Meatball Subs

Ingredients:
10 COOKED Meatballs - homemade or store bought - your choice
2 Sub Buns
1 1/2 cups of Pizza Sauce/Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese


Directions:

1. Cut the two sub buns open and lay all four halves onto a cookie sheet (I used our toaster oven and rack)
2. Spread the sauce evenly over all of the buns
3. Cut the meatballs into slices (I did three cuts per meatball to make them as flat as possible) and place the slices onto the sauce.
4. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the buns and place in the oven (toaster oven) on 350F for 15 minutes.

Sorry, we were in a rush that night so I forgot to take a picture, and the leftovers went over so well that I didn't have time to take pictures afterwards!

Ham and Cheese Quiche

I'm sure this is also true in your home, but I often find that when I make something new and call it by it's real name (a good example being quiche), my kids are really quick to say "I don't LIKE that!".  But if I get creative and call it something that they are familiar with (for example, Egg Pie), they are SO excited and gobble it ALL up.   This was a HUGE hit!

Ingredients:

1 cup diced ham (precooked) - great to use up leftovers!

1 cup cheese (split in half)

4 eggs

1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli and/or cauliflower

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a 9 inch pan.
2. Sprinkle in half of the cheese, ham and veggies all over the bottom of the pan.
3. In another bowl, combine the eggs and milk and whisk well.  Then add the flour and whisk REALLY well.  Once this mixture is smooth, pour it into the pan.
4. Sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top and bake for 35 minutes or until set.

Pizza Muffins

Ingredients:

1tbsp yeast

1tbsp white sugar

2 1/2 cups warm water

2tbsp oil

1tbsp salt

6cups flour

pizza sauce

pizza toppings

shredded cheese

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water, till creamy, about 10 minutes
2. Stir the oil, salt and 4 cups of the flour into the yeast mixture
3. Mix in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time
4. Knead dough for about 8 minutes, add some oil to the dough ball, cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 hour
5. Preheat oven to 425F
6. Once the hour is up, divide the dough ball into two or three smaller balls.  Roll each ball out, one at a time, onto a floured surface
7. once dough is roller out, cover with pizza sauce and add toppings
8. Roll up the dough and cut into pieces (like you would for a cinnamon bun) and place them on a cookie sheet
9. Bake for 20 minutes or until light brown and cheese is bubbly

Cheeseburger Muffins

Cheeseburger Muffins (makes 12 large muffins)

Ingredients:

2lbs ground beef

3/4 C. bread crumbs

1/2 C. minced white onion

2 eggs

1tsp. salt

1tsp. pepper

3 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Grease
3. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
4. Mould the beef mixture into balls and place them into the muffin tins.  Gently press down.  Make sure the mixture does not fill the muffin tin more than 3/4 full.
5. Bake for 40 minutes or until finished.

Weather Week Part 1

A week full of weather ideas!

This week we added some sight words with pictures to our Center Time Wall.  There are many more that you can make, just use your imagination and developmental age of your child to come up with words.  I printed the words using a simple Word document and inserting a table.  Once printed, I drew pictures to represent each word.  You could also use Google Images to find pictures if you so wish.

Literacy: A simple game of memory using Weather Terms and pictures.  Check out the website MES English for lots of other games and printables.  I used these cards when I taught ESL overseas a few years ago.

Math: We started talking about graphing this week and made a simple graph to keep track of the weather for the month for March.  You can find my printable graph here!

Math: A file folder game that teaches number order from 1-50.  Check out the Carson Dellosa File Folder Books! 

Literacy: Mini Books are a great way for children to become independent in their reading.  Even though my 3 year old can't read yet, the rhymes in this book are familiar so he "follows along" with his finger and recites the poems.  This weeks book was "Rain Rain Go Away".  Scholastic has a great selection of Mini Books available!

Snack Time: A simple "Sunny Day" snack.  Made with baby carrots, a slice of orange and Craisins for the eyes (raisins or chocolate chips would also work - use what you have in the house!)

Groundhog Week

This week we were learning about Groundhog Day and shadows.

