New Blog Site

I am happy to announce that snacktimemom has been recreated on my new site  http://snacktimemom.com/

Pop over and check it out. I will keep the blogspot site open for a while longer, but you can view all of my blog posts on the new .com site. Thanks for being a loyal reader.

Homemade Hand Sanitizer

It is that time of year again when it seems like almost everyone you come into contact with is sick. I have way too many obligations, and things to do to be sick all the time, so I have been turning to hand sanitizer to help eliminate some of those nasty germs. The every day hand sanitizer that you can buy at your local department store is affordable, yet harmful to our bodies. I do not want to keep spending oodles of money at the health food store on natural sanitizers, so I thought maybe I could make my own. :)

You will need:
1/4 c. aloe Vera gel
5 drops pure clove oil
5 drops pure rosemary oil
10 drops pure cinnamon oil
10 drops pure orange oil

Mix all together and store in a squeeze bottle.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

Happy Tuesday.  Wow, it has been a few weeks since my last blog. Sorry for the long break, I have been dealing with some personal stuff. :)

I snapped this school lunch picture weeks ago, as you can probably tell by the leaf. B ate it all up.  have to say, since we started using this lunch container a few days a week, his backpack is less heavy. I am no in love with it, so I am constantly searching for another alternative.

In this lunch:
Ham, cheese, spinach wrap
Organic Late July Cheese Crackers
Mango and Strawberries
Cucumbers with ranch


Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Black Bean Brownies, Gf and Ef

Since I had to omit eggs from my diet I have not found a brownie recipe I like. It seems that they either don't taste right, or the texture is off, or they just do not even bake up at all. My dear friend Missy gave me this recipe for black bean brownies and I love them. I know, it sounds strange right? I was skeptical too, but honestly since I made this batch I ate eight brownies over a 12 hour time period. Hehe. They really are that good.

You will need:
1 1/2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained. (1 15oz can)
2 Tbs. Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Gluten Free Oats
1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 C. Pure Maple Syrup
1/4 C. Coconut Oil
2 Tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 C. Chocolate Chips (NOT OPTIONAL) plus more for topping

Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in food processor. Pulse until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips, then pour into greased 8x8 glass pan. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips over top. Bake for 15 minutes or so. Cool 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Lavender Skin Salve

As much as I don't want to admit it, Winter is right around the corner. Having actually admitted that I thought it would be smart to prepare myself a little bit for the long months ahead, and one way to do that is making sure I have something for my dry skin. I tend to wash my hands a lot during cold season, (who doesn't) so my hands get really dry. Lavender essential oil is great for dry itchy skin, so I mixed up a little salve this morning. With only a few ingredients it was super easy, and fun to make with my little helper. It turned out so silky, and smells amazing. This would make a great Christmas gift for friends and family who have eczema, dry skin, or just because.

You will need:
2 Tbs. Beeswax pellets
4 Tbs. Jojoba Oil
15 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
4 Drops Vitamin E Oil

Method:
 Heat water in a saucepan. Place glass jar in the water and combine beeswax and jojoba oil. Stir until melted. Add essential oil and vitamin e oil. Pour into storage container. Use on dry skin, burns, bug bites, or just about anything. :) Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

As you will notice this lunch is not in our usual planetbox. :( Lately B has come home with his backpack so stuffed full and heavy I am concerned for his little 6 year old back. The weight of the planetbox and his stainless steel water bottle along with library books, his folder, sneakers, and random fundraiser papers that always seem to come home, we end up with a heavy load. I decided to try a lighter lunch container a few days a week. This once is from http://www.easylunchboxes.com/, and is made from bpa and phalphate free plastic. So far it has worked well for us, although I will always prefer the non-plastic planetbox. (I feel like I can't say that enough.)

In this lunch:
Pinwheels, cream cheese mixed with carrots, olives and spinach
Ham, Cheese and tomato kabobs
Kiwi
Herbal Popcorn

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Mixed Berry Muffins, egg free

I made these muffins for B's last soccer game this past weekend. I had snack duty, so I thought it would be fun to add a touch of Halloween for the kids. They loved it! I had these muffin cups and ghost picks, so I added a couple blueberries to the top for a cute display.

You will need:
2 c. all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 c. raw sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 c. organic mixed berries, extra for topping if desired
1/4 c. applesauce
3/4 c. milk
1 tbs. ground flax mixed with 3 tbs warm water. Let sit until clump forms.

