New Cereal, More Protein

Looking for an easier, yummy way to get protein in your breakfast.  Love sweetness in the morning? Try this new Fiber One cereal!

#BzzAgent #GotitFree

New Potato Salad (Free of all that gross stuff)

 Gross Stuff Free Potato Salad

So, my mom makes this potato salad, this isn't it.  My mom's potato salad is one of those old staples and at every family event she is asked to make it. There is never any left, everyone loves it.  But I can barely stand opening the fridge when it's in there. The smell alone! This isn't that recipe.  That recipes is full of super boiled potatoes, mayo, hard boiled eggs, yuck!  Salad should be fresh! It should be refreshing, it should have green in it!  So, here's my healthier, happier, yummy, yuck free version of potato salad.  Looks good right? Yes. Much better.

Recipe:

1-2 pounds of New Red Potatoes
2-3 TBS Dijon Mustard (I also used this maple dijon mustard, sweeter and yummy!)
2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar (with Mother for more yum!)
2 TBS Olive Oil
1 bunch Green Onions minced
 Small Sweet onion minced
3-4 stalks of celery minced

Boil your potatoes whole for 15 minutes until fork tender, still firm. Rinse with cold water. Let cool a little so you can cut them into quarters. Mince up all your veggies while the potatoes are boiling. In another bowl, like a mad scientist, mix your mustard, olive oil and vinegar until you taste it and want to swim in it in delight. I usually play around to find the right amount of acidity and flavor so the measurements are flexible. The potatoes will stop sticking together once you toss in your dressing (this also makes a great salad dressing in general. (Oh and try plum wine instead of vinegar sometime, yum!)  Mix them all together until well incorporated.  If you aren't sure you want so much onion, add it in a little at a time till you are happy.  Like hardboiled eggs? Add those too (but I think they are yucky!)

There it is, the yuck free potato salad, giving you onion breath you are in love with, not regret!

What do you put in your potato salad?

Tummy Troubles and What It Means For Delicious Treats (Amazing Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread)

I have tummy problems. It sounds pretty tolerable to say it that way, but truth is, the pain and discomfort I feel on a regular basis had made the past year quite distressing, depressing and frustrating.  Doctors are slow to come to a real answer and my symptoms are wide and changing.  Right now, its a toss up between IBS, Gluten Intolerance, Lactose Intolerance and probably at least a mixture of all three, if not something else entirely.  While on the medical front, I've had a few ER visits, multiple doctor visits and no answers, on the home front I have tried to be as proactive with my health as possible.  I take glutamine for my intestine health, a probiotic, and exercise daily, (I play Roller derby too! More on that later!)
Recently, I found Fennel Tea, which honestly, seems to really help with cramping and bloating, I recommend it, although I was quite skeptical at first myself, I now drink at least three cups a day. Heather's Tummy Tea is actually quite affordable and makes the whole thing easy, although you could also just brew your own lose fennel, that is how I started.

 I also found cutting out gluten and cutting down on dairy helped A LOT. Plus, I lost at least twenty pounds! Nice side effect.  But, I am a gluten lover. I mean, me and bread are best friends, we made our own loaves and went through two or three a week in my household, that's gluten love! So, it was a bit depressing to leave my gluten behind and I've been determined to find yummy, awesome alternatives since.

 Cue my Chocolate Banana Bread! ( Really, you can leave out the cocoa powder and have normal banana bread too, but who wants that?!)  I don't feel like this is a replacement at all, it is as good if not better than the wheat banana bread I use to make and better for you!

I know, I know, get to the recipe. You've got it!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

3 cups Gluten Free Oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats )
( Blend them into a course flour we have a ninja blender and its magically)
1/2 Cup of Walnuts also ground small (or omit if you don't like nuts)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-5 very ripe bananas (I say the more the merrier!)
1/4 cup natural applesauce
 1 tablespoon coconut oil
 1/3 cup of maple syrup  (if you want to use brown sugar you can)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup cocoa powder ( or not if you want regular banana bread)
2/3 cup Chocolate chips ( or not, up to you!)

Grease a 9x5 pan, Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dries together. Mix and blend all wets together making your banana only slightly chunky. Add dries to wet, until well incorporated, then add chocolate chips. Bake for 35-40 minutes.  When it comes out, cool in pan for 5-10 minutes then take it out and let it cool the rest of the way on a wire rack.  If you can wait that long.  I can't.

I do not think you are going to be disappointed.

