Frozen yogurt pops, anyone?

Frozen yogurt has increased in popularity among the choices for healthy snacks for children. Packed with fat free or low fat yogurt, fresh or frozen fruits, skim milks, sugar free juices, and other nutritional foods, frozen yogurt can be eaten in a variety of ways to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

Frozen yogurt pops are a fun, convenient way to introduce new foods to children. Take away the candy, cookies, cakes, and pies, and instead put a frozen yogurt pop in to the hand of a child and sit back with satisfaction.

A quick way to make these yummy treats is to pour the blended yogurt, fruit, milk, juice, and ice mixture in to small disposable cups, add in a popsicle stick, and place them in to the freezer. No kid can ever deny the sheer goodness presented.

For a simple treat, try this recipe:

1) Place 2 cups of your favorite fresh fruits in to a blender.
Add in 2 cups of plain or vanilla yogurt, preferably of the fat free or low fat variety.
Pour in up to a quarter cup of white sugar, depending on the nutritional needs of the child, as well as the natural sweetness of the fruits.
Cover, and blend until smooth.

2) Fill small paper cups ¾ of the way full with the yogurt mixture. Cover the cups with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Poke a popsicle stick through the cover and allow the stick to stand up in each cup.

3) Place the cups in the freezer for at least 5 hours. To serve, remove foil or plastic wrap and peel off the paper cup.

Depending on the fruits selected, and other ingredients used, the calorie count for each frozen yogurt pop should weigh in between 75 and 100 calories.

These can be made in many varieties, so mix and match and have fun in the kitchen with children!

Find my original post over at http://www.examiner.com/children-s-fitness-in-topeka/frozen-yogurt-pops.

I ♥ Cookbooks!!

It's no secret that I LOVE a new cookbook! How 'bout you??

I got in my FREE Thin Kitchen Cookbook from Beachbody the other day and I swear I am using it every single day! I did a post on it over on my health and fitness blog. Here is the link! Head on over and check it out!!

Join us for a Back2School Health & Fitness Challenge!

Hi friends!

Bear with me, as I cannot remember who asked me to post this video, but still wanted to share it with you all. Ronnie and I are hosting a Back2School Health & Fitness Challenge. If you are interested in joining us and the others, please follow the instructions in the video and we'll get started in a few weeks. We would LOVE to have you join us! ♥

Yum Yum's

Tropical Fruit Compote
Recommended by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 piece lemon peel
1 tsp. rum or vanilla extract (optional)
1 pineapple, cored and peeled, cut into 8 slices
2 mangos, peeled and pitted, cut into 8 pieces
3 bananas, peeled and cut into 8 diagonal pieces

In a saucepan combine water with sugar, lemon juice, and lemon peel (and rum or vanilla extract, if desired). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add the fruit. Cook at a very low heat for 5 minutes. Pour the syrup in a cup. Remove the lemon rind and cool the cooked fruit for 2 hours. To serve the compote, arrange the fruit in a serving dish and pour a few teaspoons of syrup over the fruit. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve with Homemade Sour Cream. Makes 8 1-cup servings.

Preparation Time: 2 hours

Cooking Time: 100 minutes

Nutritional Information: (per serving)
Calories: 148
Protein: n/a
Sodium: 3 mg
Cholesterol: 0 g
Fat Total: < 1 g
Saturated Fat: < 1 g

A Lil News/Update, A Lil Trip, A Lil Class, & A Lil More This-n-That

To get through the torture that our government is putting us through, we've been trying to keep life as normal as possible. Believe me...for all you non-military folks, life for us is VERY different right now. Some good, some bad...and such is life. But wow...wasn't so sure we would make it through that one alive.

This week is Spring Break around here. And I have mixed feelings about this week. Ronnie was out in the field for most of the week and most of Neeley's friends are all gone on trips, so I have accomplished absolutely nothing. And seeing as how I have two classes ending very soon and a ton of other projects as usual, I keep going to bed at night wondering how in the world I can even lay my head on the pillow without a fight. But it's all good. Next week...back to normal!

We started the week off with Neeley in a RAW cooking class. What? Nope, it's not raw meats or anything pertaining to sushi. It's all about eating healthy, including lots of fresh fruits and veggies in your diet and making good use of your blender. She got to make smoothies, homemade peanut butter using PB2, zucchini spaghetti, and RAW tacos using walnuts as the meat. To see more about what Chef V offers to adults and children, you can check out her website http://rawkravings.blogspot.com. Oh so yummy! Neeley and I have had the Spinach & Grape Salad, RAW tacos, and the Peachy Pea Compote in Cucumber Boats this week. Delicious!

