Food Fun Family

After School Snacks – Delicious Dishes Recipe Party #129

Lolli — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 09:03:10 +0000

Hey guys! I’m out of state once again to visit my parents and move my daughter out to school. It’s been a crazy summer, and it’s almost over. What an amazing summer full of memories!

When we get back home, it will almost be time for the new school year to start. My fellow hosts and I had fun this week picking out some tasty after-school snack ideas. Even if you don’t have kids in school, these are delicious recipes to enjoy any day.

Welcome to Delicious Dishes Recipe Party! In case you’re new to the party, here’s what you need to know:

Delicious Dishes is a weekly link party where bloggers can share their most delicious recipes while checking out the amazing recipes that other bloggers are sharing.

Each link you share here will be seen on each of the hostess’ blogs listed below >>

Food Fun Family – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

She Saved – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Walking on Sunshine Recipes – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

5 Minutes for Mom – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

This Mama Loves – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Clever Housewife – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Bunny’s Warm Oven –Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Each week we will be featuring our favorite recipes from the week before and pinning them to our Delicious Dishes Pinterest board.

We hope you’ll have fun with our party…we know we will!

The Recipes with the Most Clicks Last Week Were…

#1: Easy Taco Salad from Mommy Hates Cooking

#2: Apple Cider Glazed Apple Scones from Cooking with Curls

#3: Classic Carrot Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Delicious Dishes Party Favorites from Last Week:

These are the recipes that the hosts loved the most…

I loved Fruit Salad with Banana Cream Yogurt Dressing from Eat Move Make

Lois loved Skillet Brownies for Two from Cooking with Curls

Brett loved Banana Pecan Coffee Cake from Bunny’s Warm Oven

Susan loved Homemade Fruit Bars from The Simple Balance Blog

Keri Lyn loved Lemonade Cookies from Simply Stacie

Emily loved Mason Jar Dirt Pudding from Food Fun Family

Mary loved Peanut Butter Cookie Cups from Spaceships and Laserbeams

Follow us along on our Pinterest board. We pin a ton of recipes that are shared to our linky party each week. So get your recipes ready. We can’t wait to see what’s cooking in your kitchen this week.

Now let’s get this party started!

An InLinkz Link-up

It’s Time to Get Your Game On for Back-to-School

Lolli — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 17:00:24 +0000

This post is sponsored by Kohl’s. I received the included back to school clothes and essentials as compensation.

I remember as a kid that I LOVED back-to-school shopping. I was the one time of the year (and often the ONLY time) when I could count on getting a few new outfits. I loved trying on new clothes and finding pants and shirts and shoes that were stylish, crisp, colorful and new.

Starting off that first day of school with a new outfit made me feel more confident and more ready to tackle the new year.

Now I’m on the other end of the back-to-school shopping spectrum, as a mom with 4 kids living at home (and teenagers at that!!). Let’s just say that back-to-school shopping is often NOT on my list of “fun things I am looking forward to doing.”

I love shopping for myself. Browsing the racks of clothes and trying on new styles is still as exciting as ever. But taking four kids out shopping and finding things they like (and I like, equally)? That can be a different story!

I decided to bite the bullet this back-to-school season and knock all of the school clothes shopping out in one trip to Kohl’s. What was I thinking? Taking four teenagers out to shop for clothes….two girls and two boys, all shopping in different departments?

Yes, it was a big undertaking, but we scored some amazing deals at Kohl’s and came home with outfits for each of the kids that they can wear during the first week of school and throughout the school year. And you know what? I actually had fun!

And now my kids are ready to tackle their new year of school, with both of my girls heading to new schools this year (one starting high school, and the other starting college!). They definitely have their “game face” ready to make a great first impression.

Our favorite deals? We loved all of the “two-for” shirt deals! Everyone scored some graphic tees for a great price. It was fun to see which styles “spoke” to each of the kids. I loved that I was happy with each of the things that they picked out, too!

The boys were in desperate need of some new jeans (because boys grow SO fast!) and we were thrilled to find jeans that were a great price and fit. And take my word for it…the boys are not always the easiest shoppers to please!

After we got home, I asked each of the kids to pick out their favorite outfit to take some back-to-school pictures. They definitely don’t want to wait til the first day of school to start enjoying their haul from Kohl’s…and I don’t blame them!

