Cookie Mix Party Bags, A Great Party Bag Alternative

Cookie Mix Party Bags, A Great Party Bag Alternative If you are fed up with the typical party bag filled with pocket money toys and sweets, then try something completely different, such as a cookie mix party bag.

Well what is it? Basically it's a party bag that is filled with a dry cookie mixture, ready for children to bake at home. Ready prepared cake and cookie mixes are very popular, especially amongst parents with younger children as they are so quick and easy to make. It's also a fun way to get the kids interesting in cooking and baking. You can buy cookie mix party bags that are ready prepared from selected stores and online retailers and some bags and boxes can be personalised too which adds a special touch. If you are feeling brave though, try making them yourself, here's how: Find a simple cookie recipe that is tried and tested and makes up to a dozen cookies. Chocolate Chip and Shortbread tend to work well. Measure out all the dry ingredients and place in a cellophane or clear food bag and tie or seal it to avoid any of the ingredients from escaping. Then place the bag with the mixture into either a paper bag, a card box or even a small jar. Each box or bag can be decorated or personalised with a child's name or a message which says something like 'thank you for coming to my party'. For each cookie mix bag, you will also need to either write out or print a label with simple baking instructions, which you can extract from the cookie recipe. Whoever bakes the cookies will need to add the wet ingredients such as eggs, butter, oil or water. For an extra special touch, you could include some cookie toppings such as Smarties, sprinkles and sweets so that the children can decorate their cookies once they have been baked. There you have it, a wonderful cookie mix party bag that makes a great gift that will not only be fun to make but will taste delicious too. There really is no end to what edible mix you could make. You could try a muffin mix, fairy cake mix or a chocolate brownie mix, all of which would go down a treat with kids. The important thing to remember is that the recipe has to be simple to make and it's probably best to avoid recipes that use any form of nuts. Cookie Mix Party Bags, A Great Party Bag Alternative

Sunday School Crafts For Christian Children

Sunday School Crafts For Christian Children Sunday school crafts make learning about religion fun for kids. It's always good to incorporate fun Bible crafts because visuals help children to memorize stories and verses. Plus, you want to make the learning as fun as you can possibly can!

A perfect subject to begin your crafts with is the story of creation. You're going to have your class create a creation wheel! There are a number of supplies and materials that you will need to provide: scissors, pencil ruler, corrugated cardboard, light weight cardboard, markers, glue, cotton balls and paper fasteners. You should precut circles with a diameter of 12 inches from the corrugated cardboard and the lightweight cardboard. On the corrugated cardboard, there needs to be 8 wedges of the same size drawn. The lightweight cardboard needs 1 wedge slightly smaller than the ones on the other cardboard cut into it. The kids will be drawing the Creation story on the 8 wedges, with the first spot being the title, "The Creation Story." Using markers, the kids will decorate the wheel to tell about the 7 days of creation. You'll need to review each day and most likely write them on a chalkboard so the kids have reference in case they forget. Segment 1 will be when God separated light from dark. Segment 2 will be when he made the sky; have the kids use the cotton to make clouds. Segment 3 will be when the lands were separated from the sea. Segment 4 will be when God put the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky. Segment 5 will be when he created birds in the sky and fish in the sea. Segment 6 will be when he created animals and mankind. Then, segment 7 will be when God rested. After the children are done decorating the wheel, clip the cardboard pieces together so that the segment with the title on it is showing through the open wedge. Sunday school crafts are a great key to teaching different parts of Christianity to kids. The "Cheerful Cookie Box" is one of the Sunday school crafts that show the importance of family. You'll need to provide two identical plastic containers for each kid. You should have a box filled with different coloring pages that have to do with Christianity. The kids will need to bring in different photographs from home. You'll need scissors and sticky bows. Have the children put one of the containers inside the other and then they're ready to decorate. They'll cut their photos and colored pictures and stick them between the containers so that they can be seen from the outside and stay in place. They should decorate every side with different pictures. After they're done decorating, give them the sticky bows to put on top of the lid. Surprise them by providing cookies to put in their boxes! You want the Sunday school crafts to teach information from the actual Bible but you also want them to show Christian values like family. The "Cheerful Cookie Box" can be made as a Christmas gift or just for decoration. Most importantly, make sure that the kids are enjoying themselves while they develop their Christianity! It can sometimes be difficult to find free Sunday school lessons that incorporate Bible-based crafts into the learning. With a little creativity, you can pull together fun, message-driven lessons using everyday supplies. Sunday School Crafts For Christian Children

How to Cook the Best Oatmeal Cookies

How to Cook the Best Oatmeal Cookies The oatmeal is a product obtained from oat groats. Most commonly a porridge is made out of it. The best way how to cook oat meal is under the form of cookies. The great advantage of the oatmeal cookies is that they don't need baking. So here are some simple steps on how to make no bake cookies using oatmeal.

The oatmeal is usually turned into porridge. And the porridge gets used in the cookie. The great property of the oatmeal is that it absorbs water very very well. Also it's texture resembles very well the one of baked food. The first step how to cook oatmeal is to mash it very very well. After it's been mashed pour it in water. The water should be cold and placed in a bowl. Let all the oat sink in there. Leave it like these for about half an hour. This will make it increase its volume. After the process is complete let the water pour out for another half an hour. This way only the absorbed water will be kept. Next step is to prepare the cream. You can choose any kind of cream in how to make no bake cookies. I think that the cream which works best is the chocolate cream. The bet way to make the cream is by mixing the milk, cocoa and butter with a good mixer. Put the cream to the fridge for a half an hour. The final step is to place the oatmeal as the basis of your cookie. Then pour the cream over. And then again another layer of oatmeal. This is the best way how to cook oatmeal. In fact the best way to use the oatmeal is for cookies. So this is actually the bets way how to make no bake cookies. How to Cook the Best Oatmeal Cookies

How to Make Sugar Free Cookie Recipes

How to Make Sugar Free Cookie Recipes Having some sugar free cookie recipes in your baking arsenal is very handy when someone enters your life who can't handle the sugar content in regular cookies. With the guidance in this article, you should be able to make the transition to sugar free cookies easily. Let's get started...    Replace The Sugar   The first thing you need to do with your recipe is replace all the sugar in it.   To do this, you are going to need some sort of alternative sugar substitute. You will want to use a natural sweetener, not an artificial sweetener.   The problem with artificial sweeteners is that they can often have detrimental effect on your health, making them a sub-optimal choice for a substitute.   I always make sure to use 100% natural sweeteners to replace the sugar; I also make sure to use sweeteners that are safe for diabetics.   The two main sweeteners that I use are Agave Nectar, and Stevia. I find that I am able to make recipes that are on-par with their sugared counterparts!   To use Agave Nectar effectively, you will want to put in 1 cup of Agave to replace 1 cup of sugar (1:1 ratio).   For Pure Stevia (that has no filler; make sure you get a good brand!), you will use ¼ of a teaspoon for every cup of sugar.   I sometimes like to mix the two together. So if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, I will use ½ cup of Agave; and 1/8 of a teaspoon of Stevia. This helps to keep the recipe from getting to wet (because agave is a syrup).   Do that, and you should be able to make the perfect sugar free cookie recipes.   Optional: Replace The Milk   A little bonus tip I'll throw in here for you:   If you replace any milk in your recipe with Almond Milk, you can make desserts that are perfect for people with food allergies!   Be sure to get the unsweetened almond milk; then sweeten it with Agave Nectar, shake it; and add more Agave until it tastes like regular milk.

How to Make Sugar Free Cookie Recipes

How to Include Quinoa Seeds in Home Baking Recipes

How to Include Quinoa Seeds in Home Baking Recipes There are many ways of including quinoa in your diet but one of the more unusual is to include it in baking. As far as I am aware this technique has been devised by me and I have never heard of anyone else using quinoa in this way. I stumbled upon it when looking for inspiration to spice up a simple cookie recipe I was about to make that had too much fat in it.

I wanted to reduce the fat content of this particular cookie recipe as I was trying to reduce fat in my diet at the time. The fat in the recipe was butter but I realized that quinoa seeds have oil in them so could be substituted for part of the butter. The first thing to do is prepare the quinoa in the normal way using 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water. You bring it to the boils and simmer for about 15 minutes. You can cook it for less but for baking you need it to be quite soft to blend in with the other ingredients. The quinoa must absorb all the water as you do not want extra liquid in the mix. I there is remaining liquid turn the heat up to full and boil it off for a minute. You reduce the butter content by half and slightly reduce the flour amount as well. you simple replace them with the same amount of prepared quinoa in the mix. The cooking time is the same as the normal recipe but you get a crunchier texture and taste to the cookies. I have used this cooking method for cookies, biscuits and scones. It can take a little trial and error to get the proportions correct. It is a good way to reduce processed fats in recipes. The oil part of the quinoa works to replace the butter and the germ part replaces some of the flour. It is a bit of a balancing act but you will get it with practice How to Include Quinoa Seeds in Home Baking Recipes

Walnut Chocolate Circles Cookie Recipe

Walnut Chocolate Circles Cookie Recipe The walnut chocolate circles cookie recipe has a great rich flavor that is great for dunking in a tall glass of milk or hot cup of coffee!

