Brown Rice Chicken Fiesta

I am excited to get started contributing to Life in the Pumpkin Patch.  I will be bringing you recipes and other tips to help you incorporate some healthier foods into your meals.



My first recipe quickly became a favorite in my family and with my daycare kids.  This is a tasty way to get some whole grains in your diet along with some good lean meats.

Brown Rice Chicken Fiesta - from UncleBens.com

1 cup Uncle Ben's whole grain rice, uncooked
1 pound diced raw chicken breast
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (11 oz) can Mexican style corn, drained - I normally use regular corn not mexican style
1 tsp salt
2 T vegetable oil
1 envelope taco seasoning mix, divided
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Coat chicken with 3 T of taco seasoning.  Heat oil in 12 inch skillet cook chicken over medium-low heat until cooked through.  Cook rice according to package directions, adding the remaining taco seasoning to the water.  When the chicken is done, drain excess oil, then add the diced tomatoes and corn.  Stir until heated thoroughly.  Add rice to chicken and veggies.  Top with cheese when serving.

Roses are Red

Roses are red

chocolates taste sweet

my love for you grows

with every heartbeat.

It's February and love is in the air. This year our Valentine's Day theme is "Gifts". Help your child make a gift for a friend, neighbor or grandparent to let them know just how special they are.

For a quick, easy gift try decorating a heart with salt glitter. Color the salt by placing about 3 tsp. of salt in a zip-top bag and adding one drop of food coloring into the bag. Mash the contents around, adding more salt or food coloring until you have the right color. Open the bag to let the salt dry overnight.

Cut out a heart shape from construction paper. Let your child squeeze glue on the heart where ever they would like to have the glitter. Then have them sprinkle the salt over the glue and shake off the excess. Let the heart dry before giving it to a special someone this Valentine's Day.

Find more sweet gift ideas by subscribing to Little Pumpkins Preschool Curriculum:

www.littlepumpkinspreschool.com

What's Black and White and Waddles All Over?

A penguin, of course! Did you know that there are just 17 different types of penguins and that they only live in the southern hemisphere? Not all of them live on Antarctica, many live in more temperate areas and the Galapagos Penguins live...you guessed it...on the Galapagos Islands which is near the equator!

The largest penguin is the Emperor penguin, they are typically about 42 inches tall. The smallest is the Little Blue Penguin which only grow to be about 16 inches tall and weigh only about 2 pounds.

Despite all their differences, all penguins are black and white. Just for fun, make tomorrow a black and white day:

• Wear black and white clothing.


• Play a guessing game where all the things you are thinking of are black or white.


• Eat black and white foods such as dark-colored beans, mashed potatoes and rice, black olives on a flour tortilla. Of course, Oreo cookies are my favorite black and white food!

Have a fun day of learning!

Run, Run As Fast As You Can....

You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man. That's right, it's December and we start a new theme this week: Gingerbread Man.





This classic tale has been around for hundreds of years. The first printed version with a gingerbread man was published in May of 1875 in the St. Nicolas Magazine. A quick search today at the Amazon bookstore shows over 800 related titles in the Children's section. You can find gingerbread babies, girls, cowboys, pirates, superheros and friends! The famous Gingerbread Man has apparently lived in Hawaii, the "big city", and St. Augustine, Florida which is the oldest city in America.





This month I encourage you to find several versions of the Gingerbread Man and see which one you like best! Of course, it's best to read these books while eating a gingerbread man or two! Try this recipe below.

If you would like to subscribe to Little Pumpkins Preschool to get the full two-week curriculum, go to www.LittlePumpkinsPreschool.com







GINGERBREAD PEOPLE RECIPE





4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs (separated)
1 cup molasses
1 tablespoon cold water


Onto a piece of wax paper, sift 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, cloves, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.


In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on High, cream the butter and sugar until light yellow and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, then the molasses.


Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture.


Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter three baking sheets.


On a pastry cloth or board, sprinkle 1/4 cup of the remaining flour and roll out half of the dough, 1/4 inch thick.


With cookie cutters, cut out gingerbread people. With a spatula, transfer them back to the baking sheets. Decorate with currants, cherries, and cinnamon candies if you wish.


In a cup, whisk the egg whites with the water. Bake the cookies for 5 minutes, then brush lightly with egg whites. Bake 2 to 3 minutes more. Let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes. With a spatula, transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough and flour.


For the icing:


2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water
assorted food colors


In a small bowl, stir the sugar with the vanilla, then add enough water to make a stiff icing. Divide into small cups and color as you wish. When the cookies have cooled, pipe out designs, such as smiling faces, zigzags, bow ties, and aprons. If using different colors of icing, let one color dry before piping the next. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Do not freeze, as the icing could crack.

Welcome to the Pumpkin Patch

I've been thinking of starting a blog to go along with Little Pumpkins Preschool for quite a while now. So today was the day to take the plunge! My dream for this blog is a place where day care providers and parents can share thoughts and tricks-of-trade with one another as we endeavour to raise healthy, happy children.





I also hope to share some of the artwork that my wonderful husband creates for Little Pumpkins Preschool. Unfortunately, today, you get one of my goofy drawings!

Feel free to download this picture and let the little ones you love have fun coloring this crazy turkey. For added fun, after they are done coloring the picture, dip a Q-tip in baby oil and rub it over the crayon. This will give it a stained-glass look.