Holiday Baking: Gluten Free Horizon Organic Eggnog Cookies

Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies are a delicious treat for the holidays and for Santa! This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.

I love creating Christmas cookies with my Little Miss for the holidays. The hardest part isn't the baking... it's keeping her from eating them all!
She just recently tried eggnog for the first time. Her first taste was of my dairy free nog. Then when I told her our friends at Horizon wanted us to come up with a fun holiday recipe, she was delighted to discover they made eggnog for her dairy loving heart. So, we gave it a go and made these yummy Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies. 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches 2014: Week 3

Twas' the week before Christmas and all through the days, everyone was preparing for next weeks craze.
Wrapping had started - gifts under the tree, And lunches were made with festive glee!
Friday marks only six days left on our countdown until Christmas. This week was also special because Hannukah began! Did you know there are 17 different ways to spell Hannukah? More on that below... 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches 2014: Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of our Advent Lunches, Christmas Countdown, Round-up!
This week we did simple but festively fun themed lunches. They're all gluten free, peanut free, tree nut free, and more! Making them not only adorable, but allergy friendly. ;)

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches 2014: Week 1

This week kicked off our yearly holiday tradition of #AdventLunches! Each year, I make Little Miss holiday theme lunches with a Christmas Countdown. I include the countdown number somewhere in the lunch, either written on a Lunchbox Love Note or made into a cute food item within the lunch itself. She looks forward to it every year! 
Here's what we packed for week one of 2014: 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: 6 Geese & 5 Rings

Six geese a laying... five golden rings! 
I didn't blog last night so now you get a two for one post. ;)  We have been counting down the days until Christmas with our Advent Lunches and when we hit twelve days left, Little Miss insisted we theme them with 12 Days of Christmas song. 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: 7 Swans a Swimming

Only seven more days until Christmas! That also means we're onto number 7 of our 12 Days of Christmas song lunches.

 

This is our third year doing our December countdown with "Advent Lunches", but when we hit twelve Little Miss wanted me to incorporate the song into her lunch this year.

 

We've been having a little fun with this one - to tell you truth, it's been refreshing. Tonight, after I showed Little Miss her "Seven Swans a Swimming" EasyLunchbox, she fell to the floor laughing. Mission accomplished.

 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: Eight Maids A Milking

Only eight more days until Christmas! I can hardly believe it.

 

This is our third year counting down the days in December with our Advent Lunches. Since we hit 12 days left, Little Miss asked I count down the 12 Days of Christmas song in her school lunch. I reminded her that some of the days fell on weekends and some would be tricky, but I'd do my best.

 

For the "Eight Maids a Milking", I had many ideas pop into my head but executing them was another story. I also found out, in the process, I do not own a cow shaped cookie cutter. lol... So, instead, I decided to have a little fun with it and make a milk carton sandwich instead. Heh heh...

 

Little Miss thought it was hilarious, of course. Since I don't eat dairy, she also told me I wasn't allowed to have any of her sandwich (even though it's made with dairy free ingredients). Silly girl!

 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: Nine Ladies Dancing

Last week Friday marked 12 days left until Christmas. Little Miss had asked me a few weeks ago, when we started our Advent Lunches countdown this year, if we could do the "12 Days of Christmas" for our lunches. I told her I'd do my best, knowing there were also weekends in between.

 

Monday marks only nine days left... and that means "nine ladies dancing". So we filled her Easylunchbox with ballerina slipper sandwiches to dance in her lunch.

 

 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: And then there were 12

14...13...12...

Friday's lunch marks only 12 days left until Christmas!

 

I can't believe how quick this countdown has gone. Time flies when you're having fun.

 

Now for a little blog catch-up with school lunches from the past few days. You can see all our advent lunches by clicking here.

 

Simple {Gluten Free} Party Appetizers #HolidayHelper

This post is sponsored by the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association. I was selected to participate, as part of the Mom It Forward Blogger Network.

 

During the holidays, we love entertaining. It seems we are always have friends or family members visiting and catching up for a few hours at a time.

 

Gatherings always need good food. Who wants to be stuck in the kitchen though when you have guests arriving soon or even while they're in your living room? No one.

