Mini Pumpkins for Food and Crafts

Pumpkins are a gift from Native American Indians
who considered squash to be an important staple.
Mini Pumpkins are actually a little squash with
great pumpkin flavor without the stringiness of pumpkins.

You can eat them or make edible crafts
that will delight your children.

Mini-pumpkins require lots of sunshine, plenty of water and enough elbow room to provide good air circulation. I use them in the Kids Garden.

Wild Rice Stuffed Mini Pumpkins
Serves 4
Tender young pumpkin stuffed with wild rice and cranberries makes for a fun and tasty dish. Serve as a light lunch or with an entrée.
Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
3 to 4 cups water
4 mini pumpkins
Juice of 1 orange
2 teaspoons honey
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon chopped mint
Method
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a small sauce pan, add wild rice and fill with enough water to cover and allow room to boil like cooking pasta. Bring to a boil and then simmer for approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Rice is done when it starts to "pop" the grain.
While rice cooks, cut tops off pumpkins. Using a large spoon, scoop out seeds and strings. Place pumpkins upside down in a pan with 1/3 inch of water. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully turn pumpkins upright and return to oven until flesh is tender when pierced with a fork, about 5 to 10 more minutes.
When rice is cooked, pour into a colander and rinse with cold water. Place the rice in a medium size bowl.
Juice orange and add honey, mixing together. Pour over rice. Add salt and pepper, and stir well. Stir in cranberries, pecans, orange zest and mint. Adjust seasonings if needed. Stuff rice into pumpkins and serve.
Nutrition
Per Serving (174g-wt.): 170 calories (30 from fat), 3g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 5g protein, 35g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 12g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 290mg sodium

So Simple Beautiful Uses for Strawberries - Mini Home Beauty Treatments

Spa Strawberry Scrub

Strawberry’s main skin-pleasing ingredient is alpha-hydroxy acid that helps us slough off dead skin cells so that new, youthful skin is revealed.

Here’s an easy way to get some of strawberry’s
benefits :
Cut a berry in half, rub it over your face,
and let it sit there for a few minutes, then rinse.
Instantly softer, smoother skin!

Sweet Strawberry and Cream Mask
This recipe is so delicious–with berries, cream, and honey
–that you might be tempted to eat it instead of putting on your face.
It will leave your skin soft and beautiful:

INGREDIENTS

3-4 medium-sized ripe strawberries
1 tablespoon fresh heavy cream
1 tablespoon organic honey

1. Mash the strawberries with the back of a fork or puree them in a blender or food processor. Add the cream and honey to the puree to form a thick mixture.2. Apply to the clean face and neck, avoiding the area around the eyes, and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse off, using bottled or spring water and cotton pads.

Strawberry Foot Scrub
Feet can use a little help in summer,
when sandals expose rough dead skin for all to see.
This easy scrub helps slough it all away:
INGREDIENTS
8 strawberries
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoons kosher salt
Mix ingredients into a paste,
massage well into feet,
then rinse and dry.

Puffy Eye Remedy
Just place a few strawberry slices under your eyes
and relax for 10 minutes,
then remove the slices and moisturize.

Berry Good Acne Remedy
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon sour cream

Mash well to combine, then apply this mixture to your face
and allow to stay for 10 minutes or so. Rinse thoroughly.

Strawberry Mask for Oily Skin
Mix equal parts fresh strawberries and plain unsweetened yogurt,
mashing to combine.
Apply to face, allowing to stay on for around 10 minutes,
Rinse.

Strawberry Tooth-Whitener
Simply rub crushed fresh strawberry pulp directly on your teeth to clean
and gently remove stains. So simple.

Strawberry Hair Conditioner
If you want glossy, silky hair, this one’s for you:

INGREDIENTS
8 fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Mash ingredients thoroughly and massage into damp hair.
Cover with a shower cap and a warm towel.
Allow to stay on hair for at least 10 minutes,
then shampoo as usual.

Home Spa Treatments - Potato Mini Beauty Treatments

You can create Spa Mini Beauty treatments using potatoes
in your own kitchen for a Spa Party or anytime you need them.
Spa parties for Tweens are a great way to pamper your girls
and teach them good grooming habits.
Choosing natural beauty treatments is a great way to Go Green.

Beautiful Uses for Potatoes:

Use potatoes for beauty treatments and get rid of beauty problems naturally.

Dark Circles - Get rid of dark circles under your eyes easily
by using potatoes juice or potatoes directly.
Cut some slices of raw potatoes and place them on your eyes.
Lie down (relax) and close your eyes,
for 15 to 20 minutes. Wash with warm water.
When using potato juice soak some cotton in juice
Place on eye lids for 20 minutes.

Grey Hair - You can darken your gray hair with potato peels.
Grate potatoes, soak in water, strain and use liquid as an after shampoo rinse,
to darken your gray hair. (use every second hair wash)

Wrinkles - Potatoes are a very effective anti aging agent.
To prevent your face from wrinkles wash your face daily with potato juice.
It really helps to get rid of wrinkles and also gives your face the glowing touch.

Tired eyes - To give a fresh look to your face and remove tiredness
from your eyes place two round slices of potato on your eyes.

Facial Blemishes - Treat face blemishes by washing your face daily with cool potato juice.
So simple.

Sunburn - Apply grated potato or potato juice to the affected areas.

Face Swelling, Puffiness - Apply a grated raw potato as a mask by
rubbing the potato on your skin.
Leave the mask on for 30 minutes and then rinse off with water.

The potato mask really helps to reduce facial swelling.
Potatoes also help to absorb the excessive oil from your face.

How many expensive beauty products can you replace with potatoes?

Fun with Potatoes:
While the Tweens and up are busy with Spa Treatments,
the younger children can have some fun making Potato Print Valentines:


Make Potato Stamps


Potato Print Valentines