Dressing Up Our Snack Pack Pudding Cups for Halloween (printable included)

This delicious #SnackPackMixins shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions and tasty outcomes are mine alone.

Looking for a scary/cute lunch or treat idea?

This year both of my older children will be packing a lunch on Halloween and so I had to create a cute... but also Halloween appropriate treat for their lunch boxes. And if you know our family, you know we enjoy our Snack Pack pudding cups!

Yes, we all have our favorite flavors. For my older kids there is lemon, my husband really likes vanilla, I go for butterscotch and the baby? Well, nothing is quite as fun to dig his fingers into as chocolate. Since I had big plans for these little Snack Pack cups I went with the classics, chocolate and vanilla.

Of course, our Walmart carries a whole wall of Snack Pack pudding cups in a variety of great flavors, so there were some decisions to make. I even spotted a seasonal mint variety I need to try next time. Keep an eye out for a special Snack Pack Halloween display in your store.

I try to keep several Snack Pack on hand in the pantry for those last minute celebrations or go-to treats after a busy day. To really make my kids smile I will sneak one into their lunch box while they aren't looking. Every kid loves a little lunch surprise now and then. I enjoy that the Snack Pack pudding cups both taste great and contain the same amount of calcium as an 8 oz. glass of milk. That is pretty sweet to me.

So armed with a few packs of Snack Pack pudding cups, I set out to create a simple wrapper for easy traveling. That is where my Silhouette Cameo came in.

After measuring the cups and creating a template, I used the basic shapes and design tools on my Silhouette to create these creepy and crazy monster faces. It always amazes me what a few lines and circles can turn out.

Because I love to share the fun, you can create these monster Snack Pack pudding cups for your kids by printing out my full color printable pdf. Just print then cut them out and tape to your favorite flavor.

Or, add a bigger smile to your child's face just by adding a delicious mix-in to the top of your cup.

With a can of Reddi Whip and color-coordinated sprinkles my little grey alien was ready to eat. 

Nothing takes me back to my childhood faster than Snack Pack pudding and whipped cream. By the age of 6 I remember how important it was to get a bite with both whipped cream and pudding in it, so my 6-year old self would ask you to please be generous with the toppings.

For the little green spider-eyed monster I topped him with Reddi Whip and a little green sparkly decorative gel. I found this with the Halloween decorating supplies in Walmart. This was a big hit with my son.

And my personal favorite was the little wild-haired devil topped with Crunch n' Munch Popcorn. I used a chocolate Snack Pack for this one and the toffee flavored crunchy popcorn was perfect with the smooth chocolaty pudding.

Both kids were excited to dig in! When I can create some fun and it is this easy, that is a total Mommy win. 

So whether we are celebrating a good day at school, a dance practice or just a day ending in "y", these dressed up Snack Pack pudding cups are an easy to make dessert the whole family to enjoy.

How would you Dress Up your Snack Pack?

Don't miss the #SnackPackMixIns Twitter Party

October 8th at 12 PM EST

RSVP: http://www.sofabchats.com/parties/270-snackpackmixins

Passing on Family Favorites - Our Ratatouille Recipe

This shop with Heinz Classico #FamilyFavorites has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Here on the farm we have vegetables coming out our ears. We don't have cows or pigs, but what we do grow are squash, melon, tomatoes, eggplant and a whole assortment of other delicious Summer vegetables. That means our family favorites this time of year are packed with fresh ingredients and come from simple, but well loved recipes.

One of my Summer favorites is Ratatouille.

I first started making this when my son was little. At that point he didn't really join our family dinners and preferred his toddler basics of nuggets and macaroni and cheese. I also had a lot more time on my hands before the other kids came along and I used to spend all day working on my sauce to go with the meal.

I realized last week my children had never tried my ratatouille recipe. We have watched and loved the animated movie with the same name, and which featured the dish, but my kids have never tasted it for themselves.

As a parent, there is a magical moment when your kids start eating and trying real food. You know, beyond the pasta and finger foods dipped in ketchup? Well, I am there, finally, and ratatouille made the top of my list to offer my brave eaters. My son, almost 7, and my daughter, almost 5, are actually enjoying real ingredients and real flavors in their foods. So I took my daughter to help me shop for the perfect sauce to pair with our fresh ingredients. 

