Kale Chicken Caesar Bites
May 31, 2016

Kale Chicken Caesar Bites

Kale Chicken Caesar Bites are a simple appetizer that only require 4 ingredients! They are flavorful and easy to make! When it comes to appetizers, I usually like to keep them quick and easy. I seem to entertain quite a bit in the summer and am always looking for quick and delicious recipes to make. Especially when my guests arrive, I do not like to be stuck in the kitchen. I want to be out socializing with them!

Products Adalyn's Loving Part 6 + Giveaway
May 30, 2016

Products Adalyn's Loving Part 6 + Giveaway

1. IFME Toddler Shoes Adalyn is always running everywhere and needs a good pair of shoes. We love these shoes from IFME. I chose the Venice shoes in lavender because I knew that they would not be overly hot for summer which is perfect. They seem really comfortable on my daughter and will be great for all summer. *Keep reading for a IFME shoes and Royal Hawaiian snacks giveaway!

May 29, 2016

Get Out and Garden

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.   During the summer, there is nothing like eating your own homegrown produce. I love the fruit from my parent's farm and the tomatoes from our own garden. We slice them up with balsamic vinegar and our homegrown super crunchy bell peppers. I can't wait to eat these!

8 Tips for the Best Summer Ever
May 27, 2016

8 Tips for the Best Summer Ever

Thank you Colgate® Enamel Health™ Mineral Repair™ for sponsoring this post. Head to your local retailer to get started on your oral healthcare routine! By February or so each year, I get sick of winter and look forward to the warmer summer weather that is to come. Summer is my favorite season of the year and it always seems to go by too fast. Therefore, I make sure to pack in as much fun as possible each summer. It has been a cold April here in Michigan- about 25 degrees colder than the average which makes me long for summer even more.

Product I'm Loving in 2016 Part 14
May 27, 2016

Product I'm Loving in 2016 Part 14

1. Capresso beverage makers I am excited about this review because my family and I got to try out some new products that are pretty awesome. I love tea but have never had a kettle before. I love this one from Capresso called the H20 PRO . It heats the water for tea quickly and is great for serving several people at once. When I have people over, I will heat up a big pot of water in this and serve everyone tea! My parents got to try out the MT 600 Plus coffee maker . We go up north with them to their farm all the time and their coffee maker needed an upgrade. The old was taking pretty good coffee and making them taste not the best. We chose this coffee maker because the stainless steel pot will help to keep the coffee hot for much longer than a glass pot. So far, it works great! This is what my dad had to say " Worked well.  Fast.  Good coffee.  Kept coffee hot. Sleek look.". I also got the Capresso triple brew to review. It is really neat because you can make sin

Butterfinger Protein Bars
May 26, 2016

Butterfinger Protein Bars

These Butterfinger Protein Bars are easy and only take 5 minutes to make. Super tasty and much more affordable than store-bought bars! I've written about it before how much I love snacks. Well, my husband has become quite a snacker as well. His typical snacks are kettle chips, marshmallows, beef jerky and nuts. Not the best choices! I don't mind him having these foods sometimes but I want him to have some healthier snack options available.

Our 2016 Gardening Plan + Giveaway
May 25, 2016

Our 2016 Gardening Plan + Giveaway

This blog post is sponsored by EcoScraps. All opinions are my own. Growing up, my dad always had a huge garden and I loved having fresh produce. There is nothing like going to your backyard and picking ingredients for dinner that night! When Troy and I got married, we started our own garden right away. We lived in a mobile home and had a huge lot and had the biggest garden. The problem is that the soil was very sandy so most things did not grow very well. Since we moved to our new house in 2012, we have had quite a small garden but luckily, the soil is awesome and our garden has been very plentiful. We plant 6 tomato plants, 1-2 pepper plants, some lettuce and spinach. We have switched it up a bit what we grow but that is our plan for this year.

Mexican Breakfast Casserole
May 24, 2016

Mexican Breakfast Casserole

This Mexican Breakfast Casserole is simple to make and is full of flavor with eggs, black beans, salsa, bell peppers, avocado and cilantro! As a dietitian, I hear all kinds of nutrition information and tips. Some of it is true but a whole lot of it does not have any scientific studies backing it up or is plain incorrect. When I hear certain things like "sea salt is so much better for you than regular salt" or that "sugar causes diabetes", I cringe. It is so important to me to share nutrition information that is based on science and is factual.

Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits
May 24, 2016

Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits

These Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits take 5 minutes to make and are the perfect dessert. Made lighter with Greek yogurt and fresh strawberries. At a recent work event, the icebreaker exercise was really neat. We had to take a penny randomly from a jar and tell the group a memory that happened during that year. People had all kinds of responses such as that they were in school or that was the year that their child was born. I got the year 2000 and I said that my main memories around that time were of my family's farm.

Our Baby's Nighttime Routine
May 23, 2016

Our Baby's Nighttime Routine

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. This post is sponsored by Huggies OverNites. All opinions are mine alone. #EveryoneSleeps #CollectiveBias If anyone asks me what the hardest part of parenting is so far, I would easily tell you that it is the lack of sleep. Troy and I have spent more time talking about sleep in the last 18 months than we have our entire lives. When you are sleep deprived, it is so hard to go through your day normally and it feels terrible.

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 13
May 20, 2016

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 13

1. April FitSnack Box Another month of FitSnack goodies! I enjoyed the Purely Elizabeth cereal with granola and puff's cereal with some soymilk. I gave my daughter some dry since she had not had cereal with milk before but she demanded having some of mine with the milk. She loved it that way!

Grilled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
May 19, 2016

Grilled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

These Grilled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa are perfect for a quick dinner and full of fresh flavors! During the week, meals must be quick. After a long day at work, we do not feel like making an elaborate meal usually. Therefore, I want something that can be made in 30 minutes or less. Adalyn is at an age where she does not technically need me to hold her 24/7 or anything but she gets pretty whiny around dinner and my goal is to get our food to the table stat!

How to Get Your Car Ready for Summer
May 18, 2016

How to Get Your Car Ready for Summer

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerCarCare #CollectiveBias When it comes to doing a job, my husband always gives it his all. It may take a little extra prodding at times to get started but when Troy does something, he gives it 110%. This is true when it comes to being a teacher, deep cleaning our floors, cutting our lawn or taking care of our cars. Today, I am going to talk about how to get your car ready for summer.

Food to Pack for a Road Trip
May 17, 2016

Food to Pack for a Road Trip

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GIVEEXTRAGETEXTRA #Walgreens #CollectiveBias This year, we have taken a few trips already and have three more mini vacations planned in the next three months! If you know me, you know that I do not leave the house without food, ever. I am a huge snacker and so is my daughter. Therefore, when we go somewhere, I make sure that we are well prepared for the trip with lots of good eats. By bringing your own food, you can save money and eat healthier. Both of these things are important to me so they are a priority when going on a trip. Plus, I like to have something ready to go when the hunger bug hits and not have to stop somewhere to get something to eat.

Grocery List for Diabetics
May 17, 2016

Grocery List for Diabetics

I have been compensated by Glucerna for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own. Talk with your health care provider about a diabetes management plan that’s right for you. #GlucernaHungerSmart #CollectiveBias This diabetic friendly grocery list helps make shopping easier for people with diabetes. As a nursing home dietitian, I work with a lot of patients with diabetes. I would say about half of my patients are diabetics. I've been working in long-term care for 6 years now and have quite a bit of experience working with diabetics. I see a lot of misconceptions when it comes to diabetes that I help to clear up on a daily basis. A lot of people believe that diabetics cannot have any carbohydrates- that could not be farther from the truth. Some people think that diabetics cannot have any sugar- that also is not true. In the nursing home setting, we give diabetics desserts and such with sugar in them but in controlled portions. We also let it b

8 Must-Have Toddler Items
May 16, 2016

8 Must-Have Toddler Items

My daughter is now 19 months old (almost 20 months) and thank goodness, we need a lot less products now than when she was a newborn baby. No burp cloths, breast pump, swaddles, etc. that we used to never leave home without. There are some items that we use all of the time that we do not leave for a weekend or day trip without. These items make our lives with a toddler a little bit easier.

Teaching Your Toddler to Enjoy the Water
May 14, 2016

Teaching Your Toddler to Enjoy the Water

 This post was sponsored by SwimWays as part of an Activation for Influence Central. I received products to facilitate my review. I should have titled this post "Teaching Your Baby to Enjoy the Water" but since Adalyn is 19 months now, it didn't seem quite right. We started swimming with Adalyn very young. We did not do any swim classes or anything yet (but are thinking of doing it this summer) but have spent a lot of time in the water.

