Moana Hawaiian Meal for Monday Funday

Becca here with a fun idea for a meal to go along with the Disney movie Moana that is coming out on DVD next week.  To decide if it's one your family wants to view, my two favorite sites to read reviews on are Common Sense Media and Focus on the Family's Plugged In.  My husband and I have been able to visit Hawaii a few times, and I was excited to share a small part of this unique culture, with a quick and easy meal, with the kids as part of our "Monday Funday".

We started the meal off talking a bit about how pineapples grow.  We were using canned pineapple slices for this meal, but get fresh pineapple often enough that the kids know what one looks like.  However, they were all surprised to learn that pineapple doesn't grow on a tree!  This is a cool video by Dole, showing exactly how pineapples are grown.  The kids loved that our pineapple was Dole brand also ;)

Next, we talked about Hawaii being the 50th state added to the United States, when their grandparents were about their ages, in 1959.  Hawaii also is the only place on US soil that has a royal palace!!  After the kids' questions about the palace and royalty exceeded my previous knowledge, we skimmed this article and learned about the history of Hawaii's Monarchy being overthrown.  It's definitely not a cheerful history, but is a prime example of how money, power, and greed can lead to disastrous results.  The kids noticed and found it very interesting that the "Dole" name is also a key player in this story as well.

I tried to get a 'real' whole coconut, but Arkansas in February meant that I wasn't able to locate one.  So we ate dried coconut instead, and will save the cracking a whole coconut open experience for another day.

The final part of our meal was Spam Musubi.  If you haven't traveled to Hawaii, or aren't aware of their food culture, this might seem shocking or crazy!  However, as I was telling our kids, this modern quintessential Hawaiian dish is served everywhere; at the 7-11 gas stations, restaurants, and even the Sam's Club Cafe!  Spam's popularity rose during and after World War II, because it was shelf stable, and able to make the long journey to Hawaii without spoiling.  Some Hawaiian chefs in fine restaurants have included Spam on their menu.  I used short grain brown rice, cooked in my Instant Pot at 15 minutes on high pressure, and an onigiri rice mold to form the rice.  I just topped it with a small slice of Spam I had browned in a skillet, and wrapped the whole thing in a seaweed wrap.  I will say that I had several people that were very skeptical about the taste of the Spam Musubi, but everyone actually really thought it was tasty, and had seconds.  President Obama even made the news when he ordered Spam Musubi while golfing in Hawaii!

The natural next discussion was about the history of Spam, which was really quite interesting!

We ended the night watching Moana.  The movie was okay to me, but the graphics were really amazing, and that's not something I usually note or comment on.  The water and scenery were really beautiful!!

Let me know if you have a Moana Meal, and what your family thinks!! Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

Jana here with a quick weeknight dinner you can make in under 30 minutes. It's a great recipes for children to help with also. My 8 year old son made this, with minor supervision from me. We found a recipe for Sloppy Joes in our Better Homes and Garden cookbook, and modified it to make this recipe. Sloppy Joes are traditionally served with a bun or bread, but I think serving it over quinoa or cauliflower rice would be good as well!

Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef, venison, or turkey

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped sweet pepper (any variety)

1 can tomato sauce (8 ounce)

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

1. In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and peppers until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off any fat.

2. Stir in tomato sauce, water, chili powder, and garlic salt.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pizzadillas

Becca here with a super quick and easy meal that is on our regular rotation.  It's easy enough that even my youngest kids can help.  Making Homemade Tortillas is my very favorite, but not something I can prioritize right now; these from Sam's Club are what we typically use in this stage of life.  Feel free to be creative and add in your favorite toppings, like mushrooms, peppers, black olives, etc.  Offering an array of different choices, and letting kids make their own, can be a great way to get them to try some new-to-them foods.  I typically cook 2-3 pounds of sausage at a time.  Our favorite is to mix JC Potter breakfast sausage with half homemade sausage made with deer meat.  Then I have it already cooked and ready to throw together some super quick meals, like Sausage & Egg Breakfast Fried Rice, Baked Breakfast Cups, 'Anytime' Breakfast Burritos, Unstuffed Zucchini Squash Skillet, Tuscan Soup, Breakfast Casserole, Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Stew, Breakfast Pizza, etc.

Pizzadillas

Your favorite tortillas - I typically allow two per person
Pizza Sauce - we use the Walmart store brand, because it is in glass, has no added sugar, and is just over $1
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Cooked sausage, beef, or pepperoni
Other toppings as desired (black olives, mushrooms, etc.)

