I have fallen in love with making my own everything! Seriously, if there's a recipe for it online I'm going to try to make it. Soap, lip balm, whipped body lotion, candles, toner, scented cleaning vinegar, deodorant, and the list goes on and on and on! I've always had fun making new things but since I've started working for The Refillery my interest in the DIY recipes has blossomed! Then a few months ago I was introduced to Simply Earth, an essential oil subscription box that comes complete with recipe cards!! Could it get any better? The only downfall to weekend DIY-fests is running out of or not having the right ingredients. That's what lead me to make this complete list of raw ingredients every DIYer needs at all times. I'll share my favorite places to shop below also if you're looking to add any of these ingredients to your DIY closet. Links in this post contain referral links that help support this blog. Coconut Oil - 100% pure unrefined cold pressed coconut oil! ... [ Read More ]
Sweet Tomatoes’ Picnic Delights for July
Sweet Tomatoes' was kind enough to host our family for dinner this month to sample some of their Stars, Stripes and Picnic Delights recipes. This is one of my favorite places to take my family for dinner because everyone can pick what they want to eat without arguing. When we typically go out to eat there is always the argument about what the kids are going to order and what they are actually going to eat. When was the last time your tween decided they wanted an adult meal only to leave half of it behind because they didn't like it?? At Sweet Tomatoes' the kids plate their own food buffet style and I don't feel bad if they try something that they don't care for. They can go back for seconds if they are really hungry. I'm always impressed that my kids plate things that we don't typically prepare at home like beets, cauliflower, and assorted veggies. My daughter loves all of the Sweet Tomatoes salad recipes; especially the ones featuring fruit! She is so excited to try the new ... [ Read More ]
Pear Frozen Yogurt Recipe
Pear Frozen Yogurt is a great summer treat and is super easy to make! This post is sponsored by R.W. Knudsen as part of their blog ambassador program. It's been in the 90's all week in Florida and we've been breaking all sorts of record highs for April and it doesn't look like May is going to be any cooler. Summer is here and I'm filling my freezer with some treats for my family to chill out with. I received a few bottles of RW Knudsen's Organic Pear juice in my quarterly box of goodies as part of their ambassador program and I knew I wanted to make a frozen treat. The recipe was pretty simple but I'm sure you could tweak it to your desired consistency. I honestly wish it had been a little creamier, but I have no clue what to change to make it creamier. The mixture before it was frozen was actually a really nice consistency that would have made for a nice summer fruit soup, or if it were a little thicker it would have made an amazing smoothie. I'm sure my kids would have ... [ Read More ]
Chocolate Cookie Butter Balls & More Recipe Fun with Sprouts Brand
The recipes in this post are brought to you through a partnership with Sprouts Farmers Markets. About a week ago a huge box of goodies arrived from Sprouts Farmers Market full of pantry staples from their private label. My box arrived on a day when we were running all over town and it sat in the trunk of our Jeep until about 10pm. We had errands to run after school, then we had our Girl Scout meeting, ran by son up to a youth group meeting, grabbed a quick dinner with some friends, back to get my son and finally home to get both kids ready for bed. It was such an exhausting day, but my kids really wanted to help me open the box. This was the box that never ended, the goodies were packed deep in the box. It was a fun box to open. Lots of spice, some sweet heaven in a jar (i.e. Cookie Butter), and a few essentials that will stock our pantry for a while. We (almost) immediately opened the jar of Cookie Butter for a quick snack before heading off to bed! If you missed my ... [ Read More ]
How to Incorporate Vegetable Juice into Your Recipes
I was sent a sampling of R.W. Knudsen vegetable juices this month as part of their blog ambassador program and was scared that I'd never end up using them. I've never been a fan of vegetable juices by themselves, so I decided to try to use them in other recipes to hide some vegetables from my kids. I was really surprised at how well they worked with some of our favorite recipes. We received Tomato Red Bell Pepper juice, Tomato Sriracha and Carrot juice. All of the juices are organic and only have 2-3 ingredients. Did I mention that these juices were a little intimidating to me? These are not things that I would normally add to my grocery cart. Since my Instant Pot (IP) has become my new best friend, it's only natural that my favorite recipes were ones cooked in the IP. The key with most IP recipes is that you need a liquid to create steam and pressure used in cooking the meal. Instead of using water, vegetable juices can be use and will add a more savory flavor to your ... [ Read More ]
How to Cook Steel Cut Oats in an Instant Pot
