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Instant Pot French Dip

Instant Pot French Dip

Instant Pot French Dip Recipe: Using roast, (we used deer/venison roast for this particular recipe) it’s EASY to make yummy french dip sandwiches!

Now if Instant Pot recipes are one of your favorites, then you’ll also love this Instant Pot pulled pork butt.

Hi there!

I’m Leigh Ann from Making My Abode, a little homemaking blog here in blog land. Sharing my real-life, faith, and anything that makes your homemaking life simpler is what I love to do. First I want to take a moment to thank you, Jessica, so very much for the opportunity to guest post on your beautiful blog. Speaking of simplicity, you’re going to love this fantastic recipe I have for you all. Mouth-Watering Instant Pot Venison French Dip Sandwiches!

The first thing I’d like to say about this recipe is that you don’t have to be a wild meat-eater to enjoy these Instant Pot Venison French Dip Sandwiches. Feel free to use beef! The recipe will work well with any type of roast.

FUN FACT: French Dip sandwiches aren’t actually French.”

Secondly, I want you all to know that from this one 3-4 pound roast, I was able to feed my family of five, FOUR DIFFERENT dinners! That’s right, a four in one! Each recipe starts with this Instant Pot Venison French Dip Sandwich recipe. You use what’s leftover from the French Dip to make the other three meals. Talk about a huge time saver and of course, it will save you some cash as well! Who doesn’t love to save time and money?

One Roast, Four Dinners!

1. Mouth-Watering Instant Pot Venison French Dip Sandwiches.

The star of this little show! Once again, you want to start with the Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches. That way all of your flavors are already there for the next three meals.

French Dip Sandwiches on a white plate with potato wedges and sauce

2. Lightning-Fast Shredded Venison Tacos, Easy and Flavorful!

Roast used to make tacos

3. 20-Minute Shredded Venison Red Chili With Beans.

Meat used to make chili - venison roast

4. Instant Pot Goulash, Delicious and Fast!

Deer roast used to make goulash - green bowl

Do I have to have an Instant Pot to make this recipe?

No!

This recipe can definitely be made in a slow cooker. HOWEVER, if you are making this recipe with a wild roast, I highly, highly recommend using an Instant Pot! I cannot even put into words how much better the meat is when pressure cooked.

Before I purchased my favorite kitchen appliance, I made this all the time in my slow cooker. Had I known what the Instant Pot could do for my wild meat, I would have bought one a long time ago. Don’t get me wrong, it was just as delicious in the slow cooker but the tenderness that you get from the Instant Pot is unbeatable! It’s so tender that I don’t even have to shred it. You can use a pair of tongs and squeeze the meat apart!

Crazy tender!

Deer Venison Roast - Instant Pot

**If you make this recipe in a slow cooker, cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.**

Minimal Ingredients With Big Flavor!

These Instant Pot Venison French Dip Sandwiches have nine ingredients, not including the roast itself. I know that sounds like a lot but four of those ingredients are spices. Spices don’t count when you’re talking minimal ingredients, right?

Ingredients laying out to make instant pot french dip sandwiches

All you need is:

  • chuck roast
  • unsalted butter
  • large sweet onion diced
  • cloves of garlic grated (or from the jar like I did)
  • soy sauce (I use low sodium but you don’t have to in this dish)
  • beef consommé (be sure to grab the consommé and NOT beef broth! There is a huge difference in flavor. Consommé is highly concentrated and has a much deeper rich flavor.)
  • salt
  • water
  • thyme (ground or whole)
  • ground rosemary

Can I Use Whole Rosemary?

If all you have is whole dry rosemary, you can use it. I prefer for it to be ground because I think the flavor disperses better and I don’t get “sticks” floating in my au jus. You can use a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle to grind the rosemary.

Rosemary - crushed

By the way, my mortar and pestle is one of my favorite kitchen tools. You don’t have to fool with washing a grinder. Plus it looks pretty sitting on the counter! ♥ A mortar and pestle is a two-piece tool used for grinding. In case you were wondering, the mortar is the bowl-shaped part of the pair where you put the food or spice. And the pestle is the blunt, club-shaped object that you use to grind the mortar’s contents. They are usually made of granite or marble.

Crushed rosemary in a white bowl

Set it and forget it, kinda.

Basically you dump everything in, set it and forget it. I told you it was easy! You don’t need the trivet in the bottom of the pot, just plop your roast right in the bottom.

Deer, Venison Roast in the Instant Pot

Next, add the consommé, soy sauce, garlic, butter, spices, and onion.

Venison Roast with Garlic
Ingredients in Instant Pot for Venison Roast French Dip

Pour in the four cups of water and lock your instant pot lid on.

Pouring water in to instant pot for french dip

Make sure you turn the pressure nozzle to “sealing”. Cook on high pressure for 90 minutes. When your Instant Pot beeps hit cancel and allow the pressure to release naturally until the pressure is fully released. You will know that the pressure is fully released when the pressure indicator pin is down. Depending on the Instant Pot model you have it will look different. I have the Instant Pot Duo Plus. You should check your manufacturer’s instructions just to be sure.

Pro Tip: When the pressure is NOT fully released the lid will not come off and you should never force it. Your Instant Pot lid will turn easily and unlock when the pressure is fully released.

This photo is under pressure:

Instant Pot Valve Under Pressure

The pressure has been fully released in the photo below and now the lid will unlock and come off easily.

Pressure Released on Instant Pot

How to Serve Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

Beef. Bread. Broth. That’s all it takes to make a French Dip sandwich.

Some like a little mustard. ME, it’s me, I like a little mustard!”

Or maybe even a simple mustard horseradish spread. Yum!

Traditionally French Dip sandwiches have sliced beef and not shredded. I Shredded the meat because it is much easier since the meat was cooked in the Instant Pot. Remember it came out so tender all I had to do was pinch it with a pair of tongs!

French Dip Sandwich made in the Instant Pot

A french roll is not only the best bread to serve up French Dip but it’s also traditional. This time I went with a hoagie style roll. If you decide on anything other than a french roll, toast the bread before assembling the sandwiches. That way the bread doesn’t get soggy before you ever get the chance to dunk it! What can I say? I’m a rebel. The only thing that really matters is that your bread of choice is sturdy enough to contain the meat and hold up to the au jus dunk!

Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

All the liquid that’s in the Instant Pot is your au jus dipping sauce. It’s pretty amazing that such a simple sandwich can taste SO good!

To Cheese or Not to Cheese…

Putting cheese on a French Dip isn’t illegal. But, if you want to serve it authentically, no cheese. Provolone, mozzarella, or pepper jack is what I typically use for the times that I put cheese on my French Dip. Some restaurants I’ve seen put swiss. I say, whatever floats your boat! However, the traditional Los Angeles French Dip Sandwich does NOT have cheese!

This is new information for me! It’s funny though, since finding out that the traditional French Dip doesn’t have cheese I decided to try it without and I love it!

Next time I think I’ll try a homemade creamy mustard horseradish sauce. I just drooled a little bit. Yum!

If you do decide to put cheese on the sandwich I recommend pepper jack. It goes really well with the meat and doesn’t take over the flavor of the whole sandwich.

Pepperjack cheese in the wrapper from Kroger

This comforting meal is exactly the kind of dish you’ll find in classic old-fashioned dinner recipes.

Recipe

French Dip Sandwich made in the Instant Pot
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot French Dip

Instant Pot French Dip Recipe: Using roast, (we used deer/venison roast for this particular recipe) it's EASY to make yummy french dip sandwiches!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Natural Release Pressure Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 302kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lb chuck roast venison or beef
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ large sweet yellow onion diced or sliced
  • 3 cloves grated garlic
  • ½ cups soy sauce
  • 2 cans beef consommé NOT BEEF BROTH
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon whole or ground thyme
  • 4 cups water

Instructions

  • Place the roast in the Instant Pot.
  • Pour the beef consommé and soy sauce on top of the meat.
  • Add the butter, onion, garlic, salt, rosemary, and thyme
  • Pour water on top. Place Instant Pot lid on Instant Pot and set pressure valve to sealing.
  • Cook on high pressure or 90 minutes.
  • Do a full natural pressure release. It takes about 30 minutes to fully release.
  • When the meat is done shred it and remove it from the liquid in the pot. This helps keep your sandwich from becoming soggy.
  • Assemble the French Dip sandwiches on a french roll or toasted roll of your choice.

Notes

You can also cook this in a slow cooker! For a slow cooker, dump all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8 hours. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cup | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 1204mg | Potassium: 535mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 169IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 3mg

And there you have it! It doesn’t get much simpler than that when comes to cooking.

5 More Meal Ideas Using Leftover French Dip!

  1. BBQ Sandwiches – Add your favorite barbeque sauce and a little liquid smoke to the meat. Serve it up on your favorite bun.
  2. Gyros – A little lettuce, tomato, and tzatziki sauce on top of the meat wrapped up in a warm soft flatbread. Yes, please!
  3. Shredded Beef Gravy – Make a gravy out of some of the leftover au jus. Add the meat and serve over mashed potatoes or noodles!
  4. Beef Stew – Use the meat and the au jus. Add veggies of your choice and thicken the juice with a cornstarch slurry.
  5. Mexican Style Soup -You could make ANY kind of soup with the leftover French Dip. For a Mexican style soup maybe some hominy, Mexican spices, pasta, a can of Rotél, the possibilities are endless!

 I hope you all enjoy this recipe! It certainly is a favorite around here. It’s a great time saver as well as a money saver. I’d love to know if you tried this recipe or any of the other leftover recipes! Leave a comment and let me know.

Have a wonderful day!

Leigh Ann♥

Vegetarian Chili Recipe

This Vegetarian Chili Recipe is simple to make and packed full of flavor. The hearty ingredients will fill you up and you won't even miss the meat.

Whip up a batch and pour it on top of Fritos for a Frito Chili Pie or on top of corn dogs for these chili cheese corn dogs.

Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Hi Fantabulosity friends! Meg here popping in again this month with a delicious, flavorful vegetarian chili recipe that you're going to love.

I'm not a vegetarian, so this easy chili recipe is more my style, but I have a picky kiddo that doesn't care for the texture or flavor of most meat so I'm always on the hunt for new ways to get protein into his diet.

But I do like to go meatless some days so this vegetarian chili was a big hit at my house.

Pantry Ingredients for the Win

All of the ingredients in this chili are pretty simple pantry staples that you may already have on hand.

  • Canned tomatoes
  • Beans
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Oregano
  • Chili Powder
  • Cumin
  • Salt

…are all you need to whip up a big batch of vegetarian chili.

A Protein Winner

For the hardcore carnivores out there (I live with one), no need to worry. Even though this is a vegetarian chili it's still packed with protein thanks to the black beans, like Jessica used in her White Chicken Chili recipe, and pinto beans.

That means a bowl of this chili will keep you full and happy without the need for meat.

The sweet potatoes also contribute to the heartiness of this chili recipe. They add a creamy texture to the chili and make it super filling. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes is a nice contrast to the spicy chili powder and smoky cumin.

When all these flavors mingle together it creates something kind of magical and hearty and soul-warming.

Vegetarian Chili in the Slow Cooker or Crock-Pot

Now, I haven't tried this in the slow cooker yet, but if you're needing to give it a try, I'd recommend stirring everything together in the slow cooker, and cook it for 4-5 hours on high, or until the sweet potatoes are soft.

NOTE: This may make the chili a lot thinner, so test it out or check on it as it cooks. Let me know in the comments below if you give this a try! I’d love to hear how cooking it in a crock-pot turns out!

How to Make Vegetarian Chili on the Stovetop

To start things off, sauté a diced onion in a little oil until it's softened.

Throw in some garlic and kosher salt and let that cook another minute.

The sweet potatoes join the party next and are cooked a few minutes to get a little color on them and allow them to start to soften.

The spices and tomato paste are added to the pot next and this is an important step…Before you add any more liquid or ingredients allow the tomato paste to cook for a few minutes, stirring it often.

It will turn a rusty color and that's when you know it's time to add the remaining ingredients.

This little step provides more flavor and cooks out the tin taste that can sometimes occur with canned tomato products.

Crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes, depending on your preference for chunkiness are added along with a carton of vegetable stock and the chili simmers away until the sweet potatoes are softened and the chili is thickened.

Stir in the beans during the last few minutes of cooking and you're ready to eat. You don't want to simmer the chili with the beans for too long because they'll soften too much and lose their texture. (Which is why if you decide to cook this in a slow cooker instead, I’d love to hear how it turns out!)

Simple Weeknight Meal

All together the chili takes about an hour to make but the majority of that time is inactive simmering.

So, that means you can get dinner going then attend to homework, work projects, game playing or a little down time while dinner cooks itself.

It also reheats well making it great for lunches or leftover night. Who doesn't love a leftover night?!

Keep this vegetarian chili in mind on your next meatless Monday or any night of the week.

More Easy Chili Recipes

If you love chili as much as we do around here, then you’ll LOVE these:

White Chicken Chili Recipe

Easy Chili Recipe

Venison Chili Recipe

Recipe

Vegetarian chili in small bowl with avocado slices.
Print Pin
5 from 2 votes

Vegetarian Chili

This Vegetarian Chili is simple to make and hearty enough to keep you full. Perfect for Meatless Monday or any night of the week.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 358kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 3 large garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced into ½-inch chunks
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 Tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 6 ounce can tomato paste
  • 28 ounces can crushed or diced tomatoes, depending on how chunky you like your chili
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 15.5 ounces black beans, rinsed
  • 15.5 ounces pinto beans, rinsed
  • Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sliced avocado, sour cream, tortilla strips

Instructions

  • Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and allow it to get hot. Add onion, garlic and salt and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add sweet potatoes and cook another 5 minutes, until the sweet potatoes start to get some color. 
  • Sprinkle in the spices and stir to evenly distribute. Add tomato paste and cook for a minute, stirring often until it turns a rusty red color. 
  • Add crushed or diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring chili to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the black beans and pinto beans. Top with desired toppings and enjoy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1330mg | Potassium: 1454mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 12224IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 7mg

30th Birthday Ideas for Him (Food, Themes & Easy Party Ideas for Men)

30th birthday party ideas: When he turns 30, it’s a milestone to celebrate! Here are the BEST themes and ideas for the big celebration!

This list of 30th birthday party ideas for men is so helpful !

30th Birthday Party Ideas

Birthday parties are such a fun way to celebrate milestones in our lives. If you are looking for some great party ideas for that special man in your life, these 30th birthday party ideas for men are perfect!

Need gift ideas? Head over to see our favorite 30th birthday gift ideas for him!

Here you'll find 30th birthday party ideas for men that you can use for any special man in your life to throw the perfect party. 

These ideas work great for friends, spouses, in-laws, or other family members you may be planning a party for.

What to Serve at a 30th Birthday Party for Him

If you're planning a party, the food is usually what guests remember most. These easy ideas work for everything from casual get-togethers to bigger celebrations.

Crowd-Favorite Party Foods

Food Bar Ideas (Always a Hit)

Easy Desserts

30th Birthday Party Themes & Decor Ideas

Favorite Things Party: Who says a Favorite Things party has to be for women? I know a LOT of men who would love to receive their guests “favorite things”! Tell your guests if they wish to bring a gift, bring a $5 or $10 item that they consider one of their favorite things! The birthday boy may just end up of a collection of new favorite things of his own!

This 30th Party in a Box is perfect for taking your party on the go or to celebrate with those from far away! The Sweetest Occasion

These fun Confetti Balloons would be a fun way to decorate your space. Modge Podge Rocks

If your special guy is a football fan, they are going to love these easy football party food ideas from right here at Fantabulosity!

Looking for a great baseball themed party? Then you will love this Baseball themed 30th Party idea. The Sweetest Occasion

Then we can’t forget about basketball party ideas!

These Party Cups Dipped in Confetti are a fun way to dress up your cups for a party. Modge Podge Rocks

30th Birthday Party Games

Just as fun as our article on 40th birthday party games, these games will be some fun at the party!

These fun Minute to Win it Party Games will keep your guests entertained for hours! Happiness is Homemade

This fun Tic Tac Toe Beer Pong game is great for a family or adult party! Frugal Fun for Boys

This Saran Wrap Party Game is a great game for adults or kids to play. Must Have Mom

Don’t forget the simple and classic games like poker, darts, or even fun board games like:

Cards Against Humanity 

What Do You Meme?

Apples to Apples

Drinks

A non-alcoholic option is my favorite party punch that we make at least once a year!

These Homemade Bottled Cocktails are perfect for party favors or to serve to your guests. The Sweetest Occasion

This Tropical Rum Punch would be great for a beach themed party or a summer party. The Soccer Mom Blog

Beer Tasting: If the man of honor is a beer drinker, having a beer tasting may just be what he wants! Head to the liquor store and see if they offer a mix and match option for bottled and/or canned beer where you can get many different kinds of beer for your guests to try!

Have a Favorite 30th Birthday Party Idea?

What are your favorite party ideas for men? Share them right here in the comments below! I’d love to hear it!


Ice Cream Party Ideas (Simple Decorations, Treats & Birthday Ideas)

Planning an ice cream party? Whether it's for a birthday or a fun summer gathering, this is one of the easiest party themes to pull together. With simple decorations, fun toppings, and easy desserts, you can create a party that feels special without a lot of stress.

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles,

Words cannot describe how excited I am, to share a party with you that we styled for Hershey’s! Hershey’s has been a lifelong friend in our home, and it’s an absolute honor to create a birthday party idea, using their new birthday products.

What to Serve at an Ice Cream Party (Easy + Fun Ideas)

An ice cream party is all about keeping things fun, simple, and interactive. Whether you're hosting for kids or adults, these ideas make it easy for guests to build their own treats.

Ice Cream Bar Essentials

  • Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream
  • Waffle cones and bowls (Or these fun chocolate dipped waffle bowls)
  • Sprinkles, chocolate chips, crushed cookies

Toppings Guests Love

  • Hot fudge and caramel
  • Whipped cream
  • Chopped candy bars
  • Fresh fruit

Easy Ice Cream Desserts

See more easy dessert recipes, especially these old-fashioned cake recipes so you can serve cake and ice cream.

How to Set Up an Ice Cream Party

  • Plan for melting
  • Keep toppings organized
  • Use trays or jars
  • Set up stations

Easy Party Decorating Tip:

When styling a party, I’m always on the hunt for color/theme coordinating candies to include on the dessert table. It’s an easy way to decorate and include “color.”

Ice Cream Party Decorations, Treats & Theme Ideas

Pastels have always been a favorite, but in a home full of boys that love the dirt and mud… I couldn’t really get away with pretty pastel colors for their birthday parties.

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles,

With Summer coming to an end, and for those little guys and gals that have birthday’s coming up, I thought it would be a marvelous idea to give them a party theme that’s typically only styled during the Summer months. Leave the mess of melted ice cream outside, for Summer!

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles,

“Ice Cream” Cone

Using Hershey's Kisses Chocolates, we filled sugar cones with a mixture of pastel colors to create a party favor that the guests are SURE to love. Giving the appearance of ice cream in a cone, the candies are a treat that they can enjoy later at home, rather than the struggle of melted ice cream everywhere; PERFECT for a party favor.
Aren’t the new colors ADORABLE!? They are dressed in their party-best, in brightly wrapped foils to fit a variety of birthday themes and help make the day that much sweeter.

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles,

I found the white wooden box at H&M home, online but I’ve seen many similar boxes at craft stores too!

Candy "cupckes!" Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles,

Mini “Cupcakes”

The simplicity of adding one of the Hershey's Kisses Birthday Cake Candies to the top of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures, gives the appearance of the cutest little cupcake… fit for a birthday party.
So are you ready for this? See those adorable little blue “confetti,” foil wrappers? Those are the new Hershey's Kisses Birthday Cake Candies, that taste like birthday cake, complete with a “crunch!” Be still my heart.

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles!

If you caught my post a while back, you saw the ice cream sugar cookies that we experimented with, that turned out almost too adorable to eat. ALMOST.

But if you don’t have an ice cream cone cookie cutter, this sugar cookie sandwich recipe is a GREAT substitute to still include the fun colors!

sugar cookie sandwiches with sprinkles

When the day came to style this party, we knew the ice cream sugar cookies would be a must-have, on the table.

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles!

If you ask me, I think ice cream cones are simply cute by themselves. But when we decided to add sprinkles to the rims of each cone, I kind of fell in love all over. This way, the guests can add their scoop of ice cream as they wish, all with an extra touch of sprinkle fun! I can imagine making this peanut buster parfait in a cone!

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles, and more!

To create the cake topper, we staggered a few cupcake toppers to give the cake a bit of height. Sometimes replacing candles for the cake, can be a charming way to add some flair!

