Happy Easter Everyone!

Well this mama Easter Bunny was up until 2 in the morning this morning, but it was worth it to see the excitement on the faces of the kids.

Even though yesterday, I was out getting last minute things and had to walk home through this . . . .

 . . . SNOW!!!!  Yes snow on the day before Easter, but it was still a great Easter so far.

We planted Easter colored candy in sugar and because Magic happens on Easter, when we got up this morning the kids were thrilled to see that magically something had grown in place of the candy!

And we followed these chocolate footprints left by our messy Easter Bunny (they weren't blurry in person, I promise, but when a sleep deprived mommy takes pics at 2 in the morning, this is what happens . . . .

Luckily they led to lots of goodies! (not even including the eggs they had to hunt for!)

Later today we will be having Easter Supper with family and friends so it should be a good day with more pics to share!

Baked Ham and Egg Cups (low carb, Trim Healthy Mama S, low fat)

This is a super easy recipe, and is always a hit!

• 12 eggs (you could use scrambled egg whites to reduce fat, but I wouldn't)
• 12 pieces of sandwich Ham
• 1 onion-diced or minced
• reduced fat cheese of your choice-grated
• salt
• pepper

    muffin baking tin

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray the muffin tin with cooking spray, or grease muffin tin.
3. Place one slice of the sandwich ham into the muffin tin, so it forms a "bowl".
4. Add some onion and cheese on the bottom of each "bowl", and crack ONE egg into each...add some more onion and cheese on top, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Put into oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until egg is fully cooked.  Serve and Enjoy

Saturday Photohunt: Indigo and Traces

The Saturday PhotoHunts for this week are: Indigo and Traces.  Indigo is a shade of blue and there are definitely some shades of blue in this pic and if you look closely, you can see traces of clouds in the sky and in the bottom corner there is even a few traces of snow down in the bottom corner of the picture. 

Technorati PhotoHunters and Photohunter Facebook

Coconut Fudge (low carb, Trim Healthy Mama S, Paleo)

• 3 cups shredded unsweatened coconut
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil,
• 2 Tbsp butter,
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder,
• 1 tsp vanilla
• salt to taste 
• 1 Tbsp Sweetener (or to taste try 8 drops of chocolate liquid stevia!)
• Shredded coconut to top

1. Blend up 3 cups shredded unsweatened coconut in food processor until butter consistency (takes about 10 min),
2. Add coconut oil, butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt,and stevia.
3. Pour into dish and sprinkle shredded coconut on top and place in fridge to harden. Seriously, it tastes amazing! 

Easter Craft Fun for the kids on Easter Weekend

I thought I would share some crafts for the kids to have fun with on this Easter Weekend.

Here are some I found:
Toilet Paper Roll Easter Craft

Mouse Egg 

Easter Egg Potato Stamping

Bunny Silhouette Yarn Craft

Peeps Easter wreath

Bunny Clothespins Easter Craft

Plate Easter Craft

Easter Egg Chicks 

Easter Craft for Kids using pom poms, clothespins, and paint

Paper Plate Bunny

Easy Handprint Lambs

Bunny Peep Puffy Paint Easter Craft for Kids

Spring Footprint Art {Bunny and Carrots} 

Happy Easter breakfast

Glitter Eggs

This Moment

A beautiful and fun Friday ritual. Inspired by SouleMama.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. – Amanda Soule

Ideas for Organizing Kids Toys!

Everyone that I know who has kids has had to wrestle with the toys clutter that takes over your house.  They just get out of control!  Here are some ideas I have found:

garage storage for outdoor kid toys 

 Organizing Concepts for Kids: Garage Toys + free printable 

 Puzzle storage

Organize bins with velcro and laminated photos. good to teach children how to clean up after themselves

pictures for labels so it's easier for kids to put stuff away

5 Easy Steps to Organize and Conquer Kids’ Toys

Utilize the space underneath the bed for extra storage with old suitcases or bins that slide easily under the bed. 

Use hanging sweater holders in the closet to hold books and toys.

Corral stuffies into a laundry hamper or make these fun DIY swing shelves.

use flower pots to organize anything

 Organize Kids’ Toys with Magnetic Knife Strips

Needed

I don't get out of the house much lately.  I have too much to do and the kids always seem to need me for something.  But when I do go out for something as simple as groceries, it is nice.  Funny thing is, the best part is coming home again (other than human contact, the sun and the fresh air).  I love that moment when I walk in, with bags in hand, and they all come running to the door.  Princess Belle wants to look and see what I got, no item is too small to be of notice.  Princess Magpie and Princess Snifflefritz are each tugging at me, anxious to show me all the things that they have done and accomplished while I was gone.  Little Prince usually wants mommy to bring him even more food than he has eaten already (as long as it is waffles for peanut butter sandwiches lol).   Even Prince Charming is anxious to tell me what he has read or heard, who he has talked to and to share things he has seen that he thought I might enjoy.

So in exchange for an occasional day out, I get a bonus affirmation of how much they all love me . . . not a bad day at all.

Easter Egg Hunt ideas

Here are some fun ideas I have found for Easter Egg Hunts!

Color Coordinated Easter Hunt, each child gets a basket and eggs of one color!

For younger children, create a separate space either inside or outside for each young child to follow their own jelly bean trail leading to each of their eggs (several jelly beans laid out in a line then one egg, repeat).

How about a treasure hunt? Starting with one clue the kids would need to use the it to find the next “prize” until they finally get to their Easter baskets.

Plant jelly beans on Saturday and see what happens on Easter Day

4 candy free easter egg hunt ideas.

Bunny Tracks!  We do this every year with cocoa sprinkled over a peice of paper with a footprint cut out of it, but you can cut them out of paper to save on the mess if you like!

15 Alternative Egg-Filling Ideas

Chicken Stir Fry with Veggies (Paleo, Low Carb, Low fat, Trim Healthy Mama E or FP)

Ingredients:

• 2 large skinless chicken breasts cubed,
• 1/4 - 1/2 cabbage sliced thin,
• 2 carrots sliced, (you can substitute broccoli for a lower carb version)
• 1 large onion diced into large pieces,
• 4 cloves garlic minced,
• 1-2 inches ginger minced,
• fish sauce,
• oyster sauce,
• olive oil

1. On med-hight heat, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in pan for a minute and add onions and breast.
2. Cook stirring frequently for 4 minutes or until you can no longer see pink on the breast.
3. Add the garlic and carrots and fry for another 3-4 minutes stirring frequently.
4. Add cabbage and stir briefly to incorporate and cover.
5. Let the stir fry alone now for 3-4 minutes. Uncover and check for doneness.
6. At this point, the cabbage is probably not ready yet, stir it around to make sure all the cabbage gets direct heat from the pan and recover for a few more minutes.
7. Check and again for doneness. Repeat this until the cabbage is done to your liking. I like it al dente, and this usually only takes 7 minutes or so. The chicken and the other ingredients don't suffer at all if you need to let the cabbage cook longer.
8. Turn off the heat and open your bottle of fish sauce. I usually add a really good long squirt (3 seconds) all around the pan and then put the bottle on the dinner table in case anyone else needs more to their taste.
9. Then take your bottle of oyster sauce and dab 4 or 5 - one tablespoon sized dabs. Stir the stir fry around to incorporate these seasonings.
10. Finish with a little white pepper if you wish and serve!

We enjoy this with quinoa for an E, or you can serve with cauli rice for a fuel pull or lower carb version (the fat content is negligible and and there are two carrots and an onion in here, but I don't THINK there would be enough fats or carbs to take it out of the fuel pull category).

5-6 generous servings.