Happy Thanksgiving week! And Hanukkah! I don’t envy my friends trying to coordinate both celebrations this week. Planning the Thanksgiving Day menu is enough for me. I will be hosting for the first time {ever} and very excited for the big event. The past few years, I’ve made a full Thanksgiving feast at home after the big day. There is something about having your own special recipes and of course, the leftovers.

Giving Quote

Here is our Thanksgiving Day menu plans

  • Turkey (17 lbs) from our local poultry farm
  • Gravy
  • Stuffing (one with sausage and one without)
  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Glazed Carrots
  • Corn Pudding
  • Fresh Rolls
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Apple Pie
  • Brownies

I’m most excited for my sister and her family to join us on Thanksgiving. After spending five long years away on a military base in Hawaii, they are finally done and moving home the day before the holiday. I am so thankful to watch the cousins play together on the holiday.

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? If you need some tips or ideas, you can find a bunch on the Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide on Pinterest. I also loved this blog post on how to host Thanksgiving, and enjoy it. Tons of great ideas for organizing the days before Thursday, recipes and decorating ideas. I’ve printed out this Give Thanks banner and will be setting it up tomorrow. Did you know you can recycle tons of your Thanksgiving day cooking props? Even the aluminum foil that tents the turkey can by recycled.

For the balance of the week, we are keeping things simple on our meal plan.

AutumnChoppedSalad

Autumn Chopped Salad from Iowa Girl Eats

Sunday~ Chopped Autumn Salad with Chicken. A new favorite in the family. The kids version made it onto my Instagram Sunday night.

Monday~ Spaghetti and meatballs, green beans.

Tuesday~ Chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries and annie’s shell.

Wednesday~ Omelets/C.O.R.N. to make room for the big turkey!

Thanksgiving~ yummy goodness all day

Friday~ Turkey sandwiches. It’s the only time of the year I eat country white bread.

What are you doing for the Thanksgiving holiday? Excited to host or excited to visit?

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

25 Non Toy Gift Ideas

As the holiday season quickly approaches, I have been pulling together some of my reader’s favorite non-toy gift ideas. The list is great for a variety of ages, from children in preschool to teenagers in high school. I know a lot of parents are working hard to make the holidays less about “stuff.” Others want to limit the influx of “stuff” coming into their home. Our family falls into both camps, so I’m using this list as a starting point when family and friends ask about what to get the kids for Christmas.

  1. Sleeping bags
  2. Art supplies
  3. Magazine subscriptions (see ideas at the bottom of this post)
  4. Books
  5. Museum memberships
  6. Monogram bags
  7. Lunch box (Planetbox for older kids, Yumbox for younger ones)
  8. Personalized plates, water bottles, snack bags
  9. Lessons and the needed uniform or supplies
  10. Tickets to an event or zoo
  11. Ski passes and a new pair of ski equipment
  12. Bean bag chairs or child size furniture
  13. Forts
  14. Easel
  15. Nightlight
  16. Craft box subscription (Kiwi Crate or Wummelbox)
  17. Beach towel
  18. Bird feeder
  19. Play rug
  20. Instrument
  21. Science kit
  22. Alarm Clock
  23. Bike and/or bike accessories
  24. Popsicle molds
  25. Back pack

 

What other ideas do you have? Please share them in the comments!

Here are some of the magazine subscription ideas. These are affiliate links through Amazon (and others in this post), which means if you make a purchase, a s.m.a.l.l. percentage comes back to this site at no cost to you. Thank you!


When I first saw this collection of ebooks I was pretty excited. I already have some of them so was familiar with the authors. This ebook library is pretty big, and each book isn’t for everyone. However, there probably is at least 4-5 books that you can learn from making the price of the package worthwhile. It’s a homemaking theme, so it covers food, budgeting, parenting, schooling, marriage, health, blogging, holidays and more. It’s not just for my eco-friendly readers, but for any mom, sister, grandparent, newlywed or blogger that is interested in building up her home-keeping resources. (I should say dad, brother or grandfather too, right.)

Why am I buying the ebook bundle?

