The girls and I were thrilled to see some of our snacks featured on The Dr. Oz Show yesterday.

They did a small segment at the end of the show about how some moms are using “food art” or “healthy plate art” to encourage their kids to eat healthy foods.

These were the snacks created by us seen on the segment:

Mickey Mouse

Cottage Cheese Lamb

Oscar the Grouch

Rocketship Lunch

Butterfly Quesadillas

We also created two plates just for Dr. Oz as a thank you for sharing our snacks on the show:

The girls were really excited to put these together with me.  We got an official photo of Dr. Oz that we were working from.  We used his face for one plate and his logo for another.

Logo Snack:

Spread Greek Yogurt (2x the protein than regular yogurt and free from all that excess sugar) onto a plate.  Next, we sliced blueberries in half to allow them to lay flat in the yogurt and arranged them in the shape of the letters and the box that goes around them.  Finally, we used baby carrots thinly sliced to create the other words in the logo.

Dr. Oz’s Face:

We laid a slice of provolone cheese onto the plate and added another piece on top of that for his nose.  Next, we used some leftover beef from last night’s french dip sandwiches for his hair and his eyebrows.  To make his eyes, we used some Greek yogurt and blueberries.  For his mouth, we used watermelon and Greek yogurt.  The stethoscope is made out of blueberries (sliced in half to lay flat), carrots, watermelon, and an apple.

A nice, balanced plate for Dr. Oz!

*Note: Dr. Oz does not endorse anything, and no one is allowed to use his name or likeness to sell anything.  We are not selling anything or claiming that Dr. Oz endorses all of our snacks.  We are simply sharing our experience with being a part of the show.*

Tune in to The Dr. Oz Show next Wednesday morning to see the healthy plate segment.  If you missed it yesterday!

I’m going to share a little clip of Grace (my 5 year old) reacting when she saw our clip on TV on our FACEBOOK page.  It’s so cute!

It’s time for the Weekly Kids Co-op!

As moms, we are constantly on the lookout for great teaching tools and resources to use with our children.  I know I always benefit from seeing the creativity of others as they share lessons, activities, crafts, food, and more in their various blogs.  Mommy bloggers have become popular for a good reason: information is power.  Right, ladies?

The Weekly Kids Co-op is one of my very favorite such resources.  I have been linking my snacks to this link party for months now, and I am excited to be able to co-host it here at Creative Kid Snacks.

If you are a blogger, link up your kid related posts to share with all of us eager beaver mommas.  If you are a mom, take some time to look through all of the great ideas for teaching and playing with our kids.  Pin what you love.  Like I said before, information is power!

This party will take place every Thursday at Creative Kid Snacks.  You will find it hosted on several other blogs, but the days the party goes live will vary from blog to blog.

Get ready for all the great ideas!  Link, share, and enjoy!

It’s time for the Weekly Kids Co-op!

As moms, we are constantly on the lookout for great teaching tools and resources to use with our children.  I know I always benefit from seeing the creativity of others as they share lessons, activities, crafts, food, and more in their various blogs.  Mommy bloggers have become popular for a good reason: information is power.  Right, ladies?

The Weekly Kids Co-op is one of my very favorite such resources.  I have been linking my snacks to this link party for months now, and I am excited to be able to co-host it here at Creative Kid Snacks.

If you are a blogger, link up your kid related posts to share with all of us eager beaver mommas.  If you are a mom, take some time to look through all of the great ideas for teaching and playing with our kids.  Pin what you love.  Like I said before, information is power!

This party will take place every Thursday at Creative Kid Snacks.  You will find it hosted on several other blogs, but the days the party goes live will vary from blog to blog.

Get ready for all the great ideas!  Link, share, and enjoy!

I remember learning about cells when I was in 7th grade.  For extra credit, I made a cell cake.  My mom helped me decorate a round cake and create all of the cell components on top using different colored icing and piping instruments.

The cake turned out so well that my teacher decided to place it in a display case in a prominent area of the school.  I laugh thinking back at that because the cake sat in there for so long that it started to decompose, and we were never able to eat any of that delicious cell cake!

Aside from earning me those extra credit points, that cake helped me to remember and love learning about the cell.

Today’s snack is a healthy version of that same experience, and it could be done in a science classroom as a test on the parts of a cell, or at home as part of a home school curriculum.  You could also make it for your younger kids just to teach them about the cell and how it all works, like we did!

