March 16, 2016 by Krista

Blueberry Pecan Granola Bites

Hey! I can’t wait to share this super simple breakfast recipe with you! These granola bites will rock your taste buds and are a great addition to your breakfast menu or as an afternoon pick-me-up. But, first, let me tell you why these are so awesome.

5 reasons these Granola Bites will rock your world:

Name: Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 12 oz raw, thawed shrimp (no tails and de-veined); 4 Tbsp butter; 4 tsp lemon juice; garlic, salt and lemon pepper to taste; 12 oz tricolor rotini pasta; 12-15 asparagus stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces; 4 mushrooms, sliced; 12 oz jar alfredo sauce; 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese; 3 stalks green onions, sliced for garnish

They are made with only 3 ingredients
On the run? These are a delicious grab-and-go snack
It’ll only take you about 20 minutes to make them
There are 8 different nuts and grains in each bite, which means energy for you!
They are a good source of fiber (yippee) that tastes great (YIPPEEE)!

Are your mornings CRAZY?! Rushed?

Ours are. The shuffle of getting kids to school, my husband to work, getting the little boys fed and playing, getting my morning chores and workload underway can make for a really hectic way to start the day. It’s not uncommon that I’m getting my little guys lunch before I realize I never ate breakfast.

Get the energy you want and the nutrition you need with these delicious granola bites!

Enter Blueberry Pecan Granola Bites.

The main ingredient in these bites is granola. I used Quaker Real Medleys SuperGrains Blueberry Pecan Granola, which has SEVEN kinds of nuts and grains – oats, wheat, sunflower seeds, flax, amaranth, barley, quinoa – toasted pecans and sweet blueberries for delicious flavor with the nutrition boost you’ll crave.

It’s a great source of fiber, ALA omega-3 and whole grains. Add a bit of almond butter and a touch of honey and you’ll have delicious grab-and-go granola bites in twenty minutes. Promise. It’s that easy. You’ll love them and so will your family.

Granola is great for breakfast, snacking and baking without being over indulgent. There’s just the right amount of sweet mixed in with those grains and nuts. You will love how easy and enjoyable these Blueberry Pecan Granola Bites make it to get your grains, fiber, and Omega-3’s into your diet, no matter how crazy and busy your life may be.

Okay, now let’s get these put together!

Print This Recipe

Blueberry Pecan Granola Bites

Prep time: 20 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 21 one-inch balls

No-bake granola bites loaded with grains, nuts and delicious blueberries that are perfect for grab-and-go snacking and as part of a nutritious breakfast!

Ingredients

2 cups Quaker® Real Medleys SuperGrains Granola, Blueberry Pecan flavor
½ cup Almond Butter
¼ cup Honey

Instructions

Measure 2 cups of Quaker® Real Medleys SuperGrains Blueberry Pecan Granola and pour into a medium sized mixing bowl.
Measure ¼ cup of honey and add it to the bowl.
Measure ½ cup of almond butter. Use a spatula to spoon the butter into the cup and back out into the bowl on top of the granola.
Mix until granola is evenly coated with the honey and almond butter.
Roll granola into 1-inch balls and lay out on waxed paper.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until the almond butter stiffens.
Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

** DO NOT GIVE HONEY TO INFANTS UNDER ONE YEAR!**

You can substitute the honey with 2 tbsp of maple syrup or with ¼ cup coconut nectar.

The almond butter I used had a small amount of coconut in it as well and was delicious with the pecans and blueberries.

You can substitute the almond butter for any nut butter.You may have to adjust the ratio a little, depending on the thickness of your nut butter.

February 23, 2016 by Krista

Snacking Better with Sunsweet Philippine Tropicals

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sunsweet Growers. All opinions regarding Sunsweet Philippine Tropicals Dried Fruit and all content in this post are 100% mine.

With three growing boys and a 6-foot-3 husband, I am always looking for snacking options for our home. I like to offer my family variety in their snacking and, recently, we have been enjoying more dried fruit. I absolutely love the Sunsweet Philippine Tropicals Dried Fruit and they have recently come out with two delectable new flavors! It’s a quick grab-and-go snack that doesn’t need refrigeration and won’t mold, perfect for the diaper bag or a day running errands. My whole family loves it, it’s easy to take with us wherever we go and they are so full of delicious flavor.

