Frosty Popcorn Crunch for National Popcorn Day!

January 16, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

Zach and I absolutely love to have movie nights sometimes before bedtime. We’ll curl up under covers and pop in a flick we love, make popcorn, and cuddle while we enjoy the show. And, like every other family with kids, we’ve been watching Frozen. A lot. Like maybe a little too much. I thought our Frozen movie nights deserved an equally frosty treat, which is why I came up with this Frozen-inspired frosty popcorn crunch that’s easy to make and really peps up popcorn for movie night. Because Monday is national popcorn day, there’s even more of a reason to enjoy this wintery popcorn treat!

Best-Ever Road Trip Snacks

November 18, 2014November 18, 2014 - Mama 8 Comments

As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s clear that most of us are no stranger to the road trip this time of year. And to be honest, road trips can be long, a bit crazy, and a little bit intense. Sometimes the best cure for a sibling fight or the beginnings of a headache is some good, old fashioned, road trip snacks. If you’re looking to beat the cost of gas station fare (or perhaps have better food), here are a few ideas.

Trail Mix

Not only is trail mix an awesome road trip snack because it mixes fruit, proteins from nuts, and other great brain-power type foods, but it’s also fun to eat and easily portable. You can whip up easy bags of trail mix yourself by pouring various foods into single-serve baggies, which you can pass to your kids (or pelt them with it, depending on how they’re behaving, am I right?). Try: cashews, leftover candy corn, craisins, apple cinnamon Cheerios, sunflower seeds, mini Nilla Wafers, M&Ms, Goldfish

Fresh Fruit

Seriously, there’s no reason to overlook fresh fruit. Many fruits pack well without a baggie or any sort of refrigeration (like apples and oranges), and fruit does something that a lot of other road trip foods can’t– it boosts blood sugar when you’re hitting crisis mode. We’ve all been there. Everything is going fine and then suddenly it’s a war zone in the backseat. A lot of times, that’s a result of dips in blood sugar (as well as long periods of close proximity, but still). Give the kiddos something sweet, but not too sweet, and things will mellow out. Fruit is the perfect choice for this because there’s minimal sugar crashing later.

Cold Snacks

There are actually quite a few travel-friendly snacks out there that require just a little chill. If you’re not traveling too far on your excursion, you can get away with a small cooler filled with ice, or even a lunchbox with an ice pack. Items like Go-Gurt, String Cheese, and Ranch Dressing for fresh veggies are low-mess and delicious for kids of all ages. Another great one? Pre-peeled hard boiled eggs– it’s great protein, which will really help!

Cupholder-friendly fare

One of the easiest ways to handle road trip snacks with easy distribution and no “It’s MY turn for the bag! MOMMMMM, he’s not passing it over here!” is to take a large bag and distribute toss-able cups. Popcorn and Goldfish crackers work especially well for this one!

Portable Treats

Did you think those little squeeze pouches were just for babies? Not anymore– applesauce, pudding, and other fruit and veggie blends for all ages are now available in a squeeze pouch, which is perfect for road trip snacking because there’s no spoon required! Looking for another option? Try a snack necklace– have your kids string cereal and dried fruit onto a thread, tie into a necklace shape, and let them wear-and-snack on the way. It’s a great activity for kids before getting into the car.

What is your favorite road trip snack? Let me know in the comments below! Looking for more healthy food for kids? Check out my best lunches for little tummies or find out how to sneak seasonal fall produce into your child’s diet. Want your child to get in on the cooking action (like with the cereal necklaces?) Try these snacks that kids can help make themselves!

Chicken Potato Pot Pie (Or How To Use Leftover Turkey!)

November 5, 2014January 13, 2017 - Mama 2 Comments

It’s been a few years since I made my very first homemade chicken pot pie. I had been tackling pie crust using my great-grandmother’s no-fail pie crust recipe, and wanted to branch out from apple and peach. My first few attempts came out pretty similarly to store-bought, but then I noticed a crazy trend. I’d make the chicken pot pie, everyone would rave about it, and then there’d be a smattering of peas, green beans, and lima beans on everyone’s plate at the end… I needed an alternate plan to make sure half of our filling wasn’t going uneaten, which meant asking my family about the produce they preferred… and that’s how my chicken potato pot pie was born!

The Best-Ever Cupcake + Frosting Recipe Guide

October 20, 2014January 13, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

Do you remember last week when I shared with you secrets from the world of cupcake bakeries? Well, this week I’m back… spilling secrets wasn’t quite enough. How could I share so much about cupcakes and not tell you how to make them?! Now, I’m giving you the best when it comes to cupcake recipes and frosting recipes, because you cannot miss this.

