Month: August 2015

Gru’s Shrunken Moon Cake Pops For A “Despicable Me” Party!

~ Kaitlyn @ Doing Dishes Making Wishes ~ Leave a comment

So anybody who has seen “Despicable Me” knows all about Gru’s mission to steal the moon. If you are not familiar – In order to steal the moon, Gru has to obtain a shrink ray and shrink the moon so that he can fit it in his pocket.

Emmy watches this movie at least once a week, and is now obsessed with the moon. She looks for it in the sky night and day, and stares at it in one of Avery’s books about the solar system. She also pretends a little plastic golf ball is her moon and carries it in her pocket.

(She is such a little weirdo, and I just love it! She flies her freak flag with no cares. Hey kid, what’s in your pocket? THE MOON. Obviously.)

So when I was searching Pinterest for “Despicable Me” party ideas, I came across this pin with a picture of shrunken moon pops. I knew I had to serve these up at Emmy’s party, because she is my little moon-obsessed minion wannabe!

I used my usual cake pop recipe, with chocolate cake on the inside and a white candy coating on the outside. It gave the pops a very moon-like look.

Read on to make your own shrunken moon cake pops!

Gru’s Shrunken Moon Cake Pops For A “Despicable Me” Party!

Ingredients:

  • 1  box chocolate cake mix, prepared and baked according to the box directions.
  • 1  8 oz block of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
  • 2  packages of Wilton candy melts in white
  • 1  package of lollipop sticks

What to do:

Grab your box of chocolate cake mix. Any brand will do. I used this one:

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Prepare the mix according to the box directions and bake the cake.

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Once the cake is baked, allow it too cool COMPLETELY before you move on to the next step.

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Dump about 2/3 of the baked, cooled cake into the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment.

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Add the block of softened cream cheese.

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Mix on low until it all starts to come together.

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Crumble the remaining 1/3 of your cake slowly into the mixing bowl. Continue to mix on low until the mixture resembles a crumbly play dough.

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Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

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(Oh hey, Fitbit-on-my-wrist! So glad you made it into this post about cake mixed with cream cheese and dipped in candy.)

Grab small handfuls of the chocolate cake dough and roll them between your hands to make balls. About 1 inch diameter for size seems to work well.

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Once you have them all rolled, grab your lollipop sticks.

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I got mine at Walmart, but you can also find them in most craft supply stores.

Poke a lollipop stick into each ball, about 3/4 of the way in. (You do not want them to poke through the other side, because your cake pops will fall apart when it is time to dip them in the candy coating.) Once they all have lollipop sticks, put them in the fridge for a few minutes while you prepare the candy coating.

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Now grab your candy coating, and follow the directions on the package for melting.

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I got mine at Walmart, but you can also find these in most craft supply stores.

I melt both packages together in the microwave in a medium glass bowl, but I follow the melting instructions on the package EXACTLY. Do not try to rush it, because they will seize up and become grainy – a.k.a. totally unusable. YOU WILL HAVE TO THROW THE WHOLE BATCH OUT. Just follow the instructions. I know it’s annoying. I know it seems like they will never melt on low power. I know it takes forever.

Just trust. OK? Good.

Dump the candy into your microwave safe bowl.

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Follow the melting instructions. Pull it out and stir it well in-between each interval in the microwave.

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Oh look! It is finallyyyy starting to melt.

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Getting closer….Don’t give up now!

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Thank God that finally happened. It is melted. Sheesh. Now add a splash of vegetable oil to the melted candy to thin it out a bit, and mix well. Grab your cake pops out of the fridge and start dipping! Try to swirl the pop out of the candy, so that it makes a more moon-like effect.

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(I know this is blurry. Cody was gone on a business trip. I was dipping and swirling and trying to take pictures while the kids were running amok in the only-2-days-before-party-mayhem. Just be happy you even have this picture.)

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As you dip them, place them back on the parchment paper. If the candy starts to get too thick, put it back in the microwave on low power for 15 second intervals until it is nice and melted again. You can also add another splash of vegetable oil to thin it out. Once they are all dipped and swirled, pop them back in the fridge until party time!

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That tray was full of cake pop moons about 3 seconds before this picture was taken! Hopefully you can get a nice picture of yours before the minions attack and devour!

Enjoy!

🙂 Kaitlyn

How To Make Your Own “Minion” Pinata!

