Thursday, May 14, 2015

Rainbow Salad

I made up this recipe for a Whole Health picnic at our church and when I posted the picture on Instagram and Facebook, 
I got a lot of messages for the recipe. But as many of you know, I don't measure, I just "eyeball it" as some cooks say, so I will do my best to walk you through the recipe for this dish. 


Rainbow Salad

1-15 ounce can of black beans
2 ears of corn
1 tbsp of butter
2-3 mini peppers (orange)
1 large mango
1 avocado
1/4 of a red onion
2 c. grape tomatoes

Dressing

Large handful of cilantro
1 large lemon
1 lime
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

The first two things that need to be done are the beans and the corn. 
Take out a saucepan, drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the saucepan (you can add salt if you like) 
and cover with water, cook on a low setting for 10-15 minutes. 

While the beans are cooking, you will get your ears of corn ready as well. 
Line a pan with aluminum foil, place the corn in the pan. Melt the butter and brush it on the corn. 
Place your corn in the oven on broil for about 5-10 minutes or until it is browned. 
Check it often or you will end up with burnt corn. 

You can chop the following ingredients while you are waiting for the others to cook: 
peppers, mango, avocado, and red onion. 
Set aside in a large bowl. 
The grape tomatoes need to be halved not chopped, then add to the mix. 

After your beans and corn are done and have sufficiently cooled, cut the corn off the cob,
drain the beans and add to the mix in the bowl.

Then, the dressing was basically done like this:
Chop a huge handful of cilantro and add it to the bowl. 
(Save a little to sprinkle over the top when you are done)
Zest the lime and lemon over the bowl, then slice them in half and add the juices to the mix.
Drizzle olive oil over the top, do 5-6 turns of a pepper mill and add a teaspoon of salt to the mix.
Fold the mixture to coat everything and you are ready to serve. 

Enjoy!!

Friday, May 16, 2014

Homemade Granola Bars

I've been trying to figure out healthy things that my family can eat when we're hungry, 
that are quick and easy, but also nutritious. 
I started googling energy bars/granola bar recipes 
and after a little research came up with two recipes. 


Regular Granola Bars:
1 & 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour 
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. apple pie spice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes

Peanut Butter Granola Bars:
1 & 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour 
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 tbsp. peanut butter
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. 



Place the mixture into the baking pan and pat down firmly. 
Bake for 20 minutes, top should be golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.


Enjoy!!




Thursday, March 6, 2014

Shrimp Po' Boys

Here's what we had for dinner tonight and it was delicious!


I served it with sweet potato fries, topped with a sprinkling of old bay seasoning.

Here is the recipe for the coleslaw which is great on its own or served like you see it above.




Coleslaw:
2 cups of a coleslaw mix
1 large carrot shredded
1 granny smith apple shredded
(a cheese grater works well for shredding 
the carrot and apple)






Dressing:
1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger or ginger paste
2-3 tablespoons of your favorite poppy seed dressing 
(mine is shown below)

NOTE: For this particular meal I added 1/2 tsp of old bay seasoning to the dressing, if you were doing it as a side dish, you could leave it out.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Picky Eaters

I have a child who is a picky eater, I'm sure many of you can relate. It is a giant pain in the you-know-where when it comes to dinner time cause I have to make one meal for myself and the hubby and another meal for her.

About two weeks ago, I came up with a brilliant solution. I was in the frozen foods aisle at the grocery store and came upon the frozen dinners selection. I picked out a couple that I thought she would like and decided that I was going to break this vicious cycle of picky eating. I have been making her the dinners each night, in the hopes to expand her palette so that eventually she will be interested in trying what Mommy and Daddy are eating.

It has been working out great!!!

Here are her favs so far:

  • Tortellini & Broccoli in a fettuccine sauce
  • Turkey with Stuffing + Apple Cobbler
  • Bowtie Noodles with Ham
  • Pizza Bites
  • Shrimp Poppers & Tater Tots
  • Butternut Squash Ravoli
  • Chicken Fried Rice
If she is relatively good about eating her meals during the week, on Sundays she gets to decide what we are eating as a family. Yes, it's been my homemade pizza the last two weeks, but I'm hoping that will change!

I hope this helps some of you out there with picky eaters, if you aren't having any luck, try this - it's been working for this Mom!

