Momma's Gone Over the Wall

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Easter Cooking with Del Monte #10minutewow

I love a good excuse to cook for a crowd: birthday parties, holidays, summer barbeques. It's a great time to combine tried and true recipes with some exciting new ones. With Easter coming up, I am gathering recipes and ingredients to make some delicious sides to go with the huge dinner my mom is preparing.

Ham is always on our menu at Easter, so corn casserole is a must. Over the years, I've tried several variations on the recipe. This year I'm planning to make Del Monte's Cheddar Corn Casserole. It combines sweet corn with savory flavors to create a rich dish, perfect for the holiday table. Thankfully for us, there are lots of vegan cheeses and gluten free stir-ins I can substitute in the recipe to make it a dish all of us can enjoy.

If lamb is on your menu, Del Monte has a recipe for Peas 5 Ways, that is easy to customize to ensure a great pairing. The Asian-style sweet peas, with teriyaki and almonds, sounds like it would be a hit in our house.

Making salmon for Easter? Try Del Monte's Lemon-Garlic Green Beans with Crispy Crumbs. It's a lighter alternative to green bean casserole, using lemon juice, garlic, and bread crumbs.

There's only a few days left until Easter, but Del Monte has your side dishes covered with their #10minutewow recipes. Easy to make and minimal ingredients, they'll help you serve a delicious Easter lunch with plenty of time left to hunt Easter eggs with your little ones.

Product was provided for review. All opinions are our own.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Sunbutter Cream Pie (DF, GF, Peanut Free)

Ingredients:
Box of Healthy Top or two cans of coconut milk, chilled and separated
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup Sunbutter
2 tsp vanilla
Enjoy Life chocolate chips
Premade gf chocolate crust, like Mi-Del

Directions:
Whip a box of Healthy Top or canned coconut milk with electric mixer until peaks form. Add 1/4 cup honey, 3/4 cup Sunbutter, and 2 tsp. vanilla, until mixed well. Pour into a gf/df crust and top with Enjoy Life chips and homemade Sunbutter cups. Allow to set up in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Fun Toddler Toast (GF, DF, Peanut free)

With a very picky little one, I have to get creative sometimes. Sure, he doesn't want toast with nut butter. But turn it into a fun, silly looking critter and he will devour it.

We created this little piggy snack using Aldi's G-Free bread, Sunbutter, Enjoy Life chocolate chips, and bananas.

Under 5 minutes from start to finish and a winner with the 3 year old.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Homemade Sunbutter Eggs (Dairy Free, Peanut Free)

Over the last few years, I have really missed peanut butter eggs at Easter time. They are by far my favorite candy! With a kiddo with allergies to peanuts, dairy, and gluten, they were definitely banned from our house. After three years of missing out, I finally decided to make my own version.

Sunbutter Eggs

Ingredients
3/4 cup sunbutter
1/2 to 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

In a small bowl, mix Sunbutter and powdered sugar until the dough can be formed into a ball. Shape dough into egg shapes and place on parchment paper and freeze for an hour. Melt Enjoy Life chips and stir in 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil. Dip eggs into chocolate and place into freezer until firm.

Make 12-14 eggs.

Store in fridge to keep fresh longer.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Chalk Paint Table: DIY

We've had a little table in our basement forever. Hubby picked it up along the side of the road almost 10 years ago, and it's been used as a storage spot since.

Recently, I decided I wanted to change up our tiny dining nook, which is the first thing you see coming in our back door. So I pulled the table out of the basement, bought a $2.50 can of paint from Walmart (Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze), and went to work.

To create the chalk paint effect, I mixed the 8oz container of paint with 2oz of Sheetrock Patch & Repair Compound that we already had at home. I painted two layers all over the table and sealed it with Minwax Paste Finishing Wax (from Lowes for around $9).

So for under $15, we have a fresh, bright table in our little nook. I also added these cute yellow place mats from Target (on clearance for under $2).

Friday, March 20, 2015

Food Allergies: On a Budget

One of the toughest parts of having food allergies is fitting special foods into our (tight) budget. My 3 year old and I both eat dairy and gluten free, and he is peanut free too. So shopping and meal planning involves lots of label reading and creativity. Life would be so much easier if he wasn't so picky too.

So how do we afford our allergies?

