Friday, September 26, 2014

Disney Inspired Halloween Papercuttings

Halloween hands down is my favorite holiday. I was supposed to be a Halloween baby much to my Mother's despair, but lucky for her I waited a week. Although I truly am a scaredy cat and can not sit through a horror movie, I'm desperately infatuated with the odd and macabre.

Since life at home has changed a bit and the baby is giving me more time to create, I finished this version of the Wicked Queen from Snow White. Sorry about the glass glare, as soon as it was mounted I  immediately put it out for our Halloween display.

scherenschnitte - all things belle - snow white - wicked queen

And once that was done, I of course had to do The Nightmare Before Christmas! This year Baby Boy is going as Jack Skellington and I've been making a Sally costume for myself.

all things belle - scherenschnitte - nightmare before christmas

What's next? Maybe a Beetlejuice..

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Hilltop Sale Winner

And the winner is Candy Keefer!

I wish I had tickets for everyone - especially since everyone that entered is a friend!
I hope you will check out the sale and walk away with some awesome deals!!


**Winner was selected using Random.org

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Paleo Carrot-Date Mini Donuts

In our family, Sunday means Catholic Mass first thing in the morning and Sunday School for both girls. The girl's favorite part? The donuts after! Eek! As much as I love supporting our Parish's Women's Group, regular gluten full donuts taste fabulous in my mouth and then my stomach cries for the rest of the day. But who wants to give up donuts? Not me!

Carrot date Paleo doughnut - all things belle

I made these mini doughnuts with a Babycakes Nonstick Coated Donut Maker (affiliate link) that my daughter received as a gift. It's kind of like a George Foreman grill, but with doughnut shaped molds. If you would prefer to bake doughnuts over frying in grease, this is well worth your money!

Paleo Carrot-Date Mini Doughnuts
Recipe makes 2 dozen mini doughnuts

3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
4 tbsp of ghee (what's ghee? check out what Alton Brown has to say)
4 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup of raisins
1/4 cup chopped dates (don't get the ones covered in powdered sugar - just chop whole, pitted dates)
1/2 minced ginger

1.) In a medium bowl combine almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
2.) In a separate bowl whisk eggs, ghee, maple syrup, carrot, raisins, dates and ginger.
3.) Gently fold the mixed dry ingredients into the doughnut batter.
4.) Fill each mini-doughnut mold with 1 1/2 tbsp of batter. This doesn't sound like much, but 2 tbsp will overflow. Trust me.. I know
5.) Bake for 4-5 minutes and then enjoy them hot! These are sweet, buttery morsels that need no glaze. My kids wouldn't stop asking for more.

Healthy doughnut? Check!

Hilltop Consignment Sale Giveaway!!


It's that time again and I'm so excited! The Hilltop United Methodist Children's & Maternity Sale is awesome.. Literally jam packed with amazing deals. Everything from clothing to toys and sports equipment.You name it, they will have it! 

It will take place September 25-27th. 
September is the pre-sale (7-8:30pm), 
September 26th they will be open (9am-8pm) 
September 27th it will be open (8am-2pm)

Hilltop Christian School is located at 985 East and 10600 South in Sandy.
If you are interested in selling, please check out their site at Hilltop Sale.

Here is a glimpse of a previous sale..






The secret to getting the best of the best? The Thursday night presale.. 
You can earn a pass by volunteering your time or you can win one here!

From now till midnight on September 24th you have the chance to enter to win:
2 Presale Tickets & a $10 gift certificate!
In the past, I have picked two winners, but I know shopping is more fun with a friend. So be sure to have your best shopping friend enter the giveaway too!

How do you enter?
Just leave me a comment on this post and be sure to leave an email to reach you.
As soon as the roosters crow and my baby wakes up on September 25th, I'll announce the winner and will email you as well.

Good luck and hope to see you there!!

**Please note that on Thursday night, they kindly ask for no strollers or children in attendance.
It is very busy with all the amazing deals..**





Thursday, September 18, 2014

Magic Mike Frittata - Mostly Paleo..

Folks, this recipe started with the most innocent of beginnings. We are nearing the end of our groceries and I was scrounging around to see what I could make for dinner. This family expects dinner every night - crazy, I know. I had one glorious butternut squash and  I started searching on Pinterest, looking for some tasty inspiration. I wasn't sure what I was going to make yet, but I knew it started with a oven roasted butternut..

magic mike - all things belle - paleo fritatta

And I guess my picture on Instagram.. Looked suggestive..

