Cheesy and Spicy Popcorn

A friend of mine turned me onto Nutritional Yeast for popcorn. I know the name sounds gross but it's really tasty and really good for you. Nutritional yeast is a great source of protein (52%) and has vitamin B along with essential amino acids. It has a cheesy/nutty flavor which is why it is so perfect for your popcorn.
**Make sure you buy the flakes and not the powder!

Here is my recipe for my popcorn flavoring:
1/3 cup of nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp of garlic seasoning (I use Johnny's)
1-2 tsp of cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you want it)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt


I make this and keep it in a container, then when I make a bowl of popcorn I sprinkle a few teaspoons over my popcorn. Play around with the amounts of everything, that is just how I like it.

Spring Break

I was worried about boredom during our spring break because we weren't going anywhere so I kept us busy with these activities during our Staycation :)

Spring Cleaning

We are moving soon, so we took the first weekend of our spring break to deep clean the house. The kids got right into helping us. I asked the kids to get on their "cleaning uniforms" and then gave them each a set of tasks that were their "jobs" for the day. My son (6) had the job of cleaning mirrors and glass, as well as organizing his toys. My daughter (23 months) "helped" sweep, vacuum and encouraged many dance breaks. It felt so good to get the house in order and spotless....if only it stayed that way :)

Drumheller, AB

My friend and I took our children to Drumheller for the day. Usually when you go to Drumheller it is to see the Tyrell Museum, but we decided to take the kids to see everything else that Drumheller has to offer. Surprisingly, there is a lot to do and see in Drumheller outside of the dinosaur museum. We first checked out Horseshoe Canyon, it was super windy and cold so we didn't get to walk around and check it out too much but I was able to get a couple nice pictures. It is beautiful there, I can't wait to go back again and explore.

Next we took a look at The Rosedale Suspension Bridge. This bridge was used for the miners back in the day, and it's pretty cool to check out. I have to admit that it is a bit shaky and the chain link on the sides of the bridge doesn't seem to be kept up very well. That being said it was fun for the kids to walk across, once they got over the fear ;)

After the bridge we checked out the Hoo Doo's. They have just started construction on a boardwalk pathway through the Hoo Doo's which will be nice to check out once it is done. We had a great time exploring here, there were tons of cool rocks and caves to check out.

This was one of the best day trips I have taken the kids on and besides gas all of these sites were free of charge which is awesome! We also found Atlas Mine, they do tours and train rides and will be open in the summer,  so we will be back in Drumheller soon! Here is a map that shows all of the great attractions in Drumheller so that you can plan your next trip!

The Zoo

We spent a day at the Zoo with some family and friends. If you don't have a zoo pass it is the best investment you can make with kids. We go to the zoo in winter, spring, fall and summer. They just opened the new penguin exhibit at the Calgary Zoo, it is awesome! You are so close the them they could reach out and touch you, my niece even got a surprise splash from one friendly penguin. The zoo is a good day out, there are a lot of different exhibits that are indoors so you don't need to worry about the weather, and then there is a large area to walk around outside, including a couple playgrounds. My tip is to pack a lunch, the prices for food are outrageous, save your money for the soft serve ice cream, it is honestly the best in the city! 

Puppet Show

I had the kids home one of the days along with some of the children I watch for my neighbour. I had taken the kids to the playground to burn their energy, but it seems that the walk home energized them again. I thought of the idea of a getting them to practice a puppet show while I made lunch and then they could put it on for me after lunch. This turned out to be a huge hit! It's amazing to see how their minds work, I really enjoyed watching the final product and they continued to play puppets throughout the day.

Light Show Bath

I saw this on pinterest along the way, and a few friends have posted this on their facebook as well. So on one of our indoor days we filled up the bath tub and had a light show! 

All you need are some dollar store glow sticks and a dark bathroom. Enjoy this one, it is fun!

Cheesy and Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of rice
• 6-8 large flour tortillas 
• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 1 onion chopped 
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1-2 tbl Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Ground Coriander 
• Taco Seasoning
• Cream cheese (optional)
• Tortillas
• 2 green onions sliced
• 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used Cheddar and Mozza, but Monteray Jack is really good with it)
• salt and pepper

Sauce:

• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of chicken broth
• 1 tsp cumin
• taco seasoning

Directions

Grease 9X13 baking pan. Preheat oven at 350. 

Cook rice. Heat pan over medium with olive oil in it.Cut chicken breasts into small cubes, cook in pan, season with salt and pepper. Once chicken is cooked add onion and garlic to the pan cook until onions are tender. Add chili powder, ground coriander and as much taco seasoning as you like (don't worry about it being a bit too overpowering because once you add the rice it will cut it down). Once rice is cooked add to pan with chicken. Mix together, set aside. 

