One of our most beloved afternoon snacks really couldn’t be more simple. We slice bananas and pop them into the freezer for a few hours. The recipe may be similar to frozen banana ice cream but it’s a whole lot less work.

This snack is:

Obviously more healthful than eating ice cream;

More tasty than plain old sliced banana (though we do love topping sliced banana slivers with a dab of peanut butter; they taste great when eaten with a toothpick.);

Plus the toddler can slice up the banana herself, so it’s a family-friendly activity as well.

Evidently if you’re three years old you need to bundle up to eat this frozen treat and run around the house shouting, “BRRRRR!” And then ask for more cause it’s so yum.

We’re not at all dramatic in our house. I can’t imagine where she gets it from.

I recently discovered several new tasty gluten-free pastas that I’m excited to share with you.

My new favorite, go-to pasta, Andean Dream Quinoa Pasta, contains a combination of rice and quinoa, making it more nutritious and tasty than plain rice pasta. The taste and texture reminds me of the Ancient Harvest Quinoa Organic Pasta that used to be my favorite gluten-free pasta back when I couldn’t eat gluten but could still eat corn. (Yeah, the food sensitivity saga continues over here.)

On the right is the Trader Joe’s gluten-free boxed macaroni and cheese, which my family prefers to the pricier (albeit locally owned) Annie’s variety. I do feel some guilt about not supporting a local company, but the $1-2 per box price different is a deal breaker for me when they taste nearly identical and our toddler requests mac and cheese pretty much every day. (Ah, to have a three year olds metabolism…)

Next up, this beautiful pasta by il Macchialiolo. I adore the shape of this gigli shaped pasta, made of rice and imported from Italy. I bought this particular variety on our road trip in a specialty shop in Oregon, but it’s also available online. While this pasta may be pricey, I personally think it’s perfect for a special meal.

That being said, I haven’t tasted this pretty one yet, so it might taste like crap. If that’s the case, whoops! Sorry about that. Hey, at least it looks good.

I personally would rather eat special pasta like this one on occasion than eat the bland, chewy, ordinary shaped rice pasta more widely available in the grocery store (I’m thinking about you, Tinkyada).

This is our go-to smoothie for that point in the afternoon when I know our daughter needs to eat and drink something, but she just won’t hear of it. (Can you tell we have a three year old in the house?!) In times such as these I need to break out something special. My secret weapon is this delicious smoothie fortified with yogurt and ground flax seeds.

The toddler gets to choose the flavor. I’ll like whatever we make, but she feels empowered being able to make the decision. Today she picked peach.

Load up the blender with a banana, tablespoon of ground flax seed, half a cup of plain whole milk yogurt, equal parts apple juice and water, and then that fruit of your child’s choice (peach, mixed berry, strawberry, or blueberry). Blend until smooth. Taste. Add more apple juice if the fruit isn’t quite sweet enough. Water down if the smoothie is too thick (a big no-no for our toddler audience). Pour into a sturdy cup and serve with a bpa-free straw (we love these stainless steel babies).

Simple and delicious!

My level of gluten-interolerance recently took a turn for the worse. As a result I’ve become extra careful not to ingest (or breathe!) any gluten; no more occasional treats here and there. Gluten is officially off the menu and on it’s way to being out of our house! And, wow, do I feel better. It’s hard to say it’s worth it, but my goodness it’s SO WORTH IT.

In response to this, I’ve spent more time finding yummy gluten-free bread-like alternatives. Here are some recipes that we’ve been enjoying lately.

Chickpea Pancakes with White Bean and Basil Tapenade (adapted from the March issue of Clean Eating Magazine and surprisingly not yet posted on their website)

1 cup chickpea flour (I used this chickpea and fava flour mix)
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 cup canned or cooked cannellini beans or white kidney beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Prepare pancake: In a medium bowl slowly whisk chickpea flour into 1 1/3 cups water. Let sit for an hour at room temperature. (Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.) Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and several grinds of pepper to the chickpea mixture.

Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil, pour in batter and cook for 1-2 minutes until edges of pancake begin to lightly brown. Do not flip. Place skillet in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until crisp around edges and light golden brown. Slide pancake onto a cutting board and cut into wedges.

Prepare tapenade: In a food processor, add beans, 1 tbsp oil, 3 tbsp water, basil and garlic and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Super yum!

I plan to make these pancakes even more figure friendly. If my recipe works out, I’ll post about it.

Brazilian Cheese Bread (adapted from here)

1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups tapioca flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of salt (or more to taste)

Blend ingredients in a food processor or blender, pour into a greased muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, until puffy and lightly browned. Serve warm.

I definitely blew my calorie count for the day eating these yummies. I dare you to not eat them all up. So freaking delicious!

Mix jam (fruit sweetened, no sugar added) into plain yogurt for a healthful, everyday snack.

This homemade version is less expensive and more versatile than buying smaller individual containers of flavored yogurt without the ton of sugar typically added.

Plus, toddlers who love to help can make it themselves! Score, an everyday learning activity!

1) Vocabulary/concept building: First stir your spoon clockwise, then stir it counter-clockwise. “Quick, switch! Time to stir your spoon clockwise!”

2) Color lesson: What color is the yogurt mixture? Mix in some more fruit spread. How does the color change? Is it darker or lighter? What color is it?

3) Taste lesson: Discuss the taste of the plain yogurt. As you’re mixing in the fruit, stop occasionally to see how the yogurt begins to taste sweeter. Mix in a different flavor (i.e. mix blueberry into the strawberry yogurt) and talk about how the taste changes.

Yes, we really do stuff like this at home.

Yes, we’re nerds.

Yes, we can’t help it. For us, it’s fun!

We recently stopped buying salad dressing and started making our own from scratch. We found vinaigrette making to be easy, containing fewer additives, costing less to make, and tasting so much better.

Here’s our go-to salad dressing that’s our current favorite.

This maple-mustard vinaigrette uses simple ingredients (pantry staples!), takes 5 minutes to make, and lasts for the week.

Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette

Yield: Makes 3/4 cup

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced (we use 2 small garlic cloves instead)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl or a small bell jar; set aside.

We’ll never go back to store bought dressings after this.

Each winter we enjoy the fruits of a Spritzer tradition: a case of ruby red grapefruit sent to us by my father.

Luckily we are a family of grapefruit lovers, like my father and grandfather before us, so we savor and enjoy the gentle and loving task of eating our way through approximately 45 grapefruits.

Nevertheless, we can only eat so many grapefruits cut in half and scooped out each morning or we’d never get through the case.

Here’s a delightful and easy salad I found online that we’ve made and enjoyed several times this month. Enjoy!

Walnut and Grapefruit Salad
Recipe adapted from the Washington Post version from Aliza Green’s book Starting with Ingredients

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cup walnut oil (may substitute 1/2 cup walnut oil and 1/2 cup vegetable oil)
1/3 cup sherry vinegar or rice wine vinegar
Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco (optional – we haven’t tried this yet!)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (lots of it!)
2 ruby red grapefruit
12 ounces mixed salad greens
4 ounces (1 cup) walnuts, lightly toasted*
3 to 4 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced crosswise

Directions:

Whisk together the oil, vinegar, a dash of hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Using a sharp paring knife, segment the grapefruit in whatever manner you feel most comfortable, cutting away the peel, pith and membrane around the grapefruit sections and leaving as much of the fruit as possible. My preferred method involves cutting the grapefruit in half before running the knife along each grapefruit segment, which I then scoop out and set aside. (The original recipe outlines another way.) Reserve and discard (or drink!) grapefruit juice.

In a large bowl, toss the greens with about 1/2 cup of the dressing. Divide among individual plates. Arrange the grapefruit sections, walnuts and scallions on top of the greens. Serve immediately; pass the remaining dressing at the table.

* NOTE: To toast nuts: Spread them on a baking sheet and place in a 350-degree oven, shaking the sheet occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully; nuts burn quickly.