Food

9 Great Printable Drink Notes for Back-To-School

10 · Sep 7, 2016 · 1 Comment

I’ve partnered with Huhtamaki Inc. for the Chinet® brand to create this post! Enjoy!

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for ways to help my kiddos feel extra special. Especially now that they have gone back to school, and the daily grind is starting to get to them a bit. The magic of summer is over, and they need a little pick me up in the mornings.

I’ve always been a fan of the good printable ol’ lunchbox note, but I thought it would be fun to change things up a bit and create some morning drink notes that you can wrap around a Comfort Cup® by Chinet® cup for a little boost at the beginning of the day!

We aren’t coffee drinkers at our house, but we LOVE hot chocolate, Choffy, flavored milk steamers, herbal tea… all kinds of tasty treats. The Comfort Cup® by Chinet® insulated hot cup is perfect for keeping your hot drink hot, and it’s specially designed to keep your hands comfortable with a special three layer system that keeps the cup insulated.

They aren’t just for hot drinks either! They’re perfect for taking your colds drinks on-the-go as well. My kiddos are always wanting to take drinks with them to school or other activities, and I’m always getting frustrated with them leaving their drink containers places. The amount of drink containers that they’ve left for the universe makes my head spin. When I use the Comfort Cup® by Chinet® insulated hot cups I know I won’t have to worry about that. Plus, who doesn’t love to walk around with a cute cup while on the way to school or other activities?

You pair them with my fun printable drink sleeves with a cute little note, your kiddos are going to adore them! I’ve created a set for the younger, elementary age kiddos and then a couple that the teenagers might like (well, teen girls anyway. The boys maybe not so much.)

They are simple to use, you can download the files HERE. Then print them out on card stock paper and cut them out with scissors. Super easy… No need for a fancy cutting machine!

Wrap them around your Comfort Cup® by Chinet® insulated hot cups, and affix with tape or glue dots. It’s that simple.

What a simple way to help your kiddos feel extra special!

Road Trippin’ with the NEW Chick-fil-a One App

7 · Sep 6, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I’ve partnered with Chick-fil-A to create this post! Enjoy!

We’ve been road trippin’ quite a bite lately with the family and I’ll I’ve got to say is our kids have it MADE!!

Remember road trippin’ back in the day? No cell phones or iPads, no in-car video system… We were living large if we had a Walkman with our favorite mix tape!

Don’t even get me started with the in-car meals. Needless to say… Our kids are living large!

Our last road trip a few weeks ago, we up’d our game by using the new Chick-fil-A One app to help us find one of our favorite restaurants and quickly order our meal and get back on the road in record time.

First off, how many times have you been on a road trip or even driving around town and the need for a meal hits critical status? Humor me here, here’s a story problem for you…

Sally and Jim are taking a road trip with their family of 6. It’s time for lunch and Bobby wants 1 slice of pizza, Mike wants 2 orders of chicken nuggets, Suzy wants 1 salad with 0 tomatoes and Andy wants 1 cheese burger and 1 large fry. They spend 15 minutes in line at the Burger Hut, 25 minutes in line at the salad bar, 20 minutes at the Chicken Barn and 15 minutes driving to the Pizza Joint. How many people in Sally and Jim’s car will be happy at the end of the meal selection?

Yep, ever feel that way? I know we have at our house and on our road trips. We spend an exorbitant amount of time trying to decide where to eat and then trying to make everyone happy in the car. It’s a tremendous waste of time and money!

We have discovered a great solution and you may want to try out as well. One restaurant that we all love in our family is Chick-fil-A. For some reason, this is one of the few places that seems to be tops on everyone’s list which is PERFECT for when we are on the road together.

Chick-fil-A has made it even easier with their new Chick-fil-A One app. This app is so cool!! The first really cool feature is that you can use the app to help you find the closest Chick-fil-A. This is perfect for when you are driving through a new town, cruzin’ for some grub and to need to make it quick.

Open your app, click on the location icon and voilá… If there is a Chick-fil-A close by, it will show up on your map AND it will help you navigate to that location, SCORE!! Not only will it help you navigate, it will introduce you to the local manager right there on the app.

Then… Oh just you wait, I’m only getting started! You can actually place your order right in the app. Seriously, how many times have you corralled the whole family into a fast food restaurant and then had the most stressful 10 minutes of your day waiting in line, then trying to get everyone’s order, then find the most cost effective way to place said order only to totally forget what you needed to order when the guy at the register is finally ready for you? You’ve been there too? Yea, I thought so.

Check this out… All you have to do is navigate through the very intuitive menu on the app. Each family member can place their order and customize it just how they would like and BAM, your done! You haven’t even set a foot outside the car yet!

Ok, you’re not really finished. You still have to pay for your meal. This is super slick as well. You can actually preload the app with funds via your Apple Pay on your smartphone. Then you can pay for your meal without leaving the comfort of your car or waiting in the drive-thru line.

Now here’s another one of my favorite features… Once you’ve completed your order they will show you via the app where to pick-up your food inside the restaurant. Walk right on in, bypass the line at the registers and step right up and grab your food that is all ready and waiting for you.

This was PRICELESS on our road trip… It was so convenient and stress free!

Now, the time and stress saved should be gift alone but no, Chick-fil-A actually gives you special treats in the form of free food when you order from the Chick-fil-A One app. Yea, you earn cool stuff THE MORE you use the app. How cool is that?

The next time you’re driving around with the family and the hangries hit. Load-up your Chick-fil-A One app and take care of those hungry mouths to feed in record and stress-free time!

You can download the Chick-fil-A One app in the Apple Store and Google Play.

