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What happens when kids bring one pail to the beach?

 

Encouraging Creativity at the BeachDo you ever feel like you are bringing everything but the kitchen sink to the beach? From the towels, chairs, food and toys, it can be overwhelming packing up for the beach. Today I’m sharing a story about what happens when you let the kids use just one reusable yogurt container, with no guidance from mom and dad. It turned into a very cute and creative activity at the beach.

Meet Hermie, the little hermit crab the kids found while exploring the rocks at the beach.

Hermit Crab Beach Discovery

Hermie came back to our beach camp and then the kids went off to build Hermie his own home.

Building a sand castle together

The kids worked together to build Hermie a four room home, delightfully presented like a flower.

One little yogurt cup turned into quite a little project for these kids. It was a wonderful reminder that sometimes we need a little less to allow our children’s mind to tap into their imagination. They got no directions from us, just a lot of praise in the end on what a wonderful job they did building Hermie’s home. No one squabbled over the lack of toys, no one asked a grown up for help, and in the end, the kids were so excited to share what they built.

Proud kids of their beach house

It’s a great lesson as we think about the change of seasons in another month or two and we move indoors a little more. Where could we use “less” so that we allow our kids to reach into their imagination a little “more.”

Thank you to Stonyfield Yogurt for providing our family with complimentary yogurt through my involvement as a Clean Plate Club Ambassador. The kids love their Organic Vanilla yogurt for breakfast and I’m sure we can find even more creative uses for our yogurt cups this summer.

I am honored to be a member of the Stonyfield Clean Plate Club. I received product or coupons for writing this post, but all opinions are my own.

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What’s in a Stonyfield Yogurt Pearl?

The yummy new Stonyfield Frozen Yogurt Pearls! #girlswithpearls

Today we were delighted with a personal delivery of the new Stonyfield Frozen Yogurt Pearls. They are part dessert and part the coolest thing in food technology. And they were delicious! Just ask how quickly Madison was wishing for a second one.

The frozen yogurt is encased in an edible skin, kind of like a grape. Except these skins are different flavors…strawberry, coconut, and yummy banana. Wiki Foods, a Cambridge based company, developed the technology to work with Stonyfield’s yogurt bonbon treat. Consider the treat to be Wikilicious!

stonyfield frozen yogurt pearls boston

What’s even cooler is the packaging. It is going to be plastic free. The wrapper is actually made from a wood by-product. Ultimately, the marketing team would love to see them sold alongside the gelato at Whole Food dessert bars, totally package free. At only 20 calories a pop, it’s a sweet treat that won’t tip the scales.

As of March 21st, you can find the new Pearls in four Boston area Whole Foods. For more details there is a great Boston Globe article sharing some additional details.

All opinions shared about Stonyfield and the new Frozen Yogurt Pearls are my own, or my kids. 😉

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Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt

We are big peanut butter fans in our house. We go through tons of it on sandwiches, on bananas, in smoothies or on apples. I’m also a big fan of chocolate so I decided to combine the two and create a Chocolate Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt recipe.  I was given some greek yogurt samples from Stonyfield and peanut butter samples from Peanut Butter & Co. Both are yummy on their own, but even better together.

Frozen Yogurt Ingredients

I had my little helper’s with me to make our first frozen yogurt, ever. The ice cream maker had been put away for the winter but now it’s going to stay handy for the warm summer months. The Cuisinart ice cream maker we use is actually 43% off from Amazon right now.

How to Make Frozen Yogurt

When you add the cocoa powder, stir it in gently so it doesn’t blow up in your face.

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt

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Course: Dessert
Keyword: Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Stonyfield Greek Yogurt Plain
  • 1/2 cup Peanut Butter & Co Smooth Operator Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 cup 1% milk
  • 1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips optional

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips into a large bowl using a hand mixer.
  • Add to ice cream maker machine. Churn for 25 minutes.
  • Add chocolate chips and churn for 2 additional minutes or until well blended.
  • Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Mention @emilyroachwellness or tag #erwellness!

What’s your favorite way to enjoy Peanut Butter?

Disclosure: I am a Stonyfield Clean Plate Club Ambassador and was offered yogurt and peanut butter to help facilitate this project. All opinions shared here are my own. I’m sharing this post with Melt in Your Mouth Monday.

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Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe

It may be winter, but a delicious smoothie still is a perfect snack. My kids are loving them and I am happy to use up some leftovers produce from the refrigerator. Our new favorite recipe is the spiced pumpkin smoothie recipe. It offers a healthy dose of vitamins A and C, which helps support a healthy immune system. Perfect for this time of year!

SPICED PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE RECIPE

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Course: Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt Stonyfield French Vanilla blends was great
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 bananas quartered and frozen
  • 1 cup ice cubes

Instructions

  • Add ingredients to the blender in the order listed.
  • Select "Smoothie" setting on a Blendtec, or a comparable setting.
Tried this recipe?Mention @emilyroachwellness or tag #erwellness!

 

Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe

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Blendtec Blender and Stonyfield Yogurt Blends Giveaway

Stonyfield Organic Blends Yogurt_RandomRecycling

Sometimes as a blogger you just get lucky. You meet the right people at the right time. One of those meetings was with the people from Stonyfield Yogurt. I love their company’s commitment to organic food and creating healthy products for kids. When we don’t make our own yogurt, we buy organic Stonyfield. My kids are huge fans of the YoKids yogurt tubes, which I can’t make myself. When my friends at Stonyfield said I could review the new Stonyfield Blends yogurt I was excited. Then they said I would also get a Blendtec blender. Oh, my.  I was giddy with excitement to test out the blender.

A happy Stonyfield customer

The yogurt arrived first. My kids think it’s normal to get yogurt delivered to their door. I still think it’s really cool! There was a big fuss as the kids picked out which Stonyfield Blends yogurt flavor to test out first. It’s fruity yogurt, without all clumpy “fruit on the bottom” flavoring of the past. No high fructose corn syrup or artificial food dyes either.  Each flavor was a success in our house, plus I used one of the French Vanilla cups to flavor our homemade yogurt. It was delicious.

Blendtec blender green smoothie

The smoothies we created with the Blends yogurt made us fall in love with the Blendtec. Our old blender was fine, but it doesn’t make smooth smoothies like the turbo powered Blendtec Wildside blender. No more ice chunks, no more leafy spinach in each cup. We have made some with and without yogurt, depending on the recipe. The pumpkin smoothie made with the French Vanilla Blends yogurt is my favorite so far. (Here is the recipe post!) The coolest thing is getting the kids to drink green smoothies. Green veggies are hit or miss at the dinner table so it feels great to see them drink up a spinach smoothie and ask for seconds.

Healthy Pumpkin Smoothie

Stonyfield wants to celebrate the launch of the new Blends yogurt line by giving one of my readers the opportunity to enjoy a case of the new yogurt AND a new Blendtec Blender, valued at $455!! 

Blendtec Blender and Stonyfield Yogurt Giveaway

The giveaway will be open until midnight Feb 18th. US residents only. Winner will be notified via email. Please enter using the form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was provided the blender and yogurt to help facilitate this review as part of my participation in the Stonyfield Clean Plate Club campaign, focused on providing healthy recipes for families. This in no way influenced mine, or my children’s, opinions shared here.  

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