Simple and Easy Crockpot Lasagna

March 26, 2020 By Melissa 2 Comments
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Take the stress out of making lasagna with this simple Crockpot Lasagna recipe. Letting your crockpot do all the work is just part of the fun. The taste and flavor of this recipe will totally seal the deal!

When’s the last time that you cooked an entire meal in your crockpot? If you’re stopping to think, it’s been too long! This slow cooker lasagna recipe will have you never making lasagna any other way ever again.

This is one of those recipes that you can “set and forget” and have it ready and waiting for you when you return home from a long hard day of work. I also like to create this recipe and have it for leftovers throughout the week. What?! Leftovers is meal-planning, right?

Get ready to fall in love with the ease of this homemade lasagna recipe. It’s just that good!

Simple and Easy Crockpot Lasagna

The great part of this recipe for crockpot lasagna is that you don’t need a ton of ingredients to get started.

Ingredients needed for easy crockpot lasagna

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 can of fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 package (12 oz) lasagna noodles
12 oz ricotta cheese
2 (8 oz) packages of mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 C parmesan cheese, grated

How to make crockpot lasagna

Prep crockpot with baking spray.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet adding the onion until it turns translucent. Add crushed garlic to the skillet. Add the ground beef until brown.

Combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and spices in a sauce pan, cooking all ingredients until warm.

Begin to layer the lasagna in the crock pot. Bottom layer of the lasagna a large spoonful meat sauce. The second layer will be uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit).

Add a layer of cooked hamburger meat. Then top with cheeses. Repeat with sauce, noodles meat and cheeses until all are used up. Top with an extra layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Allow to set briefly prior to serving.

Print Recipe

Crockpot Lasagna

You're going to love the ease and taste of this crockpot lasagna.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 can of fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 package (12 oz) lasagna noodles
12 oz ricotta cheese
2 (8 oz) packages of mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 C parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

Prep crockpot with baking spray.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet adding the onion until it turns translucent. Add crushed garlic to the skillet. Add the ground beef until brown.
Combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and spices in a sauce pan, cooking all ingredients until warm.
Begin to layer the lasagna in the crock pot. Bottom layer of the lasagna a large spoonful meat sauce. The second layer will be uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit).
Add a layer of cooked hamburger meat. Then top with cheeses. Repeat with sauce, noodles meat and cheeses until all are used up. Top with an extra layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Allow to set briefly prior to serving.

Looking for more great crockpot or slow cooker recipes? Check these out!

Easter Egg Designs & Easter Egg Decorating Ideas

March 25, 2020 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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Kids, as well as adults, will enjoy these creative ways to decorate Easter eggs and Easter Egg Designs. Here, you’ll find fun ideas that use everything from craft eggs to plastic eggs to hard boiled eggs. You’ll learn various ways to dye eggs with natural ingredients as well as innovative methods for designs. From bling and glitter to a favorite superhero or character, you’ll find techniques to decorate one-of-a-kind Easter eggs. Try decoupage, adding gold leaf, Washi tape, splatter paint, and even paint pen drawing for a range of awesome ways to make works of art with these crafty activities. Get inspired by these 20 ways to celebrate the season with these unique Easter eggs decorating ideas!

Easter Egg Designs & Easter Egg Decorating Ideas

My entire family loves Easter and we always seem to acquire so many plastic Easter eggs after the holiday has come and gone. I always try to think of fun and creative ways to upcycle these boring plastic Easter eggs and this year I decided to do Chalkboard Easter Eggs. These are so easy to make and you and your kids can have so much fun decorating them with designs and cute, short sayings or designs!
Chalkboard Easter Eggs by Everyday Savvy

Make unique design patterns by securing rubber bands in random patterns on your hard boiled eggs before putting them in the dye solution. When dry, simply remove the rubber bands to expose the white stripes. Smart!
Rubber Band Easter Eggs by Freut Cake

This Ninja Turtle egg decorating idea is as adorable as it is easy! Dye your eggs a vibrant green, use various colors of ribbon to wrap around each egg and secure with hot glue. Add googly eyes to the ribbon and you’re done. Cute!
Dyed Ninja Turtles Easter Eggs by A Pumpkin And A Princess

These beautiful Easter eggs are easily dyed with the help of cool whip and gel food coloring. Spread the cool whip in a baking pan and squeeze on gel colors in a random pattern. Place a hard boiled egg in the mixture, roll it around, take it out and let dry so the color develops. Wipe the eggs off and admire your designs!
Dying Easter Eggs With Cool Whip by Mommy Made That

For a no mess decorating idea, use Washi tape to decorate your eggs. You can cut strips, cut out design elements, or randomly cut pieces to attach. Get creative with how you want the design to look. Easy!
Washi Tape Easter Eggs by Lovely Indeed

If you and the kids are okay with getting a little messy, try this fun way to splatter paint on eggs. Do this outside, of course, with your choice of paint colors and paint brushes. Just dip the brush in the paint and flick the paint on the eggs and let dry.
Paint Splattered Easter Eggs by Squirrelly Minds

Use plastic eggs in blue, green and purple for this idea. You’ll need Mod Podge, embellishments like glitter, seed beads and rhinestones for the decor. Bonus: fill each egg with little chocolate kisses!
Disney’s Frozen Easter Eggs by Two Sisters Crafting

For hard boiled or craft eggs, use a flower design hole punch to create colorful paper flowers. Hot glue the little flowers on your eggs in random patterns. Pretty!
Paper Flower Easter Eggs by Tell Love And Party

Here’s a fun way to decorate a plain chocolate egg. Using a new and clean paint brush, melt some chocolate squares. Paint a heart shape, or an initial, in the middle of the egg with the melted chocolate. Sprinkle on some colorful sprinkles or nonpareils. Cute!
DIY Chocolate Easter Egg Decorating by Sum Of Their Stories

Use this method of dying hard boiled eggs for a glossy and vibrant finish to your eggs. Use vegetable oil, water and food coloring in a range colors. Have plastic cups available for the various color mixtures. Add an egg to each mixture and remove when the color has developed. So pretty!
Oil And Water Dyed Easter Eggs by Happiest Camper

Bright yellow dyed eggs or paper mache eggs can be used to draw on your favorite emoji faces with craft paint markers. Make sure you get black, white, red and blue to capture all those emoji expressions. Fun!
DIY Emoji Easter Eggs by Studio DIY

Preschoolers will enjoy watching and hearing the fizz as they drop their hard boiled eggs into the vinegar and baking soda solution. Dye tablets will color the eggs and the kids will be able to watch as the color develops. Fun!
Fizzing Easter Egg Dyeing by Fun With Mama

If you’re looking to decorate craft eggs, consider this adorable decoupaged craft that uses children’s story book pages. With just a little Mod Podge and a paintbrush, you can have a one-of-a-kind beautiful basket of eggs.
Decoupaged Easter Egg Craft by Atta Girl Says

This is a super easy but highly creative way to make an Easter egg look like cacti. Dye your eggs green and let dry. Using a fine tip black marker, draw on the cactus designs.Try drawing vertical lines, or vertical line of little x’s, or little v’s to look like prickly thorns. Have fun with this one!
Cactus Easter Eggs by Delia Creates

This no mess decorating idea is a colorful way to add “sprinkles” to your hard boiled eggs. Using acrylic paint and a fine tip paint brush, paint little vertical lines or “sprinkles” on in various colors. So easy!
DIY Sprinkle Easter Eggs by Let’s Mingle Blog

Here’s a great way to get a Robin’s Egg blue color by naturally dying hard boiled eggs with blueberries, water and a little vinegar. Let the eggs soak in the solution and dry, To add a speckled look, mix a little cornstarch and water and flick it on with a paint brush. Pretty!
Dye easter Eggs With Blueberries by Freut Cake

Use craft eggs and marbling paint for this idea. Add paint colors to a plastic cup, swirl with a toothpick and then pour over the craft eggs to achieve the marbling effect. Let dry on a wire rack.
Marbled Easter Eggs by Creative Green Living

Using a sharpie and a vinyl image attached to your hard boiled egg, just dot around the vinyl and as far out on the egg for some dimension before removing the image. Use on any colored egg to create a unique effect.
Sharpie Easter Eggs by The Girl Inspired

Here’s an easy Easter egg designs and decorating idea for kids of all ages. Using plastic or hard boiled eggs, brush on paint using random brush strokes. Make sure you leave some white on each egg. Easy and modern!
Brushstroke Eggs by PMQ for Two

Using dyed eggs, apply a thin layer of adhesive on the egg in random spots. Place a gold leaf sheet on the egg, press it down to adhere and then brush the excess off. Beautiful!
Gold Leaf Easter Eggs by A Pumpkin And A Princess

Need more fun Easter ideas? Check out these Easter basket ideas, and Easter Egg hunt fun.

Jelly Bean Bark Recipe

Glow in the Dark Easter Egg Hunt Directions

Easter Basket Ideas for Girls

Easter Basket Ideas for Boys

Easter Basket Ideas for Tween Girls

Easter Basket Ideas for Tween Boys

Easter Basket Ideas for Teenage Girls

Easter Basket Ideas for Teenage Boys

Easter Basket Ideas – Outdoor Toys

DIY Easter Egg Bath Bombs

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Easter Egg Designs & Easter Egg Decorating Ideas

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Cute & Fun Easter Cupcakes – Lots of Easy Ideas

March 23, 2020 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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Any of these awesome 21 Easter cupcakes will help you kick off springtime and celebrate the season!