~ Kaitlyn @ Doing Dishes Making Wishes ~ Leave a comment

Kids love pinatas! Just something about whacking the crap out of a container full of candy until it breaks is magical. I have yet to meet a child that doesn’t absolutely go nuts over this. I always have one at my girls’ birthday parties. The price tag, however, does not agree with me. Most pre-made character pinatas run about $25. I might as well hang up my $25 and whack it to shreds with a stick, because that is such a huge waste of money!!!

Especially when you can make your own pinata for literally pennies.

Yep. I said pennies.

Want to know how to do it? Read on below!

How To Make Your Own “Minion” Pinata:

Before embarking on this adventure, plan ahead! While this is a super-easy process, you need to start making your pinata about 5 days before your party because he needs a couple nights to dry. (In other words, you have to go buy a $25.00 pre-made pinata if your party is tomorrow. Sorry. This is just not something that can be rushed.)

  • Step 1:

Gather your supplies. You will need:

  • 2 balloons (It doesn’t matter which color because they won’t show.)
  • Some poster board
  • Tape
  • Newspaper, torn (not cut) into strips. (I just use the weekly sale ads that come in the mail for free.)
  • Flour
  • Water
  • String or rope (I used black parachute cord)
  • Assorted candy/small prizes of your choice
  • Spray paint in blue and yellow
  • Black pipe cleaners
  • Acrylic craft paint in white, black, and silver

 

  • Step 2:

Assemble the paper mache mold.

Inflate the two balloons, and cut the poster board into smaller pieces.

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Line your poster board up into one big strip, and tape it all together.

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Tape the 2 balloons together at the bottom.

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Roll the balloons up in the poster board, attaching with tape as you go.

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You might need a little helper to hold it still while you finish up the taping. 🙂

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  • Step 3:

Prepare your paper mache station.

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You need to mix the paper mache. For each coat you will need:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup water

Combine the flour and water until it is a nice, smooth paste. You should make sure you have plenty of newsprint torn into strips and your assembled mold ready to go. I didn’t cover my work space, because as long as you clean up while the paste is still wet it wipes off easily. If you are worried about the mess, then cover your work space with a plastic tablecloth or some extra newspaper.

  • Step 4:

Get your hands dirty, and start paper macheing!

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Dip each strip of newsprint into the paste, run your fingers down it to wipe off the excess paste, then smooth it onto your mold. Repeat the process with each strip. Remember to saturate each piece, but wipe off as much of the extra paste as possible. If you use too much it will take forever to dry and could saturate the poster board, which will make your minion look warped.

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Cris-crossing the strips makes a strong pinata. If you lay all the strips going the same direction, it will end up having weak spots.

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Continue laying strips until you have no more openings. The entire piece should be covered in your first layer of paper mache, without being able to see any poster board or balloons. Resist the urge to keep paper macheing. If you make your first coat too thick it will take forever to dry. Let dry overnight.

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Once dry, it will look like the picture above. Repeat the paper mache process and do a second coat over the entire piece. Allow the second coat to dry overnight again. If you are making the pinata for a large group of children or bigger kids, I recommend doing a third coat as well. If you have a smaller group or just little kids, 2 coats should be strong enough. (Remember to make sure you leave enough dry time between coats – overnight is best!)

  • Step 5:

Fill him up with candy and prizes!

When deciding what to fill your pinata with, consider your crowd. Little kids? Go with stickers and fruit snacks. Big kids? A good candy combo. Does anybody have allergies? Make sure your candy doesn’t contain nuts. So now that you have your treats picked out, let’s fill him!

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Using a sharp knife, poke a hole into what will be the top of your pinata. Do not be alarmed when you hear the balloon begin to deflate inside! As long as you applied at least 2 coats of paper mache and allowed your pinata to dry properly, it will be very sturdy and hold it’s shape. Using a sawing motion with your knife, cut a flap big enough to fit your hand inside.

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Deflate the other balloon, and pull the balloons out. These are a choking hazard. It is OK to leave the poster board inside. Dump all your candy and prizes inside. Now is also a good time to poke holes and attach the string your pinata will hang from. Poke 3 SMALL holes, surrounding the candy opening. Since my pictures for this didn’t turn out, I made you a diagram below. Pinata diagram

Thread the string through each hole from outside to inside. Reach your hand inside and tie the end of each string into a giant knot, so that it can’t come back through the hole. Here is another #madpaintskillz diagram for you:pinata diagram 2

Once your candy is inside and the strings are attached for future hanging, close the flap back up with masking tape. Do one layer of paper mache over this entire top section to seal everything back up nice and cozy. Allow to dry – you guessed it – overnight.

  • Step 6:

Turn him into a minion!

