Stuffed Zucchini

Have loads and loads of zucchini again this year?

You know, I purposely only planted one zucchini plant this year and I still have more than I know what to do with.  Seriously!!!

So I was at a loss with what to do with it all.  I am pretty sure my friends were avoiding me so I wouldn't 'offer' (aka force them to take 3 or 4) them a zucchini or 2.  Whatever...

So I was talking to my mother on the phone and she gave me another brilliant idea… Stuffed Zucchini!  Woot Woot.  I was so excited I cooked it that night for dinner and just and to share it with you so you would have a brilliant idea too!

Conversation went something like this…

me, 'so, what are you having for dinner, I don't know what to make?'

mom: 'we are having stuffed zucchini, you know, like peppers but with zucchini.'

me: 'I think your a genius, I'm pretty sure its hereditary, and I'm awesome too.'

Ok, maybe not that last part but I was super excited!

This recipe is so easy, and one of my all time favorites growing up.  Just altered for zucchini lovers like us!  So here it is...


You are going to need:
2 large zucchinis
1 pound ground beef
1 cup rice, cooked
1/2 lemon
1 can tomato paste
seasoning of your choice
      I usually go with salt pepper garlic and onion powder

slice your zucchini in half and scoop out most of the insides.

Brown some ground meat, how much will depend on how many people you are feeding.  I will generally do a pound for our family of 4.  And there are always leftovers.  With a pound of meat there was enough filling to fill 2 large zucchinis.

Anyway, now add some lemon (fresh squeezed if you have it, about a Tbsp of lemon juice of not) and a can of tomato paste.

add in your seasoning and rice and mix it all together.

Now stuff your zucchinis and place them in the oven and cook at 350˚ for about 30 minutes.

now plate and done!  This meal is great with some garlic bread and parmesan.  If you want you can put the cheese, any cheese you like ,on top before you cook it and let it get all melty in the oven too!

And a beautiful meal to serve your family and get rid of some of that zucchini in the pantry.  

Woot woot, double bonus!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop, follow us on Instagram, follow us on twitter, or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Lighted Monster Bottle Halloween Decorations

DIY Up-Cycled Wine Bottles to Halloween Decorations

I found a really cute idea on Pinterest the other day but of course being the resourceful gal that I am I tweaked it a bit to fit the supplies I had on hand.

Here is the original pin I saw that inspired these.

And here are the ones I made,

Lighted Monster Bottles

Aren't they so cute!?! I just live then, and the kids could even helps me them. That was the best part.

Supplies:
• empty wine bottles
• old Christmas lights
• tissue paper in different colors
• black and white card stock
• google eyes (if desired)

ok, so you will start off with your empty wine bottles.

Then you will want to soak them in water for a few minutes.  This will loosen the glue so you can get the labels off.  

Remove the labels...

 Paint them with your Mod Podge and start covering with tissue paper.

Make some funny faces on your bottles with your card stock.  You will want to stick with simple shapes that will be seen easily since it will be back lit.  

 Add google eyes if you like, just to give them more character when they are not lit up.  

Now take your old christmas lights... 

 and start stuffing!  This is the most time consuming part...



 but aren't they worth it?  

I just love them and little one really loved working on a craft project with mommy!  I think they look so cute up there, I have them on my mantle.  I can't decide if I want to keep them there or if I will move them near the front door on Halloween but I suppose I have a little time to decide.

Halloween is getting closer and my kids are getting excited already.  Do yours know what they want to be yet?

-Sarah

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Witch Finger Halloween Snacks (for all your party needs)

Halloween Classroom Healthy Snacks

Ok, It's almost halloween again and I really just LOVED this post, so I wanted to share it with you all again!  They were super fun to make and really didn't take all that long.  I'm totally going to make them again for class treats this year!  So, without further ado, here they are!

  

It is finally halloween!  Are we ready for this?  NO!  But it is here anyway, what are you going to do, right?  

So Charly is having a pumpkin carving party at school but it was requested that we not bring sweet snacks.  After some searching and experimenting I finally came up with these little witch fingers to bring for the kiddo's.  I thought they turned out pretty stinkin' cute and just incase you need ideas too, here they are.

Healthy Halloween Witch Fingers

Here is what you will need:

string cheese (I wanted to make about 20 so I needed 10 cheese sticks)

a paring knife

some sparkle gel frosting

a clean paint brush

Now take your cheese sticks and cut them in half...

ok, time to start cutting in your knuckles.  

I promise, this really takes less time than you think.  I had 20 fingers done in less than 10 minutes.  

Next slice a small portion off the top where you want the fingernail to be.  

And finally it is time to start painting them. Place a small amount of gel in the fingernail space and paint it on where you want.  

 And done, see, I think the kids in class are going to get a kick out of them.  And they are healthy.  You don't have to feel bad about what you are feeding them in the middle of the day.  They are going to get plenty of candy, like they really need it in the middle of the day too!


And there you have it.  They really are not all that time consuming and turned out super cute!  And once again, your little one will thing you are awesome, amazing, Super Mom!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook, ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Cheesy Chicken Nuggets for the Kids

Homemade  Chicken Nuggets

I have to say, these are the best chicken nuggets I have made so far.  The kids loved them, they were nice and crunchy (not soggy like other recipes I have tried), and fairly healthy too!  

Don't they look fabulous?  Oh man, I was so excited about these i just had to share them with you.  

And they really were so simple...

All you are going to need is:

*2 chicken breast cut into about 1 in chunks

*1 cup of panko mixed with seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder)

*1 cup of shredded cheese

*2 eggs beaten

Cut the chicken into your chunks

dip the chicken  into the egg, then the cheese, then the pank.  

Onto a cookie sheet and into the oven at 350˚ for 20-25 minutes

And like I said, the kids loved them.  I'm pretty sure they will be a weekly staple in our house for a while.  Like spaghtti and meatballs, something easy that the kids will eat without a fight.  (Makes my life infinatly easier.)  One less fight a day makes this mommy jump for joy.  

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop, follow us on Instagram, follow us on twitter, or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

DIY Detox Bath

DIY Detox Bath

Have you ever done a detox bath.  I'm not usually a bath kind of girl, I mean who has time for that, right?  But I have been specifically making time for this.  Trying once a week to take time to take a bath.  And not just any bath, a detox bath.  

I did some research because I wanted to know, what are the real benefit so a detox bath.  Here is a great sites to visit, it was very helpful.  And here's another.  Both give info about the same benefits, increasing your magnesium level, healing minor scrapes and bruises, aiding in pain relief from muscle soreness to migraine headaches, as well as regulating enzyme activity and balancing neurological functions.  

Any who, I have been trying to make time for this at least once a week, I have even been sticking the kids in a detox bath once a week-ish.

Here's the recipe I have been making and I really like it so far…

1/2 cup epsom salt
1/2 cup baking soda

then I like to add smellys…

2 drops helichrysum  (antiviral, cleaning wounds)
2 drops rosemary essential oil or live plant   (antioxidant, arthritis, headaches, clearing sinuses)
2 drops of white fir   (cleansing, muscle aches and fatigue)

And this is all per bath.   And a helpful hint, if you put the oils right in the bath water they will sit on top of the water but if you mix it in the epsom salt and baking soda first it will diffuse into the water.  Less harsh on the skin that way.  And I like to do that for the kids particularly because their skin is generally more sensitive than mine.

All three are know for their detox abilities.  There are may other oils that you could use but those are the ones I chose.

Sandalwood for instance is good for back pain, and meditation
ylang ylang for calming, high blood pressure, or stress
chamomile for allergies, insomnia, neuritis
myrr for skin allergies
lemon for anxiety, cleansing, heartburn and depression

Really I could go on and on and ON.  Anyway, that should get you started at least feeling great and cleansing the system too!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop, follow us on Instagram, follow us on twitter, or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Easy 6 Ingredient Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

6 Ingredient Banana Bread - Or Lemon Chia Seed if you're so inclined...

I know I have been gone as of late, not posting, not writing, not anything really.  But I'm back and ready to get typing again!  I have so much to share with you all that I will really have to write a whole  post about it but for now, lets just get started, shall we?


So, this is my sisters recipe and I have simply added Chia seeds and lemon extract to her already fabulous banana bread recipe to make it a little healthier.

This is one of the simplest recipes to whip up for hungry children in the morning.  I really love to have them on hand, pretty much all the time. And then the kids know that they can help themselves any time they like.

So the 6 ingredient recipe she gave me is:

2 overripe banans
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil or butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup flour

How simple, right?!?  (I've got it memorized since I make it so often.)

And aren't they cute.  I like to make the mini muffins for the kids, I find there is less waste if they an help themselves to 1 or 2 muffins rather than trying to finish a whole large muffin.

Now today I thought I wold try something new.  Why not add some chia seed to them, they are kind of like poppy seeds so I can make them lemon too.  Woohoo!  And they'll add a little protein and those fabulous antioxidants to my breakfast.

So I did the recipe above and added

2 tsp lemon extract
1/3 cup chia seeds

mix it all together…




























Yes, I use my food processor, sshhhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone, that is why they have such high peaks, you shouldn't mix them so much.

But look how beautiful they turned out!  I was so excited I just had to share!  So here you go, and have a lovely morning!  And don't forget a good cup of coffee…  coffee, coffee, coffee… (I may have a problem, but we don't talk about it...)  or tea of course, or whatever your drink of choice!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop, follow us on Instagram, follow us on twitter, or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Marbled Paper - Activities With Kids (And Shaving Cream)

Indoor Activities with Kids - Marbled Paper

This was such a fun activity to do with the kids.  And I think it would be great for kids of all ages.  The little ones will have a blast getting messy and older kid-os will love creating something.  A great indoor activity for these cold winter months (or fall, or spring, whenever really).

Here is what you will need:
washable paint
shaving cream
a cutting board for each child
plain white paper

first spray a little shaving cream on the cutting board

let them spread it all around,

add in some color and let them swirl it a bit.

now pat a plain piece of paper on top.

spread it out, make sure it is touching the foam all over.

now peal it up.

now you can let it dry like that and it is like a science experiment or you can take a squeegee (or anything with a straight edge like a ruler) and scrape off the foam.

or let them do it.

and the color is left on the paper.  Now they can use the paper to create another picture!  Draw on top of the marbling or use the marbling as inspiration.  Like staring at the clouds.  Whatever sparks their imagination.

As you can see this can get a bit messy but the kids had a blast!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop, follow us on Instagram, follow us on twitter, or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.