This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/P&G.
Are you loving summer?
I’m loving summer. This has been the best summer of my life and we’re only a few weeks in. My kids are all at really good ages for outdoorsy things right now and we’re just really loving everything central Texas has to offer.
Plus, we’re counting down the days to our next roadtrip!
Wait. Another roadtrip with 3 boys and a dog?
Amanda, are you crazy?
Maybe.
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Happy Monday, guys!
I hope everyone takes a minute today to remember all the men and women (and dogs) that gave it all.
What are the plans for today? Big barbecue?
I’ve got a crazy busy week so I’m gonna use today to get ahead on some work stuff. And maybe force my kids to help me clean the house. And I need to finish cutting the grass because I totally gave up halfway through on Saturday after getting attacked by the mutant ants that live in central Texas.
And then I think I’m going to grill some burgers!
If you are looking for a last minute dessert to take to a party or just to enjoy at home, I’ve got a list of over 25 no bake desserts! You’re guaranteed to find something you will love here! And, of course, since they’re no bake, you don’t even have to turn the oven on!
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Are you a snacker? I’m totally a snacker. I’ve tried to break the habit but I just can’t. So I’m forever looking for healthier snacks that also taste delicious.
I purchased this box of Weight Watchers® Endorsed Jolly Time Healthy Pop microwave popcorn at Walmart recently and I’m in love.
100 calories!
100!
In a whole bag!
I’ve had popcorn as my evening snack every night since I bought this. I’m much more of a crunchy, savory snacker so it is perfect for me. Jolly Time Healthy Pop also received the first ever Good Housekeeping seal of approval for a food brand!
I wanted to create a recipe with the Jolly Time Healthy Pop microwave popcorn but I wanted to do it without adding a ton of calories.
Sure, we could cover it in chocolate and caramel and it’d be delicious, but let’s be real. Bikini season is here.
Anyway, my favorite flavor combo is salt and vinegar and you can add both of those to the popcorn for less than 5 calories. It’s the perfect snack for someone like me who wants to snack while I watch my nightime reality TV but wants something healthy. Plus it’s nice to have the individual sized bags of Jolly Time Healthy Pop microwave popcorn so that I don’t go overboard. There are plenty of other Weight Watchers® Endorsed foods available at Walmart, too. Like Weight Watchers® Endorsed Sandwich Thins by Arnold®, Orowheat®, and Brownberry®, Weight Watchers® Ice Cream Novelties, Weight Watchers® Sweet Baked Goods, and Weight Watchers® String Cheese.
Make sure you download the Ibotta app before you head to the store to save $4 on Weight Watchers® Endorsed products! And check out Weight Watchers® on Facebook for product info, recipes, and more! …
Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Dip – delicious dessert dip made with Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups! Serve with fruit, cookies, pretzels, and more!
Can we agree that Easter is the best holiday for candy?
I can’t get enough of the egg-shaped, pastel colored candy right now! I’m especially in love with the Easter makeover Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups Minis got – cute blue and gold foil packaging. And individually wrapped so they’re perfect for your candy jar or for filling plastic eggs!
There are also new Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups Smooth & Crunchy Eggs which are the perfect combo of milk chocolate, creamy peanut butter, and crunchy Butterfinger bits.
And you can feel good about enjoying these two new treats because they are both made with no artificial colors or flavors!
I love them.
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My alltime favorite party snack is The Original Chex™ Party Mix. And I have zero shame in standing over the bowl and picking out all the Wheat Chex. And then when I run out of Wheat Chex, I go for whatever pieces are absolutely covered in seasoning.
The. Best.
I’ve made several batches of Chex Mix over the last few weeks. There was the Cranberry Nut Chex Mix, and then I made a sweet one for snacking on during the Thanksgiving parade, and then I made this one to snack on while I try to figure out what the dang Elf is going to be up to tomorrow morning.
And when I say “I made”, I really mean that my kids made them. This is a microwave recipe which means they can do pretty much the entire thing on their own.
So it’s the Wheat Chex, Corn Chex, and Rice Chex tossed together with mixed nuts, pretzels, and garlic bagel chips. And then you melt butter with some worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt. Pour that over the Chex mixture and pop it in the microwave for a few minutes.
Seriously, so easy.
The hardest part is waiting for it to cool off!
Want more Chex Mix recipes? Check out the Chex Party Mix website and follow Chex on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Do you have any holiday traditions?
I’m not a big tradition person. I like to change things up every year but there are a few things that we do every year without fail.
We always do a gingerbread house competition between me and my husband that no doubt ends with one of us shouting “THAT’S NOT FAIR! YOU ONLY WON BECAUSE MY ROOF COLLAPSED!”. We always find a church or neighborhood that does a huge light display and we get hot chocolate from a coffee shop beforehand. And we always make Chex Mix™.
Chex Mix is a must.
Chex Mix is one of my favorite things to make around the holidays. I love sweet and salty, I love all the different textures, it’s just my favorite.
