Drinks and treats for mom and baby

With a hot summer ahead of us I was in the mood for coming up with some refreshing drinks and treats that work  well for baby and mom. Now that we’ve hit the 8 and a half mark I’m all about introducing  as many ‘adult’ friendly options to the Little Monkey… I figure it will make life easier as we travel during the summer.

Here’s some delicious and easy concoctions that work well for the entire family!

Ginger carrot juice 

Babies love carrot and I kept reading articles stating not to give juice to babies because of the additives in store bought packs and also because they will end up substituting juice and water for milk… I know she’s thirsty on these hot days so why not give something delicious? I try to limit the juice or water to about 3 oz per day. Besides… I LOVE carrot juice. I’m weird I know. This is an easy recipe, just peel organic carrots  and toss in a juicer. Add a bit of water to dilute to preference and toss in a piece of ginger. Chill and then serve (no don’t be silly… no one eats the piece of ginger!).  The ginger adds  a very refreshing element to this simple drink.

Minty grape juice

I don’t know about you but  I’ve been sitting and peeling every tiny little grape and then cutting each grape into four pieces before offering them to to the princess. I was lazy one day and decided to juice instead. Toss whole washed ORGANIC grapes (part  of the dirty dozen) into the blender and throw in a few mint leaves. Blend and sieve before chilling. Voila! It’s ready to serve.  If you’re wondering about the sieve part… I don’t like gunky skin in my drinks and I figured she wouldn’t either. I use the small tea strainers and it only  takes a few minutes to get the juice pulp  free.

Yoghurt ice cream

I introduced yoghurt to her about two months ago and she’s a huge fan. True it was the plain organic full fat version that was blended in her fruit but we all know that plain yoghurt in ice cream form tastes deeeeeeeeeesgusting! I opted for a vanilla version and it was gobbled up quite fast. These cute little Hamilton Beach ice cream makers  (which I  received as part of a PR pitch a couple months back) make the perfect amount for one baby and one adult sized serving. I eat it  right  from that cute bowl, less clean up! If anyone is having issues with their ice cream maker, I found it works best if I freeze the bowls over night prior to using it. I also let the bowl stand for 10 minutes (our freeze is INSANELY cold) before I start making the healthy ice cream (works well for regular half and half /cream based ice cream too!).

Fruit popsicle

This is sure to be a hit at any  party.. no matter if you’re trying to please adults or babies.  Blend fruit, add a bit of water if necessary and freeze! I tried it with steamed apples and pears and since I did not have any baby friendly popsicle sticks, I used the tiny baby spoons that we never even used! It kept the Little Monkey entertained for about 10 minutes but then she started throwing it on the ground, might make sense to line the floor if your little one is going through a throwing phase! I might make them a bit smaller next time too. These treats are so simple and so versatile, you could add some of that frozen yoghurt or flavours like cinnamon, vanilla or mint.

Pssss…. You can easily add some vodka or gin to the adult versions!

Do you have any family favourites for cooling down in the summer?