Fantastic, Four-Ingredient, Frozen Treat

Since summer isn't officially over yet, and there is still much warm weather to combat, I thought it would be a good opportunity to share this cold-treat recipe.

This is a delicious, creamy, cold treat that more than just toddlers can enjoy:

1. Toddlers can eat it—check!
2. Mommies and Daddies can enjoy it—check again.
3. Anyone else? ... How about this little lady?

This is Kaylee, and she loves frozen treats too.

Dogs Love Them Too!

OK, so real talk: I got this recipe from a dog treat book, but you would never know from looking at the ingredients. In fact, I started feeding this particular recipe to my kids after my husband mistakenly served it up to them with their dinner. He thought it looked and smelled delicious, and since I make a lot of baby food and freeze it, it made sense for him to assume that it was a baby treat instead of a dog treat—and now it's both.

Side Note: A lot of the recipes in this book do use "people food" that you may already have in the house, which makes it much more fun and convenient to give your puppy a little homemade treat.

It is actually a cute gift idea for dog owners since it comes with a bunch of dog-themed cookie cutters. Besides the frozen treats, I also like to make Kaylee Christmas cookies that are reddish on one side (from tomato juice) and green on the other (from spinach).

Christmas cookies for puppies, Dec. 2014

But enough about the source, let's move on to the steps for making the delicious, frozen treats that multiple species can enjoy!

Four simple but fantastic ingredients

It's Gobblin' Time!


If you are feeding this to your child, please do not do so unless they are at least a year old. Honey is not safe to feed to babies who are less than 12 months old. Peanut butter can also be a choking hazard for young ones because it is so sticky, but if used in small amounts—like this recipe—it shouldn't be a problem for babies who are at least a year old.


INGREDIENTS

• One 32 ounce container of yogurt
• 2 bananas, mashed
• ½ cup peanut butter*
• 2 tablespoons of honey**

*The photo shows crunchy peanut butter, but I recommend using smooth.
**Because this contains honey, it should NOT be fed to babies who are less than 12 months old (explanation can be found here).


INSTRUCTIONS

If you have a nice kitchen mixer, then you can simply mix all ingredients together with the paddle attachment. With a mixer, you also shouldn't have to mash the bananas ahead of time—just tear them into a few pieces and let the paddle do the work.

After thoroughly mixed and smooth, pour contents into ice cube trays and freeze.

Silicone ice trays are pretty amazing

For feeding puppies: I give our dog the treat as a frozen block, but I usually stick it in her food bowl so it doesn't make a mess on the floor.

For feeding peoples: in a bowl, either leave it out or put it in the refrigerator to thaw just enough so the consistency is closer to frozen yogurt.

The amount in the photo is about three ounces of frozen deliciousness per container.

Now let's see those babies get their yum on!

Henry's eyebrows say it all.

A little sloppy, but I like her moxie!

Henry, August 2016

Winry, August 2016

Toy Review: Squigz

It's hard to know what to buy for infants and toddlers unless you've had an infant or toddler. Even then, toys change so often, and it's hard to know what's really awesome and what's just kinda meh.

I would definitely put Squigz under the awesome column.

Squigz Starter 24 piece set by Fat Brain Toy Co., image from Amazon.com

I was first introduced to them when my adorable, little niece received some for her first birthday. My inner child took one look at them and went, "Ooo—I want."

They are colorful, multi-shaped bits of silicone with suction cup ends. What's fun is that they can stick to each other as well as other surfaces.

Made by: Fat Brain Toys
Recommended age: 3+ years*
Tagline that makes me smile: fun little suckers!

*Since this is a building toy with multiple pieces and takes some coordination and creativity, I assume that is why the manufacturer recommends the age at three and above. I recommend it for one-year-olds and maybe even a little younger. My only warning at this age is to give it to them under supervision so you don't lose the pieces or risk them gagging on it because, yes, they will definitely want to chew them. Everything in the starter set seemed to pass the cardboard tube rule, but there's no harm in being a little extra cautious.

What's included in the starter 24 piece set, image from fatbraintoys.com

My children first started playing with them when they were about one-year-old. They aren't quite ready to start building with them yet, and they haven't quite figured out how to stick them to other surfaces. But they sure love to chew on them and unstick whatever I stick together.

Winry demonstrates the silicone chewiness

PROS:

• Fun for just about any age

  

  Sticks to multiple surfaces (like Henry and me)

• children 3+ years: encourages creativity and fine motor skills
• under 3 years: fun to chew, swing around or pull apart
• adults: I love making abstract shapes for my children to destroy
• Silicone makes it great for teething babies to chew
• Silicone also makes it easy to clean
• I throw mine in a dishwasher basket
• Comes in different set sizes so you can always choose to expand later
• Don't have to worry about more than one person getting it for your child (the more, the merrier)
• Sticks to multiple surfaces
• The tray of the highchair is a great place when mealtime gets a little fussy

This video from the manufacturer makes some great points:

CONS:
Honestly, there really isn't anything of significance. If I were really reaching...

• The Squigz don't always hold together as well as the video makes it seem, but it's still entirely possible to make a big shape without it falling apart
• It's probably easier when babies aren't constantly trying to grab at it

Why it is not a real con: My husband once complained that they're not sturdy enough to make a big structure. To which I responded, "Then you're not building them right."