Search Results for: breakfast

Party On A Ritz: Carnitas Street Taco Bites

November 3, 2015 by Danielle

These carnitas street taco bites featuring our love of travel and food are brought to you by our sponsor, Ritz, . Read ahead to find out how to marry your favorite destinations all on one tablescape!

I’m planning a fall harvest party for my family and cannot wait to share a few of the recipes I’ll be serving at the party. With the help of Ritz, I’ve created two delicious destination dishes that include one inspired by local foods here in San Diego, and another dish inspired by a Southwest Airlines destination I’m dying to travel to.

One thing these recipes have in common are that they’re both very simple to put together and the dessert can be made ahead for easy serving at the party. I love make ahead dishes! Not only do they make planning easier, timing is also easier with a few make ahead dishes at the party.

I’ve also submitted both of these recipes to be featured on LuvRitz.com in a contest they’re hosting with Southwest Airlines. I have a chance to win a $500 Southwest Airlines voucher if I receive the most votes on my recipes! How awesome is that? Read ahead to check out my recipes and don’t forget to vote for me:

I’ve lived in San Diego all my life. Born and raised with deep roots in this city. I’m 3rd generation San Diegan and my husband is 4th generation. It’s pretty rare to find one of us around town and we’re pretty proud of the city we live in. One thing I absolutely love about this city is the copious amounts of good mexican food available around town. From our favorite taco shops, to our go-to mexican sit down restaurants, whenever I have a craving for the food I love, I am always close by.

I don’t just head out for mexican food either. Being raised by a dad who’s half mexican and half english rubs off on you, even if that means eating tortillas and drinking tea for breakfast. And some of my relatives make the best carne asada and mexican rice out there. I remember my dad’s stories of his father making fresh tortillas for him and his siblings and how he wished he had a chance to learn how to make them too.

Needless to say, I enjoy preparing mexican inspired dishes in my own home today. And that includes street tacos! But when I’m serving food at a party I love making things bite size. So for our upcoming fall harvest party I decided to miniaturize our favorite street tacos and put all of our favorite flavors on a Ritz. All of the deliciousness of carnitas street tacos in one bite!

Carnitas Street Taco Bites

Ritz crackers
Carnitas, shredded
Guacamole
Onions/cilantro

Grab a Ritz, top with shredded carnitas, guacamole, and onion/cilantro mixture. Place in mouth, chew, and enjoy!

Carnitas Street Taco Bites

Ritz crackers
Carnitas (shredded)
Guacamole
Onions/cilantro

Grab a Ritz, top with shredded carnitas, guacamole, and onion/cilantro mixture. Repeat on as many crackers as you’d like. Place in mouth, chew, and enjoy!

Stay tuned to see more of my fall harvest party next week! In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek of the tablescape I’m planning.

What are your favorite bite-size meals for parties?

Love this recipe and want more? Here are some great dips to dip your Ritz into!

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Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Desserts, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Party Ideas, Recipes, Thanksgiving Tagged With: appetizers, bites, carnitas, pecan pie, Ritz, Southwest Airlines, Thanksgiving

Fueling Up To Play: Microwavable Egg Scramble

October 22, 2015 by Danielle

We’re keeping our kids active and continuing to learn how we can Fuel Up To Play with help from our sponsor, California Milk Advisory Board. With this easy microwavable egg scramble we can start our day right with some calcium and protein so that we have the energy to play and learn.

Whether it’s a week day or the weekend, my kids cannot wait to get out of the house and play. In an effort to keep them fueled through the morning, I’ve tried to come up with a few easy breakfasts I can make ahead. But when I run out, I always opt for an easy microwavable egg scramble. Not only is it filled with protein to keep them fueled up, it is a great source of dairy with Real California milk and cheese scrambled inside. Another option to add inside? Some leftover veggies from last night’s dinner!

I’m not the only one trying to keep the kids fueled up for a day of play and learning. With the help of the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, more kids will be encouraged to fuel up and get outside to play. Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program launched by National Dairy Council (NDC) and National Football League, in collaboration with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). As a result of the program, 38 million students are eating healthier by adding nutritious foods like low-fat and fat-free milk and milk products, fruits, vegetables and whole grains to their meals. How awesome is that?