You may want to make this ice cream sandwich cake for the party!

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles, and so many more ideas.

Shop similar milk bottles HERE!

Buy pastel straws HERE!

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles, and this SILVERWARE! Omg.

Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles, and this tassel banner! OMG.
Ice Cream Party Ideas: Pastel Colors, ice cream cookies, cones with sprinkles, and so many more!

White Backdrop:

Would you believe that I actually used a shower curtain for the backdrop of this party setup?! I did, I did! Thinking outside of the box can really open up the possibilities of decorating for a party.

I’d love to hear what you’re throwing an ice cream party for? A birthday? Graduation? Celebrating something big? Girls movie night? Let me know in the comments below.

Best Friend Birthday Gifts

Best Friend Birthday Gifts: DIY gift basket ideas, favorite places to shop, and favorite birthday gift ideas for your best friend.

I’m a sucker for good gift ideas, so when I have a friend that has a birthday coming up, and I’m on top of my game (or what at least feels like it) I LOVE creating the “perfect” gift for her, even if it’s just a small gesture like this cute boxed lunch idea.

However, sometimes, life happens and I forget… life catches up with me and I’m stuck looking for a quick gift to buy online for her. 

 Best Friend Birthday Gifts

But no matter what, it’s the thought that counts, and I truly believe that. Honestly, if she’s a true friend, you may not get her anything at all and she’ll still love you dearly.

Gift Ideas for Her | To Make and/or To Buy

Alright, so now that we’re ready to get to the cutest gift ideas for her, I’m going to show you my favorites and DIY gift ideas that I love to gift to my best friends when I have time and I’m feeling creative…

Then, we’ll go over what you can buy online for those “oops” last minute moments, or if you just don’t feel like DIY’ing or crafting anything!

To DIY…

Spa at Home Gift Basket

best friend birthday gifts - ideas, the places to shop and so many fun things to get her!

Ok, first… can you EVER go wrong with a gift that’s full of things to help you feel like you’re at a spa?

I don’t think so.

However, she may struggle with finding the time to use these items if she’s a busy gal. But if that’s the case, one-up this gift and offer to babysit her kiddos so she can have a night off to use these goodies for her birthday!

In this gift you’ll find things like:

Tip: Don’t just buy these items and throw them into a bag. Take what you can out of the packages and place them in a cute little $2 box from Hobby Lobby or Walmart and arrange them for an adorable presentation!

See the full spa gift idea!

Overnight Self Care Kit

Overnight care for Mom - Gift idea

With a similar take on the spa at home gift idea, this overnight self care kit can take things to a whole other level.

Send her away for a night with her husband, or alone in a hotel where she can catch up on sleep and self care!

Grab a make-up bag (a gift that keeps on giving and sometimes the same price as a stinking gift bag these days) and fill it with items she may love to use while staying overnight!

Get all the details of my overnight self-care kit!

DIY Sangria Kit

Aw, how cool is this! DIY Gift Idea: Sangria for Friends, housewarming, for women, new neighbor, anyone! Who wouldn't love this!? They can even use the drink dispenser again and again!

An INSANELY popular gift idea is my DIY Sangria Kit. When I whipped this up for my sister, I didn’t realize just how popular this gift would turn out to be on Pinterest!

I’m a big fan (if you hadn’t guessed already) of using items that the recipient can reuse as a “gift bag” instead of spending a ton of money of a paper/plastic bag that they’ll just toss in the trash.

This drink dispenser serves as a gift “basket” and it’s something she can reuse over and over again!

Fill it with the ingredients to make a fun sangria and you two can whip up a batch and sip on it that evening!

Get all of the details and my favorite places to buy the items to make this DIY Sangria gift idea HERE!

Gift Basket for a Foodie

Bread Basket Hostess Gift Idea: DIY and FREE Printable!! fantabulosity

My friends know my love for food. So odds are, my friends love food too. So when a gift comes in food-form, you’re speaking my love language.

Although I created this gift idea for a housewarming gift, it works perfectly for the food-lover or chef. Bread, cooking linens, fancy balsamic and olive oil and even a homemade spread!

TIP: Using a wire basket allows the overall gift to look “bigger” and she can see all that’s she’s getting without having to dig in to it!

Plus, a wire basket like this doubles as home decor! Again, a gift that keeps on giving. My favorite!

Get all of the details for this gift basket for a foodie!

Housewarming Gift + Drink Dispenser

DIY House Warming Gift Ideas. Mason Jar Drink dispenser with all of those "always need," items when moving in! Awesome! https://fantabulosity.com

Did your best friend just move in to a new house? We’ve moved more times than I can count, so having someone gift items that I may be running out of or forgetting to purchase every time a make a trip to the store… feels golden.

Plus, filling a drink dispenser with the household items is a great way for the new home owner to later fill it with lemonade or her favorite cocktail to serve her guests when they come over to take a peek at the new place!

See the items I put inside this housewarming gift for our new neighbors!

Sunshine Gift Basket

Sunshine Gift Ideas! Buckets, Box, Bags, anything woiuld work for this! Love it! https://fantabulosity.com

To say this gift idea has gone viral online, is an understatement.

So I feel it’s definitely note-worthy of a great gift idea for your best friend!

Not to mention, this gift is SUPER fun to shop for, when you’re all eyes for anything yellow.

You don’t realize how many yellow things there are in a store, until you start looking specifically for them!

See what yellow items I included in my sunshine gift basket, to get ideas for your own!

Take it Easy Gift Basket

Gift basket idea for men or women

What best friend wouldn’t love a cozy “take it easy” themed gift basket?

A warm blanket, fuzzy slippers, a new coffee mug and maybe throw in a magazine for good measure.

See how I assembled this “take it easy” gift basket idea, to get ideas for your own!

Gift Basket Ideas for All Occasions

DIY housewarming gift idea

I believe that almost any gift can work for a birthday present.

I have SO many more gift ideas here on the blog that you can browse through to get ideas for that special best friend in your life.

Remember, think outside the box… what can they REALLY use… and how can you make it better when it comes to assembling it. (i.e. fun containers, baskets, etc.)

Here are more gift ideas for all occasions to remember for later or to brainstorm more DIY ideas!

Puzzle

I know a puzzle sounds simple… but hear me out. My sister gifted me with a puzzle in the shape of Montana when we moved, and it was the sweetest thing. When she came to visit, we’d drink wine and put it together with family, and then we glued it and framed the puzzle to use as decor in our home.

Favorite Gifts to Buy Best Friend

So those moments we forgot, ran out of time, or just NOT in the mood to be creative with gift baskets??? I’ve got you covered. I’ve been there too.

Since products are ever-evolving, selling out and changing, I’m sharing my favorite places to look FIRST when it comes to buying birthday gifts for my best friends.

Target

If you don’t like Target, I’m not sure we can be friends. Ok, totally kidding… but you can NEVER go wrong with picking up something in the “home” and/or “beauty” section at Target.

  • Fun kitchen utensils, dish towels, plates, coffee mug, cake stands
  • Bookshelf decor, wall hangings
  • Pillows, baskets, throw blankets
  • Notebooks, journals, planners
  • Face masks, makeup, makeup bags
  • Nail polish, pedicure sets, foot soaks
  • Hair masks, hair tools, hair accessories

Then of course, don’t forget to hit up the dollar spot for something fun to garnish the gift with, like a fun notepad or car cell phone holder!

Shop Target Home | Shop Target Beauty

H&M

Friend, if you’ve never shopped H&M’s “Home” section on their website… you are missing OUT.

It’s not only a wonderful place to buy baskets to make gift baskets with, they have the most adorable items to gift someone.

Blankets, baskets, home decor, pillows, and the list goes on. It’s affordable, trendy and something that your friend probably doesn’t already have 50 of because it’s like a hidden secret that so many don’t even know about!

Shop H&M Home

Chic Aprons

Even if your best friend doesn’t cook that often, I can’t help but think that she’d LOVE one of these aprons. I myself, have way too many of these because they’re THAT cute.

There’s something about putting on an adorable apron on when it’s time to make dinner. Kind of like how buying new workout clothes motivates you to workout?

Get her one of these so she can feel great when it’s time to tackle the kitchen.

Shop my FAVORITE Vintage Aprons

Charming Charlie

Charming Charlie has been my favorite place to get wallets, jewelry and purses for the last couple of years.

But each time I go online, I see that they have the CUTEST gift ideas. (You know, the things that we don’t want to spend money on for ourselves, but the adorable things that we’d love to have!?)

So if your best friend is a fashionista, snagging a bag, wallet or jewelry from Charming Charlie is a great place to do so! But they also have cute gifty items like pens, books, and perfume that would make perfect gifts!

Shop Gift Ideas at Charming Charlie

Other Gift Ideas for Your Best Friend

In case you’re still at a loss of what to get your best friend, here are a few great ideas that I’ve loved gifting to my friends:

  • Homemade Food (cookies, cakes, brownies, jams, jellies, extracts)
  • A daily/monthly planner
  • Book
  • Magazine subscription
  • Online classes at Udemy (i.e. cooking, photography, sewing)
  • Gift certificate for a pedicure, manicure, massage at a local salon
  • Floral arrangement (Check to see if they offer a monthly/quarterly delivery service for a gift that keeps on giving.)
  • Suprise dinner with closest girlfriends
  • Wine subscription
  • House cleaning service (unless she could be easily offended, thinking you were saying her house was dirty. Eeeek.)
  • Drop off bagels and flavored cream cheeses from local coffee shop on her doorstep to start her birthday off with a bang!
  • DNA/Family history search

I could go on and on with ideas, because I absolutely love brainstorming and thinking of new ways to gift someone I love and care about.

So if you didn’t see something that will work for you and your best friend, let me know in the comments below! I’ll see if I can think of something for you!

Love Birthday Ideas?

Then you’ll LOVE how we celebrate birthdays and all sorts of occasions around here! Browse our party ideas!

Pin the image below to remember it for later!

Nautical Party Ideas (Birthday Theme, Food & Decorations)

If you're looking for nautical party ideas that are easy to pull together but still feel special, this theme is one of the most versatile options for birthdays, baby showers, or summer gatherings.

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas, Boy or Girl! Navy Blue and White Dessert table! https://fantabulosity.com

Nautical Party Ideas (Simple + Easy to Recreate)

If you're planning a nautical-themed party, the key is keeping things simple, fun, and easy to pull together. Whether it's for a birthday, baby shower, or summer gathering, these ideas will help you create a cohesive look without overcomplicating things.

Last year, we hosted a Crawfish Boil party for his 3rd birthday, and this year… we finally decided on a theme about 3 weeks before the big day. My little guy went back and forth:

A “Dino-Thomas,” birthday party!

A “Superhero,” birthday!

I know! A Lego birthday party!

…there were a few more ideas in there, like a fireman birthday party, but he just couldn’t make up his mind.

(So I took matters in to my own hands.)

I knew he loved water, and with his birthday being in Summer, I knew “water,” was going to the theme. So a nautical birthday party it was! Update: 3 years later, this is STILL his favorite birthday party theme!

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas

It started out with designing a nautical invitation. (See how to create your own birthday party invites in Canva!) I created it, based on the “vision,” I had in my head of what I wanted the party to look like. (P.S. I blurred the bottom in this photo for privacy. )

Nautical Birthday Party Invitation! https://fantabulosity.com

Nautical Birthday Party Invitations

I printed the invites, rolled them up tight, taped them with nautical-anchor washi tape, and stuffed them in to little plastic bottles, for a message in a bottle invitation! I cut out little anchors with my silhouette machine, and tied them around the bottles with twine.

Nautical Birthday Party Invitation, Message in a bottle! So cute! https://fantabulosity.com
Nautical Birthday Party Invitation, Message in a bottle! So cute! https://fantabulosity.com

  

Delivering the Invites

Here’s the fun part! (Note: I’ll say that about 10 times I’m sure.)  Since we kept it a small play date, we didn’t have to send out a TON of invitations. So to add to the fun, and anticipation of the party, we hand delivered the message in a bottle invitations to his little friends!

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas, Boy or Girl! fantabulosity.com-2

I promise I didn’t purposely put this anchor shirt on him to deliver the invites. But that worked out nice… 😉

So we didn’t bother the families on a Sunday afternoon, we just quietly placed the bottles on their porch steps, and I texted their mommies that they had a surprise waiting for them.

Nautical Birthday Party Invitation, Message in a bottle! So cute! https://fantabulosity.com

Party Time!

“Welcome to my Play Date”

If I’m able, I always like to make some sort of welcome sign, to let our guests know what door to come in. I tied the design of the invitations in our little welcome sign, to keep the theme rollin’. 😉

AHOY MATE! Welcome to my play date! https://fantabulosity.com

Nautical Party Favors

On the other side of the door, I put out little nautical beach bag favors, for the little guys and gals to grab on their way in.
The bags were full of bubbles, sunglasses, water balloons, tattoos, a little wooden fish the kids could paint, and more! 

DIY Tutorial: I purchased mine, but I don’t believe they’re available any more.
You could easily get plain small canvas bags, and iron on an anchor with a cutout of heat transfer material from your Silhouette machine, or just cut out an anchor, and stencil paint it on each bag. 🙂

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas! Favor Ideas! Beach bag full of summer fun items! https://fantabulosity.com-51

Pre & Post Play, Station

The last thing that you want your guests to do is worry about sunburns and bugs, at your outdoor party. To help the situation out a bit, I always try to provide the sunscreen and bug spray right at their fingertips to avoid any unnecessary troubles. I also wanted to have some towels handy, for the little guys playing in the water. Running in and out of the house, wet from the water games outside, can get cold in that air conditioning! 😉

Love this Pre-play & Post-play station! Sunblock, bug spray for when you're headed out to play in the water at the birthday party, and towels for when you're done! Brilliant! https://fantabulosity.com

Love this Pre-play & Post-play station! Sunblock, bug spray for when you're headed out to play in the water at the birthday party, and towels for when you're done! Brilliant! https://fantabulosity.com
Love this Pre-play & Post-play station! Sunblock, bug spray for when you're headed out to play in the water at the birthday party, and towels for when you're done! Brilliant! https://fantabulosity.com

  

Nautical Dessert Table – Sweets & Treats

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas, Boy or Girl! Navy Blue and White Dessert table! https://fantabulosity.com-35

 

Navy and White Party Decor

I know I say it every time, but this is seriously my favorite party theme yet. I’ve always had a crush on a navy and white color scheme, so it was a no-brainer when the party planning went in to works.

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas, Boy or Girl! Navy Blue and White Dessert table! https://fantabulosity.com

Food and Treats Tip:

After upteen parties that I have hosted, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. DON’T over do it on the treats. No… not for the reason that you think. It’s not the sugar highs, or the parents hating me because I’ve provided endless amounts of sugar for their kids… but rather:

THE KIDS DON’T EAT ALL OF IT!
Dead serious. Don’t get me wrong… they’ll eat a cupcake, a cookie, maybe some ice cream… but they are way too busy playing with friends, the new toys laying around etc., that most of them barely even make it to the dessert table more than once.

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas! Or a baby shower! https://fantabulosity.com
So this time, I kept it small (rather than the normal smorgasbord of goodies that I usually do.)

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas, for a Boy or Girl! Navy and White dessert table! https://fantabulosity.com

  

Anchor Cookies

These cookies. OMG, can you BELIEVE how adorable these are!? Guess what… I found them on Etsy! Yes! Wooden It Be Sweet  has these in her shop, and she was MORE than accommodating with my needs! She shipped them to me, wrapped in the most precious little plastic bags, tied with twine.
I was able to send some of them home with guests since they were wrapped {as an addition to the party favors}, and I unwrapped a few for the dessert table.

Look how cute these are wrapped:

Nautical Cookies for baby shower, birthday party, favors, etc! So cute! https://fantabulosity.com

Cupcakes + Cupcake Toppers

I can’t shout it from the rooftops loud enough, how PERFECT these nautical cupcakes were from MAB Cupcakes.  Like a crazy person, I waited until the last minute to order cupcakes. (I don’t recommend it.)  But when I put a call in to order the cupcakes, I simply just asked for some white cupcakes. I didn’t expect what I received…

Anchor cupcake toppers!!! I did mention that it was for the nautical birthday party that I was hosting, and if they had anything navy blue in the shop they could throw on… I’d be forever grateful. You guys… THIS WAS THE RESULT…

Nautical Birthday Party cupcakes! OMG so adorable! https://fantabulosity.com

P.S. I found the wooden board at a local antique shop, and it worked perfect to line the cupcakes on.

Nautical Navy Blue and White Cupcakes! Perfect for a baby shower, or birthday party! https://fantabulosity.com

Blue Food??

I knew for the dessert table, I wanted to keep all of the food, white or navy blue. When I started to think of, “Blue food,” I’ll be honest… there wasn’t much out there. So I knew if I went to “white,” food, and just use Blue decor on the table, it should work out pretty well.

Mini Cheesecakes for navy blue and white party or baby shower. You'll faint when you find out how easy these are. This can't be. https://fantabulosity.com

What to Serve at a Nautical Party

Keeping the food simple and on-theme makes a big difference, especially for outdoor or kid-friendly parties.

Easy Party Foods

Fun Themed Treats

  • Anchor cookies
  • Blue and white desserts
  • Ice cream bar with toppings

Savory Snacks

  • Simple snack cart setup
  • Chips and easy finger foods

I went to one of my trusty desserts for parties (that’s simple and delish), the ready-to-eat cheesecake filling.

At my All White Christmas party a while back, I took this filling, and filled mini shooters with graham cracker layers. This time, I just grabbed some fillo shells and filled them with the cheesecake filling, and topped them with a couple of blueberries.
These would be soooo cute for a nautical baby shower too I must say!

Mini Cheesecakes for navy blue and white party or baby shower. You'll faint when you find out how easy these are. This can't be serious. https://fantabulosity.com

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen my little snapshot of my DIY process of making these. I was smitten with how cute they were looking. I found the idea on Pinterest, and cannot remember for the life of me who came up with this brilliant idea. If you know, please let me know! I’d love to link to them and give credit where credit is due!

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas, milk bottles with lifesaver candy wrapped around them! So cute! https://fantabulosity.com

I just grabbed lifesavers, and tied them on to the twine, (kind of like when I made the DIY nautical candles) and wrapped it around the bottles. This DIY project went by in a flash.

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas. Milk bottles with life savers wrapped around the neck with twine! So cute! https://fantabulosity.com

White powdered donuts seem to always make an appearance on my dessert tables too. Mainly because I adore them. (Ahem… I mean my guests adore them.)

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas! White powdered donuts, so easy and cute! https://fantabulosity.com

I found cute little navy and white suckers before the party, and although I didn’t really have the “space,” for them, I did put a couple out on the table just to add a “sweet,” touch. 😉

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas! Blue and White suckers! https://fantabulosity.com

Make Your Own Ice Cream Bar

In another corner of the backyard, I created an ice cream bar. With the hot month of June, an ice cream on a hot summer day is a treat! Literally!

Ice Cream Bar for an outdoor summer birthday party https://fantabulosity.com

Ice Cream Toppings

I put out blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, gummy bears, and crushed up Oreos, for the little ones to get creative. TIP… set this table up in the yard or somewhere that you don’t mind getting dirty! It had potential to get messy. 😉

Ice Cream Bar for an outdoor summer birthday party https://fantabulosity.com

There was a variety of flavored syrups too, and they were able to choose between a waffle cone or bowl! The kids had a BLAST choosing which toppings they wanted. Ok ok… I did too.

Ice Cream Bar for an outdoor summer birthday party https://fantabulosity.com

Snack + Toy Cart – Finger Foods

I put up a little snack cart with chips, in case anyone got hungry and was missing a sweet tooth. Putting them in to canisters makes it look a little fancier than just a few chip bags laying around. This is where I also stored overflow of bubbles, sailor hats, and other little goodies.

Snack cart for a birthday party! Love how the chips are in canisters! https://fantabulosity.com

Kid Drinks

Since it was a kiddo party, I wanted to make sure we had plenty of kid-friendly drinks. Fruit Punch and water took up the main stage in my drink dispensers.

Drink Dispensers for a party, on a stand. So cute! https://fantabulosity.com
Drink Dispensers for a party, on a stand. So cute! https://fantabulosity.com

  

Not pictured: The adults may or may not have had an “adult beverage,” section too. 😉

Drink Dispensers for a party, on a stand. So cute! https://fantabulosity.com

Water Fun!

My boys and their little guests had a blast in the water. Water sprinklers, water balloons, and just tubs of water! Fun for hours.

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas, Navy Blue and White! Perfect for boy or girl! fantabulosity.com-9

If you’re having a slumber party, make sure to check out these fun ideas for a boys slumber party, too!

