Snack Pack Halloween #SpoonfulofFun #ad

October 23, 2015 By Marijean

Halloween will soon be here, and my kids love making creepy snacks and crafts for the holiday. I am going to share with you some fun and easy Halloween mix-in ideas with Snack Pack pudding.

Snack Pack Pudding Cups come in a variety of flavors, for these snacks I used Vanilla, Chocolate Vanilla & Chocolate Cupcake.

The first Halloween pudding snack idea is: Gummy Worm Dirt Snack Pack Pudding Cups. So cute and fun for the kids to make! What you will need for this snack is: Snack Pack pudding cups, crushed up Oreos and Gummy worms. Crush up the Oreos and mix them in the pudding, take the worms and stick a few of them in the pudding half way and layer Oreos on top of the pudding cups. The flavor I used was Chocolate Cupcake Pudding. Easy and fun!

The second Halloween pudding snack idea is: Banana Ghost Snack Pack Pudding Cups. What you need fort this snack is bananas cut in half, chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth, Snack Pack pudding and peanut butter to mix in with the pudding. I used Snack Pack Vanilla Pudding. They came out so cute, and they are great for a class party or Halloween party!

The last Halloween pudding snack idea is: Peanut Butter Pretzel Snack Pack Pudding Cups. For this snack, you can use your choice of Snack Pack pudding flavor, put a dollop of peanut butter on the top of the pudding cup and add some crushed pretzels. I used Snack Pack Chocolate Vanilla Pudding.

My kids also did a fun craft with the pudding cups. They are very excited to pack them in their lunch for school tomorrow and show their friends! If you go to Snack Pack’s website your children can print & then cut out some cute characters to put on their pudding cups!

Snack Pack Pudding Cups make it fun & easy for you and your children to make fun and creative snacks for all holidays!

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Halloween Donut Spider Snack

October 21, 2015 By Marijean

I love having my kids make holiday themed snacks. When I think about what kind of snacks to have them make, I make sure they are easy since I have a 7 year old and 4 year old.

I decided to have them make a Halloween Donut Spider snack. Very easy for my 4 year old to do himself, and my 7 year old was so excited!

What you will need:

Bag of Pretzel twists
Mini Donuts (We used Tastykake chocolate and powdered)
Mini M&M’s or Regular sized M&M’s
Frosting for the eyes

The first thing to do is break apart the pretzel twists so they look like legs. Carefully push eight legs into the donut.

The next thing to do is get the frosting ready. I used a small ziplock back to put a scoop of frosting in, cut off a tiny corner and pipe some frosting onto the mini donut, and use it to stick two M&Ms on for eyes. You can also use melted chocolate instead of the frosting.

As you can see this is a very simple Halloween snack that the kids will love to make. This snack would also be great to bring to a kids Halloween party, or even class party at school. Enjoy!!!

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Fall Is On The Way: Dunkin’ Donuts Pumpkin Menu Returns This Month

September 22, 2015 By Merrilee Kaminski

Autumn is just around the corner and Dunkin’ Donuts is sweetening the season with exciting, new additions to their fall lineup!

This lucky lady was invited to visit our local Dunkin’ Donuts to sample the new fall menu items. Who would pass up this opportunity I ask you? Not me! I love pumpkin. Period. No matter what form it comes in, I’m all over anything with pumpkin in the title. So with an empty stomach and a sense of adventure I embarked on my Dunkin’ Donuts Tasting Experience.

The first on the list to try was the new Tailgater Breakfast Sandwich. This hearty breakfast sandwich serves up the spirit of game day grilling. Featuring a mouthwatering combination of egg, reduced fat cheddar cheese and juicy split smoked sausage topped with fire-roasted peppers and grilled onion mix and Ancho Chipotle sauce on an oven-toasted French Roll. This breakfast sandwich is so hearty and delicious I couldn’t help but eat every bite of the sample we were offered. A real winner!!

The next item offered was pumpkin coffee and lattes served hot and iced. These are a delicious staple I look forward to each fall at Dunkin’s. Pumpkin K-Cup pods and pumpkin packaged coffee are also available again this year.

The new Reese’s Peanut Butter Square was next on the tasting menu. This donut is filled with rich and creamy Reese’s peanut butter buttercream, topped with chocolate icing and finished with an orange icing drizzle. Scrumptious and sweet, this was a delight to devour.

Also brand new this year is the Pumpkin Cheesecake Square. This was my favorite new offering from Dunkin’s. This is pumpkin perfection! You need to try this if you love pumpkin as much as I do. Seriously! You can thank me later.

Three returning favorites were next on the tasting agenda. Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin donuts and donut hole treats. Perfectly paired with a warm cup of coffee, these sweet treats were delicious.

