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Showing posts with label friday 4part. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friday 4part. Show all posts
Friday, May 24, 2013
Friday 4-Part: Quick Lunch Idea #4
A healthy lunch can be super quick if you have your fridge stocked with a few fresh items. I used an Ezekiel wrap with some fresh organic baby greens, sliced tomatoes, cilantro and a half a package of Sea Fare Pacific sustainably caught albacore tuna in the jalapeno flavor.
Be sure to check out the giveaway I posted yesterday to win 2 pouches of Sea Fare Tuna in the jalepeno and sea salt flavors.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Friday 4-part: Quick Lunch Idea #2
Do you remember my post about Re-purposing an Indoor Grill as a Panini Press, well, then you may have already thought about making this as a quick lunch. There is just something special or fancy about having a panini sandwich, but they are so simple and so quick.
I try to keep a variety of fresh fruits and veggies in the house so that I can have healthy side items to add that need minimal (if any) preparation.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Friday 4-Part: Quick Lunch Ideas #1
Make your own personal pizzas using English Muffins as the base. These are also great for allowing kids to make their own pizza without having to make pizza dough.
I just used leftover organic veggie pizza sauce as the sauce layer (you could buy pizza sauce, but why not use-up something when you can) and top with you favorite toppings. I used mushrooms, onions and cheese.
You could make this a clean eating recipe by using whole wheat (or homemade clean eating) English Muffins.
Make this a lighter version by using Lite English Muffins.
I just used leftover organic veggie pizza sauce as the sauce layer (you could buy pizza sauce, but why not use-up something when you can) and top with you favorite toppings. I used mushrooms, onions and cheese.
You could make this a clean eating recipe by using whole wheat (or homemade clean eating) English Muffins.
Make this a lighter version by using Lite English Muffins.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Re-Purposed Item #4 - Fairy Doors from Recycled Clay
Ok, so maybe it's not so much as a Re-Purposed Item as it is Recycled - recycled clay that is. What exactly is recycled clay? Well, at the Owatonna Art Center they take all the old clay scraps that are leftover or from failed projects and they re-use this clay for their kids classes. My daughter and I recently took a class at the Art Center where we made a fairy house together, each made our own fairy door, and she made a toad house.
This is the fairy door that my daughter made. She did this pretty much all on her own. She did have a knob on it but it was not attached very well and fell off during drying.
I made this fairy door for my son as I knew he might be a little jealous that she had all these new pottery pieces and he didn't have anything, plus I wanted to made one and my daughter was making her own. I really like how the glaze separated and there is blue shimmery in the veins of the leaf.
Here is a good video about recycling scrap pottery clay.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Even More Pinterest Inspiration
This is my hair in the picture, but I followed the instructions from Oh So Pretty The Diaries. This was a fun up-do idea! I will use this again!
My daughter wanted to see if leaving her tooth in a different location would result in a different present from the Tooth Fairy (read all about that in my Tooth Fairy Post & her recent social experiments). The idea for this one came from Filth Wizardy.
I thought this was a neat picture, so I had to try it for myself.
My daughter asked for some special valentine hair, so I replicated this idea from PrincessHairstyles.com
And get a load of these delicious treats I made for Valentine's Day. The recipe for the Whoopie Pies came from What's Cooking with Ruthie, but I used Red Velvet cake mix instead. And the raspberry chocolates idea came from Lauren Conrad, but as you can see I used white chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.
Love these Shamrock Hairclips that were inspired from Potlucks on the Porch (and the one without rhinestones is a pin - my son had to have one too!)
My daughter wanted to see if leaving her tooth in a different location would result in a different present from the Tooth Fairy (read all about that in my Tooth Fairy Post & her recent social experiments). The idea for this one came from Filth Wizardy.
I thought this was a neat picture, so I had to try it for myself.
My daughter asked for some special valentine hair, so I replicated this idea from PrincessHairstyles.com
And get a load of these delicious treats I made for Valentine's Day. The recipe for the Whoopie Pies came from What's Cooking with Ruthie, but I used Red Velvet cake mix instead. And the raspberry chocolates idea came from Lauren Conrad, but as you can see I used white chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.
