For the Love of Food: 2018

August 17, 2018

40 Kid Approved After School Snack Ideas

School's in session y'all!

My oldest girl is in Kindergarten this year and my little Stella does Pre-K 3. They are lovin' it so far and I am still in denial they are growing up so fast!
If your kids are anything like mine, as soon as you pick them up from school they say, "Mom, I'm hungry." I am constantly thinking of healthy and out of the box after school snacks for my snack lovin' kiddos. This list of 40 Kid Approved After School Snack Ideas is sure to take some of the stress off of you {it did for me!} and make your kiddos super happy and content!
Bonus: a lot of these are just as yummy for grownups snacktime too!

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August 15, 2018

Back To School Kindergarten Gift Guide - Favorite Etsy Picks!

This was a big week for us! My oldest baby, Ava started kindergarten. I am so proud of the smart, independent, and beautiful young woman she is becoming! To celebrate this momentous time, I have created a Back To School Kindergarten Gift Guide featuring 13 of my favorite Etsy picks! Scroll down to check out these gift ideas and be sure to visit the Etsy stores that make them. Many are also offering coupon codes for their one of a kind handmade items!

My darling girl Ava is so special to me! I love finding unique gifts for her off Etsy while also supporting small businesses. Check out the gift guide below and comment with your favorite finds!

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August 13, 2018

Back-To-School Morning Checklist with Tom’s of Maine®

This post is sponsored by Tom’s of Maine and all opinions are my own.

School starts in a couple weeks and to say we are all excited is an understatement! Ava starts Kindergarten and Stella starts PreK-3 and this Mama is still in denial that my babies are old enough to go to SCHOOL!

We have done the school tours and back-to-school shopping and now it's time to get them ready for the busy back-to-school week day mornings.

Early mornings with kids is never an easy thing, so I thought I would create this Back-To-School Morning Checklist to help kiddos check off the tasks they need to get done every school morning before heading off to class. You can click the link below to download and print your own free copy.

I laminated mine so we can use it over and over.

I've partnered with Tom’s of Maine® to share their back-to-school products we love to use and their partnership with the Kids in Need Foundation. Read more below!

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July 27, 2018

30 Finger Lickin' Good Chicken Wings for #NationalChickenWingDay

How do you like your wings? Hot and spicy or sweet and saucy? Fried, grilled, or maybe baked?

No matter how you like to eat chicken wings I have a recipe for you in this tasty collection of wing recipes! Check out 30 Finger Lickin' Good Chicken Wings recipes below and celebrate National Chicken Wing Day on July 29th with a big ol' platter of messy but good wings for dinner!