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas, Navy Blue and White! Perfect for boy or girl! fantabulosity.com-9

I had such a good time designing this party. I already can’t wait for my other kiddos birthday this Fall. Let the ideas and designing begin!

Nautical Birthday Party Ideas! Party Planning Services! https://fantabulosity.com

Ham Casserole – Swiss Cheese + Noodle Bake

Ham Casserole – This ham and swiss casserole recipe is all kinds of comfort food feels. Noodles, cream of mushroom soup, swiss cheese… it’s a ton of flavor in one dish! If you love the combination of ham and pasta, this mac and cheese with ham recipe has your name on it.

This ham casserole dish reminds me of this french onion ground beef casserole, which we all love, but with ham!

Casseroles are great dishes for potlucks, holidays, or any occasion where you need to easily feed a large number of people and want to show off your cooking skills. 

Don’t miss the 20+ chicken casserole recipes we’ve gathered to load up your Pinterest boards with!

Ham Casserole

Ham Casserole

Made with ham and cheese this ham casserole is the perfect recipe to make with your Easter leftovers or any time of year!

For Easter, utilize the leftover ham and mix it with swiss cheese and cream of mushroom soup to make a delicious, family-loved recipe. (Or, if you have a lot of ham, make this ham and beans recipe too!)

Or, if you like, you can even buy or make ham specifically for this recipe. It's so delicious that you don't need to make it only when you have leftovers, you'll want to make it all the time!

Egg noodles for ham casserole

What kind of noodles work best with ham and noodle casserole?

There really isn't a noodle that works best with ham and noodle casserole – almost any noodle works! However, long pasta noodles like spaghetti or angel hair are not recommended since it is a casserole and long noodles make it more difficult to serve and eat.

Egg noodles are a great option because they cook quickly, freeze well, and the swiss cheese latches onto them nicely. We also use these in this easy chicken and noodles recipe and this old-fashioned tuna casserole recipe too, and it freezes well too!

How do I store leftover ham until I'm ready to use it in a casserole?

  • Ham should be tightly wrapped and not left at room temperature for more than two hours.
  • It should also be put in a refrigerator with a temperature of under 40 degrees, and should not be stored for more than four days.
  • If you're not using the ham within four days place in the freezer. (This is not ideal as it can affect the flavor of the meat, but sometimes situations require freezing.) It can be kept in a freezer for 1-2 months.

Can I freeze ham casserole?

Absolutely, you can freeze ham casserole! There are two ways you can freeze it – the dish prepared but uncooked, or the dish completely finished and cooked.

To Freeze Uncooked Casserole

If you are making the casserole for a special day it is a great recipe to make ahead of time and leave uncooked for the day of.

However, it is recommended that you make it the night before and leave in the fridge, but you may need to freeze the casserole for a longer time before you make it. If this happens, be sure to take the casserole out of the freezer and put it into the fridge the night before.

NOTE: It is not advised that you put a frozen casserole directly into a hot oven, as the swift change in temperature could cause the baking dish to crack.

In fact, it is best if you can leave the dish out for 10 minutes before it is baked.

Once the dish warms up simply bake it according to the recipe, adding a few minutes to account for the dish being cold.

Bake Casserole Before Freezing

If you bake the dish before you freeze it, make sure you let it warm up before you serve it again. It is also important in this case to let it thaw in the fridge overnight, set out for 10 minutes, and then bake.

However, if the dish was already baked, it can be put it in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until warm.

Optional Ingredients for Ham Casserole

If you’re looking to add-to or spice up your ham casserole, here are some ideas to add some variety to this recipe and make it your own!

  • Cheddar cheese (with or in place of swiss)
  • Mustard (or mustard seed)
  • Pickles (or relish)
  • Bacon
  • Jalapeno's
  • Sauerkraut (We use sauerkraut in these corned beef sliders so save some if you can!)
  • Corned beef
  • Broccoli

How to Make Ham Casserole

You can find the entire ingredients list and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but if you’re a visual person like me, I’ve provided images and notes along the way in case it helps!

This ham casserole is practically a dump and bake recipe, which is one of my FAVORITES! Less dishes, less mess, and less work!

Ham Casserole Recipe

Preheat your oven to 350º.

Mix together all of the ingredients (except cheese) and dump into a greased baking dish. Or, mix it all up IN the baking dish to save on dish cleanup even more!

Ham Casserole Recipe
Ham Casserole Recipe

Sprinkle on the cheese…

Ham Casserole Recipe with Swiss Cheese

…and bake covered for 45 minutes and then remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Ham Casserole Recipe
YUUUUM!!! Easy Ham Casserole with noodles and swiss cheese!

You’ll want to put this casserole on your menu rotation this week, we are sure it will become a family favorite!

Recipe

Ham Casserole
Print Pin
4.48 from 21 votes

Ham Casserole – Swiss & Noodle Bake

Ham Casserole – This Ham & Swiss Casserole Recipe is comfort food at its finest! Noodles, cream of mushroom soup, swiss cheese make this a quick & easy dish! 
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 8 cups
Calories 404kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. egg noodles pre-cooked according to package directions
  • 2 cups ham chopped in to bite sized pieces
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup half and half
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ onion diced
  • 2 tablespoon butter melted
  • 3 tablespoon poppy seeds optional
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups swiss cheese shredded or grated

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350º
  • Spray a 9 by 13 pan with cooking spray.
  • Mix all of the ingredients except the cheese in a large bowl.
  • Pour the mixture into the sprayed pan.
  • Top with the Swiss cheese and more poppy seeds, if desired.
  • Bake, covered, for 45 minutes.
  • Remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes or until bubbly.

Notes

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1075mg | Potassium: 301mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 302mg | Iron: 1.5mg

We LOVE pasta comfort foods here in the midwest. Here are some of our favorites on the blog…

Pin the image below to remember it for later!YUUUM! Comfort food! Easy ham casserole recipe

Sleepover Ideas for Boys (Fun Games, Food & Easy Slumber Party Ideas)

But looking around at all of the slumber party ideas out there, a lot of these sleepover ideas can be used for boys or girls!

Sleepover Ideas for Different Ages

Plus, many of these slumber party ideas will work for boys or girls of any age. However, the most popular ages I’ve found for sleepovers are:

  • 9 year olds
  • 10 year olds
  • 11 year old
  • tweens

What to Serve at a Sleepover (Easy + Kid-Friendly)

Fun Slumber Party Ideas

The best part about this list of ideas is that you can reuse them over and over again no matter who will be sleeping over!

So let’s get to them…

If you have a basketball fan in the house, decorating for the slumber party may be easier than you think with these basketball party ideas.

Basketball Party Ideas https://fantabulosity.com

2. This homemade LEGO Homemade Jello Soap craft is perfect for boys to make at a sleepover. The Soccer Mom Blog

4. This fun DIY Marshmallow toys makes it fun to play, and a fun snack to eat! Or So She Says

5. No matter WHO the slumber party is for, I don’t know a kiddo who wouldn’t love a chocolate fountain to eat on all night! Serve up a ton of fun with these chocolate fountain food ideas!

Chocolate Fountain Ideas

6. Get your boys outside with this fun Nature Scavenger Hunt. The Joy of Boys

7. If it's nice outside, have your boys have a Shaving Cream Battle. Fireflies and Mudpies

8. This Super Hero Potion is perfect for pretend play, and will be a fun snack idea for your boys. What's Up Fanagans

9. Make your own DIY Foam Swords for play battles or just as a fun activity to do. Or So She Says

11. This fun and Easy Creeper Craft is great for boys who love Minecraft. Fireflies and Mudpies

12. If you are looking for some fun Sleepover Games there are a few from this list that you won't want to miss! Wondermom Wannabe

14. Have your kids watch a few Sleepover Movies on the big screen to keep them entertained. Mom Generations

Smores trail mix for a camping party! Teddy Grahams, marshmallows and Hershey Bars! How fun is this! It's all so cute!!! Camping Sleepover Birthday Party Ideas! Pottery Barn Kids, fake fire, tents, sleeping bags, fire birthday cake, kaleidoscope, birthday banner.

19. If you have older kids, they may love these Nerf Target Games that you can play inside or outside. Frugal Fun 4 Boys

nerf birthday party ideas

Spend the night creating with this fun Cardboard Pirate Ship activity! Pair this activity with the treasure hunt for even more fun! Red Ted Art

More Slumber Party Ideas?

What are some of your favorite slumber party ideas for boys? Share them right here in the comments below to help others looking for fun ideas! 

More Party Ideas

I absolutely love hosting, styling and throwing parties. See some of my favorites for more party ideas…

Party Punch

No matter what party, a birthday… baby shower… bridal shower… kids… adult…

your guests are sure to love the BEST Punch Recipe on the planet!

The BEST Punch Recipe for Any Party: made with Sprite (or lemon-lime soda), pineapple juice, kool-aid, sugar, and water! So easy, and the best ever!

Disney World Tips – 10 Tips for a Better Vacation

Disney World Tips – These 10 tips and tricks are so helpful for those who have never been to Disney or who are looking to make their next trip even better!

With tons of world-class dining options, many fabulous resort choices, and countless entertainment possibilities, it can be overwhelming trying to plan your Disney vacation.

I’ve invited Amy with The Travel Bug Company, who I call the “Disney Guru“, to share her favorite top 10 tips for those who have never been to Disney, and who are thinking about making it a family vacation soon!

Tips for Disney

Disney World Tips

1. Use a stroller for young children

A stroller can be brought from home or rented and delivered to your resort to be picked up once you arrive.

On our last trip, we walked 10 miles on our first park day and I hadn't taken my own advice for my 5-year-old.
That afternoon I rented a stroller from a company that I trust and picked it up the next morning on the way to the bus stop.

It was such a GAME CHANGER. Less whining, extra storage space, and you know exactly where your young one is when navigating through security and crowded walking areas.

2. Get a dining plan

Disney World Dining Plan

The dining plan is one of my favorite components of the Disney World experience, because, well… food.

I think Disney has really upped its food game, and the meals and snacks we eat while there are pretty fabulous.

The dining plan is offered as a perk of staying at a Disney resort and can offer a lot of value to your vacation, making it easy to enjoy many of their most popular dining options.

There are several dining plans to pick from, and you can choose the plan that best fits your budget and vacation style.

The most popular is the Disney Dining Plan, and it includes:

  •  1-table service meal
  • 1-quick service meal
  • and two snacks per person, per night of your stay.

You also get a souvenir drink cup that has pixie dust and can be used at your resort for unlimited tea, coffee, and soda.

The Disney Dining Plan may not sound like enough food, but trust me, I have two growing teenage boys and it was more food than they could eat in a day!

3. Disposable ponchos

Do you need ponchos for Disney

I buy mine from Amazon in packs of 10 and keep one per person in my bag with me when we leave the resort.

I recommend wearing one if you ride Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom or Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom.

They are also useful for afternoon showers when you want to get to the bus or hop to another ride.

4. Memory Maker

This is another of my favorites, and is a really fun way to make sure everybody gets in those photos, including Mom or Dad!

There are Disney photographers sprinkled throughout the parks, especially near the iconic landmarks like Cinderella's Castle and the Epcot sphere.

The photographer will be wearing a vest labeled “Photopass Photographer” and will be carrying a large camera, so you can't miss them.

They will take your family's picture in your matching Mickey Mouse shirts and connect it to your reservation so you can save them when you get home. How cool is that!?

There are videos from some of the rides that make for really fun viewing… like with your hair in the wind when you come around a bend on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Magic Shots are also offered in different locations, where an animation or overlay is added to your pic after it's taken. So so fun to have.

5. Stay on site

Staying on Disney property, in the "Disney Bubble," can add a lot of perks to your vacation. (For instance like I mentioned above, the dining plan is only available for resort guests.)

Transportation to the parks and Disney Springs is complimentary, as well as Magical Express shuttle to and from the airport for Disney World guests.

Fun story: On one of our bus rides from Hollywood Studios back to “Art of Animation” we had the most entertaining bus driver who quizzed us all with Disney trivia, making the bus ride feel quick and fun.

You don't have to worry about parking or driving while you are there, and the resorts are known for theming, convenience and adding the benefit of being able to return to your room for a break on park day if your little ones need it. It ADDS to the whole vacation experience!

6. No backpack in the parks

A backpack in a theme park is very common, but we don't do it.

I recommend a cross body bag or a fanny pack, or a small diaper bag that can be easily removed from the stroller basket when going through security and when parking the stroller.

Backpacks can be tricky when getting into and out of rides, and I do not like having sweaty backs in the heat.

In my cross body bag, I carry:

  • ponchos
  • sunglasses
  • travel-size sunscreen
  • ID and credit cards
  • phone
  • rechargeable phone battery
  • a couple of blister bandages
  • and a few other make-up/toiletry items.

Every night I empty my bag and repack it for the next day.

But here is an AMAZING resource for what to carry in your bag at Disney!

7. Pin trading with cast members

Almost every “Cast Member” (what Disney employees are called) will have character pins that they can trade with you for.

We order a mixed bag from Amazon before our trip, divide them up at home, and trade in the parks.

It's really fun to see what my kids keep and which ones they trade.

We've used pin lanyards and wallet-type holders, with my favorite being a wallet that hangs on a lanyard.

It's a good idea to discuss with your child that he or she needs to let you know if they would like to go trade pins with a Cast Member, as you could continue walking and not realize they are not there! (EEEk! Not that it's happened to us or anything.) Ha!

Buy the character pins we get HERE!

8. Pick up a Disney park times guide

Disney's park entertainment options are subject to change, and this is a great way to keep track of what time they start and what is being offered that day.

A few that come to mind are Animal Encounters in Animal Kingdom, Great Moments in History in Magic Kingdom or March of the First Order in Hollywood Studios.

A times guide is available next to the maps as you enter the park.

9. Wear ears or a Goofy hat

Wearing something on your head is a really fun way to get into the Disney experience.

Whether you order it ahead of time and coordinate all your outfits or get one headband and wear it the first day only, it's a lot of fun and makes for great photos. I usually wear mine to the airport on arrival and departure days, getting into the Disney spirit and relaxing into my vacation, and have a few I rotate during the week (yes, they match my outfits).

The ears and hats are available online and throughout the parks, resorts and Disney Springs. Of course, Disney themed Christmas lights also go well with your favorite headgear…

Disney clothes and headband

10. Use a professional Disney travel planner

Trying to plan your trip on your own, can be stressful. Using a Disney planner who knows ins and outs to get great deals, the best times for activities and so much more… can be so helpful with alleviating stress ahead of time and while you’re there, so you too can have fun too!

Where do you find this Disney planner???

I can’t WAIT to help you!

I (Amy here) am a professional Disney travel planner with a goal to maximize your Disney experience with detailed daily plans, dining arrangements, ride reservations, and more!

Together, we figure out the best fit for your family and I take care of all the details.

Your vacation begins with me! You will get the benefit of a Disney expert and you won't have to do countless hours of research, discovery, and planning to have the best Disney vacation ever. (Ack!)

Free Consultations

YES! I offer free consultations.  So to learn more about my customized Disney travel services and how I can best meet your vacation needs, I’m just an email away.
To schedule a time to chat, email me at

 Have you ever visited Boca Grande Florida? See Jessica’s Boca Grande Florida vacation review to see if that’s somewhere you want to visit.

Facebook:

Or, I'm also on Facebook at Travel Bug Company if you’d like to visit me there!

Want to See More Disney Photos?

Head over to my Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/travel_bug_company

I can’t wait to help plan your Disney vacation!

Disney Planner - free consultations

— Amy

Thank you SO much Amy! As someone who’s never been to Disney, I have to say…you’ve already taught me so many helpful things!

More Disney Tips?

Friends, I’m dying to know what your favorite Disney tips are. Do you have any favorites? Let me know in the comments below! Thank you for sharing them with us!

10 Disney World Tips and Tricks! These were SO helpful!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries + Sweet Glaze

These Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Cranberries are covered in a sweet honey glaze with pecans and pair as a delicious side dish to your favorite dinner recipe.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Brussels Sprouts Recipe

I’m not sure who it was that got me to try brussels sprouts for the first time. But man alive I’m so glad that they did.

P.S. I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to be called “brussels sprouts” but a common way that they’re spelled nowadays is without the “s”. So I’m just going to keep on keepin’ on and stick with brussel, for the sake of what I’ve found that most are calling it online.

But I have to admit… I’ve never really had any that weren’t roasted, and that may make a big difference because they get an incredible flavor when cooked this way, and even better when slightly charred… in my opinion. I found this out when I made my favorite garlic roasted broccoli!

Sweet Brussel Sprouts

I’ll never forget the first time I’ve had a sweet glaze on a brussel sprout because it was a GAME CHANGER.

So if you haven’t had a sweeter brussel sprouts recipe like this one that’s combined with the flavors of the bacon, dried cranberries and pecans, I really encourage you to try it.

How to Make Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I’ll walk you through how to make the brussel sprouts if you’re more of a visual person, but if you prefer to jump right to the recipe, you can scroll to the very bottom and grab the recipe card, print, save on Pinterest, or whatever you prefer to do!

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Wash, trim and cut your 3 pounds of brussel sprouts in half.
Baked Brussel Sprouts

3. Place your brussel sprouts in a baking sheet…

Roasted Brussel Sprouts baked in the oven

4. In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of olive oil, ½ cup honey, ½ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper.

sweet honey glaze for brussel sprouts
Honey glaze for brussel sprouts
Seasoning for brussel sprouts in the oven

5. Pour mixture over brussel sprouts.

Pour sweet honey glaze over the brussel sprouts

6. Hand toss to coat…

Roasted brussel sprouts

7. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring once during bake time. (Or until slightly blackened.)

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with cranberries, pecans and bacon with honey glaze

8. Evenly distribute 12 slices of cooked, crumbled bacon, ½ cup of dried cranberries and ¾ cup toasted pecans, chopped, and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts - with a sweet honey glaze

Recipe

Roasted brussel sprouts cranberries and a glaze.
Print Pin
5 from 2 votes

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with a Sweet Glaze

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries and Pecans: This baked in the oven recipe using a sweet honey glaze, is an easy side dish you'll love!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 285kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds raw brussel sprouts
  • 12 slices cooked bacon crumbled
  • ¾ cup toasted pecans chopped
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425℉
  • Prepare brussel sprouts by washing, trimming and cutting in half.
  • Place brussel sprouts on a baking sheet.
  • In a small bowl, mix olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper.
  • Drizzle olive oil mixture over brussel sprouts on the pan.
  • Hand toss to coat.
  • Bake at 425℉ for 30 minutes or until slightly blackened stir once during bake time.
  • Evenly distribute bacon crumbles, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries to the baking sheet. Bake 5 more minutes.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 365mg | Potassium: 76mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.3mg

The sweet flavors combined with the salty crunch of the crisp leaves of the outer edges of the brussel sprouts are INCREDIBLE.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts baked in the oven with bacon

More Easy Side Dishes You’ll Love

If you love easy side dishes, whether that’s to serve with a fancy steak dinner or a quick weeknight dinner for your family… you’ll love these:

The BEST Side Salad Recipe:

Best Side Salad Recipe

Garlic Roasted Broccoli:

This was so easy, and GOOD! I don't even like broccoli that much! Healthy Side Dish Recipe

Check out the RECIPE ARCHIVES for more easy recipes you’ll love!

Blueberry Granola Bars

Stevia In The Raw® has sponsored this blog post and has provided product samples for these Blueberry Granola Bars with Yogurt Drizzle!

Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag - Granola Bars

Plus, now with the new year approaching, I know that so many of you are looking for recipes to help you through those resolutions. Today, I’m going to help you tackle that craving for sweets… with less sugar! Yes! LESS sugar!

Blueberry Granola Bars with Yogurt Drizzle Made with Stevia In The Raw®

Oh friends, the ingredients in these granola bars are enough to make you swoon…

  • Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag
  • Rolled Oats
  • Crispy rice cereal
  • Dried blueberries
  • Creamy peanut butter
  • Butter or coconut oil
  • Shredded coconut
  • Chopped roasted almonds
  • Vanilla extract
  • Salt

…but wait until you see them all together, topped with the amazing yogurt drizzle (also sweetened with Stevia In The Raw®)!

You can find the full recipe card at the end of this post, but I wanted to give you the process in photos too, in case you’re the visual type. Plus, who doesn’t love drooling over food photos?!

Blueberry Granola Bars Recipe

Ingredients for blueberry granola bars

Prepare 7 x 11 baking pan by lining with parchment paper.

