15Apr

Orange Julius Copycat Drink Recipe

by Laurie on April 15, 2013 at 9:43 pm
Posted In: Quick & Easy Recipes

Way before the days of Starbucks, Jamba Juice, and Coffee Bean, there was another frozen drink maker that was always one of my favorites… The Orange Julius!  With a flavor that rang synonymous with the old Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Bars, the Orange Julius was definitely a hot spot!

So, with the idea of replicating this classic, I went through handfuls of recipes online but decided to try something a little different and a whole heck-of-a-lot easier…I’d like to introduce my 3-INGREDIENT ORANGE JULIUS COPYCAT RECIPE!

Orange Julius Copycat Recipe

Yup, 3 ingredients!

Orange Julius Copycat Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk (depending on how thick or thin you prefer the consistency)
  • 1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 2 cups vanilla ice cream

Toss ‘em all in a blender and blend ‘em right up!  Makes 2 servings.

Hope you enjoy!

<3 Lulubell Elaine

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19Mar

Take Me Out To The Ballgame – Baseball Themed Party Ideas

by Laurie on March 19, 2013 at 10:23 pm
Posted In: Event Planning 101

What a weekend!  My best friend Erica hosted a wonderful baseball themed birthday party for her kids, my not-so-little cuties Tony (10) & Maddy (4).  I was so happy to be part of all of the festivities and to be able to help with the decorations and I could not wait to share everything with all of you!

With help from my other best friend Dominique, we created some of the special touches that made this party go above and beyond any normal baseball themed birthday party out there!  Take a look!

Baseball Party - Ball Lanterns & Pennant Banner

DIY Baseball Lanterns & DIY Pennant Banner

For the baseball lanterns, Dominique just used some white paper lanterns, a red Sharpie marker and a little creativity for the stitching.  For the pennant banner, well, it’s actually really simple, but I’ll save that for another blog post and I promise to include some free templates!

Baseball Party - Scoreboard

DIY Baseball Scoreboard

All this took was some matte black wrapping paper, white ribbon for the lining, a little help from my handy little Cricut for the letters and numbers, lots of glue tape and walah!

(And by-the-way, we DO know how to count…we just used the kid’s birthdates for the inning scores – 03/30/2009 & 03/05/2003 – and their ages for the final scores – 4 & 10 – so much cuter right?!)

Baseball Party -Centerpieces -Peanuts in a Bucket on Rubber Bases

And for the centerpieces…rubber baseball bases ($11 for 5 bases at Target), plastic buckets, a scooper, a baseball for added detail and peanuts of course!!

Baseball Party -Snack Bar Setup

This was what was left of our “Snackbar” setup, we just captured this picture a little too late…but it included popcorn, hot dogs, nachos and a little favorite we like to call “pepperbellies”(Frito-Lays, chili beans and cheese)  Yum!

Baseball Party - Hot Dogs

And what’s a baseball party without a good hotdog?  Aren’t these wrappers just downright adorable?!

So that’s it for our fun-tastic baseball themed birthday party!  I hope y’all enjoyed!  And here’s to my two best friends!

Baseball Party - Best Friends

(Dominique, Erica & Laurie)

Kik, thanks for allowing me to take part in the festivities!  Dom, thanks for being my crafty counterpart!  Love you both!

<3 Lulubell Elaine

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14Mar

Quizno’s Inspired Raspberry Lemonade Recipe

by Laurie on March 14, 2013 at 10:21 am
Posted In: Quick & Easy Recipes

In search of a refreshing spring beverage?  Look no further!  Inspired by my husband’s cravings for Quizno’s Raspberry Lemonade, I’ve created my own version!  It’s every bit of sweet and tangy perfection and it’s the perfect springtime beverage!  Refreshing, light and super easy to make, it only takes 3 ingredients and then just add water!!

