Pumpkin seeds!

Every year we look forward to our neighbors pumpkin carving party!! This year I decided to roast some of the pumpkin seeds, as it had been years since I've had them! I tried 3 different recipes to see what the winner is in our family :)  (the kids of course love the sweet ones!) Such a yummy little snack....what's your fav?

 I soaked the seeds in salt water overnight, drained in a colander, patted them dry and then seasoned them these 3 ways (using 2 cups of seeds per batch) .....
Cinnamon and sugar:
One Tablespoon butter, and sprinkled with cinnamon and about 1 Tablespoon of sugar---stir and turn out on cookie sheet, stir occasionally
Bake 350 for about 1/2 hour or until golden brown
Seasoned:
1 1/2 Tablespoons of olive oil, 1/8 tsp garlice powder, 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce or worcestershire sauce---stir and turn out on cookie sheet, bake as above (and I also sprinkle some sea salt on top of these at the end)
Sea salt:
1 Tablespoon olive oil, stir and turn out onto baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt, bake as above.

enjoy this tasty little snack of fall! :)

crockpot chicken tostadas

I LOOOOOVE crockpot meals. I love how they fill the house with yummy aromas. I love how they are done when you walk in the door. I love how they make my crazy life a little less....crazy :) So, this winter I am going to try to do many more than my usual go-to healthy recipes.  This one was just so yummy I had to share! It's really just a little twist on the usual taco, but it was a hit. The kids love this too because they can build their own with their favorite toppings.

First of all, I cut up strips of chicken (about 5 or so breasts) and threw them in the crock pot with 2 low sodium taco seasoning packets, and sprinkled about a tablespoon of minced onion on them. (low setting for about 6 hours)
These flaxseed and blue corn tortillas are so yummy! (found them at Target. where else?) I baked them for 8-10 min at 350 degrees or until lightly browned.
Then I used a slotted spoon to top each tostada with the chicken.

Next, I layered it with our favorite toppings:
cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, black beans, light sour cream or plain greek yogurt and taco sauce. (great served with corn bread and honey butter!) Hope you enjoy! :) I even got a thumbs up on this one and was asked to make this one every night for dinner! ;o)

kids will eat this broccoli!

Broccoli isn't loved by all my kids, but this salad is a hit every time with every child! It's super easy too!
What you need:
Broccoli slaw salad
Broccoli slaw bag mix (has carrots and cabbage in it too!)
1 package ramen noodles
sunflower seeds (optional)
dressing
3T vinegar
2T sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
seasoning packet from ramen noodles
*Mix all dressing ingredients together, pour over slaw, then crumble the ramen noodles on top, sprinkle with sunflower seeds, and watch them eat their broccoli! :)

Brenna + James 10.7.11

Here are a few of the photos I took of Brenna and James' wedding this weekend in Duluth! The day was gorgeous, as are they! It was such an honor to be a part of their special, wonderful, colorful wdding day!!

Healthy, FUN school lunches!

I have been completely inspired by this site that a friend of mine shared with me!! Here's the link: http://thislunchrox.com/ I finally got my "Bento boxes" from Pottery Barn kids, so it makes it a little easier to put it all together! (they aren't sold in stores, and were back ordered when I ordered mine a month ago- just an fyi!) This is a great way to make healthy lunches for kids, but also to make them so fun! You HAVE to check out her site! (you may have seen Jamie on KARE 11!) I bought a bunch of cookie cutters (princess crown, shoes, trucks, stars, alphabets etc), some silicone cupcake liners, and some skewers for fruit kabobs. My oldest takes cold lunch every day, so when school started, I did have to tell her not to expect a "fun" lunch every day :)  She and I have had a lot of fun with this! Let the creative juices flow, your kids will LOVE it!

"A spider for snack?!" (well...minus 2 legs!)

Meet Carl the creepy crawly. He was present at snack time today....but not for long! I used almond butter between the graham crackers, nutella on top, cashews for legs, marshmallows for eyes and a piece of pull & peel licorice for the tongue. This little guy was a hit! And so easy to make...maybe we'll see him again one day.

Rainbow s'mores!

So, we had left over Easter marshmallows. I know. They are old... but still taste just fine enough to make rainbow s'mores! And life just wouldn't be as enjoyable without treats every now and then! You can buy the multi-colored ones year round :)
I make these in the microwave...crackers, marshmallow bunnies and scattered chocolate chips. Melt them for about 20 sec. or until they get nice and puffy! Voila...happy children! :)