I am already a fan of ebooks. They are with me on the go in my iPhone or iPad, plus I have others organized on my laptop. When I download a bundle, I have everything go to my laptop. Then I pick and choose as needed and email it to myself to open in either my Kindle app or iBooks app so I have it when I’m waiting at a doctor’s office or traveling.

The reason I’m buying my own bundle is because I wanted these specific books for myself. I’ve seen them advertised and now is the right time to purchase them, plus the balance of the library.

The cost of these four books alone is $34.91 so the low bundle price of $29.97 already gives me a deal, plus I’ll get all the free products too. Keep reading to the end of the post (sorry it’s really long!) and the freebies are noted at the end.

Some of my favorite ebooks I have already read and would recommend:

The Details

For 6 days only, more than 75 widely-known bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere have joined together to offer 97 of their most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for the incredibly low price of $29.97!

More than anything, our goal for this sale was for it to be, well… ultimate! We firmly believe that you will not find a more comprehensive collection of homemaking resources anywhere on the web, and particularly not in this price range. For this low price, you gain access to every single one of these resources, so that you can customize your own collection to contain exactly the ones you want and know you’ll use.

This library of homemaking helps include topics such as mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps, home education, spiritual growth for both moms and kids, home décor and DIY, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, and even work-from-home and financial tools.

To sweeten the pot, we’ve also teamed up with 10 companies to bring you over $140 in bonus offers, giving you an affordable opportunity to get products you’ll use and love for only the cost of shipping, or in some cases, entirely for free!

What’s Included in the Sale?

When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection  you will get instant access to any of the 97 eBooks and eCourses listed below.

PLUS over $140 of FREE Bonuses

The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection comes with more than $140 of FREE Bonuses from 10 companies that we know you’ll love. More on these bonuses below.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered.

Home & Property {Cleaning, Organizing, Decor}

31 Days to Clean by Sarah Mae @ SarahMae.com ($4.99)
Getting it Together: Your Guide to Setting Up a Home Management System that Works by Kayse @ kayse pratt ($3.99)
Pulling Yourself Together: Implementing a Cleaning Routine that Sticks by Becky @ Clean Mama ($10.00)
Simple Living by Lorilee @ Loving Simple Living ($2.99)
NOT a DIY Diva by Melissa @ The Inspired Room ($3.99)
One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh @ Simple Mom ($5.00)
28 Days to Hope for your Home by Dana @ A Slob Comes Clean ($5.00)
Organizing Life as Mom by Jessica @ Life as Mom ($9.00)
Clean Enough: Simple Solutions for the Overwhelmed by Jenni @ Live Called ($4.99)
10 Steps to Organized Paper by Lisa @ Lisa Woodruff.net($5.00)
Handmade Walls by Jamin and Ashley @ the handmade home ($9.95)
Easy Peasy Chores: An Easy-to-Use Chore System That Brings JOY Back Into Family Chores by Alina Joy @ The Good Old Days Farm ($17.99)

Educational Children’s Resources

Princess Training by Richele @ Under the Golden Apple Tree ($3.99)
The Armor of God by Richele @ Under the Golden Apple Tree ($2.50)
My Bedtime Learning Book by Richele @ Under the Golden Apple Tree ($1.00)
Think Outside the Classroom by Kelly @ Generation Cedar ($6.97)
Raising Rock Stars — Kindergarten Bundle by Carissa @ 1plus1plus1equals1 ($10.00)
The ABC’s For Godly Boys Curriculum by Lindsey @ Road to 31 ($8.00)
The ABC’s For Godly Girls Curriculum by Lindsey @ Road to 31 ($8.00)
K4 Curriculum by Erica @ Confessions of a Homeschooler ($15.00)
Write Through the Bible (print) by Trisha @ Intoxicated on Life ($5.00)
Write Through the Bible (cursive) by Trisha @ Intoxicated on Life ($5.00)
Balcony Girls (books 1 & 2) by Sandy @ Reluctant Entertainer ($19.90)
The Dig for Kids: Luke (Volumes 1 and 2) by Patrick, husband of Ruth @ The Better Mom ($5.98)
Music: An Essential Ingredient for Life by Ryan @ Resound School of Music ($6.99)