Meal Plan: We go to the store with a list and try to stick to it. Our dinners are pretty basic, meat, starch, veggies. Meals like tacos, pot roast, salads, and chicken with rice require little substitution to fit our restrictions, so we rotate them in a lot.

Discount Stores: Aldi's carries fresh fruit and veggies priced at a fraction of the regular stores. Plus they have the G-Free line that has amazing gluten free bread. (No toasting required!) If you're lucky enough to have a "seconds," salvage, or bent and dent store nearby, utilize it. We find great deals at our local bent and dent store every week, things like gluten free baking mixes for $1 or dairy free ice cream pints for 50 cents.

(Recent discount store buys. Spent $4 on what's shown)

Coupons: It's rare to find coupons for specialty foods in the weekend paper, but ones for products like Chex or Prego are often offered. Plus, if you write to companies or join their mailing lists, they will occasionally send coupons out.

Buy Straight from the Source: Look for a CSA in your area or farmers willing to sell directly to you. We buy a quarter of beef once and year, and the price works out cheaper per pound than buying at the store.

What are your best tips for handling allergies on a budget?

Monday, October 21, 2013

Skylanders Halloween Costumes: Review

My oldest has been in love with Skylanders since the original game debuted. We have collected all the characters for Skylanders and Skylanders Giants, so we were excited about the introduction of the new Swapforce game this month.

With Halloween just around the corner, kids can now "swap" their everyday clothing for a an exciting Skylanders costume. They can transform into Chop-Chop, Spyro, Gill Grunt, Stealth Elf, or one of their other favorite characters.

My 9 year old is very excited to trick or treat as Jet-Vac this Halloween. The Jet-Vac costumes includes the jumpsuit, a foam belt, and mask. I appreciate that the costume is easy to slip on, and he loves the details in the mask. The shoes covers are attached to the jumpsuit, which saves me from having to put them back on every 5 minutes.

The costume runs fairly true to size. We received a 10/12, which fits snugly on Little Man, who typically wears a 12. If you live where it's chilly on Halloween night, I'd suggest ordering a size up, so you can add a layer of clothes underneath.

Buy It: An assortment of Skylanders costumes are available online or in stores

We received a sample for review purposes. All opinions are our own.

Monday, September 23, 2013

McCain Grocery Goodness {Contest}

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for McCain Foods. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

Fall is a busy time for us, with school and homework, play dates, soccer, and lots of spur of the moment adventures in the beautiful weather. But, we always find a way to sit down to dinner together, giving us a chance to hear about each others' days.

McCain also believes in the importance of family meals, and is currently hosting the Grocery Goodness Facebook Giveaway. Each week they will select one winner (8 winners total) to receive a $500 grocery store gift card! Check out the Grocery Goodness Giveaway tab to receive a $1 off coupon off any 1 bag of McCain Potato products.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Summertime

Summertime has taken over. We're checking off things on our Summer List.

Late nights with s'mores.
Bounce house fun.
Hours in the pool.
Friends and family.
Road trip.
Yard sale toys.
Nerf wars from the new playset.
Reading book after book.
Waterfall hikes.
Playground trips with friends.
Exploring town and relaxing at home.
Superhero run.
Visiting animals at the zoo.
Sleepovers.

Less than a month left and we still have so much to do.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Fiber One Protein Bars: Review

My husband has to pack lunch and a snack for work every day, and because he does a lot of manual labor, I try to be sure he has options that will help him keep his energy up all day. But, we also need to have choices that are easy to pack and easily eaten.

We have been buying Fiber One bars for years, but we recently tried the new Protein Bars and were impressed by the chewy texture and chocolate taste. In flavors like Caramel Nut and Coconut Almond, they taste more like a treat than a healthy granola bar. (Which is ideal in my hubby's eyes.) He loved the Coconut Almond bars and compared the flavors to one of his favorite candy bars.

The Caramel Nut bar contains 7 grams of protein and only 130 calories, while the Coconut Almond has 6 grams of protein and 140 calories. Each box contains 5 bars and retails for $4.19.

Fiber One Protein Bars make a healthy, filling snack to help my hubby make it through his mid-morning lull and are a great substitute for a vending machine candy bar! I'm happy that he has a new treat that he can grab on the go and it keeps him feeling full until lunch.

Buy It:
Find Fiber One Protein Bars at your local grocery store.

Samples were provided for review. All opinions are our own.