I love that this program is helping so many kids. As a parent I know that I’m not the only influence in my kids lives. When they see others eating healthy and getting out to exercise and play, they’re more apt to get out and make the right decisions too. My son is very much a homebody but when his friends are out playing soccer or throwing a football, he has no problem heading out to join them.

Since having a third child, our family has come even more active than a year ago. We’ve continued to encourage play as a family for at least 60 seconds a day in addition to the play the kids get at school during the day. Even if that means pulling my son from his game of Minecraft to jump on the trampoline with us or go on a family walk after dinner. Family walks are a great way for us to reconnect at the end of the day after we enjoy a meal together. And it gets the wiggles out before we start our bedtime routine.

We are also starting to cook together as well so that we can not only lead by example but teach by example as well. By showing our children how to prepare delicious, healthy meals for themselves, we can instill great life skills they can use as they grow. My daughter helped make the egg scramble recipe (shared below) with me this morning and last night my son helped clean and cut the cauliflower for our dinner. I love that they’re so interested in helping prepare our meals and learn more about becoming more self sufficient.

Microwavable Egg Scramble

2 eggs
1/8 cup Real California milk
1/4 cup Real California cheese, split
1 pre-cooked sausage patty OR 2 pre-cooked sausage links, crumbled
salt and pepper

Grab an 8oz ramekin and spray with nonstick cooking spray or coat in butter. Add eggs, milk and salt and pepper to greased ramekin. Whisk with fork until combined. Crumble sausage patty or sausage links into egg mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese. Using the fork, combine sausage and cheese in egg mixture. Top with other 1/2 of cheese.

Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for an additional 45 seconds to 1 minute or until egg is cooked. Carefully remove ramekin from microwave – it will be hot – and turn upside down onto a plate. Serve hot with a side of fruit, some toast, and a large glass of Real California milk.

What’s awesome about this program, in addition to educating kids and encouraging healthy living, you can encourage your school to apply for this program! Qualifying California schools participating in Fuel Up to Play 60 are eligible for up to $4,000 during the school year and funding eligibility for the 2015-2016 school year is held through a competitive program designed to support schools that implement plays from the 2015-2016 edition of the Fuel Up to Play 60 Playbook.

For schools that would like to apply to receive funding, Fall 2015 Fuel Up To Play 60 grant applications are open to California K-12 schools interested in supporting health and wellness initiatives through November 4, 2015. For more information on Fuel Up to Play 60 and to sign up an eligible school, visit here: http://bit.ly/1Mij4OW

How do you encourage healthy eating and play in your home?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of California Milk Advisory Board.

Filed Under: Breakfast, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: Breakfast, breakfast ideas, breakfast recipe, easy recipes, egg, egg dishes, Eggs, Fuel Up and Play 60

Back to School Healthy Checklist

August 26, 2015 by Danielle

As we head back to school, I wanted to share this back to school healthy checklist, sponsored by Kinsa, as a way to keep everyone healthy over the first few weeks back in the classroom.

I feel as if sickness has been coming through a revolving door this summer. We all get better and then WHAM! something else hits. From colds, to ear aches, and runny noses, our family has been hit with it all. And now that I’m sending the kids back to school next week, I need to make sure I’m doing everything I can to stop the cycle in this house.

We’ve been working on trying to keep our home sickness free and I’ve come up with a checklist for the kids so that they’re reminded of what to do to stay relatively healthy. Since the first weeks of school mean exposure to a whole new lot of kids, an a whir of germs, we want to be in tip top shape when we return. And that doesn’t just mean staving off illness, it also means doing routine check ups that may help prevent illness.

