Delicious and ScArY Spagetti

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With fall just around the corner, it's time to start getting ready for Halloween. Black Bean Spaghetti with AFRAID-O Sauce and Garlicky Black Bean Spaghetti Spoons with Deviled Eyes made using Explore Cuisine's Black Bean Spaghetti.

Black Bean Spaghetti with AFRAID-O Sauce, White Carrot Phalanges

RECIPE
White Carrot Phalanges-
Peel 8 white carrots then carve with small knife into finger-bone shape. Steam until al dente. Set aside.

Black Bean Spaghetti with AFRAID-O Sauce-
1 box Explore Cuisine Black Bean Spaghetti - cooked, drained
1 jar of alfredo sauce (can choose gluten-free)
1 jar of marinara sauce (choose one that is more blood red in color, rather than orange)
fresh basil
Heat the sauces in separate saucepans over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Place warm Explore Cuisine black bean spaghetti in the center of four serving plates.
Ladle alfredo sauce over the center of the spaghetti.
Arrange carrot phalanges over the sauce.
Splatter marinara sauce over the entire dish, in a gruesome manner.
Garnish with basil.

 All Explore Cuisine pastas are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO and made with 100% organic ingredients. The Black Bean Spaghetti boasts 25 grams of protein per 2 oz. serving and is made from only one ingredient- organic black beans!

Celebrate Coffee Day with Delicious Recipes!

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Powdered creamers really gross me out.  What are they made out of if they are not even dairy!  I found this really cool creamer that not only flavors your coffee, it also keeps you on your health and fitness goals.  They use all natural ingredients like coconut.  Make a cup of coffee for national coffee day and bake some cookies to go with!

Leaner Creamer Coffee Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
One cup of softened room temperature butter
One and one fourth cups of granulated sugar
Two organic eggs
One third of a cup of Coffee
Three teaspoons of Leaner Creamer
One teaspoon of organic vanilla
One teaspoon of salt
Two cups of organic flour (gluten free flour may be substituted)
Half of a teaspoon of baking powder
Half of a teaspoon of cinnamon


Instructions:

In the stand/handheld mixing bowl, mix together butter and sugar. Wait till it gets to a fluffy texture, then stop mixing.
Mix Leaner Creamer mixture into room temperature coffee.

In another smaller bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, coffee, and Leaner Creamer until evenly incorporated.

In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Slowly add egg mixture to butter mixture until it is evenly combined, be careful not to over beat this mixture.

Chill dough for at least one hour, you may save this dough for later usage. For best results, chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees when ready to bake.

Roll out dough on floured counter to about a half inch thick. Then, using a circular cookie cutter, cut out circles, line on baking sheet.
Bake for nine minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!



September 29, enjoy a $5.00 discount off any purchase on LeanerCreamer.com using promo code CoffeeDay

Selfie Queen

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Found some funny things on my phone from Mini and wanted to share

5 Easy Prep Healthy Snacks

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Healthy snacking is always a concern with picky eaters. Guiding Stars has given me 5 Healthy Snacks that are easy prep for busy families!

Fruit Leather Rolls

Number of Servings: 20 (46 G)

Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 3 Hours

Ingredients

• Clean and sliced fruit of your choice to make 2 c. puree (for example: 2 apples, 2 pears, and 1 c. raspberries will mash down to about 2 c.)
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1/4 t. cinnamon

Directions

1. Puree sliced fruit. Add cinnamon and lemon juice to blender. Blend again.

2. Spread mixture evenly in a 10x15 pan. Place in a 175-degree oven (leave door ajar) for 3 hours. If bottom is still wet, turn the fruit over and dry longer.

3. Cut into 20 strips and cover each with plastic wrap. Roll up (with plastic layers). Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Date Snack Bars

Number of Servings: 20 (33 G)

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups dates, pureed
• 2 cups whole almonds
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons flax seeds
• Pinch salt

Directions

1. Line a 9″ square baking pan with wax paper.

2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor.

