Sun Smoothie

For the Summer Solstice, my family will be making a yummy smoothie for breakfast.  It is super simple, yet packs lots of flavor.

Ingredients...
1 small can crushed pineapple in juice
1 banana
about 1/2 cup of orange juice
ice
honey (to taste)

How to Make...
Place the pineapple with juice, banana, and OJ in blender.
Blend until smooth.
Add honey to taste.  Blend periodically.  Taste.  Add more honey as needed.
Add about 1/2 cup of ice. 
Blend until smooth.
Continue to add a few cubes of ice at a time until you get the consistency you like.
Enjoy!

Makes about 2 large smoothies.  We can use this for 1 smoothie for myself and 2 smaller ones for my boys.

You can add yogurt if you would like as well.

Jalapeno Chicken Poppers

Here's another great summer time recipe.  It's super easy to alter for the whole family to enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of chicken breast chunks
• 6 jalapeno peppers
• 6 slices turkey bacon
• 1/4- 1/2 of package of fat free cream cheese
• 2-4 Tablespoons of minced fresh onion
• 1 spoonful minced garlic
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Place cream cheese in a small bowl.  Stir in minced garlic.
2. Cut two slices of onion from an onion already in your fridge.  Dice the onion into tiny pieces.  The smaller the better.  Mix onion into cream cheese mixture.  Place into fridge for later use.
3. Cook bacon until about 1/2 done.  Press between paper towels to remove excess grease.  Set aside.
4. Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise.  Remove seeds.  Set aside.
5. Place chicken chunks between wax paper and hit with a meat mallet until thin.
6. Open wax paper and sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
7. Remove cream cheese mixture from fridge.  Spread cream cheese into the center of each jalapeno slice.
8. Layer a piece of chicken and jalapeno together.  Wrap with 1/2 slice of bacon.  Secure with a toothpick.  Continue until all poppers have been created.
9. Preheat  grill to medium heat.  Place foil on grill.
10. Place chicken on foil and cook for approximately 5-10 minutes.  Flip.  Finish cooking another 5-10 minutes.  **Cook time will depend on how thin the chicken is as well as the temperature of your grill.**  Adjust temperature as you see fit.

For those that can't stomach dairy, simply do not use the cream cheese mixture.

For the little ones, just wrap the chicken in bacon and provide a dipping sauce.  Something about dipping encourages even the pickiest of eaters to partake in the meal.

Serve with a simple side salad, corn guacamole, and watermelon.  YUM-MY!

Stuffed Banana Peppers

Ingredients

• 4 banana peppers
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 5 fresh tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4-5 fresh basil leaves chopped
• small handful fresh oregano chopped
• 1-1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1/2 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound hamburger
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

1.      Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Chop edible portions of tops; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add peppers, reduce heat, and simmer until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2.   Dice tomatoes into very small chunks and simmer in a medium sized cooking pot with chopped garlic.  Stir often.  As you are stirring, press tomatoes with a wooden spoon to smash the tomatoes and help the sauce liquefy faster.  Season with basil, oregano, ½ of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3.      Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray. Saute reserved chopped pepper and onion until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add mixture to tomato sauce and stir.  Cook an additional 5 minutes.

4.      Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine ½ egg, remaining salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan. Mix in cooked hamburger, bread crumbs and ½ cup of the tomato sauce mixture.

4.      Using a piping bag or sausage stuffer, fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Place in a 3 quart casserole dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over peppers.

5.      Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour.  Feel free to top with cheese when the peppers are done.

...altered from a recipe I found on All Recipes...

Watermelon and Feta Salad

DRESSING

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1TBS white wine vinegar
• 1 TBS lime juice
• 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper

SALAD

• 1/4 of a red onion thinly sliced
• 1 lb. of seedless watermelon cut into thin chunks
• 3 oz. feta cheese
• 3 cups of your favorite salad greens

DIRECTIONS

1.  In a bowl, wisk together all dressing ingredients.  Add onion and let sit for 10 minutes.

2.  Add all salad ingredients except for cheese into a bowl and toss.

3.  Sprinkle with feta.  Drizzle with dressing.  Serve.

Watermelon Granita

I know summer has passed, but I am trying to declutter my magazine collection and came across this recipe in Woman's Day.

It looks so yummy; I didn't want to forget it.

INGREDIENTS...

• 6 cups cubed seedless watermelon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup lime juice

DIRECTIONS...