We grabbed a jar of Heinz Classico Family Favorites in Traditional at Walmart. It would compliment are farm fresh vegetables nicely.

Save money with this Heinz Classico coupon when you buy two jars of Classico Family Favorites!

We found everything we needed out in the fields. Sadly, my garden didn't have enough fresh thyme, so I bought a bundle while we were at the store, too.

I did the prep work ahead of time, slicing the vegetable thin and even with my mandoline, saving the actually creation of the ratatouille for my kids.

First goes in enough sauce to coat the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish. I ended up using more than half the jar. On top we sprinkled diced onions and grated our garlic cloves.

Then my kitchen helpers started with one vegetable and created a row of overlapping slices. My daughter starts Kindergarten next month so we talked about "pattern power" and what veggies would be coming next in the pattern we created.

That really is the best part about cooking with my children. I don't feel like I am just passing down a family recipe, I am using the kitchen as my classroom for life in general.

With very little help from me, we were able to create this gorgeous dish! Each row was pushed back and the vegetables were packed in tightly. Then we seasoned the top, sprinkled on a generous helping of fresh thyme leaves and drizzled the top with olive oil. A trimmed sheet of parchment goes on top and every bakes till bubbly and soft.

I served it over couscous for my husband and I. The kids enjoyed theirs over a big bowl of spiral pasta. Okay, they haven't moved out of the pasta phase all the way, but at least they enjoyed their ratatouille. This is one family favorite I don't mind handing over to my kids. They did a delicious job of making dinner themselves.

Garden Fresh Ratatouille

You Will Need:

• 1 jar Heinz Classico Family Favorites in Traditional
• 4 cloves of garlic, grated or pressed
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 bell peppers, sliced thin and then halved
• 1 large green zuchinni, sliced thin
• 1 large yellow squash, sliced thin
• 1 large eggplant, sliced thin and then halved
• 2 tomatoes sliced very thin, then halved
• fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil to drizzle over the top

First dry out the tomato slices slightly. Slice thin and then set on parchment covered baking sheets. Dry slightly at 275 for 10 to 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cover the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish with 1/2" or more of sauce. Sprinkle the top with onions and garlic. Begin adding one vegetable at a time to the baking dish. Add a single layer of slices and overlap the edges. Alternate vegetable colors to create a pattern. Push the rows up and back to pack in more vegetables. When the baking dish is full, sprinkle generously with fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper and drizzle the top with olive oil.

Cut a peice of parchment to fit into the top of the dish, then bake for 40-50 minutes. The vegetables should be softened and the sauce should be bubbly.

Serve over couscous, pasta or rice.

Enjoy!

What family recipes would you used Heinz Classico Family Favorites in?

Kid, Finger and Budget Friendly Meals with Kraft

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Keeping a family of 5 full and happy seems to be my full-time job. Trying to balance hungry children and my wallet? That is the real challenge. The first and fifteenth of the month often leave us feeling the pinch right before payday. I am always on the look out for recipes that can be turned into budget friendly meals. Alongside the Back-to-School sales at my local Walmart I also found some great #RollIntoSavings deals on the products we already use and love. Combining those great products into one simple dinner seemed like the perfect mid-week Mom Challenge!

I don't know about your house, but finger foods are king around here. All three of my children would much rather eat with their fingers than a fork any old day, so sometimes I like to indulge them in a laid back family meal where we can all concentrate more on the conversation and less on perfect table manners.

Summer seems to be slipping away and I still want to share some great moments with my kids. So I challenged myself to create a menu for under $20 with items I knew they would love. We piled into the car and headed to our local Walmart.

I noticed the rollback deals on Kraft and Velveeta products as soon as I entered the store. Some were even part of a back-to-school promotional display. We grabbed several items that I will be using for other recipes later on in the week as well. There is nothing more frugal than multi-tasking an ingredient in multiple menu items.

These are just a few of the items on rollback right now. I know they helped me come under my $20 budget without losing flavor. While I was planning my menu I had all of my children in mind.

