Tasty Tuesday--Healthy Protein Smoothie

I'm letting you in on a secret today. It's my protein smoothie. I LOVE this--perfect for breakfast on the go or after a tough workout! And, you can really change it up with fruit you have on hand! This tastes just like a chocolate strawberry shake, but SO much better for you! I just enjoyed one this morning!

 Healthy Protein Smoothie
serves 1

Ingredients
8 oz Vanilla Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein Powder (I like Optium Nutrition)
Handful of Spinach
Handful Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp Ground Flax Seed
Crushed Ice

Directions
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Drink up and enjoy! Seriously, you can't taste the spinach. Just ask my daughter! Yum!

Mother's Day Printable

Guess what? In 2 weeks, it's Mother's Day! Last week I shared a "fun" printable (did you miss it? Click here to get it!), but this week, I am sharing a more sentimental printable. Again, share with your favorite mom's! Do you have Mother's Day plans yet? Got your gifts purchased or made? What are your favorite traditions for Mother's Day? Don't be shy--share them with me by leaving me a comment!

Happy Sunday!

Happy May Day Treats

Next week starts a new month (and hopefully some warmer weather!). When I was a child, my mom would help us put together May Day baskets and deliver them to our neighbor friends. We would fill the baskets with homemade popcorn, candy and nuts. When we delivered them to our friends, we would put them on the doorstep or front door knob, knock and run! It was fun and such a great memory I have.

A few years ago, we started the same tradition in our family. For our May Day baskets this year, we decided to hand paint some paper to make cones for the baskets. We made some of our BEST EVER POPCORN , tossed in some Skittles, Goldfish Crackers and Craisins and filled them up! We attached a pipe cleaner to the cone and added a little tag. The kids look forward to surprising our neighbor friends again! 

Here’s how to assemble: 

Colorful May Day Baskets

Materials Needed:

White Paper

Water Color Paints or other crafting paints

Paint Brushes

Pipe Cleaners

Hole Punch

Tag (optional)

Instructions:

Paint your design on the white paper. I had the kids choose bright colors and do more of an abstract painting. Let dry. Roll into a cone shape and secure with clear scotch tape. Punch holes at the top of the cone for the pipe cleaner handle. Secure pipe cleaner as the hanger. Attach the tag with some ribbon. Fill with your goodies and deliver on May 1^st! Have fun!

 

 This post was originally written for MomItForward.com. You can find it here.

Tasty Tuesday--Baseball Rice Krispie Treats

Baseball season is beginning! I made these last year for Carson's team--HUGE HIT! And they are super simple to do!

Grab your favorite Rice Krispie treat recipe and instead of putting it into a 9x13 pan, put them into muffin tins (be certain to spray with cooking spray or rub with butter!). Let them set to cool. While they are cooling, melt white chocolate in a double boiler (or your preferred method). Remove Rice Krispie "Balls" from the muffin tin and dip the top into the white chocolate. Let them set on a cooling rack to harden. (You can choose to double dip them in the white chocolate for a thicker, frosted look!) When they are set, take a red frosting decorator pouch (or use your own homemade frosting and pipe it) and draw the baseball stitching on the Rice Krispie! Tada! Super easy, tasty and KID APPROVED!

 
I have a fun idea for this years team--but you'll have to wait to see those! Be a pal and share this via Facebook, Twitter, G+ or Pinterest! Have a great day!

I AM MOM {Free Printable}

Did you know that there are only 3 weeks until Mother's Day? Yep--it's coming up quick! Here's a fun printable for you--print one off and frame it for you, your mom-friends and of course your mom! Share it with anyone and everyone!

Enjoy!

PINTASTIC Friday!

Finally, it's Friday! What a long week! I'm ready for the weekend and a gathering with my Sorority Sisters in Downtown Chicago this weekend! Can't wait--and as one of the girls posted on our Facebook Message Board: "I'm ready to laugh so  hard my stomach hurts!"

Here's a few of my favorite PINS this week!



Can't wait to try this! I've got some pretty smelly shoes! Go to Clover Lane for the scoop!

Great, creative and useful ideas! You can find them over at Sweet Pennies!

YUM! That's all I can say! Trying these ASAP! Thanks High Heels and Grills!

Come on over to check out my Pinterest Boards and start following along! Hope you have a great weekend!

Tasty Tuesday--Grillin' Side Dishes

It's the start of the grilling season and today I'm sharing two of my favorite grillin' side dishes! You can find these on our menu at least once a week in the spring when they asparagus is delicious! In the summer, I continue with the potatoes, but serve up whatever veggie is freshest at that time.

