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New Years Eve Party Recipe & Menu Plan

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new years party recipe ideas

Happy 2020!

We are having a crowd of teenagers over for a New Years’ party. I am still trying to get used to this teen thing, they are a lot of fun, but weird at the same time 🙂

I am making a little bit of everything and the girls coming over actually requested that we make cookies so I think I am going make a few batches ahead of time and have the dough in the fridge.

Each of the kids got to pick what they wanted, hence the hodge podge of food. It isn’t what I would have picked, but that makes it more fun for them!

If you want to try just one recipe, try the Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings, you won’t be sorry!

You may also enjoy:

New Years Eve Party Supplies 2020 Decorations Kit

New Years Photo Booth Props– Pack of 25

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera, Smokey White

HomeCraft 3-Station 1.5-Quart Oval Slow Cooker Buffet

Happy New Year!

New Years Eve Party Recipe & Menu Plan

By Leave a Comment By clicking on our links, we might make a SMALL commission - Thanks for the support! See our full DISCLOSURE here.

new years party recipe ideas

Happy 2020!

We are having a crowd of teenagers over for a New Years’ party. I am still trying to get used to this teen thing, they are a lot of fun, but weird at the same time 🙂

I am making a little bit of everything and the girls coming over actually requested that we make cookies so I think I am going make a few batches ahead of time and have the dough in the fridge.

Each of the kids got to pick what they wanted, hence the hodge podge of food. It isn’t what I would have picked, but that makes it more fun for them!

If you want to try just one recipe, try the Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings, you won’t be sorry!

You may also enjoy:

New Years Eve Party Supplies 2020 Decorations Kit

New Years Photo Booth Props– Pack of 25

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera, Smokey White

HomeCraft 3-Station 1.5-Quart Oval Slow Cooker Buffet

Happy New Year!

Back To School: 77 Kids Lunch Box Ideas + FREE Printable for the Fridge

By Leave a Comment By clicking on our links, we might make a SMALL commission - Thanks for the support! See our full DISCLOSURE here.

kids-lunch-ideas-printable

 

Back To School: 77 Kids Lunch Box Ideas + FREE Printable for the Fridge

Do the kids dread what is in their lunch box? Are you tired of making the same ol’ boring lunch? I know I do! The kids have only been Back To School for a short time and they are probably already tired of their boring lunchtime routine. While we mostly make sandwiches – I like to mix it up now and then as well.  Having a list of kids lunch ideas stuck to the fridge helps when you’re planning out the week’s lunches (so it’s not Peanut Butter and Jelly every day). This list will also give your kids a visual of what their options may be when their taste buds crave something different day to day.

tiffsandwiches

I hope there are some here you’ve never thought of including keeping chicken nuggets warm in these compact size Thermos Funtainer 10 Ounce Food Jars as well as many dinner leftovers that your kids will love. These Thermos Funtainers are a great way to keep your little one satisfied with their meal and help them stay focused at school. They also come several color and design options keeping those lunch boxes colorful and fun.

 

One of our favorite kid’s lunch box ideas is these DIY Pizza Lunchables with English Muffins. Perfect for any pizza lover on the go especially if your child is tired of those peanut butter and jelly sammiches that we all fall back to while in a rush off to school.

 

 

You could even save a few dollars by prepping your own pudding cups with these GladWare Mini Round Food Storage Containers as well as any small snacking items that your child enjoys such as fruit, olives, granola and more.

Here’s a BIG list of *77* kids’ lunch ideas – from main entree, hot lunches, and cold lunches, to sides, snacks and drinks!

 

kids-lunch-ideas-printable

Click to Print!

 

This printable list contains a mix of healthy and not-so-healthy suggestions – with room to get creative with your leftovers and maybe try out some new recipes. You can even laminate it and on Sunday nights, let the kids use a dry erase markers to circle some options they’d like for the week ahead.

I hope you find this printable useful – and I’d love to hear any additional ideas you include in your lunchbox routine!

