Food Fun Family

Pressure Cooker Ham & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Jody — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 13:44:06 +0000

Having a pressure cooker has really taken the pressure off me (pun totally intended) at dinner time. If I forget to thaw meat for dinner or want a super delicious and quick meal, it’s there for me. One of my favorite things to toss in the pressure cooker is chicken breasts -even better if they are crammed full of all kinds of tasty goodies. Ham & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts are right at the top of my list!

Ham & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless breasts

8 pieces thin sliced deli ham

fresh spinach

white cheddar

1 tsp. garlic salt

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice a pocket in your chicken breast along one side; be careful not to cut all the way through.

2. Cut a thick chunk of white cheddar cheese; place inside 2 pieces of ham and stuff into chicken.

3. Grab a handful of washed fresh spinach and stuff it in there too; use this to help your cheese stay inside.

Season outside of chicken breast well with salt, pepper, and garlic salt or powder. Use your pressure cooker’s brown feature to brown both sides of chicken breast in a small amount of olive oil. Then place chicken on top of the trivet of your cooker over 1 1/2 cups water.

Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes; release pressure naturally and keep the chicken in the pot for 8 additional minutes. Remove and serve with your favorite side for a tasty meal!

Yum

Pressure Cooker Ham & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless breasts
8 pieces thin sliced deli ham
fresh spinach
white cheddar
1 tsp. garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Slice a pocket in your chicken breast along one side; be careful not to cut all the way through.
Cut a thick chunk of white cheddar cheese; place between 2 pieces of ham and stuff into chicken.
Grab a handful of fresh spinach and stuff it in there too; use this to help your cheese stay inside.
Season outside of chicken breast well with salt, pepper, and garlic salt or powder. Use your pressure cooker's brown feature to brown both sides of chicken breast in a small amount of olive oil. Then place chicken in the trivet of your cooker over 1 1/2 cups water.
Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes; release pressure naturally and keep the chicken in the pot for 8 additional minutes. Remove and serve with your favorite side for a tasty meal!

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Moisturizing Face Wash

Jody — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 18:00:38 +0000

I used to be horrible about washing my face before bed every night. Lately, I’ve tried to be much more consistent about washing the makeup and daily dirt off my face before heading to bed. However, I’ve noticed that some store-bought face wash can be too oily, too strong, or leave my skin way too dry.

The best way to combat this is to make your own and tweak the ingredients to suit your skin type. I mix just a few natural ingredients to create small batches of my favorite DIY moisturizing face wash. I keep a few natural ingredients on hand and, after the initial purchase, each batch costs just pocket change make! This face wash is great for all skin types and is safe to use morning and night for clean skin.

DIY Moisturizing Face Wash

It’s so easy to make your own moisturizing face wash with gentle, natural ingredients!

Ingredients:

½ cup cup distilled water
1 tsp. Almond Castile soap (get it here)
½ tsp. Rosehip oil (get it here)
8 drops lavender essential oil (get it here)

Directions:

1. Purchase or reuse a small plastic bottle with a pump or use a squeeze dispenser for easy use of your DIY face wash.

2. Carefully pour distilled water into your small dispenser bottle. I like to grab them in the travel section and make two at a time; one to keep by the bathroom sink and one in my travel bag.

3. Add your castile soap, rosehip oil, and lavender essential oil to the bottle.

4. Replace the lid and shake well to combine all ingredients. You will want to shake the bottle before each use for best results.

To use: Squeeze a dime-sized amount onto a damp washcloth or into your hand, lather, and and rub onto your wet face. Then rinse clean and pat dry. Follow up with a light moisturizer that is right for your skin type.

Lemon Mint Foot Soak

Jody — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 06:00:24 +0000

My feet take a beating during the winter. They get so dry! As we enter spring time, it’s time to pull the sandals back out of the closet and show off our feet again!

Whether it’s a long day at work, a full day of shopping, or a backyard soccer game with your kids, there are times we all need a little foot pampering. I’m looking for something that soothes tired feet but is safe to use. It’s even better if it isn’t expensive, right? I have just the thing for you in this Lemon Mint Foot Soak. It softens, moisturizes, and leaves your feet ready for a night of dancing or a day in yoru favorite spring sandals.

