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Monday, June 29, 2015

Chicken Salad Wrap Bar - Inside Out Chicken

What a fun luncheon idea with this Chicken Salad Wrap Bar. Everyone gets what they want in what they make as their perfect chicken salad wrap. 
Inside Out Chicken Salad - DELISH! The sauce makes the wraps!



Chicken Salad - Inside Out Style

Chicken Salad Wrap Bar

Place all ingredients in separate bowls

Homemade Tortillas (See recipe HERE)
Grapes
Chicken Salad Sauce
Grilled Chicken (dashed with salt and garlic powder)
Chopped Walnuts
Chopped Lettuce

Additional add-ins
Celery
Onion
Dehydrated Cranberries


Chicken Salad Sauce:
1/3 c. Sour Cream
2 T. Ranch Dressing
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. Salt


DELISH!

Need more lunch wrap ideas? Check these out!





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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Reusable Water Bombs

I know I'm not the only mom who loves water balloon fights, but hates picking up a million tiny shredded balloon pieces. No more confetti lawn for us! SPONGE WATER BOMBS to the rescue!  They don't hurt getting hit, and can be refilled and reused! Backyard water parties here we come!


Get the largest - softest sponges you can find.

Cut the sponges into equal parts

Throw the sponges in a bucket or pool of water,

THROW!
______________________

THIS IS SO FUN FOR FAMILY NIGHT!




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Thursday, June 18, 2015

FHE Pizza Night Challenge

Come together to make something delicious for your next Family Home Evening! Divide the recipes -  then bring them together to make something fabulous! Work in teams to make the homemade sauce and homemade dough, then bring it in to put it all together. We had a BLAST working together to make a yummy meal. 
See our pepperoni pizza man? Our kids were so proud.


FHE Homemade Pizza Challenge!
Divide the recipes and conquer this delicious dinner! Make it a race, or work at your own pace.

Homemade Pizza Sauce:

1 quart Canned Stewed Tomatoes

1/2 Onion - chopped
1 tsp. Olive Oil

1 Garlic Clove
3 T. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Italian Seasonings
__________________________

1. Drain the canned tomatoes
2. Saute' the chopped onion in a small sauce pan with 1 tsp. Olive Oil.
3. Blend together the drained tomatoes, saute'd onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and salt
4. Pour the blended sauce into the small sauce pan used to saute' the onion. Add the Italian Seasonings and simmer for 10 minutes. 


Dough:
I have never made homemade pizza crust, so I found a fast and easy version of pizza crust HERE and used their recipe.

1 pkt fast rising Yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. White Sugar
1 c. Warm Water

2 1/2 c. Flour  (I used unbleached all purpose flour and it was delish)
2 T. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F). 
2. In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit until creamy, about 7-10 minutes.

3. Stir in the flour, salt, and oil. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

4. Place the dough onto a floured surface and roll out. We used a rolling pin taking turns making it into a rectangle to fit our cookie sheet. 

5. Lightly spray the baking sheet with cooking spray and place the rolled out dough onto it. 
(To keep the dough from tearing, I folded the dough in half then transferred it onto the sheet, then simply unfolded.)

Come together!

Now that your sauce and dough is made, come together and make your pizza! Add your Mozzarella Cheese, Pepperoni, and any other pizza topping you would like.

Bake at 425 (F) for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 

LESSON: Talk about working together as a family and team work, along with patience, sharing the work load, and the fun of being a family. 

You can talk about each part of the pizza, and how they're all different. Each ingredient has it's own flavor and unique texture, but they all work together perfectly. 

Each member of our family is a different ingredient. They all play a different part, some may be soft and a good base like the crust, while others may be tangy like the sauce, spicy like the pepperoni, or cheesy like the mozzarella. We all need each other, our differences, strengths and weaknesses come together and add dimension to our family. Just like the pizza, the crust isn't without the sauce, nor the sauce without the cheese, nor the cheese without the toppings. All together we build a great family.


Need more Family Home Evening Ideas? 
Click HERE

Trying to keep the spirit in your home can be tricky some days. The LDS Bookstore can help! I love their products and especially their prices! They have great gifts and products that keep the spirit near.
Check them out! But be prepared, you'll probably get hooked like me!
Shop LDSBookstore.com

Linking up here

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Breakfast Banana Split

Treat yourself to a breakfast "dessert" - A Breakfast Banana Split! Yummy, healthy and filling. I'm definitely making this for our visiting family this summer.
What a refreshing start to our fun filled days!


Breakfast Banana Split

1 Banana 
1/2 c. Watermelon
1/4 c. Blueberries
1/4 c. Vanilla Yogurt 
2 T. Granola (Click HERE for my Homemade Granola Recipe)

Substitutions:
Strawberries
Raspberries
Cantaloupe
Honeydew Melon
Any Yogurt

DELISH!



Linking up here

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Canned Tomato Marinara Sauce

Want the best and easiest marinara sauce around? Give this a try! This is seriously the best, tangy, rich marinara, not to mention a great use of your canned tomatoes. We use this on spaghetti, on pizza, as a dip and more. DELISH!
Naturally Gluten and Milk Free!



Canned Tomato Marinara Sauce

1 quart Canned Stewed Tomatoes

1/2 Onion - chopped
1 tsp. Olive Oil

1 Garlic Clove
3 T. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Italian Seasonings
__________________________

1. Drain the canned tomatoes

2. Saute' the chopped onion in a small sauce pan with 1 tsp. Olive Oil.

3. Blend together the drained tomatoes, saute'd onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and salt

4. Pour the blended sauce into the small sauce pan used to saute' the onion. Add the Italian Seasonings and simmer for 10 minutes. 


