berries – Make and Taste

Homemade Valentine Day Gummies (+ Printables)

Valentine’s day is always filled with candy, but luckily my kitchen helper’s pre-school has a non-candy policy for this holiday. He recently started enjoying gummies that were provided as a special snack in this classroom, so when I started to think of a fun Valentine’s Day treat for his classmates a homemade option came toContinue reading “Homemade Valentine Day Gummies (+ Printables)”

Guest Feature: Homemade Berry Gummies – The Power Of Three

It’s good to be three. Three year olds are blessed with a short-term memory, afternoon naps built into their busy schedules, and an uncanny flair for finding the fun in every situation. There are a few simple things that make my three year old’s world go ‘round. Playing at the park, Mom & Dad, hanging out with friends, and gummy fruit snacks. Today, I attended my daughter’s Power Tots class. Once per week, she and her classmates learn about fitness and strength through tumbling. They focus on flexibility, balance, and power as they play, jump, and somersault. At the beginning of each class, the teacher asks the children a personal question. Today, the question was “what is your favorite candy,” to which my “tot” replied, “CHEWIES!” I knew she was referring to gummy fruit snacks. Then, I had an idea. Since the arrival of spring, fresh tart berries are abundant at all of the markets and grocery stores. In the spirit of fitness, friends, and seasonal fruit, we decided to check out the local berry selection together, and invite a fellow Power Tot over to make our own gummies. The recipe requires 4 ingredients: berries, fresh squeezed lemon juice, gelatin, and honey. Gummies can be created and modified with any juice from fresh or frozen, thawed fruit. Using the “My Fruit Shack” gummy mold kit with fresh raspberries and blackberries made it easy and fun. And 30 minutes later, our berry gummies were delicious...and adorable. Our tots loved mashing the berries and dropping the liquid into the berry shaped molds. Most of all, they loved eating their tasty gummy creations. In fact, they made a song out of it, “yummy, yummy gummies in my tummy, tummy, tummy!” In addition to all of their other talents, three year olds are also excellent songwriters. My three year old continues to teach me lessons every day. The time flies so fast, but she soaks up every moment. She sings, dances, and laughs with abandon and she speaks her mind no matter who is watching. She let’s go of sadness, she forgives without hesitation, and she has the power to turn tart berries and lemons into her favorite candy.

It’s good to be three. Three year olds have a flair for finding fun in every situation. They are masters of turning lemons into lemonade. Rain or shine, three year olds just want to have a good time. There are a few simple things that make my three year old’s world go ‘round. Playing atContinue reading “Guest Feature: Homemade Berry Gummies – The Power Of Three”

Making Meringue with Jack, Liv and their English Nana

This past week, Jack and Liv were lucky to spend some much needed “nana” time with my mother-in-law, Ali who lives across the pond in England. Along with lots of laughs, hugs and new games, Nana came ready to prepare and share some of her famous culinary delights. When Nicole was interested in doing aContinue reading “Making Meringue with Jack, Liv and their English Nana”