We’re about to jet off on vacation and land onto international grounds. We’ll be landing in Barcelona where we will board a cruise ship and sail off to the Mediterranean for two weeks.  We’re stoked and scared all at the same time. I’m not to worried about the actual cruise, it’s the flight I’m terrified about. Flying with a toddler long distance can be tricky and completely unpredictable (i.e. scary). Our little one just turned 21 months and is feisty and full of energy, naturally. Here’s what we did to get prepared for the worst and the best of our trip.

Distraction distraction distraction is key.

Here’s 9 items I packed to help distract our toddler on our LONG flight (Everything fit into our carry-on bag/diaper bag):

1. Coloring books and drawing pads of paper

2. Crayons

3. Washable markers

4. Stickers

5. Favorite books to read

6. Play-doh

7. Small toys (I suggest some old favorite toys and a couple small new toys)

8. Movies and favorite kid shows downloaded onto an iPad or tablet.

9. Last but not least, snacks and a sippy cup

**Tip: I hid a handful of Oliver’s favorite toys a month before our trip. That way seeing them again makes it extra exciting and new!

I’ll be back to share more tidbits of advice (err…from trial and error) once we return from our trip.

I’ll admit, my husband and I are Starbucks junkies. We try to make coffee at home but it seems to never fail that we take a mid-afternoon coffee break and head over to get an iced coffee or bold with an add shot of espresso. One morning we were running short on time and we went to Starbucks for a coffee. Our son hadn’t yet had breakfast so I ordered him the “healthiest” baked good they had – a slice of pumpkin bread. He scarfed it down. Now, I know that puppy was loaded with tons of sugar, so instead of making this a treat a habit, I decided to make my healthy version of it. I combined bananas, pumpkin and zucchini together to make one rockin’ bread that my little tot ate right up. It freezes well which is handy when you’re in a pickle and need something healthy to give your tot.  I was tempted to add shredded carrots and chopped spinach to this batch to make it a complete veggie-fest-bread but wanted to give this version a go first.

Zucchini Banana & Pumpkin Gluten-free Bread Recipe - I used an all-purpose gluten-free flour Trader Joe’s carries, but I’ve also heard great things about Cup4Cup all-pupose GF flour. If you’re not into using gluten-free flours, then a whole-wheat pastry flour would be great in here. 

2 ripe banana, mashed

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

2/3 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup organic cane sugar (or honey)

1/3 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons pumpkin spice powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour

Mix mashed bananas, pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla extract, oil, cinnamon and pumpkin spice together until smooth. Add sugar and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together.

Gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in shredded zucchini.

Pour into a lightly greased baking pan (I used an 8×8 baking pan but two bread loaf pans or a muffin pan works). Bake for 45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

I’ve been a fan of WallCandy Arts wall decals for a while now. We have their French Bull City Wall Stickers on our son’s bedroom wall. I can’t tell you how much we love that it gave his room the pop of color and life it needed – not to mention how great the quality is. So when WallCandy Arts wanted to team up to run a giveaway for their new Sunny Day/Starry Night – glow-in-the-dark wall decal – I was ecstatic, to say the least.

I adore these billowy clouds by day and gaze at them when they transform into glowing stars at night. Teaching our son what the Big and Little Dipper look like at night, in his own bedroom, is the sweetest thing ever.The set comes with 12 glow-in-the-dark zodiac constellations (clouds and sun by day) and my favorite, the Little and Big Dipper. Also not to mention 106 little stars to light up your sky.

I can’t think of a better way to send your child off to sleep at night, gazing at the stars.

To participate in this giveaway follow the easy directions in the box below. Good luck!

Congrats, Celina R.!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Every few months when I have a random mismatch of half-full pasta bags in the cupboard I put together a little pasta mash-up.  It’s a combination of different pastas,  whatever veggies I have in the refrigerator and sometimes I’ll cook up some meat to throw in, like ground beef or turkey. Then I mix it all up with marinara sauce and ricotta cheese, put it in a baking dish with a light sprinkle of mozarella cheese and bake it until it’s hot and bubbly. It’s a cross between lasagna and  baked ziti, but I like to just call it Pasta Mash.

Baked Pasta Mash Recipe

1 pound of pasta

2 cups of Marinara Sauce

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon Italian seasonings

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 cups of your choice of veggies – I used diced onions, mushrooms and shredded carrots in this version (chopped kale, spinach, broccoli, bell peppers and asparagus are great in this too)

*Optional – 1/2 pound of lean ground beef or turkey

Cook pasta, drain and lightly drizzle olive oil in so it doesn’t stick together. Set aside.

Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add chopped garlic and ground meat, if you’re using it here. Cook meat up until it is no longer pink. Add chopped veggies, a dash of salt to taste and Italian seasonings and cook for 5 minutes. Turn heat off and stir in marinara sauce and ricotta cheese.

Pour in cooked pasta and give it a big stir. Pour all of the contents into a large baking dish and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Our 19 month old is in the midst of yet another teething episode. I’d like to blame his newly (okay, not that new) picky palette on it. I had my best friend over for the weekend and she was snacking on one of those packaged top-only muffins. Ollie wanted some so she gave him a bite. He loved it – so much that I got inspired to make a toddler version of it. Something I like to call, Baby Cakes.

These freeze well and make great snacks or breakfast options.

Toddler Carrot Muffin Tops /”Baby Cakes” Recipe

2 eggs, beaten

2 carrots, grated

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup oat bran

1 jar (4.5 ounce) squash baby food

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the butter, oil and brown sugar until smooth.

Mix in mashed bananas, squash, shredded carrots, and eggs.

