Birdseed ornaments are a fun, easy project and make great decorations, perfect for decorating a Christmas tree for the birds, adding to a snowman bird feeder, or delivering a festive holiday touch to your backyard buffet.
These birdseed ornaments are really easy to make! They look amazing and they might even look complicated, but don’t let it fool you – They’re super simple! I ended up calling them “bird cookies” with the kids because it’s kind of what they look and feel like. So when our birdseed ornaments were done, we went outside and hung our “bird cookies” on the trees and bushes in the backyard. The kids had a blast!

Make your favorite recipe from the ones below

Birdseed Ornaments … recipe by One Little Project

Birdseed Ornaments … recipe by The Spruce

Birdseed Ornaments … recipe by Fountain Avenue Kitchen

Sticky chicken is such a widely loved recipe, that you can never go wrong with it. But if you’re looking to spice up your sticky chicken recipe, then the pineapple sticky chicken is a must-try.
Pairing pineapple with meat is such a refreshing idea, and it also transports you into an exotic place where you’re reminded of sunshine and joy.
Even the serving looks great, as the sticky chicken is placed inside a scooped-out pineapple, making the entire dish even more appealing. Make sure you’ll find a nice, large and ripe pineapple, as you will also need to add its juice to the chicken to make it more savory.
For this recipe you can use either chicken breast or thighs, the latter being more tender and will give a nice texture to this dish. Once you’re ready, serve the chicken with well-cooked rice inside the pineapple and it will be a true delight for any special occasion. Read the full recipe & directions in the link below…

Sticky Pineapple Chicken – Just A Taste

This pistachio bread is a delicious treat for this Summer! Pistachios are such a great and healthy snack but combining them with something sweet can make it even better.

The recipe is quite easy, and it won’t take a lot of time to prepare it, so you can quickly make it even on a lazy Sunday morning. To prepare it you are going to use a cake mix so the recipe could also be renamed Pistachio cake and will crush the fresh pistachios on top at the end.
The ingredients needed are one box of cake mix, two boxes of pistachio instant pudding mix, four eggs, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, 1/8 cup of water, and one cup of sour cream.

To make the glaze you are going to use two cups of powdered sugar, two tablespoons of melted butter, one teaspoon of almond extract, and one teaspoon of vanilla. You can even add 1-2 tablespoons of milk if you wish. Mix the ingredients of the glaze and drizzle over the cool bread, then sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Such a delightful dessert!

All ingredients and directions and other delicious recipes are shered by Kristyn on her LilLuna blog.

Banana splits are one of the nation’s favorite desserts, but how about transforming them into healthy breakfast bars? You can make your Sunday brunches more exciting, by making these banana split bars for your family or friends, and they are going to love sharing them on Instagram.

They are simple to make, delicious, and high in nutrients, so you will be ready for a Sunday walk or even hike afterward. To make them you are going to need bananas, greek yogurt, almond slices, granola, dried coconuts, and fresh fruits like blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
Once you assembled the breakfast splits, you can sprinkle them with some chocolate chips for an extra flavor and serve them in the most Instagrammable way possible. Enjoy! More details in the link below…

Banana Split Breakfast Bar – Ingredients & Directions

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were associated with an increase of 33 minutes

Unhealthy eating is causing all sorts of health issues, from high cholesterol to weight gains and even heart problems. Paying attention to what we feed our bodies can have an impact on the longevity of a person, not only the overall well-being.

University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences has conducted studies on unhealthy eating habits and discovered that even one hot dog can reduce a person’s lifetime by 36 minutes.

The study was part of a recently published index about healthy and environmentally friendly eating habits, and hot dogs, sugary drinks and breakfast sandwiches have all been classified as dangerous meals. The biggest impact of the hot dog comes since it has processed meat as one of its ingredients, which is a big no if you want to start eating healthier.

But not all is bad news, as some ingredients and meals that will facilitate a longer and healthier life, and these include peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, baked salmon, rice, and beans. These can all add between 10-30 minutes to a person’s life if consumed appropriately.

New research evaluated more than 5,800 foods and their impact on human health & the environment.

An astonishing finding? Eating a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy life, & eating a serving of nuts instead could help you gain 26 minutes.