Then, combine the peanut butter, butter or coconut oil, vanilla extract, salt and Stevia In The Raw® into a small saucepan, and warm on “low” heat until it is easy to pour.

Peanut Butter for granola bars made with stevia
coconut oil for granola bars made with stevia - healthy recipe
Ingredients for granola bars - made with stevia

Next, in a large bowl, combine oats, crispy rice cereal, shredded coconut and almonds and blueberries.

Healthy granola bars made with stevia in the raw

Pour peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir together, making sure everything is mixed together thoroughly.

Granola bar recipe - stevia blueberries and rice krispies
Blueberry Granola Bars Recipe with peanut butter and stevia

Next, press mixture into the prepared pan and place in the freezer for 2 hours to set.

Granola bars recipe made with blueberries, peanut butter, stevia

Yogurt Drizzle for Granola Bars

While the granola is setting, this is the perfect time to make the drizzle.

Place the Stevia In The Raw® that is allotted for the drizzle in to a blender and blend for 2 minutes to create a powdered version.

Yogurt Drizzle recipe for granola bars, using stevia

Whisk together the blended Stevia In The Raw®, yogurt and milk until creamy.

Yogurt Drizzle Recipe with less sugar

Remove the granola from the freezer and cut into 12-16 bars.

Then, line out the frozen bars on parchment paper, drizzle the yogurt mixture over each bar, and let the drizzle set (You can also freeze them again to move this process along)!

Blueberry Granola Bars with Yogurt drizzle made with Stevia

I mean, don’t they look absolutely mouthwatering?

PRO TIP: Have fresh blueberries? Snacking along with or topping the granola bars with fresh blueberries are both great ways to make your delicious snack/dessert POP with even more flavor!

Top with those blueberries - stevia recipe

Store extras/leftovers in an airtight container and you have the perfect snack to satisfy your sweet tooth craving!

Blueberry Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Yogurt Drizzle made with Stevia In The Raw

Want to Use Stevia In The Raw® for More?

Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag helps simplify baking with stevia. It measures cup for cup with sugar, so it can easily be used in recipes to reduce sugar and calories with no conversion necessary (Thank goodness! Easier the better, right?)! Plus, it's formulated so that 1 cup has the same sweetness as 1 cup of sugar.

Know what else? Up to 700 calories are saved for every cup of sugar that is replaced with Stevia In The Raw®. Now THAT'S something to get excited about!

Pro Tip:

When using Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag for baking recipes, it is recommended that the user replaces about half of the sugar in order to achieve the proper browning, rising and caramelizing that only sugar can provide.

Made with Stevia - granola bar recipes

Recipe

Blueberry Granola Bars with Yogurt Drizzle
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Blueberry Granola Bars with Yogurt Drizzle, Made with Stevia In The Raw®

Blueberry Granola Bars with Yogurt Drizzle Made with Stevia In The Raw® – Made with less sugar and a quick and easy recipe to help tackle that sweets craving!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Freezing Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 16 bars
Calories 289kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

Granola Bars

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1.5 cups crispy rice cereal
  • 1 cup dried blueberries
  • 1.5 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
  • .25 cup shredded coconut
  • .5 cup chopped roasted almonds
  • 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • .5 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoon Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag

Yogurt Drizzle

  • .5 cup greek vanilla yogurt
  • 3 tablespoon whole milk
  • 1.5 cup Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag

Instructions

Granola Bars

  • Prep a 7×11 baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.
  • Combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla extract, salt and Stevia In The Raw® in a small saucepan and warm on low heat until it is easy to pour.
  • In a large bowl, combine oats, crispy rice cereal, shredded coconut, almonds, and blueberries.
  • When ready, pour peanut butter mixture over oat mixture and stir together, making sure everything is mixed together thoroughly.
  • Press mixture into prepared pan, and place in freezer for 2 hours to set.

Yogurt Drizzle

  • While the granola is setting, make the drizzle.
  • Place Stevia In The Raw® in a blender and blend for 2 minutes to create a powdered version.
  • Whisk together blended Stevia In The Raw®, yogurt and milk until creamy.
  • Cut frozen granola into 12-16 bars, and line out bars on to parchment paper.
  • Drizzle yogurt mixture over each bar and let set up (harden). You can freeze to move this process along if you prefer.
  • Store any leftovers in an airtight container!

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 297mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
Stevia in the Raw - granola bar recipe

Blank Calendar – FREE Vertical Monthly Calendar Printable

Blank Calendar – FREE Monthly Calendar Printable: A vertical calendar printable that’s super chic and perfect for those who love a minimalistic way to keep dates on track!

Often, I see printable calendars available online, but they either lack something that I’m looking for or aren’t the right orientation and size that I need. So what’s a girl to do? Or at least this girl? I make my own.

What else do I do? Make it available for you too!

Vertical Monthly Calendar Printable

Want to be able to type in to this calendar too? Then you’ll LOVE my home management binder that not only allows you to type in each day… but you get access to over 50+ printables to help you manage your life and home!

Free calendar download - printables

When you search “BLANK CALENDAR” on Google, there are a lot of horizontal (landscape orientation) options that pop up.

But if you’re like me and like to put your blank calendar sheets in a 3-ring binder in a vertical (portrait orientation), then you’ll love this printable.

5 Week AND 6 Week Calendar Options

When making my own calendars, I like as much room to write as possible. (I’m a big note-taker.)

So for this printable, I made a blank calendar template that only has 5 weeks (rows) to allow more writing space.

However, some months, some years, may need an extra row in there for a couple of days if the month starts later in the week.

So to accommodate all months and years, I’ve made two calendar options for you.

Why Not Just Make Each Month Have 6 Weeks (rows)?

I just hated to make them all 6 weeks, that reduces the size of each daily box, limiting the space you have to write. Space to write is CRUCIAL to me, so I thought you may be the same!

But since I’m also more of a type “A” personality, I completely understand the need for symmetry, so I’ve created 2 different styles to hopefully make things easier for those of you who prefer things a certain way.

free calendar downloads

With this Free Calendar, You Can Either:

  • Save and print the “5-week calendar” (bigger squares to write in) and for the months that require an additional row (for 2019, this will be for March 31st and June 30), you can just write in the extra dates at the bottom of the sheet.
  • Save the entire year of the 6-week calendar months (smaller squares) so all of the boxes are symmetrical with every month, even though the boxes will be smaller.

Month in Advance Organization

Another tool that I love to use to stay organized, is this month-in-advance printable that helps me see an overhead view of things to come!

Blank Calendar – FREE Printable

So grab access to this printable calendar and all of the other printables that I’ve created for you here…

Get 5 Week Calendar Here!
Get 6-Week Calendar Here!

Noodle Bowl – Easy, Vegan, Gluten Free

Noodle Bowl -An easy, healthy weeknight meal that can be made vegan and gluten-free, and is a veggie bowl that even non-vegetarians will love!

Noodle Bowl - Vegan Recipe & Veggies

Noodle Bowl

I am such a fan of a dish having a crunch to it so that usually means that nuts, seeds or veggies have to be in it. Well, this noodle bowl recipe is hitting the “crunch” factor perfectly!

Plus, if you’re a fan of vegan recipes, you’ll want to add this to your recipe box PRONTO!

With ingredients like:

  • Soba/Buckwheat Noodles
  • Coconut Oil
  • Garlic
  • Fresh Ginger
  • Mushrooms
  • Shallots
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Kale
  • Green onion and Sesame Seeds (optional)
Ingredients for Vegan Noodle Bowl
Noodle Bowl - Veggie Recipe Vegan

the texture is AMAZING and with the added sauce made of:

  • Soy Sauce
  • Olive Oil
  • Lemon Juice
  • Sesame Oil
  • Maple Syrup (or honey, if not vegan)
  • Sriracha
  • Grated Ginger

the flavor is dynamite!

Noodle Bowl - Vegan bowl recipesYou’ll start by cooking your noodles according to package directions.

Then, whisk together ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl, and set aside.

Cook the Mushrooms First:

Grab your skillet or wok, and melt 2 tablespoonful coconut oil over medium-high heat.

Add your garlic and ginger, and cook for one minute.

Grab your mushrooms and cook for about five minutes, and remove mushrooms from skillet.

Cook Remaining Veggies

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons coconut oil in the skillet, and add shallots and cook about three minutes. Then add broccoli, carrots, and kale, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add your mushrooms back into the skillet and cook another 3 to 5 minutes, until the veggies are tender.

Veggie bowl recipe that's vegan

Noodles

Add the cooked noodles and the sauce to the skillet, and stir to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes and serve in bowls topped with sesame seeds and green onion.

Noodle Bowl - Vegan veggie recipe

Serve this gloriousness in bowls topped with sesame seeds and green onion and you’re ready for a bowl of flavor!

noodle bowl - vegan recipe
Noodle Bowl - veggie recipe

More Gluten-Free Recipes

Although we don’t usually share a lot of gluten-free recipes with you, if gluten-free is something you’re making more of, I encourage you to check out these gluten-free recipes!

Recipe

Noodle Bowl - Vegan Recipe & Veggies
Print Pin
5 from 3 votes

Noodle Bowl With Veggies

Noodle Bowl -An easy, healthy weeknight meal that can be made vegan and gluten-free, and is a veggie bowl that even non-vegetarians will love!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Diet Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 450kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 5 oz Soba/buckwheat noodles or ½ package
  • 4 tablespoon coconut oil divided
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated (can substitute ½ teaspoon ginger powder)
  • 1 qt. mushrooms sliced
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 1.5 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 carrot julienned or shredded
  • 3 stalks kale de-ribbed and chopped
  • green onion chopped, for garnish/topping
  • sesame seeds for garnish/topping

For the Sauce

  • .25 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey, if not vegan)
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha or more if desired
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

Instructions

  • Cook noodles according to package directions.
  • Whisk together ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl, and set aside.
  • Melt 2 tablespoonful coconut oil in skillet or wok, over med-high heat. Add garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute.
  • Add in mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms from skillet.
  • Melt remaining 2 tablespoons coconut oil in skillet. Add shallots and cook about 3 minutes. Add broccoli, carrots and kale. Cook about 5 minutes.
  • Add mushrooms back to skillet and cook another 3 to 5 minutes, until veggies are tender.
  • Add the cooked noodles and the sauce to the skillet. Stir to coat. Cook about 2 minutes.
  • Serve in bowls topped with sesame seeds and green onion.

Notes

*Can use any noodle of choice, but buckwheat/soba noodles are GF; substitute tamari for soy sauce if GF

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 1158mg | Potassium: 1070mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2835IU | Vitamin C: 40.8mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2.9mg

More Easy Main Dish Recipes

If you’re meal planning or just looking to add more recipes to your rotating dinner menu, then you’ll LOVE the recipes in our EASY RECIPES archives.

More Easy Recipes

Thai Salad with Noodles and Cabbage is packed full of flavor and texture.
cornbread salad
Easy asian noodle recipe - vegan and gluten free

M&M’S® Candies Gift Idea

This post has been sponsored by Mars Wrigley Confectionery. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All year, and especially around the holidays, my boys absolutely LOVE to surprise others with gifts, whether that be if they see something in the store that a friend would love or if they make something at home.

M&M'S® Pantry Jar at Sam's Club

The M&M’s candies are the perfect colors, they’re a treat that my boys will LOVE to craft with, and they’re something that everyone will love.

M&M’s Candies Gift Idea

Knowing I should keep things simple, I came up with an idea that would be something they could help with and that the recipient would actually love and use.

I grabbed the supplies we needed and told the boys all about it when I got home.

When they saw the M&M’s Red & Green Milk Chocolate Pantry Jar, you should have SEEN their eyes light up. You better believe they were game for crafting and giving!

M&M’S® Christmas Gift Tutorial

So to “house” the M&M’s candies, I decided to use little plastic jars (that also serve as Christmas ornaments… how cute is that?!) and let the boys help me fill them.

Mason jar ornament with m&ms

They may have accidentally “dropped” a couple, just so they could say,

“Ooops Mom. I better eat that one.”

Uh huh, I know that trick. I do it myself. I suppose I taught them well.

Fill jar with m&m's for treats

Free Printable Christmas Treat Tags

Now I’ll be honest… I did have thoughts of letting the boys color and create their own little gift tags to put on the jars but then quickly realized they’d tire of that after a couple. I decided it would be best to go ahead and make some so all they had to do was string them on the ribbon!

Download Your Own Tags!

I’m super glad I chose this route. Why? Because now I have a free printable to give you so you can make your own M&M’S gifts!

After pondering on a fun saying for a little bit, I finally came up with (what I think) is a super cute one. It incorporates a lot of words that started with “m” to tie in the red and green M&M’S candies.

“Merry Christmas from us to you! May it be Magical and full of Munching too!”

To download your own treat tags, click on the image below!

TIP: I used white cardstock for mine, so it was more of a sturdy type of paper since we were planning to do some “crafting” with them.

String the Tags On

Once I cut out the tags, the boys were able to hole punch them and string the ribbon through!

I tied the ribbon on around the opening of the jar…

Then, using the little red berries from the craft store, I cut little twigs off of each bunch, and the boys were able to stick a strand inside the tied ribbon!

Get Creative with Decorating

If you know me, you know that I can’t leave well enough alone and I tend to have to mix things up. Well, this craft wasn’t any different.

I didn’t want all of the jars to look the same (I have no idea why, because they’re all super cute) so I changed some of them up a bit.

I mean, we had enough M&M’S candies to make a lot of treats. So even though the boys had fun… momma had fun getting creative and decorating a LOT of jars, too!

Christmas Tree Jar Tutorial

For this little jar, I simply used the same tags and layered them over blank canvas tags so the printable would “POP.” I finished it off by tying a little winter Christmas tree around the lid, too!

This may be my favorite one.

Surprise! Hand Delivery!

We ended up making quite a few of the little jars and hand delivered them to neighbors, friends, and family.

My boys LOVE walking up, ringing someone’s doorbell with a smile and getting a big ole “thank you” after giving such a fun surprise.

If it involves M&M’S candies, crafting, smiles and gifting… you better believe my boys are counting it as one of the “BEST DAYS EVER.”

Amish Potato Salad

Amish Potato Salad – a potato salad recipe that can be made with or without an Instant Pot, and that uses simple ingredients, with a hint of sweetness, unlike our red-skin potato salad recipe. It’s one of many of our savory salad recipes that we recommend as a side dish for any barbeque.

Amish Potato Salad - Instant Pot Recipe

Amish Potato Salad

We’re BIG fans of salad recipes around here and adding this Amish Potato salad recipe to mix was a MUST!

Speaking of what we’re fans of… then we can’t fail to mention that we’re also big fans of the Instant Pot.

(See my Instant Pot review, and the Instant Pot recipes here on the blog that you’ll want to get your hands on too!)

So creating an Amish potato salad recipe that you can make by using the Instant Pot, just made sense, and is hopefully a quick and easy solution for you, for this very popular side dish!

What’s the Difference in Amish Potato Salad and Regular Potato Salad?

I had this question too. After reading an article online about this, I now know! Turns out, Amish potato salad tends to have a sweeter taste, than traditional potato salad. You can read more about that on RecipeLion: “Difference Between Amish & Regular Potato Salad“

How to Make Amish Potato Salad

Although we’re fans of using an Instant Pot for this recipe, it’s not a MUST. (Especially making eggs in the Instant Pot for this!)

Boiling your potatoes in a stock pot on the stove will work just as well, and can be made just as easy!

You’ll find the full recipe at the end of this post, but I’d love to walk you through with photos in case you love the step-by-step tutorial too!

Amish Potato Salad

Cut the Red Potatoes

Cut your potatoes into bite-sized pieces, and place into the Instant Pot.

Chicken Broth for potato salad in instant pot

Add in the Chicken Stock

Pour in the chicken stock, secure the lid of the Instant Pot, close the steam vent, and set to manual high for 4 minutes. If you need chicken broth, you can make my easy chicken broth recipe.

If Making Without the Instant Pot

In a stock pot, bring water to a boil, add potatoes and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 8-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. (Not mushy!) Drain and set aside.

Amish Potato Salad

While cooking, or once the potatoes are finished, chop the hard-boiled eggs, onion, celery, and red pepper into small pieces. Add to cooked potatoes.

Instant Pot Amish Potato Salad
Instant Pot Potato Salad

Potato Salad “Dressing”

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, sweet relish, milk, salt, and celery seed. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Amish Potato Salad - Instant Pot Ingredients
Use a whisk to mix potato salad mixture
Instant Pot Potato Salad

Add dressing mix to potatoes, carefully stir a few times while pouring, making sure to coat all of the potatoes.

Amish Potato Salad in the Instant Pot

Chill and Serve!

Chill and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Amish Potato Salad
Amish Potato Salad Recipe

Easy Side Dish Recipe

So in just a few minutes, you can have an easy side dish to serve your family on a busy weeknight, to make for a summer bbq, or even for a potluck at your next church event!

Amish Potato Salad - Instant Pot Potato Salad Recipe

Now that’s an easy Amish Potato Salad recipe, yes? We love easy recipes around here, not to mention salad recipes.

More Salad Recipes

If you’re a fan of salad recipes, here are a few more that we know you’ll love!

Recipe

A bowl filled with a heaping serving of Amish Potato Salad.
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4.25 from 4 votes

Amish Potato Salad

Amish Potato Salad – In the Instant Pot: A potato salad recipe that can also be made without an Instant Pot and that’s a side dish full of flavor!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 419kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds red potatoes
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 6 hard boiled eggs
  • 1 cup celery sliced
  • ½ cup red onion diced
  • 1 ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 4 tablespoons sweet relish
  • ⅓ cup whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon celery seed

Instructions

  • Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Add potatoes and chicken stock to the Instant Pot. Set to manual high for 4 minutes and close the steam vent.
  • Chop hard-boiled eggs, onion, celery, and red pepper into small pieces. Add to cooked potatoes.
  • In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, sweet relish, milk, salt, and celery seed. Stir until thoroughly combined.
  • Add mix to potatoes, stir a few times while pouring.
  • Chill and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 537mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 12.6mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1.7mg

The BEST Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Cheese

The BEST Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Cheese: One of the most popular green bean recipes, and such an easy side dish that shouldn’t just be for Thanksgiving!

Green bean casserole being scooped out of dish.

Not gonna lie, finding green bean recipes that I swoon over, are far and few between. (Unless I’m just going to open up a can of green beans… and then I have this extensive list of ways to make green beans taste better, in a pinch!)

And I’m sure we’ve all had the infamous green bean casserole at a ladies’ lunch after a church gathering (along with this vintage green bean recipe) and even on our Thanksgiving tables… but I couldn’t resist sharing a recipe here when I made it to go with the Creole Roasted Turkey recipe for Thanksgiving.

It’s a basic green bean casserole, but I couldn’t help but add extra cheese and bacon to this one to really “umph” the flavor a bit. And friends, I have to say… it really is the BEST green bean casserole I’ve ever had.

How to Make the Best Green Bean Casserole

If you’re here for the recipe, you’ll find that below, but I’ve also included photos of the process in case you’re more of a visual person and prefer to see image step by steps.

French style green beans in mixing bowl.

Preheat your oven to 350° so it’s ready when you are!

French Green Bean Casserole

Start by pouring your drained, canned French-style green beans into a large bowl.

Soup and milk mixture in mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the soup, milk, and pepper.

Pour on top of the green beans and stir until completely coated.

Milk mixture added to green beans.

Add in the cooked chopped bacon and stir until mixed in.

Chopped crispy bacon added to green beans.

Next, add in half of the french fried onions and mix in too!

Crispy French fried onions added to mixture.
Crispy bacon and onions added to green bean casserole.

Once mixed together, pour into a greased baking dish. I used a baking dish that was about an 8×8, but you can use a smaller/bigger dish if desired.

Green bean casserole in baking dish before baking.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove and sprinkle on remaining french fried onions and cheese, until you’ve evenly covered the top.

Add back into the 350 oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and a nice golden color!

Baked green bean casserole in baking dish.

Oh my goodness. Can we have a moment of silence for this golden warm casserole?

Scoop of green bean casserole with cheese and bacon.

Easy Green Bean Casserole

Wasn’t that easy? I mean, I see why it’s a classic staple for family gatherings and pot luck… but this is going to start being a staple in my home for weeknight dinners too since it’s so easy!

Serving of green bean casserole with cheese and bacon.