Quizno's Inspired Raspberry Lemonade

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (normally between 7-8 juicy lemons)

2 cups granulated white sugar

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

5 cups water

 

Directions:

  • In a small sauce pan, add 1 cup of lemon juice and bring to a boil.
  • Add sugar, mix until completely dissolved, remove from heat and let stand.
  • In a food processor, combine raspberries, remaining 1/2 cup lemon juice and 2 cups water.  Puree.
  • Using a fine mesh sieve or strainer (to catch all of the raspberry seeds) strain your raspberry puree into a large pitcher.
  • Add additional 3 cups of water and lemon/sugar syrup.
  • Mix well, poor over ice, serve and enjoy!!

Now how’s that for an amazingly refreshing springtime beverage?  I hope you enjoy this Quizno’s Inspired Raspberry Lemonade Recipe.  I know the husband will!!

<3 Lulubell Elaine

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11Mar

Grab-and-Go Breakfast: Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

by Laurie on March 11, 2013 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Quick & Easy Recipes

Ugh… Monday.  Lazy from the weekend, not ready to go back to work, it just seems nearly impossible to get anything done Monday mornings, so let’s just forget about breakfast, right?

Not so quick!  Afterall, isn’t breakfast the “most important meal of the day”? So why not make it quick and easy?!  Oh, and did I mention it’s yummy and fat free too?!  Yup, that’s right!  Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits individually packaged so they’re ready to go when you are!

Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits To-Go

 

What you need:

  • Fresh Strawberries, washed and diced
  • Fresh Blueberries, washed
  • Any type of Vanilla flavored Greek yogurt
  • Granola (I like to use Nature Valley Oats & Honey granola bars)
  • And a few small to-go cups and spoons

To put them together, grab your cups and layer in each the yogurt and a small handful of strawberries and blueberries.  Repeat to create 2-3 layers of yogurt and fruit. Put a lid on them or cover them in cling wrap so they’re ready to go in the AM.

Now take your granola bars and “beat ‘em up” with a rolling pin, in the package, to crumble them. Make sure you keep them in the package and don’t open it!  This makes them easy to take on the go!

 

Now you’re all set to grab and go in the morning when you’re running out of the door (after about 5 snooze cycles anyway).

Did I mention that these tasty fruit and yogurt parfait cups can be frozen too!  So make a bunch, for the week or for the month!  They’ll last and taste just as good!

They’re even nice to have on hand for a healthy midday or late night snack!

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

Here’s to making mornings a little easier (and healthier) for us all!

<3 Lulubell Elaine

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06Mar

Here’s To You & Here’s To Me – St. Patty’s Day Gift Idea

by Laurie on March 6, 2013 at 11:23 pm
Posted In: Holiday Craft Ideas

Hello!!  Has it been an entire week already?  Oh how time flies!  Well, no worries…I’m back and I have lots in store for you!  I’ve been working on a few projects and am even working on a few videos and can’t wait to share them with you!

First though, with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, I have yet another fun gift idea for the friends in your life!

Here's To You & Here's To Me

Many years ago I heard a poem and was told it was “an old Irish drinking toast”.  I’m actually not sure if that is even in fact true, but none-the-less, it is one of my favorite poems and couldn’t be more fitting for such a big drinking holiday!

Here it is:

Here's to You & Here's to Me

Find your favorite green bottled beer (or make it a 6-pack) grab my FREE ‘HERE’S TO YOU & HERE’S TO ME’ PRINTABLE here, tie it up and pass it along!

You can’t go wrong with this St. Patrick’s Day gift idea!  Who doesn’t love green bottled beer?

Use Heineken, Rolling Rock, Stella Artois, Dos Equis, Beck’s, O’Doul’s (for those non-alcoholics) or any of your other favorite green bottled beers.  Don’t like beer, try a green wine cooler or sparkling apple cider, they work just as well!!

Happy early St. Patrick’s Day to all my blog “FRIENDS” out there!!

<3 Lulubell Elaine

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