A BMI Calculator Can Give You the Motivation to Lose Weight

Online BMI Calculator

Been indoors packing on the pounds? It's time to shed the layers of clothing and get outside and play. Growing up, I was chronically skinny except for a brief time in 5th and 6th grade. Due to health issues and medication, as I got older, the weight crept up every couple of years. When motivated, it's easy to get the weight off and drop pounds. Now, as the aging mommy of two kids, the motivation rarely comes and the weight sticks around. I did find a little motivation by plugging my numbers into a BMI calculator. Scroll down to use it, the first BMI Calculator picture is a just pinnable image for Pinterest.  Enjoy! 

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

Pin this image to save to Pinterest.

Below is the actual, interactive, online BMI CALCULATOR.

The Food Pyramid

 
Free Online BMI Calculator.

Online Weight Loss Tracker

Ditch the The Food Pyramid?

Motivation. I've worked on upping my food intake. Yes, upping. I never ate more than once a day. Now, I try to eat three times a day with snacks. I've reinvented meals. I rarely sit down to eat, and I don't fill my plate in a food pyramid with one "meal." For me, that means a yogurt here, a banana there, a peanut butter sandwich, or veggies with dip spread throughout the day. I do eat everything in the food pyramid, but not in one sitting.  Should you eat dairy? at 45, I found out I was allergic to milk (not lactose intolerant.) I ditched milk and rarely eat ice cream. Yogurt and cheese don't cause me problems, so I'm able to fulfill my dairy needs. I also discovered a had hyperparathyroidism, so now I take vitamin D softgels every day.

I tried to ditch the pop, but that didn't work. However, I've made little changes. Food before pop in the morning. One soda or less per day. You'd think I'd gain weight, but I didn't gain a pound. In fact, I lost a few. I tried to find a picture to share, but I run from the camera.  Below, is the best I can do for a before picture. On the positive side, the weight always seemed to keep me looking younger. These days, aside from being old, I'm fairly healthy. Unfortunately, the BMI calculator doesn't agree. Another option is to find a good Weight Tracker App. With an app on your phone, you can track everything on the go.

**UPDATE (2016) 
I've lost over 30 lbs. and kept it off. My biggest tip is to stop eating bread (any sort of gluten). Also, take a daily probiotic. I've ditched the pop! Started by swapping Mountain Dew for Sierra Mist (natural sugars and sweeteners) and then I switched to Coca-Cola Zero. I'm working on swapping this for Propel. I drink a lot of Propel, but I want my caffeine. My go to snack is Vanilla Oikos Triple Zero try it in a Strawberry Smoothie. In the past, I was too sick to exercise. The weight loss was all diet related. Bread, cereal, cake, cupcakes, doughnuts, bagels, pizza, pasta- all gone from my diet during the weight loss. Since I've been able to exercise, I do eat them occasionally. I plan to lose 20 more lbs. this year, by adding exercise.

*I'm not a doctor. These are what worked for me. No health advice is implied.

2010

2016

What do you wish you could do differently to improve your health?

Positive Weight Loss Goals

**UPDATE (2019)

I'm 50 now and look better than I've looked in years! Still eating while on the move and using resistance bands for stretching every day. Working on losing 10 more pounds. I'm able to walk, do squats, bike ride, etc. I've even started kayaking! If you told me 10 years ago that I'd be kayaking, I would've laughed in your face! Getting fit allowed me to get healthy. So many health issues have disappeared. I'm thinking about running marathons. Not sure my knees can take it. We'll see.

What are you waiting for?

2019

2019

Recommended:

Best Daily Probiotic

Healthier Recipes that helped me. 

Get Resistance Bands to Workout

Keep up with me on Instagram.

What are Carrots good for? Here are Simple Carrot Snack Recipes and Edible Crafts perfect for Easter

Easter: Things to do with Carrots for Snacks

Carrots. Bunnies eat them. They are rumored good for eyesight. What else are carrots good for? Here are some simple, easy, snack carrot recipes your kids will enjoy- just in time for Easter.