If you love classics like this recipe you’ll also love these recipes:

Recipe

Scoop of the best green bean casserole.
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4.84 from 110 votes

The BEST Green Bean Casserole with Cheese and Bacon

The BEST Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Cheese: One of the most popular green bean recipes, and such an easy side dish that shouldn't just be for Thanksgiving! 
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 243kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 2 – 14.5 ounce cans of french style green beans drained
  • 10.5 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup
  • ¾ cup milk I used 2% but any will do!
  • pinch pepper or to taste
  • 1½ cups french fried onions divided – half will go in, half will sprinkle on top
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 slices cooked bacon chopped
  • salt to taste (remember, bacon has salt!)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Start by pouring your drained, canned green beans into a large bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the soup, milk, and pepper.
  • Pour on top of the green beans and stir until completely coated.
  • Add in the cooked chopped bacon and stir until mixed in.
  • Next, add in half of the french fried onions and mix in too!
  • Once mixed together, pour into a greased baking dish. (I used a baking dish that was about an 8×8, but you can use a smaller/bigger dish if desired.)
  • Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove and sprinkle on remaining french fried onions and cheese, until you’ve evenly covered the top.
  • Add back into the 350 oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and a nice golden color!

Video

Notes

You can use your favorite type of green beans if you don’t like the French style.
Prep casserole in advance without the topping of French fried onions and cheese, and bake as directed.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 344mg | Potassium: 87mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Creole Turkey

This Creole Turkey recipe is part of a family recipe that gives an oven-roasted turkey a flavor that will leave guests asking YOU for the recipe for their own Thanksgiving turkey!

Roast Turkey - How to Cook a Turkey in the oven

I can’t wait to show you this family recipe that my husband’s aunt and uncle so kindly shared with us this year, to share with you!

Although they deep fry a turkey with this recipe in mind, I wanted to provide an oven baked recipe to fit more of the traditional approach!

Cajun Turkey

Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe

LOOK at the crispy crunchy skin on that turkey! To snag the full recipe, you can see everything that you need and even print out the recipe card at the very end of this post.

However, I’d love to walk you through with photos too in case you love getting a detailed look at how to make this recipe for your own family!

How to cook a turkey in the oven

Fresh and Frozen Turkey Prep

If you’ve grabbed a fresh turkey this year, then you won’t have to worry about thawing.

However, if you need to thaw your turkey, keep in mind that you will need to allow about 24 hours for each 4 to 5 pounds of frozen turkey in the refrigerator. (If making this recipe I’m sharing below, pull the turkey out of the refrigerator and inject the marinade the night before baking if possible!)

Once Thawed:

• Cut off the plastic around the legs

• Remove the neck, cut off the tail, and remove the giblet bag from the inside.

How to prep a turkey

PRO TIP: Allow turkey to become as close to room temperature before baking!

Injected Marinade Tips

Using ingredients like chicken broth (even my homemade chicken broth recipe), onion juice, garlic juice, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice, from the Creole Roast Turkey recipe below…creates a flavor that packs the inside of the turkey with a flavor, making it a step you don’t want to skip!

What is onion juice and garlic juice?

I had the same question when we took the first peek at the recipe from our family. Those juices are sold by the bottle in some areas, but if you struggle to find them, you can do what I did…

For the onion juice, I grabbed a juicer to extract the juices. (You may also be able to use the liquid that jarred onions rest in.)

For the garlic, I simply bought a jar of minced garlic and used the liquid that the garlic rests in, inside of the jar.

Whole turkey marinade recipe

Once the marinade ingredients are mixed together, they’re ready to inject into your turkey!

How to inject a turkey

How to Inject a Turkey

To inject your turkey, you’ll want to inject multiple areas with the marinade, especially through the breast, thighs, thick part of the wings, and legs.

Then, if injecting the night before, place your turkey back in the refrigerator the rest of the night and pull out to allow enough time for the turkey to become room temperature before baking.

Inject a turkey with a marinade overnight - marinade recipe

PRO TIP: Preheat oven to 475, and while preheating, you can mix up your rub!

Creole Rub

This is where the creole flavor comes in, and really gives a kick to your turkey!

Before baking, mix together the creole seasoning and mustard in a bowl.

Oven roasted turkey rub recipe

“Rub” It On…

When evenly mixed, coat the outside of the turkey with ½ of rub, apply about a ¼ under the skin around the neck, and then use the remaining rub to coat the inside walls of the turkey.

Crispy skin recipe for whole turkey

Turkey Cook Time and Temperature

Once the turkey is injected and has the rub applied, place your turkey into a turkey roaster with a roasting rack.

Bake at 475 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165 degrees. (This was about 3 hours for us, and for our bird. Yours can differ depending on size and oven temperature!)

PRO TIP: Some turkeys come with a pop-up timer. But if you plan to use your own thermometer, make sure to insert the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, right where the thigh meets the breast, and push it in until you feel it slide into the thigh meat. (DON’T push it all the way into the bone.)

How to bake a whole turkey in the oven

Oven Roasted Turkey – Thanksgiving Table Worthy

Now doesn’t that turkey look like something you’d be proud to put on your Thanksgiving table this year?

Friends, if you’re intimidated by cooking a whole turkey this year, I encourage you to try this one.

Or, if you’re planning a big meal, and need two turkeys, you can bake this one and also do a pellet grill smoked turkey.

Thanksgiving turkey recipe

My Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish

Are you looking for side dishes to go along with your Creole Roasted Turkey?

For our Thanksgiving dinner, we ALWAYS have a salad, and when I’m assigned to bring a salad, you can almost bet that I’ll be bringing along the BEST Side Salad there is! It has a secret that makes it the best, and you’ll more than likely never go back to just dumping some lettuce in a bowl!

Recipe

How to bake a turkey in the oven
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4.50 from 6 votes

Creole Turkey Recipe

This Creole Roasted Turkey recipe is part of a family recipe that gives an oven roasted turkey a flavor that will leave guests asking YOU for the recipe for their own Thanksgiving turkey!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings 12 people
Calories 317kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

Turkey

  • 1 Whole Turkey 12-14 lbs

Injected Marinade

  • 14.5 oz can chicken broth
  • 4 oz onion juice bottled or homemade
  • 2 tablespoon garlic juice
  • 2 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • juice from 1 lemon

Rub

  • ⅓ cup creole seasoning
  • 4 tablespoon yellow mustard the condiment, not the dried spice

Instructions

  • In medium-size bowl, mix together all ingredients for marinade.
  • Preferably the night before baking, inject completely thawed turkey with the marinade mixture and let sit overnight. 
  • When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.
  • While pre-heating, mix together “rub” (mustard and creole seasoning) in a small bowl. 
  • Coat outside of turkey with ½ of rub, apply about a ¼ under the skin around the neck, and then use the remaining rub to coat the inside walls of the turkey.
  • Place turkey on rack and roasting pan and bake in 475 degree oven for 30 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
  •  Bake until internal temperature of turkey reaches the proper food and safety requirements of at least 165 degrees. (See notes in blog post for recommended thermometer placement to receive accurate temperature readings.)

Notes

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 456mg | Potassium: 561mg | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 4.3mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2.2mg

Instant Pot Pot Roast

Instant Pot Pot Roast: An easy dump-and-cook recipe in the pressure cooker, using chuck roast or arm roast. It’s a hearty dish that’s perfect for a Sunday dinner, much like our beef stew recipe, which also uses chuck roast!

Instant Pot Pot Roast

For years I’ve cooked roasts in the slow cooker but knew that once I had an Instant Pot, the way that I cook a roast may change forever. And with the juiciness, quickness, and deliciousness that came out of this cooking process… I think it did just change forever.

Did you just buy an Instant Pot? See the video from when I unboxed mine and learned how to use it to get a helpful walk-through.

Today I’m sharing this crazy good pot roast recipe with you that I came up with the other day for an easy dinner recipe.

Instant Pot Pot Roast Ingredients - How to Make pot roast

Pot Roast Ingredients

You can definitely make this recipe using a roast that isn’t frozen, and I’ve given those cooking times for it below as well.

Now, for this recipe, you can use just about any beef roast, and honestly… using this recipe for other types of meat should be pretty tasty too! Types of meat like:

  • Chicken
  • Deer
  • Pork

Other Ingredients:

In this recipe, the Italian dressing, ranch seasoning, butter, salt, and stock, create a delicious blend of juices that can be turned in to a gravy to serve on top of the roast and/or other side dishes.

Tip: To help pull the roast out of the instant pot when it’s finished cooking, you may want to use the trivet, and put that in the bottom before you add all of the ingredients. This way the roast can be pulled out much easier than trying to pull it out and having it all fall apart because it’s SOOO tender!

Pot Roast Recipe Butter, italian seasoning, ranch dressing mix, butter, broth

How to Make Roast in the Instant Pot

What I REALLY love about this recipe, (and almost all Instant Pot recipes) is that the ingredients can all be put in at once, and the Instant Pot is going to do the rest for you. No babysitting, no stirring, no nothing.

Unless you want gravy, and then there’s another little step, but with very little work.

Pot Roast

Pot Roast Cook Time

For a frozen, 3lb roast, pressure the roast and ingredients on “high” pressure for 90 minutes.

If it isn’t frozen, the roast should be fully cooked at around 45-50 minutes. (Making sure your roast reaches and the internal temperature of 145 degrees.)

Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release its pressure.

Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe

Now after you’ve grabbed a bite of that roast and have soaked in the juicy flavor, it’s time to make the gravy. But only if you want to!

Feel free to serve up this roast just as it is, or to serve with additional condiments like:

  • ketchup (a kid favorite)
  • horseradish (a mom and dad favorite)
  • A-1
  • garlic butter
  • blue cheese or ranch dressing
Pot Roast

Pot Roast Gravy

If you’re not a fan of using the juices from the cooking process, using a gravy packet or making your own homemade gravy is great too!

But if you ARE a fan of using the juices to create a gravy, you’ll need:

  • cold water
  • flour

This will thicken it to give it the gravy consistency!

In a small bowl, mix equal amounts of cold water and flour and combine. (I used 3 tablespoons of each.)

Note: You may need more/less depending on the amount of juices you have, or how thick/thin you prefer your gravy.

Add Flour-Water Mixture to Drippings:

On the Instant Pot, turn on “saute” and once the juices are heated through, and almost to a boil. (This shouldn’t take long since the roast just finished cooking.)

Slowly add water/flour mixture while stirring.

Stir until thickened to gravy and shut off Instant Pot so the gravy does not burn/scorch.

Instant Pot Pot Roast

Salads to Serve with Pot Roast:

If you need a side dish to serve with your Instant Pot Pot Roast, here are my favorite salads to serve alongside!

Best Side Salad Recipe

Other Recipes You’ll Love:

The recipes you’ll find here on the blog are always easy to make and use everyday ingredients. Cooking doesn’t have to be difficult to be delicious. If you’re a fan of pot roast recipes, I think you’re also going to love this Dutch oven pot roast!

Or, if you want to keep the Instant Pot recipes theme going, this Instant Pot Polenta is ranking right up there these days. Plus, this Instant Pot Pork Butt is easy to make and perfect to eat on like this roast for a few days.

Here are a few other recipes you’ll love if you love this one…

Recipe

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4.75 from 189 votes

Instant Pot Pot Roast

Instant Pot Pot Roast: An easy dump and cook recipe in the pressure cooker, using chuck roast, or arm roast.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes
Servings 5 servings
Calories 903kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • 3 lb. frozen beef roast if thawed, reduce cook time
  • 1 cup broth beef, chicken, or veggie will work!
  • 1 packet ranch dressing or dips seasoning mix
  • 16 oz bottle of Italian dressing
  • 1 stick butter stick
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

Optional Gravy

  • 3 tablespoon cold water
  • 3 tablespoon flour
  • juices from roast drippings

Instructions

  • Place the trivet inside of the inner pot, and pour broth in to pressure cooker pot, add roast and top with dressing, seasonings and stick of butter.
  • Place lid on and cook on high pressure for 90 minutes. 
    Reduce the cook time if roast is thawed, for around 45-50 minutes.
  • Naturally release the pressure.
  • Remove meat, and place on to platter or serving dish.

If making gravy:

  • In a small bowl, mix together cold water and flour. Stir until there are no lumps.
  • Leave juices in the pot and turn the “saute” setting on. 
  • Once meat juices are heated through and almost boiling (don't forget to stir so it doesn't burn) slowly add in and stir in the flour and water mixture.
  • Stir and cook until juices thicken to a gravy. 
    If it does not thicken to a gravy after a couple of minutes, try adding more of a flour mixture. You could have more juices than I did.

Video

Notes

You can also make this recipe if you do not have a frozen roast. If your roast is thawed, cook for only 45-50 minutes instead!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 903kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 68g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 236mg | Sodium: 1891mg | Potassium: 979mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 735IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 6.1mg

50 + I Love You Because… Ideas and Thought Starters

“I love you because” ideas and thought starters for greeting cards, for kids or for a husband or wife to say at the right time!

I love you because ideas

When creating the printables for the post “Open When Letters“, I realized how difficult it can be sometimes to say what we truly feel when we really want to say it.

Especially if you’re a man or woman of a few words, trying to find the right thing to say can be difficult.

But no one said you had to think of everything from scratch, right? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with looking online to help you get a jump start of saying “the right thing” to the one that you love.

I Love You Because…

So whether or not you’re looking for fun ways to say “I love you because” to say to your girlfriend, wife, husband, boyfriend, child or even a friend or another family member, here are some ideas to get you started.

Feel free to use them as is, mix them up, and adjust to how they fit your relationship!

“I Love You Because” Ideas for Husband, Wife, Boyfriend, Girlfriend:

  • you listen to me when I need to vent.
  • you’ve helped me discover who I really am and who I want to be.
  • there’s not a day that goes by that I feel unloved.
  • you’re such a hard worker.
  • you provide for our family.
  • you’re such a good dad/mom.
  • you let me be me.
  • you’re so stinking cute!
  • you bring out the best in me.
  • you help me around the house.
  • our kids look up to you.
  • we can laugh at and with each other.
  • we make such a good team.
  • of your smile.
  • you protect us.
  • of the funny things you say.
  • you keep our house in order.
  • you make amazing dinners.
  • your butt looks good in jeans.
  • you keep me on my toes.
  • you love Jesus first.
  • of the example you set for our children.

“I Love You Because” Ideas for Child:

  • you have such a good heart.
  • you let me.
  • you’re such a good sister/brother.
  • you make me laugh.
  • playing nice with others is something you’re great at.
  • you help out at home.
  • you do your best.
  • God made you just the way you are.
  • you give the best hugs and kisses.
  • you’re eager to learn.
  • loving you is easy.
  • you melt my heart.
  • we both love ______.
  • we both love to play______.
  • you eat your veggies and healthy foods.
  • your snuggles are the best!

“I Love You Because” Ideas for Friend/Family Member:

  • you’re always there for me.
  • we can vent together.
  • you don’t judge me.
  • we can pick up right where we left off.
  • you know too much! (Ha!)
  • you’ll watch my kids at the drop of a hat.
  • a midnight call is never too late.
  • our long drives always include the BEST songs.
  • you bake some mean cookies.
  • your cocktails always go down smooth.
  • you’re brutally honest about my outfit choices.
  • your advice is better than “Dear Abby’s”.
  • your marriage is something to look up to.
  • I’ve never met someone so passionate about _____.
  • your hugs are the absolute best.
  • we do the best karaoke duets together.
  • you stand up for me during the hard times.

Is There Something Else?

Is there something else that should be on the list? Of course there are gobs and gobs of things you could say to your loved one, but I hope these ideas give you the right words to say or at least some inspiration to get you started.

Ways to Use “I Love You Because”

Do you want to tell someone you love them, and why… but not sure how to do it?

Here are a few fun ideas I thought of, in case you’re looking for ways to express why you love him or her.

  • Simply just tell them. Over the phone, through text, in person. Sometimes we don’t say it enough, or don’t dig deep in to the why, when in reality, giving a reason why can be something wonderful that he or she can hold on to for the rest of their life.
  • Hidden letters. Hide small notes around the house (underwear drawer, suitcase when he/she travels, lunchbox, cabinet, etc.)
  • Through a video. Create a video listing all of the reasons of why you love them. It’s something special that they can hang on to for forever, and see you while you’re saying it. Sometimes saying things on video is much easier than saying it in person.
  • In public. Want to go big or go home? Say a few reasons of why you love them in front of a large crowd, on tv, on the big screen at the theater or sporting event, to really make an impact on the person that loves to be in the spotlight. Is the person you love more recluse and private? Maybe going big and public isn’t something to do.

Have another fun way to express “I love you because” ideas? I’d love to hear them. Drop them in the comments below!

Good luck, have so much fun, and I can’t wait to hear how you’ve showered the person you love, with WHY you love them.

2 Ingredient Cran-Apple Martini

2 Ingredient Cran-Apple Martini: Easy as mixing cranberry juice with apple vodka, this martini recipe can be served in a pinch, and has flavors that are perfect ANY time of year!

Yum! Only 2 ingredients!? This drink recipe is so easy and classy! Perfect for a red themed party of for the holidays! 2 ingredient cran apple martini

Now you know that the ONLY recipes you’ll find here on Fantabulosity, are quick and easy.  Well alcoholic beverages and cocktails around here, are NO different.

When I can come up with a drink that takes little skill but is BIG in flavor, then I add it to my mental cocktail cookbook.

Cranberry Apple Martini – Only 2 Ingredients

Staring at the big container of cranberry juice left over from a previous recipe in my refrigerator, it was time to experiment.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found the green apple vodka in my cabinet because a cran-apple cocktail sounded perfect for the holiday season!

But after taste testing this refreshing martini, I realized that this combo would be crazy delicious ANY time of year! It’s a fruity (yet not sugary sweet) blend that’s great for Spring, that will even carry over into the Fall season.

You’ll Also Love:

Yum! Only 2 ingredients!? This drink recipe is so easy and classy! Perfect for a red themed party of for the holidays! 2 ingredient cran apple martini

If the cranberry juice is already chilled, just mixing the two ingredients, and serving will be perfectly fine.  But if an ice cold martini is preferred, then shaking it over ice is recommended! Or, even though martinis don’t have ice, this fruit ice cube recipe is so pretty in drinks.

Recipe

Yum! Only 2 ingredients!? This drink recipe is so easy and classy! Perfect for a red themed party of for the holidays! 2 ingredient cran apple martini
Print Pin
4.50 from 4 votes

2 Ingredient Cran Apple Martini

2 Ingredient Cran-Apple Martini: Easy as mixing cranberry juice with apple vodka, this martini recipe can be served in a pinch, and has flavors that are perfect ANY time of year!
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Servings 1 Martini
Calories 4kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 3 shots of cranberry juice
  • 1 shot green apple vodka

Instructions

  • In a cocktail shaker, mix, shake, then serve.
  • (Shake in shaker over ice if colder drink preferred)

Notes

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 4kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 2mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

Bulk Serving and Garnish Ideas

So if you’re lacking bartender skills like myself, don’t fret. You can whip up this 2 ingredient drink recipe in no time, and impress yourself and your guests!

To add a bit of flair to the cocktail, feel free to garnish with an apple slice (round & flat), cranberries, sugared cranberries, a lime (for a touch of green for the holiday season), or a cinnamon stick for the Fall season!

Go ahead and double, triple, quadruple, or make a big ole batch of this to serve at a party!

Yum! Only 2 ingredients!? This drink recipe is so easy and classy! Perfect for a red themed party of for the holidays! 2 ingredient cran apple martini

Thank you so much for popping by! If you’re into quick and easy recipes or looking for the perfect dish to make for a party, then make sure you head over to my recipe archives for more ideas!

Coffee Bar Ideas for a Party (What to Serve + Easy Setup Guide)

Planning a coffee bar for a party? Whether you're hosting a brunch, shower, holiday gathering, or a simple get-together with friends, a coffee bar is one of the easiest ways to make it feel special without a lot of extra work.

A Coffee Bar Party Idea That Feels Cozy and Thoughtful

A coffee bar doesn't have to be complicated to be memorable. With a few simple setup ideas, a variety of flavors, and a couple of easy treats, you can create something your guests will actually use and enjoy.

Coffee Bar Styled in Home

Coffee Bar Ideas for a Party (Simple + Easy to Recreate)

If you're setting up a coffee bar for guests, the goal is to keep it simple, inviting, and easy to customize. A good coffee bar lets guests build their drink exactly how they like it-without needing a full kitchen setup.

Food and drink bars are my JAM, so I'm a bit tickled to share the, “You've Warmed my Heart," Coffee Bar with you. For YEARS, I've wanted to design a coffee bar for a party, and this was the perfect opportunity to have my gal pals over for small talk and java.

If you're here looking for simple coffee bar ideas you can actually use, don't miss the setup and menu tips below.

White coffee cups next to pound cake and other snacks.

When they arrived, not only did they see a coffee bar, decked out with all of the goodies…but they found a table with individual place settings and crafting supplies.