1.  Puree watermelon in the food processor.  Add lime juice and sugar.  Pulse until sugar is dissolved.

2.  Pour into a 13X9 inch metal baking pan.  Freeze for 2 1/2 hours, stirring each hour.  Mix ice crystals into the middle of the pan.

3.  To serve, let granita sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.  Scrape granita into chilled glasses and serve at once. 

Austin Nature Center

Sometimes the best trips cost very little money... in this case free. Austin Nature center is home to a multitude of rescued animals. They provide guided tours and a small one-on-one discussion with the tour guide for schools and daycare centers.

You walk around and view the animals at your leisure. You can also dig for dinosaur bones as well. After eating your picnic lunch on the grounds, you meet up with the tour guide for the remainder of your visit.

First grade has been studying pond life, so of course we got the grand pond tour.

This a picture of the waterway that led up to the pond itself.

The children got to scoop various items and wildlife out of the pond for further examination in the classroom. Mr. T had a blast! I was amazed that with 21 seven-year-olds running around on slipper rocks not even one fell in the water.

Here is T posing on a lilly pad shaped rock in the center of the waterway. He is getting so big (sigh). Kids grow up way too fast...

In the classroom, the tour guide leads a discussion on various pond animals and actually shows several to the children. The children have the opportunity to look at pond life up close and personal. Some of the animals can even be touched by the braver in the class.

This was the perfect field trip. the kids had fun, learned a bit more about pond animals, and shared some time outside of the classroom. I might just take the boys back this summer. My little snowflake would love it!

Cherry Lime Raspado

Ingredients

• 2 Cups fresh lime juice
• 2 Cups sugar
• 4 Cups water
• 3 Cups fresh Bing cherries

Method

In a medium sauce pot, bring sugar and water to a simmer.

 

Allow time to cool; add lime juice.

 

Refrigerate.

 

Raspado:

Take 4 cups of the limeade mixture and combine with 2 cups fresh, seeded bing cherries. Puree in blender until smooth.

 

Strain; pour liquid into a rectangle baking dish and freeze.

 

Once frozen, using a fork, scrape the ice to create "shaved ice."

 

To serve:

Fill glasses with cherry-lime raspado.

 

Pour remaining limeade over the top to fill the glass.

 

Garnish with fresh Bing cherry halves.

 

Our HEB now has aqua frescas.  I tried a watermelon one and a cherry limeade.  Both were a little bit of homemade heaven.  I am still searching for a lime aqua fresca.  If you happen to have a recipe I would love to get my hands on it.  This drink was so yummy.

 

Here's to hoping the above recipe will begin to compare.

Homemade Bubble Solution

Here is a post that I wrote today for my kindergarten class and thought some of you might like it as well.

***************************************************************

This time of year is so much fun. The weather's warm and sunny. Just calling you to go outside and play with your children.

What could possibly be a better time to make bubbles. Big bubbles, small bubbles round bubbles... Wait a minute. Can bubbles be a shape other than a sphere? That is the question I have posed to the class.

I have asked each child to make and bring in a bubble wand by this Thursday.

Now, I have been asked... Mrs. Sanders, how do you make a bubble wand?

Well, honestly, I am not entirely sure but I know that the Internet is bound to have an answer.

Boy, did I hit the jackpot!

If you want to venture out and have a bubble festival at your home, you will need the bubble solution.

photo from flicker

Here are a few I found around the web:

Bubble Blowers Collection of Solution

Exploratorium Bubble Formula from the Exploratorium web site

2/3 cup Joy dish washing soap

1 gallon water

2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerin (available in pharmacies or chemical supply houses)

Cyndi's Bubble Recipes from the Nathan's Wish web site

1/2 cup of dish washing liquid (Dawn or Joy)

2 cups of water

2 teaspoons of sugar

Cyndi suggests adding a dab of food coloring for colorful bubbles.

Mix the solution and place in a shallow pan (or refill your old bubble containers).

NOTE: More recipes and fun with bubbles are available at the website link above.

Homemade Bubbles from Kids Domain Craft Exchange

1/2 (500 ml) cup dish washing detergent

4-1/2 (4.5 liter) cup water

4 tablespoons (60 ml) glycerin (available in pharmacies or chemical supply houses)

Measure out the water, detergent, and glycerin into container with a cover and stir gently. The longer you let the mixture set, the larger the bubbles are and the longer they seem to last.

