Pinterest Pin Up ~ Fun Food

So I have become an enormous Pinterest addict these days. I just find so many awesome ideas on there. It's like google for crafters (and more). Anyways, I decided that whenever I try something that I pinned onto my pinterest, I would do a pinterest pin up to show you the fun ideas I find there. If anyone wants to follow me on Pinterest, just click here. If you aren't already on pinterest, you can comment on here with your email address and I can send you an invite (yes, you need an invite, but it is awesome).

So I did two pinterest projects from my "Fun Food" board. I tried out a fun idea for drawing pancakes. I used a cleaned out syrup bottle to pour my pancake batter into.

Then I let the kids each make their own designer pancakes by using this bottle to draw whatever shape they wanted their pancake to be. 

Here are 2 creations. A heart with an arrow through it.

and a ghost with marshmallow and chocolate chip eyes.

There are so many possiblities. The kids had a blast making their own dinners. You could get even more creative with colouring and other accents. Here was the original pinterest pin with really cute ideas, but more work.

It makes for a fun breakfast (or dinner in our case this time)

original source

I also want to make these pancakes one morning because they are so cheery and healthy too.

original source

Then I decided to try out these root beer float popsicles. Here is how they were supposed to look:

You use root beer first, then a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, milk and vanilla and then another layer of rootbeer. I guess I didn't let each layer freeze long enough because it all mixed together into one solid popsicle, but I will say that it tasted really good like a root beer float. Here is how mine turned out:

No pretty layers, but it was yummy! Next time if I try it I will leave each layer longer to freeze.

Here is the original source and recipe.

I hope you enjoyed my pinterest pin up, and maybe we'll see you over there pinning stuff! I warn you though...it's ADDICTIVE!

Happy St. Patricks Day!!

Just a quick post with a few fun things for St. Patty's Day!

I saw this great idea for a fruit rainbow over at tip junkie, and thought this was a fabulous idea for a St. Patricks day breakfast. I used some marshmallows for clouds, and then some pineapple in a little container for the gold at the end of the rainbow. This served with yogurt and waffles, yum!

A quick hunt before school to find what the "leprechauns" left behind as a special treat to add to their lunch kit.

Green lunches!!! A green spinach wrap with ham and cheese, green grapes, vanilla yogurt with green food colouring mixed into it, green koolaid, and a mint Aero Bar. (I also packed mini cucumbers not pictured) I got those cute puffy shamrock stickers at the dollar store.

I also saw this cute idea for rainbow pudding on the make and take website and had to try my own. They look even cuter in person. So easy and quick. For directions, visit the website. I also love the simplicity of these because it makes them very versatile. You could use them for easter (they kind of look like an easter egg don't you think?) and maybe add a foiled chocolate egg on top. Add a bunny face to the front and a cotton ball tail at the back.  Or add a dollop of whipped cream on top to fancy it up a little. These would also be so cute at a childrens birthday party, adding a nice pop of colour. So many ideas pop into my head when I see these. You could even do just two colours alternated to match your birthday party colours.

I found this cute idea on Mom's of All Trades. Coolest pancakes ever.


Photo taken from the Moms of All Trades Blog

 How about a cute shamrock hairstyle to be festive. I found this cute hairstyle on Cute Girls Hairstyles, there are even instructional videos on how to do them. Tons of other cute hairstyle ideas as well, check them out.


Photo taken from the Cute Girls Hairstyles website


Enjoy your day "Green Style"

Yellow, Popcorn and Art...

So this is quite the random posting mixed with yellow, popcorn and art (like the title says)
First off let's start with the yellow.
I have been loving adding sunshine to my house through adding bits of yellow here and there. It really brightened the place up. I ended up getting a few more things the other day.
This birdcage that I saw and fell in love with. This has dual purposes, decorative as well as a photo prop for my photo shoots. (The trunk underneath also serves both purposes. I bought that at a liquidation centre when I was out on a girls days with my Mom and sisters. Charity pointed it out to me, knowing that I have been coveting hers and Chelsea's trunks)

I filled the birdcage with some decorative bits and pieces, pinecones and yellow decorative balls to add that touch of yellow (from the dollar store).