My youngest, Elliott is only 1, but he loves macaroni & cheese! Since he is all about finger foods and is still working on making sure some of it gets to his mouth, I wanted to make him a finger-friendly mac, well, finger-friendly for all of us. For my oldest son I wanted to make cheesy potato skins. He just loves potatoes. My daughter always picks out the bag of salad when we do our grocery shopping, so I wanted to make her a salad to remember with a sweet and delcious creamy barbeque dressing.

Let's get started with those potato skins.

Start by rolling each scrubbed spud in oil and sprinkling liberaly with Kosher salt. I baked them on a baking sheet for 45 minutes to an hour at 400 degrees. Time will vary depending on the size of your potatoes. The skins will start to crisp up and the potato will be soft and fluffy.

Let them cool for a while until I could safely pick them up. Cut in half, then scoop the filling out of each one. Reserve that for another purpose. Brush the inside of each hollowed out skin with barbeque sauce and turn it upside down on the sheet. Bake for another 7 or 8 minutes, or until the are nice and crisp.

Then turn them back over and stuff each one with a big pinch of shredded cheddar cheese. Mmmm... Stick them back into the oven until the cheese gets all melty. Drizzle with a little creamy barbeque dressing and ranch, top with a generous pinch of sliced green onions for a little added bite.

For the macaroni bites prepare the KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner as usual and add in a can of drained green chiles. Let that cool, then mix in one egg yolk and scoop the mixture into a mini muffin pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Press the pasta down into each well and then sprinkle with a little additional Velveeta Cheddar Shreds.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes. I let mine cool slightly in the pan before running a silicone spatula around the edges to loosen them from the pan. They popped out and were ready to dip in Kraft Ranch Dressing.

Now, isn't that a spread? This was one meal where I didn't hear one complaint from my kids. In fact, I didn't hear much of anything. They were too busy eating to complain or fight. It was lovely.

Now, want to see how easy it is to make these dishes for your family? Continue reading for all the recipes.

BBQ Potato Skins

You Will Need:

• 8 small to medium russet potatos, scrubbed
• vegetable or canola oil
• Kosher salt
• KRAFT Barbecue Sauce
• VELVEETA Shredded Cheese
• KRAFT Ranch Dressing
• Green Onions, sliced thin
• One recipe of Creamy Barbecue Dressing (see below)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Rub each potato in canola oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Place on a baking try and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the skins are crisp.

Remove from the oven and as soon as you can handle them, cut each potato in half and scrape out most of the inside. Leave a thin ring around the peel so the potato retains its shape. Brush the inside of each skin with Kraft Barbecue Sauce. Place back on the baking tray skin side up, and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Turn them over and bake for 3-5 minutes more, or until the skins are nice and crisp.

Fill with Velveeta Shredded Cheese and return to the oven to melt the cheese. Drizzle with Kraft Ranch Dressing, creamy barbecue dressing and green onions. Serve immediately.

Creamy Barbecue Dressing

You Will Need:

• 1/4 c. KRAFT Barbecue Sauce
• 2 Tbsp. KRAFT Mayo
• 1-2 Tbsp. Milk to reach the desired consistency

Whisk together the Kraft Barbecue Sauce and Kraft Mayo. Add the milk, a tablespoon at a time, to achieve the desired consistency. Drizzle over a tossed salad or potato skins.

Baked Green Chili Macaroni and Cheese Bites

You Will Need:

• KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
• 1/4 c. milk
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 can of fire roasted mild green chilies
• 1 egg yolk
• VELVEETA Shredded Cheese

Prepare the KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner as directed on the package. Note, you will be using slightly less milk. Stir in green chilies and allow the macaroni to cool slightly. Stir in the egg yolk.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Using a cookie scoop, place a packed tablespoon of the macaroni mixture in each mini muffin well. Press down slightly and top with a little Velveeta Shredded Cheese. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops start to turn golden brown. Let them cool in the pan before taking out to serve. They will hold their shape better if they are room temperature or cooler.

Serve with a side of Kraft Ranch Dressing for dipping.

With these budget recipes I will still have enough money leftover to take the family to the roller skating rink. It is a big hit with my kids who have both mastered quads. The kid-friendly fun doesn't have to stop at the table and I can savor these final days of Summer vacation just a little longer.

