Outdoor activities seem to be more popular than ever before due to the ongoing pandemic. One activity that we have always enjoyed is downhill skiing. I learned how to ski when I was young, and this year I had the chance to continue teaching Chloe and Carter how to ski as well. In this post I’ll share some tips on how we skied this weekend in a relatively safe way. Before skiing, make sure you grab a large tote that is light weight and can get wet from snow. We packed all of our gear in this tote and took it with us to bundle up once we got to…
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
After trying too many pumpkin bread recipes, we determined that everyone likes their pumpkin bread a little different. Some like it more dense, more (cringe) moist, more pumpkiny, with banana or super light and fluffy. So many variations on such a great recipe. However, we think we have the goldilocks of all chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipes right here. Ingredients 1 3/4 cup King Arthur Flour 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp Penzeys cinnamon 1/4 tsp Penzeys nutmeg 1/4 tsp Penzeys cloves 1/4 tsp Penzeys ginger 3/4 tsp Penzeys salt 2 eggs room temperature 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree 1/2 cup…
Pretzel Pete for the Win!
It may have been Monday Night Football in our house (GO PACKERS!), but the big score was happening in our kitchen. Pretzel Pete was dominating the flavor for our Monday Night Football snacks, and our mouths couldn’t have been happier. Since we have nut allergies, we typically do not enjoy pretzels during football because of facility cross-contact risks. When we learned about Pretzel Pete bing manufactured in a complete nut free facility located in the US, and the various flavor offerings, we knew we had to give them a try. Our instagram stories showed Chloe sampling a few of her favorite flavors. “Mom, I’ve never had a more flavorful pretzel…
Top 5 Back to School Snacks
Can you believe it’s that time of year again? School for us begins next week Wednesday. The kids are so excited, and so am I. However, this time of year can be hard when you have a food allergy. There are extra medical forms to fill out at school, epi pens to hand over to school, epi pens for backpacks, and a slu of questions from classroom parents about safe snacking. Here are our top 5 for sharing this fall: Enjoy Life Coco Loco Bars – Metcalfes Market Blakes Snack Bars – Amazon Karens Dried Fruit Bags – Metcalfes Market Made Good Granola Bites – Costco + Amazon Wow Butter…
M Word Banana Bread (MWBB)
Hey guys! If you’ve been following our Instagram stories, you saw that amazing M Word Banana Bread we made last night. We’re calling it the MWBB. If you dont know what M word stands for, I’ll give you a clue (MOI$T). Just can’t handle that word, or saying it, so M Word it is. The recipe turned out AMAZING. We’ve made about 15 different kinds of banana bread recipes over the past year and this one is BY FAR the best. Let me share it with you. Ingredients 2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon Penzey’s ground cinnamon 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.…
Top 5 Nut Free Snacks
We are almost done with the school year, BUT our safe snacking box has run out of treats. This week we stocked up on our favorites. Enjoy Life Cocoa Loco Bars Skinny Pop Pop Corn Hostess Ding Dongs Enjoy Life Chocolate Candy Bars Birthday Cake Blondie Bars This Birthday cake mix is perfect for take-along treats for birthday parties. I like to make these in advance, put them in a zip top back, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Our classroom is pretty small at school, and I usually just send one of these along during the birthday week. We have birthday MONTH coming up and…
FAT TUESDAY UNICORN SHAKES
AH, yes, the season of Lent is upon us and tomorrow marks the beginning with FAT TUESDAY! One of my favorite days of the year, complete over inulgence. This year we are making unicorn shakes inspired by Everything Erica and her fabulous IG Stories. The supplies are all avaialble at Vanilla Bean Madison, or your local nut-free retailer. And we’ll have some IG Live stories for you to watch us assemble. Have a great week everyone, and don’t forget to set your clock ahead this coming Sunday!
Nut Free Girl Scout Cookie Options
Its cookie time and our little lady is hard at work selling Girl Scout Cookies! Hooray! This year, the allergy info and may contain statements are super helpful, so we ordered thin mints and lemonades. We are still looking for facility info on this years new gluten free chocolate chip caramel cookie, so stay tuned for that. We are working on it. What is your favorite cookie?!
Blueberry Oat Wheat Muffins
If you’re looking for a filling morning on-the-go breakfast, these muffins are the best one’s we have made so far! And the difference is soaking the oats for 20 minutes in milk. It sounds like an annoying task, but honestly, it MAKES these muffins so fluffy and delish. Enjoy – both kids devoured them today! Ingredients 1 cup (240ml) Sassy Cow Milk 1 cup (80g) old-fashioned whole rolled Quaker Oats 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) wheat King Arthur Flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground Penzeys cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1/2 cup (120ml) honey (or 1/2 cup sugar) 1 large egg,…
Dove Valentine’s Chocolate
Chocoholics REJOICE! If you have peanut / treenut allergies, I have such good news to share. Today we called Mars Candy Company, the manufacturer of Dove Chocolates. We asked spcifically about the Pink Champagne and Milk Chocolate Swirl hearts. The customer service rep assured us that they are made in a dedicated peanut and treenut free facility. Whats even more exciting is that on EVERY DOVE CHOCOLATE PACKAGE, it will say “Allergies” and a “may contain” statement. The may contain statement may not always be present. If it’s NOT present, then your specific allergen is not present in the manufacturing facility. If the allergen is in the manufacturing facility, it…
Cocoa White Chocolate Chip Cookies
For Valentine’s Day, we wanted to flip the traditional chocolate chip cookie around and make it a cocoa cookie with white chocolate chips. The flavor is amazing! Artisan Kettle White Chocolate does NOT disappoint. White chocolate is not always our favorite, but Artisan Kettle’s recipe for their white chocolate chips is incredible. It makes these cookies 100%. We made a batch to test, then another to deliver in some sweet Valentine treat bags for teachers at our school. We LOVE our teachers 🙂 Ingredients 2 1/4 cups all-purpose King Arthur Flour 2/3 cup Vermont Nut Free Cocoa Powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened 3/4…
No-Bake Granola Bars
Car breakfast is all the rage in our house right now – and I love it because it takes a step out of our morning. Eating in the car is multi-tasking, right? We made these on Sunday night to prep for the week and they literally took 5 minutes to put together. When you’re done mushing them into your pan, pop them into the fridge and they will set up over night for you to use all week long. Ingredients 2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats 1 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal (like Rice Krispies or plain Chex) 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed (optional) 6 Tablespoons butter (*see note) 4 Tablespoons Sunbutter 1/3 cup honey 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips ,…
The Week of Love
Happy Valentine’s Week! Many people think you should show love all the time, not just on a Hallmark Holiday, so they decide NOT to celebrate 2/14. I have to agree 100% about showing love all the time; but expressing love & gratitiude on Valentine’s Day is equally as important. This goes for friends, co-workers, family, teachers; really anyone that makes your life lovelier! And this does NOT have to be a grand gesture. It could be as simple as an extra hug to say “happy valentine’s day,” a note on a car door/lunch box, free lunch, a free latte, anything to let that person know you have love/gratitude for them.…
Sweet Banana Bars
Two great things that go great together, banana bread and frosting. Typically I do not frost items that we eat for breakfast; however, I was in a pinch and needed a quick dessert. Frosting a banana bread that I had already made was the perfect, time-saving idea. And here is the recipe. Ingredients 1/2 cup butter, softened (unsalted) 2 cups sugar 3 large eggs 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur) 1 teaspoon baking soda pinch of salt Frosting 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened (Kraft) 1/2 cup butter, softened 4 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla…
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