2012 Bento 138, 139, 140

 Easy, fast, not so colorful lunches. I need to start planning better!
Tortilla

String cheese

Turkey

Clementines

see, I told you I need to start planning.  The good thing is the girls loved all the elements in the lunch and ate it all.

GPAC Salted Caramel Sauce

Oh (hurricane) Sandy. Just go away already. We still have power right now. I shouldn't have said that. Oh well. It's cold, wet, and windy. I made it to the post office and the drug store. Now we're hanging out watching The Chronicles of Narnia- The Lion,the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I decided to make a Salted Caramel Sauce for the girls to dip their apples in. It's so good we burnt our tongues eating it, it's cooled down now and is warm, but it's almost all gone. It would be good with graham crackers and on top of ice cream. Drizzled on cupcakes too. I dropped off the jar and apples in the picture to our neighbors quick like, so just bakers twine and a mommy card.

This caramel sauce is very easy to make. I didn't use a candy thermometer. Just basic ingredients, and maybe 10 minutes and you're done.

2012 Bento 136, 137

I think I mention this every third lunch post, but I'm so thankful when we have leftovers to pack. We had steak and chicken fajitas so I decided to pack a salad for the girls. Luckily they love salad.

Rocky Mountain Popcorn Co- GIVEAWAY

I don't generally buy pre packaged popcorn. I just don't. I had this thought that all pre packaged popcorn would be chewy, soft, spongy, overly salty and just... stale. Then we had the opportunity to try Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company popcorn and it changed my mind. The popcorn in these bags are crunchy/crisp, flavorful and not just salty. They are also gluten free, made in a nut free facility (YAY for us, because Diva is allergic to nuts), the kernels are non GMO.
My favorite is the Jalapeno, DH's also. Just enough spice, and a little cheesy also. Not that nuclear orange cheesy. It's so very good.
The White Cheddar is just like the jalapeno without the kick so yummy, cheesy, and not crazy fake cheesy.
Kettle Corn... mmmmm perfectly sweet and salty. Like the others, still crunchy!

I admit the Caramel, Cinnamon Sugar, Naked, and Butter were snatched up before I could have some. My family assures me that they were delicious. 

It's so nice to find a good popcorn that isn't spongy in a bag that you can pack as a snack. Even when we make popcorn and put it in a zip top bag it gets stale.

Here is some more about this yummy popcorn, and the company from their website.

She just might blow over...

Hurricane Sandy that is. By the time she reaches where I am she won't be on water, she is being called a "Super storm" and even a "Franken storm" though. The thing about where we live is that the power goes out often. Big storm, little storm, it doesn't matter. I can't tell you how much food I've thrown away. This summer we were without power for almost a week. I think the longest time we've been without power (here) is about ten days. DH was adding it up and we were out of power for about a month if you add it up the first year we were here. And we had just moved here from the Panhandle, so we were used to hurricanes and having power out. But not like this, the power here is RE-DUNK-U-LOUS.
What's my point? Just that if you don't see me around, my power is out. Any giveaways that need "tending" to I'll get to ASAP. I do have some scheduled posts. Until then our readers are charged, phones charged, batteries, candles, have been gathered, and I picked up some water and snacky foods. The girls and I were talking about how thankful we were that it was fall. In the summer it's unbearable, the heat. We have a gas stove so we can still cook. But, I've said it all week. I've got too much darn bacon in the freezer for this nonsense. 

Sigh. (#firstworldproblems)

Seriously though, stay safe, be prepared. Prayers to those affected by this storm and those who have lost loved ones.

2012 Bento 134, 135

Yay for leftovers!!
Leftover pizza

Apples

Carrots

Kiwi

Free Friday

One of my favorite smells in the whole world is Hatch Green Chilie season, chilies being roasted in huge drums on the side of the road back home in New Mexico. MMM. I miss that.

2012 Bento 131, 132, 133

I hope you all are doing well. We're enjoying the fall weather. I've been so tired lately so I'm pretty behind on lunches. How are you all doing?

Lunches for the littles.

Turkey, cheese, tortilla roll up

Apples

Broccoli

Celery

Paper Coterie Coupon/Discount Codes 50% off

There's no secret that I love Paper Coterie. Their products are so well made. I've made three documenting books, mini photo books, and gift tags on their site. The site is user friendly and the paper and print quality are beautiful.
I made the cards pictured above for everyday note cares. Aren't they cute? They have some GORGOEOUS Holiday Cards, books, memory boxes and more. I'll be posting all codes I find here in this post!

Use the code DAILYGRADITUDE between now and 11/30 to receive 50% off all holiday cards!

 Now through November 25th, enter the coupon code COMFORTFOOD and get 40% OFF our recipe products.

 

Here are some examples of cards and a small book I've made.

Visit Paper Coterie and make your own beautiful personalized items for 50% off!

Pick Your Plum- GIVEAWAY

I can't even begin to tell you how awesome Pick Your Plum is. It's this amazing fun site that offers great deals on craft items, clothing, party supplies, home goods, and so much more. Their staff/customer service is top notch. They have emailed me within hours each time I've contacted them with questions, or to ask if I could add something to my order- which you can't add once you put in your order. No big deal though, they just had me put in a new order for what I needed, and they canceled my first order. Within hours.
The Pick Your Plum's daily offers range from so many items, as mentioned before. There is one offer a day. You can usually get a heads up on their Facebook page of what the deal is. You can also be in the "know" for when they stock Plum boxes (like grab bags FULL of swanky items). This my friends is awesome. Plum boxes are usually flat rate boxes filled to the brim with goodies. Above is my first box that Pick Your Plum sent me for review. How lovely is that? That romper fits my four year old. The bags I used for party favors HERE. So many fun items that I'll actually use! 

Once Pick Your Plum announces that these boxes will be stocked (they give a good 24 hours notice) set your clocks. They sell out fast, the last time they had 300 of them and they sold out in 12 minutes. No lie. I snagged one of those (pictured below) and this is what was in it. Detailed description in this post HERE. I'll be stalking these grab boxes whenever I can! This was a $30 box. Shipping is reasonable, this was a flat rate box- medium. (In the US that is!)

Dyed Toothpicks and Skewers

Little flags for cupcakes and appetizers

For Diva's Spa Party I dyed the skewers I used for the bacon with food coloring. It's so easy to do. Add a little Washi tape and you have cute cupcake toppers, food picks for lunches and sandwiches, and little flags.

I just put the picks and skewers in water with a little food coloring in it. Let them soak up some color. Then let them dry before putting tape on them. If you're going to put them in the oven just use them while they are still wet.

Operation Christmas Child Packing Party

Our invitation, and information we passed out for our party

Have you heard of Operation Christmas Child? I've been packing boxes since I came to know Christ as my Savior. (Which wasn't that long ago, 14 years ish- I'm still a teenager!) Operation Christmas Child is a part of Samaritan's Purse. Every year shoe boxes are packed with toys and gifts for a needy child around the world. Anyone can pack a shoe box! The shoe boxes are sent to a sorting facility- items like war toys/guns are removed- and volunteers make sure boxes meet each country's customs requirements. Then the boxes are delivered to the children through local churches and ministries in the area. Read more about the journey of a shoe box HERE.

This year, I'm finally having a shoe box packing party. I've wanted to for so long. It just seems silly, there were always reasons I didn't, there were years DH was deployed, something "came up", our house is too small- it still is! But we're going to squeeze people in. So I'm praying that God will let this be an annual party, that He will use us to bless the children receiving the boxes, and use us to bless our friends that can attend the party. We're going to pack boxes, fill out "All About Me" forms,  we're going to have snacks and play, then we'll send everyone home with a reminder to pray for whoever receives their box/es, . This year's goal is to surpass 100 million shoe boxes delivered to children around the world. We're praying our little party can help that goal be met. I'll post more party pictures when I get a chance, our party isn't for a couple of weeks! But keep reading!

Magnetic Poetry- GIVEAWAY

I feel I should apologize for all the spelling and grammar errors on this whole blog, I'm sorry. Carry on. Maybe these kits will help me?
Magnetic Poetry. I wish I could write my whole post in these little magnets, but I don't have that many, and I just don't have that much time. However, these fantastic Magnetic Poetry kits are so fun. Perfect for the word lovers in your life. And well, there's a bacon kit, if loving bacon is wrong, I don't want to be right. 

Magnetic Poetry has kits for children, foreign language kits, themed kits, cards, and so much more. The little word magnets are perfect for your fridge, but they also have fun metal easels that you can set out for your guests to add to a sentence, story, or poem started on there.
These kits would be awesome as gifts, there's pretty much one that would interest everyone! Looking for stocking stuffers? These would be perfect! 

The magnets are well made, no peeling. These magnets have a nice big font for us, *ahem* older/wiser folks. The Kids' Kit comes in a metal tin, which HELLO! The magnetic words stock right on the tin. Perfect for a restaurant, doctors office, or anywhere. It's a wonderful quiet activity. Seriously, I may write them and ask for one with sight words. How perfect are these to introduce new words to children? (Please note however that not all of these kits are appropriate for kids, awesome for adults though!)

Magnetic Poetry has different sizes of word kits, the small ones "Little Box of Words" are so cute. They are great for a little pick me up. Themes for the Little Boxes include Hope, Love, Luck, Encouragement, Cheer, and more. They also have rubber stamps, T-shirt stamping kits, and cards such as this fabulous one-

WTFab Blog Hop!

Hello everyone! I'm so excited to be co-hosting WTFab's SundayFunday Blog Hop! I always find the best posts/blogs from blog hops. And I don't know about you, but I love going through my GFC and Bloglovin' to find some inspiration, yummy recipes and things that make me smile. Want to co-host one of these blog hops and gain some new followers and make new blogger friends? Send an email to whatthefab@gmail.com !

So let's get this party started! Here are 5 simple rules for the blog hop (as Monica Geller said, "Rules are good! Rules help control the fun!"):

1. Follow WTFab on GFC. If you want to be extra awesome, you can follow WTFab on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Bloglovin'.

Follow @WTFab1

2. Follow our fabulous co-hosts this week here:  

(They're also the first 5 links in the link party)

She got it from her mama

Sincerely, Truly Scrumptious

Sweet Boutique

Give Peas a Chance

3. If you feel so inclined, grab WTFab’s button and put it on your page or the post you’re linking to. Because it’s a (link) party, and the more, the merrier!

2012 Bento 130

Such a wasteful lunch, but we were in such a hurry.

Fried Chicken

String Cheese

Apples

(Cereal for her snack)

Water- which is standard.

Free Friday- Happy Fall, Y'all

 Happy Fall, Y'all!
It's been beautiful here! The crisp air, spicy lattes ;), pumpkins, and boot weather! What do you look forward to the most about the weather cooling down?

Darth Vader Costume (Pink)

I had to share this. Pixie (my four year old), is going to be Darth Vader (a Pink-a-licous one) in her sister's school parade next week. I am so pleased with how her mask and light saber turned out! I didn't have any silver paint so I used my silver nail polish on the mask. 

If I haven't already mentioned it, this little girl loooves to dress up, you'll often find her at the grocery store in something like this...

2012 Bento 128, 129

I feel bad, these lunches are all out of sync. But yes, I have been packing the same items lately. I am trying to clear out the freezer!

Chicken

Carrots and dressing

Oranges

String Cheese

 Tootsie Rolls- which Piglet told me she doesn't like. But Diva won a jar of them at the carnival.

Pink Lemonade Lip Balm

For Diva's Spa Party we made some very simple, easy lip balm. We used petroleum jelly, cosmetic glitter, and pink lemonade mix. It was easy. The kids helped stir it up. But there wasn't much to do. I thought about doing a coconut oil beeswax lip balm. I'm glad I didn't, there was so much going on, simple was best for this party.

Pink Lemonade Lip Balm

Petroleum Jelly

Cosmetic glitter

Pink Lemonade powder- I used Crystal Light

Containers

Put the Petroleum jelly in a microwavable bowl. Heat the jelly until warm and a little runny. Stir in glitter and Pink Lemonade powder. Keep stirring and reheat if needed to combine. Put into containers, let cool.

2012 Bento 125, 126, 127

I love packing leftovers. Especially if it's steak. YUM. I know everyone will love it. Pixie and I shared the little box below with other veggies at home.
So simple, nothing fancy, but I know they'll eat it.

Steak

Cucumber and Bell Peppers

Kiwi

Crackers (for the girls in school)

Ollivander's Apprentice- Wand Tutorial

The one on the far right looks like it's floating. Wingardium levosa... I'm a nerd

I saw this wand tutorial on Pinterest and decided to make some for the girls. I couldn't get that method to completely work, so I'll show you what I did instead.