And my kids enjoy it because they get to help. There’s lots to pour, lots of stirring, and even some microwaving which makes it the perfect recipe to make with kids. Plus, they’re always very proud to give away their homemade Chex Mix as gifts to their friends and teachers.
This Cranberry Nut Chex Mix is one of my favorite Chex Mix recipes. It’s just Cinnamon Chex (which is my fave variety of Chex!) mixed with walnuts and dried cranberries and then tossed with an orange juice and brown sugar mixture. And it’s all made in the microwave so it doesn’t get any easier!
It is so delicious – you won’t be able to keep your hand out of the bowl!
Let me know in the comments what your favorite Chex Mix recipe is. I’d love to try some new ones this holiday season!
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BBQ Ranch Popcorn – freshly popped popcorn coated in ranch dressing mix, brown sugar, and paprika! The perfect movie snack!
Happy almost Friday!
Ugh, guys, I’ve had a week.
Let me tell you what happened on Monday. I think I may have mentioned that Fat Baby (who isn’t a baby) couldn’t find his shoes one morning last week and after searching the entire house, I gave up and we went to Target to buy new ones.
So he was about an hour late to school. The first time he’s ever been late. Whatever. Not a big deal.
Except apparently it is. Because on Monday, I get a letter from the school saying that he has lunch detention the next day for being late a total of 60 minutes for the school year.
He’s 4.
A four year old in detention.
Have you ever heard of anything more ridiculous?
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills. The opinions and text are all mine.
Hi guys!
I have the yummiest Peanut Butter Fruit Dip for you today. A guess what! Only 3 ingredients!
Did I mention that it’s healthy? Because it totally is.
And your kids (or husband! or you!) won’t even believe it’s healthy because it tastes so good!
So it starts with this Yoplait Greek 100 Whips! in Vanilla Cupcake that I picked up at Walmart recently. It is one of my favorite yogurts! I very rarely eat yogurt on it’s own but I just love the texture of the Yoplait Greek 100 Whips! They are so fluffy and delicious.
And whenever I buy one of these for myself, I have to buy 2 extras for my 4 and 5 year olds. If I don’t, they will totally guilt me into giving mine up! Something about the vanilla cupcake flavor is just irresistible!
Anyway, to make the dip, you just fold in a couple tablespoons of creamy peanut butter and a squeeze of honey. Why fold? Because you don’t want to deflate all that awesome texture!
I like making this easy dip after school because it only takes a minute or 2 to whip up and if this is in the fridge, my kids are more likely to choose fruit as a snack. And I am all about the healthy snacking!
What is your favorite way to snack with Yoplait?
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Chex cereal, crackers, and pretzels are coated in a delicious parmesan and ranch seasoning in this Cheesy Ranch Chex Mix. It is seriously addictive!
Heeeeey guys!
I am highly caffeinated and ready to take on Tuesday.
Today’s a good day. September 1st means so many great things! I mean, the Dairy Queen Pumpkin Blizzard is back. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is right around the corner. Bath & Body Works is releasing even more pumpkin candles next week. I am SO EXCITED for September.
The only way September could be better is if we were back in Colorado. *grumble grumble*
September also means football. I’m stupid excited for football. You already know this.
And with football comes yummy, snacky food.
My Ranch Goldfish Snack Mix has become a favorite among our friends so I’ve been looking for other snack mixes that don’t involve the fish. This one is so yummy. It’s got the Chex, pretzels, and cheese crackers and then it’s all coated in a buttery parmesan and ranch sauce and baked until extra crispy and delicious.
I’m obsessed.
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Last day of S’mores Week!
It has to include bacon. Because duh. Why wouldn’t I combine my two favorite foods ever?
I’m having this weird thing with flavored bacon right now. I’ve always been kind of a purist when it comes to bacon. I would only buy the plain, center cut bacon. But then I discovered honey bourbon bacon and my life hasn’t been the same since.
If you can find it (I’ve only seen it at Walmart but I live in Tiny City, TX so it may be in other stores – it’s by Wright Brand), I highly suggest using it for these s’mores. I mean, honey. And bourbon. Bacon. On s’mores.
If you can’t find it, maple bacon works too! Or just use regular bacon! Bacon is bacon and bacon is good.
Okay, so under the bacon is a Reeses peanut butter cup. S’mores made with peanut butter cups are THE BEST.
You should totally make these. Make them on your stove after your kids are in bed so you don’t have to share. I won’t judge you.
Nicole made Chocolately S’mores Ice Cream and it looks amazing! I would love a big bowl!
I hope you enjoyed S’mores Week! I know I did! I also know that my jeans are now a tiny bit tighter than they were last week.
Worth it.
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S’mores Fluff – creamy dessert dip made with marshmallow creme and chocolate pudding. Plus, chocolate and marshmallow folded in! Serve with graham crackers or fresh fruit!
Don’t hate me.
Buuuuut.
I bought so much Halloween stuff the other day.
I just couldn’t control myself.
I walked into Petsmart to look for the dang peanut butter treats that I don’t remember where I bought and they had ALL THE HALLOWEEN stuff out.