Here’s a sampling of kids lunch ideas from the list:

  • Dinner Roll Ham or Turkey Sandwiches
  • Chicken Nuggets kept warm in a Thermos
  • DIY Pizza Lunchables
  • Whole Wheat Tortilla + Peanut Butter + Sliced banana + Granola
  • Tortilla Rollup + Lunchmeat + Cheese (Optional: Cut into pinwheels!)
  • Fruit Salad with Shredded Coconut
  • Rotisserie Chicken (shredded-up) + Dinner Roll
  • Pancakes or Waffles + Peanut Butter on the side
  • Hot Meatballs in Sauce + Sub Bun sliced down the middle
  • Chicken or Vegetable Fried Rice
  • Baked Corn Chips with Warm Black Beans/Refried Beans
  • Homemade Pudding Cups

You may also enjoy these fun lunch box accessories to help keep your child excited about lunchtime

 

Cobble Creek (8 Pack) Colorful Penguin Freezer Packs

For keeping food fresh on the go, pop in a Penguin Ice Pack by Cobble Creek. These cool cuties are ready to slip into a lunchbox or bag for work, or ride in the cooler on a road trip. They can also double as ice packs for ouchies. Penguins to the rescue!

 

Mini UNO 3-Pack, Blue/Gray/Green, 3PK

  • Made from a special, extremely durable nylon. Dishwasher safe (top rack only) – FDA food‐safe – 100% BPA‐, PC‐and phthalate‐free.
  • Say goodbye to silly spoons‐with‐tines that don’t work as either a spoon or a fork
  • Built with smarter ends, including a spoon deep enough to slurp soup and low‐curvature edges to scrape container  walls
  • Fork has tines long enough to twirl spaghetti and “splitter tines” on each edge for easy soft‐food splitting

CamelBak eddy Kids 12oz Water Bottle, 2-Pack

  • Patented Camelback Big Bite Valve with a stem tube and shut off valve
  • Never Spill: Easy for small fingers to operate
  • Safe and Easy: S
  • All parts are dishwasher safe (top rack only)
  • Stain-resistant and taste-free Triton is 100 percent Free of BPA, BPS, and BPF

 

 

Bizz Large Travel Bento Box Set, 2 PK

  • Multi-Compartment Meal Containers
  • Stackable, Portable, Travel Ready
  • Reusable Plastic Kitchen Cutlery
  • Strong, BPA-Free Plastic – Stain, odor, and mildew resistant and FDA-approved

 

Don’t forget to take a peek at Amazon Prime Pantry Deals! For a limited time offer, you can take advantage of Prime Pantry’s Buy More, Save More Deal and enjoy savings on your kid’s favorite snacks. A new way to save even more by selecting any combination of the eligible items below: Buy 5, save $5. Buy 10, save $10. Buy 15, save $15. Discount automatically applied at checkout.

Also, check out these posts for more back to school lunch ideas:

DIY Pizza Lunchables

Back to School Lunch Ideas (+ How to Stay Organized)

School Lunch Ideas: Bulk Sandwiches and Snack Pudding

BEST Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Minion Lunchables

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Jell-O Snacks

 

You Will Love These Must Have Meal Planning Apps

By Leave a Comment By clicking on our links, we might make a SMALL commission - Thanks for the support! See our full DISCLOSURE here.

Have you ever tried to meal plan?  Or maybe you thought it was too much work, or didn’t know how to get started? Is it because you think it’s too time-consuming to write it all down and you don’t want to have to think about what meals you can come up with? Meal planning doesn’t have to be hard! The good thing is that there are a few apps out there that can help you plan your meals and even your grocery list. Meal planning helps you save time and money. It also reduces your stress level and ensures that the whole family always eats healthy. So, let’s take a look at the must-have meal planning apps you can use to start creating those amazing meals.

Food Planner

Food Planner helps you integrate everything from your meal plan, recipe, pantry  inventory, and grocery list. With this app, you can quickly plan your daily meals based on a collection of recipes from your favorite cooking blogs. There’s also a way for you to edit your shopping lists, meal plans, pantry inventory, and recipes. Available in both Google Play and the App Store.

 

Today’s Parent Mealime

Mealime is made for singles, couples, and families who do not have time to plan their meals. The best thing about this app is its customizations. You can easily personalize a meal plan that works with your own unique tastes and lifestyle. Also, even if you don’t know how to cook you can prepare meals in around 30 minutes or less with their step-by-step cooking instructions. Available in both Google Play and the App Store.

 

PepperPlate

With PepperPlate, you can effortlessly manage all your recipes, daily menus, and shopping lists using the internet, your tablet, or your phone. A cool feature that comes with this app is their multiple cooking timers so you can take your device into the kitchen and cook your whole menu. Download this app and share your favorite recipes with your family and friends on Facebook and Twitter. Available in both Google Play and the App Store.