20 Easter Cupcakes

Any of these awesome 20 Easter cupcakes will help you kick off springtime and celebrate the season! These sweet confections are a delight to eat as well as look at. The decorations feature everything from bunnies to chicks and carrots to eggs. Turn these cupcakes into works of edible art by adding beautiful pastel shades of pink, blue, green, yellow and lavender. Many of these recipes are easy enough that even the kids can help with the assembly and decoration. From peeps to coconut grass and from mini chocolate malted eggs to crushed cookie edible dirt patches, you’ll find creative recipes to inspire your next batch of adorable Easter cupcakes.

Looking for cute and easy Easter Cupcakes? Try these super cute Carrot Garden Easter Cupcakes. The orange Mike & Ikes with edible Easter grass decorate the cupcake and look like a garden the Easter bunny would love! Kids and adults alike will enjoy eating these cute and tasty Easter cupcake decorations. Plus they are not too hard to make. Cute and easy…the perfect combination. Carrot Garden Cupcakes by Everyday Savvy

These Easter cupcakes are a feast for your eyes: chocolate cupcakes with chocolate malted frosting that’s piped on high. Add some colorful malted Whopper eggs on the top and garnish with a smidge of the pastel crushed mini eggs. Adorable!
Chocolate Whopper Egg Cupcakes by Your Cup Of Cake

Who doesn’t love jelly beans? These cupcakes are an amazing Easter dessert because not only do you decorate the frosting with sweet jelly beans, you’ll also hide some inside a hollowed out section of each cupcake!
Jelly Bean Cupcakes by If You Give A Blonde A Kitchen

These chocolate cupcakes get a garden “dirt” topping from crushed chocolate cookies. Create carrots for the patch by using a strawberry that’s been dipped in orange candy melts. Hollow out a little piece of the cupcake in the center so that the “carrot” can sit in the garden patch. Sweet!
Carrot Patch Cupcakes by Life Made Simple Bakes

Here’s an easy way to up-level coconut cupcakes for Easter. Make your coconut cupcakes, frost with butter frosting and then lightly toast your coconut flakes before adding to the top of the frosting. Gently place three Whoppers malted milk ball eggs in the center of the frosting. Beautiful!
Coconut Cupcakes With Toasted Coconut Frosting by Brown Eyed Baker

Not only are these cupcakes gorgeous, but they’re fun to make.You’ll divide your cupcake batter up into 4 equal parts and drop different shades of food coloring in each. Pour a bit of each into each cupcake liner which will create a marble effect when baked. Divide your frosting up, too, to create pastel colors and ice each a different color. So pretty!
Celebration Marble Cupcakes by Two Sisters Crafting

White cupcakes with buttercream frosting get topped with sweet Easter chick marshmallow peeps. Before setting the peeps on top, add edible Easter grass to the top for the nests. Set the chicks in the center and add a few mini chocolate robin’s eggs. Cute!
Easter Peeps Cupcakes by Freut Cake

These made from scratch lemon cupcakes use real lemon juice and zest for a punch of flavor. They are filled with lemon curd and frosted with a lemony icing. They’re the perfect spring dessert to serve at Easter.
Perfect Triple Lemon Cupcakes by Crazy For Crust

The color combo of chocolate cupcakes with a pastel coconut “grass” frosting is a sweet way to celebrate Easter. Add a small chocolate bunny in the center of the grass or even a few mini malted eggs. Perfect for spring and Easter parties.
Easter Cupcakes by Mother Thyme

Decorate chocolate cupcakes with mini marshmallows for the body of a sheep. You’ll make the sheep heads from a few of the cupcakes plus frosting that you’ve rolled into ovals and allowed to chill in the fridge. Add eyes and attach to the cupcakes to complete the sheep. So sweet!
Sheep Cupcakes by Wine And Glue

Easter is the perfect time to make desert with spring fruit such as blueberries. Here, a coconut cupcake gets the addition of a few blueberries in the batter. Add a blueberry to the top of the buttery coconut frosting for the finishing touch. Delish!
Blueberry Coconut Cupcakes by Life Love And Sugar

Chocolate cupcakes get frosted and then topped with crushed mini sandwich cookies for the “dirt.” Use orange Mike and Ikes candies for the carrots and edible green Easter grass for the carrot stems. Crazy cute and the kids will love them!
Carrot In The Garden Easter Cupcakes by Cincy Shopper

If you’re looking for a quick Easter cupcake, this is it! Make your cupcakes and instead of frosting them, use cotton candy as a “nest” and nestle mini chocolate eggs in it. So creative!
Cotton Candy Easter Cupcakes by The Sweetest Occasion

Chocolate cupcakes and frosting get decorated with a chocolate Easter bunny with the help of Reese’s cups. Use a round peanut butter cup as the bunny torso and add candy eyes, tootsie rolls for ears, a candy carrot and two chocolate Whoppers for his paws. Clever!
Reese’s Cup Easter Bunny Cupcakes by Hungry Happenings

Marshmallow eggs get decorated with melted candy before being dipped in colorful sugar or sprinkles to make a sparkly egg. Let them chill in the fridge while you make the cupcakes and frosting. When ready, set the eggs vertically on top for a pretty Easter egg cupcake!
Marshmallow Easter Egg Cupcakes by Young At Heart Mommy

These luscious chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting look amazing with a Cadbury creme egg perched on top of green “grass” sprinkles, but wait until you bite into it. There’s a hidden mini creme egg inside. Surprise!
Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes by Flour On My Face

If you’re going to enjoy Peeps this season, make them in the form of a cupcake! Perfect for Easter parties, these vibrant colored bunny peeps sit on top of buttercream frosting that you’ll add gel food coloring to to match the peeps. Kid and party-approved!
Peeps Cupcakes by Eating On A Dime

These cupcakes are the perfect Easter treat with their marshmallow frosting that you’ll dust with pastel coconut flakes. Top chocolate or vanilla cupcakes with these and watch the kids gobble them up!
Snowball Cupcakes by Baking A Moment

Yellow chicks perch on top of vanilla cupcakes thanks to vanilla buttercream frosting that’s been dyed with gel food coloring. It’s easy to pipe on these chicks. Just add googly eyes, a little beak and feet. Precious!
Easter Chick Cupcakes by Amanda’s Cookin

These chocolate cupcakes and frosting get topped with a dusting of chocolate cookie crumbs for the “dirt.” Create the bunny by using donut holes dipped in melted white chocolate and coated with coconut. Add the feet and toes for the sweet little Easter bunny cupcake treat.
Bunny Butt Cupcakes by Spend With Pennies

These rich chocolate cupcakes and frosting get dusted with brown jimmies for the “nest” before adding mini pastel chocolate eggs in the center. Cute and irresistible!
Robin’s Nest Cupcakes by Tastes of Lizzy T

Need more fun Easter ideas? Check out these Easter basket ideas, and Easter Egg hunt fun.

Jelly Bean Bark Recipe

Glow in the Dark Easter Egg Hunt Directions

Easter Basket Ideas for Girls

Easter Basket Ideas for Boys

Easter Basket Ideas for Tween Girls

Easter Basket Ideas for Tween Boys

Easter Basket Ideas for Teenage Girls

Easter Basket Ideas for Teenage Boys

Easter Basket Ideas – Outdoor Toys

DIY Easter Egg Bath Bombs

Sausage Asparagus Skillet Recipe with Quinoa

March 17, 2020 By Melissa
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This Sausage Asparagus Skillet Recipe with Quinoa is so quick and easy to prepare and an easy family favorite meal.

Looking for a healthy and easy meal? Check out this Sausage, Asparagus & Quinoa Meal Recipe. This meal is so simple to make but flavorful and sure to become a family favorite. We all love quinoa in my family and this is a great way to prepare it. My youngest requests it often.

Here are a few in process pictures but be sure to check out the full printable recipe below.

Sausage Asparagus Skillet Recipe with Quinoa Recipe Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil.
Add in the 1 cup of uncooked quinoa. Lower the heat and allow the quinoa to simmer, stirring occasionally, until cooked, about 10-15 minutes.
In a separate pan, saute the fresh asparagus and smoked sausage on medium heat until the asparagus is tender, about 10-15 minutes. I’ve found I didn’t need to add any oil with the sausage.

Next, add in the 2 cups of cooked quinoa and continue to saute 5-6 minutes
Serve immediately. However, leftovers also reheat well.

This easy recipe is perfect for busy nights but still healthy and flavorful. You really can’t go wrong. If you are looking for a new way to try quinoa and asparagus, you really can’t go wrong with this recipe.

Print Recipe

Sausage, Asparagus & Quinoa Meal Recipe

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: dinner

Servings: 4

Author: Melissa

Ingredients

1 C. uncooked quinoa makes 2 C. cooked
1 C. fresh asparagus washed and the ends cut off
8 oz smoked sausage cut into quarters
2 C. chicken broth
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, bring the 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil.
Add in the 1 cup of uncooked quinoa. Lower the heat and allow the quinoa to simmer, stirring occasionally, until cooked, about 10-15 minutes.
In a separate pan, saute the fresh asparagus and smoked sausage on medium heat until the asparagus is tender, about 10-15 minutes. I've found I didn't need to add any oil with the sausage.
Add in the 2 cups of cooked quinoa and continue to saute 5-6 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Leftovers also reheat well.

