Spinach Banana Baby Pancakes

As a Mom with a 9-month old I've been on the lookout for baby and mommy approved finger foods with extra points awarded for low mess snacks. After some experimenting in the kitchen I have to say these Spinach Banana Baby Pancakes are awesome! My lil man loves them, they're soft, nutrient dense and free from sugar and salt. If your little one doesn't eat the whole batch in one sitting, refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.

Last night we had dinner at this fun outdoor venue. Lil man enjoyed his pancakes and entertained himself with his food the entire meal. 

Spinach Banana Baby Pancakes

Yield: 5 Dollar Coin Pancakes

1 tablespoon minced fresh spinach
2-inch chuck banana, mashed
2 teaspoons multi-grain hot cereal
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon plain yogurt
1 egg yolk
Pinch of aluminum-free baking powder
Pinch of cinnamon
Olive oil 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Heat a small drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by spoonful. Flip pancakes when bubbles form. Cook thoroughly before serving.

Meals for the Week

Welcome to the weekend! I've got some easy grill and crock pot dinners for you this week. Perfect for effortless entertaining and laid back family dinners.

1. These Crock Pot Pork Carnitas have to be some of the most tender and juicy meat you will ever taste and bonus budget friendly. Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce and a garden salad to round out this easy dinner.

2. Chicken Florentine Pasta by Pioneer Woman is one of my favorite pasta dishes. Saute or grill the chicken and sub the white pasta for whole wheat. And with tomatoes going full power it's a great way to use them in a tasty meal.

3. This week's menu wouldn't be complete without a quinoa dish and this Grilled Shrimp Quinoa Salad is incredible. Leave out the shrimp for a meatless dinner or sub it for a different protein if desired.

4. Barbecue Chicken Dinner Packets are easy to prepare and cook fast on the grill. Personally, I'd skip the Hunt's BBQ sauce and go with some Stubbs Original. With ingredients you can actually pronounce and less sugar than most BBQ sauces on the market it's an easy switch. Serve with some fresh steamed broccoli on the side. 

5. And lastly Very Berry Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette from Tried and Tasty. This salad shouts summer, looks beautiful and tastes amazing. Use honey instead of sugar when glazing the almonds and serve with some grilled chicken. 

Enjoy!

Healthy Summer Berry Lassi

Not many things in life are just about perfect and this refreshing and healthy summer drink takes all the credit. You'll love how simple this drink is to make and once you taste it you'll wish you had made two. Perfect for an after dinner treat or midday refresher. 

Yield: Serves 1

Healthy Summer Berry Lassi

7-8 strawberries, stems removed

Handful of blueberries

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 heaping tablespoon chia seeds

Small handful of ice

Honey, optional 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately. Add honey to taste if desired.

Peanut Butter Chocolate "Clif" Bars

I love Clif Bars, chewy, subtle crunch, a natural source of protein, satisfying, tons of variety and healthier compared to many of the other energy bars on the market. What I don't love is their price. At over a $1.50 a bar (if they're on sale) I just don't stock up on them.

A couple months ago my sister made the most delicious copycat Clif Bar. The recipe is super easy, no-bake and you can whip up a whole bunch at a fraction of the cost of buying them in the store.

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Yield: 16 Bars

Peanut Butter Chocolate "Clif" Bars
Olive oil
1 1/4 cups unsweetened dates, pitted and minced
1 cup quick oats
2 tablespoons ground flax
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cups crisp rice cereal
1/3 cup peanuts or almonds, roughly chopped
2/3 cup all natural peanut butter (no oil or sugar added)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Lightly coat an 8x8 inch baking dish with olive oil and set aside. Pulse pitted dates in a blender or food processor until finely chopped and then add to a large bowl. Add in the oats, flax and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter work the mixture together until it resembles course crumbs then stir in rice cereal and chopped nuts.

In a small pan over medium heat, combine the peanut butter and rice syrup stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla and pour over cereal mix. *Hint* I find it easiest to coat my hands with a little olive oil and combine the mixture together with my hands.

Firmly press down mix in prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm then cut into individual bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Meals for the Week!

Happy Friday and welcome to the weekend! For once it is not 100 degrees outside and we're hoping to get outside and soak up some vitamin D. Call me crazy, but I think I'm getting the Fall itch! Anyone else?

If there is anything in particular you would like to see in this weekly post please comment below! I'd love to hear your favorites! In the meantime enjoy these top 5 meals!

