Monday, October 28, 2013

Yo-Crunch Pumpkin Pie Parfait

What can I say, I'm a "pumpkinhead!" I'm obsessed with all things pumpkin spice that come out during Autumn; I am pretty much drawn to anything in the store that has to do with pumpkins; and here is our latest find.

With only 120 calories when you use the topping (90 if you don't) this is a delightful guilt free snack. Let's face it, most fall and winter treats aren't exactly kind to our waistlines. I had been following Weight Watchers from January-September and I have successfully lost over 50lbs; October-December are my hardest months so I allow myself some slack, but if I am not careful I will put a lot of that weight back on! I'm happy to see there are healthier options out there now for some of my favorite flavors.

What is your favorite pumpkin spice goody or recipe?

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

John Hancock

We read about the declaration of independence today and we made a quill pen and some ink from berries. The boys really enjoyed this activity. It's quite simple if you'd like to try it yourself, simply cut the end of a feather at an angle and cut a slit in the point. Squeeze berries to get juice out into a small dish and add a little salt and white vinegar and stir well. Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Give me butter!

Even before we started eliminating more and more processed foods, one thing we never ate (well at least for several years now) is margarine. We use BUTTER! It may have more fat but it is real! One of our lessons this week after learning bout the pilgrims was to make our own butter! I used a recipe from Fresh Eggs Daily (great blog, you should check it out.) as well as her buttermilk biscuit recipe because of course, when you make butter you also get fresh and delicious buttermilk! The boys made their own portions by shaking the cream and a bit of salt in baby food jars, they had a blast and really enjoyed eating something they made all on their own. I of course used my kitchenaid :)

If you have never made your own butter I suggest you give it a whirl at least once, there is nothing like it! And I shamefully have never made buttermilk biscuits from scratch and must say it will be the only way I will make them from now on!