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.

Since Kenya started school this fall, I’ve been making a lot more sandwiches for him. He goes to a “nut free” school, so it can be tricky because the number one kid favorite sandwich, PB & J, is a major no-no (although, I have found sunflower seed butter to be a good replacement for peanut or almond butter in terms of flavor and texture). One of the sandwich fillings Kenya loves most is cream cheese and strawberry preserves. Now that strawberries are out of season, though, I wanted to make another type of spread he would crave.

A few weeks ago I went to Trader Joe’s and bought a jar of their pumpkin butter. It’s delicious, but it is SO sweet. You can actually taste the sugar more than the pumpkin. Always up to a challenge, I decided to make my own version of this seasonal treat. For this recipe you could roast a pumpkin and puree it, but canned pumpkin seems to be all over the grocery this time of year, so I decided to save some time and use it instead.

Now I’ve got everyone in my house hooked on this creation. We’ve been eating it on rice crackers and pita, stirring it into yogurt and more. It only takes minutes to make and will last for a few weeks in the fridge — that is unless everyone doesn’t eat it all up first!

Pumpkin Butter (Makes 2 Cups)

2 Cups Pureed Pumpkin or 1 15oz Can Pumpkin Puree
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1/4 Cup Honey
2 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1. Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
2. Cool and serve.

*Place in appropriate tupperware or ziploc bag and freeze up to 4 months. Defrost in fridge.

I hadn’t even thought about adding this on as a recipe until I realized that we made FOUR of these quesadillas just this week alone. This means 3 things to me: 1) I’m pretty sure that kids will love them because Kenya hasn’t stopped asking for them, 2) for me to be so happy making them must mean they only take minutes to throw together and 3) they’re perfect for anyone on a budget because they’re made with some of the staples I always seem to have laying around the house. This recipe costs me just over $1.50 for 2 servings and there are never leftovers. I call that a recipe worth making again and again!

Avocado & Cheese Quesadilla (Serves 2)

1 Small Avocado, cut into thin slices
1/2 Cup Cheese, shredded (I used a 3 cheese blend of monterey jack, cheddar and mozzarella)
2 Whole Wheat or Spelt Tortillas

1. Place a tortilla in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
2. Cover with half of the cheese and top with the avocado slices.
3. Cover with remaining cheese and tortilla, slightly pressing down.
4. Cook in the saute pan for 6 minutes total, turning halfway through.
5. Cut into wedges.
6. 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.

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)!

Last Sunday I ran into my friend Leslie at the farmers market. We started talking about weelicious and a recipe that she had come up with for her adorable son, August. She said that the rice ball recipe I had made for the website inspired her to try a polenta version. She took me through how she did it and I thought it was a genius and healthy idea. I changed it up a bit, but so can you. Feel free to use greens instead of broccoli or cheddar instead of Monterrey jack. This is a perfect recipe to improvise on. Also, if your little one isn’t ready for bites yet, you can do a pureed version.
Trader Joe’s (to the rescue, again) sells organic polenta packaged in an 18 oz. tube, which is a huge time saver. Since it’s also gluten free, it’s a perfect option for little ones with allergies. You only need half of the tube for this recipe, so you could take the leftover portion and pan sear slices for your dinner and serve it with some fresh tomato sauce and cheese.
Kenya loved popping these little bites in his mouth!

Polenta Bites (makes 30-40 “bites” or 2 cups of puree)

1 Cup Broccoli, florets
1/4 Cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 Cup Tofu, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp Parmesan
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Italian Herbs
1/2 Tube (9 oz) Polenta

*You can also use 1 cup of fresh polenta

1. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the
vegetables and tofu and saute for 3 minutes. Cover the pan and steam for
2 more minutes or until broccoli is fork tender.
2. Place the sauteed ingredients, cheese and herbs in a food processor
and pulse until everything is combined, but tiny pieces remain.
3. In a bowl mix the polenta with the vegetable/tofu mixture and roll
into bite size balls.
4. Serve.