Awesome and Delicious Stocking Stuffers

The gifts have all been wrapped and we are now down to the final days before Christmas. We are ready to hang the stockings and stuff them with goodies, but this year I want to skip the tiny toys and the too sweet treats in favor of better for you options. I am going to share a few of my favorite healthier stocking stuffer ideas with you today to help you make this a memorable Christmas morning filled with good stuff in your stockings!

This is a sponsored post.

1) Juicy Juice

Opening all of those gifts can be a lot of work. This year I am going to keep the kids hydrated and happy with the goodness of Juicy Juice in their stockings. They can sip a kid sized drink to fuel their unwrapping frenzy on Christmas morning.

2) Welch's Fruit Rolls

Featuring fruit as the first ingredient, these snacks are rolling in fun and flavor. I love that they have vitamins and are gluten free. My kids love the experience of unrolling a snack as they go. Available in 3 flavors; Berry, Tropical Punch, and White Grape Strawberry, these are a great alternative to stuffing the stocking with candy!

3) Go Organically Fruit Snacks

Loaded with vitamin c, these organic snacks are always a hit with the kids! Packed with natural flavors and all of the fun of a gummy, these are a fruit snack you can give in the stockings without the guilt of sugar loaded candy.

4) Aquaball Flavored Water

Playing with all of the toys on Christmas is hard work. Adding a fun and fruity aquaball to the stockings gives the kids a fun drink to fuel their day. Made with natural flavors and featuring fun characters, this is a drink the kids will love. Drinking their water has never been as fun or tasty!

5) Munk Pack Protein Cookies

It wouldn't be Christmas without cookies! But these are guilt free cookies! Each one is loaded with protein and nutrients for a decadent snacking experience. These are so tasty that even the kids who don't care about health benefits will want to gobble them up. 

6) Carrington Farms Protein Powder

Christmas isn't just about the kids. Adults want a stocking too! This protein powder makes a great stocking stuffer because it is so good for you!Packed with protein and made with only 3 ingredients, this is perfect for anyone health minded!

7) Hurom Juice Jars

Available in both 10.1 oz. and 13.5 oz. sizes these glass Juice Jars are great for gifting that one person you know who's always eating on the run. These jars feature an air-tight stainless steel lid, perfect for keeping your smoothies, workout juices, oatmeal and other snacks fresh while on-the-go.

8) Brooklyn Crafted Ginger Beer

Cased in 7 fluid ounce bottles, Brooklyn Crafted's small but mighty ginger beers are the perfect size for Christmas stockings and great for enjoying on their own or incorporating into cocktails this holiday season. Made with 100% fresh ginger pieces you can actually SEE in each bottle, the craft ginger beers are available in four trendy flavors. I love this drink as a stocking stuffer because ginger is so soothing to an overindulged tummy, and we all know that has been known to happen around the holidays!

9) Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio

With a delicate straw color and a golden apple flavor this is the ultimate stocking stuffer for a wine enthusiast. Fun to drink and perfectly aromatic, this would make anyone smile on Christmas morning as they open their stocking! Maybe if you are lucky, they will share it with you later in the day!

10) Lumi Shots
These are one of my favorite stocking stuffer ideas for fitness enthusiasts. These are loaded with good things for boost of energy when needed! Among my favorites are the 6 pack of fully loaded cold processed nutrition shots from Lumi. Made with broccoli leaf, lemon, and ginger this shot is aptly named. It is fully loaded with calcium & vitamins A & C to keep you on your toes for whatever life throws at you.

Lumi also offers cold pressed juice with an impressive 50 day shelf life. These are perfect for stuffing a stocking with nutrition. I am a big fan of the 10 oz Wahoo Orange  and 10 oz Harvest Apple  varieties for keeping my family healthy and hydrated. These are perfect for stockings and gift basket offerings at the holidays to help combat the blahs from excess celebrating, or to fuel the body with good things during cold and flu season!

If you have a favorite stocking stuffer idea for kids or adults please leave a comment to inspire others to avoid tiny toys and too much candy this year!

10+ Christmas Tree Ornaments to Make

I have been making a ton of ornaments this year. The kids think it is a lot of fun to get out the glue and the glitter and get creative! Well, let's be honest, I do too! My oldest has been making lots of cute things at school to bring home and share too!

To keep up with the fun of creating at Christmas, I have 10+ ideas to share with you from some of my favorite bloggers! All 10+ of these are easy and adorable! I hope you get a chance to try them, or any of the ornaments I have made live on the Quirky Momma facebook page.

