To start the new year off right, I made this printable Weekly Menu Planner to help stay motivated and plan ahead.

This reusable sheet takes the stress out of menu planning by helping you to organize daily meals and ingredients needed. 

No more wondering “What’s for dinner?” 

Scroll down to download your free printable.

Print out your copy of the menu planner.

You can choose to simply write on it and print a new one each week or do like I do a laminate it!

I use these laminate sheets (no laminator machine needed) and add a sheet to the front of my menu planner. Voila!

Now, I can write on it with dry erase markers and wipe off every week! 

Tip: You can laminate the back too and use it for your weekly grocery lists. Just add it to a binder or clipboard and take it to the store with you.

I love how simple to use this  planner is .

I hang mine on my fridge with a magnet and it’s a great motivator to plan and be organized with our at home family meals.

Print Your Menu Planner!

>>> Click here to download and print the Weekly Menu Planner. <<<

The post What’s For Dinner ? | Printable Weekly Menu Planner appeared first on For the Love of Food.

We’re road trip ready!

The girls each have their snackle boxes full of kid size snacks in a convenient case for the drive!

Check out details below for this fun Mom Snack Hack!

Ingredients:

Variety of small snacks such as:

Goldfish

CheezeIts

Peanut Butter Crackers

Veggie Straws

Trail Mix

Cracker Jacks

Popcorn

Dried Fruit

Granola

Sour Worms

Chips

Directions: 

1. Add snacks to each of the 18 or so openings in the snackle box. 
2. Fill to the top then snap on the lid. 
3. Your ready to go with your portable snackle box.

Who knew tackleboxes could be used for other things, right? We found these affordable ones in the fishing dept at Walmart. They have 18 adjustable slots.

This fun snackle box can be filled with so many snacks!

Our boxes had 18 adjustable spaces so I filled each with small amounts of kid friendly snacks like veggie straws, popcorn, goldfish, trail mix, and penut butter crackers.

Snap closed and it’s ready for travel!

Snack time! My girls loved all the snack options!

The post Kids DIY Snacklebox | Road Trip Snack Hack appeared first on For the Love of Food.

My family loves to explore and enjoy nature and all our beautiful surroundings here in Missouri.

Today is Earth day and it’s a favorite of ours because we can get outside and appreciate Mother Nature!

Over the years we have done many different activities together on Earth Day week including nature hikes, recycle and upcycle activities, scavenger hunts, and city wide clean ups.

Today we are going to the Botanical Gardens and enjoying a movie in the park! 

I put together a list below of our favorite family activities for Earth Day to share some fun memories and give you a few fun ideas for your Earth Day week.

Feel free to comment below and tell me some of your favorite Earth Day inspired activities too!

Neighborhood Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt

Fresh air and sunshine every day are so important for kids! We have been enjoying family walks, bike rides, and walking our dog in our neighborhood and walking trails.

To make it more exciting for my kiddos, I created this fun Neighborhood Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt printable.

Download and print one for your family too!

Pretty in Pink Picnic 

Picnics have always been an activity we enjoy, ever since my girls were babies. All you need is a nice day, a blanket, and a cooler with snacks and drinks! 

I share two pink themed, kid friendly snacks in the link above to make for your next picnic. 

DIY Upcycled Bird Feeders

Looking for an activity to use up all your extra toilet paper rolls?
I save our paper rolls for crafts with my kids and now that it is springtime our favorite way to upcycle

instead of throw away the empty toilet paper rolls is make bird feeders!

Springtime Nature Trail Scavenger Hunt | Exploring State Parks with Kids

For Earth Day this week I am sharing this free printable Springtime Nature Trail Scavenger Hunt! Get out and explore with this fun game for kids. 

DIY Flower Pens and Painted Pots

These flower pens make great gifts and are a fun craft to make at home with the kids.

Presented in a DIY painted pot gives them a sweet personal touch that Moms and Grandmas will love!

Also teaching kids how to plant seeds and grow their own plant is a fun Earth Day activity too.

Creepy Crawly Dirt Cups for Earth Day

Dirt Cups are sweet and perfectly messy! A fun afternoon treat for Earth Day!

City Wide or Neighborhood Trash Pickup

One of my favorite childhood memories was participating in beach cleanups with my Dad. As a kid it made me feel good to clean up my hometown and feel like I made a difference. Also any time I spent with my Dad was a good time and as I look back I truly cherish those memories! This is why when our city hosted a trash pickup last year, I signed my whole family up. I wasn’t sure how my girls would react but they surprised me and were not only great helpers but enjoyed themselves too. Check out your city, church, and community calendars to sign up or host your own in your neighborhood!

