Ready to Own the Galaxy? Fuel up with Guardians of the Galaxy

 This Guardians of the Galaxy movie shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions and experiences are mine alone. #OwnTheGalaxy #CollectiveBias

In case you were stranded in some distant galaxy for the past few months, you might have missed hearing about the latest and greatest Marvel movie released on DVD and Blu-Ray this week, Guardians of the Galaxy. 

I picked up a copy at our local Walmart. There isn't much better than celebrating a fun new release than to grab some movie toys, enjoy movie inspired snacks and have an old fashioned family movie night.

After we grabbed a copy of the movie, I headed over to the toys section. Keep your eyes open for special new toy displays for these Guardians of the Galaxy action figures, masks and blasters. And don't forget, if you are a video game fan, there are now Guardians of the Galaxy Rocket and Groot figures for use with Disney Infinity 2.0. More on that and the special promotion at the end of the post.

I grabbed a few packs of the mini action figures. My son is at the age where role play with action figures is becoming huge. My daughter liked them too, but I did have to rescue Groot and Drax from a tiny tea party she threw them.

I am not sure that Drax is the tea party type.

The most popular of the action figures is by far Groot. But, then again, who doesn't love this character? I may need to pick up another few to avoid fights during playtime. We need a whole "forest" of Groots, right?

But my favorite movie toy, by far, are the Walkie Talkies. These long range FRS radio walkie talkies are perfect for getting siblings to play together. They aren't any fun to play with alone. It is also a fun chance for them to save the galaxy for hours on their own.

The toys were a great way to build excitement for the movie, which my kids didn't have the chance to see in theaters. 

What I like even better is that they can go off and have more adventures with their favorite characters like Star Lord, Drax or Rocket. Now I can't wait to see how they will save the galaxy next!

Since we had such great time playing with our new Guardians of the Galaxy toys and worked up an appetite before movie time, I created some simple and fun snacks for either more playdate fun or movie viewing. 

All of these treats are simple but with a movie tie-in twist! 

I created Gamora's Sweet Popcorn, Awesome Sandwiches (PB & J, of course!), Groot cheese sticks and offered "Fountain Water" to wash it all down. I hear that is some of Groot's favorite! Rocket will pass though.

Gamora's Sweet Popcorn

You Will Need:

• 8 c. popped popcorn
• 4 Tbsp. butter, unsalted
• 3 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 3 oz. JELL-O gelatin in grape and lime (half a package of each flavor)

Sift through the popped popcorn to remove any unpopped kernels. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine half the ingredients (2 tablespoons butter, 1 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 a package of gelatin power). Over low heat, melt the butter and dissolve the gelatin and sugar. Let it come up to a simmer for 2 minutes. Pour over half of the popped popcorn.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread the hot popcorn in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes then let cool completely. Break the popcorn chunks apart when cooled enough to handle. 

Repeat the process for making the remaining color.

Mix and enjoy! 

For our Awesome Sandwiches I channeled my 80's childhood and whipped up some classic peanut butter and jelly with the crusts cut off. Yeah, I think a young Star Lord would approve.

I wrapped the sandwiches, those crust-less beauties are a little messy, in freezer paper and traced the Mix Tape on top for added fun.

Of course we listened to Star Lord's beloved Mix tape (we picked a soundtrack up at Walmart when we got the movie and toys) as we snacked on our Groot cheese sticks.

It seems I am not artistic enough to make a dancing Groot to adorn my cheese, but craft paper crumpled and wrapped around the cheese was enough to make my kids smile. So, I went with it.

And we had to have a drink to sip on for movie viewing. After wracking my brain, it seemed fitting to grab a little Fountain Water. My kids were familiar with this part of the movie already from previews. 

If you haven't watched the movie yet, believe me, you'll understand soon.

Now, don't tell my kids, but they will be getting Disney Infinity for Christmas. They are going to be so excited! I just have to go back and grab them a Groot or Rocket Racoon figure for Disney Infinity 2.0 (offer good from 12/7 - 12/14) to take advantage of the instant $5 Walmart Gift Card promotion. With qualified purchase, the cashier will give you a gift card at check out.

So if you have a Guardians of the Galaxy and Disney Infinity fan at home, don't miss out on this promotion ending tomorrow! 

Now that I showed you all our movie fun, how will you and your family #OwnTheGalaxy? Any plans to buy the movie or merchandise for gifts?