My Most Popular Posts In October 2016

Since the month is almost over, and the season change is in full swing, I wanted to look back at some of the posts that brought me the most traffic this past month. 

I created so many fun recipes and ideas this past month, and I am so happy to be able to share it with you here on Lily The Wandering Gypsy! 

Organic Pumpkin Oat Dog Treats

Fall Booties By Lulu's 

Hosting A Food Photography Party

Create a Halloween Puppy Gift Basket 

Those posts gained me nearly 70% of my total traffic, which is so great! I love checking back to see what people are enjoying. Until next time! 

Peanut Butter + Yogurt "Smoothie" Bowl

I was recently challenged to create something containing a certain cinnamon-flavored peanut butter. I tried the stuff, and it was kind of interesting. I have never imagined a combo like this, and it was pretty good. But, I also had it in my mind to create something like a smoothie bowl that was topped with all sorts of tasty and nourishing things like pumpkin seeds, granola, crushed peanuts, and a few other things. I also love those smoothie bowls I see that have edible flowers on top, and this recipe was the perfect opportunity to "scout" my neighborhood for marigolds to top the smoothie bowl with. 

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1.) For the base: Mix 2 parts vanilla yogurt to 1 part cinnamon (or any flavor) creamy peanut butter. Make sure everything is combined well. Pour into bowl and smooth top with spoon. 

2.) Top with your favorite trail mix (I used a mix of pumpkin seeds, raisins, and sunflower seeds). I also crushed up some peanuts and then sprinkled those in the center, then also added a handful of granola. Lastly. I topped the smoothie bowl with marigolds, for a cute touch of edible flowers. That's it, enjoy! Have fun with your food :)

For the marigolds, I actually looked at 3 different places, and the only flower really available right now is mums. They're all looking gorgeous as ever, but when we visited local farms a couple of weeks ago (post coming soon...), I saw lots of marigolds. I guess it's way too late into the year to find marigolds at any stores, so thankfully as I was driving home, I saw marigolds out of the corner of my eye! I hope the people who grew them don't mind I borrowed just a few :)

DIY Cheese Markers, Styling A Cheese Plate & Yummy Fruit Bars by Outshine - Live Life Brighter

Sponsored Post: This post is sponsored by Outshine but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. #SnackBrighter.

I had so much fun creating a video for Outshine Bars! I thought that a fun way to create this one was to make a Cheese Plate, create some adorable and customizable Cheese Markers, then show how fun and easy it is to also serve these Outshine Bars to guests (or keep them all for yourselves, it's totally up to you!).

Here, I featured the Lime, Mango, and Grape flavors of Outshine Fruit Bars. I love that they're all made from REAL fruit, and taste super good. I love the lime best of all these flavors, and mango is a close second. Your guests will be pleasantly surprised at their dessert option, too! 

And, remember to check out the Outshine Instagram account, it's adorable :)

Build A Better Breakfast And Help Families In Need (Plus A Laminated Placemat DIY Tutorial)

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterBreakfast #CollectiveBias

Anyone who knows me will agree that I need a good breakfast to start the day right. Are you one of those sorts of people? My breakfast usually includes milk in some way, whether it's in cereal, or as a glass of milk to accompany my meal. I was super excited about the chance to work with The Great American Milk Drive, Lender's Bagels, and Walmart to help with this meaningful cause.  

Now, you can help feed a childhood when you shop at Walmart – by purchasing 1 or more of these products, you are helping Feeding America provide nutrient- rich milk to kids and families in need.

This campaign is supporting The Great American Milk Drive.

There are lots of families who do not get the opportunity to provide a good breakfast for their kids or themselves each morning. I learned recently that you can actually donate milk to families - I had no idea this was even possible! I love spreading the word about good causes, so read on to learn more. I thought that a DIY Laminated Placemat and a fun twist on the usual bagel toppings would be so fun to share here with you today. 

"Childhood should be filled with playing, learning and growing. But for many children who face hunger, even basic staples like milk – and the nutrients that help power childhood activities – are missing".  - MilkLife.com

FUN BAGEL TOPPINGS FOR KIDS + ADULTS:

Strawberry Cream Cheese + Sprinkles

Strawberry Cream Cheese + Fresh Strawberries

Plain Cream Cheese + Sunflower Seeds

- 3 colors of fabric (1/8 yard of the red, 3/8 yard of the deer fabric, and 3/8 of a yard of the black and white plaid for the backing).

- Iron-On Vinyl (Heat & Bond works well)

- Scissors

- Sewing Machine and Thread

- Iron

1.) Cut pieces of fabric as follows:

      - Backing Piece (12" x 18")

      - Red Piece (12" long)

      - Deer Fabric Piece ( 12" x 15")

      - 2 pieces of iron-on vinyl (12" x 18")

2.) Cut and Iron fabrics, and sew the 12" ends of the red fabric and deer fabrics together. Iron and top stitch the seam you just created. 

3.) Peel a bit of the paper backing off of the first piece of vinyl. It's super sticky, so I recommend cutting a 2" wide strip off of the paper backing. Stick this to the exterior of your patchwork piece of fabric, and line the shorter sides up. Press to secure, thankfully it's very easy to reposition. Just make sure no pet hairs make their way under the vinyl :)

4.) Peel the rest of the paper backing off of the vinyl, pressing out any wrinkles as you go. Once vinyl is fully stuck onto the fabric, then take that paper again, grid side up, and iron the vinyl onto the fabric. This works like magic! Slow and steady pressure works best, moving the iron with medium pressure, so it doesn't melt. VINYL IS SUPER HOT, so please be careful!!! 

5.) Iron the vinyl onto the backing material, and line up the fabrics, vinyl sides together, and sew around the edges, leaving a hole about 5" across to turn the placemat right side out.