 

Kitchen Stories

This app didn’t win Google Play’s Design Award in 2016 for no reason! Kitchen Stories is one of the most feature-rich meal planning apps out there. If you’re planning to lose weight, you can take advantage of their search feature and find the most appropriate recipe for your needs. They offer vegan, low-carb, gluten-free, and low-calorie options so you have a lot to choose from. You can also improve your newbie cooking skills with their HD recipe videos filled with practical cooking tips. You’ll learn how to cook and bake like a pro in no time! Available in both Google Play and the App Store.

BigOven

The developers of this app have re-created the BigOven app to make cooking and meal planning simpler and easier. You can now take thousands of recipes, create your grocery lists and plan your menus anywhere. BigOven also makes cooking more social because you can find recipe inspiration from what your friends, family, and favorite bloggers are making. You can conveniently save or share a recipe on your social networks with just one tap. Available in both Google Play and the App Store.

Meal planning makes life easier, allows you to eat healthier, and saves you money.  What’s not to like? Especially with the above listed apps taking all the hard work away.  Why not start today?

Create flavorful recipes in less time with a few handy kitchen appliances and gadgets that you will love!

 

Instant Pot 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Cooker

  • Do It All! You can use as a Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Marker and Warmer
  • Prepares dishes up to 70% faster
  • Features 14 Smart Programs
  • Stainless steel (18/8) inner cooking pot
  • Product Dimensions: 14.17 x 14.84 x 13.31 inches
  • Power supply: 120V – 60Hz

 

 

Copper Chef Want The Secret to Making Perfect Eggs

  • Precise & effortless 1-touch cooking
  • Deluxe electric egg cooker
  • Dishwasher safe parts
  • Fast, effortless clean-up
  • Compact & lightweight
  • Cook 14 eggs at once

 

Freshware Meal Prep Containers (21 Pack) 

  • Microwave Safe
  • Dishwasher Safe
  • Freezer Safe
  • Portion Control
  • BPA Free

 The Easy Keto Meal Prep: 800 Easy and Delicious Recipes

  • 21- Day Meal Plan
  • Kindle Edition
  • 800 Recipes

 

Shipping is FREE with your Amazon Prime membership. 

However, for a limited time, Amazon is offering Free Shipping for everyone, not just Prime members! This offer applies to items sold by Amazon only and does not apply to add-on items.

 

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*Remember that Amazon prices change frequently, and without notice. Please verify price before ordering.

How to make a Breakfast Smoothie Kids will drink! {with veggies!}

By 3 Comments By clicking on our links, we might make a SMALL commission - Thanks for the support! See our full DISCLOSURE here.

I worry about my kids getting enough fiber, protein and veggies into their diets. I started making smoothies for my self years ago, and my kids were mildly interested as long as it was sweet.

But as I have gotten older, and they have gotten older, I care much less whether they need it to be sweet or not, as much as they need to be getting the nutrients they need.

Every morning for the past 5 months or so I make a LARGE pitcher of protein smoothie. It is different every day and they are required to have a glass. It only took about 3 days to have them asking when I was making “green drink” each morning!! They love it!!!  My bigger kids are even making them for themselves during the day and after school as a snack.

Plus if I have a coupon, I buy it and toss it in! Joint Juice, Ensure, even baby food? AWESOME in smoothies! 🙂

(The smoothie above is mixed frozen berries, 2 scoops vanilla protein powder, fiber powder, silk milk, spinach, 1/2 cup almond protein drink left over from the day before, ice, 1 oz liquid vitamins and a little cabbage)

The fresh and frozen fruit make them naturally sweet enough that it really tastes like a treat. I do add powdered stevia on occasion if there are a lot of veggies and it gets a little bitter.

The great thing is that you really don’t need recipes, and you can add in just about ANYTHING you have on hand. If my bananas are getting too brown and the kids wont eat them, I take the peel off and toss them into the freezer for smoothies.

Also, you can really PACK the spinach into the blender. I do about 3 BIG handfuls, it will all blend down! Really push it in there and when you add liquid it will all blend down, then you can add more ingredients if you want. My kids REALLY like the “green drink” smoothies, their favorite is spinach, pineapple, and vanilla protein powder, ice and milk.

