Favorite Finds

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Here are some of my favorite things from the past week.

I made this crunchy, clumpy granola last week for the first time and it was top notch! I've made several different granola recipes and this one was by far the best I've ever had (homemade or store bought!). Check out The Frugal Girl's detailed instructions of this America's Test Kitchen recipe.

A while back I bought a few boxes of orzo on a big sale and I've had trouble using them up. Then I found a recipe for Cheesy Broccoli Orzo...I'm going to have to buy more orzo! Here is the recipe via Iowa Girl Eats.

One of my favorite ways to use up bananas is making Tammy's Chocolate Bottom Banana squares. These are a hit with everyone and since they are technically banana bread, I totally eat 3 with my coffee and call it breakfast! I made a pan for Bible study this past week and made it home with just the crumbs. Now that I've made them so many times I can have them ready to go in the oven by the time it is finished pre-heating...now that is a recipe to love!

If you have small kids (or maybe bigger ones too) you probably have tons of arts and crafts getting made each week. What to do with it all? I made an art gallery to display some of the best things and we rotate the pictures through. A few weeks ago I found an app called ArtKive that is fantastic!

I can take a picture of the artwork, can assign the child's name (I have separate sections for each kid!), and then can share with Daddy or anyone else I add quickly and easily! Plus it saves the date for me, along with your child's grade in school. This app is FREE for a limited time, so hurry and download it!

Favorite Finds

We are loving this cooler September weather! It's been perfect for baking bread again and we had a delicious sausage, ravioli and veggie (tomatoes, carrots, and green peppers from our CSA) soup this past week.

We've also been eating oatmeal for breakfast a lot more frequently. It's the perfect way to warm up on these chilly mornings. I have not been on my game enough to get Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal in the oven yet one morning, but I have been adding craisens, apples, and brown sugar to our regular oatmeal to liven things up!

I haven't bought any pumpkin yet, but when I do the first thing I'll be making is our favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. These cake-y cookies are moist and delicious!

I am also getting ready to pull out our fall tot school and preschool activities. I love having seasonal things saved from last year, and I'm looking forward to some fun activities with my kids. We are also going to make these fantastic sugar cookies!

(Image via Home Cook'N Newsletter)

Favorite Finds and Re-Pack Bags Winner

Whew! It's been a whirlwind few days around here, and the rest of the week should be no less crazy. I'm planning to get the last Stuart Little activity posted tomorrow. Our virtual meeting is next week!
We had a delicious salad for dinner recently...we used up some leftover pork that I had made a cilantro-citrus and cheesy breading for, and then I added a homemade avocado dressing which brought the meal together nicely. I got the inspiration for the dressing from The Teenage Taste's Cilantro Lime Ranch recipe. It was excellent... definitely on the menu again soon!


I love my morning coffee (and afternoon and evening sometimes too!). Check out this awesome coffee bar that The vintage Wren created. I love how functional it is, but also a great piece of decor. I wish I had space for something like this...maybe someday :-)

My kids love playing with cardboard boxes and other empty food items. Next time we have some large boxes I'm going to try to do something like this washer/dryer combo by A Mom with a Lesson Plan. My kids love helping with the laundry (helping is their word, not usually mine!), so I'm sure this would make for hours of great pretend play.

I recently made this Bacon, Egg, and Cheese crescent by Bacon Time with the Hungry Hypo wrap for our Sunday breakfast for dinner. It was delicious and I opted to use my homemade crescent roll dough, so I had everything on hand. Yum!

Finally, the winner of the Re-Pack Bags giveaway is Kristy, comment #11. I hope you enjoy your new bags! I'm excited to be able to offer another great giveaway soon...stay tuned!

Favorite Finds

Here's a look at some of my recent recipe finds, preschool and tot school activities, and future projects.