Preheat large skillet or electric griddle.

Place tortilla onto hot pan, and immediately cover with a thin layer of cheese, pizza sauce, meat, and other toppings, ending with a few sprinkles of cheese, before placing another tortilla on top.  Make sure not to make the toppings too thick, or the pizzadilla will be soggy.

When the bottom of the pizzadilla has started to lightly brown (you can peek under it using a spatula!), carefully flip it over.  Continue to cook until both sides are golden brown and beginning to crisp.

I let them rest on a dinner plate for a minute or two while I load the next batch of tortillas, and then use kitchen shears to slice them into quarters and serving.  Enjoy!

Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day {with Children}

Becca here with some ideas to help honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with your children.  Several of the resources we use are available online, so even if you don't have a plan for today yet, you can still easily add one of the audiobooks, videos, or activities into your schedule!

These are books we own and love.

Riding to Washington is a fictional story told from the perspective of a young girl riding the bus to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak in Washington DC.  "As the bus travels across cities and farm fields to its historic destination, Janie discovers firsthand the injustices that many others are made to endure.  She begins to realize that she's not so different from the other riders and that, as young as she is, her actions can affect change."

First Facts about American Heroes is a factual synopsis of various lives that have impacted our history.  I like that it has highlights of their life in a bulleted list, a nice, full page photo (or drawing if photo wasn't available at the time), excerpts of their famous words, etc.  All on two facing pages.

Who Was Martin Luther King. Jr.? Is from one of our favorite series.  Although my kids' don't love the look of the cartoonish covers, and think they seem a bit disrespectful, we have read and/or listened to dozens of books in this series, and we all learn something new.

10 Days, Martin Luther King Jr., highlights what the author considers to be the ten most critical days of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, from 1944, to 1983, when today became a national memorial day in his honor.  I would say it is a 3rd grade or so reading level.

Other resources we are using include:

Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.? Audiobook (we have previously listened to, and recommend)

An American Girl Story: Melody, 1963 (we have not watched yet, but I have heard several glowing recommendations). It is on Amazon, and free to everyone to stream today.

Reading Rainbow Martin Luther King Jr.  (Includes storytime, as well as information and photos from the time period)

Martin Luther King Jr. "My Own Two Hands" Blank Printable 

Lots of great and free Martin Luther King Jr. Printables on a Variety of Skill Levels (this is my favorite website for meaningful printables, that are more than just "busy work"

Kid President on Martin Luther King Jr.

Tasting Rating Fun for Family Night - Monday Funday #1!

We recently had a fun family activity that I wanted to share!  I (Becca) have five kids, ages two to eleven, so it can be a bit tricky to find something the whole family can participate in and enjoy.  I've been trying to have a small activity to do after dinner, as a family, and this one was a bit hit!  We had a "Tasting Rating" of Kombucha.  You could use any food type that you can get a variety of brands or flavors of, there are lots of fun possibilities!  

For preparation, I visited our local health food store, and bought six different kinds of kombucha.  Then, I just quickly made a chart for us to record our scores on.  I went ahead and typed the name of the kombucha in the first column, since I have several non-readers/writers.  I printed each person in our family a copy, and then we were set to go!  During dinner, I went over the categories and made sure everyone understood the rating system.  We used 1-5, with 5 being the best, and doubled the "taste" category so that it had more weight than the "label", for example.  The categories we used were:  look of labeling, bottle, taste, nutrition, and overall.  I passed out saltine crackers to cleanse our palate between tastings, and we used this set of little cups that is one of my favorite things, to do the tastings in.

Everyone enjoyed the activity a lot, and it was fun to see how different people's tastes reacted either similarly or differently on the different drinks.  The kids had several great suggestions for further tastings, so we plan to do hot teas, potato chips, and chocolates next!  What is your suggestion for a tasting?  Let me know if your family tries it also!

Chewy Oatmeal Squares

Jana here with a recipe I had to share!  I recently had a baby, and was looking for some extra snacks to eat while I am feeding the baby in the middle of the night. I bought a few boxes of oatmeal squares and granola bars, but was unhappy with the ingredients. So my husband and I started brainstorming, and came up with this delicious recipe!

Chewy Oatmeal Squares

1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup cane sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
6 cups oatmeal (steel cut or old fashioned)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 - 1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Mix the wet ingredients (butter, oil, honey, eggs, vanilla) in a stand mixer (or with a handheld mixer).

3. Add the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, oatmeal, baking soda, cinnamon, salt) and mix well. Last, add the raisins and stir.

