Christmas toilet paper roll crafts

I know toilet paper rolls aren't the fanciest of all craft supplies, but with the amount of traffic our bathrooms get, they pile up pretty quick. I found this website that has templates for almost any character you can think of, so you just go the website and click on "snowman" for example, then you can print out the template and make your craft.
http://www.dltk-kids.com/type/tp_roll.htm

As a side note, when I made this, I actually just copied the template, then pasted it into a drawing document, then I cropped it down to just the snowman image. I was able to fit 6 snowmen on one page so I didn't have to use a lot of paper.

When I have the kids in my preschool playgroup do this activity, I am going to use craft foam instead of construction paper. The paper circles are small and difficult to pick up, so for little fingers, the bulkier the better.

Banana Chocolate Cholate chip muffins, YUMMY!

So if you haven't heard I am doing weight watchers so I am constantly looking for delicious healthy recipes. Here is one of my favorites so far.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp confectioners sugar (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce, vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk.
Add flour mixture to bananas, then blend at low speed until combined; do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake on the center rack for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
If making the glaze, combine confectioner's sugar and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp water to make a glaze. Drizzle over each muffin

This recipe is courtesy of Skinnytaste.com Check out her website it is fabulous.

Manicotti

Manicotti Shells
8 eggs beaten
2 c. flour
2 c. water
1 tsp salt
beat in blender
cook like you would crepes.
you can freeze them if you put wax paper in between each individual one.

Manicotti Filling
3 lbs. ricotta cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese
6 eggs beaten
1/2 cup parm cheese
1/4 cup parsley


put a large spoonful of filling in each shell and roll burrito style. pour sauce over Manicotti. sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Cook 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

enjoy

Card Board Kitchen

 I saw this on family fun and although I haven't done it yet, I wanted to share the idea because it can be a great project for your kids to help with and then play with.  Click on the link below to get started!

How to make a cardboard kitchen

picture drawing boards

okay so Scotty's pictures should be flopped but you get the idea.


I printed a picture out of each of the boys. Then I put a thick hard plastic over top and used packing tape to secure the edges. The boys then picked their favorite color marker and went to town. They loved drawing on their own faces and then wiping it off and starting over again. Plus is kept them busy. There is something about kids and looking at themselves that they absolutely love.

More Beans Recipes

I made these biscuits this morning for Biscuits and Gravy.

Baking Soda Biscuits

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Shortening
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
Directions
1.In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg with milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
2.Turn onto a well-floured surface; knead 20 times. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Alterations:
I used 1/4 C. cold butter because I don't care much for shortening flavor and 1/4 C. beans. I cut the butter into the dry mixture just like they suggested for the shortening, but I added the beans to the wet mixture. It was a little wet to cut out, so I used my biggest cookie scoop and scooped it out onto the pan. Don't mix too much or they get tough. I just mixed until it was all incorporated together.
I just bought a dry package of gravy mix. (McCormick Sausage Gravy, I think.) It was a quick breakfast. They kids ate the biscuits plain. The gravy was a bit peppery for them. :)

The other recipe that I made last night that I will definitely make again:

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
1.In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Alterations:
Instead of all flour, I used 1 C. white flour, 1/2 C. Wheat flour, and 1/4 cup blenderized rolled oats.
Instead of oil I used beans.
Instead of yogurt (because I didn't have any) I used reduced fat sour cream.
Then, just to add some extra good for you-ness, I added a Cup of frozen spinach. At one time it was fresh, but I always buy too big of a bag so I end up putting most of it in small ziplocs and sticking it in the freezer. Then I can pull it out and put it in stuff later. It has a really mild taste so you can add it to stuff without altering the flavor. Just the color. :) I added it to the sour cream and tried to puree it, but it was not quite liquidy enough to really get it finely pureed. So next time I will add all the wet ingredients into the blender and see if that purees it better.
This was a complete experiment but turned out WAY better than expected. Want proof? Charlie ate two and asked for more, but I wanted him to eat some dinner. Those who know Charlie, know he is the pickiest eater alive. He ate them even though I didn't puree the spinach enough so it had little pieces of green all through it. My plan was,if the kids noticed, to tell them it was some sort of magic superhero ingredient. Luckily I didn't have to stoop to trickery. :)
I was thinking, that if Charlie did notice the green or if you have kids that have an aversion to green things, you could probably add a few Tbsp. of Cocoa to hide the green. Then, you can tell your kids that they are chocolate muffins.

