~Craft of the Month~

~December~
~Craft of the Month~

If this whole month isn't about baking...then it's about crafting! Since I craft most of our gifts...I haven't posted very much so I don't spoil the surprise. Those posts will come after the holiday festivities...2 days and counting!






If it were up to me, I would have snowflakes dangling from the ceilings and all around the living room. Well, as always I've got my 2 and 4 year old lil surfer girls running the show. They've had more fun with the boxes from the family gifts arriving in the mail then they may have with the actual presents. They realllllly wanted to make a Gingerbread House especially after looking at all of these! I kept saying next year we'll do that...next year. Well those sneaky lil girls got their Gingerbread House! This may be more difficult to get rid of and has been the center stage for the nightly performances and endless entertainment for all!

~Music of the Minute~

~Craft of the Month~

~November~
~Craft of the Month~





It may take a few years before I have this Thanksgiving Garland but it was a good start!

~Foods of the Rainbow~

Here's What's Cooking
Well I may not be responsible for the Turkey or Ham or one of those more prominent Thanksgiving dishes served at the dinner table...and it's a good thing because what i've got going on seems to already be pushing my time limit! Wow how did they do it way back when??? I've sure had fun getting prepared with my nontraditional creations...that kitchen waiting to be cleaned surely won't be as fun...and i'm out of wine!
This is what i'm bringing to the table tomorrow and if you're searching for some last minute recipes...these aren't that difficult...especially if you don't have a 2 and 4 year old!

First up is a recipe from an old friend who just so happens to be one of the first places I celebrated Thanksgiving away from home. In fact it's one of the fondest Thanksgiving memories I have and hold close to my heart...the food was so delish! And if you're in the Kansas City area you just better get one of his Cheesecakes!!

Wait i think my bread is done...yep sure is...luckily i didn't burn it like i did the cranberry muffins yesterday!

Ok that bread is recipe number dos that I just had to try from my favorite blogger chic Her Mom does a segment on her blog with recipes that I LOVE LOVE LOVE and well Rita insisted on us doing something with our Pumpkins..we did the coconut pumpkin bread!

And then there's my standard potluck hit that my sister-in-law introduced me to, which is simply corn and cream cheese in a crock pot! I'll post some photos of this tomorrow!

Eat Drink and Be Merry and don't forget to be Thankful for all that you've got!

Full Moon of the Season

~Foods of the Rainbow~

Lunch Box Idea:
Third Times a Charm!
Screams of delight squealed from Rita's mouth when she peeked into her lunch box before leaving for school. "Banana Dog YAY!!!" She'll be even more excited to see Mr. Banana's face! It's the little things :-)

PB&J Banana Dog :-) eyes & nose mini chocolate chips and smile a berry from the granola
Yogurt with Dark Chocolate Pretzels
Berry Granola

~Music of the Minute~

~Foods of the Rainbow~

Lunch Box Idea:

Sooo after our camping trip last weekend we ended up taking home some of the extra groceries...We had so many bananas that i made banana bread and hot dog buns that i sent PB & J Banana Dog twice last week and each time the lunch box came home empty. Wish I would have thought to be creative with the mini chocolate chip sprinkles and made a happy banana face!

~Sunsets of the Season~

Book from the Club

Slow start but this is what i'm reading now!
The Kommandant's Girl
Book from the Club: Last Month

~Foods of the Rainbow~

LUNCH BOX IDEAS
TORTILLA ROLL UPS

I do this several different ways using any combo of favorites...cream cheese, guacamole, pb & j wheat or white tortilla.

Today we have cream cheese left over from the Ghost Toast. Spread the cream cheese evenly and then top: spinach, cilantro and deli turkey and roll up! These are great to make the night before because the roll up will be firmer. And some added yumminess = Giant Pretzel & Strawberries...YUM!

~Music of the Minute~

Do THIS with your kids after a night of Trick-or-Treating and eating too much candy!

