Bunchland

Do you feel a sugar rush coming on?

Between the class-party, the obligatory conversation hearts, and the steady stream of red food dye-riddled treats, Valentine’s Day is pretty much sugar rush day. Instead of strapping a helmet on your kids before they head off to school on the 14^th, send them off with a few of these natural alternatives to the fake stuff. A few fruits and veggies included.

Strawberry Filled Pop-Hearts

Pop tarts are one of those coveted, fructose-filled guilty-pleasure breakfast treats. Too bad, because they’re so awesome. This recipe from Babble uses real strawberries and not too much sugar to make for a more natural breakfast. These also make a great gift if wrapped or boxed up.

1 package of refrigerated pie crust

Strawberry filling:  Read more...

• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 tsp Lemon juice
• ½ cup sugar

What better way to celebrate Movember than by crafting your own mini mo’ shaped treats?

Sweet and sticky substances that can be sculpted into different shapes are ideal for creating ‘stache shaped pops. Here are 3 options:

Tootsie Roll Stache Pops:

Tootsie rolls are totally malleable when heated, so they’re great for molding into a swirly ‘stache. First, print some cardboard templates of ‘staches you’d like to carve your pops around.

Unwrap a package of long tootsies rolls and melt them in a microwaveable bowl for about 3 minutes or until they’ve lost their shape completely. Wait till the mixture isn’t too hot to handle. Roll out onto a flat surface and shape into a ball. Using a rolling pin spread the ”dough” to a ½ inch thickness. Using a template, cut stache shapes out of the tootsie roll dough with a pairing knife. Stick a lollipop stick (available at most kitchen supply / dollar stores) onto one side of the stache, and fasten it with more of the melted tootsies roll. Let cool on a flat surface till hard. To see the process in action, check out this video.  Read more...