You may have noticed my love of my Instant Pot lately? I've found a new way to use it to make breakfast even more fun and stress-free. I was sent some Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats for this months Stonyfield Yogurt campaign. Before this month I had never before cooked steel cut oats and really wasn't sure how they were different from regular "quick oats." They are essential the same oat, but processed a little differently. Quick oats have been steamed and pressed to make them "quick" to cook. Steel cut oats are relatively unprocessed, but can take a lot longer to cook. With an Instant Pot you can prepare a single serving or a family-sized batch in only 10 minutes (20-30 including prep time and for natural release), as compared to 7-8 hours in a slow cooker. You won't have to watch the pot or stir anything once you have it started. If you want to learn more about Instant Pots you may want to read, What is an Instant Pot and Why Do I Need One. Directions for cooking steel ... [ Read More ]
Breakfast for Dinner – Apple Ginger Oatmeal
There are some nights when I just don't feel like preparing a full family meal. Tonight was one of those nights so I decided we were going to do breakfast for dinner. A nice hearty bowl of oatmeal was just what we needed to fill us up on a lazy Friday family night. Even though it's still in the 90's here in Florida, it's starting to feel like Fall in other regions. Most people crave all that pumpkin spice everything, but Fall for me means I crave apple everything. I received a bottle of Apple Ginger juice from R.W. Knudsen as part of their blog ambassador program so I decided to use it when making my oatmeal. I have to say that it was a GREAT decision. The kids both asked for a second bowl. I used steel cut oats for the first time and they are a much sturdier oat than regular quick oats. You can cook them on the stove, slow cooker, or my favorite, in an Instant Pot. Cooking times will vary depending on which cooking method you choose. Ingredients: 1 cup steel cut ... [ Read More ]
What is an Instant Pot and Why do I Need One?
I've jumped on the Instant Pot (IP) bandwagon and so should you! Several months ago some friends were raving about this thing called an Instant Pot and I had never heard about it. I later learned that it's a modern day pressure cooker. The only time I've ever seen a pressure cooker in use is at my Grandma's, she always makes the best pot roast with potatoes and veggies. The meat would just melt in your mouth and the veggies were cooked to perfection. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, all opinions are my own and I truly love these products or I wouldn't share them with you. An Instant Pot is a pressure cooker is similar to a slow cooker (or crock pot), but cooks much quicker and under pressure. There were a few features that my friends explained to me that sold me on this thing instantly (pun intended). Here are just a few.... Frozen chicken breasts or things can cook in less than 30 minutes! It makes hard boiled eggs super easy and quick, less than 5 min. ... [ Read More ]
Fun with Snackimals – Cinnamon Crunch Snackimals Snack Bars Recipe
I have exciting news to share with you, I’ve been chosen as a Barbara’s Mom-Tourage Ambassador for the year. As an ambassador, Barbara’s will be sending me lots of their snacks and cereals for our family to enjoy try over the year. This just gives me another reason to play with my food! My first goodie box from Barbara’s included 3 different flavors of their Snackimals cereals and Snackimals cookies. The cookies were quickly tossed in the kids backpacks for school snacks, they are already asking me for more!! Be sure to “Like” Barbara’s Bakery on Facebook and help them name their Snackimals!! They are having an awesome giveaway that will let anyone (18 and up) name the Snackimals Lion, and one lucky family of four will win a trip to Safari West in California valued at $2,800. You can enter through May 2nd when fan voting starts to select the winner. I let Bailey pick a name, she chose Leony!! She really wanted to name him Leo after her best friend though. The Snackimals ... [ Read More ]
Acai Mixed Berry Smoothie Bowl Recipe
We just got back from a week in Hawaii and I've fallen in love with acai bowls and I had to try and recreate one when we got home. It's kind of like eating a smoothie in a bowl with a few ingredients not blended in the smoothie. If you'd blend it in a smoothie, you can use it in a smoothie bowl. I've used a few of the new samples I've received from R.W. Knudsen and Stonyfield through their blogger ambassador programs as the key ingredients. The key to the smoothie bowl is to make it really thick so that the toppings will sit on the top and not sink into the smoothie. I learned this the hard way with my first batch and everything just sank to the bottom of the bowl. Next time I made it I will probably add a banana to make it even thicker. Acai Mixed Berry Smoothie Bowl Serving Size 1 Large Bowl Ingredients: 1 container of Stonyfield's new Organic Whole Milk Greek Yogurt (Honey) 1 cup of fresh fruit (Strawberries, Blueberries, and Raspberries) 2 TBS R.W. Knudsen ... [ Read More ]