Ingredients 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch of salt 1 cup walnuts, toasted and finely ground 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour Vanilla Icing: 1 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-2 tablespoons milk Hardware Large bowl Small bowl Cookie sheets Plastic wrap Mixer Step 1: In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer set on medium-high for 30 seconds. Step 2: Add sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat until combined. Step 3: Beat in ground nuts. Step 4: Beat in as much flour as you can with the electric mixer, then stir in remaining flour with spoon. Step 5: Shape dough into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-24 hours or until firm enough to slice. Step 6: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Step 7: Lightly grease cookie sheets. Step 8: Cut log into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Step 9: Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies look dry. Transfer cookies to cooling surface. Vanilla Icing: Step 1: In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and enough milk (1-2 tablespoons) to make drizzling consistency. Step 2: Drizzle each cookie with icing, let dry. Makes 40 cookies. For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section. Important: Feel free to republish this article on your website. However, you are not allowed to modify any part of its content and all links should be kept active. Walnut Chocolate Circles Cookie Recipe

Cookie Press Cookies - The Perennial Christmas Cookie

Cookie Press Cookies - The Perennial Christmas Cookie Cookie Press Cookies, or Spritz cookies as they are sometimes called, have been a Christmas cookie treat since the 1600's. They are called "cookie press" because a press is used to form the cookies.

The word "spritz" comes from the German word "spritzen" which means "to squirt or spray". The word describes the action of the cookie press, which "squirts" the dough through a die giving the cookie its shape. If you've tried making spritz cookies without success in the past or if you're new to them the following information will guide you to making these delicious Christmas treats. Cookie Press Recipes Most bakers that have had problems with their cookie press cookies are probably not at fault at all. More than likely it's the recipe they were using. Spritz cookie dough has to have some unique qualities. First of all the dough has to be soft enough that it will go through the press with no problems. The fact that it has to be soft could present the second problem. It must hold it's shape in the oven or it will lose its design. On top of these two problems is that it has to taste good! That eliminates some of the tricks some bakers' use for shape holding like using shortening for the fat. For great cookie flavor butter should be the fat in Cookie Press Cookies! This is a good basic recipe that will produce beautiful Christmas spritz cookies. Basic Spritz Cookie Recipe Ingredients 1 large egg yolk 1 tablespoon heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened (about 70 degrees) 2/3 cup sugar (about 4-3/4 ounces) 1/4 teaspoon table salt 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces) Instructions Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, beat yolk, cream, and vanilla with fork until combined; set aside. In stand mixer cream the butter, sugar, and salt at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer running at medium speed, add the yolk and cream mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer running at low speed gradually beat in the flour a little at a time until combined. Scrape down the bowl and give a final stir with a rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain. Load up your cookie press and press out the cookies spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet until just warm, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cookies from the sheet with a metal spatula and transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Some words of caution! This cookie recipe works perfectly fine. However there are some variables that can't be solved by a recipe. Those variables are in your own kitchen. Oven thermostats are notoriously inaccurate! The temperature of your oven must be 375 degrees for the cookies to setup before the melting butter makes them spread. If your cookies spread too much check your oven with an oven thermometer. In addition to oven temperature the cookies will spread too much if you have whipped too much air into the dough. When you are creaming the butter and sugar be sure and not over whip. Also combine the dry ingredients with the wet just until mixed thoroughly. A warm cookie sheet will cause your cookies to spread excessively. Be sure your sheet is completely cooled before you do a second batch. You can pop it in the fridge for a few minutes if necessary. Expand Your Cookie Press Cookies Repertoire Once you have the basic procedure for spritz cookies down pat you can expand your repertoire. The flavors and decorations possibilities for these cookies are almost unlimited. And with good recipes you can make Christmas Cookie Baking go like a flash. Cookie Press Cookies - The Perennial Christmas Cookie

Christmas Cookies - Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe

Christmas Cookies - Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe Sugar cookies are the basics of any holiday. They are versatile and wonderfully delicious. You can do just about anything with sugar cookies including flavoring and a wide variety of decorations that it can take. They can also be sweet or done without the extra sweetness expected of them. The choice of course is up to what you and your family enjoys.

Basic sugar cookie recipes can be found anywhere, in just about every cookbook and can even be found online with relative ease. Because the sugar cookie is such a versatile cookie you can find a number of variations. Children can help out with a number of aspects as well with these. When using a regular sugar cookie recipe the cookies are usually rolled in sugar before placing them on the cookie tray or sugar is sprinkled over them before baking. This is a wonderful place for children to be able to help out. It is important however to warn children to stay away from the cookies until they cool. Sugar can get very hot, hotter than most substances and children can be easily burned by the sugar coating on these cookies. Here is a simple basic sugar cookie recipe to start with variations can be found online or make your own to your families taste. Experimentation can be fun with these for adults and children alike. Basic Sugar Cookies Ingredients 1 1/2 c butter 2 C white sugar 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract (this can be changed to almond, mint or even maple depending on taste and variation) 5 C all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt Instructions Soften the butter so that it is room temperature and easily to manipulate but do not melt it. Use the Thaw feature on the microwave if necessary but usually leaving it on the counter for a few hours or over night will take care of it for you. Take a large bowl and combine the sugar and butter until it make a smooth and creamy mixture. Next add in the eggs and the extract, in this case Vanilla. You can add more vanilla if you want depending on taste. Stir in the flour, the salt and the baking powder. Then cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. While chilling the dough preheat your over to 400 degrees F. pull the dough from the refrigerator and roll out onto a floured surface. You will want the cookies to be between 1/4 to 1/2" thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter and place on an ungreased sheet about 1" apart or you can form dough balls roll them sugar and flatten. Cooking time increases with cookies more than 1/4 to 1/2" so adjust accordingly. Bake the cookies for about 6-8 minutes. Longer if cookies are thicker or bigger let cookies cool completely and enjoy. You can also use this basic recipe to make a wide variety of different types of cookies. Add food coloring to make colored Christmas cookies or different flavorings to make different flavored cookies. Flavorings can easily be found in the baking aisle of your store. Christmas Cookies - Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe

Easy, Homemade Birthday Cakes For Kids - You Can Do it Too!

Easy, Homemade Birthday Cakes For Kids - You Can Do it Too! Have you ever dreamed of making the perfect cake for your kid's birthday? I remember as a child how thrilled I always was with my Mom's wonderful birthday cake creations and I vowed to make my own kids' cakes once I had my own family. I loved the idea of making a really personalized, homemade cake rather than ordering the traditional sheet cake from our local grocery store. I was nervous starting out but soon realized that with a little patience and practice anyone can do this!

Here are some helpful hints that will allow even the busiest moms to bake the perfect birthday cake for their child: 1.) Don't make your cake from scratch. You can save plenty of time by buying the boxed cake mixes and they often taste just as good as a cake made from scratch. In fact, at my most recent kid birthday party I was even asked for my cake recipe because it was so yummy! 2.) Start by using a shaped character pan. They generally have very detailed and easy-to-follow directions. You can also buy them fairly cheaply (check out eBay for affordable used and retired pans). 3.) Use pre-made decorator or royal icing. I like Wilton's decorator icing since it tastes good and is great for piping since it holds its shape well and dries fairly hard. 4.) Use pre-made and pre-colored fondant. My favorite is Satin Ice since it has a nice vanilla flavor; unlike some other pre-made fondants, and you can get it in a number of different colors. You can also flavor fondant with candy flavoring. 5.) Fun cake toppers can really make a cake sparkle. If you're making a more traditional rectangular or circular cake, you can dress it up with fun cake toppers. This is an easy and affordable way to make a theme cake. Finally, don't be afraid to try new things! Above all, have fun and enjoy the look of delight and pride on your child's face when they see their special cake and tell their friends that their Mommy made it just for them! Easy, Homemade Birthday Cakes For Kids - You Can Do it Too!

