Are you looking for something simple and fun to do with your kids? I’ve got just the thing. Break all the rules tonight and be the coolest mom on the block when you let your kids play with their food! Why? New presentations break down barriers for little kids. Unknown foods become less intimidating when you can play with them. Read my post over at the Georgia Blueberry Commission to get some ideas for how you can have fun with your kids AND get them to try a new food tonight!
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Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner. Do you celebrate it? Even if you don’t, I mean, who needs another excuse to eat tacos, right?! 
My family absolutely LOVES oven baked tacos. Once you’ve tried them BAKED, you’ll never go back! But, you know what goes great with tacos? Salsa.
This recipe for salsa is healthy, delicious, authentic… AND can be made from ingredients you probably have on hand, most of which stay right in your pantry until you need them. Nothing in this recipe is obscure or hard to find, making it not only great tasting but also easy and affordable. You can get everything you need at your local Walmart or where ever you love to shop. That’s one of my favorite things about this recipe, I always have what I need on hand. Thanks to my long time friend Brenda Eaves for sharing this recipe with me. It has quickly become one of our favorites!
1 {28 oz} can of diced tomatoes (any kind but I prefer Muir Glen organic/fire roasted tomatoes)
1 can Rotele {this is a mixture of tomatoes and chiles}
1 large clove fresh garlic
1/4 of an onion
1 spoonful of pickled jalapenos from a jar (no “real” measurement here – just a spoon from your silverware drawer!)
3 spoonfuls of the juice from the pickled jalapeno jar
1 handful of fresh cilantro
Put all ingredients into the blender and blend! Done.
This is best made the day before to allow the flavors of the ingredients to meld. Tastes just like the salsa you get at Mexican Restaurants. Serve with GMO free tortilla chips. 
Need something to wash down those chips and salsa? Check out my recipe for Strawberry Lime Margaritas.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I’m a participant in the Walmart Moms Program. Walmart has provided me with a product sample and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. Participation in this program is voluntary and the opinions stated above are entirely my own.
Apples are in season and I’ve been searching for new ways to enjoy them. But, no matter where I look, my homemade caramel sauce is still my favorite (although there are a few other tasty ways I’ve found that I’ll share soon!). Warm caramel is a tasty treat with fresh cut apples or poured over vanilla ice cream. Heck, just about anything is good with warm caramel!
1 c. sugar
1/4 cup water
2 T. corn syrup
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 t vanilla
Boil sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt in a sauce pan over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally. Cook until caramel is the color of iced tea (about 10 minutes). Add cream, whisking to combine. Quickly turn off heat and then whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer sauce to a cool bowl.
You’ll be surprised how easy this is! I had never tried anything like this until la couple years ago and I was thrilled with the result the very first time! Once you add the cream it “magically” turns to caramel! It is amazing…and DELICIOUS!
We’ve been enjoying it over apples and ice cream. 
Who doesn’t love a good grilled cheese? When I am trying to find new foods to mix up our routine it is all about presentation when it comes to my children – especially Judah. He can be really finicky but if it looks fun he’s usually all in. So, I used the concept of waffles (which Judah LOVES) but changed my batter up a bit. Then, I added some good cheese from grass fed cows and some of our favorite Wellshire Turkey Ham {its turkey that tastes like ham!} and it was an instant hit with everyone. I served ‘em up for dinner with a side of hash browns but these would be good anytime of day! Wouldn’t they make a fun lunch?
1 cup self rising cornmeal {or add 1 Tbsp of baking powder& 1/2 tsp salt to regular cornmeal}
1/2 cup of All purpose flour
2 Tbsp of sugar
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp of melted butter
2 eggs
Whisk all the ingredients together. Put a ladleful in your hot, buttered waffle iron and cook until done but not brown. {You don’t want them to get too crispy since you will be cooking them a second time for the grilled cheese}.
When you are ready to turn your corn meal waffles into glorious grilled cheese sandwiches here’s what you do:
Place on waffle on a griddle pan or cast iron skillet. Sprinkle a handful of cheese on top of one waffle. Add a piece of Wellshire Turkey Ham {or whatever nitrate free lunch meat you like}. Then top with a second waffle. Grill just long enough to melt the cheese. Flip the waffle over and grill the other side a minute or so. Serve it up!
*Tip: Make a big bunch of waffles and freeze ‘em! I ALWAYS make a double batch when I’m making ANY kind of waffle. It is so nice to be able to pull a couple out for the kids for a quick breakfast. Waffles freeze so well. These corn meal waffles are no exception. So make some extras and then you can have waffle grill cheeses any time you want – FAST!
