Fun Food Ideas: Love Note Breakfast

I thought it would be fun to surprise my family with a Valentine's Breakfast this year and to add some fun and creative touches while I was at it!! My husband thinks I've gone a little over the top - maybe I have...but the one thing I have found about motherhood is that I love finding new ways to add fun memories and experiences that hopefully they will cherish years from now. (And I think my husband will too!).

The kids loved the quirky "love notes" on the menu items and of course, were ecstatic to have sweets for breakfast!!  So, if you are looking for something fun to surprise your family with, here is my Valentine's Day Love Note Breakfast (which can be easily modified for anniversary, birthday, etc)!!

"I'm so EGG-cited to be your Valentine"

I made one big omelet in a skillet and then used a heart shaped cookie cutter to make them into the holiday appropriate shape.

You DONUT know how much you are loved!

It must be a holiday if Mom is serving donut holes for breakfast!!!

You are BERRY special!

What would Valentines Day be without strawberries?! Plus they counteracted the donut holes!!

You're my #1 stud MUFFIN!

For the hubby...just in case he didn't know he was loved!! The best part was my daughter asking what a "stud muffin" was and me telling her that it meant Daddy was handsome....she is 8 so she instantly retorted with "EIWWWWWW!".

"I love you a LATTE!" 

Ok...it was just regular coffee, but it still works, right?

"You MELT my heart!" 

Another "is Mom feeling OK??" kind of treat - marshmallow Peeps hearts for their hot chocolate?! I know that some people make their own marshmallows - I did mention that my husband already thinks I went over the top on this, right??

"ORANGE you glad to be my Valentine?"

Of course this one prompted a series of knock knock jokes....

All in all, it was a fun way to start the morning and provided me with another chance to say "I love you!".

DIY Disney Autograph Books

We are taking our first family trip to Disney World this year - which means everyone gives you advice on what you should bring and do!! One of the suggestions was to get the kids their own autograph books for Mickey, Minnie and everyone to sign while we are there.

I looked them up online through Disney and they were cute, but I wanted something a little more personal for the kids (also with their names on it since it will be inevitable that they will argue or which one is theirs!!).

Off to Joanne Fabrics I went to get my supplies:

1) Photo Books ($0.97 each)

2) Disney Scrap Book paper (one for each - $0.99 ea)







3) Mouse Ear Letter Stickers ($4.99 in the scrap book section - they had a whole Disney scrap book aisle!!)

4) Sharpie (have the characters sign the plastic pages -  some characters have big hands and little pens are hard for them to hold!)






I replaced the photo book cover  (front and back) with the scrap book paper and then added their names with the mouse ear stickers - I luckily only needed one package of letters for all three books.

Besides the personalized touch, I like that the books have a plastic cover in case they get wet. I plan to add pictures of the kids with the character so they have a full memory book in the end!

I also got 2 packs of Disney stickers to add after, so in total, I spent about $16 which is a little less than if I had purchased them online...but I like these much more!!!

Quick Crockpot Recipe - Fiesta Chicken

Here is the EASIEST crockpot recipe I have made to date - 5 minute prep time and 5 ingredients!!

My kids DEVOURED it, my husband raved about it - how could I not share it?!

Crockpot Chicken Fiesta

• 2lbs chicken (I had a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins from Target that I dumped in the crockpot frozen!)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 can corn (drained)
• 1 packet of McCormick Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken seasoning

 
I set my crockpot to low for 8 hours and then it warmed for 2 hours. My husband came home and shredded the chicken and when I walked in the door, it was ready to be served!

We ate it like a chili with some shredded cheese on top, but you could also serve with:
- Rice
- Pasta
- In a burrito

Topping ideas: 
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Greek yogurt
- Shredded Cheese 
- Fresh Cilantro

23 Creative (Yet Simple!) Elf on the Shelf Ideas

I know not everyone is an EOTS fan, so for those of you that find it cute, funny, interesting, etc to see what our Elf Jingle has been up to this year.....here is your one stop shop!!



Day 1: Making her list and checking it twice!!!

Day 2: Sledding fun with some friends!

