Sincerely Lauren - Notes On Parenting In Style

Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this week, I know I’m already in Christmas mode over here. While I usually wait for after Thanksgiving, I felt like we needed a little bit of holiday cheer early this year.

While most of us aren’t having a huge Thanksgiving with family and friends this year, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be just as special. Set up the table, get the Zoom call ready, and enjoy the meal with those near and far.

I love setting a table for any special event, it’s a chance for me to get creative and gives me a little bit of an outlet from all of the craziness. For this tablescape, I used greenery from Trader Joe’s (they really do have the best selection and price.) I used my leftover pumpkins (which were also Trader Joe’s finds) that I’d displayed on my front porch. Using leftover fall decor is a great idea because after you’re done with the Thanksgiving table, you can just throw it out (or recycle or compost) and then get ready for Christmas.

For the table setting, I used these chargers I found at a thrift store for super cheap and these white plates were from IKEA (I bought them for my sister’s bridal shower years ago and they’ve come in handy more times that I imagined.) The “I am Thankful for…” sign was made out of a Trader Joe’s bag that I cut up used the inside. So I had all of these things on hand, which made it super easy to pull together.

The glassware is vintage and handed down from my grandmother. I’ve also collected brass candlestick holders over the years and use them at nearly ever tablescape that I set.

This table was pulled together in minutes and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it turned out. Other than greenery, I didn’t have to buy anything. Find things that you have around the house and get creative.

We might not be able to spend Thanksgiving with those near and far, but we do have a lot to be thankful for. I was telling my Sunday School kids (middle schoolers) last Sunday that 2020 has really brought be back to the basics of what I am truly grateful for. It’s not any of the fancy and superficial things I thought I needed. These days I am so grateful for sunshine, the ability to get up and move my body, a healthy family, and any trip out of the house (yes, even the grocery store and shuffling the kids to and from sporting events.)

I am also thankful for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Pop Bar: Ways to Add Fun to Those Frozen Treats

September 3, 2020

My kids are a little dessert obsessed (I wonder where they get it from? 😉 ) We try not to do dessert every night, but I do allow them to have fruit as an option after dinner because it’s a healthy alternative to help satisfy their sweet tooth.

With summer upon us (not going to say it’s over just yet) they’ve been taking advantage of the longer days and heading outside to run around after dinner. That means they come inside hot, sweaty and looking for a something to cool them down. Thankfully we’ve had a wide variety of Whole Fruit Frozen Bars on hand in the freezer. They name says it all. They are the perfect alternative to my “fruit rule.” The Fruit Bars have chunks of real fruit in them and are dairy free, gluten free, and peanut free, which means I can feed them to Macks without any worry. It’s a super convenient treat for them to go and grab out of the freezer and I don’t have to scoop or chop anything in order for them to enjoy.

A few days ago it was a rainy, muggy, and hot day. The kids were looking for something to do that didn’t involve electronics and came up with the idea of making a “Pop Bar” as they called it. They got out all of their favorite toppings and chocolate and wanted to add some extra pizzaz to their Fruit Bars. It was a super easy way to let them have fun, be creative, and enjoy a frozen fruit treat.

Here’s how they did it:

What You’ll Need:

Your favorite flavor of Whole Fruit Frozen Fruit Bars. We had a variety so the kids could try many flavors.

Your favorite toppings. We had:

plain greek yogurt
dark chocolate chips
milk chocolate chips
white chocolate chips
sprinkles
shredded coconut

Melt the chocolate chips in 10 second increments and put all of the toppings in separate bowls so the kids can easily scoop or dip.

Let them be creative and create any mix of toppings they dream of.

Enjoy!

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Watermelon Margarita Poptail

August 17, 2020

This summer (actually let’s take it back to the beginning of quarantine,) has been the time of the margarita. I remember growing up, my mom always ordered margaritas. When I was finally able to try one, I hated the taste, so never thought to try one again. A few years ago I thought I’d try one again, after my sister insisted on making me a fresh one. And I haven’t looked back since.

I’ve been perfecting my margarita making over the past few years and have come pretty close to what I think is a pretty good traditional margarita. Now, I’m finding ways to mix it up when I want something more than just lime.

With it being summer and those long hot days, I am always in the mood for a cool drink to wind down my day. When WholeFruit reached out and asked for me to come up with a recipe using their WholeFruit Fruit Bars, I had the perfect one in mind; Watermelon Margarita Poptail. I’ve been making a watermelon margarita since summer began, but it was always a process because I had to dice up the watermelon, blend it into a puree and then freeze it (because that always gives you the best results.) Rather than taking all of that time, I knew the WholeFruit Watermelon Fruit Bars would be the perfect substitute. And they were. Chunks of real fruit, delicious watermelon flavor, and all without the hassle. The best part is you can use these for your margarita while the kids sit outside and enjoy a Fruit Bar for themselves!

Ingredients:

1 oz tequila blanco (I’m a Casamigos girl)
1 oz Cointreau (the only triple sec I’ll use)
Juice from 1 lime (always go with a fresh lime rather than lime juice from the bottle. It makes a difference, I promise.)
1 WholeFruit Watermelon Fruit Bar (tastes like you’re adding the real thing, but in the coolest way)
Kosher salt (optional)