PB & Chocolate Playdough

Over the long weekend, my kids were home going stir crazy...

So I decided to make them play dough.  Here's the thing, I searched for a good recipe that my kids could play with and then eat afterwards.  Most of them called for dry milk.  Not only did I not have dry milk, but I found out it's pretty spendy.  So I modified my own recipe using what I already had in my cupboard.

Here's what I had that I thought I could make work: Cake Mix, Peanut butter, and Honey.  

So I tried it and it worked!  Here's the recipe:

All you do is melt the peanut butter & honey.  Then add the cake mix.  I let my cool down before I gave it to the kiddos.  After being left out for a few hours it did dry out and start to crumble so I put it all back in the container, added about a tsp of water and it shaped right back up.  It didn't last for a 3rd time around.  The kids demolished it and by demolished I mean ATE.

I love that it took only about 5 minutes to make and kept the kids busy for the rest of the afternoon.

What kind of play dough have you tried making?

Skinny Peanut Butter Mocha

 

COFFEE!!!!!!!  The start to my morning...

This recipe is especially delicious if you are a chocolate-peanut butter fan like we are here.  

And, it's a skinny version, so don't worry about fitting into those jeans later on.

Here's the recipe:

Like I've said before, I use an espresso machine to steam my milk.  That's what gives it the

nice froth on top, that really helps this mocha feel like you're sipping the real thing! :)

Look at all that foamy deliciousness....

I love experimenting with new flavors for my coffee don't you?

Banana Foster Vegan Smoothie

To quote from Kelly on "The Office"...

"This day is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!"

So here's the latest smoothie I made, which I am drinking as I am telling you about it.

It's delicious!  Banana Foster is one of my favorite desserts, so I am re-creating it in a healthy smoothie.

Here is what you'll need:

The dry pudding mix is Jello that is not made yet.  They have all sorts of sugar free flavors.  You can also add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to this if you'd like.  :)  Give it a try!  

If you are not trying to make it vegan, you could also use yogurt.

Smoothies are a great snack alternative to that sugar craving we all get!  What kind of smoothies have you experimented with?

Ripe Watermelon Guaranteed

With watermelon season aproaching, family bbq's in the works, and the sun shining.. (finally), we all know it's time for watermelon.
But... finding a ripe watermelon is one of those things....

One time I heard someone say to put a straw on top of it and see which way it rolls off.

Really?

Well my mom, taught me one way that has never led me astray.  

NO THUMPING! NO SHAKING! NO ROLLING!

This is how you do it:

Scratch the outside of the watermelon.  If some of the skin comes off under your fingernail it's ripe.

If not, it's not ripe.  If too much comes off, then it's over-ripe.

That's it!  Very Simple, easy, and guaranteed!

Plus, you won't have people looking at you funny because you are balancing it on one side, while scratching head, and singing the Watermelon Crawl.

Try it.  You will love the results!

You don't ever have to go back to thumping another watermelon.

Healthy Berry Cheesecake Smoothie

With my husband and I watching our waistlines lately, I am constantly experiencing with new smoothie recipes.  This one I had tonight for a little late night treat.  It was delicious!  

Also, it was healthy and Vegan. (I Think)

Here's the recipe:

2 Tbs Flax seed

2 Tbs Pecans or Almonds

3/4 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Tbs Sugar-Free Cheesecake Flavored Dry Jello Pudding Mix

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional)

1/4 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries

Ice

Water (if needed)

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth, adding water if needed. Top with frozen berries for garnish.

YUM!

Vegan Cinnamon-Vanilla Latte

Who out there loves a good cup of joe?  I know I do.  But recently, I have cut down on my coffee budget, and my calories.  So my dilemma now, is coming up with great coffee at home.

Today I made this beauty:

Here's what you'll need:

3/4 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 Shot Espresso or 1/4 Cup Very Strong Coffee

I have an espresso maker, so I make my coffee's with this:

                                                               

This one is a little spendy. My husband bought it for me last year on our anniversary  However, you can get one as inexpensive as this:

                                                               

I figure for the price I pay for a latte at our local espresso depot everyday, this one would pay for itself in about 2 weeks.  

Start by either steaming your milk with your espresso machine, or heat your milk on the stove just until hot.  It's important that you do not overheat, otherwise it'll be burnt.

Brew your Espresso or strong coffee, and pour in your mug.

Add milk and Cinnamon.

 Vwalla!

For any who are skeptical about using Almond Milk, I completely understand.  I was in that boat!  I didn't like the flavor and I never thought it could replace my morning Breve.  But, the Vanilla flavored and the Coconut- Almond are both great to use in coffee and cereal. They are both super low in calories too. The Vanilla has a whopping 90 Calories and the Coconut-Almond as low as 45.  So I'll take the swap.

It's a delicious cup of joe, that wont break the buttons on your pants, or your pocket book.

What's your morning retreat?

Best Meatless Chili Recipe

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

I'm proud to say this is my own chili recipe.  I make this quite often, and after several tweakings, I've nailed it.

It's easy to include meat for all you meat-lovers out there.  Right now, I am doing the meatless thing, so that is the version I am choosing to share with you.  If you want to add meat, cut out one can of beans, and add ground beef, turkey, or pork instead.

