Pumpkin Cereal Treats

As promised, today I will be sharing a recipe using the pumpkin powder that we made last week.
This recipe is kind of a spin on regular marshmallow cereal treats recipe, with an extra boost of nutrition from the pumpkin powder.

The recipe starts off with the usual ingredients: butter, marshmallow, and rice cereal.

The butter and marshmallow is melted on the stove, then I added the pumpkin powder and food coloring (The amount of food coloring you use will depend on what type of food coloring you use and what shade of orange you want/ how dark you want it to be. I used 5 drops of yellow food coloring and 3 drops of red.)

Next I added the rice cereal and mixed it into the pumpkin marshmallow mixture.

At this point you could just pour the mixture into an oiled pan and let set before cutting into squares, or you could shape them into "pumpkin"-like balls.

If you want to shape them into balls, make sure you have plenty of oil on your hands to avoid them sticking onto your hands. And you might want to re-oil your hands every few balls you shape.

After we finished shaping the balls, I added a pretzel stick for the stem and a green tic tac for the leaf.

OK, so they don't quiet look exactly like a pumpkin, but my little helping hands had fun helping me make them and of course eat them. And they had no clue that there was pumpkin in it.

Pumpkin Cereal Treats

4 Tbsp butter

1 package large marshmallows (about 45)

1/2 tsp pumpkin powder

red and yellow food coloring

6 c. rice cereal

(optional: pretzel sticks and green tic tac for decoration)

Melt the butter and marshmallows in a pot on the stove. Add the pumpkin powder and food coloring (I used 5 drops yellow and 3 drops red) and mix. Add the rice cereal and mix thoroughly. Place in an oiled pan or shape into balls. If you shape them into balls, you could add the pretzel sticks and tic tac as the pumpkin stem and leaf.

Here is a printable version of the recipe.

Homemade Pumpkin Powder

I've been staring at that can of 100% pumpkin on my shelf for days now, wondering what I should do with it. Sure, I could make the usual pumpkin pie, but I wanted to try something different.

Since I have been in a powder making craze lately, I thought it would be great to add pumpkin powder to my collection.

This is probably one of the simplest recipes that I shared so far. All I did was open the can of pumpkin and spread it on a parchment paper lined dehydrator tray, and let my trusty Excalibur dehydrator do its magic for several hours at 135F.

I didn't really measure the exact time of the dehydrating process because how long it takes to dry depends on how thick you layer on the pumpkin puree, but mine took about 5 or 6 hours to get to the dry and brittle stage.

The next step is to break the dehydrated puree into smaller chunks and let the spice grinder do all the hard work. I used my Ninja spice grinder attachment and it definitely did the job.

The 29oz can of pumpkin, in powder form, filled up one 4oz baby food jar and half of a 2.5oz baby food jar.

I'm so excited to stock up on a different veggie powder. Stay tuned for next week's post where I will reveal my big plans on using this pumpkin powder for a Halloween-y / Thanksgiving-y / pumpkin-y treat my kids are sure to love.

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Anyone Else Excited about the New KitchenAid Mini Stand Mixer?

I just saw an advertisement about the new KitchenAid mini stand mixer and  can't believe how excited I was with what I saw.

For many years I've always wanted a KitchenAid mixer because I knew how much it will make my life easier in the kitchen. One of the biggest reasons that I didn't buy it since a long time ago is the size. With a small apartment there really wasn't much counter space to store such a large appliance. Plus, with a relatively small family size, I didn't really see the need for that big of a mixer.

I recently gave in and ended up getting a KitchenAid mixer and it has really done wonders, especially with the variety of attachments you use to make all sorts of recipes. But now that the new KitchenAid mini stand mixer is on the market, I kind of wish I got the mini version instead.

The KitchenAid mini stand mixer holds 3.5 quarts instead of the standard 5 quarts, but it has the same engine as the bigger models and it works with all existing KitchenAid attachments.


So if you are cooking for fewer people, or if you have limited storage space, but still want a top quality well known brand stand mixer, you may want to look into this.

No Bake Chocolate Carrot Oatmeal Bites

My kids love bite-sized foods/snacks that they can hold in their hands. So one day I thought about making some little no bake oatmeal bites which I knew they would love. I wanted to add a veggie twist, and that is when I came up with this no bake chocolate carrot oatmeal bites recipe.
The veggies come from two different sources, the tub of baby food puree, and some grated carrots.

This recipe calls for 6 simple ingredients and can be easily put together.

Start by finely chopping the carrot in a food processor. I used my beloved Ninja Nutri Blender System. This is by far the most used small kitchen appliance in my kitchen. I use it almost every day to prepare healthy nutritious meals for our family.

Next, mix together everything except the oatmeal in a bowl. When these ingredients are all mixed well, stir in the oatmeal.

Then, shape into little bite sized balls and refrigerate for a few hours. I usually make this the night before and serve it for breakfast or snack the next day.

No Bake Chocolate Carrot Oatmeal Bites

1 small carrot chopped in a food processor (about 1/4 cup)

4 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 Tbs peanut butter

2 Tbs maple syrup

1 tub baby food puree (4 oz)

5 pouches oatmeal (about 1 1/4 cup)

Finely chop the carrot in a food processor and mix in a bowl with the cocoa powder, peanut butter, maple syrup and baby food puree. Stir in the oatmeal until combined. Shape into bite sized balls and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Here is the printable version of the recipe.

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Peanut Butter Spirulina Toast

I've been hearing more and more about Spirulina powder recently, and thought I should get my hands on some and give it a try. One of the first things I tried was to use it for peanut butter toast.
I was a little skeptical on whether or not my kids will eat green peanut butter toast, but I was pleasantly surprised that the baby kept coming back for more.

Here's how I made it. It is so simple and only needs 3 ingredients.

All you need is to take some peanut butter and place it in a bowl, mix in a couple of dashes of spirulina powder, and spread on a piece of toast. Optional: you could sprinkle in some stevia if you wanted to add some sweetness to it.

Super healthy, and it tasted pretty good...That's what I call a Win-Win situation :)

Peanut Butter Spirulina Toast

2 Tbsp peanut butter

a few dashes spirulina powder

Stevia (optional, for sweetness)

1 toast bread

Mix together peanut butter, spirulina, and stevia (optional) in a bowl, then spread the mixture on a piece of toast bread.

Here is a printable version of the recipe.

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