Budgeting {Finance & Time}

From Debtor to Better by Barry @ From Debtor to Better ($10.00)
Tell Your Time by Amy @ Blogging with Amy ($2.99)
The Homemakers Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule by Amy @ Raising Arrows ($4.99)
Your Grocery Budget Toolbox by Anne @ Authentic Simplicity ($7.99)
Finding Financial Freedom by Kelly @ Generation Cedar ($5.97)
Become a Frugalista in 30 Days by Susan @ The Confident Mom ($3.99)

In the Kitchen {Recipes and Cooking}

Crock On by Stacy @ Stacy Makes Cents ($5.00)
Real Food, Real Easy by various bloggers @ The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95)
Wholesome Mixes by Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage ($4.00)
20-Minute Meals by Leigh Ann @ Intentional by Grace ($4.99)
Restocking the Pantry by Kresha @ Nourishing Joy ($9.99)
Money Saving Mom’s Guide to Freezer Cooking by Crystal @ Money Saving Mom ($3.99)
Simply Summer by Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama ($7.95)
Do the Funky Kitchen by Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers ($4.95)
Real Food Kids: In the Kitchen plus 1 month access to select Real Food Kids eCourse videos by Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS and Jami @ Eat Nourishing ($20.00)
Seasonal Menu Plans on a Budget: A Month of Meals from My Humble Kitchen to Yours by Diana @ My Humble Kitchen ($4.99)
Just Making Ice Cream by Marillyn @ Just Making Noise ($12.00)
The Curative Kitchen by Susan @ Handy Pantry ($20.00)

Pregnancy & Baby Care

First Bites by Hilary @ Accidentally Green ($9.99)
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin @ The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95)
Stress-Free Baby Shower by Sara @ Your Thriving Family ($4.00)
Unbound Birth by Jenny @ The Southern Institute ($2.99)
My Pregnancy Journey by Mindy @ Simply Designs ($9.99)
My Buttered Life Baby Edition by Renee @ Made On Hard Lotion ($5.00)
The Minimalist Mom’s Guide to Baby’s First Year by Rachel @ The Minimalist Mom ($5.00)
Redeeming Childbirth: Growth & Study Guide by Angie @ Redeeming Childbirth ($3.99)

Holidays & Special Events

Festive Traditions by Jill @ Modern Alternative Kitchen ($7.95)
Holiday Mixes: Gifts in a Jar by Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage ($4.00)
Flourishing Spring by Michele @ Frugal Granola ($5.95)
Family Camping Handbook by Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship ($6.95)
Truth in the Tinsel by Amanda @ Oh, Amanda! ($7.99)
Plan a Fabulous Party by Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect ($4.99)
iPhone Photography: The Visual Guide by Alli @ Alli Worthington($9.97)

Spiritual Growth

Pursuit of the Proverbs 31 by Amy @ Amy Bayliss ($3.99)
The Best of Visionary Womanhood by Natalie @ Visionary Womanhood ($5.00)
God’s Word in my Heart: A Scripture Memory Learning Guide with Verses {all 4 versions} by Jenn @ The Purposeful Mom ($3.99)
Kept: a 13-Week Inductive Study on 1 Peter by Lara and Katie @ Quench Bible ($4.99)
Love Like Him: an 8 week Inductive Bible study on 1 Corinthians 13 by Lara and Katie @ Quench Bible ($2.99)

Marriage & Romance

Rekindling Romance by Jason & Jami @ A Biblical Marriage ($4.99)
Good Wife’s Guide by Darlene @ Time-Warp Wife ($2.99)
31 Days to Build a Better Spouse by Ashley @ Ashley Pichea ($4.99)
31 Days to Great Sex by Sheila @ To Love, Honor and Vacuum ($4.99)
Entangled: Recognize Your Emotional Affair by Amy @ Amy J. Bennett ($4.99)