I love this idea for shelves on the back of a closet door. The closet space in our house is pretty limited, so I'm always trying to get creative! (via Ana White Homemaker)

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These writing tablets are so neat! They are personalized with the child's name, sit flat on the table, not folded like a book, and have 50 pages. The $28 price tag is pretty steep, but it would make a lovely gift for a child that enjoys workbooks and writing. (via Trio Design Studio)

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This map of the US is a free printable! I want to start working on learning the states with both my children. We already do some state and capital work, mostly on the states near us, but I think they would both pick up the visual of where the states are located very quickly. (via Mr. Printables)

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I'm making this Oven-fried parmesan chicken for dinner tonight and I can't wait...it looks so delicious! (via Recipe.comhttp://www.recipe.com/oven-fried-parmesan-chicken/)

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 This recipe for protein ball bites is fantastic. I've been using protein powder in milk or yogurt for a solid snack lately, but I mixed up a batch of these balls the other day. They are tasty and healthy, but not so good that they are like candy. They sure pack a punch! (via Chockohlawtay)

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Do you have any fun projects or recipes to share?

Hot Dog Roundup for Memorial Day

Chances are you'll be grilling out with friends or family this weekend as part of your Memorial Day celebration. I've put together a list of our favorite specialty hot dog recipes...it's not just ketchup and mustard around here!

The Avocado and White Sauce Dog, featuring thick slices of avocado and our homemade sauce

The Texas Ranger, featuring grilled onions, bacon, and BBQ sauce

The Salsa Dog, featuring mango peach salsa

BBQ and Peppers, featuring sweet banana peppers and your favorite BBQ sauce

CornDogs, featuring a that carnival treat made at home

Pretzel Dogs, this is probably our favorite right now! homemade pretzel dough wrapped around your favorite dog and baked to perfection.

What's on your menu this Memorial Day? Give one of these dogs a try or let me know your favorite fixins!

Favorite Warmer weather recipes

This week is shaping up to be very mild, especially for February. The changes in the weather always make me think of certain foods and drinks that we usually have seasonally. Here are a few of my favorites.

Cherry Limeade - one of my favorites! I think my recipe takes just like Sonic!

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade - a refreshing mix of sweet and tangy.

Smoothies - all varieties. Recently we've been adding oatmeal to ours inspired by Full Measure of Happiness. I use 1 c. milk, 1/2 c. oatmeal, 5-6 whole strawberries, 4-5 cubes frozen pineapple juice.

I'm also looking forward to trying out a few new recipes. I just spied this one for homemade fruit roll ups from Joy of Jello. Don't they look fantastic?

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Any recipes to share?

Christmas Cookies

One of my favorite parts of getting ready for Christmas when I was little was baking cookies with my family. My sisters and I loved getting to help mom in the kitchen, and surprise dad with his favorites when he got home from work. I have a few favorite recipes that I've been making for so many years, I couldn't imagine this time of year without them!

My very favorites are Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies. Lots of people make these different ways, but I really think rolling them out in long ropes instead of lots of little balls makes them way easier. They have a wonderful moist texture too!

I've really enjoyed making biscotti the last few years. Its a nice treat with my morning coffee, but also a gourmet gift that is pretty easy to make. I really like Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti because it tastes like a Snicker doodle cookie! And a fun Christmas-y biscotti recipe is Candy Cane Biscotti.

Two other cookie recipes I've posted in the past include Molasses Sugar Cookies (soft, chewy, and savory), and Chocolate Crinkles (so good!).

In addition to some old favorites, I have a few new cookies that I plan to try this year. I have a Christmas cookie pinboard with some recipes to try.

With the number of ideas on the internet for Christmas decorating, recipes for cookies, and fun activities, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and too busy. If making one batch of cookies is perfect for your family, then don't feel obligated to make six. If you don't have storage for ton of decorations, then its probably best to not buy a ton even if they are on sale. And all the activities and experiences are unimportant if your family is stressed from being constantly out of the house. Do what works for your family and keep your priorities in order. I think that is the key to having an enjoyable and memorable Christmas.

With that being said, I'm getting ready to try a new cookie recipe!

