Finally...Healthy Banana Apple Chocolate Muffins finishes the breakfast routine.

Ok...I think I have come to the last of my breakfast recipes. Smoothies are churning out at least 3 times a week. Extra smoothie now make simple popsicles for those after mealtime desserts. Apricot and cheese omelette are whipped up in a quick 7 minutes as we rush off to send Daddy to work or somewhere. And Noah's ark is prepared about twice a week for those slower mornings. And for the final recipe, I think I have experimented with about 5 batches of different muffins - from Bananas to Zucchini, to Bananas to Chocolate to Bananas to Apple and Chocolate. 

I think I have finally got the consistency that I am pleased with after experimenting with position of tray in oven, the baking time and the amount of egg used. We have been popping these muffins in during breakfast, during those late nights with Daniel as he studies and for those for fun times when the tummy is growling just before meal times. What I really like about this recipe is that it has NO butter, NO oil [save for the olive oil that greases the tin] and everything is really either gluten free or organic. Investing in organic ingredients seems costly at the outset but knowing that I can make many different batches of muffins and pop them into my mouth and my family's mouth anytime without any guilt is really a worthwhile investment. Nowadays, I go past shops and see fluffy [often means filled with butter and milk] muffins sold for $2 or more, I think it is exorbitant and unhealthy. These are just photos from a couple of attempts. I just got stopped taking after these because I was busying trying to find out what works and what does not:)

[Make a dozen muffins]  - I got this from recipezaar and read the reviews and made the modifications suggested there for a healthier option. 

• 3/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup gluten free self raising flour
• 1 large organic egg
• 3 ripe bananas [use the same bunch of bananas from smoothies] 
• 4 tablespoons organic applesauce
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of organic brown sugar [vary according to health requirements]
• 1/2 of chopped up dark chocolate [this adds some antioxidant into the muffins]
• 2 chopped organic apples 

The above serves as a base for any other healthy fruits you want to add for added taste. I tried chopped apples and I like it very much. I think it would be fun to experiment with blueberries, raspberries etc. For the more adventurous cooks, mash up pumpkins and other vegetables and add it in. Your tots will never know. The bananas seem to make up for the lack of butter and I am amazed at how such a simple change to the original muffins doesn't much compromise on taste. Pop the extras in the freezer to last the week. 

So here we have it, the close of the chapter on healthy breakfast for kids:) 

Homemade Playdough

Homemade stuff is really great because a mother decides what goes into it and we can make it free of harmful additives. Not to forget, it is easier on the pocket in the long run. This week, I finally attempted to make playdough for the kids. Inspired by my mother-in-law's successful attempt and how simple it was to make it, I finally tried it out for my own. It turned out great:)

With all the measuring and stirring, it is a half an hour job or faster. In a cooking pot, put the following:

1. 1 cup flour
2. 1 cup water
3. 1 tbsp cooking oil [I used my expired organic olive oil]
4. 1 tbsp cream of tartar
5. 1/2 cup salt

Stir all the ingredients well into a paste and place pot over small heat. Stir continuously till it becames a rather stiff paste [this can give a pretty good arm workout]. The key in having a good consistency is allowing the paste to cool before adding the food coloring. When cooled, take it and press it into a smooth dough. Add in food coloring as desired and presto! your very own playdough. Remember, add 3-4 drops of coloring would suffice because the color sets in over time. Extra tip: Put them in transparent containers and you will always know what color it is. So good, you can even eat it on its own:)

How to Do

Mandarin Orange Popsicles
As we learnt about "God making Water" for the week, there was lots to introduce to the tots. Here is our snack time, when water turns fun and yummy.

A great idea for those leftover mandarin oranges.

• Blend your oranges in a blender
• Strain the pulp and seeds away, leaving only the juice. Don't add water or sugar. Keep it as natural as possible.
• Pour juice into the popsicles [Daiso again!] and freeze.
• There you have it, Mandarin Orange Popsicles!
• Absolutely yummy on a Sunny day. 

The homogenous viscosity of the orange juice, with no added water, seems to make it a great lolly that doesn't break up easily. 

Our tots eagerly anticipating their icy treat

Homemade Bubble Solution

A recipe that I improvised from the net. This is no rocket science. But safe enough for our curious tots who are always tempted to eat up those delicious looking bubbles. Samuel eventually did.

• Vegetable liquid cleanser
• Water
• 2 teaspoon of sugar

Make bubble wands from pipe cleaners. We wound up the tip and make a little circle. They were great and we managed some huge bubbles with this concoction.