Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!
Beef, it’s what’s for dinner at my house – how about yours? If you’re ready to learn some great new tips on choosing, buying, storing and preparing beef, get the best tips on what to look for at the supermarket and how to put the best beef on your table. And get more tips to up your “Grilliance” in this awesomely helpful infographic:
“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” – Jim Davis… Some of you might remember that I lost quite a bit of weight on the Nutrisystem diet earlier this year. {20 pounds total – super exciting.} Once I went back to preparing my own meals again, I still tried to follow the structure for healthy eating that I learned during my Nutrisystem time, and have learned so much about eating healthier. I recently found a great new figure-friendly snack that I’m totally lovin’ – New York Style Bagel Crisps. And while I totally love ’em as just a pop in your mouth and eat on their own kinda snack, I thought they could also be a really great addition to some of my fave recipes too. Keep reading to learn more about why I’m super addicted to the crisps, and some creative ways to cook with them too…
These new crisps come in 4 varieties – I tried out the BBQ and the Sea Salt. I loved ’em so much on their own that I went out and bought more – one of each type – so that I could experiment a bit with them in the kitchen. Why do I love ’em? Well, let me count the ways…
So now that you’re starting to fall in love with these crisps too, I’ll share some great recipes and ideas for using them in recipes, appetizers, and healthy snacks for you and the kids.
Since these New York Style Bagel Crisps have such a great crunch, I figured they’d be a great ingredient in some of my favorite casseroles. And I was right. {Am I ever wrong? Wait – don’t answer that…} My favorite was adding the Cheddar crisps into my cheesy breakfast casserole – added a great crunch by replacing my usual english muffins with these, and made it less fat. Love it. Get the recipe here:
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Sounds super yummy, right? If you love cheesy casserole recipes, you’ll also love this one – Mexican Casserole, but replace the tortilla chips with the Cheddar Bagel Crisps too. Sooooo good! And of course – you can always enjoy these crisps on their own. Since they’re awesome for dipping – grab a few of the great dip recipes from their website to mix up for your next get together. I especially liked the Buffalo Chicken Dip. And, after trying that one and loooovin’ it, I was inspired to make it into a salad too. Get it here:
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These little crisps are the perfect addition to your kids lunches this school season, or a great back to school snack after school. And they’re the perfect mom-on-the-go snacker too – throw a bag in your purse, so you have something super satisfying that’s still good for you, no matter how crazy your days get. You’re too smart to grab fast food and all it’s greasiness, right? These will fill you up, without filling you out.
And you thought that this post couldn’t even get any better, I know. But to top it off – there’s also a super sweet giveaway for you to enter! New York Style Bagel Crisps is giving fans a chance to win a red carpet movie experience with their friends and family. So cool.
Grand Prize: One winner will have the chance to win a private VIP photographed and catered experience at their local movie theater. New York Style will rent out the theater for you to host the ultimate experience with 50 friends. The winner will also receive a gift card for a year supply ($500 worth) of movie tickets.
If you’re feeling super lucky today, make sure to enter to win all the other great prizes that I’m giving away this month – they’re all listed together in my sidebar. And make sure to follow New York Bagel Crisps on Facebook and Twitter, to stay updated on more fun new products and promotions!
{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of New York Style and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating. Photo Credit.}
Healthier Summer Cocktails – Yep, it’s possible!… You know how much I love to entertain in the summer, right? We love having a house with a pool and big patio, since it’s the perfect gathering spot for all of our fave friends and family. I live in Central Washington state, and it gets HOT here. Like, upper 90’s all summer, with plenty of 100+ days. I think the hottest we’ve had so far was 110 a couple of weeks ago. That means that we spend a ton of time in the pool, and cold beverages are a must. So, since I finally lost a bunch of my baby weight on Nutrisystem, I am always creating new healthier alternatives to my favorite summer dishes and drinks. Keep reading to see my best new drink ideas that won’t pack on the calories…
All of these drinks are healthier for you because they use the new C&H Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend. Less sugar = skinnier drinks for summer entertaining, without losing the flavor, or getting that artificial taste. Half the calories of sugar, and only 5 calories per serving. Rockin’, right? I use it to make a simple syrup that I use to mix my drinks with. I mix 5 big ol’ teaspoons of the C&H Light with 2 cups of warm water. Shake it up, let it dissolve, then flavor it if desired. This makes a great mixer for any drink! Here are a few faves that I use it in:
For more ideas on how to make flavored syrups using C&H Light, check out my fave resource, How To Flavored Simple Syrup, on Mix n’ Sip. So many awesome ideas, and I always think of a new drink to try when I’m looking at that list! {Yes, I create a new themed drink for every party I host. I’m that type of girl…. Lol.} Making your own syrup saves you a ton of money when you don’t have to buy a bunch of mixers, and it’s way healthier for you too, since you’re avoiding lots of weird, unnatural ingredients, and getting way less sugar.