Favorite Christmas Cookies 1 - Peanut Butter Thumbprint Kiss Cookies

Favorite Christmas Cookies 1 - Peanut Butter Thumbprint Kiss Cookies Some of the best Christmas cookies are those that we have from our memories. Our family always had an assortment of cookies and candies but a few stood out as my favorites. Now that I am an adult with my own family, I notice that both my brother's family and mine still enjoy the cookies that we had as children. One of everybody's favorites is the Peanut Butter Thumbprint Kiss Cookies. This recipe can be made using jelly in the thumbprint but my family always enjoys the kiss.

Peanut Butter Thumbprint Kiss Cookies Heat oven to 375* and assemble ingredients. You will need: ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup packed brown sugar, ½ cup shortening (or margarine), ½ cup peanut butter, 1 egg, 1& ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, 1/ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt and a bag of Hershey kisses. \First, mix sugars, shortening (butter or margarine), peanut butter and egg. Once it is creamy, start to slowly add the dry mixture of flour baking soda, baking powder and salt, until it is mixed. Then shape dough into 1 inch balls and put them 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make the thumbprint (press the middle of each cookie with your thumb) and put a Hershey's kiss on each cookie, in the thumbprint. Bake, 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are slightly browned and set, but not too hard. You may need to adjust your baking time as ovens differ. Cool the cookies, on the cookie sheet, for a few minutes then remove them to a cooling rack. I have found that I have less wasted time if I have a duplicate set of cookie sheets so I do not have to wait for the one from the last batch to cool. This will make about 3& ½ dozen cookies that your family will love. This recipe can be doubled if you are part of a Christmas cookie exchange group. To double it, you would need: 1cup granulated sugar; 1cup packed brown sugar, 1cup butter or margarine, 2 eggs, 2 & ½ cup flour, 1 & ½ t. baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt. Doubling the recipe will give you about 7 dozen cookies. Because many people have favorites of their own, it is fun to see if someone in your family or a close friend wants to share their favorite cookies with you by becoming part of a Christmas Cookie Exchange. It is easy to do when you double your recipes. You will be able to share ½ of your baked goods and receive ½ of theirs so you will have different kinds of Christmas cookies. They get to enjoy a bigger variety that way. Many different varieties of chocolate chip cookies can be seen the article, "Favorite Christmas Cookies 2. You can also see other recipes in the article entitled "Cookie Exchange Will Save at Time at Christmas". Favorite Christmas Cookies 1 - Peanut Butter Thumbprint Kiss Cookies

Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies Recipe

Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies Recipe The chocolate mint sandwich cookies recipe is quite special! A creamy peppermint filling, sandwiched between two rich chocolate halves, unbelievably delicious!

Ingredients 6 tablespoons salted butter 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons water 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Filling: 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup salted butter, softened 3 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract Hardware Whisk Medium sauce pan 2 x medium bowls Cookie sheets Mixer Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Step 2: In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, water and chocolate chips. Cook and stir over low heat until chips are melted. Cool. Step 3: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Step 4: Beat eggs and vanilla extract into mixture. Step 5: Gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Step 6: Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Step 7: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until firm. Immediately transfer cookies to a cooling surface. Filling: Step 1: Combine filling ingredients in a medium bowl; beat until smooth. Step 2: Spread bottom half of cookies with filling; top with remaining cookies. Makes about 30 cookies. For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section. Important: Feel free to republish this article on your website. However, you are not allowed to modify any part of its content and all links should be kept active. Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies Recipe

Inexpensive Kids Birthday Party Locations

Inexpensive Kids Birthday Party Locations While throwing your child a birthday party is high on any parents list, most people don't want to spend a fortune for the celebration. Depending on the time of year and your budget, there are some great options for the location of the party (other than your home).

If you do decide to throw a party outside your home, be sure to include your child in the location decision. If the child is young, you may want to bring them to the location prior to the party so that they can get comfortable and excited about the upcoming event. Most kids look forwarding to opening their presents at the end of their party. So whatever option you choose, make sure you set aside a special place where all the party goers can place the birthday gifts. 1. Town Park Shelter. Many local communities offer rental shelters at the parks where they have picnic tables, grills and play equipment for the kids. The older children can go play while the adults hang out. The food doesn't have to be gourmet, instead keep it simple and easy like barbecuing hot dogs or burgers or a couple baked lasagnas with salad. Follow up with a fun birthday cake from your local warehouse club, grocery store or your own kitchen. 2. Fast Food Restaurant. Both McDonald's and Hardees offer kids parties that include a party hostess, food and cake at reasonable prices. The other great thing about these restaurants is that many have Playlands or plastic ball pits so that the kids can be entertained while the adults chit-chat and relax a bit. 3. Children's or Science Museum. If you have a larger budget, a local science or children's museum can be a great place to hold a birthday party. Some places have party hostesses and provide some supplies, so just check what they provide in your city. You may only need to bring a birthday cake and presents. 4. Movie Theater. Many towns have inexpensive or dollar show theaters that will rent out the entire theater or give you big group discount as well as discounts on snacks and soda. Some theaters will let you bring in some of your own snacks and a cake so just check and see what can be done at your local theater by speaking with the manager. 5. Neighborhood Club House. If you live in a planned community, chances are that you have a club house in your neighborhood or apartment complex. Often these rooms are either free or can be rented for a nominal fee by residents. The club house would likely give you more room than your home, but it would still be close enough that you could set up the birthday party relatively easily. Not to mention, you don't have to clean your house! 6. Local Fire Department. Often times, local fire departments have rooms that they will allow local residents utilize for free or for a nominal fee. Some fire departments will even give the children of a private birthday party a tour of the department and let them try on some of the firefighters' gear and get their photos taken. These pictures make great keepsake gifts for all the children. Inexpensive Kids Birthday Party Locations

Nutritious Party Snacks For Kids

Nutritious Party Snacks For Kids When you are planning a party for kids and want to avoid the sugar high that often accompanies a kids party that focuses only on empty carbs and sugar, you can save time, money, and frustration by having some nutritious party snacks ready for the group. Before planning party snacks, it is important to make sure that none of the guests have any allergies such as nuts, honey, or some fruits. It is always a good idea when having a party for children under 3 to avoid any snacks or foods that contain nuts since this is a common allergy in small children.

Foods that match the theme of your party will be great fun and easy to make. If your party has a color theme, you can focus on nutritious snack foods that are the color of your theme. For instance, creating mixing food coloring in water in a mister will allow you to "dye" white bread the color of the theme. Simply mist the bread, don't soak, with the coloring and you will have pink, purple, green, or blue sandwiches. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes in the bread, to give your sandwiches a unique shape. Instead of buying chips, make low-calorie, healthy chips in under 5 minutes. All you need is a potato, microwave, and a paper or microwave safe plat. Rinse off potato and slice thinly and flavor with salt, pepper, garlic powder, or barbecue flavor. Lay the slices on the plate with the thinnest slices on the outside of the plate. Put in the center of the microwave and set for 5 minutes. Watch the potatoes and when you see brown spots forming on the slices, the potatoes are done. The darker the brown on the potato slices, the crispier the chips will be. You can make these chips and put them in an air-tight container for an easy and healthy snack. Leather fruit roll-ups are many kids favorite snack, but the roll-ups that you buy in stores is often loaded with sugar. Make natural fruit roll-ups easily. The best fruits for roll-ups are applesauce, apples, plums, bananas, and apricots. Adding cinnamon will change the flavor or add mint for a roll-up that grown-ups will love. Puree the fruit and add a tablespoon of lemon juice to keep it from turning brown. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and pour the puree on the paper at 1/4 to 1/8" thickness. Put in an oven that has been pre-heated to 130 degrees farenheit. Leave it in the oven for 6-24 hours. The length of time that it takes for the fruit to turn leathery will depend on the humidity in your area and how hot your oven gets. It is important that the oven not be turned up too hot. The roll-up is done when it is pliable and leathery. With nutritious party snacks, you will be able to control the chaos of a fun party much more easily. Children will not get as cranky when they are not eating a lot of sugar during a party and parents will appreciate it when the children return home. By doing a little pre-planning and including some fun steps in the food preparation, you can make the party memorable and fun very affordably. Nutritious Party Snacks For Kids

How to Make Peanut Butter Balls - The Best Way

Due to the incredible amount of requests for my peanut butter balls, I've decided to make my recipe available to all!