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Easter Bath Bombs / DIY Easter Egg Bath Bombs

February 24, 2020 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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These fun Easter Bath Bombs would be a perfect Easter gift for tweens, teens or adults. These DIY Easter Egg Bath bombs are simple to make and require just a few ingredients.

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Making DIY Easter bath bombs seems like it might be difficult or overwhelming but you can use plastic Easter eggs for bath bombs! If you are like me you have a bunch of plastic Easter eggs lying around and they make the perfect Easter bath bomb mold. Bath bombs from a store like Lush are very popular but you can make your own Easter egg-shaped bath bombs for so much cheaper.

I think these DIY colorful bath bombs would look super cute wrapped up in a favor bag and handed out as little Easter gifts for friends.

This Easter egg bath bomb recipe requires just a few simple ingredients and they are all available from Amazon if you want to save yourself a trip to the store. I linked to each ingredient to make it easy. [Read more…]

20 Easy Sheet Pan Meals/ One Pan Sheet Meals

February 20, 2020 By Melissa 1 Comment
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If you love the convenience of easy cleanup and mostly hands-off dinners, then you’ll want to check out this collection of more than 20 easy sheet pan meals. Check out these easy sheet pan dinners that are perfect for busy weeknights. These one sheet pan meals recipes will give you the inspiration to make a variety of meals that your hungry family will adore. We even include some healthy sheet plan meals. You’ll find easy ways to make chicken parmesan, beef or chicken fajitas, deliciously flavored salmon and white fish, delectable sheet pan shrimp meals, succulent pork recipes and more. You’ll even learn how to make scrambled eggs on a sheet pan! Sheet pan clean up is a breeze when you use foil, parchment paper or non-stick silicone baking mats. Let these sheet pan dinner recipes help you make awesome meals, all with the help of a sheet pan and an oven!

Looking for the best one-sheet meals? We rounded them up for you!

Easy Sheet Pan Meals / One Sheet Pan Meals

Luscious pineapple gives a touch of sweetness to this tasty sheet pan chicken meal. A quick teriyaki marinade of just 30 minutes is all that’s required to give the chicken a tender and outrageous flavor. Then it’s just 15 minutes in the oven along with some veggies before serving up this tasty meal.
Sheet Pan Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken by Averie Cooks

No need to stand over a skillet and stir fry this meal when you can easily put it on a sheet pan instead! You’ll still get awesome flavor and tender beef that’s seasoned with a sticky sauce full of garlic and ginger. Don’t forget the green beans for some crunch!
Sheet Pan Mongolian Beef by A Spicy Perspective

Just wait until you taste these delicious Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Apple! These easy baked pork chops are perfect for holiday dinners, weekend family suppers, or just a delicious weeknight meal to gather everyone around the kitchen table.
Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Apple by Everyday Savvy

You’ll love the super easy clean up of this buttery shrimp scampi recipe that’s made right on a sheet pan! Tomatoes and asparagus are the perfect veggies to go with this garlicky shrimp meal. Serve with a side of pasta and be prepared for rave reviews from your family and friends.
Sheet Pan Shrimp Scampi by Carlsbad Cravings

Go vegan with this delicious tofu and veggie sheet pan meal. The tofu crisps up perfectly in the oven along with colorful bell peppers and broccoli. Add a homemade peanut sauce to take this Asian-inspired meal over the top!
Sheet Pan Crispy Tofu & Vegetables with Peanut Sauce by Joy Food Sunshine

Cashews add the perfect crunch to this chicken meal that bakes in about 20 minutes on a sheet pan. You’ll love the Chinese-inspired soy, honey and sesame sauce, too. Forget all about take-out with this meal!
Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken by Life Made Sweeter

What could be easier than adding a flank steak to a sheet pan surrounded by sliced green peppers and onions and sliding it into the oven for 30 minutes? Not much! You’ll get steak that’s perfect for slicing thin for your Philly sandwich along with the tender peppers and onions. Add provolone cheese and enjoy this classic meal.
Sheet Pan Philly Cheesesteak by Eazy Peazy Mealz

Carrots and green beans make the perfect side items for these spicy soy sauce and ginger glazed Alaskan salmon fillets. Can you believe you can prep and bake this entire meal in about 15 minutes? Win-win!
Sheet Pan Ginger Soy Glazed Salmon by Eat Yourself Skinny

No frying needed with these simple sheet pan pork chops flavored with a delectable honey mustard sauce. Add cubed sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts to the pan for a deliciously hearty meal.
Honey Mustard Sheet Pan Pork Chops by Simply Recipes

Sausage lovers will appreciate this easy meal full of veggies and tasty Kielbasa slices. Carrots, broccoli, onions and peppers share space with the sausage on a sheet pan that’s baked for just 20 minutes. Serve with a side of rice for a hearty meal.
Sheet Pan Roasted Veggies And Sausage by Recipe Girl

If you need a breakfast meal to feed a crowd, consider this sheet pan egg recipe. Grab several cartons of eggs and get ready to scramble them for the sheet pan that’s at least 1″ deep. Season the eggs and add veggies, bacon, ham, and cheese if you like. Bake for 20 minutes and serve to your hungry family and friends!
Sheet Pan Eggs by Sweet Peas And Saffron

This gorgeous chicken sheet pan meal is full of veggies goodness from Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and apples. Your kitchen will smell heavenly as these flavors cook. Enjoy this meal knowing that the cleanup will be a breeze!
Sheet Pan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Apples, and Brussels Sprouts by Well Plated

Make this mild white fish meal of lemon herbed cod along with garlicky green beans and zucchini. You can even make the zesty sauce the day before to save time so all you need to do is load the sheet pan and bake!
Sheet Pan Lemon Herb Cod by Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

Eggplant parmesan can be easily made on a sheet pan, and it’s also a great way to make it ahead of time and warm up later. You can even add turkey meatballs to make this a hearty meal for meat lovers. Awesome!
Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan by Bunsen Burner Bakery

Cut your chicken breasts into strips and add fajita seasoning to them before placing on a sheet pan. Add your sliced peppers, onions, zucchini and mushrooms to the pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Serve with flour tortillas and all your favorite toppings.
Chicken Fajitas by Sweet Peas And Saffron

Make this sheet pan recipe for breakfast or dinner. Cubed sweet potatoes, red onion and Brussels sprouts bake along with sunny-side up eggs for a delicious meal any time of the day. Oh, and the clean up is a breeze if you use a baking mat on the sheet pan.
Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Hash With Eggs by Zesty Olive

Make this healthy version of fish and chips right at home on a sheet pan. The potatoes spears get tossed with olive oil and get a head start with the roasting process. Coat your fish with Panko breadcrumbs and add to the sheet pan for the last 20 minutes. Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.
Sheet Pan Fish And Chips by Simply Recipes

Even picky eaters will enjoy this tasty chicken parmesan sheet pan meal complete with a side of your choice of veggie. Broccoli is used here, but use what you have on hand. Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, marinara sauce and Mozzarella cheese make this chicken an irresistible entree that the whole family will love.
Sheet Pan Chicken Parmesan by Six Sisters Stuff

Lemon, dill and yogurt give this sheet pan salmon a delicious tangy flavor along with an extra hit of lemon pepper. Add asparagus or green beans to the sheet pan and bake for just 15 minutes. So easy and quick!
Lemon Pepper Salmon by Sweet Peas And Saffron

Here’s how easy this recipe is: toss shrimp, sliced turkey sausage, zucchini, red onion, and bell peppers with a homemade cajun spice blend, turn it out on to a sheet pan and bake. Serve with as side of pasta, if desired, or just gobble it up as is!
Cajun Shrimp And Sausage by Kevin Is Cooking

With just a little bit of prep work and brining before baking you can make the most tender and juicy pork tenderloin ever. It’s easy to do and you’ll love the chili rub that gives the pork an outrageous flavor. Cook potatoes and green beans on the sheet pan, too, and enjoy this awesome meal.
Sheet Pan Chili Dijon Pork Tenderloin by Carlsbad Cravings

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Best Healthy Instant Pot Recipes

January 23, 2020 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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If you are looking for quick healthy recipes, you will want to check out the 20 healthy Instant Pot recipes that are perfect for your busy life. These top easy healthy Instant Pot recipes are full of flavor and lots of different ingredients so you are sure to find a healthy Instant Pot idea your family will love.

20 Healthy Instant Pot Recipes

It’s no secret that the Instant Pot is a chef’s new best friend for getting meals on the table in record time. It’s also a great appliance for helping you create healthy meals with little to no fuss, thanks to the benefits of pressurized cooking. This collection of healthy Instant Pot recipes is full of menu planning ideas from breakfast and the way through to dessert. You’ll find meal recipes for meat lovers as well as vegetarians. From soups to stews, from fajitas to meatballs and from lentils to veggies, you’ll find inspiration for healthy cooking for a range of dietary needs. With minimal prep, these mouth-watering recipes will practically make themselves allowing you to enjoy delicious and healthy meals in no time at all!