Back to School Healthy Checklist

Wash, wash, wash your hands! Keep reminding your kids to wash their hands frequently throughout the day. I have my kids hum happy birthday two times when they’re washing (similar to how they brush their teeth) so that they wash long enough. Make sure your child’s immunizations are up-to-date. I’ve found that a lot of classrooms have hand sanitizer that they use but since my daughter has eczema, hand sanitizer burns her.
Medications and Allergies need to be mentioned to your child’s school. If medications are needed during the day, make sure the school has what they need (with prescription/note from doctor if needed) and that they know of any allergies or conditions that your child may have. We had to make sure my son’s inhaler was ready to go for the new year! You might also want to mention any allergies to the room mom, if you have one, just in case.
Keep emergency contacts up to date! Make sure that the school has the correct emergency contact information for your child. A contact may have moved or changed phone numbers over the summer.
The most important meal of the day! Plan to give your child a delicous and healthy breakfast before leaving in the morning, such as oatmeal (made in a rice cooker!), smoothies, yogurt with fruit or scrambled eggs. This will provide much-needed energy for the day. A great make-ahead option for busy mornings are these delicious egg cups!
Buy your child a comfortable, ergonomic backpack with thick straps. You don’t want the stress of a large load of books to hurt their shoulders or back.
Make sure that your child’s shoes fit properly so that they get the support and comfort they need for all-day wear. With kids growing so quickly, make sure your child knows that they should speak up if their shoes are getting tight or their feet are hurting. My son grew 1.5 shoe sizes over the summer! Talk about a growth spurt.
Has your child had a vision screening? This will ensure that he/she can see the board in class and will help with writing and reading.
Schedule a dental checkup to ensure that your child’s teeth are in good condition to start the new school year.
Concerns about hearing or speech? In the first few weeks of school you can bring your concerns to the teacher to see if they observe anything in the classroom. Or have your child’s doctor observe and make recommendations.

And the #1 way to keep everyone healthy: Keep your child home when they’re sick! Let them rest and recover so that they feel 100% and the illness doesn’t spread. A sick kid won’t be as alert and ready to learn. They’ll be much more comfortable resting at home.

But sometimes illness is inevitable. And having the right tools in the medicine cabinet is important. And Kinsa has those tools. Kinsa has built something truly revolutionary for parents – the first smartphone-enabled thermometer designed for your peace of mind. Kinsa automatically remembers fever, symptoms, medications and notes for each child or family member, and helps you take action when fever and symptoms are cause for concern. Users can also join groups for their child’s school to see the “health weather” of the school and know what symptoms and illnesses are circulating.

And even better? They’re giving back to the community in a huge way. With their new FLUency program, Kinsa is choosing 100 deserving schools this fall and providing all families in each school with free Kinsa stick thermometers ($30 value). To nominate your school email fluency@kinsahealth.com. You can learn more by watching this video here.

How do you keep the kids healthy during the school year?

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Kids Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: apps, Health, health care, kids, Kinsa, thermometer

The Importance of Routines + A Blueberry Granola Muffin Recipe

July 27, 2015 by Danielle

This post is brought to you by CafeMom and Chex^TM

As I’ve mentioned before, my kids need to know what’s going on each day. Whether it’s going over the days of the week and where they’ll be, or letting them know that they have some free time, they do better knowing what their routine is. Now that summer is here, they’ve been a bit out of whack, moody, and overall different. And I know it’s because of their lack of routine.

When school is in session we know what’s going on. Monday through Friday we wake up at a certain time, eat breakfast, brush our teeth, get dressed, and head out the door to start our day. We get home at a certain time and my kids know when daddy will be home so we can all enjoy dinner together. However with our summer schedule a bit everywhere, we’ve gotten bad about sticking with routine.

The Importance of Routines

In an effort to keep the kids on track and make them a little healthier, I’ve created a new summer routine and have printed out a calendar for each month of summer. That way they can look at the calendar whenever they’d like and can see what they’re doing. When they see their child care provider’s name on one day, they know they’re going to her house. When they see a wave, they know they’re going to the beach or a swim suit for the pool. I’ve kept it simple but it works for them. And we always make sure to start our day with a healthy breakfast as part of our routine.

This weekend as I was shopping for our weekly groceries, I picked up some of the kids’ favorite cereal from the store. A variety of Chex^TM flavors filled my cart. Vanilla^TM Chex cereal for my daughter, Honey Nut^TM Chex cereal for my son, and Chex^TM Clusters cereal for me. That way if I don’t have much time in the morning, we can grab our favorites, pour on some milk (or sprinkle over some yogurt), serve with a side of berries or fruit and enjoy a delicious breakfast so we’re ready to start our day. Plus our favorite Chex^TM flavors are Gluten Free, have no artificial flavors, and include no colors from artificial sources while still tasting great with a variety of flavors.

Sometimes we don’t have time for a bowl of cereal or a yogurt parfait, so I made some delicious blueberry granola muffins on the weekend for us to grab and go during the week. Not only are they super tasty and full of what we love, but they include our favorite breakfast flavors! And we stick with our routine. Please note that these muffins are not Gluten Free.