I've had the fortunate opportunity to grab up a couple of books to read this week.

It will be nice to not have to read textbooks again. :) Hoping to finish up soon. Yahoo!




















Neeley and I were also able to take a pretty neat trip to Insel Mainau through our USO on Wednesday. It was beautiful!



It's been a great week! Hopefully things are starting to look up! Well...at least for a few more months anyway.

Now I'm off to make a hundred deviled eggs-bleck!!-for a BBQ we are attending later today.

Enjoy your weekend! Ronnie has to start back on nights and shift work for the next month this weekend. Not fun at all! :( And sometimes having him here, even if he is asleep, tends to throw off my daily schedule, even with Neeley at school. Here's hoping to get back on a schedule and back to a "normal" routine this week.

Catch-Up & Some Linky Love

Whew-wee...life is feeling very {full} and {crazy busy} these days....and we're tired, y'all!

We're all FINALLY over the killer sickness of 2011. Oh, PTL!! Walking pneumonia is no fun at all!

Hey Arkansas, what's up with your weird weather and your earthquakes? :(

I've started a lil tutoring of some kiddos on the side and have been approached about possibly teaching some beginner piano lessons to some younguns. Wow!

I've spent more time in Neeley's school this past week than I think I ever have. I've been helping her teacher as I can and volunteering with bake sales and after school programs and trying to stay involved. Maybe too involved? :)

Neeley's last basketball game is tomorrow morning and it's going to be a bit of a bittersweet moment for us. We really miss the seasons once they are over. Well....sort of.

The above means we have about a month long break before the soccer season begins. Yay! ♥LOVE♥ that Neeley is so willing to try new things. And so glad she is back to soccer now, and thankfully this is a spring season. The first time she tried soccer it was a fall season and we were miserable by the end of the season, what with playing in the freezing rain and the mud and all.

Thinking I may make some of THESE tomorrow. Don't those look yummy?

I've finished my class and have 2 more classes beginning on the 12th. Once those are over, I will be only 4 classes away from finishing my MBA. Another PTL moment!!

And speaking of classes, Neeley is THRIVING in school but that girls has a ton of projects!! Oh my word...do any of your kiddos have so many? That girl and her work keeps my head spinning!

We are working on planning many, many, many upcoming Girl Scout events and those are keeping us busy as well. Not sure how I will feel by the end of June once our scout and school year are over. Relieved, perhaps? :)

Next weekend we travel to Ramstein for Neeley to compete in the European Spelling Bee (YIKES!!! and a big ol' gulp.......), and then we head over to Oberhausen for the Taylor Swift concert we tried to surprise her with. I'm not sure who's more excited...me or the girlies going. :)

Neeley's theater group is working on their upcoming production. It is a version of Happy Feet, rewritten by the teacher who sponsors the group. Should be cute!! Now we have to make penguin costumes for all the kiddos. Yikes!!

I have several "heart smart" posts out there this month with our focus on being heart healthy for the month of March. Check this one out about Heart Smart Foods HERE!!

We got to experience a new restaurant last night when we went for an event with Ronnie's unit. The China Palast Restaurant was not our most favorite place to eat but it wasn't terrible either. The food was okay and the prices weren't bad. Neeley's meal tasted like chicken and noodles in Ragu spaghetti sauce which is disappointing since she is such a good eater but, all in all, it was a good time.

More news to come from the homefront soon. We're looking at a possible move in just a few months and that has our stomachs tied in knots. We are looking at one area ever so closely and kind of sort of keeping fingers crossed while at the same time trying not to have a panic attack. More info on that as we find out more. No need to panic our peeps!! :)

Our weekend is full of play practice, basketball games, sleepovers, family fun, kicking off Girl Scout Week, buying groceries, getting caught up on laundry, cleaning house, and trying to bring some semblance of order back to our house. I have felt so disconnected for about 3 or 4 weeks now, thanks to the sickies we all 3 had for so long and then being so stinkin' busy since then with everything. I know the busy part probably never stops, but it seems like we can never get off the crazy bus at times. :)

Wanna know what I do when the going gets tough? Well...the tough get going...but I just add to my schedule... on top of the Girl Scout events, and my classes, and the tutoring and teaching piano lessons, we are looking very closely at starting a Fit Club up here on RB. Call me crazy? Yep....I think so too! ;)

Have you checked out the OpenSky Boutique lately? I've added a few new things but I am going to really be revamping it here very soon, as soon as I can find a blank spot in my calendar. Hhmmm...so far it's looking like N-E-V-E-R!! I always try not to let my business opportunities and other involvements spill over in to our family time, but here lately everything is monopolizing all 3 of us and it's making me consume ludicrous amounts of coffee and Diet Coke. Can't wait for the day when I can say "that's enough, y'all!!"