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Get your future minion, spray paint and a tarp. Spray the entire guy yellow. Apply multiple coats as needed, because your first coat will soak right into the paper mache. Mine took 2 full coats to cover the newspaper.

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Allow to dry at least 2 hours, then tape off his top half. I just used masking tape and construction paper, because that was handy at the moment.

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Spray his bottom half blue. Mine only took 1 coat of blue to be covered. Allow to dry another 2 hours.

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Remove the paper and tape, and bring him inside to put his face on!

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Use white craft paint for the eyes, and outline with silver craft paint for the goggles. Use the black craft paint to make his pupils, band for his goggles and a smiley mouth! Allow to dry. Then cut a small slit in the top of his head using a sharp knife. Poke pieces of black pipe cleaner into the slit, and bend them to resemble minion hair.

  • Step 7:

Hang him up and get the party started! The pinata rules we follow are:

  • Treat bags for candy/prize collection are labeled with names and passed out before the pinata starts
  • Birthday kid goes first
  • The other kids follow in age order from youngest to oldest
  • Each kid gets 3 hits, missed swings don’t count
  • Once the pinata breaks, it is every man for himself
  • I always keep some extra candy/prizes to the side in case some little kids get boxed out and don’t get to grab any candy

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Be ready for the chaos once he breaks! Ahhhh! So fun!

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Aren’t you glad that didn’t cost you $25.00?!

 

Have fun, you party animals!

🙂 Kaitlyn

 

How to Make Your Own “Despicable Me” Party Banner

~ Kaitlyn @ Doing Dishes Making Wishes ~ Leave a comment

I love cute banners at kids’ parties! They just add so much to the decoration factor. I especially love them when they are personalized! The only downfall to a personalized banner is spending the money. Maybe I am just cheap, but it costs waaaay too much to order one. I am literally going to have this thing hanging in my house for the 3 short hours a kid’s party lasts, and it is going to cost me $30.00?! That’s like paying the banner $10 an hour to just hang out and look pretty! The easy way around is this to make your own. The supplies cost under $10 for everything – even less if you use some craft supplies that you already have. Bonus mom points: Your kids can help you make it, and feel extra special when they look around their party at the cool decor the contributed. They get so excited, and it’s super cute!

Want to know how to do it? Follow the instructions below!

 

How to Make Your Own “Despicable Me” Party Banner

Step 1:

Gather your supplies.

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You will need:

  • Fun foam in 2 colors of your choice. I chose yellow and blue since our party had lots of minions, so yellow and blue went best with our take on the “Despicable” theme.
    • I like making banners from fun foam. It doesn’t curl in outdoor humidity, and can even withstand a rain shower or getting splashed from the pool. (You can substitute regular poster board if you know your banner won’t get wet or the party will be inside.)
  • String or ribbon of your choice
    • I used black parachute cord because I had some left over from other crafts. Any kind of string, yarn or ribbon will work, but keep in mind it will show so you want it to match.
  • A ruler
    • I have a measuring tape pictured above, mainly because I couldn’t find my ruler. Craft supplies literally disappear and reappear at their own will around here.
  • Scissors
  • Elmer’s glue
  • Sticker letters
    • You can find these at any craft supply store. They are a little pricey, but I use them for a lot of random crafts so I grab them at Michael’s with a 40% off coupon when I have one.
  • Minion stickers
    • Totally optional, but the more minions we had at our party the better!

STEP 2:

Decide what you want your banner to say, and how you want it to be displayed.

  • You will have 1 letter per triangle piece on your banner, so you need to decide this before you start to cut everything out. Since the party was a “Despicable Me” theme and Emmy was turning 3, I thought a banner saying “DESPICABLE THREE” would be cute. I decided that it would say “DESPICABLE” on the top line and “THREE” on the bottom line with 2 extra blue triangles on each side for Emmy to stick minion stickers. So I knew I would need to cut out 15 yellow triangles and 17 blue triangles.

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STEP 3:

Measure and cut out your banner pieces.

  • I chose just regular triangles for my banner pieces because they are easy. You are going to want to size your triangles based on the size of letters you have. Since the letters I had were 2 inch letters, I made the top triangles 3 inches wide at the top and 4 inches long from the top to the bottom tip of the triangle.

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  • Then I followed the same process with the bottom triangles. I wanted about a half inch of the bottom blue triangles to show, so I made them 1 inch bigger. They ended up being 4 inches wide at the top and 5 inches long from the top to the bottom tip of the triangle.

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STEP 4:

Glue the pieces together.

