Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen: Holidays
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

What To Do With All That Halloween Candy?

Donate your leftover Halloween candy. Many homeless shelters, crisis relief centers, and food pantries, even dentist offices take candy donations. If you’ve got excess, why not share some with someone in need? Also you can send it to our military overseas! Check out Operation Gratitude for the details! They would love it! (as an army wife who used to send care packages and my husband telling me about all the goodies they received and LOVED!) 

Make goodie bags for an easy way to say thanks. Anyone in your life do something nice for you? Repay the kindness with some candy! 

Take your leftover Halloween candy to the office. My husband’s coworkers devour just about anything I send in. I think a bowl full of chocolates left in the break room would be a huge hit.

Bake with it.  These candy bar cookies can help get rid of the chocolate candy bars!  You could also chop bits of candy and use them in place of chocolate chips in cookies, add them to brownies,  or to top a cake. The options are endless really. Then give them to a friend, neighbor or someone who just had a baby as congratulations or someone might need a yummy dessert.

Save your leftover Halloween candy. Chopped candy will also freeze well. Freeze it in 1 cup increments for maximized baking. See above for uses.

Save it to celebrate the December holidays with. Use some of your leftover Halloween candy in your Advent countdown, Hanukkah nights,  to decorate holiday cookies, or to decorate a gingerbread house. Why buy what you’ve already got and it will help save you some money!

Share it or swap it. Do you know of someone who has a child with a food allergy? It is likely that the child got a ton of candy they can’t enjoy. Give them the candy from your stash that you know they CAN enjoy.


Celebrate with it! Hosting a party soon? Have a candy bar or use it as a great snack for your party!

Involve your kids in this too. Share with them what you are going to do especially if you are donating it. Let them know that you are serving someone and they will want to serve someone too!What are you doing with your leftover Halloween candy? 

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free daily advice, support, motivation, encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Are you following my INSTAGRAM yet? Check out my stories and feed to see how I fit a healthy lifestyle into my busy mom life! 

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Post Halloween Candy Coma Relief


How is everyone doing with their candy comas after last night? My kids are still wired since they had fun with all their candy last night. So what are you doing to help combat the after effects of tons of candy???

WATER! Flush out your body with WATER! Get water in you as soon as you can. Drink more water than you usually do. Flush that crap out of you! Just drink water! Add some lemon to it too or ginger to help with any tummy troubles you might be having today. Try adding in some fresh fruit too! Anything to get more water into your system.
Goal for today: only water. No other drinks (1 cup of black coffee in the morning is fine or tea) The rest of the time, water, or fruit infused water. Help your body flush out the candy or other goodies you had over the weekend! Start Monday out right feeling less bloated and regulated!

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween Recipe!


It's Halloween! What are you dressing up as for halloween? 

I will have our family picture up tomorrow for you to enjoy our Jurassic World Themed costumes! Hope you guys have a happy and safe day!

How about a perfectly yummy healthy seasonal recipe to celebrate the day!!! 

CLEAN EATING HOLIDAY BUTTERNUT CRANBERRY BAKE




(Makes approximately 4 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. chopped/cubed, peeled butternut squash
2 large apples, peeled and cored
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1 tbsp. olive oil (or coconut oil in liquid state)
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 scant tsp. ground cloves (optional if you like cloves


DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients in a 1 gallon-sized ziplock bag or a large container with a tight-fitting lid.
Shake well to coat everything in spices and maple syrup.
Pour out into baking dish (Mine was 9×13) and bake at 350 F. for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Note that if you have a smaller, deeper baking dish that this will take longer in the oven. The bigger and more shallow the dish is, the quicker this will cook. (I do not recommend a cookie sheet due to the cranberries)
Add salt to taste after cooking if needed.

Modified From The Gracious Pantry


Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Healthy Halloween Game: 2015

I did this last year with Anna and Elsa costumes that came a knocking and ended up doing 60 squats for the night. I wanted to up the anti this year. Adding more categories of costumes and a variation of exercises to do per costume.