Motherhood

The Heart of Simplicity by various authors @ The Heart of Simplicity ($9.99)
True Christian Motherhood by June @ A Wise Woman Builds Her Home ($7.00)
Hula Hoop Girl by September @ One September Day ($4.99)
When Motherhood Feels Too Hard by Kelly @ Generation Cedar ($4.97)
Mindset for Moms by Jamie @ Steady Days ($4.99)
From Cube to Farm by Heather @ From Cube to Farm ($2.99)
4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Questions by various authors @ 4 Moms, 35+ Kids Parenting E-book ($7.99)
That Works for Me! by Kristen @ We are THAT Family ($8.00)

Health & Fitness

100-pound Loser by Jessica @ Muthering Heights ($4.99)
Honoring the Rhythm of Rest by Danielle @ Domestic Serenity ($2.99)
42 Days to Fit by Brandy @ The Marathon Mom, Emma @ Real Fit Moms and Stacy @ A Delightful Home ($4.99)
Healthy Homemaking by Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home ($12.95)
Personal ePlanner by Jennifer @ ListPlanIt ($5.00)

Beauty

Frumps to Pumps by Sarah Mae @ SaraMae.com ($4.99)
The Cottage Mama’s DIY Guide by Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage ($4.00)
Simple Scrubs to Make and Give by Stacy @ A Delightful Home ($3.99)
The No Brainer Wardrobe by Hayley @ The No Brainer Wardrobe ($7.99)
Embracing Beauty by Trina @ Trina Holden ($9.00)
Reuse, Refresh, Repurpose by Kristen @ The Frugal Girl ($3.99)

Working from Home & Blogging

Your Blogging Business: Tax, Talk and Tips by Nikki @ Christian Mommy Blogger ($4.99)
The Bootstrap VA by Lisa @ The Home Life {and Me} ($12.99)
How to Grow Your Blog and Manage Your Home by Jacinda @ Growing Home ($4.99)
How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too by Mandi @ Life Your Way ($12.00)
Simple Blogging: Less Computer Time, Better Blogging by Rachel @ Small Notebook ($8.00)

Ecourses

Learning in Love: The Preschool Years by Renee @ FIMBY ($7.99)
Homeschooling from the Heart by Renee @ FIMBY ($7.99)
Grocery University by Carrie @ Colorado Bargains ($24.95)
Vibrant Living Strategies for Moms by Lisa @ Well-Grounded Life ($59)
You Can Do This! The First Five Steps to a Real Food Kitchen by Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers ($5.00)

PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies…

A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio (for new members) or $20 off a Yearly Membership (for current members), where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are tummy safe and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs). ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A $15 store credit to TruKid. With products like their aware-winning sun care, they are dedicated to providing all natural skin and hair care for kids, babies, and now pets. ($15.00 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

Your choice of incredible natural products like sea salt and clay for FREE. Choose from the Redmond Trading Earthpaste Bundle ($24.90 value) or the Facial Mud Bundle ($26.90 value). (Standard shipping applies. Continental US only.)

Your choice of a FREE heirloom sourdough starter or FREE yogurt starter from Cultures for Health, the leading supplier of starter cultures and supplies for making cultured and fermented foods ($12.95 value. US & CAN addresses only. Standard shipping applies.)

Your choice of: a FREE 3-Month Subscription (for new accounts) or 30% off a One Year Subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A FREE Culinary Herbs Assorted Seed Pack Check just in time for spring planting from www.wheatgrasskits.com, a living whole foods company. ($11.95 value. Standard shipping applies to all US states and territories- no international shipping for seeds.)

Get $10 off Union28’s original “my husband rocks” tee. Their marriage apparel lets you celebrate your spouse in style. ($10.00 value. Standard shipping rates apply. International shipping available, but free shipping only available within USA.)

A $10 store credit plus 1 FREE lip balm from Bee All Natural. Their whole body products nourish and heal, and are made using only the highest quality, food grade, organic ingredients. ($13.49 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

A FREE 2 oz. bottle of your choice of liquid herbal formula from TriLight Health. They specialize in fast acting, great tasting natural herbal remedies. ($12.95 value or more. Standard shipping applies, within the USA only.)

Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Membership to ListPlanIt, whose mobile lists will help to organize your life. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

The fine print:

Bonus Offers

  • Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase.
  • For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.
  • All bonus offers are free gifts from the bonus sponsors, are their sole responsibility to provide, and are subject to availability.
  • All bonus offers expire at midnight on May 19th, 2013 (2 weeks from the last day of this sale).

General

  • It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase within the 1-month download time-frame. With proof of purchase, we can renew download links up until August 1st, 2013. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.
  • Due to the nature of this sale, there will be no refunds available. However, we would invite you to read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, the download process, how the bonus offers work, etc.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered, so make sure that you get your bundle right away!

This post includes affiliate links, and I make a portion of the sale of each ebook bundle. Thanks for your support of this site!

Call it Project Simplify. Call it nesting. What I really call it is getting rid of the junk. This week’s Project Simplify focus is on “piles.” Pretty vague, but I know we all have them. Some of those piles had been there for just too long, so this week I tackled, sorted, purged and organized them. The hot spots getting organized were my gift wrap stash, the nursery desk, and the closet under the stairs.

Organizing the Gift Wrap

This turned into a fun project for me. While not all of our gift wrap is green, I do try to reuse a lot of the gift wrap that comes through our house. The biggest collection of gift wrap are the gift bags, both large and small. I found the perfect 3-Drawer organizer that could organize the gift wrap and tissue paper.

Organize Your Gift WrapI cleared out our gift wrap stash a few months ago, but after the holidays and the kids birthdays I needed to sort through it all again. I was left with good quality tissue paper, small and large gift bags, ribbons and bows. Going forward, I like the eco-friendly gift wrap line from Jillson Roberts.

Organized Gift wrap RandomRecycling.com

The Closet Under the Stairs

Feels very Harry Potter doesn’t it? This little room under the stairs is in our basement. We had it build in when we redid the basement a few years ago. It became a bit of a catch all: gift wrap, baby stuff when not in use, extra bedding for guests, and my wedding dress. (Still don’t know where to keep that huge box!) Everything got cleaned out and I have a new plan for the space. Look for the big reveal next week!

Under the Stairs Closet Project

For Part 2 of Project Simplify this week, check out the post where I create a Quiet Kids Activity Desk.

For more organizing ideas, head over to the collection of posts on Simple Mom’s week three round up of “pile” projects.  You can see all of my other Project Simplify posts here. Up next week~ the put off project! You know you have one…

Disclosure: Some affiliate links are included in this post. I’m sharing this over at TidyMom and at OrgJunkie too!

April Meal Plan RandomRecycling.com

Happy April 1st! Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays last week. We had a wonderful Easter weekend filled with egg hunts and family parties. My daughter enjoyed her Easter lunchbox, it was like a mini bento box lunch. Now it’s time for a new meal plan, including two new recipes.

Easter Egg Bento Box Lunch @RandomRecycling

On the menu this week…

Monday~ Spanish style garlic shrimp, brown rice (pressure cooker) and corn

Tuesday~ Grilled cheese and pear sandwiches, tomato soup

Wednesday~ Baked honey mustard chicken (new!), roasted red potatoes, steamed broccoli

Thursday~ San Francisco pork chops in the slow cooker (new!), leftover rice, peas

Friday~ Pepperoni pizza and salad

Saturday~ Date night

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Meal plan march 25

 

Happy Monday! Is it really the end of March? I’m so ready for April and a little spring weather. Hopefully the sun starts to shine and the Easter bunny can make his arrival with no issues next weekend.

I just returned from a fun-filled Blissdom weekend. It was so wonderful to meet new people, listen to some amazing speakers and get some new writing inspiration from my sessions. I was ready to come home today and give my husband and kids a big squeeze.

This week is a bit busier for us with some events and Easter preparations to plan for. Lots of family favorite meals ahead as I try to keep things simple.

On the menu this week…

Sunday~ Oatmeal Pancakes for dinner

Monday~ Apricot Pork Chops, Roasted Asparagus, Annie’s Bunny Pasta

Tuesday~ Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Sweet Potato Fries (didn’t happen last week so it’s coming back.)

