Easy licuado recipe for kids plus a giveaway!!

Yesterday kicked-off a week-long NAEYC celebration that is near and dear to my heart.

Week of the Young Child!

Many moons ago I used to be in the Early Childhood Education field.  It was my life!  I loved it!  Once I had my own children though, my passion for working with young children in a preschool setting changed.  I was tired all the time, burnt out from the role of being a new Mother and full-time Lead Teacher.  Twenty-two children in one classroom was no longer working out for me. So, I quit the center position and partnered with Early Head Start to open up a small daycare in my own home.  That was the best and most difficult experience of my ECE career to this day.

While it was rewarding in so many levels, it was also difficult on my family because it was taking over our entire life. After three years of intense documentation, monthly audits, keeping up with accreditation changes and procedures, Individualized weekly planning, mandatory meetings, NON-STOP cleaning, wear and tear of our home, I couldn’t do it anymore.  I closed my daycare and became a full-time Mom.

Shortly after, I found this wonderful thing called blogging and have been hooked ever since! 😉

As a long-time advocate of Early Childhood Education, allowing  my children into the kitchen to create their own cooking adventures has always been at the forefront of teaching them about good nutrition and kitchen safety.  We haven’t always agreed on which ingredients go well together or how much liquid should be added to a dry base, but the process of it all has been a priceless adventure.

To kick-off this special week, I am personally hosting a small giveaway of one our favorite kitchen tools that both my children use whenever we cook together.

One set of Curious Chef Nylon Knives.

My children have been using these for a little over two years with no problems.  Anytime my kiddos are helping me with dinner, or decide they want to chop something up for themselves, they go straight for their Curious Chef Knives and I don’t have to worry about them hurting themselves.

Some food items are harder to cut through than others, such as carrots and potatoes for example, but these knives will still do the job when given to an older child.

Smoothies and salads are my daughter’s favorite go-to recipes.  I have tried almost everything to get her and my son to drink green smoothies, but they still won’t drink more than two gulps of anything with leafy greens in it.  It drives me bonkers!

Licuados are a different story however.  Especially the way we make them around here when we do.
This licuado we made together makes 2 servings.  It consists of 1 cup strawberries, 1 whole banana, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup vanilla ice cream.

You can substitute the ice cream with crushed ice if you want a healthier version.

And now for the GIVEAWAY!!!

This is not a sponsored post, we just really love using the Curious Chef Knives.  And in honor of Week of The Young Child, we want to give one lucky reader a new set for their own use at home with the children in their lives.  Three chances to win!  Giveaway ends on April 17th 11:59pm.  One winner will be randomly chosen on April 18th, 2015.

Good Luck and don’t forget to share this giveaway with your friends!!
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