An Elven Breakfast

Our "Elf on the Shelf", Fred, just flew back to us for the holiday season. The whole family was quite surprised to find a breakfast waiting for us this morning. In regular elf tradition, Fred brought lots of sweets. The girls loved it & I have to say, DH & I enjoyed ourselves too. Here's a snapshot of our morning.

The table is set.

Fred gets into position.

Look! They've all spotted him!

Let's get a closer look at those sweets!

Fred had a lot to say to 3 small girls.

Let the family time begin!!

We had a great morning with lots of smiles & laughs. Thank you, Fred, for this wonderful memory!

Turkey Pops

I've got another tutorial for ya's today! You aren't tired of them are you? I hope not, because we've been having lots of fun!!

Seeing as it is the end of the month, which means the end of fall (to me that is), I wanted to make some turkeys for RD's class snack. I really didn't know, for sure, what I was making until I seen these cuties in one of my many magazines. I was a bit nervous making them too. I have never made rice krispie treats before. I know, amazing!!

Turkey Pops


Let's see, what do you need?

Ingredients to make your favorite rice krispies
Candy corn
Chocolate chips, baking chocolate, OR candy melts
Lollipop sticks OR popsicle sticks
Small white candies
Cookie sheet lined with wax paper

And what I've discovered I need is a professional photographer to take my shots! Man, my photography skills are lacking!! I need a photographer to work for free & be here at my every whim stitch. Is that asking too much? OR maybe I need a photography class or new camera? Better yet, I should do both!! On with the show........

I was super worried about the rice krispies cooling before I could get them rolled, but it went really smooth!To make things easier on myself, I got all my stuff laid out ahead of time. This way, I wasn't scrambling to get, say wax paper, when it was go time. 

Once you get your batch of rice krispies ready, use a quarter cup measuring cup to scoop out equal amounts of mixture. Lay on wax paper. Make sure to spray your measuring cup with cooking spray. After it's all divided, you'll roll them into balls. Again, make sure your hands are coated with cook spray. Then insert your stick of choice.

Now is the time to fire up your chocolate melter. You can also melt them in the microwave or your double broiler. I have finally learned the secret to perfect chocolate dipping. Add oil. Who knew?

This particular chocolate, I used, already had oiled added (it is made for a chocolate fountain). But, the recipe called for 1 tablespoon of oil. You can find the recipe by going here.

I also got all my candy corn (noses & feathers) & white candies (eyes) counted out ahead of time.

Once your chocolate is melted, you'll dip your pop, half way, into the mix. Tap off excess chocolate & let it set up a few seconds before adding your "eyes". Once the pop has cooled completely, you can add your "nose" & "feathers". Dip the tip, of each candy corn, into the melted chocolate & then attach to your pop.

When you're done, you'll end up with a blurry little guy like this. OK, so he won't look blurry to you. This is my photography skills at their finest!!

And here are half our turkeys waiting to be munched!! I hope you guys enjoyed this!!

A Christian Pumpkin

It's that time of year again. All the leaves are turning color & falling. Our days are cooler, for the most part, & shorter. Halloween is right around the corner. Time for apple festivals, hay rack rides, & cider. My favorite time of year!! It's also pumpkin carving time! Today, I want to share a little prayer with you. One you can do with your children, a tradition you could start, while carving pumpkins.

I had never heard of this prayer but a friend shared it with me and I want to do the same. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Now I'm really looking forward to carving ours & roasting seeds this year!!

A Christian Pumpkin

Lord, open my mind so that I can learn new things about you. (cut the top of the pumpkin)

Remove the things in my life that don't please you. (scoop out the insides)

Forgive the wrong things I do and help me to forgive others. (can talk about taking the "junk" and making something good from it -pie, roasted seeds, whatever you do w/ the insides of your pumpkins - or do nothing with this line)

Open my eyes to see the beauty you've made in the world around me. (carve the eyes)

I'm sorry for the times I've turned my nose up at the good food you provide. (carve the nose)

Let everything I say please You. (carve the mouth)

Lord, help me show your light to others through the things I do. (light the pumpkin)

Amen

I did not write this prayer. I am only sharing it for educational purposes. Enjoy!!

