Saturday, March 21, 2009

Cooking with my baby!


Today I knew I needed to get the peanut butter ball snacks done for a couple reasons.... 1. the ingredients had been overwhleming my countertops for over a week 2. I wanted them in the freezer for Ayla asap and mostly I think Leah has been waiting for them :)

I took the time (in between rest periods) to cook with my baby. I won't be able to say that for long, because soon she'll be a big sis! She loved the idea.... she is picking up so much vocabulary. Out of the blue she'd say "scoop" and "do it?" Such a big girl!

It was very low stress and fun. This recipe however is very time consuming & has alot of ingredients. But, please do not let that stop you from trying it. It is so worth it to give your kids something that came from your own kitchen, that is healthy, and best of all easy! I totally had a heavy hand in the choc chips this time. No complaints from me though! Keep reading because I added a couple tips from my own experience...

Ayla's Peanut Butter Snack Balls
adapted from Kitchen Cafe

2c honey
6c PNB
3c Rice Krispies
1 1/2c Grape Nuts
3/4c applesauce
2c coconut
3c crushed cereal (I had Life & HN Cheerios on hand)
1 1/2 Chocolate Chips (or raisins, craisins, or skip this step)
5-8T powdered milk
4c crushed Mini Wheats

*Tips: I always halve this exact recipe for my family. So it will fit in my mixer and so I don't have to mess with the huge amt of ingredients.
If you halve this recipe- for the applesauce I just drop in one applesauce cup from our snacks.
Use any kind of cereal you have around for the crushed cereal that you want to get rid of. Don't suggest using anything fruity or super sweetened.


Mix all but the last two ingredients. Then add pow. milk like flour to mixture. Form balls with dough about 1'' or whatever size you'd like. Roll the balls in the crushed Mini Wheats. Freeze.


We hope you enjoy! I didn't get a picture of the final product, but use your imagination.... better yet go and make them with your baby! Have a great weekend....

11 comments:

Jessie said...

Courtney, you're like the queen of blogging!! Seriously, how do find time to get to post such detailed stuff every day??! I'm jealous! I need to find me a man who will take care of business while I'm typing away!:) Ha, just kiddin, my hubby's a pretty good one. PNB balls sound delish. One of these days I'll find time to try them!!

Chelsa said...

court- obviously i haven't caught up on blogs too much this week until today! i'm praying for you, but have been since i found out you were pregnant, sooo ya know, it's not like they were missing this week or anything :)
the PNB balls sound yummy! might have to try those too! i think i might like them more than B though haha!

i can't wait to meet your sweet little girl! :)

Erica said...

Hey Courtney,

I just love reading your blog and hope you dont mind that I follow it on mine. :)

Tara said...

Courtney... they look yummy. We will def try them! I soooooo wish we were in a position to actively be looking at homes, but it just isn't the right time for us. I will pray for for the right buyer for you & the arrival of sweet Leah.

Bethany said...

Looks like a YUMMY snack - I may have to try that!

Brittany said...

PNB snacks are good!! Looks like you and Ayla had fun in the kitchen. Why don't I have time to cook so much! :(

Jen said...

Hey Court--the snacks look great. I was thinking about making them for our vacation coming up----driving all the way to South Carolina. Would these snacks hold up in the car? I thought one time you mentioned that you freeze them??I'm trying to get a goody box together for the boys with snacks, books, DVDs, ect. What do ya think??

Courtney, Jeff, Ayla & Leah said...

Jen, you do freeze them. If you have cooler I think they will be fine, or if you aren't traveling too long. The main reason why you freeze them, I think, is to keep the integrity of the balls. They don't have perishable items in them. Hope this helps... when you leaving for vacation, where you going? Can I come?

Jen said...

So they are crumbly? I would have thought the PNB and honey kept things together pretty well, but I guess with all the nuts and cereals and such...aybe it wouldn't be great to take, I'd have a fit about all the crumbs in my car. We are driving to Myrtle Beach--a 12 hour drive--on Saturday. Either way, I can't wait to try these!

Erica said...

Hey courtney I was wondering if ur old house is still up for sale and if so can u email me some info on it ericalseal@yahoo.com thanks!

Andrea said...

They sound Yummy! You have got to be the cutest pregnant woman ever :o) And I Love Ayla's apron!