Love these Shamrock Hairclips that were inspired from Potlucks on the Porch (and the one without rhinestones is a pin - my son had to have one too!)
Labels:
fairy,
friday 4part,
hair,
pinterest,
st. patrick's day,
tooth fairy,
valentine
Friday, February 15, 2013
Preschool Theme: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Kids are also fascinated to this introduction to metamorphosis and it would be a wonderful opportunity to purchase one of the InsectLore Live Butterfly kits; we have done them 3 years in a row and also raised monarchs.
Here is the list of Activities, Projects and Crafts we did:- Handprint Caterpillar and Footprint Butterfly
- Make Playdough Caterpillars
- Caterpillar Balloon Painting
- ABC Letter Match Up
- Dot To Dot Caterpillar Sheet
- Letter C (trace & glue pom poms)
- Hungry Caterpillar Graph (from Ms Carlie's Little Learners)
- Very Hungry Caterpillar Coloring Sheet
- Read the Very Hungry Caterpillar (regular book and puppet book)
- Very Hungry Caterpillar Printables
- Super Easy Butterfly Craft
What have you done to help your child learn about caterpillars?
Labels:
friday 4part,
handprint craft,
preschool,
themes
Friday, February 8, 2013
Preschool Theme: Snow
I know I have done a playdate theme on Snow before, so you can check that out for some additional ideas, but I wanted to share all new ones with you.
Here are the Activities, Worksheets and Projects we did for this theme:
- Ivory "Snow"
- Borax Snow Flake
- Snowflake (Tape) Painting (picture above, just put down tape before letting the child paint, pull off tape when pain is dry)
- Snow Playdough
- Painting Snow
- Tortilla Snow Flake Snack
- Snow Theme Printables
- Snow Ice Cream
- Marshmallow Snowman (see below)
- Tracing S-N-O-W letters
Be sure to also check out my other ideas from our Snow Theme Playdate.
Or try out some of my other Snow Ideas:
Labels:
craft,
friday 4part,
kids,
preschool,
themes
Friday, February 1, 2013
Preschool Theme: Pants (yes, really!)
Sometimes I will ask my kids what they want to learn about and then come up with ideas. Most times it will be things like trains, butterflies, apples, etc. You know - something that is frequently used as teaching theme and you can easily find ideas and worksheets for. This time my son said "Pants", "Really? Pants" I replied, "You don't mean pLants?" to which he responded "I said PAAAAAANTS!" "Ok! Got it. Guess I better start thinking of stuff to do."
Well, since I did have to come up with some ideas I thought I would share them here in case someone else has a child that wants to learn about pants. Can I just tell you that I am glad this is a short week and I only have 3 days to plan stuff for.Here is how we will learn about Pants:
- Worksheet that he has to Trace, Color & Cut out a pair of Pants
- Worksheet that he has to Count the pairs of Pants, Color each a different color and Trace the number 5
- Play with Wooden Bear Dress Up Puzzle
- "Sew" some pants using craft foam, a plastic needle & yarn and Dress his knight doll
- Trace and Write the letters PANTS on a dry erase board
- Worksheet that he has to paste scrap pieces of paper on the pants to fill them in
- Count the number of pairs of clean pants in his dresser drawer and his dirty laundry basket & discuss which there is more of, clean or dirty pants
- Have him tell me the colors of each pair of pants
- Have him describe the feel of the texture of various pants (sweat pants, fleece, jeans, khakis & corduroy)
- As we read books I will ask him to point out whenever he sees someone wearing pants and tell me what color they are
Come back the next 3 Fridays and I will share more Preschool Themes we have been doing.
Preschool Themes Friday Four-Part:
- Pants
- Snow
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Pirate
Labels:
crafts,
friday 4part,
kids,
preschool,
themes
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Video Reveal of Master Bedroom Redecoration
It took long enough for me to do this....Jeesh!
