shanna's eats: fresh tzatziki pizza

One of my cravings this pregnancy has been tzatziki - I absolutely can not get enough of it. I could eat it first thing in the morning as I was getting out of bed if I thought it was socially acceptable! One of my go-to snacks or a light lunch is a fresh tzatziki pizza. Not only do I love love love this pizza but so do the kids. It is quick and easy and tastes even better when you can use the veggies growing in your garden. This is a great opportunity to teach your children about harvesting their on veggies and then making a scrumptious meal to fill their bellies.

This pizza is simply naan bread toasted with tzatziki and topped with Lebanese cucumbers, red peppers, cherry tomatoes and a little fresh ground pepper and sea salt. I like to add crumbled feta cheese on top but did not have any on hand the day I made this bad boy. I especially love this meal as it does not require any cooking time, the veggies are uncooked providing us with as many nutrients as possible and it's just pretty to look at.

Give this one a try and I know you will not be disappointed!

Happy Eating!!!

radish chips recipe

Are you looking for a new salad topper or are you trying to find a new way to sneak some veggies into that picky eater you may have? Radishes are the perfect choice! One of Little Miss L.'s favourite treats to make are radish chips. She loves eating them on their own as a snack but we both love topping our salads with them as well. At times, it can be hard to get the little one to eat her radishes fresh, but baking these beauties takes away that harsh, peppery taste. Give them a try the next time you want to explore an alternative option to eating them fresh.

Ingredients

• Large bunch of radishes
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of fresh herbs ( I like to use rosemary or oregano) There have been several times when I did not have fresh herbs on hand, dried herbs work just as well.
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and black pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 160 celsius. 
• Thinly slice radishes. 
• In bowl, toss radishes with oil, herbs, salt and pepper.
• Line in a single layer on parchment paper, place on baking sheet.
• Place on middle rack of oven for 15 minutes. Turn radishes over and back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes until they are golden and crisp.
• Let cool, and enjoy!

Time to get cutting.

Time for the oven. Note: this time I omitted the herbs on Little Miss L.'s request.

Little Miss L. making the final inspection.

Look they are done!

Humm, which one will I chose?

Time for my snack (and it's healthy too!)

These sure are yummy!

The final product. 

2 minute microwave play dough

Are you looking for a fast and easy play dough recipe? Look no further, I was sent this link where this awesome recipe was shared by one of their readers. I love love loved this recipe, there was little mess, the kiddos were able to help, and the whole process was done in two minutes. I have made play dough before, but it required using the stove and took much longer. After using this recipe, who would want to stand over a stove making play dough again? Not this busy momma!

Ingredients

1 c flour
1 Tbsp cream of tartar
1/2 c salt
1 Tbsp oil
1 c water
Food colouring


Directions

Combine first 4 ingredients together; mix food colouring with the water and add to flour mixture.  Microwave 1 minute on high; stir and microwave again for 1 minute.  Stir and let sit until cool enough to handle.  Knead well.


I have also added cool stuff like coffee grounds, extracts, cinnamon, ginger or glitter ... just for fun.  

Let the fun begin.

Time to add the oil.

Little Miss L. picked purple because she said it was an Easter colour. 

Baby D loves watching his big sister.

The final product. I did double the batch, so I decided to leave it in the microwave for a few seconds longer but now realize I probably didn't have too - I may have cooked it a little too long.

Time to try out our play dough.

Baby D gets in on the action too.

Big sister doing what she does best - bugging her little brother.

My poor boy can't catch a break when his sister is around.

Little Miss L. made necklaces and bracelets for everyone.

I think someone likes the play dough she just made?!?!

friday night = pizza night

I love love love pizza! There are just so many possibilities when it comes to pizza - thin crust, thick crust, veggies, meat.. oh the list goes on. It seems in our household we have started a weekly tradition. Friday nights, our family has taken up family pizza night. We love pizza night, especially Little Miss L. because she gets to help out in the kitchen. It provides the perfect opportunity for the little one to get creative and create her very own pizza masterpiece. The end of the week, the fridge usually has a few leftover items we need to use up, and what better way to use them then on a homemade pizza.

Last Friday we were debating what to top our pizza with, when I remembered our trip to Venice, Italy. I remember entering a cute little pizzaria and sitting down to look through the menu. They had a billion - okay, more like fifty - different kinds of pizza to choose from. As I was scanning the menu, my eyes seemed to stop on a certain pizza... I had to look a few times... did I read this right... french fry pizza? Oh, my mouth started to water, two of my favourite things put together - I knew I had to try this pizza. Did I like it? Well, let's just say that I ate every last bite of it. Our debate last Friday night over toppings came to a quick close and I made the final decision - french fry pizza it was (of course, this momma made sure we had a healthy alternative as well.) Little Miss L. thought it was the coolest thing ever and it brought back some wonderful memories of our time spent in an amazing place.