1. Crock-Pot Blueberry Barbecue Chicken Wings - For the Love of Food Blog

2. Fajita Chicken Wings - The Bewitchin Kitchen

3. Crockpot Honey BBQ Buffalo Chicken Wings - Flour on My Face

4. Seriously Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings with Garlic Butter Sauce - Girl and the Kitchen

5. Slow Cooker Apricot BBQ Chicken Wings - Mom Endeavors

6. Spicy Cranberry Chicken Wings - The Bewitchin Kitchen

7. Parmesan and Garlic Boneless Chicken Wings - From Gate to Plate

8. Asian BBQ Chicken Wings - A Family Feast

9. Chili Mango Chicken Wings - Arts & Crackers

10. Honey Garlic Chicken Wings - Tastes of Lizzy T

11. Crispy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings - For the Love of Food Blog

12. Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Wings - Temecula Blogs

13. Grilled Chicken Wings with Balsamic-Agave & Cilantro Dipping Sauce - A Worthey Read

14. Baked Chicken Wings - Tastes of Lizzy T

15. Chili Lime Thai Chicken Wings - Happy Mothering

16. Baked Brown Sugar Chicken Wings - From Gate to Plate

17. Oven Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings - A Grande Life

18. Jalapeno Honey Chicken Wings - The Bewitchin Kitchen

19. Game Day Crispy Old Bay Seasoned Chicken Wings - For the Love of Food Blog

20. Korean Style Kimchi Gochujang Chicken Wings - A Family Feast

21. Lemon-Pepper Baked Chicken Wings - All She Cooks

22. Salt and Vinegar Game Day Chicken Wings - Outnumbered 3-1

23. Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings - Cincy Shopper

24. Honey Bacon Ranch Boneless Chicken Wings - From Gate to Plate

25. Salted Coffee Chicken Wings - Simply Being Mommy

26. Baked Lemon Pepper Wings - Tabitha Talks Food

27. Mardi Gras Chicken Wings - Lemony Thyme

28. Dragon Fire Chicken Wings - For the Love of Food Blog

29. Coca Cola Chicken Wings - Tablespoon

30. Spicy Buffalo Chicken Wings - Mama Maggie's Kitchen

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July 24, 2018

Out of This World Space Snack Tray

I love creating food fun, especially for my kiddos. So when I received a box of crunchy, bite size Moon Cheese snacks, I knew I wanted to make a spectacular Out of This World Space Snack Tray for our next movie night with friends. All three flavors of Moon Cheese, Cheddar, Gouda and Pepper Jack, were the highlight of our snack tray but I also added a bevy of tasty space themed treats that both kids and adults would love to eat.
Check them out below and let me know what you think!

Moon Cheese is known as the "cheese that crunches" and is high in protein,
low-carb, all natural, gluten free and a good source of calcium!

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July 23, 2018

Disney's Incredibles 2 Candy Treat Bags #MovieMonday

I love Disney movies and the #1 new Disney flick I was most excited about was Incredibles 2. It came out in June and my family and I were in line to see it opening weekend. Unfortunately, so was half our city!

Needless to say it was busy at the drive in but we loved it anyway.
Ashton even took the girls a second time to see Incredibles 2 for Daddy Daughter Date Night.

On the last (or fourth) Monday of each month, a group of bloggers participate in a #MovieMondayChallenge, hosted by C'mon Get Crafty! We decide on a topic, genre, or specific movie to use for inspiration and everyone gets free reign to create something wonderful!

This month's challenge was. . . . Disney Movies! Everyone was allowed to choose their own favorite film so long as it was inspired by the challenge word. I chose our favorite new movie: Incredibles 2!

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July 15, 2018

35 Easy Homemade Ice Cream Treats

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

Frosty cool ice cream desserts are my favorite year round so I put together this list of 35 of my favorite Easy to Make at Home Ice Cream Treats. From traditional ice cream and milkshakes to cakes and bonbons, you are going to love all these decadent icy sweet treats!

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July 14, 2018

Texas Sweet Tea Pie #SummerDessertWeek

This post and recipe was created for #SummerDessertWeek! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine.

This sweet and tart chess pie is flavored with brewed tea, fresh lemon, and lots of Dixie Crystals sugar! Top with homemade whipped cream and you have a delicious Texas inspired summer dessert!

{We Southern's love our sweet tea but Texans- wow- they love it A LOT!}

Welcome to the 2nd Annual #SummerDessertWeek event hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife. This sweet week-long event is filled with fun dessert recipes from amazing bloggers and some great giveaways from our generous sponsors! We can't wait to share all of these summer-themed desserts with y'all and celebrate summertime sweets all week long!

There are 23 wonderful bloggers participating in this year’s event! With over 60 recipes being shared this week we just know that you’re going to find a new summer favorite! Plus, don’t forget that we have 5 (five)great giveaways for you this week too! Scroll down to take a look!

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July 11, 2018

Mermaid Pudding Pops #SummerDessertWeek

This post and recipe was created for #SummerDessertWeek! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine.

Today for #SummerDessertWeek I have a fun mermaid inspired recipe for y'all!
These colorful Mermaid Pudding Pops are a fun treat to make at home with the kids.
Get creative and decorate with sprinkles, drizzle with candy melts, and add mermaid tail picks for handles!
My kids especially like the mini pudding pops made in the ice cube tray!
Scroll down for the recipe.