As promised, here is a short video to show you the entire room. I will highlight all the features that we changed in the room in that video, but you can also read about some of the project tutorials from that room below.
4-Part Series on a Bedroom Re-Decorate
*Pottery Barn Inspired Headboard
*Natural Twig Art
*Family Handprint Art
*Video of the the Whole Reveal
**BONUS -- Review of Wrapped Canvas Picture Added to the Room
As promised, here is a short video to show you the entire room. I will highlight all the features that we changed in the room in that video, but you can also read about some of the project tutorials from that room below.
4-Part Series on a Bedroom Re-Decorate
*Pottery Barn Inspired Headboard
*Natural Twig Art
*Family Handprint Art
*Video of the the Whole Reveal
**BONUS -- Review of Wrapped Canvas Picture Added to the Room
Friday, December 7, 2012
Review: EasyCanvasPrints.com
This review for EasyCanvasPrints.com really could not have been any easier. I took opportunity to use our new photos we had taken and a bedroom makeover (part of my most recent Friday 4-part series) to develop a new picture to hang on our bedroom wall.
I was gifted with an 8x10 wrapped canvas to review their website and product. My first impression of their website was very favorable. It was so easy to complete my order and customize it. They have sizes starting at 8x8 all the way up to 30x40 or you can make a custome size. All the prints come with a standard wrap of .75", but you can upgrade to a 1.5" gallery wrap. You can also add a frame if you desire.
I like that when you pick out a size it show you just how big it would look in comparison to a 7' couch.
Once you pick out your size and gallery wrap style, you will be asked to upload your picture. You will be directed whether or not it is a good quality of picture to use. You can upload a picture from your computer or even choose an image from Facebook or Instagram. After uploading, you can move your picture around a bit to fit the image within the size you chose.
Next you will choose your border wrap, which can be a mirror image, an image wrap (which is what I did and the picture continues to wrap around - see the picture below) or a border color.
Here you can see how the image wrap looks and how the corners & sides look.
Final options are all optional - you can change the image to B&W or Sepia or have some retouching done. And that's it! Click Add to Cart and check out!
I was also impressed with how fast my order was processed and it was shipped to me. I was sent an email in less than 24 hours that said my order was complete. I had selected standard shipping and it was on my doorstep within 3 days of getting my shipment notification.
I was very impressed with the quality of work that my picture was. This was my first experience with a wrapped canvas photograph and it will not be my last.
Labels:
art,
bedroom,
friday 4part,
photo,
review
Friday, November 23, 2012
Create a Natural Twig Art Piece
So, last week I told you about our Pottery Barn Inspired Headboard created from a door, this is my art piece that is hanging above that.
All of these twigs are branches that fell from our maple trees in the backyard. I collected a variety of sizes, making sure that at least I had similar sizes for the edges and a variety of other sizes for the center.
I laid the sticks out on the kitchen table and came up with a design I liked and then started gluing. I think I went though almost 3 hot glue sticks. And that's it.
Come back again next week to see my other art installation and the week after for the final presentation of our bedroom re-do. I think I may even do a little video of the bedroom so you can get a 360 picture.
I have been liking doing 4-part series on Friday and filling in between with some Fix-It Fridays. Do you like the series segments?
I suppose I could call it a Friday Four-Part. LOL. There I go again with my desire for a theme name. My other Friday Four-Part series is 7 Ideas for Clean Eating (Breakfast , Lunch, Snack & Dinner).
4-Part Series on a Bedroom Re-Decorate
*Pottery Barn Inspired Headboard
*Natural Twig Art
*Family Handprint Art
*Video of the the Whole Reveal
**BONUS -- Review of Wrapped Canvas Picture Added to the Room
Friday, November 16, 2012
Make a Pottery Barn Inspired Headboard Out of a Door
I don't know about you but I drool over the Pottery Barn catalog. I wish I could afford so many things in there. I do buy a few accessories here and there, but many other things just serve as inspiration.
