Hard to believe he is 2 years old tomorrow!
His birthdays are destined to be filled with sweets and sentiments. He doesn't seem to mind so far. :) We had a birthday/valentine's play date on Friday that was a ton of fun. We are very blessed to have a great group of moms and kiddos to hang out with.
However, since we are on a pretty tight budget (mostly self-imposed) this month, it was difficult to think of goodies to bring that wouldn't break the bank. So thankful for the internet! Here's what we decided on:
Healthy and "Hearty" Carrot Cranberry Muffins
I've been wanting to try soaking flour now that I'm learning about the digestive benefits of preparing grains from the Real Food Challenge. Thankfully, Wardeh at GNOWFGLINS has the perfect Basic Soaked Muffin Recipe (you'll want to click that link - she just posted a video to accompany the recipe notes today!!)! I used lemon juice for the soaking acid and cinnamon, cranberries, and carrots for the add-ins. I also doubled the recipe to fill my little heart foil cups.
Topped them off with 8oz. softened cream cheese with a few tablespoons of honey blended in. They were really great for breakfast this morning!!!
Brownie and Cream Cheese "Truffles"
I thought the mommies might enjoy a nice treat too and had just come across the idea of mixing pre-made brownies with chocolate frosting to make "truffles." I didn't have chocolate frosting, but cream cheese worked wonderfully!
I used Life As Mom's recipe for Cocoa Brownies (very yummy on its own!) and crumbled them all up when they were cooked and cooled. Then I mixed in 8oz of softened cream cheese with my pastry cutter (best birthday gift ever by the way!) until a dough formed. If I had a melon baller I would have been in Heaven, but instead I grabbed about a teaspoon of the "dough" at a time and rolled it into a ball with my hands then placed it on parchment (wax would work) paper on a cookie sheet. I got 3 dozen out of the mixture:
After letting them harden in the refrigerator for an hour, I melted 1/2 a bag of dark chocolate chips in a bowl and dipped each ball into it individually. After allowing them to chill for another hour, I wrapped them up into foil squares that I got on sale 2 or 3 years ago around Valentine's Day. They would have been gorgeous on a nice platter, too.
I made these Thursday night and we ate the last one this morning. Needles to say, they were delicious. :)
Did you make any frugal treats this Valentine's Day? Find some great ideas at this week's Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom!
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