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Pumpkin Bread (GF, TN/PN, Egg Free)

Are you looking for a recipe to use up that extra pumpkin puree from yesterday’s homemade Pumpkin spice lattes? Pumpkin chocolate chip banana bread is the answer. Super quick post because it’s Sunday Funday! If you’re looking for GF Gluten Free, King Arthur Flour makes their GF flour in a “Top 8 Allergy Free” facility, and are VERY good at keeping things properly labeled! Their website is helpful for those with allergy / food restrictions. If you don’t have cinnamon, just double up the pumpkin pie spice. And vice versa.  Happy Sunday
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Pumpkin Spice Latte

There’s nothing better than sleeping in on a rainy Saturday, lazily getting up and making a homemade Pumpkin spice latte. Who am I kidding? Saturday morning with kids means waking up at the crack of dawn. I got my little guy to snuggle until 7:15. That’s sleeping in. I need some Mom fuel.  My hubs is busy working this weekend, so I need to bring my A-game to soccer today. It’s rainy and wet and I really, really don’t want to go. Really. (I’m blogging at 9:20 a.m., serious procrastinating happening now.) This recipe is so easy, you could make it with your eyes closed. Even better, it makes a…
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Apple Pie

Last weekend we picked apples. This was a first for us – we’ve always wanted to pick apples and while we always go to an orchard in fall near our favorite hiking spot, it is not a “you pick” orchard. The orchard was wonderful – it was on a beautiful hill with loads of apple trees, raspberry canes, and a huge pumpkin patch. They had the typical caramel apples, popcorn, pies and sundaes. The kids found a bouncy house and lots of fun, old farm equipment to check out! Because my little guy has been at home for a month now, we have been baking like crazy – and we…
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Lighter Pulled BBQ Pork

So I’m a sucker for easy, crock-pot, nut-free weeknight meals. And I seem to be stuck in a BBQ pork rut. OK, not stuck. If you know me well, you know that I LOVE a good pork sandwich and so do the kids. I’ve tried many different recipes and the first was actually quite hilarious, circa 2007 for a girls night at our downtown condo. The pork turned out to be a dried out mess and we ended up ordering pizza after a long day of work. Ten years later, I think I’ve got a better recipe down, and actually less ingredients is better. This recipe is a lot lighter…
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Cheesy Chicken Fajitas

Monday Hustle was fierce today!  After a really nice weekend, it was great to get back into our routine today, meal time being part of it. If your kids are choosy eaters, this may be a good transition recipe to try. It has many favorite ingredients found in Mexican food that almost all kiddos love. Just changing the flavor a bit, or adding/subtracting favorite ingredients may help your littles become more diverse eaters. Don’t give up, it’s a process. Modifying their favorite meals is one way to get their taste buds to open up a bit. This weeks menu is posted to my IG, thanks to Cooking Light Magazine. Yesterday…
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Halloween for All!

The teal pumpkin project has grown so much over the past few years and this year I was SO happy to see retailers participating, too! Walmart, Target, Michaels all have teal pumpkin and products to support Halloween for All!  lLast year we painted a wooden pumpkin teal, and it rained a lot, which gave us a teal porch (Crayola washable paint wasn’t a good choice). This year’s teal pumpkin is from Michael’s. My only beef with it is that it’s SO light, it blows off my porch daily and I’m always running after my teal pumpkin. We will leave it inside until Halloween. The banner is from Amazon.com. it shipped…
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Halloween Cake Decor

When it comes to holidays and baked treats, there are no clear cut rules for name brands. Research is crucial during this time of year and it’s when my Kitchen Aid mixer gets a real workout.  First up, Halloween! To avoid the use of Epi-Pen at school, I ALWAYS bring my own baked goods. And enough to share. I try very hard to make these items look like the other cool items available at classroom parties so nobody feels left out.  This year, I found these adorable ghosts that are made in a facility that DO NOT contain our allergies, pn + tn.  Wilton brand is notoriously NOT safe for…
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12 Minute Mashed Potatoes

I’m BAAAAACK and it feels so good to write and be part of the blogging community again. Last night, we were all craving a meat and potatoes, essentially a comfort food meal. So first I’m going to tell you about the food we made, and then I’ll address the elephant in the room….where we were last week! And why I haven’t blogged. First, chicken cordon bleu + mashed potatoes + steamed broccoli = winning! The chicken cordon bleus are frozen from Brenans (yes, I stocked up from Jacobson’s Meats before Brenans closes) and steamed some broccoli, super simple. Mashed Potatoes 3 russet potatoes, rinsed peeled and cubed into 1/4″ pieces…
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Halloween Treats

This list may come in handy if your kids go to a nut-free school, or have allergy recommendations in place for snack time / holidays. Also, this might be helpful if you have a co-worker who is allergic to nuts. Or maybe you’ve decided to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project this year for having allergy friendly / non-candy treats to pass out at your door! Please note that the Teal Pumpkin Project is 100% allergy free snacks. For these snacks, please use the Snack Safe Guide to ensure your treats are free of the Top 8 allergens. OR, 1-click shop Amazon Prime for easy Halloween treats; I purchased this: Bulk…
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Greek Salad & Grilled Pita

What. A. Week. It’s Sunday and a new week is about to begin. The show must go on! You may see some repeats on here from last week, we had some last minute changes due to a tummy bug that invaded our home. Fingers crossed we are done with that exciting experience for a long, long time. One thing is for sure, we learned a lot.  One moment that stands out in my mind happened on Friday, when my son was not doing well. He was having a hard time when he told me that he was going to “just breathe through it Mamma.” He learned the skill of finding…
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BRAT Meals for Kids

No, my kids aren’t being brats. We’ve got a tummy bug in our house so we’re sticking to the BRAT diet; banana, rice, applesauce and toast. I had an awesome spaghetti squash meal ready to go for tonight, but at 4:30 this morning, my little guy woke up not feeling well. It’s been a tough morning for him so far, and we’re currently snuggled on the couch watching Looney Tunes and I’ve rescheduled my entire day to be with him. Luckily, squash has a long shelf life, so I don’t feel bad about not making it tonight.  Being flexible during the week is super important, which is why I typically…
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Quinoa Acorn Squash + Chicken Sausage

Squash is pletiful in the garden now, and you can find it at almost every farmers market and grocery store.  There are many ways to make squash, but the yummiest way, in my opinion, is roasting it. I hated squash until my late 20s when my Mom made a great recipe at Thanks Giving that included roasting it, like this recipe does.  Acorn Squash One acorn squash feeds two people, so I’m using 2 for the 4 of us. 1 tbsp unsalted butter 2 tbsp brown sugar (1 cup white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses if you ran out of Brown sugar at the last minute like I did. Stir…
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The Garlic Smash

Hello friends, if you’re making the pork recipe that I posted yesterday, I’ve added a video below to show how to add that fresh garic, quick and easy. And a good stress reliever! [wpvideo 6sfKhz4Y]
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Slowcooker BBQ Pork Sammies

It’s Sunday Funday! This morning we had some fun family time mini golfing at Vitense Golfland. Truly, this place is made for kids who want to mini-golf but still have a ton of energy to “do-stuff-besides-golf.” It’s been ranked nationally, and is the number one place in Wisconsin to mini golf. When I say it’s made for kids, I mean every other hole has a slide (for big kids, too), or an activity of some sort; rocking motorcycles, zip lines, light house climbing tower, giant Giraffe, climbing walls, bridges, you name it. Oh, and having your ball roll into the water, don’t worry, it’s meant to. Who doesn’t LOVE splashing…
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