Method:
Mix all ingredients and bake at 400 for about 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Halloween Mummy Cookie Pop's

Halloween is huge in my house. The boys absolutely love Halloween, and have declared it their favorite day of the year. I am always combing the internet for fun Halloween craft ideas, so when I saw these mummy pop's I instantly added them to the list. I saw they at howdoesshe.com You can view the post here. I used glutino chocolate sandwich cookies instead of Oreos, but use what suits you best. I made these with my 4 year old, so things got a little messy. We had fun though. :)

You will need:
Newmanos, glutinous, or oreo cookies
Lolly pop sticks
Melting White Chocolate
Mini Chocolate Chips
Parchment paper

Method:
Melt chocolate in double boiler, or microwave.
 Dip the tip of a lolly stick into the melted chocolate. Open the cookie and place the stick into the cookie frosting. Put the cookie back together and dip the cookie into the melted chocolate. Place on parchment paper to cool. Add mini chocolate chips for eyes.  Once cooled, spoon the extra melted chocolate into a plastic bag and cut the corner to allow a thin line of chocolate to squeeze out. Make your mummy lines as desired.

bjjThanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

Happy Monday! We had such a busy birthday weekend, with R turning 4. Can you believe it? It is so crazy to me that I now have a four and six year olds. They really do grow way too fast. :)

Life has been very busy lately. I am averaging about one blog post per week, which is going to have to do for now however, I am looking into some exciting blog development options, stay tuned.

In this lunch:
Ham and Cheese Pitas
Herbal Popcorn
Fruit kabobs
Cukes with Ranch dressing

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

A super easy school lunch is one that includes leftovers. We had pasta salad leftover in the fridge so using it in B's lunch was a great idea. I rolled up some ham and cheese, added crackers, and kiwi too. The little chocolate things you see in the center are power bites. View my recipe here.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Homemade Vanilla Latte

A warm latte on a fall day is one of my little loves, but they tend to come with a high price tag. Rather than paying the on the go price I decided to mess around with a homemade version. Seriously, it came out great. I love to make a vanilla latte, put it in a to go cup, and enjoy it during my B's early morning soccer games. If you cringe every time you spend money on a latte you might want to make your own too.

You will need:
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. coffee, brewed strong
1 tbs. pure vanilla extract
sugar

Method:
Heat milk in saucepan over medium heat until you see small bubbles.
Add vanilla, and pour into blender. Blend until you see the milk begin to foam. Make sure you use a regular blender and not a small bullet blender. I had a burn incident doing this. :(
Pour coffee into mug with desired amount of sugar. Add hot milk to coffee. I use a spoon to scoop the foam onto the top. Delicious!

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

Happy Monday! We had such a great weekend here in Maine. B scored his first goal ever in his soccer game, and then another 4 goals after that. Talk about one proud mom. :) He was so excited, it was priceless. The weather was unseasonably warm on Saturday so we ended up at the beach. No surprise here. I am determined to pack in as many beach trips s I can before colder weather hits the northeast. Fall decorating is in full swing in our house, which makes me want to bake yummy fall foods. What did you do this weekend?

In this lunch:
Turkey, cheese, spinach wrap
Mango
Watermelon
Orange Slices
Bunny Snack Mix

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

 

School Lunch Penguins

Wow are we busy. I feel like the days and weeks are flying by a little too quickly. I can't believe it is Friday again. Sorry about the lack of posting lately, hopefully I will develop a better system and get back to posting regularly. This is a school lunch I made last week for B. As you can see this one really didn't involve much effort, and the lunchbox come home empty.

In this lunch:
Penguin sandwich
Mango and Kiwi Chunks
Watermelon
Popcorn
Havarti cheese animal


Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Breakfast for Lunch

Do you ever have breakfast for dinner? How about for lunch? B loves breakfast type foods. I had some leftover banana bread and hard boiled eggs, so I threw together a breakfast lunch for school the other day. He loved it. Sometimes it is fun to think outside the lunchbox. :) I try to be funny, but it rarely happens. ;) hehe. 

In this lunch:
Dry Cereal
Strawberries
Banana Bread
Hard Boiled Egg with Ketchup
Yogurt Tube
Havarti Animal Cheese

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Banana Bread

For some reason I have had an over abundance of bananas on my counter lately. Usually bananas do not last too long in my house, so this was a bit unusual, and the perfect opportunity to make some banana bread. Since I have not perfected an egg free or gluten free recipe yet, this one is your basic banana bread using all purpose four and eggs. My family loves it.

You will need:
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas
1/2 c. half and half
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

Method:
Mix dry ingredients, and set aside. Cream softened butter with the sugar in electric mixing bowl. Add mashed bananas, vanilla, eggs, and half and half. Add dry to banana mixture and pour into two small bread pans. Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch Puzzle Pieces

Over the summer I ordered these fun sandwich cutters made by munchkin. They are made from plastic, and do not cut as well as I would like them too, but they are easy to work with. I usually end up cutting threw the bread all the way with a knife. B was really excited to try out the puzzle piece sandwich so here it is. I should also mention that B's lunches are coming home completely empty so far. Yay!!

