Green Food

Add green food coloring to almost anything and watch your kids eat it up. Some suggestions – vanilla pudding, ice cream shakes, white cake or cupcakes and of course plain old milk.

Share all sorts of naturally green foods such as green apples, kiwis, grapes, celery (add some peanut butter), green pistachios and a platter of green peppers, raw broccoli and cucumbers with dip.

Candy

You should be able to find all sorts of green candy and other St. Patrick’s related candy on sale for this special day. Think green M&M’s, lollipops, sour candies, and green apple flavored candies. Gold coins and shamrock shaped candies are popular too.

Lucky Charms Cereal

Serve it for breakfast, as a snack or add as a topping to iced cupcakes, cakes, pudding, etc.

photo credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/laffy4k/403048731/

Corned Beef and Cabbage

The great thing about corned beef and cabbage is that children can pick out what they want to eat from this famous meal. If they don’t like the cabbage, then give them some carrots and potatoes with a slice of meat.

This is the recipe I’ve used for years:

Ingredients

1 Corned Beef Brisket with spice mixture (size depends on your family and if you want leftovers), rinse under water
1-2 heads of green cabbage – take off outer leaves, rinse and cut in fours
6-8 carrots, peeled, rinsed and cut in half (you may need to add more if corned beef is larger than 4 pounds)
6 large white potatoes, peeled and rinsed (you may need to add more again)
1 Loaf of Rye Bread
Various Types of Mustard

Preparation

Use a large pot to fit all ingredients. Add corned beef and cover with water. Do not add seasoning mix. (I find that children are more likely to eat this meal without the strong flavor of the seasonings. The meat has been brined so it holds a lot of flavor.)

Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 2 hours. Add cabbage and carrots. Cook for another 30 – 40 minutes. Add potatoes (keep them whole) and cook for another 20 minutes. Make sure all vegetables are cooked thoroughly. You may need to add more water when you add the vegetables. Keep another pot of boiling water going on the side.

When done, carve meat. Serve on a large platter with vegetable. Offer rye bread to eat with meal. Mustard is often used as a condiment too. My family likes to mash up the potatoes and carrots on our own dishes.

For leftovers, add some of the liquid to your containers to keep meat moist. Eat as a meal or have sandwiches.

Whatever foods you choose to eat with your kids on St. Patrick’s Day, remember to spend time together, share stories about the history of the day and about Leprechauns. Go see a parade or make a craft.

At his school, he had to bring something for each classmate on Valentine ’s Day. One year, I forgot about it and had to scramble at the last minute. Luckily, I love buying school supplies at the back to school shopping sales. There are great bargains to be had.

Here are some things that I always keep in stock for the last minute projects or  Valentine’s Day cards

• Colorful construction paper
• Stickers, glitter, ribbons, and glue
• Markers
• Old Shoe Boxes—they come in handy if you have to bring notes for 25+ people.
• Fancy cut scissors are extraordinary. They are a simple twist that goes a long way.

With supplies, the options are truly endless—simply making “love” coupons that they can give to their friends or siblings for a hug or a smile or a nice gesture could make some kids truly happy.  And don’t forget that you can make a special valentine for your kids as a surprise as well such as a Valentine’s Day Coupon Book.  Use any of these ideas as a starting point and think about what would make your kids feel the most loved.

Most of all, remind them that caring for each other should happen year-round, not just on Valentine’s Day.  But there’s nothing wrong with an extra-special treat on this extra-special day.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day.

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This is a guest post written by Aparna Vashisht who is the founding mom and CEO of Parentella.com.

This contest is fun and easy! Just print the black and white coloring page of one of the Avocado Amigos – Ava or Al – then color and design the page. Add hats, facial features and other accessories, color Ava or Al and then upload the image to the website (must be uploaded and entered by an adult).

Three winners will be chosen from the following age categories:

• 4 years and younger
• 5 – 9 years old
• 10 – 12 years old

These are the prizes:

• Grand prize – $250 Bank Issued Gift Card
• First Runner Up prize -  $100 Bank Issued Gift Card
• Second Runner-Up prize – $50 Bank Issued Gift Card

And for parents, there’s some amazing recipes from Celebrity Chef Rick Bayless on the main site. As well as Back To School recipes such as this one:

I wrote this blog post at the request of Avocados From Mexico, making me eligible to win a $25 iCard gift card.

Here are some ideas for easy recipes for families with teens:

• Wraps – These are portable and can be filled with veggies as well as some meat if you like. You can use wheat tortillas and other healthy bread items as your “wrapping”.
• Smoothies – Make them with fresh or frozen fruits. Put them into a covered drink container to take along for practice or a day out with friends. Makes a healthy snack and helps your tween avoid soda.
• Homemade Trail Mix – Include raisins, nuts, dried fruit and less chocolate.
• Parfaits – Add fruit like blueberries, wheat germ or whole grain cereal to low fat yogurt for an on the go snack. Don’t forget the spoon!
• Fruit or Zucchini Muffins
• Wheat crackers, low fat cheese and fruit
• Frittatas and Casseroles with vegetables
• Sandwiches – same as wraps but use wheat bread and load up on the vegetables

Some suggestions to save time:

• Prepare a batch and freeze
• Have your children help with the cooking. They’re more likely to eat if they’ve cooked.
• Plan your meals and snacks in advance.
• Make a shopping list based on what you are going to cook.

Consider how the food looks:

• Color is important
• Make it fun! Put fruit or veggies on sticks, create a bowl of fruit around a bowl of peanut butter for dipping, etc.
• Disguise it. If your teen won’t eat celery for example, cut it up and add it to a soup. Then blend the broth.

Buy some unusual containers:

• Get a lunch box with separate compartments for hot and cold and a unique design
• What about a bento box?
• There’s no need for plastic sandwich bags any more, get fabric ones that are washable.

Share with friends, search on the web and ask your tween to help you come up with easy recipes for your family.

• Original Victory Cookie – the signature chocolate chip cookie
• Shuggah Browns – a sugar cookie made with brown sugar
• Mr. Wonderful – oatmeal raisin
• Beach Bum – made with pineapple chunks and macadamia nuts

My favorites were the Original and Shuggah Browns which tasted like they came fresh out of the oven. In fact, I put mine in the microwave for just a few seconds to warm up and dunked in milk to get the best out of them. A box would make a nice gift to bring along to a dinner party or as a treat for a play group.

Purchase from Victory Cookies online. You can also get a free sample cookie to taste. I’m sure you’ll be buying them after!

Disclosure: I received a box of cookies free of charge.

• CEREALS
• CHEWY GRANOLA BARS
• FROZEN FRUIT
• FROZEN VEGETABLES
• FROZEN POTATOES
• FRUIT SPREADS
• JUICE CONCENTRATES
• RELISH

Cascadian Farm wants to teach us to do all we can to stay healthy and be environmentally friendly. Recently they celebrated Earth Day and raised money for the Organic Farming Research Foundation on Facebook. They hold events online and all over the country to spread the news about being eco-friendly and eating organic foods.

Discount – Get a $1 coupon for any Cascadian Farm Product

Giveaway: Win a Live Green Together Gift Pack which includes a tote, a box of Fruitfull O’s Cereal, a box of Cinnamon Crunch Cereal, a box of Granola, a box of Dark Chocolate Almond Granola, a box of Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars and a box of Dark Chocolate Almond Chewy Granola Bars.

The Rules:

1. Contest starts now and ends May 5th at midnight EST.
2. Open to adults 18 and over in the US.
3. One entry per household.
4. Winner chosen by Random.org.
5. Winner has 2 days to claim prize.
6. Have fun and tell your friends.

How To Enter:
For One Entry For Each Below: (please leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Leave a comment about what you do to be more environmentally friendly.
2. Leave a comment about one product from Cascadian Farm you like.
3. Leave a comment about something you feed your child to help him or her stay healthy.
4. Follow my blog on Facebook. (Please leave your Facebook ID)
5. Follow Cascadian Farm on Facebook. (Please leave your Facebook ID)
6. Follow me, ConnieFoggles, on Twitter. (Please leave your Twitter ID)
7. Sign up for my FriendFeed (Please leave your FriendFeed ID)
8. Use the Bookmark widget/button under this post and share this post on any of the sites listed. (Please comment with which site you shared this post on.)
9. Tweet this exactly (You can tweet daily) Please leave a link to your tweet:

Win a gift pack from Cascadian Farm from @ConnieFoggles http://bit.ly/9e3b6q
PL RT

Both my prize pack and the prize pack for the Giveaway was provided by Cascadian Farm through MyBlogSpark.

Giveaway Ended.

• Hug a Tree – protect and plan trees
• Carwashing – wash your car on the lawn
• Slow The Flow – install a low flow toilet
• Crusin on the Highway – drive slower
• Beware of Vampires – unplug electronics when not in use
• Seal the Ducks and Save Some Green – seal heating ducts
• Reuse Old Clothes – hold a clothing swap, donate or give away hand-me-downs
• Food Planner – check your fridge and cupboard before grocery shopping

It’s easy to make a pledge. So take part and help raise money for healthier foods through Cascadian Farms.

I was provided with this information by Blog Spark via a campaign for Cascadian Farm. I’ll be receiving products from Cascadian Farm shortly also.

