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bates nut farm 2012

Yesterday morning we took a drive to Bates Nut Farm with auntie Jinger, uncle Geoff and baby Bri. It wasn’t an ideal crisp Fall morning but we dealt with the 80º temps and crossed a few of our Fall bucket list items off our list! This year was slightly different from last year since I was twenty-eight days out from my official due date, little did we know our little pumpkin would arrive a week later. It was fun seeing all the kids interact, enjoy the hay ride and Payton was slightly scared of the few actual scary scarecrows. After three hours we called it a day, we made some great memories and look forward to next year when all the kids are walking!

pumpkin steel cut oatmeal {recipe}

Like every other pumpkin loving fiend out there I have found myself trying to incorporate the beta-carotene packed purée into just about anything. I would love to indulge into a silky slice of custardy pumpkin pie everyday, however, my waistline would not thank me. I began The Dailey Method Fall 30-Day challenge this past Sunday and with that came a plant-based whole/clean eating meal plan. So far on day three I am enjoying the change. My biggest problem no matter what day it is or what kind of meal plan I am following, breakfast is always the hardest meal for me. I love cheerios with sliced banana and maple oatmeal. Since I am following the diet 99% of the time I mixed my Fall favorite with a breakfast item I know I will eat. I introduce to you, an overnight slow-cooker version of pumpkin steel cut oats.

Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
inspiration from the yummy life

ingredients:

1-3/4 cups plant based milk such as unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked Bob’s Red Mill steel cut oats
1/4 cup Wholesome Sweetners maple flavored agave (Sprouts)
1 can organic pumpkin purée (trader joe’s)
1 tsp vanilla
2 TB pumpkin pie spice
1 TB chia seeds (I used whole chia seeds not ground)
toppings: chopped toasted pecans and walnuts, agave, fresh fruit, toasted pumpkin seeds, organic frozen blueberries.

directions:

If your slow-cooker will fit a medium sized heat safe mixing bowl go this route, if not spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and mix until combined. Place the bowl into the slow cooker and fill water into the slow cooker around the bowl, about half way. Set your slow-cooker onto low and cook for 7 hours. I turned mine on at 11:30 PM and it was all ready to go for the hubby before he left for work at 6:30 AM.

The oatmeal is really thick, you can add in additional almond milk if you wish. I added in a swirl of maple agave and nuts. It was perfect and really filling.

*I prepped the mixture earlier in the evening so all I had to do was place the bowl into the slow cooker late at night. I will be doing this a lot more, it was nice having breakfast ready for all us before we even woke-up. Great for busy mornings!

fisher price house party

Over the weekend we had the pleasure of hosting our friends for a great play date sponsored by Fisher Price. This was my first house party experience and I couldn’t be any happier with the way it turned out! Fisher Price hit the ball out of the park in terms of creating a spectacular party for the hosts. My family was sent the infant package which consisted of four amazing Fisher Price toys that encourages learning and imagination.

Each guest was welcomed with the recognizable Fisher Price shapes and logo and went home with a swag bag filled with great information about the products the children played with, valuable coupons and a sing-along CD of all our favorite children’s songs.

The kids quickly got to playing in our playroom, they loved all the Fisher Price toys that were available to them. I made sure to have all our family favorites out as well. Soon it was time for snack time. I served a light brunch since the party began at 10:30. I served Honest Tea pouches for the kids and tea for the mom’s. I also had my favorite Wilson Creek almond champagne available for mimosa’s. I may or may not have kept drinking them all day long.

To make the day of the party a lot smoother and less stressful I prepped my favorite brunch items of baked french toast and egg cups. Both items were introduced to me from my friend, Danielle. The versatility of the egg cups is great and you can literally use anything that you have on hand. I opted for crumbled turkey sausage, zucchini and onion.

I love the Laugh & Learn Apptivity Monkey. It works with your iPhone or iPod touch. There are five free apps that work with the monkey or without.

The laugh & learn stride-to-ride puppy has been a great transitional toy for Brayden and as you can see the almost three-year-old Gigi loves it as well.

Our family favorite is the cruise and groove ballapalooza. The music is fun and gets the kids dancing and it encourages hand-eye coordination.

I also had a cupcake decorating station setup to further Fisher Price’s joy of learning moto. The girls loved this and would have loved to put the bag of frosting straight into their mouths.

The best idea I had was to place paper onto the floors as a coloring canvas. The kids used it as a picnic area to eat their food and then took to coloring themselves silly.

When I think of Fisher Price I automatically think of the Little People. Payton wanted her princesses to watch over the cupcakes.

Overall, the mid-morning Fisher Price play date was a success. I cannot thank everyone enough that attended the fun. If you’re looking for gift ideas for the little ones in your life I cannot recommend the above mentioned products enough. They are great for ages six months to thirty-six months.

melissa & doug suspend game {review}

Melissa and Doug is one of my favorite brands for children’s toys. They encourage imaginative play and the quality is top notch. Melissa and Doug has released, Suspend, a new family friendly game that requires balance and a steady hand, it’s a great addition to your family game night.

Suspend comes with twenty-four rubber ended wire rods that requires balancing them on the table top piece. It might look relatively easy, but like most stacking games it’s harder than it looks! This game makes for a fun evening with the kids or even for mom and dad to play once the kids go to bed. The game is recommended for ages eight and up but Payton easily understood the concept and stood on a chair to play.

Melissa and Doug offers an array of toys starting at birth and goes well above age eight. They have added an outlet to their website that offers 40% off their classic toys. Begin your holiday shopping now, you will not disappoint a loved one by gifting Melissa and Doug.

Win a Suspend Game!

Melissa and Doug has so graciously offered one My PB+J reader a Suspend game in the first birthday giveaway bash package!

This giveaway will begin on October 15th and will run through the 21st. Make sure to come back during those dates for your chance to win!

Disclaimer: I received a Suspend game for review purposes only. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally use and believe my readers would enjoy.