Saving money on fruit !!

Well we all know that fruit is so important to us, and to our children ... well how do we buy fresh and beautiful fruit for our children, and ourselves, (and our daycares) and get the most for our money ??

Well I don't have all the answers ..... but I do have a few good tips !

#1) Buy local when things are in season. No brainer right ?? Well I am always amazed to see children munching on apples that have been shipped to Canada in the fall !! Seriously it happens. Why eat something that was ripened on a truck back, when you can but local fresh picked apples right in our own back yards ?

Did you know that because apples (and other things) cold store so well I have seen Ontario apples for sale in stores in the middle of the winter !!

So try to stock up on local produce, and make that the focus of your children's snacks. I bake apple, or carrot, or pumpkin goodies in the fall ... all local and organic :)

In the spring rhubarb muffins it is .... and on and on.

** and it is no secret how I feel about picking your own. Children respect food so much more if they understand it comes from the earth, and from the farmer's hard work ... not just the store ... lol !!

Tip #2) Buy stuff that you can freeze when it is on sale ! I will use for example ... grapes.

Grapes are either really cheap ... or like 8$ a bag !! So when they are on sale I but a BUNCH and clean up some to go in a bowl to munch on as is ... and the rest I cut in half and freeze on cookie sheets and put in Zip lock bags (or vacuum sealer bags if you have a sealer).

Grapes are like candy when frozen .... and are wonderful in smoothies ;)

And last tip) When you bring strawberries home .... take them out of the container and hull them right away. Kids waste SO much if you let them eat around the greens ..... then save the green part for a smoothie !! NOTHING WSTED. Just freeze on a cookie sheet and put in a bag to throw in your next smoothie !!!

Well those were the major tips I had been wanting to share ... if you have any for me lemme know in the comments box !!

Happy munching ;)

B.

Yummy breakfast smoothie (for grown ups ;)

I know grapefruit is one of the best fruits to eat for beauty. Clear skin, cellulite reduction, shot of vitamin C ... well you get the picture. I love to eat them for breakfast .... but I am trying to have a smoothie every day for breakfast instead of cut up fruit.

It is easier for your body to absorb the nutrients from blended fruit. Also I find if I make a large smoothie I will sip it through the morning and it is satisfying right till lunch time !!

Ingredients are :

2 large grapefruit (any kind will do .... but I like pink )

2 oranges

1 cup frozen grapes (these little gems add some pretty colour and sweetness without using any sugar !)

and water to get your machine going.

So .... blend ... pour .... and enjoy !!

Now you could add a little Romaine or spinach to this, and the flavours would remain the same (pretty much) but I really like the look of a breakfast smoothie without it. Lunch + spinach for me. But I am having smoothies 2x per day. If this would be your only smoothie of the day I would throw in a handful of your favourite greens for sure !!

Let me know if you try this yummy wake you up smoothie !!

Happy blending !!

B.

mosaic leaf craft

I cut out allot of construction paper crafts and I hate to throw anything away ..... so I take the scraps and turn then into a beautiful craft opportunity for the little ones.

This is a craft that any age can complete and is fun for everyone.

As you have scraps of construction paper cut them into little squares ( they don't have to be equal in size !! ) Then you can store them in a zip lock or bowl till you have enough.

Cut out a shape from paper (in this case it was leaves, but we have done pumpkins this week as well !) and either give your little one a bowl with some glue, and a paintbrush, or you can just squirt a little glue over the shape ..... then all you do is give your little artist some of your "confetti" and have them place the paper on to the leaf however they like !!

Everyone had fun doing this one.

I hope you remember this one and try it at home. Creating from stuff you were going to throw away is fun, and a good lesson for our little ones.

** this is great to do with any animal or holiday shape ie. a peacocks tail, or a turkey tail, a heart for a b-day card or valentines craft, it is fun to do to paper towel rolls too to make magical spotting scopes !! and of course the list goes on and on........

