Is Today Your Lucky Day?
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #VivaLaMorena #CollectiveBias Tamales have been made for literally thousands of years. This portable, delicious, nutritious meal-in-a-wrap is a tradition in Mexico and Central America. My daughter is Guatemalan by birth and this year I wanted to introduce her to the holiday tradition of the tamalada. A tamalada is a party to … [Read more...]
Disclosure:  This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MixInMonsterMash #CollectiveBias Halloween is right around the corner! One of my family's favorite themes for celebrating Halloween is witches.  My daughter is nine and dressing up as Maleficent this year. Halloween is one of her favorite reasons to party.  Have your kids picked out their costumes?  Will you be … [Read more...]
Disclosure:  This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SpreadTheMagic #CollectiveBias What to eat before running a race or a training long-run?  It's one of the most asked questions by runners.  And an important question.  I've found something that works for me and I want to share it! Homemade Peanut Butter Energy Bites: are nutritious taste delicious and it's … [Read more...]
Disclosure:  This shop has been compensated by Jewel-Osco. All opinions are mine alone. #StockUpOnPace #JewelOsco #CollectiveBias "Whew!" That's what I say every morning after my daughter leaves for school.  My husband and I have tried everything from schedules, earlier bedtimes, screaming, and begging to make the morning more calm and approach a semblance of punctuality.  What works best?  A combination! My daughter and I worked … [Read more...]
Disclosure: Â I was sent an iCoffee Opus Single Serve Brewer for review. Â All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated. Bye-bye summer. It's getting chilly. Yesterday I reached for a jacket as the temperatures dropped. But inside, it's warm and cozy. Rise and Shine A feeling of warmth and comfort is reinforced with a hot, steaming, fragrant cup of hot coffee. Â Especially in the fall and winter months, coffee is a part of my … [Read more...]
Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Rubbermaid. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. The average disposable lunch costs $4.02/day. The average waste-free lunch costs $2.65/day. That's a difference of $246 for the school year. If you have 3 children, the difference is $738.00!! Â The environmental impact is just … [Read more...]
Welcome to the Kitchen Makeover Giveaway Hop Hosted by Planet Weidknecht and LeahSay's Views  From now until May 14th, visit each of the blogs listed below and enter to win fabulous prizes for your kitchen. Each blogger is hosting a giveaway worth at least $25.  What a wonderful way to kick off spring! I'm giving away a $25 gift card to Target or Amazon.com (winner's choice)!  Enter in the Rafflecopter form below and … [Read more...]
Make a delicious meal your family will love for less than $5 - total! Â Yes, thanks to a special deal from Hamburger Helper, you can. Â With this high value rebate offer combined with the everyday low cost of Hamburger Helper, you can SAVE BIG. What will you do with those savings? Â See a movie, go out to lunch with a friend, pay more of your credit card bill? Â Lots of possibilities! I made the Penne Hamburger Helper and my family … [Read more...]
Disclosure:  This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BigGameSnacks #CollectiveBias It's basketball championship season!  Are you watching your favorite team like we are?  The final games are approaching and it's getting more and more exciting the closer we get to naming the #1 team in the nation.  Watching with friends and family makes it even more fun, don't you … [Read more...]
Do you live in the Chicago area and are planning a romantic Valentine dinner date? Â Looking for a romantic restaurant? Â I have a suggestion for you that is not only a romantic dinner idea but also a destination. I'll write about dinner in a minute, but in addition to enjoying an incredible meal, visit something that sparks your interest in Duneland. Â Whether it's the Indiana Dunes State Park with beautiful vistas of Lake Michigan (yes, … [Read more...]
I hesitated to call this a cookbook, technically it's a "go-to-guide to making holidays, birthdays, special events, and even the everyday special". Â It includes so much more than recipes! Â I love, love, love the book, "Everyday Confetti". Â I'm a huge believer in creating positive memories by observing family traditions. Â "Everyday Confetti" has ideas galore for celebrating life with your family. Â And the ideas feel doable. Â There not … [Read more...]
This Breakfast Strata is perfect for your family's Christmas Morning or delicious party food for a Holiday Brunch.  It was easy to make and is especially great for holidays because you make it in advance.  It takes no time at all when you are your busiest, enjoying family or guests. When I was going through the adoption process, I started planning for the day when we would celebrating holidays with a child.  I wanted to be creating warm, … [Read more...]
Have you noticed the fun green cutting board in my latest posts?  It's called a Gripper Flex and what makes it different is the innovative flex technology that offers the option to chop - and then flex - to funnel food into a pan, pot or bowl. For the first time ever, cooks have the best of both worlds with the non-slip function of the Gripper -- the first to feature unique gripping technology created by a … [Read more...]
Spending time with your family, enjoying a delicious Tinga de Pollo meal, will certainly have you feeling lucky that you found La Morena products! Continue that luck when you enter the #VivaLaMorena contest for your chance to win one of ten Thanksgiving feasts ($100 value)! Click here #VivaLaMorena to enter. Â The deadline to enter is 11/14/14. My daughter is Hispanic and the traditions of passing down recipes from generation to … [Read more...]
Rosie joined her school's Run Club this year (I'm a proud mama!).  Practice is across town from her school and we drive straight over from school.  It's no problem, but it means that her after-school snack is in the car instead of at the kitchen table.  Are you like us and find yourself eating in your car?  Depending on the snack, it can be ugly.  The worst ever for us (it lives forever in my memory and the detailing bill in my checkbook) … [Read more...]
The holidays are coming! Will you be ready? What do the holidays mean to you? Family Parties Celebrations Food Fun For most of us, we will be cooking and entertaining for our family and friends over the holiday season. Â Whether it's entertaining four guests on Thanksgiving; forty guests on Christmas; or somewhere in between, we rely on our appliances to prep holiday food. We're going to have my cousin visiting from … [Read more...]