If you're like me, and you enjoy the finer things in life, like a dessert based off of peanut butter, than you are going to enjoy this. This dessert is great for parties as well as the family. You will end up with around 25-50 -- leaving you with enough to to go around. Here is my take on How to Make Peanut Butter Balls Mix 2 cups of peanut butter with 1 1/4 stick of softened butter until you get a smooth consistency. Slowly add in 4 cups of powdered sugar until it's well mixed -- roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Melt your favorite chocolate and dip or pour the chocolate onto the balls -- I recommend placing a sheet of wax paper under the peanut butter balls to keep them from sticking to the plate. Refrigerate till chocolate creates a hard shell. Sounds pretty easy, right? Well it is! These don't have to be -- and in my opinion, shouldn't be -- over complicated. I've seen many different variations of these out there. Some recipes call for some vanilla, cereal, flaked coconut, honey and even chopped nuts -- you name it, someone will attempt to stuff them into these poor little balls of goodness. Sometimes, Simple is Better Personally, I prefer the more simple approach. In the end, they just turn out better.

How To Make A Cheap And Easy Gourmet Wine Gift Basket

Buying a gourmet wine gift basket can be expensive. You can easily make a beautiful, custom, personalized, gourmet wine gift basket cheaply. You can use champagne too.

Gift baskets are always popular and a great idea to give as a gift. People love to receive gift baskets. Making your own gourmet wine gift basket is cheap and easy. You can fill your gift basket with a variety of good wine or champagne and inexpensive items; you have lots of choices. I've put together a few great ideas for making gourmet wine gift baskets, complete with instructions on how to make them. You can make inexpensive wine gift baskets or expensive wine gift baskets depending on your budget. You can easily customize each basket to your recipient. You can add one or two bottles of expensive or inexpensive wine. You can save money on your wine purchases by going to a wine shop and asking to see the less expensive good wines or you can go to Costco for some great wine bargains, but still very good wines. The wine for your gift doesn't have to be expensive. You can find many inexpensive items for use in making your gift baskets or filling your gift baskets, at 'dollar' stores, craft stores, party stores, discount outlets, flea markets, close-out stores, etc. For wine gift containers you can use: any type of basket, wicker basket, straw basket, bucket, champagne bucket, antique trunk, hamper, Asian-style trunk, picnic basket, or seasonal container. Make sure it's sturdy enough. For gift basket liner you can use: tissue paper, shredded paper, shredded newspaper, tea towels, dish towels, hand towels, kitchen towels, colored towels, colored napkins, placemats, or fabric pieces. For gift basket filler you can use: shredded colored paper, straw, crumpled newspaper comics, a bed of wrapped chocolates or other wrapped candy. For items in the container it'll depend on the specialty or theme of the gift basket - in this case a gourmet, wine gift basket. Here is a small random sampling of what you can include besides the wine. Gift certificate for massage or spa visit, scented oils, scented massage oils, gift certificate to favorite store, gift certificate for restaurant, loofah, fragrant candle, matches to light candles, CD of nature sounds, favorite artist CD, DVD of newer release movie, handwritten poem, perfume, cologne, watch, framed photo, inspirational book, spa pillows, bath pillows, spa supplies, bath and body products, facial and body scrubs, handmade soaps, fragrant soaps, shampoos, hand and foot lotion or fluffy towel. Fancy chocolates, boxed chocolates, chocolate bars, giant-size boxed candy, gourmet chips, pretzels, gourmet nuts, gourmet pasta, gourmet olive oil, pre-packaged food items, gourmet crackers, wrapped gourmet cheeses - two or three different kinds, fruits, any foods you like, Italian recipes, Mexican food recipes or other ethnic recipes, wine glasses or champagne glasses. For gift basket wrapping you can use tulle netting or I like to use cellophane wrap. You can buy it in large rolls. Look for specialty packaging outlets where you can buy it wholesale. Tie off the wrapped basket with ribbon. Wired fabric ribbon is best if you have it. For bows: You can use pre-packaged bows but making your own bow is easy and the best presentation if you can do it. Use a large or huge bow. Assemble all your gift basket items, tools you need, etc. Now line your selected gift container. Then stuff the selected filler into the wine gift basket to give added height to your items. Place, layer and arrange your selected items on the filler in the gift container. Put the larger items in the back, the smaller items in front. Fill in the holes or prop up with more filler (shredded paper, Easter basket grass, wrapped chocolates, napkins or holiday napkins etc.)Also you can use 'picks' of artificial flowers to fill in space. Place your cellophane or other wrap under the gift basket. Center the gift basket on the wrap. Bring the cellophane or other wrap over the top of the gift basket and tie it with ribbon and or a beautiful bow! Use ribbon and bows to match your theme colors. Tuck a card in the ribbon and that's it! You can find fabric or wired ribbon cheaply at Costco-- especially in the fall prior to Christmas but often throughout the year in some stores. You can shred paper in a paper shredder. If you're going to need a lot of cellophane you can purchase it wholesale through the packaging specialty stores throughout the U.S. but should be easily found in craft stores. General tips: Try to use non-perishable items except for fruit for fruit baskets. Use freshly packaged food items, because even packaged crackers and cookies can go stale in a couple of months. You can find filler flower 'picks' at garage sales for pennies. If you buy wholesale they are usually around a dollar each. Tips: It's best not to use fragrant items in your wine gift basket. You can easily check out gourmet wine gift baskets on the Internet to see what typically goes in them. Also there's nothing like learning how to make wine or other gift baskets from a video or DVD for making cheap and easy gift baskets. You can view it over and over again and share it with your children, other family members and friends. You can even charge for classes with your new-found knowledge and/or start a home based business. In any event, making a gourmet, custom, personalized wine gift basket is cheap and easy.

Weird and Wonderful Recipes Just For Fun

There have always been really strange recipes around that are passed from kitchen to kitchen until they fade and a new fad takes over. Usually they are perfectly edible, they may even taste quite good, but at least one ingredient is strange or used in a peculiar way.

Bacon Mugs I found a version of this on Stumble. The resulting mugs make great containers for salads, rice etc. Use small ovenproof dishes upside down. These you cover with foil pressed well down. These you cover with bacon. I t is best if you cross two rashers over the upturned base and then wind one or two more rashers in and out to make a bacon basket. Cook these on a baking tray to catch drips. How long they take to become crisp will depend upon the bacon and your oven. A hot oven is best, but may produce some smoke. The bacon will shrink of course, but removed carefully from the foil after cooling and they should keep their shape. I must try this with vegetarian bacon, but these crisp up really quickly so keep a careful eye on them. Another idea might be to create a basket in a long, shallow dish. Carrot Jam This comes from a Second World War time book, so is really old. The fact that the recipe has survived this long must mean that it is worth making. Next time I make carrot cake I will split it and spread it with some of this. I cannot give quantities as it depends upon how much mashed carrot you have. Wash and peel your carrots. Chop them small and boil in slightly salted water until soft. Drain and sieve or chop finely in a food processor. To one pound of this pulp add on pound of sugar , 1 teaspoon of powdered ginger and the juice and grated zest of a lemon. Boil all these together as when making any other jam. Pot when it begins to get thick. Rose Petal Jam My darling Granddad would allow me to pick his precious roses to make this. Some petals, especially white ones need trimming at the end where they join the flower as this part of the petal can produce a bitter taste. 2 mugs of rose petals packed fairly tightly, 2 1/2 mugs of sugar, 2 mugs of warm water, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Cut the petals into 1/4 inch strips. Cover with the water and cook for about 10 minutes. Strain this, reserving the petals, and use the liquid to make a syrup with the sugar and honey. Boil and then simmer for 5 minutes before adding the petals once more. Then cook on the lowest possible flame for about 40 minutes- an asbestos mat helps with this recipe. Add the lemon juice and cook for a further 20 minutes. Pour into sterile pots and seal. Some would want to add a little colouring, but I am a purist and never do. Jelly Fruit - Americans would probably call these Jello Fruit. I remember these as a great treat at birthdays when I was a child. Somehow eating the jelly from out of a fruit shell made it taste better - at least in my imagination. Each fruit will give you 4 portions. Halve your oranges. Remove all the flesh taking care not to damage the skins. Place the dry skins upright on a tray, or better still balance them in muffin tins which means that they stay upright more easily. Make up your jelly/jello a little thicker than normal and pour into the empty shells as full as you can as it shrinks a little when it sets. Place the tray in fridge and let set. Then cut each half shell once more so that the orange shell is now in quarters which make them much easier to eat. All you have to do now is to think of something to do with all that orange flesh. Now that my family is grown I wonder if it will work as jelly shots?

Halloween Food Ideas - Scary Chocolate Fun Bites for Kids

You wanted something unique and scary Halloween surprises for your kids but you don't have time to make those treats, so even a little bit over the top would do. Why not break out into the simplest chocolate bites with the unusual food colors to infuse a Halloween feel into your treats? Little ones love chocolate and making something tasty that ties in with Halloween is sure enough to get your celebration unique. Try these simple chocolate bites.

Wormy Chocolate Cupcakes You'll need: ½ cup of water 1 cup granola oil 4 eggs 1 box ( 18 oz.) cake mix with pudding 1 cup of ready to spread chocolate frosting 24 gummy worms What to Do: Set the oven 350 degrees and preheat. Prepare muffin pan by placing paper cupcake liners into the muffin cups. Spray with a non-stick cooking spray evenly. In a mixing bowl, whisk together water and oil then add the eggs and continue whisking until blended. Gradually add the cake mix powder and stir to combine well. Fill the paper lines 2/3 full of the batter and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcake comes out clean. When done, take out cupcakes from muffin pan and transfer to a wire rack until slightly cool. Make a coin-size hole in the center of each cupcake. Place your prepared frosting inside a parchment paper or a baggie and squeeze into the cupcake holes. Press a gummy worm into the frosting of each cupcake. Creepy Chocolate Ice-Cream Cups You'll need: 10 graham cracker tart shells 10 scoops of vanilla ice cream 20 chocolate cream filled cookies, crumbled 20 red M&M candy pieces 20 pieces of black shoestring licorice, cut into fourths How to Make It: Arrange graham cracker shells on a baking pan. Fill each shell with 1 scoop of ice cream then top with the crumbled cookies coating heavily. Freeze for 30 minutes to one hour, or until the ice cream has hardened. Press 2 M&M's into the front to look like red eyes, and press 8 strips of licorice into each ice cream scoop to form the spider's legs. Return to the freezer until serving time. Chocolate Ghost Bites You'll need: 2 pkg. (12 squares) white Chocolate 1/4 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon of butter, softened Decorating gel How to Make It: Melt the chocolate squares, cream and butter in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. When the chocolate is completely melted, cover. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour or more. When chocolate is cool enough to handle, scoop with a spoon and roll chocolate mixture into bite-size spooky balls. Place the balls into a waxed paper and freeze for 20 minutes. Use a decorating gel to draw eyes on the frozen spooky balls to resemble ghosts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This will make your chocolate spookies firm upon serving. You will be amused how kids will respond to the ideas. They will be thrilled at first to touch the scary chocolate bites yet at the end they will eat them all. You may wrap the squirmy chocolate cupcakes in decorative plastic wrap to give as giveaway. These ideas also go for adults!

Wheat Grinders - Types, Prices, Usage, Recommendations

If you are anything like me, the idea of buying, let alone actually USING a wheat grinder can be pretty intimidating. I am determined to accumulate a healthy-sized food storage and wheat is going to play a big role in that. I am also a fan of the mantra "store what you eat and eat what you store". Thus it quickly became apparent to me that I needed to do some heavy duty research in order to uncover all the mysteries surrounding "wheat grinders" or "grain mills" as they are officially called. With the help of internet research, some hands on research at several neighbors' houses, and multiple failed attempts in the kitchen, I have come up with a pretty good summary of what you need to know.

Types of Wheat Grinders Manual Wheat Grinders Pros Inexpensive Can be used with no power source Small to store Cons SLOW to grind (mine took 6 minutes to grind one cup of flour) Except for the very high-end models, you cannot grind a fine flour Inconvenient (messy and hard to fit a large bowl underneath) KitchenAid Attachments Pros Less expensive than an electric grinder Small to store Convenient to use and then mix bread in the same machine Cons I have heard from multiple sources that these units will BREAK your KitchenAid mixer Not as fast at grinding as electric grinders Electric Wheat Grinders Pros Grinds very fast Useful for many types of grains, beans, nuts, etc. Easy to select how coarse or fine to grind, and has a large range Cons Fairly expensive, even for the lower-end models Must have a generator or battery pack to use with no electricity (unless you buy a high end model that comes with a manual crank) A large appliance to store in your kitchen Prices of Wheat Grinders Manual Wheat Grinders Low: -30 models will not grind flour, only coarse corn meal, etc. Not very useful. Medium: -5 is a good price range. Back to Basics Grain Mill is . It can grind fine enough for bread flour but not for very fine cake flour. Wonder Junior is higher-priced at 9 but it can grind into cake flour. High: Up to 0 for the Country Living Grain Mill. It is quicker than other manual grinders and is able to grind a fine cake flour. KitchenAid Attachments 0-120, some may be used on any stand mixer. Electric Wheat Grinders Low: Under 0 for grinders such as the Blendtec Grain Mill. Its drawbacks are it is very noisy and cannot do very coarse grinds. Medium: 0-0 can get you a great grinder. The two most popular electric grinders are the WonderMill and the NutriMill. In my tests I found the WonderMill to be faster, quieter, cleaner, and easier to store. And priced at 9 it is even cheaper than the NutriMill which is 9. High: Over 0 is an unnecessary amount to spend in my opinion. There are heavy duty models out there but you can get the job done with the mid-range models. How To Use Wheat Grinders Manual Wheat Grinders Attach wheat grinder to your counter top Place a bowl underneath Pour the wheat in the funnel Turn the crank (for a LONG time) Wheat will filter into the bowl below Electric Wheat Grinders Select how fine or coarse you want to grind Turn on the machine Pour the wheat in the top Wait for it to grind into flour (super fast) Turn off the machine and pull out your canister of wheat How To Use Fresh Ground Whole Wheat Whole wheat bread can be delicious! I have gone through a lot of recipes trying to find the perfect balance of flavor, nutrition, texture, etc. for my wheat bread. Experiment with different recipes and types of wheat until you find what your family prefers. We liked using hard white wheat in a recipe that included gluten and oatmeal. Pancakes even your kids will love! I took an IHOP corn cakes recipe and simply swapped all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour and it was amazing. My kids ate 3 each at one meal. They are delicious drizzled with honey over top. Whole wheat oatmeal cookies you can't resist. I haven't tried any of these recipes yet but several of my friends said they prefer whole wheat cookies to regular cookies. Who wouldn't want an excuse to make cookies, hey it's rotating your food storage. Much much more. I grind up a large Tupperware full of hard white wheat flour and store it in my freezer (it retains the nutrients that way). Whenever I do any baking I replace half or all of the flour called for with my whole wheat flour. If it is as good or better I add that recipe to my food storage recipe binder. It's a great way to experiment until you find what works for you. My Recommendations Emergency-Only Usage If you are planning to use your food storage and wheat grinder only if an emergency situation arises, it is not worth the expense and hassle of buying and storing an electric grinder. At a minimum you should get the Back to Basics Grain Mill but I would highly recommend splurging for the Wonder Junior. Every-Day Usage If you plan to "store what you eat and eat what you store" I highly recommend the WonderMill Grain Mill electric grinder. If you are not planning to find an alternative power source for an emergency situation, then eventually pick up a Back to Basics Grain Mill as well. The price of these two combined are still cheaper than high-end electric grinders that have a manual crank option, and the functionality of the WonderMill is better for frequent usage.

A Pirates Party Menu for Adults and the Kids Too!

This Pirate party will delight your guests old and young. There are some ideas that can be great for a more adult pirate party such as Warm Buttered Rum. Yum! Or ideas that are better for a kids pirate party such as those gold foil chocolate coins. A great party menu can really make your party outstanding and memorable for your friends and family. After all there's nothing a yummy as being able to chow down on someone else's foodstuffs.

Your pirate guests are probably too small to drink grog but there's plenty of buttered rum flavored cake, cookie and candy recipes to make an authentic Caribbean party. Purchased rum flavoring can be substituted for the vanilla flavoring in any favorite recipe. It is especially effective as a flavoring in icing so that a traditional birthday cake with rum flavoring is probably the best option. Decorate with a plastic cake topper treasure chest and use gold foil wrapped chocolate coins in a candy dish or party favor sized nut cups. What do pirates eat? Well they probably ate a lot of fish while laying low on deserted islands. Fish sticks and French fries are simple but appropriate menu options. Tropical fruits either served raw or in the form of fruit punch will also create the desired island atmosphere. A watermelon boat might be a fun and healthy way to further the pirate theme. Use three wooden skewers to create masts on the half watermelon that is scooped out with a melon ball maker. Make sails for the masts from cheesecloth or paper. Refill with the melon balled fruit pieces and small chunks of your other favorite fruits. A small skull and crossbones flag should be made on paper or cloth with magic marker and flown proudly over the other deserts at your party. Once you have your Pirate party menu down pat you'll be looking for some activities to keep your guests occupied. Arrgh! A costume party is lots of fun for this event and guests can come dressed as their favorite buccaneers. Have plenty of pirate themed games on hand to start up the minute your party starts to get a little run down and nothings more fun than a treasure hunt. Did someone say gold?

How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day?

The term "Calorie" has become very common as this is the measure recommended by dietitians and nutritionists to reduce body weight. Also, this is the term people are more concerned about, to avoid obesity and other ill effects.

