17
May

Bake Up Spring with Musselman’s Applesauce {Recipe}

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Today after school we’re heading for a walk around a local lake. Yesterday the kids played hard at the park. Spring has (finally in PA) sprung, and it feels good to get outside as a family. I’m excited to introduce hiking this year to the kids. With the youngest having just turned four, I’m ready to start blazing trails at the state park this summer. Thinking healthy snacks and granola, I made this Musselman’s recipe last weekend and am anxious to try others such as Oatmeal cookies (perfect for trail blazing) or these Frosted Apple Sauce Raisin Bars. As a proud Musselman’s ambassador with a picky eating daughter who luckily loves applesauce, I’ve been baking with Musselman’s applesauce for a while now and love it as a healthy baking alternative. Check out this comparison between vegetable oil and Musselman’s Natural Applesauce:
And the yummy recipe I made last weekend, re-printed with permission from Musselmans.com:
 

Cherry Almond Granola Bars a la Mode

Ingredients

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup butter, chilled and cut up
  • 2 cups regular rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon flax seed meal
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla
  • 1 21-ounce can ® Cherry Pie Filling
  • Frozen lowfat vanilla yogurt

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large food processor* combine the oats, brown sugar, flours, almonds, flax, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Cover and process until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the butter and almond extract; cover and pulse until mixture is fine and starts to cling together.

2. Pat 3 cups of the mixture firmly into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Spoon pie filling over mixture in pan, spreading evenly. Crumble remaining oat mixture evenly over pie filling.

3. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden and filling is bubbly. Serve warm or cool with frozen yogurt.

* If food processor bowl is small, process mixture half at a time.

Servings: 24

Cooking Time:30 minutes

Cool Tip

Follow Musselman’s on Pinterest for more recipes and cool tips.
  
Filed Under: Adults Only, Family Activities, Featured, Recipes · Tagged With: ,
03
May

New Jake and the Neverland Pirates Pays Tribute to Mama

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Cool Tip

Set your DVRs for ”Mama Hook Knows Best!” on Jake and the Neverland Pirates when Captain Hook’s mother comes to pay her son a visit, finding out that Hook has been stealing treasure from Jake and his crew and teaching him a lesson about sharing. This episode of Disney Junior’s “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” airs Saturday, May 12 (8:30-9:00 a.m., ET/PT) on the new 24-hour Disney Junior channel.

Filed Under: Disney, Family Activities, Featured, Toddler & Preschooler · Tagged With: , ,
17
Apr

“Sight Words” Preschool Birthday Theme

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As a former member of the Luke Skywlaker fan club, I desperately want my children (son especially) to also be fans. Yes, the gender stereotyping is appaling and girls can love Star Wars too as evidenced by the fact that I saw Return of the Jedi over ten times in the movie theater. But my daughter is too busy with Disney Princesses for another love in her life at the moment. However, a talking Yoda for Valentine’s Day, fighter pods for birthday and action figures for Easter don’t seem to be doing the trick. Star Wars, shmar wars…he wanted a “Sight Words” birthday party.

What, you may be asking, is a Sight Words birthday party? Join the club. I searched online for “Sight Words birthday party theme” and “Sight Words party decorations,” yet, to my great surprise, the search yielded nothing. Not the crafty sort, I kept it simple with “Sight Words” cupcakes for school and a cake from Sarah’s Specialty Sweets for his party. (Her cakes are all this phenomonal, but good luck in you live in NEPA trying to book her for an event! I do it a year in advance.) Ithe purchased a white tablecloth at Christmas Tree Shop, two fabric markers at Michael’s and let him go at it after givingm him a list of preschool dolche sight words.

I printed and laminated additional sight words, using some on streamers and others I stuck them randomly around my mother’s house giving her a mild heart attack. Why my Sight Words boy wanted his party at Nonnie’s house is another blog post. Voila!  A “Sight Words Birthday Party” and word-lover’s dream. To walk admist sight words, sounding them out pointing out disgraphs is a very normal activity for a four year old birthday boy. Right?

My the force be with you if you too a sight words party enjoy.

Cool Tip

Follow Cool Baby Kid’s Birthday Party Ideas Pinterest board for more party inspiration.

Filed Under: Family Activities, Pinterest, Toddler & Preschooler · Tagged With: , ,
09
Apr

American Girl Crafts For Girls Ages 8-12

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Making the most of the last day of Easter vacation, we enjoyed delving into an American Gift craft, specifically the Painted Memory Box. The line includes Sew & Shares, Historical Character Kits, and 2012 Girl of the Year products. Crafts specifically designed for girls ages 8-12, our Memory Box, though fun to create and well-made, don’t look exactly like the picture since my daughter is a pre-schooler and a bit under the recommended age.

Easy to read instructions were included along with the necessary materials to create the memory box. Of course, the American Girl name and logo with Josephina on the cover made it a “special craft” for our day at home. An American Girl family, my daughter has both Ruthie and a Bitty Twin. We also tested out Kit’s Fabric Flower Kit making a headband which was much easier than I anticipated, not being the crafty type myself. Check out the entire line of American Girl Crafts Kits and Gifts or, for a fun birthday party theme, the party products which include make your own invites and more.

Whether your family falls into the American Girl or crafty categories, or none of the above and are looks to find fun activities for girls ages 8-12 (or even a bit younger in my opinion), American Girl crafts are highly recommended earning a Cool Baby Kid *Top Pick* designation.

Product samples were provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% our own.

Cool Tip

Always on the lookout for a good deal, we found these American Girl crafts on sale.

 

Filed Under: Cool Picks, Deals, Discounts, Family Activities, Picks & Tips, Top Picks · Tagged With: , ,
01
Mar

Disney’s Frankenweenie *In Theaters Oct. 5th*

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Cool Tip:

Like FRANKENWEENIE on Facebook for updates.

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28
Feb

Sneak Peek: Disney/Pixar’s BRAVE

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Cool Tip:

Learn more about this exciting upcoming film by liking Brave on Facebook.

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21
Feb

Cooking with Kids: Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert

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Combining two of my favorite things…activities with my children and chocolate/peanut butter…make this is win-win day of yumminess.

Ingredients

  • 23 Oreo cookies
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup Jiff peanut butter
  • 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
  • 1 carton (16 ounces) Cool Whip frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 15 Reece’s miniature peanut butter cups
  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 1 package (3.9 ounces) Jello instant chocolate pudding mix

Directions

  • Crush 18 cookies, toss with butter and microwave for 15-20 seconds. Stir and press into a 9-in. square dish
  • Beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups.
  • In another bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners’ sugar and let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in remaining whipped topping.
  • Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 piece) equals 366 calories, 21 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 22 mg cholesterol, 307 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Cool Tip

This was slightly modified from this Taste of Home recipe.

Filed Under: Family Activities, Haute Mama Picks · Tagged With: ,
08
Feb

Toddler and Preschooler Reward Charts

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Cool Tip

Use reward charts such as the one pictures for 3-5 year olds to reward good behavior. We use this Pirate chart and Fairies and Flowers chart from Supernanny.com.  Remember to reward specific (attainable) bahaviors consistently.

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