Tuesday, December 9, 2014

RECIPE} Homeade Christmas Playdough


I live in a subdivision filled with amazing and friendly neighbors. This time of year we love to drop off little gifts to each other, but honestly, I end up throwing SO much away, because it tends to be candy, cookies and lots of tempting food and you all know i'm on a mission!

So, with a neighborhood filled with kids, instead of going the food route, my son and I made scented Christmas Playdough! It’s the perfect gift being easy and fun to make, inexpensive, and being in Michigan, gives the kids something to play with while stuck inside all winter long.


HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH RECIPE



INGREDIENTS:

  • 5 cups water
  • 5 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 cups salt
  • 3 Tablespoons cream of tartar
  • 10 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Food coloring (We use red and green)
  • Glitter - OPTIONAL
  • Peppermint essential oil
DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix water, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring. Cook on medium-low heat,
stirring regularly until mixture is hot. Add oil. Stir in flour a cup at a time, stirring in between each addition. Mix until playdough pulls away from pan and is no longer sticky (pinch it between your fingers to test). Dump dough on counter, let cool a bit, then knead.

2. You can get creative here. We make our play dough in three colors, red, green and white for Christmas. You could also just do red and white for Candy Canes!We made three batches of the play clay, one for each color. After the dough cooled down a bit, we kneaded in the peppermint essential oil (about 10 drops each batch) for the delicious Christmas smell. If you plan to use glitter, add that here also!
3. We then divided the colors into (about, I can't remember how many we made!) 12 servings each, rolled them into long pieces, gently twisted them together and placed them into old glass jars I saved from spaghetti sauce, salsa, etc. 
4. I capped each jar and used a piece of Christmas fabric to cover the lid, used a piece of ribbon and tied it on and done!
I did have play dough left over that I saved for my kiddos. I just put them in a rubbermaid tupperware container. It's been a year and it's still moist and we are playing with it!! This recipe was a complete success!

RECIPE} Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments

'Tis the season... Christmas decorations, Santa, Gift giving, the birth of baby Jesus and you know, the season to be stuck INSIDE with your kiddos bouncing off the walls! 



I am an on the go mama. I was like that BEFORE kids and having them sure hasn't changed the fact that sitting in the house, doing nothing drives me CRAZY. BUT, having kids HAS made me realize that leaving the house in negative degree, wind chill, snow covered roads with the flu and cold germs lingering everywhere, isn't always feasible OR smart. 

SO... figuring out ways to keep both the kiddos AND mama occupied and not stir crazy are a must. Last week, I ran to our local Aldi and Target (dollar section!!) at stocked up on CHEAP supplies for a few Christmas crafts!

First on the list... Cinnamon Scented Christmas tree ornaments. MMMmMmMmM. These are awesome. Only two ingredients, they make the house smell delicious (without chemicals-yay!) and it took up a ton of time. It's a dough consistency, so my son played with it for an hour before we ever made the ornaments. 


RECIPE} Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments



INGREDIENTS:
3/4C Applesauce
1C Cinnamon (use the cheap stuff, you won't be eating it!)

DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees. 

2) Add ingredients in a bowl and mix either by hand OR mixer. This is a VERY sticky mess when it's just starting. Depending on your humidity and temp levels, you may have to add a bit more applesauce or cinnamon. Just play with it. 

3) Once the dough forms into a ball, you are ready to roll, literally.  I placed my dough on a sheet of wax paper, covered it with plastic wrap and then used a rolling pin. You'll want the dough, as thick as you want your ornaments to be. I rolled to about 1/4" thick. 

4) use your choice of cookie cutters, cut out the dough, place on your cookie sheet and fill the pan. These do NOT expand, so fill the pan as much as you want/can. When you have run out of usable dough, roll it into a ball and roll it out again. Continue to do this until you've used all the dough or you are done (I tossed the last little bit of dough).


5) use a straw to poke a hole in the top of the ornament. This is where you will use ribbon or string to tie through and hang your ornament. Don't forget this! ;)

6) Place your ornaments into the oven for about 2.5 hours. They need to dry completely through!

7) Decorate (we used glitter glue) OR leave as is. 


8) Tie a string/ribbon through the hole and then hang your ornaments

My kids each have their own little Christmas tree. I do this in hopes they will leave the main one ALONE. Per his request, my lil man made his tree DINOSAURS this year. For those of you wondering where I found these ornaments, you can find them here!


I have a little guy (two and a half years old) with a small attention span, so we made this a two day project. We made and dried the ornaments on day one and the next day, we decorated and hung them. 

Saturday, December 6, 2014

RECIPE} Eggnog Shakeology

If you haven't figured it out yet.... I absolutely LOVE christmas and everything holiday related, including eggnog.

I was the kid that didn't want to share any and could easily chug a jug in one night. 

BUT... It's been years since I've had it because HELLO, it's absolutely horrible for you. 

So, today, I tried out a recipe that's been in my head and it was so delicious, my lil guy stole it!



Wanna give it a try?? I'm in the holiday giving spirit.... So here is te recipe, enjoy! 🎁🎅🎄

1 Scoop Vanilla Shakeology
8oz Water
4oz Unsweetened almond milk
Ice to taste
Dash of Cinnamon
Dash of Nutmeg
BLEND to desired consistency and ENJOY!

*the spices used in here are very distinct and STRONG. Remember that you can always add more, but cannot take it away once added... So use sparingly and add if you need it!