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Melissa's Power Salad

Here's the deal with my salads, as with most of my recipes. 
I don't measure, I just "eyeball" it as Rachael Ray says, 
whatever amount looks good for me and the family, I throw it in. 
If there's extra, that's cool...lunch tomorrow!
Here's how this salad went last night:



Two chicken breasts cooked in coconut oil, cut into bite size pieces.
A handful of bacon crumbles
1-2 small heads of broccoli, chopped
A handful of coleslaw mix (the kind you can buy without the dressing)
Two large handfuls of spinach, chopped 
Fold those ingredients together.
Then sprinkle toasted sunflower seeds and dried cranberries over the top to your liking.
Add your favorite dressing. I did Ranch.
And gently fold again.

Serve and enjoy! 



Monday, February 24, 2014

20 Things to do with Washi Tape

Recently I bought a bunch of Washi tape from Pick Your Plum because I've seen the endless creative possibilities for it on Pinterest. Of course now that's in my possession,
I have no memory of what these great ideas were or where I pinned them among my zillions of pins. 
So that being said, I thought I would hunt down some ideas and create a post to share with my readers. Enjoy!


1. Take plain votive candle holders and make them fabulous!

2. Washi Tape Easter Eggs
 


3. Decorate your cords with it. 
Especially if you have many that are duplicates in your household,
that way everyone knows whose is whose.
 


4. Make boring old clothespins fancy. 
{Add a magnetic backing to them and they are perfect to display
your family's artwork on the refrigerator.}
 


5. Make your school notebook or journal the envy of all friends!
Washi Tape Paper Projects
http://momruncraft.com/2012/09/06/diy-washi-tape-smash-bookjournal/


6. DIY Washi Tape Birthday Cards


7. Update an old desk chair
 


8. Washi Tape Clutch
 
http://www.cremedelacraft.com/2013/01/DIY-Washi-Tape-Clutch.html


9. Washi Tape Light Switch Cover
20120724-103127.jpg
http://cleverthursday.com/2012/07/tape-quickie-washi-tape-light-switch-cover/


10. Growth Measurement Chart

 http://www.conbotasdeagua.com/medidor-de-washi-tape/


11. Spruce up a plain mug.
Image of Washi ceramic mug
http://shop.mrseliotbooks.com/product/washi-ceramic-mug


12. Jazz up your computer keyboard.

http://www.brit.co/washi-workspace/


13. Make a dorm room super cool.

http://www.designsponge.com/2012/10/dorm-diy-tape-picture-frames.html


14. Take a boring clipboard and make it awesome!

http://apumpkinandaprincess.com/2012/08/washi-tape-chalkboard-clipboard.html


15. Super cute cake decorations for any occasion.
DIY cake topper bunting and cake plate from washi tape
http://sugarandcloth.com/2012/06/diy-washi-tape-bunting-cake-plate/


16. Make pretty flowers.

http://justsomethingimade.com/2012/06/washi-tape-flowers/


17. Upcycled cool cuff bracelet - what girl wouldn't want this?

http://delicateconstruction.com/2012/10/upcycled-washi-tape-bracelets-trash-to-treasure.html


18. A cool party decoration!
Here it is complete and hanging: a paper lantern with mini bunting.
http://www.bonjourquilts.com/2010/10/lantern-makeover.html


19. Make a unique lampshade.

http://www.tealandlime.com/2012/01/washi-tape-lampshade-lining/


20. Special decorative wall art
How to make washi tape wall art. Easy craft idea by Amy at LivingLocurto.comhttp://www.livinglocurto.com/2013/02/washi-tape-craft/#sthash.IOvNN1yQ.dpbs

Now go washi something fun! The possibilities are only limited by your imagination...



Friday, December 6, 2013

Candle Repurposing

 
Yesterday I was getting out all my candles for the holidays 
and I noticed that a lot them were burned down to the bottom. 
It made me sad, cause I love all the holiday scents:
  Gingerbread, Christmas Cookie, Mistletoe.

