T.P. Roll reindeer

A simple craft, perfect for toddlers! It took a little bit to convince my son to let me trace his hand (He turned 2 a couple months ago) but he eventually came around and let me trace ONE hand. And it looks like he is making the sign Spock makes on Star Trek lol but I just used that to make both antlers.

 For this craft you need:

Scissors

Glue or glue stick

Brown construction paper

Toilet paper roll

Red Pom Pom ball 

Black marker to color the eyes

White construction paper for eyes

Pencil 

Trace your kiddo's hands. If they are difficult you can just do what I did and get one hand and then use that one for both. 

Draw ovals for the eyes and cut out, draw the pupil in black how ever you want, silly Googly eyes or add color if you'd like, it's all up to you :)

Last, glue on the eyes, Pom and hands. Easy! 

Turkey & Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

These are seriously SO good! I have just recently gotten more brave with the veggies I am willing to eat and I've learned something... Bell peppers are delicious!

Here is what you need for this delicious dinner:

4 bell peppers of your color choice

1 cup of brown rice or quinoa, cooked just shy of done

1/2 cup black beans (canned) rinsed and drained

1/2 cup corn

1 lb ground turkey, seasoned with Ms Dash Southwest seasoning

1 cup petite diced tomatoes

1 cup tomato sauce (add more if you like it more saucy)

1/4 cup of your fave cheese

And here's what you gotta do:

1. Cook brown rice or quinoa according to directions

2. While rice/quinoa is cooking, brown ground meat and season

3. Drain and rinse black beans

4. Portion out diced tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce and cheese

5. Combine in large bowl- meat, tomatoes, corn, rice or quinoa, beans and sauce

6. Cut off caps of peppers and pull out ribs and core. Rinse excess seeds out

7. Stuff peppers with filling

8. Sprinkle with cheese

9. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Cheese should be melted and filling should be heated all the way through

10. Dig in! This recipe serves 4. 

I love these even more for leftovers! Enjoy!

Linking party at:  http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2015/03/260th-inspire-me-tuesday.html

Cinnamon roll waffle

This was extremely easy to make and the kids loved it! All you need is a tube of the cinnamon rolls that you bake yourself, I used Grands Cinnabon. 

Just heat up your waffle maker, place roll in the middle and press down and allow to cook. I heated up the frosting while it was cooking that way it was warm and ready to pour over the waffle :)

These don't fill up the entire waffle maker, they are on the small side but I still found it to be pretty filling!

Spinach Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

I just had this for dinner tonight and YUM!! I will definitely be making this again (and again and again...)

Here's what you need:

4 large Portabella mushrooms, stem removed

1 pkg cream cheese

1 tbsp garlic

4 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cup frozen spinach

1 tbsp Olive oil

Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Brush mushrooms with oil and sprinkle with salt on both sides. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

While that's cookin, mix up your spinach, cream cheese, parm cheese and garlic!

Remove mushrooms from oven and allow to cool for 2imutes.

Fill each mushroom with the mixture and sprinkle top with some mozzarella cheese if you want :)

Return mushrooms to oven to bake for 10 more minutes until it is heated through.

Enjoy!!

Creamy Avocado Pasta... YUM!!!

This sauce is SO good!  I. Love. it.

I do not suggest eating this with spaghetti squash though, the sweetness of the squash and the flavor of the sauce just did not go together well, I didn't like it.  But with just regular spaghetti, DELISH!!

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted
• 1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish
• 1-3 garlic cloves, to taste (I used 3 and it was super garlicky, but if you are not a big fan of garlic use 1 clove)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• ~1/4 cup Fresh Basil, (probably optional)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta (I used 3oz of spelt and 3 oz of Kamut spaghetti)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

Please note: This dish does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce. Please serve immediately.

Read more from this wonderful site where I found this recipe: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/31/15-minute-creamy-avocado-pasta/#ixzz2vscgSpmL

 Nom Nom Nom

 So good!

Even the kids liked it!!

Winger's Sticky Fingers Copycat Recipe

After moving away, we are nowhere near a Winger's so when I found this recipe I was really excited!  My husband and I love sticky fingers!  

This picture was borrowed from Sixsistersstuff.com, where I also found this delicious recipe! 

This recipe was easy to make, makes for a great week night dinner!  It is a little spicy though, so you may want to leave a few chicken strips un-sauced if the little ones can't handle the heat!  One thing is the chicken is not as crunchy as they are at Winger's.  Every time I've tried it I just can't master the perfect crunch.  But I'm working on that!

Winger's Sticky Fingers Recipe:

1 pkg. frozen breaded chicken strips (We use Tyson brand)

6 Tbl. Frank's Hot Sauce (It has to be Franks Hot Sauce, no other sauce will taste as good)

4 Tbl. water

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

Chicken:

 Prepare the chicken strips as directed on the back of the package.

Sauce:
Heat hot sauce, water and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, until sugar is dissolved.

Pour sauce over chicken, and enjoy!  Serve with ranch dressing for dipping.

Serves 2-3 people.

I found this recipe & many other delicious recipes on the link provided.  Check them out, their blog is amazing!
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/12/wingers-sticky-fingers-copycat-recipe.html

Crock Pot Spinach & Tortellini

This meal is delicious, doesn't require a laundry list of ingredients and doesn't take long to prepare.  Did I mention it's delicious?

All you need is:

1 package 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1 package Buitoni three cheese tortellini

1 bag frozen chopped spinach

1 can vegetable broth

1 can roasted garlic tomatoes

Combine in crock pot.

Cook on high for 3 hours, or low for 4-5

And that's it!  My kids even like this & my husband loves it!

And the calorie count is 487 calories for 1 cup

Chocolatey Pretzel Treats

These are so easy to make!  My kids had fun helping with them and we all loved them, they make a great snack!  We did these over Christmas so we used the Christmas color M&Ms but you can use the regular kind or whatever holiday colors are out at the moment!

All you need is:
1 Bag of small pretzels
1 bag M&Ms (I used peanut ones, I accidentally grabbed those instead of plain but they worked great)
1 bag hershey kisses, or hugs (I also tried the cookies & cream kind and they didn't work out as well as the plain chocolate)

Heat the oven to 170 degrees.  Place pretzels in a single layer and place kisses on top of each pretzel.  Bake 4-6 minutes until the chocolate feels soft.  Do not over do it though, you don't want a chocolate puddle!  Press M&Ms into the center of each treat.  Allow to cool and then place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to set.