Pepperoni & Tomato Macaroni Dinner

I have partnered with Hormel Foods as part of their Extended Family Blogger Program. While Hormel Foods provides me with material and yummy food, all opinions are my own.

In our February package from Hormel Foods, we found another package of pepperoni. Yay! Owen was jumping (well, he stomps his foot and bounces) with excitement. This boy will gobble down pepperoni right out of the package. This month, we received Turkey Pepperoni. I  was a little unsure of it because let’s face it: we stick with what we know and new things are a little scary sometimes.

Realistic Resolutions with Gorton’s Seafood & SparkPeople

I received product from Gorton’s in exchange for this post. However, all opinions are my own.

We’re a month into the New Year. Did you set resolutions for this year? If you did, how are they going? I’m not one to sit down and set actual resolutions. I know a lot of people do, but then again, I know a lot of people “fail” at them two weeks later. I don’t think it’s really possible to fail at your resolution just a few weeks in. I think you have the whole year to really make it or not. Anyway…

Gorton’s Seafood has paired up with SparkPeople, the largest healthy living community on the web, to develop a 30-Day Realistic Resolution Challenge! Participants will receive tips, recipe ideas and daily motivation to support health and nutrition goals.

Did I mention that there’s also a Gorton’s “Eat Smarter” Sweepstakes? You could win a $500 weekly prize or a $5,000 Grand Prize!

As we’ve discussed before, I’m not a big fish person. I decided to try the Grilled Salmon for lunch. I whipped up a side to go with it that is a perfect addition.

Corn, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Spaceship Building and Pop Secret Space Bar Snack

Thanks to Pop Secret for sponsoring this post.

It is snowing here today (expecting up to 4 inches) and we’re spending the day inside building a spaceship. Some kids build forts, but we build spaceships and rocket ships. To go along with our spaceship building, we made a yummy snack using Pop Secret. Because you know… snacks make everything better.

While Charlie was working on building his spaceship, I got the Pop Secret Caramel Popcorn going.

Bacon & Pepperoni Pizza Roll-Ups

I have partnered with Hormel Foods as part of their Extended Family Blogger Program. While Hormel Foods provides me with material and yummy food, all opinions are my own.

This is our first month as a Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger. What that means is that we’ll be sharing recipes, getting sneak peeks at new products, and revisiting our old favorites. It was so exciting getting a giant cooler delivered to the house. Owen thought it was for him and helped me open it up. Inside we found all sorts of fun Hormel Foods products.

With football playoffs in full swing right now, we’re always up for some easy appetizers that make perfect party food.

14 One Pot Dinners

It’s already almost two weeks into the new year and we’re still in a whirlwind from the holidays. I love making dinner, but hate dealing with the mess! Sometimes by the time dinner is done, it seems there are more dirty dishes in the house than there are clean.

Today I’m sharing some dishes with you that will leave you with just one pot or skillet to clean!

 

25+ Candy Cane Ideas

I have to say I’m not particularly fond of candy canes, but they’re everywhere this time of year. Go see Santa, get a candy cane. Walk into a small business, get a candy cane. And you know after Christmas, all those candy canes will be on clearance!

I’ve put together some ways for you to use all of those candy canes!

Now go get all your candy canes! I’ve got drinks (grown-up and kid-friendly), cookies, candy, crafts and more!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

This post may contain affiliate links.

Everyone loves pumpkin everything this time of year. I have to confess: I don’t. I’m not one of those pumpkin crazy people, but I do like it from time to time. I decided to make cheesecake brownies, but add in some pumpkin for the fall. We were supposed to have dinner last week for our small group, but had to cancel due to a sick kiddo. Well, I’d already started making our dessert to bring. We ended up going last night and I had to remake these to bring because we had already devoured the first batch.

16 Thanksgiving Side Dishes To Take With You

Like many people, we don’t host Thanksgiving, but love to bring something with us for dinner. Certain things travel better than other of course, but here’s a pretty good list to get you started! You’re bound to find something on here that you can take with you to your next holiday dinner.

 

Making Our Own Food Pouches with Infantino

I received free product to produce this post, but all opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

When Owen first arrived, I thought about making our own baby food. Plenty of people do, so I figured I’d give it a go. Well… we didn’t end up doing that, and now at a year old, he’s pretty much done with “baby” food. However, Charlie (at 3.5) still loves pouches! When we were given the chance to try out Infantino’s Fresh Squeezed line, I thought this was the perfect time to make our own.

I set everything up the night before. When I opened the Squeeze Station box I was surprised at how simple it was! All I had to do to set it up was wash the parts and put it back together. To put your station together, you just need to slide the pouches into slots and screw on the tube. How easy is that?

Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza Dip

#spon: I'm required to disclose a relationship between our site and Save-A-Lot. This could include providing us with content, product, access or other forms of payment.

Most people follow a sport in one form or another. In our house, we’re football people. And I mean, WE. I know some wives pretend to follow football and “cheer” for their husband’s team, but have no real idea what is going on. This is not the case in our house. I was a Ravens fan long before my husband and I started dating. He’s just lucky he is too.

Charlie loves to watch football with Mommy and Daddy now. He says “Go Ravens”! And he can echo us in the same exact tone when we say “Come on….” (be that a good thing or not).

When we’re watching football we sometimes forget to eat real meals, so our snacking has to be heavy! And what’s better for a football snack than some warm cheesy meaty dip?