In this lunch:
Puzzle Piece Ham Sandwich
Little Lads Herb Popcorn
Kiwi
Watermelon
Cucumbers with Balsamic
Purple Carrot Cracker from Annie's

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Back To School

School is back in full swing, and we are transitioning from summer break quite nicely. Our beach days are dwindling, I still squeeze in some beach nights, soccer has begun, and so has the homework. If you are like me you will crave a schedule and routine right from the start. I have found a few helpful tips that help make our mornings, and evenings a little smoother.

• Lay out school clothes the night before. Bam! If B knows hat as soon as he wakes up he gets dressed in these certain clothes, it takes the struggle out of the morning routine. There is no scramble of what to wear, since it was decided 12 hours before hand.
• Set an alarm for your child.  I learned that my son responds well to having his own alarm clock. He feels a little more grown up, and it is a fun way to make sure he wakes in time to complete all of his morning responsibilities. I feel like he was less apt to listen to me when I go into his room and wake him over and over again.
• Let your child help make his/her own lunch. If your child is involved in choosing his own foods for the day, he is much more likely to eat them. Plus, this is a fun way to spend time with them before you send them off for the whole day. (I miss mine.)
• Allow for mishaps. This is a big one for us. I have learned to allow 10 extra minutes to our morning in case something unexpected happens. Usually the unexpected, (or annoyingly expected) is a last minute #2 bathroom break. My boys take forever in there. :) We also have the occasional spilled milk on clothes, or shoes that just don't feel quite right.
• Play before homework. This may sound backwards to you, but for us this method works the best. I feel like kids need some down time away from the structure of school before they jump right into homework. Let them run around outside for 30 minutes, have a healthy snack and then tackle the homework.
• Bedtime before 8pm. We actually aim for 7pm, but I know many parents who push bedtime later and later. If we want our kids to be their best in the morning, they need to have adequate sleep each night.

 

I am hoping for a fantastic 2014/15 school year. Do you have any other helpful tips to share? Please leave them in a comment below.

 

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

 

*Image from tvnewscheck.com

First Day of School Lunch

Yesterday was B's first day of 1st grade. He came home happy, and had a great day. He is so excited to be back in school with his friends and teachers. At this age, they love school and learning. :) I wanted to make a fun lunch for the first day so he had a little piece of home to bring with him. This year I have cookie cutter letters to play with so expect some fun lunches to come. Here's to a fabulous 2014/15 school year.

In this lunch:
Star shaped chicken salad sandwich with ABC cheese letters
Strawberries and blueberries
Cucumbers and Carrots with Ranch to dip
Horizon Cow Crackers
Mini watermelon hearts

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, GF

I love pumpkin! I seriously do not want summer to end, but I do love making Fallish foods. I was making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies the other day, which I cannot enjoy since they are not gluten free, so I decided to make something using pumpkin that I would eat. They turned out delicious. I did use sugar so I would consider these more of a dessert than a snack.

You will need:
3 1/4 C. Gluten Free Oats
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Applesauce
1/4 C. Raw Honey
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 C. Mini Chocolate Chips

Method:

Mix All ingredients together and spread into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so. Cool and cut into bars or squares. Store in fridge.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Essential Oils

I took a class earlier this summer about essential oils, and ever since I have been obsessed. There are different companies out there that sell essential oils, but with a price tag. I have slowly been buying oils from amazon, so I have a pretty good little collection now. I have been mixing the oils and making different blends using fractionated coconut oil as my carrier oil.

Since fall is right around the corner, and germs tend to come out of no where, I wanted to mix some oils that will help fight off some unwanted cold germs. If you have the extra money to spend on Doterra or Young Living Oils, this blend is basically the same as their On Guard, and Thieves oils.
I think! I ordered these little glass roller top bottles from amazon, and fill them 3/4 full with fractionated coconut oil. I then add the essential oils. Most of mine come from Plant Therapy, which are 100%pure. I mixed 4 drops of cinnamon oil, 4 drops of wild orange oil, 4 drops of rosemary oil, 4 drops of eucalyptus oil, and 4 drops of clove bud oil. Just roll this blend onto the bottoms of your feet. I actually felt a cold coming on the other day, sneezing, headache, all the regular cold symptoms, I used this blend before bed, and woke up feeling fine. I can't wait to beat the colds this winter. Have you experimented with essential oils at all? I am having so much fun with this, I'm sure I will have something else for you soon.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla