Summer To Do's: Strawberry Banana Yogurt Pops

Yippee, today I'm checking off an item from our summer to do list, "Make Homemade Popsicles".

The Fill and Freeze Puree Pops I ordered from Amazon arrived this week and right off the bat I was really impressed with the quality of this set. I also couldn't resist these Blue Rocket Ice Pop Molds. They remind me of the red white and blue rocket pops I loved as a kid. For anyone considering buying these both sets are BPA free.

I followed this recipe by Jamie Oliver using strawberries I'd frozen from my parents garden.

What you'll need:
2 Cups Plain or Vanilla Yogurt (Mine is expired yogurt that needed a purpose)
1 - 1.5 Cups of Frozen Berries
2 Small Bananas
2 TB Honey or Agave Syrup
Popsicle Molds or Dixie Cups and Popsicle Sticks for freezing

Break up or slice the bananas and place them in a food processor or blender with the berries

Add 2 Cups of yogurt followed by the agave syrup, I just drizzled some right over the top.

Puree or blend on a low setting until smooth.

Fill your molds or dixie cups leaving about a half inch of space at the top, the liquid will expand once frozen.

Keep in mind this recipe made enough liquid to fill both sets of molds I had plus an entire mug with the remaining.

Our Summer 2011 To Do List

Summer always has a way of flying by so to make the most of what summer we get this year I decided to make a list of things I want to do with Brooklynn.

Decorate the Living Room
Plant Zucchini, Pumpkins, and Red Bell Peppers
Make Homemade Popsicles (I just ordered these Fill and Freeze Pops to try out)
Make A Batch of Bubbles
Visit Pittock Mansion

Make Strawberry Lemonade Bars
Have a Picnic and Visit the Happy Valley Splash Pad
Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Take a Family Hike
Make Lemon Buddies
Enroll Brooklynn in Swim Lessons for Fall

Super Simple Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Here is my version of homemade chicken noodle soup, both my hubby and daughter were sick last week so instead of grilling on Wednesday I made a pot of this. It makes a good sized batch, enough for our family of three to have leftovers and freeze some for a future meal. I love the way our house smells when making this soup too! This recipe is always a huge hit with the toddler, she gobbles it up and asks for more.

Ingredients
32oz Container Low Sodium Chicken Broth
6 Cups Water
1 Can of Chicken (I use Kirkland, Costo's brand)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3-4 Carrots peeled and sliced
3-4 Celery stalks sliced
2 Cups Pasta (I just use whatever I have opened or on hand)
Handful Minced Parsley
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Heat up Olive Oil in a large pot
Add chopped vegetables, cook until soft stirring frequently
Add water and broth and bring to a boil
Throw in the pasta following the cook time from the package
While pasta is cooking drain water from canned chicken and cut up larger pieces with a fork
Add chicken, salt, pepper, and parsley to soup once the noodles are done and let simmer for a few minutes

Honestly you can't mess this recipe up, plus its super easy to customize to your own preferences. If you prefer ground turkey or beef just precook the meat and substitute it for the chicken. If you like a chunkier soup add more vegetables. I usually just throw in dried parsley from our spices but fresh would be great too.

Summer Cupcakes Ideas!

Cotton candy cupcakes by Becoming Lola

Rock Candy Cupcakes

Root Beer Float Cupcakes by Une-deux Senses

Bomb Pop Cupcakes by Save the Date for Cupcakes

Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes by Good Life Eats

Adventures with Amy: Baked Oatmeal

I have been begging my sis to share some of her adventures in the kitchen with us for a while now and it looks like my nephew finally gave her some time to do that! Not only is she an excellent cook but she's great with a camera too. I hope this is the first of many Adventures with Amy :)

Baked Oatmeal from A Taste of Home

Ingredients
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Additional milk

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the oats, sugar, baking powder and salt. 

In a small bowl, combine the milk, butter and eggs. Stir into oat mixture until blended.

Spoon into a greased 9-in. square baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until set. Serve warm with milk. Yield: 9 servings.

Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

The school year is quickly coming to a close, here are a few cute ideas to thank the teachers in your life!

