lunging into walls, tables and people. He craves passive input to muscles and joints, as well, such as strong bear hugs and being pressed, squeezed or pummeled while roughhousing.”
“The sensory craver loves crowds and places with noisy action. He welcomes loud noises and usually wants to turn the volume up. He may make his own noisy sounds, using his ‘outside voice’ in the classroom and kitchen and clapping and singing boisterously.”

Sensory Diet Ideas

In our case, we deal with his sensory seeking behaviors at home but not at school. So, while an evaluation at school wasn’t helpful for us, it can be a good place to start if you’re concerned. We had an evaluation done by a private occupational therapist and began private OT. I’ve been working with our OT to develop a sensory diet to be used at home. A sensory diet isn’t actually food-related. It’s a collection of activities that can be done throughout the day to help a child meet their sensory threshold and regulate behavior. Over the years I’ve found a lot of activities that work for us. However, I found myself not doing them consistently and struggling to remember them when I needed them most.

So I made a list of all the things that have been helpful for us. Then I used The Noun Project, a great free website for images, to add a picture to each activity. (I also used The Noun Project to get images for my 75 Acts of Kindness for Kids free printable booklet!) I printed out my list, cut the ideas out and glued them on popsicle sticks and stuck them in a jar. Now both my son and I have all the ideas in an easily accessible place. We can choose a stick when we need an activity break or pick a few and combine them. It’s an easy way to give him some input into what activities we do to help calm his body down.

If you want a free printable version of our list, enter your email in the box below! Remember that this list is customized to us so some of the activities may not work for your child but you can always add more activities specific to them!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Low Mess Snacks for Kids

January 30, 2020 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

Hi friends!

Looking for some low mess snacks for kids? This post has been highly requested and I’ve finally gotten around putting it together!

Before we dive in, let’s address a few things:

A lot of you asked for low mess car snacks. I think it’s important to note that eating in the car can be a choking hazard. I try to limit my kids eating in the car to times when a time crunch makes it pretty much necessary. For us, that’s one day a week when I have to go straight from my oldest’s swimming lesson to pick my daughter up from preschool and then turn around at get home and get my oldest on the bus for school, all in a span of about 20 minutes. In most cases, if they need to eat in the car, I pack their lunch boxes and then they sit in their seats and eat either before we leave the parking lot or after we arrive. I recognize that sometimes eating in the car is unavoidable, but I encourage you to make it the exception, not the rule. Also, I don’t let my kids eat in the car until they are big enough to have their seats facing forward so that I can see them.

If you need more ideas, check out my Healthy Road Trip Snacks post for more on the go snack options and my 60+ Healthy Packaged Snacks post for general snack ideas.

Also, the term low mess is pretty relative. Some kids (mine) are extremely messy eaters. They can turn pretty much anything into a giant mess and it’s the main reason why the floors at our house are never ever clean. Some kids eat very neatly. Also, age can impact the messiness factor. In most cases, a 5-year-old is more capable of limiting their mess than a 2-year-old. So, this list is snacks that I find to be lower mess, but messes can still be made. It might come down to a little trial and error with your own kids.

I put this list of low mess snacks for kids together with a few situations in mind. Times when you need snacks but do not need 100 cheerios all over the floor or half a box of goldfish crushed into the carpet. I try to bring our snacks in a Bentgo lunchbox or stasher bags (aff links) So these snacks are good for:

In the car – which we’ve already covered…
At an appointment or in a store – because sometimes kids NEED a snack in order to survive a quick errand or accompanying mom to a doctor’s appointment, right?
While waiting – if you’ve got more than one kid, chances are they’re going to be waiting on their siblings fairly often, whether it’s to pick up from school, at a sports practice, etc and snacks can be helpful and/or necessary depending on the time of day
At a brewery or restaurant while the adults enjoy a beverage 🙂
Pretty much any time, really…because when do kids not want snacks? Am i right?

When I make snacks for my kids, I like them to include protein and/or healthy fats, not just carbs. I want them to have some staying power, not just cause a blood sugar spike and crash. We talk about this A LOT at home. They know a bunch of foods that are sources of protein and if they ask me for an apple, i usually say that’s not a complete snack and they know they need to add some peanut butter or a cheese stick or something to pair with the apple!

