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- 3 large zucchinis, ends cut and filling hollowed
- 1 First Fresh Hot Italian Chicken Sausage
- kosher salt
- olive oil
- 1 cup mozzarella
- Italian seasoning
- 16-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, crushed
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Hang out at the Beach: This is the obvious free activity for kids because everything is available for them.
- The sand is available for sand castle or fort building.
- Collecting shells is another activity at the beach.
- Searching for crabs and other sea creatures is totally a lot of fun.
- Swimming in the ocean. Repeat.
- Coloring or Painting: Use the shells for a craft time.
- Bring glitter glue or simple paints that come with coloring books to paint shells.
- Bring coloring books and have a coloring time with kids.
- Watercolors are great as well. Kids can create own landscapes with their own imagination.
- Wildlife Refuge or Botanical Gardens: These are usually always free and a great break from the beach.
- Find a local botanical garden or nature center. There is always bound to be one.
- Walk and find treasures and discover animals of the area.
- Find activities of the day.
- Sometimes there is another new beach to swim and hang out for the day.
- Games: Bring age-related games
- If multiple families are staying together, then all the kids can all play together. Gives a nice break for parents to chat together.
- Play as a family. Living in a high-paced society can leave little room to relax and play with your kids.
- Play hide and seek.
- Have the kids pretend and play a story throughout the house. (My girls love pretending to be characters from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.)
- Evening or Nighttime Activities:
- Build a fire on the beach or use a pit. Roast marshmallows, make own dinner, catch crabs and then bake them.
- Sparklers or fireworks. Adult supervision required.
- Hunt for fireflies
- Check out local towns for free outdoor concerts. Bring your own picnic and enjoy the evening.
- Movie night with a beach or ocean theme (last resort).
- Read themed books or have reading time for all kids ages.
- Energizer headlights are lightweight, versatile and water-resistant with pivoting functionality to direct light where you need it.
- Energizer® Vision HD+ Focus LED Headlight is the highest performing of the Energizer vision headlights. It has a beam distance of 80M and has a digital focus feature allows users to customize the light to the desired width. It is also water and impact resistant up to 1 meter.
- Energizer area lanterns are the safe, reliable way to provide bright 360° light long into the night, at the camp fire, or while weathering a storm.
- Energizer® Fusion LED Folding Lantern has 330 lumen output and has a light fusion technology panel that folds up for 360 degree delivering vibrant uniform area lighting. It has a sturdy stand on back of lantern allows for hands-free use and has two modes: high and low plus smart dimming technology for customizable light output.
- 1/2 cup fresh mango
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup mango puree
- 8 mint leaves
- 2 ounces light rum
- 1 ounce Grand Marnier
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 cup ice
- 1/2 Tablespoon simple stevia syrup or 1 Tablespoon simple syrup
- Blend ingredients together until smooth.
- Will make 1 1/2 cups mango puree.
- Use only 1/2 cup mango puree for one glass.
- Add all ingredients in a blender and blend for a minute until blended well.
- Garnish with lime.
Stuffed Zucchini Bites With Italian Chicken Sausage
August 9th, 2016Is your garden still producing an abundance of zucchini? This Stuffed Zucchini Bites With Italian Chicken Sausage is a unique way to use your veggies and a fun one when including your kids in the kitchen. It is also gluten-free and low-carb.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with First Fresh Chicken Sausage. All opinions, photos, and recipes are my own.
I cannot believe we are in the month of August already! I have to face the facts that my husband and kids will be in school so very soon. Every year I say I need to start a meal plan but I have come to realize that I am not that type of person. What I do like doing is planning last-minute and seeing what I have in my fridge. Of course, this is not great all the time.
To Meal Plan or Not
Usually on Sunday evenings I ask my husband what kinds of meals he would like. Other times I stick to trends, like Meatless Mondays or Taco Tuesdays. Great, I have two days planned out for me now how about the rest of the week. One thing you might not remember about me, but I especially like cooking around the seasons.
This morning I realized that I really do not stick to any cuisine nor to I pattern after one. I am a continental cook because I love cooking cuisines from all the world YET I like creating my own recipes fusing them and giving them my own touch.
Call me the continental cook from now on. It is so true that I dislike labels but I see how my mother cooked when I was growing up and I am for sure her daughter. She influenced how I cook and I have to say that I enjoy it. Hence the reason why I do not use meal plans, but I digress.
Meat options – Sausage
When I look at my meat options I try to mix up my fattier choices with lean ones. Sausage is usually a high fat meat and one we do not have as often. We have tried turkey sausage and have liked it OK in certain dishes. I love having my options when looking to sausage which is why I was excited to check out First Fresh Chicken Sausage products.