4. Pour onto the baking sheet, and spread evenly. Press mixture firmly onto baking sheet to compact it.

5. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!

These Are a Few of my Favorite {Summer} Things!

Becca here with some of my favorite summer recipes today!  With the school being out around here, and the 4th of July approaching, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorites from the Thrice the Spice blog over the years.  Remember you can always use the search bar on the right sidebar to search by topic, ingredient, cooking method, etc.  You can also choose a category to browse on the right sidebar as well.  What are some of YOUR favorite summer treats & activities?

 

4th of July Flag Toast

and another idea for the 4th (also dye free!) 
Red, White, & Blue "Celebrate America" Dessert!

Fruit Butterfly Snacks

Fresh Lemonade

and while you're buying and juicing lemons, make this Simple Lemon Sugar Scrub for yourself or a quick gift!

Or, these 'Clean Eating' Lemon Bars are another tasty way to use lemons and enjoy a treat without going way overboard.

Strawberry Pina Colada Popsicles

I also make popsicles using just 100% fruit juice, or add frozen fruit or peas for an extra treat, although since we don't normally drink juice a juice popsicle is a treat in itself! 

These Orange Creamsicles are another delicious popsicle idea we've tried & enjoyed.

What is your favorite homemade popsicle 'recipe' or idea?  Enjoy! 

Simple Flower Experiment

Hi everyone!  How has your summer started?  This year I've decided to keep a theme in mind to focus our learning and playtime, as much as possible.  I have a VERY busy one and a half year old, and an almost three year old.  They are both wiggle-worms and stay busy all day long.  So, I need activities that will catch their interest and hold it, but not require too many steps or materials.

I'm sure this is one of the oldest experiments in the book, but it is worth it!  Our theme for now is water.  We've been having interesting conversations about water and did this little activity one afternoon.  We simply placed some daisies from our yard in colored water.  I tried to use the same type of talk as the scientific method, but in kid-friendly language while we set the experiment up.

We wait 'till the next morning and came to see what had changed about the flowers.  I'm happy to report the petals on the flower had changed colors!  So very exciting for my girls. :)

I hope you'll enjoy doing this activity with your kids also!  For older children I think it would be neat to draw the changes in the flowers in a journal or even paint them on a large piece of paper.

Sara

Messy Outdoor Kitchen Play

Time to jump into another week (I can't believe we're already two days in!).  The spring time is just the most wonderful time.  I love the days when it's warm enough to go outside and spread our wings a bit.  I was preparing the menu and the activities I wanted to do with the girls and was actually smart enough to look at the weather forecast and plan accordingly. I knew today was supposed to be nice so I decided to set up a messy outdoor kitchen with "ingredients" (one of Anna's favorite words)

 This mess will frighten some of you, but hear me out.  

I put empty containers (cans and plastic containers...I always, always run these through the dishwasher and save them for play time, the sandbox, etc.), and "ingredients" on top of a cardboard table.  A.K.A. a diaper box turned upside down. 

The ingredients we used were flour, sugar, coconut, and baking soda to mix with white vinegar.  

I set everything out and let the girls do their own exploring, mixing, and experimenting.  They added some flowers, grass, and wood chips from the yard to their concoctions.  

 I showed Anna Ruth and Betsy Grace what happened when we poured vinegar into the baking soda and they squealed and loved it.  After that Anna did all the pouring, but Betsy didn't seem to mind. 

I kept a close eye on them and made sure to remind them several times that no fingers were allowed near their eyes or in their mouths.  They didn't try it, even once!  

Both girls played together with this little set up and that did my heart good. 

I love to see them learning to use their imaginations!  This took very little prep and was something that they were so, so excited about.  The clean up was easy too!  I turned the box back over and filled it up with the disposable items.  The rest got carried in to rinse off! 

There's really something to this homemade playtime...

play matters.

"Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder inspired Molasses Snow Candy

Becca here with a fun winter recipe!  I am reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House in the Big Woods" to my children again right now, and we decided to try making the molasses on snow candy that they describe making in Chapter 4.  The basic instructions in the book are given; Ma boiled molasses and sugar together to make a syrup, which the girls poured onto fresh snow in pans to let harden and cool.  They got to eat one piece each, and then the rest was saved for Christmas!  I found a more detailed recipe in "The World of Little House", and have elaborated on that below in my own instructions.  My kids thought it was really neat to make something just like Laura and Mary, and the end result has a rich, chewy but creamy texture that really is delicious!  If you have extra molasses, they are also used in these Hearty Healthy Breakfast Cookies that received lots of good reviews from my kids as well as other people's, and these {Best Ever} Molasses Cookies that are a new family favorite of ours!

