Homemade Sweet Treats

My kids love sweets, unfortunately for them they have a big, bad, mean mom who doesn't let them indulge in their sweet tooth as they please. In fact, I make it a point to try to avoid any un-necessary sweeteners in foods and can notice a difference in my kids listening and attitude habits based on what they eat. However, I don't want to be a total fun hater so I try to make yummy, nutritious treats for them whenever I can. This post will share with you my family's 3 favorite dessert/treat recipes that you or your kids can enjoy while also being healthy!

Banana Softserve

Homemade Softserve

1-2 Frozen peeled bananas
2-3 Tbs of milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Dash of salt
Couple dashes of cinnamon
1 Tbs. Pure Maple Syrup/Honey
Additional Flavors to your liking

This recipe is perfect for a summer treat. My kids go crazy for it and I can whip it up in no time! It's can be made dairy free and in different flavors. When I have bananas that are going to go bad I peel them and throw them into a ziplock in the freezer. When I want to make ice cream I take a couple of frozen bananas and throw them into a blender or Babycook. Add some milk (almond, hemp, coconut, etc.) vanilla
extract, maple syrup or    honey, salt and cinnamon. Then it's time to
puree. It's so easy and comes out the perfect consistency of softserve. You can substitute the cinnamon for cocoa powder, or you can add frozen fruit, even peanut butter and jelly. I can't wait to experiment with numerous other flavors this summer!


Chocolate Mousse

1-2 Avocados
1 Tbs Cocoa Powder
2 Tbs Honey/Pure Maple Syrup

This creamy, chocolatey dessert is equally as yummy as it is healthy. The main ingredient here is avocado. Sounds weird I know, but trust me on this. It's sure to get even the pickiest eater to get some of they green superfood without even knowing it! Again, in a blender or Babycook add avocados, cocoa powder and maple syrup or honey. Blend until completely mixed and viola! You've got yourself a dose of healthy fats and vitamins disguised as a delectable treat.

Fluffy Sourdough Cookies

1.5 cups flour  

Sourdough Cookies

1.5 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cups sugar
1 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Fresh Sourdough Starter
1 tablespoons water

I am constantly looking for new recipes to use my sourdough starters. Eating Sourdough provides lots of vitamins and minerals, help to maintain a healthy GI tract and help the body to absorb nutrients. I have been making my own Sourdough starters for a few months now and I love how easy it is. I still have yet to perfect the art of making a Sourdough loaf, but I am growing my confidence and hope to master it soon and make a post about it. This recipe is only for about 12 medium sized cookies so if you want more you can double (or triple) the recipe. Preheat the oven to 375F. In a bowl cream together the sugar, egg, butter and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients and mix together with the wet ingredients. Drop the dough in balls onto a cookie sheet and cook for 12 minutes. They were so soft and fluffy and my husband and kids loved them! Next time I will try substituting the sugar for honey or maple syrup and see how it turns out as I always like to find natural alternative to sugar. These  will definitely make another appearance in the near future!

I love having easy, nutritious and super yummy recipes on hand so that I can try to indulge in our cravings without filling up on empty, useless calories. At least with these recipes I can know that they are free of yucky ingredients and provide dietary benefits. 

I would love for you to share your favorite healthy treat/dessert recipes!

Disclaimer:  Please note: I am not a medical professional. Please use your careful discernment and double check with your naturopath or doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.

Sleep Like a Baby?

Whoever invented the term sleep like a baby obviously never had one! Usually babies are pretty good sleepers the first several weeks after birth, they will sleep anywhere, anytime no matter what is going on. But as the babies begin to get older they tend to be very particular about where or how they sleep which can be very trying for parents. Usually they will do whatever they can to get the baby to fall asleep, including driving around in the car until the child finally passes out or co sleeping into the school years.

Many crunchy mamas are very much into co-sleeping. I feel to each his own, but for me and my husband we preferred to put the kids in there own bed once they were around 6 months old. We wanted to train them to sleep in their own room allowing us our private time and reserving sleeping in our bed for rare occasions (sick babies or if they are really scared). This post is to share some of the sleep training tricks that have worked for us and have helped us to have some alone time once the kids go to bed.

The most important thing to do is to try to establish a routine. Kids love routine, it just might not seem like it at first. Over the years I have observed that when we stay pretty close to schedule the kids are in better behaved, not as whiney and fussy. But when we are on vacation or just off schedule it's Crazytown! Our schedule has been the same for about the past 3 1/2 years. We have dinner, then a little playtime/story time, then it's time for the bath with my secret sleepy potion, brush our teeth, and then we end with some songs and then down for bed. The sleepy time potion I use is an essential oils combination of Chamomile and Lavender. I put a few drops in the tub and when they were babies I had some in a spray bottle that I would spray on the sheets at bedtime to help calm and soothe my little ones.  (You can buy a blend from my online store HERE)

Sleep training is not easy and many parents despise letting the baby cry it out. It was hard for me at first because I felt so sad, as if I was abandoning my child. Or at least that they would think I was abandoning them. The first day or so I would would take awhile with A LOT of crying. I would go in every 20 minutes or so to comfort them, let them know that Mama was there, sing a song and then put them back down. They need to get used to being by themselves and that is a big adjustment. After all, they started in your womb and then paired with the few months of co-sleeping, they are used to being near the mom and dad. It takes time and patience but I promise you it gets better each day. After about a week or so they should be comfortable settling into their routine and it will all be downhill from there.

From my experience with two children I have noticed that anytime I have to try something new, whether it be sleep training, potty training or weening from bottle/pacifier it usually takes about a week or so for the hard part to be over. With patience and time it gets so much easier and the unbearable part is over before you know it. Just remain consistent and understand why you are doing what you are doing. Just because your child is crying and unhappy for a short period does not mean that you are neglecting or causing your child psychological damage. I personally think that it teaches many important life lessons and preparation for how to deal with changes in the future that are important to ones growth and development.

I would love to hear any stories, information or helpful tips about sleep training or handling any other milestone changes with children!

Disclaimer:  Please note: I am not a medical professional. Please use your careful discernment and double check with your naturopath or doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.