Star Wars Trooping Events for September and October, picture post

I am sharing some of my favorite pictures from the past 2 months trooping.  It has been awhile since my husband and I have been out in costume.  The last two months have certainly made up for it and  kept us very  busy.  We made a children's hospital visit (1 inside the hospital and 1 for an event outside of the hospital), PRAI Walk, a local Make A Wish fundraiser, a trunk or treat event last weekend that hosted 4,000 people, and this weekend, we will be at Boo in the Zoo, which annually hosts around 10,000 people.    

 Our children have even been wanting to dress up.  We got a rare appearance from Utinni, the littlest Jawa briefly.  Utinni is kind of like Big Foot, so it was a big deal.   Even though brief,

I will take it.

Glee Gum Pop Review

I have reviewed Glee Gum in the past and I love their products.   This time, I am excited to share Glee Gum Pops.   Just in time for Halloween!   Who doesn't love a lollipop in their Trick or Treat bucket?

As a mom, I am always reading labels.   It is nice to find a candy that is using all natural ingredients.  These pops are made without artificial colors, sweeteners, and preservatives.   They are also allergy friendly and gluten free, as well as vegan and certified kosher by the International Kosher Council.


Each bag of Gum Pops has 3 delicious flavors- Sweet Strawberry, Juicy Orange, and Crisp Green Apple.  The flavors were amazing! It is hard to pick a favorite, but for me, Juicy Orange was the winner.   I loved the citrus flavor.    Among my kiddos, strawberry was the definite winner.  

My only complaint was that our bag only had 1 Green Apple pop. With 15 in the bag, I would have liked a more even distribution of flavors.   With 4 children, we ran into a little conflict, but to make it fair, Mom won the green apple pop.

                  We included some Glee Gum Pops in treat bags we made over the weekend.   We can't wait for Halloween to get here, so we can share some gum pops with our friends.

Be sure to check out Glee Gum's other products, which include Make Your Own Candy kits.    If you want to try some of these delicious, natural candies you can order directly from Glee Gum or use their store locator to find them in your area.

*I received the product featured free of charge in order to give an honest review.  No other  compensation was received.  My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and others may have a different opinion.**

Sticky Stir Fried Mushrooms

I found a wonderful vegan recipe that is quick and easy thanks to the Facebook page Bosh.   The recipe uses just a few simple ingredients and makes a family pleasing meal!    Bosh has a lot of create recipe videos too.

Recipe:

2 cups Shitaki mushrooms,  But you can use any mushrooms you have on hand.  I have made this with portobellos and white mushrooms.  

1/4 c.  cornstarch

Coat mushrooms with cornstarch.  Heat oil and then stir fry the mushrooms.   They will be a golden brown.  Remove from pan.

Sauce:
heat 1 tbsp Sesame oil and saute minced garlic and minced ginger.  I do this to personal taste.  The recipe calls for 2 cloves of garlic and 1 inch of fresh minced ginger.    Saute for a few minutes.

Add 2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 c. soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp. sirracha,  add a little more if you want more spice

Bring to a boil and add mushrooms, stirring to coat with the sauce.  Top with green onions and sesame seed.  

I like to serve this brown rice or stir fried noodles and edamame,