DIY Painted Rocks 

Get outside and paint and hide rocks for others to find! This post includes some tips and many rock painting ideas.

They also make great gifts and garden decor!

Outdoor Movie Night

You can have an outdoor movie night almost anywhere!

We have done our own backyard and driveway, the local drive in, city park and even in a parking lot in a military hosted event on post. 

Check and see if your area hosts any upcoming movie nights or get a projector and play a movie on your garage door or hang up a sheet as a screen in the backyard.

Most importantly, enjoy the fresh air and cool breeze and don’t forget the popcorn!

Also check out:

20+ Earth Day Crafts and Recipes To Make !

The post Fun Earth Day Activities for Families appeared first on For the Love of Food.

It’s time for the annual Christmas Trees on Parade hosted by Terri from Christmas Tree Lane .

This fun Christmas Tree hop features 7 bloggers and their Christmas tree creations and ornament giveaways.
Scroll down to see my Beach Tree from this year and to enter to win my themed ornament.

I am from Florida and last month we were lucky enough to travel home to the Florida Panhandle to see my family for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time and one of my favorite memories is taking my kids to the beach. There is really nothing like it. The smooth white sand, the cool air, the blue green ocean, the ocean life and birds everywhere, and our favorite, the shells! 

So naturally for this year’s Christmas Trees on Parade I wanted to make a Florida Beach Tree.

I used a small white tree that reminded me of beach sand and placed it on a table with a light blue holiday blanket and a white fur table runner to represent the beach.

I added a few large shells and decor on the blanket and base of the tree and then decorated with a variety of shells, beach themed ornaments, and handmade trinkets

and decorations from our visits to Florida. 

Scroll down for more details on our beautiful Beach Themed Christmas Tree and tips on creating your own themed mini tree. 

I adore special mementos on family trips so every year we have celebrated Christmas in Florida

we made an ornament filled with sand and shells from the nearby beach. This is what first inspired my beach tree.

So if you have a special ornament from a trip or family memory or tradition start there and see what themed tree you can create with it!

Every year we add a new ornament (or two or three) and this year I found my ornament at the Pensacola Farmer’s Market.

It is a resin filled ornament with sand and shells and it looks perfect front and center on my beach tree!

Other special ornaments were added such as these market finds from Florida.

Color is good too! I decided the look of this tree would be white and blue but you can make a bright and colorful beach tree too!

Think summer vacation or kids at the beach theme and add colorful flipflops, fish and animal ornaments along with photos of your family at the beach.

I have a small box of these plastic gold shells that I call my “fillers”. They fill in empty spaces, add some color, and are also good for adding to the back of a tree.

Tip: some mini trees will tip over if they are too heavy on the front so be sure to always add ornaments to the back too. 

I had other fun beach ornaments that were too big for my little tree but too cute not to display. I added them around the tree as decor. How cute is the beach Santa?!

Since the base and tree are white I simply added a few large shells around the bottom. No tree skirt needed!

The final touch? A large sand dollar (I found this one while snorkeling) to top the tree. A starfish would also be a nice topper.

This beach tree brings a smile to my face every time I walk by it!

It represents myself, the Florida girl who loves the beach, and also my kids and the beach trips and memories we have made together!

Enter to Win!

I am giving away this festive sequin fish ornament this week!

All you have to do to be entered to win is leave a comment on this post and include your email. I will randomly choose a winner on Friday December 10th.

Be sure to check out the lick up below to see the other Christmas Trees on Parade and enter their giveaways!

The post Beach Themed Coastal Christmas Tree appeared first on For the Love of Food.

This fun Christmas Tree hop features 8 bloggers and their Christmas Tree creations and ornament giveaways. 

Scroll down to see my Dog Lovers Tree from this year and to enter to win my matching ornament.

Hosted by:  Terri at Christmas Tree Lane

T’onna at Sew Crafty Crochet

Lauren at Mom Home Guide

Linda at A Labour of Life

Charlene at Enduring All Things

Nicole at Always Reiding

Shana at Our Sutton Place

Nicole at For the Love of Food

Every year I decorate my small Christmas trees throughout the house in different themes. 

One of my favorites is my dog themed tree. Now that my 2 pups, Charlie and Dylan have passed away this tree is extra special.