As I was creating this snack for my 5 year-old, I pulled up this great site which gives clear explanations of each part of the cell, along with easy-to-understand drawings and diagrams.  I modeled today’s plate after this diagram on the site:

Click photo to be taken to source

Cells have lots of different components, and can be made using just about anything you have on hand in the kitchen.   Since we were going for a healthy snack today, here is the list of ingredients we used:

Ingredients

celery (1 stalk)

turkey breast (2 slices)

yellow pepper

strawberry (1 small slice)

orange (1 slice)

carrots (2)

green grapes (1)

yogurt (1 tablespoon)

hot dog slices (3 thin slices)

string cheese (2-3 small slices)

Create your cell by arranging each element on the plate as shown.

The carrots are sliced in half so that they lay flat on the plate.

To create the shape of the centrioles (green grapes), slice a green grape into wheels, then slice tiny triangles out of the edges.

The ribosomes (yogurt) are made using the following technique (which we absolutely love!):

The finished product:

How to use this snack / activity

Challenge your (older) student to create a cell at home for a snack using some of the ingredients pictured here.  Your student can see if he can name each part of the cell and what its function is when he is done.

Teach your younger children about the human body using this snack.  You could draw the different parts on index cards, and write the function of the part on the back.  Your children can pick up one card at a time to learn what that part of the cell does.  They can even eat that part as you explain what its job is.

Science teachers could use this as an assessment activity.  Provide foods such as those pictured here, and assign students to create a plate of the animal cell, and be prepared to explain what each part is and its function.

Use resources like this to dig deeper and learn even more together with your child!

More Science Related Snacks

Solar System

Volcano

Under the Sea ecosystem

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

We Love Kids. Kids Make Messes.

So, most of us reading this blog are parents.  Parents who have kids.  Kids who love to eat delicious and creative food like we make here.  We love thinking up new ways we can make meal time healthy and FUN for our kids.

Sometimes, however, meal time isn’t that fun for our poor furniture.

I don’t know about you, but the chairs we use at my kitchen table have been through a lot.  Since we transitioned our youngest out of her booster seat with tray attached, there has been more and more “decoration” of the seats of our kitchen chairs.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized that, if I have a prayer of keeping clean seats on my kitchen chairs,  I needed something waterproof, washable, and yet comfortable (non-plastic) to sit on.

After a lot of googling, I finally found ViveVita: a company started by Robyn, a mom of 9 children who invented some awesome products out of necessity.  No one knows what kinds of products moms need better than moms who are in the trenches, right?

One of the fantastic items Robyn has created are the Everyday Elegance Chair Covers.  I quickly realized that these chair covers were exactly what I was looking for!  I contacted Robyn, thrilled to have found her product, and she offered to GIVE AWAY a set of chair covers to one of my readers!  Yay!

Everyday Elegance Chair Covers

I was so excited to receive and start using my chair covers.  They come in packs of 2, so I ordered 2 packs for my 4 dining chairs.

Immediately, I opened up the packages and put those puppies on!

The Simply Linen color from the Everyday Elegance line looks great on my chairs in my kitchen and dining area because of the colors we have on the walls, cabinets, and counter.  Also available in this line are the following color options:

-Ebony Black

-Richly Red

-Sagey Green

-Creamy Brown

All that is necessary to put the chair covers on is to lay the top panel flat on your chair, Velcro the two connecting fabric strips in the back, and fold the panel down over the back section once you’ve attached the two strips.  No ties, pulling, stretching, tucking, or any other sweat-inducing activities needed!

Notice how nice the covers look from the back.  The Velcro strips are attached beneath that top panel that comes down over them for a seamless look.

The chair covers measure approximately 19x18x7.  They fit most dining chairs, including those with plenty of stuffing in the seats!  Depending upon the type of chairs you have, the fabric could also be tucked beneath your existing cushion, if it’s removable.

The cushions on my kitchen chairs are not very thick, so I actually used the inside pad from our old chair covers from IKEA (which were completely shot), and the fit and look was great.  The length of the fabric that falls down each side of the chair is about 7 inches.

The Test

When I was googling waterproof chair covers, (ultimately leading me to ViveVita), I saw this photo in another blogger’s post reviewing the Everyday Elegance Chair Covers:(source)

She poured cola on her chair covers, and showed how the waterproof material prevented the cola from absorbing, and then wiped clean.

