Summer Fruit Salad

Fruit-Salad
On hot summer days, I usually lose my appetite and go straight for an ice cream or fruit bar. But now that my toddler is old enough to understand the wonderful vocabulary “ice-cream”, I have to opt to a more healthier solution. This fruit salad is definitely healthy and enticing even for my toddler!

Summer Fruit Salad
PREP TIME 10 MIN      COOK TIME 1 MIN      TOTAL 11 MIN

Ingredients

1 cup of Strawberries, sliced
½ cup of Blueberries
½ Apple, diced
2 Kiwis
1 Orange
½ Cantaloupe, diced
Teaspoon of Lemonade

Instructions

1. Mix together all the fruits in a large bowl

2. Add a teaspoon of Lemonade and toss gently

Mizuyokan – Red Bean Jelly

Mizu-Yokan-Red-Bean-Jelly

Unlike breezy Bay Area, summer in New York City was hot and humid – filled with hot air and musty smell. On certain summer days, garbages are dumped and cooked on scorching hot streets releasing a perfectly sour odor. Waiting for the 1 train at 96th Street Subway station was like sauna bathing and the air-conditioned subway cars felt like heaven. After a long and steamy afternoon walk in Soho, Coffee Milk Tea Boba in China Town seemed just right.

Then I remembered the ferociously long hot and humid summer in Japan. The traditional sound of wind chimes, fuurin, are everywhere in summer and incredibly soothing. Despite the hot summer, Japanese enjoy summer with various cold summer treats – shaved ice, yokan, fruit jellies, green tea frozen yogurt, and many more. One of my favorites treats are Yokans – Red Bean Jelly. If you are in the Bay Area, you can find them at local Japanese Supermarkets like Mitsuwa, Nijiya, or Marukai. I personally find them too sweet for my little one, so I usually whip up this treat with less sugar and add honey.

Mizu-Yokan-Red-Bean-Jelly

MIZUYOKAN (RED BEAN JELLY)
PREP TIME 5 MIN      COOK TIME 5 MIN      TOTAL 30MIN

Ingredients

200 grams of Sweet Red Bean Paste
2 grams of Kanten (Agar)
1 teaspoon of Honey
1 cup of Water
Pinch of Salt

Instructions

1. Combine 1 cup of water and add 2 grams of powdered kanten in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

2. Lower heat and dissolve powdered kanten with a wooden spoon for 2 min.

3. Add 200 grams of sweet red bean paste and dissolve the paste with wooden spoon for 3 min.

4. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and pinch of salt. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 min.

5. Pour mixture into a pan and cool in refrigerator for 15 min.

DIY Wooden Circle Magnets

DIY-Wooden-Circle-Magent-with-Toddlers

Although crafting with toddlers are always fun, it can be difficult to find a perfect project that will match your preschooler’s interest level. This project is quick and easy – perfect for toddlers! These wooden circle magnets make a great gift for grandparents, which are heartwarming and actually useful.

My daughter really enjoyed making these wooden circle magnets and was excited to send these out to her grandparents. I hope your toddlers will enjoy making this project too.

Supplies

Wooden Circle
Acrylic Paint
Magnet
E6000 Craft Adhesive

Directions

1. Paint the Wooden Circles with Acrylic Paint

2. Let it dry for an hour.

3. Glue the magnet to the back of the wooden circle.