  • Apply a decent amount of Elmer’s glue to the back of the yellow triangle. Then stick the 2 triangles together.

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  • Instead of centering the yellow I dropped it down a little bit so that I had some extra room to thread the parachute cord through the top later. Keep gluing all the pieces together until you have all 15 done.

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Step 5:

Allow them to dry for a couple hours.

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STEP 6:

Stick on your letters.

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  • The brand I use is called “mambiSTICKS”. I have used them on countless craft projects. You can find these at Michael’s for $7.99 per pack or get them cheaper with a coupon! Gotta love those 40% off coupons!

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  • Carefully stick the letters on the center of each banner piece. A couple of the letters hung over the edge of the yellow towards the bottom point of the triangle. (You can kind of see what I mean on the letter “h” above.) I used scissors to just trim the little end that didn’t fit. If you want to avoid running into this, just make your triangles a little bigger in step 3.
  • This is also when I had Emmy stick her minion stickers of choice onto the 2 blank triangles next to the “THREE”.

STEP 7:

Now it is time to assemble your banner!

  • Poke a very small hole (I just use the tip of my scissors) in the 2 top corners of each triangle. The hole should be small enough that the fun foam will hold tight on the cord once it’s threaded (it shouldn’t be able to slide around on it’s own), but you should be able to gently slide the piece along the thread without any problem. I don’t have pictures of how to thread the cord, because I was home by myself with 2 crazy kids and needed both hands to do this task. I did draw you a handy diagram with my mad paint skills. Here it is:

banner pic

  • The cord should come up through the hole on the left, run across the top, and go back through the hole on the right. Do each piece for the top row of the banner, in “DESPICABLE” order, and leave plenty of extra cord on each end for hanging. Repeat for the bottom row, on a new, separate string. Do one minion sticker triangle, followed by “THREE”, and finish with the other minion sticker triangle.

STEP 8:

Hang her up!

  • When it is time to hang the banner, I recommend doing the top row first. Make sure it is centered, and do not let it droop too much because you have another row that will be beneath it. Hang the bottom row next. Gently adjust the letters so that everything is centered and evenly spaced. Then take a step back and admire your cute little banner that is all yours for less than $10.00!

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PARTY TIME!!!

😉 Kaitlyn

 

Ten Things Only Moms Who Used To Be Super Fans Can Understand

~ Kaitlyn @ Doing Dishes Making Wishes ~ 1 Comment

It’s Sunday. Game day.

Open your eyes and take a deep breath of that chilly breeze blowing through your window. Your friends are picking you up in an hour to go tailgate. Get up and start to get ready! Have a beer while you shower. Go ahead. Nobody’s stopping you, and that shower beer is the perfect way to start Sunday Funday. It’s so cold and refreshing, competing with the warm steam of the shower. Ahhh. Living the dream. Just loving life and enjoying a shower beer.

Do your hair so that it still looks good under a knitted hat. Select an outfit that makes you look cute, clearly distinguishes you as a hot Chicago Bears fan and keeps you warm enough at the same time. Perfection. Now fill up a big travel mug with coffee and Bailey’s, throw ice on the orange and blue jello shots in the cooler and jump in the truck when your friends pull up.

Are you ready for some football?!?!

HELL YES. SUNDAY FUNDAY. BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO!!!

 

Now fast forward 5 years……

I wake up to little people who need a lot all at once. I chug hot, black coffee even thought it is burning my tongue. I remember the coffee-and-Bailey’s-Sundays fondly for a fleeting moment, but I don’t even have any hard liquor in the house. I sigh and google the Bear’s schedule between pouring glasses of milk, because I actually don’t even know when and who they play this week. (It’s not that I don’t care! I had to re-prioritize everything when I became a mommy. I literally have no time to worry about sports anymore.) Turns out they don’t play until Monday night. Oh well. Come noon, my husband will sit in front of the TV and multiple computer screens, so wrapped up in a combination of his fantasy team and work that the house could burn down around him and he wouldn’t notice. I take the kids to the zoo, because the house feels like a zoo anyway.

Bye Sunday Funday….Probably forever.

Tears. Grief. Mourning.

I am a mommy who was once a fan. A true fan. I loved tailgating outside Soldier field. I loved high-fiving other super fans in the stands after every touch down. I loved watching the entire game, uninterrupted, with everyone at the local sports bar. I loved knowing the players stats, who got traded and who was injured. I just loved to breathe that crisp fall air because it meant football, food, beer and fun. Daaaa Bears!

