Skillet popcorn

When I was younger we had am air pop popcorn machine. It gave the popcorn a fluffy texture and you could add as much butter or seasonings as you want. Growing older and now as an adult I don't own a popcorn maker so we do the microwave  kind. This last week my sister'n law introduced me to skillet popcorn and I am hooked! Not only is it 100 times better for you than microwave , it's almost just as easy. Now I used coconut oil but olive, vegetable or canola will work just fine.

 

For enough for myself and kids to share I used 1/4 c oil, and 1/3c popcorn. In a large skillet heat up your oil on high heat. Pour in your popcorn, cover and wait to hear the first pop. Once you hear it shake the pan back and forth over the burner to prevent burning.

You will see the pop corn begin to quickly pop. When you hear the popping slow to 10 seconds in between the pops go ahead and pull it off the burner. We sprinkle our with a little bit of sea salt and my kids say it taste just like at the movies.

 

Homemade applesauce

I have always wanted to make my own apple sauce but never
have for some reason, guess I never got around to it or forgot. Now that I have I found out  it is so unbelievable easy, I think its
gonna be a staple in our house. My kids and I love it by itself,
but what's great about apple sauce is you can sneek it into
baking by subbing for oil and it will make it a whole lot
healthier and less fat. I have used it in brownies, and all my fruit breads
and muffins. There are several ways you can go about it
depending on what appliances you have or want to use.
After looking over several ways and recipes I found one that
worked for me. I used:

• 8 large red apples(any kind will work)
• 1c apple cider/apple juice
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 2tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

* You can use more or less of spices, leave them out or come
up with what ever your taste buds desire.

Peel and core the apples then give them a rough chop. Place in a pan with your other ingredients.
Cook over medium heat until apples are tender. Now this is where you can use a food processor, a vitimix or potato masher to get the apple sauce consistency. I used a vitamix, which I realized after putting them on the stove it wasn't needed, the vitamix can take them pre cooked.

 After giving them a quick spin in in the blender I poured it into these awesome little freezer containers Ball makes. That way I can pull out a small amount when ever I need. What I love about making your own food is you can control how much sugar and other ingredients you want to have in it. This recipe calls for some sugar but I think my next batch I will leave it out so I can have it for my baking with out adding extra sugar. Hope you give a whirl, you won't be disappointed, enjoy!

Oh sorry for the blurry pics! My camera is still packed away from moving so I snapped this with my phone.

Back in action!

Finally  made it back to the blog! Life has been crazy one thing after another. Kids started school, we moved , and so on. Well i have 3 kids so I guess life is always crazy. I also was planning to return to school but decided on taking a break. I get so stressed and bogged down with school work that my family gets neglected of my time. Hours upon hours spent on the computer doing homework made me miss out on special times I could of had with my kids. They will only be this young once and I don't want to miss it. So I'm extending my summer break and putting more time into  my family. School will always be there and I can go back when ever I am ready.

With school not taking up my days I have realized how much I need to prioritize and organize. I still don't seem to have enough time in the day to get all I need to have done, done.  My youngest is about 71/2 months now and so I cram all my need to get done things into the time she naps. This includes cleaning, laundry, eating, and exercising, shopping, and so on . But I find myself reading and browsing Pinterest during this precious time instead. Agh! Who knows if I'll ever get it down but in the mean time I'll take what I can get. So with my next couple post we will be doing some craft projects and some baking. Since moving I feel like I haven't done many projects with my kiddoes which makes me sad. They grow so fast, I want to make sure I spend as much time doing activities with them as I can. I'm gonna try and stay on top of this, but I am a major procrastinator so I can't promise for sure. But here's to family time and baking sweat treats this fall!