Happy creating :)

BEAUTIFUL BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

BEAUTIFUL butternut squash soup
I don't have a pic for this one and it is a shame ... it was so bright and beautiful !! My batteries on my camera were dead and the soup has been consumed and so ... no pic. But take my word for it it is lovely !!
ING :1 small butternut squash peeled and seeded and cubed.
2 small sweet potatoes peeled and cubed as well
2 medium carrots not peeled and cut into rounds
1 celery stalk sliced
1 medium red pepper cubed
4 medium yellow flesh potatoes
2 medium white onions chopped
4 cloves of garlic sliced
Enough stock to cover veggies an inch over the top
2 tbls of chopped fresh ginger
olive oil
1 tsp turmeric

Easy to make .... easy to eat !!
Saute the onions in some olive oil till soft (about 2-3 mins)
.... add the garlic and continue to cook till the garlic is fragrant :)
Add the ginger and mix for about 1 min.
Add the veggies and mix em up, cook for about 5 mins
Cover with stock and add the turmeric .....
boil gently till the potatoes and carrots are soft BUT DON"T BOIL IT AWAY TO MUSH !! Just till soft. It should take no longer then 15 mins.
Blend till very smooth with a hand blender .... and I mean smooth ( about 5 mins )
Seriously beautiful bright yummy healthy soup :)
Happy eating !!

Water Day Activities !

Sponge Tag :

Using soaking wet sponges play tag with one person being "it" and tagging someone by throwing sponges instead of touching one another.

You can play a freeze tag version having a friend unfreeze you.

Or TV tag where you are frozen for 5 seconds then you have to shout out the name of a TV show.

For the last 2 varieties you would assign a 5 minute "it" time and it would then be someone else's turn.

Bouncing Balloons :

Using a few water balloons and either a sheet or a parachute if you have one bounce the balloons up in the air by shaking the sheet in the air and see how long you can keep the balloons bouncing !

Hula Hoop Sponge Toss Game :

Place one or two hula hoops on the grass and take turns trying to throw wet sponges into the hula hoops !!

Rainbow ice cubes :

Make rainbow ice cubes with food coloring and ice cube trays.

I am planning to put water in the water table and dump lots of rainbow ice cubes in to it and let the kids play with them. You can however have a race to see who can melt the ice cube the fastest in their hands !! COLD STUFF !

Bubble Bath Pool :

Before filling up tour kiddie pool put a big squirt of bubble bath in it and let the kids have a bubble bath pool party ! You can do this with the water table as well :)

Have fun getting wet !

Grown up green smoothie

I am on a BIG green smoothie kick these days !! And this morning I tried one that was just for me ;) I didn't use banana or berries like I usually do to entice the kiddies ... I just made a mild pleasant GREEN smoothie !!


1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
3/4 cup chopped romaine lettuce
3/4 cup chopped kale
1/2 avocado
1/4 lemon (no rind but all the white part ... FIBER !!)
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup organic OJ
1 whole granny smith apple ( I left the peels on but unless you have a Vita Mix blender they are a bit grainy at the end .... I don't mind ... but you may ??)
fresh water to make the smoothie the consistency you like and some ice for coolness.


So just place all your chopped greens and the juice in the blender and blend till smooth.
Add the lemon, apple, avocado and keep on blending till really smooth ... at this point add your H2O and ice and enjoy.

I like to have my green smoothies in a wine goblet for enjoyment purposes. The intent of feeding yourself wonderful green foods is enhanced if you make it a beautiful self indulging ritual ;0)

I hope you bite the bullet and try one of these great green smoothie recipes !!
I will keep putting up the ones I love for you to try too ... please leave feedback if you try one or two of them !!
We all know that there is no way of eating enough green in a day to get what you need from the earth .... especially on pizza day (wink wink) but if you have a green smoothie for breakfast ... or for the 3 pm crash you will get what you need , with very little effort or calories !!
Make a big one in the morning .... have some for or with your breakfast ... and put the rest in a glass or plastic bottle for the afternoon ... by dinner you have had an entire blender full of green goodness !!
You don't need to have a green smoothie instead of your regular food .... you can add it to your regular diet and still get all the wonderful benefits.
(Of course green food through the day will cut cravings and make you less hungry ... but you don't need to focus on that ... just let the green do it's work )

Happy blending !!
B.