I collect dog themed ornaments with different meanings and memories.

My best decorating hack for themed trees is to always be on the lookout, not just at Christmas and in regular stores. 

I find ornaments and decorations at craft stores, flea markets, and yard sales too.

I add one or two new ornaments for each tree every year. These ones were recently added in memory of my boys.

Now we have a new pup Elvis and I am on the lookout for a ornament in his honor!

I do not just decorate with just ornaments either. Mementos, small toys, painted rocks, and paw prints.

I display my tree on a shelf by my dogs portraits and framed photos. The perfect spot!

I love this tree and all the decorations it displays. 

You don’t have to spend a lot on fun and unique ornaments.

This one was $1 at Target this year and looks like my cocker spaniel!

I love my beagle dog painted rock and add that to my tree top.

Charlie’s paw print makes a beautiful decoration.

Enter to win my favorite Christmas ornament!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Dog Lovers Christmas Tree appeared first on For the Love of Food.

It’s cleaning day {or week} and I am all about getting rid of all the clutter!

I created this handy spring cleaning checklist to help me go through and mark off what I have done and what needs to be done. Since we are all on quarantine this is a great time to get some spring cleaning and decluttering done!

Make it a family project or an individual one but trust me you will feel great getting this cleaning up and thrown out {or donated}!

Scroll down for the free printable Spring Cleaning and Decluttering Checklist.

Sweeping the garage and helping sort through bins of holiday decor and craft supplies was the perfect checklist item for Ava to help me with!

Stella helped me sort through and clean out her dresser and closet. All that extra space makes a huge difference!

Dusting all the frames and shelves and cleaning the blinds and baseboards gets overlooked a lot in my home. Glad I’m getting it all done now!

A local church here in Missouri does a seasonal free sale.

You bring kids clothes and shoes and trade them for someone else’s gently worn clothes and shoes.

We traded 30 items of clothing for much needed shoes, jackets, and gloves for my girls.

The remainder is given to kids in foster care. We love this event and participate as often as we can! It is a great way to donate your kids outgrown clothes.

We try to donate adult clothes, movies, and old toys every year to local churches, nursing homes, hospitals, and thrift stores.

Think about donating to a charity like this before throwing out.

Click here to download this FREE printable spring cleaning checklist!

Cleaning and organizing is a great family activity! My little sidekick Ava sure likes helping me.

We have a reward chart and she gets small prizes and special time {like Daddy Daughter dates and movie nights} for helping out.

What are some ways you get your family to help {and enjoy} with spring cleaning and decluttering? Comment below and let me know!

The post Spring Cleaning and Decluttering Printable Checklist appeared first on For the Love of Food.

Happy Fat Tuesday! 

We sure do miss Louisiana this time of year. During our 6 years stationed there we loved the Mardi Gras celebrations the best! The parades and the King Cakes, every flavor you can imagine, were our favorite things about Mardi Gras and every year my girls and I would set out to try a new flavor {or two or three}. One of my favorite local King Cake bakers is Chef Shauna from Dat Truck. I included her cakes in my post My Favorite King Cake Treats in Central Louisiana and we was lucky enough for her send a homemade Bavarian Cream Filled King Cake to us here in Missouri this year! Scroll down for a little history on Mardi Gras, King Cake decorating tips, and of course, to see this year’s cake!

Check out Dat Truck, located in Deridder, Louisiana,  here on Facebook.

The history of the King Cake

Now time to decorate!

Don’t worry they didn’t lick the spoons until after they frosted the cake!

Start with a cooled and filled King Cake.

Now add a powdered sugar glaze all over the top or spread on a flavored frosting. Traditionally it is white.

Most decorate your own King Cakes come with glaze and sprinkles.

But if not you need yellow, purple, and green sugar sprinkles.

You want to color the cake evenly in the three colors. First purple over 1/3 of the frosting.

Now green sprinkles over another 1/3 of the frosting.

And finally gold over the remaining frosting covered King Cake. 

You can decorate with colorful plastic beaded necklaces or fake gold coins. 

I love the look of the Brioche style braided dough and the cream filling makes it extra rich and delicious.

Lucky Ashton had the baby in his slice so he is the King next year and has to get the cake!

We sure do miss Mardi Gras festivities in the South but thank goodness we had a little slice of Mardi Gras at home this year with Dat Truck’s King Cake!