National Wildlife Federation Bubble Recipe from NWF Backyard Buddies

1/4 cup liquid dish washing detergent

3/4 cup cold water

5 drops of glycerin (available in pharmacies or chemical supply houses)

Marcia's Formula from the Exploratorium web site

1 cup Ultra Ivory Blue

12 cups water 3/4 tablespoon glycerin (available in pharmacies or chemical supply houses)

Marcia says: "Gently stir the ingredients together and leave the solution in an open container overnight. We believe that this gives the alcohol on the dish washing soap a chance to evaporate some. In any case, the solution seems to get better with age.

If you substitute some other soap for Dawn, you will have to experiment with the rest of the formula... but that's the fun of science!"

Ann Hallock's Recipe from the Family.com web site

Ann says: "This recipe is a winner. It's easy to mix up--and inexpensive to boot.

Stir together 6 parts water, 2 parts Joy dishwashing liquid (this brand works the best), and 3/4 part corn syrup.

Store in a covered container.

Have your kids try experimenting with a variety of homemade bubble wands: pipe cleaners bent into interesting shapes, cookie cutters, yogurt lids with the centers cut out, and so on.

For a giant bubblemaker, cut off the top and bottom of a large metal can with a can opener and hammer the inside edges until they are smooth (a parent's job).

Dip either end in the solution and wave through the air."

Bubble Town Quick Start Recipe from the Bubble Town web site

If you want to get started blowing bubbles immediately, just mix up a bubble solution using liquid dish washing detergent. 1 part detergent and 15 parts water. About one cup of water is all you will need to get started.

NOTE: Much more detailed information is available at the website link above.

Big Bubble Magic's Basic Secret Formula from the Big Bubble Magic web site

1 part ultra-Joy brand or

1-1/2 parts "cooked" Dawn brand

8 parts pure water (we used distilled)

1/4 part or less light corn syrup or glycerin

NOTE: Much more detailed information about varying the formula to work best in different conditions is available at the website link above.

Majic's Big Bubble Recipe from the Jamico web site

fills a gallon milk jug with:

11 cups Water

4 cups Ajax dish soap (anti-bacterial works best)

1 cup corn syrup

Check out all the wonderful sites on how to make homemade bubble wands.
You can be a simplistic or as intricate as you choose. The choice is up to you.

tooter 4 kids
how to make a giant bubble wand 
create kids at home
how to make homemade bubble wands
fancy bubble wands 
straw bubble wands 
pipe cleaner bubble wands 
straw and string bubble wand with dr. jean 
make bubble wands with martha stewart

Homemade Bubble Wands

Here are several pictures of some of the bubble wands create by my kindergartens and brought to school for our Bubble Festival.

Some worked better than other, but we did learn that all wands will blow a bubble that is in the shape of a SPHERE.

Science and math at its best... during play time.
Gotta love it!

Hope you have as much fun as we did making bubbles and memories.

Now, to try this with my boys.

Sandy Beach Potrait

At the end of every school year, I like to do an ocean unit. I include ocean animals and the beach. I found this cute beach idea on one of the teacher sites I visit and modified it to meet my needs.

Above is the example of my art project. I also had the children write a story about their trip to the beach including the beginning (characters with names, and setting), middle (details + a problem) and the ending (solution and a satisfying ending). They did really well.

The children enjoyed this project so much that I brought a baggie of sand and some people templates home. I let my boys create one of these super cute projects too. This was fun for the whole family.

First, we drew a line where the beach and ocean would meet. Then, the boys colored the beach brown with a bit of yellow over it.

Next, they colored the ocean blue and green. Once this was done glue was smeared all over the beach part of the picture. The boys really enjoyed sprinkling sand over the glue and then dusting off the excess by gently tapping it on the table. You can barely see the sand in the above picture.

After the background was complete, it was time to make our self portraits. I gave each kiddo a body outline and manila paper. I cut out a pair of swim trunks for Little J, but T Man cut and designed his own. You will have to decide if you need to cut out the body and add detail to the face or if your child will be able to it.

T Man liked this so much that he created 2 people and used them like paper dolls. He played with them for quite a while.

After the self portraits are glued to the background, you can create extra items for the background. I drew and cut out an umbrella for Little J. He colored it before I cut it out. I was amazed at how well he colors for a 3 year old (especially a boy). I have kinder kids that do not color that well coming in at the beginning of the year.

Anyways, your child can draw and cut out anything they want from construction paper to add to the scene. Some suggestions are a sandcastle, umbrella, beach ball, horse, car, boat, fish, frisbee, etc. T Man had a water car and a real car racing in his. You can see one of the people got ran over. Look at the face. Boys can be so morbid.