How to Make Lemon Mint Foot Soak

Ingredients:

3 cups epsom salts
1 cup baking soda
2 Tablespoon coconut oil
15 drops peppermint essential oil
10 drops lemon essential oil
1 Tablespoon matcha green tea powder (optional)

Directions:

1. Soften coconut oil in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it easier to mix.

2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until evenly mixed. I used matcha green tea powder to give a little natural color to the foot scrub. You can leave it out if you don’t have any on hand or use a soap colorant to give it a green tint.

3. Transfer your mixture to a large glass jar – I find pretty decorative jars at Dollar Tree and at Hobby Lobby that are perfect for storing DIY beauty recipes like this. Mason jars work well too!

To Use:

1. Scrub vigorously over damp feet, paying special attention to dry areas.

2. Rinse well, pat dry, apply lotion to lock in moisture.

Ta da! Your feet are ready for the spring!

Since you’re in the Spring mood, check out these other great Spring + Easter projects

Easter Charm Bracelet – Style on Main
DIY Chic Easter Feather Wreath – Busy Creating Memories
Coloring Eggs with Sand for Easter – Diana Rambles
Gilded Eggs for Easter – How Was Your Day?
Easter Chick Pudding Cups – Cutefetti
Caterpillar and Dragonfly clothespins – Views from the ‘Ville
Easy Spring Bud Vases – Upstate Ramblings
Sock Bunny Craft – Momma Lew
Coffee Filter Butterfly Accessories – Mommy Snippets

Pressure Cooker Greek Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Jody — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 01:11:18 +0000

I got a pressure cooker (Amazon link) last year for my birthday and for over 6 months it sat in the unopened box in my pantry, taunting me. I had big plans for it – canning, meals, desserts – but I was intimidated by it so I didn’t even open the plastic. Then I just decided I had to give it a try and I was left wondering where the heck had this amazing thing been all my adult cooking life?

Forgot to pull meat for dinner? No problem! In a rush and need a full meal in 30 or less? Yep, it can do that. So now I am obsessed with my pressure cooker and use it at least twice a week for mouthwatering dinners in a flash like this recipe for Pressure Cooker Greek Stuffed Chicken Breasts- I even whipped up a from scratch Tzatziki sauce to top it with!

Ingredients:

2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup feta cheese

4-6 pepperoncini peppers

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Tzatziki sauce:

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 T. grated cucumber

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

If your chicken breasts are large like mine were, cut them in half and then slice a pocket in the center of one side, careful not to cut it all the way through. Otherwise for smaller ones you can just serve one per person.

2. Stuff pocket in chicken breast with feta, I chose one that was seasoned with sun-dried tomatoes and basil for more ready to go flavor!

3. Season the outside with salt, pepper, and oregano.

4. Turn pressure cooker on brown and give both sides of your chicken a nice brown on each side.

5. Remove stuffed chicken breasts from the pressure cooker and set aside. Add 1 cup chicken broth and 1/2 the juice from a jar of pepperoncini to pressure cooker. Place steamer basket/tray in cooker and lay your chicken on top with a pepperoncini on top.

6. Place your lid on top securely, be sure the steam valve is closed. Cook for 8 minutes on high pressure, release pressure naturally and allow chicken to sit for another 8 minutes.

7. While your chicken sits you can toss together this yummy tzatziki sauce! Just mix together greek yogurt, lemon juice, oregano, grated cucumber, salt and pepper. Place in fridge until ready to drizzle over chicken mixture.

How to Get the Most Out of Children’s Books {Good Night, Baby Animals, You’ve Had a Busy Day}

Jody — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 18:23:48 +0000

This post is brought to you by Karen B. Winnick and her new book, Good Night, Baby Animals, You’ve Had a Busy Day. All thoughts are my own.

My 5-year-old has had a busy year in Kindergarten. Her reading skills are developing – she can identify a lot of sight words and is working on decoding words using clues from the photos combined with sounding out the letters. She loves to practice every chance she gets so we were delighted to get a chance to review Good Night, Baby Animals, You’ve Had a Busy Day by Karen B. Winnick, a collection of six original stories.

