Jello Jiggler Easter Eggs

I had to throw this last Easter idea out as you are preparing your menu for Easter dinner. For many people, Jello is a go-to salad for holiday dinners. This is a fun way to make Jello different...Jello Jiggler Easter Eggs.

For more fun Easter ideas, check out Tuxedo Bunnies, Chocolate Bird Nests, Bacon & Eggs (candy) and Chocolate Bowls for Ice Cream Sundaes.

Jello Eggs are fun.

So, here's how you do it...

What you need:

Jello Egg Mold

1-1/2 Cup Boiling Water (do not add cold water)

1-6oz pkg Jello, any flavor (suger free works great!)

TECHNIQUE:

Spray insides of both sides of egg mold with non stick spray.

Close mold, snapping each of the 6 egg halves together, making sure that each egg is closed and sealed.

Place on tray with fill side up.

Add boiling water to gelatin in 2 cup measuring pitcher.

Stir for 3 minutes or until completely dissolved.

Pour into smaller measuring cup with pour spout if large one is too awkward.

Immediately pour into mold through fill holes until each egg is filled just to top of egg shape.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Gently and slowly open the mold. Once the seal is broken, wait a few seconds and the eggs will separate from the mold. Turn mold over and gently shake while holding close to a plate and the eggs will drop out.

 Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves, shredded lettuce or cabbage or colored coconut, with whipped topping on the side.

Printable Recipe

For more fun recipes and holiday ideas Click Here and Here.

Happy Easter! Don't forget the reason for the season!

  

Tuxedo Bunnies

This is the week for Easter treats, so even though I am eating healthy and juicing this week, I will post some fun Easter treats for your celebrations this weekend. You have to check out these awesome Chocolate Bird Nests...so fun, so crunchy, such chocolaty goodness!

You might also like these Homemade Chocolate Bowls, which are perfect for serving ice cream sundaes.

So here are Tuxedo Bunnies. I'm not a huge fan of plain marshmallow peeps, but all dressed up in formal chocolate attire, they are pretty darn good! This will be a hit with both kids and adults.

If you are putting them in Easter baskets, I would recommend either wrapping them in plastic wrap or putting them in a plastic sandwich bag. If the chocolate gets warm, you don't want chocolate rubbing off on everything else in the basket.

I do recommend keeping them at room temperature. While the chocolate is good in the fridge, marshmallow gets hard when cold...and no one wants a hard marshmallow bunny!

You can use regular chocolate chips or melting candy; I used melting chocolate discs. You can use any round candy for the tuxedo button; I used a red hot.

These are fun to serve along side of an ice cream sundae in a chocolate bowl or as a centerpiece standing guard in a circle around a nest full of eggs.

However you display them, they never last long. So, have fun and enjoy them.

Happy Easter!!


Update: Here's what we do with the leftovers...Bunny and Chick s'mores!!

30 seconds in the microwave…

Gives you warm, gooey marshmallow and chocolate on a soft graham cracker.

For more recipes and fun holiday ideas Click Here and Here.

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Chocolate Bird Nests For Easter

Yes, I’m still juicing and eating healthy! Yesterday I made three batches of Easter treats and didn't lick my fingers once!Wow! I don't know if that is a great accomplishment or sad that I missed out on the chocolate that was all over my fingers. Seriously, it was fine. I am committed to juicing and eating super clean from now til Easter, then I will enjoy Easter dinner (and treats).

We typically host Easter dinner; this year is no exception. For dessert, I decided to go in a fun direction this time. Yesterday I made Chocolate Ice Cream Sundae Bowls, Tuxedo Bunnies and these Chocolate Nests.

Fair warning, this is gooey! If you are one of those people that doesn't like your hands getting messy and sticky, then you need to recruit someone to help you with this one.

What you need:

1- 24 oz bag Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

2- 12 oz bags Chow Mein Noodles

1 bag Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs

Wax Paper

Technique

Pour half of the bag of semi sweet chocolate chips into a medium sized, microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir choc and continue to microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until fully melted.

