Easter Treats for Classmates (with free printable tags)

My boys love sharing holiday treats with their friends, but their school has a strict nutrition policy so I like to come up with simple "non food" options. Over the years, I have found that the key to making the treats fun and inexpensive is the packaging. Today, I am sharing the printable for the simple Easter treats my six year old is sharing with his classmates this year.

I found some adorable stretchy bunnies and tiny Easter notebooks at the dollar store. I put them in a little Easter egg covered bags, and stapled the tags I designed to the tops. Cute, right?

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

These notes could be used with any Easter trinket that your little one chooses, and the treat bags are super-easy to put together. I think it is a fantastic sugar-free Easter treat... don't you?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

St.Patrick's Day Breakfast (Rainbow Seeds)

I don't usually buy sugary cereals, but I do make an exception on St. Patrick's Day. My boys always look forward to a special breakfast on March 17th, and this year I will be serving RAINBOW SEEDS.

I bought some little green bowls at the dollar store, filled the bowls with Froot Loops, popped the bowls in clear party favour bags, and attached adorable "RAINBOW SEEDS" tags that I designed. Cute, right?

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

I am planning to serve my rainbow seeds with some green milk (which is regular milk with a drop or two of green food colouring). I am also going to place a few Froot Loops on a straw for an extra touch of fun!

My boys always enjoy their special St.Patrick's Day breakfast, and this year they are going to be delighted with the "rainbow seeds" I will be serving. Do you have a special St.Patrick's Day meal planned?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Easter Candy Bark

I have been making almond bark for years, and last year I made a Halloween version that was a huge hit with my boys. So, given my love for mini eggs, I decided to make some Easter Candy Bark, and it did not disappoint!

To make Easter Candy Bark:

1) Melt the chocolate according to package directions. (Break up pieces of chocolate, microwave on medium for 1-2 minutes, and stir until smooth.)

2) Pour the melted chocolate onto a piece of waxed paper, and spread it out (gently with a spatula).

3) Place mini chocolate eggs and rainbow sprinkles on top of the melted chocolate.

4) Allow to cool and harden, and then break up the chocolate. (I put it in the fridge to speed up the process.)

It is a simple treat to make, and it tastes delicious. I think this Easter candy bark would be great for "egging" too. Have you ever "egged" your neighbours? You can read all about our "egging" adventures here.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more easy and inexpensive ideas for Easter crafts, recipes, and activities here.

Simple Leprechaun Trap

One of our favorite Saint Patrick's Day traditions is setting a leprechaun trap.  We have been doing it for years, and we have never caught one, but we keep trying.  Leprechauns are tricky, but one of these years, I know we are going to get lucky.  Here's the leprechaun trap we built (from LEGO) last year.

Last year, the boys thought they had designed a fool-proof trap, but the leprechaun managed to escape.  According to my middle son... when the leprechaun fell in the trap, he grabbed the ladder as he was falling, and used it to get out.  Luckily, the tricky leprechaun dropped a bunch of his chocolate gold coins while he was trying to escape.

We always use Lucky Charms as leprechaun bait, and my boys like to package it up and share it with their friends.  You can check out the adorable free printable tags here.

This year, my boys will design a new trap, and I will enjoy watching them do it.  You never know... this might be the year we catch a leprechaun, he will give us his gold, and we can take a super-fun family vacation.  Fingers crossed!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Corn Chowder and Biscuits

Is there anything better on a cold day than a nice warm cup of chowder? This corn chowder is easy to make, and it is delicious. Pair it with some flaky homemade biscuits for the perfect comfort food combination.

My corn chowder recipe is based on one created by one of my oldest and dearest friends. (Thanks, Darc!) 

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
4 tbsp flour
4 cups milk (I use 1%... but you can use 2% or homo for a thicker, richer chowder)
1/2 cup blend (10%)
2 containers of Knorr Homestyle Stock Bouillon (or 2-4 tbsp of OXO chicken stock powder)
2 cups frozen corn
1-2 cups diced, pre-cooked potatoes (not soft)
grated cheddar cheese (for garnish)

Directions:
Melt butter on low/medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Gradually whisk in flour. Slowly add milk (whisking constantly). Add chicken stock, and continue whisking.

Add remaining ingredients, and heat on low until thickened.

Garnish with cheddar cheese and serve with homemade biscuits.

You can click here for my favorite biscuit recipe. 

Do you have a favorite comfort food when the weather gets cold? Give this corn chowder and biscuits recipe a try, and let me know what you think.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple DIY HOCKEY Party

All three of my boys are huge hockey fans, so it was no surprise that my oldest son chose a hockey theme for his 10th birthday party. Today, I am sharing the simple details from our DIY hockey party.

We rented a gym, and invited all our guests to join us for a morning of floor hockey. We asked everyone to wear their favorite jerseys. We also asked each person to bring his/her helmet, hockey gloves and hockey stick. I wanted to make sure no one got hurt!

I put together a "pin the puck on the ice" game, but the main party activity was floor hockey. I made a fantastic score board from dollar store foam core, and the kids enjoyed updating it. 

Of course, all the activity made the kids very hungry and thirsty, so we had a well stocked "canteen". I had tons of healthy snacks, "easy to grab" treats, water, and juice.

Of course, we had some easy DIY cakes too. I used a special pan to make a jersey cake (with my son's number) and a rectangular pan to make a "half ice" cake.

Here's another version of a hockey cake using the same "jersey" pan.

When the party was over, everyone left with a couple of party favours. We had some gum with a clever "I hope you had an 'EXCEL'lent time!" note, and the kids collected hockey cards from our prize punch. You can find the tutorial for the DIY prize punch here.

I have a feeling that this won't be our last hockey party. It was a huge success and a lot of fun.

Do you have a hockey fan in your house? What do you think of our simple DIY hockey party?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. By clicking on the link for the jersey pan, you can purchase the pan and support my blog. Thank you!

Coffee Shop Chocolate Chip Muffins

Don't you just love the chocolate chip muffins they sell in coffee shops? Today I am sharing my favorite recipe for chocolate chip muffins. They taste like they came from a coffee shop, but you bake them at home for a fraction of the cost.

Note: This recipe is based on one I found at Little Sweet Baker. You can find her recipe here.

You'll need:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips (I like a high quality semi-sweet version)
1/2 cup melted (salted) butter (cooled)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk (I used 1% milk because that is all I buy... but you could use whole milk for a richer taste)
1 tbsp real vanilla extract

Then:

1) Grease a muffin tin, and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix in chocolate chips. Set aside.
3) In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugars together. Then whisk in the eggs, milk, and vanilla.
4) Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and stir just until combined.
5) Divide the batter into muffin tins. If you use an ice cream scoop, you can evenly divide the batter between the 12 muffin tins.
6) Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Let the muffins cool slightly before removing them from the muffin tin... but they are delicious if you eat them when they are still warm.

I also freeze them individually, and pop them in my boys lunch bags when I need them.

These muffins really are delicious. My boys love them with a glass of cold milk, but I opt for a nice hot cup of coffee. If you give these chocolate chip muffins a try, let me know how they turn out. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)