The post All About Mardi Gras King Cake : History and Tips appeared first on For the Love of Food.

Christmas is a little over a week away and we are in full party mode!

Luckily we got some happy mail this month when we received the new Keurig® K-Duo Essentials Coffee Maker.

It was the perfect addition to my Holiday Coffee Bar for my cookie exchange party! Scroll down to learn more about this amazing coffee maker and how to set up your own DIY coffee bar.

Ashton has been wanting a new coffee maker for a while and after doing some research

he chose the Keurig K-Duo because it brews K-Cup® pods and has a 12-cup glass carafe to brew ground coffee too!

Since trying and loving our new Keurig® K-Duo Essentials Coffee Maker, we have definitely turned our home into a Keurig Coffeehouse! 

Keurig® helps make our hectic days easier and happier by starting it off right with a hot cup of coffee with just a push of a button.

I love the affordable price and how easy it is to use for the whole family! Mornings are a rush for our busy family and having a coffee maker that is fast and efficient is just what we need.

Keurig® has inspired us to Brew the Love , why don’t you give it a try?

About Keurig® K-Duo Essentials Coffee Maker

• The Keurig® K-Duo Essentials Coffee Maker is designed to not only
brew K-Cup® pods, but also ground coffee!

• It comes with a 12-cup glass carafe along with a heating plate to help
keep your coffee warm.

• With an auto-off feature for both your brewer and heating plate, this
energy-efficient coffee maker also contains a unique 60 oz. single reservoir
that is shared between single serve and carafe brewing and makes refilling
easy–saving you time and simplifying your morning routine.

• The K-Duo Essentials Coffee Maker is travel mug friendly and can
brew multiple sizes, such as an 8-, 10-, or 12-cup carafe and an 8, 10, or
12 oz cup.

• The Keurig® K-Duo Essentials Coffee Maker retails for $99.

and my favorite feature…

•The Pause & Pour feature allows the Keurig® to be paused mid-brew for 20 seconds, so you can pour fresh,
hot coffee right away.

Connect with Keurig

Available exclusively at Walmart
www.facebook.com/keurig
facebook.com/walmart
twitter.com/keurig
twitter.com/walmart
instagram.com/keurig
instagram.com/walmart

It’s party time! 

I set up this festive Holiday Coffee Bar featuring my Keurig® K-Duo Essentials Coffee Maker for my cookie exchange party.

Here are some of my coffee bar tips for any holiday party.

First, set out the coffee maker and the coffee. I add both ground coffee {medium blend} and multiple flavors of K-cups to the table.

I also added K-cup hot chocolate for the kids. 

I set out a tray of my favorite ceramic Christmas mugs for everyone to use. 

I also add a nice tray out with chilled milk and creamer along with whipped cream and caramel and chocolate sauce.

Now, set out your treats.

Depending on the theme party and your guests, you can customize what you set out. I usually serve shortbread cookies and biscotti since they go well with coffee.

I also like to have bite size donuts and chocolate mints on the table.

Finally, toppings are a must!

I add little decorative bowls filled with every coffee topping you can think of!

Some of my favorites are: mini marshmallows, white sugar, brown sugar, peppermint sticks, colorful sprinkles, cinnamon, and chopped up chocolate and caramel candies. 

Keurig® K-Duo Essentials Coffee Maker can be purchased exclusively on Walmart’s website or visit momsmeet.link/keurig.

The post DIY Holiday Coffee Bar appeared first on For the Love of Food.

This post was sponsored by Kidde Fire Safety as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

October is National Fire Prevention Month and it’s important to make time this month to talk to your little ones.

Discuss important topics with your family, like what to do if there is a fire in your home.

Scroll down to see our list of fire safety tips to discuss and my recommended Kidde Fire Safety essentials.

Stella and I made this handprint fire and water craft and talked about fire safety tips and what to do if our home is on fire.

Scroll down to check it out!

Do whatever it takes to protect what matters!

Scroll down for the craft and our Fire Safety Tips.

As most of you know, I am a Mom to two young girls. As a military family we move often and making sure each new home is safe for our family is a big concern. Some of the first purchases when we move in are always a new smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, and fire extinguisher. Kidde Fire Safety is the brand we trust and they are easy to find at both our local Walmart and The Home Depot. Kidde is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of fire safety products and has been in service for over 100 years. With October being National Fire Prevention Month, it is a great time to protect your home and family with Kidde’s fire safety essentials. Kidde Fire Safety products have helped us feel safer and secure in each new home. Be prepared and protect a lifetime of moments to come!