READ: https://t.co/SZ7GMYPUEQ pic.twitter.com/t3nm89zUzQ

— Michigan Public Health (@umichsph) August 19, 2021

“We use the results to inform marginal dietary substitutions, which are realistic and feasible,” authors wrote. “We find that small, targeted, food-level substitutions can achieve compelling nutritional benefits and environmental impact reductions.”

This next project invites the viewers into the lives of children all around the world, as it presents their everyday school meals. Cafeteria food is most popular in the US, where more than 32 million children serve this food at school, but countries such as Italy or Brazil have also adopted this model.

Cafeterias are the place that largely influences children’s eating habits, which can take both a positive and a negative turn. In fighting child obesity, a salad chain called Sweetgreen started a program in schools to educate children about healthy food and eating habits.
To provide more insight, they started a project in which cafeteria food around the world was photographed and then compared as a basis for the study.

Unfortunately, the US is well-behind other countries when providing healthy cafeteria food, and most of the items contain very few vegetables and a lot of processed ingredients.
For instance, in Italy, cafeteria meals usually feature fruits and vegetables, and in Greece, a side dish based on dairy accompanies almost every meal.
To learn more about each country in part, take a look at the photo series, as it is truly an eye-opening study that can help raise awareness of the flaws of the US public school system.

Italy

Local fish on a bed of arugula, pasta with tomato sauce, caprese salad, baguette and some grapes

Finland

Pea soup, beet salad, carrot salad, bread and pannakkau (dessert pancake) with fresh berries

France

Steak, carrots, green beans, cheese and fresh fruit

Brazil

Pork with mixed veggies, black beans and rice, salad, bread and baked plantains

Make this beautiful AND edible centerpiece for your Christmas party! This cake pop Christmas cake is so fun! Kids and adults will love it.

SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED FOR THE CAKE POP CHRISTMAS TREE:

• A baked cake
• Buttercream . You can also use clear vanilla extract.
• Wilton #67 leaf tip
• Wilton #4 round tip (for the berries)
• Wilton 2D tip (for the snow around the base of the tree)
• 2 cans of Wilton edible gold spray (You can use any edible spray you like, or just coat the cake pops in any color candy melts you like.)

• Star cutter
• 8 inch or larger foam core cake board
• Fanci Foil (for covering the board)
• Wooden dowel
• Hot glue
• Candy melts or white almond bark
• Toothpicks
• 15 inch Styrofoam Cone
• Glad Press-n-Seal wrap or plain saran wrap

I love “brigadeiros”. They are chocolate balls made with cocoa, butter and condensed milk, rolled in chocolate sprinkles. They are a common treat in Brazil.

Brigadeiros are bite-sized chocolate sweets. Some people say they are bon-bons, other people say they are truffles… I think they come closer to fudge balls. Traditionally made of sweet condensed milk, chocolate powder, eggs and butter, nowadays it is rare to see recipes calling for eggs as an ingredient.

Brigadeiro cake is a traditional Brazilian birthday cake, inspired by the famous brigadeiro recipe (or chocolate fudge balls) and brigadeirao. It consists of a 3-layer moist chocolate cake with an ooey-gooey chocolate fudgy filling and frosting that tastes like the best thing you’ll ever have. Check out the recipes in the videos below…

It looks so delicious, I can’t wait to try it out!

Succulent plants are still very popular on social media and as home decor elements, but what about cakes that look like succulents?
This new trend has taken the Internet by storm and Jakarta-based Ivenoven seems to be leading the game. Her floral cakes have gathered a lot of attention, especially the succulent-shaped cakes she has been creating for special events. Ivenoven’s cakes have beautifully colored frosting and are molded to resemble real-life succulents, attention to detail is a key feature.
The hardest part of making the cakes is the decoration, but using piping techniques and food coloring, she creates the leaves and spines of the plant.

Once the decorations are done, they are grouped together on top of the cakes and the beautiful arrangement almost comes alive before the viewer’s eyes. Ivenoven first started baking in 2013, when she first made Christmas cookies for her daughter and her colleagues, and slowly started experimenting with more intricate cake decorations.

You can see her designs on the Zoezo Bake page, but also on Facebook and Instagram, where she keeps on inspiring her audience of self-thought bakers.