Easter

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter! I know we felt incredible gratitude to wake up forgiven and to spend our day with loved ones for our Lord Jesus. Spent the morning with God and then joined my parents for a delicious breakfast at a favorite restaurant of ours. Afterward, we had to move our egg hunt indoors, due to the rain. It all worked out though, because for B's first hunt she was a pro and found every single one and had so much fun opening them "WOW! Green duck!" or "Ohhh booful (beautiful) blue bunny!". It's so precious to see the holidays through your child's eyes.

 
We relaxed for the afternoon and made some fun snacks and crafts, as well as reading lots of spring time books. That night we enjoyed dinner at my step-dad-in-law's mom's (say that ten times fast) house. B got to do another egg hunt and scored big with eggs filled with $2 bills and quarters. It was definitely a very hoppy day!

If you know me, you know I love making fun and festive foods for the holidays... Okay, who am I kidding, I like making them all the time. On top of that, I always like to keep it healthy in our home. So, below are some of the fun and nutritious Easter treats I made for our tot this year. As well as the goodies to fill an entire Easter basket and eggs without candy. I hope this sparks some fun ideas for next year for your kiddos, or even just fun ideas for any day. I'm pretty any toddler will accept bunny pancakes 365 days a year. So for breakfast on Saturday (because we were going out to eat on Sunday), I made these healthy bunny pancakes which B thought was the greatest thing ever. "It's bunny mama, it's his ears. I yike it, it's yummy!" Then on Sunday afternoon she had some fruit filled eggs... no candy for my healthy baby bunny.

 I filled her hidden eggs with the most adorable individual Easter themed stickers (thank you Target, yet again!) So grateful not to have spent Saturday night cutting out individual ones, which was my original plan until I found these gems.

I I mean, the Easter Bunny filled her basket with plenty of goodies too! She received many other baskets from family too, all with arts & crafts, stuffed bunnies, baby lotion, and not a sweet in sight. They all know this crazy Mama Bear means healthy business.(;

 

B's dress & hat: Gymboree // Sandals: Target

Nature Box: Part Three

And yet, again my monthly box of super snacks arrives, let's inside shall we? 

Black & White Granola:

So when you open the bag, music plays. Can you guess which Michael Jackson hit I'm talking about? It's "Black or White" for those of you under a pop culture rock. Picture me dancing around the house, complete with tube socks on to perfect my moonwalk on the wood floors, and this bag of chocolatey vanilla-ey goodness in hand. Munching and jamming; that's what this snack is for.(;

Citrus Chipotle Chickpeas:

Not going to lie, these weren't my favorite. I take pride in being honest in my reviews, so I'll leave it at not bad, but not something I'm ordering again. 

Bombay Curried Cashews:

This terrific mix made it in our box again;  proof positive that it's delicious! You can see my previous post here that talks about it. 

Dark Chocolate BerryTrail Mix:

This is now a staple in our boxes. When does something become a staple? I think it qualifies. It's the perfect blend of nuts, seeds, dried berries, and most importantly dark chocolate. I eat it by the handful, on oatmeal, in pancake batter, or on Greek yogurt. Tremendous no matter how you shovel it in.(:

Tropical Trail Mix:

MMM. This was delightful, and came with a vacation to the Caribbean. Okay, well, that's where I pretended to be while eating this on top of some mango Greek yogurt, and it was almost as fantastic! I love chewy texture and tropical fruit, so you throw in dried nibbles of papaya, mango, pineapple, and coconut and I'm a happy hula dancing girl.(; 

Masa Crisps:

So we didn't actually order this one, it came as an extra surprise. Greatness. One word to sum these up: Fritos. They taste just like Fritos, but didn't feel as guilty as a greasy bag of chips. We dig 'em. 