I explained to them that "You've Warmed my Heart," was the theme of our little get together, and that we would be building gift baskets for someone in our lives, who has “warmed,” our heart lately.

The looks on their faces and responses were EXACTLY what I was hoping for. They were crazy excited about doing something like this, and couldn't wait to hand out the baskets. My heart was so full. (Or should I say "warm?")

How to Set Up a Coffee Bar for a Party

Setting up a coffee bar doesn't require a lot of space or equipment. Focus on a few key elements:

  • A main coffee maker or brew station
  • Creamers and flavor options
  • Sweeteners and toppings
  • A small food pairing section
  • Clear cups, mugs, or serving glasses

Keeping everything grouped together makes it easy for guests to move through the station without confusion.

Coffee Bar Ideas

The sign that I had made by Pen N’ Paperflowers, was EXACTLY what I was looking for, for a backdrop idea. Isn’t it the CUTEST!? I’m trying to figure out where I can put it in my house permanently!

Coffee bar sign for coffee bar.

Coffee Ideas

If you’re looking for a coffee maker to use for a coffee bar, I couldn’t recommend the Ninja Coffee Bar ENOUGH. This has been an absolute game-changer for my coffee.

The flavor, the ease, the options… it’s the best. See my video where I’m showing you the Ninja Coffee Bar Review and why I love it.

Coffee Creamer Varieties

Yes… as if getting up and having a cup of coffee wasn’t great already. Add fun flavors to the coffee bar and it will give guests a chance to try something new!

I loved watching them experiment with the different flavors, saying which one(s) they liked the most!

Coffee creamer in wooden crate.

What to Put on a Coffee Bar (Essentials List)

Coffee Options

  • Regular coffee
  • Decaf coffee
  • Flavored coffee (optional)

Creamers & Flavors

  • Vanilla creamer
  • Hazelnut creamer
  • Seasonal flavors (caramel, peppermint, etc.)

Sweeteners

  • Sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Honey
  • Flavored syrups

Toppings

  • Whipped cream
  • Chocolate shavings or chips
  • Cinnamon
  • Crushed cookies
Small creamer cup.
Crock holding coffee stirrers.
White milk bottle jug.

Food to Serve with a Coffee Bar

This is where a coffee bar really becomes something special. Adding a few simple baked goods or desserts gives guests something to enjoy alongside their drink.

Easy Coffee Bar Foods

Sweet Treats That Work Well

Variety of muffins on platter for coffee bar.
Donut holes styled on cake stand.
Sliced pound cake on cake stand.
Chocolate covered pastries on platter.

Coffee Bar Ideas for Different Occasions

A coffee bar can work for so many types of gatherings:

  • Baby showers
  • Bridal showers
  • Holiday parties
  • Brunch with friends
  • Small get-togethers

You can keep the setup the same and just adjust colors, flavors, or a few decorative touches.

Wooden silverware organizer with red spoons in it.

Tips for a Stress-Free Coffee Bar Setup

  • Don't overcomplicate it-simple is better
  • Stick to 2-3 creamer options
  • Prep food ahead of time
  • Keep the layout easy to navigate
  • Use what you already have when possible
Style coffee bar showing treats, coffee cups and toppings.

“You’ve Warmed my Heart” Gift Baskets

All of the supplies needed to build the gift baskets were out on the table, and I told the gals to roll with it! I wanted them to have fun with the creativity, and design their basket, especially for that someone that they have in mind.

Each place setting had its own basket, and fun little Pioneer Woman Coffee Creamer and Sugar Bowl, to get their baskets started.

Basket for craft making at coffee bar party.
Pioneer Woman crock for basket making.

Each place setting also had a white coffee mug, filled with coffee beans, with a “heart,” template. (That I cut out with my Silhouette Machine.) It also had a “You’ve Warmed my Heart” free gift tag that you can download for free.

My plan for “heart,” cut-out, was that each guest would use a red paint pen, to color in a heart on the coffee mug, to tie in the “You’ve Warmed my Heart,” theme.

(Notice, I didn’t want my guests to have to REALLY think about being creative. I wanted it to be a “fun,” project, and not “work.”)

Coffee cup with bag of chocolate covered coffee beans with tag.
An assortment of red ribbons.

If you saw the “Favorite Things Party,” party that I hosted, then these blankets may look familiar. I had a few blankets left over from that party, and I thought they would be PERFECT for the gift baskets!

Red blankets wrapped with black ribbon as party favors for coffee bar party.
Kraft journals and pens for gift basket making.
Coffee stirrers to include in gift basket.
Donut holes in white serving bowl.
White coffee mugs, showing how to color perfect hearts with template.
Women making gift baskets.

We all snacked away on the coffee bar, during the morning while we were gift-basket-building!

The baskets turned out ADORABLE!! My gals are so crafty and creative. I knew I like them. 🙂

Completed gift basket for coffee bar.
Coffee themed gift basket.

I love how these gift baskets are also just a great coffee theme gift basket idea to give someone for their birthday or a special occasion.

Coffee lovers gift basket.

Recap & Vendor Credits:

We all had an absolute blast with this coffee bar and party! I really, really, encourage you to host a similar event. What an amazing feeling, giving my friends a fun way to warm the hearts of someone else.

Jessica Burgess of Fantabulosity standing next to coffee bar.

Each guest went home with a full gift basket to give!

What would you do differently?

Pin this image, to remember when you host your own “You’ve Warmed my Heart,” party and Coffee Bar.

Thai Salad Recipe with Noodles and Cabbage

This Thai Salad Recipe with Rice Noodles and Cabbage is unlike any you've seen before. Soft rice noodles, crunchy cabbage, red bell peppers and more drenched in a deliciously rich peanut sauce.

Hi friends! It's Meg again from Meg's Everyday Indulgence. I am so excited to be sharing another delicious and super flavorful recipe with you today, Thai Salad with rice noodles and cabbage. It’s just ONE of the many salad recipes here on Fantabulosity!

Thai Salad Recipe

Thai Salad with Noodles and Cabbage is packed with flavor and texture.

Let's break down everything in this textural Thai salad:

  • Tender skinny rice noodles
  • Crunchy cabbage
  • Thinly sliced red bell peppers
  • Shredded carrots
  • Green onions
  • Cilantro
  • Dry roasted peanuts
  • Delicious and simple homemade peanut sauce

Such an Easy Recipe!

What's not to like, right?!

I know the ingredient list may seem long but please don't let it scare you away. They are all common ingredients you can find in any decent sized grocery store. And you may already have them in your refrigerator and pantry.

And it is super simple to throw together with just a few minutes of chopping vegetables and a quick buzz of the food processor or blender for the peanut sauce. All of which can be done while you are waiting for the water to boil for the rice noodles.

And you can even take some shortcuts like I did by purchasing the cabbage and carrots already shredded. I'm always down for some store-bought help.

Thai Salad with Noodles and Cabbage is packed full of flavor and texture.

All About that Texture

The textures in this salad are out of this world good. Like, so so good. I love lots of texture in my food and this salad is packed full of it.

Shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, red bell peppers, and peanuts bring a major crunch factor while the noodles add something soft to the mix. Then, of course, there's the creamy peanut sauce that brings it all together.

Thai Salad with Noodles and Cabbage is packed full of flavor and texture.

Thai Salad Dressing – Peanut Sauce

We need to talk about that peanut sauce next my friends. The base is honey roasted peanut butter and it's a total game changer. It's extra rich and nutty and the honey brings the perfect amount of sweetness to the sauce.

I mean, you could use regular peanut butter and add in a drizzle of honey if you HAD to but the honey roasted version really does make a big difference. My favorite is fresh ground from Fresh Thyme so if you have one of them in your area RUN there now and get some. It's kind of life changing.

There's a good amount of soy sauce in it which brings some extra depth and umami. Lime juice balances out the sweetness and the acidity helps balance out the richness of the other ingredients.

It's so good you may want to drink it. Or dunk all the things in it.

Add Meat – Chicken, Beef

This is great as a side dish or if you wanted to turn it into a main dish, you could add some shredded or chopped meat like chicken (did somebody say Costco rotisserie chicken for a Thai Chicken Salad?) to bulk it up.

Thai Salad with Noodles and Cabbage is packed full of flavor and texture.

It would also be a really fun and different contribution to a potluck.

No matter how you decide to enjoy it, I'm pretty sure the flavors and texture are going to blow your mind.

Recipe

Thai Salad with Noodles and Cabbage is packed full of flavor and texture.
Print Pin
5 from 4 votes

Thai Salad Recipe with Noodles and Cabbage

Thai Salad Recipe with Noodles and Cabbage is the perfect way to enjoy all those Thai flavors. Super simple to make and packed full of flavor and texture.
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 389kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. thin rice noodles
  • 8.5 oz. shredded cabbage mix
  • ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 green onions, white and green thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup shredded carrots
  • 2 Tbsp. torn cilantro
  • ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts

For the Peanut Sauce:

  • ½ cup honey roasted peanut butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • ½ tsp. grated fresh ginger
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
  • ½ tsp. sesame oil

Instructions

  • Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, slice the vegetables for the salad. Toss together cabbage, bell pepper, green onions, carrots and cilantro in a large bowl. Set aside.
  • In a food processor or blender, combine the sauce ingredients. Blend until sauce is completely smooth. 
  • Once noodles are cooked, rinse well under cold water. Drain well and toss with the vegetables in the bowl. Pour about ¾ of the dressing over the salad and mix together until everything is coated. Add remaining dressing if desired and toss again. Sprinkle salad with cilantro and peanuts.

Notes

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (about ½ cup) | Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 697mg | Potassium: 501mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2420IU | Vitamin C: 47.4mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1.8mg

What Do You Think?

Did you try this recipe? We’d LOVE to hear about what you think. Give it a review and drop us a note to let us know!

Looking for other easy side dish recipes? Then you’ll love our side dish archives. Give them a browse HERE!

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Best Air Fryer: Reviews and Favorite Picks

Best Air Fryer: The top 5 air fryers after researching customer reviews and specs of each one! Shop them today on Amazon and find out the favorite pick from Walmart!

Best air fryer

Fantabulosity participates in affiliate programs, which means we may receive commissions if you purchased an item via links on this page to retailer sites, at no extra cost to you! However, our recommendations do not reflect commisions. For more details, you can read our affiliate and earnings disclaimer!

You know my love for my new kitchen gadget, the Instant Pot… so now I’m totally intrigued with what else I could add to my kitchen collection. My parent’s just purchased an air fryer, and after watching them use and LOVE theirs, it helped solidify that I may need one too.

What is an Air Fryer?

Well, according to Wikipedia,

“An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air around the food using the convection mechanism. A mechanical fan circulates the hot air around the food at high speed, cooking the food and producing a crispy layer via the Maillard effect.”

But if you ask my friends that have one, they’ll tell you something like,

It’s crazy cool. It will fry the food without using oil and gives it an amazing flavor that baking doesn’t!

Air Fryer Reviews

But where do I begin? Researching, that’s where! So I’ve researched and compiled 5 air fryers that are great to choose from based on customer and Fantabulosity reader reviews!

Best Air Fryer: Which One To Buy

Listed in no particular order… and sharing my top pick at the bottom of this post!

1. Simple Living 5.8qt Digital XL Air Fryer. 3 Piece Accessory Set & Recipe Book. 7 Cooking Settings (5.8Qt)

The reviews on this one from Amazon really surprised me. At the time of this post, it has 332 reviews and has a star rating of 4.5 out of 5!

Favorite Reviews:

  • Easy to use and clean
  • Food is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside!

Favorite Specs:

  • 7 presets
  • Extra large capacity (which I hear is super nice)

2. Chefman 6.5 Liter/6.8 Quart Air Fryer 

The XL capacity really caught my eye on this one, since I always feed a family of four and we like leftovers. 

I was also pretty pleased with it when I used it since they sent me one to try out! See the video of the unboxing and how I made chicken wings below…

Favorite Reviews:

  • This Chefman 6.5 Liter Air Fryer has twice the capacity of my largest air fryer…
  • Super easy to use

Buy the Chefman 6.5L XL Air Fryer HERE!

Don’t need an XL? You may love this one instead:

Chefman 2.6 Liter/2.7 Quart Air Fryer with Adjustable Temperature Control

Although smaller than the first one listed, this one caught my eye because of the price! Not sure you’ll use an air fryer? Start with a smaller (more affordable one) to see if you like it.

Favorite Reviews:

  • Sleek design
  • Perfect for 2 (smaller basket)

Favorite Specs:

  • Dishwasher safe parts
  • Nonstick and easy to clean

3. Ninja Air Fryer AF100

The Ninja Air Fryer has fantastic reviews, and if you’ve heard me go on and on about my Ninja Coffee Bar, then you already know how big of a fan I am about anything “Ninja”. You can buy this on Amazon, but I found it cheaper online at Walmart HERE!

Favorite Reviews:

  • Roasts, dehydrates and reheats!
  • Attractive and lightweight

Favorite Specs:

  • 4 qt. nonstick basket
  • Cooks up to 2 lbs. french fries
Best air fryer - review

4. Power Air Fryer XL 3.4 QT Black – Turbo Cyclonic Airfryer

This reader favorite air fryer is what multiple Fantabulosity readers have and recommend, and sometimes there are no better reviews than those that you can trust!

Favorite Reviews:

  • Can cook a whole chicken
  • Love the preset buttons!

Favorite Specs:

  • Air Fry, Bake, Steam, Saute, Grill and Roast
  • 7 Preset Programs with easy one-touch digital controls.

My Pick?

I think I’m going to go with the Ninja Air Fryer AF100.

I’m such a fan of the Ninja Coffee Bar and love that this one dehydrates because a dehydrator has been on my wishlist for a long time!

I feel like getting this one will kill two birds with one stone!

Plus, the price is mid-range of the others and I feel like I’m getting a good deal, yet not skimping on quality/size!

Best air fryer - review

BUY THIS ON WALMART.COM

BUY THIS ON AMAZON

If you only need an air fryer, I’d go with the Chefman 6.5L XL air fryer. But if you are looking for a combo, then the Ninja may be more your style!

Do you have a favorite air fryer?

I’d love to hear if you have an air fryer that I haven’t mentioned! Let us know in the comments below why you love it and why it’s your favorite!

Venison Marinade + Grilled Deer Steak Recipe

Venison Marinade and Grilled Deer Steak Recipe: This deer steak marinade is delicious for grilling or frying venison on the stovetop. I’m also sharing how to grill deer steaks, one of our favorites on how to cook deer steak.

Deer Meat Marinade Cooked on the grill

If you’re more of a “fried” recipe lover… then you’ll want to make sure that you grab my fried deer meat recipe that my dad let me share with all of you a while back (and even how to cut deer for best results) or use that air fryer to cook venison!

Venison Marinade Recipe

Poking around in the kitchen, I grabbed what I had on hand and what I thought would mix a great marinade.

I have to say, it turned out pretty good and honestly took out a lot of the gamey flavor.

So if you’re someone who doesn’t like such a strong “game” flavor in their meat, you may just love this marinade recipe. Plus, it uses ingredients that you more than likely have on hand!

Deer meat marinade recipe ingredients: soy sauce, hot sauce, brown sugar
Mix the deer marinade recipe mixed together in glass bowl.

You’ll find the complete recipe below, but I want to walk you through with pictures and tips along the way in case you’re more of a visual person.

Once you’ve mixed the marinade together in a bowl, it’s time to pour it over your steaks.

How to Marinate Deer Steaks

When it comes to marinating the steaks, I prefer to put them inside a plastic zip-top bag and pour the marinade over them.

It makes cleanup a breeze is easy to flip and turn the steaks around while marinating. But we’ll get in to that in just a second…

Raw deer steaks in plastic bag.

Pour your marinade over the steaks, inside the bag, and then seal it COMPLETELY.

Deer steaks in plastic bag with marinade.

Next you can either lay the steaks flat in the refrigerator, or you can place them inside a bowl.

I prefer to place them in a small bowl, so it really surrounds the steaks with the marinade, instead of the juices rolling around, not touching the meat.

However, when placing it in a bowl it’s a good idea to rotate the meat around after a few hours to make sure the bent areas get marinated too. 

Venison put in bowl to really force marinade to surround me, rotating often.

Allow the steaks to marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour, but preferably overnight.

I left my deer steaks in the refrigerator overnight and as you’ll see below, they came out with a perfect, marinated brown color from the juices! No, they’re ready for the grill!

Deer steak sitting on white plate after marinating.

How to Grill Deer Steak

If you have time, allow the steaks to come to room temperature before grilling.

Preheat your grill to high heat, and place your steaks on the hottest part of the grill and sear for 3-4 minutes.

Marinated venison steak on grill.

Brush with Melted Butter

Deer steaks are very lean and different than beef steaks, so coating with butter after grilling is a great way to prevent the deer from drying out.

Check out this amazing Garlic Herb Steak Butter if you’re feeling super creative!

When done, brush with butter for extra moisture and juicy steaks

Deer Steak Temperature

At 3-4 minutes over high heat, you’ll have a deer steak that’s medium. If you prefer your steaks to be cooked longer, that’s completely fine. Please just know that venison can overcook quickly and that steaks continue to cook even after you remove them from the grill.

Grilled marinated deer steak on white plate.
Sliced venison steak, cooked, on white platter.

This is an absolutely beautiful steak, and a great way to cook deer meat when hunting season is here! Serve this with some grilled mixed vegetables and you’ll have a delicious meal.

Bite of sliced marinated venison on fork.

How to Store Leftover Venison

The best way to keep leftover venison is to store in an air-tight container, once cooled off from cooking. Or, chop up in to little pieces and use in this venison chili recipe!

More Steak Recipes

If you’re a steak lover like those in our house, then you’ll definitely want to try this oven baked steak, where I show you how to cook a beefsteak in the oven that will make your mouth water!

Or if pork is more your style, these bbq pork steaks are a HUGE hit with over 250, 5-star ratings!

Recipe

Sliced of venison that was cooked with a deer marinade.
Print Pin
4.82 from 27 votes

Deer Steak Marinade & How to Grill Deer Meat

This deer steak marinade is delicious for grilling or frying on the stovetop. I’m also sharing how to grill deer steaks, one of our favorites on how to cook deer steak.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 8 minutes
Servings 2 steaks
Calories 401kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ inch-thick deer steaks
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • ¾ cup worcestershire sauce We use Lea & Perrins
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 5 dashes hot sauce or per taste
  • salt and pepper to taste Remember soy sauce has a LOT of salt already
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, Worcheshire sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, and salt and pepper.
  • Place steaks in gallon size ziptop bag and pour marinade over steaks, pushing out air, and sealing the bag.
  •  Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour, preferably overnight, moving the bag around often to make sure all steaks sit in marinade at some point.
  • When ready to cook, remove steaks from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, or as close as possible. (Do not microwave.)

  • Preheat grill to high heat and place steaks over the hot part of the grill, and grill on each side for 3-4 minutes.
  • Pull steaks off of the grill, coat with melted butter and let rest for 3-4 minutes.
  • Steaks will be a “medium” steak at this cook time. If you prefer steaks that are well done, cook on the grill an additional minute until steak reaches desired “doneness”. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1steak | Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 7611mg | Potassium: 1138mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 435IU | Vitamin C: 13.4mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 8.5mg

Daily Planner – Free Printable

Daily Planner Free Printable – this cute and free day planner sheet is the BEST for staying organized during the day. Why? Because YOU helped create it!

Daily Planner Printable - Free Download

Daily Planner – Free Printable

Have you ever searched for a cute, practical, organizing daily planner, only to come up short handed? Yeah, me too.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have found planners that work for me, but I still feel like I’m wasting space and I’m still crossing things out to make it more of “my own” to help me stay on track for the day. I still felt like something was missing from the planner that I was using.

I also made this monthly planner that has helped on a bigger scale!

Is Something Missing From Your Daily Planner?

Then you all said something that started to make me really wonder…

“Jessica, PAH-LEESE create a planner that we can actually use!”

I hear you, heard you, and am exploring the idea to see if it’s something that should be created.

Gotta Start Somewhere!

So when I sat down to dream up what the BEST daily planner sheet would and could include in a daily planner (and after asking all of you for your input too) I’m sharing the result (and free download) with you to use NOW! Because why wait until everything is perfect.

That’s not real life, right? So, let’s see if we like this planner sheet… and if we do, it will validate that there needs to be more where that came from, yes? Yes.

Daily Planner Printables Free Organizer - so cute and best for organization!

But First…What do YOU Want a Planner to have?

So although this daily planner sheet is ready for you to use, that doesn’t mean that it’s the final version. It also doesn’t mean that it’s the only sheet that could be in the planner.

So what does this mean?

