Random Thursday

My two kid-free days are Tuesdays and Thursdays. After dropping the kids off at 7:45 am I get the day all to myself until around 3 in the afternoon. But I don't remember going back to bed at all since school started. Too many things to do - gym, bath, make beds, laundry, vacuum, etc.

So I am now one of them. I started collecting our toilet paper rolls for any possible crafts or DIY home decor in the future. The future is now. I had enough toilet paper rolls to make my own wreath.

I don't know how many rolls I used, nor did I know how long it took for me to do both wreaths but I know I  was able to do my usual Thursday chores + gym and finished these projects before I went to pick up the kids.

Here they are:

After picking the kids up, I also tried a recipe I found on.... that's right, Pinterest.
Thanks to Chef in Training I found Baked Apple Pie Egg rolls.

Lemon juice, peeled and diced apples, flour, cinnamon and all spice.

Added brown sugar and honey. 

Baked Apple Pie Egg Rolls

Ingredients: 

(T - tablespoon;   t - teaspoon;  C-cups)

2 apples (I used granny smith & red delicious)

half of a large lemon, juiced and seeds removed

1/3 C brown sugar (brown sugar is a personal preference)

4 T flour 

2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t all spice

1/8 t iodized salt

15 egg roll wrappers

1 egg, lightly beaten

Below is the brand of egg roll wrapper I  used. It comes in a pack of 25. I usually keep this in the freezer and just defrost it in the microwave or thaw it before use.  

The original recipe also had a dip but I didn't bother to make it. I am happy with the end result. 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Peel and chop up apples. Add to a medium bowl. Add lemon juice and mix well to avoid apples turning brown. Add remaining filling ingredients to bowl and stir together until well combined. Allow mixture to sit for about 10 minutes.
3. Lay 1 egg roll wrapper onto a clean surface or a large plate. 
4. Spread 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon of the filling across one side of the prepared egg roll wrapper. You do not want to over stuff these.
5. Fold the sides over and brush with egg wash. Carefully roll filling tightly in the wrapper and press gently to seal.
6. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and coat with a thin layer of cooking spray. Repeat until all the filling and wrappers have been used.

 7. Bake egg rolls for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. During the last 5 minutes of cook time, pull out and roll  in melted butter and then roll in cinnamon and sugar. Put back in oven for remaining 5 minutes. Serve warm. 

I was able to make 15 out of this recipe. 

Cheap & Healthy Alternative

So we all do it, we go to Pinterest, pin here and pin there. Healthy foods here and there. Money-saving ideas here and there.I must admit I am one of those. So I have been pinning new food ideas, DIY home decor ideas, crafts kids can do and so fort. 

The school has started and I now have some a couple of days without kids and work so that means some free time right? Free time to clean the house, vacuum, even shampoo the carpet more often, steam clean some nasty spots and even the car. 

And time to finally put those new ideas to the test. 

Here are a few things I tried and my feedback. 

No Flour Black Bean Brownies

thanks to Chocolate Covered Katie

It was still hot straight out of the oven. I took a small piece and let hubby try it without telling him what it was made out of. "Is that brownies? That is really creamy but not soggy or wet. Tastes good too." Those were his exact words. Hubby is not a chocolate person AT ALL! Oh, you don't have to ask me or my daughter, we love chocolate on anything or anything that looks like chocolate or has chocolate on/in it. My son loves it too. 

Next one....

Chocolate Chip Blondies

thanks to Chocolate Covered Katie

Made out of chick peas and quick-cooking oats and chocolate chips of course. This and the black bean brownies are now part of our weekend menu. Need I say more? 

PB-Banana Ice Cream

I can not remember where I got this idea. It has been a while back. Ingredients? Peanut butter and bananas. That's it. I did not make it exactly that way though. 

Here are the ingredients I used:

3 Cut-up and frozen over ripe bananas

1/2 C Peanut butter (I used Jif Creamy)*

1/4 C instant or quick cooking oats*

1/8 t vanilla extract

*Ingredients can be adjusted according to preference. 

And with the help of my Ninja blender I made my very first homemade ice cream. I love it and so did my kids. Today was very humid so it was perfect for some ice cream.

And even if I am watching our budget I was still able to indulge myself in these yummy-licious food. All ingredients used here are already in my pantry... in abundance. 

Enjoy!