Pour 1 bag of chow mein noodles into the bowl with the chocolate. Gently stir together until noodles are fully coated with chocolate.

Lay out a laaaarge piece of wax paper. (Unless you have someone to help you, you won't be able to get another piece of wax paper without fully washing all the chocolate off your hands once you are in the middle of it.) Now comes the fun part. Side note - I tried spraying my hands with cooking spray before doing this and it didn't make the least bit of difference.

Either with the spoon or your hand, place a scoop onto the wax paper. With your hands, form it into the shape of a nest, making a little bit of an indent in the center. Your hands will be coated with chocolate, there's no way around it!

Continue forming nests until you have used all of the chocolate mixture. Semi sweet chocolate does not harden immediately (like melting chocolate does) so you have plenty of time to form all nests before you need to place the eggs in them.

After you have used all of the mixture, and washed your hands, place three Reese peanut butter eggs in each nest. Note: you could use any chocolate eggs, but the peanut butter is such a great combination with the chocolate nest.

Depending on how many nests you want, repeat the process with the other half bag of chocolate chips and chow mein noodles.

Let the nests sit (I leave them overnight, covered with wax paper) to harden. The next morning I stack them in a deep Tupperware container with wax paper between layers.

Then let the fun begin as you serve them on Easter!

Printable Recipe

For more fun recipes and holiday ideas Click Here and Here.

What is your favorite Easter tradition? To leave a comment click here.

Monday Motivations: Dancing On Potato Chips

This story crossed my desk shortly after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It resonated deeply with me as well as Doug. One particularly challenging day during chemo treatment I  went grocery shopping by myself. I thought I was doing pretty well, but as I was putting the groceries away I dropped the eggs. A whole carton, a dozen eggs, splat! On the floor! I stood there looking at them, thought of this story, and then......

Dancing On Potato Chips

Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start it over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine.

By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner. Deciding on a can of cream of mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed a Tupperware from the fridge, popped the seal, took a long look and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars.

Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free; hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a big pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bad a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty. It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!"

My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process!

I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a lead onto the chips. And then I danced. Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from the rather funky moment provided just that.

So no I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess I've made of things. What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing  more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him. Even when the chips are down. Author Unknown

......I began to laugh! And the more I laughed, the funnier it was. I was doubled over in laughter as I called Doug to share with him. "The potato chip bag burst, and they're all over the floor," I told him. "Only they're not potato chips, they're EGGS!" Then I was laughing again and Doug was laughing with me.


Click here for more Monday Motivations.

Bacon & Eggs..But Not For Breakfast!

No, seriously, it's bacon and eggs. You can eat one. Or....

You can eat a whole plate full.  

Either way, it's just a really fun treat to make for Easter. And it's super easy to do.
If you like M&M treats, checkout these Pretzel Kisses. If you'd like some real bacon & eggs in an easy and fun way, here's how to make perfectly crisp bacon every time to eat with personal frittatas or an easy 3-minute omelette.

What you need:

White melting chocolate (either bar or discs)

Yellow M&M's (cheapest to buy a large bag and pick them out)

Pretzel sticks, each broken in half.

Technique:

Prepare wax paper ahead of time by laying out on table or baking sheet.

Have yellow M&M's ready to go in a bowl.

Break pretzel sticks in half so they are ready to go.

It's important to have everything ready because the chocolate cools very quickly and the M&M's and pretzels won't stick.

Put white chocolate in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir.

Continue to microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is completely melted.

With a small spoon, drop a very small scoop of chocolate on the wax paper.

Gently press M&M into the chocolate on one side.

Gently press 2 pretzel sticks side by side, opposite of the M&M.