For guests in the Jacksonville area, Dunkin’ Donuts is also offering the Pumpkin Pie Coolatta. Featuring real pumpkin puree and spice flavors, with crumbled graham cracker pieces mixed in. Those graham cracker crumbles bring an unbelievable element to the drink. While they are small, their pie crust texture and flavor put the pie in this pumpkin drink. Whipped crème topping is the perfect addition to this unique offering.

Dunkin’ Donuts announced the return of its delicious Homestyle Apple Pie for the month of September only. A handheld pie made with real apples and a braided crust, topped with cinnamon sugar. One can never go wrong with the classic flavor of apples in autumn. If pumpkin isn’t your thing, this warm apple treat is guaranteed to make your taste buds smile and dance a little jig.

Coming in October……..Pumpkin Macchiato! Served hot or cold. Yep, I’ll be seeing you there!

What new treat will you try?

September 29th is National Coffee Day!

Celebrate the season with a

FREE medium cup of Dunkin’ Donuts Dark Roast Coffee!

Merrilee Kaminski

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

September 2, 2015 By Sharon

This super juicy, tender corned beef can be prepared the traditional way by adding cabbage and carrots to the slow cooker. No one in my house eats it that way though so I make sandwiches on rye bread with a swipe of mustard, or, our favorite, hash and eggs.

Corned beef with spice packet
1/4 cup Mustard (I prefer Grey Poupon)
1 cup water

Put the beef in the slow cooker fat side up. *This is important since the fat cooking down into the meat is what’s going to make it so juicy and flavorful.*

Mix the mustard and water together until blended. Pour it over the beef. Sprinkle the flavor packet over the beef.

Cook for at least 8 hours on low. *this is also important. If you cook it on the high setting, you’ll be stuck with a corned beef brick. Booooo!

Remove the corned beef from the slow cooker and let in rest for at least 20 minutes.

Slice for sandwiches or… Make corned beef hash and eggs!

For the hash, slice about half of the corned beef and then chop it up into small pieces. It should just fall apart from it being so tender. I use “country style” frozen hash brown potatoes but you can use any style or fresh potatoes. Cook the hash browns until brown and crispy and then add the chopped up corned beef straight on top. Mix it around and let the beef brown a bit too. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook your eggs. I prefer sunny side up or over easy so the yolk is runny and the hash soaks it all up.
YUM!!! Enjoy!

Sharon

My name is Sharon Geyer. I am originally from New York City and currently live in beautiful Ponte Vedra, Florida. My husband and three kids keep me very busy as a stay-at-home mom. I also teach ballet, organize community events, and I love to read books. I typically choose historical fiction when reading something new but I also enjoy science fiction and fantasy, and the occasional romance novel.

Fun Lunch Ideas for Kids in Elementary School

August 22, 2015 By Marijean

Summer goes by way too fast, before you know it we are preparing to send the kids back to school! This also means time to think about what to pack the kids for lunch. My 4 year old son is pretty picky when it comes to what he wants for lunch, and trying to make his lunch a healthy one is sometimes a chore. I have found a few fun ideas to make lunches more fun for kids to eat.

Caterpillar Fruit Kabobs These are fun and very simple for adults to make, the kids can even make them! You just need grapes, strawberries, wood skewers, sugar eyes and frosting to hold the eyes on to the strawberry. If you don’t want to send these in on the wooden skewer, they would still be cute without! http://indulgy.com/post/5SbdWHdHt2/could-use-after-reading-the-very-hungr

Apple Sandwiches with Granola and Peanut Butter if your child isn’t a fan of bread then these are awesome sandwiches to take to school. They look fun to eat and are very tasty. All you need for this one is Apples, Peanut or Almond butter, Granola & optional Chocolate Chips. This would also make a great after school snack! www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/apple-sandwiches-granola-and-peanut-butter

Tortilla Pinwheel Lollipops Definitely not your typical “lunch sandwich” this one is fun to make and even more fun to eat. For this one all you need is cream cheese, tortillas, lunchmeat of choice, cheese of choice, and ranch dressing! Add lollipop sticks and your kids will love these! http://homecookingmemories.com/kid-lunch-ideas-tortilla-pinwheel-lollipops/

Silly Face Sandwich There are easy and adorable, plus the kids can make them into any silly face they want! For these the possibilities are endless. For example, you can use blueberries or olives for the eyes, grapes or carrots for nose, and pepper slices for the mouth! Kids will love all the crazy combinations they can come up with. http://www.kixcereal.com/kix-cereal-fathers-day-food-artsandwiches-for-dad/

Apple Race-cars Kids will love these!! You can use all different types of food for the wheels. Bananas, round apple slices, kiwi slices or even string cheese! For a sweet treat you can add marshmallows! http://www.woojr.com/fun-apple-snacks/

These are all great options for picky and non picky eaters! Your child will enjoy lunchtime at school and have a full tummy.