Kid Friendly

Tips for Avoiding Heat Stroke (With Water Infusion Recipes)!

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Worried about heat exhaustion or heat stroke? Here's how to avoid it and stay healthy for the rest of summer.

I was at the drive in with my son, having a really great time. And then, suddenly… I just felt weird. As soon as the movie was over, we opted not to stay for the second one, and the more I drove, the worse I felt. I felt dizzy. I had a horrible headache. I was a little confused, struggling to find my turns. I was nauseated. And it was getting worse. As I struggled to continue driving, I pulled into a nearby restaurant, and made a call to my mom. 3 IV bags later, I found out I was suffering from heat exhaustion, which, if left to get any worse, would progress to heat stroke, had I remained for the second movie. Don’t make the same mistake… here are some ways to protect yourself against heat stroke.

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Pecan Chicken

- Mama 1 Comment

Creamy. Juicy. Nutty. This pecan chicken is going to be a dinnertime staple-- it's a little sweet, a lot of savory, and so delicious your whole family will love it! Perfect chicken recipe for dinner.

I’ve said it a few times before– I love digging through the stacks of old recipes I inherited from my grandfather. Not only does it have some of his favorites, but also favorites from my grandmother and from my great grandparents. Sometimes, these old, frail recipes are just spot on, and sometimes, they take a little bit of modification to get just right. After giving this recipe a go, I figured out the best way to make it work perfectly, and I cannot wait to share it with you today. If you love pecans, you’re going to love this Pecan Chicken recipe. It’s going to be a dinnertime staple– it’s a little sweet, a lot of savory, and so delicious your whole family will love it! Perfect chicken recipe for dinner.

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The Power and Insanity of a Multi-Tasking Mom (Plus, Orange Dream Cooler Recipe)

- Mama 1 Comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WaterOnlyBetter #CollectiveBias

What is it with moms and multitasking? It seems like we can never get a spare minute to ourselves anymore! Do you find yourself doing your face mask while you clean the bathroom? You might be suffering from not enough mom time... so read this, and relate. #WaterOnlyBetter #ad

It started after Zach was born. I had never really noticed it before, but when he was born, it really did start. Late nights spent breastfeeding meant late nights where I’d just be… awake. So, I did something I swore I would never do. I got hooked on reality TV. See, my mind wasn’t awake enough for reading, and it really couldn’t handle TV with actual plot, either, so there I’d be, lying there awake after Zach had drifted off to sleep, realizing I needed to be doing…. well, something. Anything. if I wasn’t sleeping.

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Slow-Cooker Tex Mex Chicken Tortilla Soup

- Mama 5 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CampbellSavings #CollectiveBias

<yoastmark class='yoast-text-mark'/>This chicken tortilla soup is perfect for back-to-school because it’s a great slow cooker recipe, meaning you set it, forget it, and get on with your day, so dinner is perfectly ready when you’re ready to eat! <yoastmark class='yoast-text-mark'>That means after the homework is done, you’re done.</yoastmark> This chicken tortilla soup is the perfect chicken slow cooker recipe. #CampbellSavings #ad” width=”1200″ height=”1800″></p> <p>Can you believe that back-to-school is just around the corner? I’m a little bit shocked, but stores already have backpacks and pencils galore, which means it’s time to start figuring out what to fix for dinner now that school is just about back in session. Being a homeschool family, it’s hard sometimes because even though we’re home all day, coming up with a dinner that won’t interrupt teaching, field trips, and more can be really tough. But this slow cooker chicken tortilla soup is perfection! It fits in perfectly with the weeknight rotation of spaghetti or tacos, and takes minutes to throw together.</p> <p> <a href=Read more

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake For Summer Parties

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This chocolate cheesecake requires no oven and no stove, and only a few minutes of effort, but tastes so delicious and silky that no one will ever believe it was that easy! It's the perfect no-bake dessert for summer parties, but tastes great year-round!

I love a good cheesecake. I hate all of the work that goes into it. Baking. Springform pans. Actual effort. See, 90% of the time when I’m cooking, I just don’t do actual effort. Especially in the summer– who wants to heat up their house for a dessert when they can get away with effortless chilled desserts, anyway? This is a no-bake chocolate cheesecake, so it doesn’t require any heat at all, and it’s great because it gets thrown together pretty quickly, meaning you can go back to enjoying summer before you know it.

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Summer Grilling: Fruit and Veggie Skewers with 5-Minute Dips!