 

Easy One Pot Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta

This post is sponsored by Hillshire Brands in partnership with Mom It Forward. However, all opinions are my own.

At our house, we need a protein in every meal. Hillshire Farm Lit’l Smokies have made it a breeze to add protein to our dishes. Sure, you can always eat mac and cheese plain, but doesn’t this look soooo much better?

Before shopping at Safeway, I always check my Just For U coupons and add anything I might pick up. The coupons are added right to my card! Right now, you can find some great coupons on Hillshire Brands, including this one for Lit’l Smokies.

Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers

I love making stuffed peppers, but don’t always have ground beef on hand. After a quick check of the freezer and pantry, I threw together some quick and easy chicken fajita stuffed peppers.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 1/2 a large yellow onion, diced
• 1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 package of rice (we used Rice Pilaf this time, but Spanish works great) 
• 1 fajita seasoning packet
• 2/3 cup of water
• 4 bell peppers
• shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Easy Ham & Cheese Muffin Pan Biscuits

We’re always on the lookout for lunches that Charlie will love. I found a great deal on canned biscuits, but they had a super short expiration on them, so we whipped these up for lunch!

Over 30 Mac & Cheese Recipes

Macaroni & Cheese is a staple in our house. Personally, I could eat it 3 meals a day, every day. The boys love it as much as Mommy does, so we’re always looking for ways to put a new spin on our favorite dish.

12 Quick & Easy Lunches for Preschoolers

Charlie is getting ready to start preschool. He’ll be going twice a week for 2.5 hours each day. We’ll be getting home just in time for lunch! With Owen in tow, we’re always looking for quick and easy lunches. Here’s a few that we found that will fit the bill and Charlie will love!

 

Chicken Salad Pepper Cups – Raising Generation Nourished

PB & J Sushi Rolls – Shortcut Saver

Ham & Cheese Mini Corn Muffins – Mom On Timeout

Chicken Taco Bento Box Lunch – Thrifty Jinxy

Strawberry Fields Roll-Up – Chaos is Bliss

PB & J Banana Dogs – Mom’s Messy Miracles

Mac & Cheese with Garden Delight Pasta – Thrifty DIY Diva

Chicken Cordon Bleu Crescent Rolls – Mom Endeavors

Hot Open-Faced Meat & Cheese Sandwiches – Hi! It’s Jilly

Southwest Turkey Spirals – The Pinning Mama

Grilled Mac & Cheese Sandwich – A Mom’s Take

Pizza Waffle Taco – Stockpiling Moms

 

What are some of your favorite lunches to whip up at home that your preschooler or toddler loves?

Chicken Slow Cooker Meals for Your Freezer

This post contains affiliate links.

It’s time for back to school, which means days get shorter and filled with more running around. Back to school time also means fall is just around the corner! Although we use our slow cooker all year, I know many use it more during the fall and winter. Here are a few of our favorite chicken dishes that are meant to go from the freezer to your slow cooker.

I love meals that I can prep, freeze, and dump right into the slow cooker. I spend the day chasing around two little boys and dinner sometimes slips my mind. With these meals stocked in our freezer, I can pull one out and put it in the slow cooker without thinking about dinner the rest of the day!

Back to School Lunches: PB&J Banana Dogs

This post contains affiliate links.

We don’t have to deal with packing lunches for school yet, but this year I’ll be picking Charlie up from Preschool just in time to get home for lunch. Whether you’re packing lunches for the kids to take to school or just looking for a quick and easy lunch to make at home, I think you’ll enjoy this recipe from eMeals.

eMeals delivers weekly meal plans right to your inbox! They even include a shopping list to make it a breeze getting ready for the week ahead!

Frozen Sweet Treats for After School

This post contains affiliate links.

For some areas, like my sister in Kentucky, school is already back in session! We still have quite a bit of summer and those sticky hot days left, even after school goes back.

Thanks to eMeals, I’m sharing a popsicle treat with you today that will be an awesome surprise for the kiddos when they get home from school!

If you sign up for eMeals now, you can save 20% with discount code SCHOOL and you’ll receive a FREE Back to School Recipes Download with purchase of an eMeals subscription. Here’s a peek at the quality of recipes you’ll receive.

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Organic Coconut Blueberry Popsicle

Introduce New Cuisine with WorldFoods

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

In a house with kids, or any house for that matter, we tend to fall into a cooking rut. It’s the same thing all the time. I love introducing new foods to Charlie and WorldFoods definitely makes that happen!

The idea of cooking up some new Fusion and Asian dishes seems super scary to me, but the WorldFoods sauces and marinades give me the confidence to serve up new options.

For an easy dinner, I browned some lean beef bites (a little over half a pound) in about a Tbsp of oil. After they were mostly cooked, I just poured in the jar of Thai Ginger Lemon Grass Stir-Fry Sauce and finished cooking for about 15 minutes.

Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

We always have fruit on hand in our house. The problem is, sometimes it doesn’t get eaten before it starts to go. I hate to waste anything, so I try to make the best out of whatever it is. If I give Charlie half a banana and he doesn’t want the other half and I don’t feel like eating it, in a freezer bag it goes. If we end up with 2 extra bananas when they’re past their prime, in the freezer they go. This recipe was made with bananas from the freezer and strawberries that were just about ready to be pitched.

Everything’s cuter in mini-size, right? And… you never feel as guilty eating 6 mini-muffins as you do multiple regular size muffins.