Blueberry Granola Muffin Recipe

For the muffins

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon for blueberries
1 cup Chex^TM Clusters Cereal, crumbled
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons coconut sugar*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt, plain or vanilla
1 tablespoon coconut oil*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

For the topping

1 cup Chex^TM Clusters Cereal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners or coat with butter; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour,Chex^TM Clusters Cereal, brown sugar, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, yogurt, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and combine using a rubber spatula just until moist. Don’t over mix.

In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon flour and coat blueberries in flour (just like I do with my blueberry coffee cake). Add blueberries and gently fold in.

Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray using a muffin scoop or measuring cup. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with granola. Place into oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

* you can also use white granulated sugar or vegetable oil if you don’t have coconut sugar and coconut oil on hand.

Since starting our summer routine and using a calendar to let the kids know what’s going on, we’ve started to see much happier kids. I never understood the importance of a good routine until I had kids. Now I know just how much we need routines in our life. Routines are just as important as breakfast in my book.

What’s your favorite on-the-go breakfast to keep your kids on their routine?

Filed Under: Baking, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: blueberries, blueberry, Blueberry Muffins, Breakfast, muffins

That Time I Thought I Was Going To Die

July 24, 2015 by Danielle

Saturday mornings are a mundane routine that I look forward to every week. My middle child always seems to wake up at 6:30 and takes it upon herself to wake me and the baby up because, you know, she wants to start her day. So we make our way into the living room and I make some coffee as she entertains her sister. Fun and laughter ensue as I grab a bowl of cereal for her and me as the baby plays with a spoon. The baby would much rather have our cereal but Honey Nut Chex isn’t really baby friendly.

Then my son comes wandering in. Messy bed head, pjs dishevelled, thumb in his mouth and other thumb clutching onto his manhood making sure it’s still there. He curls up onto the couch near me and grabs a pillow as he watches whatever’s on Disney Junior or PBS Kids. We’re all relaxed in our various states of wakefullness as my husband comes out fully rested (after sleeping with my daughter’s foot in his back). He asks if we’ve gotten the newspaper and one of hte kids always volunteers to run out and grab it since Daddy doesn’t like going outside without his shoes and clothes on (unlike myself who’ll go out in PJs).

I’ll grab another cup of coffee and make my son some eggs for breakfast. Then my husband will enjoy a waffle or two from the freezer batch we made the Sunday before. He’ll eat quickly and hop into the shower so that we can start our day and get on to our first adventure of the weekend.

Last Saturday started like any other Saturday. Except before the husband got into the shower my two oldest started bickering and fighting over one thing or another. And all of a sudden my headache from the night before was back. So he kindly got me some Tylenol and water and then left to take his shower. The kids got distracted by something else and eventually went outside to hunt for bugs. It was just me and baby.

And that’s when it hit. OMG.

With no warning, no explaination, I was suddenly hit by gut wrenching pain in my upper abdomin. It was enough to have me doubled over in pain and wriggling around trying to find a way, a position, anything, to get it to lessen or stop. The baby was looking at me like I was cray-cray. Didn’t understand why I kept going from sitting, to standing, to laying down.

The only thing it reminded me of was when I thought I was dying when I ate calamari for the first time as a young tween. I was maybe 13 or 14 and we were driving home from a friend of my step dad’s house. The only thing I did differently was enjoy the tasty calamari they had made. I was convinced it was food poisoning but after extensive tests at the doctor’s I was told I had a stomach ulcer. That’s right. A stomach ulcer and I wasn’t even 15 yet.

Now 15+ years later I was feeling the same pain in the same spot. So I ran and grabbed a Zantac in hopes that it was an ulcer and I could calm it down. No dice. I told my daugther, who had made her way back inside, that she needed to get her father and bring him to me. He completely ignored her thinking she just wanted to hop into the shower and steal his hot water for herself. So I limped over to him, still doubled over, and banged on the bathroom door, which he locked, screaming at him to get out and get dressed.

I didn’t know where we should go but I knew I needed the pain to stop. I couldn’t handle it. And I’ve carried and birthed 3 kids! Two of which came out naturally and one was unmedicated. So I know a little about pain.

He opened the door and saw my face and quickly went into action. He got dressed, made sure the kids got dressed, as I attempted to get myself ready. I may have brushed my hair but that was about it before I headed to the car with my wallet. Molly followed and got herself buckled up in the back seat as I tried not to cry in the front. I was just praying my husband remembered to grab the diapers. And the baby.

