snack time (foodie fridays)

having snacks on hand for a toddler is a very important part of being a parent, amiright? i feel like every time i go out with ollie for an extended period of time i need to have a whole arsenal of snacks for him. while i like to think that i am not a crazy mother who thinks about every little piece of food being ingested by her child, i am definitely that mother sometimes. (i said sometimes, not always. i let loose last week and let ollie at a few chocolate chip cookies. ha!)

anyways, brian found a recipe for homemade goldfish crackers so we started making those a couple months ago. if we're being totally honest here, we probably make them just as much for us as we do for ollie. these crackers are so good. cheesy perfection, the apartment always smells so good when they are baking. and no, we are not crazy enough to cut them out like little goldfish. we just take a pizza cutter to them and make tiny square crackers. you can find the recipe here.

just this past week, a friend posted on facebook about homemade graham crackers and i was intrigued. they were way easier to make than i thought they would be and are so yummy. i make little triscuit sized cookies for ollie, but i'd really like to try making them the same size as store bought graham crackers and using them for s'mores. how decadent would that be? the recipe is from weelicious. here it is!

ollie is a baby with an interesting taste in food. he loves hummus. the more garlic the better, too! he eats hummus by the spoonful, out of a bowl, the same way other babies eat yogurt. i love that he loves it. made with chickpeas, olive oil, tahini and garlic, hummus is packed full of good-for-you's and it tastes good too. i tried a new hummus recipe today, made with red lentils (which are even cheaper than chickpeas, if you can believe it) and it turned out so good. it tastes almost exactly like traditional hummus, but it's a little more fluffy and creamy. brian even said he likes the red lentil hummus better. this recipe, approved by both my boys, is definitely a keeper.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup dried red lentils
• 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat water in a small saucepan over high heat until boiling. Add lentils and reduce heat to low. Simmer until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Drain through a fine mesh strainer and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
2. Place lentils, garlic, and tahini in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until lentils are broken up, about 10 pulses.
3. With the motor running, add oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and blend until evenly incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend for 40 seconds more or until smooth.

and, last but definitely not least, ollies favourite snack and the easiest to prepare, watermelon! this kid can down as many slices of watermelon as the average adult. he eats it until he's bursting, juice dripping down his arms and onto his belly. it's adorable and very, very messy, which is why watermelon is an eat at home or at the playground (both places where he can be easily rinsed off) kind of snack.

crazy watermelon eating baby

happy snacking!