Our scrumptious french fry pizza in Venice, Italy.

I was one happy girl.

Our attempt at the french fry pizza.

Little Miss L.'s expression was priceless - Do I pick the fries off or leave them on the pizza to eat it momma?

Yum, I love this pizza!

Here is the proof folks - we made sure we had lots of veggies too!

no bake haystacks

Little Miss L. loves helping out in the kitchen. I love watching her face as her daddy walks in the door after work and she is all giddy as she tells him all about what she said made that day. As most of you know, it is hard to find a recipe that captures a two year old's interest, does not take too long to make (as we all know their attention span is quite short at this age), and does not require too many utensils and bowls etc. One recipe that I always turn to, is a no-bake haystack recipe. It is fast, easy, and Little Miss L. loves getting her hands all gooey. Give it a try, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup of cocoa powder (I love cocoa so I use lots but 1/3 cup is enough)
• 3 cups quick cooking oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup Flax seed
• 1/3 cup Hemp hearts
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract

Preparations

• In a large saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa powder; bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
• Drop from a teaspoon or I like to use my hands to place onto waxed paper.
• Hint - work quickly as mixture hardens fast.
• Place in refrigerator. 

Someone loves to lick the spoon.

The finished product. In the preparation, I suggested to place on waxed paper, well if you are like me and ran out, just lightly spray on some non-stick cooking spray to your cookie sheet.

Yum, I love tasting my creations.

I will lick every last bit off of my hand.

My little helper.

Time to dig into the final product.

I asked Little Miss L. how they tasted and this was her reaction. She rubbed her belly and told me it was yummy in her tummy.

Little Miss L. loves haystacks as her afternoon snack.

They are finger-lickin' good

blueberry banana bread

I love love love a yummy loaf of banana bread. Last week they had blueberries on sale at the local grocery store so I grabbed several packs, threw them into the cart and was on my way. Once I got home, I realized I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all of them. Then the light bulb came on in my head and I decided why not add some blueberries to a loaf of banana bread?  Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. The two flavours compliment each other and the blueberries add a special kick for the summer. This is a great recipe to serve if you are having guests over for coffee/tea.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup of melted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (you can use frozen if you don't have any fresh on hand)
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 Celsius)
• In a large bowl, mash bananas.
• In separate bowl, beat your egg. Once egg is beaten, add vanilla and sugar to the bowl. Stir until they are mixed together.
• Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the egg mixture. Stir until they are well combined.
• Add liquid mixture to mashed bananas. Stir well. Then add flour to mixture, mix well.
• Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.
• Optional - you can add chopped nuts on top.
• Bake for 1 hour (usually check at 45 minutes, it all depends on your oven)
• Allow loaf to cool, remove from pan.
• Serve with fresh fruit, coffee/tea, or it is great just by itself.

All you need are these yummy fruits and you are all set.

Mixture just before going into the oven. Remember to butter your loaf pan.

The final product. I love love love my blueberry banana bread!

gourmet popcorn on a budget

I love love love popcorn, especially gourmet popcorn! Popcorn is my ultimate snack food and is my go-to food to pick-me-up when I am having a craving for something salty or sweet. As a young family planning for the future, we are always looking for ways to save money where we can. I love gourmet popcorn because of its mouthwatering flavours and aromas but I do not like the price tag associated with it. Over the last few years, the hubby and I realized we could make our beloved gourmet popcorn on a shoestring budget if we were willing to be creative about it. It really is easy- just hit up your local bulk food or grocery store and purchase your popping corn in bulk. Next step is to pop it the old-fashion way. Then comes the fun part - get creative with your toppings. Check out your spice rack for ideas. Basil, oregano, parsley, Italian seasoning and garlic salt are all great options. If you are a cheese lover, then hit up the Parmesan cheese- just grate some fresh Parmesan and you are all set! For those of you out there that have a sweet tooth like myself, combine some brown sugar and cinnamon for a sweet treat or melt some caramel and drizzle on top - there are endless possibilities! Instead of paying $4.00 or more for a bag of gourmet popcorn, you can make over 200 cups with one bag of popping corn for the same price!

Prepping our ingredients. Follow directions on package.

Add your kernels to hot oil.

All done! Smell that goodness!

Top with your favourite toppings such as basil, parsley, or oregano.

The finished product - the perfect snack!