I want to hear from YOU! What do YOU want the daily planning sheet to have? And what other types of planning sheets would you like to see in a planner?

Daily Planner Printables Free Organizer - so cute and best for organization!

Some suggestions have been:

  • Pre-dated Sheets or Undated for use all year long?
  • A physical planner
  • Digital download sheets to make your own
  • 5 x 8 or 8.5 x 11 size sheets/planner
  • Real life mom inspiration quotes, bible verses
  • Budget sheets
  • Meal planning sheets
  • Inside pocket
  • Stickers
  • To-do list for kids
  • Mom Hacks
  • Spiral-bound

Let’s hear your suggestions! I’d love to incorporate all that I can, to make it even better!

Or, feel free to let me know in the comments below, on Facebook or even send me an email at jessica(@)fantabulosity.com

Get Your Free Daily Planner Printable:

If you’d like to use this daily planner sheet now, go for it! I hope it helps you get more organized with your days, so you have more time to focus on the things that matter!

Then, download, print, hole punch if you prefer… and store it in your favorite 3-ring binder!

Download the Daily Planner Printable HERE!

3 Bean Salad Recipe – Mexican Side Dish

3 Bean Salad Recipe – Mexican Side Dish: An easy, no-cook, side dish recipe that can be made for a weeknight dinner, or for a potluck dinner at an event!

Salad recipes are my favorite. They’re super easy to make, can be made ahead of time (for the most part) and are usually loved and wanted by all!

3 bean salad recipe - cilantro lime, black beans, dark red kidney beans, pinto

3 Bean Salad Recipe

I’m not going to lie. When I’m at a potluck dinner, I typically reach right over the bean salads and head right for the potato dishes.

But now that I’ve made my own 3 bean salad recipe and have realized just how delicious they can be, I’ll be giving them a fair chance at the next church picnic.

Mexican Style Bean Salad

If you’ve made my guacamole recipe,

How to make guacamole - easy recipe with simple ingredients

then you know my love for cilantro and all things that remind me of a trip to Mexico!

Mexico Vacation, El Dorado Royale Resort Casitas Review https://fantabulosity.com

But in any dish, combine cilantro AND red onion and you’re speaking my love language.

The fresh cilantro, avocado lime dressing (store-bought, but you can make your own too) and the flavors of the beans, make this side salad dish a no-brainer for the next time you need something quick and tasty!

How to Make 3 Bean Salad

To start, open your cans of beans, drain, add to a colander, and rinse.

Next, open and drain your corn, then add to the bowl of beans. (Or make this Mexican street corn to kick things up a notch!)

3 bean salad recipe - beans to use

If you haven’t diced your peppers and red onion yet, you’ll want to go ahead and do that now, and then add to the beans/corn.

If you don’t have a chopper like this one, to quickly chop peppers and onions… you gotta give it a try. It’s a life changer when it comes to chopping in the kitchen.

3 Bean Salad Recipe - Cilantro Lime

3 Bean Salad Dressing

The next part is quite possibly my favorite step because it’s so easy! I found a Sweet Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Dressing from Sam’s Choice, at Walmart when I was ordering online with my grocery pickup app, planning to make this salad recipe.

Now you know me, and how I prefer fabulously fast dishes, rather than making complete, from scratch meals… so buying a dressing instead of having to make it myself, was a no-brainer.

HOWEVER, if you have trouble finding this dressing at the store, have fun with it and look to see if you can find something similar, like a lime-dressing.

Or, you CAN make your own dressing too! I have put the ingredients for a 3 bean salad dressing recipe in the recipe card below too, that uses everyday ingredients. So again, don’t stress about finding this particular dressing.

Sweet Cilantro Lime Dressing - sams choice from walmart
Easy dressing idea for 3 bean salad recipe

Once you’ve poured the desired amount of dressing on to your bean salad, toss until mixed, add a dash of salt, and top with fresh cilantro if you have some on hand!

There’s just nothing better than fresh cilantro if you ask me. But I’m not one of those that think that it tastes like soap!

It’s such a mystery to me, with how that works and we can all taste different things like that. (Sorry, squirrel moment.)

3 bean salad recipe - quick and easy and a great side dish idea

Isn’t that a gorgeous 3-bean salad? I just love the vibrant colors that it has, the texture of the crunch of the peppers and onions, and the ease of the dressing.

Let us know in the comments below if you’re trying 3 bean salad for the first time, or if you’ve been a long time fan of it!

Recipe

3 bean salad recipe - cilantro lime, black beans, dark red kidney beans, pinto
Print Pin
4.80 from 29 votes

3 Bean Salad Recipe – Mexican Style

3 Bean Salad Recipe – Mexican Style: An easy, no-cook, side dish recipe that can be made for a weeknight dinner, or for a potluck dinner at an event!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 106kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 1 15.5 oz can black beans rinsed
  • 1 15.5 oz can pinto beans rinsed
  • 1 15.5 oz can dark red kidney beans rinsed
  • 1 15.5 oz can corn drained
  • .5 red bell pepper diced
  • .5 orange bell pepper diced
  • .5 yellow bell pepper diced
  • .5 green bell pepper diced
  • .25 red onion diced
  • .5 cup Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Dressing
  • salt to taste
  • fresh cilantro (if desired) chopped

Instructions

  • Drain and rinse all beans and pour into medium size bowl
  • Drain corn and add to beans
  • Add in peppers, onions and dressing
  • If desired, sprinkle on fresh cilantro and salt to taste

Notes

If you’re unable to find the dressing that I used, you can make a 3 bean salad dressing with the following:
¼ c red wine vinegar, ¼ c olive oil, 2 T lime juice, 1 T lemon juice, 1 T salt, 1 clove crushed garlic/garlic powder, and a pinch of sugar for a sweet spin!
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (about 1 cup) | Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 86mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 675IU | Vitamin C: 51.8mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Hosting a Fiesta?

This is an OLD Fiesta Housewarming party that I helped style for a friend, years… I mean YEARS ago, but you may still find some fun ideas for your fiesta!

Fiesta Housewarming Party Ideas Margaritas in Mason Jars

Don’t Forget to Pin This Recipe!!!

You know how life gets. We see something online and say to ourselves,

“Man that looks good. I should make that sometime.”

Then we close out of the browser and never think about it again. Do yourself a favor and PIN this recipe to your Pinterest board, so the next time you’re looking for a pot luck side dish idea, you’ll have this one to turn to!

Purse Organization: How to Organize the Inside of your Handbag

This post was sponsored by Playtex® Simply Gentle Glide™. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Purse Organization: How to Organize the Inside of your Handbag – Keeping related items in one spot, in a designated pouch can help you say “goodbye” to purse digging!

Purse Organizer - DIY Purse Organization and how to organize the inside

Purse Organization

Oh how excited I am to finally be sharing with you, my purse organization strategy.

As you know, when it comes to organizing, I owe all of my natural organizing “skillz” to my momma. She is a genius when it comes to making sure that everything has a “home,” and growing up seeing that… I’ve developed SOME of the same tendencies when it comes to organization.

How to Organize the Inside of your Handbag

What I’m sharing today isn’t a certain organization product that you have to purchase at the store, but rather a system that you can implement and create in your own handbag, for exactly what YOU need!

Purse from Nordstrom - How to organize a handbag

The purse I decided to use today for this tutorial is a larger handbag, without dividers, because I feel that these are a major culprit of where things tend to disappear into the big black “hole.”

How to organize beauty items inside of a purse

1. Health + Beauty Pouch

I start organizing by categorizing the items in my purse, and since my health and beauty items tend to take up most of the space, I start organizing these.

Using a small makeup bag, I place items in it like:

  • Playtex® Simply Gentle Glide™ Tampons
  • Mirror
  • Nail Kit
  • Lotion
  • Facial Tissues
  • Lip Gloss
  • Hair Tie + Hair Pins
  • Pain Reliever
  • Hand Sanitizer
Mini organizer - small items for inside of a purse

I also include a smaller pouch that includes teeny tiny beauty “emergency” items like:

  • Deodorant Wipes
  • Needle + Thread
  • Fingernail File
  • Mouthwash
  • Fabric Tape
  • Lip Balm

Then, I just slip the little pouch into the makeup bag, and it’s all contained in one spot! No more digging and fumbling around looking for what you need, when you need it.

Separate kids items in purse to organize

2. Kid Zone

If you’re not a mom then this may not pertain to you… but I’m going to go out on a limb and say you can use this idea for your own stationery needs though too.

I’d much rather have any items that my kids may want or need while out in public, all in one spot. Usually, when they want or ask for something out of my purse, it’s because we need it in a hurry.

You know what I’m talking about. The moments in the store when you just want to get grocery shopping done and they’re so over sitting in the cart, or when you’re out to dinner with friends and they’re getting antsy?

It’s like you can’t get something out fast enough to hopefully entertain them so you can finish.

This pouch (which is typically another small makeup bag, or a pencil bag will work) is where I keep things like colored pencils, small notepads, and small little toys. Then, when I need to grab something for them, I can easily grab this bag and everything I need for them is right there, super handy.

Where I keep my phone, pen keys and other items that are often grabbed

3. Convenience Pocket

You know what pocket I’m talking about… the one that almost every.single.purse has. Friends, don’t fall in to the trap of slipping everything into this pocket.

Save this little handy feature for ONLY the items that you need to access often. Things like:

  • Keys
  • Phone
  • Sunglasses
  • Pen
  • Gum

It may be hard at first to get used to placing those items in to that pocket only, but after a while, it will become second nature to slip your keys and other important items in that handy spot.

What a world of peace you have when you actually find something that you need quickly.

The items I keep inside of my purse to organize it

File Them In

After the small items are organized into bigger items, it’s time to start placing them inside your purse.

During this, I don’t so much worry about where things go, because this part typically moves around quite a bit and that’s not a big deal when the pouches are big enough to see and grab when needed.

Biggest item in the purse first, to keep things organized

TIP: Now although it doesn’t really matter how and where you place your items in to your purse, I DO typically try and place the biggest item in first if I have more of a narrow handbag, so I’m not having to pull big things out to find the smaller items.

Next, wallet for the purse organization

My Purse Contents:

In my bag, you’ll find my makeup bag and wallet, and kid zone bag…

Purse organization - how to keep things organized
If there's room, and when I'm working, I keep my planner and laptop in my purse too.

…then depending on the handbag, if I have room for my planner, that is DEFINITELY going with me. Odds are, when I don’t have it on me, I need it.

How to organize a purse: Purse organizer

In this specific handbag, I love how I also have room for a bottle of water to take along.

Not Pictured:

I do also keep my son’s emergency epilepsy medicine in the right-hand side, of this purse, which comes in a large plastic box… but I knew that this doesn’t apply to a lot of you, so I purposely left it out.

Although, I still have room for that on the other end of my purse! So if you have things like epi-pens, or other medical items to carry around with you, then you can totally relate! If it’s smaller medicine, then keeping it in the health and beauty pouch would work perfectly for this!

When you need something in a hurry, especially a medical emergency, what a life-saver (literally) having it all organized, can be. Right?

Final Thoughts

In a nutshell, keep it simple, use what you have on hand and your purse can quickly be something that’s no longer a black hole where things disappear.

So as you can see, you don’t need a lot of extras or a big fancy organization system for your purse. In today's world, sometimes there's just too much extra! Just like when it comes to your tampons, you want them to work with the things you need - comfort, protection, and none of the "extra" bells and whistles you don't.

What Did I Miss?

What do you keep in your purse? I’d love to hear. Did I forget anything? Let me know in the comments below, and share this post with your friends to help them snag some purse organization sanity too!

41 Open When Letter Ideas and FREE Printables

Open When Letters – Ideas for a boyfriend, best friend, husband, etc. or loved one, with a list of ideas of what to put in them and free printable cards!

Open when letters - ideas and free printable

I absolutely love creating printable cards, printable decor for home, and even creating birthday invitations, so these “Open When” Letters were right up my alley too!

Open When Letters

So what are open when letters? Well, if you are in a long-distance relationship, have a dear friend or relative far away, or if you find yourself away from your sweetheart longer than you'd like, creating a gift that allows you to speak to them when you are away is more than words can describe. I especially love the open when letters ideas as a birthday present for my husband.

Even though it’s hard to top the year that I kept a secret from him for a YEAR and surprised him for his 30th birthday with a trip to Mexico with friends… this heartfelt gift just keeps on giving all year!

See ALL of our gift ideas for the sweet person in your life! 

Open When Letters can be a sweet way to send a heartfelt message to your loved one when it's hard to find the right words to say, and they’re just super fun anyway to create and give!

How do Open When Letters Work?

Open when letters work just like a regular handwritten card.

However, the difference is that you give them instructions on the letter for when they are supposed to open them.

They can be specific such as an anniversary or a set date, or broad such as “when we're having a fight”.

You can be as creative as you want with these, and the more specific they are to your loved one, the better the experience will be.

Free Printables and Envelope Ideas

When I created my own, I wanted to make them so I could re-use the master copies for a friend, relative or even my husband again one day.

Then, when I made them, I remembered that I can’t keep a good thing to myself, so I wanted to share 4 different free printables with you so you can make your own! You find where to save them below.

Here’s how I made mine, and hopefully it will spark some ideas and help make your “open when” letter project a little easier!

Open when letters - how to make

How do you write open when letters?

I simply grabbed size A2 envelopes from Walmart, and I had NO idea until I picked up my Walmart grocery pick-up that it was a box of envelopes AND cards! BONUS! I thought it was just the envelopes. Woot! (You can grab a2 envelopes and cards on Amazon HERE if you prefer shopping there!)

However, for the letters that I’d be writing, I had already decided to use colorful paper that I already had on hand for the letters that I’ll put inside the envelopes, so I’ll save the blank cards for something else later.

But to make things super easy, you can totally use the cards that come with the envelopes! 

Cards for open when letters

Once I had everything that I needed to get started on the open when letters, it was time to print off the printable cards.

Blank “Open When” Cards

When creating the master printable card, I ALMOST typed in the “when” on each card, until I realized that I may like to switch things up sometimes and that not everyone has the same relationship and things to say to one another as I do to my husband.

So, I thought the blank space to write in exactly what you want it to say, would be the best bet.

Plus, I think the handwritten “when” on each card has more of a personal touch, and how sweet is that, right?

"Hey love" open when letters - free printables

Free Printable Open When Letter Cards – Four Options

I have included four different options in case you prefer one over the other.

“Hey Love,” in Pink or in Black

…for a boyfriend, husband, finance, etc.

SAVE the Pink “HEY LOVE” CARDS HERE

Pink Open When Card Printables

Save the Black “HEY LOVE” Open When Printable Cards Here!

Printable Open When Cards

and

“Hey You,”

…for a friend, sibling, relatives, etc.

Save the Pink “HEY YOU” Open When Printable CARDS HERE

Printable Open When Cards in Pink

Save the Black “HEY YOU” Open When Printable Cards HERE!

Printable Open When Cards in Black

This way, you can choose which of the above greetings works best for the person you’re sending them too!

Note: I’ve included a list of ideas below of what you can fill in the blanks with.

To Write:

For the hand-written portion on the free cards, I’m a sucker for a good gold metallic sharpie, and I thought it looked adorable paired with the coral border and font on the card.

(Perhaps I’m partial to these colors because of the colors I use in my logo here on the blog, but I digress.)

Open when letter ideas - for boyfriend, husband or friend

Cut.It.Out.

(Insert the impression of Joey from Full House here. Just me? Ok, sorry.)

Once the cards are cut out, they’re ready to glue on the front of each envelope!

Blank "open when" letter printables - free
Glue on the free open when download cards and put letters in the envelopes

Glue on to the front of each envelope:

I just grabbed a glue stick from my kid’s coloring cart and went to town. This worked amazingly well actually and I’d highly recommend it.

I did hesitate using the glue sticks that we had, because they were purple, but I was excited to see that it dries clear, so that made a big difference!

Open when free printable download
Write the open when letters to put in the envelopes

Write a little note for inside:

Once the cards are glued (or taped is fine too) on to the outside of the envelopes, it’s time to start writing your sweet love notes to go inside.

I kept mine short and sweet and sealed each letter into the coordinating envelope and it was ready to seal!

Open when cards - free download and ideas
Open when letters and ideas for boyfriend, husband, friend, sister, brother, military, etc.

Seal for the perfect time!

After you’ve inserted your little note into the envelope, it’s time to seal and it’s ready for them to open when needed!

Box/Bag Them Up!

Although you can give them to your loved one just like they are (or with a rubber band wrapped around all of them) I thought it would be a super cute touch to put them into a cute basket, box or bag.

I even love the idea of putting them in a decorated shoebox, recipe card box, or narrow plastic container with a lid, (almost like a library card file) so they can sort through them easily when they’re looking for the right one!

Here are a few fun ideas of what you can put the open when letters in. Just keep in mind you get a size that will work with the size of envelopes that you used!

The Ground Rules for Open-When Letters

Rules? Well that sounds pretty harsh, but let’s just say when you’re dealing with someone who wants to read them all RIGHT NOW, it may be best to give them some guidelines.

When you first give them this Open When Letters set, you want to start by having an “open first” letter to get the ball rolling.

This should include the "rules" of when to open the letters and how it works. You also want to make your letters in such a way that they won't open them all in one go. Try to space them out the best you can, and let life handle the rest!

Open When Letters - Ideas for a boyfriend, husband, best friend

Open When Letter Ideas and Topics:

Here are a few ideas to help you get the ball rolling, and with the “fill in the blank” free printable open when cards that I’m giving you, you have the freedom to choose which cards work best for you and your loved one! 

Feel free to fill in your own “open when’s” on the cards to really customize the experience!

Open when…

  • You first get this
  • You are having a good day
  • You can't fall asleep
  • You need a good laugh
  • You are upset
  • You are feeling lonely
  • You feel really far away
  • You need a reminder of how much I love you
  • You are worried
  • You could use a pep talk
  • It's your birthday
  • It's our anniversary
  • You miss me
  • You are mad at me
  • You feel bad about yourself
  • You need a hug
  • You are sick
  • You feel like giving up
  • You've made a mistake
  • You want a surprise
  • We've said goodbye
  • I'm angry
  • You need to make a big decision
  • I'm driving you crazy
  • Someone passes away
  • You're missing home
  • It's my birthday
  • You're stressed out
  • You're bored
  • You want to talk to me
  • We haven't been able to talk in a while
  • You don't feel loved in a while
  • It's Christmas Eve
  • It's New Year's Eve
  • It's Valentine's Day
  • It's [insert favorite holiday]
  • You're feeling nostalgic
  • You've forgotten what I smell like
  • You're nervous
  • You're embarrassed
  • You're thinking about the future

The Perfect Love Letter Ideas

Open When Letters can be a thoughtful and sweet way to show your spouse that you love them. Instead of trying to come up with the right words on the spot, prepare these letters ahead of time so you can say the right thing at just the right time.

Do you have a fun “open when” letter idea? I’d love to hear it below in the comments!

Apple Salad with Fruit

Apple Salad with Fruit: A quick dessert or side dish idea, full of fruit that easy to make for a potluck or to keep on hand for guests visiting.

Whether you’re looking for an apple salad dessert like this one, or if you’re looking for a lettuce salad that contains apples… then you’re in luck! Scroll down to get this dessert-like apple salad recipe, or visit the 25 apple salad recipes that I gathered for you that includes everything from lettuce salads with apples, to more dessert style apple salad recipes!

Then, if you’re feeling like a total salad fan right now, you’ll want to make sure that you visit the best salad recipes here on the blog, especially this honey lime fruit salad!

Apple Salad - Creamy yogurt, pudding dressing

Apple Salad

I’m a sucker for a dessert that’s full of chocolate, and I typically bypass pies, ice creams and fruit salads at any gathering I attend, but I must say… I fell in love with this dessert idea.

I’m also going to go out on a limb here and say that I’d even try to squeeze in this apple salad as a side dish idea.

Yes, it has pudding in it… but the fruit, nuts, and yogurt are sometimes side items, right?

Ok, we’ll call it a dessert, but just know that if you come over for a visit, you may find this on the table during dinner time, too.

apple salad recipe - ingredients

Apple Salad Ingredients

You can find the full recipe and instructions at the end of this post, but I wanted to go into a little more detail about what you can use and substitute if you don’t have these on hand.

For this recipe, it really is forgiving and can be made a lot of different ways. 

Yogurt + Pudding

For mine, I wanted to use vanilla yogurt AND vanilla pudding. You can use all yogurt or all pudding if you like, but if you have both on hand, mixing the two creates a crazy good flavor.

Although I made my pudding from an instant pudding box, you can keep things super quick and easy and buy vanilla pudding already made!

