chocolate chip cookie pie

MY LITTLE had a hankering for chocolate chip cookies yesterday and since it’s #snowmageddon outside, it seemed like an excellent way to spend an hour. We’d already tackled a long-overdue purging project in our laundry room, so… To choose just the right recipe, I went straight to the place where all of my baking projects start, my All Aflutter ‘sweets for my sweets’ Pinterest board and the boys agreed on this Weelicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake recipe that I had pinned around Valentine’s Day. She calls it cake, we call it pie, but I think everyone would agree to just settle on AMAZING.

MY SON did all the heavy lifting (mama got stuck with the dishes) and we had this whipped up in no time at all. And… the reason there’s no picture of the whole thing is because it was 70% gone in like 5 minutes. OMG it is way too good and so easy. My husband took a little nibble off of it just a few minutes ago and then wandered off mumbling “that’s just wrong.” It really is and would be super over-the-top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

IF YOU aren’t familiar with Weelicious, def jump over to her site and check it out. I’ve been following her since my oldest was little and she has some excellent sweet and savory kid-friendly recipes, especially if you have food allergies to work around. You can search her site by food sensitivity, which is so helpful. I was so inspired by her passion for air frying that I busted mine out and have become an air frying fool right along with her (totally obsessed). Anyway, this recipe is so easy and you probably already have on hand everything that it calls for. We didn’t have a cutie heart-shaped pan so we just used a basic pie plate and I promise, nobody will care what shape it is as long as you share. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg, whisked

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup all purpose flour (I subbed King Arthur GF Measure for Measure and it was perfect)

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375

• Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer (or in a bowl using a hand mixer) for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy

• Add the egg and vanilla and mix for 1 minute

• Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and slowly incorporate into the butter and egg mixture

• Mix until combined then pour in the chocolate chips and stir

• Press the dough into a greased pie pan 

• Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown

• Cool, slice and share with your favorite helpers

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tropical green smoothie

My 5th grader is a SUPER picky eater. He has been forever. It’s tough for me to digest (couldn’t resist), given my own love of food + cooking. Plus my own health journey has taught me so much about nutrition and the importance of what you put in your body, so my passion is real AND really thwarted by my son’s rejection of just about every vegetable known to this Earth. However, undaunted as strong mamas are, I persevere and sneak boosts in wherever I can. A few scoops of flax seed here, a little collagen there (I put it in pancakes, muffins, hot chocolate, smoothies…pretty much anywhere I can).

FORTUNATELY he’s always been game for a big cold smoothie and I can jam a ton of nutrients in there without his knowledge. Somehow he won’t eat a green vegetable, but a bright green smoothie doesn’t register as a problem. I don’t ask, I just feel grateful that it’s not a thing and pour him another splash. This Tropical Green Smoothie is one of our go-to after school or summer day snacks. It’s sweet and refreshing, but packs a pretty good punch of vitamins, protein and fiber that are totally undetectable. There’s quite a lot of fruit in there, so def some sugar, but it’s worth it to me to get the other stuff in there. So if you need to hide some good stuff inside something that tastes like yummy stuff, give this a whirl. Put everything into a good blender and whiz until smooth. Enjoy with your favorite picky eater. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup OJ [can sub milk/non-dairy milk for less sweetness]

• 1 banana

• 1 giant handful of baby spinach

• 1 cup fresh or frozen mango

• 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple

• 1 heaping scoop collagen

• 1 heaping spoonful of flax seed

• 1 heaping spoonful of hemp hearts

• big handful of ice if using fresh fruit

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gorilla munch cereal bars

ONE OF our very favorite third graders took a tumble last week and broke BOTH of his arms. Yeah. Rough. But he’s a trooper and is in excellent spirits despite not being able to scratch his own face or feed himself because of the two casts that run from shoulder to fingers on both arms. Gah. Poor kiddo and poor mama who has been kicked back to exhausting newborn baby mode, helping her previously independent 8-year-old navigate this unfamiliar helplessness [temporarily, thank goodness]. They are def going to need our support in lots of ways over the weeks to come, but today I started with just a little happy treat to try to brighten their hearts. I’m bringing dinner and the largest bottle of wine I can find for mama and these Gorilla Munch Cereal Bars for the intrepid patient.