Ok, time to sign off so I can vaccuum, wash mountains of clothes, make our master weekend shopping list, revise my to-do list, and I'm finishing up the editing of my Administrative Services price list. Yep...adding that to my portfolio too. Need a document proofread or edited? Let me know!

Tonight we're headed over to another post to the high school for some family fun. A lil B-I-N-G-O and chili and all the fixin's and lots of other games and we'll see what other trouble we can get in to. I need a good laugh!! And while we're at it, can we add in maybe a movie, a good book, and a glass of wine? Why, thank you!!

We'll be back at ya soon with another update, some good reading material, a new recipe or two, and pics from our family fun. Have a good weekend!!

Yummy For All Tummies

Apple-Cranberry Galette

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 Tbs. extra for your work surface
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, divided, and cut into small pieces
• 2-1/2 Tbs. cold water
• 3 medium apples, peeled and cored
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

1. KNEAD IT In a food processor with a blade attachment, mix both flours and 1/2 cup butter. Process until butter is the size of tiny peas. Add water; pulse until dough pulls together. Let your kid form it into a 5-inch disk on a floured surface. Cover; refrigerate for an hour.

2. MAKE A BIG CIRCLE Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare a floured surface. Ask your child to roll the dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Help him check the size with a ruler. Put the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or transfer later.

3. FILL AND FOLD Quarter apples; slice 1/4-inch thick. Ask your kid to mix remaining ingredients with apples and spoon into center of dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold dough over and dot center with remaining butter. Bake 35 minutes, until crust is golden and fruit bubbles.

Oh so yummy!!! I found this recipe in a copy of Parents magazine and it can be found online here. There are other kid-friendly recipes as well.

Enjoy! We certainly did! ;)

Creamy Pumpkin Rice Pudding=Pure Perfection

Neeley and I tried a little something new for breakfast this morning and we were not disappointed at all. Try it and let me know what you think!

Creamy Pumpkin Rice Pudding

2/3 cup water 1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup milk 2/3 cup canned pumpkin 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 cup dried cranberries and/or raisins 1 medium red apple and/or green pear, cored and thinly sliced 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted 2 Tbsp. honey

Preheat oven to 325 F. In small saucepan combine water and rice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring once.

In medium bowl combine eggs, milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Stir in rice and 1/2 cup of the cranberries and/or raisins. Pour mixture into 1 1/2-quart straight-sided deep baking dish. Place dish in baking pan on oven rack. Pour boiling water into baking pan until water comes halfway up sides of baking dish.

Bake 30 minutes; stir. Bake 35 minutes more or until outside edge appears set. Remove dish from oven. Cool slightly on wire rack.

Meanwhile, in bowl combine remaining 1/4 cup cranberries and/or raising and boiling water to cover. Let stand 15 minutes; drain. Just before serving, toss together apple and/or pear, walnuts, honey, and cranberries and/or raisins. Spoon over pudding. Serve warm.

Each serving: 295 cal, 10 g fat (2 g sat. fat), 109 mg chol, 156 mg sodium, 47 g carbo, 3 g fiber, 7 g protein.

Nothin' To Do 'Cept Cook

Ah, these cold days make me want to cook, y'all! Except sometimes I don't like it since there's just two of us home right now.

Comfort foods are what we crave........



There's nothin' better on a cold yucky night than creamy tomato soup with homemade croutons and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Yum yum!

Soup recipe - per person:

1 can tomato soup
A splash of milk to make it creamy
Salt & pepper to taste
A pinch...or two...or seven...of fat free cheddar cheese or a cheese blend if you like
Homemade toasted bread, cut in to squared & seasoned with s & p, garlic salt, minced onion, & parsley
A lil parsley to sprinkle on the top

Feed to one hungry person...................

And we followed that up with chocolate cake mix cookies with butterscotch chips. Oh my word!

This is the recipe I used, but there are several out there.....