Last week I was “watching” Food Network. We leave it on that channel when no one is really watching T.V. around here! Sometimes I’m half way listening and I’ll catch a recipe that really sounds good and my ears will perk up and I’ll take note. That is what happened on this particular day. Giada De Laurentiis’s “Giada at Home” was on and the show was about making food for a kid’s party. Giada made PB&J crepes. I immediately started thinking about this match up and I LOVED it.
Why? My kids love PB&J but PB&J on crepes would be even better than on bread because crepes are loaded up with eggs – unlike other breakfast treats like waffles and pancakes. So, this match up is loaded with protein between the peanut butter and the eggy crepes. Pair these babies with some fresh fruit and/or some carrot sticks and you’ve got a very healthy – kid favorite – lunch!
I decided to give them a try and they were a home run with Judah AND Eliana. Here’s how I made them:
1. I made crepes using my recipe here.
2. I spread each crepe with a little peanut butter and then with a little jelly. {Giada also ran some fresh blueberries down the middle of her crepes. This would be good too, but I didn’t have any fresh berries this time of year}.
3. I folded the crepe in half, then folded in the sides a bit {like a burrito}, and then rolled it up. Finally, I cut it in half on the bias
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{I made one alteration to the directions on the crepe recipe, though. I recently received a new ceramic coated pan from Wear Ever’s Pure Living line. It is a safe alternative to non-stick – I WILL NOT use teflon. If you haven’t heard the dets on why you shouldn’t be cooking with Teflon go read about it at Healthy Child, Healthy World here. The ceramic coating is toxin-free, chemical-free, and free of PFOA, PTFE, and cadmium. Plus, ceramic is scratch resistant, and easy to clean {dishwasher safe!}.
The WearEver Pure Living pan made making crepes fool-proof (and healthier!). I was able to cook the crepes WITHOUT buttering the pan first! I just poured the batter straight in, waited until the middle was set and the bottom of the crepe was browned a bit, and then flipped the crepe over and cooked it just a minute more to brown it on the second side.
I’m telling you, this pan is worth its weight in gold! But it retails for just $24.99 – and worth every penny. My husband used it yesterday to cook an egg and said it turned out perfect and he didn’t use any butter or oil in the pan to fry it!
If your interested in seeing Giada’s original recipe that inspired this post, go here.
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My kids are fruit crazy. They love any and all varieties of fruit. Pineapple is one of our favorites and buying it fresh is the way to go. We cut a fresh pineapple just today and made this cute boat. All you need is a fresh pineapple.
First, I cut the end and the top off. Then, I cut the the pineapple in half long ways and in half again (picture 1). Then, I cut a sliver off of each quarter – that piece is the core (picture 2). Then, I cut the skin off and cut the flesh into pieces. I skewered a couple of the pieces to make sails for the boat. Judah added two cherries to the top of the sails. Isn’t is cute?
I also used some of the fresh fruit to make non-alcoholic pina coladas for us. I added 1 cup of the fresh pineapple, 4 ounces of Coco Lopez Coconut Cream, 4 ounces of pineapple juice, and 2 cups of ice to the blender. It was SOOO delicious!
If the intimidating outer layer is what has kept you from buying a fresh pineapple – have no fear! It is WAY cheaper to buy a whole fresh pineapple than to buy peeled and cored pineapple at your local grocery store. And, it isn’t hard at all once you’ve learned how to do it. All you need is a sharp knife and a cutting board. Here’s a video how to:
Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. Walmart has provided me with product and/or compensation in exchange for my time and efforts in creating this post. My participation is voluntary. As always, my opinion is my own.
It’s GAME TIME! Football season is upon us so what do you have planned? Will you be tailgating? Maybe you’ll be watching the games at home? Walmart wants you to know they have tons of gear to help you to be prepared for the big game no matter where you’ll be watching it. I know at my hometown Walmart all the Georgia gear is right by the door!
And, check out this tent I scored online from Walmart.com – it is s 10×10 Ozark pop up canopy. It was super easy to put together/pop up. It is really well made and will work great for tailgating and for other outdoor events for my family! I am looking forward to using it a bunch this fall for entertaining as well. There are lots of canopies on Walmart.com starting at $49.97 for a 9×9 express canopy. This one in my photos was $99 and shipped for free! Plus there are tons of add ons you can purchase like wind curtains, sun walls, and mesh curtains if you want them.