3. Blend thoroughly, stopping occasionally to scraped down the sides.

4. When the mix comes together to form a dough, use wet fingers to press it into your pan.

5. Refrigerate until firm enough to cut.

Fruit Kebabs with Lemon Lime Dip

Number of Servings: 2 (239 G)

Prep: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

• 4 oz. sugar-free, low-fat lemon yogurt
• 1 t. lime juice
• 1 t. lime zest
• 6 pineapple chunks
• 6 strawberries
• 1 kiwi, peeled and diced
• 1/2 banana, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 grapes
• wooden skewers

Directions

1. In wooden small bowl, whisk together yogurt, lime juice, and zest. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

2. Thread 1 of each fruit onto the skewer. Repeat with other skewers until fruit is gone. Serve with lemon lime dip.

Quinoa Granola

Number of Servings: 4 (36 G)
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 tablespoons whole flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon chia seed
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash cardamom

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine all the ingredients and mix well.

2. Spread on a non-stick baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes.

Kids Crunch Trail Mix

Number of Servings: 8 (109 G) Servings (109 G)

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Ingredients

• 4 c. Kashi Go Lean Crunch
• 1/2 c. roasted, salted soy nuts
• 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
• 1 c. raisins
• 1 c. dried cranberries
• 1/2 c. dry roasted pumpkin seeds

Directions

Combine ingredients and store in air-tight container.

Thanks to Guiding Stars... An organization that helps people make healthy choices! Find out more here

Healthy Snacks for School

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Moms are always looking for great snack options.  Zing sent me some samples to try.  Baby Bear is REALLY picky.  She also gets hangry (hungry + angry) if she doesn't eat.  I try and try, but she just wants the basics.  This kid used to eat fish, seaweed, and was a fruit monster.  Now...nada. 

She is BEGGING me for Zing bars in her lunch for dessert.  I didn't tell her what they were, she just loves them.  There are a few favorite flavors: Chocolate Mint and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.  The Chocolate Mint taste like thin mints.  Seriously people, they are amaZing! 

Can't find a shop to buy them in?  Go to Amazon here

"The Zing Bar was founded by a group of Seattle dietitians and is deeply rooted in ‘nutrition science’ around blood sugar--- by turning the calories we eat into useable energy to support metabolism and sustenance throughout the day without the spikes and crashes, the low energy, the cravings, and the buildup of body fat.  Each bar contains a ‘smart’ balance of high quality proteins, slow burning carbs, and good fats to support metabolism and brain function, and dietary fiber for digestive system health and long-lasting hunger satisfaction.  

Zing Bars have a creamy nut or seed butter base; pea, rice or whey protein and wholesome ingredients like quinoa, gluten-free oats and nuts. The chocolate flavors contain real dark chocolate from Peru, as opposed to the more commonly used waxy and tasteless compound chocolates.  There is no dairy or soy in the chocolate, making Zing the only soy and dairy-free dark chocolate in the country. The peanuts (and peanut butter) are sourced from Argentina.  They’re also non-GMO, free of soy, additives, artificial colors and flavors.  Zing offers gluten-free and vegan varieties."

Baby Bear is in 1st Grade

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Can you believe how big she has gotten?!!

First Day of 1st grade 2016

Impromtu Games

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I am trying my best to not play with my phone around my kids.  I see that they develop the habit that they want to play with the phone now when they are idle for a few minutes and I don't like that.  I want them to be able to entertain themselves and find things to do.  In the summer they don't have any devices because we are away at camp and I want those habits of mind to stay. 

Mini and I waited for Baby Bear at the bus stop and created our own tic tac toe game out of rocks and sticks. Mini learns that games have rules and she also practices taking turns in this game. She know how to play, but I am not sure she understands how to win, so I let her win a few times so we could talk about how a 'win' looks. 

You can also see our dog's shadow as we sit and play. Tried something similar? Let us hear in the comments!

Setting Up My Art Room

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I have an amazing classroom to set up! 

It needs a little bit of TLC to whip it into shape. This room was the art room, then used as a classroom, and now needs to be made into an art room. 

Before

Before 

  I had to organize a lot of supplies that were left. I had amazing help from a friend to do this as well as Mr. BBH, Mini and Baby. 

I wanted to share some of the secrets that I learned from other teachers to help you set up your own room.  The teacher that I taught for during a guest teaching position had a great organization to help reuse paper.  I have so many carts because unfortunately this school was an "art on a cart" school in years before.  I used the cart as my sorting station, and it can be moved around the classroom for students to use or put large scraps in.  

If you want to use this idea, here are the simple labels that I made an laminated.  What are your art room secrets?!