Whole wheat fruit crisps

One more reason I love summer time, making yummy fruit desserts. There are tons fruit crisp, cobbler, crumble recipes out there but not many I could find using wheat flour. I am not against white flour at all but whenever I can I like to use wheat flour and sub healthy ingredients. So I decided to give it a try and it still tastes amazing! So far I have used this recipe for raspberries, blueberries and peaches. I like to top it with coconut whip cream, YUM! The one I am going to share with you is the blueberries crisp. Now if you don't have blue berries, just use whatever fruit you have on hand. Here is what you need:
Filling

• 2 1/2 c blueberries(give or take few if you have less or want to use more)
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1 1/2 T cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla

Topping

• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 c oats
• 3/4 c butter cut into cubes or can use dairy free spread for dairy free
• Optional dash of cinnamon and 1 T ground flax
• coconut whip cream, whip cream or ice cream, what ever you choose as your topping

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl mix together your rinsed blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla. Give your blueberries a couple mashes with a potato masher or fork to express some of their juice. Let sit while you get your crisp ready.

In bowl combine flour, sugars, salt, oats. If you have a food processor you can use it for mixing in your butter chunks. Pulse for a few seconds till combined and resembles a crumble texture.

 If you do not have a food processor just cut your butter into the dry ingredients till it resembles course crumbles( I you do not know what "cut your butter into it" means; sliding a butter knife repeatedly through the butter chunks into the dry mix).

Pour your blueberries into a pie plate. Sprinkle your topping mix evenly over blueberries. Bake for 25-30 minutes or till golden on top and fruit is bubbly.

I topped mine with coconut whip cream which is super duper easy to whip up. Place a can of coconut milk in the fridge the night  before upside down. When ready to use, open upside down. The oil will be separated from the milk. Pour the oil out and you are left with thick creamy coconut milk. Mix in your mixer on high for about 2 minutes adding about 1/4 c powdered sugar or more if you prefer it sweeter. If it seems a bit runny throw it back in the fridge for a bit and it will get that thick whip cream texture. Top your crisp and enjoy! This yummy stuff doesn't last long in our house, that's for sure.

Getting out of the house

I absolutely love summer time with the kids. No school, sunny days, late nights, sleeping in, and all the fun stuff that goes with it. The problem I run into is getting away from house work and getting out of the house. It seems that after about four consecutive days of staying home, me and the kids are to the point of pulling our hair out. We get stuck in a rut of doing the same thing day after day week after week, wasting away our summer. Days consist of housework, planning meals, making meals, kids doing chores, laundry, house work, laundry, more laundry , you get the idea. I am a HUGE fan of pinterest and have found a ton of ideas on fun crafts for the kids and activities but even after doing all of them, we just need to get out of the gosh darn house. So this last week the kids had made a list of fun places we wanted to go. Some places that cost a few bucks others free. On one of our adventure days we started by packing a lunch and snacks, then there is no need to spend extra money or for extra stops. We first checked out our local museum ,which we have been several times, but they change it up every once in awhile so the kids still love it. Next stop was the library. We got lucky and turned out they were having a special summer reading program and the kids got to make crafts after checking out some books. Since this was a pretty hot day we headed over to Sonic for a slushy ( if you don't know, from 2-4 everyday they are 1/2 price). So after this fun filled day for the kids they seemed to have got all their crazies out and were exhausted by bedtime. And as far as the cost, I spent $6.25. That included me getting into the museum(kids are free) and slushy price, not to bad right? So here is a list of some fun stuff you can do with your family this summer, even if it's just to go get frozen yogurt, sometimes you just gotta get out of the house to keep your self sane.