GREEN SMOOTHIE !!

PHOTO TO FOLLOW ... WE ATE IT UP TOO FAST TO TAKE ANY PICS !!

The basic recipe is this ...

1 1/2 cups of liquid ( coconut milk, kefir, almond milk, POM juice, organic OJ or pineapple juice etc .... any liquid you choose ) I like to do 1/2 juice and 1/2 either kefir or coconut milk.

3 oz (weight not fluid) of green stuff ... chopped spinach & kale are the easiest to get kids to eat but you can use any greens ... romaine, mache, swiss chard, dandelion etc .... anything green !!)

Blend the liquid and the green stuff first ...

Then : fruit .... about 1 cup of fruit .... whatever you like !!
Strawberries , bananas, avocado is delicious in a smoothie (YUMMY) , blueberries, mango , pears, on and on and on !!

Freezing the fruit makes a ice cream kind of feel ... or room temp is fine too.

BOOSTERS :
Ground flax
protein powder (grass fed organic whey is the best ... but any kind is fine )
coconut oil
hemp seeds
ground almond powder
wheat grass shot
on and on and on !!

What we had today...
1 can coconut milk
1/2 avocado
1 banana
1/2 cup POM juice
1/2 cup organic OJ
1 cup blueberries
1 cup chopped Kale
2 tbs ground flax

Every child ate and loved the smoothie .... full of super foods !!

Happy snacking !
B.

Lentil Stew

What you need....

a few tbsp olive oil or unflavoured coconut oil

1 large onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped finely

1 cup of mushrooms ( I prefer 1/2 cup dried mushrooms for some variety but button is fine too !)

2 carrots chopped small

2 cups of chopped kale

2 cups of nice young green cabbage chopped (cored of course)

1 large can of diced tomatoes or (my preference) 4 tbsp of tomato paste

1 tsp of dried sage or 8 - 10 fresh leaves chopped very small

a bay leaf

veggie stock ( about 5 or 6 cups)

lentils ... I use canned for convenience (2 cans of them) sake but if you want to use fresh use about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of small lentils ( like green or french) and cook separately and drain off excess water.

chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish ( both are great!)

This stew is easy to make and is so amazing for you and your family !!

heat oil in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots, and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 mins string to prevent the garlic from burning.

Add the cabbage and kale and cook another 5 mins or so.

Add tomatoes or the paste and the sage and the stock with the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 mins till the veggies are tender.

let the veggies cool down and remove the bay leaf. Blend up your veggie mixture however you like !! Hand blender is my fave but you can use a blender or the food processor ( if using the food processor only put in the veggies ...not the liquid. Then add a tiny bit of liquid to get the mix going. then add the liquids back in the pot) blend in batches if necessary.

Then add the cooked lentils to the stew ( minus the lentils cooking or canning liquid !!) and heat through ..... ENJOY !!

The kids LOVED it and so did Noah, Rebekkah, and I

Happy eating !!

Idea : snack / activity !

Fishing for Goldfish

I got this one from my sister in law ... it is a good one !!

Put some Goldfish crackers on a plate (fish in the pond)

Put some P.B. in a little bowl (bait aka worms)

Put a few pretzel sticks beside the plate (fishing poles)

So take a rod (pretzel) dip it in the bait (PB) and go fishing for Goldfish !!

Snack is now an activity !!

happy snacking ...

B

Recipe: Fresh Salsa

I love fresh salsa !! I particularly love my fresh salsa ... so today I will share my not so secret recipe with you. I make a bunch when I do. I am feeding 5 family members and 5 daycare children so I like to make 2 meals worth each time. You can cut the recipe in half if you like. I find that it is yummy the next day, but after that not so much.

