Springing Into Spring With Cheerios

Sure it may only be February but the sun has been shining the last few days and it feels like spring enough for me! Being a Cheerios Blogger Circle mom I was asked to share a spring recipe featuring Cheerios or some way we incorporate Cheerios into our spring activities.

I have mentioned before how much we LOVE yogurt parfaits in our house and Cheerios are great to add in for a little crunch. Layers of low fat vanilla yogurt, fresh strawberries and blueberries and Cheerios lead to the perfect breakfast or snack! Using a nice tall skinny glass is great for showing off all the layers but to be honest sometimes I just toss it all in a bowl and call it good. Doesn't this yummy and fresh snack just scream Spring?!

Of course if we are talking about the spring we certainly can't leave out our feathered friends! Maddie and I strung original Cheerios on twine to hang in our tree as a bit of bird food garland. Maybe not as delicious as the yogurt but I am sure the birds will appreciate it! 

 Stringing Cheerios was a wonderful fine motor skills activity for Maddie too!

We also made a peanut butter bird feeder with Cheerios too. This time we crushed up our Cheerios and adhered them to an empty toilet paper tube (sadly there were no pine cones hanging around our house!) with peanut butter.

Maddie thoroughly enjoyed smashing the Cheerios with her mini rolling pin! I think she may have snuck a few bites of peanut butter and Cheerios too!

 What are your favorite springtime activities or recipes?

Cheerios Blogger Circle: Making Wise Choices

 

Feeding a child is never easy. You could claim to have the best eater in the world and we all know the truth: it's not always that way. When Maddie was younger I would brag about how great of an eater she was and that we had no problems stuffing her to the gills with healthy foods and to some extent it was true. Most days there would be no battle or bribing but other days not so much.

My apple lovin' babe circa October 2007

 As she has grown up a bit her food preferences have certainly changed and of course she has become much more vocal about it. On any given day Maddie will tell you her favorite foods are tomatoes, strawberries, pasta and cheeseburgers. Not the healthiest but not the worst either! Of course we don't let her eat cheeseburgers every day but we also don't forbid them.

I think we really stick by the 'everything in moderation' motto. There are a few forbidden foods for Maddie but really at this points that's only soda, iced tea and gum. I am sure the reasoning behind the gum speaks for itself! Soda and iced tea in my opinion are empty and unnecessary calories especially for kiddos, but of course that's just my thoughts.

 Snacks!!!

Any who our main goal is to help Maddie make wise choices with her food selections. One of the biggest factors in food choices at our house is definitely the selection. My thoughts? If it's not in the house it's not an option. If we don't have bags of cookies and chips laying around then they simply aren't a food option. Instead Maddie has her own snack basket handy at her level filled with granola bars, boxes of raisins and goldfish crackers. Maddie knows that all those snacks are good choices and she is able to help herself to them.

Of course the refrigerator is also stocked with fruits and veggies. As a family we munch daily on fresh veggies and a Greek yogurt based dip. It's quick and easy- just my style! My biggest tip for a fruit and veggie loving kid? Take them shopping. 

Now if you are lucky and get to the grocery sans child I am certainly not going to say you should always take your child because seriously you are the luckiest mom in the world! I generally do have Maddie with me when I shop though and it proves to be a fantastic time to help Maddie make good food choices. The produce section is our first stop and it's also Maddie's shopping area, she gets to make the choices. Peaches or plums? Apples or pears? Broccoli or tomatoes? I am surprised myself at the variety of foods Maddie chooses and is willing to try. In the past she has spotted asparagus, plums, pears and cauliflower; not your typical child accepted foods! She doesn't always fall in love with her choices but she is always willing to try them and really that's all I can ask. 

Time to share! What are your mommy tricks and tips? Are you blessed with a greater eater or struggle with a chicken nugget kid?