It was the perfect time to make a wand because Piglet wants to dress up as a Gryffindor in her school parade. We don't really celebrate Halloween but the girls dress up year round- even on Halloween, so I thought these would be fun to have. When we were in Florida the church had a "Fall-ing for Jesus" harvest festival, I miss those!
These wands were easy and cheap to make. The gold paint didn't look that... well gold in our house, once I took the wands outside they were pretty blingy. But my girls will like that. There's also another tutorial on Pinterest that makes wands with a hallow core, how cool would it be to put a red feather (phoenix), human (Veela), or horse hair (unicorn) in the middle while making your wands? Yes, I am a geek.

I tried to make an Elder wand and Luna's wand. I couldn't get the petals to form for Luna's wand, so I formed a heart on the end of Pixie's wand instead.
These are wand glamour shots :).

Heart.

Elder want inspired, third from the left.

I ended up making four of these because chopsticks come in pairs. Two of them are regular wood chopsticks, the other two are take out chopsticks- the disposable ones. So, let's get started. ACCIO hot glue gun! (Too much? Sorry. Not really.)

Wand Tutorial

Chopsticks

Hot glue gun

Hot glue sticks

Acrylic craft paint (this was on sale for 87 cents a bottle!)

Krylon matte finishing spray- it's like a protective spray

Paint brushes, paint sponge

Rag

*Paint note- I used 2 shades of brown, a bottle of black, a bottle of Staining Antiquing Medium- same bottle as the craft paints, and gold.

1. Heat the glue gun. Take one chopstick at a time and put glue around the bottom of the handle, you may have to do several "coats", the glue is (obviously) hot so be careful. Once it starts turning a little cloudy you can handle it. I also drizzled glue around the point and tip of the chopsticks also. Let the glue dry.

2. Give the chopsticks a once over to remove any strings of glue. This is important, because once you start painting those little stray pieces will look funny. So clip any loose little strings.

3. Brush on your first layer of paint, whatever brown or color you've chosen for the wand. Get paint into all the crevices. I had to do a few layers to get good coverage. Let the paint dry in between coats.

4. Take the black point and mix it 1:1 with the Antiquing medium. Brush or sponge it on the dry wands. Gently wipe off so that some of the black stays on and gives you a "worn" look. Do half the wand at a time so it doesn't dry on you. I wore disposable gloves, it helped spread this paint all over too. Let these dry.

Antiqued wands

5. Add detailing with gold, silver, other colors of paint. I went a little overboard with the gold. I also mixed the gold with the Antiquing Medium and wiped it on the Elder wand. Let these dry.
6. Check the detail, touch up paint if needed. I did another coat of antiquing in some areas to tone down the gold. Let these, you know, dry.
7. Spray the wands with the protective spray. Let these, just kidding, but really. Let them dry.
8. Get ready for a duel...
EXPELLIARUMS!

*I did not end up using beads like the original tutorial. It was to much of a pain, and I'm glad I didn't because the one wand that had the beads (OK, in my case small seeds), was a pain to paint. See the hot mess below. I peeled paint and seeds off the second wand. 

I also didn't want to "handle" too much hot glue.

Parties GPAC Links up at found HERE.

2012 Bento 123,124 (Lunch Packs)

These aren't waste free lunches. But most of the time I use boxes and containers that are reusable so I don't feel too bad about these lunches ;).

I thought they would be fun, and let's be real, I forgot to start the dishwasher the night before. I didn't have containers, most of our items are packed away. These foil lunch packs would be great for a field trip though.

So, basically the idea behind these is that the girls unroll the packs and eat as they go. So treats get wrapped and rolled first, and end with the "main dish" items. I also put a piece of wax paper on top of the foil so it would unroll easier for the girls.

Chicken Meatballs

Vegetables

String Cheese

Tootsie Rolls

Pink Lemonade- the girls usually get water, but I had these leftover from making Lip Balm.

Got Milk? Magic Straws- GIVEAWAY

My kids get so excited when I let them have a Got Milk? Magic Straw as a treat. Have you tried these? They are fun straws that you use to flavor your milk. I've even put them into the girls lunches with a Thermos of milk, talk about best mom EVER award. No refrigeration is needed on these, so they travel well.  Not that these are just for kids! Use one to flavor your iced coffee. MMMMM.

Got Milk? Magic Straws are also sold individually wrapped, so fun to tie on a gift, pack in lunches, stuff in stockings, sent in as gifts for classmates- they are dairy free, nut free, and gluten free!

I used these straws during Diva's birthday brunch, they were a huge hit! How fun would these be for a holiday dinner or a Milk and Cookies party?

Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

It's pumpkin season y'all, like you haven't read that 10 times already on this blog. I'm not going to apologize. I'm just a huge pumpkin fan. I made these Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares using this recipe HERE. Pixie helped me. It was a test. I'm so please with the way these turned out. The only thing is I used those crescent rolls that that says 65% bigger. Don't do that. They (in my opinion) are too big!

Pumpkin Recipes on GPAC
Pumpkin Pie Shakes 2008
Pumpkin Pie Shakes 2011
Pumpkin Pie Shakes 2012
E book
Pumpkin Syrup and Chai Syrup for lattes and more
Oven Roasted Pumpkin Puree
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Puree
Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Pumpkin and Wild Rice Soup
Search Pumpkin in the search box on the left for more!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I saw this on Pinterest, it has a ton of pins. It says "baked" sweet and sour chicken, I was very excited. Till I read that you still had to fry the chicken. Bummer. But it looks so good! So I tried it. The chicken does have a nice coating on it, it's not crisp like deep fried chicken, but still a nice coating. Pixie had four servings, the other girls had 2 and three. So I'd say it was a success. Even if it's not a healthy meal.

2012 Bento 121, 122

Simple, easy, pack it fast lunch. (Which are all our lunches, nothing fancy here!)

Roasted turkey slices

Carrots

Oranges

Star Fruit

Pumpkin Bread

Don't forget to enter to win some Bento goodies to pack lunches HERE.

2012 Bento 118, 119,120

Very light lunches (the two up top) and a snack for Pixie. The girls got out of school early so I didn't pack anything too heavy.

Chicken- baked on toothpicks

Cheese

Pumpkin Bread

Apples

Enter to win some Bento goodies, HERE.

Pack Lunch Faster- Freeze It!

I love shortcuts that make my life easier. I'm all about them. I mentioned before that I don't like to turn my oven on if I'm only baking/roasting/broiling one thing. If I have something in the oven for dinner, I'll throw something else in for later in the week or for lunches for the girls. I baked these chicken, cilantro, and carrot meatballs on sticks. They are gluten free, I ground up raw almonds for extra protein. I baked them around Popsicle sticks and toothpicks. Once they cooled completely they went into the freezer. When I pack these, I put them in lunches frozen. They are thawed by lunch time. I know because Pixie and I have had them also at home. 

Other "freezer" posts on GPAC-

Freeze It! Turkey and Drumettes.

2011 Bento 193, 194

Freezer (Deep Freeze)

2008 Bento- Meatloaf and broccoli

Calzones

Processing Groceries

List of all "freezer" posts.

Thanks for reading Give Peas A Chance!

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2012 Bento 115, 116, 117

Lock N' Locks and a Planetbox, review is here! 

Pizza rolls

String cheese

Oranges

Kiwi

Easy peasy!

Don't forget to enter to win some Bento Lunch Gear of your own HERE!

Qwackers- GIVEAWAY

Qwackers are a 100% gluten free cracker that is made in the USA. They are crispy, cheddar crackers, with a hint of sweet to them. Very cute little duck shapes too.

Not only are these Qwackers 100% gluten free they are also
100% sugar free
100% corn free
No artificial colors, ingredients, or preservatives
No trans fat

The girls enjoyed these crackers, we had the individual bags. Perfect for out trips to the park after school.

GPAC Pumpkin Pie Shakes (GF/DF options too)

 It's pumpkin season! I love pumpkin. These Pumpkin Pie Shakes are the BEST. It's like drinking a piece of pumpkin pie. I first posted them in 2008, HERE. I've made pumpkin pie, just so I could make these shakes. I'm serious. If you have leftover pie- I don't even know what that is, but if you have leftover pie, you can cut it into small slices and freeze them. The shakes stay nice and cold when it's frozen.

You can make these shakes if you don't have pie, or if you prefer a gluten free/dairy free option. Both are easy peasy. You can use Coconut Dream ice cream, frozen yogurt- plain yogurt frozen in an ice cube tray works awesome, any kind of milk you like. If you want the texture of crust, almond meal sprinkled on top of the gluten free shakes is yummy.

Free Friday- Heartschooling

We don't home school. But, every weekday Pixie and I work on her numbers, letters, counting, sorting, cutting, grouping, and what not ;)
It's fun, she loves it, and we're learning a lot together.

I saw this finger painting in a baggie idea on Pinterest. It's nice because the paint stays wet and you can use it over and over again.