Toddler cheezy crackers

I made these crackers a while back and loved them. I am now making them for the little guy and he loves them also. The only change I made was to cut back on the salt. I am trying to keep him from turning into a salt lover like his mama. I used 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead of 1 teaspoon. He loves the soft texture of the crackers and they are the perfect size for his little hands. I was surprised how easy it is to make your own crackers so if you haven't tried it then definitely give it a go. Though be warned that you may only want to eat homemade crackers. My next batch is going to be homemade graham crackers. Here is the cracker recipe at Have cake, will travel.

Calzones with sunflower seed pesto

I am a bit behind with posting. We spent a glorious end of summer week at the beach and I was without internet access so that is one of my excuses. It was nice to unplug for a while and feel a bit refreshed on coming back. I also ran my first four miler a few weeks ago though I am also a bit behind now with my running. I need to remind myself how hard it was to get going in the first place and not let my time off period extend too long. The good news is I have lots to post.

I used the sunflower seed pesto from the last post to make calzones. I brought them with me to eat after the four miler and they were quite yummy. The little guy also really liked them a lot. I used a basic pizza dough recipe and also marinara that I made a while back and froze. Here is the recipe.

Sunflower seed pesto calzones

1 cup sunflower seed pesto
1 cup marinara
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers
pizza dough

Mix together the filling. Roll out the dough, fill and bake for 25 minutes at 375 F. Brush the tops with olive oil after they come out of the oven. Enjoy.

Sunflower seed pesto

Here is my version of a toddler friendly pesto that is made with sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts. I am waiting until he is around 18 months to introduce tree nuts so decided to try a variation that he can also enjoy on his pasta. He seems to really like basil. I made a summer tomato salad with a thai basil dressing that he liked also. I was surprised since the thai basil has a strong flavor. Maybe he will take after his mama and love basil. I am a big basil fan and cannot get enough of it in the summer time. Here is the recipe.

Sunflower seed pesto

3 cups of basil leaves (I used a mix of thai, globe and purple)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Add all of the ingredients except the olive olive oil to a food processor and chop well. Add enough olive oil to form a paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.