You Can Too: Hallow's Eve Treat 2013 BLAST from DIY 2010!

Halloween could possibly be my favorite holiday. That is a bold statement. 

I truly love all occasions with family and friends alike but there is just that thing about Halloween... dressing up and scary stuff. Okay. Two things. I do not think I know one person who doesn't love getting a little creeped out at their shower curtain or wondering if you should check under the bed, for that masked killer you read about in a fiction novel from yesteryear (& not that it matters but, one of my favorite "scary" movies is Little Monsters!). 

When we lived in Monterey we wanted to have friends over to celebrate and pretty much just have an excuse to purposely live in decorations...for a week we added this and that and made some fun stuff so that I can use them again and again. And let me say, we had a good time! Our rental in Monterey was a find and I really liked that town. If you ever get a chance, go. You will not regret it. 

Sweet Avery (then almost one) did not know what to think of the webbing on our stairwell. It was a tremendous feat that took me late into the night with giddies, don't be fooled it was like watching THAT girl decorating for Homecoming. I was so into it. I was online searching like crazy for cheap ideas, up cycling projects, ANYTHING. And in my very humble opinion, it paid off! 

Almost everything was purchased at the Dollar Tree or found around CL free.

I used clear tape to hang skeletons I had tied some cooking twine around to look like they we hanging skeletons, can be too much for some folks but Avery never noticed. The adults did! 

With the front porch I used blood dripping candles on wine bottles of Two Buck Chuck purchased from Trader Joes, un-carved pumpkins that we later decorated, and "shrunken heads" from apples I carved and let air dry inside (and I only kept these outside for our party and the actual Hallows Eve!)! There are lots on online tutorials for fruit shrunken heads, and since you're not eating them it its ok to skimp and get the non organic brand. 

Eeeeerrrriiiieeees huh? 

For our large front window I got some large trash bags our neighbor was throwing out and some from our multiple moves and cut layers of "flame". Another "cheap Halloween decor idea" search. Still have these too and have used is several windows or can layer in one for a different look! It was super fun in this home because the air vent was on the floor so when the heat kicked on the flames flickered in the shadowy window and it looked super fun! 

For random knick knack areas around the home I glued eye balls on pumpkins and filled glass containers with craft beads and little skulls I found 10/$1 at Target. 

AND again, clear tape makes any decorating super easy. 

Hung a net and tangled little plastic buggies in it and even some fake flesh. 

Found these glow in the dark window skulls for 90% off the DAY of Halloween.. BPA free too. Not an AWESOME eco buy, but since it IS reusable, I figured it'd be worth it for the years/moves to come! I store all my decor in a marked bin for moving/easy seasonal decorating!

Ben admiring the front porch before trick or treaters show up!

some awesome ghouls! 

Found this link for Spiderweb Cookies 

and inspired myself a cake...

My 1st spider web cake was so easy! 

I hope these pictures provide some thrifty encouragement! The one item I did not have pictures of  *and I am not digging them out just yet* are spray painted roses. Found some free ones on Craigslist & cheap elsewhere, bought as-clean-as-I-could black matte spray paint and had black roses all through the house too! Used awesome terrorrrific food ideas from online like dried cranberries as scabs, stuffed dates as roaches, knobs of ginger around as witches knuckles,  witches fingers (cheese sticks with almond ends), vampire punch,... so many ideas out there! Here is a great one for Family Halloween Ideas and another I love is Easy Halloween Ideas . They are the most common you will see flying around, but I encourage you to not give up! YOU CAN PARTY ON A BUDGET, don't be scaaaaaarrrrrrrrred. See for yourself!

Boo for now!

chocolate ice cream for breakfast

The days of youth are constantly at our fingertips. Wind blowing through your arms that make you want to fly like a bird, sounds of the ocean always bringing magic to your heart, a smell of vanilla in the summer to remind you of sweets that only long gone elders knew how to make; All of the small wonders make a soul so simple and childlike. The sheer giddiness of childlike behavior should be reason enough to enjoy chocolate ice cream for breakfast :) It IS a Mama D version of chocolate ice cream but it's soft serve yumminess will have you melting faster than itself if you don't hurry up and enjoy!

They key to almost all of the smoothies I make is a little trick called FROZEN BANANAS aka Vegan Ice Cream aka Smoothie aka Milkshake Heaven. I am telling you.

 No I am YELLING AT YOU, THIS ISH IS BANANAS- B A N A N A S :) 

 I buy bananas in bulk and usually use most of them but towards the end I will slice up some, freeze them on a single layer and store them in the freezer until I need some creamy satisfaction. I usually use coconut water or water as my thinner but feel free to use milk or juice of choice (once I juiced some spinach for spinach water). Use about 1 cup of bananas per adult serving. For me and the two toddlers I used 3 cups. Pile up bananas, start with 1 tablespoon of cacao, a drizzle of honey and blend. Watch it and go with your instincts/preferences! It will be THICK so work a little bit of your fluid into it slowly (or it'll get kind of watery like in my pictures). Taste it. If you need more cacao or coconut water or honey keep going. This is a VERY sweet treat if you are not careful with your desire to be flooded with pure ice-cream-for-breakfast nirvana!!! I am working on knowing my body better and kind of refuse to give exact measurements. . just start with a basic measurement ( 1 tsp - 1 tbsp )  and taste your way from there. It's bananas and honey and chocolate. YOU CAN NOT GO WRONG!!! As I am mixing these simple ingredients together I drizzle in some melted coconut oil. I keep the coconut oil on top of the fridge so on most days some of it's liquid or you can heat it up as you see fit. Microwave, Stove, Double Boiler. I have a little Turkish tea pot I melt mine with over the gas stove.

Perfection is what this breakfast is. Oh and the kids will adore it too. We were going to add strawberries and blueberries but we ate those while watching this magic happen. 

Let the kids help or if it's for company that is hesitant to "try new things" secretly serve this bad boy and set up a "healthy sundae" bar without folks even knowing *yes I have been known to sneak tons of healthy alternatives into Casa Cantu gatherings but only after I ask for allergies.. I myself can not eat mushrooms so why ruin someone's night/life just because I want to prove vegan ice cream/smoothies are literally a culinarist-guru-in-training's dream!* 

I first was inspired by Dr. Ben Kim's chocolate vanilla smoothie while we were in Rhode Island. It was an instant summer hit. I am now very confident in my testing abilities and use this first experience as a guide to what I have on hand or am planning. This was a quick version Avery happened to ask for one morning so I was like OH YEA! Some times I add the vanilla especially in the smoothie, and most times I sprinkle some crushed walnuts on top. Depends on what I am craving. For the healthy sundae bar you can have a spread of fresh and dried fruit, healthy whip cream, raw nuts, dried coconut flakes, chia seeds and cranberries give a fun sprinkle-ish feel to this but if you're down with sprinkle town then do it! Eating a healthier ice cream is a HUGE first step in a healthier lifestyle or if this is for a dairy free soiree then you know your guidelines, I'm just here for the ICE CREAM :)

I encourage you to try this fun treat any time with some one you love, especially YOURSELF!!!