Momma Morgan is Back and has a New Groove! Bzz Agent Away!

So, I recently became an agent with Bzz Agent! and have started my first campaign! Carton Smart is very cool way to buy, store and use soups and other liquids, that might usually come in a yucky, heavy can!  I'm in love already! I mean look at how much more organized my cabinet is!

I am a big foodie and make at least one big meal for my family every day, usually more, not to mention the baked goods. So I look forward to trying out these soups and broths and sharing my recipes here.  I am especially interested in gluten free things, since I've been having terrible tummy issues since the birth of my baby girl! (More on that later.) So, catch me here for gluten free recipes, new products to look out for, thanks to my friends over at BzzAgent.com and lots of cool family activities, arts and crafts projects and more! I am one busy lady!#gotitfree

Oh No! It's Summertime!

Moms and Dads find themselves looking into the eyes of their kids trying to figure out how to occupy them for the ENTIRE summer. Sure, you can go out for ice cream, visit the zoo, the pool, but after awhile the magic wears off, and you've done all the summer traditions. Don't forget to craft it out with your kids! Lots of stuff is easy and kid friendly, or at least will keep them occupied for a little while. (Like peeling the paper off crayons for the Crayon Revival Craft.) While I'm going to post some ideas here that I keep in my arsenal, remember, the library is your friend and lots of Children craft books exist there.

These ideas are from a Kid's craft book called "Eco Art" and I liked them because most of the stuff you are already going to have around the house.  No need to hit up the craft store and drop money on pom poms. It's also stuff you're kids can help make and then use or learn from, and who doesn't want their kids learning all summer long?

May your craft adventures be vast and colorful. And feel free to contact me with questions!

Tips on Crayon Revival: I used soda cans that I cut the lid off of instead of soup caps, I found it helpful because I could bend the can to make a spout and pour the melted crayon.  I just used cupcake liners like is suggests but if you have some funky shape baking sheets made from silicon, you could make some pretty cool crayons.  I mixed my colors and even made designs and layers, the kids can help decide how to pour.  I used an old saucepan so I didn't have to worry about rogue crayon ruining my good cookware, it was a smart idea. But I'm super messy!

Squid-Stitch- A Cross-Stitch/ Acrylic Paint Experiment

Read, Write & Spread It!

Nice Quotes from the documentary: Class Act, about the importance of art education. You can check out the documentary at www.hulu.com type in Class Act, it’ll come up. I highly recommend it.

But for now, let’s just muse about teachers and the arts… Read these quotes but then take a minute to respond with who your favorite or most memorable teacher was, which teacher was most important, why? How did they change your life…

“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” –BB King

“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.” –Albert Einstein

“We need to reconnect the sense with the mind and that’s what art education is about; it is about cultivating the capacity to notice what is subtle but significant.” –Dr. Elliot W. Eisner

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” -Dr. Seuss

“No matter what you decide in your life to do, you’re always an artist.” –Jay W. Jensen

“The teaching artist is someone who could do nothing else but this. It is an artist that is aware that art is about social responsibility; that art is about connecting people.” –Jason Duchin

“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” –Twyla Tharp

“Where would any of us be today without teachers?” –Jay W. Jensen

What teachers are you grateful for?

I’ve been lucky to have some great teachers throughout my life, but I’ve had a few that have really opened my eyes to the arts and myself.

*I wouldn’t be where I am today without Mr. Mellow, my high school art teacher who’s tough love approach matched my stubbornness. And who’s giving nature and ability to present me with new mediums and materials on a regular basis, fed my endless curiosity. He pushed for me to go to art school.

*Jason Bagatta, the first teacher I had, on my first day of college classes at Chester, I continued to have him for almost every semester I attended and learned immensely about arts and life from him and his classes.

*Jeffrey Carson, at the Aegean Center for Fine Arts, the English guy, the History Guy, the Writer Guy, there wasn’t anything this man didn’t know about and couldn’t make a dirty joke to go along with. This man is a quote factory and has lead quite an interesting life.

*Jay Bordage: he opened my eyes to film and I could have taken his class a hundred times and still learned something new. I'll never forget the day I saw *his* work for the first time and felt truly privileged to be learning under him.

Of course, there are many others, I can applaud Chester College and The Aegean Center for being full of wonderful teachers and incredible artists. So I’m lucky…

Who is your favorite teacher and why?

Easter Egg Art

Let's have an Easter Egg challenge! See just how creative you can get with the beautiful little white surface.