So the rules: Whenever one of these little costumes make an appearance at your door keep a tally and do the exercise associated with it either right then and there or after the little monsters have gone to bed. Think of this as your way to eat a candy bar or 2 for the night. Fun way to help keep you healthy and happy this holiday season!

Also check out my trick to keep the candy in the house at a minimum! Big bucket, lots of stuffing!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Halloween Candy Workouts

Here we go! CANDY-PALOOZA! Saturday is Halloween. How many of you are excited to get dressed up and go trick-or-treating...with your kids I mean! Come on with your kids! I love Halloween. I love dressing up. It is the one day I can be whatever I want to be. And now I get to see Mason's face full of excitement as he goes and knocks on a stranger's door asking/begging for candy from said complete stranger! (How is this legal!)

But still creepy stranger factor allowed, it is still fun! It is still magical for kids, and I want it to be that way for as long as possible. With that being said, how many of us eat our kids Halloween candy??? Cue Jimmy Kimmel!


Well, if you want to avoid the temper tantrums from the kids the next day and not gorge on their sacred candy, check out these charts on what and how many exercises you need to do to negate all those sticky sweets!



So Snickers is my favorite candy and you better believe that in the past I would dig those out of Mason's bag and claim them for myself but not anymore. I WILL NOT BE DOING 50 BURPEES to burn off 1 tiny little fun size bar! 50 BURPEES! What is your favorite candy and how many exercises will you be doing? Comment below. I wanna hear what your favorite Halloween Candy is! 

And, of course, be sure to like our FACEBOOK page and follow us on PINTEREST for motivation, clean eating tips, and healthy lifestyle resources.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Halloween Week- Day 2

Today's look! So loving it! Every day this week I am wearing a different wig. 1) I love Halloween, why not extend the holiday a little! 2) I am surprising my piano students with something fun. I do something every year for them and this is this years. 3) I am making daily motivational videos for my private health and fitness clean eating group and wanted to change it up a little and have some extra fun!

Halloween Candy Alternatives!

Remember when you were a kid and went trick-or-treating and you had that neighbor that gave out a toothbrush or some non candy thing? Well, they might have had something right about. Out of all the candy you got there was just a few things that were non candy. I know it wasn't the coolest thing to get but if you are on the fence about handing out some preservative laden candy to kids that already will have a bucket full of it here are some ideas to help figure out what you can hand out, besides a toothbrush. 
So here are few healthier options, a list of candy alternatives you can hand out Saturday night. And, consider this, since most houses will be handing out candy, your treats will stand out (in a good way) from the bunch!
Crayons
No kid can have enough crayons. And they inspire creativity instead of obesity. You’re not going to get much healthier than this, provided kids don’t eat the crayons, of course, like Collin, last night at the table, EWWW!
Bubbles
Mason loves bubbles and will spend all day playing with them if he could! 
Fruit “Snack” Rolls
They may not be as good as a real piece of fruit, but they’re individually wrapped and they usually contain about 1 gram of fiber for every 12 grams of carbohydrates.
Healthy Snacks
Healthy individually wrapped snacks, like Pirate's Booty or pretzels.
Finger Puzzles
Remember these little bamboo puzzlers? Stick your fingers in each end of the tube—and you can’t get them out! Check out Dollar Stores for these fun gadgets! 
Stickers
Kids LOVE STICKERS! That is a given. Let them sticker their sibling with love, or the house or their favorite books!
Temporary Tattoos
Not all parents will like these but kids always do! They are fun and there are tons of fun variety packs!
Halloween Toys
Most stores carry bags of spider rings, bouncy eyeballs, or snakes. Or consider handing out Halloween-themed pencils and erasers. The fun of these will last long after the Halloween sugar high is gone. 
Glow in the Dark Sticks
Mason loves these at night after the sun goes down and you can get a box with a ton of them in it for fairly cheap! 
What do you like to hand out for Halloween?