• Hit up your local museum. Some museums even offer summer programs for kids.Others may be more kid friendly than some, maybe look it up online before you go, then you can see about cost too.
• If live near the beach, it is a must! Building sand castles, looking for sea shells and flying kites are summer favorites.
• Go out for frozen yogurt or ice cream. What better way to beat the heat than with a frozen treat, yeah I didn't mean for that to rhyme and sound so cheesy but it really is a nice little venture into town that can help you keep your sanity. You could even use it as a reward for good behavior, you both win that way.
• Go to your local library. Most library's encourage reading over summer so also have summer programs for kids, and this is FREE! get some books and keep your kids reading through summer.
• Find a local u-pick and take the kids picking. It could be berries, apples or veggies but get them kids picking. Makes for a healthy snack or meal and supports your local farmers. Plus u-pick tends to be cheaper and sometimes has organic options.
• Check your newspaper for local events such as movie in the park, festivals and fair dates. Festivals tend to be free to get in with lots of free activities. Fair is not free, but lots of fun.
• If you live near chucky cheese, that's always a hit. If you sign up for their email club you will receive free tokens to print off for birthdays and through out the year.
• Take the kids for a hike. Another free way to get some fresh air and exercise.
• Go swimming. If you don't want to take the kids to the river or lake check and see if there is a public pool in your area.
• Go and see some animals! Either it be a zoo, aquarium, safari , duck pond, kids love to see animals. Call ahead or check websites for special events or discounted days.
• Recycle. May sound silly but my kids are still the ages where they like to help out so I gather up all our soda cans and they help me sort and turn in cans. When we are done they split what ever money we get back and they get to either save it , ha hardly happens, or go get a little toy or coloring book with their hard earned money.
• Go to the park and play. If you don't like the big crowds during the summer, go to an open elementary school and use their play structure, you probably will get the whole place to your self.
• If your feeling brave take the kids fishing. I don't usually do this by myself, my husband takes care of this one, but even if they don't' catch anything, it's fun to try. In Oregon kids don't require a license to fish but check with your local fish and wild life regarding your laws in your area.
• If you haven't seen friends or family in awhile, give them a visit. Kill two birds with one stone. Catch up with family and give the kids some play time away from home.

Remember you don't need a ton of money to do most of these things, so take a break and get out of the house this summer!

Coconut oil, oh the many uses

Just this past year I got really into using coconut oil. I absolutely love the stuff. It has so many uses. I use to bake, cook, for my hair, on my face for moisturizer, and in body scrubs. There are a TON other things you can use it for but I just have not experimented with them yet. The coconut oil sugar scrub I concocted is amazing! it takes less than 5 minutes and you can probably find the stuff to make it right in your cupboards.

This is the little miracle worker. I use this brand but any will work. To make the sugar scrub:

mix 1/4c coconut oil, 1/2c brown sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. The smell is divine!



Trust me you will not regret making this, smells so good and leaves your skin feeling super smooth. The warm water of the shower just melt the oil and brown sugar so you don't have to worry about a sugary mess to clean up. I store mine in a mason jar or old Tupperware.

Also it can  make a super easy affordable gift. Cut out a few squares of fabric and tie on a bow.

I do have to give you one warning for using this scrub. If you have an ant problem, seal the lid tight! I found that one out when I wen to get in the shower and found a trail of ants enjoying my coconut sugar scrub just as much as I do. 

Healthy chocolate banana muffins!

One of my favorite things to bake for breakfasts is muffins. Easy to make, easy to freeze and easy to sneak in healthy ingredients for the kids. This particular recipe is very versatile and can be changed up very easily while still keeping the same moist yummy muffin base. I've done chocolate banana, chocolate chip banana, blueberry, apple, carrot zucchini, pumpkin and just plain. I just use whatever I have on hand at the time. So for the chocolate banana we start with these:



• 1 1/2c whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c oats
• 1/3 c white sugar
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c coconut oil * can use vegetable oil or canola
• 3/4 c almond milk * can use reg milk or coconut
• 1/4 c applesauce
• 2  smashed bananas

Optional:

• 1/2 c chocolate chips
• 2 T ground flax

Preheat oven to 375. Mix sugars, applesauce, egg, vanilla, oil, almond milk till well blended, scraping down the sides as you go.

 

 Next mix in dry ingredients till just blended then add in bananas.

