Lazy Sunday Mornings

How do you wind down on the weekends? We like to start our mornings off the lazy way...curled up on the couch, watching the news and drinking fruit smoothies. Today I mixed up some amazing Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies that even the kiddos love!

Ingredients:

• 1 large banana, peeled
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 heaping Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth, and serve immediately.

Source - Gimme Some Oven

Peanut Butter Play-Doh

What better way to fix a rainy day than by making some edible peanut butter play-doh? The kiddos loved being able to help mix up a quick batch of play doh and were even more ecstatic that they could eat it! I've come across multiple recipes and while they all taste great, a lot of them used some form of oil and I found that the kids (and tables, chairs and anything else they managed to touch before I was able to chase them down and wipe them clean) got waaaay too greasy. This recipe from Kids Activities Blog is not messy at all and only has 3 ingredients!

Here's the recipe: 

• 3 Marshmallows (or roughly 1/4- 1/2 cup of mini marshmallows, I eyeballed it)
• 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
• Powdered Sugar

Microwave the marshmallows and peanut butter in a bowl for about 10 seconds. Everything should be soft enough to easily mix together (if not microwave for a few more seconds). Once the peanut butter and marshmallows are completely mixed, sprinkle a little powdered sugar in. I eyeballed this too and only added about a teaspoon or so until the mix was no longer sticky.

M & BB loved it, although I think they ate more than they played with it.  :)

Crockpot Cobbler

Ingredients:
1 box Decadent Chocolate Lovers cake mix
2 cans Comstock or Wilderness Country Cherry filling
1 stick of butter, melted 


Directions:
Put the cherry pie filling in crockpot. Add dry cake mix. Drizzle melted butter on top and do not stir. Cook on high for 4 hours. Plate and enjoy!

Tip: Save the frosting that comes in the box for another occasion or add it to your cooked cobbler for an extra decadent dessert.

Source - Duncan Hines

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken tenders or 4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup whole milk
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Sauce:
1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoon butter


Directions:
Crush crackers. If using chicken breasts and not tenders, cut each chicken breast into 3 large pieces. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the salt and pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Then press the cheesy coated chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in.

Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.

In a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken.

Source - Foodies TV

Bacon Beer Cheese Soup

You had me at bacon!

Ingredients -
6 slices thick cut bacon
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground chile de arbol (or cayenne pepper; to taste)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup beer, Belgian style wheat beer (Blue Moon)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups half and half
8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
chives
croutons

Directions -
Warm an 8 quart pot over high heat.  Using clean scissors; cut bacon into pot.  Cook bacon until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite size pieces.

Remove bacon from pan and place on a plate.  Add chicken into bacon grease to cook.  Stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken onto plate with bacon.

Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and add to pan drippings.  Whisk in flour and spices.   Add beer, broth and half & half.  Whisk to combine and bring to a bubble.  Add cheese whisk to combine, stir until you have a smooth mixture.  Add Worcestershire sauce, chicken and bacon.  Stir to combine.

Allow to simmer until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with chives and croutons. 

Source - The Slow Roasted Italian

Southwestern Chopped Salad w/ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Ingredients
5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup canned corn kernels, drained
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
1/4 cup tortilla strips, for garnish

Cilantro Lime Dressing
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed
1/2 cup Greek yogurt <-- vegans sub raw cashew dressing
2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup olive oil <-- extra virgin, cold pressed
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Source - Damn Delicious

Hawaiian Luau

We usually don't have cake for snack time but with the seemingly endless snow I decided it was time to at least pretend spring was on its way. I'm all about quick and simple for snacks and what is quicker and more simple than throwing together some Tropical Pound Cake by Tastefully Simple! I decided to whip this up with the kiddos while we bunker down inside and have a mini luau while it continues to snow outside (will it ever stop?!).

Everything you see pictured is all you need to make this delicious & moist cake. And it really is that easy! Add the mix, 1 cup of water, and 1 1/2 sticks of melted butter. Mix it together and bake for 50-55 minutes. Ta-Da! Don't forget you can order this by visiting my website, here.

So we made flower leis from construction paper, straws and string and watched Lilo & Stitch while snacking on the Tropical Pound Cake. It may only be 20 degrees outside, but for an hour we pretended it was 85 and warm!