Monday, December 28

Homemade Waffle Cones

My husband has been on an ice cream in waffle cone kick for a while now.  He loves finding local ice cream shops near us or anywhere he is traveling.  Since we went nonGMO over two years ago we have not had ice cream cones at home (cake or waffle).  Well I decided to get him a waffle cone maker for our anniversary.  Now I am not sure how many people would love a waffle maker as an anniversary gift but my husband does.  He was so excited as soon as he opened it, especially since I had bought three cartons of our favorite ice cream to go with it.  I read lots of reviews all over the internet and on Amazon.com and in the end I chose Chef's Choice 838 Waffle Cone Express Ice Cream Cone Maker.  I have used the waffle maker over five times in the last three weeks and it works great every time.  The first time is a little scary and takes a little longer (or at least it did for me because I kept checking for doneness on the cone).  Now I know exactly what setting to use (just past 3 so I don't see the three) and count 20 seconds after the green light turns back on.  I pull the cooked cone out onto the clean towel and roll over the mold, lastly I pinch the end with the towel to stop ice cream drips, or at least most of the drips.  What even taste better is to scoop the ice cream into the cone while it is still warm, it just brings it to an even higher level of yumminess!



Sunday, November 29

Review: Cutielunch Reusable Food Pouches

Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
My kids love to snack so I need easy ways to have healthy snacks for on the go and for school lunches.  My girls both become ill if they ingest GMOs (genetically modified organisms) so it can be hard to find safe foods for them to eat.  One ingredients we avoid is sugar.  We can eat cane sugar but if the ingredient listed is sugar I have to assume it could be beet sugar which most is genetically modified.  To avoid iffy ingredients I make many stuff from scratch so I know what is in it.  My girls love puree and it is messy to just put in a lunch or even try and eat.  For Thanksgiving we roasted some pumpkins and my girls love to just eat it plain.  I put some in a Cutielunch Reusable Food Pouch and plan on adding it to their lunch tomorrow or maybe bring as a snack when we visit Santa today.  It was so easy to add the pumpkin to the pouch.  I did overfill the first one and had to scoop a little out to close.  The next pouch was even easier to fill.  I can't wait to fill them with smoothies when the weather is warmer (it is in the low 30s so cold stuff is not on the menu right now).  I could fill them with smoothies and keep in the freezer until right before school or heading out. 
I am also planning on making some up for my husband to use on his long runs.  He is training for an Ironman and some of his training runs are over 20 miles.  When you run that far you have to refuel and refuel with healthy and easy to digest foods.

Final words:  A great pouch to use, it is easy to clean (I hand washed but it is dishwasher safe), easy to fill, and most importantly easy to eat from.  I would recommend!


Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Thursday, September 10

New Annie's Bunny Tails Macaroni & Cheese

I was sent a surprise box of Annie's new Bunny Tails. They created the new product as an April fools joke but so many people loved it they turned it into an actual product.  The girls both loved it and can't wait until it is sold locally so we can purchase a few boxes. 

Disclosure: I sent a complimentary box and all opinions are my own. 

Thursday, June 18

Inside Out Movie Review

 
 
My family and I were so excited for the opportunity to view Inside Out on Monday!  The movie was simply a great Pixar movie.  My oldest named Inside Out her favorite Pixar movie of all time and My husband told me that we are buying the movie the day it comes out on DVD.  Before I get to the movie I have to mention the fantastic short Lava that plays right before Inside Out.  Lava is about a volcano looking for someone to love.  The song is so beautiful you want to cry and once you add in the spectacular animation you will become at least misty eyed!  I would go to the movie just to watch the short!  That being said Inside out is just as fantastic.  I might be a little bias, as I grew up near San Francisco, but Pixar made the Golden Gate bridge and San Francisco even more beautiful.  Now most of the movie takes place inside Riley's mind (an 11 year old that is moved from Minnesota to San Francisco.)  We get to meet her emotions, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger.  (The casting was perfect!)  As you can imagine moving away from your home and all your friends in the Midwest and moving to San Francisco, which is very different, would be hard for an 11 year old.  We get to see how her emotions interact and how they affect what Riley does.  I don't want to give too much of the movie away so I will just tell you to go and see it!  Take your whole family, from your little ones to Grandparents, it is a movie everyone can watch and will love.
 
 
 
 
Disclosure: My family and I attended a free preview of the movie.  All opinions are my own.
 

Wednesday, May 13

Ice Cream Cruise in Seattle

Sunday for Mother's Day my husband surprised us with the Seattle Ice Cream cruise. It was beautiful to cruise around Lake Union and eat ice cream. The cruise is only on Sunday's and last a little under an hour. They do only take cash for the cruise and the ice cream for sale in the galley so make sure you have enough. It was $36 for two adults and two children plus extra for and ice cream treats you want to have. We got to see Seattle from a different view and loved. It was the perfect treat for Mother's Day!  

Sunday, April 12

Tryazon Party: Umpqua Oats and Coffig

I recently heard of Tryazon and applied to host a party. I was chosen to try out Umpqua Oats and Coffig. I can not say enough about how great the Umpqua Oats are. They are oatmeal on the go. You just add boiling water, wait about three minutes and stir. They are so delicious and the company claims that they are nonGMO. I am hoping that they will eventually become nonGMO project verified but until then they are better than conventional instant oatmeal. I loved all of the flavors I tried but Kick Start (almonds, cranberries, sunflower seeds, raisins and blueberries) and Jackpot (blackberries, raspberries, pecans, and strawberries) were my favorite, I love fruit and nuts in my oatmeal. Everyone liked how hearty and not mushy the oats were. I plan on taking some with for our next overnight trip. I bet they would be great on an airplane, they always have hot water for tea.

Disclosure: I was send free samples to host a get together. I was not compensated or required to share on my blog.

Thursday, March 12

Review: Cinderella the movie

Last week we were lucky enough to be invited to an early screening of Cinderella.  It was simply magical!  My girls just loved the whole movie.  Of course before the movie even started we got to watch Frozen Fever!  My girls are huge fans of frozen, they dressed up as Elsa and Anna for Halloween.  I loved the mini snowman that kept popping up everywhere.  The clip was mostly a song sung by the sisters together and it was perfect!  After the Frozen Fever short the whole audience broke out in applause. 
Once the movie started we were simply mesmerized.  The scenery, the costumes, the actors, the characters, the story were wonderful.  Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, especially the Disney cartoon version, and the movie honors the story but also adds just the right touch to add the story in wonderful and believable ways.  My girls have not stopped talking about the movie and how they cant wait to see it again.  We plan on seeing the movie again in a few weeks in the theater again and of course picking up the DVD when it comes out.  The movies is wonderful and perfect for the whole family, even my husband thought the movie was great.  I do imagine that it will be popular with many ages but probably young ladies most of all. 
I just have to add that the step-sisters were a hoot, from their mannerisms to especially their outfits.  I wanted to laugh every time they had on a new outfit and had something to say.  I would say they were my favorite but I also loved Lady Germaine, Cinderella, the Prince, Fairy Godmother, and well everyone.  They did a fantastic job with casting!  I truly recommend this movie, don't just take my word for it, watch the trailer below:




Disclosure:  My family and I attended an advance screen of the movie.  All opinions stated are my own.