Are you getting ready to do some back-to-school shopping with your kids, too?

Check out Kohl’s Friends and Family Sale from August 17th-20th. Be sure to score 20% off using code SAVER at check out. You can also get $10 off any $50 kids clothing purchase between August 4-20 using promo code BTS10!

Check out the back to school selection here: https://www.kohls.com/sale-event/school.jsp and here: https://www.kohls.com/sale-event/kids-clothing.jsp

What is on your must-have back-to-school list?

My blog may contain links to other websites. I am not responsible for the privacy policies of those other websites. When you click on a link, your information may be collected by those websites so I encourage you to read their privacy policies.
Affiliate links are not associated with Kohl’s.

5 Tips to Be Ready for Back-To-School Season

Lolli — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 03:57:07 +0000

It’s back-to-school season already! Although my kids still have a few weeks left of summer, I know school will be back in session before I know it, and that means a huge adjustment in our schedule. This post is sponsored by Harris Teeter, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

As much as I love the lazy days of summer (Who are we kidding? Summer is a ton of work for us parents!) I admit that I do look forward to the start of a new school year. By the end of the summer, I can tell that the kids are craving routine, even if they THINK what they want is late mornings sleeping in.

We love school, but the adjustment can be tough. I’ve pulled together a handful of helpful tips to make the back-to-school transition smooth and enjoyable, with a little help (and a shopping trip or two) from Harris Teeter.

5 Tips to Be Ready for Back-To-School Season

Plan meals ahead of time – Nothing puts a wrench in the evening like not knowing what we’re going to eat for dinner. It only takes 5 or 10 minutes at the beginning of each week to jot down a quick list of meals that we’re going to eat throughout the week, and then make a shopping list for the necessary items. But it saves a ton of time (and most importantly, headache!) in the long run because we don’t have to think about the classic (and never-ending) question, “What’s for dinner?” I love taking my shopping list to my local Harris Teeter, where I can get private label products for a low price everyday. Harris Teeter has recently lowered everyday prices on a ton of their private label products, many of which are pantry staples.

Make breakfast quick and easy – Whether your kids are old enough to serve themselves breakfast in the morning or not, having a few quick and easy breakfast options is one of the ways that we make our mornings go much more smoothly. I love a hot, cooked breakfast as much as the next person, but I don’t often have the time to cook one every morning. And that’s ok! Having quick and easy-to-prepare breakfast encourages the kids (especially the teens) to eat something before school every day versus skipping breakfast.

Set up a lunch/snack station – Just like the easy-to-prepare breakfast, our family believes in easy-to-prepare lunches! We have sandwich fixings together on the shelf so that sandwich prep is smooth, and all of the lunch snacks, like fruit cups and granola bars, are in a quick-access drawer. Preparing their school lunch is as easy as grabbing a few items from the lunch drawer and sticking it in their backpack. We are stocking up on low-priced Harris Teeter private label items for our lunch boxes.

One of our favorite after-school snacks!

Create a homework station – After school, the kids always need a snack and a short mental break, but that is followed quickly by homework time! The longer my kids are in school, the longer their homework takes! The easiest way we’ve found to stay on task when it’s homework time is to have a homework “station” in a central location, like the kitchen, that is stocked with pencils, erasers, calculators, good seating and lighting. It’s important that we keep the homework area distraction-free (which is tough when their homework has to be done on the computer!).

What are some of your best tips for adjusting to back-to-school season?

Did you know about Harris Teeter’s Together in Education program? It’s simple! When you purchase HT private label items, your local school of choice can earn money. Harris Teeter has donated over $25 million to Together In Education schools since 1998! Find out more about the program here.

Post a weekly schedule – We’re a family of seven (with 6 of us currently at home), which means a ton of moving parts. Heading back to school means starting fall sports and other after-school activities. Adjusting to a new schedule can be rough, but posting the calendar with all of the family’s activities and commitments helps keep everything running smoothly.

About Harris Teeter: Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Inc. is an American supermarket chain based in Matthews, North Carolina, just outside Charlotte. As of January 2017, the chain operates 243 stores in seven states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C.