I made two red ones in honor of "Greekster" (Greek Easter) because they dye all their eggs red.

Maybe after you've all made your Egg Creations, taken pictures and shown your Egg Pride you could try this Greek Easter Egg Game. (I played it in Greece at Easter time.) Here's how it goes:

Cracking Eggs

In Greek culture, eggs are usually dyed on the Thursday before Easter. This particular Thursday is called Red Thursday, or Kokini Pempti. Nothing is done on Good Friday. No one works or cooks. You basically act as though someone in your own family has died.

So you've got your eggs, it's Easter Sunday, and you're rearin' to go. Here's what you'll need to know:

* It takes two to crack eggs properly.
* First, you and your partner must chose your eggs. you want an egg that seems as though it would hold up to a good beating.
* Hold your egg in your fist as though your fist were an egg cup.
* You will want to chose which side you want facing up first.
* Tops will smash tops and bottoms will smash bottoms.
* All actions are done vertically.
* Next, decide who will try to smash the other's egg first.
* It is very important to attack your partners egg head on, otherwise it is considered cheating.
* If you have succeeded in cracking your partner's without cracking your own, you get the next hit. (If you started tops, bottoms are next).
* If no one's egg has cracked, your partner gets a try.
* The winner is the one with the least damage.
* The top winner is the one who's egg has withstood it all. Unless of course you are really wanting to eat your egg, because you can't crack it on your own unless it's the very last egg left!.
* Remember to have fun.

We'd even make wishes before beginning battle and the one to win, had their wish come true!

Share your egg fun! Get creative! And Smile!

P.S.
*Did you know? -- A great way to color your eggs red is by cooking them in red
onions?

Lavender Octopi On The Loose!

These guys are filled with stuffing, rice, lavender flowers and oils. If you put the octopus in the microwave (don't worry, they like it!) for thirty seconds, the rice gets real warm and they are even more cozy to snuggle. Love lavender? Love Octopi? Best of both worlds. Want one? Email me.

Stringballs- Snowballs- Glitterballs!

So Martha Stewart has this great idea. I tweaked it a little. Let me show you how to make really cool string balls. These can be left white, or covered in glitter, hung by string as a christmas tree ornament, given as a present, or used to make snowmen. I can think of a thousand uses, what can you come up with?

First, let me show you how to make the string ball. The basics.

You'll need little balloons. The water balloons work best. I got these!


Blow one up!


Spray with any cooking spray you have (try to stay away from flavors though.)


You'll need some string like this. But maybe you'll experiment with different kinds!


Tie the string on the balloon end.


Dab a little bit of glue on the other side.


I use PVA glue because I'm a book making freak and this stuff will really hold your ball together. You can use elmer and other kinds, a little watered down (water down your PVA a little too) but I thought PVA did the best job.


Start to wrap your string around the balloon, going through the glue dab to hold the string in place at first. Don't wrap too tight, but don't wrap too loose. You'll get it!


Keep wrapping, make sure you move the string around, try to cover the whole surface area. the more crossed points the stronger your ball will be!


When your ball starts to look covered, or like this. Cut the string!


Dab some glue on the string end to hold it down.


Take your PVA and small amount of water mixture and start to spread it across your ball with a brush. You'll be able to see the difference in the wet and dry string.


Make sure you cover the whole ball!


When you are finished let it dry on wax paper or clip it up from the tie.


After if it dry, you want to pop the balloon with a needle.


But take care, if your balloon isn't dry, this will happen!


You want yours to look more like this.


Once you pop the balloon, you want to untie of snip the string holding the balloon tie and then gently pull the balloon out. (Sometimes you have to do some fishing)


Well now you've got a pretty white string ball. What will you do with it? This one is covered in Green Agate glitter. (Not sure I like it, but I had some lying around so I thought I'd try.)


You can make different colors to match your tree. Glittering them is as easy as wiping the surface with more PVA/water and then sprinkling to your liking.

I hope you like my craft! Tell me what you did with them!

Squidbears Are Ready To Adopt! Read Their Stories And Join The Family!

Squidbears are ready to be adopted for a $40 dollar adoption fee (including their adoption certificate and the shipping cost for getting them safely to you.) And Hugo, a very special squid, is up for negotiation. Can't let him go easily, he may be one of a kind in size!

If you are interested in one of these squids, please contact me soon, or less they might just end up at ellO gallery, sadly waiting for a mum or dad there. Save a squid. Join the family!