SNACK ON SUNSWEET PHILIPPINE TROPICALS DRIED FRUIT

The new Sunsweet Philippine Green Mango fruits are picked early, before it’s completely ripe. The mango pieces are tangy, delivering a tart-sweet combo that will excite your taste buds. Mr. Napping loves that these aren’t as sweet as a lot of other dried fruit. I, on the other hand, am in love with the new Thai Coconut Chip; they are amazing. They are lightly toasted so there’s a great crunch to them, similar to a potato chip, but better. And the creamy vanilla notes will leave you wanting more. The coconut chips are definitely one of my favorite snacks to munch on and it’s so hard to stop after just a few.

But there’s even more deliciousness available! My kids love the Sunsweet Philippine Mango pieces; they are a delicious treat. These aren’t your average grocery store produce section mangoes! They are so full of flavor! On an island in the Philippines, Sunsweet found a microclimate producing Mangos even the locals rave about. Sunsweet Philippine Mangoes are Marabella Mangos from this area’s ideal conditions, which produce an unbeatable flavor. Sunsweet Philippine Mango pieces are thick and soft with a hint of sweet floral taste. It is America’s #1 Mango. And I can’t forget the Sunsweet Philippine Pineapple! It is so soft and full of flavor, almost like eating chunks of fresh pineapple. Because Sunsweet Philippine Tropicals are sourced from unique microclimates with ideal growing conditions, they have an amazing taste of the tropics that is succulent and sweet. A perfect tropical get-away for your taste buds!

GO TO PARADISE WITH SUNSWEET PHILIPPINE TROPICALS DRIED FRUIT

All this talk of the tropics makes me want to spend a week on a beach with the sunshine! You too? Well, right now, Sunsweet is sponsoring the Sunsweet Find Your Paradise Sweepstakes! The winner gets to pick their Tropical destination from Hawaii, a Caribbean Cruise or Florida. To enter, Sunsweet fans vote for their tropical vacation location for a chance to win. The winner will be selected randomly. There will also be additional opportunities for weekly winners to receive a gift basket containing the new Tropicals flavors and beach gear! You can find the full rules and enter to win at FindYourParadise.sunsweet.com or at Sunsweet.com and through Sunsweet’s various advertising channels on Facebook and Pandora.

I would have a very difficult tine choosing between Hawaii and a Caribbean Cruise! Which vacation destination would you choose? Leave a comment after you enter the sweepstakes and let me know!

February 19, 2016 by Krista

Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta

We are a seafood family. We love it. We can’t turn down a delicious fish, crab or shellfish dish, but our absolute favorite is shrimp. We are a family of meat eaters and I really love that I can vary our diets – and our menu – with seafood. This Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta dish was quickly devoured by my whole family. And, the best part, it was on the table in under an hour!

There are lots of ways to incorporate seafood and it doesn’t have to break the bank. While fresh seafood is always my preferred kind, we use frozen shrimp and fish filets often and it’s still delectable.

This was so simple to make, which fit into our busy weeknight schedule nicely. We cooked it together, ate together and it was pretty quick, not to mention delicious and flavorful! What more can a busy mom ask for?!

SHRIMP SCAMPI AND ASPARAGUS PARMESAN PASTA

COOKING WITH SHRIMP: FROZEN VS FRESH

My favorite frozen shrimp to use are raw, no tail and de-veined. They are super easy to thaw with warm water, you don’t have to stand at the sink yanking off tails that will smell awful in the trash later that night, and there is a little more leeway with cooking them before they turn rubbery.

The wiggle room while cooking is especially nice with kids running around while I’m making dinner. And the shrimp do still cook pretty quickly – they are fully cooked in about 5-7 mins. Afternoons and evenings are busy for us – and many of you – so getting dinner to the table faster is always good thing.

SHRIMP AS A HEALTHIER AND LEANER PROTEIN SOURCE

Shrimp is America’s #1 seafood and, when compared to other sources of protein – such as chicken, it offers a healthier and leaner alternative. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends people eat at least two servings of seafood each week.

The average American consumes less than one serving a week (that would be us, for the most part). We like seafood, but once a week is on the high end of consumption for us.

Eating seafood twice a week sounds expensive to me… but, we’ve found that frozen seafood is the best (or at least better) of both worlds. It’s more affordable than fresh seafood and offers the flexibility to add it to our week night dinners without having to stop at the store as apart of dinner preparations.