- Mama 11 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FireUpTheGrill #CollectiveBias

Looking for an easy summer recipe? Try these 5-minute dips. One is perfect for fresh vegetables, with it's easy cheesy flavor. The other, a fruit dip with tart lemon flavor! You'll love how they taste with these fruit and vegetable skewers-- get your summer grilling tips here! #FireUpTheGrill #Ad

In summer, I totally hate heating up the whole house. I mentioned that recently, and I’ll say it again– dinner is not worth turning an oven on for! That’s why summer dinner is better on the grill. But how often do we think of grilling as being all about the meat? Forget those days– fresh veggies and fruit on the grill are all the rage, and I’ve got the easiest way to do it, plus two dips to pair with dinner!

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Easy Cheesy (Dinner in 8 Minutes) Biscuit Pizzas

- Mama 1 Comment

These easy cheesy mini pizzas take minutes to make, and have ingredients you probably already have in your refrigerator! That makes them the perfect candidate for an easy weeknight dinner or lunch plan! And kids love these pizzas so much!

Ugh. It was nearly 5:30, and I had forgotten to lay anything out for dinner. Again. It seems like in the summer, this happens more and more often as busy schedules take over, and Zach needed to eat before baseball practice. I asked what he wanted, and he said “Pizza!” Pizza? Usually that takes me all day because the crust has to rise from morning. How were we going to have pizza in time for practice? Easy. With biscuit dough.

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Texas Style Potatoes

- Mama 7 Comments

Want the perfect potato recipe with only 5 ingredients? You'll love this side dish-- Texas Style Potatoes that can be customized to your taste! If you like shredded hashbrown potatoes, crunchy topping, and sour cream, you'll love this loaded potato recipe.

I LOVE potato recipes. And, from what my pageviews suggest, you guys sure love them, too. After all, you have told me again and again how you love Mississippi Mud Potatoes, a recipe I shared from my family’s recipe box that has been pinned over 100,000 times. But if you’re bored of Mississippi Mud Potatoes, I’ve got another recipe for you that’s also only a few ingredients– and equally delicious. These will make the PERFECT side for Christmas, Thanksgiving, summer cookouts, or even just a weeknight meal because they are so easy and so delicious.

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Thick and Chunky Pasta Sauce (Or How To Use an Overload of Tomatoes!)

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Have an overload of tomatoes from the garden? You'll love this thick and chunky sauce recipe that the whole family will enjoy! Try this pasta sauce and use those tomatoes from your garden!

It never fails. It seems like everyone I know with a garden starts the season with a tomato or two… and then suddenly? It’s an abundance. At the end of the growing season, my friends can’t give away their tomatoes fast enough! That’s why I’ve started looking for great ways to use that overwhelming amount of tomatoes from your garden to feed your family! If you saw, earlier in the week, I shared a great recipe for Spicy Tomato Ketchup. The ketchup recipe is one of my favorites, but since it just uses the juice of some boiled down tomatoes, you’re left with some pulp… and this is how to use it– in a chunky pasta sauce your family will LOVE!

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Just-Like-Freddy’s Fry Sauce and Seasoning

- Mama 16 Comments

Craving some Freddy's Fry Sauce? Maybe you tasted some fry sauce but aren't close enough to Freddy's Steakburgers to get one, or maybe you're close, but need the Fry Sauce at home because it's SO addicting, but this is the most spot-on recipe for Freddy's Fry Sauce! Made with the same ingredients the restaurant uses, this is as close as you can get at home... and it's SO good, just like at the restaurant! Plus, this steakburger seasoning is perfect on fries, burgers, everything-- it's the perfect seasoning blend for any meal.

Oh, Freddy’s… if you haven’t been to Freddy’s, you are SO missing out. A steakburger and frozen custard chain started in Wichita, Kansas, Freddy’s has great food all around… but there’s one thing that they’re known for. Fry sauce. In fact, the first time my mom and brother went, they didn’t grab fry sauce from the counter, and an employee physically brought them some. My mother, a tried-and-true ketchup hater, was skeptical… but like everyone else, she quickly converted to the “fry sauce is basically tasty, tasty crack” camp. This stuff? It’s irresistible. And because our trips to Freddy’s were becoming all-to-frequent thanks to Fry Sauce, I had to do something… and by something, I mean learn to make it at home. Not only is it the perfect recipe for enjoying with family, but it’s also great for serving at cookouts– you’ll be the star of summer if you make this sauce for your summer party!

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