I dare say I have seen anything like these products but I am totally happy to have them as leaner options in our breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. It has 70% less fat than regular sausage and is gluten-free! It also contains no MSG and uses clean ingredients to bring an authentic flavor. I am actually working on getting my local stores to stock this because it is a tasty option especially having the Hot Italian Chicken Sausage.
Stuffed Zucchini Bites With Italian Chicken Sausage
I love creating recipes with zucchini especially since it is not my husband’s favorite veggie. I always try to make something different to change his mind to the point where he just loves it. Ha!
I had fun creating this recipe where I hollowed out large zucchini and stuffed it with First Fresh Hot Italian Chicken Sausage. It could easily be made with their Mild Italian Chicken Sausage too because the Hot Italian IS spicy.
Once I stuffed the sausage, I sliced in 1/2-inch slices and placed in a dish with prepared marinara. This could easily be substituted with store-bought sauce on busy evenings. Even so, this recipe is fun and quick and makes eating exciting for your family.
Want to try this product? See if you can get your stores to stock this product. Check the recipe below!
Italian Chicken Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Keywords: bake entree lunch low-carb gluten-free zucchini cheese chicken Italian summer
Ingredients (6 servings)
Italian Chicken Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini
Tomato sauce
Instructions
Sauce
Mix the tomato sauce with all the spices and herbs.
Add to a 9×13 glass pan and spread evenly.
Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit.
For Zucchini
Cut each large zucchini in half and using a serrated knife, grapefruit spoon, or regular knife, and hollow out the center of the zucchini.
Spray with olive oil spray and then add kosher salt outside and inside squash.
Use one link of chicken sausage for each zucchini half and stuff the link inside the hollowed zucchini.
Repeat with the rest of the zucchini.
Slice each zucchini width-wise into 1/2-inch slices and place each in the sauce.
Repeat with all the zucchini.
Shred the mozzarella and sprinkle over the zucchini and sprinkle some Italian seasoning.
Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with chickpea pasta or with a green salad.
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The Ultimate Steakhouse Burger at The Pub {Restaurant Review}
August 4th, 2016Give your grill a break and try The Pub at Wegmans with your family or even on your next date night. Summer eats are exciting when there are new menu items like the Ultimate Steakhouse burger as seen below. Nice to add a new place to enjoy good food in the area.
Disclosure: Thanks to Wegmans for hosting and giving us a peek into the summer and permanent menu at The Pub.
When I left Texas about 8 years ago, I knew I would have to go through a lot of changes. I was prepared to make them since I had never lived in the East Coast. In Texas, we went grocery shopping and went home, but here in Pennsylvania, you can do so much more that shop at grocery stores like Wegmans, Giant Food Stores, and more.
The Pub at Wegmans
Did you know that Wegmans has a sit down restaurant? It has a full bar and it has its own environment. Wegmans has a great sitting area for those buying food at the cold and hot bar. It is also a great place to plug-in and do some work like us telecommuters. Having a place to work away from home is really nice to have and even more when you can turn it into a business meeting and go to The Pub at Wegmans.
Since it was the middle of the day I enjoyed some water and lemonade before getting my lunch. I tried a simple arugula salad and the crispy calamari. While there were no exact descriptions for the salad, the waitress explained what kind of salad it would be.
I love having greens before my main meal and arugula has a great lemon and pepper flavor. It combined well with the citrus vinaigrette and the large Parmesan shavings. It was very delicious and a great starter.
I decided to try the calamari because it is not something I eat all the time, but I like knowing my options for the future. The crispy and hot calamari arrived with a side of marinara and a lemon wedge. I was easily transported to Italy because anything with calamari seems so European to me. I only tasted a few in order not to spoil my appetite for the reason for my visit.
The Ultimate Steakhouse Burger
My husband and I are always on a quest for the best burger. What we have found is that many are too small or lack in quality ingredients, but I knew that The Pub’s newest burger addition was calling my name.
The Ultimate Steakhouse Burger is the newest addition to the menu and is a permanent one at that. It is a half-pound of dry-aged prime beef topped with a creamy spinach with added Gruyère cheese. In addition to this, some savory steak sauce-marinated Portobello mushrooms are layered underneath the meat and finished with amazing fried shallots.
It was hard to even touch this burger because it was too pretty to consume. It was too much for me to consume but definitely worth the visit. While I would have added a bit more salt to the meat the combination of flavors and layers to the burger really did make this Steakhouse burger a unique one. The brioche bun made it all come together with each bite. It is nice to have a break from bacon and cheddar to an elegant yet manly burger.