 STEP 1

Saute in a large skillet:

1 Small Yellow Onion-chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper-chopped

3 Cloves of Garlic- minced

3 Vine Ripened Tomatoes

 (you can also use canned tomatoes, but don't add those here)

In a separate bowl mix together:

2 Tbs Chili Powder

2 Tbs Cumin

1 Tbs Cornstarch

1 Tbs Brown Sugar

2 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Red Ground Pepper

2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Tsp Thyme

Dash of Salt

This will be your seasoning.  After veggies are golden brown and soft, add them to a large pot.  Add in:

1 Can Kidney Beans-rinsed

1 Can Black Beans-rinsed

1 Large Can Baked Beans

1 Large Can Zesty & Spicy Spaghetti Sauce Plus, 1 Can Water

(If you are using canned tomatoes, add them here)

Bring to a boil.  Reduce Heat, add seasoning mix, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until hot and thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve with your choice, shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped onion.  

Printable Recipe

Everyone who tries it always loves it, and is surprised when I tell them what's in it. One day spaghetti sauce, and baked beans was what I had in my cupboard and I made chili with it.  I loved it, my kids loved it, & my husband loved it.  I've never gone back to using tomato sauce and plain ol' beans.  

Plus, it's super fast!  I am a busy mom of 5.  I don't have a lot time to prep.  The only prep work you have to do for this recipe,  is chop the onions, garlic, tomatoes, and bell pepper.  My secret to making this step fast is I use this Salsa Maker, that I bought for my husband not too long ago.  It takes your prep time down to nothing. :)

You can get it here:

                                                           

Even though the weather is warming up, I still like to have a hot meal that feeds a lot of people on the fly.

What kind of easy recipes have saved you on a time crunch?

Another Diy Toddler Hair Tutorial

 Here's my latest style that I did on little miss, my 2 yr old.  Quite fancy huh?

 It's much simpler than it looks.  I used 4 small bobby pins, and 2 elastic hair ties.

Start by taking a small section at the top of the head as if you were going to pull some of the hair away from the face.  This is where you make the "bump".  Twist the pulled hair once or twice, push it foward, and pin it with a bobby pin like so:

I had to put 2 pins in her hair to hold it because her hair is a little fine.  

Next divide the remaining hair into 3 sections.  One larger in the middle, and 2 small ones on each side.  Take the middle section and put in an elastic low on the head.  Only pull it half way through the last time like this:

Put another elastic around the whole thing to help hold it in place.

Put your finger thru the ponytail and pin the bun down to the back of the head where your finger is.  

Next, twist each of the other two pieces and pin them just above the pony-bun.  Then wrap the remainder of the hair around the bottom of the bun, to hide the elastic.

Twist and pin.  Wrap and Pin....

That's it.  If you need to you can stick a couple of extra bobby pins in here and there just to be safe.  I also sprayed my daughters hair with a light hairspray to help it hold.  

After our meeting this morning, she played with this hair all day and I ended up having to take it out before she went to bed.  So it held up pretty well I'd say. :)

What kind of fancy toddler Up-Do's do you guys like?

Diaper Cake Tutorial

This is a fairly simple diaper cake.  I made this one for a girl, but it is easily substituted for a boy by replacing the pink with blue.  Here it is:

 

 Here's what you will need:

1 Package size 1 diapers ($8)

Pink Tissue Paper ($1)

Ribbon ($2)

Shred Paper ($1)

Buttons ($1)

A Container Large Baby Lotion or Baby Powder ($3)

(or any cylinder container..  baby cereal, snacks, rolled up baby blanket

Rubber bands ($1) big and small

Cardboard

Scotch tape

Pins

I started by rolling all my diapers up in tissue paper.  To do this, cut a piece of tissue paper that is slightly bigger than the size of the diapers. I just cut each piece into 4 squares and it worked out about perfect.  Next, lay the diaper on top of the paper, and wrap them up like a present:

  

Then roll them up from top to bottom and secure them with a rubber band.

   I used 2 different colors of pink tissue paper, but you can be flexible on this.  Next, get a bowl the size you want for your bottom layer.  I used a metal mixing bowl.  Place the lotion or round container in the middle and stack diapers around it.  I secured it with a rubber band twice. 

Once here:

And around the whole thing again.

 This can be a bit tricky to do.  I highly suggest doing it while it's still in the bowl.

Then tip the bowl and gently remove your first layer.

Next, cut a piece of ribbon the length of the first layer and wrap it around tight.  VERY TIGHT!

Secure it with a piece of scotch tape and a couple of pins.

Make the next layer.   For the second layer, instead of lotion, roll up 3diapers all together in tissue paper and secure with a rubber band, and ribbon.  Then build the layer using the same method as the first, but use a smaller bowl and less diapers.  I used 11 diapers for the second layer, and an additional 3 for the center.

 When you set this layer on top, push the center of it up like this:

Then pin the layers together.  Cover your piece of cardboard with wrapping paper or tissue, and secure your cake to it with tape.

 Decorate it however you like.  I used the shredded paper and buttons. The nice thing about covering your diapers in tissue paper, is that you can glue these things down with out ruining any diapers.  I got the flower clip at Michael's for 99 cents! 

You can add bibs, blankets, bottles and other goodies to it also.  Another awesome idea, is to have your guests sign the diapers with some sort of baby advice.  Then as mom uses these, she can read the advice on the wrapper.

Are you guys planning on any baby showers this weekend?