We started with an activity where my son matched shapes that were white to their black shadows. First, I put the shapes around on the basement floor while he hid his eyes and counted to 15. This was too easy for him. So once he matched all of the shapes to their shadows, he hid his eyes and counted to 15 again.  This time, I hid the black shadow shapes around the room and he had to search for the black shadow shapes. There were some that were too hard for him to find, so I used the words 'hot' and 'cold' to guide him to the next shadow shape.

For our music and movement part of this week, we used scarves that I bought from the dollar store. We found some lanterns and turned off the lights. Once he was ready, we started the music and we danced in front of the lanterns so that he could watch his shadow dancing on the wall.

This was our shadow painting. I cut out the silhouette of a groundhog, placed it on a black piece of paper and he used white paint and a sponge to dab around the groundhogs silhouette. When he lifted up the piece of paper with the groundhog on it, we were left with a really cool groundhog shadow.

 

Our cooking experience this week involved chocolate pudding, chocolate cookies and Teddy grahams.  First, we spooned out the chocolate pudding into the bowl and then we crumbled up chocolate chip cookies and sprinkled the crumbs on top. Finally, we placed four Teddy grahams in the bowl because our number of the week was four so this was yet another way to practice counting.  And just in case you're wondering, we used teddy grahams because they were the closest thing to groundhogs that we could find. And yes, they actually sell these at the dollar store.

Shadow puppets. I used Google images and found some basic shapes that I thought would make good story props. I then cut them out and taped the shapes to large popsicle sticks from the dollar store.  Using a lantern and a blank canvas wall, my son put on a great puppet show.

A science experiment. This was very educational and to the point. You can download a more general form below so that you can adapt the investigation to what you are working on.

Menu and Daycare Planning

Every Monday when the parents come in to drop of the children, this menu and weekly schedule is posted by the cubbies.  You can see how I made this menu board here because I made it a couple of years ago to use for my family.  I used it often, but I think it will be more helpful now with the daycare.  Also, if you would like to use my weekly schedule, you can check it out below and use it as you wish!  If you do, all I ask is that you leave a quick comment and if you use it on your blog or other page, please reference back to my site!  It's all about sharing my friends!

Also, if you check back tomorrow, I will have my list up that has 52 themes for the entire year! 

Weekly Plan

Kabobs for Kids

I have seen a few of these ideas on Pinterest.  Brownie and fruit kabobs.  Marshmallow and chocolate kabobs.  All fruit kabobs.  However, I'm not a cool mom like that, so chocolate was out, but we all need a LITTLE sugar, so marshmallows and fruit it is!  This snack idea kept them busy for 30 minutes.  25 minutes to make them and 5 minutes to gobble them up.  Small motor practice and a fun activity any time of year!

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

Mmmm, this soup looked amazing!  Especially since Fall is here and everything.  I LOVE homemade soup, but I am not the greatest cook, so I was REALLY hoping that I could pull this recipe off.  I read the other comments from the blog to turn this meal into a slowcooker-friendly meal so that it would be easier to make when I got home from work with the kids.

Here are the ingredients that I used:
1 cup carrots
2 celery sticks, finely chopped

1 cup chopped broccoli

1 cup chopped cauliflower

4 cups chicken broth

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped

1tbsp flour

1tbsp cooking oil

2/3 cup milk

2 cups shredded marble cheese

Oregano

Garlic Powder

Black Pepper

 

Step By Step:

1. Put the first 6 ingredients into the slow cooker.  Set it to 6-8 hours on low.

2. Because I needed more control over temperature when I got home, I poured the soup base into a large pot and placed it on the stove, bringing it to a boil.

3. Mix the flour and the oil together in a seperate bowl and once the soup base boils, add the rue and then turn down the heat and let the soup simmer until it starts to thicken.

4. Once the soup has thickened, add the milk, cheese and spices (you may want to switch up the spices that you use, I just put in a little of each and then tasted as I went).




 

Egg Muffins

Here's the original recipe.  I used some different times, but basically followed the recipe step by step.  We love them and so did the kids!