I cannot resist a new Martha Stewart for Petsmart collection. I just can’t.
I know, I’m sorry.
School hasn’t even started here and I’m already in Halloween mode. Story of my life.
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Raspberry White Chocolate S’mores – a new twist on the classic! Fresh raspberry and white chocolate with toasted marshmallows and graham crackers!
I’m just going to get this out of the way and then we’re never speaking of it again.
Uggghhhhhh. Pretty Little Liars. The worst.
I thought I’d never have a TV disappointment on the LOST level again. But last night… was so bad. Not only was it just a disappointing “end” but it was so messy and felt like they’d decided who A is last month.
So disappointed. I give up on TV.
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Day 2 of S’mores Week!
Okay guys, are they Muddy Buddies? Are they Puppy Chow? I always knew them as Puppy Chow but the first time I said, “WE SHOULD MAKE PUPPY CHOW!” to my husband, he looked at me like I was nuts.
So we’re calling them S’mores Muddy Buddies.
Anyway, I’ve successfully made it through all of season 1 and half of season 2 of Pretty Little Liars since last… umm… Thursday? I can’t even explain what’s happening to my brain. I’ve already seen every episode at least once.
Why am I randomly obsessed with a show about teenagers?
Tell me I’m not alone. Anyone else marathoning it in preparation of tonight’s season finale? Or mideason finale? Or whatever they call it? I am dying to know if we’ll actually find out anything important. My hopes aren’t high. This is PLL we’re talking about.
Back to the Muddy Buddies!
Instead of the usual Chex, this recipe calls for Golden Grahams and then you melt marshmallows into the chocolate mixture. And then you add extra marshmallows!
I thought for sure I’d be able to resist it since I’m not a huge chocolate fan but I couldn’t stop myself from going back for more. Over and over again.
Nicole made S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies and I’m totally making them to scarf down while I continue watching Pretty Little Liars today!
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Happy Monday! I am SO ready for a fresh week. Although I’m simultaneously hating how fast summer is going. I am most definitely not ready to be getting up early for school again.
So, good news! Sofia (#schnoxie) got her cast off last Thursday! Two weeks early! Because the cast was causing these nasty sores on her leg and she kind of smelled like garbage that had been sitting in the sun for 7 weeks. She’s technically on “kennel rest” which translates to “my bed rest” because I’m that kind of person.
And the bad news. My Macbook completely died on me the same day. After a year and a half. How do you people keep macs forever?! Mine’s been dying since day 3 when it had to have it’s keyboard rebuilt. RIP Macbook.
It sadly took most of my photos from November 2013 – present with it. I took it in to Geek Squad, forked over a ridiculous amount of money for them to recover 15k photos and then got the dreaded call that the harddrive was unreadable.
Yep.
I’d been working on uploading all my photos to the cloud storage I use but that dang computer was just so slow. Gahhhhh.
Anyway, I lost my next 5 blog post photos so I’m starting from scratch. Kind of. This is one of the posts I lost buuuuuut I was happy to remake it!
I don’t love popcorn. It’s just not my thing. Unless it’s covered in something! I can eat BOXES of that caramel popcorn with nuts. And I looooove those Christmas tins of popcorn – but only the cheese and caramel sections.
So of course I love this Peanut Butter Party Popcorn since it’s coated in a mixture of white chocolate chips and peanut butter chips with vanilla instant pudding mixed in. And then it’s all covered in sprinkles because everything is better with sprinkles!
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When we roadtripped to Alabama over my husband’s Christmas leave (#clemgoestoalabama if you want to look it up on Instagram), we ended around a bonfire at my sister-in-law’s house one night. It was sprinkling and cold but we stuck it out. And then, of course, as soon as we pulled out her s’mores kit (our family takes s’mores very seriously), it started pouring.
And we never got our s’mores.
So when it came time to put a twist on a classic for Albertsons Pin That Twist!, I had s’mores on the brain.
You guys know that I frequently roast marshmallows over my gas stove to entertain my children and myself. I even have a Microwave S’mores recipe on the blog. I am all about anything that gets me s’mores faster than, you know, lighting a bonfire.
Now I have a way to serve s’mores to the whole family at once! Or keep them all to myself. Whatever.
S’mores Nachos! They are a layer of graham crackers with chopped up milk chocolate candy bars sprinkle over them and then some Jet Puffed Mini Marshmallows on top. Put that in the oven for about 5 minutes and then drizzle with melted chocolate.
Okay, you don’t have to drizzle with more chocolate but it sure looks prettier that way!
Obviously, these nachos are delicious! I made them once for photos and once late that night after the kids were in bed so I wouldn’t have to share!
For more inspiration, check out the Pin That Twist! Pinterest board. If you don’t have an Albertsons near you, check out the boards from Acme Markets, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets, and Market Street.
Also, visit the Albertsons Facebook page to vote on which ingredients you’d like to see a unique on and when you vote, you’ll be entered to win a $100 giftcard! Once again, if you don’t have an Albertsons near you, check out Acme Markets, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets, and Market Street.
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