Smoke Alarm Tips from the National Fire Protection Association

Be sure that…

●Smoke alarms are on every level of the home.

●Smoke alarms are inside and outside sleeping areas.

●Smoke alarms are tested each month.

●Smoke alarm batteries are changed as needed.

●Smoke alarms are less than 10 years old

Learn more about Kidde Fire Safety systems for your home here: https://bit.ly/2lEQV4s ! 

Stella’s school had a visit from our local Waynesville firefighters and they shared some great tips with the preschoolers.

Tips from Sparky and his fellow firefighters if you are in a house fire:

1. Crawl on the ground. “Get low and go”.
2. Feel the door with the back of your hand.
3. Know at least 2 ways out of your house.
4. If your clothes are on fire “Stop, drop, and roll”.
5. Set a meeting place for the family outside of the house.
6. Call 911.
7. Never hide from the firefighters.
8. Never go back inside the house.

My girls and I attend a fire safety event every October for National Fire Prevention Month!

Here we are in Ft Polk, LA in 2016 and Ft Sam, TX in 2017. These events are free and open to the public and definitely worth checking out.

Remember: they are never too young to teach them simple and important fire safety tips that could save their lives!

Fire Safety Handprint Craft

What you need: 

• red, yellow, orange, and blue construction paper
• 1 sheet white cardstock
• scissors
• glue stick
• large letter and number stickers

Directions: 

1. Trace your child’s handprints on the red, yellow, and orange paper. You need two of each color.
2. Next, trace two closed finger handprints on the blue paper.
3. Cut out all the paper handprints.
4. Now glue the red, yellow, and orange handprints on one side of the cardstock, stacking them slightly so they look like a fire.
5. Now glue the two blue handprints (the water) next to the others so that the fingers are pointing towards the fire. 
6. Lastly, add letter and number stickers on top of the paper spelling out a fire safety phrase. We chose “Fire! Call 911” . Other good ideas are “Stop, Drop, and Roll” or “Don’t Hide, Go Outside” 

After discussing the fire safety tips Stella learned in school, we gathered all out craft supplies and sat down to make a craft.

Trace your child’s handprints on the red, yellow, and orange paper. You need two of each color.

Next, trace two closed finger handprints on the blue paper.

Cut out all the paper handprints and glue the red, yellow, and orange handprints on one side of the cardstock, stacking them slightly so they look like a fire.

Now glue the two blue handprints (the water) next to the others so that the fingers are pointing towards the fire. 

Lastly, add letter and number stickers on top of the paper spelling out a fire safety phrase.

We chose “Fire! Call 911” .

Other good ideas are “Stop, Drop, and Roll” or “Don’t Hide, Go Outside” 

Connect with Kidde

Kidde Fire Safety Protect Every Moment page: https://bit.ly/2lEQV4s

Kidde Fire Safety on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kidde/
Kidde Fire Safety on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KiddeSafety
Kidde Fire Safety on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiddefiresafety/

The post Fire Safety Handprint Craft and Family Safety Tips with Kidde appeared first on For the Love of Food.

My daughters have a new favorite toy: the Think & Learn Rocktopus from Walmart! They had a blast playing and learning with this early Christmas present. Then we made a fun Octopus Bread Bowl and Dip for dinner inspired by their new musical octopus. 

The new Think & Learn Rocktopus from Walmart is the perfect gift this holiday season!

Print

Octopus Bread Bowl and Dip

Ingredients

• 2 tubes of French bread dough (I used Pillsbury}
• 1/2 a 2oz can sliced black olives
• 2 cups dip of your choice warmed {I used spinach artichoke dip}

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove dough from one tube and form into a large circle for the "head".
• Place on a greased baking sheet.
• Remove dough from the second tube cut into 8 portions.
• Roll and stretch out with your hands into eight "legs".
• Arrange around the circle "head" on the baking sheet with one side curled up and one side attached to the circle.
• Arrange sliced black olives on the "leg" dough to look like tentacles.
• Cut 4 diagonal slashes across the top of the circle dough.
• Bake for 26 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
• Cut a circle out of the top of the "head" and scoop out inside bread to form a bowl.
• Fill with warmed dip.
• Serve and enjoy!

The post Octopus Bread Bowl and Dip | New Rocktopus Toy appeared first on For the Love of Food.