Mix together sauce ingredients in a large pot, you want it to be a little runny but not too runny. 

Dip tortilla into pot of sauce, cover both sides. Lay tortilla down and fill with 1/2 cup of filling and add 1-2 tbl of cream cheese on top. Roll and set in pan.Once pan is filled pour remaining sauce on top of enchiladas. Cover with shredded cheese and top with sliced green onions. Bake for 20 minutes. 

I serve this with fresh guacamole, salsa and sour cream on top and some corn on the side.

***Sauce*** You can buy a jar or packet at the grocery store and they taste really good, which helps if you are in a hurry.

Energy Bites

I found a few different versions of energy bites on Pinterest, and have tried the recipes, we all really enjoyed them. As time has gone on, I have adapted the recipe to how my family and I like them. These are a great source of protein, omega 3 and 6 and fiber, did I mention that they also taste super yummy?!?!!!! Here is our version.

Ingredients 

Makes approx. 50 energy bites

• 1 1/2 cups of oats
• 3/4 cup nut butter (we use peanut butter)
• 1 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips (you can use regular size but you will find they are harder to get stick together)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup honey

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, use your hands and press the ingredients into a ball. Keep the energy bites in the fridge. 

Nutritional Info Per Ball

Calories 65.6 

Fat 4.1g 

Great Way To Teach Shapes

I made this activity at home for my 19 month old daughter. Just print 2 copies out the document, laminate one completely, cut out the shapes on the second and laminate them separately. Stick magnets on the back of the large copy and some more on each of the shapes. I hung this on the fridge and she got to practise her shapes with me and by herself while I was cooking. It only took a day for her to remember where each one went and if I asked her to point to a shape she could do it.
Shapes

5 Easy and Fun Activities for the Little Ones

I love finding new activities to do with the kids that a) are fun for the kids, b) don't cost very much and c) get their minds working. Here is a list of some of the things that we have been up to lately.

1. Monster Pet Rocks 

This craft is great! You will probably have everything you need in your craft supplies and in your backyard. 

What you need:

• Rocks (cleaned and dried)
• Acrylic Paint
• Googly eyes, or you can paint some on
• Hot Glue

First make sure you clean and dry off your rocks, then get them to paint the color they want their monster to be. Let them dry, hot glue their eyes and paint on a scary or crazy mouth. That`s it! They were super easy and the kids loved making them! I think they enjoyed finding the rocks just as much as doing the craft. 

2. Color Fizzies

I saw this one on Pinterest, all you need is a small bowl or plate with baking soda in it, then add some food coloring to a bit of vinegar. Get the kids to fill up an eye dropper with the colored vinegar and make drops in the baking soda. The vinegar and baking soda react and make a colored fizzle. Both my kids loved this one, and my son learned about chemical reactions while we did this activity. 

3. Growing A Plant

I bought some bean and sunflower started seed and pot packs from the dollar store a month ago. I then got the kids to watch a youtube video on how plants grow and what they need to survive. Then we planted out seeds, the kids liked getting their hands dirty. I got both the kids to water their plants and see how much they've grown each day. We had to replant all of the plants once they got a bit bigger, so we also made that into a project by painting each of the pots. The beans have taken off and the sunflowers aren't far behind. I have to say having the little bit of green in our house makes me happy.

4. Baking

My children LOVE to help me bake! Anytime we need to make a banana bread or cookies they are always willing to lend a hand. I enjoy this time with them because they get to see all of the different things that go into our food, and then enjoy the outcome! My biggest tip for baking with the little ones is to measure out your ingredients first, so that they can just dump them in and stir. If you are cooking with older children you can turn it into a teaching moment by asking them to help get the right measurements. 

5.Naked Egg 

We found this idea on Pinterest, like so many other great activities. Ultimately you stick an egg in a cup of vinegar and then let the vinegar eat away at the egg's shell over 24-48 hours. Once the shell is gone you have a rubbery naked egg. My son (age 6) loved this activity! He liked to watch the vinegar bubble away while it was eating the calcium on the shell. He then had a great time holding and gently squishing the egg afterwards. This was a great one for the kids to watch and learn. 

Ground Flax Pancakes with Berry Sauce

Since I have started eating healthier I have also looked into foods that will help keep me healthy. I came across a few recipes that called for flaxseed and I did a bit of research on why it is so good for you. Flaxseed has numerous health benefits, it is rich in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which can help control cholesterol levels. Flaxseed also helps with digestion, and inflation in the digestive tract. It contains lignans which help prevent the growth of cancer cells including prostate and breast cancer. Flaxseed can help with estrogen levels during menopause, it can boost your immune system and it helps with weight loss. 


When I first bought flaxseed, I bought the whole seed which does contain a lot more of the nutrients but it is harder to add to regular recipes. I recommend buying ground flaxseed. It is super cheap in the bulk bins, I bought a huge bag's worth for $2. 