Most people think that they consume less calories if they are not eating enough. But this is a wrong approach as this lowers the metabolic rate and puts body into starvation mode. The ideal way is to maintain your calories by eating right amount of highly nutrient food.

An active person who exercises every day will burn more calories than the person who is moderately active with less physical activities.

Men, Women and Children have different daily calorie needs as there are different metabolisms, different heights, weight, age and gender for every human being. The current lifestyle also has an impact in the amount of healthy calorie intake. In general, Men need 2000 to 2500 calories and Women need 1500 to 2400 calories per day depending on their age levels, height and weight. There are many ways to analyse your daily calories needs. There are calorie calculators that help you to estimate daily calorie needs based on gender, height, weight, age and activity level.

It is recommended to eat at least 1200 to 1500 calories per day if you want to lose weight, but this diet plan cannot be followed forever. You need to take balanced diet with enough calories to stay active and healthy.

Men at the age group of 20 to 30 years who do less exercise would need approximately 2400 calories per day whereas Women at the same age group, with the same type of workout routines would need around 2000 calories per day. Men of age group 31 to 50 with less physical activity levels would need 2200 to 2300 calories per day while women of age group 31 to 50 with less physical activity would need 1800 to 1900 calories per day.

This calculation applies to children as well. Children of age group 2 to 3 years would need 1000 calories per day whereas children of age group 4 to 8 years would need 1100 to 1500 calories per day with less physical activity levels.

Young boys at the age group of 9 to 18 years require around 1800 to 3000 calories and girls require around 1800 to 2200 calories per day.

Women above 50 years of age need 1600 to 1700 calories per day and Men above 50 years may need 2000 to 2200 calories per day with less physical activity levels.

Similarly, Men of age group 20 to 50 years with more Physical activity levels may need 2500 to 3000 calories per day and women may require 2000 to 2500 calories per day.

Men above 50 years would need 2300 to 2800 calories and women would need 1800 to 2300 calories per day with more physical activities.

Calorie Calculator

There are many calorie calculators available online to predict the daily calorie needs. Once you estimate your calorie needs, follow it for a week and start monitoring the changes to your body weight. Make adjustments in calorie intake as required so that you can maintain your weight as you wish.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

You need to calculate BMR to figure out ho many calories you need per day. BMR measures the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight with normal body processes. The very simple and basic formulae for calculating your BMR is - just multiply your current body weight by 10.

For example, if your current weight is 100 lbs, 1000 calories per day is the basal metabolic rate. Basal Metabolic Rate calculation does not include the measure from physical activity levels (based on exercise limits). You can use some other formulas like Harris - Benedict formula and Katch-McArdle formula to estimate the BMR that includes activity levels.

Exercise is an important factor that determines your daily calorie needs. If you are more physically active or if you do lot of exercise, your body needs slightly higher calorie levels. However, there are other factors like age, height and amount of body fat you have etc also plays a vital role in determining calorie needs.

Maintain an Activity Diary

You need to evaluate yourself by maintaining an activity diary. You need to determine if you are sedentary, moderately active or active.

You are "sedentary" if there is not much physical activity in your lifestyle or job. It may involve mostly sitting, standing etc. You are "lightly active" if you do very light walking. You are "Moderately active" if you do slightly more physical activity than just walking. This may include doing some cleaning, some other work to be done manually. You are "Very active" if you do lot of work and more exercise. You are "Extremely active" if you are involved in any sports, regular hard work outs etc. Keep a track of these different activity levels in the diary.

Set a target of two weeks and keep a detailed record of things you eat and drink in two weeks period. Record all you physical activities, weight and update the diary every day with your routines. After 2 weeks, if your weight is the same when you started, you are on the right track and you are consuming the calories calculated by BMR. If you have gained weight during the 2 weeks exercise, you need to do the necessary changes in your diet plan.

Balance your diet with healthy foods

It is important to know what type of calories you eat every day. You need to allocate your daily calorie intake as follows:

1. Take 40% of protein rich food every day. You can get rich proteins from lean meat, fish, milk, eggs

2. Eat 40% carbohydrates that come from beans, peas, oats, lentils, yogurts etc. Do not go for items like sugar, beverages, cookies, pizza, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta etc

3. 20% of unsaturated or good fat is acceptable. You can eat nuts, seeds etc

Take only Balanced diet with healthy calories and please do remember that calories are the only way to keep check in your weight. You need to alter the calorie intake to lose weight. Any diet plan without a clear distribution in the types of calories will not be of help. Choose a correct diet plan and determine the daily calorie needs.

Sugar Lovers Beware

It would be fair to assume that almost everyone on the planet loves sugar and sweet foods. Processed sugar is in many products and is a key ingredient for baking. It seems that everyone has a sweet tooth for some sugar food in one way or another. Most people know to limit their intake of processed sugar, however, what most people don't know is that sugar is one of the worst ingredients to put into your body. The chemical reaction of sugar in the body acts as a poison. Studies show that sugar has drug like effects in the body.