( The Smoothie above is, 2 scoops strawberry protein powder, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 oz liquid vitamins, 1 1/2 cup coconut milk,  fiber powder, spinach, ice, and a little cabbage)

(This smoothie above is frozen banana, chocolate protein powder, PB2 peanut butter, 1 oz liquid vitamins, ice and almond milk)

It is fun to experiment with different ingredients, protein powders, fruit, and veggies to make different combinations. It can get expensive though and so shop around. I always look for protein powder on clearance and order most of mine online. We have been replacing smoothies with cereal and milk and so I am saving on cereal (although I don’t sound much on cereal anyway!).

I buy most everything online at Amazon and Vitacost. Vitacost was giving out a free $10 to spend and I got hooked.

This is where I buy everything:

::Amazon::

  • PB2 Peanut Butter – Over 90% of the fat is removed from the peanut! You can get regular or chocolate flavor.
  • Vita Mix Blender – This is my blender, I have had it for 10 years. I JUST replaced the pitcher last month for the first time and have used it about 20 days a month for 10 years. Thats about 2500 smoothies! They are pricy but worth it. Had I bought the smoothies I made in the past 10 years, I would have spent about $15,000. Crazy huh?!
  • NuNaturals Stevia – This form is perfect for sprinkling on cereal, yogurt as well as mixing in beverages.
  • Liquid Vitamins – Delicious tasting, easy absorbable, daily multi that provides 144 natural ingredients


Give it a shot, smoothies are awesome and a great way to get some good stuff into your kids!!

Kids Lunch Ideas (+ FREE Printable for the Fridge!)

By Leave a Comment By clicking on our links, we might make a SMALL commission - Thanks for the support! See our full DISCLOSURE here.

kids-lunch-ideas-printable

Do you ever get in a total RUT when it comes to thinking up kids lunch ideas?  I definitely do!

While we mostly make sandwiches – I like to mix it up now and then as well.  Having a list of kids lunch ideas stuck to the fridge helps when you’re planning out the week’s lunches (so it’s not PB&J every day).

tiffsandwiches

Here’s a BIG list of *77* kids’ lunch ideas – from main entree, hot lunches and cold lunches, to sides, snacks and drinks!

I hope there are some here you’ve never thought of – like have you considered that chicken nuggets stay warm in a Funtainer?  Or you can make these DIY Pizza Lunchables with English Muffins?  Or that you can save tons of money making your own pudding cups?

 

kids-lunch-ideas-printable

Click to Print!

 

This printable list contains a mix of healthy and not-so-healthy suggestions – with room to get creative with your leftovers and maybe try out some new recipes.   You can even laminate it and on Sunday nights, let the kids use a dry erase marker to circle some options they’d like for the week ahead.  🙂

I hope you find this printable useful – and I’d love to hear any additional ideas you include in your lunchbox routine!

Here’s a sampling of kids lunch ideas from the list:

  • Dinner Roll Ham or Turkey Sandwiches
  • Chicken Nuggets kept warm in a Thermos
  • DIY Pizza Lunchables
  • Whole Wheat Tortilla + Peanut Butter + Sliced banana + Granola
  • Tortilla Rollup + Lunchmeat + Cheese (Optional: Cut into pinwheels!)
  • Fruit Salad with Shredded Coconut
  • Rotisserie Chicken (shredded-up) + Dinner Roll
  • Pancakes or Waffles + Peanut Butter on the side
  • Hot Meatballs in Sauce + Sub Bun sliced down the middle
  • Chicken or Vegetable Fried Rice
  • Baked Corn Chips with Warm Black Beans/Refried Beans
  • Homemade Pudding Cups

 

pizza-luncables-ingred

Also check out these posts for more back to school lunch ideas:

DIY Pizza Lunchables

Back to School Lunch Ideas (+ How to Stay Organized)

School Lunch Ideas: Bulk Sandwiches and Snack Pudding

BEST Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Minion Lunchables

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Jell-O Snacks

 

Memorial Weekend Menu Plan!

By Leave a Comment By clicking on our links, we might make a SMALL commission - Thanks for the support! See our full DISCLOSURE here.

Memorial Day Menu PLan

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. I will always want to call this day Decoration Day as my Grandma does.

It is a time to spend remembering and time with family. If you are anything like us, food is always included in that and this is a great weekend to stock up on all kinds of meat and sides!

Here are some deals you can score at Kroger, and a list of recipes that we enjoy and that are family friendly.

