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Christmas Cookies recipe + D.I.Y gifts

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I love Christmas time. Not only for the magic and tinsel but also the food. The warm aromatic spice-filled food. Actually just make that all food. Today I’m sharing with you a very quick and simple recipe for festive cookies that make the perfect gift for teachers, neighbours, plates of food for class parties, etc. They taste like what I imagine Christmas would if it had a flavour. Each bite is full of texture, warm spice and deliciousness.

Christmas Cookies recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 1/3  cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup oats
3/4 cup chocolate buttons/smarties (we used red and green)
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp McCormick ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp McCormick ground Nutmeg
½ tsp McCormick ground All Spice
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD – Standard Cookies
1. Pour all dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. Mix egg, butter and vanilla extract into dry ingredients.
3. Use spatula or large spoon to work it all together.
4. Roll cookie dough into table spoon size balls, place on baking tray (lined with baking paper) and bake at 180°c for approx. 10 minutes or until golden. If you want crunchy cookies leave for an extra 4-5 minutes.
5. Let cool for a few minutes before moving them to cooling rack.

METHOD – Mini Muffin Cookies
1. Follow steps 1-3 as shown above.
2. Spray/grease mini muffin tray.
3. Roll balls to approx. 1/2 teaspoon size and add to mini muffin tray. Bake at 180°c for approx. 7-8 minutes or until golden.
4. Let cool for a few minutes before moving them to cooling rack.

Gift Ideas

Cookies In a Jar
1. Layer all the dry ingredients in a jar.
2. Put some Christmas ribbon around it.
3. Add cooking method including wet ingredients for the gift recipient.

Method for tag: Pour dry cookie mixture from the jar into a bowl. Mix 1 egg, 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into dry ingredients. Use back of large spoon to work it all together. Roll cookie dough into tablespoon size balls, place on baking paper lined trays and bake in preheated oven 180°c for about 10 minutes or until golden. Makes 24 cookies.

*This recipe is thanks to McCormick.

Wrapped
1. Cut a piece of baking paper large enough to fit a few cookies in.
2. Pull the baking paper up around the cookies and secure with some Christmas ribbon.

These are great gift ideas as they are cheap, easy to make and delicious!

You can find more recipes and gift guides on All Mum Said.

Nature’s Path to wellbeing + giveaway

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I’m a self-confessed cereal lover. Yes I am 27 and I love cereal, especially as a late night snack when the kids are in bed. My family and I have recently been trying the new range of organic cereal from Nature’s Path and for something that is so good for you I was expecting it to taste like dirt or cardboard in all honesty. I have been pleasantly surprised though and absolutely love it, nothing like dirt (or cardboard) at all. This is great news for time poor families who still want to eat healthy, organic and enjoy great tasting food.

While not every breakfast we serve up here at home are this nutritious (yes some are the sugar riddled favourites), we do try and keep them to a minimum. The kids want their food to have flavour and the new Nature’s Path range is a happy medium for us all. It is quick, healthy and tastes great! All of the Nature’s Path products are made from wholegrain ingredients, GMO free, are organic, Kosher and Vegan and most are also gluten free. I think they have covered almost every concern a parent (or anyone in general) could be concerned about.

Nature’s Path also understand that as everyone is so busy these days that most don’t have time to bake or create healthy snacks for lunches, afternoon tea, etc. everyday. With this in mind they have added the Envirokidz organic bars to make it easy to grab something healthy on the run (or for the kids lunches as I presume they are supposed to be for), they are really tasty. B1 and B2 have been taking these to school and have loved them, they are now on our shopping list. If you want a healthy start to the day check out the Nature’s Path range here.

 Nature’s Path

3x PRIZES UP FOR GRABS

Each Prize contains: 1x Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, 1x Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Gorilla Munch Corn Puffs, 1x Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Chocolate Koala Crisp. Total prize pool: $67.50.

**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you are wanting to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received the above items for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

Back to School with That! + GIVEAWAY

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For most families school is now back into full swing and life is returning back to its normal routine. In our home the afternoons consist of homework, outside play, dinner, showers and the making of lunches in preparation for the next day. I try and mix their lunch options up to keep it exciting and interesting but the one thing that is always requested is something from the That! range. They don’t care if it’s a That! Dairy Snack or a That! Milkshake, they just want one of them which is quite alright by me because I know that they are a healthier option in comparison to many other products in terms of kids lunch snacks. I like the fact they are convenient, great portion sizes and the kids will always eat them meaning no transferring them from lunch box to fridge continually like many of their yoghurts do!