Yummy, Easy Carrot Recipes: No Bunnies Allowed.

Carrots are good in lots of recipes, not just carrot cake. We found Carrot Pancakes from Iowa Girl Eats blog, adorable Bird's Nest Carrot Cupcakes from How Sweet Treats blog, and an Apple Carrot Smoothie from Akers of Love blog. Click the links below to visit their pages.

• Carrot Classroom Snacks
• Healthy Carrot Sloppy Joes
• Plastic Easter Egg Carrot Craft
• Apple Carrot Smoothie with Greek Yogurt
• Easter Nest Carrot Cupcakes
• Carrot Pancake Recipe

Recommended Reading:

Easter Knock Knock Jokes

Holiday Edible Art and Snack Crafts

Sign up for our free newsletter!

Kitchen Kids: Cinnamon Cocoa Donut Recipe

Donut Recipe to Make at Home

Get mixing and making with your Kitchen Kids! Make this yummy (non-fried) cake, cinnamon, cocoa donut or doughnut recipe. We've got great tips for making icing cookies and donuts less messy. Make yummy donuts at home with this cocoa doughnut recipe. Enjoy!

How do you make homemade donuts? 
With lots of love and family fun.

How do you spell doughnut?

This Cinnamon Cocoa donut recipe was made with a Donut Maker, but you could also use a cake pop maker or muffin tins in the oven.

You Will Need:
2 C. Flour, 3/4 Sugar (we used Splenda Baking Mix in case the Diabetic Daddy snagged one.), 2 Tsps. Baking Powder, 1/4 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon,  2 Tbs. Cocoa Powder, 1 Tsp. Salt, 2 Beaten Eggs, 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract, 1 Tsp. Shortening.

How to make Maple Glaze for Donuts  

How to Make Donuts:

Warm Donut Maker or preheat oven to 325 Degrees, lightly grease muffin pan (or donut pan if you have one).  In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cocoa and salt (dry ingredients).  Stir in wet ingredients (milk, eggs, vanilla, and shortening). Beat all together until well blended. Fill each cup 3/4 full. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes or until donut maker ready lite changes color. Donuts should spring back when touched. Allow to cool before removing from pan and frosting or drizzling with maple glaze. 


Recommended Reading:

Donut Maker Bake-off

Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home*

Purchase the Kindle Version of our Holiday Treats Cookbook* (Winter Holidays)







ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe in Mini-Muffin Pan

How to Make Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe

This recipe makes Strawberry Cupcakes in a Mini-Muffin Pan. It yields enough cupcakes for a large group. Get creative with your mix-ins and infuse cupcakes with your favorite jam. Enjoy! 

How to make strawberry cupcakes in a mini-muffin pan.

We had to come up with an item to take for a Teacher Appreciation Week pitch-in luncheon at Chick-a-Bitty and Bug's school. I knew I needed to bring in something that would feed over forty teachers and wouldn't require major refrigerator space. I thought if I could make this in my Mini Muffin Pan ( it makes twenty-four muffins at a time) and with one cake mix, I could make a little over forty-eight muffins!

Make Strawberry Cupcakes in a Mini- Muffin Pan to feed the whole gang.

Ingredients:

• 1 strawberry cake mix 

If you can't find strawberry cake mix, Pillsbury and Betty Crocker make a white one- just add about one drop of red food coloring. 

• Add 1 tsp. of strawberry extract

IMO, Strawberry cake mix is prettier, because it makes a pink cake with red speckles, plus you're putting in the white chips = very pretty! 

You can also as fresh strawberries to the white cake mix for a similar effect.

• 1 tsp. strawberry extract 
• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• 1 (3 oz. box) cheesecake pudding mix
• 16 oz. sour cream
• ½ cup oil
• 3 eggs 
• Garnish: whipped topping and fresh strawberries. 
• Preheat oven to 325 Degrees
• Spray your pan lightly 
• Whisk eggs and pudding mix together.
• Add remaining ingredients, blend well.