What you need:

4 tomatoes finely chopped (I used 2 red, and 2 yellow tomatoes for this batch but I use all kinds of tomatoes ... whatever looks beautiful)

1 cup finely chopped cilantro

1 cup finely chopped parsley

1 large avocado cut into small pieces

juice of 2 limes

finely chopped onion, about 2 -3 tablespoons (now again you can use the onions of your choice. Today I used long green, but I also use red onions, or vidalia as well depending on what you are in the mood for.)

2 cloves of garlic (cloves... not heads !! Don't laugh someone did that once with one of recipes and told me it was yucky !! lol)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 can of well rinsed black beans (you may be a good person who does their own beans, but I have never had luck with them . )

salt to taste

if kiddies are not eating this you may want to add jalapenos to the mix **yummy**

So ..... mix well and serve.

I eat this with multi grain chips, or use it for my nacho salsa, or in tacos or fajitas (this way you don't need onions or tomatoes... the salsa has both !) It is great over chicken or steak as well.

Let me know if you try this salsa and what you think of it. The children loved it !! ( well not Becca and Justin... but the rest of them. lol)

Happy eating ....

B.

A while ago I posted a blog about home made bathroom or kitchen wipes and I promised to give my baby wipe recipe too ..... well here it is !!

A wipe box

enough cloths to fill it (about 20 )

2 tablespoons of Dr Bronner's baby soap

2 tablespoons of oil ( I like sunflower, grape seed, or for added softness olive)

2 cups of water (tap water is fine)

That's all folks. So just mix up the wet stuff and pour over the wipes. These wipes are AMAZING !!!! they are soapy (not too soapy though) so they really clean the bum or face or hands, and they have oil in them so they really slip off the sticky stuff, and protect the skin too. The best (well at least the cheapest) cloths are 4 for a dollar, at Dollarama. They are thin and grabby !!

I buy my soap at American Apparel. It is 1/2 the price there. For the 36 oz bottle it is only $14.95 !! Everywhere else it is $26 + !!

Wipes are expensive, hand made wipes are easy to make, better for baby & cheaper. What's not to love? All my babes are cloth diapered so it is even easier to put the colth in the diaper and wash everything. Picking poopy wipes out of a dirty diaper is no fun !!

I keep a wet bag by my diaper station and just put them in as I use them.

I hope you try some hand made cloth wipes to go with your CD's !!

Happy diapering :)

B.

Recipe : Lebanese inspired rice salad.

I LOVE the fried Lebanese rice that you would get as a side to your meal ... but it really is not that great for you. So I invented a salad that is both healthy, and I feel just as good (if not better)

You will need :

2 cups of uncooked brown rice

3 cups of water

A bit of olive oil, and pinch of salt for the rice

1 can of lentils (rinsed in hot to remove any yucky stuff ! I don't like hand soaked lentils. )

1 small red pepper chopped

4 green onions chopped thinly

1/2 bunch of parsley (about 1 cup)

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

2 or 3 cloves of garlic crushed

salt and pepper (to taste)

1 tbs Bragg's (organic apple cider)

I cook my rice in a roasting pan in my oven @ 400 F for about 35 - 40 minutes. 2 cups rice to 3 cups water, 1 tbs olive oil, and a pinch of salt ... it is perfect every time !! I look at the rice after 30 mins and keep checking for full absorption every 10 mins or so.

If you have a rice cooker that you like, and it cooks your brown rice nicely ... by all means use it. Just start with 2 cups uncooked, and try not to add too much water. The idea is that the rice should be firm not mushy !! I find rice directions always call for too much water.

I read a nice tip once that called for browning your rice in a tbs of oil in a frying pan before cooking it, for a nutty flavour. I have done it and like it ... but rarely take the time for this extra step as I seem to be the only brown rice connoisseur in my home.

While your rice is cooking (however you like it done) place all the other stuff (minus the dressing) in a large bowl and set aside.

Prepare the dressing in this manner:

Crush the garlic and put in a bowl or cup (whatever)

add a pinch of salt to the garlic and crush them together to form a paste (this is actually important. Not sure why ... but it is just better.)

