Awesome Homemade Pancakes

This is such an easy and tasty recipe for fluffy, old fashioned pancakes. They have a rich flavor thanks to the addition of brown sugar and come out so fluffy and irresistible.

Please pin this recipe to your breakfast board, of share it on social media.



My kids would have pancakes for breakfast every morning if I had the time to make them! When they have a 2 hour delay for school, I like to start the day off on a sweet note with this homemade pancake recipe. You can double the recipe and freeze the leftovers between sheets of parchment paper for an easy to pop in the microwave breakfast for busy days too.

I like to top mine with bananas and crushed walnuts. One of my kids goes with liberal butter and syrup, and my other kid loves them plain. Top them however you like. Enjoy them golden brown and warm for the best flavor.




Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
Mix together dry ingredients.
Add milk, butter and egg.
Mix well.
Allow to rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.
Heat a griddle or skillet on medium high heat.
Butter the cooking surface and spoon pancakes.
Flip when they stop bubbling and are golden brown.

Find all of my pancake recipes here.
Reader favorites include:
Red Velvet Pancakes
Confetti Pancakes

Must Make Overnight Oats Recipes

I have a confession to make.
I never eat breakfast. Mornings are hectic here, and I am not a cereal for breakfast kind of woman. Who has time to actually cook first thing in the morning? Not me!



I resolved to change that in 2020, I am going to make this the year of breakfast! Especially now that I have stumbled into the world of overnight oats by mistake!

Since I am confessing things to you, let me tell you this. I have always hated oatmeal. I have held onto the opinion that it only belongs in cookies or cakes for years. I picked up a huge canister of oats for no bake cookies, and discovered that instead of quick oats, I got old fashioned. What a drag. This massive canister of oats has been taking up space in my kitchen for months now. I decided that I had to use it, and I started looking for ways to do just that.

I made a batch of overnight oats, intending to pawn 3/4 of it off on my husband, while patting myself on the back for eating breakfast. I had no idea a super easy batch of Brown Sugar Overnight Oatmeal would change my views on oatmeal and breakfast.

Now I am hooked and I can't stop making overnight oats! I have gathered some delicious recipes to share with you, and I know you are going to love these easy breakfast options!



Raspberry Almond Overnight Oats by Tastes of Lizzy T
Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oats by Love Bakes Good Cakes
Cranberry Orange Overnight Oats by Hello Little Home
Banana Nut Overnight Oats by A Night Owl
Clementine and Cocoa Overnight Oats by The Foodie and the Fix
Banana and Peanut Butter Overnight Oats by Amuse Your Bouche
Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats by Happiness is Homemade
Chocolate Pudding Avocado Oats by Om Nomally

Which of these sounds yummiest to you? Do you make time for breakfast? If not, I hope you will join me in making 2020 the year of breakfast!

10+ Crafts for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is coming up on January 25th, and these fun crafts are perfect for creating with the kids to celebrate in style!



We love Chinese New Year because it happens in the winter, and it gives us something to celebrate and learn about at a pretty dull time of the year for us. My husband is down because I will naturally make something awesome for dinner like egg rolls or peanut butter chicken over fried rice.


This list has something for everyone; literally! From the cute and easy paper fortune cookie to a stunning mason jar lantern; there is something for every skill level in this collection! I can't wait to hear which is your favorite craft!




Mason Jar Lanterns by Mod Podge Rocks
Chinese New Year Tangrams by My Craftily Ever After
Paper Plate Chinese Lanterns by In the Playroom
Rooster Craft by Crafts n Coffee
Egg Carton Dragons by Happiness is Homemade
Homemade Chinese Gong by Kid World Citizen
Chinese Take Out Box Craft by Create Craft Love
Chinese New Year Shakers by In the Playroom
Chinese Dragon Puppets by Crafts n Coffee
Paper Fortune Cookies by Mad in Crafts

If you have a fun idea for Chinese New Year, I hope you will leave a comment to share it!


You might also like this paper fortune cookie craft.


Easy Ways to Improve Your Family's Diet in the New Year

Feeding a family is tough. You might have fussy eaters and busy schedules to attend with. It can be
hard to find time to cook at all, and it’s always tempting to stick to the same meals that you know
everyone enjoys and you can prepare quickly. But this isn’t always good for your diet. 


Even if most of your meals are healthy, eating the same things all of the time reduces the nutrients in
your diet. It can also increase fussiness, and the chances of your children at some point, developing an
unhealthy relationship with food. If you are worried about your family's eating habits, making
improvements doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, there are plenty of easy ways to make positive
changes. Here’s a look at some of them. 


Cook from Scratch
Credit - CC0 Licence


As busy parents, it’s easy to buy ready-made meals, and easy to cook jars of sauce. But, these meals
are often filled with salt, sugar and preservatives. They are rarely as healthy as you’d like. Cooking
meals from scratch means that you know what you are eating, your diet is free from processed foods
and preservatives, and that you’ve got an easy way to add some extra vegetables and nutrients. 


Introduce New Ingredients


Cooking new meals, and introducing new ingredients can be daunting. Learn how to make fresh
pickled okra and other fresh foods that you might not have tried before. Look online for new meal ideas,
and if you see something new, whether an ingredient, meal or snack, while you shop, give it a go.
Introducing new foods and flavors doesn’t have to mean changing your whole diet, it can be adding bits
here and then when you see something that appeals to you. 
l,
Eat as a Family


Eating as a family is one of the best things that you can do when it comes to improving your diets and
relationships with food. Commit to eating meals together as much as possible, leaving phones and other
devices in another room. If possible, eat around a table, without other distractions. Cooking as a family,
and getting your kids involved in the process can also help. 


Prepare Healthy Snacks
Credit - CC0 Licence


Snacking is often where even families that spend time cooking healthy meals fall down. When we’re
busy, it’s all too tempting to reach for a quick snack, instead of preparing something fresh. But, these
snacks are often unhealthy and filled with sugar. Keep ready chopped crudités, fruit salads, yogurts
and other healthy snacks prepared and ready to grab. 


Think About Your Family

All of us have different habits. If you want to improve your family's diet, you need to first look at what is wrong with it. Do you eat together? Do you rush breakfast? Do you eat on the go a lot? Is there too much salt or sugar in your diet? Do you eat chips most days? Look at your diet, and write a list of things that you could do to improve — focusing on small, sustainable changes, and fun experiments with new things.

Design Your Own Play Doh Ornaments

Kids of all ages are sure to love this Design Your Own Play Doh Ornaments project. It is perfect for holiday crafting and turns out so cute everyone will love to display these!


I am crazy for all things play doh, so naturally I had to make something for Christmas from my favorite craft material. These ornaments are so easy! They will have you saying, who knew you could not only draw on play doh but you can bake it too?!

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These easy ornaments give kids a chance to design their own addition to the Christmas tree! Made with basic supplies this is the perfect project to do with the kids for minimal mess this holiday. 


You can make your own white play doh, like in my super soft play dough recipe, just leave the food color out, or to make this activity really easy during a generally already packed holiday season, just buy cans of white play doh.


To make these design your own play doh ornaments you will need
Supplies
white play doh
washable markers
cookie cutters
bakers twine
A pen or stick to poke a hole with



Directions
Roll the play doh out to be about 1/8" thick.
With your cookie cutter of choice cut shapes of doh.



Poke a hole in each ornament so that it can be hung after completion. I used an ink pen to make my holes.



Use washable markers to draw on the designs.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Allow to cool.
Thread bakers twine through the hole and display on your tree.



Find all of my Christmas crafts here
Reader favorites include:
Button Tree Ornaments
Mickey Mouse Jingle Bell Ornaments