Sweet Saturday #26: Pumpkin S'mores Cookies

Happy almost-Halloween, everyone! I don't know about you all, but I'm getting excited! I'm also going pumpkin-crazy, so I just had to make something pumpkin-y. I came across these AH-mazing sounding cookies recently and had to try them. Don't they look so yummy? I only did some slight tweaks, and I honestly was not 100% satisfied with them, but wanted to share anyway. The original recipe is called "Pumpkin Swirl Sugar Cookies", but they made me think of s'mores, so I gave them this cute name for my post. I Read on for how it went...

Pumpkin S'mores Cookies
(makes about 30 cookies)

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (+ extra for rolling) 
Chocolate chips  
Mini marshmallows
Raw brown sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar, coconut oil, and butter, then mix in the eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

Flour a flat surface for rolling the dough out on. Take a section of the dough, and roll out onto the floured surface with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 1/4" thick. Spread chocolate chips and mini marshmallows onto the dough like shown below.

  
Roll the dough into a log.

  
Slice roll into slices about 1" thick, then spread onto ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart. Sprinkle some of the raw sugar on top of each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly browned on top. Allow to cool before serving.

  
Now, as awesome as these cookies look, I was a little disappointed. I thought dough was too doughy, and the pumpkin flavor was too subtle. This may have something to do with my using whole wheat flour or omitting the ginger, but I really don't think that should've made a huge difference. Also, the marshmallows practically completely dissolved into the cookies, which may have been because they were a cheap brand, perhaps? Honestly, I don't know. I followed the recipe to a tee except for the slight ingredient changes, but what I changed shouldn't have changed the cookies flavor too much I feel, but what do you think? I'm not the most experienced baker, maybe I did miss something...

Let me know what you think if you give them a try! Now, onto the features! Last week's most-clicked on posts were....

Simple Sweet 'n Savory is being featured here again for these too-cute cupcakes!! Love the cobweb frosting!

This yummy apple and honey challah is from Something Sweet, a blog that always has the most amazing baked goods on the web! 

Pinkoddy shared this sweet and simple DIY ghost tutorial made from upcycled materials.

This adorable unicorn-themed birthday party post is sure to inspire you! Congrats, Becoming SuperMommy, for being the most clicked-on feature!

I invite you to link-up Halloween-themed posts, but feel free to link-up whatever you want, as long as it is family-friendly and sweet! Fall-related posts are also encouraged. Our guest-hostess today is Good Girl Gone Green, and her blog is one of my favorites, so please check her out and be sure to leave some comment love if you like what you see ;)

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me and Good Girl Gone Green if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

I am still working on my Halloween costume, so expect some sweet pics of that and Lily's coming soon, as well as our pumpkins! Have a great weekend! 

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Product Review: EnviroKidz Organic Leapin' Lemurs Cereal

It's been a while since I've done a product review. I don't write them often; a product really has to impress me to get me to blog about it. 

Like most kids, Lily loves her cereal. At least once a day, whether it's breakfast time or not, she's looks at me and says, "Cereal, Mommy". She gets it from her daddy, I think- Paul likes to have it for a snack, too.

It's hard to find a good cereal that is healthy and fun that's not covered in sugar. Not that Lily needs to eat a sweet cereal; in fact, she is happy with shredded wheat and bran flakes. Yet, when I saw this adorable cereal box in the "Natural Foods" aisle at Stop & Shop, we just had to give it a try.

How cute are those lemurs? The cereal is peanut butter & chocolate flavored, and made from organic ingredients such as corn meal, molasses, soy oil, and of course peanut butter and cocoa. It's gluten-free and low in sodium, and also boasts packaging made from 100% recycled paperboard. On one of the side panels, it gives examples of why it's good to eat eat organic, which can be helpful for older kids who are already reading when they're sitting at the table like this:

The box also has information about lemurs on the back. Kids can learn about where lemurs live, how they are becoming endangered, and a non-profit group that helps to protect them. This is definitely better reading than the hyped-up cartoons and games they put on most kids' cereal boxes. 

Now, I'm sure you've heard enough about the packaging- how's the cereal??? Well, Lily always asks for seconds, and then even thirds! It does taste pretty good, sort of like a Reese's Cup without being too sweet. A very nice balance with the almond milk. The cereal is little balls with a nice crispy, crunch texture. I say it's a hit!

EnviroKidz® also makes these other flavors:

• Gorilla Munch
• Koala Crisp
• Peanut Butter Panda Puffs
• Amazon Frosted Flakes

Look for them at your local supermarket if you want to try a fun kid's cereal that's organic and good for the environment and its inhabitants.


Note: I was not paid or asked to write this review, I did it by my own accord. Do you know a great product I should review, or a product you’re curious about but afraid to try? Let me know in the comments! Just please suggest a natural, organic, eco-friendly, or health or food-related product so it will at least coincide with my blog’s theme, thanks! OR you can send me a product you'd like me to review for you, by contacting me at healthymommyhealthybaby@gmail.com for more details.