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

1 box Chocolate Fudge cake mix
1/2 cup oil
1 cup quick oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten....or Egg Beaters is what we use
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butterscotch chips

Taking Butternut Squash To A Whole New Level

Y'all know I LOVE a good bloggy-blog when I see one. I lurk and I creep and I am on the 'net way more than I should be. But I ALWAYS . . . well usually . . . find a good book recommendation, a new product I am dying to try, or happen upon a good recipe.

And now the angels were singing when I made a new recipe the other day. Thanks to Designer Wife and her wonderful hubby, I always find such inspiration. I made their Butternut Squash Pasta With Rosemary, Mushrooms, & Brown Butter the other night and even Neeley declared it the best meal ever. You really must try it. And now I have lots of ideas of how I would like to tweak the recipe some to make variations of it. But for a yummy-good-for-the-heart-and-tummy meal, I wouldn't change a thing. Neeley even took it in her lunchbox in a hot thermos to school the next day and said it was just as great as the first time.

So, give it a try . . . and tell me what you think. You won't be disappointed! ;)

P.S. - I owe y'all a family update in a big, big way very soon.......

Warning: NOT For The Diabetic

Neeley and I just shared the yummiest dessert. Now, mind you this is not for the faint of heart...er...diabetic, and yes I know this. So please don't lecture me after reading through this recipe. LOL It really was quite tasty and perfect for this time of year. Let me know what you think if you make it!

Orange Layer Cake With Buttercream Frosting And Berries

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of two 10-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Who am I kidding? I just used a 9x13 pan and called it done. :)

Whisk 4 1/2 cups cake flour, 4 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer (btw...wanna know how old mine is/was? Well, let's just say that with this recipe...this cake is on the dense side...mine started smoking and fire was coming out of it. Yep, 13 years old!), beat 2 1/4 sticks of butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with 1 1/2 cups milk in 2 additions (Confession...I just divided up the flour and put it in a half at a time and I just now realized I totally forgot to add the milk to my cake. No wonder it is like cornbread!), beating until well blended between additions. Using clean dry beaters, beat 9 egg whites until foamy. Gently add in 1/2 cup sugar. Once mixed, gently fold this mixture in to the cake mixture. Divide the batter in to two cake pans, or just use a cake pan like I did. Bake until done, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool.

Mix glaze: 1 box of powdered sugar, 12 oz cream cheese, 2 sticks of butter, a tsp of orange extract, and 1/4 cup orange marmalade. Delicious! Spread glaze over cooled cake.

Serve with fresh chilled strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries. Oh my! Not sure how much of this will be left for tomorrow!

I'd say she liked it. What do you think?

Good Eats

Now that our temps have eased up a bit, I've felt the urge to cook a lil more. With Neeley's help, I made Chicken Spaghetti using whole wheat fettuccine noodles the other night. Delicious!!!!

Whole Wheat Chicken Spaghetti

Boil boneless skinless chicken breasts. I used 3 breasts just for Neeley and I. Shred and set aside. Boil 10 ounces of any whole wheat pasta. I used more - an entire box of whole wheat fettuccine - to have plenty of leftovers. Strain noodles. In a large bowl, mix together pasta, chicken, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 can of cheddar cheese soup, 1 can of Rotel, salt, pepper, and 1 small onion. Pour mixture in to a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

What is your favorite summer go-to recipe??

When You Give A Girl A Kitchen....

....she will be ever so happy to use her creativity to make another concoction.

I don't always mind a little creativity in the kitchen, even if it is the masterpiece of the lil girl of the house. Sometimes it makes me want to leave the room and scream, but sometimes she also does a good job.

Today, she was in the mood for something sweet and started pilfering around in the kitchen cabinets. After adding a few ingredients together.....


Pouring it in to a shortbread pie crust........


Making coffee...........


And then warming up the pie in the oven for just a sec while the coffee brewed, we ended up with something pretty tasty.


We sat right down and enjoyed a mug of yummy coffee and a slice of Neeley's "Sugar High Apple Pie."

Neeley Beth's "Sugar High Apple Pie"

1 large can of apple pie filling
A sprinkling of chocolate chips
A dab of honey
A bit of cinnamon and nutmeg

Mix well and pour in to a shortbread pie crust. Put in the oven just for a sec to warm through. Um........delicious!?! :) It was good, but I think next time we'll leave out the honey. Enjoy!

Morning Feast

Neeley asked for Pop-Up Pancakes for breakfast this morning and that is just what she got.


I'd say she was pretty happy about them.

Pop-Up Pancakes

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
Dash of salt

Mix well, pour into muffin pan, bake at 400 degrees.

