Family Night Friday

Every Friday at my house is family movie night.

The recipe is:
lots of snacks
pj's
pillows
blankets
popcorn (in our popcorn cups from the Target $$ spot)
and a family friendly movie

On tonights agenda: Toy Story 3 and Pizza Rolls (recipe from Tidy Mom)

I am going to start sharing every Friday about what movie we are watching and a recipe for a snack! If you would like to participate, I would love to have you join me! Post in the comments, or type a post on your blog and leave a link!

The banana bars that weren't...

It looks like someone just couldn't wait!!

Does he look guilty for scraping off the top and chowing down?!

There are a few things that end up on my shopping list every week. No matter what the sales & coupons are for the week, this one remains constant: BANANAS!

Monkey Mason ( that is what we call my 16mo old) eats at least one a day.

Some weeks, bananas last all of 10 minutes in the fruit bowl.

Others, they sit and brown.

So I make a lot of banana bread.

I decided to do something different and make frosted banana bars. They are so yummy!

I had enough bananas to make 2. One for now and one for the freezer. I had one pan baking, and one pan cooling.

My son comes into the living room to talk to me...with his mouth full of banana bars!

"Yum, Mom this banana BREAD is so good Mom!" He tells his siblings and the next thing I know, half a pan has been devoured!

Apparently, no one else in my family wanted to venture out of our banana bread rut (:

However, if your family wants to break out, here is the recipe for the BANANA BARS!

Frosted Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter or margarine,softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

8oz sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 med. bananas, ripened and mashed (approx. 1 cup)

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a seperate bowl.

Slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet. Stir in bananas. Grease a 9 x 15 baking pan. (This recipe makes a lot and I tried to fit in a 9x13. Bad idea. It really didn't fit well and took much longer to bake!)

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

80z brick of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 tsp vanilla

3 3/4 cups-4 cups of powdered sugar

Cream together first three ingredients. Then gradually add powdered sugar. Frost cooled banana bars! Enjoy!

**I found this recipe (although there are a ton of recipes for banana bars out there) on That's My Home.

What's for Lunch?

Instead of using these as goody bags, I placed a pb cup and their ghost shaped sandwich inside. Not exactly waste free, but cute!

All of my kids were having big Halloween parties in their classes. So I didn't want to pack to much food and I didn't want to give any candy either!

The ghost sandwich and treat!

My son's snack: 2 ghost bananas, grapes on skewers, an oreo, crackers and a granola bar that came home uneaten! I love What's for Lunch over at Bento Lunch!

I feel like a dork saying this but...I could seriously look at pictures of Bento's all day! People are so creative and it is just fun to look at.

Because I pack my kids lunches, all my pictures are taken in the darkness of the morning. I really wish I had more light at that time of the morning!

Anyway, if you want to see some awesome lunches, or post your own, head over and sign up!

It's Wednesday...

So I must be hoppin'!

I am joining in Feeding Four's blog hop. Here is all the info from her site:

How to Participate: Follow the hostess - Feeding Four. If you want me to follow you back, please leave a comment letting me know that you are a new follower and leave a link to your blog. Create a new Friendly Wednesday blog post on your own blog and be sure to use the button provided on the side bar. Enter your information into the linkup below. Follow all the other blogs you want. This is a great way to get more followers! Friendly Wednesday will be posted once a week. Your link must be added every week so be sure to come back to linkup!

Make sure if you are now following MarthaWannabe, that you comment and let me know! That way I can come and follow you back!

Menu Plan Monday

**BIG GULP** It has been FOREVER since I have posted a menu plan. Not just posted one, but actually made one! Trust me, my dinners have shown it! I have had the most random, throw together dinners.

Planning menu's really does make a difference!

So here is what is for dinner at my house this week:

MONDAY:tacos, spanish rice, corn

TUESDAY: soup & sandwiches (grilled cheese & tomato)

WEDNESDAY: pizza, salad, breadsticks

THURSDAY:bbq chicken sandwiches, fries, fruit

FRIDAY: turkey burgers, fruit, potato salad

SATURDAY: chili pie casserole, corn bread, salad

SUNDAY: leftovers/kids choice

For more fabulous meal plans, head on over to Org Junkie!

** I am having a giveaway that I would love for everyone to come and enter! You can find it here.

freezer cooking

It has been a long time since I talked about freezer cooking!

I really haven't been doing to much of it because...my freezers are stocked from couponing!

However, I had a bunch of bananas going bad on my counter, and so decided to make some banana bars.

I thought this would be a good time to show you how I get foods from start to freezer! Ready, set, GO!

1)After mixing up your batter, instead of greasing your dish, lay down a layer of tin foil. Make sure that there is some hanging off the sides.

2)Bake as directed.

3) let cool completely in dish

4) using the extra tin foil, gently pull food out of dish.

5)using the same tin foil, wrap treat. Use more as needed.

6) Place foil wrapped treat, in a labeled ziploc bag. Suck all the air out with a straw. Place in freezer.

3 tips on baking

I love being able to put my netbook on the counter for recipes! Then I don't have to print anything off!

I LOVE to bake.

However, so not a fan of CLEANING UP !

There are things that I do to make it a little easier on myself though.

1)the GARBAGE BOWL! Thanks to Rachel Ray, I now do this. While baking, I set out a bowl to collect my garbage. That way I don't have to worry about making trips back and forth to the garbage can. I can just make one trip at the end! (:

2) I have a BAKING BOX. Besides all my main ingredients (flour, sugar, brown sugar etc) that are housed in their own containers, everything else goes in one container. Baking powder & soda, extracts, salt, corn starch... It saves me a lot of time to just put everything back in the bucket when I am done. I also save money, because I am not re-buying things I already have (like when we left Guam and I had 3 containers of baking powder!)

3)Do you have an extra set of measuring cups? Leave them in your containers. When it comes time to bake, you don't have to look around for them. You also don't have to wash them!

4) Clean up as you go! Don't just leave everything out on the counter until you are completely done. After the item is out of the oven, you might not feel like cleaning it up! So clean as you go!

With the holidays coming up fast, I am sure that there will be a lot of baking being done! Do you like to bake? What do you do to make it easier on yourself?