Add the oil and lemon and stir it up.

You will probably need more dressing after mixing it all up ... I always do. I just add a bit more olive oil, and perhaps lemon (to taste) after it is done and I am sampling it.

So let you rice cool for about 15 mins and mix it all up.

Try it for personal taste (as I said) and enjoy.

I make this as just a salad to bring to a BBQ or as part of our home Lebanese dinner night. I make a cinnamon chicken that this is great with .... and my hummus is not bad either .... future things to come !!

Let me know if you make this gorgeous, healthy salad ... and what you think of it !

Happy eating ;)

B

Craft Idea : Sunflower Paper Plate.

Easy to do and fun !!

I have several books on Sunflowers, and gardens in general but the one we read before doing this craft is "Sunflower House" written by Eve Bunting and Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt.

We read the book, and moved to the dining / craft area for snack and activity.

We had sunflower bread, with home made sunflower butter, and apple slices ...... then craft time.

What you need :

Small paper plates (not plastic)

Pre cut petals for smaller children and / or orange and yellow construction paper cut into rectangles ( 4 inches by 2 inches)

Glue

Sunflower seeds

So just have your little one cut out petal shapes with the paper ( if able to, or else give them a selection of the ones you cut out for them ) and have them glue them all around the edge of the plate. Next fill the middle with glue, and use a paint brush to spread it around. The layer of glue should be substantial, as the seeds you will be adding are heavy.

Then simply sprinkle the seeds in a thick layer onto the plate. Give them a gentle shake and allow to dry.

The same idea can be used to make "magical flowers" as well ... just have rainbow petals instead of the yellow and orange and fill the centers with sparkles not seeds ! I would start with a book on fairies first ;)

They are quite cute all finished !

Cleaning tip : bathroom wipes

SO, I like to quickly wipe down my bathroom at the end of the night. I also do the one the kids potty with at nap time too .... a great idea to help you do this task quickly is to have home made wipes to do that with.
I know there is an invention called "Clorox wipes", but I don't like to throw stuff in the garbage (as you know !)
So what you do is this ... get a old baby wipe box and about 10 cloths. Fold the cloths in half and place them in the box. Make a solution of your cleaning product of choice, with water (follow directions for dilution) and pour over the cloths. You have a weeks worth of cleaning cloths , already wet and soapy and ready to go.
Now giving your bathroom a moment of your time really only takes a moment of your time.

I use the same principal for my home mead baby wipes as well ... I will share the recipe with you tomorrow !!

Happy cleaning :0)

Blair.

Food activity Idea: Healthy hot dog day.

Ok so this one is not genius or anything ... but the kids LOVED IT !!

Easy to do and actually good for you ...

We had ...

Veggie dogs

Whole wheat buns

Grated cheddar cheese

Rice crackers (Crispy Minis)

Veggies and dip

A bowl of strawberries

We put everything out on the table and had all the kids dress their own "hot dogs" ... we even put then in hot dog stand papers for effect. The kids were so excited to have hot dogs ... Justin almost had a heart attack !!

So a healthy twist on a fun lunch idea !!

Happy snacking !!

B

Craft Idea : Tin Can telephones

So I am sure you have all done this as little people ... but sometimes we forget all the cool, free, grass roots activities that we found so charming as children. All the newest toys and activities for our little ones these days are kind of thought out for them, and sometimes are a great diversion ... but it is great to just give kids some regular household items and watch the games begin.

The newest idea at my house is to play with the recycling. So we took a green bin and filled it up with clean safe recyclables, and watched my gang turn them into building blocks, a game of store, or just the joy of putting them into paper bags, and dumping them out again. I think that we all played with yogurt containers with lids, or cardboard boxes in our kindergarten classrooms. So bringing back a classic !!

We had another recycling activity that is great for older children (3+) we made tin can telephones. Just be sure that your can opener opens the cans in such a way that the edge is not sharp. Some openers are not good for this game !!