I decided to conduct my own test using orange juice.  Check out my results!

It looks like the liquid is absorbing, but wait!

Even though it looked like some of the juice was making it’s way into the fabric, when wiped with a damp cloth and allowed to dry, not a trace of liquid (orange or clear) was visible on the chair cover.

After spot cleaning, washing, and using these chair covers for over a week, I can say that they are still looking like new and working fabulously!

This is exactly what I’ve been looking for!

Love These?

Meet Robyn: Follow Vive Vita on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and her blog.

Buy Your Own: You can purchase your very own Everyday Elegance Chair Covers from Vive Vita on Amazon.

Win Your Own: Enter below for a chance to win your very own package of Vive Vita Chair Covers in one of the following beautiful colors: richly red, sagey green, or ebony black.

*Note* – one entry choice will be to PIN the following image to one of your Pinterest boards.  You will need to leave a comment on today’s post letting us know your Pinterest URL and the name of the board you pinned to.  This entry is worth 3 points!  Woo Hoo!

Pinnable Image:

Giveaway is open to US residents until Friday, May 17 at 11:59 pm.  Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It’s time for the Weekly Kids Co-op!

As moms, we are constantly on the lookout for great teaching tools and resources to use with our children.  I know I always benefit from seeing the creativity of others as they share lessons, activities, crafts, food, and more in their various blogs.  Mommy bloggers have become popular for a good reason: information is power.  Right, ladies?

The Weekly Kids Co-op is one of my very favorite such resources.  I have been linking my snacks to this link party for months now, and I am excited to be able to co-host it here at Creative Kid Snacks.

If you are a blogger, link up your kid related posts to share with all of us eager beaver mommas.  If you are a mom, take some time to look through all of the great ideas for teaching and playing with our kids.  Pin what you love.  Like I said before, information is power!

This party will take place every Thursday at Creative Kid Snacks.  You will find it hosted on several other blogs, but the days the party goes live will vary from blog to blog.

Get ready for all the great ideas!  Link, share, and enjoy!

Finding Nemo is one of Disney’s most beloved movies.  Even my two year old, who is scared of some of the other Disney movies at her age, likes Finding Nemo (although she does hold her sister’s hand during the shark part when we watch it at home).  We love all of the characters, including Dory, Marlin, Squirt, Crush, Mr. Ray, and, of course, Nemo.

Finding Nemo Snack

Ingredients:

2 baby carrots

1 green grape

1 slice of cheddar cheese

1 T of yogurt (plain, Greek, etc.)

1 raisin or currant

Slice a baby carrot in half lengthwise, and lay each half on the plate.  This will be Marlin and Nemo’s bodies.  Take another baby carrot, slice in half lengthwise, and slice two triangles out of one of the halves.  Place these triangles onto the back of each body for tails.  Next, spoon a tablespoon of yogurt (I love to use plain Greek yogurt here, it’s got the most protein, and it’s actually better that it’s not sweetened, because it’s being served atop a carrot!).  Snip a tiny corner off of the bag, and pipe yogurt onto the fish’s bodies, making two stripes on the body, one on the tail, then an eye and a smile for each fish.  Finish the look by using the remainder of the yogurt to pipe little waves across the top of the plate to look like the fish are under water.

Slice a green grape in half lengthwise.  Next, slice each half into thin sections, and arrange on the plate to look like sea plants.  So simple, yet so adorable!

More Fun and Healthy Disney Snacks

Check out the other Disney snacks we’ve made.  Making your child’s favorite Disney characters using healthy foods is a great way to delight them as they eat, and encourage them to gobble up all of that healthy stuff you’ve used to make them!  Here are some examples:

Winnie the Pooh

Mickey Mouse Breakfast

Tangled

Lion King Lunch

“Up!”

Mike Wazowski

Peter Pan Veggie Tray

“Under the Sea” Snack

Thanks for checking out our Disney-inspired snacks!

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

How many baseball fans do we have out there?  Kids in little league?  T-ball?  I’ve got a few fun ideas for you today inspired by one of our favorite game-day snacks: Beer Nuts!

…………………

I was so excited when Beer Nuts offered to send us some of their nuts to see what cute snacks we could come up with.  I asked for their classic peanuts, and a bag of almonds because they are one of the more nutritious choices out there.

(Yay for yummy Beer Nuts!)