Are Instant Pot Recipes Healthy?

That all depends on the ingriendents you use. Instant pot recipes can be full of fat or full of healthy ingrentients. We rounded up the top healthy instant pot recipes that can make it so easy to eat healthy. cehck out these top rated healthy Instant Pot recipes.

There’s no need to add sugar to naturally sweet apples when you make this healthy pressure cooker version of applesauce. Just core the apples, slice them (leave the peels on) and place them in your Instant Pot. Add a little water, turn it on and come back in 10 minutes to an awesome batch of applesauce. So delicious!
Instant Pot Applesauce No Sugar Added by Detoxinista

This chicken noodle soup that’s full of healthy veggies is a recipe that every Instant Pot owner should master. Good news: it’s so easy! Sauté your carrots, celery, onion and garlic before adding the chicken, stock and seasonings. Noodles go in at the very end for a delicious and hearty soup that the whole family will love.
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup by Taste And See

Forget boiling eggs on the stovetop and instead use your pressure cooker for the perfect hard boiled eggs – every time! You can even batch cook eggs for meal planning purposes so you always have them ready to go for the week. Plus, using your Instant Pot makes the eggs incredibly easy to peel. Awesome!
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs by Recipes From A Pantry

Try these gluten free turkey meatballs for a change from beef. You can even cook these from frozen and they’ll still be tasty and tender. The turkey meatballs get cooked right in the sauce so all the seasoning and flavors are infused into the meat. They cook in about 10 minutes making this an easy dish to get on the table quickly.
Gluten Free Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs by Flippin Delicious

Give your Instant Pot 20 minutes to make this savory fajita dish full of spices, steak, peppers and onions. No fancy cooking skills are needed; just slice, dump, seal and cook and then come back to plate it up. You’ll love the tender beef and spicy veggies!
Instant Pot Steak Fajitas by Little Sunny Kitchen

Make this batch of healthy chili to feed a crowd or save the leftovers for another meal. Start with sautéing the turkey and onions before adding the rest of the ingredients The butternut squash cubes go in last, on top. Just 15 minute of high pressure renders you a delicious chili that’s family approved.
Butternut Squash Turkey Chili by Fit Mitten Kitchen

If you enjoy the flavors of egg rolls you’ll want to try this deconstructed version that comes together easily in your pressure cooker. Ground beef, cabbage, carrots, ginger, garlic, onion and riced cauliflower combine to make this egg roll in a bowl your new favorite go-to meal for busy nights!
Instant Pot Egg Roll In A Bowl by Awefilled Homemaker

The secret to this healthy cake is chocolate. That’s right! Flavonoids are the key ingredient in dark chocolate that make it a heart-healthy food. Make sure and choose dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa. Oh, and this cake is also gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free. Win-win!
Instant Pot Chocolate Pudding Cake by This Pilgrim Life

Dried red lentil are pressure cooked to tenderness with this zesty vegetarian soup full of beans and veggies in a spicy tomato sauce. Set out your favorite toppings while your Instant Pot cooks this Mexican-inspired soup to perfection. Serve to rave reviews!
Vegetarian Lentil Tortilla Soup by Peas And Crayons

Sauté your meat, onions and garlic in your Instant Pot before building your lasagna. Using a baking pan, layer your lasagna ingredients, minus the noodle layers. Add water to the bottom of your Instant Pot, set the pan on your pressure cooker bakeware sling and cook for 9 minutes. You’ll love the flavor and healthy no-pasta version of this lasagna!
Instant Pot No Noodle Lasagna by Low Carb Yum

If you love oatmeal you’ll want to use steel cut oats for a healthy meal. Your Instant Pot will pressure cook them to tender perfection. Learn how to use just water or a mix of water and milk for the ultimate flavor and best texture results. When cooked, just add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats by A Mind Full Mom

Season these short ribs with a combo of butter, garlic, and fresh thyme for fall-off-the-bone goodness. Sear the short ribs, sauté the seasonings and then pressure cook for 35 minutes. It’s worth the time for these delectable ribs!
Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs by Delicious Little Bites

Using ground chicken, you can make this easy meal in under 20 minutes. Season the chicken with spices and add some veggies like diced zucchini to add a little more substance. Sauté and then add the liquid ingredients to infuse and cook the meat fully. Use butter lettuce for the perfect rollup vehicle. Savory!
Pressure Cooker Chicken Lettuce Wraps by Simply Recipes

For a protein-pack meal make these spice black beans which turn out tender every time thanks to your pressure cooker. There’s no need to pre-soak your beans. You’ll just sauté your veggies and spices before adding the dry beans and water or broth. Cook for 50 minutes and enjoy these spicy beans as is or use in other recipes throughout the week.
Mexican Black Beans In The Instant Pot by Piping Hot Curry

Give your Instant Pot 30 minutes to make you this delicious plant-based curry. A base of creamy coconut milk flavors the cauliflower and garbanzo beans. Spice it up with onions, garlic, ginger, garam masala and curry powder. Garnish with cashews, if desired. So tasty!
Cauliflower Tikka Masala by The Forked Spoon

Make this immune-boosting soup full of veggies like broccoli, carrots, celery and tomatoes. Beans, along with garlic, basil, and raw buckwheat groats fill out this healthy soup profile. Make a batch for today and stash some in your fridge for later.
Instant Pot Spring Vegetable Soup by Kitchen Of Youth

It only takes 5 ingredients to make this vegan dessert pudding. Dry rice with coconut milk and unsweetened coconut make the creamiest healthy pudding that kids as well as adults will enjoy. Top with fruit, if desired.
Instant Pot Coconut Rice Pudding by Simply Happy Foodie

Pressure cook frozen or fresh heart-healthy salmon in about 20 minutes! Full of omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is also a great source of protein. Just place your salmon fillets on a metal trivet, add a cup of water to the pot and let it work its magic.
Instant Pot Salmon by Detoxinista

No need to simmer this soup all day; just make this easy minestrone soup in your pressure cooker to deepen the flavor. Use kidney beans, cannellini beans and yummy veggies like carrots, green beans, celery, spinach and zucchini for a colorful, healthy and delicious meal.
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup by Life Made Sweeter

Chicken breasts with tangy lemon juice, zest and garlic get pressure-cooked to delicious tenderness. Remove your chicken and finish the meal with asparagus and artichoke hearts. There will be actual awesome sauce left over that you’ll want to spoon on to every delicious bite of this meal!
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken by Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

Need Meal Planning Help?

Learn How an Instant Pot can help with Meal Planning here

Don’t forget to click here to pin this Instant Pot Recipe Round-Up for later.

Reindeer Hot Chocolate / Hot Chocolate Reindeer Cones

December 12, 2019 By Melissa 16 Comments
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I absolutely love these cute Reindeer Hot Chocolate bags that make easy DIY Christmas gifts.

Looking for a cute easy DIY gift for the kids. Check out this DIY Gift of Reindeer Hot Chocolate! This gift requires just a few ingredients and supplies which makes these reindeer cocoa bags very easy to make. It so simple to make that kids can easily make reindeer hot chocolate cones themselves for friends. Just add ingredients and a tag and you are good to go with a simple but oh so cute gift! Plus reindeer hot chocolate bags make a great treat to enjoy during the holiday season.

[Read more…]

Sweet Potato Appetizer – Sweet Potato Crisps with Slaw Recipe

November 18, 2019 By Melissa 4 Comments
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Sweet Potato Crisps with Slaw are the easiest most flavorful sweet potato appetizer ever and they are also a total crowd favorite.

Ok, I have a confession to make. I was not a huge fan of sweet potatoes. There I said it! Sure they were great on Thanksgiving and I have a couple of tried and true recipes that are made with sweet potatoes (and gosh I love those recipes), but outside of that, they were not my favorite. Needless to say, I never explored the option of using them as an appetizer. These sweet potato bites make a perfect Thanksgiving appetizer. [Read more…]

Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Apple Easy Dinner Recipe

November 6, 2019 By Thena Franssen Leave a Comment
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Just wait until you taste these delicious Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Apple ! These easy baked pork chops are perfect for holiday dinners, weekend family suppers, or just a delicious weeknight meal to gather everyone around the kitchen table.

The best part about this oven roasted pork chop recipe is that you only need 5 simple ingredients to get started. And I’m talking easy ingredients!

Once you combine them together and cook them, you’re going to realize that you’ve just found a dependable go-to weekly meal. Everything about this recipe is simple, easy, and delicious.

There’s no reason that you can’t have this into your weekly meal-planning or rotation without any sort of issues!

Sign up for my easy meal planning tips here. Getting dinner on the table doesn’t have to be hard and it saves you time and money!

Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Apple

Packed full of healthy ingredients, get ready to get started!

Ingredients needed to make these easy baked boneless pork chops

4 Boneless Pork Chops
Green Beans
Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
1 12oz Can Apple Pie Filler

How to make this roasted pork chops in the oven

Place pork chops on the sheet pan. These is such a simple way to make boneless pork chops in oven. Need a sheet pan? This sheet pan has great reviews.

Clean and slice your green beans. Then place them on the sheet pan.