The Harris Teeter, Your Plus Guarantee applies to all private label items: “Our goal is to keep you satisfied! If you are not 100% satisfied with this product, simply return it for a full refund. Plus we will replace it with a like item of your choice.” Harris Teeter Private Label items are priced lower than other grocer’s private label items, which means that you get a great quality for a low price.

Connect with Harris Teeter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harristeeter/
Twitter: @HarrisTeeter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harristeeter/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MyHarrisTeeter
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/harristeeter/

Enter to WIN a Harris Teeter Gift Card

We’re giving away a $50 gift card to one (1) lucky winner. Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Care For Your School With Box Tops for Education

Lolli — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 16:30:28 +0000

This is a sponsored post with compensation received from General Mills. As always, all opinions are my own.

Mom confession time: I am the mom who will dig through the recycling bin to snip off any Box Tops for Education that my family has missed. I’ve even been known to sneak a few Box Tops out of the neighbors’ recycle bins before they’re taken away. We even have Grandma collect them for us out of state, and I’ll pack plastic baggies full of Box Tops in my luggage after visiting her.

Box Tops are pretty amazing, if you ask me! I shop for the stuff I would normally buy, and the kids’ school gets 10 cents per Box Tops. It couldn’t be easier!

Box Tops are kind of a big deal in our house.

I’m still in denial that Back to School season is almost here. Didn’t we just start summer break?? There’s no use denying it or trying to avoid the inevitable. School will be back in session before we know it, which means back to school shopping and preparation time is NOW. That means stocking up on school supplies and filling the snack drawers in the kitchen with plenty of goodies for the kids’ lunches.

The Power of Box Tops

What makes Box Tops so incredible? Box Tops for Education helps schools do more for the KIDS. They can help provide more books and academic resources for students; they can help kids be more active with additional gym or playground equipment; they can help fund field trips or field days at school. There are so many ways that Box Tops help parents care for their school and the children it serves.

Did you know that you can search for collection drives from your child’s school, a school in your area, or just find a drive that resonates with you? Check out all of the options here: https://www.boxtops4education.com/clipboard Even though my kids are in middle and high school, I found our kids’ elementary school on the list, and love that they’re gathering Box Tops to help kids attend field trips. But if you’re like us and have kids in middle school or high school, you can still collect Box Tops!

CVS Extra Bucks Offer

While you’re out back to school shopping with your kids this month, be sure to stop by your local CVS. CVS is making it easier than ever to care for your family AND your classroom with everything you need to keep your kids focused, active, and prepared for the new school year. When you shop Box Top items at CVS this back to school season, you help supply schools with the equipment and tools they need to support each and every student!

Special Offer! CVS Extra Bucks Offer (8/20-8/27): Spend $30 on participating Box Tops products, get $10 ExtraBucks reward. So not only are you getting valuable Box Tops for your kids’ school, but you’re saving money on items for your family, too. We like loading up on cereals (my kids eat a TON of cereal!) and lunch box snacks like Mott’s fruit snacks or Fiber One bars.

What are your favorite products to stock up on to collect Box Tops? Is your school listed on the Box Tops site?

Connect with CVS and Box Tops for Education

Be sure to stay connected with Box Tops for Education on the web and social media!

Website: https://www.cvssavingscentral.com/shop-assets/04_GMS_H9273_GenMillsBTS/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btfe/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoxTopsForEducation
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/boxtops/pins/

*Offer valid 8/20/17 – 8/27/17. $30 worth of participating General Mills BTFE products must be purchased in a single transaction with CVS card in order to receive 10 CVS ExtraBucks automatically at checkout. Net purchase determined after all discounts, offers and coupons. Each box top is worth 10 cents to redeeming school when clipped from box tops products and sent to the redeeming school. Only BTFE registered schools can redeem box tops. Limit $20,000 per school per year for box tops redeemed through the clip program. See www.boxtopsforeducation.com for program details.

Easy Breakfast Recipes for Back to School – Delicious Dishes Recipe Party #78

Lolli — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 11:00:32 +0000

I can’t quite believe we’re already at the end of the month of July and speaking the phrase “back to school.” How is that possible? I have yet to go on a summer vacation, so I am not ready to even consider the idea of the summer coming to an end.