Day 3: Jingle "brushes up" on her art!

Day 4: Kicking It with her Rockettes!!

Day 5: Feeling the Hockey Spirit!

Day 6: Rescue Elf!

Day 7: Happy 40th Birthday to Doug!

Day 8: Jingle Boogie!

Day 9: Jingle "whooping" it up!

Day 10: Working Hard!

Day 11: Ahoy!!! But in the treasure box was a note for the kids with "Missions of Kindness" that they had to complete before Christmas. I wanted a way to have my children experience giving in the holiday season, not just focusing so much on the getting.

Day 12:  Say Cheese!

Day 13: Slumber Party with a new Christmas DVD!

Day 14: Submitting her report to Santa

Day 15: Housework is exhausting!

Day 16: Catching up with a friend...although my daughter pointed out that a snowman probably shouldn't be drinking HOT chocolate!!

Day 17: Catching the candy thief!

Day 18: Stealing a banana from a Minion

Day 19: Jingle in a snow globe? Not my best...in my defense I was on Tylenol Cold PM!!!

Day 20: In the meadow she can build a snowman!

Day 21: Snake Eye!!!

Day 22: Lights on the Lake

Day 23: Jingle brings presents to friends and wishes them a Merry Christmas!!!

Crockpot Quinoa and Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Looking for a simple and healthy crockpot recipe that your whole family will love?! Keep reading!!! I actually did all the prep work the night before and then put them in the crockpot the next morning before work.

Ingredients:

• 5 large peppers
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 15 oz jar tomato sauce
• 1 cup quinoa (I use red quinoa)
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

• Wash peppers and cut off tops. Remove the stems from top of peppers and dice them, set aside.
• Wash, rinse and drain the quinoa. Add quinoa to 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Reduce to medium for 15 minutes, fluff with fork. 
• While quinoa is cooking, brown the ground turkey in a large skillet. 
• Once ground turkey is browned, add tomato sauce, peppers, onions, garlic and quinoa.
• Fill peppers with ground turkey and quinoa filling.
• Cook stuffed peppers in crockpot on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
• About 10-15 minutes before serving, add shredded mozzarella cheese to the top of stuffed peppers. 
• Last but not least....Enjoy!!!! 

Healthy Kids Foods: Green Foods

Day 4: Green Day

Breakfast

My Mom got into our wellness rainbow week and made her FABULOUS Zucchini Bread for our green day (Thanks Mom!!).

Zucchini Bread
(Recipe from Whole Foods Market)

Ingredients:    

 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 egg

1/3 cup expeller pressed canola oil

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup grated zucchini

1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray an 8-inch loaf pan with natural cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugar and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until well combined. Fold in zucchini and walnuts then transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until risen, deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool in pan on rack for 30 minutes then remove bread from pan and continue cooling on rack.

Lunch

Salad with ranch
Snap Peas
Green Peppers with Hummus
Pickle (my daughter's favorite!)
Organic Apple Crunchers

Dinner

Chicken, Avacado and Orange Salad with
Balsamic Vinegrette

Green Day was the most successful day of the week thus far - I set up a BYO (build your own) Salad Bar - I think the kids loved being able to make the choices of what veggies to put on their plate. I wish I had smiles like this everynight at dinner!!!

Healthy Kid Foods: Yellow Foods

Day 3: Yellow Day

Breakfast:

Pineapple-Mango Smoothie

Lunch:

Yellow Peppers with Ranch Dip
Yellow Apple
Dried Apricots
Rice Cake with Peanut Butter

 

Dinner:

Spaghetti Squash with Zucchini and a Turkey Meatball

Cooking a Spaghetti Squash:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds
• Place in baking dish cut sides up
• Brush sides with olive oil and then cover with aluminum foil
• Cook in the oven for 20 minutes
• Remove the aluminum foil and cook for another 35 minutes uncovered.
• With a fork, scape out the squash into a bowl.

The spaghetti squash was a hit with one out of the three kids (one has been sick so I am not counting her thumbs down and the other one took one bite and said "these noodles don't taste the same"!) The one bite rule was instituted again and everyone lived!!!