Introducing the pink.....

Apple!!! Have you ever seen a pink apple? No? Well, today is your lucky day, because it just so happen that I have seen them & the proof is right here........................

You didn't think I was gonna show them to you that fast, did you? Today is "Apple Day" at RD's preschool and our snack day. Lucky for me, September's "Family Fun" issue had the cutest apple themed snack idea:

"Candy Apple Cookie Pops"

Nine pretzels sticks snipped into half to three-quarter inch pieces

Several green fruit chew candies, flattened (we used Jolly Rancher)

Eighteen round sandwich cookies (we used generic Oreos)

Brown mini M&Ms

Vanilla frosting

Red meltable candy wafers

Here are the supplies I grabbed from our local craft store.

My AWESOME hubby lending a hand separating the brown minis from the rest.

All the cookies awaiting dipping

PINK APPLES?!?! Remember the ingredient "red candy wafers"? Our craft store only had white and while I added red food coloring, pink was all I could get.

Here's our happy little apples waiting to be eaten!

Of course ours didn't turn out as neat as the magazine's. I can't seem to get hit the right temperature on the candy wafers. I either get it too hot and end up pitching OR not hot enough and end up spooning the coating on. But, I have to say they were pretty darn cute anyway. Pink and all!!!! We really hope the kids like them!

AJB2Me Smoothie #5

I owe you guys one more smoothie!!

Here's the last of the five and my least favorite. Who am I kidding? Least favorite? To tell the truth, I won't EVER have this one again. I couldn't get through it the first time, so why bother? I still want to share it with you since one of you may LOVE it. The lady in the magazine did. It was her favorite!?!?!!!!!

"Better-sleep Cherry Smoothie"

One cup tart cherry juice

Half banana

Half cup soy milk

Five ice cubes

Quarter teaspoon vanilla extract

1~2~3 BLEND!!!

According to the magazine, "this one will help you sleep more soundly---which is shown to reduce cravings and stimulate metabolism---good sleep is the missing link in weight loss."

Have you tried one of the four previous smoothies? If so, don't forget to let me know what you thought!! Happy blending!

These smoothies and some of the ideas are taken from the August 2011 "Woman's World" magazine. I do not own the rights to them. I am only re-printing the smoothies and some of the ideas for educational purposes.

AJB2Me Smoothie #4

It's time for another tasty tale----or something like that......

This smoothie is just OK, in my opinion. It's got the whole pina colada feel going on, but just falls short of a true colada's greatness. Maybe it's the fact I choose the frozen fruit route instead of the fresh option? Frozen tends to lose flavor, don't you think? Don't get me wrong, I still like it. It's just not one I'll jump up and down over, but don't take my word for it.....YOU TASTE IT!

"Get-Glowing Smoothie"

Two tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk

One cup almond milk

Half cup pineapple

Half cup mango

Half cup ice

1~2~3 BLEND!!!

According to the magazine, this smoothie "contains vitamins A, B, C, E and the enzyme bromelain to soothe internal inflammation--a hidden condition linked to weight gain." They go on to say, "it fights wrinkles, puffiness, even teenage acne!" It's like a double bonus, get rid of inflammation and gain beautiful skin. Who doesn't want that?!

That's four smoothies down, one to go! Has anyone tried one of the smoothies? If so, don't forget to leave your comments here OR on the Facebook fanpage! I'd love to hear your thoughts!!

These smoothies and some of the ideas are taken from the August 2011 "Woman's World" magazine. I do not own the rights to them. I am only re-printing the smoothies and some of the ideas for educational purposes.