Pour over pasta, use on homemade pizza, or simply dip your favorite bread. DELISH!


Here's a few ideas to use with your marinara sauce.







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Thursday, June 11, 2015

Lehi's Dream Family Home Evening

We had a Family Home Evening about Lehi's Dream and the Tree of Life.
It was very basic due to the ages of our children, but it was fun and I know they will remember it for a long time. I feel that small object lessons always stay with my kids a little more. Like our Samuel the Lamanite FHE. I feel that doing an activity along with the scripture story makes it more "real" for them.
This is what we did to learn about Lehi's Dream.


I took a ball of yarn, tied it to the red desk, and squeezed it to our stair railing.
I grabbed the first thing I saw that looked like a tree,
my flower arrangement did the trick.
(you can use a picture of a tree, sticks from your yard, anything!).
 I then grabbed a couple apples for the fruit. 

(This was as basic as basic can be, you can go all out or just keep it simple)

We started in our basement with the lesson, keeping what I set up a secret. 
I sat the kids down and told them a VERY basic version of Lehi's Dream.
( 1 Nephi 8; 11:21-22, 25; 15:36)
I found a condensed (child) version of Lehi's Dream from the Friend magazine,
I loved it!

After we talked about the dream, I told them, "We are going to the tree of life!
We have to hold to the rod to get to the tree of life. Remember there is darkness all around in Lehi's Dream, so we need to keep our eyes closed. Try not to let go, or you might get lost. But if you do let go, keep your eyes closed and try to find your way back to the rod."

They LOVED holding onto the railing and string. When they made it to the desk, they couldn't wait to eat the apples! My little girl took a bite and said, "Look! Now I'm happy!" (from the Friend magazine's version, CLICK HERE)

We can all be happy if we follow God's commandments and do what's right even when people (in the big building) mock or make fun of us. Hold tight to the teachings of Jesus Christ and we can all be happy.


Need more Family Home Evening Ideas with lessons, games and treats?


Another great resource for FHE and keeping the spirit in your home is the LDS Bookstore! I love their products and their prices! Click HERE to check them out! Be prepared to get hooked!

Shop LDSBookstore.com

Thursday, June 4, 2015

LDS Quiet Book/Folder (Make your own!)

Have you collected a surplus of Friend magazines over the years? Well if you have, you're not alone. I grew up watching my mom collect these magazines for FHE packets and primary lessons. 

My sister recently gave me a whole bag full of Friend magazines she didn't need and told me to use them up! I was thrilled! Thanks Candace!
I looked through each one and cut out the pictures, stories, bright ideas, hidden pictures, and puzzles from each one! I know this will help with our reverence in our church meetings, maybe it can help your family too! If your kids are old enough, get them involved! They can make one too!


1. Cut and gather your favorite pictures, stories, notes, little games etc. from your Friend magazines. 

2. Glue the pictures onto a piece of normal typing paper- front and back.
(you can use colored paper too!)

3. Slip the newly made pages into plastic sheet covers. 
(you can use a dry erase marker on the games, to circle or write on the books, then simply wipe off with a dry cloth or napkin) 

4. Place the plastic covered pages into a 3 ring "brad" folder. 

And Enjoy! 

My kids are so excited about these. They loved them this past Sunday, they keep asking to see them again. But I know that the newness will ware off and they won't be interested when we get to church. These are ONLY for SUNDAY! 


I made at least 4 pages in each folder of just Jesus pictures and stories. 
We focus on these while they pass the sacrament to keep reverent.


Happy Quiet Booking!

Need gifts, games, and decor to make your home more of a holy place?
Check out the LDS Bookstore! They have great products and even better prices! 
Shop LDSBookstore.com

Want more ideas?


Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Homemade Cake Mix Cookie Oreos

Easy peasy, homemade oreos. No tricky cookie recipe or frosting, simple and DELICIOUS! 
These are a GREAT crowd pleaser. Take a plateful of these to your next family gathering or neighborhood party and you'll be sure to "wow the crowd."


Homemade Cake Mix Cookie Oreos

Cake Mix Cookies 
1 Triple Chocolate Cake Mix
1/3 c. Oil
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

Mix all together in a mixing bowl and scoop out onto a greased cookie sheet. Use a measuring teaspoon to make your small rounds. This was the perfect size! Bake at 350 for 6-7 minutes.



Homemade Oreo Filling/Frosting
2 c. Powdered Sugar
2 T. Soft Butter
2 T. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla

Using a mixer - whip until smooth. (add more powdered sugar if it's not thick enough)

Scoop the filling onto one cookie then add another cookie on top. Gently squeeze together to make a "cookie sandwich."

When filled, place on a plate and cover with a plastic zip bag. Let sit for 10 minutes, then eat. 
This makes the cookie sandwiches SUPER moist and soft.

*This recipe makes about 30 cookie sandwiches




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Monday, June 1, 2015

S'more Dad's Like You! (Free Printable)

Welcome LDS Blog Train comers! If you get lost along the train, go to LDSBlogTrain.com or simple scroll down for a full list.
Here is my father's day treat bag and free S'mores printable.What guy doesn't like S'mores?! Anyone ranging from scouts, young womens, and primary could make these. Make these as a family home evening lesson for the great father figures in your lives! Neighbors, friends, uncles, grandpas and dads will love this s'mores treat bag.


How to make it!

1 sandwich size plastic zip bag
1 chocolate bar
4 graham cracker sqares
2 marshmallows 
"S'more Dad's like you" printable



Follow the Blog Train to more fun ideas!
Happy Father's Day!

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Cook & Craft Me Crazy <----- YOU ARE HERE

Head over to Brightly Street for the next fun idea! Hope you enjoyed!
Happy Father's Day.