Simply Obsessed Archives - Simply Happenstance

Triple Berry Smoothie Pops

August 16, 2015

Triple Berry Smoothie Pops // For School Lunches

Well, it’s hard to believe… but summer vacation is officially over for my crew. Boy that went by fast! Two months out of school surely wasn’t enough! We fit in a couple road trips to far off places, a week of VBS, and some time visiting with close friends. Besides that…. we soaked up the down time together.

I’m still in denial about the school schedule and extra curricular activities. I don’t personally love being tied down to a schedule, so it’s something I struggle with every year. We’ve embarked on quite a few big changes in our family… one being the start of middle school for my oldest (wish us luck)! I hope to update the blog with photos of our summer adventures and news about this new chapter in our lives. Until then… let’s talk school lunches!

I have to admit that I fell into a rut last year when packing their daily lunches. My oldest is pretty picky and won’t eat typical lunch items. I found myself making three to four different lunches every day. My goal was always to provide them with a healthy variety of foods, but towards the end of the school year… I was completely over it all!

This year, I’ve started thinking about different things I could include to mix things up. I watched a few videos on school lunches, including this one from 100 Days of Real Food. I really appreciated her ideas about making at least one thing in their lunches ahead of time (like soup, homemade uncrustables, muffins, or even frozen smoothie pops)!

That brings me to this post! I purchased these super cool silicone mighty pop reusable holders from Sunsella. They’re durable, dishwasher safe, and easy to use! Simply fill with your favorite smoothie recipe, freeze, and pop into your kids’ school lunches!

I don’t tend to use smoothie recipes… I prefer throwing in the fresh/frozen fruit that I have on hand. I always add a few things to make them even healthier, too … such as almond milk, coconut water, greek yogurt, nut butters, and/or chia seeds. I included some helpful tips, links to buying the molds, and also a Triple Berry Smoothie Pop recipe for you to try out! Happy lunch packing, friends!

TIPS & LINKS //

Mix up your favorite healthy smoothie recipe and use a funnel to fill your silicone molds. I used this funnel from Oxo. (There is also an optional strainer you can attach to the funnel for those of you that have picky kids that don’t like chunks of fruit in their frozen pops). I used these Sunsella Mighty Pops for the mold.
Leave approximately one-inch of room at the top of the mold to allow for expansion once the smoothie mixture freezes.
Freeze overnight or for a minimum of 4-6 hours.
Depending on your insulated lunch box, the pops may stay frozen, or turn into a cold drinkable smoothie!
This is a simple recipe that the kids can help with! From my experience, if they help, they tend to be more open to trying new things!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Triple Berry Smoothie Pops

A simple way to add healthy smoothies to your kids' school lunches!

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: School Lunches

Servings: 6

Author: Simply Happenstance

Ingredients

2 cups of coconut water
2 cups of fresh or frozen berries I used strawberries, blueberries and raspberries
1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1-2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients into your blender.
Blend on high for approximately 1 minute until smooth.
Add in more coconut water if the mixture appears too thick.
Using a funnel, pour smoothie mixture into silicone molds. (I used large plastic tumblers to hold the molds in place while I poured in the liquid.)
Leave one-inch of room at the top of the mold to allow for expansion when the smoothie freezes.
Place lids on molds and freeze (standing upright -- I placed my tumblers in the freezer) for 4-6 hours.
These can be made ahead of time and used as desired in school lunches, for quick breakfasts, or for snacks!
Enjoy!

Summer Nails

June 2, 2015

:: Summer Nails ::

For those of you who really know me, know that I have a nail polish addition. Between kids, schedules, life, I hardly make it a priority to get my nails and toes done. Instead, most often than not, I enjoy doing them at home. I am super picky in regards to polish color, brands, and most of all variety. I am a complete Gemini that loves pretty summer nails. Here are some of my favorite colors and products that I use to create a good at home summer manicure and pedicure.

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DIY Oatmeal and Lavender Bath Soak

March 4, 2015

DIY // Oatmeal and Lavender Bath Soak

Yay… It’s mid-week! All I’m dreaming of is a little rest, relaxation, and a warm bath {alone} tonight! If you’re a mom, you’ll especially appreciate the “alone” part! Am I right? It seems that every time I draw a bath for myself, I have at least a couple of my kids come in, splash their hands in the water, and ask if they can take a bath. It’s far from relaxing! So tonight, my plan is to take a secret bath {when everyone falls asleep}, immersing my body in this simple DIY bath soak!