Other things I have added beans to: homemade pizza crust (I did half beans, half oil). I would love to know what you have tried them in.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Did you know you can make your own microwave popcorn?! I know, right. You take a brown paper lunch bag, put a few Tbsp. of regular unpopped popcorn in it, roll down the top about 3 times. Then put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Listen for the popping to slow then take it out. Then you can add whatever you want. Butter, seasoning, etc. Simple right? I wish I would have know this a while ago. It would have saved me a bunch of money on microwave popcorn!

Mmmm, cauliflower.

I participated in a food co-op on Saturday and got a head of cauliflower. Not wanting to do the regular steamed/boiled thing, I found this recipe. So good. Make sure to put lots of parmesan cheese on it because that's the best part. (Via simplyrecipes.com)

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

• Cook time: 28 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
• Lemon juice from half a lemon
• Olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan cheese

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.

2 Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Kool aid playdough

I wanted to share this recipe for Kool-aid Playdough. It doesn't have any weird ingredients, and it turns out great every time. It doesn't dry out as quickly as store-bought play dough- and the colors are so bright, you should give it a try!


2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 pkg unsweetened Kool-aid
3 TBS oil
2 cups boiling water
Mix dry ingredients together. Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients. pour in the oil and boiling water. Mix with a spoon then knead when cool. Sometimes if it's too sticky i knead it with a little flour.

look what I made

So my friend Addi taught me how to make these adorable sock monkeys. I will get the directions from her and post them. It is easy, but time consuming. It only takes 2 knee high socks, stuffing, thread and some buttons. Anyways I thought it was cute.

Bajio Chicken

We have made this twice this month. It is super easy and DELICIOUS! Enjoy

5 Lbs. Chicken Breast (4-5 chicken breasts)
1/2 c. salsa
1 TBSP cumin
1/2 c. brown sugar
1, 4oz. can green diced chilies
6 oz. sprite (about 1/2 can, I add a little more)

Combine in crockpot, cook on low for 5-6 hours, shred, and cook for 1 more hour on high.
We serve it with cheese and salsa or black beans on the Costco tortillas (the one's you have to cook). YUMMY! It serves about 10-12 people or 5 people in my house.

Deonie

Camping Cookies

I came up with this recipe so Gabe and the kids could eat healthy when they go camping, as opposed to just eating junk food and pop.  They are high in protein and fiber and low in fat and sugar, but they still taste good : )  These also work great for breakfast cookies or for a healthy alternative to regular chocolate chip cookies.

Anna's Camping Cookies

These are BEST if made the night before and eaten the following day, the flavors have more time to incorporate.

1/2 cup butter, softened (set the butter wrapper aside for use later)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup splenda

-cream the above ingredients; add

1/2 cup pureed white beans (rinse and drain a can of white northern beans, then puree them + 3 T. of water in a food processor, store what you don't use in the fridge)

1 egg (at room temperature)

2 tsp. vanilla

-mix ingredients until smooth; in a separate bowl mix the following ingredients

2 cups ground white wheat flour

1 1/2 cups ground rolled oats (put 1 3/4 rolled oats in a blender or food processor to make the oat flour)

3 heaping T. of protein powder (not the flavored kind)

2-3 T. benefiber (optional)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

-add the dry ingredient mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing each time; add

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

-mix until the chocolate chips are well incorporated

The dough should not be too sticky, I know when mine is the right consistency because it falls off my kitchen-aid paddle quite easily.  Use your butter wrapper to lightly grease the cookie sheet.  Drop cookies by rounded spoonful onto the sheet, then squash down half way.  This is important because the cookies don't spread out as much because there is less butter in them.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, then let them completely cool before eating.