The idea for this headboard created from a door came from a catalog a while back, but the idea stuck in my head and I have seen this type of project re-created several times. Finally, it was my turn to update my bedroom and get the project out of my head and over my bed.
First I went in search of the perfect door. I am pretty lucky to have an architectural salvage place about 10 miles from house that has 4 levels of forgotten treasures. This was the type of door I had envisioned with the panels being horizontal on the door (opposed to how they are vertical on the popular 4-panel door.) Next was to find the trim I thought would complement it at Lowes.
The next step was to remove all the hardware and hinges (actually, had my daughter help me with this since we were just using a screwdriver) and cut all the trim pieces & attach (thank you to my husband for helping with this step.) After that it was time to do a bit of sanding over the entire piece so that the paint would "stick".
Finally it was 2 coats of "Onyx" colored paint and allowing it to dry completely before hanging.
Come back the next couple of weeks and check out my newly created art installations for over the headboard and on a side wall and then my final reveal of the room.
4-Part Series on a Bedroom Re-Decorate
*Pottery Barn Inspired Headboard
*Natural Twig Art
*Family Handprint Art
*Video of the the Whole Reveal
**BONUS -- Review of Wrapped Canvas Picture Added to the Room
The idea for this headboard created from a door came from a catalog a while back, but the idea stuck in my head and I have seen this type of project re-created several times. Finally, it was my turn to update my bedroom and get the project out of my head and over my bed.
First I went in search of the perfect door. I am pretty lucky to have an architectural salvage place about 10 miles from house that has 4 levels of forgotten treasures. This was the type of door I had envisioned with the panels being horizontal on the door (opposed to how they are vertical on the popular 4-panel door.) Next was to find the trim I thought would complement it at Lowes.
The next step was to remove all the hardware and hinges (actually, had my daughter help me with this since we were just using a screwdriver) and cut all the trim pieces & attach (thank you to my husband for helping with this step.) After that it was time to do a bit of sanding over the entire piece so that the paint would "stick".
Finally it was 2 coats of "Onyx" colored paint and allowing it to dry completely before hanging.
4-Part Series on a Bedroom Re-Decorate
*Pottery Barn Inspired Headboard
*Natural Twig Art
*Family Handprint Art
*Video of the the Whole Reveal
**BONUS -- Review of Wrapped Canvas Picture Added to the Room
Labels:
bedroom,
friday 4part,
pottery barn,
repurpose
Friday, October 12, 2012
7 Ideas for Clean Eating Dinner
Today is my final installment of my 7 Ideas for Clean Eating series, please be sure to check out all of them:
All of the following photographs are taken by me and are of meals I made in my home.
Idea #1: Veggie Pizza with a Homemade Crust - Use this pizza dough recipe and load it up with veggies and sprinkle with a small amount of hard Italian cheeses (big on flavor so you don't need a lot!)
Idea #2: Quinoa Red Lentil Soup - This is very filling. This was the very first thing I have ever made with quinoa. Quinoa is a both a protein source and a complex carbohydrate.
Idea #3: Beef Stroganoff - This is my recipe and it is delicious. As long as you buy lean cuts of meat, you can have beef as part of a clean eating diet. Pair with some steamed veggies and you will be feelings full!
Idea #4: Beef Stew - I more or less used this recipe. I don't care for water chestnuts, so those were not added and instead of just peas I used mixed vegetables.
Idea #5: Pinto de Gallo - This became a family favorite recipe after we honeymooned in Costa Rica. This is a staple entree in Costa Rica. It is so simple, yet so delicious!
Idea #6: Mushroom And Rosemary Pork Scallopini - I wasn't sure if my kids would enjoy the heavy rosemary flavor in this dish, but they both enjoyed it and my daughter even asked for seconds.
Idea #7: Crockpot Chicken, Barley Vegetable Soup for a Crowd - You can easily decrease the amounts used in this soup to fit the size of crockpot you have. I often like to make extras so I can put a meal in the freezer and have some leftovers for lunch the next day.