My next purchase....2 more throw pillows to accent my bright yellow ones. I LOVE these (we shall see how long the yellow cushions last in a house with 6 kids) What do you think?

I went to the thrift store to see if they had anything that I could use,and I found this cute decorative tealight holder. I bought taller yellow tealights to accent it.

Cute find! Then I printed off another saying for my kitchen and put some decorative balls beside it. Frame from the dollar store. (This saying suits my kitchen perfectly...not because I burn everything, but my burners always get stuff in the drip trays and then when I am cooking it burns, and smells like I am burning dinner. Also our smoke alarm is ultra sensitive...true story!)

Now onto the "Popcorn" part of the post.
I came across this great idea over on the Best Bites Blog. It is for using regular popcorn kernels and making your own, healthier microwave popcorn. Loved the idea, and had to try it out.

You just use a brown paper bag, and 1/4 cup of poprcorn kernels.
I poured the kernels into the bag, folded the top of the bag over twice. Put it in the microwave on the popcorn setting. (I just do it until I hear the popping pretty much stop)
and VOILA!

Popcorn minus all the extra chemicals and stuff. You can add your own salt and butter afterwards. Cool, simple idea eh?!

Now onto the Art portion of the post.
Anyone who knows my eldest daughter, Kaitlyn, knows how much she LOVES Archie comics and is always drawing. Look at this awesome painting she did recently. My husband liked it so much that he framed it. He had given the kids canvases one day and told them to go ahead and paint whatever they felt like. This was hers.

I love her style. She liked playing with the strokes of the brushes.
I decided to personalize a sketch pad that I had recently got from the dollar store.
So here is what I started with:

Mod Podge, a cardboard "k" some of her well used archie comics (you don't need that many, but these were in a recycling pile because they were so beat up and missing pages)
This was the final result:

I just cut out a bunch of strips, squares and character names. I mod podged them to the cover of the sketch book. Then I mod podged over the top, to seal it. I added the "K" with a glue gun.
Something simple, but fun and personal. I was a huge Archie comic fan growing up.

Menu Planner

So I have been doing pretty good at planning out my meals, and I must say that it has lessened the burden of cooking for me (anyone who knows me, knows this is my least favourite "chore"). I like that I don't have to think about it or wonder if I have the right groceries. If there's prep that needs to be done, I am aware of it in the morning, and not when the kids are walking through the door after school. The other day, I made up my own meal chart for the week. I did it in Photoshop. It's much more attractive than the ratty piece of paper that was stuck to the side of my fridge with a magnet with scribbling on it.

If you like it, go ahead and print it off. All you have to do is click on the picture above. It will show up in a new window. Then you right click on that, and you can either click "print picture" or "save picture as" and then print it off from your computer that way.

After I printed it off, I put it inside a picture frame.

Add a bow or other decor if you feel like it, or don't...either way is good.

Then you just use a dry erase marker to write down your dinner ideas for that week (saves paper, printer ink, and garbage).

You could doodle around the edges if you want , or add some reminders.

Here is a menu planner board that I just love, from All things Beautiful

My sister, Charity runs that blog. Check it out. Lots of fun ideas for using old things to create new creative things.

Any favourite recipes you have that I might add to my inventory of new things to try?? We seem to have the same things often, so new EASY ideas are always welcome (I am truly stressing the "easy" because I pretty much hate cooking)

Eating Better....

So a big focus in our home right now is eating healthier. I decided to share some things that have helped me to get my family to eat healthier.

