Super Soup

Even food can be educational! Soup makes a fast and fun meal that kids love and you can make with little effort. Soup is a great food because you can put almost anything in it, giving it almost limitless potential for nutritious ingredients.

I buy organic ingredients from the dry bins at the natural food store. This works out to be about $1 per meal for both my daughter and me. If you don't live in Hawaii, it might be even cheaper for you. My daughter loves the alphabet and number noodles. Here's how I make my ultra-easy Super Soup:

1/4 cup dried red lentils
1/3 cup dried split pea soup mix
1/4 cup Eden Organic vegetable alphabet noodles
2 cups water
garlic salt to taste (about 1 tsp if your mixture is 1/3 salt)

Bring the water, lentils and split pea soup mix to a boil, then reduce to simmer or a low boil. Be careful it's not too hot or the pea soup mix will foam up and boil over. Boil approx. 10 minutes. Then add the alphabet noodles. Boil another 10 minutes and serve.


photo by cherrycher

How to Make this Recycled Christmas Tree Star Topper

This glittery Christmas tree topper is fun to make for all ages and is pretty simple. My two-year-old helped to make this one.

First, print out a star shape from your computer in the size that you want. Trace it onto a piece of paperboard from a cereal box. Cut out your star. From another piece of paperboard, make a cone shape. You want a cone that is long and thin so that it fits snugly over the top branch of your tree without tipping over. Hold the cone while you cut off the excess paperboard and use tape to secure the edges. Use your scissors to trim around the top and base of your cone so that it is even.

Cut two slits on either side of the top of the cone so that you can slide the star down into it. It should look like this:


Coat one side of your star with glue. I use Tacky Glue but regular school glue will work as well. Make the glue just thick enough that it won't drip or run. Sprinkle glitter (we chose red) over the entire surface of the glue. Tap the glitter gently down with the flat of one finger to make sure it is stuck down into the glue, then sprinkle again. Shake off excess glitter. Repeat with the other side.

Let your star sit until completely dry, then coat the base of your star topper with glue and cover in glitter. Let sit until completely dry. The result is quite pretty!