He remembered both and soon he, the baby, and my son were in the car too. But he had no where to go and I was in no condition to help direct him. Definitely another marital challenge to throw in the books. But after a little juggling and frantically wondering which urgent care was closer, then wanting to go to Grossmont hospital when we were already heading west (the opposite direction), he found himself going to the right place and made a quick decision to skip urgent care and take me directly to the ER.

As soon as we pulled up I grabbed my purse and walked in. I had no clue what to do but finally found a check in. As I gave my info, to one person, another asked me questions. One of which was if I had major abdominal surgery recently. I mentioned that I had a c-section but it wasn’t up there. I was down there. Um yeah, that’s kind of obvious. Oy! What pain will make you say.

I finally got fully checked in and sat down in the lobby. I thought that time was moving infinitely slow. Pain was still the same level only while we were in the car it started radiating to my back too. No let up at all.

When my husband and the kids walked in my name was finally called and I started to go back.

I arrived at a bed and was told to change into a gown then pee into a cup. Too bad the curtain at my bed didn’t want to cover the whole area and the gown they gave me had broken straps. I put the gown on backwards (opening in the front) so I could cover myself up enough to ask for a new gown. And the first thing the nurse said to me was that I had it on wrong. I explained why it was on wrong and kindly asked for another gown. This new and improved one actually

Since the kids would be a bit distracting, I tried to message my MIL to see if she could grab the big kids after the nurses got me all settled in with an IV and more info on my situation. Guess my husband had already called her when he parked and she already was on her way. Talk about a speedy reaction time.

The doctor came in and asked me a few more questions about the type of pain, where it was, and if him pushing in certain spots hurt. Yes, yes to it all. He asked if I wanted meds and I explained that I was breastfeeding a kid… I mean a baby… who wouldn’t take a bottle. He really didn’t have any alternatives other than giving me a half dose of morphine in my IV to ease the pain. He also mentioned that he thought it was my gallbladder.

After the doctor’s visit, the student nurse came in to set up my IV and give me the pain meds. By then my husband had come back to find me and once I was all set, Norah joined me in bed. Since it had been about 2 hours since her last feeding, we nursed and she quickly fell asleep in the bed on me. Nursing in that gown was quite awkward. Especially when they had me close it in the back. But we managed. She didn’t seem to mind where we were or what I was doing. She just wanted the comfort of mommy’s milk and a snuggle in my arms.

About 30 minutes passed when an ultrasound technician came over to take a look inside. I woke Norah up to give her to my husband while the tech did his thing. From his responses and the way he continued to have me move and reposition we knew something was going on in there. After he was done he said he had to consult with the doctor and his boss but the doctor would be in shortly to talk to me.

By then Norah needed a diaper change so Joseph headed off to take care of her. The doctor came back and confirmed that not only did I have gall stones, I had a LOT of gall stones. He was surprised that this was my first attack and went over what my next steps would be. I’d have two options: lifestyle change of cutting out all fat and greasy food in my diet and hope I don’t have another attack any time soon or elective gall bladdder surgery. I was to contact my primary physician and schedule a consult with a surgeon.

In the meantime I’d have to cut out fat and greasy food from my diet. Good thing I didn’t start the LCHF diet I was planning on starting, right? Oy!! Could you imagine the pain I’d be in?

So the plan is to continue trying to eat whole foods while cutting out the fats I love. And that’s a lot! Eggs, salad dressing/oil, avocados, butter. So many things in my normal diet that are being cut out. But now the big question. Once my gallbladder is out, can I start the LCHF diet? We’ll see!

Filed Under: Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: ER Visit, gallbladder attack, gallbladder surgery, gallstones

Easy Snack Ideas plus Green Juice Recipes

July 6, 2015 by Danielle

This shop featuring green juice recipes has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FreshOnTheGo #CollectiveBias

Do you ever have a day where you are just starving? Didn’t have time to grab a snack because the baby has been sleeping on you all day and opening or making anything would wake her up? Or you’re running around doing errands with the kids in tow and didn’t have time to individually bag their favorite snacks before you left and need something quick because they’re whining and complaining about the fact that you’re starving them?