1. One of our favorites this week was Rainbow Thai Chicken Salad by Gimme Some Oven. Not only does this salad look absolutely beautiful but the taste is marvelous! To avoid soggy leftovers the next day, serve the peanut dressing on the side.

2. Another great dish and one pot meal is Healthy Arroz Con Pollo from Women's Health Magazine. I prefer the texture of brown basmati rice over brown short grain and felt the basmati rice gave the dish a lighter texture. Use fresh rather than canned tomatoes if you have them on hand.

3. If you haven't tried my Turkey Panini with Almond Basil Pesto you are missing out my friend! This recipe could easily end up on a weekly rotation at my house. The easy homemade pesto is also a great way to use garden basil.

4. We all love fast and easy meals and Rachel Ray's Mexican Lasagna is just that. I've made this recipe with ground chicken, turkey, beef and even meatless and each time is still delicious! Use whole wheat tortillas instead of white for a healthy substitute. 

5. And lastly Falafel from Melissa d'Arabian. I serve these tasty patties with whole wheat pita pockets, fresh sliced tomatoes, spinach, red onions and my favorite Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce. 

Enjoy!

Kale & Feta Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is delicious, super quick to whip up and reminisce of a Mediterranean Greek salad. Enjoy as a tasty vegetarian meal on its own or serve with some marinated grilled chicken on the side. Either way, light, summery and the perfect weeknight meal.

Yield: 2 Servings

Kala & Feta Pasta Salad
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pasta shells, cooked
1 cup kale, chopped and tightly packed
1 large tomato, diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Dash of pepper
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 tablespoon chives

Bring a medium pot of water to boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, rinse and run under cool water then set aside. Saute kale in a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat until lightly wilted. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard and pepper in a small bowl. Combine pasta, diced tomato, and kale. Drizzle with the olive oil mixture and stir. Gently fold in feta cheese and chives. Serve cold.

Graze Box Review and FREE Box for You

I'm a snacker, grazer and a 2nd and 3rd supper type of person. I really like snacks. It's a good thing I'm married to a snacker or else I might have to be a closet muncher. Okay, maybe not really, but it's not uncommon for the Hubs and I to pull out something to nibble on after the dinner dishes are cleared. All that to say, when I heard about a company that delivers healthy snacks to your home or work I was intrigued. Graze runs as a subscription service delivering to you four individually packaged snacks anywhere from once a week or as you request them.

They offer over 90 snack choices that you can rank as trash, try, like or love.You never know what you'll get in your Grazebox but the higher you rank an item the more often Graze will send you that particular snack. If you never want to try a certain snack you can select trash. They also offer a low calorie option with snacks between 50-150 calories per package. For those with dietary preferences you can trash packs containing gluten, milk, spicy foods and snacks that are not vegan friendly. Currently all snacks are vegetarian. All this sounded awesome to me, my only hesitation was the $6.49 per box price tag so I set off to determine if the product was worth the price.

My 1st box arrived this morning in good shape and with no dents or rips in the brown cardboard like box. I opened the package to find four small but very trendy looking individually packaged snacks. Included in the box was a nutrition facts card with all of the ingredients and nutrition information listed. 

My box contained the following snacks:

Mississippi BBQ Pistachios- Smoked BBQ Pistachios

Garden of England- Mini strawberries, apple and blackcurrants

Hot Cross Yum- Orange raisins, sponge pieces & cinnamon honey almonds

Fruity Mango Chutney with Black Pepper Dippers

Overall I was impressed with the flavors; the mango chutney tasted fresh and had the perfect chutney to dipper ratio. The dried fruit was sweetened only by fruit and the nuts were crunchy as desired. My only complaint was the size. For a $1.62 per snack I would have liked to receive for than 1/3 of a cup. Graze did get the packaging, taste and the element of opening a surprise package spot on. Personally, for me even though the snacks were delicious and pretty healthy, I just couldn't justify paying $6.49 for the portion size at least not on a regular basis. 

Now you're probably wondering where the FREE part comes in? If you want to try Graze you can use the following code and you'll receive a FREE box, no shipping, no taxes and if you decide after the 1st one that don't want any more you can easily cancel. So here's the code and link!

Grazebox

QJ3F7MK2B

If you decide after the first box that you want to continue to receive them the code will also give you your 5th box for FREE. 

Happy grazing!


***This review was neither sponsored by or received compensation from Graze.***