Damsels in distress

Looking for something fun to try this summer?  Look no further!  Our Super Hero fun day was a huge hit, and can be in your home as well.  Here's one of the activities we used that was easy to assemble and lots of fun:



Freeze plastic toys in bowls of ice.  We used Polly Pockets so they could be completely covered in the ice, and rescued later by our Heroes. 

Fill several squirt guns with water, and let your kids race to break these little ladies out of their icy shell.  This would be a great birthday party activity, especially if you place their refill station in a different part of the yard.  Wears them out, and cools them off at the same time!

 Making progress! 

Save me!

This activity went great with our Super Hero lunch, and made for a really fun afternoon!

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A lunch of SUPER proportions

I wanted to tackle a party that was easy to assemble, and required no extra supplies.  This Super Hero party achieved this, and with the exception of the candy, managed to do it without any food coloring!  Colorful plates and bowls and small signs printed on Word, with a fun font and creative wording, tied my foods into the theme.  What a great party idea for boys ages 4-12!  There were SO many heroes to choose from!

My first time experimenting with Knox gelatin and fruit juice, instead of packaged Jell-O, which is LOADED with food dyes.  The kids LOVED the flavor that the Welch's grape juice gave these villainous squares.  No extra steps at ALL in preparation, just hot juice/cold juice in place of the water. 

Our nod to Spider man.  These can be filled with cream cheese spread or peanut butter.

My sons are OBSESSED with chicken wings, so I had to do this play on Batman's wings.  I don't make wings from scratch much, but it was easier than I thought!

Veggies and dip.  Building super powers...for real!

Captain America popcorn.  This is Pop Secret's new magic popcorn.  The blue color is soy based, so I didn't feel too bad serving it to the kids.  They were mesmerized by the cool color!

Superman's berries.  Summery and delicious, a true super food! 

The kids and I pumped some iron.  Lots of giggling as we pretended these weights were too heavy to lift.  :-)

Evil Kryptonite.  Superman...beware!

We have found the source of The Green Lantern's power...and it tastes good!

Before we ate, the kids had fun rescuing some damsels in distress.  After naps, we'll be decorating some fun masks that were free to print online.  I guess today SuperMom rescued 3 kids from the evil BooHoo Bordom.  Do-do-dahhhhhh!  *insert SuperMom theme song here*  :-)




Meredith

Make sure you visit my facebook and Pinterest pages for more meal ideas!

Holy Granola, batman!

Have you ever seen a prettier breakfast?!?  I have to tell you, before I came up with this recipe, I was a skeptic.  To me, granola was for hippies and older people.  I've always seen it as something boring and uniformly brown, overly crunchy, and gross.  Our journey on the road of dye-free living spurred me on to create a breakfast cereal (and midnight snack) that was filling AND healthy, beautiful AND delicious.  I think this recipe hits a home run!



Not your average Granola
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix in a large bowl, and set aside:
4-5 cups oats (not quick cook)
2 cups sliced almonds
2 cups shredded coconut
2 Tablespoons flax seed, whole or ground


In a saucepan on low, stir together:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

After 2 minutes, pour honey mixture over oats, stir with a spatula, and pour into a 9x13 baking pan.  Bake for 25 minutes, stirring at the 15 and 20 minute intervals.  Do NOT overcook your granola.  There's nothing worse than scalded cereal!  Remove from the oven, give it one last stir and set it aside.  Resist the urge to mess with it for the next hour.

Cinnamon candied seeds and nuts:
In a saucepan, combine:
1/4 cup water
1/2 sugar (I used turbinado)
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt


4 cups of any seeds and nuts. (I used pecans, almonds, peanuts, cashews, sunflower,and pumpkin seeds)

Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.  Add nuts and seeds, remove from heat, and stir for one minute to fully coat nuts.  Remove to an oiled pan with a slotted spoon.  Nuts may not look coated, but TRUST me, they are, so don't pour extra sauce over them!  Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from pan to a piece of parchment paper, and let cool.  Don't let them cool on your baking sheet, because they will be stuck, and that's NO fun! 

Once both granola and nuts have cooled, toss together with a package of dried fruit.  I used pomegranate craisins, and the flavors go together SO well!  Store in an airtight container to retain freshness.  That is, if you can bare to put a lid on this beautiful snack at all!  :-)








 










Meredith

Make sure you visit my facebook and Pinterest pages for more meal ideas!