Monday, October 26, 2015

FREE 5 Day Clean Eating Challenge!

What is all this talk about clean eating? What does it mean? It has to be hard! NOPE! it is so easy to add clean eating into your daily life. Spend the next 5 days with me to learn how you can add it into your life and even try it out. Learn how simple it is to cut the boxed foods and crap from your lifestyle. Let's shed some weight BEFORE the holidays hit!
Join my FREE 5 day clean eating group which is HALLOWEEN THEMED for the entire week! Tons of fun, games and recipes along with prizes up for grabs! Click JOIN! See you in there!


And, of course, be sure to like our FACEBOOK page and follow us on PINTEREST for motivation, clean eating tips, and healthy lifestyle resources.

Monday, October 12, 2015

10 Perfectly Spooktacular No Carve Pumpkins

Time to start decorating the house with autumnal inspired foliage and gourds! I hate carving pumpkins because it is slimy, messy and the smell! Can't stand the smell! So I thought I might try something different this year and still decorate the pumpkins but without carving. Here are some great ideas I found!

Corn Husk Covered Pumpkins - By Midwest Living

Glitter Pumpkin Topiary - By A Diamond In The Stuff


The Tangled Web Pumpkin - By Buzzfeed

The Glitter Pumpkin- By the SITS Girls

The Lacey Pumpkin- By Better homes and Garden

The Painted Pumpkin - By Lil' Luna

The Plaid Pumpkin: By Real Simple

The Mumkin - By Circa Dee

The Patterned Pumpkin - By Country Living

The Pumpkin Family - By blue i style


And, of course, be sure to like our 
FACEBOOK page and follow us on PINTEREST for motivation, clean eating tips, and healthy lifestyle resources.

Friday, October 2, 2015

It's OCTOBER!


I love October so much! Growing up it was the month that we could start wearing sweatshirts in the mornings because it was actually a little chilly. In high school it was also the month where in marching band we actually opted to keep our band jackets on because it was a little cold at the football games.

It is all about warm cozy fires, apple picking, corn maze fun having, pumpkin everything (though I am not a pumpkin fan, the hubs sure is!), changing leaves, foggy mornings, hot apple cider, tricks and treats and of course my favorite thing of all, HALLOWEEN! It's my second favorite holiday next to Christmas. It is the day that I can be anyone I want to be! A princess, a pirate, a maiden. Anyone! You all probably know by now that I love to dress up every year, and finally we are doing family themed costumes! (Thanks to Mason joining the family!)

2 years ago we announced our pregnancy with this...

Last year we were a family of pirates! Isn't that parrot cute?!?

And this year...we are already in charge of a small herd of dinosaurs might as well make the kids dress the part! I am so excited and Mason CAN NOT WAIT for his costume to get here. Every day he asks, "is my costume here yet???" Collin's arrived last week so Mason is super jealous!

What fun halloween things do you do as a family?

Also if you are ready to get fit before the holidays even start and want to join me for the October health and fitness support group, fill out this form HERE! I am going to have fall specific clean eating recipes, fun Halloween activities to help you stay healthy before the hoards of ghouls and goblins knock on your door this year! Let's slim down before the holidays together!


And, of course, be sure to like our 
FACEBOOK page and follow us on PINTEREST for motivation, clean eating tips, and healthy lifestyle resources.

Monday, September 7, 2015

13 LUCKY Years!


This past Saturday the hubs and I celebrated our 13th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! Crazy huh! 13 years I have been with this guy and I love him more than the day we married. It is totally possible to find bliss and happiness! 


