Did you know that in 1984 Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and made the third Sunday in July National Ice Cream Day? I didn’t know that either (well, until a few days ago that is). Now that I do, I plan on celebrating in style.

For our fun activity this week the kids and I will be making our own ice cream.  There is lots of information I’ve found online about how to do this. Here are a couple of my favorite resources I wanted to share…

Homemade Ice Cream in  a Bag – This looks so easy that even little ones can participate. In only five minutes you have ice cream!  And the recipe is for a single serving which means everyone can make their own so they will love that.

Ice Cream in a Can – This one is a craft, exercise and snack all in one!  Put the ingredients in a can and kick it around until you have a pint of homemade ice cream.

Go ahead and try different flavors when you are making your ice cream. Adding chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, cocoa powder, flavor extracts (such as vanilla or lemon), chocolate chips and nuts can all produce some really awesome results.

Want to make it even more fun?  Put out all of the ingredients and have the kids each make their own flavor. When it’s ready have a taste testing and determine who created the one. The only downside is that you may never be able to recreate the flavors again! But it will be fun trying.

Hope you have a sticky, delicious ice cream day.

I would buy everything my family eats organic if I could.  But alas, I am not rich.

So as a comprise I shop using the Dirty Dozen list of the most pesticide laden foods. These are the ones that even with scrubbing still contain 20+ different types of chemicals.

The thought of that literally keeps me up some nights!

Now there is a fun way to remember which foods to avoid with the adorably illustrated Dirty Dozen Cheat Sheet. This printable sheet shows which foods to avoid on one side and on the other side has a list of foods with the least amount of contamination (so you can feel alright about not buying those foods organic).

Print our your copy now and have it handy for your next trip to the supermarket.

Enjoy!

I love picnics, and since having kids I find every summer we seem to picnic more and more.  The kids love eating finger foods outside and I love not having a huge mess to clean up at home!

With the warm weather here I’ve been thinking of ways to make picnics even better.  Today’s list is of great ideas to make having a picnic easy, fun and safe.

1.   This is such a cute and clever idea, turn a six pack container into a convenient condiment holder for summer picnics.
2.  This is a great project to waterproof your picnic blanket.  Now, you can enjoy your picnic (even if it rained the night before) and not worry about getting your bottom wet.
3.  Add a little bit of extra fun and whimsy to your picnic by customizing the picnic plates.  This website offers templates for a beach themed picnic, but the possibilities are endless.  Personally, I like the idea of a teddy bear picnic.
4.  Sometimes food can get squished when you are trying to fit all your goodies into the picnic basket.  That’s why I love this pressed picnic sandwich, which actually tastes better when it is pressed.
5.  With the beautiful summer weather, it is nice to be able to spend more time outdoors.  But it can be difficult to indulge in a spontaneous picnic if you are not prepared.  Here is a list of all the non-food essentials that you can have ready to go in your picnic container of choice.
6.  Picnics are fun, getting sick afterwards isn’t.  Here is a great site to keep your picnic safe and sanitary.
7.  Space is usually a precious commodity in your picnic container.  Freeze some of your picnic drinks so they can also keep your food cool.
8.  As much as I love ice cream, it is not the ideal picnic food.  Fruit cones are a great dessert alternative that be assembled at a picnic with all your favourite fruits.  Ideal for kids and adults.
9.  Eating outside means fresh air, sunshine and bugs!  Keep uninvited guests off your food with these simple and ingenious food guards.
10.  These adorable bird sandwiches would be great at any meal, but I think they are perfect for picnics.  Have fun with your food and create some edible animals.
11.  I think kids will eat anything as long as it is on a stick.  This cool idea for a sandwich on a stick is a great way to add some veggies (that your kids will actually eat) to your picnic.
12.  You may remember this from your own childhood; using twizzlers as drinking straws.  This classic idea is a great way to have fun and reduce waste at your picnic.

I don’t believe what my mother used to say “never play with your food”.  I think part of getting kids excited about food is to let them experience it with all of their senses.

I love to cook and bake with both of my kids.  Since they were old enough to stand up on a chair at the counter they’ve been helping pour in ingredients, stir and of course lick the bowl!

A fun craft/snack we make sometimes is paintable cookies.  They are a simple sugar cookie that the kids get to paint with food coloring before they’re baked.  Throw in some fun shaped cookie cutters and you’ve got yourself a great time.

Here are some pictures from a cookie painting session we did with friends…

Paintable Cookies Recipe

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp grated orange rind
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

* Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add the beaten egg followed by the orange juice and orange rind.
* In a smaller bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
* Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well.
* Chill the dough and then roll out to about 1/8″ thickness and cut shapes.
* Paint with a mixture of water and food coloring.
* Bake painted cookies at 375F for about 8 minutes or until they are set and slightly brown around the edges.

Enjoy!

Today is Sunday.  In my house, Sunday has always meant one thing …. PANCAKES!

Coated in butter, drowned in syrup, melt in your mouth pancakes.  Makes me hungry just thinking about them.