Were you a mom who was once a fan too?

I wholeheartedly understand this dilemma. You are not alone.

dabears

Ten Things Only Moms Who Used To Be Super Fans Can Understand:

1. Attending the game is only fun until you are exhausted.

Let’s be real – I can’t keep up with my cool, hip, childless friends. After two beers during the tailgate, I feel nice and toasty. After two more beers in the stadium, I need to lay down. I have to pace myself. Stay hydrated. I also can’t forget to swing by the ATM to pay the babysitter later, because I somehow already spent all my cash. Was it always 10 bucks a beer at Soldier Field? No wonder I was broke in my twenties. I supposed I could always play it smart and stay sober, but that also equals being the caretaker and designated driver for all those Sunday Funday clowns I came here with. No thanks. I’ll take my chances with beer.

2. I can just watch the game with a few friends at a sports bar!

Brilliant plan, imbecile. See #1.

3. Staying home to watch the game doesn’t really work either.

I try to catch a play or two in-between prepping dinner, folding laundry and granting fruit snack requests every 15 minutes. I might also attempt to enjoy a hard cider before somebody knocks it over and I have to clean the carpet.

4. Let’s bring the kids with to the game! It will be fun!

Oh sure! Really fun! Because dropping a couple hundred bucks to haul around a backpack full of snacks and sippy cups, celebrate touchdowns by holding a toddler over the potty, play musical stadium chairs and apologize repeatedly to everyone around you sounds like an epic time. Said no one. Ever.

5. Family-friendly doesn’t apply to Buffalo Wild Wings on football Sundays.

Because now you have a baby. In a bar.

6. Your husband has magical powers.

The outside world doesn’t exist to him from 11:59 AM Sunday until 12:01 AM Monday. He can tune out the entire household. He will be mentally gone for 12 full hours, and will sometimes resurface from football land to find beer and food. Don’t even try to wake him from this Cinderella spell. It is only more energy wasted on your part. It is him and his fantasy teams. Why he was granted this freedom and you were not is an eternal mystery, but at least his roster is pretty stacked! Let’s hope he wins some big cash this season!

7. Every other commitment you have seems to fall on Sunday afternoon at kickoff.

You are an adult now. You have adult things to attend, and you can’t flake out like you did when you were 22 years old. Wedding showers, baby showers, birthday parties, family reunions, etc. – Be there or be square! Better hope your phone has decent service so you can get score updates, provided you have a minute to check it without looking rude as hell.

8. Don’t throw a Sunday Funday party. Just don’t.

At least once during football season, we all get the brilliant idea that throwing a party for the Bears game is going to be fun. It’s not. Now instead of watching the game you are cooking, cleaning and helping to take care of your friends’ kids. You suddenly remember why you swore not to do this again last year, and admit that next year it will probably sound like a good idea again. Oh well. At least I got to try out a new buffalo chicken recipe from Pinterest! Go Bears!

9. You don’t even know who half the team is anymore.

I haven’t watched the NFL draft for three years running. I vaguely remember Pat Tomasulo recapping what was going on with the Bear’s roster on the news while I made breakfast one day. None of the details remained in my brain. I save face by making fun of Jay Cutler. Because at least everybody can agree on hating Cutler.

10. You still have the cutest Bears apparel, but it is just collecting dust in the back of your closet.

Someday I will bust that tight little women’s jersey back out and Instagram the hell out of a game day selfie. Someday. After my boob job and tummy tuck.

 

See? I told you that you weren’t alone, my fellow fan who became a Mommy! I am down in the trenches with you, fighting the good fight from one football Sunday to the next.

It is going to turn out OK for us, I promise.

In a few years, the kids will be old enough to sit through a game. We can enjoy our football Sundays as a family. We can get out of the house to watch football games at Buffalo Wing Wings without stares full of judgement. We can take the kids to Bears games without backpacks full of baby crap. We can take them tailgating, teach them how to play bags like pros and eat Chicago style hot dogs with our tailgate neighbors. We can cheers water bottles and even eat blue and orange jello together. (This time without the vodka.) It will get better, and until it does, we can hold on to the carefree, glorious memories we have of our super fan days.

If we raise these kids right, they will probably be super fans just like their respectable mommies!

And really…..What more could you ask for?

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS!!!

Healthy and Delicious Blueberry Pancakes

~ Kaitlyn @ Doing Dishes Making Wishes ~ Leave a comment

It’s blueberry season!

That means I have been making blueberry everything! They are hands down the favorite berry of the Yoder household. My kids eat them like candy, and who would want to change that?