THE BARS were inspired by Christina Tosi’s amazing Milk Bar Kids Only Cookbook, which is a treasure trove of creative and over-the-top fun recipes for everything from Fluffernutter Cookie Sandwiches to Corn Dog Waffles to Popcorn Shakes. Christina Tosi started the Milk Bar bakery in NYC in 2008 and has turned baking upside-down with her now-famous inside-out Birthday Cakes and a coveted recipe for the sweet, delicious Cereal Milk that pools at the bottom of your cereal bowl. Milk Bar Kids Only is all about using super appealing nostalgic ingredients that are all readily available so just about everyone can find them AND making things as fun as possible (healthy, not so much, but REALLY fun). If you’re a fan of cooking shows or even just interesting stories, her episode on Chef’s Table: Pastries was super inspiring and fun to watch. And the book is a great read for kids and adults alike. I have gifted it to a few of my favorite kiddo bakers, who loved it, and so I finally bought a copy just for me (I told you I’m all about the one for you, one for me style of gifting, right?).

SO, THIS recipe for EXTRA sweet + gooey Gorilla Munch Cereal Bars is not in the book, but she has a bunch of other awesome cereal bars (like these Coco Cabana Cereal Squares) and I just adapted it. Here’s the recipe for what I made, but feel free to sub any kind of cereal you like and mix in just about anything you want. It’s a very loose, sky’s-the-limit kind of a treat. And it starts with a big pile of marshmallows and butter, so you know it’s going to be good no matter what.

Gorilla Munch Cereal Bar Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 5 tbsp butter (save the paper!)

• 1 bag of marshmallows

• 1 cup mini marshmallows

• 8 cups of cereal (I ended up using about 6 cups of Gorilla Munch and 2 cups of Rice Chex; Kix would also be perfect and a little less sweet)

• rainbow sprinkles! (our guy DEF needs them, but they’re optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Coat your 11x13 baking pan with cooking spray

• Put the marshmallows and butter in a giant microwave-safe bowl and zap for 2 minutes. The marshmallows will puff up so make sure there’s space in the bowl or you’ll end up with a doozy of a mess.

• Mix the butter and ‘mallows and then zap for another minute if necessary until they’re smooth and all combined

• Add the cereal to the bowl and mix until well coated

• Add the mini marshmallows and mix

• Spread into the pan using the butter paper to smooth it all down (it was seriously worth the cost of the book to learn this trick from Christina’s grandma - did you already know this?!)

• Shake on the sprinkles

• Let cool until firm and then just try not to make yourself sick nibbling one fun little Gorilla Munch ball at a time until they’re all gone

I’M HOPEFUL these fun little bars will bring a smile to our sweet buddy’s face. Now if only I could feed them to him for his tired mama, it would be a real home run. We love you, M3! Hang in there. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

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banana oat blender pancakes

In the “before times,” my husband traveled quite a bit. When my boys were really wee, they would get super sad and inevitably meltdown at some point during the day, wailing “I miss dada!” Poor little guys. But as they grew and became more used to his jet setting, we began to get a rhythm to our no-daddy days and started a few little sweet traditions that made it feel special. Sometimes I’d bust out a new picture book at bedtime that I’d been saving for the occasion. Sometimes we’d have a pizza party with friends or do something fun after school to distract them. And we ALWAYS had pancake night. My husband s is not a breakfast for dinner kind of guy, but I’m a breakfast for ANYTIME kind of gal, so this became our special ritual when daddy was away. At least one night while he was traveling, we’d sit in front of the TV and eat pancakes and turkey bacon and overflowing syrup for dinner and watch a show. It was “our thing” and almost certainly will be again when my husband some day gets back to that “normal” travel schedule, whatever it may look like.