Over the years we have tried some unique ways to make our Sunday tradition even more fun.  I haven’t tried all of these but I thought it was a neat list to share.  And I will consider it my To Do list for the next few months.

1. This guy is a creative genius!  As he says, “Have you ever been faced with this dilemma: I want pancakes, but I also want a cheeseburger?”  Now you have have both.  Check out this amazing pancake burger and lots of other awesome pancake ideas.
2.  This is an extra special treat.  A combination of two of my favourite things; nutella and pancakes.  Mmmmm…
3. These are made in the oven, not on the stove.  Puffy German apple pancakes, don’t they look so elegant and decadent?
4. Another way to combine apples and pancakes, these are a great way to use extra apples in the fall.  Make apple rings and combine them with pancakes.  My mother-in-law introduced me to these and I fell in love with them right away.  My kids eat more of these than any other pancake I have ever made them!
5. This bakes up like a casserole, but with cinnamon and sugar and pancakey goodness.  A simple and unique way to satisfy the whole family. I sometimes make a version of this for dinner when we want something quick and easy.
6. This recipe is called puff the magic pancake.  These cool pancakes puff up, then sink down in the middle to create the perfect space to place your favourite toppings.
7. You can’t go wrong when you combine chocolate, pecans and pancakes. This is a wonderful recipe that will satisfy to your inner chocoholic.
8. This great video explains step by step how to make fun, creative pancakes.  Involve the kids and maybe they’ll make pancakes for you one day.
9. Don’t these look amazing?  Really simple and colourful pancakes that will make a big impact on your kids.  Imagine the looks on their faces if there was a stack of these waiting when they woke up on their birthday!
10. Use this recipe to make alphabet pancakes.  What a great idea!  Make customized pancakes that spell your kids names or just help your kids learn the alphabet.
11.  These pancakes are so much fun.  Decorate your pancakes to like a “granny” or any other character you and your kids can think of!
12.  You can really stretch your creative muscles and decorate pancakes to look like animals.  This one for a cat pancake is great.  I love that it uses different fruits to create the effect.
13. For all those people with little girls; use cookie cutters to make princess themed pancakes, or any other shape you want.
14. A wonderful way to show your love.  These heart shaped pancakes are so sweet.  Not just for breakfast, if you ask me.
15. Watch this video to learn how to make these gorgeous flower pancakes.  Who knew pancakes could be so pretty.?

As if cupcakes are not already fun enough, check out these great ideas to take them to a whole new level. We hope you love them as much as we do.

1. Aren’t these funky? This creative idea involves painting the inside of the icing bag with food coloring instead of tinting the icing itself.  We love how easy this is so that anyone (even kids) can create some really cool looking cupcakes. Learn how to make your own colorful swirled cupcakes.



2. Our kids love when their food looks like stuff and cupcakes make that so easy. A great example is clown cupcakes. Cute for birthdays or “just because”, these make a fun project
   to have little ones help with. Looking for a birthday party activity?  Put out the supplies and let the guests create their own funny faces.

   

3. Looks like an ice cream cone, tastes like cake. The ice cream cone cupcakes are cute and super easy. They make a fun alternative to a birthday cake for a summer party or a snack at the next playgroup.

   

4. Arrange a bunch of cupcakes on a plate and ice them together. Voila!  You have a pull apart cake. Not only can you make some interesting shapes, but it also makes serving everyone a snap.

   

5. It made us laugh when we came across the idea for meatloaf cupcakes. They look exactly like the real mccoy but without the sugar.

   

6. Itty bitty goodness, these cupcake pops make fun gifts when you wrap them individually. Although we’re not sure we would be willing to give them away.

   

7. What do you get when you combine cupcakes and strawberries?  A fun surprise!  These strawberry stuffed cupcakes are as delicious as they are cute.

   

8. Fill cupcakes with all sorts of yummy creams and jams to create something really different. See these instructions for filling cupcakes to learn the technique and then get creative with your
   own fillings.

   

9. We can’t believe we didn’t think of this! Combine cupcakes and chococlate chip cookie dough to make the ultimate treat.  See this recipe for cookie filled cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

   

Photo by NoshWithMe

10. We couldn’t complete this list without mentioning a way we’re having fun with cupcakes at Define*Me Clothing. We have a few different designs of personalized kids shirts that feature cupcakes. Check out our personalized cupcake shirts available on your choice of shirt styles in sizes 0-3 months to 4T.

    

Here’s an easy recipe that’s quick and cheap to put together, plus it’s a great way to get kids to eat broccoli!

Cheese and Broccoli Rice

(Serves about 6)

Ingredients:
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
10 oz broccoli, cut up in florets (or use frozen broccoli)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup Minute Rice (uncooked)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8” square casserole dish.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onions and celery, until the onions are translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until the cheese starts melting.

Pour mixture into the greased casserole dish and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.

This is a very easy rice dish to make. You can throw in some chopped cooked chicken, ham or turkey to make it a one-dish meal. Serve with a salad.