You need : 2 empty cans (clean of course), 20 - 25 ft of string ... that's all. We decorated ours with stickers, but that is optional.

Just make a hole in the top of a can, put the long string through, and tie a knot in it that is large enough to not slip back through, and do the same with the other one. Have one child hold one can, and child #2 will walk around the corning till the string is taught. Then let the adorable conversations begin. It is great for children at this age to learn some telephone skills and dialogue between 2 children that cannot see one another can be quite funny !!

There are other fun, free activities that I will share with you all soon .....

Thanks again to everyone who is following my blog. It is more fun to do when you know people are reading it !!

Happy playing !!

B

Recipe : Frozen yogurt banana splits

I love to make kids faces light up !! And they are so excited by this one. I make a banana split with low fat, pro biotic, frozen yogurt.

I don't really have to explain the instructions (the pic says it all ...) but I will offer some topping ideas.

Bananas (of course)

berries

peaches

nuts

chocolate chips

jam

sprinkles

maple syrup

and of course the list goes on and on.

You can also put the yogurt in the bowl ( I have tiny retro ice cream sundae dishes for added appeal ... very cute.) and give the kids a buffet of goodies to dress their treat with. Also very fun ... but messier, and of course time consuming ( but the kids LOVE it !!) Today for lunch the kids made "Make Your Own Pita Pizzas" so we had a food activity already ... I just made them these adorable strawberry banana frozen yogurt splits while they enthusiastically ate their lunches. Happy healthy kids .... eating a balanced healthy FUN lunch !!

Let me know what you think .... or what you little one thinks if you make one in the future.

Happy snacking !!

Recipe : Veggie Spaghetti sauce.

I know everyone can whip up a spaghetti sauce and that this is nothing new or exciting ... but I am quite partial to my spaghetti sauce and I thought I'd share my personal recipe with you today.

The great thing about spaghetti sauce is you can sneak so many wonderfully healthy things into the sauce .... and picky eaters never know how many veggies you snuck in !! The way I get the kids to eat all the different veggies in my sauce is to blend it at the end using a hand blender. ( The photo I added was taken before I blended it .... see how chunky my veggie are ? Time saver to just quickly cut them and throw them in the pot. ) This way they don't have a mound of uneaten green peppers, and mushrooms on the edge of the plate after dinner. I will give you a basic version of my sauce and then a small list of things you can throw in if you like.

The secret to my sauce is that I put in about 3/4 of a cup of toasted or sauteed pine nuts, and a good cup of red wine, and I add parm right to the sauce . So here it is ......

3/4 cup pine nuts ( pan cooked with a bit of olive oil till nice and brown, these will continue to cook in the pan after you take them off the burner , and pine nuts go from golden to burned quickly ... so don't take your eyes off them !!)

1 - 2 onions (white cooking, or whatever you like ) chopped

4 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 small zucchini chopped

1 green pepper, and 1 red pepper both chopped ( of course)

1 cup of sliced mushrooms ( Army is our official mushroom chopper, this is a great job for your little one to do because they can chop them with a butter knife and keep busy while you do the rest ! )

2 cans of plain tomato sauce

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 cup red wine ( preferably one that is robust so it will hold it's own against the garlic)

3/4 cup freshly grated parm cheese (optional)

1/2 cup fresh basil or 2 tbls dried

1 tbls dried oregano

1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)

So I saute the onions and garlic with some olive oil for a few minutes (till they are soft and fragrant ... but don't burn the garlic)

then add the other veggies and stir them up for another 5 minutes or so, add the pine nuts and cover with the red wine.... stir and enjoy the smell !!

It is a good idea at this point to have a glass of the wine you have selected for your spaghetti sauce yourself ... to enhance the cooking experience.

Add all the tomato stuff and mix it all up, add all your herbs and salt .... let simmer for a bout 1/2 hour and remove from heat, stir in your cheese now if you like ( it is really yummy with the cheese mixed right in) ... allow to cool and blend well with a Braun hand blender ....

enjoy !!