Stir in the flours, oat bran, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until just combined.

Spoon the batter equally into greased muffin pan. I like to spoon it in about 2/3 full.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing. Store at room temperature for up to two days, or freeze for quick and handy snacks later on.

Recipe inspired and adapted from All Recipes.

These are ridiculously easy to make. I found a bunch of long socks (lightweight) on clearance for $1.25 at Target and decided to snip them off from the ankle down. I’ve been wanting to do this for months now. You can find these for $10 or more at stores, or online, but why not save your money and just make your own!  It seriously couldn’t be easier.

If you have a crawler and want to save their baby knees from getting scuffed up, these are great to have on hand. My girlfriend has a ton of these and swears by them. It also makes changing your little one easier, since you don’t have to fuss with taking pants off and on. They’re great!

All you need to get started is a pair of long, lightweight socks, scissors and a couple of seconds:)

Cut right above the ankle. Adjust accordingly

This paint is “Edible” finger paint. I don’t mean this should be a substitute for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I’m just saying if by chance a little gets into your kid’s mouth, it’s okay. Especially if you have a little one running around that doesn’t yet understand the concept, “Oh no, don’t eat that!”

I’ve had my fair share of those instances, one recently being a mouthful of cat food.

Stuff happens. Cat food in your kid’s mouth, happens.

This is a great go-to activity that requires nothing fancy in the kitchen. And I’m pretty sure you have all the ingredients right in your cupboards.

The real reason I made this, besides it being super fun to play with, is it’s a great activity for toddler’s sensory development and imagination. That’s what really sold me.

After cooking up the cornstarch it thickens to an almost pudding-like consistency. Spoon it into little bowls and add your favorite food coloring. Just remember a little food coloring goes a long way, especially if you’re using gel food coloring. My green paint almost looked black it was so dark.

Lesson learned.

This activity is best outside. Nothing a little hosing off won’t fix!

DIY Edible Finger Paint Recipe – There are a couple variations on this recipe and each work just as well. One variation using vanilla yogurt with food coloring, and  the second is made with a vanilla pudding and food coloring.  This version is my favorite though.

1/2 cup cornstarch

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

Pour all ingredients into a sauce pan and cook on a medium-low heat, while stirring, for 10 minutes. Mixture will thicken up to a pudding-like consistency when done. Spoon into little bowls (about 5 separate bowls) and add a small amount of different food colorings to each bowl.

If paint is too thick, stir in a small amount of hot water to thin it out.

Recipe adapted from Hellobee

As my little baby has grown into a full blown toddler I’ve been battling with a newly picky palette. For someone who loves food and cooking, I never thought it would be hard to find new ways of cooking nutritious meals for my son. I never thought I would have to sneak in healthy fruits and veggies into a meal. But here I am, doing it.

These little gem pancakes are packed with something I’m pretty proud of. I mashed blueberries up so they blended well in the batter. Another batch I pureed blueberries, making a sauce and then mixing it into the batter. My son gobbled up both, so I was a happy mama.  I imagine any kind of berry would be a great in this pancake.

Mini Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes Recipe

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 eggs

1 1/2 cups of milk

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons of butter, melted

1 tablespoon muscavado sugar (or brown sugar)

3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Using a blender or food processor, puree blueberries to a sauce consistency (or you can mash them up with a fork). In a large bowl, sift flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Form a well in the middle and pour in melted butter, milk, water and egg. Mix until well until all incorporated. Stir in blueberry puree.

Spoon tablespoon amount of batter onto a heated skillet, lightly greased with butter or olive oil on a medium heat. Once bubbles form on the top of each mini pancake, it’s time to flip them. Flip and cook other side for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until golden brown.

When my sister was little she LOVED tomato soup. I used to hate it, but now as an adult I have grown to love it. Especially with grilled cheese sandwiches. One of Oliver’s favorites lunches is a grilled cheese sandwich. I always try to add a veggie to his grilled cheeses, whether it’s spinach, kale or broccoli shavings. Then one day after wondering what to do with a bowl of leftover tomato soup it hit me. Why not put the tomato soup inside the grilled cheese sandwich. It was a brilliant way to get some veggies in and it also created magic in a sandwich. Oliver and my husband loved it.

Tomato Soup Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe

Whole-wheat bread slices

A slice of cheese

Tomato soup or spaghetti sauce

Olive oil

I like using olive oil to grill my grilled cheeses. Lightly coat a skillet with olive oil. Smear tomato sauce over both slices of bread and add a slice of cheese in the middle. Cook both sides of sandwich until toasty and golden and cheese is melted.

As you know, I’m always on the hunt for new ways to make food healthy AND good at the same time for my little toddler. I’ll have to say, I’ve done pretty well so far, but I have my moments. You know, the moments when your toddler couldn’t get enough of one food, so you make a bunch of it only for it to be pushed away in disgust the next day? I know toddlers are known to be picky eaters, but no one ever told me they would LOVE bananas for a month straight, then crinkle their little nose at them the next. I’ve learned it’s all about changing up their menu and making sure your tike is trying something new, constantly.

These nuggets are a great toddler snack. Aaand, I think they would be lovely as an appetizer at your next dinner party as well.

Spinach Ricotta Nuggets Recipe

Recipe adapted from Weelicious Cookbook

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped (original recipe calls for 10 ounces frozen spinach,well drained)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray mini-muffin pan with a non-stick oil.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook until tender (about 4 minutes). Turn heat off and stir in ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Once slightly cooled, mix in eggs and spinach. Spoon evenly into mini muffin pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden. Let cool before serving.