If you want to tie this project to reading and writing, consider reading the book, The Sand Castle Contest by Robert Munsch before making this project. Children love his fun use of words to create sounds. After reading the book, have your children dictate to you a list of things they might see or find at a beach.

As a writing extension, have your family work on writing a story together. each member adds to the story as you write it down. You can hang the story up with the pictures and reread t to your children often.

Read more...

$5 Friday: Summer Fun

So... today was the first day I did not work. It was so exciting to stay home with the boys and just love each other. By 5:00 though, I needed to get out.

I ventured to our new Target superstore. I LOVE it, by the way... so clean... so organized... so everything TARGET.

Anyways, I found exactly what we have been needing and yes, it was only $5.

Here's What We Got: 2 water guns ($1 a piece= $2- these held tons of water and spray fairly far away) 1 plastic, chunky car to use in the sandbox ($1) 1 plastic boat with sail ($1.99 to use in the water)

For $5, my boys got an hour of squirting each other with the water guns. I know they will do the same tomorrow....

AND...

They will get to use their sand and water table to dig, drive, bury, float, sink etc. They have been dying to go outside and play in it. I think that was the best gift T has ever gotten. He got the sand and water table when he was turning 2 I believe. It sits outside in the Texas sun and is still in great condition after 5 long years of wear and tear.

Daddy got caught in the cross fire.

T Man went a little crazy and wouldn't quit squirting little J in the face.

Of course, JJ got mad and went inside.

Always fun at the Sanders' Casa.

Read more...

Summer Fun Activities to Get You Out and About

I was reading all my favorite blogs this morning though not nearly done... seems I never have enough time to read everyone's. Sorry guys. I stumbled across a great post with summer time activities over at Roots and Wings Co. Some of the ideas listed below will be from this site while others will be based on what's available in my area. Summer Fun Activities List:

• kids bowl free: Check out this site to find a list of bowling alleys in your area that allow kids to free games a day through August. You just pay shoe rental.
• regal's free family fun festival: Check out the site to see if you have a Regal cinema near you. Free movies available during the week for your kids. I know your not suppose to bring in snacks, but I bring a bowl of Mumbo Jumbo (various dry snacks all mix together in a large container) and a bottled water for each kid in my purse. SO it really is FREE. Couldn't be better than that!
• Barnes and Nobel story times: The local Barnes and Nobel always have weekly story time and craft for the younger kids. The little bit older kiddos can play with the train set or read books while waiting.
• kid event's: Check out Mr. Johnny's site to find local Austin kid events. Great site!
• letter boxing: Did you know there are boxes hidden all across the USA waiting to be found. Check out this site to see where boxes have been hidden in your area. This treasure hunt style game is sure to be fun for the whole family.
• lowes and home depot: Lowes and Home Depot offer craft/building activities once a month for kids. It's free. Check out your local area store to find out dates and times.
• neighborhood pools: If you pay money to a home owners association, you probably have a neighborhood pool. Pack a sack lunch, tons of drinks, and head on over for a day of "free" fun. You pay for it regardless, so you might as well use to pool, right?.
• local parks: Again, the perfect place for a picnic, kite flying, ball kicking, frisbee throwing adventure. If there happens to be a playscape, extra bonus. Consider bring Fido for a little exercise as well.
• strawberry farms: Located in Marble Falls, TX this farms has lots to offer. Currently, you can pick blackberries, eat homemade strawberry popsicles, walk through a 4 acre Texas shaped maze, etc. Fun for the whole family. Opens at 8:30 Monday- Saturday. Sundays it opens at 1pm. You do have to pay for the berries you pick and $6 per person if you want to walk the maze.
• local children's museum: You can pay for the day or become a member. Museums usually have monthly theme and the lids love the interactive learning.
• local zoo or animal rescue centers: In my area, you can visit Austin Zoo, San Antonio Zoo, Austin Nature Center, Zilker Botanical Gardens and Crowes Nest Farms. If you know of any others, please let me know and I will post them as well.
• kids eat free: Check out local restaurants where your kids can eat free. Schedule accordingly for the times you wish to indulge a bit and eat out.
• restaurants.com: Find discounts for local restaurants as well as purchase $25 gift cards fro just $10. Basically you get $15 FREE to spend at your favorite eatery.

Hopefully I will find additional ideas and be able to update throughout the summer.
Happy SUMMER!

Read more...

This morning the boys played outside for awhile. They were being so good I didn't disturb them in fear that would start a chain reaction of events that my not be to my liking.