While there was more on my plate besides the burger, I did not forget the Tuscan Fries. These were definitely my favorite version because it came with rosemary, sage, Italian parsley, and garlic. I think I liked these better than truffle fries. Maybe. I will have to go back and see if my husband agrees.
What a great way to give any family a break from grilling or even heating up the kitchen.
Overall Experience
Pros: Nice and different environment. I did not feel like I was at a grocery store but indeed a separate restaurant. I liked the full bar and option to order drinks.
Cons: The food did lack a bit of salt, but the presentation was great and of course salt can always be added.
Price point: Ultimate Steakhouse burger + Tuscan fries= almost $15
The Steakhouse Burger is only available at select Pub locations, including the Perinton, Malvern, Allentown, Alexandria, Montgomeryville, and Midlothian markets.
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Kid-Friendly Activities for every Beach Vacation + Giveaway
August 3rd, 2016
We loved being at the beach this past week. It was probably one of the most rewarding and relaxing weeks even though we have three kids under the age of 5. Yes. You read that correctly. It IS possible to have a relaxing week even with kids while on a beach vacation. I am happy to share some kid-friendly activities you can implement on your next beach vacation.
It is important to teach our kids the art of simplicity when our society teaches that we are to be having fun all the time. What activities constitute as having fun? It can mean so many things for many people but I wanted to share how our family survived the week at the beach with no spending to please our kids.
Kid-Friendly Activities for every Beach Vacation
I think many can see that the list could go on, but these are a few things we did during our week and it still felt relaxed. I LOVED collecting shells because it reminded me of my childhood. I really enjoyed reliving that with my kids and then finding ones with holes so that we could make necklaces or even paint them.
Our Own Activities in Delaware
We also enjoyed visiting a local lavender farm that was pretty amazing. If you could imagine smelling lavender everywhere as you stepped out of the parking lot, you would be in heaven! It was hard not to buy everything lavender but I looked forward cooking with some culinary lavender soon. We also were able to go to Milford to check out a free Wednesday night concert. The plus was having a playground in the area for the kids!
Something that I deeply enjoyed and I actually found relaxing was coloring with my girls or even seeing them color with their friends. It was an activity I grew up doing with my mother and my grandmother. I even got to pick up some of our old coloring books from Texas so I could show my girls. It was super sweet and I definitely knew I wanted to start this same tradition.
Coloring as a Family
While coloring is such a trend, it has always been in my life. I recently was sent a coloring book called Let’s Color Together: A Shareable Coloring Book for Parents and Kids. Each spread in Let’s Color Together features two versions of the same design – one is typically more detailed and intricate than the other – that are laid out so parents and kids can color face-to-face across a table. Let’s Color Together also features perforated pages so families can color side-by-side or display their handiwork!
Thanks to Margaret Peot who decided to combine the popularity of adult coloring books and the enduring pastime of kids. Her books include Inkblot: Drip, Splat and Squish Your Way to Creativity, which was awarded the Eureka! silver Medal for non-fiction children’s books, Alternative Art Journals, and Make Your Mark. Visit her at http://www.margaretpeot.com/.
Snag your Copy & Enter Giveaway
The book is available on Amazon and would make great gifts for your friends. My kids request coloring time at home now with me and I feel that I have truly connected. It has been an opportunity to let my semi-perfectionist spirit to be still.
Enter the giveaway below by leaving a comment below letting me know what your favorite activity is to do with your kids. Giveaway will end on 8/20 and I will announce here. If you get a copy of the book, make sure you tag your photos on social media using #letscolortogether.
Disclosure: This post does contain affiliate links. I was supplied with two copies of the coloring book. One for me and for a reader.
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Nighttime Beach Essentials for the Summer + Energizer Giveaway
August 1st, 2016
Nighttime Beach Essentials can include many of the obvious list of items but what many forget that for anyone to enjoy nightly activities there must be light available to create night-time fun especially with little kids. Energizer products definitely come in handy to make these activities possible especially when a fire pit is not even available. Enter the giveaway to have your own successful beach getaway with your family.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Motherhood and Energizer. All opinions and photos are my own. Giveaway sponsored by sponsor. There are also affiliate links included in this post.
I love starting August with lots of energy after returning from a week at the beach. It was the first time our little family of five has gone out to relax in a secluded area to detach from our busy schedules. It was a blessed time to recoup and embrace the art of slow living. We checked out Broadkill Beach in Delaware based on a friend’s recommendation as opposed to the more popular areas like Lewes and Rehobeth Beach. It was secluded, quiet and away from the busy and loud activities.