About Beer Nuts

Beer Nuts, by the way, are specialty nuts with a unique glaze on them that has a sweet and salty flavor.  The original skin-on peanuts were an accidental hit when their creator, Edward G. Shirk, who owned a small confectionary store called the Caramel Crisp back in 1937, occasionally made them available for free as an incentive to purchase one of his other products.  These tasty redskin nuts became so popular that Shirk decided to go from selling them over the counter by the scoop to package them up and making them available for widespread distribution.  That distribution started in local taverns, and the glazed peanuts were named Beer Nuts, as they became known as the perfect accompaniment to a glass of beer.  Nowadays they are a popular snack at baseball stadiums, circus, and other sporting events.

Now, let’s get on to what fun we had with these guys!

“Skin-on Peanut and Almond Butter”

I was excited to find out that research has shown substantial amount of extra health benefits in peanut skins!  These benefits include things like antioxidants (equal amounts, if not more that fruits and vegetables), anti-inflamatory properties, anti-aging compounds, even lowering blood sugar levels.  Read all about it in this article.

Most peanut butter is made with blanched, or skinless, peanuts.  This article explains why.  One of the reasons listed is “if not handled properly, the natural oil in the peanut skins could may become prematurely stale and cause off flavors when the peanut butter is being made”. Fair enough, but when we have a full pound of skin-on peanuts at our disposal, let’s go for a great-tasting peanut butter!

“Skin-on Peanut and Almond Butter”

2 cups Beer Nuts original peanuts

1 cup Beer Nuts brand Almonds

Combine ingredients in a Vitamix machine or food processor.  Continue mixing until a smooth, warm peanut butter consistency is reached. Mmmm.

This peanut butter is perfect because the Beer Nuts have that special “slightly sweet. slightly salty” coating on them already, so no additional ingredients (including oils, sugars, etc.) are required to make a great-tasting, delicious snack.

The girls and I ate this all up in a couple days by dipping apple slices into it or spreading it onto celery sticks.

Baseball Mitt Snack

The next fun thing we did with our Beer Nuts is make a baseball mitt.  To make it, simply spread your Beer Nuts brand peanuts onto a plate and arrange to look like a mitt as shown.  Leave a small round circle in the center of the mitt.  Next, spoon 5-6 tablespoons of yogurt into the round opening.  Use a butter knife to smooth out the dome of yogurt you have created.  (We used plain Greek yogurt.  I’m telling you, it’s absolutely astounding what kids will eat if it’s presented in a creative way)!  Complete your look by adding thinly sliced bits of strawberry to look like the red stitches on a baseball.

Add more fresh strawberries and yogurt and serve in individual cups for a little fruit/yogurt/nut parfait!

“Hitting a Home Run” Snack

A third fun idea we had was to make a baseball bat and ball.  This size snack is a better serving size for just one.  When your child mixes the yogurt, strawberries, and peanuts together, they get a little parfait perfect for them!

Simply arrange your Beer Nuts brand peanuts on your plate to look like a bat as shown.  Follow the same directions as above for the baseball.  You can finish the look with a couple yogurt motion lines on either side of the ball to look like you are seeing the impact of the bat and ball.  We made those lines by scooping a tablespoon or so of yogurt into a plastic baggie, snipping off a corner of the bag, and piping it onto the plate where we wanted it.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out our other sports-themed snacks!

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

It’s time for the Weekly Kids Co-op!

As moms, we are constantly on the lookout for great teaching tools and resources to use with our children.  I know I always benefit from seeing the creativity of others as they share lessons, activities, crafts, food, and more in their various blogs.  Mommy bloggers have become popular for a good reason: information is power.  Right, ladies?

The Weekly Kids Co-op is one of my very favorite such resources.  I have been linking my snacks to this link party for months now, and I am excited to be able to co-host it here at Creative Kid Snacks.

If you are a blogger, link up your kid related posts to share with all of us eager beaver mommas.  If you are a mom, take some time to look through all of the great ideas for teaching and playing with our kids.  Pin what you love.  Like I said before, information is power!

This party will take place every Thursday at Creative Kid Snacks.  You will find it hosted on several other blogs, but the days the party goes live will vary from blog to blog.

Get ready for all the great ideas!  Link, share, and enjoy!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is one of the most fun children’s books to read aloud!