Many a day I find myself getting to the afternoon and realizing I hadn’t even had breakfast. And I wondered why I was so irritable and moody by the time I picked up the kids. So I’m changing things up. Prepping meals, having snacks on hand, and making sure I take the time to enjoy snacks and meals even when I’m busy. Working from home means that I have to fit things in. Schedule them. So I’ve started to schedule snack and meal times too.

Easy Snack Ideas

I love snacks. Especially ones I don’t have to prep. With limited time, as I mentioned, I need easy. When I was at Costco I saw these awesome Ready Snax filled with some of mine and my kids favorite snacks already packaged together. Carrots, grapes, cheese, and pretzels. All awesome snacks I normally spend time preparing in baggies individually only to have 1/2 wasted or forgotten somewhere. And, lets face it, I’m eating their snacks too so I want something I enjoy.

Now I can grab a few Ready Snax and everyone’s happy. At least until lunchtime.

The kids both love the green juice I prep ahead since I mask the kale and spinach taste with apples and cucumber. Even I wouldn’t like just kale or spinach juice. The fresh juice is much better than the sodas and processed juices I could buy for them elsewhere. I simply juice everything in the juicer on Sunday and put in a large pitcher in the fridge to use throughout the week. It lasts 2-3 days and is a great way to get veggies into me and my kids in addition to our snacks. Plus, they know what they are drinking. I don’t really hide anything.

Green Juice Recipes

Basic Green Juice

2 handfuls spinach, rinsed and dried
2 handfuls kale, rinsed and dried
3 celery ribs
2 cucumbers
2 green apples
1 lemon, peeled

Add all ingredients to your juicer alternating the greens with the fruit and cucumber. Enjoy as is or chill in the fridge! If storing, make sure to shake well before drinking.

Alternatives

In addition to green apples and/or cucumbers you can add pineapple, mint, pears, ginger root, other types of apples, etc. The awesome thing about green juices is the variety in what you can create! There are many benefits to juicing.

As I mentioned before, you can find Ready Pac Ready Snax at Costco. I found mine in the refridgerated section on an end cap with the pre-packaged salads.

Looking to go beyond the green juices? Try this delicious carrot tangerine juice or green monster juice as well!

What do you grab from the fridge at snacktime?

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Snacks, Uncategorized Tagged With: green juice, green juice recipes, healthy snacks, juices, snack, Snack Ideas, snack recipes, Snacks, vegetable juice

Summer Activities, Staycations and a Chocolate Peanut Butter Yogurt Pops Recipe

June 17, 2015 by Danielle

The school year has come to an end and we are ready for summer! Warm weather, lazy days at the beach, and finding creative ways to cool off in our gorgeous city.

Living in a major tourist destination means that we’re lucky enough to staycation a few times through the year. And summertime is the perfect time to book a staycation and relax poolside at a local hotel or visit a local amusement park.

One thing I love about staycations is that we’re not far from home. And that means having fun and getting a little creative while out and about. That includes figuring out fun snacks to make when we’re away from home so we don’t have to spend to much extra on snacks and meals.

Most hotels we stay at when we’re on our staycations have a fridge and freezer. So we like to bring yogurts for breakfast, pb&j for lunch, and some fun treats for desserts.

When it gets really hot, a good frozen treat is perfect for cooling down. Especially one that includes all of the ingredients I already have in the mini-fridge.

We love creating creme pops at home, so why not re-create a simpler version on the road? And if you don’t have bowls all you need to do is grab your yogurt cup, mix in some chocolate spread and peanut butter, and freeze. Then eat up like ice cream instead of a pop!

These 3-ingredient chocolate peanut butter yogurt pops are the perfect way to enjoy our time in the sun but stay cool while participating in our favorite summer activities.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Yogurt Pops

1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons chocolate spread
2 tablespoons peanut butter

In a small bowl, whisk together all three ingredients and combine well.
Pour into small cups and stick a paper straw or craft/popsicle stick into the center of the pops.
Place in freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours up to overnight.
Pop out of the cups and enjoy!

If you’re looking for great outfits for the kids to show off on your next staycation, check out this coupon for OshKosh. Need to find a store near you? Try the OshKosh store locator.

How are you cooling down this summer?

For other fun ways to spend your summer when you return from your staycation, check out these fun Summer Activities for Kids or try making these Mandarin Orange Creme Pops with the kids.

