Fun Food Friday

I know it's been a long time since I've done one of these. My creative juices have no been flowing. Or, perhaps they've been flowing in the wrong direction.... Last night we had Octopus and Seaweed for dinner. Sounds Yummy, huh? Well, it must've been because both kids scarfed it up!

The octopussies (octopi?!?!? What is the plural of anyway?)are hot dogs. I used Trader Joe's all beef hotdogs which contain no preservatives or nasty nitrates. Before dropping them in the pot, I sliced them halfway up to make legs. When you boil them, they curl.

I started by dumping a bunch of parsley in a pot of water. I also added broccoli, carrots, califlower, and a few string beans. I would have liked to use spinach, but I didn't have any--so I made do with what I had. I stuck the veggies in, boiled the water, added the pasta (I used Quinoa which is gluten free!), and the hot dogs and let it boil for a few minutes. Place the veggies and pasta on the plate--top with the hot dog...and VOILA! You've got Octopus and Seaweed! Cute, huh?

(PS: Octopuses is the correct plural!)

Fun Food Friday--March of the Penguins

I know I've done this one before...but it's just so darn cute! I made these for Jecilyn's School Christmas Party. All the kids loved them--as did the staff. However, most of the eggs ended up rolling on the floor....Oh well!

Fun Food Friday

Aren't they cute? These creations are simple--and Jecilyn loves them. She calls it "Face Toast." It starts with whole wheat toast spread with peanut butter. Then, just get creative! No two are ever the same. I just use whatever I have on hand. Raisins, Cheerios, Cheese, Bananas, Strawberries, Pretzels, M&M's...whatever!

Fun Food Friday

This Terrific Turtle is one of my favorites! The picture isn't so great...but it was really cute. Here's what I did. I used an Organic Fugi Apple. I peeled, cored and sliced it using The Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer. Then, I cut it in half. I spread peanut butter between the slices. And, being the crazy food person that I am...I used all Natural Peanut Butter. Some brands that I like are Crazy Richard's, Smucker's All Natural Chunky Peanut Butter, and Safeway's O Organics Peanut Butter. I stir honey right into the jar. It makes it a little sweeter, and it help to keep it from separating...But I digress...

I used a strawberry for the head. You can't really see it in the picture, but I sliced the strawberry lengthwise so it opened like a mouth. I stuffed some sliced cheese in the open mouth.

The feet are banana slices. For the tail, I used the end of the banana. And, for the...uh...droppings...I used raisins. I think the eyes were chocolate chips stuck on with a dot of "Fluff."...Chocolate and fluff are not things I use often...but I figure a little here and there is OK. If memory serves me correctly, however, I don't think Jecilyn liked the Fluff. Chocolate...that's another story. I think the kid would eat just chocolate and spaghetti if I let her!

I made something similar to this before. I called it a dinosaur. On that version, I made legs out of grapes on toothpicks. And, I think I stood half of a banana up for the tail. Anything will work...Just be creative!!! If you try this...or have any of your own creations, let me know! I'm always looking for more ideas! Have a great day!

Fun Food Friday

Three Rice Mice! Three Rice Mice! ...Actually, it was more like, "Free Wice Mice..." but it was still lots of fun. We sang that all morning. I wish I could take credit for this one, but it's actually something that I found online. There were a few other fun recipes on the site...but I've not tried those yet. Here is the link: Very Cute Veggies. Check it out.
For my mice, I used long grain brown rice. It's been a while since I made it, but I think that I just used cream cheese--not yogurt. I think I thought that sounded gross. For the eyes and mouths I used peas and carrots. Both were from a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. I just fished them out of the bag and popped them on the mice. The ears were black olives (which Jecilyn LOVES!). I can't remember what I used for tails. It may have been bolongna. Or, perhaps it was carrot strips. Either would work.

I think you could do a lot with this recipe. Instead of mice, you could make cars and use olives for wheels. You could link a few "balls" together and make a caterpillar. Or a spider. Carrot strips would make great legs! And, if you don't want legs...a worm or a snake. The possibilites are endless! If you try something, please let me know! Take a photo to share! Enjoy!

Fun Food Friday!

I thought it would be fun to share some of the crazy creations that I make for my daughter. I am pretty anal about the stuff that I let her have. She doesn't get much junk food at all. We eat a lot of organic food and we try to avoid anything with "high fructcose corn syrup" and "partially hydrogenated oils". I try to entice her to eat the stuff that I make by making it fun and interesting. I've spent a good bit of time searching for ideas online, but I've not had much luck. So, I'll share my ideas in hopes of helping other moms. I welcome any suggestions! I'll try to make this a weekly feature....assuming that I have the time and the energy! Enjoy!I called this one "Flying Fish!" It started with a whole Kosher Dill Pickle. The eyes are black olives stuffed with cream cheese and secured with a toothpick. The nose and the "humps" on the back are grape tomatoes that have been halved and secured with cream cheese. I wrapped it in a piece of bologna and secured it with a toothpick and olives on the end. I'm not sure why I called it a flying fish. But, Jecilyn enjoyed it! She thought it was pretty funny! Hope it made you smile too!