There are 23 wonderful bloggers participating in this year’s event! With over 60 recipes being shared this week we just know that you’re going to find a new summer favorite! Plus, don’t forget that we have 5 (five) great giveaways for you this week too! Scroll down to take a look!

These beautiful mermaid wine glasses from Susquehanna Glass inspired this recipe!

Enter to win your own set in the #SummerDessertWeek giveaway.

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July 9, 2018

Cream Puffs #SummerDessertWeek

This post and recipe was created for #SummerDessertWeek! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine.

It's #SummerDessertWeek and to start off this week full of delicious treats, I am sharing a recipe for my favorite bakery sweet: Cream Puffs! These light and airy pastries are filled with a sweet cream made with today's sponsor product, Adam's Extract vanilla. Scroll down for the recipe and more #SummerDessertWeek recipes and a giveaway!

There are 23 wonderful bloggers participating in this year’s event! With over 60 recipes being shared this week we just know that you’re going to find a new summer favorite! Plus, don’t forget that we have 5 (five) great giveaways for you this week too! Scroll down to take a look!

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July 4, 2018

35 All American Drinks & Desserts

Happy 4th of July!

Celebrate the land that we love by making a red, white, and blue sweet treat or refreshing drink today!

I have put together this collection of 35 All American Drinks & Desserts for you to enjoy as you celebrate America's Independence Day.

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July 2, 2018

Firecracker Root Beer Float

Root beer has long been a favorite of mine ever since I was little. When I worked in a brewery in college I loved drinking their delicious homemade root beer on my days off. But what is better than a cold glass of root beer? A root beer float, of course! Since we are celebrating the 4th of July this week I made this festive Firecracker Root Beer Float for sippin' during these hot summer days.

Chilled root beer {I used Ashton's favorite, Dad's Root Beer}is topped with fun red, white, and blue ice cream {Sour Patch Kids or Blue Bell. Finally I added a sprinkle of pop rocks for a firecracker crunch! Check out the recipe below.

One great night! I bought Ashton a Dad's Root Beer to celebrate on the night I told him I was pregnant with our first child, Ava. Always missing that big ol' beagle, Charlie too!

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June 30, 2018

Grilled Teriyaki Duck Kabobs #CookoutWeek

Today is the last day of CookoutWeek and we went all out with a delicious grilled meal last night!

On the menu: Grilled Teriyaki Duck Kabobs with brown rice, steamed broccoli, and leftover Peach Cobbler for dessert!

These flavorful duck kabobs are made with tender Maple Leaf Farms duck breasts, fresh pineapple, sweet onion, and crunchy peppers and glazed with a sweet teriyaki sauce. Check out the recipe below!

Maple Leaf Farms is a fourth generation family-owned poultry company. This year they are celebrating their 60th anniversary. I have cooked their duck products for years, my favorite being their roasted half duck and duck bacon! Today I have teamed up with them for CookoutWeek to make my family's favorite, Grilled Teriyaki Duck Kabobs .

Connect with Maple Leaf Farms

http://www.mapleleaffarms.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Maple.Leaf.Farms.Duck

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MapleLeafFarms

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapleleaffarms/

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June 29, 2018

Mason Jar Rainbow Slushies

Summertime is in full swing and here in Texas it is hot, hot, hot!

Even in the blazing heat my family and I love to be outside in the sunshine so I make sure to always have cold drinks available to sip on and cool down. When my favorite brand, Torani offered to send me some fruity syrup flavors for summer I knew right away I wanted to make Rainbow Slushies for my kiddos. These icy colorful drinks are a breeze to make and you freeze them then drink them right out of mason jars!

Since Torani has over 100 flavors the colors and fruity concoctions you can create are endless!

Check out all their flavors and order online here: www.torani.com

I used rainbow colors, ROYGBV and made Watermelon (red/pink) , Peach (orange), Mango (yellow), Green Apple (green), Blue Raspberry (blue), and Blueberry (purple).

Scroll down for the recipe.