I get by in the winter with frozen blueberries for pancakes, muffins and the like. Buuuut come July, I head to Michigan for some fresh blueberry picking! It is no secret that blueberry pancakes always win at breakfast time. I couldn’t be happier with this because, I HAVE A HEALTHY RECIPE! Don’t tell Cody and the kids! We have to keep this secret between us. 😉

My kids have always loved pancakes, but it is not the best way to start your day. There are definitely healthier breakfast options out there. I got sick of saying “NO” to pancakes because I was buying crappy box mix, and hit the good old internet to find a solution to my pancake problem. I ended up combining and tweaking these 2 pancake recipes from Martha Stewart into something that is a little more agreeable with me as a breakfast option.

The secret healthy ingredients are bananas and whole wheat flour. And of course, the not-so-secret ingredient is tons of blueberries! The key to super fluffy pancakes is to mix the batter as little a possible. Just gently mix it with a wooden spoon. You can leave it a little lumpy – no need to beat it smooth! Your pancakes will come out tough if you do. Martha Stewart taught me that, and you don’t mess with Martha! Consider yourself warned!

Healthy and Delicious Blueberry Pancakes

  • Ingredients:
    • 1 c whole wheat flour**
    • 1 c all purpose flour
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp brown sugar
    • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
    • 2 tbsp butter, melted – OR – 2 Tbsp coconut oil**, melted (If you use coconut oil the pancakes will have a slight coconut flavor to them. Even more YUM!)
    • 1 3/4 c milk
    • 1 ripe banana, mashed
    • 2 c freshly picked blueberries (Can substitute frozen, but it might hurt your soul.)
    • Oil to grease the pan (Don’t use olive oil – Your pancakes will taste funny! You can use vegetable oil, butter or coconut oil for best results. Just remember the coconut flavor will transfer to the pancakes if using coconut oil!)
    • Pure maple syrup** to drizzle before serving
  • What to do:

Prepare your work area. Put a skillet on a burner, but don’t light it yet. Set your oven to the lowest temperature or “keep warm” setting. (Mine is 175 degrees F.) Place a cookie sheet or platter in the oven, so you can easily transfer the pancakes to keep them warm as they come off the skillet.

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Put your blueberries in a bowl or container you can easily grab from. Grab your oil of choice for greasing the pan, a few paper towels, a 1/3 measuring cup, and a nice spatula for flipping. (This silicon one pictured below by Food Network is the only one I use for pancakes. It’s from Kohl’s.) Set all of this right next to the stove so you can reach it as you’re working.

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Measure your wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar into a large mixing bowl. Whisk until combined and fluffy. Set aside.

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Peel your ripe banana and place on a small plate. Mash with a fork. Set aside.

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Crack 2 eggs into a smaller mixing bowl. Whisk gently to break the yolks. Add your milk and melted butter (or coconut oil) to the eggs. Whisk gently to combine.

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Add the mashed banana and egg mixture to the dry ingredients.

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Stir gently with a wooden spoon, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the flour mixture gets incorporated with the egg mixture. Stir until just combined.

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DO NOT  OVER-MIX OR BEAT THE BATTER. It is OK if it is a little lumpy.

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Now light the burner under the skillet. I like to start it on medium to get it going. Give the pan a couple minutes to heat through. You can tell it is ready when a couple drops of water dance and sizzle before disappearing.

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Grease your skillet by putting a few drops of your oil or butter onto a paper towel, and rubbing it onto the surface of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

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Using your 1/3 measuring cup, scoop and pour batter onto the prepped skillet. Immediately sprinkle blueberries onto the pancake.

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Let it cook for a minute or two. You can tell it is ready to flip when bubbles start to pop on the surface and the edges start to look cooked.

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Flip and let it cook another minute or two. Transfer to the warm oven.

Continue to cook the pancakes, greasing with your oily paper towel in-between to make sure they don’t stick to the pan. Once they are all done, plate them up with some more fresh blueberries and a drizzle of pure maple syrup!

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The breakfast of champions! Or toddlers. Whatever.

😀 Kaitlyn

**All those healthy ingredients would cost a fortune at the grocery store, right?! Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered, my fellow healthy mommas:

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At ALDI (Yep. I said ALDI.) you can get 14 oz of organic coconut oil for $4.99, 8.5 oz pure maple syrup for $3.99 and a 5 lb bag of whole wheat flour for $2.79!

I know. Too exciting. Try to contain yourself.

(But seriously! Happy dance! Byeeee Whole Foods!)