Wormy Sugar Cookie Apples from Red Couch Recipes

Eighteen 25 has created this adorable free printable for a coffee giftcard! Check out their past Teacher Appreciation Projects here.

This is my favorite idea by Lisa Storms. She's created free printable flags for both teacher and classroom aides.

Farmers Markets in the Northwest

I'm so excited the season for Farmers Markets is finally here! To find a Farmer's Market in the Northwest check out the links below. Once you've located the market you plan to visit make sure to check out their webpage for special events and any recent updates. 

You can also find out which forms of payment are accepted including WIC and EBT, although its always a good idea to bring some cash along just in case. 

Idaho

Oregon

Washington

Fun ways to serve fruit!

Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip

Yum, I can't wait to try this peanut butter yogurt dip from the Wanna Be Chef!

Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice recipe!

Another recipe I can't wait to try from skinnytaste! Chipotle's cilantro lime rice, I heart this stuff and its a weight watchers recipe. Not that I'm doing weight watchers because I really don't have time to count points but I know I'm making a healthier choice by cooking ww recipes.

Gluten Free Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I have a head of cauliflower sitting in my refrigerator and this pizza crust by Eat.Drink.Smile. will be the perfect way to use it this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Mother's Day Idea: Tulip Cupcakes

These Tulip Cupcakes are perfect for Mother's Day by Jenny Steffens Hobick.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

This tortilla and black bean pie from Martha Stewart looks so good! With leftover tortillas from tacos we made on Thursday this might make it into our meal plan next week, if I can find a substitute for the beer, anyone have any ideas?

Weight Watchers Lasagna Rolls Recipe

Here's a great weight watchers recipe I found from SkinnyTaste.com. hopefully this will make it into my meal plan in the next couple weeks. 

Strawberry Shortcake Anyone?

This summer craving I'm having led me to this strawberry shortcake recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Its now on the to do list, don't they look heavenly?

Strawberry Rice Krispie Cupcakes!

Looking for a way to use up those Rice Krispies from the Kellogs sale at Albertsons and the $3.99 for 3 lbs of Strawberries from Safeway this week??? Check out Dirty Laundry's recipe for Strawberry Rice Krispie Cupcake Treats!

Easter Fun: Carrots in Dirt Dessert!

This recipe made by Our Dish looks like so much fun! They used refrigerated pre-made dough but it really wouldn't take much time to mix up a batch of your favorite sugar cookie dough to use.

Easter Fun: Peeps S'mores!

Check out these cute peeps s'mores made by Eclectic Recipes. This would be a fun way to use those super cheap clearance peeps you find after Easter! 

Recipe: Quick No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I wanted to share a super fast and easy no bake cookie recipe that has been around forever I recently rediscovered in my quest for fast and easy kitchen recipes. I believe this recipe is similar to Haystack cookies which I remember my mom making as a kid. What I love most about this cookie recipe is that it uses ingredients I always have on hand, oh and there are no baking sheets to wash :).

1 Stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
1 2/3 Cups Sugar
1/2 Milk
4 TB Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter (any peanut butter works fine)
3 - 3 1/2 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
2 tsp Vanilla
Wax Paper

Add the first 4 ingredients to a medium size pot
Bring to a boil for 1 minute
Stir in the next 3 ingredients
Drop cookie size spoonfuls onto wax paper
Let cool until set up
Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Note: I only had 2 Cups of Quick Cooking Oats on hand so I substituted by adding three packets of Quaker Hazelnut Latte Oatmeal packets which added just a hint of espresso flavor. So Yummy!

Peanut Butter Playdough Recipe with Agave

Looking for something to keep us busy this afternoon I decided to make Peanut Butter Play Dough. There's just no way normal play dough would stay out of Brooklynn's mouth so the edible kind it is.

Here's the recipe I used:

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup Agave Syrup (can substitute honey)
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix Ingredients in a bowl, thats it!
Store in an air tight container or ziplock

She really had no interest in doing anything with it other than eat it. 

We'll try it again in a month or so :)