White cake mix with fresh strawberries.

• Using a medium or large ice cream scoop, (depends on how big you want your mini cakes) put in pan. 

Infuse cupcakes with a jam filled icing tube.

• Bake for 10-12 min. Let cool on cooling rack and remove from pan. Repeat until all the batter is used.
• Once cupcakes are baked, use a frosting tube filled with jam to infuse. It is easy, just insert and squirt! Now, you are a gourmet baker!

Tip:  If there is extra batter for a third round but not enough to fill all cups, fill empty cups with a bit of water so it will not ruin and over bake the empty cups.

After everything is cool, use whipped topping to decorate top of mini-cakes. Add a sliced strawberry to put on top.

You can also frost with cream cheese frosting and drizzle with chocolate syrup as seen below.

Strawberry infused cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and chocolate drizzle.

Recommended:

More Recipes  from Kids Creative Chaos

Two Quart Batter Bowl*

Buy Frosting Tubes for Infusion*

Mock Baked Alaska Cake Recipe

Baked Alaska Recipe with Optional Fillings

How do you make Baked Alaska Cake? What is Baked Alaska? Try this Mock Baked Alaska Cake Recipe adapted from Pampered Chef. Enjoy!

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

Mock Baked Alaska Cake Recipe with optional fillings.

How to Make Baked Alaska Cake 

• 1 package (18.25 oz) Devil's Food or Chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients to make cake)

• 1 cup mini semi-sweet Chocolate Chips, divided

• 1 package (8 oz) Neufachtel Cheese or Cream Cheese, softened

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 container (16 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided.

Baked Alaska Recipe with Optional Fillings.

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour Classic Batter Bowl.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions; pour into batter bowl. Bake 1 hour, 10 minutes to 1 hour, 15 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. 

Remove from oven to cooling rack; cool 15 minutes. Run spatula around outside of cake and gently turn out onto cooling rack, large end down.

Cool 3 hours. Using serrated bread knife, trim large end of cake to level. Place cake, large end down, onto cake plate. 

To slice cake into four equal layers, slice cake horizontally in half. Then, slice each half into two equal layers.

Chop 1/4 cup of the chocolate morsels using food chopper; set aside.  

Place remaining chocolate morsels in microwave, uncovered, on high 20-60 seconds or until melted and smooth, stirring after each 20-second interval. 

In clean Batter Bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth using stainless steel whisk. Add powdered sugar; whisk until smooth. 

Stir in melted chocolate; mix well. Fold 2 cups of the whipped topping and chopped chocolate into cream cheese mixture using spatula. 

Using spreader or butter knife, spread bottom layer of cake with about half of the filling, forming a 3/4-inch layer.

Repeat with remaining layers and filling, ending with the top layer of cake. Spread any remaining filling over outside of cake to create a smooth surface. 

Frost cake with remaining whipped topping.

*To form decorative peaks, press spreader into topping and pull away. Repeat over entire surface of cake. For easier slicing, refrigerate cake at least 30 minutes.  

To easily cut cake into servings, cut cake into eight wedges from top to bottom using utility knife. 

Carefully insert spatula horizontally into each wedge, dividing into two equal portions. 

Options for Filling:

Red Kool-Aid Strawberry Splash: Omit chocolate morsels. Add 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened strawberry drink mix powder to cream cheese mixture. Stir 1/4 cup chopped strawberries into cream cheese mixture. Proceed as recipe directs. Use strawberry flavored whip cream or regular with red food coloring.

Christmas Green Mint Splash: Omit 1/2 cup melted chocolate. Add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract and 3-4 drops green food coloring, if desired, to cream cheese mixture. Proceed as recipe directs.


Recommended:

Pampered Chef: Kids in the Kitchen

Baked Alaska Recipes

Angie's Recipes

Microwave Strawberry Cheesecake Cake Recipe

Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe for Mircowave 

Angie's Corner: What could be better than a cake recipe you can microwave? Yes, please. This Strawberry Cheesecake CAKE recipe is microwavable. Enjoy!