 

The freezer aisle comprises 3,700+ different, delicious foods ranging from nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables to decadent ice creams and novelties. Of the 3,700+ foods, many are naturally allergy free, and the gluten free specialty foods are growing every time I visit the store!

 

Utilizing freezer friendly foods ensures you have your ingredients on hand for unexpected guests and can help you save time preparing. Here are a few simple {gluten free & allergy friendly} party food ideas & recipes thanks to NFRA & EasyHomeMeals.com:

 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: Rudolph With Your Nose So Bright

Each year during our Advent Lunches {Christmas Countdown} there's always one day... one lunch... where I forget to include our countdown number inside before snapping a photo.

 

Tuesday's lunch would be this years culprit. lol

I didn't catch it until uploading the picture onto my laptop. So that means in the morning, I'll be writing it on the Lunchbox Love Note packed or right on the reindeer's belly on the pick included.

 

Oh by the way, 15 more days until Christmas! ;)

 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: Frosty the Quesadilla

Welcome to another fun filled week of Advent Lunches {Christmas Countdown}!  You can check out our lunches from last week, and countdowns of years past, by clicking HERE. You can also check out our 2013 Album on our Facebook Page by clicking HERE.

 

I can't believe there are only 16 days left until Christmas! This month is already flying by. After traveling for work all of last week, I'm looking forward to spending this one in state and hopefully getting caught up. So much to do and not much time left!

 

At least school lunches are festive thanks to our holiday fun we have each year counting down the days.

 

 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: The Reason for the Season

For Friday's school lunch, Little Miss celebrated The Reason for the Season!

 

We've made a "Happy Birthday Jesus" Advent Lunch in the past, but I thought it'd be fun to do again. It's easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas and what better way to remember than to celebrate the birth of God's only son...

  {19 Days Until Christmas}  

 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: ♫ Oh Spinach Tree, Oh Spinach Tree! ♫

Thursday's school lunch pays homage to an Advent Lunch of Christmas past... 
We made an "Oh Spinach Tree" lunch in 2011 and I thought it would be fun and festive to do another play on it again. 
{20 Days Until Christmas}

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: Holiday Lunchable

Wednesday marks only 21 days left until Christmas! I love celebrating the month of December with our Advent Lunches... but at the same time, it's crazy to see the days tick by so quickly! Ahh!

 

I'm also traveling for work this week - I'm actually writing this post while waiting at the airport for my flight this evening. Traveling means lots of lunch planning and packing ahead for my Little Miss while I'm away.

 

That's when I like to break out yummy ideas or tips I've learned from MOMables to help me plan. One of Little Miss' favorites? A Homemade Lunchable... or "MOMable", I should say. ;)

 

{21 Days Until Christmas}

 

 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: 22 Days Left!

If you missed our post from yesterday, we kicked off our third year of {Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches!

 

Each year, starting in December, I like to count down the days until Christmas in Little Miss' school lunch. You can scroll through our lunches of years past by clicking here.

 

Tonight, Little Miss and I baked up some gluten free & allergy friendly muffins. We used one of our holiday silicone pans to create some festive fun for her lunch.

 

{22 Days Until Christmas}

 

{Christmas Countdown} Advent Lunches: Only 23 Days!

Two years ago, I began doing a Christmas countdown in Little Miss' lunches by noting the days left inside. 
It's become tradition now to do our "Advent Lunches" - She loves knowing how many days there are until Christmas and telling her friends, as well. I begin it each year as her school lunches start up for the month of December.
Click on the colored text above to scroll through our past years of countdown lunches.
We started off this year with some fun sandwiches, made into little toy soldiers. 
{23 Days Until Christmas!}

Lunch Made Easy: Simple School EasyLunchbox {4 Days Til' Christmas}



Lunch is simple today ~ My favorite kind!

{4 Days Til' Christmas}

 

Lunch Made Easy: {Gluten Free} Bagel Snowman Sandwich

We're in the final stretch folks! Only 6 more sleeps til' Christmas! Can you believe it??  

Lunch Made Easy: "Reindeer Games" Silly Sandwiches

{Only 7 More Days Until Christmas!}  

Today's lunch is another revist from a fun one we did on our Advent Lunches Christmas Countdown last year.