Check out other great budget recipe ideas on the Kraft site.

What is your family's favorite budget friendly meal?

The Days of MY Life & Cancelling Vacation

Being a full-time at-home Mom has it's perks.

And then there are those days when I really need a stiff drink and a vacation.

This year we had planned to sneak away for two days, a luxury when you are married to a farmer, to have our yearly trip to the water park. A little road trip, a different state and a break from my daily routine and I was looking forward to it.

But this year the day we planned to leave we were all sick. We sounded like a barking kennel of dogs. Sore throats abounded and my sinuses were killing me. My poor husband was still willing to drive us for 6 hours, but when I was off my game we knew it wouldn't be worth it.

Ever have to kiss a deposit goodbye? It is a sick feeling. Luckily my husband read the fine print and we were able to reschedule for later this year without a penalty. Yeah, I will be blogging more about that joyous discovery later.

So with vacation cancelled I am home with two very stir-crazy kiddos. That is where the magic of dress-up comes in.

Lovingly disorganized from hours and hours of dress-up fun, this has been the key to my sanity. My children are in love with dressing up.

Past Halloween costumes, random stuff and princess clothes make up our tub of fun. Of course themes are completely mixed when creativity is at play.

My momentarily bored kids are easily brought back from the brink with a dress-up challenge. And I love seeing how unique their take on a "silly outfit" is.

All the fun and excitement left the baby a little perplexed. He wasn't sure what was going on.

Somehow without our favorite vacation spot, the water slides and evening show there have been giggles and smiles for hours. Yes, that means there wasn't time for all the coughing or sniffles!

Maybe it wasn't vacation that I needed, but just a little bit of silly afternoon fun. We have each other and that seems to be enough.

This was MY day. How was yours?

Story Time with PLAY-DOH Board Books Review + Giveaway

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I received PLAY-DOH books for the purpose of this review. This post includes affiliate links.

I remember playing with my own tubs of PLAY-DOH as a child. I started out happily rolling snakes and simple shapes, and eventually graduated to more complex figures and creating play food. So when my kids were old enough I shared the fun with them.

Now books are another important part of childhood in our home. Since my children were born we have added to their book collection every holiday and as treats for good behavior. They love story time. My 3-year old is still pretty rough on paper books so board books are a great way to hold up to her inquisitive fingers.

I was sent 5 new PLAY-DOH board books to review with my little one. She was delighted by the bright colors, simple words, interactive 'lift-the-flaps' and adorable figures.  I love the iconic brand branching out into toddler books.

Silver Dolphin Books and Hasbro teamed up to release 5 new board books this Spring for ages 3 & up.

The five books include:

• PLAY-DOH: Mama's Little Ducklings - One of Mama Duck's eggs is on a roll! Where could it be?
• PLAY-DOH: My First Words (Play-Doh My First 100 Words) - This book introduces young readers to a wonderful world of words with over 50 labeled illustrations!
• PLAY-DOH: Counting Bunnies (Play-Doh First Concepts) - Ten silly bunnies teach kids to count from one to ten!
• PLAY-DOH: Making Shapes with Monkey (Play-Doh First Concepts) - Monkey uses shapes to make all kinds of useful items for his friends.
• PLAY-DOH: Rainbow Butterflies (Play-Doh First Concepts) - Butterflies in all the colors of the rainbow subtly hide for young readers to discover.

Overall as a Mom I loved the books! My daughter had a lot of fun with them, and she plans to read them to the new baby along with help from her older brother. Board books are my favorite way to get books into the hands of young children. From shapes to counting, these books are a great teaching tool for little ones. They are also durable and fun. It is amazing how much abuse they end up taking in my house, but they are always loved.

I am happy to say that I can also share a set of the new PLAY-DOH board books with one lucky reader here on Adventures in All Things Food & Family. Enter using the rafflecopter widget below.

Giveaway Time!!!

This giveaway ends 5/10/13. Must be 18 years or older to win. Enter through the widget below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclaimer - This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I received PLAY-DOH books for the purpose of this review. All opinions and experiences are my own. This post includes my Amazon affiliate links.