When we were kids, my mom would whip up this cold, delicious, refreshing and healthy drink for us, and I loved it so much.  I imagine she came up with it in a desperate attempt to satisfy our sweet tooth when we were out of our regular treats. 
But who knew that 35 years later, smoothies would be a staple in our household!

I started making it for my own kids when they were little, with the hope of giving them some extra nutrients.  And also hoping that my "particular" (i.e., picky!!) girls would realize that fruit is delicious!  Unfortunately, they aren't falling for it just yet, but my fruit-loving son requests Grammy's Banana Drink often!

Grammy's Banana Drink
1/2 frozen banana
some frozen pineapple
fresh squeezed orange juice (or store-bought is fine too!)

Blend banana and pineapple together and add orange juice until desired thickness.  Mine tend to be leery of green drinks, but if your kid will go for it, add some fresh spinach!! 

I started incorporating essential oils into our daily routine when my kiddos were little and bringing millions of germs home from daycare and school!  My sweet boy struggled with recurrent ear infections and I was willing to try anything I could to keep him healthy and to avoid yet another round of antibiotics.  

There's some interesting science behind essential oils.  When applied topically or inhaled, they are absorbed into our bloodstream and are able to be distributed throughout the body.  Various oils provide so many benefits to support our systems and organs!  

We have a few favorite oils here in our house, particularly this bedtime blend, which is combination of several oils and blends.

Thieves oil is a blend that dates back to the 15th century!  It is a combination of cinnamon, cloves, lemon, eucalyptus and rosemary, and is known for it's anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.  

Tea Tree (Melaleuca) oil has germ fighting properties too, but it also promotes healing.

Cedarwood oil has many benefits, but I like it for its sedative properties because it promotes restful sleep!

Peace & Calming oil blend contains tangerine, orange, ylang ylang, patchouli and blue tansy.  The oils in this blend promote a peaceful, calming environment.  (I have also used and love the Serenity blend from Doterra in place of this oil blend.)

In a roller bottle, I combine 
- 10 drops of Thieves
- 5 drops of Tea Tree
- 5 drops of Cedarwood
- 3 drops of Peace and Calming (you could also use the Serenity blend or any other similar oil blend.)
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In order to avoid skin reactions, it is best to dilute the oils with a carrier oil, such as coconut oil.  I top ours off with olive oil due to a tree nut allergy in our house, but fractionated coconut oil is a great option because it absorbs well into the skin and is soluble with essential oils.  

Each of my kids has this roller bottle next to his/her bed and they apply to the soles of their feet at bedtime.  I also like to do a swipe down the spine, as it can help to reduce inflammation and kill viruses and bacteria that may be setting up camp there!

​I will note that I do not sell essential oils, I just enjoy using them!  There are several reputable essential oil companies out there.  I recommend doing your research and finding the best one for you and your family.  While I am certainly no expert, I have come to appreciate the support that essential oils can provide for our overall health and wellness.  XO

Whenever I am asked what food I would bring with me to a desert island, I always have to answer "COOKIES!"  Hands down my favorite food to eat, and also my favorite treat to bake.  Christmastime is a great excuse to get my bake on and I take full advantage!

Several years ago, we started a cookie decorating tradition, just for 5 of us.  I bake a bunch of cut-out cookies and we spend hours listening to Christmas music, making a huge mess of icing and sprinkles, taste-testing our creations, and just soaking up some family togetherness.

I bake the cookies a day or so in advance.  These recipes are in my recipe binder from years ago, and I don't even remember where I found them!  They are tried and true, hard to mess up, quick, easy and don't require refrigeration before baking.  My kind of cookies!

You can see from the stains on the pages how much love they have been given (and how much love we have received from eating them!).

I follow this recipe pretty closely, with the exception of salted vs unsalted butter.  Am I alone in liking a bit of a saltier sweet?

Also, no need to freeze them for five minutes, but go ahead and do it if you're a rule-follower.

For the icing, I mix powdered sugar with milk until it's a good consistency.  Go easy on the milk!  Much easier to add a bit more milk than to run out to the store to buy more powdered sugar.  We use a variety of food coloring to make fun colors.  I put them in individual ramekins or plastic cups and we use plastic knives to spread the icing on the cookies.  We have accumulated lots of sprinkles over the years, so I just add a few new ones as needed. ​

 I bought disposable cookie sheets this year and that turned out to be a great idea!  When finished, we just threw them in the recycle bin with all of the sprinkle mess! 

We always have so much fun doing this together!  Even our pup joined in this year.  I hope you give these recipes a try and share them with your family too!  Merry Christmas!  XO

,Hi everyone! Over quarantine, I've had a lot of extra time on my hands. I was looking for things to bake, because I didn't really feel like making the classic brownies or sugar cookies. I looked all around the internet for cool recipes, and that's when I started baking more complicated pastries, like macaroons and a chocolate souffle. My friend Olivia also really likes baking, and around the time that school started, I saw how her treats were decorated all cute, and I wanted to try out decorating. My brother asked me to make a "Giant Cookie," as we call it in the Sallaberry household, and I saw that as the perfect opportunity to make a fall-themed decorated cookie. I hope you enjoy the recipe too!

Love,
Molly

Molly's Cookie Cake
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 can white icing
Gel food coloring

Cream butter and brown sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Add flour and salt and mix until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Dump batter on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  Put another piece of parchment on top and roll the cookie dough out until it is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.  It won't be a perfect circle, and that's okay!  Bake at 350 until just barely browned (it takes about 12-15 minutes in our oven).

When finished, let cool and decorate with icing.  An inspirational message is encouraged!  XO

**This recipe is adapted from The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Spreads.

My kids love breakfast, which is a bit ironic since Dad and I don't eat until noon.  But I do enjoy making their favorites for them, and they've probably been a bit spoiled since we have not had to rush out the door for the past four months! 

Some of their favorites include "Mom's Waffles," "Grammy's Pancakes" and these adorable "Mom's Mini Pancakes!"  

These pancakes have no sugar, so I feel good about them eating them for breakfast (or let's face it, sometimes lunch or dinner too!).  I do add a few mini chocolate chips for extra fun (and thus a bit of sugar), but they are still delicious without.

Here is how you make them:

Mom's Mini Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour (I used a mix of white whole wheat and all purpose)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix the above ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk with a fork:

1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.  Next, add:

3 tablespoons melted butter

Stir until mixed well.  For mini pancakes, drop by tablespoons on a skillet or griddle.  Add chocolate chips, if desired, before flipping.  Serve with warm natural maple syrup for dipping!  Freeze the leftovers for another day!
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Makes 36 mini pancakes, which is about 5-6 servings at our house.  ENJOY!  XO

Last school year was the first year I had a day off with no one at home with me and all three kids in the same school.  Thursdays were MY DAY to finally do something for myself.  You know what most Thursdays consisted of?  Me missing my kids and surprising them after school with fun treats!

A friend of mine taught me how to do this back in high school, and I have been making them ever since.  My kids LOVE when I make these fun cupcakes.  Here's how you do it!

1 cake mix, any flavor
eggs
oil
water
12 ice cream cake cones
1 can frosting, any flavor
sprinkles, of course!

Preheat oven according to cake mix directions.  Cover a 9x13 pan tightly with foil and use the tip of some scissors to cut 12 small slits, and push the ice cream cones through the openings.
Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil and water according to the directions on the box. Fill the ice cream cones halfway with batter and bake according to the recipe directions.   Allow to cool completely and then decorate with icing and sprinkles!

Surprise your kids with these someday and let me know what they think!  ENJOY!  XO