Carrot & Black Cherry Baby Jellies

The huz was telling me just yesterday (after the Little Guy threw his chicken, then potato and then asparagus on the floor during dinner) that this is payback for me always playing with my food. However, I say playing and throwing are two different things. My playing was usually artfully sculpting a pool out of mashed potatoes with gravy as the water and carrots as the diving board. Little Guy, I swear, just likes to break my heart by throwing my most time-consuming meals directly on the floor for the dog to eat.

In his defense, he's 14 months old and it has to be really awesome to watch a furry animal with big teeth gobble anything he gives him.

But I digress. This is post is about playing with a fun, wiggly, shiny food. Food I apparently loved as a kid.

Meet jigglers. Or, "baby jellies" as the recipe card my mom gave me calls them. I'm not sure the origin of the recipe; I just know my mom's been using the recipe since I was a wee-one and it's great because you can control what goes in them. There's no added sugar in these and no chemicals - it's straight up juice (of any kind really) and gelatin (which isn't for everybody). I've made them with 100% carrot juice and 100% black cherry juice and Little Guy eats more than he throws. (Score!)

This recipe is so simple, you really can't mess it up.

Carrot or Black Cherry Baby Jellies 
 gluten-free, dairy-free

8.5 oz carrot or black cherry juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin

In a small saucepan, sprinkle one envelope of gelatin over juice. Let stand one minute. Stir over low heat until dissolved, about 3 minutes. Pour into a small glass "pan" - I used a Pyrex 3 cup glass container (a glass loaf pan will work too). Chill until firm in the refrigerator (about 2 hours) and cut until squares (or use fun cookie cutters).
 

No Bake Graham Cracker Almond Bites

We introduced the Little Guy to peanut butter a month ago (after the recommendation to wait until he was a year old) and he got mild hives. That really worries me; I am a BIG peanut butter eater, so I hope it was just a one time thing.

(We'll try again in another month under medical supervision.)

That being said, if I had to cut peanut butter out of my diet and home, I'd be okay with it. I just know that I'd go through a long mourning period so I decided to start now just in case that's the life we'll have to live.

I came up with these almond butter bites because the Little Guy has a cookie problem. Well, maybe it's me and the A-man that have the problem. We eat cookies, in some fashion, on a pretty regular basis and Little Guy asks for them in his adorable, clingy way (by climbing on us, whining and grabbing), so we give in.

I feel a whole lot better about giving him "cookies" when they're these. With the crunch of the graham cracker and smoothness of the almond butter (and hints of maple syrup and chocolate) I'm really, really digging them.

Gluten-Free No Bake Graham Cracker Almond Bites
Makes 13 balls

1/2 cup crumbled (by hand; you still want them to be crunchy) gluten-free graham crackers
1 cup crunchy almond butter (smooth will work too)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
pinch of salt (if using unsalted almond butter)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 

Combine the graham crackers, almond butter, maple syrup, flax seed, salt and chocolate chips and mix until thoroughly combined. Using a melon baller scoop into about one-inch balls and roll until round. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and then roll in the coconut. Keep refrigerated. They make a great post-workout snack. 

He likes them! He really likes them!

This post is being shared on the Gluten Free Homemakers Gluten Free Wednesday series. 

Kid Food: Carrot Apricot Chews

My baby is now officially a toddler. A toddler who prefers to eat while exploring: double-fisting mini-muffins while he runs, climbs and crawls around the somewhat baby-proofed house. He takes a bite and then he's on the move, always gripping tightly (usually too tightly) to his snack of the moment. Sometimes we don't know whether he finishes his food or squirrels it away someplace (we find a lot of "real" food in his play kitchen cabinets). 

We try, and do succeed, in getting him to sit in his high-chair during meal times and he does pretty well most of the time, especially if there's meat in front of him. (That's a picture of him eating a chicken wing on New Years Eve. He was in HEAVEN.)

But, there are days when the wiggle-worm will not sit still and when those days align with the days I have no patience, his meals need to be portable.

He has this affinity for Ella brand "nibbly fingers." They're like small, chewy oatmeal bars with somewhat healthy stuff in them. They're portable, and packaged individually. They're great, but expensive so I wanted to make my own version, and after a few attempts, we got a winner!

The Bubs loves them, I've eaten a few dozen and when we bring them on play-dates his pals seem to dig them too.  

Bub Bub's Carrot Apricot Chews

1 cup carrots
3/4 cup dried apricots
1 1/2 cup oats (I use certified gluten-free oats)
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup maple syrup (or agave - I've used both before; agave makes it sweeter)
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a heavy-duty blender or food processor add all of the ingredients and blend until a batter forms. Spread on a lightly greased (I use coconut oil) pan (I use 8x8 or 8x6) and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into rectangles or squares.