When I started packing for the trip I got stress paralyzed because I realized I had never packed for a WEEK away to the beach. How much is too much? I was able to get a little feedback from friends but I essentially knew there were several things that I knew that my family would need to make our trip doable. I look forward sharing that on another post because one of the things I knew I wanted to focus on was how our nightly activities were going to go being so close to the beach.
Below are a few beach essentials we found helpful for our night-time activities:
Nighttime Beach Essentials
Comfy Beach Chairs: Who wants to sit at the beach on towels? Yes, exactly, no one. We had lovely small reclining beach chairs that worked as back packs so that our hands could carry other fun items like……
Wine and Wine glasses: I was able to hang with another mom at the beach catching the sunset and relaxing hearing the waves. Although we forgot our wine and glasses at the house, due to being busy with kids, we knew it would be ideal. A wine carrier with plastic wine glasses are a must to add to the relaxing experience.
Bug Spray or Repellent: While I would love to make my own spray, I just do not have time. I rely on several products to repel bugs even to the beach flies that I learned all too quickly how painful they are. Many of the these not only work for me but also for infants and toddlers.
Battery operated lights: Energizer has amazing lanterns and headlights that are light and easy to carry. It helps with finding the way back to your beach house after it is pitch black. It is also great for night-time activities such getting ready for kids and firecrackers.
Hooded top: Even though it is summer, the weather always ends up being cool in the evenings or even windier than usual. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Nighttime Activities
Besides enjoying the time at the beach we also had a great time out on the porch with the kids. When we found out that the house we were staying did not have a fire pit, we knew we were going to have to make the most of our time by planning other activities. One evening our friends brought sparklers for the kids to enjoy so we knew that the area would have to be dark so the porch light was not used. We used the Energizer area lantern to light up the area to make lighting each sparkler possible. The kids then could concentrate on running around with their sparklers.
Energizer products
Energizer lights and batteries are the ideal accessories for all your summertime family activities as you can see from our experiences. A simple flashlight could do but just experiencing the powerful light and design of these products, I cannot wait to take them to our nightly activities during the rest of the summer like some outdoor movie nights and such.
Whether you’re camping under the stars or playing in the backyard, Energizer’s high performance headlights are just what you need for summertime adventures that require two hands. Even so, Energizer® EcoAdvanced™ batteries are the world’s first AA and AAA battery made with four percent recycled batteries and are great when used and paired with the lantern and headlight.
When you’re preparing for your summertime adventures, don’t forget the batteries as well as these great nighttime beach essentials!
Giveaway
Enter to win your own set of Energizer products like the headlight, lantern and batteries. I promise you that your family will use them even if it is in your own backyard.
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Guilt-Free Mango Mint Daiquiri
July 22nd, 2016Summer is a lot more exciting with fun frozen drinks especially when you add friends to the mix. These Mango Mint Daiquiri will keep you cooled off during this hot and humid summer.
Mango is a delicious fruit that can be accessible in the frozen section. It is also available during the summer months in grocery stores or places like Produce Junction where they have tropical fruits available. There is a store in Houston called Fiesta which is an international food haven. You can find all kinds of tropical fruits and pretend you are on a beach.
Today was one of those days. After a long week of taking the girls back and forth to the Main Line where are church is located, I decided to create a quick cocktail that would be nice for a happy hour while the kids were napping. Mango is such a creamy fruit with a sweet tangy flavors. It is a deep yellow flesh wrapped around a huge seed and fun to eat on its own.
After being in the heat watching two kids wanting to slip and slide with normal clothes, I gave in. Who can deny the kids to enjoy some water games? I evidently did! Since we are preparing to go to the beach, I had planned for the kids not to do any water activities to save from cleaning more towels and bathing suits. Oh well. I failed.
After a long afternoon, I find myself sleepy and ready for my spouse to take over for the evening, but since that is not here, I made myself useful by preparing a fun cocktail that is light, fruity, tropical and FUN! Daiquiri cocktails like this Mango Mint Daiquiri can be made over the rocks or blended with ice. I tried my recipe both ways and I preferred them with blended ice.
What makes this GUILT-FREE? I used simple stevia syrup ( Like NuNaturals brand) instead of simple syrup. It really tastes like simple syrup and is a great substitute with no added calories. Buy frozen mango at the store and makes these for your friends this weekend. Maybe I can take some to the shore for the next week.
What is your favorite tropical fruit and drink?
Ingredients
Instructions