As I have mentioned previously on Mad Mummas blog That! Dairy Snack is lunch box friendly, it’s gluten free, contains no preservatives and is a great source of calcium (made with Aussie Milk!) and is 98% fat free. The fact it doesn’t require refrigeration and can be enjoyed straight from the cupboard makes it ideal for not only school but also car trips, camping and when on the go. If you haven’t already tried them make sure you enter the giveaway below for your chance to win some or if you can’t wait that long add them to your shopping list this week! *That! are also running a giveaway on their website so once you have entered the one below pop over and enter that one too!* and just to sweeten the deal a little more enter their facebook giveaway away as well.

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Giveaway ~ I have 5x That! Product Prize packs each containing: 24x Pouches of That! (4 of each flavour of That! Dairy Snack and That! Milkshake) plus an exclusive branded That! apron. RRP $70.00 to giveaway to 5x deserving Mad Mummas readers. Total Prize Pool $350!

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To enter all you have to do is follow the instructions on the rafflecopter below.

1.Winner is decided based on skill and chance plays no part.

2.Australian residents only! Sorry everyone else.

3.The mandatory instructions MUST be completed or your entry will be void!

**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries. It’s good karma though and I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post however all opinions are my own.

Healthy Eating with Bellamy’s Organics

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Healthy eating for babies, toddlers and children is a massive topic of discussion at the moment and has been for the past few years. Bellamy’s Organic has heard mothers asking for more pure products for their babies and have delivered. Bellamy’s Organics are a family operated Tasmanian business that started in 2004. They are the only certified organic brand that offer a 100% Australian made babies’ and childrens’ range from birth. They are 100% certified organic by NASAA.

Their range is quite extensive and has something to suit everyone – formula, milk drinks, cereals, fruit snacks, porridge, pastas and the new range of ready to serve pouches. The pastas were a big hit with my kids; my 4 year old who isn’t a big fan of vegetables didn’t even realise the alphabet pasta or macaroni were made from vegie goodness! He thought they were delicious and what kid doesn’t want to eat pasta in the shape of different letters?

 The dried fruit were also a big hit for school and snacks during the day. They are made with 100% Australian fruit, no added sugar and packaged in convenient resealable pouches. The fruit sticks (organic pinkies) were also very popular among the young ones that frequent our home.

I cannot really fault Bellamy’s Organic products at all especially when they offer so much goodness for babies and children around Australia. Bellamy’s Organic products can be found in Coles, Woolworths, Big W, Chemist Warehouse and Toys R Us. They can also be purchased online and delivered to your door.

GREAT PRODUCTS THAT ARE GREAT FOR OUR KIDS!

Have you found a new brand of product that are healthy for your kids that you just love?

Back To School With That! Dairy Snack + Giveaway

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Back to school is the hot topic at the moment and it doesn’t matter whether it is your first child, last child, grade 1 or grade 7; lunch and snacks are a very important aspect of their day.

It is vital to cater to your childrens dietary needs and of course their likes when organising their lunches. I say likes as well because it doesn’t matter how good the food may be for them, if they don’t like it they won’t eat it. I always ensure I give Declan a variety of foods that swap and change regularly to prevent him getting bored with his lunches.

 

One day his carbohydrates might be a sandwich, the next he might have fried rice or pasta. He will have a piece of fruit that is swapped and changed daily, also a yoghurt or snack pack and a few other things to fill the lunch box. I am always on the lookout for new snacks and I was lucky enough to have recently been introduced to a new dairy snack that provides as much calcium as half a cup of milk (that is 20% of the required daily calcium of a child). It’s called That! Dairy Snack.

There are a few things about these snacks that grabbed my attention besides the calcium intake; they don’t require refrigeration which means mums don’t need to worry about them spoiling before kids get to eat them at lunch (they can be found in the long life juice isle at Woolworths), they can be frozen, they are 99% fat free and gluten free! They come in 2 delicious flavours – Wild Chocolate & Cool Bananas, which my kids absolutely love!! What I love most is that they don’t cost a fortune, they retail for $1.89ea but almost every time I go to Woolworths they are on special for only $1!

The only fault I can find is that the kids find them a little bit difficult to initially crack the seal but once they have been opened they can open and close them as they please. I however love the resealable lids as it means there is no wastage if they cannot finish it all at once.

That! Dairy Snack has a great competition running at the moment. Make sure you enter their giveaway for your chance to be pampered – it’s quick and easy to enter!! Pop over now and ‘like’ their facebook page here.

 

What snacks do your kids love in their lunch?
 Disclaimer: I received no cash payment for this post. I did however receive a box of each flavour (as seen in pics) for review purposes. As always all opinions are honest and my own. Competition has nothing to do with my blog, I just wanted to share.

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