- 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Breakfast
- 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Snacks
- 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Lunch
- 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Dinner
All of the following photographs are taken by me and are of meals I made in my home.
Idea #2: Quinoa Red Lentil Soup - This is very filling. This was the very first thing I have ever made with quinoa. Quinoa is a both a protein source and a complex carbohydrate.
Idea #3: Beef Stroganoff - This is my recipe and it is delicious. As long as you buy lean cuts of meat, you can have beef as part of a clean eating diet. Pair with some steamed veggies and you will be feelings full!
Idea #4: Beef Stew - I more or less used this recipe. I don't care for water chestnuts, so those were not added and instead of just peas I used mixed vegetables.
Idea #5: Pinto de Gallo - This became a family favorite recipe after we honeymooned in Costa Rica. This is a staple entree in Costa Rica. It is so simple, yet so delicious!
Idea #6: Mushroom And Rosemary Pork Scallopini - I wasn't sure if my kids would enjoy the heavy rosemary flavor in this dish, but they both enjoyed it and my daughter even asked for seconds.
Idea #7: Crockpot Chicken, Barley Vegetable Soup for a Crowd - You can easily decrease the amounts used in this soup to fit the size of crockpot you have. I often like to make extras so I can put a meal in the freezer and have some leftovers for lunch the next day.
Friday, October 5, 2012
7 Ideas for Clean Eating Lunch
Today, I am presenting you with 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Lunch, be sure to check out all four of my posts in this series (this will be updated with links once future the posts have been created.)
- 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Breakfast
- 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Snacks
- 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Lunch
- 7 Ideas for Clean Eating Dinner
All of the following photographs are taken by me and are of meals I made in my home.
Idea #1: Tuna and Veggie Wrap and a Side of Fruit - I added some balsamic vinegar & a little bit of olive oil to my tuna and placed the tuna "salad" on an Ezekiel wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, & homemade pickles. Yum!
Idea #2: Egg Salad Sandwich with a Side of Fruit - Use this Eat-Clean Diet Egg Salad Recipe and serve on some high fiber bread. I left out the onions and celery from this recipe because egg salad is one of those comfort foods for me and I like it plain, without any type of vegetable added.
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| This is the soup before I pureed it. |
Idea #3: Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup - Soup is filling, but with this soup you still need to add in some protein to your lunch. So, why not add a side of Ants on a Log.
Idea #4: Crockpot Black Bean Soup - With the addition of beans to your soup, you have included a protein to have a very filling meal. Add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to the top, if desired. I love to make soups in the crockpot because I can get it going when I wake up and depending if I set it to low or high I have can have it ready for dinner (low for 6-8 hours) or lunch (high for 3-4 hours.)
Crockpot Black Bean Soup Recipe
2 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
8 C broth
4 carrots, sliced
4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 med onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T cumin
1 T basil
1/4 C fresh cilantro
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hour. Serve & enjoy!
Idea #5: Quick Packed Lunch Bag - Go for the Greek Yogurt and some fruit. Typically, cheese is not allowed in the Clean Eating Diet because of the amount of saturated fat (30% in one stick) it contains, but you can have it occasionally and in small amounts. I like these cheese sticks because they are portion sized and you can occasionally indulge while controlling your portion size and pack in 7g of protein and 20% calcium.
Idea #6: Tabouleh with an Ezekiel wrap and alfalfa sprouts - Tabbouleh is very easy to make with the box mix from Fantastic Foods, but it is also quite easy to make with a Tabbouleh recipe. Don't forget to make up some clean Pita Bread (so easy!) if you don't have Ezekiel wraps.
Idea #7: Quinoa, Black Bean and Avocado Salad - In my efforts to incorporate more grains I have discovered quinoa which also provides some protein as well. Quinoa is quite easy to make in a rice cooker and it provides a good base to add items to for a healthy and clean salad. I am very happy I discovered this salad because it is fast becoming a favorite. I found that the more I simplified this recipe, the tastier is was.
Labels:
beans,
clean eating,
friday 4part,
recipe,
slow cooker
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