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a Valentine’s Day Treat for Kids

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I have to admit it — Valentine’s Day is generally not a holiday that gets me super excited. No, I’ve never had a bad Valentine’s Day experience; it just hasn’t been a holiday that holds much tradition in our family.

But, as I’ve mentioned before, KIDS CHANGE EVERYTHING, y’all. They even make some moms who are not crafty (::cough-cough:: me…) bring out their inner crafty.

And my kids constantly remind me about these little holidays that I mostly think are silly. So I’ve found ways to make even the smallest of holidays a teensy bit special for these two nuts!

A couple of years ago I started the tradition of making Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow!

Puppy chow has long been a favorite in my house — I mean, who wouldn’t want sugar-coated cereal as a snack!? So why not turn it around and splash a little pink on it, am I right!?

Here’s how we make our allergy/nut/gluten-friendly Valentine’s Day treat!

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I added pink sprinkles for good measure this time 😉

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These make a perfect classroom treat and I cannot wait to share them with Ari’s preschool this year! Just put them in a pretty little package and you’re good to go!

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! Is there any special thing you do or make with your kids to celebrate!? 

The Perfect Date Night (Cook)Out // PLUS Party-Perfect Potato Salad RECIPE

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

Summer has officially arrived in Northeast Ohio, and one thing that my husband and I love to do in the summer, is use our grill and entertain friends. Well, since Remy was born (yes, 16.5 months ago…), we’ve fallen a tad bit short on the date nights and having friends over for barbecues. In fact, most Summer nights we find ourselves eating the kids leftovers and falling asleep before dark. It’s true!

But last week I decided to change that. Sure, our schedules are mostly determined by two small people; but we can still enjoy an impromptu cookout/date night at home, right!?

I was determined — determined, ya’ll! But I still had to remain optimistic. I mean, I was taking two kids with me to shop for this date night, so getting in, finding my items, and getting out were of top priority! So I stopped by Giant Eagle on my way home from work. It’s close, it’s convenient, and they always have exactly what I’m looking for.

And what I was looking for were their amazing Bacon Cheddar Patties. A friend from work turned me onto these bad boys and they do not disappoint!

Found in the butcher section, these patties are ground fresh daily, mixed with thick-cut bacon and chunks of sharp cheddar. Amazing!

I also picked up some Hellmann’s Mayonnaise for my delicious potato salad (keep reading for the recipe!), cookies for dessert, and some fizzy lemonade for a mocktail!

In and out in 15-minutes, flat! That’s what I like to call the perfect one-stop shopping trip! PS. Had I planned my date night cookout sooner, I would have just used the Giant Eagle Curbside Express to order online and pickup from my car! Silly me…

That was the easy part. The difficult part was actually getting our date night dinner together while wrangling two toddlers. Luckily, I kinda know my go-to potato salad recipe like the back of my hand. And I was able to chop and dice all the veggies while Remy was napping (thank goodness she takes long naps!).

Although I am no grill-master, I can actually operate a grill (I know, I know… it’s a surprise, right!?). Well my hidden ‘secret’ of grilling is to actually throw the burger toppings on the grill, too! That’s right — I throw those sliced mushrooms and onions into a foil packet and let them get all grilled before serving them right alongside my burger! No buns even necessary on a burger that’s this good! 🙂

And, since we were squeezing in this date night cookout just after the kids went to sleep, I figured a mocktail was in order. I made a delicious frozen blueberry sparkling lemonade with Nature’s Basket frozen blueberries and Lemon Lemon Sparkling Lemonade! It was perfect! It just so happened to be a 90+ degree night, so the chill from the frozen blueberries was honestly the perfect touch.

We rounded out our date night with a couple of Farmhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies and called it a night. Okay, we called it an 8:30PM 😛 😛 But seriously, it was much-needed, both the company of each other and the delicious meal. In fact, we even reminded ourselves to slow it down and chew our food! You know, because the kids weren’t there to distract us! 🙂

Okay, now for that Party-Perfect Potato Salad recipe!

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All in all, I’m grateful that we did this. I’m grateful that we spent some time together and reconnected — even if this version of a ‘date night’ is a tad bit different than it used to be!

 

So tell me — what’s your favorite grilling tip!?