Traveling Ideas & Thanksgiving Links

If your family is anything like ours, then you will probably be doing a fair amount of traveling for the upcoming holidays. And traveling with little ones in the car is always a bit of a challenge. The last few months we've been putting together some ideas for the car that don't involve watching movies or playing computer/tech games. Here are a few favorites!

Color Matching/Fine motor skills (Inspiration):

These are made from paint chip samples! I used two of each identical paint chip, one I cut up and glued to clothes pins, the second for the clothes pins to be clipped on.

To make the paint chips a little more durable and to minimize the number of clothespins I needed, I doubled the up the paint chips. Purple on the back of green, blue on the back of orange, etc. This is super fun!

Tracing pages (Inspiration):

We use plastic page protectors and a dry erase marker to make these reusable tracing pages. There are tons of tracing pages that are free to print! These are Thanksgiving themed, but we switch them up based on the seasons.

My daughter also enjoys tracing letters and numbers this way.

Another favorite for adults and children alike is audio books! We check out a lot of audio books from the library. Some recent favorites including Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (With CD),

The Billy Goat's Gruff, and Scuffy the Tugboat..

I also wanted to include a few favorite bread recipes that are great for special occasions (or really any day!).

Homemade Beer Bread. Mmmm I just made a loaf of this yesterday. Its so simple to make and way less expensive than those pre-packaged mixes. And great toasted with butter for breakfast!

I love The Frugal Girl's recipe for Honey-Glazed rolls. These are awesome...you really should try them!

And of course, a favorite all fall long for us was Pumpkin Spice Scones.

Do you have any car activities that are family favorites? Or a special recipe that you are making this Thanksgiving? Please share!

Crock-pot recipes

I've tried out a few nice crock-pot recipes lately, so I thought I would share them!

First up, French Onion Soup!

This recipe is from Smashed Peas and Carrots and turned out great! Even our kids enjoyed the soup, and we had it with homemade french bread that we topped with swiss cheese. It warmed up really great too, which made for a nice lunch the next day.

We also tried Apple Pie Oatmeal from Healthy Slow Cooking. This recipe is great to make the night before...then breakfast is ready first thing in the morning! Since you are cooking the oatmeal overnight, it calls for steel cut oats since they hold up better. I'll probably add a bit more water next time since the oatmeal stuck in a few places. Other than that, this recipe is a keeper too!

Have you tried out any new crock-pot recipes lately? Feel free to post them in the comments. I'm always looking for something new to try!

Thrifty Clothing Thoughts

Are you working on a Christmas list yet? I'm working on a few ideas right now, and at the top of my list the last few years almost always seems to be clothes. I'm always on the lookout for a great clearance deal on clothes for myself, but other than that, I rarely buy clothes.

Since price (oh look, its marked down to $1.50!) has often been the deciding factor in whether or not I buy something, I've found that I've complied a large wardrobe of things that I wear, but few things that I actually love. In many ways clothes are clothes and functionality is more important than the perfect outfit. But the pieces that started out just ok quickly become dust catchers on a hanger...taking up space and being a waste of money, even if it was only a few dollars.

The last few years we've been trying to stay on top of donating things that are not being worn and buying smarter when we do go shopping.  Earlier this year Real Simple ran a story entitled Never Buy the Wrong Thing Again that really helped me to think critically about clothes buying. I love the 4 easy steps to help you buy clothes that you love, in order to make the most out of fewer items.

Today I'm just going to share a few thoughts about the article, and later in the week I plan to focus on how this has made me more careful and purposeful with my clothing habits!

(Image via Real Simple)

Step 1: Identify what's working
There are some great questions to ask yourself about your favorite outfits! Why do I like this? Is it comfortable? A great color? Practical?

Step 2: Analyze your mistakes
What things do I avoid pulling out of my closet to wear? Why don't I like them? Why did I buy them in the frist place? Was it a great price that I couldn't pass up?

