Taming a Kid’s Winter Fever With Mom’s Organic Frozen Pops!

Under the weather, under the covers, but still cute as pie!

The cold and flu season hits kids really hard and 2013 is no exception. Ask any parent or caregiver and they will tell you how sad, miserable, and sometimes frightening, the kids can become when they are feverish. When Captain gets sick now she will proudly inform us that “my body is heating right up to cook out the sickness!” (I will always be happy that, at a very young age, we told her exactly what a fever is and why it is an incredibly great function of the body!)

I used to get really nervous when Captain had a fever and wouldn’t eat much for a few days.  Experience has taught me that she will be just fine as long as she consumes a lot of fluids and gets good rest.

Here is one thing that I make for her to help sooth the fever and cool things down a bit, while giving her some nutrients.  This is just a springboard, you can adjust to your items on hand and what your little sick honey-buns like:

Mom’s Fever Pops:

1 organic banana, 2 cups frozen organic berries (peaches and raspberries are favorites), 1 cup organic spinach or other organic green (washed really well), 1/2 cup organic juice (apple, blueberry, pomegranate, orange) a sprinkling of organic flaxmeal (optional) and honey to taste.

Blend it up and put in frozen-pop-molds and voila!  If Captain isn’t sick, I also add yogurt to this recipe.  **A hint:  don’t tell them what is in it if they don’t like greens!  They won’t realize they are there!

If you have a good recipe or idea for our kids during the flu season, will you please share with us?   Good ideas are good ideas….

Good thoughts, Karen

Oooh Yeah: Organic Peanut Butter and Honey Balls

A messy countertop is a happy kitchen!

There are dozens of recipes floating around out there for the old-fashioned kids’ treat that is peanut butter & honey balls, but we found this is a good, solid way to make them with organic ingredients. We are lucky enough to have local mountain honey from our wonderful neighbor Maria and are very grateful for it!  K remembers his mom making these for him when he was a kid and they are the easiest thing for little kids to make all by themselves.  It’s a yummy way to learn about measurements too!

Method

Mix 1/2 cup organic peanut butter and 1/4 cup honey in a bowl.  Mush with a fork until combined.  Sprinkle about 1/2 cup organic dry powdered milk in and begin mixing with clean hands.  Oooh yes, it is fun to do the mushin’!  You can also add a couple of drops of vanilla if you prefer. Knead the mixture a bit and add a little more powdered milk if necessary to make the dough firm but not crumbly.  Roll into balls and put on plate. We like to refrigerate them and find that they taste best that way.  You can stuff a couple of carob or chocolate chips into each one as a little “surprise” if you’d like.

I am always on the hunt for healthy treats and snacks for kids so don’t hesitate to shoot some ideas this way if you care to share!

Good thoughts, Karen