Healthy Gluten Free High Protein Oatmeal Bars

I am always looking for healthy snacks for school lunches.  My kids are pretty good eaters, but I find getting protein into their lunch at school can be a challenge.  With many schools not allowing nuts, that takes a many protein options out of the pool.

So I have been on the hunt for a kid friendly protein bar without the nut butter.  I also watch the gluten content of foods so gluten free is a bonus.  After a few test runs I have found one that the kids love and I actually have to hide it when I make it so they don't devour the entire batch of bars!

Photo from Peas and Thank-you blog

I adapted this recipe from the Chocolate Chip Zee Bars from Peas and Thank You - she has posted great pictures for each step.  

I changed it up a bit, and added some flax seed meal and hemp hearts.   I have posted the Healthy Gluten-Free Oatmeal Protein Bars on this site for all to enjoy! 

Now lets see how long the kids will eat these.  As with most things I create, I can only offer it for a limited time to keep the interest there.  So I will have to create some variations of this for sure!

Making your own laundry soap

Many of us these days are conscious of the environment and of the choices we make when purchase various products.  Laundry detergent may not seem like a big deal, but it is.  Considering the toxicities of their chemical ingredients and the carbon foot print caused in production and delivery, I have opted to do some research and find a cheaper, more eco-friendly option. 

In this post I am going to tell you about how to make your own laundry soap!  It is so easy and only requires a few natural ingredients! If you have allergies at all in your family, this is definitely a recipe to try.

My version is made for hard water as we have very hard water where I live, but if you have soft water, we can easily make one for you too!  The ingredients:  Borax, Soap Flakes and Washing Soda!  That is all.

Soap recipe

Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads based on how many Tbsp used per load).  I like to only use 1 Tbsp per load on my HE washer.

• 1 cup of soap flakes or grate a bar of soap such as ivory.
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda

If you have soft water, decrease the washing soda to half. Thoroughly stir together and enjoy the results!  This laundry soap works so well and is so cost effective ($0.08 per load).  For anyone that wonders if Borax safe, well it is!  Borax is about as dangerous as baking soda.  Do not however confuse it with Boric Acid.  The two are NOT the same.  Stay away from Boric Acid.For those of you who want more info, read this excellent Crunchy Betty article where she expounds the toxicity levels of borax.

High Efficiency (HE) Washers - HE front-load washers require “special soap” for one reason alone – low suds. Because they use less water, they require soap that is less sudsy. The good news is,this homemade detergent is VERY low suds. 

Where to buy:  I purchased the soap flakes through well.ca, a great place to shop online for groceries and shipping is free!  They carry many natural and eco-friendly products.  Washing soda and Borax are both available at your local grocer.

Quick and Easy Homemade Vapor Rub

I have been wanting to make my own homemade version of vicks vapor rub.  I don't know if you remember the stuff from childhood, but I certainly do!  If I had a cold or cough my would always put this on my chest or under my nose.  I loved the smell of it.  Very relaxing and I would always manage to fall asleep after my mom would give me some.  

Nowadays I am looking for more natural, do it yourself home remedies, and ones that I can use on my kids.  This is what brought me to research this recipe.  I found one that is great and very simple to do.  If you can bake cookies, this is a no brainer.  

The recipe is taken from Crunchy Betty! Love the blog name.  Very few ingredients are required and you should be able to find them all at a local health food store or vitamin shop.  I went to our local one "The Garage" (The Community Farms Store) here in Duncan.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Beeswax beads or grated beeswax
• peppermint essential oil
• eucalyptus essential oil
• rosemary essential oil

No exceptions, eucalyptus and peppermint mixed together will quickly relieve a stuffy nose or irritating cough.  Rosemary is a natural antibacterial and antiviral and know to be a great essential oil for respiratory and sinus health. 

So now that you have your ingredients list, just get a glass measure cup to make it in, have a small jar or container to pour it into.  I used an baby jar and a mini jam jar.  Sterilize your container by pouring boiling water into the container and the lid.

Take your glass measuring cup and add 1/4 cup EVOO and 2 tsps beeswax.  Melt it either on the stove with the glass measuring cup in a pot of hot/boiling water or 2 mins in the microwave.  Heat it up just to melt the beeswax into the EVOO.  Once melted add your essential oils.  I used 35 drops of Peppermint, 15 drops eucalyptus and 10 drops of rosemary.  You can experiment with other oils, but I like this combination best. 

Mix the oils in by stirring for a few minutes, then pour into your containers.  To speed up the solidification of the mixture, put it in the fridge.  Once fully cooled put the lid on and you are good to go!  This will last at least 6 months or more!