Here are some ideas for low mess snack pairings:

Waffle pbj sandwich
Beef stick+ clementine
Cheese stick + fruit leather/dried fruit
Hard-boiled egg whites + energy ball/bar
Turkey, cheese & avocado rolled in a tortilla
Egg wrap + banana
Slice of pizza or quesadilla
8oz kefir or yogurt tube + apple slices
Smoothie made with yogurt, fruit and veggies
Rice cakes w/ peanut butter + snack bar

And here’s a big list of ideas so you can make your own pairings. Note that some of these can be choking hazards for younger kids so do your research! And again, some kids can make a mess with any snack so it may take some trial and error!

Low Mess Snacks for Kids

Fruit/Veggies

Freeze-dried fruit
Dried fruit (raisins, mango, apples, peaches, pears etc)
Fruit- apples, clementines, bananas
That’s it fruit bars or fruit leathers
Pouches – Not my favorite, but can be helpful occasionally. Try to find one with some veggies in it. Mama chia is another good option.
Veggie sticks (carrots, celery, peppers, cucumbers)

Dairy

Yogurt pouches or tubes – Siggi’s is a favorite and just came out with pouches, Stonyfield tubes are another option. I freeze mine to reduce the mess or only cut a small part of the top off instead of all the way across
8oz drinkable kefir or yogurt – leave the foil seal on and poke a straw through
String cheese or cheese slices
Smoothie made with yogurt – get a cup that doesn’t leak and that has a straw that can’t be pulled out

Protein

Beef jerky, meat sticks – Chomps is my go to. They have a mini size and a full size.
Hard-boiled egg whites (the yolks tend to be crumbly and messy)
Egg wraps (plain or filled with cheese, turkey, avocado etc)
Nuts

Crunchy

Dry cereal – Barbara’s puffins are a fave of mine because they’re bigger than something like Cheerios and easier for my kids to grab one at a time instead of a whole handful that spills everywhere
Popcorn
Annie’s Bunny Grahams
Pretzels
Rice cakes/pop chips
Crackers – wheat thins, Triscuits, Bitsy’s, mini pb sandwich crackers

Other

Homemade energy balls or bars
Pancakes/French toast sticks
Leftover pizza slices
Quesadilla wedges
Tortilla cream cheese rollups
Peanut butter sandwiches (on waffle or bread, can pre-cut into bite-sized pieces)
Tortilla with peanut butter wrapped around a banana
Think beyond traditional snack food – things like chicken nuggets, tortellini, meatballs, etc can be relatively low mess

Store-bought bars

Larabars
Clif z bars
Nature’s Bakery Fig bars
Simple Mills Bars
HappyTot Bars
Quaker Organic Strawberry Bars
Dragon Bars

These are just a few bar ideas. I have a giant list of Healthy Store-Bought Granola Bars for Kids. Some are more crumbly/sticky/messy than others but bars are definitely one of our go-to low mess snacks.

Want more snack ideas?

What are you favorite low-mess snacks?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

The Dinner Spark Launch

January 17, 2020 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

Hi friends!

Today is launch day for my newest product – The Dinner Spark!

For the past couple of months, I’ve been hard at work creating this resource for you and I’m so excited fo you to be able to get your hands on it today!

I’ve been sharing some of the details on social media and via email but in case you missed it, here’s what is included:

200+ meal ideas by category – A clickable PDF with recipe ideas broken down into categories like beef, chicken, soups, vegetarian etc.
50 Ideas for Component Food Prep – I share my top 10 weekend food prep items like shredded chicken, rice, beans etc and give you 5 ways to use each prepped item.
20+ No Recipe Meal Ideas – A list of all the meals I keep in my back pocket for weeks when I’m too busy to food prep or feel like I don’t have anything left to eat. They’re simple, flexible and delicious.
Ideas to put a spin on some of your family’s favorite meals – If your family likes tacos, pizza, spaghetti etc and eats them every week, this will give you some easy ways to put a spin on staple recipes so you don’t get tired of family favorites!
10+ Sauce ideas to jazz up your favorite protein – Sauces are the easiest way to make a boring meal more exciting.

PLUS you’ll get 3 months of weekly emails. Every Wednesday (starting the Wednesday after you purchase, you’ll get an email that will include:

Food Prep Remix outline – I share 2-3 ingredients you can prep or buy and 3 recipes you could use them in.
3 Simple Meal Ideas – Simple recipes with 5-8 ingredients. I give you general directions but also link to an example recipe.
3 Bonus Recipes Ideas – A few more recipe ideas for inspiration.
Plus I share some ideas for swaps and substitutions and a couple of different ways you could combine these recipe ideas into a meal plan for the week.