This picture book is recommended for 2 to 5-year-olds, and while I think it is perfect for toddlers, my kindergartener loved this book as well! It covers the antics of six animals-elephants, tigers, giraffes, rhinoceros, pandas, and gorillas right up into bedtime rituals. The language is rhyming, repetitive and fun: “poof poof,” “run, run,” etc…

While my little one expected to just flip through the pictures, she was delighted to find many of the sight words she is working on daily throughout the text and was able to phonetically sound out many words.

Throughout the book it also introduces new words that are great for expanding your child’s vocabulary. Words like rumbles, snaps, spindly, shoots, squints are peppered throughout, and my eager learner wanted to know what everyone meant!

The illustrations, by Laura Watkins, are soft and sweet, the perfect complement to Karen B. Winnick’s text. We love soaking up the sweet animal artwork from cover to cover.

While books are a tool that can be used from sunrise to sunset, I loved this book for bedtime. The repetition of the animals getting ready to settle down from their busy day was the perfect mirror to our own rituals and made for a nice snuggle-on-the-couch after bath time. While my 8-year-old is a little older for this book he still snuggled up for a bedtime read too and enjoyed the book as well.

I keep a variety of picture books on the bookshelves and in baskets to encourage the kids to pick them up but to get the most out of our picture books we use them several ways…

How to Get the Most out of Children’s Books

Read together – There are so many times throughout the day that are perfect for reading together. At bedtime, day time napsy (oh how I miss those naps!), and when we both need a calming down period.

Read independently – I encourage the kids to grab a book and look through the pages or read it to themselves as best they can, as often as they can. You might be surprised what your eager little learner is able to read more than you’d expect.

Read and re-enact – We have quite a collection of little plastic animals, people, birds, bugs, etc.. and they get put to good use often! When I introduce a new book or after we have read it a few times, I like to offer her some props from the book for imaginative play. In the case of Good Night, Baby Animals, You’ve Had a Busy Day, she put baby gorillas, giraffes, tigers, and pandas to bed as we read.

If you have a little who enjoys books, reading, or animals Good Night, Baby Animals, You’ve Had a Busy Day is a great addition to your collection. I’m thinking of picking up several copies to use as shower gifts, too. As an avid reader myself I love helping to start the libraries of new babies!

About the Author:

Karen B. Winnick is the author and illustrator of How Lucky Got His Shoe, Gemina, the Crooked-Neck Giraffe, Hank, the Ballpark Pup, Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers, and Sybil’s Night Ride. She is President of the Los Angeles Zoo Commission.

Good Night, Baby Animals, You’ve Had a Busy Day is illustrated by Laura Watkins.

Check out some fun games, printables and coloring books related to the book.

DIY Rainbow Bath Bombs

Jody — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 20:10:52 +0000

Fun, fizzing, rainbow bath bombs are a great bath treat for little ones or adults! The whimsical colors make soaking in a hot tub more fun and relaxing by adding some skin softening and moisturizing ingredients along with a delicious scent! If you love the look of these Rainbow Bath Bombs scented with lavender and orange check out the recipe below!

Note: affiliate links are used below to point you in the right direction to find supplies that you might not already have on your shelves.

How to Make DIY Rainbow Bath Bombs

Ingredients:

1 cup baking soda
1 cup citric acid (where to buy)
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup olive oil, coconut oil, OR almond oil (whichever you prefer)
10 drops Lavender essential oil (where to buy)
10 drops Orange essential oil (where to buy)
Soap colorant
Water in a spray bottle

You will also need: bath bomb molds

Directions:

1. Combine baking soda, citric acid, and cornstarch well; Stir in oil slowly. Add essential oils to mixture.

2. Spray water one spritz at a time, mixing with your hands until it is just barely damp. You do not want it bubbling, just wet enough so that it sticks together when squeezed tightly.
3. Divide mixture into smaller bowls and add a few drops of colorant to each, as many as you want to make. Mix up well.

4. Spray the inside of each bath mold with some non-stick cooking spray so that it’s easier to remove the balls after they’ve dried.
5. Alternate adding colors to the bath molds, a couple of teaspoons at a time, pressing firmly into both sides of mold.

6. Fit both side of mold together and allow your bath bomb to dry out overnight before gently removing from the mold. I used these metal molds to get a big ball shape like you might find at the stores but you could also use a silicone shaped mold or even a muffin tin.

Keep bath bomb in a cool dry place until ready to use.