6.) Turn placemat right side out, then iron with the paper press cloth again. Now, top stitch around the edges, and you are done!! I just LOVE how this project turned out. Perfect for eating breakfast on, and these make for extremely easy cleanup! 

7.) Build A Better Breakfast - Hopefully this awesome new placemat will encourage kids and adults to sit down for a quick breakfast, rather than eating as you rush out the door. Of course, if you are in a hurry, it's a good idea to keep the milk, Lender's Bagels, and Fruit Fusions next to each other in the fridge! 

MORE ABOUT LENDER'S BAGELS:

They're filling – sustaining kids all morning. They have a great range of flavors, like Plain, Blueberry and Cinnamon-Raisin flavors which are kid-friendly & great for the whole family. Lender’s has a bagel for Everyone! Lender's Bagels can help you save time in the mornings, and are easy, tasty, and nutritious! I found these bagels in the refrigerated dairy section. Lender’s bagel products are great as part of a Better Breakfast. Also, great for an after school snack! Crunchy-on-the-outside, everything’s better on a Bagel!

Keep a metal or wicker tray on the counter for easy breakfast prep (see photo above). Add items like Lender's Bagels, Del Monte Fruit + Veggie Fusions, utensils, and cloth napkins. SO easy, because everything is right at hand! 

Now, you can help feed a childhood – by purchasing 1 or more of these products, you are helping Feeding America provide nutrient- rich milk to kids and families in need. Visit milklife.com/give to learn more.

#BuildABetterBreakfast Sweepstakes Learn More On: Facebook: here
Twitter: here
Instagram: here
Pinterest: here
Youtube: here
Lender's Bagels: here , here , and here
  • The combination of milk/bagels/fruit cups give kids protein, carbohydrates, vitamin C and other things that they won’t get with other choices. These 3 products are BETTER TOGETHER.
  • Ease and simplicity should also be part of what makes this a better breakfast. All it takes is to pour a glass of milk, get out a bagel, and open a fruit cup. Everything can be stored in the fridge together.
  • The Lenders’ and Del Monte products also have the benefit of offering so many flavors that every kid can get a “customized” breakfast with all his or her favorites. Lenders can give you cinnamon/raisin, blueberry, etc. Del Monte can give you a dozen varieties of fruits and combinations of fruits. The flavor combinations are huge. 

Fall Favorites with Sahale Snacks - Great For A Fall Adventure

I am so excited that the leaves are changing colors a little bit, and our yard is sprinkled with fallen leaves. Around this time of year, I yearn for Fall adventures here in southern Illinois, and always make sure to bring a bag packed with snacks, bottled water, and a cozy blanket. I love bringing travel sized Sahale Snacks® on my adventures, they're great for grab and go snacking.

Where are your favorite go-to, local places to visit during Fall? Mine would have to be some of our local orchards (Rendleman Orchards and Flamm Orchards are my top picks) here in southern Illinois, Rendleman even has a very nostalgic pumpkin patch - where you can use a red wagon to transport all of your hand-picked pumpkins to the checkout station. J

I’m sharing #SahaleSnackers in my life as part of a Sahale Snacks® sponsored series for Socialstars™.

Another place I love visiting would be one of our wineries, that also serves hand crafted apple cider (life-changing!!). And, when the weather cools down a bit, we love hiking through the Shawnee National Forest (Pomona Natural Bridge is a short hike, but incredibly majestic). I have learned to never leave the house without a snack, so the Raspberry Crumble Sahale Snacks®, and the Pomegranate Vanilla Flavored Cashews would make a great snack, while adventuring to fun places this Fall. 

I like keeping a couple of these grab and go sized packages of Sahale Snacks® in my car, just for spur of the moment adventures, or of course, days when I run a million errands. Just a couple bites of a snack like this will keep me going. 

I also love bringing along a notebook, so I have somewhere to collect my thoughts, project ideas, but have to admit, love snacking while I journal :)

Where will you take your Sahale Snacks® this Fall? 

Live Life Brighter with Outshine Snacks

Sponsored Post: This post is sponsored by Outshine but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. #SnackBrighter.

Do you ever eat a food that literally transports you to another place? Perhaps you tried the best dessert in your whole life, that time you visited Hawaii, and any time you eat something made with lime, it takes you back to that very dessert? Well, these Outshine Fruit Bars in Lime do that to me. These bars bring a rush of taste and chill to my senses, making me think of the awesome food we ate while visiting Waikiki Beach, other places on Oahu, and all around Kauai! This is why Outshine Fruit Bars help me Live Life Brighter! 

Where is your favorite place to escape?

Learn more about Outshine Fruit & Yogurt Bars here! They are made with real fruit juices and are non-GMO, which I find extremely important to the food I eat. 

Find out Where To Buy these bars here - I found mine at Kroger, and I believe they are also available at Walmart and Kroger Banner Stores, like Fry's and others. 

I also LOVE the Outshine Snacks Instagram Account, here. It's full of bright, inspiring images and you can also learn more about the brand's efforts to donate tons and tons of food. 

These Outshine Fruit Bars in Lime taste super good. They are not overly sweet, they are tarty and tangy, just like something made with real lime juice should taste like. I also really enjoyed the consistency and texture of these fruit bars. If you are someone who likes frozen treats that taste like real fruit instead of those fake flavors, these are a great option for you.

Refreshing, lime after lime.

Made with lime juice

Excellent source of Vitamin C

No high fructose corn syrup

Fat-free, Gluten-free

No artificial colors or flavors

70 calories

No GMO Ingredients

Some of my favorite things about these Outshine Fruit Bars are:

Only 70 Calories per bar, 0g Total Fat per bar, and 25% of your daily Vitamin C.