Cucumber Hummus Roll Ups
May 13, 2016

Cucumber Hummus Roll Ups

Cucumber Hummus Roll Ups are an easy and healthy appetizer that take 10 minutes to make and are perfect for entertaining! Made with hummus, feta and fresh vegetables. When the weather gets warm, I love to have snacks outside. It can be a popsicle that I enjoy with my daughter, a bowl of popcorn, fresh fruit or a little more elaborate appetizer. We have a little patio table that we love to take food outside to and enjoy the nice weather.

A Week of Meals with Door to Door Organics
May 12, 2016

A Week of Meals with Door to Door Organics

I recently participated in a challenge with Door to Door Organics to create a week of menus using the items from their shop only. Since they have so much available including fresh produce, bakery items, meat, beans, grains, hummus, etc., it was not too difficult.  We love Door to Door Organics for their fresh produce mostly and get the box every other week of fruits and vegetables. For organic produce, it is actually not too expensive and the produce is always nice quality.

Product's Adalyn's Loving Part 5 + Giveaway
May 11, 2016

Product's Adalyn's Loving Part 5 + Giveaway

1. iQ Juice Adalyn is obsessed with juice but we do not give it to her often because of the sugar content. When I received these iQ juices to try, after checking the ingredients and the unique flavors,  I decided to give her some. Let's just say that I have never seen her drink liquids faster. I did dilute it with water since she is only 18 months old. **Keep reading for a huge, 3 part giveaway!

How We Are Saving For Our Next Cars
May 10, 2016

How We Are Saving For Our Next Cars

Troy and I's cars are both older (~10 years old) and have well over 100,000 miles each on them. They are starting to get more and more issues that sneak up on us. We know that sometime in the next 2 years or so, we will both need new cars. Cars are so expensive and the idea of buying two cars is pretty overwhelming to me. Therefore, we are doing certain things to help us save for our next cars so that we have a lot of the money that we need to buy them.

Asian Chopped Salad
May 09, 2016

Asian Chopped Salad

This Asian Chopped Salad is ready in 10 minutes, is packed with nutritious vegetables and is full of flavor with a sweet soy vinaigrette! When the weather gets warmer, to me, that means leaving my stove and oven off and either firing up the grill or making a huge salad. I recently went to a local Michigan blogger dinner with friends (some of who contribute to this site) and had an amazing chopped salad that I wanted to recreate at home.

Celebrating The Moms in My Life
May 07, 2016

Celebrating The Moms in My Life

Last year, I got to celebrate my first Mother's day. It was such a special day to me as a new mom. Adalyn was just 8 months old at that time and life was still a little hectic, mostly related to lack of sleep. This year, things are a lot easier. Adalyn is almost 20 months old and we are going up north to my parent's farm for mother's day. I can't wait!

Products Adalyn's Loving Part 4 + Giveaway
May 06, 2016

Products Adalyn's Loving Part 4 + Giveaway

 1. B.Box Sippy Cups and Bib Before becoming a mom, I never knew what a big deal it was to find a good sippy cup. So many of them leak, break, are hard to clean, hard to drink out of, etc. So many sippy cups have been boxed up and put away since we did not like them. **Keep reading for a B.Box giveaway!

8 Things No One Warned You About Having a Toddler
May 05, 2016

8 Things No One Warned You About Having a Toddler

Being a parent is easily my favorite part of my life. Before my daughter was born, I read so many parenting books, articles, etc. to prepare. Even though everyone warns you about different things when it comes to parenting, you really cannot prepare for everything through a book. You need to experience parenthood yourself to truly learn the ups, the downs and what to do in certain situations. One and a half years into being a Mom, I am learning new things every single day!

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Cups
May 04, 2016

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Cups

If you are a carrot cake lover, try these Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Cups with healthy cream cheese frosting for a healthy and satisfying breakfast! I am on such a baked oatmeal kick and I cannot stop trying different flavors and sharing them with you- Salted Caramel Baked Oatmeal , Pina Colada Baked Oatmeal and Summer Fruit Baked Oatmeal . They are so easy to make, are healthy and taste awesome. Carrot cake is one of my favorite kinds of cake in the world and the idea of a healthy carrot cake style dish sounds amazing to me.

Healthy Mini Key Lime Pies
May 02, 2016

Healthy Mini Key Lime Pies

Healthy Mini Key Lime Pies take 5 minutes to make and have only 5 ingredients! They make the perfect easy dessert that is light and delicious! I have a big sweet tooth. My mom always says that she doesn't know where I get it from because most of my family prefers salty treats. I love all kinds of dessert and want it often. Therefore, when I make a dessert, I always make it healthier. Sometimes due to the healthier changes, they do not turn out that great but this one turned out awesome.