Blog Archives

HEALTHY SNACKS

2/28/2013

Good old Banana Chips & Pretzels!!

HOMEMADE PIE

2/27/2013

Maverick made this one all on her own!

#1 - Bought an amazing Dutch Oven on sale at Cost Plus, look out for sales on enameled cast iron, they are so worth it. While they no longer seem to carry our exact model, you can see the idea of a Dutch Oven from Cost Plus. We normally have a pretty deep love for oatmeal and I really didn't think I could improve upon our current recipe. This pot has proven me wrong. It must be the pressure, etc. and other benefits of the Dutch Oven, it created perfectly creamy but firm oats. Our recipe is 2-1 water to oats, a bit of really good vanilla and a splash of FF milk. Bring to a boil and then shut off - let the pot work it's magic for 20 minutes and enjoy!

SF GIANTS CHICKEN SALAD

2/24/2013

Maverick came up with this one on her own - when asked what kinds of ingredients go into Chicken Salad - with the SF Giants as her guide, this is her recipe. She claims that Pandas love to eat this dish... :)

SF Giants Chicken Salad
Good Quality Canned Chicken - 2 large cans
Fat Free Sour Cream, a few scoops to taste
Mandarin Oranges - 1 Can
Orange Bell - 1 Diced
Salt & Pepper
STIR - and serve on a nice roll, we used a wheat roll from our local bakery.

WHISKEYTOWN

2/23/2013

NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

We are so lucky to live with the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area right in our backyard. M&H have the opportunity to see the park during different seasons, under different weather patterns and really appreciate the proximity. It is our goal to go and see many other parks - at the top of our list - Great Smokey Mountains, Zion and many others. Supporting National, State and other parks is a great way to instill the element of stewardship. M&H can see the reasoning.

UNDER A ROCK

2/21/2013

Looking under a rock is an old trick for instant kid entertainment. Utilized often in our household, M&H love to look under rocks to see what they find and this little guy received a whoop and then a (quick Mom, come take a picture) from the kiddos. Always willing, we indulge this activity to the fullest, because - it's so healthy, wonderful and the level of curiosity is through the roof.

Take a moment out today - to look under a rock - you never know what you might find. A greater appreciation for all levels of life is the bonus.

BRUSH ROBOT

2/20/2013

4M Industrial Development

AKA - the most amazing education/art kits we have found on the market. They are small, economical and a wonderful way to add experiential hands-on learning to your edu environment. This one here is a little robot - M&H put this one together themselves, with a bit of help. Best part - when they finished, our robot was put to work - sweeping up the wood floors in our house.

BERRY TART

2/19/2013

Berry Tart - pretty quick and simple :)

4 cups of berries - coated with a bit of vanilla and the sugar of your choosing. We used up all the frozen berries in the house.

Puff Pastry - 2 full sheets - one used as base, another to build the crust frame on top.

Bake at 350 until nice and brown. I say 350 because we have a high powered commercial Viking range, adjust temp to suit your oven.

This recipe was delicious.

FABULOUS TRAILS

2/18/2013

This trail is one of the prettiest I know, it actually sits on one of our neighbor's property. It makes a big impact on our life, having the natural elements right outside of our doorstep and then when you see some of the thoughtful property planning in our area, it truly reminds us that the outdoors are important. Many people go about their normal days, from car to car, office to office, classroom to classroom. It's daunting, exhausting and plain unhealthy. We find it critical to spend time in the outdoors, take care of the outdoors and to facilitate a home environment where there is a reverence for the natural world. Yay to fabulous trails!

MARDI GRAS

2/17/2013

Celebrate Mardi Gras with Cafe Du Monde - wonderful LA products that can be easily found at any Cost Plus World Market. Sweet donut like Beignets - YUM!

STEAMED CARAMEL MILK

2/16/2013

We rarely head to the actual coffee shop for our fancy drinks, although we love the good stuff. This year we had the pleasure of rec. a real nice espresso machine for Christmas. The kids looked at it and thought - (What cozy drinks come out of that thing for me?!) - and we gladly obliged. This one is a steamed milk with caramel Torani syrup and a drizzle of Torani's caramel sauce - yes, they make both and they are fabulous. What a rich treat for any kid. Plus, all homemade with very little processed ingredients. And really, we could add less caramel and the kids would still LOVE this - maybe some mexican vanilla next time.