Note: If you are doing this by yourself, drop 3 chocolate eggs then stop and add the M&M and pretzels to them quickly. Then do 3 more. I found that doing any more than that gave the chocolate just enough time to start setting up and the M&M and pretzels won't stick. If you have someone to help you, they could come behind you and put the decorations on, allowing you to keep going with the chocolate drops.


One day when my in-laws were visiting I told them I made bacon and eggs for them and then presented each of them with one of these candies on a tiny plate. I also took a container full to church and told my Sunday School class that I had made bacon and eggs for all of them. They got quite excited. They were even happier when they discovered it was chocolate. It's just fun.


Happy Easter!!

Healthy Habits: 3 Minute Omelette

People often ask for tips on how to eat healthier without taking a lot of time. I'm going to share three tips in a row to help you have fast, healthy breakfasts.

The first tip is a 3 Minute Omelette. This recipe is super easy. It literally takes me 1 minute to put it together and 3 minutes to cook. You have a very nutritious, low calorie and super good tasting breakfast in less than 5 minutes!

The best part is that everyone can have a customized breakfast and it doesn't require additional time or work for you to prepare. If one is a vegetarian skip the meat. If one doesn't like mushrooms, use onions and spinach. You can use leftover veggies from dinner or raw veggies...either cooks just fine. Once a week I cut up a bunch of veggies to use on salads during the week. I store them in individual plastic containers in the fridge, so it is easy to grab whatever veggies are wanted for an omelette. Things like broccoli I will cut into smaller pieces than we use on salad (add about 15 seconds to the above time).

Ingredients:

2 Eggs

1.5 Tbsp Water

2-4 Tbsp cut up veggies (onions, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, etc)

1-2 Tbsp cut up Ham, Bacon (cooked), Canadian Bacon (or other meat you like)

                                                                         

You will also need a Glad Microwave Steaming Bag. (It's like a ziploc bag for the microwave)

Technique:

Crack eggs into bowl and whisk with 1.5 Tbsp water.

Put cut up veggies and meat into bag. (I'm using ham, onions & spinach)

Pour eggs into the bag (over veggies)

Seal the bag. Put it in the microwave for 3 minutes. If you have a high powered microwave you may find that it only takes 2:30 to 2:40.

Remove from microwave.

Open bag and slide onto plate to serve. This is exactly how it came out of the bag. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on it and it's ready to eat.

Delicious! We have even been known to wrap it in a couple of paper towels and take it on the go.

Question: What is your favorite breakfast? Is it quick, or would you like to find a way to make it quicker?

PERSONAL FRITTATAS

Now that we've cooked Perfectly Crisp Bacon, and made BLT's for dinner, what do you do with the rest of the bacon. One of my favorite Holiday Breakfasts is Personal Frittatas. These are always a huge hit at the holidays. You can customize them if needed and family can serve themselves while you are busy preparing the big holiday meal.


You can make a batch of these on the weekend and put them in baggies in the fridge to heat during the week for quick breakfasts. They also freeze well for future use.

What you need:
12 Eggs
Water
Veggies/Meat of Choice (I'm using Bacon, Spinach & Cheese)
Cheese


In this demo I am using Crumbled Bacon from Perfectly Crisp Bacon, Fresh Spinach and Cheese. You can use Sausage, Canadian Bacon, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Peppers (Red or Green), well, pretty much any meat and/or veggie makes a great addition to this Frittata.


How you do it:
Preheat oven to 350*
Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. 
Crack an egg into a bowl, add 2 tsp water and beat the egg.

 Pour the egg into a muffin mold. Repeat 12 times. (I told you this was easy!)

Now add the Crumbled Bacon and Chopped Spinach (or veggies of your choice).
Sprinkle with a little Salt and Pepper.
Next top with Shredded Cheese.

Put into the 350* oven and bake for about 25 minute, until puffy and golden brown on top.

Run a plastic knife around each Frittata to remove easily. Serve with Fruit and Toast for a complete breakfast.


Do you have a favorite Holiday Breakfast food? Feel free to add a link to your favorite recipe in your comment.