Notice: The box we've ordered for next month is actually all repeats of previous snacks, they're that good. However, I won't be writing a repeat review. I'll be happily snacking though!(:

Nature Box: Part Two

 

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Our second Nature Box has arrived. This is exciting stuff people, once you've signed up (because you're obviously going to, duh!) you too can feel the same anticipation and excitement when your treasure chest arrives.(:

 

Everything Bagel Stix:

So if you're a normal human being like me, you could scarf down an "Everything Bagel" from Einstein's with a cream cheese smeared grin on your face. Well, unfortunately bagels and cream cheese don't fit into my clean eating habits, but these guys do the trick. They have all the same flavors as the bagel, with no guilt attached. Obviously, they'd be fantastic dipped in cream cheese... I'm still on the hunt for some guiltless YET tasty variety of that though. Points for the first person to direct me to it. Until then, they are awesome on their own.

 

Seaweed Pops:

 

These were a must on hubby's list when creating the box, and he loves them! I dig them too. We both appreciate umami flavors, and if you know what that word means, you'll be a fan of these.

 

Mango Almond Bites:

So mango is my favorite fruit and almonds are my favorite nut, this was an obvious pick. They are DELICIOUS! They're like little rice cake bites with chewy mango and almond nestled into them. Brooklynn also gives her baby thumbs up to these.(:

 

Dark Cocoa Almonds:

So if you read my previous Nature Box Post why wouldn't you have read it?, you may have noticed we got these last time. They somehow made it back for the second round... What can I say this mama withdrawals for dark chocolate and these give me fix.(;

 

Bombay Curry Cashews:

 

These were another must on Travis' list, and man am I glad they were. Poor guy, I hope he gets some before I devour them. So, I do admit I'm not a fan of cashews and pick them out, more for him right? However, the rest of this mix is amazing, as I love curry flavor... and almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and dried fruit. They appear savory, well they are, but they can also oddly satisfy a sweet tooth... and inspire the decision to get Indian for dinner. YUM!(:

 

BE SURE TO GET YOUR OWN SUBSCRIPTION TO NATURE BOX HERE!(:

www.naturebox.com

Nature Box

So I recently won a six month subscription to Nature Box, thanks to the lovely blogger The Wiegands.

I was super excited, because winning is always fun, but more so for the opportunity to try this awesome company out. Nature Box is kind of like a fruit-of-the-month concept, but way cooler! They send you a monthly box filled with five (or more) different packaged snacks. You can choose what goes into the box each month or for those who like to live life on the edge, you can have them surprise you. Awesome right? But wait, it gets better! The snacks are wholesome and real, and a whole lot of really delicious too!

They come in perfect size packages to throw in the diaper bag for this on-the-go mama who's always often hungry. They're also great for my hubby to keep at his desk, since he's literally always going a hundred miles an hour, he can pop into his drawer and grab a hand full of sustenance. 

So enough of me talking, I know what you're waiting for... The mouthwatering pictures.(; 

Dark Chocolate Berry Trail Mix:

This is amazing by the handful, but even better topped with almond butter on oatmeal in the morning or mixed in some Greek yogurt.(: mmm. We're also able to share seeds and nuts (mashed up safely, of course) with Brooklynn. 

Sour Cream & Onion Almonds:

This was a pick for my hubby, as he LOVES Sour Cream & Onion chips, I thought I'd throw in this much healthier alternative for him. They are a hit! 

Country Ranch Peas:

I left a spot open for a surprise in our box and this was it. Ranch fans, you're in luck, it tastes just like it and the crunch of the peas definitely satiates those chip type cravings. 

Chili Lime Pistachios:

I love sour. I love spicy. I love pistachios. This was a no-brainer. They are so darn tasty, definitely going to consistently keep this as a pick in our boxes to come. 

Dark Cocoa Almonds:

Because who doesn't love dark chocolate covered almonds? I don't think we can be friends if you disagree. These bad boys are the bomb. I always say everything in moderation, but it was impossible rather difficult to accept the "four servings in a bag", when I could've eaten its entirety at once. Perfect to grab a few to satisfy my often late night chocolate craving. 

We are very pleased with the quality of these products and are narrowing down our goodies for this month's box to come.

I'm so glad we discovered Nature Box, and you will be too! Go get yourself signed up and excited for the heavenly box to arrive on your doorstep.(:

www.naturebox.com