School Lunches Made Easy

School Lunches Made Easy

The one thing I dread every school year, aside from the early mornings, is back-to-school lunch battles. Don’t laugh, the struggle is REAL!! My kids refused to eat school lunches (unless it was pizza day). So every day I would pack five lunches. Trying to remember which kid liked peanut butter and jelly this week, or which kid would only eat veggies if they were drenched in balsamic vinegar. Food Advertising by After having one too many uneaten lunches return home, I announced to my kids that I was DONE. If they didn’t want hot lunch, they were responsible for making their own lunches from now on. This system has been working out for the past two years, and now the only complaints I get is when we run out of …

The Back-to-School Hustle

The Back-to-School Hustle

Well, the signs are all around us. Summer vacation is nearly over and school is about to begin, if it hasn’t already. It’s time for the Back-to-School Hustle! And oh how I dread that Back-to-School Hustle. You know what I’m talking about. Food Advertising by That last-minute run to the store to get supplies, backpacks, whatever you forgot or couldn’t find. And now you, along with all the other poor procrastinators who waited until the last minute, have only a few hours left to pick them up before the stores close. I purchased most of the required items I needed last week, but there were a couple of things that we couldn’t find in stock. The most frustrating item on the list was the one school supply I needed, but already had plenty of …

Roadtrip Treasure Hunt

Road Trip Treasure Hunt

Disclosure: This shop, “Road Trip Treasure Hunt” has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripOil #CollectiveBias With my husband temporarily working out of state, our household bills have doubled while his salary basically stayed the same–which means our planned summer vacation had to be cancelled. Instead of an EPIC cross-country trip, we have been enjoying mini-staycations and going on as many Road Trip Treasure Hunts as we can plan. Food Advertising by What is a Road Trip Treasure Hunt you ask? It’s simple. We map out a string of geocaches, pack a picnic lunch, load up my SUV with the kids, a cooler, and our Go-Bag, and spend the day geocaching. I love how geocaching brings us closer together as a family, plus …

25 Fresh & Tasty BBQ Side Dishes

25 Fresh & Tasty BBQ Side Dishes

Summer is here and grillin’ season is in full force! No backyard barbecue is complete without a side. Make sure your have all the fixins at your next party with this list of 25 fresh and tasty BBQ Side Dishes. Be the star of your next cookout with these hot-weather eating foods! Greek Pasta Salad – The Lemon Bowl Black Rice Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash – Pastry Chef Online Grilled BBQ Chicken Potato Skins – The Recipe Rebel Garlic Parmesan Corn on the Cob – This Girl’s Life 5 Minute Tequila Lime Coleslaw with Cilantro – The Chunky Chef Tangy Apple Slaw – Life of a Ginger Dill Caprese Bruschetta – Pastry Chef Online Balsamic Grilled Vegetables with Goat Cheese – NeighborFood Roasted Poblano and Charred Corn Guacamole – The Chunky Chef BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger Buns Recipe – …

Tasty Tuesday – Tangy Apple Slaw

Tangy Apple Slaw

Two years ago I was fortunate enough to be a participant in the Food Lion Cook Off. The cook-off was like Master Chef, blogger edition. There were two teams of three bloggers who battled it out for the best plate of food. We had no idea what ingredients we would have to work with until we got onto the stage! It was nerve-wracking, but so much fun! We ended up choosing pork chops, which was awesome because I was able to make my Iowa Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, and for sides we made my Tangy Apple Slaw, and Spicy Mexican Corn. While everything we made was delicious, we ended up losing by 1 point to the other team of bloggers. I blame the monotone color of our plate (see photo below). We didn’t have …

25 Sweet and Sassy Summer Cocktails

I don’t know what the weather is like where you’re located, but the summer heat has already made an appearance here in North Carolina. We had the hottest day of the year on Wednesday, and it’s only mid-June!! (It WAS a perfect day to enjoy some nice cool summer cocktails!) I’m a little scared of what it will be like in August. There is one nice thing about the summer heat, you’ll find no shortage of yummy cocktails to help cool you down. Food Advertising by I’ve compiled a list of 25 Sweet and Sassy Summer Cocktails for you to check out. Any one of these drinks would be perfect for your next party or barbecue. Some you may need a blender to make (check out my recommendation below), others …

How to Make Pretzel Rolls from Scratch

Skip To RecipeI have been obsessed with pretzel rolls since I tried one when we lived in Virginia a few years ago. I’ve purchased them from bakeries many times, but never attempted to make my own. I always thought they would be too difficult to pull off. The other day I came across a recipe for soft pretzel sticks and I asked my friend Jenni Field from Pastry Chef Online if I could use the recipe to make pretzel rolls. She told me yes it would work, but she had a yummy pretzel roll recipe on her website if I wanted to check it out. Since EVERY recipe I’ve ever tried from Jenni has been amazing, I decided to go with her’s. I had to make a few tweaks because I …

Disney Luggage Giveaway

Disney Family Luggage Giveaway

Summer break is nearly here! Soon it will be time to hop in the car and create some adventures! And who couldn’t use some new luggage for those fun summer trips?!? Food Advertising by I’ve joined up with a group of amazing bloggers to give away two pieces of Disney luggage to one lucky reader! Grab your entries using the form below. The winner has a choice of one large piece of luggage from the round up here and one child’s case or one large piece of luggage plus a small bag or tag. Disney Family Luggage Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway starts at midnight on Wednesday, May 17th and ends at midnight May 24th. Terms and conditions are included in the Rafflecopter widget. But the basics, if you want to include them in …