With all of those benefits I had to buy some and like the Franks Red Hot commercials, I put that s$*t on everything! I made the kids some pancakes with ground flaxseed in it and they ate up the whole batch! Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tbl butter (I used coconut oil)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbl sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup of milk (or milk substitute, I use coconut milk beverage)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg

For Sauce

• 2 cups of frozen berries
• 2 tbl sugar

Directions

Mix together your flour, ground flaxseed, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add milk, egg and vanilla to your dry mixture and mix until lumps disappear. Heat up a pan on the stove over medium heat and melt your butter or coconut oil. Give your pancake batter a couple minutes to set before you add it to the hot pan, I find it gives the baking powder longer to activate therefore giving you fluffier pancakes. Add 1/4 cup of batter to the pan and cook on until you see bubbles raise then flip and cook on the other side. 

For the sauce heat up your frozen berries in a small pot on the stove over med heat. Once bubbling take a fork and mash the berries together, then add your sugar and stir. 

Serve your pancakes warm with some warm berry sauce on top. Enjoy!

Best Cheese and Broccoli Soup!

OK here is my favorite soup to make, and the children's favorite soup to eat! If my daughter found out it had broccoli in it I don't know if she would eat it anymore, but so far she loves this stuff! I have also made it for the children I watch during the day and they now ask for it every time they come over. 

Ingredients

• 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of chopped carrots
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 potatoes, skinned and quartered
• 6 cups of chicken stock
• 2 cups of broccoli, chopped into small pieces, put stalks aside
• 1/2 cup of milk (I use organic unsweetened coconut milk beverage)
• 1 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, reserve 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

Heat up your olive oil on medium in a large pot. Add carrots, celery, garlic and onion to the pot and let cook until onions turn translucent. Add your potatoes, broccoli stalks and chicken stock. Turn up your heat to high until soup starts to boil, then turn it down to medium to keep a simmer. Let cook for 1/2 hour. You may want to put a lid on almost all the way just so that you don't lose too much liquid.

Once that has simmered for a half hour, add the rest of your broccoli and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Next you want to transfer you soup into a food processer and put in on high for 30 seconds or until all of your soup is a puree consistency. While your soup being pureed iin the food processor add your milk to it. 

Pour soup back in pot on and return to med-low heat. Add your cup of shredded cheddar along with salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Serve with sprinkled cheese on top.

I hope you enjoy this, I make a big batch of it on the weekend and have it throughout the week, I don't ever seem to get bored of this one!

Nutritional Facts

Based on 8 servings

Calories 227

Total Fat 7.8g

My Last 10 lbs...

**Update**


I have finally reached my goal weight, and it couldn't come sooner since I now have a concussion and have to put my working out on hold for a bit. I will make sure I am watching what I eat more closely while taking a break from exercise. Here are some before and after photos. They are really bad quality I apologise. Once I am 100% again, I am going to keep working at toning and maybe try to lose another 5lbs. I am very happy with the progress that I have made and it sure makes you feel good about yourself when you achieve a goal!

Before and After's from 4 months of working out and healthy eating.
I lost a total of 16lb's and am still going... 

Like so many other women out there, I have my last 8lb's to lose. I would love to be back to my pre-children weight, which is not likely, but something close will make me happy. I gained at least 45lb's each pregnancy no matter if I ate really healthy (which I did for my last) or if I ate Taco Bell everyday which I did for my first.  I have lost over 10lbs since last November and I thought I would share what I have been doing that has been helping so far.

First I fell in love with this Green Monster Smoothie. It is super healthy, lots of protein, and vitamins. The best thing about this smoothie is that it tastes WONDERFUL! It honestly tastes like a peanut butter milkshake. Both my husband and daughter are very very picky eaters and when they are around I have to make a triple batch because they love it as much as I do. The only thing that I change from the original recipe is I use Organic Coconut Milk Beverage Unsweetened for the milk. The great thing about using coconut milk beverage is that it keeps you feeling full for a long time. I have one of these smoothies for lunch and I feel full until 4pm or dinner.

Green Monster Smoothie YUM!