I prefer fresh pasta ... but whatever you like is great of course .... serve with garlic bread, olives, green salad, marinated mushroom, etc.

When I make this for dinner I do spaghetti or linguine , but when I do it for the kids I use macaroni or fusilli nice small noodles for then to enjoy. I grate cheese to for them to dress their bowls with (we call it snow cheese), and we make garlic toast. :) My family loves it ... and the kids do too ! Anything that gets the kids asking for more veggies is great by me !!

Now if you like you can add things to your sauce like :

Hemp seeds

flax meal

nutritional yeast

or egg plant

for added nutrition (sneaky !!)

So try my sauce next spaghetti night and let me know what you think !!

Enjoy !!

mixed media stamping art

So today we had pizza and a veggie plate for lunch .... nothing that we need to discuss in any great length (Fun Food Friday !!) We popped popcorn and watched a little Stuart Little as well ... after a busy crafting morning, and some circle time / story time of course !!! But I wanted to share a cute craft idea today. It is something that you have all done (I am sure) but I thought of some creative ways to execute it today and I thought you would like in on it ....

We painted pictures with various items like string, straws, potatoes, a halved apple, the stump of a romaine heart, leaves, crumpled paper towel, broccoli, and my fave ... blown roses ( on their way out from Valentines day)

So we picked 2 colours (I find 2 is a good number, prevents everything from becoming brown from mixing them all up ) and I put the items on an old cookie tray (it is going to get all painted so an old one is best) and I let them try all the different items. We discussed different ways to use each of the items and what effect each way had. We dipped lightly, or saturated an item. Some things we touched to the paper lightly, and some we rolled. the possibilities are endless and you can really get creative trying new techniques.

This craft is cheap, easy, and if you sit and enjoy the moment quite educational and FUN :)

I am putting up some pics of the art done with a rose only. Some of the mixed ones got a bit crazy .... I think they look just lovely !! What do you think ??

TTFN !!

B.

OK so I have been threatening to do this for a LOOOONG time now. I want to take the time each week or so to sit and reflect on the week, or share a great activity, or recipe .... a way for the parents of my daycare to see what is going on and share it with family and friends.

I thought it would mostly be recipes that were a big hit here, or a activity sharing thing ... but taking the time to share a funny story or moment may happen too :)

So let's share a little !!

Today I will share a recipe that I found and loved and was a BIG hit with the kids ... especially my baby boys. "Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Soup" yummy ?? I think so !!

4 tbls (or so ) Olive oil

a sprinkle of sea salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 red peppers cut into cubes

2 onions chopped chunky

4 cloves of garlic

1 large or 2 small potatoes chopped into 1 inch cubes

36 oz veggie stock

black pepper to taste

So put the peppers, onions, potatoes and garlic in a big roasting pan and roast them on 400 for as long as you like. I like mine to be nice and dark so about an hour or so.

Dump out the veggies into a big pot, add the stock, and bring to a boil.

remove from heat and blend with a hand blender for a few mins till very smooth. Add the cream, stir and you are done.

This is great with a chipotle type hot sauce and some sharp grated cheddar on top ... but is just wonderful and flavorful all on it's own.

The boys all had 2 bowls each !! Yummy :) Not with hot sauce of course !!

The red peppers were on sale this week, and I found bags of 4 quite lovely peppers for

2$ at Loblaws on the weekend .... this find inspired my soup. It reheated very well as well ( as most soup does)

I couldn't say for sure that you should freeze the soup as cream will have a tendency to look yucky after freezing ... but perhaps making a big batch and freezing the blended portion before adding the cream would be best ? Then you can just defrost the soup ... bring to "hot" and add some cream to it (super quick dinner ) break some crusty bread and you are all set.

Also a calorie saving idea ( if you are into that kind of thing ) you could add a bit of milk instead of cream .... or omit the dairy all together for a vegan choice. The potato alone would carry the soup for sure.

So let me know if you try it ... and what you think :) Happy souping !!