Mircowavable Strawberry Cheeesecake Cake Recipe with garnish.

Microwave Strawberry Cheesecake 'Cake' Recipe.

Strawberry Cheesecake Microwave Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

1 strawberry cake mix (if you can't find strawberry- Pillsbury and Betty Crocker makes one you can use white, add red food color, (not much, like one drop) and add an extract tsp of strawberry extract.

The strawberry cake mix is prettier it has pink cake with red speckles, plus you're putting in the white chip is very pretty.

1 tsp. strawberry extract (only if you cannot find the strawberry cake mix)
½ cup white chocolate chips
1 (3 oz. box) cheesecake pudding mix
16 oz. sour cream
½ cup oil
3 eggs 

Garnish: whipped topping and fresh Strawberry Fans. 

• 1. Spray your Stoneware Fluted Pan or Deep Covered Baker lightly and dust with flour (works best with Baker's Joy).
• 2. Whisk eggs and pudding mix together in Classic Batter Bowl.
• 3. Add remaining ingredients, blending well with Mix N' Scraper.
• 4. Drop batter into Fluted pan and microwave on high 12-14 minutes. 
• 1. (Watch your cake after 10 minutes if you microwave runs hot.) Works best if your have a turntable in your microwave. If not, rotate every 4-5 minutes. 
• 5. Invert cakes immediately, but leave pan over the cake for 10 minutes. Cool. Garnish (Flour Sugar Shaker filled with powdered sugar, fresh strawberry fans made with your Egg Slicer Plus or Paring knife, fresh mints snipped with your Kitchen Shears) as desired.

How to Make Strawberry Fans:

To make the Strawberry fans gently slice a 3/4 of the way down and fan apart. Then with any leftover strawberries, put them in the Manual Food Processor and chop til desired sized and put in the center of cake, If using the fluted pan fill hole in center of cake first with leftover whipped topping before adding the strawberries. 

Recommended:

Fun Family Recipes

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Dr. Seuss Sue Snue: Celebrate Theodore Geisel's Birthday with this April Fool's Joke Cake Activity Trick for Kids

When is Dr. Seuss's Birthday? Celebrate with Sue Snue Birthday Party Activities

I bet Dr. Seuss, Theodore Geisel, liked to celebrate April Fool's Day. Why not celebrate his birthday with this joke shaving cream cake trick activity and read Sue Snue. Dr. Seuss's Birthday is March 2, 1904. Remember, it is Seuss, not Suess. Enjoy!

Theodore Geisel: Dr. Seuss.

Shaving Cream is Versatile. Mix up one batch and enjoy three fun, messy activities for kids. This is a fun way to celebrate a kids' birthday party!

Shaving Cream Sensory Play Ideas.

You will need:

1 can of Shaving Cream

Gel Food Coloring

Plastic Spoons

Cake Decorating Sprinkles

Birthday Candles

Recycle Plastic Containers

Paint Brush

Read "Who Are You, Sue Snue?" From Jim Henson's Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. Sue has a birthday and everyone in town wonders what she will do to celebrate. 

Who Are You, Sue Snue?
From Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.

Fun Kid's Activity #1

Mix up some shaving cream with a few drops of your favorite color of gel food coloring. Grab a clean, empty, cream cheese container, turn it upside down, and ice it like a cake. Add a candle on top. This is a great idea for Sensory Play!

Fake Shaving Cream Birthday Cake for playing 
an April Fool's Joke on your kids.

Cool Craft for Kids #1 Variation
The cake looks good enough to eat. Why not play a fun April Fool's Joke on a friend?

Trick your children with this fake joke cake for April Fool's.

You might also like our Daisy Head Maizy (Maisy) Activities

Kiddie Version of  Shaving Cream Cake. 
Let your kids make a cake to play a trick on Dad.

Activity #2 

Grab a paint brush and paint the sidewalk with your leftover shaving cream mixture.