We have had an amazing roller coaster of a marriage! We have had great years and years that were not so great but we got through all of them together and stronger. We had so many years, and still dealing with it, the whole kid thing. We were ok with having kids right as we got married but when it didn't happen, and a year went by, then 2, 3 and up to 8 we struggled. I pestered Matt. It was what I wanted but we didn't know what to do because it just wasn't happening. 3 fertility doctors, 54 shots in my belly and 2 IUI's and we finally got Mason. Now we are dealing with miscarriages that have been so hard on me mentally and stronger. But we are doing this together. Matt is there for me and has been there for me every step of the way. I love though that during those years we were able to still travel and spend time together! We had 9 years to get to know each other and build a strong relationship and a great friendship!


Marriage takes work. Even though you love someone you can still get mad at them. But you have to take that effort to talk through it. Forgive and work through any struggles that you might be having. If you are having an argument just holding hands while talking through it helps to not stay mad at them. It helps you stay connected it helps you forgive! It is worth it. At one point in time you fell in love with your partner. Just remember why you did! Check out this awesome video of Chalene Johnson giving relationship advice. It is pretty funny and so true! Check it out. Comment below what you think about it. What you took away from the video! 




I am one lucky lady who married such a great role model for his boys who is strong in his faith, devoted to his family and dedicated to his work!

Thanks hubs for picking me and for going on this crazy life journey with me. 13 years out of forever is pretty sweet!

Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Day BBQ Ideas

Just a quick shout out to my hubs and all those who are currently serving and who have served. Thank you for your willingness and sacrifice to protect our great nation. May you and your family be blessed, always! We honor you this day and everyday for your amazing bravery and patriotism! Thank you!

Here is a collection of a few recipes I found that would be AWESOME for today's BBQ! Check 'em out and let me know what you think. Comment below! We are having steak because I just had an amazing burger on Friday night, and I found a nice steak in the deep freezer begging to be used! But I'm doing the zucc, and the berries. Maybe the water and the fries. It all looks yummy to me! Enjoy and Happy Memorial Day!

Start with a nice Patriotic Drink of Blueberry and Strawberry Infused water! 

Grilled Zucchini -

Classic Hamburger- Make them slider size for better portion control. Use lettuce leaves instead of buns for gluten free option. I make my own homemade buns so I know what is in them. Here is the recipe for them.


Stuffed Strawberries-

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Happy 1st Birthday Collin Baby!

Here we are. 1 year old. My baby is 1 year old. So scary how fast this year has gone and how blessed we have been with this amazing year. Collin was our surprise baby. The one where I decided that it didn't matter if I sat on my butt or kept running. I had no control over if I miscarried or not. (I had 2 previous miscarriages just before him, and he stuck!) I still worried that what I was doing would make me miscarry but I put my faith in the Lord that if he was meant to be with our family he would be with our family. AND HE IS!

Collin is THE most laid back baby ever. He doesn't really fuss, doesn't really cry, doesn't really get mad. If he gets hurt he stops crying very quickly thanks to his 2 fingers that calm him down, and mommy of course. He is just a super observant baby and loves to watch his big brother do anything.

Collin loves to follow brother around too. Wherever brother goes, Collin is sure to follow because he doesn't want to miss out on any cool things. Or if dad is home Collin is always hanging out with daddy. Such a daddy's boy.

He is our little runt of the litter. He is still in 9 month old sized clothing. He is a little short but he will hit a growth spurt and get taller. He is also the healthiest eater in the house. His favorite meal of the day is breakfast that he inhales, actually he inhales everything he eats, all 2 cups worth of it! HE IS A BIG EATER. But check out what he loves for breakfast everyday: 1-2 eggs soft over easy cooked, 1 banana mashed, 2 teaspoons flaxseed, 1/4-1/2 cup oatmeal all mixed together. He loves it and is so sad when it is all gone. Healthy eater! He has his yearly check up on Wednesday so I will post his stats after to show he is growing and how much!

Here is a photo purge of some of the pictures I took at his Birthday Party this past Saturday!
~I made the comic book cover banner and we will be hanging it in the boy's room!~









 ~Sugar Coma~


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