Yield: Serves 6

Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta

Delicious shrimp in a buttery sauce served with noodles and a creamy alfredo make this a hearty, rich dish perfect for dinner any day of the week.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

12 oz raw, thawed shrimp (no tails and de-veined)
4 Tbsp butter
4 tsp lemon juice
garlic, salt and lemon pepper to taste
12 oz tricolor rotini pasta
12-15 asparagus stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 mushrooms, sliced
12 oz jar alfredo sauce
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 stalks green onions, sliced for garnish

Instructions

1.In a pot, boil water for the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente, approximately 8 minutes.

2.Melt the butter in a large saucepan on the stove. Add shrimp, asparagus and mushrooms to the melted butter sauce.

Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta SeaPak Shrimp Scampi, Asparagus and Mushrooms

3.Saute the shrimp, asparagus and mushrooms in 4 tbsp butter until they are tender. Season with garlic, lemon juice and lemon pepper if desired. This only takes about 8 mins or so.

If you prefer your asparagus more tender, saute them first and add the shrimp and mushrooms when the asparagus is nearly done.

Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta Saute SeaPak Shrimp Scampi, Asparagus and Mushrooms

4.Strain your pasta and return to the pot to keep warm.

5.Add the alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese and let the sauce simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.

Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta SeaPak Shrimp Scampi Alfredo Sauce

6.You can add the pasta to the sauce and mix until the sauce evenly coats the pasta or serve the sauce over the pasta.

Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta Mixed

7.Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta - A quick and easy meal perfect for busy weeknights

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 535Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 219mgSodium: 1426mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 27g

February 9, 2016 by Krista

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Sugar Cookies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SendSweetness #CollectiveBias

Valentine’s Day has never been a holiday just about romantic love for me. Growing up, my mom always made sure we knew that we were loved and that, in later years, relationship status didn’t matter on Valentine’s Day. It was a day to express your love and gratitude for everyone who was special to you. And that’s something I fully intend on passing on to my kids. We are tightening the budget around here and so that means homemade Valentines this year. Since Valentine’s Day falls on Sunday and we will be going to church, Big J asked if we could make something for his Primary teacher. He’s had the same teacher for the last three years and he adores her. I headed out to Walmart and picked up the new M&M’s® Strawberry and decided to make some Dipped Strawberry Sugar Cookies to show his teacher that we are so thankful for the time and effort she puts into teaching our hooligan son every week and that he really does love her.

DIPPED STRAWBERRY SUGAR COOKIES

Print This Recipe

Dipped Strawberry Sugar Cookies

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 3 dozen cookies

Kick up your favorite sugar cookies with a fun chocolate-strawberry twist.

Ingredients

1½ cups sugar
¾ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
4½ tbsp milk
¼ tsp salt
3½ tsp baking powder
4½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp strawberry extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Mix the sugar, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
Add the eggs, butter and milk. Mix until smooth.
Add the flour, one cup at a time, and mix until dough is formed.
This dough can be rolled into 1-inch balls and placed 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
If you want to cut shapes from the dough, lightly sprinkle the counter top with flour and roll the dough out until it's approximately ¼" think. Then, cut it with cookie cutters and place the dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Depending on the size of the cookie, bake for 5-10 minutes. If you want a chewy cookie, your cookies should NOT be golden anywhere - even the bottoms. See the photo below. If you like a crispy cookie, bake until the tops are lightly golden.
Cool cookies 3-5 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

This is my go-to sugar cookie recipe. The cookies are soft and chewy and just perfect. But, what does every great sugar cookie have? A great topping, right? Well, I wanted something easy and delicious. And what goes better with strawberry than chocolate?! So, I dipped those cookies in some chocolate and they were amazing. It was super easy, but they turned out great!

I started out melting the chocolate as it directed on the package in a glass in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. When the chocolate was melted, I just hand dipped my cookies, set them on wax paper to dry and then decorated them before the chocolate hardened to hold the candies on. Quick tip: use a fork to help spread the chocolate around where you want it when it starts to cool enough that it doesn’t move around very easily anymore. You won’t have to reheat as often – which can make the chocolate crystallize.

I crushed up a few of the M&M’s® Strawberry to top the cookies with. They were a little bigger than I had hoped they would be so I crushed them up a bit with a meat tenderizer. I tried some with whole M&M’s® Strawberry too and they were fun, but it was kinda hard to eat them by the time I got my whole mouth around the cookie and the candy.

While I was at Walmart, I found these awesome DOVE® chocolate tins and some super cute American Greetings® cards. There was a great card for Big J’s teacher and one for Mr Napping that was just perfect… A dad of three boys is definitely a superhero! And the way to my man’s heart is definitely through his stomach… and my sweet tooth won out on this one. He will be getting (and sharing!) the DOVE® chocolate tin this weekend. Walmart became my one-stop shop for Valentine’s Day, which was super nice! I loved all the awesome options all in one place.