They puff up like big rolls and then flatten out as they cool. Much like a homemade sopaipilla. Yum Yum! We served ours with cinnamon, sugar, a lil honey, fruit, boiled eggs, and greek yogurt.

You should try them too!

Our Favorite Recipes

I am making up our menu for our 4th of July celebration tomorrow and looking at all of my hundreds - and maybe even thousands :) - of recipes. And it got me to thinking, because...well...you know how short my attention span is.

Wait...what was I talking about? Oh yeah... LOL

I was thinking that I have always had many favorite recipes and Ronnie and Neeley have some faves too. So I am going to start sharing them here with you. I LOVE recipes and I know several of you have recipe blogs too and I visit them often. Sometimes I tell you and then other times I am just in rush to get a meal on the table so I go and find a good recipe of yours and then I fix it and forget about it. :)

So from now when I find a good one we love, I will share it here. And please feel free to share some of yours too. I will start soon by posting some of our faves that we have quite often. So be looking!!

The Best Meal Ever!

Do you have a favorite meal you just LOVE to have in the summer months? I love to throw some chicken on the grill, have a big ol' salad, and a yummy summer tea. But tonight.........oh tonight's meal takes the cake.

It has been a beautiful day here today and for the past few days as well. And we are loving spending so much time outside. A lot of the kids on post, Neeley included, have spent the past few days taking advantage of water sprinklers and slip n slides and those cheapy plastic pools. What fun!

After we got back in side this evening and got all cleaned up, I decided to try a couple of new recipes for dinner and oh.my.word!! I have found my new fave summer meal.

Golden Grilled Chicken With Apricots

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can apricot nectar
6 T apricot preserves
1/4 cup snipped fresh mint
1 T plus 1 tsp olive oil
1 T sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 clove garlic, minced
4 medium apricots, halved and pitted
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
1 T dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a large ziplock bag. Pour 1/2 can of apricot nectar, 2 T apricot preserves, 1/8 cup mint, 1 T olive oil, sherry vinegar, curry powder, and garlic over the chicken in the bag. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove chicken from the marinade and grill.

Make a sauce by combining the other half of a can of apricot nectar, 4 T apricot preserves, 1/8 cup mint, 1 tsp olive oil, green onions, pistachios, mustard, mustard seeds, and 1/4 tsp salt. Drizzle over the chicken and apricots and serve.

Oh yum!!

And here is the salad I made to go with the chicken.

Melon Salad With Sweet Sesame Dressing

1/3 tsp sugar
3 T champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 T vegetable oil
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Lettuce leaves
2 cups cut up seedless watermelon
2 cups cut up cantaloupe
2 cups cut up honeydew
1 cup sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced carrots
Crisp-cooked bacon, drained and crumbled

Cut up the lettuce, cucumber, and carrots and put in a salad bowl. Cut up melons and place on top of lettuce and veggies. For the dressing, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, salt, and ginger. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Transfer to a medium bowl. In a thin steady stream, slowly add vegetable and olive oil to sugar mixture, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in sesame seeds, sesame oil. Set aside. Drizzle the dressing over the salads. Sprinkle with bacon and snipped fresh cilantro if desired.

Neeley and I ate like we hadn't eaten in months. It was so good and refreshing and filling and yummy! And we will definitely be having this again soon.

If you try it, let me know what you think!!

A Sneaky-Peeky At Chef Boyardee...I Mean... Bowden

Neeley loves to help in the kitchen. I think I've said that before. And last night she asked to help make one of her favorite recipes.

Chef Bowden loves to do anything that a kid can manage in the kitchen. Here's the full-length picture just so you don't think our stove is short and made for kids...

I gave Anna Banana permission to help clean the floor during the process but she did more begging than anything else.

Then we sat down to this delicious meal...

Yummy potato soup and cheese toast. And it was good! :)

Neeley Beth's Favorite Potato Soup

6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1-2 onions, peeled and diced
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cans low sodium fat free chicken broth
1 tsp. basil
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. flour
1 1/2 C. fat free half & half or whole milk

Bring the first 8 ingredients to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk flour and half & half or milk together. Add to soup mixture. Simmer on stove top until veggies are tender. Top with cheese, bacon, sour cream, or any other fixin's you like.



(Picture disclaimer: Yes, that is a puzzle on my dining room table; Yes, that is Cafe World on Facebook on the computer in the background, and No Neeley does not have wild hair in this picture-her popcorn plant is sitting on the window sill behind her and just so happened to appear in this picture.)

Hope you like the soup as much as we do! Btw, this is our 200th post. Wow!