Ingredients:
1 24 oz. bag of shredded hash browns
2 tbs oil
1/3 cup shredded cheddar
Bacon bits or 8-10 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
Eggs
Extra shredded cheddar cheese
Muffin tins

1. Take your bag of hash browns and mix in the oil and 1/3 cup shredded cheese.
2. Divide amongst the cups in your muffin tin, making sure to grease tin beforehand.
3. Bake hash browns at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until toasty.
4. Once they're finished, take them out and lower the temp of the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Crack an egg into each of the cups
6. Top with bacon and a sprinkle of extra cheese
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes (or until the eggs are as firm as you like them).
8. Slide a knife along the edges to remove from pan when cooled.

Taco Cupcakes

Here's the original recipe.  It looks yummy, doesn't it?  That's what a thought, too!  And it was.  It was VERY delicious.  We all really enjoyed them except my daughter because they were too "spicy".  Would I make them again?  Nope.  Not in a million years!  They took WAY too long to prepare and I just don't have time for them.  Would I make them for a get together or a potluck?  Maybe.  It would depend on how much time I had before the event because they were very good, I just wouldn't waste that kind of time JUST for the kids and my husband. 

Ingredients:
1/2 lb learn ground beef
taco seasoning to taste
3/4 cup canned black beans (they were sold out when I went shopping so we used zucchini for our veggie)
16 wonton wrappers
5 tbsp queso dip
1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup shredded cheese

Step by Step

1. Heat the oven to 375F and lightly mist 8 cups in the tin (or more if you use more meat in the recipe, like I did)

2. Add the ground beef and taco seasoning to a pan and cook until the meat is brown.  Once the meat is brown throughout, add the beans (or in my case, the zucchini) and continue to cook, stirring occassionaly.

3. Push a wonton wrapper into each of the muffins cups and then add a tsp of queso dip into each wrapper.

4. Next add the a couple tablespoons of the meat mixture on top of the queso dip.  Put on the next wonton wrapper and tuck it in like a pie crust.

5. On top of that wonton wrapper add the salsa and cheese.

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown

I did the building part a little bit different because I was unsure of how much room I was going to have.  Also, once they were cooked, I pulled them out and they lost all of the insides.  It basically was an empty shell and then I used a spoon to scoop out all of the meat and add it to our plates.  Like I said, they were delicious, but not worth the time that I spent in the kitchen that day.

Popsicles

Take a look at the forecast.  Is it going to be hot for the next couple of days?  Then get the kids together and make popsicles!  Quick, easy, cheap and fun to make . . . and especially fun to eat.

I personally just made the Kool-Aid as directed on the package.  There are recipes out there that include JELLO in the recipe as well.  I didn't have any on hand but I do want to get some so that I can try it, because I'm not sure what the difference would be!

1 sm. pkg. Jello, any flavor
1 envelope unsweetened Kool-Aid, same flavor
1 c. sugar
2 c. boiling water
2 c. cold water

Zucchini Muffins

This is our favourite muffin recipe!  It's healthy and easy and I often make them with the kids on the weekends and then we get to have muffins for breakfast and snack for the rest of the week.  They are a huge hit around here!

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cups shredded zucchini
1 large apple, peeled and cored (sometimes I use pineapple)
3/4 cups honey
3/4 cups raisins OR chocolate chips (or a little of both . . .)
1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup apple sauce or any flavour of fruit sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the muffin tins.  This is important because there is no oil in the recipe, they are more likely to stick, ESPECIALLY if you use paper liners.  That's why I prefer none at all.  Mix all ingredients except eggs and apple sauce in a large bowl. Whisk eggs and applesauce in another large bowl to blend. Stir flour mixture into eggs. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make Your Own Ice Cream Sundae

What else is there better to do than to make your own ice cream sundae in the summer?  Well, eat it of course!  Simple activity that kept them busy for about half and hour (and yes, I timed it so that we started half an hour before daddy got home so he would be there when the sugar kicked in . . .).  Very simple.  We used some leftover ice cream cake from Dairy Queen as the base and then added in our candy, "dirt and worms" and caramel sauce!  Delicious!