I love a good bath soak, but they can be expensive to buy… and sometimes there are unwanted added ingredients. I first made this Oatmeal and Lavender mixture for my littlest guy, Finn, over Christmas. He had pneumonia and ended up with an itchy rash all over his body from an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. On Christmas morning, my heart was broken looking at his sweet face and little body. He was literally covered in an uncomfortable rash from head-to-toe. I decided to make my own bath soak to help soothe his skin and lift his spirits. It definitely did help, which is partly why I’m sharing it with you today!

I have since made this recipe a few times. I have used locally grown dried lavender, as well as, {kid-safe} lavender essential oil, from Plant Therapy. The bath soak has turned out great, regardless of which kind of lavender I have used. So my advice to you, is to use whatever you have on hand, or can find easily! [Read more…]

Blueberry Pear Smoothie

January 8, 2015

Blueberry Pear Smoothie //

It’s so funny with the New Year, one instantly feels the need to refresh, tweak a few things around, and try a little harder… for instance with healthier eating. Am I right? I know for me… even without compiling a bunch of resolutions, I ALWAYS have the urge to clean up my act in the eating department, come January! I think I’ve seriously tried it all, you guys. I’ve done an elimination diet, become completely vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free… I’ve even done two back-to-back rounds of the Whole30! Yikes! Sort of crazy…. I know!

Well, this year is really no different. I started off thinking I may attempt 100 days of Real Food with a dear friend of mine, but I’ve already thrown in the towel. Before you feel sorry for my lack of commitment, please know that I don’t plan on eating ding dongs all day {do they still make those?}. Instead, I am just going to do my best. That.Is.All. After all, I think I know what to do at this point… and I’m sort of over following guidelines.

So, with that being said… I picked up this lovely Juice/Smoothie recipe book from Barnes & Noble over the holidays. {It was in the bargain section, which made me like it even more!} It’s a really pretty book… I highly recommend it for the pictures and for recipe inspiration!

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Contentment… My Word for 2015

January 6, 2015

Contentment // My Word for 2015

It’s been a while… simply too long, in fact, since I’ve shared a post of our life in photos, or shared my heart through words. I thought the freshness of the New Year was the perfect time to do both. {Hello, 2015!}

If you follow our blog regularly, you may remember that last year I shared a focus word for the year. For 2013… my word definitely would have been TRUST. For 2014, I chose BEAUTY… and for 2015, what seems to be foremost in my heart, is seeking CONTENTMENT.

// Contentment: a state of happiness and satisfaction //

Can we add a little peace to that definition? I for sure could use a little more of that in my life…

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UncommonGoods Holiday Gift Guide + Giveaway!

December 15, 2014

UncommonGoods Holiday Gift Guide // GIVEAWAY

Hi, friends! You are sure in for a treat today! We have a holiday gift guide + GIVEAWAY, to share with you, from the wonderful folks at UncommonGoods!

It’s not everyday {or every month for that matter!} that we decide to promote a company and host a giveaway on Simply Happenstance. We are pretty particular about the brands we endorse and the businesses we suggest to our lovely readers. We want to make sure that if we’re giving our ‘thumbs up’ to a company or product… that it’s really worth your while to check it out!

Well… UncommonGoods definitely has our support! We encourage you to take a look at their “unique gift ideas and unusual gifts!” The items are perfect for the person on your list that is hard to buy for… or for the individual that already has everything!

This terrific company uses “business as a force for good!” Are you wondering how they do that? Well… you can fully read their mission statement {here}… but in a nutshell, UncommonGoods hopes to change the way that business is conducted by making sustainability a part of every decision they make. For example… the products on their site are carefully selected from artists and small manufacturers that are made in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. They feature products with recycled components and do not offer products that harm or hurt humans or animals. In fact, approximately one-third of their entire collection incorporates recycled or upcycled materials! Futhermore, most of the products they carry are created right here in the United States! One of our favorite parts of the company, is that UncommonGoods has created the “Better to Give” program. This allows you to select a non-profit organization to receive a $1 donation {from them}, when you checkout. How great is that?!

As a part of this UncommonGoods gift guide and giveaway, Nicole and I were given a few fabulous items to review! Nicole chose two of their Moscow Mule Mugs, while I chose the Define Bottle and their Animal and Monster Hand Tattoos! All items came packed securely and were high in quality! I wouldn’t hesitate to send a gift to someone you love, directly from their site! You won’t be disappointed! {Check out our Instagram feed to see photos of the goods we received and love!}

While preparing for this post, I delved deeply into their site, paying special attention to their Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers, and gifts priced under $50. What an amazing, unique selection! There are truly so many fabulous gift ideas offered by UncommonGoods! {There’s still time to order for Christmas!}

We thought it would be fun to highlight our gift giving choices for the foodie in your life {since we are mainly a food blog}, as well as, for the kids you adore {since we are parents, too}! Without further ado… here they are!

FOR THE FOODIE //

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