C&H® Light is an all natural pure cane sugar and stevia blend with half the calories of sugar. That’s over a 350-calorie savings in each cup! By blending pure cane C&H® Sugar with a naturally sweet extract from the stevia plant, we have created a delicious sweetener with no artificial ingredients. C&H® Light is the ideal sweetener — a perfect sweet taste and half the calories of sugar! You’ll also find it packaged as Domino Light – and it’s great for baking too. Baking is as easy as cutting it in half – if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, all you need to do is use 1/2 cup of Domino® Light OR C&H® Light. Easy peasy!
How to make 4 skinnier summer cocktails – including the Caramel Appletini! sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/08/5-heal…
#recipes— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) August 9, 2012
{Disclaimer: I received compensation for creating this content for you – this is sponsored project from Global Influence. All recipes, ideas, and opinions are 100% my own.}
Amp Up Your Iced Coffee with International Delight… Last week I shared a recipe with you ladies – my fave way to enjoy iced coffee at home with simple prep, the Candy Bar & Cookies Iced Coffee drink, made with International Delight Iced Coffee and creamers. Sooooo good, especially when it’s been so super hot out every day. It’s the perfect partner for my morning routine – I head out to the patio, with my drink and my laptop, to get some work done before the kids get up. And, since I am a total coffee junkie, and love how versatile these yummy iced coffee cartons are, I decided to use them to jazz up one of my fave brownie recipes too.
I made these amazing brownies yesterday for a BBQ that we had – and they were ALL gone within a few minutes. I’m bummed looking at these pics again, because they’re all gone. Definitely a recipe that I’ll be making again! They were perfect – just a hint of crispy chocolate crunch at the edges, and soft and gooey in the middle. I’m hungry just telling you about them!!
I’m sure that most of you are familiar with the International Delight creamers, right? Super delicious must have’s for any coffee-lovers kitchen. And now there’s an awesome new option from International Delight too – Iced Coffee in a carton, so you can save money by having your own perfectly blended iced coffee drink at home. I had NEVER liked any pre-made coffee drinks from the grocery before – too sweet, too artificial, or too bland. But these cartons are so great – I buy a couple of them every week now. If you haven’t tried them yet, you are so missing out.
There are so many awesome ways to use iced coffee and coffee creamers in your favorite recipes – and there are SO many flavors of creamer that you can create a ton of fun new flavor combinations. I use creamer when I make french toast, to add an extra twist. I love mixing creamers or coffee into boxed cake mixes too – That Peppermint Patty was crazy-good when mixed into a chocolate cake mix and topped with peppermint frosting. Check out the #IcedDelight tag on Twitter too, to get more baking inspiration. Amazing ideas.
If you have your own favorite brownie recipe, you can use that – just substitute the water with creamers and iced coffee instead. Or, follow my easy peasy recipe here to create these super delicious brownie bites – but you might want to double it. These go fast!
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Quick tip: Using an ice cream scooper to put batter in the cupcake liners makes your job SO much easier!
There you have it – an easy peasy recipe featuring my fave iced coffee and creamers – perfect for any occasion. Make sure to follow International Delight on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on new products and promotions. And check out the hashtag on Twitter too – #IcedDelight – for more creative recipe ideas.
{Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and International Delight #IcedDelight #CBias #SocialFabric. All photos, recipes, and opinions expressed here are 100% my own. Only the best products get featured here on this site – and this is one of our faves!}
Amp up your Iced Coffee this summer… So by now, you all know that I am a full-fledged coffee junkie. Yep,it’s true. Without it, I’m just a floppy jellyfish, slithering out to the kitchen to get my first dose of caffeinated deliciousness. But with coffee, I’m able to transform from a mindless jellyfish into a total Super Mom…. “Faster than a speeding toddler, more powerful than those tough-to-reach dust bunnies, able to leap tall piles of laundry in a single bound….” Yep, coffee is what I’m all about. And, while I drink and love coffee in any form, from a basic home-brewed cup o’ joe, to a beautifully blended espresso drink at a coffee house – my favorite way to drink it is a homemade iced coffee drink. So I’m going to share a few of my favorite mixes with you ladies today!
There are a lot of tutorials out there on how to make cold-press iced coffee at home – but they are kind of complicated, and I didn’t always get perfect results each time. Plus – how I am supposed to follow so many steps in the morning BEFORE I’ve had any coffee, right? A muuuuuch easier solution for busy moms is to pick up a carton or two {or three…} of the new Iced Coffee by International Delight. Seriously – I have never been a fan of any type of pre-made iced coffees before, but this stuff is perfection in a carton. No lie. And while I could chug buckets of it straight any day, it’s also fun to Mix It Up – and make some fun flavor combos using International Delight’s line of creamers, plus a few other simple ingredients. My VERY favorite is my Candy Bar & Cookies Iced Coffee – the recipe is coming, just wait…
First step – Head to your local grocery store to pick up a carton of this awesome iced coffee from International Delight. There are three flavors to choose from, Mocha, Original, and Vanilla. I love ’em all – and any of them will work just great in these recipes. So – I use Original. If you want it a little sweeter go with Vanilla, if you want it a little more chocolaty, then grab the Mocha. You’ll find these in the dairy section of the store – they’re usually in the cases next to the milk and coffee creamers. But – I LOVED this giant bay of iced coffee at Walmart last time I shopped – so many glorious cartons of coffee…. total #IcedDelight.