Processed sugar has many harmful effects throughout the body and can cause major imbalances in the organ systems. You could say that sugar tends to throw off the homeostatic balance of the whole body by increasing the production of adrenaline by many times. In essence, sugar stimulates the nervous system by inducing a flight or fight response. This is obviously not a healthy process. This intense reaction of the body increases the production of cortisone, which suppresses immune function and can lead to other health disorders. The daily intake of sugar leads to many other imbalances and malfunctioning of the bodily processes. High sugar consumption leads to an overly acidic body and in turn will cause the body to strip nutrients from its reserves to counterbalance this effect. This can eventually cause the body to take calcium from the bones and teeth since calcium is the primary mineral used to neutralize high acid in the cells. Osteoporosis and arthritic conditions can result from this continued process. Sugar and its Link to Weight Gain Excess sugar consumption will eventually effect every organ in the body. Primarily, sugar is stored in the liver as glucose. Since the liver's capacity to store sugar in this form is limited, the liver will start to expand almost like a balloon with continued daily sugar intake. When the livers' capacity has been filled, the excess glycogen (glucose) is returned to the blood in the form of fatty acids (fat). The fatty acid compounds are then taken to various parts of the body and are stored as fat deposits in the buttocks, belly, breasts and hips since these are the most inactive body parts. The consumption of excess processed (refined) carbohydrates has the same effect on the body. Eating foods with refined white flours and other enriched products can cause the same physiological effects. Consuming excess pasta, rice, chips, pretzels, and other high processed carbohydrates can lead to fat deposits on the body. Many people do not understand how eating excess pasta or rice can cause weight gain since these foods has very minute quantities of fat and calories in them. The secret is...it is not that important how much fat or calories a food has. The real key is what biological effect does a food have in the body. When the inactive body parts have become filled with fat then eventually the excess fatty acid deposits will become stored around major organ systems such as the heart and kidneys. This leads to the degeneration of these organs and in turn will cause poor health. This can result in poor immune response, poor circulation, high blood pressure, and can even impact brain functioning. A False Energy High Too much sugar intake gives one a false sense of energy. When you eat a sweet food, your energy will go up, however, it only feels that your energy is going up. In fact, this false energy is really your body being stimulated via the flight or fight response that I spoke of earlier. After this reaction has worn off, your energy levels will come crashing down as most people experience every day after they have eaten a high sugar food. Most children that have ADD can completely heal themselves just by eliminating processed sugars in their diets. Children eat way too many processed sugars. The behaviors and bodily responses that these children feel are the flight or fight responses of their nervous systems. All forms of processed sugars such as nutra sweet, cane juice, corn syrup, brown sugar, splenda, powdered sugar and others have the same effect on the body. The chemical structures of these compounds are very harmful to the body and should not be consumed on a frequent basis. Fruit sugars are very healthy for you. The monosaccharides (simple sugars) in these natural foods are in a structure that are beneficial to your cells. Fruit sugar has a much different effect on your body than does processed sugar. Fruit sugars nourish and energize the body naturally. This is true energy as compared to the false energy one gets from processed sugars. Your cells require the simple sugars in fruits consistently since they serve to fuel the body with the best substances. Make sure you consistently eat many fruits a day. I would recommend eating 4 to 5 pieces of different fruits a day for better health. The True Bitterness of nutra sweet & sucralose (splenda tm) What you are about to discover is information that has been known for quite some time by various health organizations. Please take this information seriously because there are agendas in place to hide this truth and to use it against you. Aspartame (nutra sweet) is actually worse to consume than sugar. This technical name includes the following brands of sweeteners- (equal, nutra sweet, spoonful and equal measure). Be advised that these compounds are very powerful and can cause severe biological effects in your body. To say that they are toxic is an understatement. The manufacturer of these compounds knows of the dangers in consuming regular amounts of aspartame substances. As I have already said there is an agenda for putting these compounds into various products. If you want to know the true agenda then research it for yourself. I am not one who attempts to prove anything to anyone. I challenge you to do your own research and see if you can prove what I am saying wrong. In trying to prove me wrong, you will prove me right. The Breakdown of Aspartame Aspartame is a volatile substance, meaning that it breaks down very readily under normal storing conditions. Primarily, all aspartame compounds break down into methanol (alcohol), which is a known neurotoxin. The methanol in time then will break down into formaldehyde that is a highly reactive chemical that is damaging to the cells and genetics of the body. This process can cause a number of neurodegenerative diseases such as alzheimers, lupus, multiple sclerosis (MS), and parkinson's disease. The methyl alcohol that forms from aspartame is thousands of times more potent than the alcohol found in a normal alcoholic beverage. Reactions to aspartame products include the following: headaches, nausea, depression, fatigue, heart palpitations, slurred speech, breathing difficulties, memory loss, seizures and even death. Consuming high amounts of aspartame can also increase your cravings for carbohydrates. I explained earlier that consuming high amounts of empty carbohydrates (refined flours, pasta, rice, chips) will lead to weight gain. Primarily, the effects of aspartame chemicals in the body seem to alter key hormones thus creating imbalances in neurotransmitters and blocking other hormone precursors. So, why haven't you heard about these dangers before now? Let's see...the diet industry is a trillion dollar market to many organizations. Obviously, they don't want this secret information to get out to public ears if you know what I mean. Aspartame & Children Children love to consume sweets on a daily basis. Many of the food products that these children are consuming have aspartame sweeteners in them. I would advise all parents to get their kids off of aspartame food items. These foods are not healthy for them. There are plenty of healthy alternatives for any of the items that they enjoy. Email me and I will give you loads of information. Many kids are diagnosed with ADD and other mood disorders. Many of these conditions are being classified as hyper, behavioral problems and others when in fact these children are being affected by the foods they eat. Look at a normal child's food intake for an average day and you will find that they eat way too much sugar and items with aspartame compounds and other chemicals in them. This daily consumption of these sweeteners has a harmful effect on their nervous system and therefore becomes expressed as mood disorders and behavioral problems. Take these kids off sugar and these sweeteners and watch them improve. Pregnant Mothers & Aspartame If you or anyone you know is pregnant then I would say just stay away from these dangerous sweeteners forever. Make sure you read labels and make it a conscious intent to have the whole family keep clean of these products. It will help your whole family out I assure you. If you are pregnant and consume aspartame foods you will only be hurting the development of the child. Doing so can cause neurological imbalances and other cellular damage. You are also hurting yourself. It is not worth the price just to have your diet soda. Please educate yourself more on this topic for it can save your health and the baby's health. Products to Stay Away From If you drink diet soda then are you most likely consuming aspartame. Most diet sodas and many other beverages are sweetened with one of the aspartame sugar substitutes. STAY AWAY FROM ALL PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN THE VARIOUS FORMS OF ASPARTAME! These include aspartame, nutra sweet, splenda, spoonful, equal. Read your labels and throw away all items that have these compounds in them. Take responsibility for your diet. If you choose to continue to consume aspartame after reading this chapter well then you are the one to pay the consequences. What Will I Use To Sweeten My Drinks & My Food Relax! I know you enjoy sugar and do not want to give up great tasting foods and beverages. You don't have to. There are some great natural sugar alternatives that I feel taste better than sugar and the other toxic substances mentioned earlier. To sweeten your drinks you can use Stevia. Stevia is a natural herb that is actually hundreds of times sweeter than regular sugar. It has no fat, carbohydrates or calories and is perfectly suitable for people with diabetes, low carb diets and people with candida and other parasitic conditions. Stevia does not cause spikes in blood sugar and has a nourishing effect on the body. It has been used for centuries among various cultures. You can get stevia at any health food store in the dietary supplement section. There are 2 products: 1 is a liquid concentrate- I recommend this for sweetening beverages like teas and shakes. The other is a ground up version and is in powder form. I recommend this for foods like cereal or oatmeal. Agave syrup is an awesome food product. You will love this sweetener guaranteed. It is a compound similar to honey only that it comes from a cactus plant in the desert. I believe that it tastes better than honey and can used on pancakes, cookies and to sweeten baked goods. Try it and see! You can find this at most health food stores. If they don't have it then ask them to carry it. Rice syrup is also a good sugar alternative. It can be used in various ways and has a pleasant taste. Date Paste is very sweet and can be added to baked goods and pancakes, waffles and cookies. Fruit Juice Concentrates can be used to sweeten baked foods as well. Barley Malt Syrup is another great alternative. Honey - old time favorite for many, can be used also in various ways from sweetening drinks to sweetening baked goods. Use only organic varieties. I would say to just buy some of these sweeteners and see which ones you like. They are all healthy to consume on a daily basis and you will feel the difference. You will not miss regular sugar believe me. Your body will thank you I assure by eating natural sugars. If you want some recipes on how to use these sweeteners then let me know via email. The Truth About Sweet-N-Low There have many reports that state Sweet-N-Low can be carcinogenic when used frequently. I remember when I was a child I heard that this can be a harmful compound to the body. The truth of the matter is that Sweet-N-Low is not harmful to your body. The chemical structure of this substance does not have any damaging effects to your cells as do the sugar substitutes mentioned earlier. I stated previously that the important thing of any compound is the chemical structure and its biological effects once in the body. Sweet-N-Low has no negative effects once in the body. It is actually a good substitute for sugar. So there you have it. You now know the truth about sugar and sugar substitutes. Please use this information immediately. You Must Learn To See Through The Veils of Illusion To Get at the Truth !

Creepy and Cute Halloween Cake Design Ideas

To help you get started scheming and designing your ghoulish confections, here are a few Halloween Cake Design Ideas. Try these or create your own spin-off's!

Haunted House - Sheet, Novelty Pan or Sculpted Castle This Halloween cake can be made in many ways. 1. Trim a sheet cake into the shape of an old Victorian house with gables. Then pipe icing windows, doors, and other details, including cobwebs. Ghostly shapes are easy to pipe and fill in with snow-white buttercream icing. Add bats and other easy to pipe Halloween creatures. 2. Or you can use a novelty cake pan with the haunted house theme. Many of these come with decorations and instructions. 3. For a really exciting Halloween cake, try a haunted castle cake! Butter cakes works well. Stack two or more cakes, being sure to place supportive plates in between the layers. If the cake is large like a wedding cake, add cake dowels. Towers can be created with upside down ice-cream cones or paper towel rolls, shortened to fit proportionally to your cake. For edible towers, bake a pound cake in a jelly roll pan, and then using a cookie-cutter or glass, cut our circular pieces of uniform size. Skewer these, and then stick the skewered towers into the cake. Then ice them and pipe designs and windows. For an amazing haunted house castle - think detail. For example, you could cut out windows and place inside kooky ghosts or other ghoulish figures (modeled with rolled buttercream, created with gum paste molds, or store-bought). You might even want to add a moat and drawbridge! Tuck green miniature lights behind the turrets and under the drawbridge for an eerie glow. A basic set of confectionary tools will help you model your Halloween cake creatures. You can find these and all sorts of decorating supplies at www.CandylandCrafts.com If you model your Halloween cake figures with gum paste, creations will dry hard and last for years, but the children won't enjoy the taste much. Marzipan's expensive, and this almond paste isn't as much of a hit with kids as grown-ups. Your best bet for your Halloween cakes is Rolled Buttercream. It's a great tasting icing dough that can be easily modeled or molded. Frankenstein's Bride - Vintage Halloween Cake Here's a spin off from our charming doll cake that is made with a Barbie type doll and a cake dress. Use a doll with black hair. Tease the hair so it's all puffed up and then paint the lightening stripes up each side of her hair do. (For a humorous version, you could make her hair stand straight up). Paint her face a pasty white, add make-up (search online for "Bride of Frankenstein doll" and "Bride of Frankenstein costumes" for ideas. Cover the negligee dress with smooth, white buttercream and maybe add some black spiders and lacy impressions. Another idea: A vintage 60's Halloween doll cake could be fashioned after the Adam's Family's Mortisha. Jack o' Lantern Bundt Halloween Cake This is an easy Halloween cake for cake decorators new to cake sculpting. Young children will adore a Jack o' Lantern cake with a cute or goofy expression, while most older kids will get a kick out of an outlandish or spooky face. Start with 2 bundt cakes (butter, pumpkin and pound cakes work well). Then after leveling and icing the bottom of the cakes, fit them together to form the pumpkin. Cover the pumpkin with smooth, orange buttercream. Then pipe and/or use rolled buttercream to model the facial features. Pipe green leaves on top and add a stem made of rolled buttercream or an upside-down ice cream cone, iced with green. Last, but not least, here's an important Halloween Cake tip. The amount of liquid food coloring needed to create black or dark brown icing will probably give your icing a bitter taste. To avoid making a Halloween cake that tastes creepier than it looks, try one of these ghoulishly clever tips: · Use gel, paste or powder coloring. They're concentrated, so you won't need as much. · Begin with dark chocolate buttercream, and you'll need even less. · Instead of black icing, cover plain buttercream with crushed, dark chocolate cookies, and use licorice and such for spiders and bats.