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 sliced banana (great trick is to slice then freeze for smoothies)

1 Tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Greek Yogurt (I freeze this in ice cube trays for easy portions)

1/2 cup of Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage

2-4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

The second thing that I have started to do is to exercise a lot more. I would always tell myself that I am active enough with the kids but in truth that isn't enough. I started doing some of the Jillian Michaels workout DVD's. I started with The 30 Day Shred which is GREAT, it is only a 20 minute workout that has 3 levels, each harder than the last. She gets you sweating and wanting to die after just 20 minutes. I have also done her Killer Buns and Thighs (key word KILLER), Yoga Meltdown and 6 Week Abs. All of them are just as good as the other. I would highly recommend you get a few of the DVD's so you can rotate between a different one each time, that way you won't get bored and give up. The one thing I love about her DVD's is how motivating she is during them, I swear she can read my mind and know when I'm about to give up and turn off the DVD player. Because of the intensity of her workouts you will see a difference within a couple weeks. I have a friend who is also working out using these DVD's and it is so good to have that support between the two of us. We keep each other motivated and then we can both bitch and complain how hard it was afterwards ;)

Lastly we all need to treat ourselves, and while I was on Pinterest I found this wonderful blog with healthy deserts that taste awesome! http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ She has great ways to eat yummy treats without adding on the extra pounds. I have made the cookie dough dip, chocolate pie and chocolate mousse, they were all great! My favorite recipe though is the 1 minute chocolate cake, it is sooo yummy and super easy to make, almost too easy to make though because now I want it every night!

I got a smile even though she was SUPER sick with the flu. Alida
loves her 1 Minute Chocolate Cake too!

One-Minute Chocolate Cake from Chocolate Katie

1 tablespoon plus 2 tsp cocoa powder

3 tablespoons spelt flour (or white, or even peanut flour)

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 stevia packet (or 1 more tablespoon sugar)

1 tablespoon coconut oil 

3 tablespoons milk of choice (I used coconut milk)

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine dry ingredients and mix very, very well. Add liquid, stir, then transfer to a little dish, ramekin, or even a coffee mug. Microwave 30-40 seconds. If you don’t want to eat it straight out of the dish, be sure to spray your dish first (and then wait for it to cool before trying to remove it).

So here goes to my last 8lb's! Once I reach my goal I will post before and after pictures.

Grow Your Very Own Pineapple Tree!

My husband read something about growing a pineapple tree from the pineapple you buy at the grocery store. So after cutting up and eating our delicious pineapple we decided to give it a shot and see if this really works.


The first step is to cut off your stem and then make sure to cut any pineapple flesh that may be left on it, if you don't it will rot and that would be gross. Make sure you cut down until you can see little specks on the stem. Then cut or peel off the leaves from the bottom of the stem upwards about an inch.

Next you need to leave your pineapple stem to sit for a day or two to allow the roots to repair themselves.


Plant that little guy in some dirt (I need to buy a bigger pot!)

Finally, wait about a year to for a pineapple to grow!




Now I am going to have to do some research into how much water they need and sunlight, but fingers crossed in a year or so we can eat our very own pineapple!


Here is an interesting pineapple fact, did you know that a pineapple is actually a bunch of berries that choose to  live all together?! Crazy!

That Leprechaun is TRICKY!

My son has been curious about St. Patrick's Day so we started talking about the Leprechaun and his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (what else is it really about anyways? haha). I saw a pin on Pinterest awhile ago (which I can't for the life of me find now to site the source) about catching a leprechaun so I thought I would try to make it into a fun activity/scavenger hunt for the kids. First I got my son and daughter to find all things that are green to put into the trap, because of course that is the best way to lure a leprechaun. Next we set up the trap and then they had to go to bed with the anticipation of finding someone under their trap in the morning.

Well that leprechaun sure is tricky because instead of finding him they found a note under the trap.  

Now onto the scavenger hunt!

And finally they found his pot of gold, which I think they enjoyed way more than if they had found some tiny, grumpy weird looking fellow under their trap lol. 

Here are the steps I took to make the trap:

First I painted a terracotta plant pot, I wanted to do black but I didn't have any black acrylic pant, so I went with mixing my green acrylic and black finger paint, it turned out to be a dark green once dried.

Next I made the messages that the leprechaun left.

Leprechaun Trap

Then to set up the trap!

And finally my plan was to buy chocolate dollar coins, but that fell through when I sent my husband out to find them at the grocery store, even though I have seen them there numerous times he SWEARS they weren't there, hmmmm... So instead I used gold Lindt chocolate and left them in the pot of gold!

Great App for iPhone or iPad!

I know that people feel differently about children using iPhone's or iPad's, I believe that it can be a great educational tool if you find the right apps. Here is my new favourite for my daughter who is 23 months.
My A-Z, it comes with set pictures for each letter of the alphabet but you can also get creative with it and customize it with pictures of objects and people that your child is familiar with. You can also record your voice so that when they touch the picture you can say the letter and what the picture is. This is an app that you have to pay for but it's worth the $1.99!

Pin It

Starting to get my blog on...

Hello and welcome to my new blog! I like many other Mom's out there use the internet to find great blogs and websites for ideas on anything from kid's activities to recipes to hair and makeup tips. I thought I would give this whole blog thing a whirl and start posting what I have done with my children, recipes we have tried and loved and many other things that are all a part of a Mom's day.