Meatless Monday: Blog, Giveaway, and Recipe Contest Love

I don't have a recipe for today, and instead will be sharing a few things going on in my little bloggy circle...

Mary from Back to the Basics! is quite a woman. She not only grows all of her own vegetables in her own garden, but also cultivates and sells her own seeds! And she makes her own amazing body products, such as vegan lip balms and organic soaps. And she sells her own blends of tea. And she manages a wellness-based chiropractic clinic. AND she wrote and published a cookbook. AND she manages 2 blogs and 2 web shops! I know...she must be Super Woman!

Anyway, besides being super awesome, Mary likes to host equally super awesome giveaways, and this lucky gal has won not one- but two(!) of her giveaways! First I was the lucky winner of the Cocoa Delight vegan lipbalm and Natural Honey lipbalm, both of which I love and use everyday. Then, I was incredibly fortunate enough to win again for her custom-made seed packs and got myself her Salsa Garden Pack!

I looove getting things in the mail! Winning each of these contests really made my day week!

Please visit her main blog here where you will also find links to all of her other pages. She is also hosting yet another amazing giveaway for one of my favorite oils HERE, so you'd better sign up now before I win another one!!! Because you know I already entered!!

Okay, enough about Mary. There really is something about her, though! But, now let's talk about Christina of Mama's High Strung. She has entered her yummy Lazy Lasagna recipe for a chance to win a supercool cooking app for her website. Please Like and Repin her recipe her by scrolling down and looking for her entry HERE. Christina always has such incredible-looking recipes on her blog, I'm sure she could easily win this with enough support!

You know you want to vote for this

Again, please support and/or visit their respective sites as it would make me oh so happy! Now, onto the link-up...!

Share your Meatless Monday dish below! No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week! 

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Sweet Saturday #25: Nutty Peanut Butter-Banana Cookies

It's officially baking season in my house now! Our oven hadn't been working since we moved in to the new house, and Paul finally got around to tinkering with it, and somehow got it to work. Hooray! So, I got started on making some cookies, and here's a new one I came up with. It's so tasty, moist, and healthy you could even have them for breakfast!

Nutty Peanut Butter-Banana Cookies

(makes about 30 cookies)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup honey + a little extra for topping

3/4 cup coconut oil, softened (you can also use shortening or butter)

1 egg

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/2 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup cut oats

1/4 cup hemp seed

1/4 cup flax seed

1 cup walnut pieces

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey

Preheat oven to 375. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl until combined. In a separate bowl combine the honey, coconut oil, and egg together; then mix in the banana and peanut butter. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the wet ingredients with an electric beater until well-mixed. Last, add the oats, hemp seeds, and flax seeds. 

On ungreased baking sheets, place small spoonfulls of the batter onto the sheet, at about an inch apart. Place into center rack in oven. While they're baking, heat the walnuts and brown sugar in a small pot over medium heat. When the brown sugar starts to melt, start mixing together with the walnuts, being careful not to burn. Continue until sugar is all melted and coating the walnuts, should take about 5 minutes. 

Spread candied walnuts over a sheet of parchment paper and allow to cool for a moment. At the 10 minute mark on baking the cookies, remove them from oven without turning off the heat, and carefully press the tops with the back of a spoon in order to make a shallow indent. Dab a little extra honey onto each indent, the place a few of the candied walnuts on top of each cookie. Bake for another 5 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned. Allow to cool before serving.

This is a recipe I came up with on my own. I had an overly ripe banana I needed to do something with, and peanut butter goes pretty awesomely with banana, so I got creative. The added benefits of all the omegas, protein, fiber, and minerals from the nuts make these cookies especially healthy. Walnuts are especially beneficial for brain development and function, and those candied walnuts really make them yummy, so don't leave that out unless you want them to be completely sugar-free. Of course, you could probably make them candied with honey instead. Let me know how that goes if you try that!

I was happy to see that Lily really enjoyed these cookies. She loves treats, but- like most parents -I don't want her eating a lot of sugar. These cookies are the perfect fix for your little sweet tooth- whether it be your child, or yourself! We even had them for breakfast without feeling guilty about it ;) The only thing I would change next time is either add more banana or ease up on the nuts, because the banana flavor was a bit subtle. Other than that, this recipe is a keeper!

Now, here are the most clicked-on fall features:

These tasty-looking cookies made with apple sauce, walnuts, and raisins are the perfect healthy treat to satisfy your fall sweets craving! Thank you, Angie from God's Growing Garden!

Holli from Full Hands, Full Heart had a wonderfully informative post about choosing allergy-friendly treats to give out to trick-or-treaters this year. I was especially glad she posted this since I often try to choose allergy-free treats myself! Thanks, Holli!

And we also have another adorable and creative costume from Carpe Diem who has lots of fun DIY Halloween costume ideas on her blog, so please check her out! I really liked this costume in particular because it was one of my first Halloween costumes when I was a little girl, and my mom made mine too! I'll have to dig-up a picture to share ;) Thanks, Ana!

And the most clicked-on features over all were:

Cream of Cauliflower Potato Soup from Good Girl Gone Green

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups from Something Sweet

Eat to Beat Cancer (part 2) from Back to the Basics!