Lip Balm!

I love lip balm and I am always on the look out for this stuff.  I find that I am quite particular, I don't like it too firm, too soft or too much scent.  I love citrus, I like peppermint sometimes and of course I love to find new flavors.


I decided the other day when I saw a lip making kit for $30 at Michaels (only makes 5 small pots of lip balm - so really expensive) to try making it myself.  I did some research and found this great post!! http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/lipbalm/


This one pretty much did it for me, so I went to Mountain Sage and bought some of their Lip solutions, some of the containers and started to make the lip balm!  I had read that it was pretty easy and guess what? It is!  I have found a new hobby, not quite an addiction yet, I only have 3 flavors now...with 5 on their way..ok I am getting a bit addicted to this.

Did I mention that my dds love to make it with me and we did up some fun labels and these pics are the results!!

My Lime Lip Balm

My Grapefruit Lip Balm

So if you love to make things, I would definitely suggest you give lip balm making a try. The Lip solutions are great to use, no fussy measuring, just melt some, add some flavour, coloring and pour.

Great to give as gifts too and if you need a card when giving this, you know where to find me :)

Chickpea Fries...so yummy!

This past summer, we tried some Chickpea Fries, I had never heard of them and was very curious to try them.  After my first bite, part of me was hoping the kids wouldn't like them so I could eat the rest...that never happened.  They loved them too.  I searched to find a recipe and came across Sara's Kitchen Blog.  Simple to make, less than 5 mins to prepare and then it needs to be refrigerated for a few hours before you fry them up.  


The main ingredient is chickpea flour, which more and more grocers are carrying these days, sometimes it is called garbanzo bean flour.  Basically you boil some water, add the chickpea flour and whisk constantly for 1-2min. Add the remaining ingredients (i.e spices/herbs), stir a bit more, take off the heat and pour into an 8 x 8 pan, let cool for a few minutes, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or up to 24hours.  


So easy, so good and gluten free!  Great change from the boring regular french fries and better for you.  I am going to try and bake the next batch as the frying part isn't the healthiest, but boy are they a good treat!  Check out Sara's blog for the full recipe and enjoy!
http://saraskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/02/chickpea-fries.html 


Update:  I baked a batch and they turned out great!  Brush each one with a bit of olive oil first, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10min each side.  Easy to make! Kids and DH loved them! 

Fun with playdough

How many times do I try to come up with something fun to do, that is quick, easy and won't make a huge mess!  This happens on a daily basis.  I am always thinking of what the next "art" project should be to keep my 3 monkeys entertained.  I recently came across this great playdough recipe that I thought I would share, it is from my dd teacher and it meets the criteria noted above.  


Kool-Aid Playdough
1 1/4 cup   Flour
1/4 cup     Salt
1pkg         Unsweetened Kool-Aid (just the powder, don't mix it into juice :))
1 cup        Boiling water
1 1/2 tsp   Vegetable Oil


In a bowl, mix flour, salt and Kool-Aid, then stir in the boiling water and oil.  Knead with hands for a out 5 mins (or put in your mixer using the dough handle).  Voila! Kool-aid in a fun color that smells great! Store in a Ziploc bag for up to 2 months.  


Successful recipe, happy mom and kids!  Give it a try!

Online shopping!

With 3 kids, shopping is a bit of an exercise in frustration. So I have become quite the savvy online shopper and usually manage to find some really great deals.  I especially love it when you I find a Canadian online store, get free shipping or coupons for free stuff or 75%.  


Well.ca is one I discovered recently and has much of the same products you would find in your London Drugs, but I can shop online 24/7, so the stress of shopping with kids is gone and shipping is free, it saves me the cost of gas and it is delivered relatively quickly.  Last order came within 3 days of ordering it and it comes to my door, not to the post office!! YIPPEE!!


They have a great all natural section so there is a large variety of products to choose from in this area which I love!  Did I mention I found an all natural fantastic deodorant...more about that in another post. 


Where are your favorite online shops to find great deals??
Until then, I humbly suggest you check out Well.ca too!

Summer Fun With Your Toes

Summer fun is all around right now.  One of my favorite things is getting to paint my toe nails.  Lucky for me I have 3 girls who love to try out new colors too. I have always been a bit of a nail polish freak and collected many colors through my teen years.  My friends fondly remember me as the one with all the different fun nail polish colors.  Purple is my favorite, but in the summer time I like to wear them all and have fun with the different colors.


