• Lunch Box – Special Snack

    Lunch Box - Special Snack

    Every once in awhile I will pack a special surprise snack in the girls lunch bags.  Since they have the last lunch of the day their teachers allow them to have a snack mid-morning.   I love hearing their comments after school about their surprise snack.  Most of the time I am able to “sneak” the treat into their lunches so it is a surprise when they open up their bag at snack time!  I picked up these goodie bags on clearance and filled them with homemade trail mix.  Some of the items in the trail mix were cheerios, pretzels, dried bananas, cranberries, raisins, and nuts.  They loved the beautiful bags and the delicious snack.

  • Fun Edible Snacks

    The girls love it when we put together a snack with a silly edible face.  Usually after Awana on Sunday evening while they are taking their baths I will get a small snack for them to eat before heading to bed.  I don’t want to give them something too heavy or unhealthy so there is usually a mix of fruits and veggies.  On this particular silly face they had:

    • Fresh Watermelon Slices
    • Fresh Honeydew Slices
    • Orange Pear Tomato
    • Two Ritz Crackers
    • Two Slices of Pepperoni
    • Two Whole Cashews

  • Chocolate & Peanut Butter Banana Bites

    Awhile ago I got some bananas on clearance and had an event coming up so I decided to try a variant of a recipe that I had seen somewhere months ago.  It was pretty easy to do and tasted delicious.  The girls loved putting these together and enjoyed eating the frozen delicious bananas too!

    Chocolate & Peanut Butter Banana Bites

    Bananas cut and ready to be dipped

    1 cup of milk and white chocolate swirls with 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter

    Melted chocolate and peanut butter is ready to have the bananas dipped into it.

    Once the bananas are dipped into the chocolate and peanut butter put them in a single layer in a pan and put into the freezer until they are completely frozen.  After they are frozen you can transfer them into a ziplock bag.  Pull them out immediately before you serve them (if you keep them out too long they will start to melt).

  • Silly Clown Snack

    Clown snack

    The girls love it when they get simple silly snacks.  One weekend evening recently we were especially busy, by the time we got home it was already bed time so while they jump into the shower I made a quick supper for them to eat.  They gobbled up this silly “clown” as they named it.

    Even though it only took me a few minutes to put something together it is somehow more special when it is shaped differently.  Plus it seems like they eat a little better when their food is a little entertaining because they are so busy looking and talking about it before they know it the food is gone.  Included in this snack is one hotdog, one hotdog bun, ketchup, mustard, one cherry tomato, two pringles chips, and one purple green bean cut in half.

  • Love It – Cuisinart CPB-300 Compact Portable Blender & Chopper

    My husband bought me a Cuisinart Blender a little over a year ago and I LOVE it!  He got me a Cuisinart CPB-300 SmartPower 15-Piece Compact Portable Blending/Chopping System and it has been a huge hit with the whole family.  The best part is it is compact and comes with four 16 ounce single smoothie cups as well as a bigger blender.  I will often whip up a quick smoothie for myself for breakfast or a snack as I am walking out the door.

    I have used this blender A LOT and it has held up very well (its still in great condition).  Before this one I went through 2 KitchenAid Blenders which were much bigger and I didn’t use them nearly as often because it was harder to clean.  I cannot say enough good things about this blender.

    I have made a lot of different recipes with this Cuisinart.  The fruit smoothies are my favorite!  I have enjoyed experimenting with smoothies and  have discovered how easy it is to make smoothies at home.

    The girls will often request a smoothie for a special treat or snack too (so I am not the only one who loves the Cuisinart Blender).  I have included some of our favorites smoothie recipes.

    Smoothie Recipes

    Product Specifics

    • Sleek electronic touchpad with LED indicator lights
    • Powerful 350-watt motor
    • High, Low and Pulse controls
    • Standby mode; safety interlock and auto stop features
    • BS housing with stainless steel front pane
    • BPA-free Tritan 32-oz. blender jar, 8-oz. chopping cup, and set of four 16-oz. travel cups
    • Patented ultra-sharp stainless steel blades
    • Two interchangeable blade assemblies: blending blade and chopping blade
    • Recipe Book
    • Dishwasher safe
    • Limited 3-year warranty

     

    Blender

     Are you ready for a smoothie?

