The Poopsie Collective

Recipe: Snowflakes in Summer

Written by GWEN 

I’m not very neat (as Think Tidy can attest to). I’m organized, but in my own special, unorganized way. Erica, for one, might like to bring up the tornado that hits her guest room when I go to stay with her. (To which I might scoff, “5 minutes late? Try 20!” in response to her post this week.)

I wouldn’t be your first port of call to help out with an arts and crafts project…like coloring within the lines or cutting along the dotted ones. BUT, I do try and make an effort when it comes to food and decor! 

Last week, my mister’s parents were in town, and it happened to coincide with what will probably be the one week of summer in London. SO, we BBQed and picnicked. I baked, I marinated, I made side dishes and salads galore! Oh and I worked at my super demanding PR job (Yes. Super.) And I looked after Izzy! I was on FIRE. Toot Toot.

Anyhoo, below is a recipe for ‘Snowflakes’ which are basically white chocolate melted with Rice Krispies and peanuts. They are totally addictive, extremely easy to make, and a treat for the whole family—Izzy LOVES them! Plus they look adorable in a little glass jar (which I can’t take credit for, as my friend Christa gave them to us in a jar for Christmas.) Perfect for a picnic in Primrose Hill!

Izzy passed out after two days of fun in the sun!

Makes about 40 snowflakes

Ingredients:

1 pound white chocolate, chopped

2 1/2 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup salted roasted peanuts

Preparation:

- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Stir in the Rice Krispies and the peanuts, coating the dry ingredients evenly in the chocolate.

- Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the mixture in little mounds onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment (no need to space them apart too much as you won’t be baking them, so they won’t spread). Refrigerate uncovered until the chocolate hardens, at least 30 minutes, before eating. Once they’ve hardened, store the snowflakes in the refrigerator in a sealed container so the chocolate doesn’t melt.

Recipe: Thai Chicken Curry

written by STEPHANIE

I love asking friends for their weekly dinner go-to’s. It’s the best way to get new ideas for dinner solutions that are simple and yummy. This recipe came from my friend, Jacqui, and it has become a weekly staple. It makes a large batch with lots of leftovers, which I portion out for lunches and save in the freezer. Plus, it’s fool-proof! 

Ingredients:

- 1 red onion

- 1-2 cloves crushed garlic

- 2-3 bell peppers, any colors

- 2-3 zucchini diced or sliced approx 3/4 inch thick

- optional veggies: broccoli, potatoes, peas in the shoot, fresh green beans

- pinch of Cayenne pepper

- salt to taste

- optional spices to use as you like: curry, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika

- 2 jars of Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce (I have also used Thai Green Curry Sauce, which was quite good but not as delicious as the red)

- 1 can coconut milk (TJ’s makes a low-fat version)

- 1 1/2 cups water

- Approx 1lb diced chicken breast

- rice or quinoa

Sautee the onions in olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes. Add garlic and sautee together a few minutes more. Do not brown. Add the veggies and spices, then stir well and sautee together until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the curry sauce and 1 1/2 cups of water, mix well. Add chicken and coconut milk (you can use 3/4 of the can or more, as you like). Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve over rice or quinoa, and enjoy!

Homemade Frozen Yogurt Drops

written by STEPHANIE

My daughter LOVES yogurt drops. We call it: The Baby Crack. Pirate’s Booty also gets called The Baby Crack. As it turns out, Pirate’s Booty is also The Mom & Dad Crack. It’s so good! Anyway, out at breakfast one morning I spread some yogurt drops on the table to keep Marlowe quiet while we waited for our food, when the waitress passed and told me that she had seen tutorials for making yogurt drops on Pinterest. Since I love any excuse to have massive amounts of time sucked from my life, I logged onto Pinterest to investigate. A few hours later when I remember why I’d logged on in the first place, I typed in ‘yogurt drops’ and voila! There is was, simple as simple could be. So I gave it a try and you should too. SO easy and SO delicious and SO cheap!

Instructions:

- yogurt (any flavor)

- cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

- ziplock bag

- scissors

Scoop yogurt into ziplock bag and shake the yogurt down into one corner of the bag. With a scissor, cut a VERY small corner off the bag. Using the ziplock bag like a pastry bag, drop small dollops of the yogurt onto the cookie sheet. Continue in rows until you have enough. Pop them in the freezer for around 1 hour. Eat and enjoy!

Toddler Activity: Creative Crates

written by STEPHANIE

Boxes are piled on my desk: Aamzon, Zappos, 6pm.com, Wag… I’m a bit of an internet shopper. I find catharsis in loading up my “cart”, and from time to time, the goods actually make it through the checkout process, finding their way into my home.

The shipping boxes have a second life of their own. They become Creative Crates, offering endless entertainment for my daughter. She loves pulling items out of the boxes, or putting new objects inside. She stacks the boxes on top of one another, lines them up in neat rows, sits atop them, and loads them on top of the dog. Sometimes I preload the boxes with items I hope she will find interesting, like wooden blocks or measuring cups. And I try to change the contents every few days to keep things fresh. This type of play is important, as it allows your child to explore and use his/her imagination freely. Too often during the day we have to tell them “no”. So filling the boxes with safe items is a lovely way to give them an opportunity to play without limitations. This activity is one that grows with your child, as you can change the boxes’ contents to be age appropriate, filling it with art supplies and such as your child gets older. Plus, this can be FREE! There’s no need to buy anything. 

Here’s how you can make your own Creative Crates:

- a box (or more)

- household items like socks, books, empty toilet paper rolls, rubber ducks, spoons, plastic bowls, etc. It’s nice to fill a box thematically to help your child find similarities in the items. For instance, all red items, or plush items. 

Have fun!

Activities for Toddlers: Sorting

written by STEPHANIE

My 16 month old daughter is high energy. She is quick, she is busy and she wants to be stimulated all the time. I have felt at my wits end with her the last few weeks looking for activities to keep her occupied. Here is the latest that I have to say was a pretty big hit!

What you’ll need:

- Cheerios in a large bowl

- Muffin tin

- Measuring cups

- Tupperware containers (very small)

I set her up on the coffee table because it’s her height and allows her to move around. She doesn’t like being in a chair. She first sampled the goods, happily munching on her favorite snack. Then I showed her that the Cheerios could be scooped up with the measuring cups and dropped into the muffin tins. She got it from there and went to town meticulously moving Cheerios between containers and eating a few more along the way. Then she stuck her hands into the bowl of Cheerios and giggled while she gripped them in her fists. 

After about 20 minutes, she expanded the game from the table and onto the floor, dropping Cheerios first one by one, then by the handful. The dog sat nearby waiting for her turn to clean-up. When my daughter then picked up what was left in the bowl and started to take it away from the table, I steered her back, at which point she lost interest and wanted to play with the kitchen towels that she carts around the house in her doll stroller. 

I picked up the containers on the table, asked the dog to take care of the floor droppings and we were done! Easy set-up, easy clean-up, and my daughter was delighted by the game. 

Next time? I will use multi-colored snacks to introduce an additional sorting element.

Do you have an activity your toddler enjoys? Please email us at poopsiecollective@gmail.com … We’d love to share it with all our readers.