Summer Camp Shaving Cream Fun

Activity #3
After the kids have made a sufficient mess, use your left-over shaving cream "icing" in the bathtub.  It works great and cleans up easily. (They are going to need a bath!)

Recommended Reading:

Who Are You, Sue Snue? Birthday Book*

Daisy Head Mayzie Activities


*Special Thanks to Momto2PoshLilDivas for the cake idea.















ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Valentine's Day Dessert: Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe from Pampered Chef

Looking for a light and refreshing dessert recipe for Valentines Day? This Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe is Delicious

Angie's favorite Pampered Chef recipes: This dessert recipe for Valentine's Day is pink, pretty, and romantic. It is perfect for your next romantic Valentine's Day Dessert. Make this Lemon Angel Food Cake recipe to celebrate Valentine's Day or any special occasion. Enjoy!

Ours: Valentine's Day Dessert Lemon Angel Food Cake.

Theirs: Pampered Chef's Lemon Angel Food Cake.

How to Make Lemon Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

5 drops red food coloring

1 pkg (16 oz or 430 g) angel food cake mix

3 lemons

2 cups (500 mL) powdered sugar

2 cups (500 mL) thawed frozen fat-free whipped topping

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen raspberries or strawberries in syrup, thawed.

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). For cake, add food coloring to amount of water specified on package. Prepare cake according to package directions. Pour batter into Rectangular Baker . Bake on center rack 35-40 minutes or until top is golden brown, cracked and center is slightly sunken. (Do not underbake.) Remove baker from oven; invert onto Stackable Cooling Rack. Without removing baker, let stand until completely cool (about 1 1/2 hours).

2.  Poke holes in cake about 1 1/2 in. (4 cm) deep and 1/2 in. (1 cm) apart with large fork. Zest lemons using Zester/Scorer to measure 1 tbsp (15 mL) zest. Juice lemons using Juicer to measure 1/3 cup (75 mL) juice. In Small Batter Bowl, combine sugar, juice and zest; whisk until smooth. Pour glaze over cake, spreading evenly. Let stand 30 minutes or until glaze is set.

3.  Attach open star tip to Easy Accent(R) Decorator; fill with whipped topping. Garnish each serving with whipped topping; top with raspberries.

Yield:  15 servings

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 1/2 fruit, 1 starch (3 1/2 carb)

Make it a family Valentine's date night for the perfect Valentimes. (See what I did there?) You might also like to pair it with a Valentine Craft for Kids and a cute bedtime story like those below.

Recommended Reading:


Recipes from the Heart Cookbook*

More Recipes from Kids Creative Chaos









ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe with Pineapple Cartoon Clipart

This is an easy Microwavable recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake with some cartoons to boot.

Who lives in a Pineapple at the bottom of cake? Not Spongebob, it is a Pineapple Upside Down Cake! This recipe is easy and microwaveable. Enjoy!

Ya, know who'd like this?  
The one who lives in a cartoon Pineapple under the sea.

This is a fun recipe to make with the kids and actually easy enough for them to do on their own!  Although this is a recipe for The Pampered Chef stoneware product, Deep Covered Baker, if you have a microwave safe dish you can still use this recipe. :)

More Pineapple Fun

Spongebob says, "I'm so excited.  
I can't wait to eat this Pineapple Upside Down cake!"

Pineapple Upside Cake in Deep Covered Baker

1 cup brown sugar

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple slices, undrained

5 maraschino cherries, drained and halved

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1 package (18.25 ounces) yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Crumble brown sugar into bottom of Deep Covered Baker. Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set aside. Arrange several pineapple slices over brown sugar in Baker. Chop any unused pieces and set aside.

Place a cherry half in center of each pineapple slice. Sprinkle with nuts (optional). Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 1/3 cups liquid. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine cake mix, pineapple juice, reserved chopped pineapple, eggs and oil; whisk until well blended and smooth. Pour over pineapple slices in Baker. Microwave on high, 10-12 minutes, until the top is set.

Allow to stand 5 minutes, then carefully invert onto a serving platter.