~Foods of the Rainbow~

GhOsT ToaSt
Ok remember when I said to stay tuned for the healthy kid friendly Halloween treat in my delish pesto muffin recipe post?? Well this is what i'll be making for Rita's school party on Friday...i'll let ya know how they turn out the second time when I will hopefully have more than five minutes to make them! Cream Cheese Ghost Toast...with Currants"eyes (prunes here but i bet raisins would work too) And here is the website for....15 Hauntingly Healthy Halloween Snacks!

~Sunsets of the Season~

That June Gloom, May Grey, why in July what August too oh maybe we'll get our a "local" Summer in the fall!! or not!?!? mood has finally lifted to this wonderful California Sunshine...can we get more of today please!

~Foods of the Rainbow~

I've been searching high and low for some healthy alternatives in Halloween recipes that didn't call for tons of sugar. I'm an everything in moderation girl and yes my kids get there fill of sugar for this holiday as I treat candy and sweets as any other food and allow it in small doses. I also let them go overboard at times because I usually don't restrict it as much at parties. And the green muffin just sort of seemed fitting for Halloween!
but stay tuned cause I got a good one especially for the lil ones!

Rita says these taste like pizza muffins...which gives me the clever idea to add a side of marinara for dipping!



The girls loved these...Ruby not quite as much but she seems to be under the weather right now. I on the other hand maybe love pesto just a little too much! I loved these muffins paired with some goat cheese and red wine...oh my YUM!


SPINACH & PESTO MUFFINS
Ingredients:

~ 3 cups all-purpose flour...will try with wheat next time!
~ 1 Tbsp baking powder
~ 1 1/4 tsp salt
~ 3 large eggs, beaten
~ 2/3 cup olive oil
~ 1 cup whole milk
~ 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
~ 1/2 cup pesto
~ 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and whisk adding oil and milk. Stir in the spinach until well blended. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the spinach mixture, stirring just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the pesto and cheese until evenly distributed. Doesn't need to be perfectly mixed...it's best not to over mix.



Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim of the cup.

Bake until golden, dry, and springy to the touch, 20-25 minutes. To get a lovely golden crust, through the muffins under the broiler on high for about 3 minutes or so. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe will make ~36 mini muffins OR for me 24 mini muffins and 6 regular muffins.




Nutritional Info

~ Servings Per Recipe: 36
~ Amount Per Serving
~ Calories: 101.3
~ Total Fat: 6.2 g
~ Cholesterol: 20.1 mg
~ Sodium: 161.2 mg
~ Total Carbs: 8.7 g
~ Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
~ Protein: 3.0 g

~Music of the Minute~

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 12 YEARS AND COUNTING!

~Music of the Minute~

TOMORROW!!!

~Music of the Minute~

So I have been addicted to Body Pump FOREVER or so it seems.
LONG before my girls. There's this one song from class that I just can't get out of my head and goes along with my weekend plans...Nothings Gonna Hold Me Down!

But, the first time I heard this song, it really seemed like it should be the theme for the latest adventure created by the company I work for...Chop Soo.ey

~Tools of the Trade~

In April of this year I decided that I was going to participate in an all Women's Triathlon and six months later I'm facing the final countdown with just TWO DAYS to go! I am super stoked on the big day but I have to admit that the commitment I made to follow and stick with the 11 Week Training Program may be the bigger accomplishment...I'll find out on Sunday morning!
After having two babies back to back, I needed some major motivation in figuring out how to LOVE my new body...and this opportunity found me. I finally found a way to put myself FIRST and this is no easy task if you want to run a smooth happy household. But, by golly, I DID IT and IT FEELS GREAT! I have a feeling this is only the beginning and will turn into a family event...after the support from Craig and having him be such a huge part of this journey right up until I cross that finish line...I just know he will get the fever. It's all about scheduling the time into your daily, weekly, monthly, plans and treating it as your would any appointment...rescheduling if you miss.


I know I know many of you are thinking this is just crazy talk and maybe just to dive into something like this is/was...but the point is find something that drives you and STICK TO IT...one thing I promise is you will love yourself even more for doing so and your children will too...and your husband...your entire family and friends and and the love and support...wow...just wow! There's stuff out there to suit everyone's level...one I love is the Couch-to-5k Don't wait till the New Year to make this resolution and don't use the holidays as an excuse...JUST MOVE!

