For most people, the “O” in these “O” Cookies will stand for the type of cereal used to make them. But for me, the “O” stands for obsessed, because that is what everyone in my family has become since I started making these cookies.

Starting from the time my kids had them as one of their very first finger foods, Trader Joe’s O’s have remained a household favorite. Between Chloe scarfing dry fistfuls of it every morning for breakfast and Kenya slurping it down with rice milk by the bowlful, we go through a lot of O’s each week. In an effort to make food exciting for kids, I’m always trying to take ingredients they love and feature them in recipes they’ll hopefully adore even more.

This is my healthy take on the cereal bars you can buy at the grocery, but I used “O” cereal and decided to mold them into a cookie shape instead of a bar. These aren’t exactly a tough sell no matter what shape you make them into, but I find going with cookies adds to the fun visual appeal. Not to mention I sometimes feel like I could serve my kids drywall for breakfast and simply by calling it a cookie would increase its chances of being consumed tenfold.

No matter whether you decide to make cookies, bars or balls, have fun making them and be careful, they’re totally addictive. “Oh” yeah!!

“O” Cookies! (Makes 30 Cookies)

1/2 Cup Nut Butter (almond, peanut or sunflower)
1/2 Cup Rice Syrup
4 Cups O’s Cereal (you can use whatever “O”-type cereal you like: Cheerios, Trader Joe’s O’s, etc.)

1. Place the nut butter and rice syrup in a small saucepan over low to medium heat and warm for 2 minutes or until it becomes smooth and combined.
2. Place the cereal in a bowl.
3. Pour the warm nut butter/rice syrup mixture into the bowl with the cereal and stir to combine.
4. Shape into cookies (I used a mini ice cream scooper to scoop out each portion, but you could also use a tablespoon). You can also place the mixture into a 9 x 9 inch ungreased pan, pat down and then cut into bars. As the O’s mixture cools, it will harden.
5. Serve.

Again, I have to praise Trader Joe’s for another affordable snack that kids love. Whenever Kenya sees a bag of these fruit bars sitting out, he looks at me at say “Mo!” (translation: more). They’re made from a mix of fruit pulp such as apples, boysenberry, blackberry, nectarine, cherry, passion fruit and more so there sweet, but also a bit tangy. They’re also totally unsweetened with no added sugar. Another good thing is they don’t make a mess, so they’re a good travel snack on the days that you don’t feel like dragging around fruit slices in a ziplock that end up getting stinky after a few hours. This is a perfect choice no matter if your child is vegetarian, eating a gluten free diet or you’re just just looking to give them something easy and delicious.

I don’t know a kid or adult that doesn’t like string cheese (maybe I have to stop hanging out with all those people from the National Dairy Association). I’m sure to most of you this is one of those obvious snacks for kids, but for those of you who are just getting into the snack game, string cheese should be a staple in your fridge.
This is one of Kenya’s favorites. When he hasn’t had enough calcium or protein in his day, I give him one or two of these and it fulfills both requirements. I know if I let him, he would subsist on cheese sticks alone. Babies and toddlers get so used to us breaking and cutting their food into tiny pieces for them, so when they get a food they can actually hold and control in their tiny hands they’re usually elated.
There are many different brands and types of string cheese sticks on the market, but two of my favorite are Horizon’s Organic Mozzarella String Cheese (6 individually wrapped sticks to a pack) and Trader Joe’s Organic String Cheese (9 individually wrapped sticks to a pack). You definitely pay a higher price for the organic, but I think it’s worth it. When you know the product your child is eating is produced without antibiotics, added growth hormones or dangerous pesticides, it puts your mind at ease.

When Kenya was 8 months old and teething non stop, I started giving him these whole wheat mini bagels. I would keep a few in a zip lock bag in my purse, in the car, and in the house for those times that I knew his little hands wanted something to hold to help soothe his gums. Somedays I could tell his gums were itching so much that he would rub the bagels on them until the dough was super soft.
Teething or not, bagels are a great first food for babies going beyond solids because they can gnaw on them at their own pace.
At my local Trader Joe’s, you get 18 “edible teethers” for $2.29 a bag which is a pretty good price. I realize that many people don’t have Trader Joe’s which is a total crime — Trader Joe’s, open more stores! — but there are lots of other companies such as Lenders and Sam’s
Bagels that sell mini bagels. Even better they contain no artificial colors or flavors, so you know you’re giving your little one a wholesome first food.

Let’s be honest, giving nutritionally balanced snacks that are satisfying and filling can be tough. With so many high sugar and salt filled foods on the market, it’s hard to navigate what’s actually good and what’s crap. Trust me, just because it says “all natural,” “organic” or has bunny rabbits and Elmo all over it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be good for your little one.
That’s one of the reasons I love Lara Bars. If I had my way, everyone would make their own protein bars, but sometimes that’s not possible. There are tons of bar companies on the market, but most of them are full of sugar and words that I can’t even pronounce.
Lara bars come in delicious flavors like lemon, apple and cherry pie and my favorite, banana bread. The base ingredients are nuts and dates and most of them only have 3-4 ingredients. You can now buy them at almost every grocery and health food store. When you’re rushing in the morning or want to keep something healthy for you or your child in your bag, this is a perfect treat.

Every time we go to a Mexican or Middle Eastern restaurant with Kenya, the first thing he grabs for are the chips. He loves them but I don’t want his taste buds to get too used to the super salty and fried flavor of them. So, I decided to come up with a recipe for pita chips that are healthy, delicious, really easy to make and Kenya can snack on them all week.
I used just a sprinkle of parmesan for a nutty salty flavor and some garlic powder to kick them up a bit. He devoured these like you can’t imagine. I made “Baby Ghanoosh” at the same time and he had a blast trying to dip the pita chips in the eggplant spread and licking it off before taking bites of the chips. I love a fun culinary activity for kids that’s also actually healthy for them.

Crisp-wee Pita Chips (Makes 72 Chips)

3 6 inch Whole Wheat Pita
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the pitas in half and then into pie shaped pieces or strips
(you can cut them into any shape you want).
3. Place the pita pieces on a cookie sheet and brush with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle with garlic powder and parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they start to turn a golden color.
6. Cool and serve.

I thought Labor Day would be a perfect time to introduce a new, once-a -week post on weelicious, snacks. I’m not talking about potato chips and candy bars. Little ones need between-meal, healthy, high energy foods that help them run around and keep their bodies growing.
I want to present snacks that are easy to prepare and can just be tossed in your bag for whenever you need to jet out the door. For me, the most important part is that whatever the snacks are, they don’t turn your car into a bottomless garbage-pit.
Most of the snacks I write about aren’t “messy” or they come in travel safe containers.
Freeze-dried fruits are one of my new favorite finds. Different markets sell variations on the product, but Trader Joe’s recently introduced their own line and I think they’re AMAZING! These freeze-dried snacks contain only fruit — no sugar. The intense flavor comes from the process of freeze-drying the fruit so their natural tastes are concentrated. They come in mango, banana, rambutan and mangosteen. I mean, how often do you eat rambutan (a tropical fruit grown in Hawaii and southeast Asia)?! Ever?
I brought a few bags to a back-to-school party yesterday and the kids went crazy for them. Don’t you just love it when kids are begging for more fruit? And the best part was that I didn’t have to wash, peel or pit anything. Just unzip the bag and everyone gets to enjoy (even the parents were digging them)!

I even surprised myself at how delicious this puree turned out. I had
5 people in the kitchen while I was making it and like good testers, we all took our spoons, tried a bite and in unison exclaimed, “WOW”! I don’t know whether Kenya was starving or just really loved it, but he insisted on eating an entire cup’s worth. There goes the theory that toddlers don’t like purees. Even though there’s no orange in the recipe, it totally reminded me of drinking an Orange Julius (a drink from a restaurant that I grew up near).
Since cantaloupes are 90% water, it’s nice adding banana and yogurt to give it a little extra body, rich flavor, and end up tasting like cream.
Cantaloupes are also a heavyweight when it comes to potassium and vitamin A. This is a perfect breakfast or snack food for the 10-12 month-old set or a great for dessert for a toddler (as Kenya so brilliantly demonstrated).

Cantaloupe Cream (6 Baby Servings)

1 Cup Cantaloupe, chopped
1/3 Cup Banana
1/4 Cup Yogurt

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree
until smooth.
2. Serve.