Cool slightly; garnish with whipped topping, if desired.

Recommended Reading:

Make a Mock Baked Alaska Cake

Kids Holiday Cookbook*

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Easy Donut Recipe? Santa's Doughnut Maker Mistake

Easy Donut Recipe? 

In 2010, Santa brought the little one a doughnut maker.  She asked for a cupcake maker, but it was the hot item and hard to find that year.

Mommy was tired after all of the Christmas doings, so Daddy was in charge of making the doughnuts. I never even saw one. I heard, "They were so good!"  Mommy has been very busy.  Mommy experienced the Easy Bake Oven with the teenager.  It took Mommy over a year to make the doughnuts.

As a kid, I had a Holly Hobbie, Old-fashioned,  Easy Bake Oven.  What fun I had baking cookies and cakes on the floor of my bedroom...  Wait that seems like an odd memory, true, but odd.  I have no memory of my mother helping with this endeavor.  I do remember my Dad eating the results. As a matter of fact, I remember my Dad eating teenager's Easy Bake Cookies and Cakes.

Remember how the cookies tasted baked in your Holly Hobbie Easy Bake Oven.

I also had a Baby Alive growing up.  You mixed the baby food  and she pooped and peed.  I liked her food.  I thought. "It was so good!"  Easy Bake and Super Doughnut Factory food tastes exactly like Baby Alive food. My, how my tastes have changed. And, for those of you who read my post on doll collecting, yes, somewhere, I have both of these items.  (Hoarder, Hoarder, Hoarder)

This year (2011), my son wanted a doughnut maker.  He knew exactly which one he wanted. Grandpa took us shopping and when we explained that we needed to leave the toy aisle and find the small appliance aisle both Daddy and Grandpa were perplexed. My son is very practical.  He also asked Grandpa for a new, winter coat. So, he got this one.

Mommy has been ridden with guilt. Knowing she should make the little one's doughnuts but not wanting to make the doughnuts. So, I had a brilliant idea.  We'd have a doughnut maker bake-off. Doesn't that sound like fun?

What I learned from said Doughnut Maker Bake-off:

Good ideas- aren't always. The genius idea to rid the house of Easy-Bake and Super Doughnut Maker packets would be more genius if I secretly tossed them. Easy-Bake is a Misnomer. Super Doughnut is a Misnomer.  

What's Super about it?  Doughnuts are tiny.  You mix them in a tiny bowl with a tiny spoon, put them in a "machine" that squeezes  supposedly squeezes them back out into a tiny muffin tray. We are not elfs, we are humans. The extra step is not easy, super, or fun. It works better if you use the tiny spoon to place the batter in the tiny muffin tray. Then you add the filling.  HA ha ha ha ha. Finally you stick it into the microwave for 45 seconds. Voila! Easy.  

Mommy taught the teenager how to use the microwave with her Easy-Bake supplies when she kept getting the pans stuck in her oven. I should have invented the 'Super Easy Cake Maker', I would be swimming in the dough. Yep, dough.

If you put something off for an entire year forget the guilt; I'm sure you had a good reason. Someone's got to clean this thing! I've made my last Easy-Bake or Kiddie Baker item ever.

It might be possible to persuade me into feeding Baby Alive.  Thank goodness the little one doesn't like dolls, especially babies. I've changed enough diapers in my life. After she ate microscopic, microwaved, mini-doughnuts made from year old ingredients, we grabbed a box of cake, followed the recipe for cake-like cookies, spooned them into the practical doughnut maker, popped them out after two minutes, and coated them with powdered sugar. Now that was easy.

Daddy ate the doughnuts. None of these doughnuts are fat-fried, I guess that's a plus. Here are some of our other Easy doughnut/fun food recipe attempts that really work!

Refrigerator Biscuit Doughnuts (Powdered Sugar Recipe)

How to make maple glaze

Valentine Pretzels

Cinnamon Donut Recipe (These were made in donut maker. They are good and beautiful)

Recommended Reading:

Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home