~Craft of the Month~

~October~
~Craft of the Month~

~Foods of the Rainbow~

Lunch Box Ideas:
Layer Dip with Tortilla Chips

This is by far the most popular lunch box idea. The lunch box is always returned empty and is quick and easy and we usually have all items on hand so this often works when we're running late or low on supplies.
I usually layer ingredients on top of a large lettuce leaf!
Spread refried Beans
Spread Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
Layer Shredded Cheese
Top with Avocado, Cilantro and Black Olives (if we have some)
Today the dip was served with Tostitos Baked Scoops...baked chips made of just corn and oil makes a very happy Momma!
Yum! Yum!

~Music of the Minute~

My hubby and I rarely get out and something that we've been wanting to do for a L-O-N-G time is get out and see some live music. Unfortunately, once again we're missing out and this time it's Jack Johnson and G-Love...BooWho!

~Sunsets of the Season~

~Shopping in a Second~

Frozen yogurt places seem to be popping up all over the place. There's one in my neighborhood...Yogurt Farm and they not only have delicious yogurt and toppings but also Sushi made fresh daily?!?! Sushi and Yogurt just seem so strange to me but Craig is willing and says he will be giving the sushi a taste test as soon as he has some more Ginger Beer to go with it!

With all their fancy fruit and toppings, it certainly seems like it could be a ~Foods of the Rainbow~ They claim to be healthy with nonfat and lowfat options and all the live and active cultures but why does the ingredient list have to be so long and have artificial flavors?!?! Hey at least there's no high fructose corn syrup! Well I just tried Pink Berry and i'm here to say it is by far the BEST yet!

~Music of the Minute~

~Nutrition in a Nutshell~

Do you read food labels? I absolutely cannot help myself. I have been addicted to reading them for so many years. I love this story and hope that this inspires you as much as it did me.

~Music of the Minute~

~Foods of the Rainbow~

Lunch Box Ideas:

Little wheat mini pita pockets!
Rita loves to stuff them and chose spinach topped with plain yogurt...i stirred in some hummus but she later told me she likes it better with just plain yogurt.
Little laughing cow cheese...or sometimes string cheese
Oatmeal peanut butter bar homemade by Rita herself...baking was her reward after completing a portion from her reward chart!
Lil dark chocolate heart.
Three pitted prunes.

~Sunsets of the Season~

~Music of the Minute~

~Foods of the Rainbow~

Last week at the farmer's market, there was a table set up with an assortment of peppers. They were all so beautiful and only $1.50 for a basket. I just had to get some and was happy to have a recipe to try out. I may not be able to say it very well...I sure can cook it very well. Wow these were amazing! And although they're not very kid friendly all of the sides (refried black beans, polenta, and guacamole) were and I just made quesadilla's for the girls. They sure were interested and curious of our peppers...maybe one day!

I know this isn't a picture perfect plate but it was late after a full day of family fun and oh so worth the post anyway!

~Music of the Minute~

~Sunsets of the Season~

~Foods of the Rainbow~

When we woke up this morning, it was just like any ole morning. After the girls spend time jumping around in our bed to get us up, they run to the pantry and pull out around 4 boxes of cereal and proceed to eat at least two bowls each mixing 'em all together. Today I was like...don't you want something different?? How 'bout pancakes today...just to find out I'm all out of the easy peasy box mix. Guess we'll just have to make them from scratch....

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA PANCAKES
1 cup of wheat flour


1/2 cup of white flour


2 tablespoons sugar


2 teaspoons baking powder


3/4 t sea salt



mix


1 large egg lightly beaten and 2 tablespoons olive oil


1 1/3 cup Milk


Mix and add one really ripe mashed banana


stir in handful of dark/semi-sweet chocolate chips~1/2+cup


Cook 1/4 cup pours on preheated griddle


BEST.



PANCAKES.



EVER.



SERIOUSLY.