You can check out even more amazing ideas with M&M’s® Strawberry, DOVE® and American Greetings®! What will you make this Valentine’s Day?

February 1, 2016 by Krista

Cranberry Chocolate Muffins

Breakfast has long been touted as “the most important meal of the day” and I’m pretty sure it’s the one my boys love the most. We love to enjoy a good family breakfast on Saturday mornings, but during the week our morning are much more frenzied in the morning rush to get out the door. Since high school, I have often reached for Carnation Breakfasts to start my morning off right. So, that’s what I turned back to when I knew I needed something to help me get my fuel in the mornings. And I figured how can you go wrong with cranberry chocolate muffins?

CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE MUFFINS THAT FUEL MY MORNINGS

The biggest problem I have is finding time to eat my own breakfast. This is where Carnation Breakfast powder saves me! I can join my little ones at the table as they finish up their breakfasts and not have to rush to eat my food while it’s hot or hurry before they loose patience and throw a tantrum. And I still start my day satisfied, not hungry. So how is Carnation Breakfast powder a good solution for your family? These grab-and-go Cranberry Chocolate Muffins, made with the Carnation Breakfast Rich Chocolate powder, will fill you up and leave you ready to face the day on those busy mornings. And you can start your day off on a nutritious note; each muffin is only 176 calories and 15.4 grams of sugar!

Print This Recipe

Cranberry Chocolate Muffins

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 1 dozen muffins

Serving size: 1 muffin

Calories: 176

Fat: 4g

A grab-and-go muffin that will fill you up and leave you ready to face the day on those busy mornings. Each muffin is only 176 calories and 15.4 grams of sugar!

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 packet Rich Milk Chocolate Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp coconut oil
2 eggs
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup 1% milk
1 cup dried cranberries
¼ cup Mini Semi Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Instructions

Preheat the over to 350ºF.
I mixed my muffins up in my stand mixer so I just combined everything all at once and let it mix for three minutes.
If you don't have a stand mixer, start by mixing together the flour, oats, soda, Carnation Breakfast Essentials® powder, and the cocoa powder in a large bowl.
Add in the coconut oil, eggs, applesauce and milk.
Add the cranberries and mix until well combined.
Line a muffin tin with paper liners and lightly spray the liners. Fill the liners ¾ of the way full.
Top each muffin with about a tablespoon of Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels.
Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cupcakes.
When cupcakes are done, remove from oven, cool 5 minutes and remove from the muffin pan.
Cool on wire rack.

Notes

In place of cocoa powder, you can add another packet of Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Rich Chocolate Powder. It's still only 185 calories and 17g of sugar!

You can soak the rolled oats in the milk for 5-10 minutes to make them softer and not as dry. The oats will also soften if you store the muffins in a sealed container for at least 12 hours before you eat them.

CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE MUFFINS BRIGHTEN MY BREAKFASTS

These muffins are such a great grab-and-go option when I’m rushing out the door too! Are your breakfasts less than awesome? This is something my family – and more specifically, me – has plenty of room to improve upon.

Carnation Breakfast powder has been there for me for the past 15 years and I’m not about to change that. The vanilla was my go-to breakfast every morning. I struggle with eating when I first wake up and a Carnation drink was enough nutrition to start my day out right without filling my stomach. Over the years, I’ve come to love the other Carnation Breakfast flavors and products too. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right?! Carnation Breakfast powder works for me and my family.

These Blueberry Pecan Granola Bites are the perfect pair to power start your mornings! Click to get the recipe!

5 reasons these Granola Bites will rock your world:

Are your mornings CRAZY?! Rushed?

Get the energy you want and the nutrition you need with these delicious granola bites!

SNACK ON SUNSWEET PHILIPPINE TROPICALS DRIED FRUIT

GO TO PARADISE WITH SUNSWEET PHILIPPINE TROPICALS DRIED FRUIT

SHRIMP SCAMPI AND ASPARAGUS PARMESAN PASTA

COOKING WITH SHRIMP: FROZEN VS FRESH

SHRIMP AS A HEALTHIER AND LEANER PROTEIN SOURCE

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

DIPPED STRAWBERRY SUGAR COOKIES

CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE MUFFINS THAT FUEL MY MORNINGS

CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE MUFFINS BRIGHTEN MY BREAKFASTS

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