Homemade Fruit Popsicles

Now this is the way to enjoy a popcicle. All natural, homemade with love,small chunks of fruit and good for you! It's the kind of treat you don't have to feel guilty giving your kids. And they will have tons of fun making them. Just a heads up, you may have to indure hours of "are they ready yet". We made them last night and when we woke up this morning Liam was so excited, like Christmas morning excited to run downstairs and try out his creation.

Here's what you'll need: 

Half a honeydew

1cup of water

Strawberries

Popsicle trays 

Add honeydew and water to a blender and blend until it's smooth and silky. You will need to pour through a strainer to get rid of the foam that rises to the top. 

Obviously you can make as many as you like but this amout filled 2 trays with 4 popsicles each making 8 total. The trays are "jelly bean" brand, from publix and I really like that the sticks are designed to catch melting juice and can be sipped through the pointed lip on the side of each one.  

 We took 2 long slices of the honey few and cut them into tiny bite size chunks. This just makes them cuter and the strawberry just adds a pop of color and surprise flavor. Start off by adding some fruit, followed by juice then more fruit on top. 

Popsicles for breakfast...no problem :)

Jumping on the Juicing train

About 4-5 yrs ago someone gave me a juicer. I never touched it or even checked to see if it worked. I just kept it tucked in the back of my cabinets collecting dust waiting or the "someday" I'd use it. Well now more than ever there is an awareness about juicing and all it's health benefits. My Mom recently bought a big 'ol expensive juicer and has been raving about all the juices she's been making so I decided to whip mine out and see if it worked. I also watched the documentary "Fat, sick and nearly dying" and that was a huge motivation too! To my surprise my juicer worked and I'm almost certain it's not an expensive one but it does the job. Today is day three of starting my morning off with a green juice and I feel great. I personally enjoy the fresh taste of eating cucumber with lime and sea salt so a fresh green juice is not so unpleasant to drink. They say the more you drink them, the more your body will crave it and your taste buds will adjust to the strong earthy taste. I can already see that happening. I pulled up a few recipes but ended making up my own with what I had available so this is my little recipe. Let me know if you juice an feel free to comment below with your favorite recipe. Makes about 2 cups of green goodness

What you'll need:
1 cumcumber
4 stalks of celery
15 baby carrots or 4 reg carrots
3-4 handfuls of chopped Kale (kale stocks are probably easier to put through shoot)
3-4 handfuls of collard greens
1 apple (green or red)
1/2 lime
Pinch of sea salt (optional)

Liam loves to help me

The Aftermath 

Luke keep grabbing my cup wanting more and more :) 

Homemade Mac n Cheese for kids

If Liam ever had a favorite junk food it would be good ol' Mac n Cheese(mine too). I always feel guilty feeding it to him because to me EZ Mac is on the same level as Ramen Noodle. Processed, fake and full of sodium. Well rather than denying It to him, I started making it from home after seeing a recipe for broccoli Mac n cheese on CandidMommy's Youtube channel. I've made it several times since then and to Liam it's the same whether I make it or if it come in a box. Today Liam requested it so I wanted to share my recipe. I didn't have broccoli so I just made it plain

Ingredients

1 pound pasta, any shape
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-3 cups shredded or slices of cheese, like cheddar, monterey jack, or colby
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional extras (cook before adding): Ham, turkey bacon, onions, peas, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower

Equipment

Pasta pot
Sauce pan
Whisk
Spatula

Instructions
1. Boil the Pasta: Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil over high heat in the pasta pot. Add the pasta and a tablespoon of salt. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Warm the Milk: When the pasta has finished cooking, prepare the cheese sauce. Begin warming 1 cup of the milk in the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the flour until there are no lumps. When you just start to see tendrils of steam rising from the warming milk, whisk in the milk-and-flour mixture. Continue whisking gently until the milk thickens slightly to the consistency of heavy cream, 3-4 minutes.

3. Make the Cheese Sauce: Turn the heat to low and begin mixing handfuls of cheese into the milk. Stir in the salt and mustard. Stir until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Remove the sauce from heat.

4. Combine the Pasta and Cheese Sauce: In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Stir to coat the pasta evenly. Add the second half of the sauce and any extra add-ins.