Smart & Final Three Stooges and Snack'rs Party #MoeSnackrs4UrMoney

Today we had a party! It was to celebrate the upcoming movie Three Stooges. As Stooge fans my family is very excited to see the new one in theaters. We shopped at our local Smart & Final to get Snack'rs brand snacks to create a recipe.  

 

I took with my son with me to shop. He is being helpful by holding the list for me. We found lots of great items made by Snack'rs and First Street to make our recipe. I am making Marshmallow Chocolate Dipped Pretzels for our Black and White Stooges Party.  We purchased 5 Snack'rs items for our party. I selected items for the recipe as well as a Original Snack Mix for guest to snack on while we waited on Pretzels.

For our Three Stooges Movie Party we selected a black and white theme. I decorated the kitchen and living room with balloons and streamers and request the guest to wear black and white.

 I placed all the ingredients I would need to create Marshmallow Chocolate Dipped Pretzels on the counter and set out a bowl of snack mix. I purchased Snack'rs Banana Chips, Roasted Almonds, Whole Fruits and Nuts and First Street Coconut for toppings.

 Marshmallow Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Recipe:

-16 oz. bag of First Street Marshmallows
-2 cups First Street Milk Chocolate Chips
-2 tablespoons First Street Butter
-24 oz. bag of Bavarian Snack'rs Pretzels
-2 tablespoons of First Street Milk (to thin out chocolate chips)

toppings:
First Street Coconut Shredded
Snack'rs Roasted Almonds -chopped
Snack'rs Whole Fruits & Nuts - separated by item and chopped

 The first thing to do before melting the marshmallows and chocolate is to have the toppings ready. I chopped the whole almonds from the can of Snack'rs Roasted Almonds saving the other part of the can to be snacked on by guests. The bag of Whole Fruits and Nuts was perfect for the varying tastes of my guest. I separated the nuts and fruits into small piles and chopped them. We had cashews, pistachios, walnuts almonds and coconut to add as toppings on our pretzels. I set aside the whole dried apricots in the bag along with the banana chips to dip in the chocolate mixture.

The next step is to melt the 2 Cups of First Street chocolate chips. You can melt them in the microwave but we prefer to melt them on the stove top. To not burn the chocolate chips I added a small amount of water to a saute pan and placed the chocolate chips in a bowl. I simmered the water and stirred the chocolate chips until completely melted.

Next I melted the 16 oz. bag of First Street Marshmallows. I suggest melting them in a saute pan to be able to dip the pretzels in easier. (I was going to use the tall pot I use to make crispy treats but decide on the saute pan)

Set your burner to low so you do not brown the butter. Add 2 tablespoons of First Street butter to the pan and melt. Continue to have the setting on low and add the marshmallows. Slowly stir the marshmallows until completely melted.

Next we dipped the pretzels first in the Marshmallow allowing 5 minutes for them Marshmallow to cool on the Pretzel and then in the Chocolate. While the Chocolate is still warm place your selected toppings on the Marshmallow Chocolate Pretzels.

 I had some of the party guest help with the dipping and decorating of the pretzels. While other people were in the living room watching classic episodes of the Three Stooges. It was a sticky messy fun time!

 While the chocolate mixture was still warm I dipped Snack'rs Dried Apricots and Banana Chips for a fruity snack.

 Note: If your chocolate seems to thick add 2 tablespoons of First Street Milk to your chocolate on low heat and slowly mix together.

While the guest were enjoying drinks and Snack'rs Snacks I placed the Marshmallow Chocolate Dipped Pretzels and Dipped Fruit in the fridge to set. I continued to make the rest of the Pretzel treats while everyone watched movies. At the suggestion of a few of the guest we tried drizzling the chocolate onto the pretzels too. We had a blast decorating them.

After sitting in the fridge for 15 minutes I took the treats out o serve them. Having the Snack'rs Original Smack Mix and the remainder of the bag of Snack'rs Whole Fruits and Nuts the guest were kept snacking while waiting on the main treat.

 One of the best things about the Stooges is how silly and physically comedic they are. My son thinks they are so funny. For our party I decided to give him his own Stooges moment having a whipped cream pie throwing!

We used First Street Whipped Cream to make the "pie". We wanted it to taste great and be funny!

 My son giggled as he was able to put a pie in his moms face! It was cute to see how funny he thought it was.

Next was my sons turn. He said Yummmmy when he had his Stooge moment. He was trying to eat the whipped cream from his face. We had fun taking turns throwing pies at one another and eating our sticky sweet Marshmallow Chocolate Dipped Pretzels.

To help celebrate the new Three Stooges Movie Smart and Final is helping you get Moe For Your Money #MoeSnackrs4UrMoney With the purchase of 2 participating Snack’rs items from Smart and Final, your receipt will have a special code on it so you can redeem for a FREE movie ticket! Great snacks and a free movie ticket sounds like a great deal! 

*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. 

All opinions expressed in this shop are my own and your experience may vary. #Cbias #MoeSnackrs4UrMoney

Tastier, Healthier, Faster Breakfast with Silk Fruit&Protein

 

I love to drink smoothies. Its an easy way to get vitamins and minerals I need on a daily basis. I like to add different fruits, juices and milks to make them vary. It is also a great way to my son to eat fruits and veggies he would not eat by itself. He can be picky but if I blend it up for him he thinks it a fun drink. 

