Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar

Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar

Keep your picnic treats away from the ants! This cute jar recipe travels well and looks adorable...can also be made gluten free with gluten free cake mix.

Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar

• 1 boxed Yellow Cake Mix, baked according to package directions
• 1 can vanilla frosting
• 1 (8 ounce) whipped topping
• 1 quart fresh strawberries mixed with 1/4 cup sugar

Crumble the yellow cake mix into large chunks. Press a small amount of the crumbled cake mix into the bottom of four small canning jars.  In a small bowl, mix together the frosting and whipped topping. Spoon a small amount on top of the cake layer. Spoon a few strawberries on top of the frosting layer, add another layer of cake, frosting, and strawberries.

Top each jar with a lid and ring. Store in the fridge up to 12 hours before serving.

Smoothie Recipes for Kids

Smoothies for Kids

We all know kiddos need those fruits and vegetables but sometimes convincing them that they do is an entirely different story.

Smoothies are a super way to get more veggies in your kids' diets simply because the sweetness of the fruit masks the taste of the veggies! Here are a few delicious and nutritious recipes to try at home!

Berry-Cado Smoothie
vegan, makes 2 servings

1 1/4 cups orange juice
1/2 avocado
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen raspberries (or strawberries)
1 kiwi, peeled
1/2 – 1 banana, frozen pref’d
1/2 cup ice

garnish: avocado slice

Blend. Pour. Sip. Smile.

Easy Energy Almond Shake
vegan, serves 2

2 cups almond milk or soymilk, vanilla flavor or cow's milk
2 large frozen bananas, ripe
2 Tbsp almond butter
1/2 cup ice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
garnish: roasted almonds

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a high power blender. Blend on high until smooth and thick.

2. Pour into glasses and garnish with roasted almonds.

Green Smoothies

1 cup plain or vanilla almond milk (go with vanilla if you have more of a sweet tooth) or cow's milk
1-2 handfuls fresh spinach leaves
1/2 ripe frozen banana (if your banana is not frozen, add 2-3 ice cubes)
tiny bit of honey or agave, optional
1-2 tablespoons ground flaxmeal, optional

Combine ingredients in blender and blend for 1 minute.

Serve in a fun glass and enjoy.

Sunflower Playhouse

Sunflower Play House for Spring!

Spring is right around the corner and here is a neat project for backyard play that lasts all summer long! A sunflower playhouse can be an awesome, eco-friendly addition to any backyard!

Sunflower Playhouse:  

You will need:

Tall sunflowers seeds (the taller the better-read the package)

Morning Glory seeds (the taller the better)

Black plastic or mulching fabric (optional)

Mark out an area for your playhouse, square or rectangle

Plant a sunflower and morning glory seed together.  Leave an opening for a door.  Keep well watered.  Weed around your plants being careful to not pull up the new plants.  If you have some seeds that don’t come up, you can just put more seeds in that place.

As the plants grow the morning glories will climb up the sunflowers.  When they are reaching near the tops of the sunflowers, run a string back and forth from one side to the other and from corner to corner.  The morning glories will continue to grow along the strings and form a roof.

If you want a grassy floor in your playhouse you can choose an area on the lawn.  You will need to lay down strips of black plastic or fabric mulch around the perimeter of your playhouse so the grass doesn't over take the baby sunflower and morning glory plants.  Secure the plastic or mulch to the ground.  Plant directly into the plastic or mulch by cutting holes in it and plant your seeds in the dirt.

When everything is blooming and your playhouse is complete, you can put a small table and chairs in the playhouse for summer tea parties!

Handwashing for Healthy Kids!

Easiest Way to Stay Healthy This Winter!

With the worst flu season in ten years upon us, and cold and viruses around every corner, it seems like there is a new product on the market every few days that guarantees to keep you cold and flu free this season.

But, the easiest and simplest way to stay healthy is already, literally, in the palm of your hands.

Handwashing is the simplest and quickest way to rid your little one's bodies of all the germs they pick up at the playground, grocery store, preschool...the list goes on and on. And there actually is a process to proper handwashing that can be learned by even the smallest toddler. Adults counting to twenty while little guys scrub is also a quick learning moment too!

Homemade Crayons

Kids out of school and bored? Here is a recipe for fun on a chilly winter's day from Martha Stewart!

Get your kiddos to rip the paper off the crayons- it'll keep the little hands busy a tad longer...Heat makes a crayon a little loopy; it may melt into a swirl or pool into a whirl. With this in mind, we chopped up crayons and baked them in shaped mini cake tins, making large blocks that are easy for toddlers to hold and will surely inspire older artists. Encourage kids to come up with combinations: A blue-and-white blend for drawing the sky, for example, and a mix of reds and oranges for sunsets.

Tools and Materials
Kitchen knife
Old crayons
Mini-cake tins (we used pans with heart- and circle-shaped pockets)

Crayon How-To
1. Parents can use the knife to chop crayons into pea-size pieces, taking care to keep colors separate so kids can combine them as they like.

2. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees while children fill the tin with crayon pieces, arranging them in interesting designs.

3. Bake just until the waxes have melted, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Remove the shapes after they have cooled. If they stick, place tray in the freezer for an hour, and the crayons will pop out.