Written by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, and illustrated by Lois Ehlert, the story is told of alphabet letters who mischievously climb a coconut tree and tumble down.  The rhythmic way it is written makes it fun to read with the kids, bouncing them on your knees all the while.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Lunch

We created this lunch using leftovers a combination of leftovers from this yummy meal made the night before and fresh ingredients.  Spoon rice (or an alternative listed below) onto the bottom portion of your plate as a ground.  Next, use fresh pineapple chunks to build a palm tree.  Slice an avocado and place sections above for the palm branches.  Slice a meatball in half and lay onto the plate to look like coconuts.  (Note: I microwaved the portion of the leftovers I was going to use before assembling this lunch).

Finally, using string cheese, add the letters of the alphabet heading towards the “coconut tree”.  You’re done!

Variations:

Ground: oatmeal, hummus, cheerios, black beans, (or any other beans), turkey, or basically anything brown or black!

Tree trunk: banana, mango, peaches

Palm leaves: sugar snap peas, kiwi, green grapes, green apple slices

Coconuts: cereal, crackers (like Ritz), red or dark grapes, even sliced baby carrot wheels or banana wheels

Letters: pipe yogurt onto plate to make letters, Alphabet cereal

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Learning Activities

1) Act out the story using alphabet cards (use store-bought or make your own on index cards).

2) Dance to the story, make up moves to go along with different phrases in the book.

3) Put in order the alphabet letters: spread alphabet cards all over the floor (like the pile of letters in the story), and have your child put them back in order by lining them up on the floor.  (Make your own alphabet cards if you don’t have your own).

More Book-Inspired Snacks Ideas:

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle

Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes by Margie Palatini

Blackout by John Rocco

A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

What little girl doesn’t love princesses?  There’s princess Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, and all of the other Disney princesses, along with the fun of dancing around the living room wearing your princess crown.  My girls own several dress-up gowns inspired by the Disney princesses, and love wearing them around the house.

Today, we are sharing some princess birthday party food ideas for a facebook fan planning her daughter’s upcoming event.

Princess Party Food

Cheese Princess Crowns

Simply purchase a package of sliced cheddar cheese.  Use a firm cheese, (so not packaged American cheese) so that you will be able to cut it into the shape of little crowns.  I made 6 little crowns to show you, and for those I only needed 3 cheese slices.  Lay 3 slices on top of each other, then slice in half.  Next, on one stack of 3 halves, take your knife and slice little triangles out of the tops.

Carefully separate.  Repeat with the other 3 halves, and continue until you have the desired amount.

Princess Castle Sandwiches

Serve these little sandwiches shaped like castles.  Simply make a simple turkey sandwich, (or PB&J’s to make it easy for a birthday party), and slice little squares out of the top of the sandwich.  Finish the look by adding some cheese on top to look like doors and windows.  If you are serving a larger group, you can skip the flags all together, or use some toothpick flags for a cute presentation.  These castle sandwiches are perfect little accompaniments to your tea.

Royal Jewels

A simple and easy idea (plus a good way to incorporate fresh fruit into your princess party), is to serve mixed fruit in a bowl and label it “Royal Jewels”.  Super easy, right?

“Tea Time” Drinks

(click image for source)

Serve your drinks in a tea set and label it “Princess Tea Time”.  The princess party guests will love sipping their drink from a special princess teacup.  If you don’t feel like risking using the ceramic ones, go with the plastic kids set.  They will love it, and the castle “tea sandwiches” will be perfect alongside!

More Princess Party Ideas:

Princess Parties: Kara’s Party Ideas

Pinterest: Princess Parties Search

And now it’s time for the Weekly Kids Co-op!

As moms, we are constantly on the lookout for great teaching tools and resources to use with our children.  I know I always benefit from seeing the creativity of others as they share lessons, activities, crafts, food, and more in their various blogs.  Mommy bloggers have become popular for a good reason: information is power.  Right, ladies?

The Weekly Kids Co-op is one of my very favorite such resources.  I have been linking my snacks to this link party for months now, and I am excited to be able to co-host it here at Creative Kid Snacks.

If you are a blogger, link up your kid related posts to share with all of us eager beaver mommas.  If you are a mom, take some time to look through all of the great ideas for teaching and playing with our kids.  Pin what you love.  Like I said before, information is power!

This party will take place every Thursday at Creative Kid Snacks.  You will find it hosted on several other blogs, but the days the party goes live will vary from blog to blog.

Get ready for all the great ideas!  Link, share, and enjoy!