Step 3: ID the missing pieces in your wardrobe
Real Simple has a "wardrobe checklist" that is a good starting point, but what you need is more important than what they say you need! Make a list of a few things that you want to add to your wardrobe...instant Christmas list ideas!

Step 4: Shop smarter
If its on sale but not on the list, leave it in the store! Or, once you find something that looks good, put it through a couple tests...when you try it on at the store sit down, move around, and bend over to check the fit. If you ened up buying it, do the same thing at home. Make sure it works and if it doesn't, taking it back to the store might be the best bet!

Do you have any great tips for purposefully adding to your wardrobe?

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

The fall weather lately has been amazing! It is great to be able to bake without the house getting miserably hot. Today I tried a new recipe - Pumpkin Scones! They were oh, so good!

(Image from Shoe Box Kitchen)

The recipe I used is from The Shoe Box Kitchen. It was super easy, especially compared to several of the other pumpkin scones recipes I've looked at recently. Scones are not exactly the healthiest food...this recipe has a good bit of butter, but uses half and half instead of heavy cream. It was super moist and smelled amazing.

(Image from Joy the Baker)

Another favorite pumpkin recipe in our house is Pumpkin Pancakes. The recipe is from Joy the Baker and is really great also. We love the Pumpkin Pancake mix from Trader Joe's and this recipe is a great copycat!

Do you have any favorite pumpkin recipes?

Summertime links

I know its a little early for summer, but we are looking at some much warmer weather over the next few days, so I thought I would pull out a few of my summer favorites!

We were soooo addicted to homemade frozen strawberry lemonade last summer! It was a nice treat during the day, or a great way to cool down before bed.

One of my favorite ways to keep things cool at dinnertime is to avoid the oven. We enjoy having several appetizer/side items for dinner instead of a large main course. This cuts down on the cooking and is a great way to mix things up from time to time!

We love pizza; I usually make it every week. But pizza heats the house up a ton! This Caesar Salad pizza is a fun twist on traditional pizza!


Do you have any favorite foods to keep cool as the weather heats up?

The Frugal Girl weighs in on bottle water

I really appreciated what Kristen, The Frugal Girl, had to say today about bottled water consumption...the wastefulness of all those plastic bottles, so many of which are not recycled, and that bottled water is often worse in purity than tap water.

I also think it is important for us to present a solution when we address an issue like this, and filtering your own water is one of the very simplest things you can do! She mentioned making gradual changes if you are in the habit of using bottled water on a regular basis. If you can commit to even decreasing your bottled water consumption (rather than eliminating cold turkey) this is a step in the right direction.

Check out her post on bottled water.

Links I Love

I've been wanting to share some interesting links on a more regular basis, but this is the first chance I've had! Have a great weekend, and Happy Fathers Day!

Free 8x10 Photo collage - tomorrow is the last day for this Walgreens freebie. Remember to opt for pick-up in the store to get it for free!

Using coupons makes you buy things you don't need (couponing myth #1) - I love the way Mindi writes about converting friends to getting things free through coupons...so true!

Decorating with books - This is such a great idea for frugal decorating! I have quite the soft spot for old books, and I'm already plotting to get started stenciling. (via A Soft Place to Land)

30 New Amazing Birthday Cakes - My mom always made us a special cake on our birthdays, and I remember flipping through her magazines for hours to pick out my cake each year. These ideas are so brilliant, and really are simple. I especially like the Gumball Machine and the Star Wars lightsaber cakes!

Free books in the MOT area - For my local readers, be sure to check out the Silver Lake Elementary School Bookmobile! My friend Maura recently wrote about her experience and how great they were with the kids. This week's copy of the Middletown Transcript had info as well. The dates are June 22, July 13 and July 20 (all Tuesdays) and the route is Dale United Methodist Church (Lake St) from 1-1:20pm, Millbranch neighborhood playground from 1:30-1:50pm, Middletown Village playground from 2-2:20pm, and Silver Lake Park playground from 2:30-3pm. Each child will get 2 free books, along with ice cold treats!