Soft and Chewy MINI EGG Cookies

One of my favourite cookie recipes is for my soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. So, for Easter, I thought it would be fun to add a festive twist to this classic cookie. Today, I am sharing a delicious (and simple) recipe for soft and chewy mini egg cookies. 

For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup softened butter (room temperature… NOT melted)

½ cup white sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsps real vanilla extract
2 cups mini eggs

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
3) In a large bowl, use electric beaters to combine the butter and sugars. Then, add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy.
4) Use a wooden spoon to mix the wet and dry ingredients together (just until combined).
5) Gently stir in mini eggs.
6) Drop tablespoon-sized balls onto a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet.
7) Bake for 8-12 minutes.
8) Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Don't these cookies look fantastic? And they pair perfectly with a nice hot cup coffee or a cold glass of milk.

Are you a fan of mini eggs? I love to use them in my Easter baking. They taste great, and the colours are so pretty!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more easy and inexpensive Easter Ideas HERE.

a"MAZE"ing Easter Treat Idea... with free printable tags

It's March, so it's the perfect time to start thinking about Easter. I love to send my boys to school with treats for their classmates, but I'm always worried about food allergies. So, in recent years I've tried to find a cute dollar store trinkets that my boys can share with their friends, and attaching a "punny" note makes them extra fun. Today, I am sharing an a"MAZE"ing Easter treat idea and adorable tags that you can download for free.

Isn't this a sweet treat?

I found these little "maze" games at our dollar store, and they were only $1.25 for 8. Isn't that great?

I packaged the mazes in clear plastic bags with "I hope you have an a'MAZE'ing Easter!" tags.

To download the tags I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4X6 photo.

I love how bright and cheerful these Easter treats are, and I hope the kids in my son's class will have fun with them.

Do you like to send Easter treats to your child's school? Do you worry about allergies and nutrition policies? I think these little mazes are the perfect solution. 

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Unique Easter Class Treats ("stretchy bunnies" two ways)

My boys love to share holiday treats with their friends, so I am always looking for ways to turn dollar store trinkets into adorable class treats. This year, for Easter, my middle son requested that I do something fun with "stretchy bunnies" that we found. I am sharing two fun options for unique Easter class treats with you today.

How cute is this photo card I made?  My son loves that he is holding a "stretchy bunny" and soft little chick. The bunnies were $1.25 for eight, and the chicks were $2 for ten. I both both trinkets at the dollar store.

I started with a photo of my son holding out his hands, and I added some Easter details with Picmonkey.com.

Then, I used an x-acto knife to cut slits in the picture. I inserted the bunny, and I inserted the feet of the chick. I also added a bit of tape to the back of the picture to make sure the chick's feet didn't slip out.

Another option for gifting "stretchy bunnies" is to put them in plastic eggs, package them with chocolate eggs, and add tags that say, "Have an 'EGG'cellent Easter!"

I made personalized tags at Picmonkey.com, but I also designed a generic tag that you can download for free below.

To download this sheet of three generic tags I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

Although both options are adorable, my son decided to go with the photo option, and I think it was an excellent choice. They are seriously adorable!

My 10 year old is super-excited to share these easy and inexpensive Easter treats with his friends... and I'm not surprised. They are pretty cute! Do you have someone that would love to give or receive these trinkets too?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

St.Patrick's Day Activity (Make a Skittles Rainbow)... with free printable tags

There is no reason you can't add a little learning to a fun holiday celebration. I love the idea of giving kids a "Make a Rainbow" kit for St.Patrick's Day. You are not going to believe how simple and fun this "cause and effect" science experiment is. I've even created a free downloadable tag that you can attach to a bag of Skittles for easy gifting.

The tag explains exactly what to do to make a rainbow, and you can see the fun results below!

Here's the reaction...

And here's a video showing the entire process. :-)

To download the "Make a Rainbow" tag: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

Once you have the tags printed, just hole-punch the corner, and use ribbons to attach them to bags of Skittles.

Isn't this a fun St.Patrick's Day activity? Do you have a child that enjoys science? I think people of all ages would enjoy making a Skittles Rainbow on March 17!

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find MORE St.Patrick's Day ideas here.

St.Patrick's Day Treat (Rainbow Seeds)... with free printable tags

Even if you aren't Irish, you can still have some fun sharing this simple St.Patrick's Day treat with family and friends. It would also make a cheerful class treat if your school nutrition policies don't prevent sugary goodies. (Note: You could bag up smaller portions too... which would help limit the sugar.) Today, I am sharing a wonderful St.Patrick's Day treat idea -- RAINBOW SEEDS, and I'm sharing the adorable tags I designed for them.

To print the tags I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4X6 photo.

Once you have the tag printed, you can punch a hole in the corner and attach it to a bag of Skittles with ribbon.

Isn't this a "sweet" idea? It's an easy and inexpensive way to treat someone this March 17th, and I know my boys are going to love it. Do you have anything fun planned for St.Patrick's Day?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (Here is another fun "rainbow seeds" idea.)

The Key to an Organized Family Vacation

I'm organizing a family trip to Florida in April, and my goal is to have a vacation that is stress-free and relaxing. I have most things planned, and I feel organized thanks to my favourite vacation planning tool -- a duo tang folder containing all the information we need for our trip.

I use a duo tang instead of a binder because I want something that I can easily fit into my carry on.

And, I fill the duo tang with sheet protector pockets, so that I can insert all our important documents.

My first document is a calendar, so I can quickly see my itinerary at a glance.

I use the other pockets for tickets, confirmation numbers, insurance information, addresses for mailing postcards and other important papers.

I also have a section for maps and directions to our accommodations and attractions.

I have used a family travel binder before, and I would never take a major trip without one again. It really is the best way I have found to I keep organized on vacation. What's your best trick for staying organized when travelling with your family?
♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more helpful family travel tips and tricks here.

Van Trash Can... made from a dollar store container and duct tape

I don't know about you, but I spend A LOT of time in my mini van. My husband and I are constantly chauffeuring my boys around to their activities, and as a result, our van can get pretty messy. So recently, I decided to make a trash can for our van. I wanted it to be narrow (so it didn't take up much room in the back seat), and I wanted it to have a long and flexible strap. I decided to pick up a few dollar store supplies and DIY the perfect VAN TRASH CAN. I used about $2 worth of supplies, and I created exactly what my family needed.

I started with a narrow plastic container and dollar store duct tape. The container was $1.25, and the duct tape was $1.25 (and I used about half a roll).

I created a strap by cutting a long strip of duct tape and folding it three times.

I placed the ends of the straps on the sides of the container and taped them in place with duct tape.

Then, I wrapped the entire container in duct tape. (Do one row at a time, and use good scissors! I like to use scissors that are coated so that the duct tape doesn't stick to them.)

I love how it turned out. It's durable and fits perfectly around the arm of the front seat of my van.

Could you use this inexpensive DIY trash can in your vehicle? Making it yourself means that you can make it whatever size/shape works for you. I made my black so it would blend in with the interior of my van, but you could use whatever duct tape colour/design you like.

Now... I just need to train my kids to pick their movies up off the floor. 

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)