LOVE EACH DAY

2/15/2013

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2/14/2013

Valentine's Day Traditions

It's always fun to carry over all those things you remember about childhood - for Daddy Bear, it was getting a Snoopy card from his grandmother (Mimi) for every holiday. We diligently try to keep this tradition alive and seek out these gems. Hallmark is a great spot to find our beloved cards, here is a direct link to everything Snoopy! The kids have heard all the wonderful stories, watch all the movies and love this simple throw-back. We hope that they keep it up with the next generation too.

PERSISTENT

2/13/2013

per·sist·ent /pərˈsistənt/Adjective

Continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
Characterized by a specified habitual behavior pattern, esp. a dishonest or undesirable one.
Synonyms - pertinacious - tenacious - persevering - dogged

Tahoe is the most persistent dog that we know!

HOMEMADE SPINACH GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

2/12/2013

Yes - homemade pizza is leaps and bounds better than anything that anyone can make in a pizza shop.

Really - we think Papa Bear has figured it out. This one here has spinach, goat cheese and a chicken sausage sprinkled all over. The real key is the fold-over crust. I watched this last time and saw the magic. Roll out the crust and spread toppings to the edge, then roll a nice 2 inch lip over all edges, then smother in cheese. The result is a crispy (cooked on parchment paper) pie, that has cheese and toppings stuffed in the crust. Amazing!

POPCORN LOVE

2/11/2013

Popcorn - Campout Style

In an effort to keep little hands busy, we picked up one of these oldies but goodies, from the grocery store. Using our stove at home, we had one good time popping this popcorn. Next, we move on to the real deal, an air popper. As the popcorn consumption grew in our house (M&H just love it) we had to consider healthier options to the microwave bag. While I loved this activity, the stove top version isn't much healthier. On to new air popped adventures soon!!

VALENTINE'S DAY OREOS

2/10/2013

Simple Valentine's Treats
Oreo Cookies
White Chocolate
Food Coloring
Sprinkles

Very impressive - for very little effort. Finish these and take them out on a hike, for a super special treat.

Directions - melt chocolate, add red food coloring to make it a pretty pink. Add a spoonful of chocolate to each cookie, decorate with sprinkles & enjoy.

FRESH VEG

2/9/2013

Children - you must eat your veggies!

This a common theme in our home - make it a point to have fresh veg in many varieties for M&H to choose from. We even completed an inventory as part of a project - CA Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom - an amazing resource that is printed annually. You can get your own copy of this wonderful resource or just print a free .pdf. The inventory highlighted specific colored veg that M&H eat enough of and those that they need to increase in amount. What a great clear picture - get in a rainbow's worth of fruits and vegetables.

MAKE IT - PENNANT BANNER

2/8/2013

POTATO CLOCK

2/7/2013

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MORE FUN FOOTBALL FOOD

2/6/2013

Simple sugar cookies can be so good, warm and toasty - right out of the oven. Even better was to have them right out of the oven during game day.

We thought a little mid-game cookie baking effort would give the 49ers some needed energy and shorten the power outage. They were so good we didn't mind that it didn't help our team and didn't shorten the power break.

The cookie cutters were adorable.

MARCH MADNESS COUNTDOWN

2/5/2013

FOOTBALL CHILI & 49er PUNCH

2/4/2013

We love our local teams, in this case - our local team did not win. This was a good lesson for the kids, esp. after the Giants won the world series. You can't win them all.

We spent the day celebrating with food - Football Chili, meat only per Daddy Bear and 49er punch for the kiddies. On top of that - tater tots, hot wings, honey wings, and so much more.

It was a great time - despite the loss!!

GROUNDHOG DAY KARATE TOURNAMENT

2/3/2013

Groundhog Day! We celebrated early - before an awesome Karate Tournament.

"Groundhog Day 2013: No shadow for Punxsutawney Phil, so spring is around the corner." read all about it!

The Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club view of the Groundhog Day 2013 prognostication of Punxsutawney Phil - a great insiders view of the whole thing!

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