Fun Bento Lunches

Lunches I made for my children a few days ago.

Pinwheel sandwich with black olives, fruit, and cheese butterflies

Curried chicken and rice with black olives and fruit

Pinwheel sandwich with black olives, fruit, and cheese mickey mouse in a Laptop Lunches box.

Rainbow Cupcakes and Cutie Marks

We were inspired to make My Little Pony rainbow cupcakes by Ro at Nerdy Nummies.  See her video here.

We used the Pillsbury Moist Supreme cake mix following the directions for the egg white only recipe.  Leaving out the yolks allowed the colors of the batter to be more vibrant.  Especially since our "home grown" eggs have such bright yellow yolks.

Then we split the batter into six bowls and colored each one with food coloring.  About one half spoonful of each color went into each cupcake wrapper.  

After baking and cooling it was time to decorate.  See below for the results as well as the MLP cutie marks created by my 10 year old son.

My oldest (19) colored and decorated these.

Here come the MLP cutie marks!  I was impressed my son decorated these completely on his own, frosting, cutting out the shapes and all.

Rainbow Dash's cutie marks

The 3 diamonds is for Rarity; the blue star is Twilight Sparkle; and the three orange "apples" in the upper right is for  Apple Jack.

Apple Jack

Pinkie Pie on the lower left

Fluttershy 

One of the proud bakers

My 12 year old colored her own icing to make these lovely pastel creations

The one in the lower left is SO HAPPY to see you!  

Greek Orzo and Grilled Shrimp Salad

Here's what we had for dinner tonight.  The orzo salad is very tasty.  I also served it with a Greek picnic that I had last Summer.  

It was very fast and easy to put together.  I'm still feeling under the weather from the flu so it was a group effort.  My daughter (12) chopped the vegetables and my husband grilled the shrimp.


Greek Orzo and Grilled Shrimp Salad with Mustard-Dill Vinaigrette
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/greek-orzo-and-grilled-shrimp-salad-with-mustard-dill-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:
3/4 pound orzo, cooked al dente
1 large cucumber, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil, plus additional for brushing shrimp
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
16 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Directions:
Combine orzo, cucumber, green onions, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Place dill, vinegar, and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the orzo mixture and stir well to combine. Gently fold in the feta cheese.

Heat grill to high. Brush shrimp with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for approximately 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Divide orzo salad among 4 take-out containers or plates and top with 4 shrimp. Garnish with additional dill.

Global Green USA Green School Makeover Competition Presented by Pureology

Pureology is having a contest to win a green makeover for your local school
You can enter at http://bit.ly/VzWAQh

When you enter, it will ask for at least 3 pictures of your school and ideas on how you feel the makeover could best be used to benefit your school.

I entered today and it was pretty easy.  I'd love to see our local school get updated with energy efficient fixtures and a green conscious teaching program.

Info from the Pureology website:
"Every child deserves a learning environment that’s safe, comfortable and free of harmful toxins. Unfortunately, many schools across the country lack the funds to carry out much-needed repairs and renovations—subjecting children to outdated facilities with improper ventilation, poor lighting and inefficient energy usage. Global Green USA is working to address this situation and ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn in a healthy, green school.

When a school goes green, children benefit—as well as the environment! Green schools lead to:

Improved student performance. When children learn in classrooms with natural daylight, improved sound quality and non-toxic building materials such as non-VOC carpets and paints, test scores can improve as much as 20%. Attendance also improves!

More funds for student resources. When green upgrades are made to a school, water and energy costs can be reduced by as much as 40%. These savings can be channeled back into resources that directly benefit students, such as textbooks, computers and other essentials.

Reduced carbon footprint. Greening a school significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming."



This is a sponsored post; I received no compensation.

Influenster Beauty Bloggers VoxBox 2012 Review

I was thrilled to receive the Influenster Beauty Bloggers VoxBox for review.

I'm having some trouble with my camera so I'm going to use the official pictures with a link to illustrate each product.

First, my favorite item was the Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream.  This really holds the curl in my hair so well.  I wore it to work and several people asked me what I had done differently and one person asked me if I had used a curling iron!  That's quite a reaction for just using a different product.

I've already used up the sample and bought a full sized tube to replace it.  It's very reasonably priced.

The scent is grapey without being sweet.  I think it would smell better if there was a bit of sweetness to the scent but it is still a pleasant scent.  It does not leave my hair stiff or crunchy.

http://www.nymbrands.com/products/kinky-moves

I also received a Bath and Body Works Mini Candle.  The scent I received was Black Pepper and Bergamot.

The candle itself is good quality with a strong and long lasting scent.  I will buy Bath and Body Works candles again because of this.

The Black Pepper and Bergamot scent was not my favorite.  It was very manly.  I could imagine this scent fitting nicely in an old fashioned study with nice woodwork and leather chairs.  It's a nice scent but not what I would choose.

