what would you make?

{photo source + recipe}

 {photo source + recipe}

Hmm is it 1 or 2? I keep going back & forth on which one to make for a little nutella party I'm going to this week. Lets just say I've been dreaming of nutella fields & mountains covered with nutella {looking for recipes}. OK I'm lame but, I'm really liking this stuff! My first bite I thought I was eating frosting & was completely grossed out, but kept on trucking!  Remember my post here. Well, a bunch of us decided we should have a "sugar only" eating party. Water please!  I would love your help... Which one should I make? I guess the real question is... What would you want to eat? Help? 

i have a confession...

I've never had nutella!

ok, ok, ok... I know some of you are laughing & some of you are appalled at me, but for some reason I walk  past it & never pick it up. What's wrong with me? Everything! Then this last week a bunch of girlfriends were tweeting about it. Now I've realized I need to get on the band wagon & try the darn thing. I googled recipes & even went to the market tonight to go buy it because they all looked so good.

{photo & recipe here}

I was actually out of luck because Henry's didn't have it {I know I need to go to Ralph's or Von's}. Is it a sign that I shouldn't have it? ha ha ha Every thing's a sign to me right now. {look at this post} Plus, it was world nutella day, February 5th. Shucks, I missed it! Are you ready for this... Their is a  world nutella day fan page on facebook, with over 21,000 + fans.  Holy C#%P! Well, if I like it so much I'm joining! You all watch & see. Now it's official... I'm going to have a nutella party & eat away! Get ready girls because I will have starved myself for nutella {wink}  

pumpkin cupcakes + cream cheese frosting

Remember I was supposed to make this amazing Custard Apple Tart... Well, I decided to change it up & make Pumpkin Cupcakes with Homemade Cream Cheese frosting. I started dinner {old fashion homemade chili} & then started mixing the cupcakes. I new the kids really wanted to eat them that night so I decided to pop them in the oven while we were eating dinner. I usually start baking after dinner & then they eat whatever I have baked the next day because it's too late in the evening to be eating sweets. My plan worked this Sunday. The dishes were done... The oven rang & warm pumpkin cupcakes were ready to eat. So the kids {including my husband & myself} got in our PJ's, sat on the couch & watched, How to train a Dragon & gobbled up our goodies. I do have to say, we had a wonderful Sunday despite the rainy weather... We were so cozy & crazy together! Hope everyone else had a great dry weekend...

Pumpkin Cupcakes recipes:

Go to Trader Joe's & pick this box up {pumpkin bread & muffin mix}:

:: follow their instructions ::

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 8oz of cream cheese

2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar

1 tsp. of Vanilla

:: blend it all together... Everything does need to be at room temperature::

Enjoy!

take 1: project scully... creative lunches

Today was my first day of really getting into my kids lunches... "CREATIVELY"! I'm very consciouses of all the fresh & healthy food that I put into their lunches {mouths}... I had a huge discussion with my husband this past weekend about eating habits...etc. He told me as a young child his eating habits weren't that fresh & healthy. I had the complete opposite... My mom made everything lunch fresh & healthy. Fruit salad was our desert at night... Chips weren't even in the house & Cheerios was a treat for us. Don't get me wrong we had McDonald's & soda... so I did have a mix. I think Kids need a balance though. If you go to the extreme one way you might have a child that revolts & goes the complete opposite. So after that HUGE discussion with the hubby we're really going to be very strict & slightly extreme during the week & then on the weekends let loose a little & have fun. Maybe have bubbles with dinner or a scoop of ice cream for desert. I think this is a good plan. We're both very determined to change that for our children & make healthier decisions for them everyday. Now the challenge for me is being creative "everyday"... changing things up & making their lunches match. But, of course one has to be boy blue, spider man & buzz light year & the other has to be girly pink, petals, princesses & ponies! One false move & I'm going down! Remember they both go to pre-school together! Go Team Scully! By the way... I'm so not perfect. I {we} might fall off the wagon & hit up a pizza joint during the week so please love me & my family. I'm just trying hard to do the right thing!!!!!

Fruit kabobs... Arranged super fun

The fun cutters... Hmmm I wonder which one is for Taylor & which one is for Ryan!

Wa La... Project Scully... Creative lunches is underway!

heads up {mommies}

Everyone has been asking me where to get this yogurt because they can't find it at Henry's or Trader Joe's... Ralph's has it! I got mine at the Ralph's in Encinitas off El Camino Real next to Trader Joe's. {old post here}

good morning little ones {mommies}

Good morning mommies... I have a little secret to tell you!

Go & get Little Blends yogurt... You will be very happy! My little ones LOVE this yogurt. Thank you, Thank you, Thank You, Horizon! I feel great knowing that they're getting veggies in the morning... Secretly! My son resisted for a little while, but I refused to feed him anything else. Once I walked out of the room & 1/2 an hour later he realized mommy was serious... So I had better eat up! {I'm not a short order cook... & my kids know that. Don't mess with mom!} He sat & ate the entire thing & loved it! Who's number 1... ? Ahhh ya I am! Sorry, I got a little carried away. ha ha ha

No joke... This yogurt is amazing. Go & get it! We just got, banana with sweet potatoes & Strawberry with carrots! Yummy!

to do

I think I'm in love... The moment I saw these Homemade Granola Bars from GOOP I knew I had a fun & yummy project a head of me! Can't wait to make {eat} these...

Completely healthy & totally easy. A great breakfast or after-school snack too. {music to my ears}

- 1 1/3 cups quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats, divided
a pinch each fine salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground ginger
- 1/4 cup flax seeds
- 1 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped (or any combination of roughly chopped dried fruit and/or nuts)
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup high quality maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup (a great substitute for corn syrup, available at lundberg.com)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 8” square baking pan with parchment paper, letting a bit of excess paper hang over the sides.

Grind 1/3 cup of the oats in a food processor until powdery. Add them to a large mixing bowl with the remaining oats, the salt and spices, flax seeds, and apricots. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then stir them into the dry ingredients.

Put the mixture in the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 1/2 hour, or until evenly browned. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes. Remove to a cutting board (the parchment paper will act as a sort-of sling, making this very easy). Cut into individual granola bars.

what's for lunch?

I think I would like to go to my favorite lunch place today...

I know exactly what I'm going to get... Old fashion Turkey meatloaf. Ahhh it just melts in your mouth {like my mother & grandmother used to make}. So yummy! Then I might get something very dangerous from the bakery. I said, might! I know I have a soft spot for sweets, but need to cool it if I want to drop the pounds. OK, I'll just sniff the cabinet & sit really close to someone with a hot treat. Would that not be hysterical... Bravo documentary in the making. Crazy people who sniff food {& annoy others} so they don't get fat & eat it. Ohhhh what's wrong with me!

Hope to see you all there! If you've never been it's a must! The funny thing is Thyme on the Ranch is closed the same exact days the rooster is... We were meant to be friends/partners {great minds think a like}. LOL

16905 Avenida de Acacias
Rancho Santa Fe , California 92067
858 - 759 - 0747
Tuesday - Saturday 7 : 00am - 3: 00pm
Sunday & Monday Closed

:: * 100% rooster approved * ::