Slice up the sweet potatoes and place them on the sheet pan.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 350 and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until pork chops reach 150-155 degrees.

Remove from the oven and pour the apple pie filling over the entire sheet pan meal.

Place in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy your boneless pork chops with apples and sweet potatoes!

Print Recipe

Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Apple & Sweet Potato

Don't miss out on this delicious Sheet Pan Pork Chops.

Ingredients

4 Boneless Pork Chops
Green Beans
Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
1 12oz Can Apple Pie Filler

Instructions

Place pork chops on the sheet pan.
Clean and slice your green beans. Then place them on the sheet pan.
Slice up the sweet potatoes and place them on the sheet pan.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 350 and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until pork chops reach 150-155 degrees.
Remove from the oven and pour the apple pie filling over the entire sheet pan meal.
Place in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

Be sure to pin this recipe for later!

Looking for more great easy pork and beef recipes? Check these out!

Caramel Pumpkin Overnight Oats

October 22, 2019 By Melissa Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure page for more info.

What if I told you that there was a way that you could just wake up and have your breakfast ready and waiting for you? With this Caramel Pumpkin Overnight Oats recipe, that’s exactly what can happen.

With just a tad bit of prepping and planning the night before, you can wake up knowing that you have a delicious breakfast recipe that’s just waiting for you to enjoy. And who doesn’t want that sweet taste bright and early in the morning? Sign me up for sure, I can’t wait!

This easy overnight oats recipe is literally as easy as possible and it offers up some truly delicious and unique flavors. It’s time to give in to the “easy” route and meal prep your breakfast the night before. As you’re dishing up these overnight oats with pumpkin, you’re going to be already thinking about the next time that you can make it again!

Caramel Pumpkin Overnight Oats

As you can see from the list of ingredients below, this simple breakfast recipe is totally worth it.

Ingredients needed for Caramel Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

For Oat Mixture:

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup plain greek yogurt
3 tbsp canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix, just pumpkin)
2 cups milk or milk product of your choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For layering:

6 crumbled graham crackers
6 tbsp caramel syrup (I used ice cream topping)
3 tbsp chopped pecan pieces

How to make this homemade overnight oats recipe

Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl. Adjust the amount of milk until the desired thickness of the oat mixture. (some people like it thinner or thicker, keeping in mind it will absorb the liquid and become thicker on its own)

Layer all ingredients in a jar.

Add 1 crumbled graham cracker, 1 tbsp caramel syrup, & a sprinkle of pecan pieces to the bottom of the jar.

Add ¼ of the oat mixture to the jar.

Add 1 crumbled graham cracker, 1 tbsp caramel syrup, & a sprinkle of pecan pieces to the bottom of the jar.

Add ¼ of the oat mixture to the jar.

Add 1 crumbled graham cracker, 1 tbsp caramel syrup, & a sprinkle of pecan pieces to the bottom of the jar.

Repeat for 2nd jar.

Refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Eat within 3 days.

Wondering where to find an Overnight Oats Jar?

We made this pumpkin oatmeal in a standard mason jar that you can find at many home goods or even grocery stores. Overnight Oats Jars are also available on Amazon.

Print Recipe

Caramel Pumpkin Overnight Oats

You're going to love how simple this Caramel Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats recipe is!

Ingredients

For Oat Mixture:

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup plain greek yogurt
3 tbsp canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix, just pumpkin)
2 cups milk or milk product of your choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For layering:

6 crumbled graham crackers
6 tbsp caramel syrup (I used ice cream topping)
3 tbsp chopped pecan pieces

Instructions

Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl. Adjust the amount of milk until the desired thickness of the oat mixture. (some people like it thinner or thicker, keeping in mind it will absorb the liquid and become thicker on its own)
Layer all ingredients in a jar.
Add 1 crumbled graham cracker, 1 tbsp caramel syrup, & a sprinkle of pecan pieces to the bottom of the jar.
Add ¼ of the oat mixture to the jar.
Add 1 crumbled graham cracker, 1 tbsp caramel syrup, & a sprinkle of pecan pieces to the bottom of the jar.
Add ¼ of the oat mixture to the jar.
Add 1 crumbled graham cracker, 1 tbsp caramel syrup, & a sprinkle of pecan pieces to the bottom of the jar.
Repeat for 2nd jar.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Eat within 3 days.

Looking for more great pumpkin recipes? Check these out!

Choosing the Best Electronic Craft Cutting Machine – Compare Silhouette, Cricut and More

October 14, 2019 By Heidi 98 Comments
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Buying a craft cutting machine can be a big decision. There are several different types of cutters on the market and they all have very unique features. Most crafters opt to purchase a Silhouette or a Cricut machine, but there are more options out there. Your choice will heavily depend on what type of crafts you want to do and what type features you will want in a machine. I will highlight the unique features of each machine to help to make your decision easier.

Silhouette Machines

Silhouette machines are great for the person that likes to design and manipulate their own projects. There is a small learning curve to the Design Studio software, but you can easily change projects to fit your needs by erasing something here and there, adding text or drawing new lines. The Silhouette design store offers turnkey images and projects at a low price, but as you get better, you can easily tweak these projects to fit your needs. You can also cut any font that is installed on your computer. You can work within the free version of the Design Studio software or you can purchase the Designer Edition software upgrade. The Designer Edition upgrade allows you to cut SVG(vector files) files, unlocks the rhinestone features, has better eraser, knife and shear tools and more. The best part is that you do not have to have an internet connection to use your software. If the internet goes down, you will still be able to use your machine.

Tracing is another unique feature of the Silhouette machines. You can trace and cut images that you upload to your computer. For example, if you have a logo that you want to make “cuttable”, you can use the trace feature to make it into a cuttable file. My husband owns a small business and I was able to trace his logo and create vinyl decals, shirts and more for his business. Another example is if you have an image like a cute panda jpg file that you want to cut out, you can upload it to your software, trace it, and use the “print and cut” feature to print the image. Then you cann have your machine cut around the outer edge of the panda. This is one of my favorite features of the Silhouette machine as you can create truly unique projects.

Silhouette has a whole line of machines in different price ranges and with different features:

1. Silhouette Cameo Machines

The Silhouette Cameo is my favorite machine in Silhouette America’s lineup and the Cameos just keep getting better and better. The new and more powerful Cameo 4, which has a 12″ wide cutting area was just released and there are larger machines coming soon that cut 15″ and 20″ wide coming Spring of 2020. All Silhouette machines run off of Silhouette Studio software, which comes with it. The great thing about the software is that you aren’t required to work with an internet connection. You can work offline! You can also purchase the Designer Edition software upgrade if you wish to unlock more designer editing features.

Silhouette Cameo 4– The Silhouette Cameo 4 is the newest machine and it has some impressive new features. This Cameo is stronger and faster than ever. It has 5000 grams of cutting force, which is 1000 grams more than the comparable Cricut Maker (4000 grams), which helps cut through thicker materials. The Cameo 3 has the capability of just 210 grams of cutting force, so the Cameo 4 is quite an upgrade. As far as speed, the Cameo 4 cuts 3 times faster than the Cameo 3. It also comes with new tools that the Cameo 3 did not have such as the Kraft and Rotary tools to help with cutting things such as balsa wood, leather, chipboard and more. The exclusive Punch tool is a special tool that helps create weeding points for working with vinyl. These new tools have built-in sensors so your machine can detect which tool is inserted into the holder. How cool is that? The Cameo 4 still can cut up to 10 feet long of vinyl and 12 inches wide, but it now comes with a built-in vinyl roll feeder (new!) with a cross-cutter to cut off your vinyl roll when you are finished cutting. Like previous Cameo machines, the Cameo 4 has wireless capability, can print and cut and has the ability to “trace”, which is unique to Silhouette machines. The Cameo 4 has a larger clearance (3mm vs. 2mm) for thicker materials like balsa wood, leather, but will still cut things like cardstock, vellum, acetate and paper. It uses the Silhouette Studio software that is included with your machine or upgrade to Designer Edition software to unlock additional features.

Silhouette Cameo 3-This is the next oldest model and out of production, but there still some being sold. The Cameo 3 cuts a variety of mediums such as vinyl, cardstock, vellum, acetate, paper, thin cardboard and more. The cutting area is 12×12, but it will cut longer items by feeding it into the machine without the mat. You can also purchase a roll feeder that will attach to the Cameo 3 for cutting rolls of vinyl without a mat. You can use both older ratchet blades in the Silhouette Cameo 3 or there are autoblades available that you can set the depth and it automatically changes to your setting. Like all Cameo machines, you can print and cut, use the tracing feature and cut any font that is installed on your computer. The Cameo 3 uses the Silhouette Studio software that is included with your machine or you can upgrade to the Designer Edition software to unlock additional features.

2. Silhouette Portrait 2

The Silhouette Portrait Machine 2 has many of the same features as the Cameo like Bluetooth capability and the autoblade, but it has an 8-inch wide capability. You can get this machine at a lower pricepoint and it will take up less space in your craft area. However, if you think you will want to do larger 3D projects like boxes or gift bags or cut tall vinyl lettering, go for the Cameo. It’s worth it!