There is also a really neat Virtual Field Trip here to all of the "Little House" home sites! 

You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe. (Pioneer Laura dress & bonnet are optional :)  I know, the candy thermometers make me nervous too, but my (8 year old) daughter actually made this recipe 99% by herself and it turned out great, so this is a great beginner candy thermometer recipe.  Mine is a really inexpensive one from Walmart, and I think this is the first or second time I've ever used it.

Molasses Snow Candy

1 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar

Combine molasses and brown sugar in a medium saucepan.  The candy will bubble and rise up in the pan quite a bit once it starts heating up, so don't use your smallest saucepan!

Stir well to combine.  Then clip candy thermometer onto the side.  Slide it in the bracket until the tip is submerged, but NOT touching the bottom of the pan.

Turn heat on to low, and stir fairly consistently until temperature reaches the "hard crack" line on your candy thermometer, at 300 F. 

Meanwhile, start filling a couple of 9x13 pans with crushed ice.  I had my two boys doing this, while my daughter stirred, and they completed right about the same time.  Feel free to use snow instead of you have some good clean snow!

Quickly pour the (incredibly hot, this part is definitely for an adult!) mixture from the saucepan into a glass liquid measuring cup.  (I used a 2 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup & it was the perfect size).

Drizzle the (reminder again, this is scalding hot!) molasses over the ice.  I let my daughter pour by herself, but my sons held my hand as I poured to help.  And the baby sat in her highchair & watched :) 

It will harden pretty immediately as it cools.  As soon as it does, remove from the ice onto wax paper, removing any chunks of ice that might be sticking.  Enjoy!

Snow Day Play: Inside!

Hi everyone! In our part of the state (Arkansas) we recently had a whole week of snow!  I know we get teased in these parts about not being able to handle the roads and such but the truth is we don't have the equipment capable of cleaning them off effectively.  So they get left very, very icy and we get stuck inside.  Can I admit I actually had a blast being "stuck" inside with my gals for six days straight?  Minus one afternoon when I was ready to escape, we really enjoyed ourselves!

Having a one-year old AND a two-year old means it takes a long time to get suited up to go outside and then everyone isn't always having fun in the ice cold snow.  I decided to fix that problem by bringing the fun inside!  I scooped up bowls of fresh snow and brought them into our kitchen for the girls to play in.

I provided a few props like mini Christmas trees, cups and bowls, spoons, and a cookie sheet for building a mini snowman.  We had such fun exploring the snow within the warm, cozy walls of our house.  The girls had a blast and I did too!

If you find yourself on one snow day too many, I encourage you to bring the fun indoors!
Sara

Becca's Favorite Play Dough {Kool-Aid colored & scented, no cook!}

Becca here with a recipe that I've made many times!  I have made many versions of play dough, including ones you cook, ones you don't heat at all, ones that call for all kinds of strange ingredients, ones that are sticky, ones that dry out quickly, ones that smell funny, etc.  This version is none of those things, and is my absolute favorite.  It even has a great smell from the Kool-Aid that's far more appealing than the standard stuff you buy in the can.  Best of all, it has a great consistency; it can easily be molded, rolled, etc. without getting sticky or crumbly.  We were doing a fall activity, so we used orange and tropical punch for the red and orange colors, and I used yellow for the first time for the top dough on my stack in the photo.  Lesson learned, it doesn't have much color, it's more of a cream color than yellow, but still smells good and worked fine for our purposes.  I hope you'll give this dough a try, it's a great fun and educational experience for children of all ages!  If you're looking for another fun Fall or Thanksgiving Activity to do with your children, I this poem activity with my classes yesterday and the younger kids in particular loved it!

Becca's Favorite Play Dough

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup salt
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
1 envelope Unsweetened Kool-Aid (for color!  2 packages if you want a really dark color.)
1 cup Boiling water
1 1/2 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt, cream of tartar) in large bowl.  Stir in boiling water and oil and continue to stir until thoroughly mixed.  Finish mixing with hands when cool enough to touch.  Enjoy!

Popcorn Party

Raise your hand if you love popcorn!