To use: drop one bath bomb under warm running water and relax in the warm bath!

This recipe makes 4 large bath bombs

DIY Chocolate Face Mask

Jody — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 13:00:57 +0000

If you want to indulge in a luxurious spa treatment at home what sounds (or smells) better than chocolate? You might even nibble on a piece of good-for-you dark chocolate while enjoying this Chocolate Face Mask!

While the star in this face mask is the rich, amazing chocolate that brings a punch of antioxidants that your skin needs, this mask also contains the best natural humectants you can find – coconut oil and honey.

Need more reasons this mask is so good for your skin? The Lactic acid in the milk unclogs your pores, sea salt balances and levels out oil production, and also helps to clean out your pores and kill bacteria. This mask is the perfect treat pre-date night, girls night in, Valentine’s Day gift, or a fun way to fancy up a girls slumber party!

Special note from Lolli: I was so excited about Jody’s chocolate face mask recipe that I convinced my teenage daughters to try it with me! The action shots are from our little impromptu spa night together! I was blown away by how GOOD this face mask smelled and how soft it felt going on to my face!

Amazon affiliate links are used within this post.

How to Make a Chocolate Face Mask

Ingredients:

3 tsp. Cocoa powder
1 tsp. Coconut oil (where to buy)
2 tsp. Honey
1 T. milk
1 tsp. Sea salt (where to buy)

Directions:

Soften coconut oil slightly by heating it in the microwave for about 5-7 seconds. You don’t need to melt it, but cold hard oil will not mix well with your other ingredients.
Warm milk slightly or allow to come to room temp before mixing it in with the coconut oil so it doesn’t make the oil seize up.

Combine cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, milk, sugar, and sea salt until well combined. It should be a thick pudding like texture.
You can either slather the mixture on your face and down your neck with your fingers or use a flat fan brush- the brush makes it feel a bit more like a spa treatment, in my opinion!

Allow mask to dry until it begins to crumble and your skin may be tingling just a bit.
Rinse away with warm water, pat dry, and then follow up with a light moisturizer.

Sounds yummy right? And you probably have everything you need in your pantry so what are you waiting for?

DIY Rose and Lavender Lotion Bars

Jody — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 09:00:33 +0000

One of my favorite DIY beauty items to make are lotion bars (check out my other lotion bar recipe here). They are easy to make and give your skin a quick burst of moisture and heavenly scent! This particular recipe for Rose & Lavender Lotion bars is perfect year round to hydrate your skin, but it’s particularly suited for a homemade Valentine’s Day gift.

You just need a few natural ingredients to get started and you will have a handful of lotion bars ready to keep or gift to friends and family. Note: I’ve linked to several of the ingredients you’ll need for this DIY project. They’re affiliate links, so I can earn a small commission should you choose to buy something. You’ll never pay more, though!

How to Make DIY Rose & Lavender Lotion Bars

You will need:

½ cup Shea butter (get it here)
½ cup Coconut oil
½ cup Beeswax granules (get it here)
10 drops Lavender essential oil (get it here)
10 drops Rose essential oil (get it here or here)
Silicone molds (I love this one!)

Directions:

Place shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax granules in a small pot over medium low heat. Stir frequently until mixture is completely melted.
Remove from heat, and stir in essential oils well.
Carefully pour or spoon melted mixture into silicone mold.
Allow to set until completely cool and firm about 3-4 hours at least.
Carefully remove each lotion bar from the mold and store in a glass container in a cool dark space. I prefer to keep mine in the refrigerator and pull one at a timeout to use.

To use: Rub lotion bar over warm skin (it melts at body temperature) and enjoy the scent and moisture it provides to your skin.

The number of lotion bars this recipe will yield depends on the size of the mold; smaller shapes will make more lotion bars and larger molds will make fewer.

Be sure to check out the rest of these great Valentine’s Day DIY projects

Food Fun Family – DIY Rose and Lavender Lotion Bars
Style on Main – Pearl and Leather Lariat Necklace
How Was Your Day? – Hugs and Kisses Coasters
Fun Happy Home – Last Minute Valentine’s Gift Idea
Cutefetti – The Heart Nose Valentine’s Day Printable Gift
The Eyes of a Boy – DIY Valentine’s Heart Wreath
Mommy Snippets – Easy Valentine Gift a Child Can Make
Busy Creating Memories – DIY Upcycle Bottle Vase Valentine’s Day Gift
Thrifty Jinxy – DIY Homemade Peppermint Lip Balm

DIY Laundry Booster Crystals

Jody — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 13:00:10 +0000

Amazing smelling laundry doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. Adding a DIY Laundry Booster to your wash is a great way to end up with a dryer full of soft, static free, and scented laundry in a more natural, earth-friendly way.

