I've really enjoyed the Avocado Key Lime Pie that I shared with you again, just recently.  I was just making one the other day when I noticed the bananas sitting in my fruit basket.  I wondered to myself if the same method that I was using for the Key Lime Pie wouldn't work for a Banana Pie.  The way I usually make a banana cream pie is to slice bananas into the bottom of a crust and then pour pudding on top of that and add whipped cream.  But, what I don't like is that if the pie isn't eaten quickly, the bananas might get brown and mushy and the pudding gets stiffer.  (It didn't used to last that long around my house, but now that I don't have little kids at home, I have seen it happen.)  The idea of the velvety smooth texture of the Key Lime Pie in the form of a banana pie just really appealed to me.
     It worked!  It was easy to make.  I didn't have to cook up any pudding.  I used a store crust instead of making it myself. (You totally could make it yourself though, I was just being lazy.) I added the cherries for color and a pop of extra flavor since this banana pie doesn't have the same pop of green color as the Key Lime.  1 caveat though.  You need to let it set a little longer.  You will notice that my slices could have set a little longer before I took pictures.  But, we were in a hurry to try this out.  The next day, everything was set perfectly! 

    Easter dinner is going to look a little different for most of us because of social distancing.  This pie will be a simple little cheery dessert to add to your stay at home menu!  I hope you enjoy it! 

For more pie deliciousness, check out our eBook, For The Love of Pie, in our Etsy shop! 

We have two weekends coming up where I think it is very common for people to make cinnamon rolls. This coming weekend is General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Members all over the world will be watching the our leaders give talks about our Savior Jesus Christ and His restored church. Many of those people will make cinnamon rolls for breakfast as the watch conference.

The weekend after is Easter, and I feel like cinnamon rolls are another common staple.

My mom shared this sprouted wheat cinnamon roll recipe a couple years ago. It is a delicious and healthier option, but since the recipe includes some regular flour, I wanted to try my hand at a completely gluten free option so my husband could partake in the cinnamon roll goodness.

​This recipe is from King Arthur Flour. They also have a detailed blog post to help you make the recipe. I really love their flours, but I'm not going to lie. Due to the flour shortage everyone is experiencing, we only had Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour with xanthan gum.

I followed the recipe very closely however, and they still turned out pretty good. My husband said they tasted like store bought ones, and I'll take that for my first try at gluten free cinnamon rolls.

So, if you are in search of a good gluten free recipe, this is a great one to try!

I only made a light glaze to put on mine, because I wasn't going to go to the trouble of making a cream cheese frosting if they didn't turn out good. Now I have to go search for cream cheese before the weekend comes!

A few tips I wanted to share with you:

Have water nearby when shaping the dough to keep it sticking to you.

Use instant yeast. Everything I've read tells me that instant yeast works much better with gluten free flour. My dough still didn't puff up like normal flour would, but it did get fluffy.

I used large muffin tins so they'd still look more like cinnamon rolls when they came out of the oven.

​You can find the recipe at the link above. Happy baking!

​With everyone trying to social distance themselves and, in our case, with my husband working from home, everyday can feel like a Saturday. This makes it difficult to keep a routine or even remember what day it is. To help my kids out I decided to make them a daily chart that they can mark off everyday to help them keep track of their days and prevent us from going stir crazy inside.  

If you subscribe to our email list you can get this printable for free! Plus any of our other subscriber only printables. 

To use our chart I filled in ten things they should do everyday, not chores necessarily but good habits I’d like them to get into doing everyday, like making the bed, brushing teeth, and playing outside. Then I put the chart in sheet protectors and taped them up where the kids can reach them. Whenever they finish something they can use a whiteboard marker to 'x' off what they've done. My son was really excited about the chart when I gave it to him. We'll see how his excitement continues from this point on. ​

One thing I like about the chart is the kids can choose the order they want to do everything. This will help build autonomy and help them to understand how to prioritize their time eventually. For instance, when my son found it was too early to be playing outside, he turned to the chart to find something else he could do until playing outside was an option. The chart also allows for the kids to feel a sense of accomplishment as they mark off each thing everyday. ​

​But the chart doesn’t have to just be for kids, I tried to design it in a way that it’s pretty enough to be used by adults too to track their habits/goals. 

I hope this will help you guys during this time. It’s good to keep a sense of normalcy when things are a bit off kilter in the world. We’re thinking and praying for you all. 

Remember if you want a copy of the chart, subscribe to our email list. 

    On Pinterest, there are some pretty cool Scavenger Hunts for kids to do during these stay at home times.  A couple of the outdoor ones are like pieces of art!  Look at this one! I could frame it! she suggested twig pencils to complete this hunt. I found some here! This one is simple yet also beautiful.  The kids could make the binoculars we talked about on this post and go out and do their hunt!  

     But, what if you are on rainy day schedule?  We've had a lot of rain this year here in Phoenix.  How about you?  Some of you still are in the midst of very cold weather!  When I taught school, we always had to have things to do indoors during rainy days.  Not only that, when I had school aged children at home, the house became cluttered quickly! That can be a real mood buster when everyone is stuck at home together.  And finally, whether you are doing school work together or just having screen time and being bored, sometimes you just need a mental or physical break!  So, because of all of that, I decided to come up with an Indoor Scavenger Hunt that would incorporate fun, learning, food, activity and clutter-busting all in one!  I call it the Indoor Find and Do Scavenger Hunt.  

    I had some of my grandchildren try the Scavenger Hunt out for me.  It was fun to get the pictures of them doing something that grandma sent them to do.  I sure do miss being with them! If you are a grandma missing your grandkids, It is really a blessing to have the ability to talk to them and do things with them over social media.  Sending them a simple activity like this scavenger hunt is a gift they will remember. 

    This isn't necessarily the kind of Scavenger Hunt that you would do all in one day and it isn't a race. 

• It would be best if your children took their time to complete each task completely and well to get the most out of the activities.  I mean, some will be faster than others. Like picking up dirty socks, but, they should spend some time on the drawing and the reading or the geography.
• Tell them that instead of a race, this is an exercise in doing things well.
• Older children can help younger ones read the directions.
• At the beginning of the week, you could give them the sheet and tell them to try to do 2 or 3 things on it per day.  Then, you could assign some type of reward when the entire page is filled and they have done all of the things WELL!  I'm thinking of a reward such as making cookies together or playing a favorite game.  You know what your kids will like. 

​    By the time the chart is completed, your kids will have cleaned up some clutter, read 2 books and had some fun.   Then, perhaps you can come up with some of your own ideas to add to the list the next time! Your house, your clutter, your needs, your kids!  But I hope I've given you a new idea to help you out. Just click the pdf button to print the sheet.  Look at the faces of my grandchildren!  I'm sure that your children enjoy it!