Grease or line your muffin tins. I use a ice cream scoop  to fill the muffin tins. One heaping full scoop fills it about 3/4 way full. Cook about 15-18 minutes. Makes 12. Can be frozen and enjoyed any time. Like I said, this is very versatile recipe, add a little bit of what ever your craving, chocolate, nuts, even marshmallows.  I will post some of my favorite versions soon.

 

Family Traditions

Ever since I can remember one of my favorite family traditions was movie night on Sundays with popcorn, cheese and apples. Kinda of an odd combinations but turns out they are great together. I'm pretty positive it was my mom that came up with this fun tradition but who ever did, it stuck.

I now get to carry on this fun simple tradition with my own kids. Yeah I can't eat the popcorn or the cheese right now but hanging out on a spread out blanket in our jammies watching a movie  with our favorite snacks still makes my heart happy. It reminds me of just how important it is to create these special moments for my kids, making traditions or reliving old ones that can be passed on from generation to generation. Whether it be for holidays birthdays or any old regular day, simple or big traditions can be an awesome family experience.

For this particular movie night I decided to give jiffy pop a whirl. Pretty cool for the kids and got my heart rate going, I didn't realize the bags gets so big. I thought it was going pop covering us in roasting popcorn, but we survived and the popcorn was a hit.

A very happy unbirthday!

It happens almost every time I make a birthday cake, something for a party, school function or holiday. Through the whole process from mixing to decorating the kids want to help out. Bless their heart for wanting to help but I am a picky pants when it comes to presentation. Plus its my favorite part. I feel horrible telling them "next time you get to decorate" every time. I decided we need to make a cake, an unbirthday cake, that the kids can make what ever way they want and put what ever they want on it. It was a blast for them! they loved it all, from mixing to piling on obsene amounts of sprinkles.

I didn't have a box cake on hand and was feeling kinda lazy to whip up one from scratch so we got creative. We used a box of jiffy cornbread mix, 1/2c milk 1 egg and a box of lemon pudding. Bakes at 400 for 20 minutes. For the frosting, a pack of cream cheese, about 2 cups powdered sugar and then wanted green frosting to some food coloring and a splash of vanilla.




















 I got out every kind of cake or cookie decorating supplies and they went to town on that cake. As far as the taste goes, I cannot tell you, there is dairy in the cake so I had to sit out on this one, but the reviews from the kids " this is the best cake ever!" It was a very happy unbirthday.

Treasure Hunting

How does treasure hunting right in your on town or maybe even right near your home sound? pretty fun right? It may not be the pirate buried treasure where you get to take home the booty your are thinking of but what is called a geocache. Geocaching is a game using GPS-enabled device ( your phone or plain old a GPS) to find a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache, which is a container, like a tupperware, coffee can, lunchbox, and so on, hidden at that location of the coordinates.

 Kinda sounds all scientific but its really quite simple. You can use your phone to download a geocaching app, some are free, some can cost up to 10$, then once you start it up it uses your location and shows you all the geocaches that are near you and how far away. You can also use a GPS and plug it into your computer and load the locations from the geocaching site, http://www.geocaching.com/. I have used both and prefer the phone method. It can provide details about what the container looks like and hints if you need. Also lets you know if hiking is involved and if they are family friendly. We have taken our kids on several geocache "treasure hunts" and the kids absolutely loved it. You will amazed how many there are in your area. FREE entertainment, can't go wrong with that right? There are a few rules to follow, just like keeping the cache how you left it, not taking any thing from the cache and so on so I would recommend checking out the site before your first hunt. What I think is pretty cool is that they are all over the world. So if your are planning a trip up river for the day, or even heading out of town, look up a couple geocaches while your there for a little extra excitement to your trip, and it will get you out of the car for a little bit. I know there is a lot of people that have never heard of or don't know much about geocaching so I thought I would spread the word and give you a little something you can do with the whole family this summer, have fun and happy hunting!

Not Your Mama's Nachos

Last night I made one of our favorites for dinner, NACHOS!