Favorite craft ideas

Felted Wool Christmas Trees

Sparkly Sequin Ornaments

Essential Oil Diffuser Ornaments

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

Stacked Christmas Tree Ornaments

Craft Stick Trees

Pipe Cleaner Beaded Trees

Glitter Clay Trees

Easy Accordion Trees

Noodle Popsicle Stick Trees

Easy Button Tree Ornaments

Live Video Projects

Etched Glass Jars
Candy Cane Wreaths
Popsicle Stick Ornaments
Christmas Houses
Toilet Roll Snowflakes
Washi Tape Cards
Toddler Christmas Tree Crafts
Tree Ornaments

If you have an idea for a Christmas ornament, I hope you will share it in a comment!

My Favorite Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Christmas is near and that means it is time to get your ugly sweaters out and wear them with pride! 

This year is the first year in the history of my marriage that my husband is excited about cold weather, because he has the coolest ugly sweater of them all to rock for the holidays!

Ugly Sweaters for the holidays come in all shapes, sizes and degrees of horrible. From the standard bells and snowman variety to awesome cat lady displays and a glimpse at galaxies far away.

Here are some of my favorite Ugly Sweaters to Make this Holiday Season.

Christmas Mantle Ugly Sweater by Lovely Etc
Purr-fect Ugly Sweater Style T Shirt by The Crafty Blog Stalker
Photo Ugly Sweater by A Girl and a Glue Gun
DIY Star Wars Ugly Christmas Sweater by Clever Pink Pirate
Santa Baby Maternity Ugly Sweater by Swoodson Says
Rudolph Ugly Sweater for Kids by One Artsy Mama
Meowy Christmas Ugly Sweater by Crafting in the Rain
Gaudy Ugly Sweater by Clever Pink Pirate
Kitty Christmas Ugly Sweater by Laura's Crafty Life
Ho Ho Ho Ugly Sweater by Joyful Scribblings

We LOVE the winter holidays! I have so many fun ideas to share with you!

Find all of the Christmas Fun here

My favorites include:

Mickey Mouse Jingle Bell Ornaments

Kid Made Button Tree Ornaments

Do you rock an ugly sweater during the holidays? Tell me about it in a comment!

12 Cheesecake Recipes to Make for Christmas

Cheesecake is one of those things in life that should be savored and shared. I think it is always one of my favorite options at the dessert table. I found 12 Cheesecake Recipes to Make for Christmas that are perfect for sharing and celebrating this holiday season!

I have found 12 incredible cheesecake recipes to make this Christmas and I know you are going to find a few on this list that you can't wait to try! From Peppermint varieties to Pecan Pie Cheesecake, this list has something for everyone on it!

No Bake Peppermint Cheesecake

Eggnog Cheesecake

Candy Cane Cheesecake with a Sugar Cookie Crust

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Balls

Raspberry Cheesecake Shooters

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

No Bake Eggnog Cheesecake

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

Gingerbread Pumpkin Cheesecake

Santa Hat Peppermint Cheesecake Bars

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Easy Lemon Cheesecake Pie

Which of these sounds like the cheesecake of your dreams?

You can find more awesome recipes here

These Christmas tree inspired snacks are sure to be a hit with the kids!
My family is crazy for these fun Christmas treat ideas.

If you have a favorite cheesecake recipe, please do tell me all about it!

Easy Gnome Christmas Ornaments

These easy Gnome Christmas ornaments are perfect for crafting with the kids this holiday season.

We love to make easy crafts with the items we already have on hand. Some of my best ideas and favorite projects have stemmed from the junk drawer and items destined for the trash. These Christmas gnome ornaments are a great example of what you can make with simple stuff you probably already have.

These are awesome because with a different pattern of paper, or bigger googly eyes, your gnome looks totally different. If you don't have the supplies in the junk drawer or your craft supplies, you can get all of these things from Dollar Tree or even better- improvise!

Supplies per 1 gnome:

2 googly craft eyes
3 craft sticks
cotton balls
Red Pom Pom
Glue
Brown Bag
Scrap Book Paper
Confetti
Sharpie
Ribbon

Directions:

With the 3 craft sticks glue them together to form a triangle.

Cut a triangle from the brown bag to fit in the craft stick frame.

Add a generous amount of glue to the craft sticks and place the bag on top of it.

Cut a smaller triangle from scrap book paper to form the hat of your gnome.

Add eyes, a pom pom nose and draw on a mouth with a sharpie.

Add a chunk of confetti or some type of adornment to the hat.
Add a row of cotton balls for the beard.

Flip the gnome over and glue a ribbon to the back.

Hang your cute and easy gnome Christmas ornaments from your tree or share them with friends and family!

You can make dozens of these and make them all unique by simply changing the paper of the hats and the size of the pom pom of the nose.

This is such a fun craft to make with the kids! We loved making and naming our gnome ornaments!

Find all of our DIY Christmas Ornaments here.