#mydailysiggis Breakfast Power Bowl

5 · Sep 6, 2016 · 5 Comments

When I was a kid, I wasn’t a huge fan of yogurt. The overly sweet, artificial tasting yogurt my Mom would serve was always too runny for my taste. Even as an adult, it had never really been my go-to meal or snack.

That is, until I went to Europe and was introduced to skyr. A traditional Icelandic recipe (it’s been used for over 1,000 years!) that kiddos in the region grow up on, it’s rich, creamy, not overly sweet, and full of protein. I fell in LOVE with it! It’s made by warming skim milk, adding active cultures, and after several hours, straining the mixture to separate the yogurt from the whey (the water that is in milk). They then serve it with any number of great toppings.

The first time I tried it, I knew I had found what I had been looking for. I couldn’t get enough of it! The idea of coming back to the States without it was truly sad. In Europe, I ate skyr everyday with all kinds of fruit and muesli, an all-natural, whole grain cereal–kind of like granola–that is popular in Europe.

Like all good things, my trip had to come to an end. I came home and mourned the loss of my favorite breakfast food and snack. I looked forever to find something that was even close to what I had eaten in Europe. After a while, I nearly gave up, and accepted the fact that I was stuck with traditional U.S. yogurt.

Then a few years ago I was introduced to siggi’s yogurt and gave it a try. I thought the name and packaging were really fun, and when I tried the yogurt I was whisked back to my European travels in an instant. I could tell that it was made with natural, high-quality ingredients and not a lot of sugar (they use agave nectar, natural sugar, and no artificial flavors or preservatives). siggi’s was that beautiful, protein-packed skyr that I had been looking for, and I could finally start having my European breakfast power bowls again!

There are even more benefits to eating siggi’s, and you can go check out their site to learn more.

Here’s my favorite way to eat siggi’s these days…

My Favorite (And Simple!) Breakfast Power Bowl

⅓ cup of granola

(1) 4.4 oz. container of Siggi’s 4% strained whole milk yogurt

½ cup mixed berries

1 teaspoon local honey

⅛ teaspoon chia seeds

It’s incredibly simple! You layer each ingredient on top of one another, starting with the granola.

Pour ½ of the granola into the bottom of your bowl.

I top that with my favorite fruits: fresh blackberries and raspberries and add my siggi’s.

I love that they let me select how much fat I can have when eating siggi’s. I typically prefer the 4% milkfat, whole milk varieties. Not all fat is bad.

Look at how rich and creamy that looks! I top that with the rest of my granola, a little local honey and, if I’m in the mood, some chia seeds.

That, my friends, is how I LOVE to eat my siggi’s!

Special thanks to siggi’s dairy for partnering with me for this special blog post!

Fall Pumpkin Home Decor

30 · Sep 1, 2016 · 4 Comments

Happy SEPTEMBER!! We’re heading into my favorite time of year… FALL!

I tend to rush fall a bit because I love it so much. I love the crisp air, the leaves getting ready to change, I love to decorate my home for fall! I may not be all that into PSL (Pumpkin Spice Lattes) but I LOVE to decorate with pumpkins.

I’m also a fan of the heirloom variety pumpkins that aren’t your traditional jack-o-latern pumpkins and I LOVE that Michaels has both options to choose from when pumpkin season rolls around.

To kick off fall in your own home, visit Michaels.com and check out the variety of craft pumpkins available – there is every color, shape and size you could ever want! There are tons of ways to DIY your own craft pumpkin for your home, a party or even as a gift.

I decided that I wanted to pull together some simple decor that literally took just a few minutes to throw together. Not everyone has hours to invest into a project most of the time. I ran to Michaels and grabbed some pumpkins that I liked, a metal basket and some artificial flowers. Then I did something a little tricky, I placed a glass jar into the basket and arranged my flowers the way I wanted them…

Then I arranged my pumpkins in the basket and voilá… I have a simple yet fabulous fall decor that took just minutes to pull together.

Be sure to check out all of the other Michaels Makers pumpkin ideas on the Michaels blog.

Here are more great fall decorating ideas.

An InLinkz Link-up

Disclaimer // I am a member of the Michaels Makers Program and receive product in order to be able to take part in monthly challenges.

Mini Hot Chicken Bites Recipe

8 · Aug 30, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Oh, are you in for a treat today! With football season right around the corner I’m sure you are looking for a few new game time treat for the crew. These Mini Hot Chicken Bites are going to be a touchdown for sure.

Back in the spring I had an opportunity to travel to Nashville with my fellow Old El Paso bloggers and we did a taco tour down in the heart of Nashville. We basically had a taco crawl through town. It was so fun and tasty! One of our first stops was The Southern a famous oyster and stake restaurant down in the heart of Nashville. They are famous for many things but the one we had a chance to try was their famous Nashville Hot Chicken & Waffles.

Now, if you’ve never tasted or even heard of Nashville Hot Chicken, you’re in for a treat. This is a special recipe that they have down south that takes fried chicken to a whole new level. They smother the chicken in a special blend of spices and then let it sit over night letting the spice fill the chicken with amazing flavor. Then they put it through the normal frying process and it’s AMAZING!

That alone is a fantastic meal but The Southern goes a step further and pairs it with beautiful light waffles and a drizzle of maple syrup and it’s divine. After that trip I was inspired to make something of the sort using our favorite Old El Paso Mini Taco Boats.

These are like little bites of Nashville that your family and friends are going to LOVE!

They are two bites of scrumptious hot chicken with the tang from the pickle with a little honey drizzle that you guys will fall in love with. Click HERE to grab the recipe at Old El Paso!

Disclaimer // This is a sponsored post for Old El Paso. I am a member of the Old El Paso Blogger program and I am paid to help develop recipes for them. As always, I will never promote a brand that I don’t truly love and believe in.

Food

My Favorite (And Simple!) Breakfast Power Bowl

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