1. Rainbows are popular for St. Patrick’s Day. Get out some crayons or markers and draw a colorful rainbow. If you’re lucky enough to see one, take some photos.
2. Going along with rainbows, make a batch of rainbow cookies. Use sugar cookies and add rainbow sprinkles or icing to make the shape and colors of your rainbow.
3. Leprechauns are easy to make out of paper lunch bags. You’ll need construction paper to add some extra touches like the hat and beard. Let your imagination guide you!



Image by bon_here via Flickr

4. Get a rock, paint it white and add a kiss from an ink stamp or paint to make the Blarney stone. You can even decorate it further with some glitter.
5. Make Irish Soda Bread with your child. Here’s a recipe from AllRecipes for Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread.
6. Make a Leprechaun box and watch your child’s eyes grow with excitement! You can use a cardboard box, covered with a paper bag or green construction paper. Decorate it as you see fit. Be sure there is a small opening. Leave it out the night of March 16th. Open it on March 17th at night to see what the Leprechauns have left to thank you for making them a place to stay for the day.
7. Look for clovers if weather permits. You’re sure to be lucky if you find a four leaf clover!
8. Eat a bowl of Lucky Charms for breakfast.
9. Here’s a video to teach you how to draw a shamrock:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Be sure to spend some time with your children making some crafts and cooking some food. Maybe they’ll try Corned Beef and Cabbage this year.

• Roasted Potato Foccacia
• Cream of Rosemary Potato Soup
• Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon
• Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
• Bistro Potato Salad
• And, the restaurant is even giving out the recipe for a guest favorite, Golden Yam Bisque, from February 15 – 28!

Great news about potatoes and your health -

• Low in calories
• Fat Free
• Cholesterol free
• Packed with potassium
• High in Vitamin C if eaten with the skin

The Sweet Tomatoes near me is one of my all time favorite places to eat with my family. I love their salads, bakery items, soups and desserts. There’s something for everyone including my picky daughter. We’ve made eating there a family tradition that we cherish. I love the new menu choices each month and February’s Potato Fest sounds like it will be top of the line for me.

Did you know that you can follow Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes on Twitter? Play games and win guest passes. Same for their Facebook page and there you can learn about new store openings and promos too.

Giveaway: 3 Winners! 2 Meal Passes to Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes

The Rules:

1. Contest starts now and ends Feb. 28th at midnight EST.
2. Open to adults 18 and over in the US.
3. Winners will be chosen by Random.org.
4. Winners have 2 days to claim prize.
5. Have fun and tell your friends.

How To Enter:
For One Entry For Each Below: (please leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Leave a comment about your favorite way to eat potatoes.
2. Follow my blog on Facebook. (Please leave your Facebook ID)
3. Follow me, ConnieFoggles, on Twitter. (Please leave your Twitter ID)
4. Sign up for my FriendFeed (Please leave your FriendFeed ID)
5. Use the Bookmark widget/button under this post and share this post on any of the sites listed. (Please comment with which site you shared this post on.)
6. Follow Souplantation on Twitter. (Please leave your Twitter ID)
7. Tweet this exactly (You can tweet daily) Please leave a link to your tweet:

Win 2 Meal Passes Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes @ConnieFoggles  3 Winners! http://bit.ly/aask6h PL RT

This is not an compensated post. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

There are some recipes available from Cheerios for you to take a look at and use. Surprise your family!

My Review: This was a big hit in my house. Chocolate cereal is something that I use as a treat, but with the health benefits of Chocolate Cheerios, I have no problem serving this every day. Plus, I know my daughter will drink the excess milk in the bowl.

Savings Alert! Print a 50 cents off coupon for your next purchase of Chocolate Cheerios

Giveaway: Win a Chocolate Cheerios Gift Pack which includes One Box of Chocolate Cheerio, One Ceramic Cereal Bowl, Chocolate Scented bath items and One Bath Pouf.

The Rules:

1. Contest starts now and ends Feb. 15th at midnight EST.
2. Open to adults 18 and over in the US.
3. Winner will be chosen by Random.org.
4. Winner has 2 days to claim prize.
5. Have fun and tell your friends.

How To Enter:
For One Entry For Each Below: (please leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Leave a comment about what is your favorite Cheerios cereal.
2. Follow my blog on Facebook. (Please leave your Facebook ID)
3. Follow me, ConnieFoggles, on Twitter. (Please leave your Twitter ID)
4. Sign up for my FriendFeed (Please leave your FriendFeed ID)
5. Use the Bookmark widget/button under this post and share this post on any of the sites listed. (Please comment with which site you shared this post on.)
6. Tweet this exactly:

Win A Chocolate Cheerios Gift Pack @ConnieFoggles http://bit.ly/aCopVQ Ends 2/15 PL RT

Disclosure: Product, information, prize pack, and giveaway have all been provided by Cheerios and My BlogSpark. All opinions are my own.