Chicken Parmesan

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but I didn't have the croutons so I decided to try something a LITTLE bit different.  It's still Chicken Parmesan, but a STUFFED chicken parmesan.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup of Broccoli Puree
3 tbsp Jalepeno Philly Dip
1/3 cup of Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
2 COOKED chicken breasts

Here's the How-To
BEFORE YOU START:
Set the oven to 300F and grease a 9x13 pan

1. Mix the philly dip and the broccoli puree together in a bowl.  Add 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese.  Once mixed, slice the chicken breasts apart and spread the dip/puree on each side of the chicken breast and then put it back together.  Kind of like you are buttering a sandwich.
2. Put a small layer of the spaghetti sauce into the pan.  Then place the chicken breasts on top.  Use the rest of the spaghetti sauce to cover the breasts.  Top with the rest of the cheddar cheese.
3. Cover with tinfoil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Pull out of the oven, add the parmesan cheese and place BACK in the oven for another 10 minutes.  I kept the tinfoil on for the second part, too.

The chicken was a little dry and next time I would probably use NOT cooked chicken, but it was all we had.  I didn't want to put that recipe on because the cooking times would be VERY different between raw and cooked chicken.  So if you want to try starting with raw chicken, feel free, just be aware of when the chicken is done.  And when you do it, let me know what times and temperature you used!

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

Original Recipe: Kraft
      

Ingredients

2 red peppers, cut into small pieces

2 ears of corn on the cob (kernels need to be cut off the cob)   

1 zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces

1 170g bag of snap peas

3/4 cup of Italian Dressing     

3 cups rotini pasta, uncooked

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

 

Directions

Heat the stove to medium heat.

Mix the corn, snap peas, peppers and zucchini with 1/4 cup dressing; place in the pan and saute for 10 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender, turning occasionally. Cool.     

Cook pasta as directed on package, drain.  Place in large serving bowl.
Add the vegetable mix to the cooked pasta as well as the remaining dressing, onions and cheese.  Mix carefully.

This salad I believe was meant to be served cold - but the kids were hungry so we ate it warm - not hot - and it was really good!  The next day I ate some leftovers straight from the fridge and it was also good, but I actually prefered the warm way.  Your choice! 

    

Chicken Roll Ups

Original Recipe: Plain Chicken
Ingredients:
1 can Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 cup of milk

4oz Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese (or just plain Cream Cheese if that's what you have)
1 cup chopped COOKED chicken
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1 tbsp milk

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Set the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Use a whisk to mix together the soup and 1/3 cup of milk. Once mixed, set aside.

The filling: In a bowl, whisk the cream cheese and 1tbsp of milk together. Add the chopped COOKED chicken and 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.  Mix well. If you are not using flavoured cream cheese, then add the spices that you wish at this time.  The possibilities are endless!  Unroll the crescent rolls. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture (or more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end. Remember the soup and milk mixture that you made?  Pour some of that into the bottom of the pan now.  You don't have to use the whole mixture. Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the soup mixture in the pan.
Drizzle some more soup mixture on top of the rolls.  You don't have use it all, just use what you want.  Sprinkle with 3/4 cup grated cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes.

French Toast Casserole

Yum!  I love French Toast Casserole, but I have never made it before.  After my first attempt, I was disappointed because there was not as much flavour as I had wanted.  So I tried a second time - I changed up a couple of the ingredients and it turned out WAY better and WAY more flavourful!  It does take a while to bake - so if you have hungry kids like I do you will either have to start before they wake up or feed them a little something and then have this for a "Brunch" type meal.

5 Cups of bread cubes
6 Eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 cup syrup
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
2tbsp brown sugar
1 cup frozen fruit

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Lightly grease an 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, syrup and vanilla. Add the bread crumbs to the egg mixture and coat the bread CAREFULLY.
3. Pour the coated bread crumbs into the pan and the add the frozen fruit.  Mix it in gently.
3. Combine the brown sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake in preheated oven about 40 to 45 minutes, until top is golden.