Recipes

Homemade Play Dough Recipes For The Entire Year

February 17, 2021 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

With boys who love to build and construct, play dough has long been a favorite in our household. It didn’t take long for me to know that with how often the dough was being used, I needed to experiment with different recipes to find the best that would last the longest. After some exploring and testing, we found some great recipes. Our favorites, however, aren’t just the doughs that last the longest, but are ones that smell and feel the best too. Here’s our list of easy homemade play dough recipes that are perfect for every month of the year. June is a particular favorite of mine. Which one are you going to try first?

Halfpintpeeps.com is the best place to find fun ideas for kids of all ages! Find fun ways to stay creative indoors! These homemade play dough recipes are great no matter what time of year it is!

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipes

1. January- Snow Dough

Make the most of those cold winter days spent stuck inside with glittery snow dough. This has sure saved us from boredom on a handful of occasions!

2. February- Valentine’s & Chocolates

Nothing says Valentine’s Day like pink and chocolate! Have fun playing with these scents of the season by making chocolate and strawberry shortcake playdoughs. These would make such perfect Valentine’s gift ideas instead of candy!

3. March- Rainbows & Pots of Gold

Celebrate the season of St. Patrick’s Day with gold treasure and rainbow sparkle playdoughs. No doubt those tricky leprechauns will want to join your kids in all the fun!

4. April- Spring Peeps Playdough

Whether you observe Easter or the season of spring in general, Peeps have become an American tradition around the month of April. I don’t really like to let my children eat these airy sugar bombs, but we compromise on using them in some super fun spring time playdoughs. To get more info on the recipe and directions, take a peep on Parenting Chaos. This is one of my favorite easy homemade play dough recipes!

5. May- Dirt Dough

The weather is drying out and summer is knocking on the door. It’s time to get outside and play! Just not in the dirt. But you CAN play inside with dirt play dough. This would also be great for school projects and models with biomes. Use coffee grounds to get the main color and texture with this recipe.

6. June- Coconut Quicksand

Welcome summer and the season of vacationing with coconut scented quicksand dough. All you’ll need is cornflour, sand, and coconut scented hair conditioner. Your kids will be ready to get out the sunblock and beach towels!

7. July- Patriotic Playdough

Skip on the heat of hot summer days by playing inside with these cool patriotic playdoughs. Each is scented for extra sensory fun. Get more information from Motherhood On A Dime.

8. August- Planetary Playdough

August is a time to spend your last days of summer under the stars. Have fun learning about the galaxy and then building your own with this perfect planetary playdough. Add lots of sparkles! Find the recipe and directions from Twodaloo.

9. September- Apple Cinnamon Playdough

To me, September is all about settling into a new school year. Fall is on it’s way, temperatures are cooling down, and evenings are best spent snuggled up with warm and pleasant pleasures. Apple cinnamon is the perfect flavor to represent all these things. Your kids will love the scent of this apple cinnamon playdough and will get hours of fun out of the soft and moldable recipe.

10. October- Spooky Sculpting Dough

Sometimes it’s all about the packaging! Take your favorite playdough recipe and put it into these adorable Halloween-inspired containers. I love this for a non-candy Halloween option to give to close friends and family.

11. November- Pumpkin Spice Playdough

Pumpkin spice and everything nice! What a perfect playdough recipe to make for the season of pumpkin pies. This is one of the softest playdough recipes we’ve made and we often choose to make it throughout the year. Get the directions and recipe from The Idea Room.

12. December- Gingerbread Playdough

Making gingerbread houses is a serious business in our house. We love everything about it from baking the dough to designing and constructing the house to decorating all the tiny details. It IS a rather expensive hobby though so sometimes we build our festive houses with gingerbread playdough instead. The best part is that unlike a real gingerbread house, you can deconstruct and build several houses each holiday season. We’ve also found that it makes for a fun neighbor and friend gift as well.

Which one of these easy homemade play dough recipes wil you try? Make sure you know how to clean play dough out of kids clothing!

5 Kid-Approved Desserts for Fall

October 26, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

Desserts for Fall | Kid-Approved Desserts For Fall | Recipe Ideas for Desserts for Fall | Fall Dessert Recipes | Dessert Recipes for Fall

Kids and Fall fun go hand-in-hand, so kids will love a few desserts for Fall that are specifically meant for them to enjoy, wouldn’t you agree? Good thing there are so many kid-approved desserts for Fall that the whole family can enjoy! Take a look at the following ideas I’ve come up with!