Ready to grab your copy?

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Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Easy Recipes Using Chickpeas

January 14, 2020 by Lindsay 1 Comment

Looking for easy recipes using chickpeas? This list has something for everyone from salad to curry to soup! Add these to your lunch and dinner rotation ASAP.

Hi friends!

In case you missed it, I’ve declared 2020 the year of helping you guys eat more plants! Recently, I shared this recipe for Peanut Butter White Bean Dip that makes a great after school snack. And I’ve been chatting with my Instagram followers about plant-based meals almost weekly. Yesterday I asked my followers for their favorite ways to eat chickpeas and they came through with a lot of much-loved recipes and I wanted to share them with you.

Remember that if the thought of a completely meatless meal overwhelms you, you don’t have to take an all or nothing approach. The method that has been working well for me is cutting the amount of meat in half. In almost all the meals I’ve been making lately, I’ve been replacing half of the chicken or whatever meat I typically use, with a plant-based protein like chickpeas, lentils, beans or tofu. I believe that stretching one package of chicken into two or three meals is just as valid of an approach as eating one meatless meal and i’ve found it’s a great way to eat less meat without it feeling so overwhelming.

Here are some chickpea recipes to check out:

Easy Recipes Using Chickpeas

Chickpea Bacon Ranch Salad via How Sweet Eats
Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut & Turmeric via Alison Roman (NYT Cooking – you have to have an account to login)
Classic Chickpea “Chicken” Salad via A Healthy Slice of Life
Chickpea Noodle Soup via Cookie & Kate (or try my Chicken & Chickpea Noodle Soup)
Greek Baked Orzo via Pinch of Yum
Thai Chickpea Burgers via Peanut Butter Fingers
Baked Chickpeas with Pita and Yogurt via Smitten Kitchen
Chickpea Tikka Masala via Washington Post
Quick Pasta and Chickpeas via Smitten Kitchen
Greek Chickpea Salad via Skinnytaste
Slow Cooker Butter Chickpeas via Delish Knowledge
Chickpea Curry via The Pioneer Woman
Spinach and Chickpeas via Smitten Kitchen
Vegan Caesar Salad via Oh She Glows
Kung Pao Chickpeas via Detoxinista
Marinated Chickpeas via How Sweet Eats

Other general ideas:

Brownie batter hummus
Chickpea Blondies
Buffalo Chickpea Wraps
Pasta sauce or soup with chickpeas blended in
Falafel

And if you haven’t read my post on How To Roast Chickpeas, do it now! They make a great snack! So do my Peanut Butter Chickpea Bars.

What’s your favorite chickpea recipe?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

How To Roast Chickpeas

January 9, 2020 by Lindsay 85 Comments

Learn how to roast chickpeas. Crunchy and flavorful, they make a great, healthy snack. This post will teach you how to roast chickpeas perfectly using my foolproof recipe!

*Originally published in March 2015*

Hi Friends!

Want to learn how to roast chickpeas? If I’m being totally honest, I’m not crazy about chickpeas just plain. I don’t particularly like them on salads or in a casserole. But grind them up into hummus and you’ve got my attention. Roast them into crunchy little puffs to snack on and it’s likely I could eat a whole can in one sitting.

Roasting chickpeas can be a tricky beast. I’ve had many failed batches. Through trial and error, and a little luck, I’ve figured out a few secrets and I thought I’d share them with you!

How To Roast Chickpeas

Perfectly Roasted Chickpeas

Ready? Three secrets to perfectly roasted chickpeas:

Don’t use too much oil. It will make them soggy and they will never get crispy. I spray mine vs drizzle with oil. If you don’t have a can of spray oil or a Misto, use about 1/2 tsp per can of chickpeas. Just enough to coat so spices can stick!
Don’t crowd the pan. Use a large baking sheet, especially if you’re roasted two cans at once so there’s enough room for air to circulate around them. These are my favorite pans (aff link)
Start them in a cold oven, roast them and then leave them in the oven as it cools back down.

That third one is the one that came about by accident. A few years ago I REALLY wanted roasted chickpeas…but I was running late for a workout. I didn’t have time to let the oven preheat so I threw them in there right when I turned the oven on, let them roast as long as I could and then shut off the oven, left them in there and hoped for the best.

What I got was my best ever batch of roasted chickpeas.

Roasted Chickpeas Recipe

Here’s how you make them: