As dinner parties, Thanksgiving, and holiday events approach, you're on the hunt for a fun homemade treat to bring to the many invitations you've received and we have you covered!

I personally love things that look fun and creative without taking too much time cooking/baking time. Why not try this Dark Chocolate Granola Bark recipe!? The part that takes the longest is letting the chocolate set, making this the perfect thing to make when you haven't got much time, or many things left in your pantry!

This is a perfect recipe for any leftover Erin Baker’s Granola and Snack Mixes… or just about anything sweet and salty that you think would pair well with your favorite chocolate!! 

I love this recipe for its flexibility in swapping toppings with your favorites or leftovers! Consider topping it with Erin Baker's Keto Chocolate Crunch Snack Mix (available in the WinCo Bulk section!) or any of our delightful granolas. The varied nuts and seeds complement the dark chocolate bark, and the granola clusters add a delightful crunch.

Dark Chocolate Granola Bark Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 3 c. Favorite Erin Baker’s Snack Mix
• 2 c. Favorite Erin Baker’s Granola
• 2 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 2 c. melted dark chocolate
• 1 1/2 c. roasted and salted cashews
• 1 c. chopped dried apricots
• 1 c. dried cranberries
• Flaky sea salt, for garnish

Directions

Step 1

Heat oven to 250°F. Line a rimmed 17x12" baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2

In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, syrup, salt, ginger, and cayenne until combined.

Step 3

Place cereal in a large bowl and pour over the butter mixture. Stir to coat well.

Step 4

Add your Granola, Snack Mix, and or desired seeds; mix gently to combine. Spread over the prepared baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely, for about 30 minutes, then carefully loosen from parchment paper and break into pieces.

Step 5

Melt your dark chocolate to use for the base of the bark. You can do this by placing it in a microwave-safe bowl and melting it in very short increments (however it is easy to burn the chocolate this way). I recommend putting the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. This will melt it evenly and if you keep stirring it the whole time, it shouldn't burn.

Step 6

Line the baking sheet with new parchment paper and pour over melted dark chocolate. Sprinkle with snack mix, cashews, apricots, and cranberries, and refrigerate until firm, (approximately 1 hour).

Step 7

Sprinkle with sea salt and serve. (Store in an airtight container.)

Original Recipe Link: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a45986/granola-chocolate-bark-recipe/

Let us know if you try this! 

There's a better way! There are tons of local businesses in and around Bellingham that make amazing products—and they can help you give the perfect gift this year.

Here's a list of some of our favorite local companies:

Experiences

The Community Food Co-op offers cooking classes! This is a great way to share an experience with a loved one and gain some new cooking knowledge. New classes are typically posted on their website in December. 

Flat Stick Pub is perfect for all ages and events you can book a tee time or grab a gift card! Play Mini Golf, Duffleboard, Dufflepong, or Pockets while eating delicious pizza and enjoying a beverage.

Vital Climbing Gym is a beautiful climbing gym that offers a variety of ways for people to get involved with climbing—alone or with a group! This is an awesome way to join a great community and try out a wide array of activities from yoga, bouldering, fitness training, and more.

Handcrafted Gifts 

Copper Canoe Woman is a woman-owned business that creates modern, on-trend, indigenous jewelry. The pieces are infused with elements of owner Vina Brown's coastal indigenous culture and identity. These would be such a sentimental and stunning gift sure to wow any recipient. 

Samish Bay Soaps makes all kinds of soaps with 100% pure essential oils that are environmentally friendly and never tested on animals. Their natural and earthy products are a perfect ode to the surrounding PNW.

Circa Pottery Shop and Gallery is the spot for handmade pottery by local artisans. They display gorgeous pottery from a variety of artists and can often be seen at community events in Bellingham. 

One Stop Shops 

Ideal is a gift shop tucked away in Downtown Bellingham that has been gathering unique and authentic pieces for everyone since 2008. 

Village Books is a great place to find books, candles, bath and body supplies, kitchen accessories, games/toys, and other fun novelty gifts. 

Lucky Monkey is a great funky gift shop with goods from local Bellingham art and crafts to unique international creations from Mexico, Peru, India, Thailand, and Egypt. 

Cresswell and Boggs is a charming locally owned and operated funky gift shop carrying an eclectic selection of gifts, jewelry, books & greeting cards. Perfect for any person or occasion! 

Green House is truly an experience with home decor and furniture to cookware and kitchen accessories, they have you taken care of for life. They even have a curated gift basket you can create to give very personal touches. 

Salish Trading Post has gorgeous Salish Sea region and Northwest-themed gifts from shirts, Hats, and Jackets to Postcards, Greeting Cards, and more! The shop is located inside the Bellingham Ferry terminal to be sure to stop in on your next trip. 

Foodies 

The Spice Hut creates spice blends and loose-leaf tea medleys in their flavor workshop in Bellingham. This is a great gift for tea drinkers, cooks, or food enthusiasts. 

Banter is a sensational culinary-driven plant-forward restaurant guaranteed to leave you full and happy! Banter has gift cards, fun merchandise, and a great atmosphere any foodie would fall in love with. 

Drizzle Olive Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room has the highest quality olive oils from around the world. They have great gift sets that can even include a custom gift message, these sets are perfect for any kitchen! 

You can also ask local restaurants if they have gift cards! You know this gift is sure to be used!  

Sweet Tooth Gifts

Chocolate Necessities is a delicious artisan chocolate shop dedicated to presenting you with tasty chocolate products you can’t find anywhere else on this side of Europe!

Sweet Art Candy is a darling family-owned candy shop with amazing chocolate bars, truffles, caramel, macaroons, hot cocoa, and gift boxes.

Mallard ice cream is a Bellingham staple, this quirky counter-serve parlor offers seasonal ice cream scoops, shakes, and pints all crafted from area-sourced ingredients.

Sweet Bellingham is a charming shop located in Fairhaven where they make delicious cakes, candies, and caramel apples. They also offer classes if you wanted to gift an experience to someone.

Plant Lovers 

Babygreens has all the indoor plants of your dreams, recently relocated to Fairhaven this shop has all the plants and plant goodies to bring the outdoors in! 

A New Leaf Florist Shop is a small and locally-owned florist shoppe located in the heart of downtown Bellingham for over 40 years. They aim to make your lives brighter and more beautiful with our European styled floral arrangements.

Coffee Connoisseurs

Makeworth Coffee Roasters has various coffees, teas, breakfast, brunch, and baked goods served all day. They also have a fun array of coffee and tea appliances and gadgets or gift cards to purchase. 

COF& is a Colombian Coffee shop that uses coffee beans collected by native farmers from The Santander mountains. Grab a cup, bag, or tasty empanada made fresh in their shop

Tony's Coffee is a fantastic local coffee roastery that has been roasting in Bellingham since 1971! The shop has a great selection of coffee, brewers, gadgets, and merch.

Thanks for checking out our suggestions, hopefully, this gives you some inspiration or direction on great gifts this year!

I love a classic, sweet homemade loaf bread more than any other baking season treat! They are so satisfying with their dense texture and exciting toppings. I have many favorite recipes; chocolate chip loaf, banana bread, zucchini bread, iced lemon loaf, but you cannot ignore the bliss of a classic pumpkin loaf. I’m skipping the typical heavy cream cheese frosting with this Pumpkin Loaf recipe and going for something crunchier, lighter and easier! On its own Homestyle Granola is a mildly sweet, super crunchy snack but once you add it to this timeless recipe you’ll see it’s the perfect topping for a variety of holiday baking. 

I mostly followed this recipe from I Heart Eating and used Premium Gold Gluten Free All Purpose Flour instead of the recommended wheat flour. As I was baking, Erin taught me that gluten free flours often soak up a lot more moisture than a standard wheat flour. The one I used had a combination of rice, quinoa, buckwheat and flax. It made for a great gluten free texture, but I ended up using only 1 ½ cups where the original recipe recommended 2 cups of all-purpose flour. This is something to keep in mind as you make the recipe, if you are using wheat flour go for a full 2 cups and if you are using an alternative flour add it in slowly and keep an eye on the consistency. You want a thick batter but do not want it to be dry. Erin had another great tip, that if you add too much flour and your mix becomes stodgy, you can thin the batter out with a little water. They say baking is a science, but I say it’s more fun to make it a bit of an experiment!

As a gluten free eater, I love our Homestyle Granola as a delicious option not only for a daily snack but also to add to homemade baked goods. You can use them in your pie crusts this fall or like we do in this vegan and gluten free Ice Cream Pie recipe, use it as part of a crumble on top of muffins or on a berry crumble. The clusters of granolas are pretty large, so I put them in a food processor for just a few seconds to get things a bit more consistent. You can also wrap a pile of granola in a clean dish cloth or a plastic bag then smash away at the pile until you reach the desired consistency. The desired consistency is up to you, go super fine or super coarse. The finer the crumble, the less crunchy it will be. The granola on its own is not overly sweet, if you want an extra sweet topping add in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar when you crush the granola. You can also add an additional teaspoon of canola oil to the topping.

Another change I made to the original recipe was doubling the amount of Pumpkin Pie Spice it called for. I don’t know about you, but I pretty much always double spices when following a recipe. If it is a pumpkin spice loaf it should taste like pumpkin spice! If you like a milder flavor take it down to 1 tablespoon which is what the original recipe called for. I used the Pumpkin Pie Spice from Trader Joe’s but you can also make your own. If you really love ginger but are not a huge fan of allspice, making your own spice blend will let you customize the flavor to your taste.

The bake time for the bread is 40 minutes to an hour and mine was done right in the middle at about 50 minutes. I would check on your loaf at 40, 50 and 60 until a toothpick pulls out clean. Especially if you choose an alternative flour, the bake time will vary. As you are sorting through Pinterest for other baking inspiration don’t forget about this easy trick to elevate the texture and flavor of your favorite desserts by adding granola. Here are my favorite Granola flavors to add to baked goods:

Vanilla Almond Quinoa – This classic flavor goes well with most baked goods. I would use it with any lemon, berry, or Pumpkin recipe. Making Banana Pudding this holiday season? Use this as your crust mixed with almond butter, you wont regret it!

Maple Pecan – One of our sweeter Homestyle Granola flavors that is only available during the fall, this is another great option for a Pumpkin or Gingerbread recipe. Dishes made with pears, peaches, berries or chocolate would also be much improved with Maple Pecan Granola.

Double Chocolate Granola – Don’t miss out on these decadent Double Chocolate Turtles that Erin made with Double Chocolate Homestyle Granola. They’re a 4 ingredient treat that have been a favorite over the years. Other flavors to pair with Double Chocolate Granola: lemon, raspberry and more chocolate!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Loaf with Granola Streusel Recipe

Original Recipe from: I Heart Eating

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Vanilla Almond Quinoa Granola
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (Plus 2 Tablespoons, optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose gluten free flour
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 Fahrenheit and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl mix together flour, salt, spices, baking powder and baking soda.
3. In a food processor puree the Vanilla Almond Quinoa Granola with 2 tablespoons of sugar (optional). Do not over puree, just fine enough so it can be easily spread. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl whisk together canola oil and sugar, adding in eggs and pumpkin puree one at a time until well combined.
5. Slowly add in flour mixture.
6. Fill your lined loaf pan with half of the mixture and top with granola crumble. Bake for 40-60 minutes.

Happy Holiday Baking!

Share your creations with us by leaving a comment or tag us @ErinBakers on Instagram or Facebook.

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

What’s your favorite Halloween treat? When we were little Reese’s were the most coveted find of the season. My Dad would quickly take all the Mounds and Almond Joy bars from our trick or treat bags, and the sweethearts seemed to always end up in the trash. I think it’s safe to say everyone had a favorite Halloween snack growing up. The classics will always hold special memories but nowadays I’m more likely to make a homemade treat for Halloween. There are so many fun Halloween inspired recipes like these Halloween Popcorn Balls, Dirt and Worms or our Chocolate Dipped Cookie Cake Pops! Halloween treats are all about bright colors and spooky cute characters which makes them fun to make and fun to eat.

If you want to turn your favorite cookies into your own little characters for Halloween, the steps could not be simpler to follow! You can find microwaveable chocolate melts online or at your local craft store. They come in a variety of colors perfect for pumpkins, mummies, witches and more. Or you can also use all white chocolate and add food dye to get the perfect colors. Simply melt the chocolates on the defrost setting in the microwave for 1 -3 minutes and then you are ready to start decorating. You can truly dip and decorate any of your favorite snack items if they pair well with chocolate. We used our Grain Free Better Cookies and Breakfast Cookie Minis because they are the perfect size! The added chocolate brings a holiday-worth sweetness to these healthy snacks. You can decorate pretzels, fresh fruit, marshmallows or rice krispie treats the same way depending on what your family likes to snack on.

If you want a smoother finish with your chocolate, try adding a teaspoon of canola oil to the chocolate. They will take longer to dry but will be easier to apply and spread. We used a spoon to spread chocolate on our cookies and they turned out great! We used a thicker icing but would suggest using something with a fine tip to make things a bit easier to add smaller details like eyes, mouths, and scars. The small tubes of icing you can find at the grocery store would be perfect for these. Even easier you can purchase candy eyeballs to bring your characters to life!

If your decorated cookies are crunchy or crumbly use a dollop of chocolate melt to attach a stick to your cookies. Soft cookies should be easy enough to just slide the stick into the center!  Fair warning, covering both sides fully with chocolate melts may result in a too-sweet treat. Stick to one decorated side and keep the side facing down bare. Whether you are doing traditional trick or treating or staying in for the night these cookies will be a hit!

Halloween recipes have never been more important. With many people opting out of traditional trick or treating in the name of safety and social distancing, the time is right to make new traditions for your kids. If you are still unsure how your Halloween will look this year, we have a few fun ideas below on how to celebrate 2020 style.

Halloween Cookie Cake Pops Recipe

Tools & Ingredients:

• 12 Cookies (Use Better Cookies for small bites and Breakfast Cookie Minis for larger treats!)
• Candy Melts or Make Your Own Melted Chocolate
• Mug or Small Bowl (1 for each color of Candy Melts Color)
• Microwave
• Candy Eyeballs
• Icing in tubes
• Parchment Paper
• Popsicle or Cake Pop Sticks
• Canola Oil (optional)

Directions:

1. Set your parchment paper on a flat surface and unwrap all of your cookies. Following the instructions on your candy melts use the defrost setting on your microwave to warm them until they are a smooth consistency. For a smoother finish, add 1 tsp of canola oil per half cup of chocolate melts to thin out the candy melt mixture.
2. Using a spoon, butter knife or small spatula cover each cookie with the desired color. Use Orange for Pumpkins, White for ghosts and mummies or any color you’d like! Leave them on the parchment paper to harden for at least 30 minutes. If you are adding any sprinkles or candy eyeballs be sure to add them before the candy melts set.
3. Once dry, use icing to draw on any faces or lines to complete the look of your characters. If you want to add sticks to your cookies, place a dollop of candy melt on the back of your cookie and place the stick on the chocolate. Allow to dry for an additional 30 minutes.
4. Store in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve!

Ideas for a COVID Friendly Halloween

Host a Digital Costume Contest

With normal parties and outings being cancelled, use the power of the internet to get the most out of your Halloween. What better way to keep the Halloween spirit alive by inspiring your family and friends to put all they’ve got into their costumes this year for a virtual party. Dress to the nines and compete for prizes or points with friends and family no matter how far they live! Think Halloween Bingo, Pumpkin carving contests, Charades, or even a dance party.

Take a Candy Bowl or Candy Chute

Build a tunnel from your house to your driveway or the end of your stairwell so you can still deliver candy to the monsters and Elsa’s strolling through the neighborhood. Carson Daly shared this awesome DIY 6 foot tube for his trick or treaters. Of course, you may still need to take extra precautions like wearing gloves to keep things clean! Alternatively, you can leave a bowl at the bottom of the stairs and have kids grab candy on the honor system.

At Home Trick or Treating

How many doors do you have in your house? Set up each room in your house with a candy bowl for the safest trick or treating experience possible! You can run from room to room as your kids trick or treat through your house, giving a new kind of candy, snack or toy with each stop! This would probably work best with a teammate especially if your house is multiple stories. If you want help slowing your kids down give them a map to follow to guide them through each stop, that way you have time to get to your next room (and even switch costumes!)

Halloween Pumpkin Hunt

Another perfectly safe option is to give your kiddos an interactive experience in your house and yard. Hide glow in the dark pumpkin “eggs” like you would for Easter. They still get to collect candy and dress up for a night of fun.

Pumpkin Painting

Pumpkin Painting is great way to get into the Halloween spirit. Whether you do it with the kids or with your friends, its easier than carving and allows for more creativity. The best paint to use is acrylic since they wont crack and come in a large variety of size for relatively low cost. You can use stencils or free hand any design you’d like!

Have a Happy Halloween!

Share your creations with us by leaving a comment or tag us @ErinBakers on Instagram or Facebook.

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

There are only 3 more full months of 2020, can you believe it? This year has been a whirlwind to say the least! Something that has brought unexpected comfort in all the chaos has been the return of our fan favorite seasonal Breakfast Cookie flavors – Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread. Whether it’s the smell of the warm spices or some strange mystical powers that pumpkins possess, I’m going to take it as a win and keep enjoying these bad boys until we ring in the New Year. I decided to spice things up even more by turning my delicious Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookie into a cheesecake. We’ve got cheesecake and Pumpkin Spice, 2020 can’t hurt us anymore… right?

All jokes aside, there really is something so comforting about all things fall. The air is crisper and cooler at night so we snuggle into our blankets more, we start bundling up to brace the day, and we begin to think of family as the holidays near. Let’s not forget that this is also baking season! If you’re not into baking (or maybe you don’t have time after helping your kiddos through their e-learning all day) don’t worry because this recipe can be perfected by all!

This cheesecake is rich and creamy and instead of being baked, its frozen. You know those cheesecakes you buy in the freezer at the grocery store? It’s like that only better! The most important thing about this recipe is lining your dish with parchment paper to keep it from sticking. Cut a round piece of parchment for the bottom of the dish and then a 2-4” strip that will fold around the inner edge of the dish. I used a 7” cake pan but you really use whatever flat-bottomed round dish you can find. You can even use a cupcake tin to make Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes! If you have one on hand, I suggest using a springform pan to keep things mess-free.

I wanted a quick and easy cheesecake for this recipe, so I used Whipped Cream Cheese which I found while perusing the aisle of Trader Joe’s. You can use regular cream cheese in its place but the whipped one is easier to incorporate and doesn’t require the normal “thawing” that a brick of stiff cream cheese does. Aside from the cream cheese, the recipe calls for powdered sugar, sweetened condensed milk and fresh lemon juice. You can also add in spices or vanilla if you’d like but the flavor is perfectly delicious without any additions.

For my 7” Cheesecake I only needed to use two Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies! They make such a great crust because they are easy to smoosh into a baking dish, they already have all of the flavor you’d want on the bottom of a dessert and you don’t have to add additional ingredients to them. They also freeze really well, which is necessary for this recipe. If your Breakfast Cookie needs a little added moisture to be a malleable crust, add ½ tsp of water at a time and knead it before adding more. You don’t want it to be very wet, just enough so that it doesn’t crumble and sticks together. I didn’t need to add any water to mine and pressed them directly into the dish.

The directions for this recipe are rather short and the order of things only becomes important when it comes to the lemon juice. The lemon will help to thicken up your mixture so be sure to add it last, after all other ingredients have been well mixed. If you are trying this recipe with vegan cream cheese, I’m not sure if the lemon will have the same effect and would recommend adding more powered sugar to thicken if your mixture is too runny. The consistency should be thick when you pour it into your pan.

By the way, if you’re not too keen on Pumpkin Spice as a flavor, our Gingerbread or Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies would make equally delicious crusts for a cheesecake! This decadent treat would be a happy addition to any Thanksgiving table or virtual family meals through this most cherished fall season. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did at the Bakery!

No Bake Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies
• Juice of 2 lemons (about ¼ cup)
• 1 Can Sweeten Condensed Milk
• 16 Ounces Whipped Cream Cheese
• ¼ Cup Powdered Sugar

Directions:

1. Line your cake pan with parchment paper. Include a cut out for the bottom and a thin strip to wrap around the inner sides of your dish.
2. Take 2 Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies and press them into your cake pan until they form an even layer. If you want a thicker layer, use more Breakfast Cookies.
3. Mix your Whipped Cream Cheese, Sweetened Condensed Milk and Powdered Sugar until smooth.
4. Add lemon juice and mix until well incorporated.
5. Pour the cream cheese mixture into your cake pan, on top of the crust.
6. Freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm.
7. When getting ready to serve, if you don’t have a springform pan fill a large bowl with about 1” of hot water then place your baking dish in it for 15-30 seconds, that should help the cheesecake to loosen and slide out of the pan.

Enjoy!

Share your creations with us by leaving a comment or tag us @ErinBakers on Instagram or Facebook.

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

What is a Superfood? Are all foods Superfoods? If you ask me, all whole foods should be considered super. Foods in their whole state offer up essential nutrients and vitamins that contribute to a thriving and healthy life. The foods on this list are some that have either a larger dose of one specific nutrient or a great variety of nutrients. They are also foods that can easily be incorporated into any meal from savory breakfasts to decadent desserts. We have some great tips on how to use them and a few tasty recipes linked below that can help you get more nutrients into your diet with little effort.

OATS

Oats are a great option for a quick and healthy breakfast or snack. These little grains pack a lot of nutrients into one serving. Just ½ cup of oats contains 13 grams of protein and nearly 200% of your daily recommended amount of Manganese¹ which is required for healthy brain and nervous system functioning². Not to mention, oats are full of fiber called beta glucan which promotes healthy gut bacteria. We use oats in every flavor of our Homestyle Granola and Breakfast Cookies. Check out this recipe for overnight oats with chia seeds.

ORANGES

There’s never been a better time to boost your immunity with whole food ingredients and it’s no secret that oranges contain Vitamin C, a powerful vitamin that not only boosts immunity but also slows aging, helps your body produce collagen for healthy skin, and protects your body cells from damage¹⁰. We recommend grabbing a Cara Cara or Sumo orange at the grocery store for the best flavor. If you have a citrus juicer, try making your own orange juice for a healthy treat that serves your body even better than a vitamin C packet will.

BEETS

Beets are one of those foods that people either love or hate! If you are on the side that loves them or hasn’t tried them before consider adding these to your grocery list. With an earthy and slightly sweet flavor these powerful root vegetables can be boiled and added to salads or even blended into your favorite smoothie. Blueberries and plant milk pair really well with beets for a healthy smoothie! While they are easy to prep, they can be messy so wear your apron! Your body will love the detoxifying and anti inflammatory benefits. Beets also contain nitrates that help protect against cognitive decline.³

ARUGULA

This cancer fighting green is a spicy addition to salad or pizza. In half a cup, your body will receive 14% of the daily recommended dose of vitamin k and 5% of the recommended vitamin A. These vitamins help you maintain healthy bones and eyes!⁴ Switch up your leafy greens with this flavorful and nutrient dense option.

FLAX SEEDS

We use flax seeds in nearly every flavor of our Homestyle Granola because of their abundance of omega 3 fats, fiber and their mild flavor. Just one tablespoon of flax seeds contains over 1500mg of Omega 3’s – an essential fatty acid which can lower your risk of heart disease.⁵ These seeds are a great option for vegans who can’t get Omega 3’s from eating fish. They can also be used in baking! Have you ever made a flax egg?

QUINOA

Quinoa (pronounced keen·waa) is a versatile, gluten free seed that most people mistake for a grain. These popular little seeds are high in protein and fiber and can be used as an alternative to pasta or rice. Just one cup of quinoa contains 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber⁷, compared to a cup of brown rice which contains 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber⁸. They can also be used to replace oats for a hearty breakfast porridge, added to salads to make your meal more filling or used as a meat replacement in tacos and stews and much more! If you’ve never tried Quinoa before, check out these delicious Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos by Plays Well With Butter!

AVOCADO

With more potassium than a banana and lots of healthy fats to keep you full the Avocado is a unique fruit that’s also low in sugar. They’re tasty in guacamole but can also be eaten by themselves or used in baking and ice cream. We tried this Key Lime Vegan Pie recipe by Paleo Gluten Free eats and it is amazing! Avocado’s also contain 17% of the recommended dose of vitamin C which helps boost immunity. Did you know that the fat in avocados can even help improve nutrient absorption when eaten with other nutritious foods? Adding a few slices to your next salad means every vitamin in there could be better absorbed – I think this qualifies avocados as a super special superfood!⁶

WALNUTS

Walnuts are another great plant-based source of omega 3 fatty acid. In fact, a single serving of walnuts exceeds the daily recommended intake of Alpha-linolenic Acid which can help lower the risk of heart disease when consumed daily.⁹ You can find walnuts in our popular Fruit & Nut Granola. Walnuts have been shown to fight off inflammation of the gut thanks to magnesium and arginine. Walnuts make an easy snack that can be added to any salad or breakfast. If you prefer nut butters to whole nuts, try making walnut butter with some spices for a yummy, nutrient rich alternative to peanut and almond butters.

Share your favorite superfoods with us by leaving a comment or tag us @ErinBakers on Instagram or Facebook.

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

References:

1. Health Line - 9 Health Benefits of Eating Oats and Oatmeal
2. Health Line - 10 Evidence-Based Benefits of Manganese
3. Dr. Axe - 8 Beets Benefits You May Not Believe
4. Dr. Axe - Arugula: Top 10 Benefits for the Heart, Gut, and more
5. Health Line - Top 10 Health Benefits of Flax Seeds
6. Health Line - 12 Proven Health Benefits of Avocado
7. Health Line - 11 Proven Health Benefits of Quinoa
8. Medical News Today - Is Brown Rice vs White Rice Better For Health
9. Health Line - 13 Proven Health Benefits of Walnuts
10. WebMD - Health Benefits of Oranges

On a day when we normally celebrate our mother’s and grandmother’s with flowers and breakfast in bed we wanted to go beyond the gifts and share about what motherhood has meant to real Moms. There’s no doubt that it can be messy and challenging but it can also be a fun and exciting journey that completely changes your life for the better. For many of us, our relationship with our mother’s is the most cherished of all but it can be easy to lose sight of their experience and everything they do for us. To get a real glimpse into what Motherhood really is, we asked some women in our extended Erin Baker’s Family: What does motherhood look like for you?

Whether you’re an aunt who spends every day after work helping your nephew with homework, a grandma who raises your grand kids as your own, an adoptive parent, or a volunteer who fills in as Mom for anyone who needs it, we want every Mom to know how appreciated they are not only on Mother’s day, but every day of the year. We all know it’s an important job so we hope these little stories will help you remember that too!

Claire & Cam

Crazy how much YOU can change from such a tiny human being entering your life. 

Yes, your life changes... the laundry room becomes your hangout spot, there are plenty of changing table visits, always dishes to do, going for a simple walk feels like a major life accomplishment, and the days go by in a flash.

What’s even crazier than your life changing though, is how YOU change. You no longer feel like you have control. You realize how impatient, tired, and cranky you can be. Having it “all together” is pretty laughable. You also become more weird, trying to get baby to laugh at all costs...(maybe that’s just me 😂). You also realize how DEEPLY you need a Savior. Someone who IS in CONTROL. Someone who NEVER gets tired, cranky or impatient. Someone who ALWAYS has it ALL together. 🙌🏼 Thank you Jesus, that YOU have it all together. That You hold each of us just like I’m holding Cameron. We don’t have to be perfect. You are perfect. 

So yes, having a baby does change your life. But more importantly, it changes YOU.

You can find Claire on Instagram at @secretlyhealthyhome, join her and Cam for some awesome recipes and delicious healthy food inspiration!

Nicole & Rylen

Motherhood is messy. Motherhood is tiring. Motherhood is painful. Motherhood is smiles, giggles, first moments, milestones, hugs & kisses, and love. Watching my toddler grow and develop her own personality has been the most amazing thing and I look forward to empowering her with all the skills needed to take on this crazy world.

I also realized that I don't take enough pictures with this whirl-wind of a child! (She must only hold still when she's eating!)

Nicole is our Brand Manager here at the Bakery, gracefully balancing life as a working Mom!

Eva & Madi

It’s a completely different life spectrum. Holy moly. The day my pregnancy test popped up positive, I didn’t know how to feel.

I was overjoyed.
I was anxious.
I was scared.
I was overwhelmed.
I was surprised.
I was all sorts of emotions.

I was a ball of emotions.
Shortly after we found out we were expecting, my anxiety escalated when we started inching closer and closer to Matthew‘s deployment. We calculated the length of his deployment and sadly faced the fact that he was going to miss the birth of our first baby. HOW can you mentally prepare for that? You truly can’t. We said our goodbyes a few months after we found out the exciting news. You never really know HOW to feel or WHAT you’re getting into, until you’ve got to put on your “Mom shoes.” I was an absolute crying mess for the first two weeks after Matthew deployed and questioned myself way too often. 

“Am I ready to be a Mom?”
“What if I don’t know what to do when X,Y,Z happens?”
“Do I ask for help?”
“I don’t think I can do this by myself... Home alone? I can’t do this?”

I don’t know if y’all have been there, but I just want you ladies to know that: you WILL be okay. Everything in life is a learning experience and no one is prepared for anything, let alone being a first-time mother. We’re hard on ourselves. We feel defeated at times. We think we aren’t good enough. We overthink.

It’s not a walk in the park, that’s for sure. It’s having confidence in yourself, juggling work and family, making time for self care, and teamwork (to all you single mama’s out there, you’re a freaking rockstar). But, seeing our little ones growth brings happiness. SO MUCH HAPPINESS. We grow graciously through trial and error. We aren’t perfect. But this life season is OURS. Our babies see us for who we are (the best mama EVER) and trust us with their whole heart. We’ve got this, and remember, you are never alone.

Eva is now expecting her second daughter, follow her healthy journey on Instagram @HealthfullyBalancedMama

Moms deserve more than just a day to feel appreciated for everything they do for us! We hope this inspires you to hug (or facetime) the mothers in your life on Mother’s Day and every day!

Share your Motherhood Stories with us and leave a comment or tag us @ErinBakers on Instagram or Facebook.

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

Though no doubt rewarding, the annual sweep and purge is a daunting task. Where do you even start when you have a closet in need of organizing and piles of clothes need sorting, plus a whole host of other things on your to-do list? So, let’s crack those windows, let the sunshine in and air out our homes. 

First, spring cleaning is something I really must sit down and plan. Now when I say plan, I don’t mean to just write a short list. OH-NO, I mean create a to-do list and take one task at a time, instead of trying to accomplish the whole house at once. With my help, I promise that this task won’t seem as monstrous, but remember, you want to customize your spring-cleaning checklist to fit your specific home and cleaning goals. This is no small feat though, countless of us get overwhelmed during our attempt to declutter our homes. So, don’t let this year get to you like all the others! With a little help, we can all successfully make our homes sparkle, while having fun. This time we are even including the kids!  

To begin, we start with a to-do list. We want to make the process attainable, by listing out all the chores. This way you can make sure you tackle all those forgotten nooks and crannies, without feeling overwhelmed. If you’re just looking for a list – skip down to the bottom!

One of the things I find very helpful is a cleaning caddy. These are easy to make and great for all ages!! Grab a bucket, or anything you can find that will hold cleaning supplies, and this can be used as your caddy. Listed below are some of the basic items that could be used to get started for your cleaning caddy. (This list also includes items for little ones who are helping.) There are some items I didn’t include on this list, as these items will most likely already be in the room you’re cleaning, like a toilet brush in your bathroom etc.  

After the to-do list is done and you have all your supplies ready, we want to go through the house and pre-clean. Yes, I said pre-clean!! The purpose is simply to clear surfaces of clutter and misplaced items. Tip: Grab a box or basket for each member of the household, toss misplaced items into appropriate boxes and give to each person to put their own items away.

Crank up the music – it’s time to start cleaning! If this is your first attempt at getting the whole family involved or you have little ones who are joining in for the first time, try teaming up. While mom wields the toilet bowl cleaner and the tile brush, their helper can scrub the sink, polish fixtures, empty the trash, etc. This helps you model the behavior you want to see from your children and it’s a great way to sneak in some quality conversations. The age of your helpers will determine which task they get, but there is always a way to make it fun. Here are a few ideas that I’ve found to get everyone cleaning.   

Flash Cards

One way is to make “cleaning flash cards” for everyone in your family. They are fun and simple to make. You can make them as detailed as you would like, however, I try to keep them simple with the main task that needs to be done. When you’re attempting to make these for younger ones, keep in mind their age.

Here's some great examples of cleaning flash cards from Tips From a Typical Mom Blog. 

Chore Chart

Chore charts are a simple and easy way to keep track of everything that needs to be done at home, along with keeping track of who has done what. I like this idea because it shows the progress each person has made. You can then provide rewards for completed tasks! Keep in mind when making these chore charts what areas you want to focus on. Make sure to include the places in your home that get forgotten about the most, like vacuuming under furniture, dusting the fan, and cleaning out that scary closet everyone seems to throw things in. The Trip Clip has some great example of kids chore charts.

Make it a Game  

If there is a lack of motivation in the air, what better way to get the fun rolling than making it into a game? This will ensure time goes by faster as you clean and have fun.

Game idea #1: Dusting for Treasure  

• Go around the room and hide the treasure on surfaces that need dusting, keep the hiding spots where they are likely to see them without having to climb on anything. 
• If they are older, you can hide the treasure underneath things, too. After all, knickknacks need to be picked up and dusted too…this is spring cleaning after all. 
• If you want to make it more challenging, set a time and turn them loose. 

Game idea #2: Kids Spring Cleaning Bingo - Get all the cards at Honey Bear Lane's Blog.  

Donate, Reuse, Recycle

As you start to deep clean, you’re going to come across more and more items you’ve “forgotten” about. I like to say that if you haven’t used it or thought about it in the last six months donate it, or if it’s broken recycle it. Moreover, I strongly believe in paying it forward! So please, if you’re able to, consider donating your unwanted items to a place like Goodwill. They will make sure it finds a second home.  

Spring Cleaning Chore List

You may be one of those people that just needs a list and wants to check off all the boxes. If so, I Dream of Clean has the ULTIMATE Spring Cleaning Check list with all-inclusive lists for every room in your house. To start here's her list of Overall Spring Cleaning Chores:

• dust crown molding and baseboards
• dust ceiling corners
• dust baseboards and clean scuff marks
• dust/wash light fixtures and lamps
• dust ceiling fans
• wash doors (look for scuff marks)
• wash walls
• touch up paint
• vacuum or wash window curtains
• wash window blinds
• clean windows
• dust bookcases
• polish wood furniture
• wipe down and vacuum furniture (clean the base and under cushions)
• condition leather furniture
• remove stains from upholstered furniture
• vacuum and wash lampshades
• deep clean hardwood, tile, linoleum, and carpet flooring
• shampoo carpet (DIY or schedule a professional)
• remove rugs to shake out, then vacuum, then clean under them
• vacuum all flooring, including corners and edges
• clean air vents
• dust around mirrors, picture frames, and wall hangings
• replace light bulbs
• change air/furnace filter
• replace batteries in smoke detector
• replace batteries in carbon monoxide detector
• schedule chimney sweep
• schedule termite or pest control maintenance

For the full list by room visit I Dream of Clean’s Blog.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Jess Dukhnitskiy
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

This Granola Applesauce Cake is a flavorful packed treat made with low-cost, shelf stable ingredients that you’ll most likely find in your pantry. Usually cake recipes call for butter, milk and eggs, all of which are precious commodities especially when we are all limiting our trips to the grocery store. With this recipe we can have our cake and social distance too! I love creating and finding recipes that use minimal ingredients and my wallet loves when my baking adventures don’t break the bank. Not only is this a budget friendly treat but the texture and flavor are perfect - I promise you won’t miss the eggs or butter. This is a recipe you can make every weekend during meal prep to provide cheap, yummy snacks for your family throughout the week.

If you’re anything like me you’ve been spending more time lately on Pinterest and Instagram looking to fill empty weekends at home with the smell of sweet baked goodness. This is a great recipe to add to your stay-at-home arsenal since it’s quick to make and easy to clean up. All you need is one bowl, one spoon, one pan and less than one hour! It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Choosing meals with little prep and easy clean up means you get your delicious food made and can spend more time out of the kitchen tending your garden, reading a new book, playing digital games with friends, or facetiming your Grandma. In stressful times we often turn to food to keep ourselves busy or to relieve stress but it’s important to care for ourselves in other ways like exercising and connecting with loved ones. You can even create new traditions in these strange times by sharing this recipe and baking with friends over Zoom, like a digital baking club!

This is also a great time to try new things in the kitchen, like vegan baking! If you are new to vegan baking and are skeptical about the results, I get it! Eggs usually create structure and stability in baked goods, milk adds moisture, and butter is where that melt in your mouth flavor is born. Fear not because there are a variety of options when baking vegan to achieve the same – if not better - results. To replace the eggs you can use chia eggs or flax eggs, a one-for-one product called Ener-g egg replacer or the simplest options are using applesauce or bananas. Butter is easily replaced with Coconut Oil or a vegan butter substitute. Both provide a saturated fat-like butter and can help to add moisture to your bake! Milk is not always called for but if you ever do need to replace regular milk with a vegan option you can use coconut, almond, soy, and even cashew or rice milk. Isn’t it amazing what real food ingredients can accomplish? For this recipe we used applesauce instead of eggs, and coconut oil instead of butter and the result is a moist cake with crunchy and chewy bits sprinkled throughout – sheer delight!

The crunchiness and chewiness are thanks to the addition of granola and raisins. If you don’t have granola in your pantry you can always replace it with another 1/2 cup of whole or quick oats. If you do leave out the granola then you will probably want to add in some almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflowers seeds so that you still get a nice variety in texture with every bite. The best option is including Erin Baker’s Vanilla Almond Quinoa Homestyle Granola because it adds crunchy oat clusters, roasted almonds, puffed quinoa and that smooth vanilla flavor. Since this recipe doesn’t call for any additional vanilla it might not be as delicious without the granola. If you do try it without the granola let us know how it goes in the comments.

Like I mentioned, you only need one bowl, one spoon and one pan for this recipe, but the pan you choose is important! I made this cake in a Bundt pan which I wouldn’t recommend unless your Bundt pan is rather small. This recipe only filled about 1/3 of my large Bundt pan. Instead use an 8 x 8 pan like what you would use for brownies. If you want to try this recipe as a double batch I’d recommend baking it in two separate batches or in a larger baking dish (15 x 10). Do not bake this cake in a standard loaf pan as it will be too thick to bake leaving the center dense, gooey and undercooked. You will want to check on the cake around 18 minutes and make sure it doesn’t get too brown on top. You’ll know it’s done when the center has a bounce to it.

If you want to make it sweeter and more decadent, you can dust some powdered sugar on top or try topping your cake with a glaze! You can find a simple glaze recipe here - Best Basic Glaze Recipe. This cake is a great swap for your morning muffin or bowl of oatmeal with just the right amount of sweetness.

One Bowl Granola Applesauce Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Applesauce
• 2 tbsp Coconut Oil (Can sub butter or plant-based butter)
• 1 ½ cup Quick Oats
• 1 cup Vanilla Almond Quinoa Granola (or additional ½ cup Quick Oats)
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• ½ tsp Ground cloves
• ¼ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg
• ½ cup Raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl, add your room temperature coconut oil, brown sugar and apple sauce. Mix until well combined with a whisk or spatula
3. Into the same bowl add in your quick oats, baking soda, spices, salt and mix again until well combined. If you don’t have any granola on hand, add an additional ½ cup of whole or quick oats
4. Next add your raisins and granola to the mixture and fold in. (If you don’t have any granola on hand add in another ½ cup of nuts, seeds or dried fruit)
5. Pour the batter into a greased or parchment lined 8x8 pan
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes

Share your baking adventures with us and leave a comment or tag us @ErinBakers on Instagram or Facebook.

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

Although Easter baskets are closely correlated with Easter Sunday, the roots actually stem from Pagan history. Ancient farmers depended on their livestock and crops for a living, so the spring equinox was a special time in their cultures. (Equinox is when the length of daytime and nighttime become equal.) Middle Eastern cultures traditionally celebrated the first seedlings of their new crops. They would bring the seedlings in baskets to temples to be blessed and to pray to their gods for abundance of crops throughout the season. Christians also had a similar tradition but instead, they would bring an Easter feast in large baskets to church to be blessed by priests. 

So, in a nutshell, (or should I say eggshell?) the food bearing baskets are symbolic for the arrival of Spring.

Life gets busy, it’s easy to take the shortcut and throw together candy and toys that will most likely get lost in an hour. So, let’s slowdown in this crazy rabbit race and get your special peeps things that they will really enjoy. We’ve made it easier for you as we’ve scoured the internet for fun and festive ideas and narrowed them down to our top 10!

Top 10 Easter Basket Ideas

I Am Human by Susan Verde
Enlighten your little one with a quick read on what it means to be human today.   Buy it Now at Anthropolgie 

Eco-Dough
Get creative with Eco-Dough - it's biodegradable!   Buy it Now at Thrive Market

Make a Sweet & Simple Dessert Together
Easter Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe by Joyful Healthy Eats

Games To-Go Playing Cards
Buy it Now at Anthropologie

Personalized Easter Bag
Buy it Now at Personalization Mall

Realistic Succulent Plants in Pots
Buy Now at Etsy

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Show off your baking skills with this healthier dessert!
Healthier Peanut Butter Eggs by Love to Be in the Kitchen

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Chocolate Bars
For the chocoholics, I recommend K'ul Chocolate - it's organic, vegan, and fair trade!   Buy it Now at K'ul

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Seed Collection
For your friend with a green thumb!    Buy it Now at Terrain or your local garden store

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Bunny Hop Dish Towel
Kick off the spring season with this fun and festive dish towel!   Buy it Now at Anthropologie

 

There you have it! 10 creative and non-traditional ideas to hop into Easter shopping with. You can of course add in some breakfast on-the-go or delicious Granola by shopping our online store. But most importantly, spend time and make wonderful memories with those you love this holiday. Get inspired, get creative, and get outside! Happy Easter!

Mia Tocas
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

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When you look around your home and realize there is something missing, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Pictures on the walls? More furniture? I have an idea… how about some house plants? You know, those green things! To spruce things up, a few house plants can make a big difference. 

“Plants are the lungs of the earth; they produce the oxygen that makes life possible. House plants can perform these essential functions in your home with the same efficiency as a rainforest in our biosphere.” As quoted by Dr. Bill Wolverton, who wrote the book How to Grow Fresh Air. 

So, if you’re just beginning your adventure into gardening, already have a green thumb, or maybe you’re a plant killer like me - we’ve made it easy for you to add some green to your indoor space!

How do plants clean the air?

Glad you asked! Through the process of photosynthesis indoor plants are able to remove volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and carbon dioxide from the air and replace them with oxygen. VOCs are a large group of chemicals that are found in many products we use to build and maintain our homes. Plants help to remove these VOCs and provide clean, pure air for us to breathe.

House Plants Bring Tranquility

Not only do plants clean our air, but they can reduce stress just by being in our homes and offices. We begin to generally feel happier and more optimistic while being surrounded by nature. You’ll notice while you garden and start your oasis a more soothing environment, which can in-turn increase happy feelings! It reminds us of our connection to nature and helps us keep focused on the bigger picture. You see flowers evoke positive emotions!! All of this can help alleviate symptoms of depression, not to mention the physical aspect of gardening releases feel-good chemicals in the brain such as serotonin and dopamine. 

Growing Plants with Children

Having house plants is a great way to introduce your children to biology and teach them responsibility. When working together to decide which plants/ flowers to grow and where to place them in your home, is a wonderful way to not only bond with your children, but also introduce and encourage creativity. As they eagerly wait for their plant to grow, they will learn the responsibility of watering consistently and the consequences of not taking care of their plant. They can start to form their own hypothesis on how much sunlight and water is needed and from observation make adjustments to their care routine. They are learning about photosynthesis without even realizing it!

How to Decorate with Plants

Integrating plants into your home in a harmonious way is an art form that’s not hard to master. If you follow a few ground rules, you’ll be sure to get the style just right!  Different colors can create different effects, but you want to try to choose colors that go well with your furnishings, like your rugs and window treatments. You can use your plants to create an exciting contrast in your home, for example, a plant with bright red flowers would pair well with darker furniture. However, for an understated look, you would want to choose a pastel color (which will fit into almost every living environment). Below is a table that you may find helpful when picking your houseplant. 

 Plant Pet Care

Unfortunately, some of these beautiful plants may turn out to cause issues for your four-legged friends, which is why it’s so important to be mindful and do your research before bringing any new plant into your home. Don’t fret – we’ve indicated which plants you should steer clear of on our list.

7 Indoor Plants that will Clean Indoor Air

1. Money Tree

	Non-toxic to pets
	Prefer bright, indirect light with moderate-to-high humidity
	Water thoroughly, until water flows out of drainage holes of the pot (pour out excess water from tray, so the roots don’t sit in water as sitting water can lead to root rot) Let soil dry out between watering
	Sandy, peat-moss-based soil and a pot with drainage holes
	Due to its air purifying qualities’ the money tree is great for anyone who may have asthma or lung issues Said to bring luck and prosperity To maintain the shape, or to guide the trunks into a braid yourself, wrap some solid string around the tops of the trunks to bind them together tightly as they grow

2. Snake Plant (AKA Mother-in-Laws Tongue)

	Low toxicity levels to pets Toxicity levels are low, it’s still advised to keep pets away. It can cause excessive salivation, pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
	Indirect sunlight is ideal, but it can withstand full sun and low light
	Snake plant can easily rot so make sure the soil is well-drained and don’t water too much (especially in winter) Allow soil to dry between watering
	Does well in sandier soils
	Easy to care for – great for beginners! Purifies the air and gives off oxygen at night – making it a perfect bedroom plant!

3. Spider Plant

	Low toxicity levels to pets
	Prefer bright, but indirect light Needs lighting that changes with the seasons - more light in the summer and less in the winter
	Water them well, but don’t allow the plants to become soggy, this can lead to root rot Prefer to dry out between watering
	General purpose free-draining potting soil
	Great for newbie gardeners Sometimes, certain species of spider plants will cultivate lavish flowers, but once the plant matures it never flowers again If your plant isn’t sending out plantlets the following could be the cause: too much or not enough sunlight or being over fertilized

4. Succulents

	Some species are non-toxic to pets, like: Echeveria species Easter and Christmas Cactus
	Succulents love light, but newly planted ones will scorch in direct sunlight. So, you should slowly introduce them to full sun exposure or ensure there is shade with a sheer curtain. Be sure to rotate your succulent, making sure each side gets sunlight or else only one side may grow, (the side facing the sun) causing it to become lopsided
	Be careful to not over water - they store water in its leaves and stems During spring and summer, the plants are thriving and drinking up MUCH more water than their resting period during the fall and winter Soak the soil until water runs out of the drainage holes, always let soil dry between watering Don’t use a spray bottle to water your succulents, as misting can cause brittle roots and moldy leaves
	Succulents need well-draining soil. Cactus soil or mix potting soil with sand, pumice, or perlite.
	Keep the leaves/spine clean, as it can pick up dust, which can inhibit their growth (wipe off leaves/spine gently with damp cloth)

5. Aloe Vera

	Toxic to pets – if you have one be sure to keep out of reach!
	Easy to grow indoors, with bright or indirect sunlight (artificial lighting works too), but too much sunlight will turn its leaves yellow
	Water deeply, but infrequently. To discourage root rot, allow the soil to dry 1 to 2 inches between watering. Use your finger to test the soils dryness.
	This plant is a succulent! So use a well-draining potting mix, such as those made for cacti and succulents.
	Mature aloe vera plants occasionally produce a tall flower spike-called an inflorescence-from which dozens of tubular yellow or red blossoms appear (Sadly, it’s rarely achievable with aloe that are kept as houseplants, mainly due to lighting)

6. Easter Cactus

	Non-toxic to pets
	They do best in bright natural light with no direct sunlight
	Water until soil is moist and allow to dry between watering Water more often when in bloom
	Use soil made for Succulents and Cactus, due to its natural growing environment, this cactus requires rough soil to grown well in
	Flowers are either an intense red color and are produced either singly or in groups of 2 or 3, over a period of several weeks in spring It has an unusual property of removing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen at night- the opposite of most plants Re-pot the plant every 2-5 years about 1-2 months after blooming is finished They enjoy being root bound, so if you must replace the soil put them back in the same pot To Bloom: 6-8 weeks before you want your plant to bloom, place the plant where it has 12-14 hours of darkness, best bud set occurs when evening temperatures are 50 degree F. Water sparingly during this time.

7. Christmas Cactus

	Non-toxic to pets
	Prefers bright, indirect light. Full sun can cause the leaf segments to turn dark red as the plants begin to burn.
	Water once the top inch of soil is dry. Take care not to over water! Limp leaves is a sign of over watering Water less frequently in the fall and winter months to promote blooming
	A lightweight, well-drained potting mixture is critical, so look for a commercial mix for bromeliads or succulents
	A very tolerant plant / low maintenance Flowers in late December with numerous orchid-like flowers with the color depending on the species and cultivar, they range from white to pink and red to violet Prefers to be root bound To Bloom:  There needs to be at least eight days of 12-16 hours of darkness. (Don’t even turn on a light!) Keep your Cactus in a cool temperature, around 60 degree F (avoid any air draft) Limit the amount of water the plant receives in October and November

Happy Planting, 

Jess Dukhnitskiy
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

I’m a sucker for a pretty plate of food. Whether I’m being served something delicious at a restaurant or taking extra time to make my dinner look fancy at home, the prettier my food is the more excited I am to dig in. This is the reason why I make smoothie bowls every weekend! They are such an easy breakfast or lunch to throw together with whatever fruits and toppings you have at home. You can sneak in veggies like cauliflower, or superfoods like chia seeds and spirulina and top it with your favorite fruits and nut butters.  

Smoothies Vs. Smoothie Bowls

While both are amazing and easy meal options (particularly for Breakfast), there is a difference between a smoothie and a smoothie bowl. First things first, smoothies are typically served in a cup while smoothie bowls are served in – you guessed it, a bowl! The biggest difference between the two is the consistency. You can add whatever you want to a smoothie and end up with an array of textures from milky to icy and they conveniently fit in a cup for an on the go morning. With a smoothie bowl, however, the texture needs be thick and creamy and is best eaten out of a bowl. Creating a thick and creamy texture allows you to top your smoothie bowl with nuts, seeds, fruit, and granola. Ultimately it allows you to eat your smoothie the same way you would eat a bowl of oatmeal. This lets you enjoy a variety of textures from crunchy granola and seeds to fresh fruit and even some chunky nut butter… something smoothie’s just can’t accomplish.

There are tons of options when trying to make a thick and creamy base for your smoothie bowl. We will walk you through 3 varieties that make a thick and delicious base fit for any toppings.

Banana Base – the best and easiest way to make a smoothie bowl is by using frozen bananas. You don’t need much water or milk added to this base. The benefit of banana based bowls is that they are rich in potassium and fiber 1 and will help to naturally sweeten your smoothie bowl with only one ingredient. The downside is that for a nice big smoothie bowl you might need to use between 2 and 4 bananas which might make your bowl sweeter than you want. Check out the recipe for our Tropical Smoothie bowl below for a banana only base.

Yogurt & Fruit – If you don’t want to base your whole smoothie with bananas but still want a fruity flavor with a creamy texture then try using other frozen fruits such as peaches, strawberries or mangoes. By limiting the amount of added liquid and throwing in some yogurt (or plant based yogurt) the consistency will be perfect. Check out our Peach and Greek Yogurt base in the Fruit Nut & Seed Bowl recipe below.

Cauliflower & Zucchini – You can make a delicious smoothie bowl without any fruit at all in your base! This is a great low sugar option. By using mildly flavored vegetables such as riced cauliflower, avocado or zucchini you can start with a bland base and add in cocoa powder, peanut butter, vanilla or any flavor you’d like. We use cauliflower, zucchini and cocoa powder in our Chocolate Lover’s Smoothie bowl recipe at the end of the blog.

Truly the best consistency is made with bananas as a base – they are just the perfect smooth texture that almost resembles ice cream, but the other bases are definitely worth checking out. You can always add in just ½ of a frozen banana to any other base to kick up the creaminess. 

The blender you use could have an impact on how smooth and thick your mixture turns out. Using a high-powered blender like a Blendtec or a Vitamix will usually yield the best results. In the recipes below we like to add in about half of the frozen fruit along with all of the liquid. Blend until smooth and slowly add the remaining frozen fruit or veggies. Pre-chop all your frozen fruit or veggies into small pieces to help your blender along the way. If you do end up adding too much liquid you can always toss in 1 tbsp of chia seeds or stick the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes to thicken your smoothie base up a bit.

It’s the toppings that set apart smoothies from the smoothie bowls. Now that you’ve created a tasty base that will hold lots of toppings you can start choosing what you want to add. Some of my favorite toppings are: Peanut Butter Homestyle Granola, coconut flakes, fresh fruit, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, nuts and nut butters. You can pack a lot of nutrients into your breakfast this way, in the Fruit Nut & Seed Bowl below there is over 20 grams of protein thanks to those clusters of granola and hemp hearts. While a regular smoothie will usually leave you feeling hungry within an hour or two, these smoothie bowls are truly a meal that will nourish your body with fresh, real food. Even though it doesn’t take much prep time I usually save smoothie bowls for the weekend when I have time to relax and bask in the beauty of my breakfast. If you’re ready to make your very own smoothie bowl but you’re not sure where to get started check out these 3 recipes!

For all the recipes below follow these basic instructions:

1. Add all liquid to blender
2. Add half of the chopped and frozen vegetables/fruit into your blender.
3. Blend until you’ve reached a smooth consistency
4. Add in remaining chopped, frozen vegetables / fruit until you reach a thick and creamy consistency. (If your blender comes with a tamper attachment use it to push the mixture towards the blade.)
5. Pour into a bowl and top with your favorite toppings.

Chocolate Love Bowl

Base:

• 1 Zucchini (chopped, frozen)
• 1 Cup Cauliflower Rice
• 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
• ½ Cup Water

Toppings:

• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Dark Chocolate Pieces
• Coconut Flakes
• Double Chocolate Breakfast Cookie pieces

Tropical Bowl

Base:

• 3 Bananas (chopped, frozen)
• ½ Cup Water

Toppings:

• Kiwi
• Starfruit
• Mango
• Strawberries
• Coconut Flakes
• Chia Seeds
• Coconut Chia Homestyle Granola

Fruit, Nut & Seed Bowl

Base:

• 2 Cups Frozen Peaches
• ½ Banana (chopped, frozen)
• ½ Cup Plain Greek Yogurt (Or Plant Based Yogurt)
• ¼ Cup Water

Toppings:

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Peanut Butter
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Hemp Hearts
• Peanut Butter Homestyle Granola 

Enjoy!

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

Resources:

1. Medical News Today - Benefits and Health Risks of Bananas

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s hard to resist satisfying that sweet tooth. If you’re anything like me, your mind is constantly saying “no” but your heart is saying “chocolate.” Quit guilt-tripping yourself fellow chocoholics because I am going to give you a reason to splurge!

It all starts with a small tropical tree, Theobroma Cacao. Better known as simply, “cacao tree.” The cacao tree produces beans which are harvested, fermented, and eventually, turned into chocolate.

Overtime, chocolate has received a bad reputation due to its high fat and sugar content. However, recent research has proven that chocolate isn’t totally bad for you, in fact, Dark chocolate is now considered a superfood!

According to a study reported in Circulation: Heart Failure, a journal of the American Heart Association, women who ate one or two servings of dark chocolate per week lowered the risk of heart disease by one third.

As the saying goes, “A healthy body equals a healthy mind,” literally. It’s proven that chocolate really is a “mood booster.” In 2013, a study in British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that consuming chocolate triggers endorphin production which makes us feel “calmer and more content.” Hello dark chocolate and goodbye stress!

Now for the bad news: Not all chocolate is created equal. Instead of reaching for that KitKat bar, try a chocolate with high cocoa content instead. Dark chocolate contains more of the things that are good for you, like flavonoids and antioxidants³. Also, keep in mind that too much of anything can be bad for you. Sugar is addictive, so be sure to limit your chocolate intake to 1-2 servings weekly. A chocolate overload is not the goal here.

Need some suggestions? Here are some ways I recommend incorporating dark chocolate into your weekly diet:

• Go nuts for nuts! Try a quarter cup of cocoa dusted almonds as a midday snack. The protein from the nuts will curb your appetite and the powder is sure to cure your sweet tooth!
• Have you tried our Dark Chocolate Sprouted Snacks? They are delicious clusters packed with savory nuts, sprouted seeds, and chocolate chunks! A perfectly satisfying- yet guilt-free snack.
• Don’t let chocolate become your main focus now, it’s still important to fuel your body with other nutrients too! That’s why our new Chocolate Coconut Crunch Homestyle Granola makes an awesome go-to snack. It’s packed with plant based protein, ancient grains, and is gluten free!

Be sure to snack smart. To cash in on the many health benefits of dark chocolate, your serving should contain at least 70% cacao³. Just like everything else in life, moderation is key.

Eat well and happy snacking!

Mia Tocas
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

Photo Credit: @Whiskeymug

Bullet Journaling is one of the best ways to set yourself up for a successful year. It’s all about staying organized and getting things accomplished! This unique DIY journaling trend was made to fit any type of task, reminder or appointment you might need to record in one place. Once you get going you can use creativity, stickers and your own style to track progress and keep goals front of mind. Many of us are accustomed to using preprinted planners or our phones to stay organized but those systems are usually restrictive requiring multiple apps or lugging around a huge planner. They’re not usually made to accommodate the variety of things that life throws our way. If you feel like you’re always trying to be more organized, then keep reading to see if bullet journaling is the right fit for you.

Created by Ryder Carroll, this journaling system consists of an index and a set of collections called: a future log, a monthly log and a daily log.

• The index is there to help remind you where each collection begins. You can number the pages of your journal so that flipping back and forth between pages and notes is effortless.
• A future log will show all 12 months of the year – a great place to track big events like vacations, holidays and birthdays.
• You can then start to create your monthly log – refer back to your future log and fill in any big events that are happening and update it as the month progresses with appointments, or things you don’t want to forget.
• A daily log is a place to make daily notes. Keep reading below to see how best to keep these daily notes organized.

Photo Credit: @Whiskeymug

The term “rapid logging” is a systematic way to record your notes and reminders to save time. While typical note taking might look like a mess of checkboxes and crossed out words, using rapid logging can cut down on the number of words you need. You can use a customized key where a different marking means “task” and another means “event”. Instead of writing “- Go to the grocery store for milk” you can use your key for task and simply write “o buy milk”. This way you can look back at your list and only focus on the o’s to see what tasks you need to complete, rather than going back and re-reading every line you wrote earlier in the day or week.

Thanks to the internet, Bullet Journaling has gone far beyond Ryder’s original iteration of simple logs and many people enjoy adding an artistic flair to their journals. Whether it’s adding in photographs or stickers or some beautiful calligraphy, this style of journaling can also be a creative outlet. Whether you want your journal to help you track your workout progress over time, the amount of money you spend at Chipotle or the number of books you can read in a year – it’s a system that will be molded to your life.

Photo Credit: @Whiskeymug on Instagram - Bullet Journal Tracking Books Read

Madeline at @Whiskeymug on Instagram set her goal to read 100 books in 2019 and through the use of her bullet journal she had a place to track how many pages she read each day, to jot down notes about the books she was reading and a list to add the title to once she finished another book. This is the beauty of bullet journaling, your individual goals can be written on paper, you can create a checklist system that will help to keep you accountable and track however often helps ensure you are on track to meet your goal. As you check in, you will have a clear visual representation of whether you are on track to meet the goals you have set.

All you really need to have to start bullet journaling is a good pen and a good journal. The most highly recommended journal seems to be the Leuchtturm1917 notebook, it’s also the one Carroll recommends. There is also an official Bullet Journal you can purchase here - www.bulletjournal.com/products/notebook. A good pen is one that you can write with comfortably forever and that creates the look you desire in your journal. If you plan to do lots of drawing or to use thicker pens and makers, you may want to find a journal with thicker paper to avoid bleed through. Other common supplies of bullet journalers are stickers and washi tape. These are decorative pieces that can be used either as part of your checklists or as added visual appeal. For example, if you were to create a collection to track your water consumption, you can use a water bottle sticker every day that you drink 8 cups of water. A bullet journal is typically filled with dot grid paper which makes it easy to create clean lines, however you can also use washi tape to create separation in your collections or to adhere photos to your journal.     

Photo Credit: @Whiskeymug     

You can start with the basics that Ryder lays out or if you already know what you want to track you can create the journal to fit your needs. If you feel overwhelmed when starting, first of all, that’s completely normal! I would suggest starting with the basics of an index, a future and a monthly log. If you have a lot of appointments or want to be able to add things daily, then a weekly log would also be a good fit for you. You can create 6 squares on one page, assigning 1 day to each square (weekends can share a space!). You can divide your page using washi tape, a solid black line, a polka dotted line or whatever fits your style and needs. From here you can begin to explore other pages or “collections” as Ryder calls them. If you don’t need a monthly log or a weekly log then skip them!

Photo Credit: @Whiskeymug

If you’re ready to get started with a journal of your very own we recommend starting with Ryder Carroll’s How To Bullet Journal video. This way you can get a visual understanding of the basics. Once you’ve done that feel free to explore more on YouTube to find out the different styles everyone has and find inspiration of what you want to record in your journal.  

Happy Journaling,

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

Let’s be honest, how many of us actually eat breakfast? You know, the meal that comes with a fantasy of being served in bed, with a ray of sunshine coming through a window? We have been told for years that it’s the most important meal of the day yet almost none of us seem to either care or can find the time. In reality breakfast is the last thing on our minds. Instead, we worry about what we are going to wear, what the traffic to work will be like, and wonder why we are so tired in the morning. If we can remember to put on our make-up and grab our cellphones before we head out the door, then why can’t we find at least five minutes to set the day in the right direction with a healthy meal? Skipping breakfast can affect the day in more ways than we could count – so we’ve summed up our top reasons to not skip.

Do you ever wonder why you can’t seem to focus? What about your changing mood or high stress levels? These are all the effects of when you skip breakfast! Eating regularly helps to maintain your glucose levels which not only helps your brain function properly, it can also help to prevent diseases like Type 2 Diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Many don’t realize that skipping breakfast could have dire effects on our health long term. When we skip meals, we cause our glucose levels to rise and drop which can lead to insulin sensitivity which in turn can cause diabetes and weight fluctuations. All of this makes us more susceptible to cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. In fact, a recent study found that those who didn’t eat a morning meal were 27% more likely to develop heart disease than those who did.³   

When you wake up in the morning your body has used up all the stored nutrients and energy from the yesterday's meals. So, for those of us who skip breakfast, we're telling our bodies that no more food is coming anytime soon, and it needs to conserve any energy it already has. At this point your body's metabolism starts to slow down¹ and you’re essentially running on fumes. A lot of us think skipping breakfast is the key to losing weight but news flash - it can actually cause us to gain weight by increasing our hunger hormones (which leads to snacking and overeating later in the day). When our bodies get breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the digestive system works faster to burn those calories, which helps our metabolism function properly.  

Not only does skipping breakfast slow down our metabolism, but it also affects the mind. Breakfast plays such an important role in supplying our brain with the energy and nutrients that are critical to get us through the day². It has been proven that eating breakfast will improve your short-term memory, ability to focus, and cognitive function. When you eat a well-rounded breakfast, you set yourself up for success.  

Whether you wake up at 4am or 9am, eating breakfast yields a higher chance of success for the whole day! By consuming a high-quality breakfast, our memory and concentration levels improve, not to mention the lifting mood and lowering stress (a.k.a. being hangry)⁴. Breakfast is a necessary meal for our bodies and minds to function properly. Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s 2020… time to step up and start taking care of ourselves! 

Jess Dukhnitskiy
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

Resources:

1. Rush.edu – The Science Behind Breakfast – Why Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day
2. NCBI - The effects of breakfast on short-term cognitive function...
3. Consumer Reports - Why eating the right breakfast is so important
4. Oats Over Night - Top 5 Health Benefits of Eating Breakfast

*We’re giving away Four Sigmatic Cacao Mix with Reishi, Barleans Seriously Delicious CBD in Lemon Drop flavor AND Breakfast Cookies. Leave a comment on this blog post to enter to win!*

What is your food doing for you? We’re lucky in 2019 to find so many added benefits in the variety of snacks lining our grocery aisles. Not only are there endless flavors and types of snacks to choose from but healthy choices are becoming more delicious and packing more of a nutritious punch than ever before. Whether you want added vitamins and minerals, some extra relaxation or caffeination, we’re seeing more and more food bringing health benefits beyond just calories. What better way to kick off 2020 than by sharing these added benefits with your friends and family. These delicious Cake Pops offer filling and satisfying fiber, mood-boosting chocolate, immune - boosting and relaxing Reishi mushrooms, and even CBD!

These chocolate frosted cake pops are an easy, healthier alternative to standard cake pops. Typically cake pops are a decadent treat made with balled cake and frosting then covered in chocolate. While that’s a delicious way to do cake pops, we’re here to let you know that they can still be delicious while also nourishing your body and maybe leave you feeling a little more refreshed and a little less bogged down the next day. The “cake” part of these cake pops has only one ingredient – whole grain Breakfast Cookies – they’re already packed with fruit and oats for fiber and protein!

Breakfast Cookies are soft baked and made with prune puree which keeps them moist and easy to reshape – no need for frosting or anything else! We used our fall flavors of Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies since they’re still available and they’re absolutely delightful. But you can use any of the 6 flavors we offer. Double Chocolate would be delicious as a cake pop base.

The Gingerbread Breakfast Cookies are covered in a sweet white chocolate shell that has 2 tsp of Barlean’s Seriously Delicious CBD Hemp Oil in Lemon Drop flavor. The white chocolate and lemon are a great pair since one is sweet, and the other a little tangy. We love the added benefits of CBD and these delicious, creamy hemp oils are designed by Barlean’s for superior absorption and bioavailability.

Four Sigmatic makes it easy to incorporate mushrooms like Lion’s Mane, Chaga, and Reishi into daily life through their elixirs and other drink mixes. We added some of their Mushroom Cacao Mix with Reishi into the semi-sweet chocolate that coats the Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops. Chocolate and Pumpkin Spice – you just can’t go wrong with this combo! If you can’t find our seasonal Breakfast Cookie flavors in your local store, then try the Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookie with this cacao and chocolate topping.

Each ingredient in these cake pops offers more than meets the eye! Don’t just reserve these for parties. They would make a great addition to a Friday school lunch or weekend treat. We used a double boiler method to melt the chocolate for these, you can also use a microwave however you will have to work quickly to get it all the chocolate applied before it dries. Double boiling is super simple you just need a pot of simmering water and a metal or heat safe bowl that can sit inside of the pot. You want the simmering water to be an inch lower than the bowl inside. Simply place your chocolate chips in the bowl and stir until melted. Make sure you don’t let your chocolate get too hot, as you want a smooth consistency that is easily pliable. Using a spoon wrap the melted chocolate around your Breakfast Cookie cake pops until they are frosted to perfection. Set on parchment paper and add sprinkles for added pizzazz!

Chocolate Frosted Breakfast Cookie Cake Pops

Makes: 12 Cake Pops

Ingredients:

• 4 Breakfast Cookies (2 Pumpkin Spice, 2 Gingerbread)
• 12oz White Chocolate Chips
• 12oz Semisweet Chocolate Chips
• 2 tsp Barlean’s Seriously Delicious CBD Hemp Oil, Lemon Drop
• 2 packets Mushroom Cacao Mix with Reishi by Four Sigmatic

Directions:

1. Divide each Breakfast Cookie into three equal pieces and form each piece into a ball. Using a cake pop stick or a popsicle stick, stick one end into the cake pop ball.
2. Using a double boiler melt the white chocolate chips until the consistency is smooth. Once smooth, add in 2 tsp of Barlean’s Seriously Delicious CBD Hemp oil and continue stirring until well combined. * The CBD oil will make the chocolate seize a tiny bit but don’t worry it should spread on your cake pops just fine.
3. Using a spoon or a small spatula, “frost” your Breakfast cookie pops with a nice thick layer of chocolate.
4. Place on parchment paper, add any sprinkles or decorations and refrigerate until hard.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 with semisweet chocolate, adding 2 packets of Mushroom Cacao Mix on step 2.
6. Serve at Room Temperature

We hope you all enjoyed your New Year Celebrations and will devour these dessert ideas with added benefits as you stick with your resolutions!

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

You know the type… The one who stands on their chair at a restaurant to snap a picture of their avocado toast. The one who can discuss at length every texture, flavor and scent in their dish. The one who books a weekend away to explore new restaurants over anything else. We call them foodies and they are a special breed! They see that food is art and it’s a central part of their lives. We have a list of amazing products that is sure to delight each of their senses this holiday season.

1. Reusable Stasher Bags

These bags are the best thing since sliced bread, heck you can even use them to hold your sliced bread. They’re reusable to help you live green while still enjoying snack after snack. They’re easy to clean and can be frozen or heated! A truly versatile kitchen staple for any food lover.

2. Lady Yum Macarons

These decadent, bright and fun macarons are a little box of happy! I stop in every time I fly out from the Seattle airport, where they have a colorful and cheerful store. Whether it’s a treat for myself or a gift to bring back home, they always hit the spot. There are a huge variety in flavors available – Unicorn is the best but I haven’t had one that was less than amazing. Gift this Pacific Northwest treat for guaranteed smiles this holiday season.

3. Pique Tea

What’s better than food? – A delicious drink to go with it. These on-the-go tea satchels provide amazing flavor and convenience for anyone who wants the perfect pairing with their brunch or breakfast. They come in a variety of flavors and caffeine levels that are 100% organic and support gut health!

4. D'Olivo Infused Olive Oil

Help your foodie friend elevate any dish with a set of infused olive oils. Another Pacific Northwest company, D’Olivo sells a wide variety of infused and specialty balsamic and olive oils that are of the highest quality! There are multiple gift box options with 6 varieties. These tiny bottles will go a long way to flavor any salad, charcutier boards or pastas for your foodie.

5. Cookbook Table Stand from Williams Sonoma

Make cooking easier with this cookbook table stand. This simple but genius tool will help to keep your prep area uncluttered and keep flying food off your beloved cookbooks. This will also work with a tablet or phone to keep even digital instructions out of harm’s way.  For anyone who cooks regularly this is a must have.  

6. Burger Press from Williams Sonoma (Awesome for Veggie Burgers!)

Whether they feast on plant or animal protein, this burger press is a simple tool that will bring uniformity to their recipe – especially useful if you know a foodie who likes to photograph their dinner! Now creating photo ready burgers is effortless. This can be especially helpful with whole grain and plant-based burgers that tend to fall apart when assembled by hand.

7. Customized Cutting Board on Etsy

Let their pride in every dish come through while they chop away on their customized cutting board. Wood cutting boards are a great cutting surface and adding the personalization will tug at their heart strings! This is staple kitchen item with a little extra love.

8. Hu Chocolate

With a motto of “get back to human” Hu chocolates help us humans do what we do best – eat! Not only do they want us to eat but they want us eating quality nutrient dense foods that help us thrive! These chocolates help satisfy a sweet tooth but also don’t have any ingredients that will make you feel sluggish or guilty. You can gift a subscription, purchase a bundle, or just a bar or two - a great gift for a health-conscious foodie!

9. Icelandic Salt from Urta Islandica

Salt is an ingredient often overlooked by the average home chef but adding a specialty salt can take even simple dishes like salads and omelets to a whole other planet. These Urta salts are made in Iceland and come in a variety of flavors. Berry, Kelp & Garlic, and Iceland Moss flavored salts offer a tangy, earthy garnish for a variety of dishes. A little goes a long way with these, a great gift if you’re on a budget!

10. Quality Knife from Seisuke Knife

No kitchen is complete without at least one good quality knife. A knife that is sharp, comfortable to hold and made with attention to detail will never go unnoticed. If you’re feeling extra generous and want to gift something that will last longer than a snack, get them a knife from Seisuke Knife in Portland, OR. 

Those are our favorite gifts this year for your foodie friends, comment below if you have more ideas that any foodie would love!

Happy Holidays,

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

The month of October is upon us, and it’s time for pumpkins, witchy décor, and a whole lot of candy.

Halloween is the one holiday where we can all relax a bit, without the anxiety of Thanksgiving or the travel and plans of Christmas. Every year around this time I find myself picking up a cheap bag of fun-sized candy bars, maybe a tin of candy corn (I know, yuck) and just about any chocolate with a sale sticker on it. Stores set out their Halloween treats earlier and earlier, luring us in and encouraging us to stock up “while supplies last”. It looks like a good deal and trick-or-treaters always sneak up on you… so why not pick it up?

Here’s the catch: America’s favorite candy brands are often bad for us in ways we don’t even expect. The overuse of artificial flavorings and sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup can contribute to increasing childhood obesity rates¹, as well as heart problems and diabetes in adults and kids alike². Much of that candy is also produced in working conditions that would be illegal in the US, and Americans are projected to spend $2.6 billion on candy alone this Halloween^3,4. That’s enough to make anyone a little queasy.

Throughout my childhood my parents would read and hear about kids getting sick from candy, especially around Halloween. They worried endlessly over whether my sister and I were eating too much sugar, and even went so far as to limit McDonald’s visits to once a year. In order to keep our sugar intake lower, the four of us shared whatever my sister and I collected after trick-or-treating, as well as what my parents hadn’t managed to give away. The rule was that Mom and Dad could take whatever they were allowed to eat (Mom loves Almond Joy and Mounds, and Dad would take about half of the Mr. Goodbars) and then they would grab anything homemade or “suspicious” from our hoard, as well as the strange airplane peanuts we always seemed to get. That did, however, leave us with a ton of sugary sweets that we would hide in our closets and ration throughout the year.

As the issues with candy became more widely known, Halloween in my neighborhood started to change. We came home with less candy, and more toys or low-sugar treats, which meant more of our haul was going to Mom and Dad! It was fun to share, since I didn’t want a lot of the snacks my parents did, but it was even better to try and claim the healthy treats that we all wanted to eat! My parents could relax while we sorted through our stash, and they started to hand out healthier snacks as well.

If you’re anything like my parents, we have some options for you to make this Halloween better for yourself and for your neighborhood. The best part? You won’t have to feel guilty for sneaking these out of the trick-or-treat bowl!

Black Forest Organic Gummy Bears

These little pouches are a perfect handout for trick-or-treaters of all ages. Made with no artificial flavorings or preservatives, Black Forest uses real fruit and vegetable juices for color and taste. These gummy bears are sweetened with organic tapioca and cane sugar, with no high fructose corn-syrup. Plus, all of their gummies are gluten free! Check out on Amazon!

SmartSweets Candy Packs

Every single SmartSweets product has between 80-90 calories per serving! Developed by Whole Foods, these tasty treats are sweetened with Stevia and have just 3 grams of sugar per serving. They’re also non-GMO and gluten free! Check out on Amazon!

KIND Bar Minis  

It may seem a little strange, but as a kid one of my favorite houses in the neighborhood would hand out granola bars. KIND bars make low-glycemic mini bars and “snacks with ingredients that you can recognize, pronounce and enjoy”. Plus, you can join their Snack Club for 10% off! Check out on Amazon!

BEAR Fruit Yoyos

These fruit roll-ups are made with an entire cup of fresh fruit in each one. BEAR snacks have no added sugars or preservatives, and are made without concentrates by using the whole fruit, not just the juice. With four delicious flavors it’s hard to go wrong with these. Check out on Amazon!

Annie’s Bunny Fruit Snacks

Annie’s Fruit Snacks are a favorite in my family, and we’ve been eating them for years! Available at Target, online, and most health food stores and markets, these fruit snacks boast a delicious and natural recipe that Annie’s has been following since the beginning. No artificial flavorings, colors, or preservatives in these gummies. They’re even gluten free, organic, and vegan! Check out on Amazon!

Equal Exchange Organic Dark Chocolates

Chocolate is a must on Halloween, and these little dark chocolates pack quite the punch. At 55% cocoa, these treats are gluten-free and non-GMO, as well as fair trade kosher! Equal Exchange partners with 15 different farmer co-ops in South America to bring you chocolate that is as good for you as it is the environment. Check out on Amazon!

And of course, Erin Baker’s Breakfast Cookie Minis! 

Our Minis are the perfect bite-sized snack to hand out to your neighborhood trick-or-treaters this Halloween! All of our Minis are whole grain, primarily fruit-sweetened, and Non-GMO Project Verified. Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter, and Double Chocolate Minis are also vegan. With a special appearance of our Caramel Apple Minis!  Available this season only, they’re sure to be a hit.

From the crew at Erin Baker’s to you and yours, we hope you have a healthy Halloween!

Kyler Price
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

Sources:

1. USA Today - How much candy are you buying for Halloween?
2. Atkins - More dangers of high-fructose corn syrup 
3. Vox.com - All the candy that’s sold during Halloween week, in one massive pumpkin
4. Pumpkinpatchesandmore.org - 2018 Halloween Facts, Trends and Statistics: Spending, Costume Choices and More

After the pumpkins have been carved and the costumes have been selected, what other Halloween fun can be had?  If you need another Halloween activity to make more memories with your kids, or if you just want to “wow” your friends at the next Halloween bash then gather your ingredients and get ready for a delicious treat! Rice Krispie treats happen to be one of the easiest (and tastiest) recipes you can make and they’re also extremely versatile. You can mix in whatever you’d like and even create characters like ghosts, pumpkins, bats or Frankenstein’s. They are the perfect treat for the Halloween season.  

In true Erin Baker’s fashion, we opted for only the best ingredients around when making these rice krispie treats. As far as marshmallows go, you can’t beat Dandies corn-syrup free marshmallows - they are a great option if you want a quality marshmallow without any junk! If you prefer to make your marshmallows from scratch while avoiding corn syrup and additives, you can use this yummy Marshmallow fluff recipe from Attainable Sustainable. These adorable treats are ridiculously easy with only 3 ingredients: butter, marshmallows and puffed rice cereal. If you’re short on time, you can make this recipe even easier by using pre-made rice krispie treats. Since the recipe for the treats themselves is so simple and quick, I recommend making them on your own. Everything tastes better homemade.  

After you’ve decided which method to use and you’ve made your rice krispie treats it’s time to get them into shape. You will want to let the hot marshmallow/ cereal mixture to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before shaping your ghosts. Once they’ve cooled, use a pair of gloves and grab a handful of rice krispie treats. Squish and mold the rice krispie treats into a ghost shape. I went for a bell-shaped ghost, but you can get creative with whatever shape seems right to you! If you want your ghosts to appear to be floating, use cake pop sticks or popsicle sticks in the bottom of the ghosts and display them in mugs or vases. I found using the sticks made it easier to add chocolate and allow the ghosts to solidify.

Stick the Rice Krispie treats in the refrigerator to cool for about 10 minutes then use melted white chocolate to add a thin white coating to your ghosts. Use a small bowl and melt about ½ cup of white chocolate chips at a time for 1 minute. You may need to use a spoon to ensure an even application. As the chocolate is setting use a small sifter to sprinkle a light layer of powdered sugar over the ghosts. The white chocolate tends to have a little yellow tint and the powdered sugar really helps to make them look both white and floaty.

There are a few options for your ghost facial details. I really loved the look of eyes only, but you can also add a mouth to yours. Both look adorably spooky! You can use a small utensil like a popsicle stick to sketch on eyes or a mouth for the ghosts. You can also use solid chocolate chips, edible googley eyes, or black icing to get whatever look you’re trying to achieve. After decorating, place the ghosts in the refrigerator until solid. If you find that your ghosts treats are too large by the end you can add eyes to both sides and slice them down the middle to double your batch.

I had some extra marshmallows and rather than leave my ghosts lonely I used some of our Homestyle Double Chocolate Granola to make Granola Krispie Bats – oh boy am I glad I did this! The white chocolate ghosts are very sweet and having a chocolate option was the perfect compliment. These are a heartier treat great for any shape that just needs to be cut out with a cookie cutter. They would be a little more difficult to squish and shape into a 3D figure so if you want to use granola to make all of your rice krispie treats I’d recommend using half granola and half puffed rice cereal. Using Granola for Rice Krispie treats makes them more decadent and chewier than rice cereal but they also have added benefits like fiber and omega 3’s from the oat bran and flax seeds. You can get my favorite Double Chocolate Chunk Homestyle Granola online.

These Ghost Kripsie Treats would be a great tradition for your family to make every year; the right amount of fun, messy, simple and sweet!

Halloween Krispie Treats Recipes

White Chocolate Ghosts Krispies

Makes 16-20 ghosts

Ingredients:

• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 6 cups Marshmallows
• 6 Cups Rice Krispie Cereal
• 11 oz White Chocolate chips
• ½ cup Powdered Sugar
• ¼ cup Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a pan
2. Add marshmallows and mix until melted
3. Remove the mixture from heat
4. Pour Rice Krispie cereal into a large bowl and mix in the marshmallow mixture until well combined
5. Allow to cool 5 – 10 minutes
6. Using gloves, grab a handful of rice krispie treats and shape into bell like figure. Add popsicle sticks to the base of the treats if desired.
7. Cool the ghost shaped treats in the fridge for about 10 minutes
8. Microwave ½ cup of white chocolate chips at a time for 1 minute. Using a spoon cover the ghosts with a thin layer of white chocolate. Continue process until all ghosts are white.
9. Use a small sifter to cover the ghosts with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
10. Melt chocolate chips and use a small utensil to draw eyes and any other feature onto the ghosts.
11. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Double Chocolate Bat Krispies

Makes about 10 bats

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• 3 cups Marshmallows
• 3 cups Double Chocolate Homestyle Granola

Equipment:

• Bat cookie cutter

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a pan
2. Add marshmallows and chocolate chips and mix until melted
3. Remove from heat
4. Pour Granola in a large bowl and mix in chocolate/marshmallow mixture
5. Allow to cool
6. Spread on a baking sheet and set aside for 10 minutes to cool
7. Using a bat shaped cookie cutter, cut out 10 bats. Remove the bats from the pan and place in a separate container to cool in the fridge.

Have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

Fall is officially here! That means that it’s 100% acceptable to sneak pumpkin into every meal you make from now until February. Pumpkin coffee, soups, brownies, caramels, sandwiches, and whatever else you can dream of. What better way to kick things off than with this basic (but not so basic) Pumpkin Pie recipe? The only way to make a perfectly spiced, fresh-from-the-oven pumpkin pie better is to make a mini version! Making miniature versions of desserts can be a great way to reduce snacking during baking season. You know, that 12-month never ending baking season. You can make a double batch and keep them frozen until you’re ready for a treat. Simply heat them up in the microwave or toaster oven when you’re ready to feel all the fall feels.

There’s not much to pumpkin pie which is part of what makes it oh-so-yummy! Since it’s so simple I opted for making my own filling and all it took was a few ingredients and a few spices. You can also purchase a pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice blend or pre-made filling if you don’t have all of these ingredients on hand. For this recipe, we used coconut milk making it a dairy-free pumpkin pie! Did you know most pumpkin pie recipes contain milk? This whole pie flavor packed since I ditched the traditional wheat crust and used my favorite Maple Pecan Homestyle Granola as the crust.

Why use granola as a pie crust? Granola is already baked, and sweetened and has most of the oil and all the flavor you would want out of a pie crust. It’s a great way to cut down your prep time and simplify baking your favorite treats, who doesn’t love a baking shortcut? 

A tip when making the crust – the more you process the granola in your food processor the easier it will be to manipulate in your pie tin!

Mini Pumpkin Pies with Granola Crust

Ingredients

Makes 24 Mini Pumpkin Pies

Crust

• 3 cups (1 Bag) Erin Baker’s Homestyle Granola Maple Pecan
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 2 tbsp Almond Butter

Filling

• 1 (15oz) Can Pumpkin Puree
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• ¼ cup Coconut Milk
• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
• ½ tsp Ginger
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Cloves
• 1 Egg

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325° F
2. Grease a mini muffin pan
3. Using a food processor, grind your granola until you have a consistent, grainy texture. (You do not want a fine/ floury texture.)
4. Add in the coconut oil and almond butter and process until well combined. Set aside.
5. To make the filling add the brown sugar, egg, milk, pumpkin puree, spices and vanilla to a food processor and mix until well combined.
6. Form your granola crust cups using your fingers to fill your mini muffin pan with a small amount of crust. Make sure you do not have any holes on the bottom or sides of the pan.
7. Optional Freeze your granola cups for 30 minutes and re-shape if needed, this can help prevent the mixture from becoming too thick at the base of the tray.
8. Add about 1 tbsp of pumpkin pie filling to each granola cup. I found that using a cookie scoop was the best method, but a spoon will work just fine. You can add toppings like chopped pecans or mini marshmallows before baking.
9. Bake your Mini Pumpkin Pies for 8-10 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

These muffins will rock your world. I mean come on, who doesn’t want to fill their home with pumpkin spice goodness? 

Although I have lots of muffin recipes, this one is by far one of my favorites. What makes it better than the rest? This recipe includes an outstanding crumb topping featuring Erin Baker's Limited Edition Breakfast Cookie Fall Flavor, Pumpkin Spice. 

I experimented for about two weeks to make this healthier, delicious, and dairy free; making it a safe muffin recipe for the whole family to enjoy. And if you have little ones, these muffins are 100% kid-friendly. Enjoy them on your ride to work or with your little on a slow Sunday morning. Last but not least, enjoy, share with friends, and happy baking!

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread Muffins

Crumb Topping Ingredients

• 2/3 cup whole wheat/almond flour
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar 
• 4 tbsp vegan butter, melted
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 @erinbakers pumpkin spice breakfast cookie 

Topping Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients
2. Distribute evenly on top of muffins

Muffin Ingredients

• 2-3 ripe bananas
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat/ almond flour 
• 2 tbsp butter, melted

Muffin Instructions 

1. Grease a muffin pan (or line with paper muffin liners) + preheat oven to 350°F
2. Mash bananas in a mixing bowl; add: egg, vanilla, brown sugar, coconut sugar, cinnamon + stir well to combine
3. In a separate small bowl; stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt
4. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir, just to combine.
5. Gently stir in melted butter; **Don't over-mix the batter**
6. Spoon the batter into muffin pan and bake for 18-25 minutes.

Notes:

• To freeze: Allow muffins to cool completely; store them in a freezer-safe ziplock bag or tupperware
• Make it Vegan:

• Swap butter for coconut oil
• Swap milk for a plant based milk
• Swap eggs for 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax meal & 5 tbsp water)

We hope you enjoyed this guest recipe by Eva from Finding My Balance

You can find more delicious food posts on her Instagram page @Healthfullybalanced

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Oats, it’s what’s for breakfast! Is there any other healthy breakfast option that keeps you full and satisfies your taste buds as much as oats do? Whether it’s creamy overnight oats, your classic bowl of oatmeal with fruit, or your favorite granola bar; oats are arguably the best breakfast food worldwide. Not to mention most oat-based meals can be made in a snap. We’re talking under 5 minutes to a piping hot breakfast of deliciousness! So essentially, oats make healthy eating both easier and tastier, who wouldn’t want that?

These perfect weekend waffles are no different and only take about 15 minutes to make from start to finish. The only equipment needed is a blender (or food processor) and a waffle iron. Blender recipes are a real treat on the weekends, just blend and pour and get back to your day. While most standard waffle recipes are made with flour, we opted for our favorite grain and made them with oats. Shockingly, I did not notice a difference compared to a standard waffle recipe! The texture is light and slightly crunchy, the flavor is subtle and perfect for any combination of toppings. Using oats in the place of wheat flour is a great hack for anyone who eats a gluten free diet since oats are a naturally gluten free food.

Oats come in many varieties; if you ever ate those instant oatmeal packets growing up then you’re familiar with quick oats, home chefs often reach for thick oats, and then there’s the chewier steel cut oats. There’s even milk made of oats! These different varieties offer a different texture and serve a different purpose in recipes but don’t vary much in nutritional content. For this recipe we used thick oats and would recommend them for the best results. If you try it with quick oats let us know how they turn out!

There’s way more to oats than creating delicious and filling meals. Did you know that oats are a prebiotic food? You may have heard about how beneficial probiotics can be for your gut health, but prebiotics are an important part of a healthy gut too! Prebiotics are a type of fiber present in foods like fruit, vegetables and grains like oats.¹ This fiber is what feeds the probiotics in your gut and can help aid in healthy digestion. Oats also deliver a hearty dose of vitamins and minerals essential for a healthy body. From manganese and phosphorus to vitamin B1 and iron it's easy to see why oats are seen as a perfect breakfast option all over the world.

When making these waffles you’ll see that the first step is to blend the egg whites by themselves. This step is not necessary but does result in a lighter, crispier waffle. If you don’t eat eggs, or if you follow a vegan diet you can make a few small adjustments to the recipe:

1. Make a flax egg using flax seeds and water to replace the eggs
2. Use coconut oil instead of butter
3. Swap the milk for your favorite non-dairy milk

These will turn out lighter and crispier than the version with dairy and eggs because there will be less fat in the waffles. You can still add your Homestyle Granola on top because Vanilla Almond Quinoa Homestyle Granola is vegan friendly. Granola on top of waffles is a game changer!

Blended Oat Gluten Free Waffles

Makes: 4 waffles

Ingredients

• 2 cups of oats
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 ¾ cup milk (whole or 2%)
• ½ tsp vanilla

• Swap butter for coconut oil
• Swap milk for a plant based milk
• Swap eggs for 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax meal & 5 tbsp water)

Directions

1. Separate your egg yolks and add egg whites to the blender. Blend for 2 minutes on high.
2. Add yolks, milk, vanilla, brown sugar and butter then blend until combined.
3. Add dry ingredients to blender. Blend until combined.
4. Pour batter into pre-heated waffle iron.

Check out our favorite recipes where oats are the star of the bowl:

Mushroom & Asparagus Oat Risotto Recipe

Quick & Easy Overnight Oats Recipe

Vegan Sriracha Oat Burgers Recipe

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

References:

1. Medical News Today - What is the difference between prebiotics and probiotics?

The transition between summer and fall can be difficult. From colder temperatures to less daylight, autumn demands our cooperation and preparedness. Sure you’re probably excited for the annual debut of Pumpkin Spice products, but that’s only a small fraction of fall necessities. We scoured the internet to provide you with a mostly comprehensive list of everything you will need for a fabulous fall season this year.

Fall Essentials to Keep Your Skin Healthy

Lip Balm - Once the colder temperatures move in, you’re going to need a way to protect your lips from drying out and cracking. Burt’s Bees is made without parabens, phthalates, petrolatum, or SLS. Moisturizing your lips with beeswax is a natural way to hydrate and soothe. Combine the great ingredients with the ultimate fall flavor, pumpkin spice, for a festive way to provide your lips with the care that they need.

Moisturizer - When the seasons change it tends to dry out your skin. A good moisturizer is the best way to prevent dry skin because it acts as a temporary barrier and holds water in the outermost layer of skin. Saturday Skin Moisturizer is special because it uses avocado protein extract to protect and hydrate. It is dermatologist tested and doesn’t include parabens, sulfates, or synthetic fragrance/color.

Face Mask - It’s hard to create a list without including Erin’s favorite ingredient…oats! Lush is a great company to purchase from because they value ethical sourcing of ingredients, fight animal testing, and hand make all of their products. The oatifix face mask utilizes finely ground oatmeal and fresh organic bananas to create a product that soothes dry skin and locks in moisture. Just leave the face mask on for 15 minutes to reveal a fresh glow.

Fall Fashion

Vests - A puffer vest is the quintessential fall clothing favorite. Autumn brings colder temperatures, but it often doesn’t get cold enough for a full-fledged winter jacket. By wearing a down vest you will be able to keep your core warm while your arms can maintain their mobility. The box baffle design creates three dimensional cubes that are sewn into the vest to prevent the filling from falling to the bottom. Besides providing warmth, the best feature of this vest is that it can be folded down to fit inside of a small bag.

Fall Shoes - Booties are a great choice for women’s fall footwear because they can be used for both casual and formal occasions. Their versatility complements nearly any outfit which means you’re going to get your money’s worth out of this purchase. Toms is a great company to purchase shoes from because they’re committed to the “one for one” philosophy by donating a pair to a child in need.

Hats - Sure it might not be as sunny as it was during the summer, but owning a wide brim hat has more perks than protecting you from harmful UV rays. They are an eternally classic accessory that has been in style for decades. Not only are they beneficial for bad hair days but also adding sophistication to most clothing ensembles. This hat in particular has a flirty, playful brim and is made of 100% wool.

Warm Dresses - Sweater dresses are another excellent staple of fall fashion. Slip one on for nearly effortless sophistication; furthermore, add a belt and booties to your outfit for an even more stylish look. By choosing the right cut and length that works best for your body type, you can become a fashionista wearing clothes that are both trendy and comfortable.

Books to Cozy Up To

Howl's Moving Castle - Sure you might have seen the movie rendition of this novel, but nothing compares to the beautiful imagery and imagination found in the paper version of Howl’s Moving Castle. After encountering the Witch of the Waste, protagonist Sophie is put under a spell that transforms her into an old woman. Her only hope for recovery lays in a mysterious moving castle whose master, Howl, is a force to be reckoned with. Through time and unlikely friendships Sophie learns about love, magic, and the battle between good and evil.

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Start those Halloween vibes early with this phantasmagoric novel. When Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show comes to a small Illinois town, two boys’ lives change forever from this experience. The funhouse atmosphere quickly transforms into a living nightmare. Something Wicked This Way Comes isn’t your stereotypical coming of age story. This book comments on the theme of aging from the consciousness of both the young and old, but most importantly the plot is a magical wild ride.

Wild - Stories about spending time in nature are some of my favorites, especially when an independent woman is the protagonist. Wild follows Cheryl through thousands of miles while walking the Pacific Crest Trail. Once again you may have seen the movie portrayal of this novel, but I can guarantee that the book is much better in the novel because you get a glimpse into her psyche along the journey. The author beautifully blends humor and suspense while giving readers insight into the human condition.

Travels with Charley in Search of America - Travels with Charley has a similar premise as Wild; however, Steinbeck’s novel covers more ground both physically and figuratively. While traveling across the country with his furry companion, Steinbeck provides a vivid account of the ideologies found within the American landscape. Charley serves not only as a travel buddy but also as a diplomat between strangers whom the author refers to as a “mind-reading dog”. On his coast to coast journey there are many intriguing observations and important values learned along the way.

The best way to welcome a new season is to fully embrace what makes that time of year special. For autumn that means cozy sweaters and pumpkin spice products (and if it’s Pumpkin Spice you seek – be sure to check out our delicious Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies!). Once you have your clothing and beauty products selected, you will be able to admire just how beautiful the changing seasons can be. Personally, I enjoy going on a hike in a forest to admire the leaves changing color. No matter what activity you decide upon, you’re going to be stylish and prepared for a beautiful time of year.

Alex Stoffel
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

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Photo Credit: @meditatewiththeweight

Creating a game plan for back to school is crucial for a smooth transition   ̶  both parents and children can benefit from having a strategy for this busy time. After gathering all the necessary school supplies and reeling in bedtime, now is the time to answer the dreaded question… “What’s for dinner?” Sure you might have a few recipes that are crowd-pleasers, but sometimes it’s difficult to find time for the preparation. Today is the perfect time to learn about planning out weekly meals in advance to decrease stress levels and promote family bonding over a delicious dinner.

Weekly Dinner Plan

When you’re new to the meal prep game it’s best to initially focus on one meal a day. Since dinnertime usually includes all members of the family, this will most likely be the best choice to prepare ingredients for in advance. The foundation for a nutritious and balanced meal includes protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. Most nutritionists suggest using lean protein such as chicken and fish because they have less calories and fat content than red meat. When choosing carbs consider whole grains such as quinoa or brown rice; however, potatoes are another versatile option. When fresh vegetables aren’t an option, you can save some prep time by buying frozen veggies that can be microwaved in the bag. After you have the essentials, creating different flavors is a breeze by simply adding various spices and sauces. The best part about weekly meal prep is that by buying in bulk (especially the meat) you can save a considerable amount of money.

In order to keep your meal prep on track, I highly recommend creating a weekly meal planner worksheet. Make a row for each day of the week and write down what you will be eating for dinner that day. After comprising your weekly meal plan, transcribe ingredients you will need to purchase onto a grocery shopping list. This process will ensure that you have enough food for the week and hopefully deter you from impulse buys. Also consider using similar ingredients for different recipes to stretch your dollars even further.

Although it might seem counter intuitive, choosing a specific day and time to prepare your food for the week will drastically reduce the amount of stress associated with cooking dinner from scratch every night. By dedicating a few hours on the weekend to cooking and portioning your protein and carbs, the amount of time it takes to put together a meal throughout the week becomes considerably downsized. Utilize this guide from the FDA to determine how long specific items will last in the refrigerator/freezer. If you don’t already own an instant pot, then now is the perfect time to purchase one because this device makes food prep a breeze.

Freezer Meals

Freezer meals are one of the best ways to have delicious meals for your family every night without feeling exhausted from the preparation. This technique is cost effective and asserts dominance over the chaotic dinnertime scramble. Once you have an arsenal of family dinner favorites, consider doubling the recipe and freezing for future use. The only necessary supplies are going to be the containers that you place the food inside of. I would suggest using either gallon sized freezer bags, aluminum foil pans, or glass baking dishes (if you have a few to spare for freezer use). If you use foil pans it will reduce the amount of time spent doing dishes which is a perk if your short on time. It is best to label the containers before you fill them to ensure legible handwriting. Label each container with the recipe name, date it was made, and reheating instructions.

Photo Credit: @thebudgetingmaven

2 key tips for freezer meals: 1) leave room for liquid to expand and 2) avoid freezer burn by getting all of the air out. When you’re ready to eat a freezer meal, simply use an instant pot or oven to reheat.

Foods that don’t freeze well:

• Fried foods
• Fruit & vegetables with high water content (i.e. cucumber, lettuce, melon)
• Recipes with mayo or yogurt

Packing Lunches

Promote autonomy in your child by allowing them to build their own lunch to bring to school. By devoting some time on the weekend to prepare the sides and entrees, your child will be able to go into the refrigerator and grab food from labeled bins. For sides consider using fresh fruit and vegetables. Good options for entrees include pinwheel sandwiches, pasta salad, or pita pockets. Referring to it as “build your own lunchable” transforms this daily chore into a fun activity. Since you’ve already given the ingredients a parent’s approval, you can rest easy knowing anything they choose aligns with your food philosophy. Make their day extra special by including a handwritten note with words of encouragement or appreciation!

Mason jar salads are a great option for adults that bring lunch to work. These salads are trendy, nutritious, and customizable. You can even put the dressing inside the container with the correct layering! To create your mason jar salads use the following method, layering from bottom to top:

*bottom*

1. Dressing
2. Hard chopped veggies
3. Bean/grain/pasta
4. Cheese & protein
5. Soft produce
6. Nuts/seeds
7. Salad

*top*

I recommend using wide-mouth canning jars to ensure ingredients don’t get stuck in the opening when you’re ready to eat. Mason jar salads should last up to 5 days refrigerated, so you can prepare a week’s worth of lunches all at once. Be sure to have tight fitting lids to ensure freshness of the ingredients. When you’re ready to eat your mason jar salad, simply open the lid and pour into a bowl. Besides preventing soggy lettuce, the salad building technique mentioned above will help coat your entire salad with dressing. The best part about this type of lunch is that once you know the order in which to build your salad, its composition is nearly endless - which means no more boring lunches!

Weekly meal prep is an efficient and cost effective way to produce delicious meals for the whole family on a budget. When you’re first starting it’s easy to get overwhelmed, so start small and build up from there. After determining which meals and prep days work best for you, this method will decrease the amount of stress you feel over deciding what to eat every day. Because let’s be honest, we can all benefit from having weekly meals planned to give us time for the more important things in life.

Alex Stoffel
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

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What’s better – ice cream or cookies? You’re right, they’re both better! We’ve combined the two for some wholesome summertime goodness with our Breakfast Cookie Minis. Breakfast Cookies are made with whole grain oats and the main sweetener is prune puree! That means they’re sweet enough to satisfy cravings but filling enough to stop you from eating the whole batch. They’re also adorable and the perfect size for everyone to enjoy. The best part is these little ice cream sandwiches can be thrown together with very little effort.

Making your own ice cream sandwiches instead of purchasing pre-made means you get more say in the ingredients you include. Aside from choosing a yummy and healthy cookie you can also add nuts, sprinkles, chocolate and any flavor of ice cream that your heart desires. We added even more wholesome goodness to these little morsels with banana slices. They are delicious with the Peanut Butter and Double Chocolate Minis too! These will quickly become the easiest treat you’ve ever made. Just unwrap, assemble and enjoy! If you’re avoiding dairy you can use a non-dairy ice cream as a substitute! The Breakfast Cookie Minis in our Sample Pack are all vegan friendly.

To have the best experience assembling these cookie sandwiches you’ll want about a pint of ice cream and 20 Breakfast Cookie Minis to make 10 sandwiches. To get the right amount of ice cream on each cookie I recommend you use a cookie cutter that is slightly smaller than the cookie itself. After spreading my ice cream on a baking sheet (and adding some bananas on top) I stuck it in the freezer for about 3 hours to firm up. Once it was frozen solid, I used the cookie cutter to get the perfect circle of ice cream onto each Mini. I love this method because scooping ice cream into sandwiches can be a real battle if your ice cream gets too soft or if you’re forced to press your cookies together too much. This way the ice cream is an even layer, the Minis stay intact, and everything comes together beautifully.

It’s tough to find a treat that’s delicious and satisfying enough that you can just eat one, but we’ve found it in these Ice Cream Sandwiches with Minis. Be sure to get them back in the freezer for at least 2 hours before enjoying!

Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches with Breakfast Cookie Minis

Ingredients:

• 20 Breakfast Cookie Minis
• 1 pint Ice Cream
• Preferred Mix Ins (Recommended: Banana Slices)

Directions:

1. Unwrap all Breakfast Cookie Minis and place on a plate then put in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
2. Empty 1 pint of ice cream into a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy consistency.
3. Spread smooth ice cream onto a parchment lined baking dish about ¼ to ½ inch thick. Add any mix ins now such as banana slices, chocolate chips, or nuts to the top layer of ice cream. Let it freeze 3 + hours.
4. Remove both the Breakfast Cookie Minis and the sheet of ice cream from the freezer. Using a cookie cutter slightly smaller than the cookies, cut circles of ice cream and use a butter knife to ease the ice cream circles from the tray.
5. Place ice cream circles between two Breakfast Cookie Minis. Repeat until all sandwiches are made.
6. Freeze for at least 2 hours then enjoy. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's

Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard to drink the proper amount of water each day. Whether it’s a craving for caffeine or a stubborn sweet tooth, water just isn’t the standout beverage choice. According to Harvard Medical School, an average adult needs 30-50 ounces of water per day.₁ If you live more of an active lifestyle (especially outdoors), the American College of Sports Medicine suggests consuming 16-20 ounces of fluid one to two hours prior, 6-12 ounces of fluid every ten to fifteen minutes during, and 16-24 ounces post workout to avoid dehydration.₂ Proper hydration is essential to regulating temperature and maintaining bodily functions in nearly every aspect of your body including cells, organs, and tissues.₃ By drinking water regularly throughout the day you can replace the water that is lost through breathing, sweating, and digestion. It’s all about making the conscious decision to drink more water.

By adding various fruits and herbs into your glass of water, you can liven up this beverage to suit your unique taste buds. Fruit is an excellent way to naturally sweeten and flavor your water; additionally, the essential nutrients found in your fruit choice will permeate the water for added health benefits. Examples of further restorative properties include antioxidants, boosted metabolism, aid in bloating, and relaxation.₄ If you notice a deficit in your personal health, consider choosing a type of fruit that will target your ailment. The possibilities are nearly endless!

Herbs have been used for their medicinal properties for hundreds of years; even some conventional drugs (i.e. aspirin) are derived from plant-based sources. Besides being used as an alternative approach to medicine, herbs are an awesome way to flavor your drinks with health-boosting phytochemicals instead of sugar. In laboratory settings, plant extracts have been shown to have, among others, anti-inflammatory, vasodilatory, antimicrobial, anticonvulsant, sedative, and antipyretic effects.₅ Herbs are beneficial to any recipe because they add flavor without contributing calories. There are so many varieties of herbs, it’s just a matter of finding out which flavor combinations your palate prefers.

Raspberry, Lime, & Mint Infused Water

Mint is one of the most refreshing herbs which makes it a great addition to your water. Beyond its obvious attributes mint also relieves congestion, facilitates digestion, prevents memory loss, and “helps stimulate the digestive enzymes that absorb nutrients from food and consume fat and turn it into usable energy.”₆ In order to help lightly sweeten this infused water we added raspberries which are full of health-promoting antioxidants. Limes are a fabulous addition to infused water because they are both sweet and sour. The raspberry, lime, and mint combination is the ultimate way to feel refreshed this summer.

Grapefruit & Rosemary Infused Water

There’s nothing quite like the taste of a grapefruit; the combination of sweet and sour blends perfectly to excite your senses. Grapefruits are a splendid source of Vitamin C which helps fortify your immune system. “Phytonutrients in grapefruit called limonoids inhibit tumor formation by promoting the formation of glutathione-S-transferase, a detoxifying enzyme. This enzyme sparks a reaction in the liver that helps to make toxic compounds more water soluble for excretion from the body. Pulp of citrus fruits like grapefruit contain glucarates, compounds that may help prevent breast cancer.”₇ The pectin (soluble fiber) found in grapefruit has been known to help lower cholesterol. Grapefruit is truly a remarkable fruit that can positively impact your health. “Rosemary has numerous health benefits like stimulating the nervous system, improving memory, relieving muscle pain, aiding in digestion, and eliminating circulatory problems, rheumatism, spasms, neuralgia, pain, eczema, wounds, and depression.”₈ Numerous studies have concluded that rosemary improves memory and cognitive processes.

Strawberry & Basil Infused Water

Did you know that there are 35 different types of basil? How about the fact that basil comes from the same plant family as mint and rosemary? There are many uses for this herb besides making pesto. Consider adding basil to your infused water for its ability to strengthen your immune system. “Basil contains two important water-soluble flavonoid antioxidants, known as orientin and viceninare, which help protect white blood cells responsible for immune function, as well as cellular structures where DNA is stored.”₉ Other notable health benefits of basil include helping lower inflammation, acting as an antibacterial/antimicrobial, and combating stress by serving as a natural adaptogen. Strawberries are jam packed with antioxidants that improve the function of nearly every part of the body. Vitamin C plays the most significant role in strawberries with 149% of your daily requirement working to boost your immune system.₁₀

It doesn’t matter which recipe you choose; the most important aspect of infused water is to invigorate the flavor of your beverage for optimum hydration. Once you transform your water into something that tantalizes your taste buds, staying on track with the recommended daily amount will become much easier. Keep in mind that like any new habit the change will be more difficult at first, but after a little while it will be a task that you do subconsciously. Happy hydrating!

Alex Stoffel
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

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References:

1. Harvard Health - The Importance of Staying Hydrated 
2. Cleveland Clinic - Dehydration
3. Everyday Health - The Health Benefits of Water
4. UPMC - Benefit Your Health with Infused Water
5. NCBI - Herbal Medicine
6. Organic Facts - 13 Impressive Benefits of Mint Leaves
7. The World's Healthiest Foods - Grapefruit
8. Organic Facts - Herbs & Spices
9. Dr. Axe - 12 Benefits of Basil + Recipe Ideas
10. Organic Facts - 18 Nutritional Benefits of Strawberries

During summer months I spend more time outside playing in the sun and less time in the kitchen which means easy meals are necessary to keep health a priority. I have a handful of recipes I like to come back to week after week and this easy Caesar Salad is one of my favorites! Erin usually makes her own salad dressings at the office and always encourages us to do the same. Why? Because it’s so simple to make and it helps you avoid any funny ingredients lurking in store-bought dressings. I typically go for balsamic or citrus dressing but sometimes all you want is something classic and creamy. If you like creamy dressings such as thousand island, ranch or caesar you will love this Vegan Caesar Dressing. Did you know that caesar dressing usually has anchovies in it? While I’m not opposed to eating fish there was no way I was putting it in my blender to make this dressing. After ditching the anchovies and making a few other tweaks I landed on a perfect vegan friendly dupe for everyone’s favorite dressing.

Caesar gets most of its flavor from anchovies, capers, garlic, lemon and parmesan. It’s acidic and creamy with a unique flavor you can’t quite put your finger on. In this vegan version I kept the capers because they’re the perfect combination of salty and vinegary. The addition of cashews and nutritional yeast give the dressing a nutty, cheesy, deliciously creamy texture. Cashews are a popular non-dairy alternative because of their neutral flavor and buttery texture. Soaking the cashews for 24 hours before use will give you a creamier texture but it’s not necessary for this recipe. You can always make adjustments and find your personal preference with homemade dressings. I enjoy this recipe with 4 cloves of garlic or more, but you might prefer only 2 to avoid post-dinner garlic breath.  Some may prefer more nutritional yeast and less mustard. The beauty of making your own dressing is that it will taste however you want it to. You’ll notice the only step to make the dressing is to load up your blender and press “go”.  You can chop your veggies, blend the dressing and get back outside to enjoy the sun in no time.

I’m a firm believer that every ingredient in a salad is important, not just the dressing. Every ingredient can make a big impact on how satisfying a salad is and that includes which greens you include. Do you cringe at the sight of kale? Often people don’t like kale because it can take a lot of effort to chew compared to other lettuces like Romaine. Especially if you don’t eat a lot of salads or raw vegetables, this can be a real turnoff when exploring new vegetables. Kale is more fibrous than other greens and that’s why its leaves are tougher to chew. To combat this you can slice your kale thinly and massage it before adding the rest of your salad ingredients. Or skip the kale and add something else that you like! Raw cabbage, shaved brussel sprouts and broccoli slaw are fun ways to add more crunch and versatility to your everyday salads. By switching up basic ingredients you can avoid getting bored of meals that you make frequently. 

If you decide to use kale simply place the sliced kale in a bowl, drizzle on about 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Use your hands to massage the oil into the leaves. The texture will be easier to chew and more enjoyable to eat. If you prefer not to use any oil in your salad dressing you are welcome to replace it with more water. The recipe makes enough dressing for two of these salads depending on how much dressing you like to use! You will get 2 large servings from this recipe or, if you’re having it as a side dish, it can serve 4-6.

A classic Caesar salad topped with parmesan, croutons and dressing just wouldn’t do here. I decided to jazz it up with some red onions and cherry tomatoes! You can’t go wrong with onions and tomatoes on a salad. Be adventurous, more toppings mean more opportunity for nutrition and flavor. Where you normally find croutons you’ll see I added some Sea Salt Sprouted Snacks. They are beyond perfect on salads! Instead of your standard crouton which is usually made with bread and spices, Sprouted Snacks are made with oats, cashews, almonds and a mix of sprouted seeds. They’re naturally gluten free and low in sugar which means I’m getting more from my toppings while still getting that crunch I crave! A full 5 oz bag of Sea Salt Blue Bike Sprouted Snacks will be plenty for this recipe.

What toppings do you usually put on your salads? Let us know in the comments.

Crunchy Caesar Salad Recipe with DIY Vegan Dressing

Vegan Caesar Dressing

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp. Water
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ C Raw Cashews
• 2-4 Garlic Cloves
• 2 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
• 2 tbsp. Oil (or water)
• ¼ tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp Capers
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• Juice of 1 large lemon

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days

Crunchy Caesar Salad with Sea Salt Sprouted Snacks

Ingredients

• 5 oz. thinly sliced Kale
• 1 head of Romaine Lettuce
• ½ Red Onion
• 6-8 Cherry Tomatoes
• Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• Pinch of Sea salt
• 1 C Sea Salt Sprouted Snacks

Directions

1. Remove stems, slice your kale and add to a large bowl.
2. Drizzle 1 tsp Olive Oil and pinch of salt over the kale and massage with your hands.
3. Chop romaine lettuce into bite sized pieces, combine with kale.
4. Thinly slice red onions and cut cherry tomatoes in half and add to salad.
5. Top salad with Vegan Caesar Dressing, Sea Salt Sprouted Snacks and lemon juice.

Symone Maruyama
Customer Experience Coordinator | Erin Baker's



Even though it might be hard to believe that school is just around the corner, don’t let denial delay your preparation for the upcoming school year. It’s time to wrangle in the carefree and unstructured whimsy of summertime to equip your children with the timetable and supplies necessary for academic success. If you gradually start adjusting the flow of your child’s day, then the change will seem less drastic and most likely make it easier for them to adjust. There is an abundance of apps and insider tips to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Routine

The most important aspect of getting your children back into the school routine is to give them the tools to be self-sufficient. Even if your little one is just starting school, create easy tasks they can accomplish with little supervision. This autonomy will somewhat lighten the load off of your shoulders, but more notably these chores will boost their self-confidence and teach them positive habits that can last a lifetime.

Photo Credit - Amys OT for Kids

Organizational App

It can be difficult to remember everyone’s schedule, due dates for assignments, and various appointments. Look no further than the Cozi Family Organizer app to drastically reduce the amount of stress from trying to balance the lives of each family member. This free app allows you to create a family calendar, to do lists, shopping lists, and family journal. Cozi also has the capability of sharing calendars between devices, receiving reminders, and the ability to sign into your account from any device. If you want help with planning meals, the Recipe Box and Dinner Planner add-on is perfect for saving recipes, adding ingredients to your grocery list, and creating a weekly meal plan.

Create a Command Center

Another great way to improve family organization is by creating a command center (aka launch pad) near the entryway in your home. This space will serve as a designated space for backpacks, papers, keys, calendar, and any other items you want to grab quickly while heading out the door. After choosing the best place in your home for the family command center, evaluate your needs to help determine what type of furniture and hardware you will need for this project. I suggest creating a section for each child to hang their backpack and store school papers. Once your command center is set up, you will need to train each family member on how to use this new feature of your home. Make it a habit to always put items in their specific spot within the command center for optimum organization. The best part about creating a family command center is the ability to have everything you need in one spot to run out the door in the morning if necessary.

Chore Chart

A family command center will definitely help ease the chaos of your mornings, but establishing a precise morning routine is crucial to starting the day off without stress. Your best bet to an easygoing first part of the day is going to be involving all family members in the process. Each person should be given simple, well-defined, easy steps to follow with clear expectations; furthermore, provide praise when tasks are done correctly to boost self-esteem and encourage the development of positive habits. Utilizing a chore chart guars that everyone contributes to help keep things running smoothly. Create a separate chart for each individual by listing each chore, day of the week, and the reward for completing each task. Depending on what motivates your child, consider using extra screen time or food items instead of money for compensation.

Meal Planning

Speaking of tools that assist in smooth sailing, I highly recommend planning your meals for the week in advance. As mentioned above, the Cozi Family Organizer app is an excellent way to archive various aspects of family life especially when it comes to food. Simply find a recipe, add ingredients to your grocery list, and create the week’s meal plan. If you’re looking for the most cost-efficient way to feed your clan, then I suggest signing up for the $5 Meal Plan. This meal planning service was created by a mother of five boys, so you know this information is based off experience with many hungry children. This service emails you a meal plan and complete shopping list (coded by meal #) every week. Each recipe costs around $5 to prepare and there’s a gluten-free plan option. After a free 14 day trail, the $5 Meal Plan costs only $5 per month. If you’d rather have freedom while choosing what types of meals to eat, then check out Yummly for over 2 million recipes. After selecting a recipe, you can schedule the exact time you would like to eat and it will be added to your calendar. Yummly will also create a smart shopping list that even lists the aisle numbers for each ingredient. If you don’t want to go grocery shopping, then use the app to schedule a delivery from Instacart. There are several meal delivery services which are great for drastically reducing the time it takes to shop for and prepare a meal, but you’ll most likely have to pay more for the convenience.

Photo Credit - Amys OT for Kids

Ease into New Routine

The biggest adjustment to school time is adjusting a child’s sleep schedule. Days of staying out past nightfall are behind them because now is the time to be proactive in preparing young minds to be ready for early mornings. I would highly suggest gradually reeling in bedtime two weeks before school starts by having lights out 10 minutes earlier each day. Adjust both bedtime and wake up time to help ease this transition. Numerous studies have shown that sleep loss for kids can negatively impact their performance in school and physical/mental health. By slowly changing their sleep schedule, your little ones will hopefully feel less shock and fatigue over early mornings.

Supplies

When shopping for school supplies, amplify your impact by choosing businesses that donate to those in need. In order to guarantee that nothing gets left out it’s best to have a list of everything that your kids will need for the upcoming school year. Reduce the amount of waste by reusing supplies when possible and try to choose companies that value sustainability. Let each child choose their own folders and notebooks to encourage them to express their individuality.

Photo Credit - Amys OT for Kids

Erin Baker’s Breakfast Cookie Minis

We of course had to start this list with Breakfast Cookie Minis – however, they’re not just for breakfast, throw them in your bag for whenever hunger strikes! You won't find artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, or preservatives in any of the food we bake, ever. Kids love these nutritious cookies while parents enjoy our food philosophy and knowing every purchase helps feed kids in need. Our goal is to feed 1 million kids at The Boys & Girls Clubs with Breakfast Cookie Minis, and we’ll keep on going after that! Plus you can save yourself a trip to the store by ordering direct online! Learn more about our Help Feed 1 Million Kids Program at www.hf1mk.com

Yoobi

If you’re looking for ways that your student can express themselves, then I strongly recommend purchasing school supplies from Yoobi. From pens to notebooks, Yoobi creates whimsical designs that are almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Basing their business off an excellent business model, Yoobi’s philosophy “one for you, one for me” donates a school supply item to a classroom in need within the United States. Their products can be found on their website Yoobi.com, at Target, or purchase online on Amazon. With over 62 million school supplies donated, Yoobi is a marvelous place to start your back to school shopping. Check out more info on Yoobi in this video.

Sydney Paige

These playful backpacks were created to serve multiple purposes. Sydney Paige honed in on the essential components to construct a backpack that is both adorable and functional. The stunning quality of Sydney Paige backpacks are complemented by the company’s dedication to “buy one, give one”. When you buy a backpack, Sydney Paige will donate a backpack to a child in need filled with school supply essentials catered to a specific age. The founder left her corporate career to start this business, so you can be sure that helping children in need is a mission she has dedicated her life to.

MABLE

A great way to learn about sustainability is by gradually switching over to products that emphasize environmental protection. MABLE toothbrushes are made from sustainably harvested bamboo which is naturally antibacterial and water-resistant. The toothbrush is ergonomic, but my favorite feature is its ability to be self-standing. MABLE’s awareness of their impact on the environment doesn’t stop there. The nylon bristles can be recycled and their packaging is plastic-free. Even the handle is compostable! For every toothbrush purchased, MABLE will give one to a child in need; additionally, the company tours schools to teach kids about sustainable choices, personal health, and how products like MABLE ensure we don’t have to sacrifice one for the other.

Stasher

Another splendid way to support sustainability is by ditching the disposable plastic baggies and replacing them with reusable Stasher bags. Stasher is made of pure platinum silicone that is made from natural resources — primarily sand. It’s 100% plastic and BPA free with no fillers. Stasher takes pride in their accountability as a Certified B Corporation which means they “meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.”₁ Stasher also contributes to the 1% For the Planet which denotes the company gives 1% of their sales back to the environment. On top of all the great acts of charity mentioned above, you can send damaged Stasher bags back to the company where it will be repurposed as playground pebbles. There are so many great reasons to ditch the disposable plastic bags!

Your best bet to easing the back to school transition is going to be making small changes over a period of time. It’s best to let your young ones gradually fall into a new routine rather than shocking their system on the first day of school. When you feel prepared for the upcoming school year, you will be able to focus on making the most out of the remaining summer days. Consider sustainability when shopping for school supplies while choosing companies that give back to the community. We’re all in this together, so let’s make smart choices that can benefit us all!

Alex Stoffel
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

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References:

1. BCorporation.net - About B Corps

If you’re like me, mornings are jam packed. Up early, usually have a few chores to knock out before I leave, a morning work-out to do, a long commute to work, and all before 8am! Because of this, getting everything prepped for my day the night before (especially food) is essential. This popsicle recipe comes just in time for hot summer days, when having something refreshing to cool me down is just as important as being well fed. Getting the necessary amount of daily protein for an active lifestyle can sometimes be a challenge, which is why I pump these popsicles up with protein packed ingredients so I can have a nutritionally balanced treat.

So let’s talk about how easy these are to make. First, you’ll need some yogurt. It’s fine to use whatever yogurt you have in the fridge, although I recommend vanilla since it adds a little extra flavor to the popsicle and is a nice compliment to the fruit and granola. To get the maximum amount of protein I use Greek yogurt. Not only does it contain around 20g of protein per serving, but it also packs a punch of probiotics, calcium, B12, and potassium. If you do decide to go the Greek route, you’ll want to stir in some milk before adding this yogurt to the popsicle mold since it has a thicker consistency. You can use regular cow’s milk if you'd like, or get creative with coconut, almond, oat or hemp milk. Keep in mind the end result - if you use a creamy variety of yogurt and milk, you will get a decadent, creamy popsicle. If you use yogurt with low fat content the popsicle will freeze a little harder. One is not better than the other, it all comes down to personal preference and health choices, play around with both and see what you like. If you decide on plain Greek yogurt, I suggest adding a little sweetener to the mix; this can be pure maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar.

Next, you’ll need to prep the berries. Thrown in “as is” berries have a tendency to turn into little rocks when frozen, so I like to do some prep work first. Take about ¼ cup of each berry and chop them up into tiny pieces. Set these to the side for later.

Now grab your blender, add 1C sliced strawberries, 1C yogurt, 2T milk and a scoop of your favorite protein powder. Combine them in a blender until they create a smooth consistency. Beautiful berry magic!

Last step before assembly (and this one is really easy) pick your Granola of choice. I used Erin Baker’s Endurance Crunch Granola, since it contains 10g of protein per serving and I love the subtle peanut butter flavor added to the popsicle. Bonus - it also contains flax seeds which are high in Omega 3’s!

Assembly time! This part is so easy even your kiddos can help out! For my beautiful ombre look you’ll want to layer everything by placing one scoop of each of the following into your popsicle mold:

1. Chopped Fruit
2. Yogurt/ Berry/ Protein Blend
3. Yogurt (with optional sweetener)
4. Granola

Tap the mold lightly on the table between layers to ensure everything is combining together. Then put your popsicle stick about halfway into each mold, stick in the freezer, and leave there 6 hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to eat, pull the mold out of the freezer and run gently under warm water just until the popsicle loosens enough to pull out (not TOO much though or it may melt). This protein pop is so versatile! Grab it for breakfast, a post-workout snack or on your way to the beach. It will fill you up, cool you down, and become a summer staple in your freezer.

Yogurt & Granola Protein Breakfast Popsicle Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Vanilla Greek Yogurt or Yogurt of Choice
• Maple Syrup, Honey or Agave Nectar (optional – to desired sweetness)
• Favorite Protein Powder – 1 serving scoop
• Mixed Berries: Strawberries, Blueberries, and Blackberries
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries
  • ¾ cup mixed berries diced into tiny pieces
• Erin Baker’s Endurance Crunch Granola
• Popsicle Mold & Sticks
• Choice of Milk* (I used Unsweetened Califia Almond Milk)
  *Milk is only necessary if you’re using Greek Yogurt, to help reduce its thick consistency

Directions:

1. Mix together 1 cup yogurt, sweetener to taste (optional) and 2T milk*
2. Blend 1 cup sliced strawberries with 1 scoop protein powder, 1 cup yogurt, and 2T milk*
3. Chop about ¼ cup of each berry into tiny, minced pieces
4. Layer in the following order: Minced berries, yogurt (with optional sweetener), yogurt/ berry/ protein mix, then Granola
5. Insert stick and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight
6. Run popsicle mold gently under warm water to loosen it (careful not to melt the popsicle) and enjoy!

What fruit would you try in this recipe? The combinations are endless!!

Jess Raper
Customer Service Manager | Erin Baker's

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Now that school is out for the summer you might be wondering about the best ways to engage young active minds. My best advice would be to go outside and explore all the natural wonders of your environment. A vast majority of my favorite childhood memories come from the great outdoors, so I wanted to share a comprehensive list of summertime activities that won’t break the bank. Once you start exploring your surroundings, you’ll be surprised at the things you notice.

Sidewalk Chalk

You’re probably already aware of the classic game hopscotch, but that’s only the beginning when it comes to the many ways in which sidewalk chalk can be used. Chalk is an excellent way for your little one to practice writing letters, drawing shapes, and using their imagination. The best part about this activity is it's water-soluble which drastically reduces clean up time.

Snail Hopscotch

1. Draw a large circle (about 10 - 12 inches) on the ground. Then draw a very large spiral board on the concrete starting at the circle and spiraling out to look like a snail’s shell. The spirals of the snail shell need to be about 8 - 12" apart.
2. Make 3 or 4 large spirals around the center circle. Divide the spirals into spaces about 12 - 14" apart and number them.
3. The first player hops on one foot from the center circle to the outside and back. If they make it without stepping on a line or losing their balance they can use sidewalk chalk to mark any space they want with their initials. No one is able to jump on that space the rest of the game.
4. The next player must hop on one foot from the center and back but must jump over the space that is marked with initials. If they make it then they may write their initials on any square they choose. The person with the most initialed squares wins.

Rainbow Chalk Tracing

This is a classic way to help your child learn how to write letters and words. First, take a piece of white chalk and write whatever you’d like your child to practice – it can range from upper and lowercase letters to sight words, numbers, and their name. Then have them trace it with a few different colors of chalk. As they add more and more colors, they’ll see a rainbow forming.

Carrot Patch Letter Spray

Write the letters you’d like your child to practice and draw a cute carrot around each one. Then arm your child with a watering can or spray bottle and give them instructions like “water the carrot that makes an ‘ahhh’ sound” or “get the carrot wet that has a ‘P’ on it”.

Nature Color Hunt

For younger kids, keep it simple and have them go hunting to find items that match your chalk colors.

Drive Thru Maze

Make a fun life‐sized maze and navigate cars (or just yourself) through from start to finish.

Follow Me

Use active instructions for your kids to follow while navigating a custom course. Draw squiggly lines to follow, straight lines to jump over, and spirals to spin on!

Aquatic Playtime

Summertime is known for sweltering heat which means incorporating water into your outdoor activities is a surefire way to cool down. Although you could plan a trip to your local waterpark, this excursion can become quite expensive. By creating your own aquatic oasis at home, you can tailor the activities to suit your child’s age group and save some money at the same time. Besides the ideas down below, keep in mind that community pools and beaches are another cost-effective way to spend time outside without breaking a sweat (or the bank).

Slip ‘n’ Slide

1. Buy 100 feet of heavy-duty plastic sheeting. Choose something that is between 10 and 12 feet wide. Do not skimp and buy thin, flimsy plastic—it will rip and tear.
2. Spread the plastic sheet out on a grassy lawn. It would be best if you place the slide on a hill—even if it is a small one. The slight incline will help boost your speed. Smooth out any wrinkles or ripples with your hands.
3. Fold the plastic sheeting in half. It should now be around 5 or 6 feet wide. This will help make it even more durable and slide-like.
4. Anchor the sides of the sheeting with landscape anchor pins. You will need a pin in each corner of the slide. You will also need to add more pins down the long side edges, about 5 to 10 feet apart. Use a hammer to drive the pins into the grass. You want them to be flush against the ground. If they are sticking out, you could get hurt when you use the slide.
5. Add some liquid soap down the center of the slide. This will help lubricate it and make it more slippery.
6. Spray the slide with water. Grab a hose and turn it on. Spray water over the entire side. Don't worry if the excess water runs off the slide.

DIY Soda Bottle Sprinkler

1. Rinse out an empty 2 liter soda bottle and drill holes with a small drill bit. There is no need to drill holes where the bottle will be set against the ground, and too many holes would decrease water pressure.
2. Make sure your bottle opening is dry. Use a piece of duct tape to attach the bottle to your garden hose.
3. Add a bit of water to give it some weight so that it doesn’t flip over when you turn up the hose.
4. Place sprinkler on the ground or hang it from a tree branch and turn on the hose!

Explore

Even though you might have lived in the same town for a while, there are still plenty of new places to discover. I remember my great grandma taking me to various playgrounds nearby and my grandmother taking me to the library. These somewhat insignificant outings turned out to help build my love for reading and nature. Investigate your surroundings together to build memories that can last a lifetime.

Playgrounds

When you’re a child there’s nothing better than getting to run around a playground. Each one is unique whether it’s the equipment, location, or special features. I think this form of entertainment is the best way to release excess energy or to meet new playmates. There’s a free app called Playground Buddy which helps you locate playgrounds in your area. The app even allows you to see photos, type of equipment, and the ability to share details with other people. With over 37,000 listings in the United States, you’re sure to find something great.

Library

Some of my earliest memories come from taking trips to the library. This free activity is the perfect place for your little one to let their imagination run wild. Most libraries have a dedicated children’s area with toys, age appropriate books & movies, and sometimes even a story time. I would recommend letting your child select as many books as they want to encourage positive habits. Sure they might not read all of them, but giving your child the independence to choose books based on topics they’re interested in teaches them that they can come to the library to learn about anything they desire.

Hiking Trails

There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when spending time in nature; furthermore, there are actually scientifically-proven health benefits from spending time amongst trees. Advantages such as lower blood pressure, boosted immune system, and increased energy level are just the beginning of the ways in which being in nature can be beneficial to your well-being.₁ There are numerous websites and apps that give you an insider’s look at trails in your area; however, I recommend starting your search using Outdoor Project. This website encourages you to “find your adventure” by searching various outdoor activities in a certain area. Once you find an excursion that piques your interest, you can find detailed information such as address, features, preferable seasons, and more. They also have reviews from previous explorers to help you be informed about trail conditions, difficulty, and other tips. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, then plan a camping trip for the whole family!

There are so many unique ways to entertain your kids over the summer…all you need is a little creativity! Envision summertime as an opportunity to soak up some sunshine. It’s always great to spend time outdoors together to create indelible memories. For the days you want to stay indoors, keep in mind that oftentimes museums have free admission days. Let your imagination run wild!

Alex Stoffel
Retail Customer Service | Erin Baker's

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