Next step is to grab some creamer… As you can see, there are a TON of awesome flavors of International Delight creamers to choose from. For the Candy Bar and Cookies recipe, I used the Peppermint Patty flavor – but there are a bunch of other super yummy candy bar flavored creamers that would work great too – Like Heath Bar or Almond Joy. So grab a few – and experiment with some mix’en and match’en.
By now your taste buds are shouting – “Get to it lady! Show us the goods – give us the recipe for this sweet iced coffee awesomeness already!” – am I right? So, drum roll please…. Follow these easy peasy directions to make your own totally amazing Candy Bar & Cookies Iced Coffee drink this summer too:
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Like I said earlier – Don’t be afraid to Mix it Up, and amp up your summer with some cool iced coffee creations. With so many awesome flavors of iced coffee and new creamers from International Delight, it’s super easy to mix up great recipes to enjoy in those rare moments you can sneak away for a little “me time” on the patio- and they’re perfect for summer entertaining. Here are a few other ideas to help inspire your own iced coffee creativity:
See what I mean? Once you get into it, there are SO many combos you can come up with! If you experiment with these flavors, leave me a comment letting me know what recipes YOU come up with! I’ll share some favorites on my Facebook page – so let me know in the comment if it’s ok to use your name, and leave a blog link if you have one :)
Mix it up: Simple Summer Iced Coffee Recipes – including Candy Bar & Cookie Iced Coffee! sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/07/mix-it… #IcedDelight #CBias
— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) July 13, 2012
I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and International Delight. #IcedDelight #CBias #SocialFabric. All photos, recipes, and opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
Forget this whole Fifty Shades of Grey
If you’re totally in love with this fireman, err, I mean recipe – get the directions here on how to put it together this summer: Margarita – Make it with a Fireman. And then check out the other awesome stuff on the Sauza Tequila website too, like coupons to save on your margarita supplies, and more recipe ideas. {No, this post is in no way at all sponsored by anyone. I just came across this recipe and video and am in love, and thought you ladies might like a little summer fun too…}
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That’s it. Now, grab your laptop, head out to the pool, and enjoy your Sauza Margarita while watching that fireman video a couple more times…. Yep, summer really is getting hotter, am I right?
I admit it… I’m a bit of a salsa junkie. When we got out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant, I spend more time eating the chips and salsa than I do on my actual dinner. We usually make our salsa at home, since there haven’t been too many store-bought varieties that I like much. They never taste as fresh as I’d like, and most of them are honestly pretty bland and boring.
I am now a believer in store-bought salsa, after trying the amazingly unique flavors from Wholly Salsa {yep, those same folks that make Wholly Guacamole!} – This stuff is goooood. With flavors like Red Pepper and Mango Salsa, Avocado Verde, and Pineapple Salsa – they totally get your creative cooking juices flowing. I’m thinking some totally delicious Luau Burgers at our next BBQ party…
I’ve partnered with a couple of the most creative bloggers I know – This #FoodFunHop Event is hosted by Shy Babies & Little Inspiration – and you’ll find a super fun linky after the giveaway form, where you can hop along and see all of the other amazing recipes created with these totally delicious salsas. Warning, it’s going to make you hungry! Mmmmmm…… So, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form to get your entries in – one lucky winner will get a HUGE Summer Salsa Kit filled with all of the yummy products you see in the pic above. Then take a few minutes to check out the other recipes – and enter to WIN again on every single site!!! How fun is that, right?
We put this little dip together the other day for a BBQ – the kids helped me, which is why it’s a little, um, less the perfect, lol. For the 4th, we’ll do a big dish of this – I’m going to make it a 7-layer dip, which is one of our favorites. The top layer here is a white Queso dip, but this would work great with a cream cheese or sour cream layer on top too. For the stripes I put the salsa in a plastic ziploc baggie, cut the corner off, and piped it on like frosting. We added some olives for stars { definitely needed another row of those!} and star-shaped tortilla chips. The chips are super simple – use a cookie cutter to cut stars out of tortillas, brush ’em with a dab of butter, the bake ’em at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Easy peasy!
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant." I'm Meagan - a Momma, a Blogger, a Freelance Writer, and a total Social Media Junkie. I love sparkles and … [Read More...]
