Fun Friday: Cupcake Baking with Kids

Third Friday of the month:  Recreation / Kids / Fun activity


Getting kids involved in baking and cooking have always been fun, messy, and educational at the same time.  When this cupcake baking kit was sent for us to try, I excitedly scheduled a 'bake date' with my girl who loves to whisk, and eat cakes.

"Bright Bakers Baking Kit gives you the joys of baking professional grade cupcakes, with recipes inspired by pastry chef and top cake-maker Penk Ching, in the convenience of your own kitchen. We make things simple while still preserving that one-of-a-kind baking experience....and to make things even better...no leftovers!"

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Mom-Friday's Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast

First Friday of the month:  Food, Mom-Cook

I am counting the days 'til school opens and just planning what food to pack for the kids, among other things, is raising my stress levels lately.

Honestly, I only have a few (count five fingers!) old-reliables that passed the test from my picky eaters. Now, with a first-grader and a pre-schooler to think about, I would really like to put more effort into the preparation of their food from scratch.

We all know homemade is always better than commercially manufactured foods. Of course, it would also entail a greater amount of time and effort to prepare, but you are assured of the quality of its contents which would benefit your child.

One of the most requested snack is this Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast.  They instantly loved it the first time I made one for them so they can expect this yummy healthy treat in their lunch boxes when they're back to school.

I made a simple Raisin Bread French Toast in the past but this version packs a meaner punch with the creamy, protein-enriched goodness of peanut butter and nutritious bananas.

Eagerly helping out with prep work with their own mini wire whisk

PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA FRENCH TOAST

What you need:

2 slices of bread, any soft bread you prefer (ideally a few days old)
Half a banana, sliced
Peanut butter
1 egg
Milk
butter
vanilla extract and/or cinnamon (optional)

Spread your favorite peanut butter on the 2 slices of bread.
Arrange sliced bananas on your sandwich.
In a wide bowl, whisk together 1 egg and around 2 tablespoons of liquid milk.
Add a few drops of vanilla and dash of cinnamon if you wish.
Soak the sandwich, both sides, in the wet mixture.

Heat a tablespoon of butter in a non-stick pan then toast sandwich on both sides until golden brown.

Serve with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon if desired.
Makes 1 delicious fully-loaded french toast sandwich.

An ideal breakfast and snack, this is one of the best french toast I've made! You have to try it yourself.

You may replace peanut butter with a favorite jam or chocolate spread like Nutella (hazelnut cocoa spread). Skip the peanut spread in case you or your kids have allergies or aversions to peanut butter/nuts.  I also use almond milk or rice milk for this, as an alternative to dairy milk.

Finally enjoying the fruits of their labor

If you have great food ideas for the kids' baon (packed lunch/snack), please share them here as most moms like me would need all the suggestions we could get!  :-)

P.S.

Alternative preparation tip:  

After assembling the sandwich, slice it in 6 or 9 squares before dipping pieces in the liquid mixture.  Then fry as instructed. This will allow you to serve it in bite-sized pieces :)  Enjoy!

As seen in

Mom-Friday's Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast

Learn more about nutrition and food tips from this series of posts:

Talks on Wellness and Nutrition, part 1

Talks on Wellness and Nutrition, part 2

Talks on Wellness and Nutrition, part 3

Talks on Wellness and Nutrition, part 4

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Fresh Fruit Shakes for Summer...or any day

I just realized I hoarded an assortment of fresh fruits since last week -- succulent mangoes, avocados, juicy red strawberries, crunchy apples and pears, sweet papaya slices, bananas, melon, ripe seedless oranges and grapes, take your pick!


With most of the fruits now stocked-up in the fridge, we are forced to eat at least a serving or two each day, which is really good!

I learned that the best time to eat fruits is on an empty stomach. And one of the many health benefits from doing this is that it would allow the body to better absorb all its nutrients and instantly energize you. So kick-start your day with a serving of fresh fruit as part of your breakfast. I'm making a conscious effort to do this. The kids eat lakatan bananas every morning, so this favorite potassium-packed fruit is a staple.

For today's post, I was simply inspired by this bounty and decided to make fresh fruit shakes out of this colorful bunch!  As part of breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or anytime in between, these wonderful fruits in season are best eaten raw, or as cool blended drinks perfect during the sweltering days of summer.

We had avocado and mango shakes last week, and more recently, I have made these scrumptious Strawberry-Banana Smoothie, a personal favorite, and Melon Milkshake.

Ever since I first tasted this smoothie some 11 years ago at Planet Hollywood (Singapore), the Strawberry-Banana Smoothie (a.k.a. Home Alone Smoothie) is always top-of-mind whenever I am able to buy fresh strawberries. So after bringing home a batch, I wash them thoroughly first, trim the tops, then freeze them all. You can use fresh, but for me, frozen strawberries make for a better smoothie!

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

1 cup frozen strawberries
1 medium banana, chopped
1 cup ice, shaved or cubes
1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoons sugar, or syrup
Splash of grenadine (pomegranate syrup), optional

Throw them all in a blender and mix!
Adjust fruits and sugar to your taste.

Makes a full 500ml serving.

Relax and sip, sip sip! Ahh...yum...only thing missing here was a beach backdrop.

I paid extra for the smoothie promo to avail of this cocktail glass as a souvenir.  It's where my 'Home Alone' smoothie was actually served. They only had 'Jakarta' edition though.

I recommend you gradually add the last half of the water to reach your perfect slush.

Light and frothy, this next milkshake got a better reception from the kids. But you have to drink up as soon as it's served since the watery base quickly separates from the foamy flesh after a few minutes. Still good though.

Melon Milkshake

350gms melon (approximately 1/4 of a melon)
1 cup ice, shaved or cubes
1/3 cup cold water
1/8 cup liquid cold milk
2 tablespoons sugar, or syrup

Makes approx. 750ml serving.

Adjust water and milk proportion to your liking. I prefer mine to be less creamy. Again, gradually add the liquids for a thicker, or thinner, milkshake.

The little master and miss of the house also loved the juicy popsicles we made from the left-overs. These coolers are your perfect companions at home on a hot summer day. So bring out the blender, make some ice, and concoct your own refreshing fruit shakes and smoothies now!


Also try Strawberry-Yogurt Smoothie.

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