I’ve been making a just slightly modified version of these Mountain Mama Cooks Banana Oat Blender Pancakes (aka “mama pancakes” in our house) for the better part of 10 years. My guys devour them and since they have no sugar, I feel totally fine about them jamming in as many as they want. They’ve also become one of my own very favorite comfort foods. Over the years, I’ve been on all varieties of elimination diet (that dang fussy constitution again) which is never super fun, but I have almost always been able to pull off some form of these pancakes and they just make me happy. Now, these are NOT the fluffy diner pancakes you might be used to, but they are gluten free, have no refined sugar, have lots of protein AND are delicious, so.... I’m not knocking the fluffies, I LOVE those too, but these are another awesome option and are decidedly a bit healthier if you care. Here’s the recipe to make things super easy for you, but def check out Mountain Mama Cooks’ site, she is super talented.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups rolled oats

• 1 + 1/4 cups almond milk (or whatever kind of milk you like)

• 1 banana

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 scoop collagen powder (optional)

• pinch of salt

• 1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1 egg

• 2-3 tbsp flax seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Put all ingredients (except flax seeds) into a good blender and whizz until just combined. I recommend putting any wet or squishy ingredients in first so the blender doesn’t get jammed. Don’t over-mix. If your batter seems a bit thick, add a little more milk.

• Stir in the flax seeds if using (I have found that if I put them in the blender with the rest of the ingredients it turns the whole thing to cement)

• Put lots of butter or coconut oil on your favorite pancake-making pan and scoop out about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake (you’re making silver dollar size pancakes)

• Flip when ready and then place on a rack to cool so they don’t get soggy

• Slather in butter, syrup, blueberries, more banana, chocolate chips or anything else that sounds yummy and enjoy!

• Make sure they’re cooled completely before putting any leftovers in the fridge

And that’s it! It’s super easy. I also make these ahead of time and bring on rafting or camping trips when I know the group breakfast is going to be non-gf pancakes. Just heat them on the griddle with a little butter and you’re set. And maybe next time you need to mix things up, make pancakes for dinner. It’s the best.

I’ve included below some ideas for fantastic pancake-making gifts in case you love someone who loves to make [or eat] pancakes (if you’re looking for a good set of mixing bowls, look here). xo

1. Crate & Barrel Glass Syrup Dispenser // 2. Beehive Handmade Heart Pancake Spatula // 3. All Clad Double Burner Griddle // 4. Trees Knees Butter Maple Syrup (they have other flavors, too, that sound amazing) // 5. Hand-Carved Wooden Pancake Spatula via Etsy // 6. Linda Hsiao’s gorgeous Bird Pitchers would be amazing syrup dispensers // 7. Tomie DePaola’s wordless book Pancakes for Breakfast was always one of my favorites // 8. Badger Pancake Plate via Etsy // 9. Clea Speckled Measuring Cups from Anthropologie // 10. Maison Plus Gold Measuring Spoons + Cups from Food52 // 11. Lodge Cast Iron Square Griddle via Crate & Barrel // 12. Ekobo Bamboo Nested Measuring Cups // xo

Hey! Just a heads up that this post includes affiliate links, but rest assured that I stand by all product recommendations 100%. Questions? Reach out, I’m always here for you. xo

daddy smoothie

OUR FAVORITE ACAI + OAT SMOOTHIE

THIS NOW-beloved smoothie is named for my husband after he improvised trying to make our old favorite Banana Oat smoothie while mama was away and ended up accidentally creating a brand new favorite. It’s not that pretty looking [the color’s weird, just saying], but it is delicious and super nutritious. My little asks for a ‘daddy smoothie’ most mornings [and after school] and I’m happy to make it for him as a fantastic way to start the day. Well, he asks for the smoothie and an entire package of bacon. You need some balance, right?

I’M NOT much for measuring when I’m making smoothies (and my husband DEF isn’t), so adjust according to your likes. Throw it all in a good blender and whizz until smooth. And then cheers my little guy and his giant plate of bacon. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup almond milk (or favorite dairy/non-dairy milk)

• 1/2 cup rolled oats

• 1 banana

• 1 packet frozen açaí [frozen blueberries or blackberries or all 3 would be yummy, too]

• 1 heaping scoop vanilla protein powder [we use Orgain Organic Vegan Vanilla Bean but use whatever kind you like - if you use a plain one, just add a dash of vanilla extract]

• a couple shakes of cinnamon

• a big squirt of honey

• a big handful of ice cubes

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