Caramel apples are a famously kid-approved Fall treat. But there is a way to make them even better {and less of a mess!}. Increase the caramel-to-apple ratio by coring and slicing your apples. Put each apple slice on a stick. Now dip them in caramel, chocolate, and other yummy stuff. Let the caramel apples set up and then enjoy! Hint: the kids will love dipping their own!

It’s no secret that kids love cupcakes anytime of year. Make some kid-approved Fall cupcakes in either a peanut butter or spice cake flavor. Peanut butter cupcakes are delicious with peanut butter buttercream frosting. Spice cupcakes are yummy with a cinnamon buttercream. Add some Reese’s pieces or caramel flavored M&Ms for an extra Fall flair. Here’s a delicious peanut butter cupcake recipe to try!

Do your kids love snickerdoodles as much as mine do? Then try a little Fall-flavor adjustment. Make some pumpkin snickerdoodles that the kids are sure to love. This recipe from Cooking Classy is a good one to try. The addition of pumpkin puree makes the snickerdoodles are extra soft and chewy. Yum!

Apple pie is a traditional Fall dessert, since Fall is prime time for apples! Take the kids to pick apples at an apple orchard, then use some of those delicious apples to make a kid-friendly apple “pie.” Just add some decorative pie crust to the top of your favorite baked apples before you put them in the oven. It’s a fun Fall dessert the kids will be happy to dig into!

10 Tools You Need for Homemade Baby Food

September 23, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

Making homemade baby food is easier than it might seem when you have the right equipment. Here are 10 tools you need to make homemade baby food.

10 Tools You Need for Homemade Baby Food| Baby Food, Baby Food Recipes, Homemade Baby Food, Homemade BAby Food Recipes, Homemade Baby Food Stage 1, Parenting, Parenting Tips

1. Food Masher

With a food masher, you can make sure that your little one is able to dine safely. Not only can you mash food into the right size and consistency, but you can also mash regular items that you made for dinner.

2. Babycook Food Maker

This type of device is an “all-in-one” tool, one that’s perfect for parents who are short on time but want to feed their little one homemade baby food. It steams, blends and reheats.

3. Baby Food Storage

Once you’ve taken the time to make safe homemade baby food, you’ll need a way to store it. The 4-ounce baby food storage set is designed for this purpose. Free of BPAs and leak proof, these food storage containers are handy and convenient. If you prefer to keep things organic, then shop at Organic Lifestyle, which is a site that sells organic towels and bedding.

4. Hand Blender

A hand blender is a tool that will make it easier for you to make homemade baby food. Use it to blend, crush and puree food to a safe consistency.

5. “The Wholesome Baby Food Guide”

For healthy and tasty baby food recipes, consider getting “The Wholesome Baby Food Guide.” This handy book is filled with recommendations and advice about the foods that are appropriate for your child as well as the best ways to prepare them.

6. Ice Cube Trays

It’s easier to make homemade baby food in batches. You can then freeze it in ice cube trays. Once they’re frozen, just defrost them when needed. If you need a cooking reminder, then consider using List Plan It. This affordable program will help you keep your daily life on track.

7. Baby Food Mill

If you prefer low-tech tools, then get a baby food mill. They work by pureeing soft foods and grinding them through a mesh sieve. They’re easy to use and clean.

8. Potato Masher

When your baby is ready to start eating clumpier food, use a potato masher to blend it down into a safe consistency. This tool will help you manipulate the texture of the food to create different consistencies.

9. Steaming Basket

To soften veggies before blending them down into a safe consistency, you’ll need to either cook them in the oven or steam them. A steaming basket will make it quick and easy for you to soften them.

10. Grapefruit Spoons

Scoop out the flesh of fruits, squash and potatoes with a grapefruit spoon. This tool makes the task painless. It also decreases food waste.

Tools one, two, three, four and five were found at Parenting.

We came across tools six, seven, eight, nine and 10 at Baby Center.

10 Deliciously Spooky Halloween Snacks for Kids

August 25, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

One of the best parts of Halloween is the costumes. A whole day getting to be someone or something besides yourself (of course knowing that you’ll be you again tomorrow). But it’s just as fun that people aren’t the only ones that change their identity for the day. Think of all those spooktakular snacks that get to don a mask as well. So, whether you’ve joined this foody tradition yet or not, here are 10 deliciously spooky Halloween snacks for kids.

Mummys, spiders and Frankenstein in your snacks? Must be Halloween and you won't want to miss these fun Halloween snacks! #halfpintpeepsblog #kidssnacks #halloween

Mummy Pretzels

Get all wrapped up in the these tasty mummy treats. Just add candy eyes to white chocolate dipped pretzels and snack time will be ready to rise from the dead. Get the recipe from Let’s Dish Recipes.