Thanks, ladies! I can't wait to see what everyone links up this week!

Now on to the party!!!

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

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Some Fall Fun

On Sunday, we went to a local farm area for the yearly Fall Festival. It was quite windy, but sunny and warm. We explored the gardens, Lily painted a pumpkin and made a potpurri cup, we enjoyed freshly picked apples, and hung out in a hammock. It was a nice time. 

Running to the festival

"I picked my pumpkin!"

Painting her pumpkin

This is fun!

Taking a break in the hammock while clutching her potpourri cup

A Girl Scout there with her mom had a table offering free DIY potpourri cups. Lily was instantly drawn to this table because they had markers! I don't normally let her use markers at home since she makes such a mess with them; they've been reserved for "special" occasions only. I let her have fun this time, and here's what we put together:

Potpourri Cup

Materials:
Plastic cup(s)
Potpourri
Markers
Stickers (optional)
Foamie shapes (optional) 
Small piece of lace
Rubber band
Ribbon

First, decorate the cup with markers and stickers. Next, fill the cup with the potpourri. I also added a foamie dragonfly that I thought was cute to the top. Place the piece of lace on top of the cup and secure with the rubber band, then tie ribbon around it. Ta-da!

Lily's pumpkin masterpiece (she used all the paint to cover the entire pumpkin!)

Now on to another potty training update...Last night I got her to try the potty for me twice- the first time she has done so since I don't even remember when. She will sit on it if her Daddy is in there with her, but as far as Mommy is concerned, she just says "No" and runs away, screaming if I ask her twice. Maybe it had something to do with the new Ariel doll I got her...I accidentally broke her former one when draining the water out of it, and she had a mini meltdown. So, I did the right thing to do when you break someone's possession- you replace it.

Now she's asking for Flounder and Sebastian as well, so I just tell her whenever she chirps "I want Founder. I want S'bastian", that she can have them if she keeps trying potty. Now I told her if she tries to use the potty at least three times this week, we'll look into getting them; she's already tried it twice, so let's hope this keeps us. I just need to get her to start actually making something into the potty again...

Stop by Friday for this weekend's Sweet Saturday link party! Have a great day!

 

Meatless Monday: Apple Pancakes

Recently I came cross this clever idea involving pancake batter and sliced apples on Pinterest...read on...

Apple Pancakes
(makes about 12 pancakes)

2 apples of your choice
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp honey
1 1/4 cup milk of your choice
1 egg
2 tbsp butter or oil (I used coconut oil)

Mix all dry ingredients together in one bowl, then all wet (except for oil or butter) in another; combine until batter is smooth. Core apples, and then slice width-wise at about 1/4" thick, or desired thickness. Heat oil or butter over medium-low heat in large frying pan (or use a griddle if you got one!). Dip each apple slice into batter with a toothpick, then place onto pan. Fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve topped with extra apple slices and maple syrup. (Here is a recipe for apple cider vinegar from the original post).

Super easy and super yummy! Lily and I loved them, and I'm sure your family will too :) Such a clever and simple way to make a fun, fall-themed breakfast anytime of the year. We used ginger gold the first time, and then honey crisp the second time and both ways were very good, although I prefer the sweetness of the honey crisps over the spicy ginger golds.

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday dish below! No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week! 
 

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Sweet Saturday #24: Happy Fall Foamie Banner

Lily and I have been busy doing fall crafts, at home and at school, and our recent project used foamies- lots of them! They always have them in the $1 Spot section of Target right when we walk in, so we picked up some fall-themed shapes: apples, leaves, acorns, and pumpkins. Here's what we made.

I made the ones that say "HAPPY" and "FALL", and Lily decorated the two apples on the ends (I know, as if you needed me to explain that...). It was a fun and simple project to do with her. After we were done sticking the foamies on, I punched holes into the stems then  strung them together with a piece of ribbon. Easy-peasey and cheap! Gotta love it!

Lily enjoyed decorating the foamie apples with me, but she enjoys real apples even more!

We picked up some pumpkins earlier today, so stay tuned for what we do with those. I'm not sure if I want to do some classic carvings, paint them, or something completely different. What do you think?

We had lots of goodies linked up here last weekend- thank you all for joining! Here are the top 3 fall-themed features:

Just look at this delicious and creative slice of cake! It's made with apples, chocolate, and honey! Wow! This cake just took my breath away, and many others as well! Thanks, Winnie at Something Sweet!

Still looking for the perfect Halloween costumes for your whole family? Look no further than Carpe Diem for instructions for this creative set of Wizard of Oz costumes. Simply amazing! Thanks, Ana!

I featured Kim from Made in a Day last weekend, but I just couldn't help but feature her again with this awesome Halloween Mantel of hers here today. The lady has creativity!

The Top 3 clicked on overall were:

The Only Way at Saved by Grace

Eat to Beat Cancer at Back to Basics

No-bake Peanut Butter Fudge at Good Girl Gone Green

Thanks, ladies!

Now on to the party!!!

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

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