Regardless of the time of year, cooking up a delicious but easy breakfast is always a good idea. My family’s favorite home-cooked breakfast is my whole wheat waffles. We love to mix up a bunch of extra batter and keep it in a covered pitcher that we then pour out to make fresh waffles every morning. Quick, easy, delicious, and filling! Who could ask for anything better than that?

What are your favorite quick breakfasts to serve or eat? If you’re in need of some fresh ideas, check these hostess favorites from recent parties!

Each link you share here will be seen on each of the hostess’ blogs listed below >>

Food Fun Family – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

She Saved – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Walking on Sunshine Recipes – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

5 Minutes for Mom – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

This Mama Loves – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Clever Housewife – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Bunny’s Warm Oven –Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Cooking in Stilettos – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Each week we will be featuring our favorite recipes from the week before and pinning them to our Delicious Dishes Pinterest board.

We hope you’ll have fun with our party…we know we will!

The Recipes with the Most Clicks Last Week Were…

#1: 25 Make Ahead Back to School Breakfast Ideas from Second Chance to Dream

#2: Almond Doughnut Cookies Recipe from Ann’s Entitled Life

#3: Back to School Sandwich-Less Lunch Ideas from Second Chance to Dream

Delicious Dishes Party Favorites from Last Week:

These are the recipes that the hosts loved the most…

I loved Cinnamon Sugar Cake Doughnut Recipe from Tikkido

Lois loved Nutty Homemade Granola Recipe from 5 Minutes for Mom

Brett loved Raspberry Dark Chocolate Mini Pancake Muffins Recipe from She Saved

Susan loved Ginger Roasted Peach Breakfast Parfaits from Looney for Food

Aly loved Chai Spiced Zucchini Muffins from Premeditated Leftovers

Keri Lyn loved Yummy Blueberry Smoothie from Crafts a la Mode

Emily loved Morning Glory Baked Oatmeal from Cooking in Stilettos

Mary loved Red and Blue Oatmeal Squares from Our Good Life

Now let’s get this party started!

An InLinkz Link-up

Healthy Back-to-School Lunch Tips

Lolli — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 11:00:29 +0000

Disclosure: I’m proud to partner with CVS Pharmacy on this post for the CVS healthy foods line. All opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared should be verified at CVS.com or with the appropriate manufacturers.

As much as we *may* have complained a time or two during the last few months about the hectic schedule (or non-schedule) of summer break, the fact that we are transitioning to back-to-school next week is still shocking. Alarm clocks and backpacks. Homework and after-school practices. Picking out clothes and packing school lunches….every single morning.

Back-to-school season can be tough, especially with kids in multiple schools with different start times and sports, clubs, and music classes that cover nearly every night of the week. It’s a lot to get used to.

We embrace back-to-school time, despite the fact that managing the family’s schedule is a lot for a busy working mom like me to handle. Luckily, my kids are old enough to take care of certain tasks on their own – or at least help out. One of the areas that I’ve delegated to the kids for the last few years is preparing their daily school lunches.

One thing I realized when we started having the kids get their own lunches ready was that I needed to have a good assortment of healthy food options for them to take or they would end up filling their lunch bag with crackers and cookies and a package of fruit snacks and call it good. Although lunch-prep at our house is far from “picture-perfect,” we’ve made a lot of progress and I think we’re doing a pretty good job at packing healthy school lunches.

CVS surprised us with a box full of healthy snacks for the new school year. The kids couldn’t wait to dig in!

Here are a few of our tips for packing a healthy school lunch:

Make snack stations

We’ve got 2 “snack stations” in the kitchen: one in the pantry for dry foods and one in the refrigerator for fresh foods. I fill those stations with “grab-and-go” type foods that the kids can put in their lunches. Things like fruit, cheese sticks, yogurt cups, carrots and hummus, cut celery, etc are in the fridge and placed in small baggies, if necessary, so that the kids can grab a serving in a pinch without having to worry about getting out the knife and cutting board. The pantry has a basket or two of things like pre-made muffins, granola bars, nuts, dried fruits, crackers, beef jerky, etc. Again, we leave individual portions in ziploc bags so they’re easy to grab on the run.

Variety rocks!