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=11128744&cm_sp=FO-_-Home+%26+Candles-_-Mini+Candles+&cp=12586994.12936192

The Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin is something that I had seen in the stores but hadn't purchased because I wasn't sure how it worked.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The spin pins easily spin into the hair and I was happy to find that they also spin right back out (without catching or snarling) even with curly hair.

The spin pin didn't work perfectly to create an unstructured updo, but for other buns it is very effective.

http://www.goody.com/Products/Hair%20Accessories/Simple%20Styles%20Spin%20Pin

I was very excited to see the NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact in Dark.  This compact comes with a primer, illuminator (a white cream shadow to add brightness) and 4 shadows ranging from silver to black.

This is a cool kit because it has the colors to coordinate for a complete look.  It has a reasonable price and is long lasting.  The primer sometimes has some creasing.  I will pick this up in other colors when I find it at the store.

http://newyorkcolor.com/products/eyes/eyeshadow/individualeyes-custom-compact

The first thing I picked up and used when I opened the box was the Vitabath Fragrance Mist in Asian Orchid and Coconut scent.  I sprayed it on my wrists and when I rubbed them together I noticed that it was very silky and smooth.  It turns out that is because it has conditioning vitamins and antioxidants.  So not only did it smell great but it was also good for my skin!  I definitely notice the difference over using a standard body spray.

http://www.myvitabath.com/Product/InBloomASIANORCHIDCOCONUT8ozBodyMist

The final item that I received is the Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit.  This is a false eyelash kit that comes with the eyelashes, adhesive, and an applicator.  Interestingly it's created from human hair.  The adhesive is applied to the false lashes and allowed to partially dry before being placed on the lash line.  I like that this removes the possibility of dripping glue in my eyes. : )

http://www.myvitabath.com/Product/InBloomASIANORCHIDCOCONUT8ozBodyMist

Disclaimer:  I received these products free to test and provide my opinion.  No compensation was received and the opinions presented are my own.

Fun Pics from the Boston Aquarium

Win a Keurig and Kindle Fire!!

With Fall and Winter approaching,  Mom of One and Having Fun, Oh My Goodies Freebies, There's A Contest 4 That, Freebie Spot, Pardon My Poppet, For Him and My Family, and a number of other bloggers, decided Mommies everywhere will be desperately trying to get away from the cold and take a break from reality. We are giving one lucky winner a Kindle Fire and Keurig's Platinum Plus Brewing System.  You will be able to enjoy a nice, freshly brewed cup of coffee, morning, afternoon or night. Curl up next to a fire, read any book you like on your new Kindle Fire and relax with your cup of coffee. Now doesn't that sound nice? Giveaway is worth $400!!! Who Wants to Win?!

The Kindle Fire Details (from Amazon):
Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon's revolutionary, cloud-accelerated web browser

• Over 20 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books
• Thousands of popular apps and games, including Netflix, HBO GO, Hulu Plus, Pandora, and more
• Amazon Silk - ultra-fast web browsing over built-in Wi-Fi
• Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content
• Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle
• Fast, powerful dual-core processor
• Favorite children's books, graphic novels, and magazines in rich color
• Amazon Prime Members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming on thousands of popular movies and TV shows. 
• Kindle Owners' Lending Library - with Amazon Prime, Kindle owners can choose from more than 145,000 books to borrow for free with no due dates, including over 100 current and former New York Times Best Sellers and all 7 Harry Potter books 

Keurig Platinum Plus Details (from Amazon):

• Single-cup home brewing system for use with patented K-Cups
• One-touch control panel; blue backlit LCD display; digital clock; programmable on/off
• 5 brew-size options; adjustable brew temperature; removable drip tray
• Blue-lit removable 60-ounce water reservoir; descale indicator; dishwasher-safe parts
• Measures 13-4/5 by 10-2/7 by 13 inches; 1-year limited warranty

We all know you probably didn't read the details and just want to win... So here's the rules!

-Be honest on ALL entries- They WILL be validated.
-18 and older, USA and CAN may enter, void in Quebec-
-Winner will have 48 Hrs to respond. Failure to do so, forfeits all prizing rights.-
-This is a month long giveaway, so come back for more entries daily!- 
-Have fun and enjoy!-

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special Thanks To: The Midwestern Housewife, This Girl's No Expert, Coupons and Freebies MomHealth, Beauty, Children and Family and Frugal Washington Mommy.

*DISCLOSURE* No Compensation was received for this post. My opinions are my own and may differ from yours. Products listed are NOT sponsored by Kindle, Keurig, Amazon, or any other company. This Giveaway is NOT Affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. Please note that only Mom of One and Having Fun is responsible for shipment/prize fulfillment. There will be no monetary value given instead of products. Mom of One and Having Fun is in control of the Rafflecopter. If there is a problem on the RC please visit Mom of One and Having Fun and comment on the SAME giveaway post. Thank you and enjoy!