I recently embarked on some research about nail polish as I find that when I spend an hour in the bathroom doing our nails, I get a pretty good headache by the end of it.  Of course I have been aware of the harsh chemicals that are contained in many of the familiar brands, so I was on a mission to find odorless, environmentally friendly nail polish....is there such a thing?  


YES! I was pleasantly surprised to find many options, although most are sold only online or limited retailers in Canada.  Some are very thin, take several coats to get the color right and some come off with hot water...peel off, not so good if you paint them and then have a bath later that day...or do the dishes.  I have definitely found a favorite!  PIGGY PAINT! It is water based and is environmentally friendly, it doesn't have any odor, comes in really cool colors and paints on much the same as regular nail polish and lasts comparable to my regular OPI or SH polishes. Yes this product was designed by a mom!!  AND...if any of my dd or I or the cat spill a bottle, I can wipe it up with water, no damage to any counter or flooring.  (I do recall spilling a bottle in my room when I was 10, cleaned it up, but the damage was done...only recently did my sister refinish the wood cabinet that I had nicely destroyed with nail polish and remover way back when..).  


I  highly recommend this product, it does cost a bit more, but definitely worth it when you think about the damage that other brands can do to your nails, the environment, a small price to pay to keep the fun of summer toes colorful and happy! Check them out! So many cool colors and some great new "mom" colors too!

Ecofriendly Reusable Snack Bags

I love to find new things and I am always on the look out for something different with a fun twist.  So when I discovered reusable snack bags, I had to investigate further. 


As I usually do, I find something I like and I study it, research it and then figure out how I can make it, hopefully cheaper than it would have cost to buy it.  So that is what I did with these great little snack and sandwich bags.  The one I was first looking at was made of cotton, not as easy to clean/reuse immediately as the plastic bags, but they could definitely go into the washing machine.  I found some using laminated cotton that I really liked as they are easy to clean and wipe down quickly!! Better yet, they had a food safe fabric on the inside. 


After researching them all, and the various ways to close them (that was a challenge), with some very helpful feedback from friends and family testers, this is what I have designed and I am excited to share with everyone. I plan to put them up on my website and my etsy site very soon so stay tuned!  As always, feedback is welcome and please spread the word to all your friends about these great little snack bags!  I have expect Lunch bags will be coming next...stay tuned!

fold-over closure

3 sizes to choose from

velcro closure

Big changes coming!

Well for anyone who knows me, you know I like to make and create things.  I am always trying something new out, which is why I have decided to change up my blog a bit.  I am going to try to post more regularly!  I am also going to post more stuff about what I love to do.  Aside from creating and designing cards which I enjoy so much, I love to sew, bake, craft with the kids, beading, soap making....the list is long.

So if you like to do some of the same things, hope aboard and see what I am up to, perhaps my crazy stuff may inspire you to try something out too!

Enjoy your day!

Spring is just around the corner....I hope!

How crazy is March so far this year I ask. Is this a sign for the coming year, lots of constant change just to keep me on my toes.  

Last week, we had gail force winds (145km/hr) and snow, see photo below!! At least lots of it where I live in Shawnigan Lake, BC.  Then this week (5 days later), I have beautiful snow drops coming up around our stone bench in the yard.  While I have been busy creating many new designs for the coming year, I also feel the need to create a few more spring like cards. Stay tuned, I will post some previews soon!
   
These are some pictures from gardens in Victoria, BC, where the flower count has just started.
   

Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,^[1][2][3] is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.^[1][3] The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.^{[4] - from wikipedia see link} http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day

See our new designs for Valentine's to find that special card for your loved one 

Staying in touch

Today is an exciting day for us, we are being featured on www.jasmere.com. For those of you not familiar with Jasmere, you can check out my previous post about them here.  The team of Jasmere is great, very friendly, knowledgeable and so keen on making the feature day great!  Huge thanks to them for their work on putting together our special day with them.

Our feature is focusing on staying in touch with others and having the cards on hand to do just that.  Communication these days is done mainly through electronic devices, but I do believe the hand written cards are making a come back.  Who doesn't like to receive a hand written note from a friend or family member?  Did you know that 90% of households purchase on average 30 cards per a year.  Have you ever had to run to the drugstore or dollar store to quickly grab a card that barely conveys your thoughts, but will have to do? I know that happens even though we had the best intentions.  So why not buy some great cards ahead of time and have them on hand for when you need them?

Today on Jasmere we have a $40 voucher coupon that you can get for 60% off!!  Great way to stock your card box so you can be ready for any occasion that you may need to send a card for!!  Don't wait, they may sell out ;)  Check out www.jasmere.com and get in on this great deal.