We’ve stressed the importance of adding a variety of foods to their lunch box so that they don’t end up with too much “fluff” and not enough of the good stuff that will sustain them through the school day. Not all of my kids like sandwiches, so we’ve given them some options for sandwich “substitutes.” If they love crackers, then we have them add sliced cheese and deli meats to make homemade Lunchables. High-protein snacks like nuts mixes, cheeses, beef jerky, and yogurt are also encouraged as main lunch courses, as long as they have a variety of other foods, too, like a piece of fruit.

Pack the night before

Although packing lunch the night before will not make the contents any better for the kids, it sure does make the morning routine go a lot more smooth. Plus preparing ahead of time, without the time crunch, eliminates the rushed “throw-anything-in-the-lunch-bag” problem…or worse yet, the “oops!-I-forgot-to-pack-a-lunch” dilemma as they’re trying to get out the door. Any lunch is better than no lunch!

Stock the kitchen with things they love

We have found success with buying a variety of foods for the kids to try before “committing.” The foods that pass the test are added to our regular rotation. There’s no use in stocking the shelves with foods that the kids will never touch (or worse yet, bring to school and throw away, uneaten!).

Since I’m typically busy working every minute that the kids are at school and then busy driving them from home to practices and back again, making dinner, or helping with homework when they’re not in school, I don’t have a lot of extra time to run around town to shop. Luckily, CVS is always on the way to wherever we’re going, so it’s convenient to stop at CVS to grab snacks for the kids’ school lunches.

This is just a small sampling of the delicious, good-for-you food that you can get at CVS for school lunches!

Here are just a few ways that CVS is helping my family meet our healthier school lunch goals:

Adding more healthy foods: You can find more than 250 refrigerated and non-perishable healthy foods and beverages at CVS Pharmacy stores from brands including: Amy’s Kitchen, Annie’s Homegrown, Chobani, Vita CoCo, Bai, Krave Jerky, Rhythm Superfoods, That’s it bars as well as new products from the CVS Pharmacy exclusive line, Gold Emblem abound which is free from artificial preservatives, flavors and colors.
Moving healthy foods forward: Not only are CVS stores stocking a wide assortment of healthy foods (with more coming all the time), displays of healthy foods and grab-and-go snacks are being displayed more prominently, making it even more convenient to find healthy options. That includes roughly 25% of the front check out space being dedicated to better-for-you snacks like KIND bars, Larabars and Vega One bars.
Healthy eating trend zones: It will be easy to spot foods that meet your dietary preferences including paleo, raw and vegan as more and more diet-friendly products are added and displayed clearly in the store.
Fit Choices tagging program: CVS’s Fit Choices shelf tagging program makes finding healthier items in store so much easier by clearly identifying foods that fit nutritional and dietary preferences including: Good Source of Protein, Heart Healthy, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified. It’s so helpful to scan products for my personal preferences.

Be sure to check out your local CVS Pharmacy to see the healthy options that are available, or visit CVS.com for ideas that will make lunch prep easier and more delicious this school year.

Big Fat Notebooks – What Your Tween Needs for Back to School

Lolli — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 14:12:35 +0000

Have you heard of the Big Fat Notebook series? I’m excited to introduce this fun, engaging, and informative resource for middle school students in partnership with @WorkmanPub. All thoughts are my own and my kids’; affiliate links are used to link to the books on Amazon.

Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post to take home your own set of Big Fat Notebooks!

School starts up again at the end of the month. I have always been grateful that my kids look forward to the start of a new school year. As much as we love summer break, we all thrive on the school year schedule and routine. This is the first year since my oldest daughter started school (15 years ago!?) that we will not have a child in elementary school. We have loved our neighborhood elementary school and will miss it, but we’re excited for all the learning and the opportunities that lie ahead for us in middle school, high school, and college this year.

My youngest son is starting his first year of middle school next week, and though we know he’ll excel, it’s nice to start off a new year and a new school with some extra resources. He has been loving the new Big Fat Notebook series that we received recently from Workman Publishing. He immediately grabbed the American History book and started reading it. I was curious and opened up the English Language Arts book and was instantly engrossed in the information.

The Big Fat Notebooks are NOT textbooks. They are books that tweens and teens will want to pick up and browse through….or pick up when they run into a problem they can’t answer during homework. The Big Fat Notebooks are not read-through-once-and-you’re-done types of books. They’re the kind of resource that will feel comfortable and familiar to middle school kids so that they will not think twice about reaching for them to learn something new, learn something better, or learn something again.