The Only Banana Bread Recipe You Will Ever Need

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Since I lost my job in December (eek – still stings a little to say!) I’ve been upping my domesticity game in a major way. Not only have I been keeping myself on a ‘cleaning schedule’ [ugh — that sounds terribly domestic], but I’ve also been trying to stay on a meal schedule of some sort.

And that includes breakfast.

Sure, it doesn’t always work out the way I want it to; but I stick to a ‘semi’ plan — which is helpful. I’m not going to lie — a lot of our breakfasts have included Organic Pop Tarts (yep – we’re totes real AND crunchy granola like that). But about every other week I make this AhhhMAZING banana bread and we can’t help but eat it morning, afternoon, and night. Seriously.

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I can’t help but cut myself a piece while it’s still warm. I toast it for a few minutes and put a teeny bit* [*relative term] of butter on it… life-changing!

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So please — if you’ve got some bananas on the counter that are turning an ugly color, consider putting them to good use with an awesome banana bread recipe! You won’t be mad. I promise. 😉

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

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Well, friends, it’s been a few months since I received my awesome electric pressure cooker Christmas present from Chad. I’ll admit — there are only a few things that I’ve perfected. But that’s just it — I’ve perfected them. Albeit, one of those things is rice; but we’ve always eaten a lot of rice. So it’s useful!

Another recipe I’ve perfected? Macaroni and cheese. But not just any macaroni and cheese. It’s THE BEST macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had! Seriously, I’m not even joking. [PS. I wouldn’t joke about macaroni and cheese! Ha!]

To explain further, I’m the kind of person who despises leftovers — I really dislike eating the same meal over and over again, reheated and all. I think it’s gross.

But this mac and cheese? Makes a hugely generous portion. Last week we ate it for three days straight — lunch and dinner — and I wasn’t tired of it. It’s that good.

So it’s safe to say it’s officially on our regular dinner rotation! 🙂

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PS. If you don’t yet have a pressure cooker, the Instant Pot is the way to go! It’s electric, so no scary ‘OMG it’s going to blow up on my stovetop!’ moments. And that means that everything is digital — no guessing with heat/time/etc. I absolutely love it and it’s made my life a thousand times easier.

Share your favorite weeknight recipe below!!

Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Donuts //

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I’m going to admit something kind of serious… I’m a bit over Pumpkin Spice Lattes. And it has nothing to do with Food Babe’s “investigative” uncoverings… which I’ve known about for the last several years. It just doesn’t taste the same to me anymore.

That being said, I’m still all Team-Pumpkin. I love pumpkin flavored treats this time of year. And for whatever reason I’ve been desperately seeking a healthy-ish alternative to donuts. I realize that regardless of how you make it, a donut has sugar. And sugar isn’t healthy. But if you do it right, you can health-ify it a bit.

Enter the Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Donuts!

EasyGFPumpkinDonuts

EASY GLUTEN FREE
PUMPKIN DONUTS

1 Box/Bag Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix

1 Can Organic Pumpkin

Coconut Oil

Cinnamon/Sugar Mix
(I use Trader Joe’s

Pumpkin Spice

ingredients

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (or 375* convection).

Mix, by hand, the cake mix and the organic pumpkin. Stir in 1 Tablespoon of Trader Joe’s Sugar, Chocolate and Coffee Bean Mix.
Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon & 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Stir until mixed completely. Use coconut oil to grease donut pan.

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Spoon mixture into 6-donut pan, halfway filling each mold.
Bake for 13 minutes in convection oven.

Test to see if donuts are done by gently pressing on one.
The donut consistency will be spongy and will bounce back.

They were a HIT in our house! Moosh loved them, but he loves everything. But Chad loved them, too! And that’s saying something! If you’re looking for a semi-guiltless pumpkin indulgence, try them out this Fall — or as we like to call it, Pumpkin Season! 😉

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Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow //

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Last year I was all “Yay Valentine’s Day!” and this year I’m all “Yay – but OMG – I don’t have any TIME to make crafty cards!”

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So this morning I thought I’d share my go-to easy (and YUMMY!) Valentine’s Day Strawberries + Cream Puppy Chow recipe. It’s EASY! So quit looking at Pinterest for the cutest and most clever things you can do. Stick with easy. Real moms only have time for easy, anyways. 😉

You’re welcome. 😉

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Disclaimer: By no means is this a “clean” recipe. However — it’s not for YOU to eat… it’s for you to giveaway for other people to enjoy (if you’re concerned)! Ha!