Happy Holidays

The Christmas day has finally arrived.  The rushing, the buying, the wrapping is done!  What a relief.  We enjoyed this special day amongst family and really had fun with the kids.  The girls were so excited to see that Santa had come.  They danced around singing about Santa and the reindeer before they even opened their stockings!!  The day was full of laughing, singing, sharing and spending time together!  What a wonderful day!  Why don't we do this more often, without all the pre-Christmas day spending and running around.  Really, such a simple thing to just spend time with each other and be grateful for who we have around us and for the things we do have.

I hope you all enjoyed your day in your own special way!  Happy Holidays everyone!  Joyeux Noel!

Inspiration for design

Where does the inspiration for my cards come from? Well the answer is simple - everywhere! Through regular daily adventures with my kids to request from friends and family to a TV commercial.  Inspiration surrounds us, and it is different for everyone.  One might see something with a creative eye and be able to create something new from it.  


I find the hardest things to create at times, comes from simple things.  For example, I am working on a line of cards with the theme of teapots, teacups, tea in the garden...get the idea!  Now as simple as that sounds, getting just the right fit for the card line has proven to be a challenge!  

Stay tuned, I hope to have the line "created" in a few weeks and will be sure to share it.

Jasmere...the best marketing tool

Jasmere is fantastic for finding that special unique item online! Have you heard of them yet?  For those of you that haven't, then take a moment and check them out. www.jasmere.com
From a post on crunchbase:

"Jasmere is an online marketplace that connects specialty web retailers with upscale consumers.  

Jasmere uses a “deal-of-the-day” format, similar to Groupon. Jasmere differentiates by featuring upscale web boutiques that deliver nationwide, rather than local bricks and mortar stores favored by other sites. Jasmere also turns typical ‘supply and demand’ economics on its ear, in that more demand for jasmere products actuallylowers the price everyone pays. Thanks to specially negotiated deals with their featured merchants, jasmere lowers the price over the course of the day, as more people buy. No credit cards are charged until the feature ends, and everyone pays the same low price."

How great is this!!  I was contacted by them in October and I am excited to be partnering with them in January 2011!  From a business perspective, you can reach a lot of people through their members and it is a great way to get your name out there.  No cost to be featured, just the cost of the "deal" that you partner in with Jasmere on!! So exciting for us, we are looking forward to our day!

Join jasmere and find some great stuff and of course watch for the Serendipity day!!

Kids say the funniest things...

This post is off the normal path for me, but very normal for my usual daily routines.  It's about my little girl who is 3.5. years old (4 yrs if you ask her).  She is sweet, quiet and a little bit of a mischief maker and most days we have lot of fun.  But the other day, she was not having a good day.  Everything resulted in a meltdown.  My other little monkey, 2yrs old, kept telling her sister to "stop crying, too noisy".  In this particular meltdown of the day she had been crying on and off for about 30 mins. I kept trying to console her, but she would get annoyed and cry louder, so I would leave the room.  Finally she sat with me and calmed down, she suddenly stated clear as anything, without crying "Mommy, did you hear that?" I replied "No, what is it".  With a huge smile on her face she says "Mommy, my bed is calling me!"  Since we weren't at home, I offered to take her home to go to sleep.  She smiled and said "No mommy, I am okay now, my bed will wait for me to get home...can I have some pizza now."  And that was it, no more crying, no more meltdowns, the evening pizza was enjoyed by all and yes when we got home, she happily danced down the hall and climbed into her bed! 

Starter Sentiments

We are excited to launch a new program with our cards. It is called "starter sentiments"! Since all our cards are blank inside and not everyone loves a blank card, we are putting into each card 3-5 suggested messages for the inside of the card. We hope that those who prefer an inside greeting will have their pick of a few to write in themselves and those that prefer blank cards, it is business as usual.  The starter sentiments are attached to the inside of each cello bag and are not attached to the card itself.  We think this is a great way to jump start anyone's creative side to write a nice message to the recipient of the card.

Pet Sympathy Cards

We are excited to launch our Pet Sympathy Card line!  Inspiration for this line comes from a veterinarian friend, who sends pet sympathy cards quite regularly.  We are eager to expand this line to include pet birthday cards and thank-you cards.  Check out the full line on our website and send us your thoughts/ideas about it.

Creative fun!

Lately I have been anything but productive with stationery. Perhaps it is due to the end of school craziness that is surrounding me or the fact that the weather here is anything but summer like. Rain, rain and more rain.  My garden is loving it, the kids love the mud, but really so me some sunshine please!
Well I started to create a bit more these last few days and here are a few of the latest design ideas.  One bold, one not so bold.  Not yet ready for you all to buy, but soon they will be!