First up: Grilled Asparagus--it was only recently (like the last 3-4 years) that I've come to enjoy asparagus. I really enjoy it when it is prepared this way! (the skinnier the stalks--the better!)

Grilled Asparagus
Serves 3-4

1 lbs fresh Asparagus, trimmed
Olive Oil
Herbs de Provence
Pepper
Kosher Salt

Trim asparagus by holding both ends and bending until the natural snap occurs. Place trimmed asparagus on a prepared tin foil sheet or grill pan. Drizzle 1-2 Tbls olive oil over asparagus and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with seasonings. Place on preheated grill for 5-7 minutes, watching carefully not to overcook. Be certain to turn asparagus frequently to prevent charring. Serve warm.

Next, the famous grilled potatoes. I love this side--so easy, so tasty! I've been making these for years. Feel free to use your favorite spices to change this up!

Grilled Potatoes
Serves 4

1.5 pounds red potatoes (or your choice--about 4 med size reds), sliced
2 Tbls butter, divided
Seasoned Salt
Dried Onion Flakes
Pepper
Garlic Powder

Slice potatoes evenly (best done with vegetable slicer) and place on a prepared sheet of tin foil (sprayed with cooking spray). I use 2 sheets and divide potatoes evenly amoung the two sheets for quicker, more even cooking. Cube up butter and place on potatoes (I typically stuff the butter under a few slice of potato, too!). Sprinkle with your favorite spices or the ones listed above. Tightly wrap up the foil packet and place on a preheated grill for 15-20 minutes. Turn packet half-way through cooking time to prevent burning. Serve warm.

Yum! So, tell me, what are your favorite go-to grilling favorites?

PINASTIC Friday!

Thank God It's Friday! I'm so happy the weekend is finally here!
Here are a few pins I found this week--can't wait to try them out!
Have a nice weekend!

This looks amazing! I love me some popcorn! Click here for the recipe over at The Mommy Blog Hoppers!

Earth Day is Monday, April 22nd--do something with your kids! Here are a few suggestions over at My Unentitled Life.

Um, Waffle Iron Hashbrowns using Tator Tots? YES PLEASE! Check out the easy recipe from CheekyKitchen here.

 

DIY Chip & Dip Server

This is another simple DIY that you can really go crazy with. My inspiration comes from one of my favorite blogs, The Crafting Chicks. And, it goes along with the tutorial I did earlier this week with my Dollar Store Candle Holders. You only need 3 items, plus your favorite glue. I use E600 because its cheap, dries clear and works great. The plate and bowl I found on clearance at Target. You could go to a Thrift Store, Wal-Mart, Target, etc...the possibilities are endless. I've done many different variations. You can see my Christmas one from the post I did for the Dill Pickle Dip.

 

Instructions:
Clean and dry plate and bowl. Apply glue around the base of the candle holder and center in on the bottom of the bowl. Apply pressure to hold in place. Allow to dry for 15 minutes. Apply more glue on the top of the candle stick and center it on top of the plate. Apply pressure and allow to dry for 15 minutes or over night. Wash and use!
I love the nautical look to this! So summery! 
Here's a close-up of the candle stick:

Tasty Tuesday--Lasagna Loaf

If you're anything like me, you're searching for new ideas for meals! I try to make a new recipe once a week. It's been a tradition of ours for a few years now. It's a great way to try new things and expand our dinner options! I also try to create those comfort food we all love, but make them doable for the working family. Like meatloaf, lasagna, spaghetti...just to name a few. These meals usually take a long time to prepare and we find ourselves only enjoying them on the weekends. Over the last few years, I've mastered (in my opinion) the homemade spaghetti sauce like my mom makes, but in the crock pot and making meat loaf in the crock pot too. This allows us to enjoy them any day of the week. Recently, I decided to try a shortened version of lasagna. This is perfect for smaller families and weeknight meals.

Lasagna Loaf
serves 4

Ingredients
4 no-boil lasagna sheets
1 1/3 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c grated parmesan
12 meatballs (prepared or frozen/thawed/heated) and cut in half (I used frozen turkey Italian meatballs)
Jar of favorite sauce or sauce recipe below (Perfect for sneaking in extra veggies)
Sauce:
1/3 c grated onion
1/3 c grated carrot
1 Tbls minced garlic
1 Tbls tomato paste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can crushed tomatoes (15 oz)
3 Tbls chopped fresh basil

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat loaf pan with nonstick spray. To make sauce: sweat onion, carrot, garlic, tomato paste and pepper flakes in the same skillet over medium heat until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and basil; cook until slightly thickened, 3-5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Cover bottom of prepared pan with 1/4 cup of sauce.

Layer a lasagna sheet, 1/4 cup sauce, a third of the meatballs, 1/3 cup mozzarella, and 2 Tbls Parmesan. Repeat layering two more times. Top final lasagna sheet with 1/4 cup sauce, and the remaining cheeses.
Bake lasagna loaf until cheese is golden brown and bubbly, 25-30 minutes; let cool 10 minutes before serving.

From the picture above, you can see this dinner was a success!

Yarn Wrapped Candle Holder

Spring has finally decided to arrive here in Northern Illinois! What a great weekend to play outside! I'm sharing an idea I had when Carson and I were messing around with yarn. Remember these DIY Dollar Store Candle Hurricanes? 

I created a smaller version of the Dollar Store Candle Holders, but this time, I wrapped it with yarn. It gives it a fun dimension and I absolutely love how it turned out! Check it out! It took me less than 5 minutes to put together (not counting drying time, of course!).

Yarn Wrapped Candle Holders


You'll need:

Candle stick (Dollar Store)
Candle Tumbler (Dollar Store)
Yarn 
E-6000
Hot Glue Gun

Directions

Clean and dry tumbler and candle stick. Glue candle stick to the bottom of the tumbler. Be certain to center it. Take your yarn and wrap it around the tumbler until it has the look you desire. Cut and apply a small amount of hot glue to secure the yarn. Fill with sand or other filler and place candle inside.

 

So, for $2 and some change, I've created a unique and fun "Spring" inspired candle holder. Whatcha think?

Cindy

PINTASTIC FRIDAY!

I have an obession...with Pinterest. You do to? Great! So glad we're friends! Oh wait, you've not joined? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! Seriously--I love the inspiration I find on there daily and the great new blogs, websites or resources I come across.

If you are new to Pinterest, simply go to Pinterest.com and create a profile. You can start following your Facebook Friends, me, Twitter, me...and once you start following people, you get to see the stuff they've pinned. You can choose to repin, like or keep scrolling.
AND, you can dowload a PIN IT button into your Favorites Bar. What does that do, you ask. It allows you to PIN an image from a website onto one of your PIN Boards. Why do that? Let's say you are thinking about redoing your master bedroom. If you make a Board titled Master Bedroom and you are messing about on the web and you find the PERFECT bedding set and you're not sure it will go with the entire theme, but you don't want to forget where you saw it--PIN IT! Or let's say you love to find recipes online from many different sources, when you find a great one, you can PIN it to a special board. For example, I have a Tasty Board, Sweet Tooth Board, Breakfast Food Board--you get the picture, right? So when you PIN the picture, you are also saving what it looks like AND the website page you were at. So the next time you want to make that tasty looking banana bread you saw 3 months ago, you can go to your Breakfast Food Board, click on the picture and it will take you to the source where you originally PINNED it.

AND more often than not, most websites/blogs have a PIN IT button near the picture (I have one at the end of all my posts). Click on it, and it will bring up all the images on that page available for you to PIN. Now, PIN the image you want to your specific board and continue on reading the article. You've just saved it for future use and you don't have to worry about saving it to your favorites or printing it out (until you're ready of course!).
Oh and the more you follow, the more cool, exciting PINs you will see so you can PIN them, too! You can also search for anything on Pinterest, too. So if you are looking for Potato Casserole, type that in and anything that was pinned with those words, will be shown to you. Play around and have fun. I like to look at the Popular Listing once in awhile too--just to make sure I'm not missing out on anything exciting!
If you aren't following Crazylou on Pinterest yet, just click here. Each week I'm going to start listing my favorite PINs and share my obession with you!


I'm drooling...find these at Food Family Finds

Adrianne shows us a simple way to make this cute braclet over at happyhourprojects.com

 

Wish my garage looked as organized as Just a Girl.

 

 

Have a great weekend! Don't forget to join me on Pinterest!

 

Cindy

Tasty Tuesday--Ham & Broccoli Ring

How was your Easter celebration? Ours was nice and enjoyable. Although we didn't host dinner, those that did probably have plenty of leftover Ham. Good news,  I've got an easy dinner for you!

Ham & Broccoli Ring
Serves 4, adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients
8 oz tube reduced fat croissant rolls
3 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 oz cubed ham
1 1/2 c chopped broccoli
1 Tbls Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine ingredients in bowl. Unroll croissant rolls and arrange in a circle on round baking stone. Scoop mixture onto crescent rolls. Fold over rolls and tuck ends under. Bake 25-30 minutes. 

The original recipe calls for double of all the ingredients and Swiss cheese instead of mozzarella. Since we have a small family, this suits our family perfectly.

Cindy