Buy Kroger Ice Cream Sandwiches, 12-16ct or Fruit Bars, 6-12ct or Deluxe Big Wheels, 6ct, select varieties, $1.99-$2.49
Use the $1.50/1 Kroger Ice Cream Sandwiches, 12-16ct or Fruit Bars, 6-12ct or Deluxe Big Wheels, 6ct 5x Kroger Digital coupon
Final Price 49 cents to 99 cents

Buy Keebler TownHouse or Club Crackers, select varieties, 9-13.8oz, $2.99
Use the $2/1 Keebler TownHouse or Club Crackers 5x Kroger Digital coupon
Final Price 99 cents

Buy Johnsonville Smoked Sausage, select varieties, 12-14oz, $2.49
Use the $0.50/1 Johnsonville Smoked Sausage 5x Kroger Digital coupon
Final Price $1.99

Buy Whole Seedless Watermelon, $3.99
Use the $2/1 Whole Seedless Watermelon 5x Kroger Digital coupon
Final Price $1.99

Buy Angel Food Cake, plain or sour cream, 13oz, $2.99
Use the $1/1 Angel Food Cake 5x Kroger Digital coupon
Final Price $1.99

:: SIDES ::

easy grilled flank steak pesto

:: MAIN DISHES ::

hershey's fruit pizza

::DESSERTS :: 

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Super Bowl Party – Table Ideas!

By 2 Comments By clicking on our links, we might make a SMALL commission - Thanks for the support! See our full DISCLOSURE here.

Follow Me on Pinterest We are having friends over for the Super Bowl. I like to cook and talk, so the fact that there is a game to watch is just a side note for me 🙂 But as I was cleaning the kitchen and getting the table ready, I realized a few things…

First, I am a total nerd and love to make tables pretty for parties no matter how many people are there. I do it on Sunday for dinner just because.

Second, it DOES NOT have to cost you anything!

I store all my nice plates and dishes on top of the cupboards, and even on my fireplace mantle. I grabbed greenery from the TV stand for the table and a magazine basket for chips. Plus, most of everything that I have was from Walmart anyway. In fact, the entire table at one point or another came from Walmart each piece under $10 or way less. I think that the PRESENTATION makes the mood and even can make it TASTE better! Not that my food isn’t good 🙂

This is what we are having:

Bloomin Bread

Cream Cheese w/ Jalapeno Jelly and Crackers

BBQ ( brisket, sausage and pulled pork, form my VERY favorite BBQ place, go HERE to visit!)

Pop Chips 

Homemade Pretzels 

Layered Salad 

Dessert/Better than sex cake and cupcakes

A few suggestions would be that I always put the drinks in the back, we also have a fridge on the deck with soda but the juice and other stuff I don’t want the little kids helping themselves and making a mess. I purposely make it where they have to ask for help.

Also, I love crock pots, heating plates and my chaffing dishes. This makes it so that I don’t have to be in the kitchen all day and can make everything ahead of time and leave it out so everyone can come and go as they please.

This is a VERY small get together, if it was a normal Davis or Ivanovsky party I would have the island, 2 tables and more set up. But I still like to make things special even if it is just my family!

Follow Me on Pinterest

50 Ultimate Football Party Foods

By Leave a Comment By clicking on our links, we might make a SMALL commission - Thanks for the support! See our full DISCLOSURE here.

Football season is nearly over and if you’re hosting or just bringing a dish to the party you may need some new and cool ideas on what to bake, make, or take right? We’ve put together a HUGE selection of foods from sweet treats to main dishes and more for you to choose from and to share with your friends too! Whether it’s something quick to eat or warm and filling we’ve got you covered.


Dips/Snacks

Party Taco Ring

Entrees/Main Dishes

Sweet Treats

New Years Eve Party Recipe/Menu Plan

By 8 Comments By clicking on our links, we might make a SMALL commission - Thanks for the support! See our full DISCLOSURE here.

new years party recipe ideas

We are having a crowd of teenagers over for a New Years party. I am still trying to get used to this teen thing, they are a lot of fun, but weird at the same time 🙂

I am making a little bit of everything and the girls coming over actually requested that we make cookies so I think I am going make a few batches ahead of time and have the dough in the fridge.

Each of the kids got to pick what they wanted, hence the hodge podge of food. It isn’t what I would have picked, but that makes it more fun for them!

If you want to try just one recipe, try the Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings, you won’t be sorry!

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