Wednesday~ Black Bean Chili (slow cooker)

Thursday~ CORN

Friday~ Pizza Night!  Make double batch of granola for weekend Easter parties.

Saturday~ Light dinner, make dessert for Easter gathering.

Sunday~ Easter dinner with family.

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope those of you who celebrate had a wonderful day. We enjoyed a little family reunion away from home and had a great meal of corned beef, cabbage and roasted potatoes. I made mint chocolate chip cookies which came out awesome. The traditional Irish soda bread I made was also delicious, once we found it still at home after our trip!  Time for this week’s meal plan, which will feature another Irish dinner.

Monday March 18 Meal Plan

On the menu this week…

Sunday~ Family St. Patrick’s Day Dinner

Monday~ Adobo Chicken (last Wildtree freezer meal), green salad and rice

Tuesday~ Corned Beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes and onions. And more bread.

Wednesday~ I’ll be packing for Blissdom! Easy dinner of homemade chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries.

Thursday ~ CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)  I really do get a kick out of how many people first think we eat that much corn!

Friday~ Pizza night!

Saturday~ Dinner out for dad and the kids with friends.

 

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! Here are a few eco-friendly ideas that caught my eye. Most of the projects can be done with items already in your house. The craft projects use a lot of scrap pieces of fabric and paper. Food is healthy and green. Products are “green” in nature. Try not to o.d. on green food coloring this weekend, but raise a green beer in the spirit of this fun Irish holiday.

St Paddys Day CraftsPainted Mason Jars | Confetti Shamrock | DIY Play Dough (opt for natural food coloring) | Pasta Shamrock | Green Fabric Wreath | Pepper Shamrock Stamp

St Paddys Day Eco Friendly Ideas, Crafts and FoodIrish Upcycled Banner | Reusable Shamrock Lunch bag | Milk Jug Irish Craft | Shamrock Sprouts | Shamrock Lunch | St. Patrick’s Day Bento Lunch

What are you doing to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Fruit Valentine Tags

In light of all the sweets and treats my daughter is going to bring home from school today for Valentine’s Day, I decided to take a different approach. Together we decided to give out healthy apples and oranges as a treat for her preschool friends.

I found the fruit tags on Pinterest and printed them out from Craftaholics on card stock. The tags were cut out using my paper-cutter for the sides and scissors for the top. The heart cellophane bags are from my local party store for $.39/each. Oranges and apples came from Trader Joe’s. I have a giant roll of red baker’s twine and I love any excuse to use it.

Making Fruit Valentines RandomRecycling

My little helper decorated the oranges with a face using a black marker. Then she wrote her name on the back of each tag. It was an exercise in patience for me as I watched her write her name and struggle when she made a mistake. Although I didn’t want to waste tags, I knew it was important for her to take the time to make them just right for her friends.

I know she will come from school today with a goodie bag filled with candy full of artificial ingredients. She will be happy and I will let her have her candy in small doses. (Read why we try to avoid artificial dyes.) At least if my daughter and her friends learn at a young age that there are other fun gifts to give besides candy at Valentine’s Day, there is hope for them to make their own healthy decisions down the road.

Happy Valentine’s Day, from my family to yours!

Kids Valentines RandomRecycling

 

 

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

If you are stuck inside during a blizzard, you must make cookies. Not only is it a fun activity to keep the kids busy, but it makes the whole house smell delicious. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I made these red and white Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies. They are easy to make, delicious, and a nice departure from your everyday chocolate chip cookie.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

CRANBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Course: Dessert
Keyword: Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 stick of butter softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
  • 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
  • Beat the butter and sugar together in a mix until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time until combined. Add vanilla and milk.
  • Slowly add the flour mixture on a low speed setting. Mix until just combined.
  • Fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips.
  • Drop large spoonfuls of cookie dough onto parchment or silpat lined cookie sheets.
  • Bake 13-15 minutes. Let rest two minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling racks.
  • (I bake two racks at a time and use my convection oven setting. Halfway through I switch the trays so they bake evenly.)
Tried this recipe?Mention @emilyroachwellness or tag #erwellness!

Adapted from Table for Two.

Shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday.