Coinciding with my and Annabelle’s last “days of you and me,” I received a large shipment of giveaways from the folks over at Barefoot Books. Among Barefoot Books’ many virtues as publishers of children’s books is an investment in the global community and the environment (which makes my heart feel all sorts of good inside). Of course, the best part about Barefoot Books are the books themselves: they’re full of bright and colorful illustrations as well as meaningful stories that work with the worlds and imaginations of our children. Annabelle and I have several BB books on our bookshelves, and well, in the coming years, we hope to add a few more . . .
This week, I’m giving you all the chance to add a Barefoot Book to your home library; in fact, over the coming weeks, I will offer 5 BB giveaways that appeal to a range of ages: books for young environmentalists, kid yogis, vegetarians, and more.
As it turned out, I was searching for an additional “day of you and me” because Annabelle and I had combined a few activities into a day’s worth of fun . . . so, we decided to try out one of the great recipes from the Barefoot Books’ Kids Kitchen (see below).
Simply leave a comment at the end of this post and you’ll be entered to win a free Kids’ Kitchen.
And now, a little bit about our cooking adventures . . .
We made cinnamon-ee sweet baked bananas:
First, I sliced the skin of 4 bananas.
Then Annabelle used a fork to smush up the inside of the banana.
We mixed up brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
While pouring is likely Annabelle’s favorite food prep skill, mixing is another fave.
She scooped her mixture of sugar and cinnamon into the smushed up bananas,
wrapped each banana into a foil pocket,
and voila! was ready to bake!
We baked our cinnamon-ee sweet bananas at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. We cooled them for another 5 minutes (which didn’t bother Annabelle in the least since she was performing a dance/yoga/martial arts piece that she put together on the spot), and then,
Ta-dah! Yummy, sweet, cinnamon-ee baked bananas. You can eat them like this or for an even tastier adventure, spoon the banana over vanilla yogurt or vanilla ice cream. Mmm, mmm, yum! Or at least that’s what my husband and I said of our banana treats . . .
Yeah, after all that, Annabelle wouldn’t touch ‘em, which I suppose doesn’t sound like much of a promotion for the kids’ kitchen, but my 2 1/2 year old takes a bit of coaxing with new foods, so we’ll just have to bake and try try again. But seriously, the recipe turned out delicious and I bet your older, wiser, and more worldly eaters will eat these up too.
{ 17 comments }
Looks yummy! Great photos, too!
i love cooking with my kids will have to try this book
That is a neat idea I will have to try it. My 3 1/2 year old son loves to help cook, so I know he would love to make this.
This looks so easy and something my daughter could easily help with! Yum!
So nice of you to share! My 2 yr old is currently fascinated with cupcakes right now….right down to needing them to sit at the table with us while we eat and watching him brush his teeth! (They are from a wooden food play set.) He loves to cook with me, especially anything with blueberries!
Thanks!
Heather
sounds yummy! i’ve been looking for more kid friendly recipes we will definately have to try this one!
This book looks great. My 18-month old is always trying to “help” in the kitchen. We’re making muffins as one of our “August adventure” days.
Thanks!
Sarah
I’m gathering so many wonderful ideas from your blog. My baby girl is going to be one on the 22nd and I’ve started a binder of ideas that I’ve gotten from your blog – I can’t wait to use them with her!
Thanks!
Janice
Green Mama = fiesty doesn’t even begin to describe it :)
Glad to know that mama and daddy like to shake their groove thing to. Ooky likes to dance in the kitchen…as does his Mama. :) Its the best place for shakin’ things up!
Yum! Those bananas look fabulous! I ate a similar dessert in Malaysia, I think.
Ooo!! I would love to win this book for my library and that recipe looks delicious!
looks lovely! If only my tot would eat gooey things. :)
MamaTea, :-) You have a feisty side, eh? Oh, and it isn’t just my little one doing the spot dances in the kitchen . . . I believe I’ve noticed her parents shaking their “groove thang” while whipping things up too, :-)
anne, I bet Angelina will love to mix things up on the floor. I bet you can try this recipe or make homemade playdough (that was and is a favorite of Annabelle’s). Oh, and as for clean up, my little one loves to do that . . . yours might too, :-)
Amber, :-) My 2 year old too, :-)
I bet it would be great on oatmeal too!
My 4 1/2 year old has learned that anything containing sugar is worth a sample. I’m so proud? ;)
I can’t wait to try. We’ve started mixing on the floor since Angelina is too small to stand on a chair. I’m not sure if I’m crazy or not since she’s likely just as happy mixing an empty bowl, but we made brownies the other day. All went well, including the mopping afterward, until I had to pour the batter into the pan–she was so upset! We “mixed” soap suds the next day!
I’ll have to try that recipe with Ooky. He loves to bake…and could also use this recipe to taunt his grandpa…who gags at the thought of bananas!
I’m glad to know that your darling does little on the spot dances in the kitchen. I thought it was just something in the air here….