From the parent’s and teacher’s perspective, the Big Fat Notebooks…

meet Common Core State Standards
meet Next Generation Science Standards
meet state history standards
are vetted by National and State Teacher of the Year Award–winning teachers

The Big Fat Notebook series is built on a unique concept – borrowing the class notes from the smartest kid in class. Inside each book, you’ll find key concepts from each of the main subjects middle school students study – Math, Science, American History, English Language Arts, and World History. Each chapter is full of information that is easy to digest and presented in a style that will not only catch middle school students’ eyes, but keep them reading and discovering. Critical ideas are highlighted in neon colors. Definitions are explained clearly. Tricky concepts are explained using doodles and illustrations. Mnemonics are used to help memorize shortcuts. And each chapter ends with a quiz to recap everything they’ve learned.

Believe it or not, my 6th grade son WANTS to take those end-of-chapter quizzes! I’ve been learning a ton, too, as I’ve given him the quizzes.

My favorite thing about having the Big Fat Notebooks in our home is knowing that we have a resource to use when our kids come to us with a question that we don’t know how to answer (how many of my fellow parents are scared of having to recall all of the middle school and high school math we learned ages ago??). I love that we can look up concepts, read through examples, and then have the tools to help our kids succeed.

About the Books in the Big Fat Notebooks Series for #MiddleSchool Students

Everything You Need to Ace Math . . . covers everything to get you over any math hump: fractions, decimals, and how to multiply and divide them; ratios, proportions, and percentages; geometry; statistics and probability; expressions and equations; and the coordinate plane and functions.

Everything You Need to Ace Science . . . takes readers from scientific investigation and the engineering design process to the Periodic Table; forces and motion; forms of energy; outer space and the solar system; to earth sciences, biology, body systems, ecology, and more.

Everything You Need to Ace American History . . . covers Native Americans to the war in Iraq. There are units on Colonial America; the Revolutionary War and the founding of a new nation; Jefferson and the expansion west; the Civil War and Reconstruction; and all of the notable events of the 20th century—World Wars, the Depression, the Civil Rights movement, and much more.

Everything You Need to Ace World History . . . kicks off with the Paleolithic Era and transports the reader to ancient civilizations—in Egypt, Greece, India, China, Africa, Rome; the middle ages across the world; the Renaissance; the age of exploration and colonialization, revolution and imperialism, and the modern world and the wars and movements that shaped it.

Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts . . . covers everything to get you your best marks: grammar, including parts of speech, active and passive verbs, Greek and Latin roots and affixes; nuances in word meanings; textual analysis, authorship, structure, and other skills for reading fiction and nonfiction; and writing arguments, informative texts, and narratives.

FOLLOW @WORKMANPUB & Big Fat Notebooks

Where to Find #BigFatNotebooks

You can purchase #BigFatNotebooks at the following retailers:

Big Fat Notebooks giveaway

I am thrilled to give away an amazing Big Fat Notebooks prize! Open to US addresses only; prizing provided by Workman Publishing. This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm ET September 12, 2016. Once the giveaway has ended, the winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Please note, I reserve the right to draw an alternate winner should the first winner not respond within 2 days.

One (1) winner from Food Fun Family will receive:

Copies of all 5 titles in the Big Fat Notebooks series;
Branded school supplies including highlighter/pen combos, a notepad, and jigsaw sticky notes.

Enter on the widget below. Good luck!

Entry -Form

Morning Routine For Busy Moms: How to Start Your Day Off Right

Lolli — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 20:00:42 +0000

My mornings start at the crack of dawn. I thought that the summer would be a break from our crazy routine, but with early morning swim practice this summer, we haven’t had much time to catch up. I was kind of hoping that the change of routine would allow for later mornings and a little more sleep for this mama. And now we’re about to start a new school year. A mother’s job truly never ends, does it?

Since I’m confident that I’m not the only mom whose mornings tend to be controlled by kids, I thought it would be helpful to share a few tips for making morning routines more productive and positive (….instead of the opposite, where you realize that you’ve been up for 4 hours and haven’t gotten dressed or eaten breakfast and just want to crawl back into bed when the kids leave!).

