All the Small Things

It was a cold day and we all wanted hot cocoa, but why have normal cocoa? We had to have them in my vintage Tupperware kids cups...mini marshmallows and all!

So much fun in a little cup.

~Adel~

Maple Coconut Apple Baked Oatmeal

Maple Coconut Apple Baked Oatmeal

3&1/2 cups Quick Oats (not instant)

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 cup Shredded Coconut

1 Apple, Shredded

1 cup Apple Sauce

1/4 cup Oil

2 Eggs

1 cup Milk

1/4 cup Cream or Creamo

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

1 tsp Vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. Combine and mix well. Pour into a 8 x8 baking pan and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Serve with milk and brown sugar. Can be made the night before and refrigerated for an easy breakfast.

A sweet & delicious hot breakfast the kids will love.

~Adel~

Bath Soap Crayons

Bath time is the favourite time of the day in our house. I can get Lady & Bug to stop doing anything when I say it's bath time! They got some special soap from our cousin who is the wonderful soap maker at Unicorn Sparkle and they played with it until the slice I gave them dissolved.

It gave me a great idea...I've seen these bath crayons on Pinterest (check out bathactivitiesforkids.com) and had to give them a try. Here's my attempt!

Bath Soap Crayons

8 squares Glycerine Soap (found mine at Michael's)

Gel Food Colouring (you can use regular, but my research indicated that the Gel is easier to clean...very important to me!)

Essential Oils (whatever you want)

Soap Moulds/Ice Cube Trays (mine are from Ikea)

First I cut up my 8 squares of soap and melted them in a measuring cup (30 seconds at first, then in 10 second increments until the soap is completely melted and hot...do not boil). Then I divided my soap into three small bowls and added colour to each. This needs to be done quickly because the soap will harden fast. If it does become hard, just pop it back in the microwave for 20 seconds. Mix the food colouring in well and add the essential oils. 

Pour into moulds and let harden for at least 30 minutes.

The finished product. 

We cut each stick in half so that they would last a little longer. Lady & Bug loved their bath soap crayons and it was an easy project!

~Adel~

Almost Whole Wheat Bread

Almost Whole Wheat Bread

1 cup Warm Water

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 1/2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Bread Flour

1 cup White Bread Flour

1 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Bread Maker Instructions:

Add ingredients to bread maker in the order listed. Select dough setting and press start. Once cycle is complete, shape dough and place on a baking sheet. Let rise for 20-30 minutes. Bake at 350F for 20-22 minutes.

Delicious home made bread without all the work!

~Adel~

Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd's Pie

Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd's Pie

1 lb Ground Turkey

1/2 cup Onion, diced

1/2 cup Celery, diced

1/2 cup Carrot, diced

1 cup Mushrooms, quartered

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (optional)

1 cup Chicken Broth

2 Tbsp Flour (optional)

3/4 cup Yogurt, plain

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning

Topping:

2 Large Sweet Potatoes or Yams

3 Tbsp Yogurt, plain

1 Tbsp Butter (optional)

salt & pepper

Paprika

Cube Sweet Potatoes or Yams and boil in a large pot until tender. 

In a large sauce pan, fry ground turkey until lightly browned. Add veggies and cook until tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Put in an oven safe casserole dish.

Mash topping ingredients together and spread over top of the meat mixture. Sprinkle with Paprika.

Bake at 350F for 1/2 hour until bubbly.

 Comfort food without the calories & fat. Perfect meal to serve to guests with dietary restrictions as it can be easily adjusted and still taste great for those watching their weight or Gluten Free.  

Great freezer meal.

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~

Banana Muffins

Banana Muffins

1/2 cup Margarine, softened

1 1/4 cup Sugar

2 Eggs, beaten

1/4 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Bananas (very ripe & mashed)

1 tsp Vanilla

1 3/4 cup Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

2/3 cup Chocolate Chips (optional)

Mix the margarine & sugar together until well blended. Add remaining wet ingredients and mix well. Add flour, baking soda & salt. Mix until moist but lumpy. Add chocolate chips and stir by hand.

Fill muffin pans. Bake at 350 F for 20-22 minutes.

These are Ms. Ladybug's favourite snack with coffee! Make lots for the freezer or take some to a friend's house.

~Adel~

Camping Packing List

The sun is shining and I've got a serious itch to go camping...but it's April. So instead of packing up the tent & the kids and heading to the lake, I decided to get things organized for the summer.

