Valentine's Day with VitaTops

I recently had the chance to try VitaTops Deep Chocolate muffin tops and was blown away. For 100 calories I need to have something substantial, not just one little bite of chocolate or a single truffle. VitaTops fit the bill-they are light and fluffy, loaded with vitamins and minerals while still being decadent. They are located in the freezer section and wrapped individually so you can always have them on-hand for whenever a craving hits. I prepared mine right in my toaster and the smell of the warmed up chocolate chips was an added bonus.

I decided to make a healthy snack for my kids for a Valentine's Day treat. First, I warmed up my VitaTop in the toaster, then topped it with almond butter and sprinkled coconut shavings and chocolate covered sunflower seeds on top. Festive without being toxic! The kids flipped out and I felt good about serving them something that wasn't loaded with artificial flavors and high fructose corn syrup. (Chocolate covered sunflower seeds are from Trader Joe's and coloring is from tumeric, beet and red cabbage powder, FYI)

Post Halloween come down with Crispy Green

If you're anything like me, you are happy that the week following Halloween is over. The candy negotiations have lessened, I have secretly thrown out all the Twizzlers and Whoppers and only a few Dum Dums remain at the bottom of my son's pumpkin. It is time for an overhaul! Especially before the holidays and unhealthy eating try to sneak back into our lives. Enter: Crispy Green! Crispy Green is packaged fresh fruit that has been freeze dried. Nothing else.

We love the apple for my kids, my daughter is still too young for regular apples because they are choking hazards but these apples basically melt in her mouth and I love that they are simply Fuji apples, nothing else. There is ever only one thing on their ingredient list-the actual fruit itself. Imagine that! ;)

To encourage healthy snacking, we have them placed in a basket on a lower shelf in our kitchen. Kids should be able to have things they like at plain view. This way my son feels empowered to help himself and snack healthy. A couple bags of these are always floating around my purse and car-excellent to keep on hand for the adults and kids alike.

Find out where to buy Crispy Green here and happy snacking.

Recent kiddo mealtime favorites

 I love this bowl! The Bump It Bowl is my new favorite mealtime product for Ivy. It suctions to her highchair tray (or anywhere really, but we have only used it at home) and she cannot knock it over! She definitely tried to pull it over the first time she used it and it would not budge. This makes mealtime a lot less messy, so I love it for when we are on a tighter schedule and don't want a huge mess on the tray/floor to deal with. It kept her black beans and cherries perfectly separate but that separator is also removable! I also love that it has a lid that makes it easy to go straight to the fridge.

I don't know if you can tell, but Jonas is a fan of the MyDrinky juice box holder! Truth we told, we are not a juice family and aren't fan of buying juice boxes for kids. But with that said, its hot here in the summer and staying hydrated is key, so every so often I will get some low sugar juices and have them available for Jonas. MyDrinky is so cute and fun for him to hold but the real winner here is he can't squeeze the juice and get a sticky mess all over him! Win-win. Also, if your kid is anything like mine, about half-way through his juice he will lay it down somewhere and I will find a nice little puddle of juice under it but with MyDrinky he always keeps it standing upright. This would also be perfect for little cartons of milk!

Making the best grilled cheese sandwich

I have a couple tips for making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich for you. One, high quality butter and cheese, duh. I used Finlandia unsalted butter and swiss cheese, soooo delish. But beyond that, the trick is patience! This is not the sandwich to make for a hungry, whiny toddler. You really don't want to rush the process or end up smashing it down so it cooks faster (it isn't a panini!). You really want to give each side 5-8 minutes to get golden brown and let the cheese melt. Once you have that down to a science, you add the yummy extras! If I am making one for my toddler, I usually just add turkey but if it's for an adult, I might jazz it up with pears or arugula.

You know it was an excellent grilled cheese if your fingers are a little buttery afterwards! Never again will I use cooking spray or store brand butter for my grilled cheese, its Finlandia high-quality butter, all the way. I can find mine at my local Costco and I am not mad one bit I will have to buy it in bulk.
Enjoy and happy first day of summer!