Here are a few tips for starting your day off on the right foot so that the rest of the day is as productive and positive as possible.

Morning Routine for Busy Moms: 5 Tips to Start Your Day Off on the Right Foot

Start your day with meditation – My most positive and productive mornings begin with some sort of meditation. Prayer, gospel study, and stretching always put me in a better frame of mind to tackle the rest of my day. When I convince myself that my morning is too chaotic to stop for 15 or 30 minutes to meditate and study, then the rest of the day remains chaotic.

Exercise – I admit that it’s tough to make the time to exercise in the morning (this is a relatively new habit I’m trying to establish) but I always leave feeling energized and ready to get to work. I’ve also noticed that when I put off exercise in the morning, thinking that I’ll get it done later in the day….it rarely happens!

Get dressed – Showering and putting on fresh clothes makes a huge difference in my mindset. Getting dressed for the day is my way of saying I’m ready to get to work, whether I need to leave the house or not.

Make your bed – The habit of making the bed only takes a couple of minutes but it sets the tone in the house. It’s especially important for me since my office is also in my bedroom. You can take it one step further and find one other spot in the house to tidy. It always amazes me how much of a difference a few minutes of cleaning can make as I’m starting my day.

Establish a routine for your kids – Get your kids into a morning routine so that YOU aren’t doing everything for them. This can apply to many ages. Even toddlers can get used to – and thrive in – a morning routine that includes getting out of bed, getting dressed, packing a bag for the day, and even getting something to eat.

Eat a filling breakfast – Making sure that I take the time to eat a nutritious, filling breakfast is one of the most important things in my morning routine. I’ve never been one to “forget” to eat (I could never understand those people. My stomach does not let me forget!) but I’ve noticed that what I eat really does make a difference. Since I’m often on the run in the morning, and since I frequently leave breakfast to the very last task on my morning routine, it’s especially handy to have a few options that I can grab before I head out the door or start my work day at the computer. One of my favorite new options for a wholesome, delicious, protein-packed breakfast is Jimmy Dean Delights Frittatas.

I’ve been eating a high protein, low carb diet lately and breakfast has been one of my favorite meals of the day. New Jimmy Dean Delights Frittatas fit perfectly with my goals. They are made with real ingredients like whole eggs, lean meats, and real vegetables, and are an excellent source of protein. What’s even more amazing is that they contain 9 to 10g of carbs per serving, which is exactly what I’m looking for in a breakfast food.

Busy moms like me will appreciate the fact that Jimmy Dean Delights Frittatas are ready from the microwave in just two minutes. And they taste delicious – like I made them myself!

Jimmy Dean Delights Frittatas come in 3 flavors:

Bacon and Spinach Frittatas
Turkey Sausage and Bacon Frittatas
Turkey Sausage and Veggies Frittatas

Which flavor are you most excited to try?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Keep Your College Student Safer This School Year #Wearsafe #SaferSmarter

Lolli — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 22:35:23 +0000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Wearsafe for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Next week, my oldest daughter starts her third year of college. When she started college a few years ago, I had a hard time believing that I was old enough to have a college-aged daughter. It felt like yesterday when I had started my first year of college. Now, she’s halfway through her college career and my second daughter is getting ready to send out college applications. It’s still amazing to me that I could be at this stage of parenting.

I love that my daughter is able to go to school, but I have worried about her being so far away. During her first year of college, she lived off campus and had a long walk to and from her apartment to the campus. Knowing the schedules of typical college students, I knew that she would often have to walk alone early in the morning and late at night. I do feel like campuses are somewhat safer today compared to my pre-cell phone days in college, but I still worry about my daughters walking alone. Even though she’s always had a mobile device, I understand that sometimes situations arise where it’s not possible to call. Every parent wants to protect their children, no matter how old they are. Knowing that my kids are safe (my college student, my high school students, and my middle school kids, too) means everything to me. I was so excited to find out about the Wearsafe Tag, which offers not only college students and their parents peace of mind, but can be a great resources for non-students, like women who run or walk for exercise on their own.

How Wearsafe Tag Works

Imagine my daughter or your daughter or another college student walking home from campus after a study session. If, at any time, she has questions about her safety, she can use her Wearsafe Tag and app to notify her group and she has instant peace of mind.

