Friday Favourites For Kids
Happy Friday, Friends!
Friday nights are always Movie nights around our house. We get in our jammies, make some snacks, snuggle on the sofa and watch a movie. My kids favourite part is the food. If you're not careful, you can end up spending a lot of your weekly grocery budget on processed crappy food. Kids can still enjoy the traditional treats without the cost or added preservatives. Making these treats at home only adds to the fun family night.
The fun usually starts with popsicles or a slushie. Traditional popsicles are FILLED with junk that our kids don't need. If we are out at a park and some are available for sale, I'll buy them one, but it's not something I want their little bodies consuming on a weekly basis. The average store-bought popsicle has 17 ingredients; including High Fructose Corn Syrup, Red 40, Blue 1, etc. (artificial colour) and tons of starches.
One of the easiest things to make with kids is popsicles, and you control the ingredients. This week we used store bought organic lemonade, Ingredients: Filtered Water, Organic Sugar, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate, Organic Lemon Juice, Organic Natural Lemon Flavor. If I have time, I make fresh OJ or Lemonade but this week was hot and every spare minute went to playing outside in the sprinkler. Reusable popsicle trays are the best! And the openings are big enough for little hands to fill themselves.
We all love chocolate covered strawberries, I would make them every day if my kids didn't ask to help. I enjoy the kids helping me in the kitchen, but I will admit (lousy mom over here) that I hate when their germy side comes out. I wash my hands a bazillion times when I'm preparing food, and I NEVER touch my face. Naturally, they'll dip a berry, lick their finger, and then try to grab another berry without washing their hands. I saw this image floating around facebook of chocolate covered strawberries made using icecube trays. BRILLIANT! My kids are much cleaner with pouring then dipping. This has inspired tons of homemade chocolate variations. Covered almonds, cherries, peanuts, you name it!
Layer the icecube tray with some melted chocolate, we use dark, then add your fruits, and or nuts, fill the rest of the tray with chocolate and set in the fridge for about an hour. I love using the ice cube trays with lids, Amazon has a lot of different shapes too.
Finally what movie is complete without Popcorn? Microwave popcorn is insanely high in sodium, has palm oils, or hydrogenated soybean oil, Have butter "flavour" Colour, some even have modified milk ingredients...um no thanks! Making popcorn on the stove is EASY, and you don't need any fancy counter clutter, just a pot with a lid.
We use Kernels, (butter, olive oil, and or coconut oil)
Heat up two tablespoons of butter with one tablespoon of olive oil, add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, and a wee bit of salt if you like. We add olive oil to the butter to keep the butter from burning. Wearing oven mitts keep the pot on the heat, add the lid, and continuously move, about 3 minutes or until your pot is 3/4 full. Set aside until the popping is fully finished, and serve.
I hope you all have a fun Friday and that you enjoy some of these EASY, money saving, food Diy's.
Megan, xo
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The popsicle molds I used in the photos are from the dollar store because Amazon didn't have the princess ones, my princess requested. I do have the Green ones, I linked and they are the BEST for Smoothie Pops.