Spider Pizza Bites

Use olives to make creepy crawly pizza bites. Make the base of the pizza with mini bagel crisps and then add tomato paste, cheese, and olives to spin it all together. Read more information here.

Frankenguac

This frankeguac is electrifyingly fun! Spread your favorite guacamole in a rectangle on a serving dish and add veggies and more to make Frankenstein’s face. Use blue tortilla chips for the hair. Get the recipe and assembly directions here.

Pumpkin Deviled Eggs

These gourdish delights are a sure way to carve out some good times! Shape the filling like a pumpkin and add a sprig of parsley for the stem. Paprika adds a tasty pop of flavor on top. Recipe found here.

BATastic Chips

Cinnamon sugar is a favorite flavor in our home. My boys love sprinkling it on buttered toast and extra pie crust in particular. Another favorite is cinnamon sugar tortilla chips! To make these addictive little bites, just use a bat shaped cookie cutter to punch out the chips from flour tortillas. Dip the chips in melted butter, sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar, and bake! Bats all folks! Fly on over to Simple Recipes for the full recipe.

Zombie Boogers

Zombies everywhere agree that this Halloween treat is ripe for the picking. Add green and yellow food coloring to your favorite popcorn ball recipe to make the juicy snack. Come fright this way for the full directions.

Looky Looky

Call olive your kids to the kitchen to get an eye popping look at what you’ve prepared for today’s haunting treat. Use green olives and mozzarella balls to make the sightly snack. Just remind your kids that it isn’t polite to roll their eyes. Don’t blink or you’ll miss the recipe over at GiantEagle.com.

Bone Appetit!

This Halloween snack is straight from the cookbook of Ghoulia Child: Bone Appetit! Simply tie knots into your favorite ready-to-bake breadsticks for some bone chilling delight. Get scared to the bone with the recipe from Kraft.

Jack of All Treats

Candy and sweets aren’t the only yummy Halloween treats and these jack-o-lantern fruit cups are carving the way to prove it. Hollow out an orange before carving a jack-o-lantern face and filling it with bite-sized fruit bits. With no processed foods or preservatives and all the fun of other Halloween treats, you’ll all be wiping pump grins off your faces. Get more information here.

PB & J Spiderwich

Eight tiny legs is all that you’ll need,

To turn PB & J into a creepy fun feed.

Kids will love getting all caught and spun,

Bread, chocolate, and pretzels for some spiderwich fun!

Crawl here for directions.

Nutritious Homemade Baby Foods That Are Easy To Make

January 29, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

When it’s time to start feeding baby solid foods, you can buy them pre-made if you like. But that isn’t the only option! Do you know you can make nutritious homemade baby foods right at home? It’s easy to do, and it’s going to save you money. Are you ready to learn more?

Nutritious Homemade Baby Foods

Homemade baby foods aren’t difficult. With the right tools, you can make some of them fresh for every meal, in just minutes. You can also prep ahead of time, and refrigerate for a day or two, or freeze for later. There are definitely options. Here are the tips and tricks you need to know to make delicious, nutritious homemade baby foods yourself.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are always an option for homemade baby food, but it isn’t the only one. It’s perfectly acceptable to use fruits and vegetables frozen or canned in their own juices. Don’t use those that are preserved in heavy syrups–that’s way too much sugar for baby.

Making homemade baby food can be simple, or it can be more involved. It all depends on what you want to do. An easy place to begin is with mashed banana, or a mashed up avocado. For an older baby, you can leave small chunks. For a new eater, it’s best to puree it smooth with a food processor or Magic Bullet Baby Care System.

When you make your own baby food, it’s a good idea to try some blends like you’d find on your grocer’s baby care aisle. One delicious blend is carrots & apples. Baby gets more nutrition and learns to be a more adventurous eater too.

Above all, you must be very careful about sanitation when making baby foods at home! Here are some important considerations to make:

Wash all fresh vegetables and fruits before peeling or cutting.
Cook vegetables and fruits such as apples until they’re tender.
Never sweeten fruits or vegetables, especially with honey. Honey is a no-no for infants under 12 months of age!
Freeze prepared baby foods in small portions. An ice cube tray works really well for this! Once frozen, place cubes of baby food into a resealable plastic freezer bag.
When pureeing food for baby from your family’s meal, take out baby’s portion at the end of cooking time, but before you season it. Once your baby is older and more used to solid foods, you can puree it after seasoning.

For more homemade baby food ideas, check out 8 Wholesome Recipes for Baby.

Toddler Meals to Tame the Terrible Twos

September 19, 2018 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

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