3. Silhouette Curio

The Silhouette Curio is a cool little machine and I believe it is meant to be a machine that compliments either the Cameo or Portrait. It’s cutting area is 8.5 inches wide, but you can feed thicker materials into the machine with a wider clearance area. It also draws and embosses, debosses, etches and stiples. If this is your first Silhouette machine, I would recommend the Cameo, but if you want to try some specialty crafts, the Curio is for you.

Cricut Machines

Cricut’s latest and greatest machines are the Cricut Explore Machine lineup and the Cricut Maker Machine and they blow away the older Cricut Expression machines. They are best known for producing turnkey projects easily and for it’s quiet cutting. Cricut has created a simplified software and you can purchase files directly from them for a minimal cost or you can upload your own SVG files. You can also cut any font that is installed on your computer. It cuts up to 11.5 x 23.5 and it is fairly simple to replicate the projects from the files that you purchase. While the design software is fairly easy to learn, it does now allow lots of manipulation of your own projects. If you are the designer type you will be disappointed with the limited design features of the software. Also note that you have to have an internet connection to use the Explore. If you have spotty internet, using your machine will be an issue. There have also been some computer compatibility issues with some of the Cricut Machines. Check if your computer’s operating system will work with your machine as there have been a few issues with machines not working with some operating systems.

You can cut all sorts of medium such as vinyl, cardstock, paper, chipboard, leather, thin wood and much, much more. The Cricut Explore and the Cricut Maker both have very strong motors and will cut a variety of thicknesses. The ability to cut thicker mediums is one of the main unique features of these machines and it sets them apart from the Cameo and other machines. I am most impressed with it’s ability to cut wood and leather.

Another feature of the newest Cricut machines that sets them apart from other machines is that they can draw and cut at the same time. They have slots for both a blade and pen. This will be a huge time saver if you are making cards and such that require both of these features. The Silhouette also draws and cuts, but you have to stop and change from the blade to pen and vice versa.

1. Cricut Explore Air 2 Wireless

Gone are the days where Cricuts only cut with cartridges. Users can enjoy cutting and drawing up to 2 times faster with the newest wireless Cricut machine. It is easy to select fast mode to speed up your cutting! The cutting speed is the biggest difference between the Explore Air Wireless 1 & 2. The Cricut Explore Air 2 Wireless machine has bluetooth capability that is built-in and the user can manipulate and cut images wirelessly from a PC, Ipad or MAC, just like the regular Cricut Explore Air Wireless. Be sure to check if your PC or Mac’s operating system is compatable. Certain operating systems do not work with the Cricut Explore machines.

2. Cricut Maker Machine

The Cricut Maker Machine has most of the same awesome features of the Cricut Explore Machines, but it cuts with a whole lot more force. With it’s new knife blade, it cuts with 4000 grams of pressure and can cut through leather, chip board, balsa wood and most other materials up to 2.44mm thick. And while the Cricut Air Explore 2, which cuts with 400 grams of force, can also cut thicker materials, such as balsa wood, aluminum, and chipboard, the Cricut Maker can cut them faster, better, and with more precision. Another major difference is how it cuts fabric. The Cricut Maker has a rotary blade attachment that is included. Quilters will love this feature as it allows cutting fabric without needing you to add bonding to the back of your fabric before cutting. To make this feature work, you will need to purchase the Cricut Fabric Mat. The new Cricut Maker can also do print and cut on colored paper vs. just plain white paper. The Explore Air 2 is only able to detect objects on white paper to cut around them. If you own old Cricut Cartridges from older Cricut machines, you will need an adapter to use the cartridges with this machine while the Cricut Explore 2 has a built-in slot to use cartridges. The cartridge adapter will be out in December of 2017 and will plug right into the USB port. There are a few other smaller differences like the addition of a USB port to charge your phone or ipad and some different storage compartments for tools. Overall, the Cricut Maker is a great machine and a step up from the Cricut Explore 2.

Brother Cutting Machines

Brother has come out with a few cool machines that rival the Cricut and Silhouette. Because of it’s scanning technology, it is unique in it’s class. It can scan just about anything and easily create cut lines around your scan. This machine is great for people who hand sketch designs and want to die cut them or want to die-cut stamped images and it’s superior as far as detecting and cutting both inside the lines and outside the lines of a design. The Brother machines use steel blades with Japan Design Quality, this blade will ensure you to always getting the best cut and they offer a variety of mats for different materials such as delicate papers, fabric, thin metals and more. These machines are perfect for quilters and stampers!

1. Brother ScanNCut DX 125–

The ScanNCut DX is the newest machine from Brother and it comes with some cool new upgraded features from previous Brother cutters. It comes with an autoblade and autocut features where the machine will detect the thickness of the material you are cutting and adjust itself on it’s own-no fiddling with settings if you choose. This cool machine will cut paper, fabric, vinyl, balsawood, leatherette and so much more and it cuts up to 11.7″ wide. You can choose the 12×12 mat or the 12×24 mat, scanning mat or purchase the vinyl roll feeder separately to cut up to 6 feet long of vinyl without a mat. One of the biggest improvements is the upgraded scanner, which makes picks up outlines easier than older machines, but note for clearer scanning it is best to use the scanning mat (separate purchase). The DX Scans at 600 dpi (previous model does 300 dpi) and cuts up to 3 mm thick. Stampers can scan in stamps and die cut them and quilters can scan patterns and cut fabric. It is also great for hand-drawn sketches. You will need the mats specifically for the DX as they are slightly different than the mats of older models. The ScanNCut DX is already wireless, which is a great feature that makes downloading designs and software updates easy. You can manipulate files with the free Canvasworkspace or send files wirelessly to the machine. I also love the 5″ pop up touchscreen for manipulating files on the DX model, which is better than previous models. Overall, this machine has some cool features. If you want more freedom to design, then maybe check out Silhouette or Cricut.

2. Brother ScanNCut 2

The ScanNCut 2 machine comes with a Built-in Scanner and it is very unique in that you can scan an image and cut it out without computer connectivity. You can literally do some projects without even plugging this machine into a computer. This makes cutting shapes very easy and you can even do some editing, right on the provided screen. The brother will cut paper, cardstock, vinyl and chipboard, however and you can use either a 12×12 mat or a 12 x 24 mat to cut your medium. It does not have the autoblade like newer models. You can use the free software to with either pre-loaded designs, designs that you scan or you can covert SVG files to work with this machine. While this machine has been the clear underdog of the cutting machines, if you love the scanning feature, this could be the machine for you. With the scanning feature, you can cut inside of your design lines, outside or both with the “region” feature. For clearer scanning, it is recommended to to invest in the scanning mat. This machine does not come wireless, but you can purchase a wireless upgrade card to make your machine wireless.

While the scanning and cutting feature is what makes this machine unique, there has been some trouble with older versions of this machine. The older machines only recognizes dark, crisp lines when scanning, so this will be necessary to access this feature. This feature is made better with the newer machines.

If you love this post about comparing electronic cutting machines, check out our posts about Vinyl for Electronic Cutting machines or Where to find Supplies for your Cricut Explore Machine.

If you love holographic vinyl, then check out our post on where to find holographic vinyl.

No Bake Pumpkin Cookies Recipe – Easy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

September 23, 2019 By Melissa Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure page for more info.

This no bake pumpkin cookies recipe makes easy pumpkin oatmeal cookies for a fall favorite treat.

Nothing says fall like pumpkin spice and these easy pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies sure hit the spot. You get all the flavors of fall in these little pumpkin oatmeal cookies and you don’t even need to run to Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. LOL

I am always on the lookout for easy no bake pumpkin dessert recipes like this one. These cookies require just a few simple ingredients and some mixing. These are so easy to make that the kids can easily help. The recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 dozen pumpkin oatmeal cookies.

Be sure to scroll down for the printable recipe for these pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies.

No Bake Pumpkin Cookies Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups quick oats

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Directions to Make No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

1. Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, add the pumpkin purée, butter, peanut butter, milk and sugars.

3. Bring to a boil under medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.

4. Add the quick oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.

5. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the oats and mix well.

6. Shape into 2 inch cookies and place on the lined cookie sheet.

7. Allow to cool completely and ENJOY!!

Looking for fall treats? Check out the pumpkin recipes and more.

Pumpkin Parfait Recipe

Pumpkin Overnight Oats

Pumpkin Roll Recipe

Cinnamon Apple Chips Recipe

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

Harvest Trail Mix Recipe

Print Recipe

No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

These easy no-bake pumpkin cookies made with oatmeal and pumpkin are a perfect fall treat. Makes approximately 1.5 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup 1 stick butter
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups quick oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, add the pumpkin purée, butter, peanut butter, milk and sugars.
Bring to a boil under medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Add the quick oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the oats and mix well.
Shape into 2 inch cookies and place on the lined cookie sheet.
Allow to cool completely and ENJOY!!

Click on image to pin for later

no bake pumpkin cookies with oatmeal and pumpkin spice

Halloween Rice Krispie Treats Recipe with Candy Corn

September 19, 2019 By Melissa 5 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure page for more info.

Yummy Candy Corn Halloween Rice Krispie Treats Recipe. Perfect fall recipe with candy corn, royal icing, and rice crispies. Great treat for a Halloween party.

There is something about candy corn that makes any recipe better in the fall. This is very true with this Candy Corn Rice Crispy Treats Recipe. Candy Corn & Rice Krispies…. how can you go wrong?!? These are a great treat for a Halloween or harvest party too.