Filed Under: Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Snacks, Uncategorized Tagged With: chocolate, Dessert, desserts, easy kid friendly desserts, greek yogurt, healthy snacks, no bake, Peanut Butter, pops, popsicles, yogurt

85 Ways to Use Yogurt

May 25, 2015 by Danielle

Are you a yogurt fan? We’re sharing 85 ways to use yogurt in your everyday recipes!

There’s one thing I can always count on to make me happy. Whether it’s morning, noon, or night. And that’s a delicious bowl of yogurt. It’s the one thing I reach for in the fridge when I need a snack or when I’m cooking up a meal or dessert.

I started turning to yogurt more and more as a staple in my home after going through Weight Watchers after having my oldest child. It is such a great substitute for other ingredients in recipes and is full of flavor. Plus… less calories!

And in it’s simplest form, with a sprinkle of granola and some sliced berries, it can make any day better. Plus, when you’re done eating the yogurt inside, you can make something fun out of the container!

Have some yogurt in the fridge like I do? Here are 101 ways to use yogurt!

85 Ways to Use Yogurt

Breakfast

1. In strawberry muffins

2. Sprinkled with homemade granola

3. In a breakfast cereal parfait

4. In brown sugar maple muffins

5. To make a strawberry shortcake parfait a little healthier

6. In banana blueberry muffins

7. Spruced up as pumpkin pie yogurt

8. In greek yogurt blueberry muffins

9. In apple carrot walnut muffins

10. In chocolate chip donuts

11. In a healthy blueberry parfait

12. In overnight oats

13. In a Pomegranate Parfait with Blueberries

14. In cinnamon streussel yogurt muffins

15. In baby bran muffins

16. In banana chocolate chip whole wheat pancakes

17. In these flavorful Pomegranate Pancakes

18. In a blackberry shortcake parfait

19. In these Red Currant and Rosemary Olive Oil Scones

20. In these Whole Wheat Cranberry Sauce Scones

21. Or these Whole Wheat Mango & Ginger Scones

22. And these Whole Wheat Orange Scones with Chia Seeds

23. Or change it up with these Whole Wheat Pomegranate Scones

24. And around Halloween, bake up these Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones

Lunch

25. To spruce up tropical chicken sliders

26. In a greek chicken wrap

27. In greek style gourmet burgers

Dinner

28. To lighten up Pomegranate and Lamb Moussaka with Cardamon

29. In a marinade for Chicken Skewers with Dipping Sauce

30. In a chicken tikka masala recipe

31. In the slow cooker with this butter chicken recipe

32. In a Boneless Chicken Breast Kabob (Joojeh Kabob)

33. With these Filet Mignon Kabobs (Kabob-eh Barg)

34. In this Yogurt Marinated Leg of Lamb

Side Dishes

35. Grilled Baby Artichokes with Balsamic Yogurt

36. In carrot raisin salad

37. Mixed with mint on top of a beet salad

Snacks

38. In vanilla chai banana bread

39. In an apple blossom parfait

40. In apple cobbler yogurt bites

41. In cranberry orange muffins

42. With a cup of coffee and this Nut Crusted Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Drinks

43. With a straw in a PB Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

44. In an orange creamsicle smoothie

45. Spiced up in a pumpkin pie smoothie

46. In a strawberry smoothie

47. In this Mango-Rum Smoothie

48. With avocados in a blueberry smoothie

49. In a cookies n cream smoothie

50. With papayas in a papaya smoothie

51. In Doogh (Persian Yogurt and Mint Drink)

52. In an Orange Cream Smoothie

53. After a workout in this Mango Protein Shake

54. In a Pomegranate Smoothie

Dessert

55. In mandarin orange cream pops

56. For a delicious addition to a Banana Smash Cake

57. In chocolate chip muffins perfect for dessert

58. In a Plum Yogurt Cake

59. To cool down in frozen greek yogurt pops

60. In an Orange Upside Down Cake

61. In churro cupcakes

62. In these root beer float pops

63. In chocolate covered strawberry frozen yogurt

64. In pumpkin spice yogurt

65. In a berry triffle

66. In strawberry frozen yogurt

67. In these Strawberry-Rhubarb Creamsicles

68. In a pomegranate sundae yogurt parfait

69. Frozen in pina colada popsicles

70. In berry cake with coconut rum

71. To moisten Carrot Cake with Walnuts & Raisins

72. With a glass of wine and this Grape Upside Down Cake

73. In a vibrant Lemon Basil Cake

74. In this Red, White & Blue Jello

75. In these mini Saffron & Raisin Pound Cakes

76. In this White Rose Cake

Dips and Appetizers

77. In a herbed yogurt cheese dip

78. In a refreshing homemade tzatziki dip