    “Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love!  There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun.  I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list.  It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!

  • Family Recipe: Nancy’s Banana Bread

    A friend recently gave us banana bread which the girls absolutely loved.  After finishing that loaf I dug out our family recipe to make another loaf.  Grandma Willa shared Nancy’s Banana Bread recipe with us many years ago.  This delicious banana bread is always a super special treat around our house.  It is a wonderful recipe to pull out for a breakfast treat when you have guests staying with you or your hosting a get together for a group of friends.  I love that it is easy to put together too.

     

    Nancy’s Banana Bread:

    • 2 cups Flour
    • 1 tablespoon Water
    • 1/2 cup shortening
    • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
    • 2 Eggs
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 1 cup Sugar
    • 1/4 cup Walnuts (optional)
    • 3 Bananas, mashed

    Mix all the ingredients together.  Place in greased and floured bread pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

  • Family Recipe: Karen’s Fresh Fruit Dip

    If you need a super quick recipe to throw together right before the guests arrive you should try my great Aunt Karen Younger’s Fresh Fruit Dip.  It is easy and a hit with everyone.  The fruit looks amazing next to the white dip!

    Karen’s Fresh Fruit Dip

    • 1 (8 oz) package Cream Cheese (soften)
    • 1 (7 oz) jar Marshmallow Creme

    Mix together equal parts of soft cream cheese and marshmallow creme.  Stire well together, cut up fresh fruit and dip.  Works really well with tart fruit.

    My great Aunt Karen added a note on the bottom of recipe – “No double dippers, (smile).  Enjoy!”

    Love that this recipe is quick, easy and delicious!

  • Recipe: Confetti Dip for Veggies or Chips

    This is a colorful dip to make for when you have people coming over.  It is good on vegetables, crackers, or chips.  Great appetizer or snack for guests.  I received this recipe from a church friend at my bridal shower Andy Conn.

    Confetti Dip

    • 2 1/2 cups sliced and shredded Beef (lunchmeat)
    • 1 (8 oz) package of Cream Cheese (softened)
    • 1 Tablespoon Green Goddess Dressing or Ranch
    • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
    • 1/2 cup Green Onion (chopped)
    • 1/2 cup Yellow, Orange or Red Pepper (chopped)

    Mix well and refrigerate.  When ready to serve set out with veggies and crackers.

  • Recipe: Caramel Party Mix (Gluten Free Snack)

    In a conversation recently I realized that we have several acquaintances that have various food allergies.  A couple years ago my friend Ashley made this recipe for a Christmas gift and it was delicious.  With the Holidays and parties quickly approaching this is a great recipe for those who have a Gluten Free diet.  It has only 5 ingredients and easy to make.

    Caramel Party Mix

    • 2 sticks of Butter
    • 2 cups of Brown Sugar
    • 1/2 cup of Kairo Syrup
    • 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
    • 1 box of Corn (or Rice) Chex Cereal (you can use the off brands too)

    Put the whole box of cereal in a microwavable bowl.  Bring the butter, brown sugar, and kairo syrup to a boil.  Boil for one minute.  Make sure to stir constantly when boiling so it doesn’t burn.  After boiling for 1 minute add the baking soda.  Pour the mixture over the box of Corn (or Rice) cereal.  Microwave everything 1 1/2 minutes, take it out, stir, and microwave again.  Do this step 3 times.  It will evenly distribute the mixture and coat the cereal.  Lay the mix out on wax paper or the counter and let set.

    Optional: You can add pretzels, pecans, almonds, cranberries or whatever you want to the mix. (If you want it to remain gluten free do not add pretzel as pictured above, however, you can add nuts if they do not have any nut allergies)

    My husband loves this plain without any extras in it.  When we have it at a party it goes quickly.  If you are looking to for another delicious Party Mix recipe to give away as a gift or share at a party check out Ashley’s Recipe for Puppy Chow!  It is another one our family favorites!