Click HERE for printable Labels

Natural Solutions for Bug Bites

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I am always looking for natural remedies for kids that I can easily bring with me.  We are outside at camp all summer and have lots of bug bites on both Baby Bear and Mini.  They LOVE to apply anti-itch things themselves and found some easy and natural solutions for them.  Not matter what kind of bug repellent we put on, there are always a few critters that still bite. Carrington Farms sent me a list of great things to try:

Coconut Oil: When coconut oil is applied to bites or stings, it forms a thin layer that protects the cut from dust and bacteria, especially effective given its anti-bacterial properties. Coconut oil also has anti-inflammatory properties so it can provide quick relief for those itchy bites. Carrington Farms has some unrefined packs of coconut oil that you can bring with you on-the-go.  

Lavender Oil: Known as a natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent for soothing and preventing bites, lavender oil is also unique for mosquito bites as it's known to stop bleeding. A few drops diluted in a carrier oil can be applied directly to the offending bite.

Basil: Believe it or not, basil doesn't just taste good in your pasta, it also has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. If you don't possess a basil essential oil, then do it the good-ole fashioned way and rub basil leaves directly on the bug bite to relieve the itch.

Honey: Like the remedies above, honey has many anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and is a common pick among home remedy enthusiasts. Not to mention, it has hundreds of years of medicinal history that supports its everyday use for various ailments and bites. A small drop on an itchy bite may be just the relief you need.

Chamomile Tea: Not only is chamomile tea soothing, but it's also healing with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cleansing properties for your next bite. Steep a few teabags in boiling water for ten minutes, allow to cool and then apply the sting. Cool tea bags draw fluid out of a bite to reduce itching and swelling.

Have you tried any of these remedies?  Leave a comment! 

A house of Artists

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This is a picture that she drew for me for my birthday.  It is a drawing of her family.  She is really into the styling and fashion of the clothing. 

Do you remember when she did her first family portrait?  

I also had to share what she wrote on the bag that she put the picture in: 

Summer Dreams Coming True

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Art the Ravitz Art Center this summer, we created amazing artwork.  There are a few pieces that are very special to me.  The first one is a large mosaic that was done on a 6' round wood piece. It is the 5 core values of the summer camp that I work at and a camp scene with the sunrise shining on the ground. 

The second amazing piece that I worked on this summer is a changing piece of artwork that I designed in the style of Yaacov Agam.  It Changes as you move by the piece so you can interact with the artwork as you go by. 

And I am so blessed to be the recipient of the Rachel Jacobs Tikun Olam Award for all of the amazing things that happen at camp... It really is my amazing staff and campers that deserve this because they help to realize my vision!  

The School's First Art Show

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Before the holidays we had our first Middle School Art Show.  It was set up outside of the choir concert and showcased the work that my students have been doing. 

This is the first year that there is an Art Teacher in my current Detroit Charter school and so this is the first time that students get to learn about different artists and art styles.  I am teaching using the Element of Art to give them the baseline of skills and vocabulary.  The artwork here is from our lessons on color.  

Mini goes to the Dentist

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Can you believe that Mini is 3?!  It is time to have her first dental appointment.  I have have written about it before that it is important for overall health to start early on dental health. 
It is recommended that children start at the age of 3 so that they get into the habit of going every 6 months to stay tooth healthy.  

Before Mini had her first cleaning, she got to come and watch me get my teeth cleaned.  She kept asking questions and was very interested in what was going on.  Mini is a very curious kid but even if you child doesn't ask questions, you should still tell children what to expect about new experiences.

 Here is Mini in the dentist chair all ready for her cleaning.  She is so brave and I am so proud of her for sitting still and not getting scared.   

All of the instruments can seem really scary, but they all have some really fun names and tickle your teeth.  Mini got to learn all of their names as well as some of the words for parts in your mouth. 

When she was done she got to put her name in the drawing to win the giant penguin and babies as well as a prize.  She left so happy and smiled so big! 

Remember to get YOUR teeth cleaned every 6 months! 

 *Keep your own teeth*

*Prevent gum disease*

*Maintain overall health*

{Recent studies have shown a connection between heart attacks and gum disease}

PS-If you don't have dental coverage, it is much cheaper to prevent future needs then to wait until you need major dental care & You can also get discounted cleaning at Universities that have Dental Schools.

note to my readers:Thank you so much for following me.  Time and life move way to fast to enjoy and I wish I had more time savor all of the little things. Mr. BBH started back to school and I am teaching full time, so please stay and follow along!