Banks the Squidbear

His full name is actually Mix Master Banks and he’s the freshest squidbear there is out there. But while Banks may be a master on the turntables, he’s not all hip-hop and experimental beats. Banks favorite show is Fresh Price of Bel-Air and he has all the curious George books every made. Keep that in mind next time you’re watching the DJ lay down some phat beats.

Truman the Squidbear

Truman is splendid companion, although quiet a gossiper. He is most known for his culinary mystique and loves to eat five star seafood. Although he hopes calamari is never on the menu and for good reasons! Truman hopes one day to open a spa where any cephalopod can come and get his tentacles massaged and waxed, he believes that everyone should always look and feel their best!

Teddy the Squidbear

Teddy was the first squidbear to ever emerge into the human realm, so you might say he is braver than the rest. They didn’t come out of hiding until he’d called them up in the ocean depths and told them the coast was clear. Teddy has been curious from the start. He’s always wondered about life beyond the great blue and has his sights set on being the first squid in space. Help him call up NASA, won’t you?

Edna the Squidbear

Edna the squidbear is the calm and proper sister of Teddy. She loves spending her time reading romance novels from the Tudor period and can’t get enough of Queen Elizabeth I sorted past. Edna is so enthralled she often speaks with “thither” and “where for art thou,” thrown in and swears in another life she was one of the royal family.

She expected to be treated like one now.

Toby the Squidbear

Toby is the most honest, easy going squidbear you’ll find. He’s likes to spend his days chilling out, counting bottle caps and whistling. (He’s really good at it.) There is nothing really deep or troubling about Toby. He likes to go fishing and tells good stories. He’s a perfect best friends and even better squid. Thing is, his color is the brightest thing about him but what he lacks in smarts he makes up for in heart.

Princess the Squidbear

Most often heard saying, “Do my tentacles make me look fat?” Princess the Squidbear lives up to her name in everyway imaginable. She expects to be promptly woken at eight everyone morning and lives off a diet of kale and king crab only! (Although I’ve seen her sneak in chocolate every now and then.) She has impeccable taste in jewelry and evening wear and believes she looks best in winter.

Sydney the Squidbear

Sydney the squidbear can find it hard living in his big brother, Hugo’s shadow. Of course when your brother is a colossal squid, it’s hard not to find yourself literally in his shadow all the time. Sydney secretly dreams of being a superhero or a knight, any sort of heroic figure that saves damsels and makes it in all the papers. But as superheroes and knights seem out of date, he’s thinking of being a fire fighter.

Snorf the Squidbear

Now before you scuff, its important to know that Snorf is from the arctic and his name is very common there. Snorf actually means “ice master” in Arctic Squidbear and Snorf is a very important squid. He is singlehanded responsible for the Squid Winter Olympics that take place every four years in the Arctic and has one four gold medals himself for his breathtaking tentacle ski skills. He is, however, afraid of polar bears.

Hugo the Colossal Squid

My dear, the day Hugo was born certainly was a very important day to remember. Never before had such a large Maker Squid been seen and some say, never again. (But who knows if myth is right or not.) What is obvious, is that Hugo is a very special squid indeed. He loves to wrap his tentacles around people and is known for his great hugs and wonderful snuggling techniques. While Hugo may be huge, he is very timid and sweet.

Holiday Crafts!

Lollipop holly!

Simply take some green yarn, with three lollipop sticks crisscrossed, and tie them together.

Weave the rest of the yarn up the sticks to make sure they don't budge. Tie off.

Cut out three holly leaves from construction paper and hole punch a hole into the bottoms of each one.

Slip the holly leaves on the lollipop sticks through the punched hole, and take another length of green yarn.

Weave the sticks again, behind the holly leaves, make sure they stay on and tie off. Cut off extra string.

Ta-da! You get holly lollipops!



Egg crate surprise balls!

Everyone loves opening presents, big or small, its exciting to see what will be inside. I fill these little egg crates with a hershey kiss and a little note, like a fortune cookie, for the person, but you can get creative. Fill it with confetti, money, earrings, whatever you can think of. Its a recycled and unique little way to wrap a gift.

Cut out egg crate so two bottoms fit together.


Color and decorate the two halves, however you like. I just used crayola markers.



Place a kiss and a note, wrapped around it, inside the egg crate.


Cut a length of red and green yarn (or whatever you wish to tie it with)


Double the yarn.


Hole punch a small tag and write the name of the person on it. Feed onto the yarn.


Make a bow with the yarn, and ta-da! You have a beautiful little gift!