Last week, I told you that most of the time, the secret to cupcake shops making a ton of different kinds of cupcakes easily is that they only really make 2-3 flavors of cupcakes and vary the frosting recipe on each one to make awesome varieties for their store. The best starting place is to have one really solid chocolate cake recipe, and a really solid vanilla recipe. To me, there’s really only one option when it comes to a great chocolate cake or vanilla cake recipe, and that’s what’s called a “White Almond Sour Cream Cake.” If you love wedding cake, this is the cupcake recipe to go with.

If you make it according to the directions I’ve listed, and use an ice cream scoop to measure it out, you’ll get roughly 40 cupcakes, and trust me, they’ll be so good your friends and family will be begging for more.

Secrets of the Cupcake World

October 13, 2014October 13, 2014 - Mama 3 Comments

Who doesn’t love a good cupcake? I mean, really– perfectly portioned fluffy, moist cake with delicious frosting in as many different flavors as there are cupcake lovers. It’s part of why cupcakeries are all the rage. And, despite many news articles saying that the cupcake is dying, more and more cupcake shops open up across the country, and even around the world. It appears the cupcake is here to stay…. and now, I’m going to give you all of the tips to get the perfect cupcakes at home.

Best-Ever Slowcooker Mac and Cheese with Crystal Farms

October 1, 2014January 13, 2017 - Mama 43 Comments

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from Crystal Farms, but all opinions are my own.

I love macaroni and cheese. It seems like the ultimate comfort food, especially in the winter. The best mac and cheese is creamy, with just the right amount of good, wholesome cheese.

So, when I teamed up with Crystal Farms and saw their mac and cheese blend, I knew exactly what I needed to do. And, you’re going to want to stick around to the very end for this one, because you could win this Crock Pot Programmable Cook and Carry Slow Cooker and some Crystal Farms coupons so you can make Mac and Cheese just like this at home (plus a ton of other great cheesy slow cooker recipes!)

Sneaking Seasonal Produce into Your Child’s Diet This Fall

September 15, 2014September 15, 2014 - Mama Leave a comment

Getting kids to eat fruits and vegetables is often a parents’ dream. Filled with nutrients kids need, it’s great to say “I want my kids to get the 5 a day they’re supposed to have.” But getting them to eat it is a bit harder. Sure, it’s easy in summer when fresh watermelon and other sweet fruit treats are readily available, but come fall, it’s still important to get those nutrients in your child’s diet.

The best possible way to do this is to use fresh, seasonal produce. Because seasonal produce are more affordable, and tend to be better tasting, it’s a great idea to get them to eat it. But what do you do when your child isn’t a fan of the seasonal produce available for them?

You get sneaky, and add it into foods they love already, and with these meal ideas at every stage in the day, you’ll have no problem ensuring they’re getting 5 servings of fruit and vegetables each day.

Maple Apple Dump Cake

September 2, 2014January 13, 2017 - Mama 1 Comment

Yesterday, for many, marked the official end of summer. That must make today the official start of fall, then, right? The day when it’s acceptable to start posting all things pumpkin spice lattes and apple cider and all things autumn? I certainly hope so, because I have the perfect cake to get your autumn kicked off the right way!

Meat Lovers Pasta Bake

August 26, 2014January 21, 2017 - Mama 1 Comment

Do you like meat? And easy recipes? And recipes that can be made with leftovers and ingredients you have on hand?

If you answered yes, then you’re going to absolutely love this meat lovers pasta bake. If you answered no to the meat question, stick around… you can make this dish with veggies instead. But the meat part? Oh-so-good.

If you have pasta, cheese, diced tomatoes, and some leftover meat (pretty much any kind will work), then you’ve got dinner. Bonus points if you have pasta-friendly veggies like mushrooms and onions.

3 Irresistible End-of-Summer Mocktails

August 4, 2014January 21, 2017 - Mama 4 Comments

Ugh. Back to school time already? I mean, I love back to school, don’t get me wrong, but there’s just this finality that seeing backpacks and pencil cases in stores brings. It means that before long, the pool will be closing, the days will be shorter, and it’ll be time to pull the sweaters from the back of the closet. While fall is pretty much my favorite thing, I’m never ready to say farewell to summer, either, so I had to share these three great summer mocktails that will keep you in good spirits until that first bus pulls away or the books come out of storage. The best part? Since they’re mocktails, the whole family can indulge in a little celebratory toast to a rockin’ school year.

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