: Baking Bread with Your Children :

There is nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread filling the corners of your home on a Sunday afternoon. This is actually a new tradition we have started in our home, as we have gradually refined our weekly and daily rhythms. We were already into baking several things including pies, muffins, sweets, quick breads, and bread machine sorts. However, we have never attempted to simply go through the patient process of just baking bread. This is a wonderful thing to share with your children because it helps them appreciate the work and the numerous steps behind the creation, thus appreciating the delicious final product all the more.

Jared especially enjoyed kneading the dough, though he wasn't very fond of sticky hands...funny coming from a boy who doesn't mind being dirty all the time. He also wanted me to point out his expression of color on his pinkies and thumbs in green and blue. I am glad it hasn't occured to him to change his hair color yet :)....

Jared has never braided anything before, but I must say using bread dough creates an easy visual way to learn the concept. He watched me braid mine first, I helped him create 3 strips, and he picked up on braiding immediately. He also attemped to make shapes, but they ended up looking like little blobs or mini loaves. In addition, we also made a large loaf of our delectable sweet honey bread as a side with our chili this evening.

 

This recipe was delicious and easy for a first-timer. Check it out at the Mothering forum, post #4 by Wrenmoon.

Try it and let me know what you think in the comments below. Or if you have any other wonderful bread recipes you would like to share, feel free to do so. Enjoy the work and, the smell, the taste, and the comfort of homemade bread, especially when made with love and discovery by your children.

: Carrot Bread :

We love food. We love to cook. We love to bake. Our oldest had an itch to bake this last Sunday, so we decided to find something a little different than what we have made in the past (we love trying new things). We have made all sorts of bread creations and different carrot cake recipes in the past, but never have we tried carrot bread. He liked the idea, so we proceded with this recipe.

We changed the recipe a bit. We used almost half the amount of sugar, sliced almonds intead of pecans (it was all we had on hand), and vegetable oil instead of sesame oil (again, we just improvised). Well, actually, I should not be saying "we" when Luke did all of the work himself. I barely even helped him. We ate the whole loaf that day because it was so yummy! Thank you, Lukey!

There is nothing like warm bread fresh out of the oven. Try this recipe with your child. Or make a tradition of baking with your kids once a week. Children even under the age of 2 can pitch in with pouring, stirring, getting things for you, helping with clean up. So, get baking and don't be afraid to try new things. You just might discover something you really like and your kids will benefit in so many ways. Enjoy!

: Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice :

Squeezing fresh juice from oranges in the morning has been a long-time tradition that has been somewhat lost with the convenience of store-bought O.J. We are guilty of this, as well. But there have been these organic oranges in our fruit bowl beckoning me to use them and I happened to spot a little juicer at the store for about $3.00. So, I thought it was meant to be.

A gratifying activity, juicing oranges can be done almost entirely by your preschooler or even your toddler (you will likely have to finish because they may not have the strength to get all the juice out).

: Brown Rice Pudding :

My kids periodically ask me to make rice pudding for them. It has become somewhat of a tradition in our family. We make it a little different every time, but I will share how we made it this time around. Making brown rice pudding is a healthy way to add delicious flavor to your breakfast, snacktime, or dessert.

We simply used about 2 parts water, 1 part brown rice, about 2 parts milk or alternative milk (soy, rice, almond...), brown sugar or honey, cinnamon, and currants or raisins.

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil. Add rice. Bring back to a boil. Turn to low and cover. Cook brown rice for about 45 minutes.
2. Add milk. Cook on medium-low 10 minutes or until thick and creamy, stirring frequently.
3. Add the cinnamon, honey, and raisins.
4. Serve it warm or chill it for snacking on later.

Create your own variation or enjoy the recipe as it is shown here. Include your children in pouring, mixing, measuring, and stirring. Talk about the changes in the milk being a liquid to it turning to a creamy solid. Talk about the initial absorption of water by the rice. There are so many ways to involve your kids. Plus, there is nothing like being able to taste their own work. Brown rice pudding is great for all seasons and an inexpensive way to share delicious creations with the ones you love.

: Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies :

This peanut butter cookie recipe was simply delicious. My preschooler helped with the creaming of butter and sugar, stirring, pouring, and finally, the eating of a few cookies.

The ingredients are as follows:

1 cup dairy-alternative butter

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 Tbs. soya flour

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
 
1. Cream together your butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar.
2. Add the soya flour as if you are adding an egg to the mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients well.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Pour flour mixture into the buttery mixture. Mix.
6. Once it has formed a dough, roll small balls and set them on an ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart from one another.
7. Press with the back of your fork twice on each cookie in a criss-cross design.
8. Stick each batch in the oven for 10 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.
 
 

: Chocolate-Dipped Apple Slices :

As always, my preschooler wants to make dessert and we both simply love trying new things. Tonight, we made these delicious Chocolate-Dipped Apple Slices. It is as easy as can be. Just cut up apples and melt chocolate. Then dip and dry. The key is to use good apples and quality chocolate. In our case, we utilized chocolate from Sharffen Berger that was 70% cacao (much tastier and healthier) and organic pink lady apples. Easy, tasty, healthy, and kids of all ages can pitch in.

The log shown here is actually a banana :)

: Easter Entertainment :

We celebrated Easter Sunday quite frugally this year, to say the least. The boys decided to celebrate Easter and Spring by drawing pictures they related to that theme all over our driveway before it began to rain later in the day.

Balloons were a hit for all boys. Very sensorial for the little one, sciency for my middle man, and just plain fun to get crazy with or doing tricks with for my 10-year-old.

Each of the boys made nest eggs consisting of oatmeal cookies baked earlier in the morning, frosting, coconut, and jelly beans for the eggs. Also, they went out in the late morning and picked flowers. My oldest helped create a couple bouquets.

Of course, the Easter cliche :: Dying Easter Eggs. We mainly decorated them with crayons and then dyed them. There were assortments of peace signs, flowers, designs, faces, and so on.

Mmmmm!! What a healthy and sweet way to celebrate Spring! A fruit salad is super delicious and easy to prepare for anyone young or old. Just make sure those cute little hands are washed.

Naturally, we had an Easter egg hunt, as well. We also read some magical fairy-style Spring stories and bunny/duck stories. We went on a nature walk. We simply enjoyed the day and the pitter patter of the rain that ensued later in the day.

: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie :

Strawberry Rhubarb pie is a traditional way to celebrate spring. Our family has observed this tradition for a few years now. My preschooler is shown here chopping up strawberries with a butter knife and I chopped the rhubarb with a slightly sharper knife. We followed this recipe and he mixed the remaining ingredients together. We poured it into a pie crust, covered the pie with additional crust, made some holes in the top layer, and popped it in the oven. Easy as pie! For more information about rhubarb, visit Pretty in Pink: Rediscovering Rhubarb.

: Blueberry Scones :

We never made scones before, so we decided to make blueberry scones. This blueberry scone recipe was easy and fun for my preschooler and created yet another satisfying way to practice his pouring and mixing skills. Sorry I do not have any photos of it sliced. I didn't think to take picture before we ate it all!

: Vegan Mixed Berry Smoothie :

This smoothie was rich and delicious. We made this recipe up on basic principles. Essentially, my middle son and I mixed 1 package silken tofu, some almond milk, 2 handfuls of mixed berries, and a few Tbs. of honey. He blended the ingredients and we ended up with a very satisfying treat, both in creating and in consuming it.