Besides the awesome canopy I also got some sports team themed gear in my home town team – the Georgia Bulldogs. I got a bowl, napkins, and cups. But, they also had plates, table cloths, and lots of gear for the game too. I decided to purchase some Georgia Bulldog fabric from Walmart’s fabric department to use as my table topper rather than purchase a plastic themed table cloth. I figured I could wash and reuse this so it was worth spending just a little bit more. And, there was actually lots of licensed Georgia Bulldog fabric to choose from.
While Walmart did carry Georgia Bulldog plates to match the cups and napkins I bought, I opted to save a little money and purchase the solid black plates from their party supply aisle. They were very reasonably priced and just right for my budget.
So, on to the most important part… the food. I made chili, apple dip with apples and grapes, and grilled cheese roll-ups. My apple dip is a crowd favorite and since it only takes two ingredients, it is fabulous for tailgating. All you need is an 8 oz block of cream cheese and a regular/small sized jar of marshmallow cream. Leave the cream cheese out so it will be room temperature. Blend the two together with a mixer and viola! Fruit dip in a jiff that will be gone in a jiffy!
Aren’t these little grilled cheese roll-ups cute as a button!? My little tailgaters (and my big tailgaters!) loved these! All you have to do is roll a piece of bread flat with a rolling pin. Place a piece of sandwich sliced cheese on top and roll it up. Place some butter on the griddle OR spread a little softned butter on the outside of the roll-up and then grill, seam side down first. After a few minutes roll the sandwich around to get it grilled on all sides. Gooey deliciousness great alone or with a big bowl of chili.
Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. Walmart has provided me with product and/or compensation in exchange for my time and efforts in creating this post. My participation is voluntary. As always, my opinion is my own.
I’m always looking for fun lunches for my toddler. He doesn’t really like lunch meat and although I don’t think he’d ever grow tired of peanut butter and jelly {and I have many forms and fashions that I serve it} I would feel like a terrible mother if I didn’t switch it up every now and then!
I have a few recipes that I like and a few that he likes but I’m not fond of, but I’ve finally found one that the whole family can agree on. And, its quick and easy to boot! You can alter this with whatever “hotdog” you have available {or find a sale on}. I like to use turkey brats because I like the way they taste, they are lower fat, and we don’t eat pork. But, you could use any hotdog, brat, or even cocktail weiners if that’s what you’ve got.
When I make cornbread I make my own from scratch but I like the way this Jiffy muffin mix tastes with these mini muffins. You could easily subsitute your own {or my own} cornbread recipe for this but if you want to mix it up quick because you’ve got two screaming kids- wait that’s me- {and I mean less than 20 minutes from start to finish} then Jiffy muffin mix is the way to go!
1 package of turkey brats
1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut each brat into 5 lengths/pieces. Place each brat piece into a different mini muffin tin well {little people love to help with this part}.
Mix up Jiffy muffin mix as directed on the box {an egg and some milk}. Spoon batter around each brat {about a tablespoon full}. Cook in the oven for about 8 – 10 minutes. Check them with a toothpick to make sure the muffin part is done. Every oven is a little different.
I like mine with mustard, Judah likes ‘em with ketchup, and DJ and Eliana like them just plain. How do YOU like them?
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Georgia Blueberries won’t be around for much longer so I’ve been squirreling them away so that I can enjoy them after the season is over. That way, while I’m hibernating during the cold months, I’ll have plenty of blueberry goodness to make pancakes, quick breads, oatmeal, and more to warm me up! I’m not just storing these little gems in my freezer. Find out the other way I’m preserving these little summer fruits by reading my post over at the Georgia Blueberry site this week.
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Here’s a little late night snack that you are going to love! Chocolate Covered Banana Bonbons. Yum. Yum.
You know those chocolate covered bananas that you can buy at chocolate shops and ice cream parlors? Well this is better.
Why? Because you can make them to order. Add some chopped nuts or Biscoff spread and you’be got something special!
Here’s what I did:
Melt some chocolate chips in the microwave at half power or over a double boiler. Slice up a banana (or two or three).
For plain banana bonbons just dip the banana into the chocolate and then place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze until hard.
For biscoff and chocolate banana bonbons spread a dollop of Biscoff spread on the top of a banana slice. Dip into chocolate (I actually found it easier to drop a spoonful of chocolate on top and then spread it around rather than dipping). Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze until hard.
Sprinkle either type with a few chopped almonds for a fancier look and for a little texture.
This is a great summer time treat you can pull out of the freezer. You can pull out just a few or a bunch depending on how many you/your guests want!
Can you think of other yummy variations?
*Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. Walmart has provided me with product and/or compensation in exchange for my time and efforts in creating this post. My participation is voluntary. As always, my opinion is my own.