Last summer I had a list going of all the things I brought on each of our camping trips. I combined all the lists into one complete list to make this summer's trips a little easier to prepare for. I put them in plastic sheet covers so I can just check off the things as I pack them. This list goes into my camping binder. Yup, I'm a little crazy with the lists and the organizational binders.

If you need help packing for your next camping trip, feel free to use my Camping with Kids Packing List (to print out your own hard copy). 

This is our extensive list, I pick and choose things depending on the trip from this list. I've also included things from previous lists so you can use the baby/toddler versions too.

You might take different things, just use my list as a guide and add your own stuff! Keep in mind that we tent camp...not RV, so if you have an RV there will be other things you'll want to add to your list!

If you want to see more of my ideas for camping with kids - check out my Camping Page. Check out my new camping post 10 Great Meals for Camping with Kids!

Hope it helps make things a little easier or inspires you to take the plunge and go camping with the little ones!

Dreaming of camping...

~Adel~

Best Ever Chocolate Cupcakes

Best Ever Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder\

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup coffee (brewed & black)

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients & mix on medium high for 2 minutes.

Pour into lined cupcake pans and bake at 350 F for about 18 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).

Cool & top with your favourite icing.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Nice & fluffy & light, just like a cake mix but you actually know what's in it!

~Adel~

Home Made Yogurt

With many yogurt lovers in my house, I've started making my own to save some money. I have a yogurt-maker that I found pre-owned for cheap (a good investment if you plan to make yogurt often), but there are several great recipes online for making yogurt without a yogurt-maker.

Home Made Yogurt

Yogurt Maker
Cooking Thermometer or yogurt thermometer
1 L Milk (*recently purchased* whole, 2%, 1% or skimmed)
2 Tbsp Yogurt Started (plain/unflavoured yogurt with active live culture or 1 package of yogurt culture*)

Heat milk on medium-low heat in a sauce pan, stirring occasionally until almost boiling (about 190 F).

Let cool to 115 F. In a separate bowl, add yogurt starter and 1 cup of hot milk, stirring gently until starter is dissolved. Pour starter mixture back into the remaining hot milk and stir well.

Pour milk mixture into yogurt jars, put lids on and place in yogurt maker.
Put the cover on and adjust the timer to the desired setting (I usually do 12 hours because I like a thick consistency). Press start.

When yogurt is finished, place jars in the fridge & allow to cool for 4 hours before serving.

Serve plain, with fruit & granola, honey, or your favourite jam/preserves. Lady & Bug and Uncle Ladybug love their individual yogurts so I got some small Glad plastic containers and made individual flavoured yogurts with strawberry jam.

Don't forget to save 2 Tbsp of yogurt for your next batch!

~Adel~


*Yogurt Culture can be found at most health food stores

Mommy Retreat

As a mother, sometimes I give too much - give until there's nothing left.

Everything makes me angry or sad or I just totally shut down and don't feel anything any more.

This was my week.

I know I'm not the only mother or caregiver out there that feels this - I'm sure it's a pretty safe bet to say that every one who has the responsibility of caring for others feels this way at some point in their career (whether paid or unpaid)...maybe it's just occasionally, or maybe it's every day...all day. Some of us are better at taking care of ourselves than others, but we all face this point sometimes.

I'm trying to learn to take care of myself, but it's hard - I'm a giver - I love to help people and sometimes I'm the one that pays the price. The demands of life and the availability of life-giving activities that interest me during the "off times" (oh ya, what are those??) have made it difficult to find quality ME time. It usually ends up being an evening in front of the TV with a glass of wine, wishing I had the energy to go join a group, go to the gym or socialize with other adults. It almost never actually happens.

This time when I started to go nuts, I managed to find a chunk of time where everyone I am responsible for had other care and I took my opportunity to sneak away to a local place that refreshes me.

I got a massage, pedicure, soaked in the hot pools, walked along the beach & went out for dinner at a lovely Thai place ALL BY MYSELF! I don't think I've ever done anything like this alone before, so I have to say it was a bit intimidating at first, but I gathered up the courage and went.

It was amazing - after about 5 hours of "me time" I felt like a whole new woman. I smiled. Yup, those muscles have been so tired lately, I don't think they even knew what to do, but I smiled and it was natural!

I am doing this again and I'm encouraging other mothers and caregivers out there to take a retreat for yourself every once in a while to recharge those caring batteries.

Take some time for yourself, do something just for you, and remind yourself that you're a real person too!

~Adel~