Monster Eyeballs! {Purple Berry Macaroons}

Happy Halloween peeps! Everyone knows that Halloween means you're in for a sugar overload. If your a mom you know that the entire month of October means sugar overload central, prepare the insulin for a diabetic coma any second sort of situation. Seriously. I volunteered at my 3rd graders Halloween party (still amazed someone hasn't petitioned, rallied and picketed that it be renamed "Fall Harvest Festivities Celebrations") and the amount of cookies, cupcakes, candies, fruit punch and crackers that were involved made me cringe.






Why people? Why must Halloween be associated with buckets or pillowcases full of sugar? Every year I struggle with either not passing out anything at all (which I just can't bring myself to do) or handing out prizes and toys which I tried one year and got egged for the trouble. Damn teenagers.


Which coincidentally brings me to cookies. Obviously. Am I a hypocrite? Possibly, but I'm talking macaroons people. Yes, coconut is a sugar, natural or not. I've debated this to death and am standing my ground that...

a. Yes, sugar is sugar but all things in moderation.
b. Not all sugar is created equal, natural is better than processed.
and
c. I like coconut so who gives a crap.

 Creepy, [naturally] sweetened cookies. 

Berries + Coconut + Bananas & Chocolate = ?

Deliciously spooky monster eyeballs of course! Frieking out your little ones is just an added bonus.

These come together in minutes, literally. Confession: I am not the worlds greatest baker. Anything involving sifting, fluffing, or basically measuring precisely quite frankly puts me off. 

These macaroons I made with ease with the help of my 4 year old, who oddly enough 'loooooveees' to bake.

You could use marshmallows which honestly would probably hold their shape and color better than these bananas did but I wasn't going for show quality here. 

I used a bigger, restaurant type straw to punch holes in the center of the bananas so that the

chocolate pieces would stay put. I used chocolate covered Acai berries to put in the middle but

any type of small chocolate candy will work.

Recipe from Leanne at Healthful Pursuit

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES      BAKE TIME    30 MINUTES      YIELDS    24 COOKIES

Ingredients 

2 teaspoon freshly ground chia seeds3 tablespoons water1 cup frozen mixed berries1 tablespoon honey½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut1 banana, sliced with holes punched into the middle of each slicechocolate covered Acai berries or other chocolate pieces 

Instructions 

1. Combine chia and water in a small dish and set aside.

1. Preheat oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.

1. Add mixed berries, honey, and extracts to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Begin to stir constantly until liquid reduces to half and it fairy thick but not syrupy. Remove and place in a medium-sized bowl.

1. Add chia mixture. Add coconut and mix with a spoon until it’s completely coated.

1. Place tablespoon amounts in the palm of your hand and work into circles. Press down to make into a coin shape and place on the prepared baking sheet.

1. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

1. Remove from the oven and place banana and chocolate piece on top.

1. Return to the oven and cook for 2-3 minutes. 

1. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the cookie sheet and placing on a cooling rack.

Skinny Mummy Cake Balls

Easy Halloween cake balls made light by using a box cake mix, egg whites and fat free Greek yogurt – no no butter required!

Madison is having a Halloween party in school and I'm in charge of bringing the cupcakes, so I thought cake balls would be perfect for 4 year olds – and less mess than icing on cupcakes.  For an easy Halloween theme I decided to go with mummies and I think they turned out pretty darn cute. These are super easy – if I can make them so can you!

Cake pops were made popular by the very talented Bakerella who I'm actually going to meet next week, I'm so excited! Her cake pops are just darling and if you ever buy her books she's got tons of ideas. The traditional method of making cake pops is by crumbling cake with frosting and forming them into balls. My skinny version is so much quicker – I simply use a cake pop pan.

I played around with a few cake pop pans and machines out there and realized they are not all created equal. After testing out several, I had the most success with the Nordicware cake pop pan, which is only about $17 at Target. I actually own two so I can bake them both at the same time.

These are FAR lighter than traditional cake pops, but you'll still need some self control as they are dipped in white chocolate. Candy melts (available at Michael's) were used to coat the balls. They usually melt perfect for me but this time it was a little thicker than I liked so I had to add a drop of oil to thin it out. I may play around with other brands of white chocolate to see which melts the best.

One tip from making these several times: if you don't need to decorate so many cake balls you can bake them all and decorate what you need, then freeze the rest. Then thaw them to use for another day.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Candy Corn Fruit Parfaits

A delicious Halloween treat that's light and easy to make. If you need an idea for a healthier Halloween dessert at your next party – look no further!

Confession: I strongly dislike candy corns. As a kid I was always disappointed to find them in my trick or treat bag. But candy corns are such great inspiration for Halloween treats and decorations, I just had to share this.

You basically layer orange and yellow fruit in clear cups and top with whipped cream. I used mandarin oranges and pineapple because I love the combination, but you can also use mangos, melon, oranges – whatever. These cute little jars I found in Homegoods are perfect to use as cups, but you can use clear disposable plastic cups if you are having a party.

For a whipped topping that is lighter than the average whipped cream yet not full of "fake" ingredients I've been making this light whipped topping by whipping my cream and folding in Greek yogurt. Cuts the fat down and tastes delicious!

If you prefer to use whipped topping, go for it or if you want to have this for breakfast I say just top it with vanilla yogurt. But for dessert – I wouldn't change a thing! Hope you try this, you will LOVE it!!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Prelude to Fall: Great DIY Ideas and Photography

Living in the desert, it's really hard to get your fall fix on. So I have to live vicariously throughout the Internet, pinterest and my friend Becky whom I try to visit in Indiana during the fall months. The fact that it stays in the 90's for most of the fall season around here does not stop me from my obsession with boots, jackets and big chunky scarves. I make excuses to go out in the cooler evenings just so I can wear them without looking quite so ridiculous. I nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw that one of my favorite bands, Calexico is coming to Flagstaff and Prescott in October where it is much, much cooler than here in Phoenix. 

I'm already packing. 

These are some of my favorite fall photos and projects   I've been collecting from all over the web. What did I do before Pinterest?
Are you already on Pinterest? Follow me here.
Want to get in on the action? I'll send you an invite. Their rules. Not mine. 

My 2 year old daughter just saw this picture and said "Ooooooooo Ooooooo, Pretttttyyyyy!"

Great. Now I have to buy this... or learn how to be creative.

Prettiest Scarecrow ever from  here

decorating the house inside and out with fun toys

I bought these cute WICKED blocks from here 

FUN!

easy shrunken heads tutorial found here. 

Halloween parties in the cool crisp air.

cute witches broom party favor bags here.

i just love cool kids places like this. so do my kids. photo found  here.

Lovely orange door and entry from   Rusty Blue Bird

Pumpkin Topiary tutorial found at Midnight in the Garden of Evil

for the love of Granny bags. photo found  here

Time for a cup of home made

cider, boots and falling leaves

Pottery Barn gets it right every time. i love this.

Pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns and hayrides.

i love everything about this photo. The gorgeous jack-o-lanterns

the cool old tree. The solitude of the landscape. 

You can actually feel the chill in the air can't you?

My friends, What are you excited for about FALL?

Share your ideas and traditions with us.