We have purged the house of junkfood (I am extremely weak willed when it comes to having cookies, chips etc. in the house. If it's there, I will eat it. It had to go, so the temptation wasn't there. I have no choice but to choose something else). We do however have, what we call, "Funday Mondays" (this does not mean binge-ing). This is the one day of the week where the kids can have a fun cereal for breakfast, and a fun snack in their school lunch. (There is a good reason I do this on Mondays too. Nobody likes Mondays because the weekend is over and it's back to the grind. I figured this was something small to look forward to on Mondays)

I have taken breakfast more seriously. We always had cereal for breakfast. Now we shake things up. Eggs are a big one, especially since they are a brain food. Really good for memory (heaven knows I need any help with memory I can get).

Each day of the week is a different breakfast.

~scrambled eggs, whole grain toast, fruit, yogurt.

~french toast (if your kids don't like eggs, this is a good way to get them to eat them. Use whole wheat bread) and fruit. Glass of milk.

~Farmers Casserole (kind of like a breakfast quiche)

~Oatmeal (you can add fruit, raisins or honey to it)

~ Whole Grain Cereal. (ones with 5g of fibre or more)

~Bran Muffins and fruit smoothies.

~Omelet

 A new addition to our kitchen has been flaxseed meal. This stuff is perfect to add fibre to many things. You can add it to the kids cereal (1tsp) It doesn't effect the taste, which is a bonus. You could add it to many things (smoothies, on fruit, in salads, mixed into yogurt etc) Don't overdo it though. I usually add it to one thing per day and only add 1-2 tsp.

Smoothies are awesome, and if you keep it simple, it can be a very fun and different way to give your kids those fruits.

The smoothie pictured was very simple:

1 cup orange juice

1 cup frozen strawberries

2 bananas.

Blend, and drink.

It was good. I am not such a huge fan of the banana in a drink. The next time I just did frozen strawberries and orange juice blended.You could add some flaxseeed meal to it. You could add honey for sweetness. Change it to yogurt instead of orange juice and see what happens. Use any natural ingredients you think would go good together, and make something you and your kids will enjoy.

For school lunches, I have stopped buying all of those over processed things. Each child packs their own lunch with guidelines. (I feel that if they pack it themselves they will be more likely to eat it, and will get used to choosing healthy options for themselves)

They have to have one fruit: small container of cut up strawberries, a banana, they love the mini mandarin oranges called "Sweeties" and take a few of those to school, apples are a big deal in my house...they never seem to be sick of them, grapes, cantalope chunks, melon balls, watermelon, raisins, unsweetened apple sauce etc..

One Veggie: carrot sticks, cucumber slices, pepper strips, mini salad, pickles (this one is good, because most kids don't relate them to a vegetable) cherry tomatoes, celery sticks etc...

One Dairy: cheese (sometimes I cut them up in shapes for fun), yogurt (cups or tubes).

Main Portion: like a sandwich (whole wheat bread with meat and lettuce), a wrap (meat, grated cheese and lettuce wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla wrap), crackers (like triscuits), muffins (I have always made mine with a mix, but I think the healthier option is to make them from scratch...I will have to check out some recipes and try some out)

Then water for a drink. I used to send juice boxes, but they are definitely not so good for them. It's cheaper and healthier to send water. I have little reusable water bottles they bring now.

I think I will have to make a different post for dinners at some point. One tip is meal planning. I find that now that I am planning my meals in advance, I am choosing balanced meals with a variety of healthy options, I have a grocery list full of things to make my healthy ideas happen (rather than wandering down the aisles and grabbing whatever I think might work), since I have a schedule I don't get so stressed out around mealtime (this was huge for me, because anyone who knows me, knows I hate to cook). I not only plan my dinners, I plan my lunches, breakfasts and healthy snack ideas. This has made such a huge difference in our home. I am just skimming the surface on this whole "healthier eating" thing, but thought I would share in case it inspires anyone to make a few changes, or if anyone has any ideas to share with me.

If you have any healthy ideas for breakfasts, school lunches or snacks, I am all ears. any suggestions are welcome in the comment box.

Oh, and believe it or not, my kids have accepted this drastic change (if you know me, you know it was "major" taking the junk out of my house) and are actually enjoying most things. Shocked! I thought this was going to be much more of a challenge.