  I sat there trying to figure out what I could do with all the leftover candle wax on the sides of the jars. 
I thought to myself, It's such a shame to throw it away. 
Well then I had a great idea, like Gru in Despicable Me with his "LIGHTBULB!"
I started scraping the wax gently away from the sides of the jar with a knife and it came off fairly easily which surprised me.
So now I had a whole bunch of candle wax that I could transfer to a candle warmer, isn't that genius? 
I'm sure I'm not the first person to come up with this brilliant idea, but I now don't have buy wax for my candle warmers this holiday season AND the candle jars can now be repurposed! 


So if you don't have a candle warmer, go buy one. 
They are awesome for the holidays and make great gifts too!


Happy Holidays!


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins



I made these a week ago and posted pictures of them on Facebook. 
I had so many people ask me for the recipe that I figured I better do a blog post or there might be a riot. 

I love the Fall season, especially because it gives me an excuse to come up with recipes that have pumpkin in them. 
Plus I'm always trying to figure out recipes that my six year old will like too. 
This was definitely a winner! It got a thumbs up from my daughter and that's hard to do.
The secret, I believe, is the chocolate chips I threw in...cause what kid doesn't love chocolate?


Ingredients

1/2 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla 


2 cups all-purpose flour

1-3.4 oz box pumpkin spice instant pudding (dry)

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of my special pumpkin spice

1 cup of chocolate chips


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a mixer, add pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water, sugar and vanilla mix until well blended. 

Next add the flour, pudding, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin spice. Mix until smooth. 

Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Add baking cups to muffin pan, and spoon the mixture in the cups. 
(Makes about 16 muffins)

Bake 20 minutes, test a muffin with a knife, it should come out clean.

Enjoy with coffee or hot chocolate...Happy Fall everyone!



Friday, June 7, 2013

Teacher's Gift Idea


I know I am posting this way too late, because most schools are out for the year, 
but keep it in mind for next year cause it got tears and a big hug from my daughter's teacher.


WHAT YOU WILL NEED
  • a white gift bag
  • a generic thank you card
  • a mug of your choice
  • a nice plant
  • a sheet of card stock paper
  • some pretty ribbon
  • hole punch
  • crayons
  • tissue paper
  • washi tape
     
     
     
     
-Have your child color one side of the bag however they choose.
-Have them write something personal in the card and sign it
-Right click and save the image below, then print it out
-Cut around the shape, punch a hole at the top and string the ribbon through it.
-Put the plant into the mug and position it in the middle of the bag
-Take your tissue paper and strategically place it in the bag so the plant and the mug remain safe on their journey to school
-Tie the ribbon to the now "blank" side of the bag with your super cute cutout message.
-Add your card to bag, I sealed mine with some pretty washi tape.
-Voila! Cutest teacher gift ever. Easy peasy. 







Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Protein Shake


Ingredients

1 cup of milk
1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
1 Tbsp of Peanut Butter
1 small banana
5 ice cubes

Blend until smooth.
Drink and enjoy!

Calories: approx. 400

Monday, February 25, 2013

Homemade Laundry Detergent


I saw this on Pinterest and thought I'd try it! 

Ingredients:
1 cup Borax
1 cup Super Washing Soda
2 cups grated Ivory Soap
(which is roughly one bar)

The total cost of these ingredients, a whopping $7.86! 
That's about half of what the name brand detergents cost and since this is more concentrated, 
you only need to use 1-2 T. per load.

Happy Savings!
Melissa




Thursday, January 24, 2013

First snow of the season

I grew up in Michigan, so the snow storms on the eastern shore of Maryland are not that big of a deal to me. But comically the whole town shuts down when it snows here.
No school today, seriously they are closed for three inches of snow! I remember walking through snow up to my waist when I was in high school because we had to go to school, no snow days back then.
How times have changed.


So they are calling for 2-4 more inches by tomorrow, I'm just not prepared for all that. I haven't been to the grocery store to stock up on toilet paper, milk and eggs. Whatever will I do?


Friday, January 11, 2013

Hubby's Birthday



So my husband's birthday was yesterday and I was trying to figure what we could do for his birthday since I'm kinda low on money right now and really couldn't afford to take him out. 

So here's what I came with...

He loves donuts, so I decided I would make him some homemade donuts. It was the first time I ever made donuts, as he is the Donut Master in our family.

Then I thought, what guy doesn't love a meat lovers pizza? So I made him his own personal pan pizza from scratch, including the crust and the sauce. It was so yummy! 