We promise that these will be so well loved you might just want to make a double batch. These are so simple to make but look so festive with orange and yellow of the candy corn and the icing. See below for the full recipe and we even have an easy print option.

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Be sure to check out our Fall Trail Mix Recipe with Candy Corn too!

More Halloween Recipes

Skeleton Cookie Recipe

Monster Pasta Recipe – Great kid friendly Halloween meal!

Halloween Apple Cider Punch Recipe

Halloween Smoothie Recipe

Pumpkin No Bake Cookies

Want more easy and tasty recipes?

Halloween Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Candy Corn Rice Crispy Treats Recipe

Author: Melissa

Ingredients

Rice Krispie Treats Ingredients:

3 TBSP of unsalted butter
1 package of marshmallows
6 C rice krispie cereal
1 bag of Candy Corn

Royal Icing Ingredients:

2 egg whites
1 C powder sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Orange & yellow gel food coloring

Instructions

Rice Krispie Treats Directions:

In a stock pot melt the butter over low heat.
Add marshmallow stirring until completely melted.
Remove from heat.
Add the rice krispies cereal.
Stir until well coated.
Prepare a baking dish with cooking spray.
Spoon the rice krispies into the baking dish.
Using wax paper press them down into the baking dish.
Allow to slightly cool.
Add candy corn to the top of the rice krispies treats.

Royal Icing Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl mixing on medium speed for 4 minutes. (except your food coloring)
If icing is not stiff enough add 1/4 C powder sugar.
Divide the icing into 3 bowls.
First bowl add several drops of orange gel food coloring in a bowl of icing. Stir well to mix the color.
Second bowl add several drops of yellow gel food coloring in a bowl of icing. Stir well to mix the color.
Third bowl of icing remains white.
Scoop the icings into three frosting bags with #5 tips. Twist the open end of the

Last details for the rice krispie treats:

Using the frosting bags filled with icing drizzle the rice krispie treats with each of the colored icings.
Allow time to dry before covering.

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Harvest Fall Trail Mix Recipe – Halloween Chex Mix

September 12, 2019 By Melissa 5 Comments
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Fall is here and who can resist candy corn? I put together this fun harvest fall trail mix recipe that tastes amazing. It has just the right amount of crunch and sweetness. This would be fun to eat at home or as a snack at a Halloween or Fall Harvest party. It is very easy to make as well. You just add the ingredients and mix it up in bowl. So so simple.. right?!? It is a great Halloween Chex Mix.

This Halloween candy corn trail mix looks so cute and it a great treat to hand out. I love when recipes and easy but look great too. The only trouble you will have is that you may need to double or triple the recipe because your friends and family will love it so much! The full recipe is below with all the easy ingredients and a button to print the recipe.

Some people have told me they had difficulty finding this fall candy assortment. It is available with Amazon Prime so you can have it delivered right to you! This recipe is so easy that is that you can put it together so quickly but it looks and tastes great. This is a nut free trail mix so perfect for parties when you might be worried about nut allergies.

Halloween Trail Mix Ingredients

3 C assorted Chex cereal
2 C assorted pretzels
1/2 C mini chocolate chips
1/2 C mini butterscotch chips
1 C assorted Fall candy (candy corn, pumpkins, and orange & chocolate candy corn)

Seasonings
3 Tbsp of Cinnamon
2 Tbsp of Brown sugar
1 tsp salt

Halloween Chex Mix Directions

Add Chex cereal and Pretzels in a bowl
Add all seasonings and stir
Add remaining ingredients and mix again
Store in zip lock bag or sealed container

If making this for a Halloween party, you could package the fall trail mix into individual treat bags. It is such a simple and cute treat for harvest parties or Halloween school parties. Plus it is a nut free trail mix.

Do you like candy corn? I find people seem to love it or hate it. There is not much in between. This candy corn snack mix might help you warm up to candy corn since it includes the sweetness and the crunch of the chex mix.

Click here to pin this recipe for later.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Harvest Fall Trail Mix Recipe

Author: Melissa

Ingredients

3 C assorted Chex cereal
2 C assorted pretzels
1/2 C mini chocolate chips
1/2 C mini butterscotch chips
1 C assorted Fall candy candy corn, pumpkins, and orange & chocolate candy corn

Seasonings

3 Tbsp of Cinnamon
2 Tbsp of Brown sugar
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Add Chex cereal and Pretzels in a bowl
Add all seasonings and stir
Add remaining ingredients and mix again
Store in zip lock bag or sealed container

Don’t forget to sign up for our emails below so you are notified of our next simple and tasty recipe (plus lots of other fun stuff!).

Looking for more easy Halloween recipes?

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

Monster Pasta Recipe

Skeleton Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Parfait

Want more easy and tasty recipes?

Easy Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

September 3, 2019 By Melissa 1 Comment
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Looking for a special and easy treat for breakfast or brunch? Then you will want to check out this Easy Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. This is so easy to make but is an yummy breakfast treat that everyone will love. I promise I won’t tell anyone how easy it is to make! [Read more…]

Monster Pasta Recipe – Great Halloween Meal

September 2, 2019 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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Looking for a fun and easy Halloween meal idea or a monster theme party meal? Check out this Monster Pasta recipe. Your kids will love it and it is so easy to make. The monster eyes are made with meatballs and olives. We included a homemade marinara sauce recipe but you can always use jarred sauce if you prefer. Also, we included frozen meatballs but you can always make your own as well. The full printable recipe is below. [Read more…]

Chocolate Skeleton Cookies Recipe

September 1, 2019 By Melissa 8 Comments
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Looking for a fun treat for a Halloween party? Then check out these chocolate skeleton cookies made with a gingerbread man cookie cutter. These are so cute and fun for any Halloween get together. You could bag them and give them as a Halloween treat at school halloween parties. [Read more…]

Pumpkin Parfait Recipe

September 1, 2019 By Melissa 8 Comments
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This easy pumpkin parfait recipe is a yummy pumpkin dessert recipe. It is easy to make but looks so fancy! Great ending for Thanksgiving dinner or any fall get togther.

It is pumpkin spice season and this recipe is a fun twist with pumpkin spice, canned pumpkin and pudding mix. This easy pumpkin pudding parfait makes an amazing fall recipe. One of the things I love about it is that it is so simple to make but looks like you spent hours in the kitchen.

This easy pumpkin dessert recipe would be a great ending for Thanksgiving dinner or any other fall occasion. It is light and tasty and a great alternative to traditional pumpkin pie. The full printable recipe is below. You can either use whipped cream or whipped topping whichever you prefer. [Read more…]

Halloween Sparkling Cranberry Apple Cider Punch Recipe

September 1, 2019 By Melissa 5 Comments
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Looking for a fun kid-friendly easy drink for Halloween? This Halloween Apple Cider Punch recipe or Cranberry cider is perfect. There are just three ingredients – cranberry juice, sparkling apple cider and grenadine. You can make these up very quickly in individual portions. Having the cranberry apple cider is individual portion is great for kids. You could also use a punch bowl if desired and have cranberry apple cider punch.

We made these drinks in mason jars with black lids with straw holes. I love that you can change the look of the mason jars with different lids, straws and vinyl decorations. (Lots of vinyl info here) The mason jars make this a fun Halloween drink but you could change the colored top and straws and vinyl decorations and this sparkling apple cider punch could be made for many holidays or celebrations.

With kids (or even adults) it is nice to have a lid so there are no spills during your Halloween party or event. In no time at all, you can mix up this punch and have a fancy and fun Halloween beverage.

If you want to make this Halloween drink for adults, you could spike the recipe with your favorite alcohol. Both vodka and rum would pair nicely with this recipe depending on your taste preference.

Sparking Cranberry Apple Cider Punch Ingredients

4 Cups Cranberry Juice
4 cups Sparkling apple cider
4 Tbsp Grenadine
Ice

How To Make Cranberry Cider for a Halloween Drink

Fill the 4 8oz glasses with ice 3/4 of the way full
Pour 1 cup of Sparkling apple cider in each glass
Pour 1 cup of Cranberry Juice on top of the cider
Add 1 Tbsp. Grenadine to each glass
Lightly stir

Looking for more ideas for a Halloween party or for Halloween treats? Check out these easy recipes.

Halloween Monster Pasta

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

Pumpkin No-bake Cookies

Skeleton Cookies

Harvest Trail Mix

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Halloween Apple Cider Punch Recipe

Check out this fun kid friendly Halloween drink.

Prep Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

Cuisine: Beverage

Servings: 4

Author: Melissa

Ingredients

4 Cups Cranberry Juice
4 cups Sparkling apple cider
4 Tbsp Grenadine
Ice

Instructions

Fill the 4 8oz glasses with ice 3/4 of the way full
Pour 1 cup of Sparkling apple cider in each glass
Pour 1 cup of Cranberry Juice on top of the cider
Add 1 Tbsp. Grenadine to each glass
Lightly stir

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars Recipe

August 7, 2019 By Melissa 14 Comments
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Looking for an easy back to school treat? Be sure to check out this Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars Recipe. These PB&J bars are simple to make from scratch with just a few ingredients including, of course, everyone’s favorite….. peanut butter and jelly! We love that these easy peanut butter bars include your favorite jam or jelly. These chewy peanut butter bars are a satisfying after school treat or could be packed for lunch. [Read more…]

Easy Patriotic Dessert Marshmallow Pop

June 28, 2019 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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Looking for an easy patriotic dessert for a Fourth of July or Memorial day party? Check out these cute marshmallow pops that will be a hit at your next event.