Mickey Mouse Jingle Bell Ornaments

Ribbon Tree Ornaments

Christmas Gift Guide For Seniors

Image

Now that we are in the tail end of November and December looms around the corner, it is time for us to
think about Christmas once again. Christmas is a time of year for fun and cheer, and when we think
about celebrating the special day we think about treating our family to gifts. 

Whole buying gifts for children and younger members of the family might be easier; when reaching over
65 years old it can be difficult to choose the right gift to give. This is why today we have come up with a
handy list of gifts you can get for your older family members at Christmas. 

Neck Massager 

Often when we get older we start to develop aches and pains that we didn’t have when we were young
and spritely. As a result this can lead to issues with mobility as well as pain. If your relative suffers from
neck pain or back pain frequently, the ideal gift would be a neck massager to help ease the pain and
allow them to move around more independently. 

Afternoon Tea

Often the older members of the family will be more grateful for a gift that involves spending time with
their loved ones that a material thing. This is why an afternoon tea booked in a nice hotel or restaurant
can be the ideal day out and gift for them. You’ll be able to spend the afternoon out in a warm place
eating cakes and drinking tea. 

Spa Trip 

A spa trip could be a wonderful chance for you all to let your hair down and enjoy some much needed
TLC. You could choose to buy a few treatments for yourself and your senior family member or simply
hang out at the spa for the day and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. 

Vineyard Tour 

Who doesn’t love a good bottle of wine? If your senior relatives like a good tipple, a fun and unique gift
would be to take a tour of a vineyard and go for wine tasting. This is a great way to spend a day out in
a sunny place and learn how wine is actually taken from grape to bottle. 

Pajamas

If you are thinking of something simple to buy for your senior relatives this year, nothing could be easier
than pajamas. Pajamas are always a great gift at this time of the year and you’ll be able to find some
thick cozy ones at your local store that are sure to be used and loved. 

Photo Album 

The older generation always tend to be more sentimental than us and as a result it is important for us
to give them amazing memories to enjoy at Christmas. This is why the ideal gift for a senior family
member is a photo album. You can also print off some of your favorite family snaps and put them
inside to allow your senior relative to enjoy seeing their family and reminisce. They can then keep
adding to the album over time as the family grows. 

Absolutely YUM Christmas Spice Fruit Cake

 To me, nothing says Christmas louder than a warm kitchen wafting smells of baking. With Christmas just around the corner, I have been trying out recipes for Christmas dinner feast. In addition to the traditional options, I was looking for an alcohol free version of fruitcake that I could serve to my younger guests and by Jove, I think I’ve found it!!! After trying several variations to the recipe, I’m absolutely stoked to share the recipe of this absolutely delicious spiced fruit cake. This is an ideal cake for Christmas, loaded with fruit, nuts, and spices that pack this cake with deliciousness! I have made it twice and it has been polished off both times before it has even had time to cool properly.

I have made a few minor tweaks to the original recipe by Omana Paul. I got it from a friend who called it “plum cake” which wasn’t fair since this recipe has no plums in it. It comes together quickly and tastes divine. One tip before you begin though, I had to throw out an entire batch because I cracked an egg directly in my batter and the egg was bad. Always crack your eggs in a separate bowl, or do the egg float test to check for freshness before you start a recipe.

The recipe yields one 6″ cake. Happy Baking!

YOU WILL NEED:

For the cake:

white sugar 3/4 cup

room temperature butter 2/3 cup

eggs 3

Plain flour 1 cup

chopped nuts (cashews, almonds, or walnuts) 1/2 cup

black raisins 1/4 cup

mixed dried fruit (dates, cherries, orange peels) 1/2 cup

cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp

clove powder 1/4 tsp

baking powder 1 tsp

vanilla extract 1 tsp

Salt 1/8 tsp

For the syrup:

white sugar 1/2 cup

WHAT TO DO:

Make the syrup. Melt half a cup of sugar in a pan on low heat till it turns into a dark caramel colour. Don’t let it burn. But make sure you don’t let it burn. Turn off heat and add about 1/4 cup water. The sugar will crystallize and harden. Put it back on the heat for about 10 minutes or until the sugar crystals dissolve. Cool and set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C.

Mix 3 tbsp. flour to the dry fruits and nuts. Dredge completely to coat them. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the batter while baking. Put aside.

In a separate bowl mix remaining flour with the baking powder, spices, and salt.

Whip the butter together with the 3/4 cup sugar until fluffy. Incorporate the vanilla and one egg into the batter.

Then mix in a bit of the flour mixture. Then add another egg. Repeat alternating between the eggs and flour till they are all used up.

Add in the cool caramel and fruits and gently fold in.

Pour into a greased cake pan and bake until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with dry crumbs, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Dust with icing sugar after the cake has cooled.

Enjoy!!!