Whoever said ... SILENCE IS GOLDEN... didn't have little boys. When I peeked outside,the below picture is what I saw.

Yes, they had flooded a good chunk of my backyard. For some reason, they will not leave the poor dogs alone. It started out squirting my little min pin, Tucker and ended up this muddy, goopy mess.

I had them both strip down to undies cause they were soaked. I set up a big water snake toy and told them to have fun.

Well, well... After all the water fun they already had Little J didn't want anymore fun. The water snake had little hoses that wiggled around and squirted everywhere even...don-don-don-DON... in your FACE. AHHHHhhhhhhh!

Poor thing. He can't stand water in the face. He refused to let loose and allow himself to go WILD and play, play, play.

T Man tried to console his brother, but to no avail.

T finally gave up and had a BLAST!!!

Something about being in nature and watching children at play is so PERFECT.

Under the Sea Art

Our local Lakeshore (teacher store) has arts and crafts on Saturdays during the summer. This Saturday while I was spending the money from my grant JJ got to make this super cute jellyfish... you could probably call it an octopus as well and be fine.
 
Directions:
1. Color a foam bowl with waxy crayons. Roseart would probably work great.
 
2. Poke a pipe cleaner through the sides of the paper plate and fold on the inside to make a handle.
 
3. Glue colored streamers under the bowl along the edge. These are the tentacles. We used the tacky craft glue on the entire project. It seemed to work pretty well. Note: If your child is a bit older, you can create a pattern with the streamers as we did in our picture.
 
4. Allow your child to squeeze the glue bottle and put dots on the streamers. You can use anything... torn paper, sequins, stickers, etc to decorate the streamers. Just press the item into the glue.
 
5. Add a face to the jellyfish by gluing on wiggly eyes and various other items for the remainder of the face. JJ wanted all the parts. The oval is the mouth. The little pink pom poms are the cheeks. He wanted a neck, but we just couldn't figure out a way to make the neck actually go up and down under the jellyfish. He was pretty bummed, but got over it once he saw the finished product.
 
Benefits of This Project:

• fine motor skills (squeezing the glue bottle)
• hand eye coordination (gluing on items and aligning items in the correct positions
• correct pencil grip
• science (we talked about body parts, colors, ocean animals and ocean life, what would happen if... (it had no tentacles, if it had legs and could walk, if it left the water, etc.)
• math (patterning, counting, shape recognition and use of vocabulary, sorting items while we worked and cleaned up)
• creativity and imagination (the design was completely up to Little J).

Science of Bubbles

Awhile back I was doing a research project in my kindergarten classroom.  We were learning about hummingbirds.  While doing research myself so I could be sure to give the children the most factual information about this lovely little creatures, I stumbled upon some interesting facts.

"Like soap bubbles, hummingbird's color comes from iridescence, not pigment. It winks on and off, depending on the light source and the angle of the viewer. This allows hummingbirds to flash colors or hide them which is useful for males who want to impress females or threaten other males."

I wanted to give my students a chance to experience exactly how iridescence works, so I had them explore with soap bubbles.

Every kindergarten boy becomes an expert at blowing soap bubbles when using the bathrooms in the hallway.  I jumped at this knowledge and asked them the best way to do this.  After brainstorming ideas, we decided on a method and went outside to see how iridescence works.

Below you will see pictures of me and my boys doing the same experiment at home.  Even if you are not learning about hummingbirds or iridescence this activity is sure to be fun for children and adults of all ages.

Directions...

First, you need to wet your hands really well.  Make them drip with as much water as possible.

Next, squirt about a quarter size amount of soap onto your wet hands.  Rub and swirl hands in a circular type motion... like you do when washing your hands.  If the soap is not lathering much, add more dish soap.

*Note:  I have never been able to do this activity without using the entire container of soap.  I would recommend purchasing a really cheap bottle for this activity.*

Once the you get a really good lather you are ready to try to make a bubble.  To begin, make hands form a circle as in the above picture. Gentle and slowly blow between your hands. 

At first, children get frustrated.  They will need to see you do this as well.  Watching you have trouble blowing the bubble, lets them know that it really will take several tries to master.

Seeing that first bubble being blown will erase all fears of not being successful.  You will have a hard time prying kids away from this activity.

If you are observing the bubbles for iridescence, be sure to remember to point out the swirling color on the side of the bubbles.  Constantly remind the children to look at the colors and ask them to describe what they see.  It is so easy to get distracted with the actual bubble making.  I know from experience.