Top 10 Romantic Anniversary Ideas

It can be hard to think up new romantic anniversary ideas. But believe me, its worth making the change from the usual "dinner and a movie" routine..

An anniversary is the best opportunity of the year to show your partner how much they mean to you. Here are some great romantic anniversary ideas to keep you from getting stuck in a romance rut. Or maybe even help rekindle an old flame. 1. Take them out for a romantic nighttime picnic. Find a spot that overlooks an amazing view, like a natural lake or cityscape, or the top of a tall hill. Create a beautiful backdrop with the view you choose. Pack your picnic full of goodies that you know your partner loves. Like wine, chocolate covered strawberries, hot chocolate, cookies, a salad or some homemade sandwiches. 2. Make them a home cooked candlelight dinner. Try these tips to make it extra special: * Enhance the mood by playing romantic songs in the background * Dim the lights and have candles create a romantic glow * Fill the room with their favorite type of flowers * Scatter rose petals on the dinner table 3. Bring back fond memories by taking your partner back to the place that you had your first date. Recreate it. Make everything that you do the exact same as that special night. Recreate all of the tiniest little details, such as music you listened to, places you went, the car you drove, etc. Pay close attention to all the small details. The more thought your partner will know you put into it. 4. Secretly take your partner on a surprise romantic weekend getaway. To make it a surprise, make it seem like you're taking them on a usual day trip that's not very exciting. Then take them to the airport and surprise them with the tickets to the romantic destination of their dreams. To make it all run smooth, you can pre-pack their things, and arrange for them to have time off at work. 5. Gather up all of the old pictures ever taken of the two of you and make a romantic photo album or scrapbook. This gift is very thoughtful, and can be done by you alone, or you can spend an evening making it together. When you're done, the album should be full of special memories the two of you can cherish forever. 6. Take your partner to the neighborhood that they grew up in. Let them see their old home, where they went to school, and any other places they have mentioned over the years. This should bring back a flood of precious memories for them that they can share with you. 7. Show up at their work with an oversized box of chocolates and flowers. Do it right in front of everyone so they will all see. But only do it if they will like the special attention. Don't do it if they are the type of person that will get embarrassed. 8. Create a romantic bedroom makeover. Its probably something your partner will never expect. Use soft and silky fabrics, rose petals, scented candles, romantic music, and top it all off with an intimate sensual massage. 9. Go for a romantic photo shoot together. This will give you sensual and romantic photos that will last a lifetime! (A common favorite are black and white photos). You can make them as sexy, or romantic as you like. There are lots of photographers to choose from. So search around until you find one that suites what you're looking for. 10. Print some free romantic love coupons to give to your partner. They're fun and flirty, and you can find them for free (see the website below). Or you can purchase them at any love store. Not only are they thoughtful, but you can customize them and choose to print off whichever romantic gestures you like. I hope these romantic anniversary ideas have helped you find the best way for you to show your love. No matter what you choose to do, or how you do it. If you do it for them you can't go wrong!

Spooky Treats and Ghoulish Eats - Kids Halloween Recipes

These Halloween recipes for kids are a great addition to your holiday fare. This time of year is all about ghosts and goblins, witches and wizards, bats and vampires and even monsters and more. Making fun treats to eat at your party will set the tone for a spooky and scary good time. These ideas will need some adult supervision as there is some heating and cooking involved with these recipes. Don't forget some food coloring to make these ideas even extra special for the upcoming day. You can make creepy ice cream spiders, witches brew punch or even scrumptious munchable scarecrows.

Kids Halloween Recipe #1 - Ice Cream Spider Cups Everyone loves ice cream and for your festive party they will love the looks of these spiders made from ice cream and other tasty ingredients. Ingredients 8 individual graham cracker tart shells 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream 16 Oreo Cookies (crumbled) 16 red M&M candy pieces 16 pieces of black shoestring licorice Directions Lay out the shells on a baking sheet. Add 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream to each shell. In a bowl, crumble the Oreo cookies. Sprinkle the crumbles on each scoop of ice cream to create a black furry looking spider body. Put the filled shells in the freezer for 30 minutes or until ice cream is hardened. Remove from the freezer and press 2 red M&M's into the front of each scoop for the spider's eyes. Cut the licorice strips into fourths. Press 8 strips of licorice into each ice cream scoop to form the spider's legs. Return to the freezer until ready to serve. Makes 8 servings These simple little spiders are so easy make and the kids will love them. You can use any flavor of ice cream you want and different colors of M&M's for the eyes. Mix it up and give each guest a slightly different looking spider or flavor. Kids Halloween Recipe #2 - Red Witches Brew Fruit Punch This blood red punch will sure to quench the thirst of all the vampires attending your party. Ingredients 3 (48 ounce) cans pineapple juice 1 (2 liter) lemon lime soda 1 large package strawberry or cherry flavored drink mix 1 can frozen strawberries 12 - 24 gummy worms Directions Place a gummy worm in an ice cube tray (1 in each tray). Fill with water and freeze. Mix all other ingredients together and chill. Once the ice cubes (with the gummy worms) are frozen, place in the punch and serve. Makes about 1 to 1 1/2 gallons You can make your witches brew even scarier looking by adding raisins and/or other frozen fruits. Kids Halloween Recipe #3 - Coconut Munchable Scarecrows These yummy scarecrows will brighten up your party with their bright clothes and tasty hat. Kids will have a blast frosting these little guys. Ingredients 1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough 1 cup flaked coconut Yellow, orange, red and blue food coloring 18 gum drop fruit slices 1 can vanilla frosting 1 package mini chocolate chips Directions Roll out the cookie dough on a flat surface. You can flour the surface to prevent sticking. Use gingerbread men cutters and cut out 18 shapes. Place the cutouts onto a baking sheet and bake according the directions on the package. Remove the cookies and cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Using a small bowl, mix the coconut and yellow food coloring to achieve a straw like color. To make the scarecrow hats place the gum drops on a lightly sugared surface and press and roll them flat. Using a butter knife, cut hat shapes for each flattened gum drop. Place the vanilla frosting evenly into 3 separate bowls. Add drops of orange, red and blue food coloring into each of the bowls (one color per bowl). After the cookies have cooled, frost each cookie with the blue and red frosting making the shirts and pants. Make some shirts blue and pants red and with some shirts red and pants blue. Next frost the head, feet and hands with the orange frosting. Press your colored coconut into the hands and feet to form the straw. Place the hat onto the scarecrows head by placing a little orange frosting on the back of the hat and pressing it onto the scarecrow. Place 2 to 3 of mini chocolate chips down the front of the scarecrows shirt for buttons. Place chips on the head for the eyes, nose and mouth. Makes 18 cookies. These scarecrows will look so yummy that your guests will eat them quickly.

Holiday Candy Cane Cookies

These holiday cookies are a great treat to make with the kids and get you in the Christmas spirit. Many people do not realize that cookie dough can be colored to make a wide variety of colors for most any holiday season. Just a few drops of food coloring in your dough can make the color desired.

So for this you will need your cookie dough and some food coloring to get started. (Caution: Food color can stain skin and clothes, be sure that you wear old clothes and some gloves on your hands to protect your skin.) Start off by getting enough bowls for the different amount of colors you will be working with. Next begin the process by mixing the dough and the food color into the bowl start off with just a touch of food color to make sure you do not go to dark. You can always go darker from to light but not the other way around. Next kneed the dough thoroughly till you get the desired color you are looking for. Now take the dough out of the bowls and roll it into 12 inch by inch strips. You can use two pieces of wax paper here if you do not want to over saturate the cookies with to much flour which can dry them out a bit. Take each rope and conform it into a candy cane. Now you can make so many different colors, you can go with your traditional red and white, or a red and green, yellow and blue, whatever you want. After forming the candy canes bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until brown. Hopefully you will enjoy these cookies as much as me and my children did. Enjoy.