I started thinking that healthy food can be sexy! Eating right doesn't mean a life of cardboard for dinner, it can be hot and yummy. And you'll find that once you are eating right and exercising, that area of your life will actually improve. It's awesome to be able to eat a delicious dinner and not feel bloated for the next two hours.

This frittata is probably only semi- Paleo. Is chorizo Paleo? I don't know.. Is cheese Paleo? Nope, but it is a very small amount and can easily be left out. This is a very spicy meal and your kiddos will probably want a 44oz water to go with it.. you may want to make them something different for dinner.
magic mike - all things belle - paleo fritatta


Magic Mike Frittata
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 lb of chorizo sausage
1 white onion, chopped
4 cups of baby spinach
7 large eggs, whisked
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 avocado, sliced
2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds

1.) Preheat oven to 350. Slice butternut in half and scoop out seeds. Foil a cookie sheet and spread the coconut oil around. Lay the squash down and bake for 1 hour.

2.) Let squash cool, peel and chop into large chunks. Place 3 cups of cubed squash into a 9" pie dish, any remaining squash can be used for another recipe.

3.) Raise the oven temperature to 400.

4.) In a large saucepan, brown the chorizo and drain excess fat - there will be a ton! Toss in the chopped onion and spinach. Cook until the spinach is nice and wilted, then gently add to the butternut squash in the pie pan. Add whisked eggs to batter.

5.) Sprinkle cheese on top of frittata batter (or leave out if you are dairy-free). Top cheese with a circle of avocado slices and toasted pumpkin seeds.

6.) Bake for 20 minutes or until the eggs have set.

magic mike - all things belle - paleo fritatta

Enjoy! Your dinner will be delicious and leave you feeling satisfied..



Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Fall Abundance Muffins

After every birth, it takes me awhile to get back into good eating habits. What can I say? When I'm pregnant I let the cravings rule me and when I'm nursing/pumping I enjoy that fudge room. After baby #3 though, my weight didn't fall off quite as easy (I'm still struggling). I don't worry about the numbers much anymore, but I do want to be healthy. I want my children to understand that eating clean is a vital, daily practice. We shouldn't diet to fit into a certain dress, we should honor our bodies and protect ourselves from disease. 

Our family has moved back into a semi-Paleo way of eating. The kids cry when I make cauliflower "rice", so now I make the real thing. But we no longer have pasta in our life, I've hooked everyone on zoodles. It's this balance I'm always trying to achieve. My husband and I still have our weekend nachos with plenty of beer. I've rationalized this in my head that health is balance of happy body and soul -- nachos feed my soul.

With the holidays right around the corner, I know it will be harder to achieve this balance. I want to drink and eat all things pumpkin. My children want to plow through the holiday sweets. And all that soul happiness will make us sluggish and open to sickness. Balance, balance, balance. I've decided to return to creating recipes. I don't have much free time now with homeschooling three kiddos, but they do expect to eat every day! 

This "Fall Abundance" muffin is my second attempt and I could easily tweak it some more. Have fun with it. Use it as a base recipe and come up with some of your own. I think I may try a cinnamon apple mix-in next week. It's pretty much completely Paleo - well at least as Paleo as we get. All the ingredients should be there in your local grocer - nothing out of the norm. It is not a sweet Starbuck's cupcake pretending to be a muffin. This is a powerhouse of protein that will energize you on that chilly morning!


allthingsbelle paleo pumpkin muffin recipe

Fall Abundance Muffins - makes 1 dozen muffins
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 large eggs
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
1 tsp almond extract
3 tsp maple syrup
1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1.) Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a regular sized muffin tin.
2.) In a medium bowl combine almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
3.) In a separate bowl mix eggs, pumpkin, almond extract and 1 tsp maple syrup. Gently add to the dry ingredient bowl and mix until they are well combined.
4.) Heat a small pan on low, tossing the slivered almonds and nutmeg together. Warm the seasoned almonds for about 5 minutes or until they've become aromatic.
5.) Carefully add the dried cranberries and remaining 2 tsp of maple syrup. The syrup may splatter in the pan, so please keep little ones away from the stove during this step.
6.) Fold the almond and cranberry mixture into the muffin batter. Fill your muffin tins about 2/3 up - these muffins do not rise.
7.) Bake for 25 minutes and then enjoy!

allthingsbelle paleo pumpkin muffin recipe

Again - these are not super sweet. They won't replace your favorite pumpkin chocolate-chip loaf, but they are so healthy for you and such a yummy bite of fall!

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