Each day I make myself a smoothie for breakfast or lunch. My son has waffles and juice with a bowl of fruit. I have found that combination to be something he will consistently eat. I have been wanting him to get more protein by serving him yogurt with breakfast. Some days he will eat it other days he refuses. But each time I put it in a smoothie he will eat it. 

 I went shopping at our local Walmart for the new Silk Fruit&Protein and calculated the price of all the individual ingredients for a smoothie vs the price of the Silk and it turns out I save time and money with Silk!

Some days I am so busy I do not even have time to cut up the fruit and mix all the ingredients and just have a glass a juice. Those days I feel bad knowing we need more than just juice for breakfast. After trying the Silk Fruit&Protein I now have a quick and tasty alternative for busy mornings. Instead of having to prepare a smoothie with juice, fruit, milk and yogurt all I have to do is grab a glass and pour. How much easier could it be!

Today for breakfast I decided to not make a smoothie and just have Silk Fruit&Protein. My son still had his waffles but had Silk instead of his juice and fruit. I conducted a taste test with him to find his and my own favorite flavors.

The Strawberry Banana was my son's favorite. He had me fill up his cup with this one.

We both really liked Mixed Berry. It made him say Yummy!

He made a face with the Peach Mango but I knew he would not like it as much hes not a peach fan. But I LOVED it!

My son's favorite was just as I thought it would be, the Silk Fruit&Protein Strawberry Banana. I was surprised at my favorite, the Mango Peach. I have tried to make Peach smoothies in the past and it never turned out right. The Silk Fruit&Protein one was perfect. I will be enjoying this one more often!

All the items I buy to make home made smoothies

With Silk Fruit&Protein all I need is a glass! #SilkFruit

I was able to save time by replacing a bunch of items that I needed to put into a blender with buying Silk Fruit&Protein. Plus now when my son asks for juice I can give him Silk Fruit&Protein Strawberry Banana in place of a plain juice. This way he gets the fruit and protein he needs. Sounds awesome to me!


You can read my Google+ Story about my shopping trip to Walmart looking for the new Silk Fruit&Protein and see how my son loves to get a free cookie from the super nice bakery workers.

 

*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.

All opinions expressed in this shop are my own and your experience may vary. #Cbias#SilkFruit

No, I'm not getting a Tattoo!

I was walking around Seattle last week with two of my daughters when we came across this sign. I thought the colors were beautiful and it certainly stood out in the very gray day we were having. We joked about getting mother/daughter tattoos, or maybe even Frugal Family Tree ones.

But I am far too conservative to ever get a tattoo. And if I didn't do it when I was young , I'm sure not going to do it now. But lots of peoples are getting tattoos later in life. Really late in life! People are doing it for all sorts of reasons, too.

I have heard of getting a tattoo of your loved one's face after they have passed on. Or best girlfriends all getting one when they turn fifty. Or of a beloved pet, be a it a cat, a dog, or a parrot. What ever makes you happy I guess! Contrary to what the sign says, it would definitely not be a "super genius" idea for me!

A Horse Says What?

My son has been making animals sounds for months now. He randomly meows at people and barks too. He always gets a giggle and a smile from people. Sometimes even a meow back. He even now tells me a snake says "hisssss". But no matter how many times I make the sound or tell him what a Horse says he tells me "Moo".

He can says cow and horse and knows the difference in the animals he just insists a Horse says "Moo"

Maybe its because one of the first "horses" he saw in person looked like this:

The Peloton Film Patrick Dempsey Challenge Raising Support for Cancer Care

Here at Frugal Family Tree we do our best use our voice to support great causes. We have supported charities like Champions for Kids and the Win and Give campaign. Now we would like the chance to share with you about a cause shared with us from a great company we have worked with, Rinck Advertising.

Patrick Dempsey aka McDreamy  has teamed up with four time cancer survivor Laura Davis (president of Rinck Advertising) and Ramsey Tripp who lost his mother to cancer to make a documentary called The Peloton Project.

The Peloton Project will follow nearly 40 cyclists  on a 2,500 mile ride from Alberta, Calgary, Canada to Lewiston, Maine where they will participate in the Dempsey Challenge. Cyclists will complete the ride in just 10 days, cycling relay-style day and night.  But, this documentary is much more than just a cycling event.

Woven throughout the team's journey across North America will be stories of cancer survivors, caregivers, and of a patient just diagnosed. Cyclists will be paired up with these "cancer warriors" and will be riding in their honor. Along the route, the cyclists and survivors will have the chance to correspond via video chats, which will be broadcast on the film's website: thepelotonfilm.com. The finish line to the film is the starting line for the Dempsey Challenge where the cyclists and warriors will meet in person for the first time. It's sure to be an amazing journey and could be just the inspiration a cancer patient needs to give them the strength to get through their battle. Director Ramsey Tripp may have said it best when he said this documentary will share the stories of "real people with incredible stories told about their humble lives, challenges, and a commitment to move forward-sometimes charging, sometimes crawling, but finding the strength to advance."

Patrick Dempsey and Laura the president of Rinck Advertising

Here is where you can help:

To get this film started they need to raise $20,000 by April 6th 2012 to get the starting funds. So far $14,655 has been raised with 4 days to go. Even if its a $1 every dollar adds up and they appreciate your support. You can donate at the KickStarter page for The Peloton Film. 

 Other ways you can help are: 
 -Sharing the Kickstarter page on Facebook, Twitter, their blog if they have one, etc. 
-Liking The Peloton Film on Facebook 
-Following @thepelotonfilm on Twitter

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, we wanted to help with this project in any way we can.