I am always on the lookout for easy recipes that look cute and are tasty. These patriotic marshmallow pops are just that. You need just a few ingredients and they can be made quickly. They are super cute and fun though and would be great at any Fourth of July party.

Easy Patriotic Dessert Marshmallow Pop Ingredients

Jumbo marshmallows
Blue candy melts
Red candy melts
White sugar pearls
Decorating bag
Lollipop sticks

The ingredient measurements and printable recipe are at the end of this article.

Gather up your ingredients and two small microwave-safe bowls. These marshmallow pops are so easy that kids can easily help you make them. Younger kids could add the marshmallows to the sticks and even dip the ends in the melted candy melts. Tweens and teens could easily make these whole marshmallow pops themselves.

These holiday marshmallow pops are decorated for Fourth of July. However, you can use the same instructions with different color candy melts for birthday parties, baby showers, Christmas and more. You are only limited by your imagination.

Easy Patriotic Dessert Marshmallow Pop Directions

The first step is to stick 3 jumbo marshmallows onto the end of each lollipop stick. Next, in two small microwave-safe bowls, heat 2 cups of each blue and red candy melts on 50% power for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.

Scoop your melted red candy melts in a decorating bag and cut a small tip off the end.

Dip the end of your marshmallow pop into the melted blue candy melts, making sure to cover the top marshmallow in the melted blue candy. Be sure to shake any excess candy melts off and place onto a piece of parchment paper.

You will then sprinkle some white candy pearls onto the melted blue candy melts.

Use your decorating bag to drizzle the red melted candy melts in stripes onto the other 2 marshmallows. Once complete, carefully transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes to harden.

Enjoy a tasty and easy patriotic dessert!

Looking for more patriotic treat and dessert recipes?

American Flag Pretzels

Easy Fourth of July Dessert – Berry Tarts

Red, White and Blue Jello Stars

See the full Marshmallow pop recipe below.

Print Recipe

Easy Patriotic Dessert Marshmallow Pop

These cute marshmallow pops are perfect for a Fourth of July party.

Servings: 10

Ingredients

30 Jumbo marshmallows
2 cups Blue candy melts
2 cups Red candy melts
White sugar pearls
1 Decorating bag
10 Lollipop sticks

Instructions

Stick 3 jumbo marshmallows onto the end of each lollipop stick.
In two small microwave safe bowls, heat 2 cups of each blue and red candy melts on 50% power for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
Scoop your melted red candy melts in a decorating bag and cut a small tip off the end.
Dip the end of your marshmallow pop into the melted blue candy melts, making sure to cover the top marshmallow in the melted blue candy.
Shake any excess candy melts off and place onto a piece of parchment paper.
Sprinkle some white candy pearls onto the melted blue candy melts.
Use your decorating bag to drizzle the red melted candy melts in stripes onto the other 2 marshmallows.
Carefully transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes to harden.

Easy 4th Of July Dessert – Red White & Blue Dessert Recipe

June 28, 2019 By Melissa 7 Comments
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Here is the wonderful and easy 4th of July dessert recipe.

The fresh berries are perfect for any red, white and blue theme including Memorial Day and Fourth of July. These are so tasty though that they would be great for any get-together or party. This recipe requires just a few simple ingredients but still looks quite fancy. You can whip this up in no time at all and be out having fun in the sun with your friends. This would be easy to bring to a potluck as well. Be sure to scroll down for the full printable recipe. [Read more…]

Homemade Father’s Day Gift -Free Printables Necktie for bottles or cupcakes

June 10, 2019 By Heidi 26 Comments
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Are you looking for a simple way to make Father’s Day special for the Dads in your life? Then check out these adorable free Father’s Day printables that make a great homemade Father’s Day Gift. We include both necktie-shaped bottle tags and cupcake toppers. I included four different tags. Some are more elegant and some are more playful and you can choose which ones fit the Dads in your life. These are so easy to make that even the kids could help cut these out or help assemble them making them a great father’s day gift from kids. Plus, you probably already have most of the supplies to complete this project at home! [Read more…]

DIY Flower Letters

May 10, 2019 By Melissa 4 Comments
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These easy DIY flower letters are a fun craft you can do with your older kids as DIY gift for mom, to celebrate spring, for a birthday or many other occasions. I think a single initial or even a full name would be very cute as a decoration in a girl’s room. An adult will need to cut the flowers and make the hole, but the kids can easily paint the cardboard letter and fit the flowers into the holes. If you have kids who are 10 and up, they should be able to do the entire craft with adult supervision. Because the cardboard letters are less than $2, you can easily spell MOM like we did, or words like HAPPY or LOVE as well as a person’s name, their initials or monogram. Just get creative and have fun! [Read more…]

Teacher Appreciation Flowers – Easy Teacher Gift Idea

May 4, 2019 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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These teacher appreciation flowers with printable tag make an easy teacher appreciation gift.

Giving a teacher flowers is a simple and lovely gift that can be given during teacher appreciation week or as a year-end teacher gift. This teacher gift requires just a few materials and is easy to assemble with our printable tag.

You can download the printable tag for the flowers for teachers below. Each tag says “Teacher, Thank you for helping me BLOOM this school year!” The download includes 4 tags for the flowers so you can give them to multiple teachers. This is great if you happen to be in charge of teacher appreciation week and need Teacher Appreciation Week gift ideas for many teachers. You couls also use them for each teacher if you have multiple children. It is easier to just buy multiples and make this cute gift for a bunch of teachers.

Bloom Teacher Appreciation Flowers Gift Tag

Teacher Appreciation Flowers Materials:

Bloom Teacher Appreciation Flowers Gift Tag Printable (best printed on white cardstock)
Hole Punch
Scissors
Ribbon
Vase
Flowers

Teacher Appreciation Flowers Directions:

Use scissors to cut along the dotted lines on each printable tag.
Use the hole punch to create a hole in the top left corner of the tag. Use the space along the bottom of the tag (or the back) to write a short note or sign your name.
Cut a piece of ribbon and place both ends through the back of the tag creating a loop. Place the loop over a jar or vase of fresh flowers, and pull the ends through the front of the tag tightly. Tie a ribbon to complete the attachment.

This is quite an inexpensive teacher appreciation gift idea but still looks beautiful. What teacher would not love having fresh flowers in their classroom or to bring home.

Best Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

DIY Teacher Cup Gift – with free “tea-rific” teacher printable gift tag

More Teacher Gift ideas here (Even though these are Christmas Gift Ideas, many work for teacher appreciation or year-end teacher gifts)

Easy Easter Cupcakes – Carrot Garden Cupcake

April 11, 2019 By Melissa 8 Comments
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Thin Mint Brownie Recipe – Mint Brownies

March 4, 2019 By Melissa 7 Comments
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It is girl scout cookie season and my favorite is Thin Mint girl scout cookies. I also love brownies. They are both great on their own but put them together and you get something even better…… Thin Mint Brownies!

[Read more…]

Printable Mini Valentine Treat Boxes

February 12, 2019 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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I am always on the looking for easy ways to make Valentine’s day just a little more special. These cute mini Valentine treat boxes are so easy to make and you can make easily make someone’s day just a little more special.

Just follow these simple directions to make the treat boxes.

How to Make Mini Valentine Treat Boxes

Download the Mini Valentine Treat Box Printable
Print the treat box on cardstock. (This is important. You will not be able to fold it and have it hold the candy if the treat box is not printed on cardstock.)
Cut on the solid lines
Fold on the dotted line
Adhere along the entire flap on each side.
Fill with treats
Make someone happy!

These are mini treat boxes so you will want to have just little candy to put in them. Valentine Hershey kisses and Valentine candy corn work perfectly. You can see the size of the box in the picture above.

These mini treat boxes would be perfect for school parties or any type of Valentine’s day get together. You could even print them and have them at a family dinner. There are really so many ways that these treat boxes can add just that little special touch. The beauty is that they look so cute and fun but are so simple to make. I hope you enjoy them!

Looking for more fun & easy Valentine’s Day ideas?

Valentine Quiz for Kids – Easy Valentine Kids Activity

DIY Star Wars Valentines with printable

DIY EOS Valentine’s Day Cards

Spa Sock Cupcakes

No Candy Valentine Card Ideas

Valentine’s Day Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies

Valentine Mocktail Recipe

Valentine Easy Mocktail Recipe

February 11, 2019 By Melissa 10 Comments
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This easy mocktail recipe makes a simple non-alcohol party drink. These are cute mocktails for kids or adults for a party or holiday such as Valentine’s day.

Looking for an easy mocktail recipe for Valentine’s Day? This is so simple but is perfect for kids and adults and can make for a special Valentine’s meal or party. I love these cute Valentine straws that make any drink special. They come in a large pack but they don’t cost much more than a smaller pack and you can make any event just a bit more special with a fun straw. [Read more…]