79. In Borani-e Esfenaj (Yogurt and Spinach)

80. In this Hatch Chile Dip

81. In Borani-e Bademjoon (Persian Yogurt and Eggplant)

82. With this Mast-o Khiar (Persian Yogurt with Cucumbers)

83. In chocolate caramel apple dip

84. With apples in this PB Yogurt Dip

85. In peanut butter cinnamon yogurt dip

What’s your favorite way to incorporate yogurt into your day?

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Baking, Breakfast, Desserts, Dinner, Drinks & Refreshments, In the Kitchen, Lunch, Recipes, Snacks, Uncategorized Tagged With: breakfast recipe, easy recipes, greek yogurt, Recipe, yogurt

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

May 3, 2015 by Danielle

I am part of the Microsoft Blogger Program and receive incentives from Microsoft to blog about its products.

Sometimes you just need a little inspiration to come up with a fabulous gift to give mom. I don’t know what it is about this holiday but it’s always the hardest to shop for!

Luckily over the years I’ve come to realize that moms like simple. And they like when you’re listening to them.

So when choosing what to get mom for Mother’s Day remember to open your ears to small hints you hear mom mentioning and get her something she’s been asking for. Even if she doesn’t directly say it!

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Electronics

Has mom been trying to get back in shape? Or is she still typing on a computer that looks like it came from the 90s? Consider one of Microsoft’s many products like the Microsoft Band (LOVE!) or SurfacePro3 for Mom this Mother’s Day.

With the Microsoft Band she’ll be able to track her steps, keep track of the time, and keep an eye on her heart rate during workouts. If you’re afraid of giving mom something for “weight loss” don’t worry! This is for keeping mom healthy!

With the ability to run desktop software, a USB port, and an integrated Kickstand, Surface 3 is the perfect productivity device for school, home, and on the go. This means mom can stay connected and keep everyone on track from home or on-the-go. And, for a limited time, it includes Office 365 Personal – a $69.99 value – FREE!

Flowers + Chocolate

My go-to gift for my mom has to be a flower delivery and/or chocolate covered strawberries. There’s just something about getting a treat in the mail that I love so I love sharing that with my mom too (hopefully she’s just as in love).

And I literally just got an email in the mail from my favorite – ProFlowers and Shari’s Berries – that they have a deal right now with flowers, a free vase, and 1/2 a dozen chocolate covered strawberries for as low as $39.97. How perfect is that? Oh, and when you go to RetailMeNot and search for a code, you get an additional 20% off making these $31.98 + shipping (I pay the $4.99 extra to have them delivered the day before Mother’s Day).

And yes, this is a non-sponsored plug 🙂

Breakfast in Bed

One of the simplest ways to show Mom you care is by putting together a simple and tasty breakfast in bed. This can be as easy as some yogurt, berries, and granola – great for small kids to help with, a breakfast burrito from the taco shop down the street, or something a little more elaborate like my overnight french toast casserole.

And don’t forget the caffeine! Serve breakfast with a nice cup of coffee or tea in mom’s favorite mug. Better yet, buy mom a new mug with your mug on it! Or a cute saying or greeting.

What are you planning to do for Mom on Mother’s Day?

Filed Under: gift ideas, Holidays, Mother's Day, Technology, Uncategorized Tagged With: gift ideas, gifts for mother's day, Microsoft, Microsoft Band, Microsoft Bloggers, Mother's Day, Mother’s Day gift

5 Things to Do On Valentine’s Day For Your Kids

January 19, 2015 by Danielle

Valentine’s Day is a fun time for couples to show their love for each other. However, when you have kids, it can be a little tricky to teach them about what Valentine’s Day means without all the gushy mushy stuff.

I thought I’d take some time to talk about some fun things you can do for your kids this Valentine’s Day to make it extra special for them!

With a new baby due any day now (we’re about 2.5 weeks away from the due date) I wanted to think ahead and figure out easy ways to make this holiday special for the older ones. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Holidays, Parenting, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day Tagged With: things to do, Valentine's Day, valentines day ideas

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