AJB2Me Smoothie #2 & 3

Yes, you read that right, I'm "feeding" you two recipes today! Why? Because I can't decide which one of these I like better. For me, they both rank #2 of the 5.

First up is the "Get-Lean Green Smoothie". You can have a full serving of this tasty treat for a snack OR enjoy it as a meal. (Remember if you choose it for a meal, make sure to have one stick of string cheese AND 5 whole-grain crackers). There's nothing I don't like about this smoothie but I have found it needs to be fully blended for the flavors to come through. Don't let the name or color fool you! It's an all around perfect blend of fruits! This is a favorite of mine and I tend to have it for dinner.

"Get-Lean Green Smoothie"

Two-thirds cups ice

Three tablespoons cold water

Handful spinach leaves

One-third cup cooked kale

Three orange slices

One-third cup green grapes

Half peeled pear

Half small banana

Three-fourths teaspoon chia seeds

1~2~3 BLEND!!!

The first few times I shopped for these ingredients, my store was always out of kale, so I added extra spinach in it's place. I've yet to try it with the kale, which means I can't attest to the tastiness of the smoothie made to directions. According to the magazine, this smoothie was created by the Cleveland Clinic and is a "low-cal blend---high in filling fiber---and included in Dr. Oz's new book, as one of his favorite recipes for dieters." They also say, "Chia seeds boast omega-3s that can help restore energy levels."

Next up is the "Smartypants Smoothie". If you choose this smoothie, you can have a half serving as a snack OR a full serving as a meal. I had been on plan for almost 3 weeks before I actually got to try this smoothie. Two of the ingredients were hard to track down. One being flaxseed oil, which I found at our local health food store and the other being hemp nuts. My sister finally hunted down "hemp granola" at our local grocery store. I've yet to check it out myself. However, I did research a substitute. I found that walnuts were the closest with sunflower seeds and almonds following close behind. (I've been using walnuts in place of the hemp nuts) Again, this is one of my favorites. I usually have this or the "Fatigue-fighting protein blaster" for lunch.

"Smartypants Smoothie"

One banana

Quarter cup blueberries

Handful of hemp nuts

Half cup apple juice

One teaspoon flaxseed oil

1~2~3 BLEND!!!

According to the magazine, "antioxidants from the blueberries and the omega-3s from the hemp and flax are all proven to target ab flab!" I'M IN!!! I need to target ab flab!! And I will tell you, I can see a huge difference in my tummy area in just a few short weeks! They go on to say, "hemp supports brain health---blueberries are linked to improved memory." Guess that's how it got it's name! Any mom knows we could all use a little of these in our diet! Ha!

These smoothies and some of the ideas are taken from the August 2011 "Woman's World" magazine. I do not own the rights to them. I am only re-printing the smoothies and some of the ideas for educational purposes.



AJB2Me Smoothie #1

I'll "feed" these to you one at a time..........

Up first is my favorite of the five!! The "Fatigue-Fighting Protein Blaster". There's not one thing I don't like about this smoothie, with the exception that it has soy milk in it. AND I'm sure you remember, I'm on the fence about soy. However, after talking to a nutritionist (in a round about way), I decided it would be OK in my diet. I still won't let the girls have it. OK, that was a bunch of blah blah blah.......on with the show!!

I don't know why, but I haven't taken a picture of this one. Oh well, a smoothie looks like a smoothie, right?

"Fatigue-Fighting Protein Blaster"

Half ripe banana

Quarter cup low-fat soy milk

 Half small can crushed pineapple

 Quarter cup pineapple sorbet

 Half tablespoon protein powder

Quarter cup strawberries

1~2~3 BLEND!!!

According to the magazine, soy is protein & protein "lays down the building blocks for metabolism-boosting muscle---helps you keep going all day long---steadies blood sugar & prevents afternoon crashes."

These smoothies and some of the ideas are taken from the August 2011 "Woman's World" magazine. I do not own the rights to them. I am only re-printing the smoothies and some of the ideas for educational purposes.