She pushes the button on her Tag and the close friends and family members who she has added to her group on the Wearsafe app are notified. Not only are they sent her GPS location, but they hear audio from the scene and can coordinate a response or call 911 to get help to her exact location as soon as possible. She never even has to take her phone out of her bag.

Wearsafe is compatible with both iPhones and Androids, this app is $5 per month – with NO commitments – and comes with a FREE device/tag. Wearsafe is the only product to offer audio, GPS and group chat, offering 3 methods of assistance. Try it free

How Wearsafe Works:

The Wearsafe Tag provides the following information so that you can get the help you need as soon as possible: GPS information – the app recognizes if you are traveling or moving or stationary…but that alone is not enough information. Audio from the scene – pushing the button on the Wearsafe Tag sends live audio, or if selected before hand, an audio file of 60 seconds before the ‘event.’ Being able to hear what is going on gives the context of what is happening. Group chat – all those in selected network are in group chat to create a virtual situation room. They can connect as a team to address how to help person in distress and assess the situation. It was easy to set up our Wearsafe account. The app is free to download on Android and Apple devices. Just download the app, open an account, and let them know if you have a Tag or need one. Two of the most impressive things for me when I was setting up my account was that they send new users a free Tag when they sign up for their first month of service AND there is no month-to-month commitment. Once I set up my account, I was able to select people from my contact list to add to my network. It was easy to activate my device – I was even able to choose my own name for my Tag.

The Tag is small and discreet and easy to wear or attach to a key chain

I definitely would have had more peace of mind that first year that my daughter was off on her own, and I’m happy that I can send my second college student-to-be to school with Wearsafe. Try it free

Delicious Dishes Recipe Party #32 – Easy Recipes for Back to School

Lolli — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 11:00:23 +0000

I’ve been waiting for this week ALL summer long! I’m finally on my yearly retreat with my mom and feeling the stresses of everyday life just melt away. Ahhh!

Before we get into this week’s Delicious Dishes party, I wanted to ask for some support for one of my sponsor’s sites. Last week, I made the most tasty chicken parmesan meatballs with RAGÚ®…but look at a few of the many incredible recipes they’ve got using their Homestyle pasta sauces. Click the collage below to get a few new dinner or lunch ideas:

And now on to the party! I’m especially excited about this week’s collection of host favorites from last week’s party. We pulled together 8 delicious – and easy – dishes for back to school cooking.

Each link you share here will be seen on each of the hostess’ blogs listed below >>

Food Fun Family – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

She Saved – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Walking on Sunshine Recipes – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

5 Minutes for Mom – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

This Mama Loves – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Clever Housewife – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Bunny’s Warm Oven –Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Cooking in Stilettos – Blog / Facebook / Pinterest

Each week we will be featuring our favorite recipes from the week before and pinning them to our Delicious Dishes Pinterest board.

We hope you’ll have fun with our party…we know we will!

The Recipes with the Most Clicks Last Week Were…

#1: https://www.graceandgoodeats.com/25-awesome-breakfasts-for-back-to-school/
#2: https://cincyshopper.com/apple-pie-fries/
#3: https://cookinginstilettos.com/philly-cheesesteak-hot-dogs/

Delicious Dishes Party Favorites from Last Week:

Since most of us have kids heading back to school soon (or already!) we thought it would be fun to collect some of our favorite easy back to school recipes. I am so excited about these recipes!

These are the recipes that the hosts loved the most…

I loved 5 easy back to school dinner ideas from Kids Activities Blog

Lois loved One pan pepperoni pizza pasta from Meatloaf and Melodrama

Brett loved Peanut butter and jelly bars from Everyday Savvy

Susan loved Teddy bear toast lunchbox idea from Grace and Good Eats

Aly loved BBQ meatloaf from Teaspoon of Goodness

Keri Lyn loved Fresh & easy cauliflower tabouli from The Produce Gathering

Emily loved bacon cheddar muffins from How To Nest for Less

Mary loved Fajita hot dogs from Craving

Follow us along on our NEW Pinterest board. We pin all your amazing recipes!

Now let’s get this party started!

An InLinkz Link-up