purelysweetmom

Pomegranate Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Heather — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:40:34 +0000

Pomegranate, the superfruit in a cookie!? That’s right! The fruit where you throw the skin away and eat the seeds can be made into a delicious cookie! Of course, pomegranates are really messy and you will probably stain your hands but your kids will have fun making them and they taste pretty awesome!

So yes, another cookie has been added to my favorites list. A little sweet and a little crunchy (the pomegranate arils give bursts of juice and sometimes have a crunchy texture, they are seeds after all). So get exited and have some fun making these cookies!

This is not my original recipe. It is an adaptation from two that I found online.

Pomegranate Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick (or regular) cooking oats

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chunks or chips (semi-sweet or dark)

1 cup pomegranate arils (about 1 pomegranate)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips or chunks, then gently stir in pomegranate arils.

4. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely

Cute St. Patrick’s Day Craft!

Heather — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:46:23 +0000

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Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Heather — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:54:14 +0000

This is so good! A must try:)

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Recipe adapted from: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would be fine too)
Salt and pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional – doesn’t really add heat, just adds more flavor)
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Sesame seeds

Directions:
Season both sides of chicken lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds (toast about 2T sesame seeds in skillet until golden brown) and serve over rice or noodles.

*You can also sprinkle more red pepper flakes on top if you want more heat.

Eliza’s 3rd Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday Party

Heather — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:46:33 +0000

Eliza loves reading books (finally). And of course she loves reading the same book over and over and over again. Right now she really loves Eric Carle books and The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of her favorites. I decided that this book would be an adorable theme for her 3rd birthday. I found most of these ideas online and came up with a cute and relatively simple birthday party. Here are some pictures of the big day!

Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder

Heather — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:10:02 +0000

Great activity to do with the kids…make a homemade bird feeder!

Materials: toilet paper roll, peanut butter, birdseed

Directions:

Step 1: Spread peanut butter around toilet paper roll

Step 2: Roll in bird seed

Step 3: Hang on tree branch. You can also add ribbon to hang from

tree.

Step 4: Watch for birds out you window!

Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Heather — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:06:55 +0000

These elegant cookies are beautiful enough for a bridal shower or perfect for an everyday occasion. I thought they might look nice dusted with some colored sanding sugar for Valentine’s Day. They do not have any sanding sugar on them in the picture above but you can “dress”them up as you desire!

Lemon Sandwich Cookies

For Cookies

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
White or colored sanding sugars

For filling…
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt.

3. Beat together butter and confectioners sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in zest and vanilla. At low speed, mix in flour mixture just until a soft dough forms. Put dough in fridge for 30 minutes to one hour.

4. Put sanding sugars in different bowls. Roll a scant tsp of dough into a ball and drop into sugar, turning to coat. Reshape if necessary and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat, spacing balls 3/4 inch apart, until baking sheet is filled.

5. Bake until tops are slightly cracked but still pale (bottoms will be pale golden), 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to a rack to cool completely.

6. Form and bake more cookies on second baking sheet.

7. To make the filling and assemble the cookies, beat together all filling ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined well. Transfer to sealable bag and snip off a corner.

8. Turn over half of cookies and pipe about 1/2 tsp filling on flat side of each. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing gently.

Recipe adapted from Sass and Veracity, who got it from Gourmet.

Fall In Love with Fluff

Heather — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:08:12 +0000

Are you ready to fall in love with fluff
and win $500 of cloth diapers and accessories?!

Welcome to the Fall In Love With Fluff Giveaway Event presented by Daily Mothering and Eco-Crazy Mom! Over 100 blogs are coming together to celebrate our love for fluff with this awesome Valentine’s Day giveaway! We are giving away a Cloth Diaper Prize Pack valued at $500 to one lucky winner!!

Fall In Love With Fluff is sponsored by Sandbox Lane and Kissed By The Moon!

Sandbox Lane is your one stop shop for affordable & stylish eco-friendly baby products! This family-owned business is known and loved for their great selection of affordable cloth diapers and cloth diaper accessories in a wide variety of styles and brands. They also carry a variety of stylish baby clothing and accessories, breastfeeding supplies, mama cloth, eco-friendly laundry products, swaddle blankets, toys and other earth friendly products to help get your little one off to a great start. Be sure to check out the Sandbox Lane Blog, and follow them via Facebook, Twitter, and Newsletter for information on sales, events, new products & more! Free shipping is offered on all purchases over $30, and all orders under $30 ship for just $3. *Shipping is only offered within the US and Canada at this time.

Sandbox Lane is offering a special 10% off coupon code for giveaway participants during this event! Use code Fluffylove10off at checkout to receive your discount! Excludes Bumgenius, Grovia, Flip, and Econobum.

Prizes Sponsored by Sandbox Lane:

BumGenius Freetime One-Size AIO Diaper
(Snap closure, winner’s choice of Print/Color)

BumGenius 4.0 One-Size Pocket Diaper
(Snap closure, Winner’s choice of Print/Color)

Flip One-Size Cover & Stay-Dry Insert
(Snap closure, Winner’s choice of Color)

Econobum Trial Pack: 1 One-Size Cover and 3 Prefolds
(Winner’s choice of Color)

Fuzzibunz Elite One-Size Pocket Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Color)

Charlie Banana One-Size Pocket Print Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Print)

GroVia One-Size AIO Diaper
(Vanilla)

Sweet Pea One-Size Pocket Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Color)

ones & twos One-Size AIO Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Color)

Incredibum Bamboo One-Size Pocket Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Color)

Incredibum Small Wetbag
(Winner’s choice of Color)

Rockin’ Green Hard Rock 2.0 Detergent
(45/90 Loads)

Rockin’ Green Funk Rock
(9 oz.)

Incredibum Bamboo Wipes
(2 packs – 8 wipes total)

Sweet Pea Cotton Velour Wipes
(2 packs – 10 wipes total)

BabyLegs Leg Warmers
(Rainbow)

Kissed By The Moon was created out of a passion for cloth diapering and eco-friendly living. This mama-owned shop is a favorite of many, well known for their cloth diaper rental packages, kissed cash rewards program, user-friendly gift registry and awesome weekly specials. They offer a wide variety of new and pre-loved cloth diapers, cloth diaper accessories, laundry solutions and everything needed to make your cloth diapering experience a success! Be sure to sign up for the Kissed By The Moon Newsletter and follow on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to know about sales, promotions, giveaways, and upcoming events. Shipping is always free for orders over $25 (US Only), and international shipping is available!

Kissed By The Moon is offering a special 10% off coupon code for giveaway participants during this event! Use code LOVEFLUFF at checkout to receive your discount on orders over $25! Excludes sale items, GroVia, Flip, and Bumgenius.

Prizes Sponsored by Kissed By The Moon:

Oh Katy One-Size Pocket Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Color)

Rumparooz One-Size Pocket Print Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Print and Closure)

Bummis Tot Bot Easy Fit One-Size AIO Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Color/Print)

Green Line One-Size Cover
(Winner’s choice of Print)

Green Line Soaker
(Bamboo/Cotton)

SoftBums Omni One-Size AI2/Pocket Diaper
(Aplix, Winner’s choice of Color/Print)

SoftBums Snap-In Pod
(DryTouch)

itti bitti tutto One-Size AI2 Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Color/Print)

Swaddlebees Simplex One-Size AIO Diaper
(Winner’s choice of Color/Print)

Planet Wise Flannel Wipes
(Set of 10, winner’s choice of Color)

Leslie’s Boutique Pail Liner
(Winner’s choice of Color/Print)

Rumparooz Print Wet Bag
(Winner’s choice of Print)

Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom’s Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering
(by Kelly Wels)

THiRSTiES Booty Luster
(4 oz.)

2 CJ’s BUTTer Samples
(1/2 oz. each)

And now for the giveaway!

ONE WINNER will receive this ENTIRE prize pack:
(most colors/prints will be winner’s choice as listed above)

This giveaway ends at 11:59 EST on February 7th, 2011.

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

If you have not yet signed in to the new Rafflecopter forms, use either your Facebook account OR your name and email address to sign in. Click “Do It” for instructions on how to complete each entry. There is no mandatory entry.

The more entries you submit, the better odds you have of winning!

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada* contestants only.

*If a Canada winner is drawn, some prizes will be substituted with other products
or store credit of retailer’s choice due to shipping restrictions on certain brands.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Heather — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:32:56 +0000

My whole family loves this recipe. I sometimes add only whole wheat flour, reduce the white sugar and/or add some brown sugar. Every time the muffins have come out great so it’s easy to adapt some of the flavors to your personal likes. I recently made these for my son’s Odyssey of the Mind team and some the kids came up to me wanting the recipe (love that they couldn’t tell there was whole wheat flour and applesauce in them). You know you’ve got a good recipe when a whole group of kids beg for more!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup canola oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper liners.

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. Whisk oil, egg, milk, and applesauce together in a separate bowl until smooth, and stir the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture until moistened. Lightly stir in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full.

4. Bake muffins in the preheated oven until they rise and the tops are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.

Sneak Peek: Fall In Love With Fluff $500 Cloth Diaper Giveaway

Heather — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:21:54 +0000

Do you want to win $500 of Cloth Diapers and Accessories?!

The Fall In Love With Fluff Giveaway Event hosted by Daily Mothering and Eco-Crazy Mom is right around the corner! Over 100 blogs are coming together to present this awesome Valentine’s Day giveaway from February 1-7, 2012. We will be giving away a Cloth Diaper Prize Pack valued at $500 to one lucky winner!!

This giveaway event is generously sponsored by
Kissed By The Moon and Sandbox Lane,
two super awesome cloth diaper retailers!

Come back February 1-7 to enter this amazing giveaway!

This giveaway will be open to both US and Canada.
Some items will be substituted if a Canada winner is drawn
due to shipping restrictions on certain brands.

For now, here is a sneak peek at what you could WIN!
(Winner will get to choose colors/prints for most items!)

Teriyaki Sesame Chicken Skewers

Heather — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:20:59 +0000

For kids nothing is more fun than food on a stick! This recipe is great as an appetizer or as a main dish. I like to serve it with brown rice and salad. Enjoy!

Teriyaki Sesame Chicken Skewers

Ingredients

30 (8-inch) bamboo skewers

Marinade:

15 ounces teriyaki sauce

6 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon sugar

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs and/or breasts

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour to keep from burning later.

2. Mix all marinade ingredients together in container large enough to hold all of the chicken. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch strips and submerge them in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

4. Thread 1 chicken strip on each skewer towards end of the stick, and line up on a sheet pan. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fully cooked through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.