 

 

We like them fully loaded with all the goodness to make them a meal. The best part is you can make them buffet style and everyone can make their own based on what they like. For all the recipes I post I will also include a dairy free version because for the time being I am on a very strict dairy free diet due to the dairy passed through while breastfeeding, my daughter is allergic. So if you need dairy free, I got it.


This is what I used for our nachos. The one thing not pictured that I always add is jalapenos, which I forgot. I spent almost 2 hours grocery shopping with three kids and was not about to go back. For your nachos you can use these toppings, or what ever you like, go crazy! This will feed about four or five people, or six little people, kids that is.

Start off by dicing up half a yellow onion and slicing your mushrooms. Put your refried beans in a pan on low stirring occasionally. Start browning your meat and add the onions and mushrooms about half way through. Stir in a packet of taco seasoning or for dairy free add salt, pepper, 1 tbs chili powder, 1/2 tbs cumin, and 1tbs garlic powder. Just add according to your linking.
While you meat is cooking start dicing up the rest of your veggies.

 I whipped up some guac with the avocado, 1/2 a tomato, 1/4c cilantro, juice from 1/2 lime and sprinkle of salt.

 Next you need to get your nacho cheese melted. Put the Velveeta in  a microwave safe bowl with a 1/4c water, cook on high for 2 minutes stirring in between. Now comes the fun part, building your nacho tower. I start with a layer of chips. Next plop on some beans and  meat. Then layer with shredded cheddar cheese. Add another layer of chips, sprinkle on the veggies, more cheese and nacho cheese, then some more cheese. Top off with a glob of sour cream and guac and a squeeze of lime juice then savor and enjoy.

Now for the dairy free version make sure to sub the taco seasoning for salt, pepper, 1 tbs chili powder, 1/2 tbs cumin, and 1tbs garlic powder, taco seasoning has whey in it, which is dairy.This is the brand of cheese I use. Has a decent taste and kinda melts, silly right? Sprinkle your cheese on the chips and throw it in the microwave for about a minute and a half to get the cheese melted. Make the same way as the other but just leave off the sour cream and it still tastes pretty dang good.

 

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do. A little bit of time into preparation but totally worth every minute.
Here is the list of ingredients I used:

• bag of totila chips
• sour cream
• 16 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• 16 oz Velveeta
• 16 oz refried beans with a hint of lime
• 16 oz black olives
• 2 medium size tomatoes
• 2 limes
• 1 avocado
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 or 5 white mushrooms
• half a yellow onion
• packet of taco seasoning
• 3 green onions
• 2 jalapenos
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro

Dairy free:

• 8 oz dairy free shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1 tbs cumin
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

 

 

1.

Camping time

Here we are in our second month of summer vacation. We went on our first camping trip as a family to Diamond Lake over 4th of July weekend. If you have never been I highly recommend it, very family friendly. We tent camped right on lake which made for beautiful sunrises.

Enjoying my morning coffee

It was also our first time camping with our 4 month old baby girl.


 Happy to say she did really well. What I would recommend to anyone planning  a camping trip with a baby is to definitely go to a family friendly spot. You don't want your baby waking up all hours of the night because of the people partying in the site next to yours, unless your into that, and in that case, cheers! A couple things I found helpful was bringing the stroller, baby front carrier pack and the bumbo.

Just remember  what ever you bring will probably end up smelling like campfire, so anything that can't go in the wash may be best left at home. As you may or may not know Diamond lake has some awesome all paved bike trails all the way around the lake. We didn't get to ride all the way around this time but we brought the kids bikes which made for a fun little trek whenever they got restless around the campsite. As for the men in your life, they can get their fish on. My hubby ended up catching three trout on one of his outings which made for a yummy fish dinner. If you are interested in checking it out here is the link to their site http://www.diamondlake.net/. As for the 100 loads of laundry to do when returning home from camping, I have no advice, sorry. So our first trip of the summer was a success, and I so can't wait for the next one.

View from our campsite, which was L3, great spot right on the lake