Plus my daughter got out our Smurf party glasses and decorated the table...super cute! 

I'm happy to report our evening was a big hit...
he loved the donuts, the pizza and the awesome Redskins blanket I made him! 





Friday, November 23, 2012

Black Friday's Deals in my Shops!

 

{Use Code: BLACKFRISALE at checkout 
for the discounts shown below on the following items in my shops at Zazzle.com.}

60% off posters & prints featuring the photography of M. Hamilton

50% off  Christmas cards! 

50% off cards, invitations, photocards and postcards at our Noteworthy shop!

Celebrating a first Christmas? A new baby? Just got married? New pet?  
First Christmas Ornaments are 50% off today only! 

All our Smartphone Covers/Cases $10 off today only!

$10 off  iPhone 5 cases! 

$10 off  iPod Touch covers! 

Laptop Sleeves with Popular Bible Verses - $10 off today!

$10 off sleeves for MacBooks today only! 

$10 off sleeves for iPads today only!

30% off  Mugs! 

20% off all Tote Bags!

15% off  T-Shirts!

15% off  Kids' Clocks!

15% off  Personalized Notebooks for Kids & Teenagers! 

15% off  Doodle by OrigAudio™ Speakers!

15% off  Silver Pendant Necklaces!

 _______________________________________________________________

Here are the Black Friday sales in my shop at Cafepress.com, 
discounts are red on the linked page and reflect the sale price!

 Up to 65% off all t-shirts! 

Up to 25% off all sweatshirts and hoodies!

Up to 30% off all baby clothing!

$5 off  iPhone cases!

Up to 20% off aprons!

Up to 30% off coasters!

Up to 35% off all keepsake boxes/jewelry boxes!

 ______________________________________________________________

Here are links to all my shops: 





Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Roasted Broccoli and Apples

This is my new favorite side dish! Easy to make, not too many calories and so delicious...what's not to love?


:: Ingredients ::

10 oz. Broccoli florets
1 large red delicious apple
2 tbsp French Fried onions
Pam butter spray

:: Directions ::

Cut your broccoli and apples into bite size pieces and spread them evenly onto baking sheet lined with tinfoil. Sprinkle French Fried onions on top, then spray evenly with Pam butter spray. Bake at 375 degrees in the oven for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings, 244 calories total --122 per person

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

To Infinity and Beyond!

I love the infinity scarf craze and it's especially awesome for winter time. I came across a pin on Pinterest late last night when I couldn't sleep and I thought I can do that, so super easy!

Here's a link to the awesome blogger who inspired my craft and her tutorial, 
a special thanks to Melissa or Missy as I think she likes to be called @ Pink Pistachio 


 The picture on the left is actually two scarves, the blue is doubled up and the white one just hangs. 
I used scraps I had from another project, so mine are a little different from hers, but I still love them. 
And as you can see, I made two more...one navy and white and one in slate blue! 
The possibilities are truly endless especially if you've got t-shirts you no longer wear, upcycle them and voila you've got something super cute and trendy instead of just tossing them or donating to Goodwill.

Monday, October 22, 2012

10 Yummy Pumpkin Goodies

YAY, it's Fall! 
Fall reminds me of pumpkins and makes me want to cook pumpkiny things! 
Here are some delights I've found, mostly on Pinterest, and thought I would share them with you.


Pumpkin Dip by Green Acres Hobby Farm


 
  Pumpkin Dream Cake by The Novice Chef


Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chunk Muffins
 Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins by Table For Two
 

 
Pumpkin Krispie Treats by Shugary Sweets 

 
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake with Chocolate Shortbread Crust at The Hungry Mouse
Brown-Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake by The Hungry Mouse

 
 Pumpkin Maple Doughnuts by Food Plus Words


 Mascarpone Pumpkin Mousse Cups
 Mascarpone Pumpkin Mousse Cups by Foodie Crush


  
Pumpkin and Chocolate Mousse Trifle by Yummy Mummy Kitchen


 Post image for Mini Pumpkin Tiramisu
Mini Pumpkin Tiramisu by My Baking Addiction


 
 Pumpkin Whoopie Pies by The Kitchen of Oz
  

 Thanks to all the wonderful bloggers for these amazing recipes!
Ready, set, create!