I would definitely raise two hands to that.  And both feet if I could.  We are popcorn lovers at our house.  We make our own by using simple ingredients-popcorn kernels and a brown paper bag.  Simply put 1/4 cup popcorn kernels in the brown paper bag and heat in the microwave.  I usually let ours pop for about one minute and 55 seconds.  We always add a bit of melted butter and salt to ours afterwards and it is delicious!  

One afternoon we had a popcorn party, Anna and I. 

We popped popcorn, read/talked about two books about corn, and talked about the different parts of an ear of corn.  Anna even decided to peel the ear of corn!  

Later we talked again about all we had learned while decorating a journal page with corn husk stickers and looking at Nana's corn stalks in her garden. 

A teachable, sweet little moment with my gal. 

Apple Party

Take a peek at a little apple party my sis and I had for our kiddos recently!  My girls and I were having a bit of a long week with my husband working a lot so I was trying to think of some fun, fall-themed activities to do.  We are crazy about apples so I thought a little apple party would be fun and easy to pull together.  

I checked out some apple books from the library, we ate a variety of apples, and painted with apples! 

I brought apple butter along too but it didn't end up getting opened. Maybe next time!

 The kids enjoyed stamping with the apples for a few minutes but then generally wanted a cleaner way to paint.  Except for this sweet girl!  She painted her whole entire apples. :)  

I hope you'll have an apple party of your own! 

"Moon Cake"

 

 
 

 

Jana here with a recipe that is a great learning activity for your children!  This is my first year to homeschool (my son turned 5 this summer), and we are using the My Father's World curriculum this year. When we had a unit on the moon, there was a recipe at the back that you could use to make a 'moon cake'.  My older two children (ages 5 and 3) love to help in the kitchen, so I knew this would be a great activity!  Not only did they love helping (it has you make 'craters' in the 'moon sand', make a small 'volcano', etc as you mix the ingredients), but the end result was super tasty as well! 

Moon Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup milk
3/4 cup raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9" round cake pan.

2. Mix 'moon sand' right in the pan. (flour, brown sugar, sugar, and salt)

3. Form 3 craters in the moon - one large, one medium, and one small.  Add oil to large crater, baking soda to medium crater, and vanilla to small crater.

4. Pour vinegar into the medium crater and watch it bubble like a volcano.  When the volcano stops, add 1 cup milk.  Mix everything together to form the moon's surface. 

5. Optional: Press 3/4 cup raisins ('moon rocks') into the batter.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick in the center comes out clean.  When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar ('moon dust')

'Rain Gutter' Bookshelf

Becca here with something a bit different today!  I'd seen these bookshelves made out of a rain gutter all over online, as I'm sure you have too, and decided they'd be the perfect match for this hallway space in our house that isn't good for much else, due to the placing of the thermostat in the middle of the wall.  I love how the covers of the kids' books are showing, and that even my two year old can find the book he's looking for, AND easily put it back where it belongs.  After buying the supplies and convincing my husband I wasn't crazy, it was a quick & easy project that we're all super happy with!  I saw several photos from the front, like the one above, but not many details online, so I thought I would share the details of how the project worked out for us today!

Guttering comes in white, although it can be painted with paint made for plastics.  I liked it matching our trim & baseboard, so I left it white.  It comes in 10 foot long sections, and is really easy to cut with an inexpensive hacksaw, a little saw with a handle and fine teeth on it that costs as little as $5 if you don't have one.  You also need to purchase brackets for the gutters, making sure they're the same size as your gutters (thanks to my husband for returning my brackets & getting the correct ones when I didn't make sure of this!).  I would purchase one bracket for every 16" of shelving you're going to install.  16" is standard width of the studs in the wall, and you want to hit every one so you can really load up the bookshelf & not worry about it!

You'll also need an end cap for the end of each section you plan on installing.  Both the end caps and brackets are in boxes under the guttering at your favorite home hardware type store.  I went to Lowes, with my kids, and they even carried it up to the register & loaded it in my car for me, without me asking!

You can see the shelves are really deep, one of the main questions I had before installing the shelves myself was how deep they were, and if they could really hold lots of books.  The answer is that they are quite deep, many books deep, and really can handle the weight, as long as you install the brackets on studs every 16", as I mentioned above! 

The view of the end.  To install the shelves, simply cut the guttering to your desired length.  Attach a bracket to the wall at the height you want the shelf hung, being sure to hit a stud (absolutely necessary!!) and using good wood screws.  Using a level, hang another bracket on the next stud in the same way (remember, the studs should be about 16 inches apart), and repeat until you've reached the length of your shelf.  Slide the gutter into the brackets, snap end caps on, and load with your favorite books!