By The twins have entered the snack era. This is the developmental phase where children require constant small food at intervals that do not correspond to mealtimes, and any failure to produce a snack at the moment it is needed will be communicated through means that are difficult to misinterpret. I have fully stocked the snack cabinet. The snack cabinet contains: Aldi goldfish crackers, Aldi freeze-dried fruit, small pouches of applesauce, those little yogurt melts that dissolve, string cheese, and a bag of frozen blueberries that Owen has decided he likes frozen and Nora has decided she likes thawed and this is, honestly, the least complicated thing about my life right now.
We go to the park every day after pickup. Two blocks south, the small park with the toddler equipment. Owen goes directly to the swing and communicates his desire for the swing by pointing at the swing and looking at me. Nora goes directly to the slide and goes up the ladder like she has been doing it for years, which she basically has, and comes down with the expression of someone who has done this a thousand times and is going to do it a thousand more.
Ryan bought a little plastic basketball hoop that sits in the living room and is now the center of Owen's existence. He is fourteen months old and he can make it from two feet away with some consistency and every time he makes it he turns and looks at me with the expression that Ryan makes when he does something well, which is: cool, noted, moving on. This is a gene that has passed from Ryan Kowalczyk to his son with remarkable precision.
I made hummus from scratch this week because I had dried chickpeas and the blender and twenty minutes, which is all hummus requires: chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, olive oil, salt. The babies eat it with pita triangles that I toast in the oven. I eat it for lunch with cucumber and whatever crackers are in the cabinet. Homemade hummus costs about sixty cents compared to three dollars at the store and tastes better and takes twenty minutes and I do not know why I do not make it every week, so now I will.
The blueberry situation in our freezer has become its own ongoing negotiation, and rather than referee it every afternoon I just started making smoothies — which, as it turns out, solves both problems at once: Owen gets his cold and Nora gets hers blended smooth, and I get something that takes three minutes and costs less than the pouches. This is the one I keep coming back to from the whole blueberry collection, because it requires exactly the amount of effort I have at 4:30 on a Tuesday.
25 Plus Best Blueberry Recipes: Everyday Blueberry Banana Smoothie
Prep Time: 3 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 3 min | Servings: 2 toddler portions
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen blueberries (or thawed — both work)
- 1 ripe banana, peeled and broken into chunks
- 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1/4 cup whole milk or oat milk
- 1 tsp honey (only for children over 12 months)
- Pinch of cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- Load the blender. Add the blueberries, banana chunks, yogurt, and milk to a blender. Add honey and cinnamon if using.
- Blend. Blend on high for 30—45 seconds until completely smooth. If it’s too thick, add milk a splash at a time.
- Taste and adjust. If using frozen blueberries straight from the bag, the smoothie will be thicker and colder — add a little extra milk to loosen. Thawed berries will blend silkier.
- Serve. Pour into toddler cups or small glasses. Serve immediately. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours — just give it a stir before serving again.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 145 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 48mg