I can't believe it but I almost missed stumbling across this tasty little treat! My little nephew who is three loves these- one day he was kind enough to share and boy are they tasty. They are bite size which makes them great for kids and not over sugary like some dried fruit.
I just gave some to my little one year old today and he gobbled them right down- they don't dissolve quickly so it's best your child is fairly good at chewing food before you give them these (they are little enough however they won't choke a child if swallowed whole)
In our store they are hidden in with the fruit snacks and not the other dried fruit so you may have to do a little looking to find them. - Welch's website has a tasty looking recipe for the Berry Medley variety (Berry Sensational Salad) that I can't wait to try you can check it out here.
I love to bake but sometimes it seems like even the simplest recipes leave my kitchen looking like a mini twister came for a visit. Here are a few tips that I have found help cut down on clean up time.
Peeling Vegetables/Cutting Fruit- Spread butcher paper or old newspapers on the counter. You can peel vegetables right on to the paper or set it next to the cutting board to slide the rinds from fruit on to. When your done you can easily throw the whole mess away.
Baking Cookies/Rolls- Line the bottom of the pan with tin foil- Clean up is a breeze! This also works well when you are making multiple batches of cookies with only a few pans. As the first batches are baking- place dough on pre cut sheets of tin foil- when the first batches are done you can easily slide off the tin foil with the baked cookies, placing in on the counter to cool- and quickly replace with the second batch of cookies to bake.
Mixing Bowls, Utensils, Measuring Cups & Spoons- When someone shared this tip with me it seemed like such a no brainer that I couldn't believe I wasn't doing it already- When you are baking/cooking keep a sink of soapy water full- Just taking an extra second or two to rinse of the bowls and utensils you use then putting them to soak can save so much time scrubbing off dried food later.
Cooking Spray- Cooking spray is a handy thing to have on hand- If you spray a little in a Tupperware container before you store tomato based foods your Tupperware wont stain. You can spray it on your hands before you knead dough or roll cookies to help food from sticking to your hands. It also works great to spray a little on a measuring cup or spoon before measuring things like peanut butter- or syrups. You can even spray it on your grill to help foods keep from sticking to it!
Although the product had a suggested age range of 6 mo- 3 years we thought it might be a bit old for our little guy (10 months). We were happily surprised however when it quickly caught his attention when we turned it on and started sending the roll-a-round balls down the chutes.
It only took a couple of times showing him what to do before he had the lights flashing and the balls moving- He is still figuring out the concept between where you put them in and where they come out- but he definitely knows how to make the music and lights come on! I can easily see this being a toy that he continues to enjoy for several years.
To see this fun toy in action you can visit this interactive DEMO.
The Drop & Roar Dinosaur is available at Toys R' Us, Wal-Mart, Target and most larger retail stores. They are a popular item and not always in stock so you might also try E-Bay and Amazon.
PEEK-A-BOO Bags
As a child I had a pop bottle filled with rice with things like a saftey pin, coins, small toys, etc. The peek-a-boo bag by Peek-a-Boo Stuff is just like that but better. Its a soft bag so it's easier to carry with you - not to mention the items that are in it for the child to look for are so much fun! They have a bag for boys, girls, and an alphabet bag.
If you are crafty you can also get the supplies to make one of these bags at most fabric stores- it is on my list of things to attempt so I will keep you posted on how that goes!
KIPIIS BIB CLIP
I just found a great website with all sorts of great ideas for travelling with kids. Visit her at winnermama The author has a 2 year old and a 8 month old and LOTS of great tips in her recent posts. She also has some fun giveaways on her blog for kids- a recent one was this great clip that makes any napkin into an instant bib. Be sure to check out the product site Kipiis.