Note: affiliate links are used in this post to point you in the right direction for the products we used and recommend. All prices are the same for you, but I can get a small affiliate commission for sales.

The beauty of this DIY recipe is that, besides being easy and inexpensive, you are able to use nontoxic ingredients and customize the scent to your liking. You can create a new scent profile every time you make it or keep a few varieties on hand for different family members.

DIY laundry crystals also make a great hostess or housewarming gift as well when put the mix in a pretty jar with a small wooden scoop (I LOVE these!!) and a homemade tag to identify the scent and ingredients.

How to Make DIY Laundry Crystals at Home

Supplies you will need:

2 cups epsom salt
½ cup baking soda
25 drops essential oil
A pretty jar with a tight fitting lid

Directions:

1. In a large bowl stir together epsom salt, baking soda, and desired essential oils until well combined.
2. Transfer to a container with a tight fitting lid, mason jars or other pretty containers from the Dollar Tree work great for storage.
To use: Add 1 T. to washer before adding in clothes, turn on water, then begin filling the washer with clothing.

It’s really that simple! I love being able to use homemade products like these at home so that I know exactly what is going on my family’s clothes.

Some scent combinations that you might like:

What scent combination would you prefer…or do you have a favorite scent combo that you’ve tried. I’d love to add more variety to my laundry repertoire.

DIY Makeup Remover Pads

Jody — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 15:32:41 +0000

I used to buy fancy makeup remover pads from the beauty section at my favorite store, but then I discovered essential oils and all that they could do for you and your skin. I have tried to replace many of the chemical-filled beauty products on my bathroom counter with DIY versions, and these Makeup Remover Pads are one of my favorites.

Not only does making them at home instead of buying at the store save you tons of money and are safer for your skin but I feel like they work better than even the more expensive, higher end versions. These cleansing pads wash and moisturize your face every time you use them, whether you wear makeup or not. Lavender and Frankincense essential oils are cleansing but they also help restore skin with anti-aging properties and give it a youthful glow that you will love.

How to Make Your Own Makeup Remover/Face Wash Pads

You will need:

Note: affiliate links are used below to show you where you can purchase the supplies needed to make the makeup remover pads.

¼ to ½ cup Distilled water
1 tsp. Castile soap (get it here)
1 tsp. Witch hazel (get it here)
1 tsp. Coconut oil (get it here)
5 drops Lavender essential oil (get it here)
5 drops Frankincense essential oil (get it here)
4 ounce mason jars (get mason jars here)
Cotton pads (get them here)

Directions:

Pour ¼ cup distilled water in a mason jar.
Add witch hazel, castile soap, coconut oil, lavender essential oil and frankincense essential oil to the jar.
Replace lid and ring; shake well to combine ingredients.
Place cotton pads in the jar to the top or until they stop absorbing the liquid. I like to remove the stack and flip it upside down in the jar so the top ones are on the bottom and can absorb more water.

To use: Remove a pad from the jar and gently wipe your face in a circular motion to remove makeup, dirt, and oil from face.
Use morning and night for best results.

Here’s an easy printable recipe for you:

Yum

DIY Makeup Remover Pads

Ingredients

¼ to ½ cup Distilled water
1 tsp. Castile soap
1 tsp. Witch hazel
1 tsp. Coconut oil
5 drops Lavender essential oil
5 drops Frankincense essential oil
4 ounce mason jars
Cotton pads (get them here)

Instructions

Pour ¼ cup distilled water in jar.
Add witch hazel, castile soap, coconut oil, lavender essential oil and frankincense essential oil.
Replace lid and ring, shake well to combine ingredients.
Place cotton pads in the jar to the top or until they stop absorbing the liquid, I like to remove the stack and flip it upside down in the jar so the top ones are on the bottom and can absorb more water.

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Enjoy!