Nuts + Fruit

Feel free to switch out the different nuts depending on your preference, but I used candied pecans and dried cranberries, because they come in a package together at Walmart, making it super easy.

Then, I also used red grapes for a soft texture, and it was the perfect addition!

Cut and core apples for apple salad

Core + Cut Apples

Of course you can cut your apples using a knife, but I absolutely love using an apple corer. It makes things that much faster, and less chances for seeds to end up in my apple salad.

For this salad, I still use a knife to cut them in to cubes, but it still speeds up the process for sure!

Cut and cube apples for apple salad
apple salad - grapes, red and green apples
Dried cranberries and candied nuts in an apple salad

Once the apples, cranberries + nuts and grapes are in the bowl, it’s time to add in the yogurt and pudding.

(You can mix up the pudding and yogurt first and add it in, or you can do what I did and add them in separately. It all mixes in well regardless.)

apple salad - yogurt and pudding dressing
apple salad recipe - yogurt and pudding dressing
Mix together ingredients for apple salad

Once it’s all mixed together, you can serve it immediately or store for later.

I prefer to eat it immediately, but it’s good leftover too!

Apple salad - creamy yogurt and pudding dressing

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Make sure to check out the other easy salad recipes to add to your favorites!

apple salad - dessert or side dish with a sweet creamy dressing

Or, go all in and make dinner time super easy and grab my cookbook where I’ve created complete meal plans for you! Find more details about the Fabulously Fast Dinners cookbook!

Recipe

Apple salad with pudding.
Print Pin
4.77 from 26 votes

Apple Salad – Creamy Yogurt + Pudding Dressing

This Apple Salad with a Creamy Yogurt & Pudding Dressing is a quick dessert full of fruit that’s easy to make for a potluck or to keep on hand for guests visiting.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 131kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 5 apples, green/red
  • ½ cup dried cranberries and candied pecans
  • 1 cup red grapes
  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 cup vanilla pudding

Instructions

  • Core and cut apples into small cubes
  • Slice grapes in half.
  • Place apples, cranberries, candied pecans and grapes in large bowl.
  • Add in yogurt and pudding.
  • Stir to combine
  • Serve when the dressing is equally distributed, and refrigerate any leftovers!

Notes

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (½ cup) | Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 6.1mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Cornbread Salad Recipe without Beans

This cornbread salad recipe is made without beans and has a BBQ Ranch flavor that is hard to beat! It’s an easy side dish recipe that’s perfect for a barbecue, dinner time with the family, or a potluck dinner!

We’ve been on a salad recipes kick lately but my goodness they’re good, aren’t they? This red skin potato salad is another one of our favorites, that’s a go-to for summertime, too.

Cornbread Salad Recipe

Why you’ll love this recipe

Alright, I get it. Cornbread salad? But for real, the first time I tried this, it was like the heavens parted, the birds were signing and I felt like twirling around like Snow White.

Ok maybe that’s a little much, but just know that I mean business when I say how happy I am that I discovered another side dish I could make for dinner or to take to a potluck.

Can you agree that it’s super tough to come up with a recipe OTHER than a side salad, green bean casserole, corn casserole, baked beans, and scalloped potatoes when someone says

If you could just bring a side dish, that would be great.

I used to panic at the thought of “Crap. What can I make and take with me that a gagillion other’s won’t be bringing?”

Well, now I know! Boom! And you can too… you’ll want to make this. Not only does it have gorgeous, vibrant colors, but the flavor combination is DYNAMITE!

It’s easy to make, uses simple ingredients and has beautiful colors!

And now… I love this as much as I love panzanella, which is another side dish I LOVE seeing at potlucks that’s better than the side dishes you typically see!!

What kind of cornbread do I use?

For this recipe, I just grabbed a box of the Zatarain’s Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread mix and made it according to the package directions.

Heads Up: If you’re using the boxed mix that I used, make sure you have cheddar cheese, butter, milk and egg to make it! Or, you can sometimes find jalapeno cheddar cornbread already made at your local grocery store!

Can I make it without beans?

Yes! Actually, I prefer it without beans and love the texture that the other ingredients in this recipe provide.

Ingredients

It takes very little to make this easy salad recipe but it packs a BIG punch of flavor!

You’ll need:

  • prepared jalapeno cheddar cornbread (I used Zatarain’s Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread Mix in the box – but feel free to Jiffy or what you have on hand!)
  • cooked bacon
  • green pepper
  • cherry tomatoes
  • green onions
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • bbq ranch dressing

How to Make Cornbread Salad

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread for Cornbread Salad

In a large bowl, break up the cornbread and use a fork to break it all down into a crumble.

Break up the cornbread for the salad

Next, toss in the remaining ingredients (I save the dressing for last) and gently mix it all together until all of the dressing is evenly distributed.

Chop up the ingredients for the cornbread salad
Mix together veggies with the cornbread
sprinkle cheese on to cornbread salad
Cornbread Salad ingredients: How to make cornbread salad
Combine ingredients in bowl for cornbread salad
Add bbq ranch dressing to the cornbread salad
Cornbread Salad Recipe

Would you look at that? Aren’t the colors OUTSTANDING together!?

I absolutely love carrying this dish into a potluck dinner or serving it as a side dish at dinnertime.

How do you make cornbread salad

I’m not going to lie… I will just eat THIS for a meal sometimes. I don’t need anything else to satisfy my tastebuds!

Side dish: cornbread salad

Tips for Making the Best Cornbread Salad:

  • The jalapeno cheddar cornbread is by far the best for this recipe but feel free to use Jiffy or whatever you may have on hand. If you want a jalapeno cheddar cornbread recipe, I have one included in my Fabulously Fast Dinners e-cookbook that you can get and save RIGHT NOW!
  • If you can’t find the bbq ranch dressing at the store, simply mix in a little of your favorite bbq sauce, in with your favorite ranch dressing, according to your taste!
  • I like to wait to mix everything together right before serving for the best results.
  • If you need more side dish recipes, then you’ll love these:
    – cauliflower “potato” salad
    – bacon ranch pasta salad
    – carrot salad

Recipe

Cornbread Salad Recipe
Print Pin
4.85 from 13 votes

Cornbread Salad Recipe

This cornbread salad recipe is made without beans and has a BBQ Ranch flavor that is hard to beat! It's an easy side dish recipe that's perfect for a barbecue, dinner time with the family or a potluck dinner!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 116kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 1 box prepared jalapeno cheddar cornbread I used Zatarain’s Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread Mix
  • 4 slices cooked bacon chopped
  • ½ green pepper chopped
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced
  • 4 green onions chopped
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup bbq ranch dressing

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, break up the cornbread and use a fork to break it all down into a crumble.
  • Next, toss in the remaining ingredients (I save the dressing for last), and gently mix it all together until all of the dressing is evenly distributed.

Notes

If you can’t find the bbq ranch dressing at the store, simply mix in a little of your favorite bbq sauce, in with your favorite ranch dressing, according to your taste!
  • I like to wait to mix everything together right before serving for the best results.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (about ½ cup) | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 83mg | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 9.5mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Our School Lunch Routine: Packing Lunches

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine.

Our school lunch routine is full of easy lunch ideas that are fun and that make fixing a school lunch a breeze and something my kiddo actually looks forward to!

School lunch ideas - pb&j

Our School Lunch Routine

I will always remember the nostalgia feels of taking a Jif® Peanut Butter and Smucker's® Strawberry Jam sandwich in my lunchbox as a kid. So, as a mom, as we parents tend to do… I love sharing parts of my childhood with my own kids, and these brands are now a part of my kiddo’s childhood! Besides, those brands are just better together, aren’t they?

Jif and Smuckers peanut butter and jelly sandwich - how to make one

When my oldest started kindergarten last year, there was a whole new “normal” to get used to with packing lunches, having to be somewhere on time and so many more new norms.

My son tends to be a picky eater, although I’m lucky that he’s picky in a “good” way; he’ll eat foods that a lot of other kids won’t even look at.

Put green beans and french fries in front of him, and he’ll choose the green beans any day! 

But if you ask him what his favorite thing to eat is… he’ll choose a pb&j, all the way. He’s totally my child.

Peanut Butter and Jelly on Rotation

So as you can imagine, as a busy mom and with it being one of his favorites, there are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches showing up in his lunch box during the school year, OFTEN. I keep it easy and stick to the best, by picking up Jif Peanut Butter and Smucker's Strawberry Jam at Walmart and have it rotating on my grocery shopping list.

How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - Use a spoon

Most days I’ll make him the nostalgic pb&j, but some days I’ll surprise him with a little extra, and add fun toppings to his sandwich.

Marshmallow PB&J

His favorite pb&j creation (and mine too)? Adding marshmallows to his sandwich! It’s a fun addition to an already delish sandwich, and it totally “makes” his day, come lunchtime at school.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich with Marshmallows

Simply make a peanut butter and jelly (don’t forget to use the back of a spoon so it doesn’t rip the bread) and toss on a few marshmallows! Don’t forget to throw in a few extra just for the heck of it! 

School lunch sandwich ideas

“Side Dishes” for School Lunch

After I’ve packed his “main dish” (which is usually a sandwich, protein or bigger food item), I fill his lunch box with “sides” or “extras.”

Things like veggies, string cheese, crackers, fruit, yogurt, and nuts are usually my go-to’s for this. To save on bags, I typically try and pack as many of these items together in one small baggie.

Lunch Box Hacks + Tricks

There are a few things that I do to help streamline packing a lunch, or to make things easy for both of us. Here are my favorites.

Getting in the Habit

Once he gets home from school, my son knows that the first thing he is to do is clean out his backpack and put the ice pack in the freezer so it’s ready for the morning.

I’ve really noticed by keeping this routine, it helps us both out. He knows what he’s supposed to do, and no one is left guessing where things are, causing unnecessary chaos the next morning.

Forget the Ice Pack. On Purpose.

I was really worried at the start of my son’s kindergarten year, that he wouldn’t realize that he needed to bring the ice pack back home with him every day and toss it in the trash at lunchtime instead. He actually did really well, but I did find that he absolutely loved when I traded out the ice pack for frozen items that he could eat/drink instead! For instance doing things like:

  • Freezing the yogurt that comes in the plastic, squeezable pouches
  • Frozen fruit like blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes
  • Bottle of water – heads up, if your little one has an early lunch, the water may not thaw enough by lunchtime, and he/she may not be able to drink most of it! I also open the bottle and close it back, so it’s not too difficult for him to open.

These are great ways to keep things cold in his lunch, and leaves him with a much lighter lunch box to carry around at the end of the day, rather than a heavy, ice pack filled, lunch box.

Paper Sack Friday’s

Brown Paper Sack Lunch

Speaking of a lighter lunch box. On Fridays, I get in to the habit of sending him with just a brown paper sack lunch. Now, he adores his cartoon-themed lunch box that we bought for him, so we do this all week, but switch things up on Fridays. He adores being able to toss the entire “lunch box” into the trash, and not have any responsibility of hanging on to something for the remainder of the day.

I’ve found that it’s a win-win for me too because on Fridays, my little guy is exhausted from the busy week, so the less he’s having to remember…the better!

“Cool Mom”… Not Really

You probably wouldn’t believe how often I hear

“Mom, my friends don’t have to eat vegetables at lunch; why do I?”

But no matter how often I hear it, I still send some type of veggie in his lunch box. Raw veggies are easy to pack and something he can munch on quickly, leaving me feeling better about what he’s eating away from home. I like to send:

  • Carrot sticks
  • Celery
  • Broccoli

And if you’re finding yourself struggling with getting your kids to actually eat them, wait until I tell you what I do about this, below when it comes to dessert.

Redeeming my Cool Mom Points

Although I’m not on my game every day, I DO love sending him surprise notes in his lunch box at least a few times a week. He’s just starting to learn to read, so I have to keep them short and sweet, but he said he loves it when I send a message along with his lunch, ESPECIALLY when I draw something on them.

Now, I did have to learn to reel back my sappy love notes, because they embarrassed him. So instead of “I love you's" and “you’re so cute” messages, I gravitated towards messages more like:

  • You’re super!
  • We’re going to the park after school!
  • Thank you for being a great guy!
School Lunch Box Note

Dessert? Possibly.

My son looks forward to his dessert or sweet treat in his lunch box each day. However, it’s not an automatic item that just appears in his lunch box. He knows that if he doesn’t eat the veggies that I pack for him each day, he won’t have dessert or a sweet treat in his lunch box the next.

I get it, you’re thinking

“Jessica, you’re telling me that you don’t believe your kiddo is throwing his veggies in the trash at school and just telling you he’s eating it?”

Well, my oldest can’t lie to save his life. I can tell from a mile away if he’s stretching the truth, and he really is the best about admitting the truth, even when he knows the outcome that may come with it. So at this stage in his early life, this dessert trick is working for me.

Now my youngest? Well, we won’t be able to implement this little trick with him. He’s a whole different story, and I’ll have to come up with all sorts of trickery when it comes to his veggies in his lunch box next year.

What are YOUR Lunch Box Packing Tips?

With my oldest only going into first grade, I have a lot of lunch box packing years ahead. So send your ideas and tricks to me! I’d love to learn more!

Don’t forget to add Jif Peanut Butter and Smucker's Strawberry Jam to your Walmart store list, to be ready for school lunches this year! They can be your go-to brands for back to school season!

PB&J with marshmallows a fun school lunch idea

Spring Mix Apple Raspberry Salad Recipe

Spring Mix Apple Raspberry Salad Recipe – Serve as a spring dinner idea, take to a potluck or serve at a party. A few simple ingredients can add so much flavor to a salad.

Whether you're looking for a side salad to incorporate apples with like this one, or if you're looking for an apple salad dessert… then you're in luck!

Scroll down to get this apple salad recipe, and then visit the 25 apple salad recipes that I gathered for you that includes everything from more lettuce salads with apples, to dessert style apple salad recipes!

Then if you’re on a salad kick, you’ll want to head over to get ALL of the best salad recipes that we have here on the blog!

Apple Salad Recipe - Easy Side Dish Idea

Spring Mix Apple Raspberry Salad

Growing up, I was the “oddball” kiddo who loved when we went out to eat because that usually meant that I got to try a new salad from somewhere.

Nothing has changed really, because I absolutely love trying new flavors when it comes to salads at restaurants, and even creating new salad recipes at home.

More Apple Salad Recipes?

In case you love all things apples and salads, then you have to take a look at 25 Apple Salad Recipes.

Apple Salad Recipes You'll Want to Make

Sweet + Crunchy

One of my favorite ways to make a salad is to add something sweet and something crunchy! I mean, growing up, I was a head-lettuce, ranch dressing and bacon bit kind of gal. But as I’ve gotten older, I love having salads with a little twist from the norm and add things like fruit, nuts and sweet dressings.

This spring mix apple raspberry salad is the perfect example of a side salad that is the total opposite of a basic garden salad.

You’re going to absolutely love making this for dinner or taking it along with you to a potluck or dinner party because it’s GORGEOUS, yet takes very little time to put together.

Pro Tip: Keep in mind it’s not really the amount of ingredients that “make” this salad, but rather the flavors combined that do. So feel free to adjust accordingly when it comes to the number of ingredients.

Bulk or Individual Salad Servings

You can make either type of servings with this salad. Make it in a large bowl for your family/guests to serve themselves, or go ahead and build individual servings in salad plates.

No matter how you make it, you’ll still layer the ingredients and mix it all in the end anyway!

For the sake of this post, I decided to stick with the bulk serving, but again, feel free to mix it up. (No pun intended. Ok, well, maybe.)

Spring Mix

As with most of my salads, feel free to use whatever lettuce tickles your fancy, but for this one, I’d recommend spring mix or even romaine lettuce like I use in my best side salad recipe.

Mixed Greens for an apple salad - Perfect for fall apples

Salad Ingredients

Full recipe card also below for printing and easy viewing.

For 4 servings, I use a 5 oz. bag of spring mix and place it in a serving bowl.

I also buy the bag of dried cranberries and candied pecans to keep things super easy.

cranberries and candied almonds

Thin apple slices are my preference, but if you’re super short on time, feel free to use or even buy the packaged pre-sliced apples in the produce section.

Grab a container of blue cheese crumbles (and plan on using the leftovers to make these Blue Cheese Burgers!

Next, layer on all of the other toppings (except dressing at the moment), and drool over the cooked bacon (just me?) and get ready for delicious flavor combos.

Bacon on an apple salad - easy side dish
Apple Salad in bulk for dinner - side dish idea

Right before serving, the salad can be topped with the raspberry vinaigrette dressing and toss, or you can make individual servings and then let each person choose their dressing or top with their desired amount.

Individual Servings of an apple salad

I just used the Great Value raspberry vinaigrette dressing from Walmart, but feel free to mix it up! I’m not going to lie, I think blue cheese dressing may be pretty tasty on this one.

Raspberry Vinegerette Dressing on an apple salad
Raspberry Vinaigrette on a salad with apples

Recipe

Apple Raspberry Salad Recipe - Easy Side Dish Idea
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5 from 1 vote

Apple Raspberry Salad Recipe

Spring Mix Apple Raspberry Salad Recipe – Serve with dinner, take to a potluck or serve at a party! A few ingredients can add pizzazz to a side salad.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 310kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 5 oz. spring mix lettuce
  • 3.5 oz. bag of dried cranberries & candied pecans
  • ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 1 apple sliced thin
  • 4 slices cooked, chopped bacon
  • ½ cup raspberry vinaigrette dressing or desired amount of preferred dressing

Instructions

  • For bulk salad assembly, layer spring mix in serving bowl, and top with cranberries, pecans, blue cheese crumbles, apple slices, and cooked-chopped bacon.
    Apple Salad in bulk for dinner - side dish idea
  • Right before serving, toss with Vinaigrette dressing, or desired dressing.
  • Or, assemble salads into individual servings and divide the ½ cup of dressing to each salad accordingly. 
  • Store any leftover, undressed salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1salad (¼ recipe) | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 630mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 10.3mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Love Salads?

Me too. Here are my favorite salad recipes here on the blog…

Best Side Salad Recipe

The Best Side Salad Recipe

Cold Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

Pasta Salad Recipe - These easy Italian pasta salad recipe is SO good!

Cauliflower Salad Recipe

Cauliflower Potato Salad Recipe - An easy low carb recipe with vegetables!

Deer Steak Recipe – On the Stovetop

Deer Steak Recipe – Skillet: There are many deer steak recipes, but this quick & flawless recipe using browned butter, salt & pepper in a skillet, is great!

Deer Steak Recipes - How to cook deer steak on the stove

Deer Steak Recipe – On the Stovetop

The other night, I decided that I wanted deer meat for dinner. I had been looking at it in the freezer for a little while, and I knew it was time.

Now if you saw my first deer meat recipe…my Fried Deer Meat as seen below…

How to Cook Deer Meat: Fried Steak, Tenderloin & Backstrap

…then you know it’s my ALL TIME favorite thing to eat, and favorite way to eat deer meat.

So when I love something as much as that recipe, it’s hard from me to steer in a different direction of cooking deer meat.

Grill Deer Meat or Fry it in a Pan?

But for some reason, I didn’t have the heart to cut up these perfectly cut steaks into small pieces and decided to give searing them (like I did with my beef steak recipe) a try. I’m so glad that I did, because it turned out pretty tasty, and my family thought so too.

Should I Marinate Deer?

Well honestly, that’s totally up to you. I actually had 4 deer steaks in the package that I was using, so I decided to cook the deer steak, TWO different ways, in case you prefer one or the other.

If you have some time to allot to cooking your deer steak, and you prefer to have a marinade flavor, instead of the deer flavor… then I’d say go with this recipe below…

Note: I grilled the steaks in the deer steak marinade recipe below, but you can easily marinate them and fry them in a pan too!)

Get the Marinade for my Other Deer Steak Recipe HERE

How to grill and marinate deer steaks

Not Much Time? Want to Capture the Flavor of Venison?

Then this is a recipe you’ll love. It only uses butter, salt and pepper and is ready in minutes.

There’s something about the flavor of browned butter, salt and peppercorn medley on a cut of meat.

So if you’re ready to cook your deer steak, let’s get to it! (My mouth is watering just thinking about it!)

How to Cook Deer Steak

As with all of the recipes here on the blog, I’ll give tidbits of how to make the dish, throughout the photos in case you’re a visual person, but feel free to scroll to the bottom of this post for a straight-and-to-the-point, recipe card where it lists the ingredients and instructions.

Earlier I mentioned that I had 4 deer steaks thawed out, but that I split them up so I could do two in the pan and two on the grill for a future recipe. But I’m so glad that I did for this recipe too because these two deer steaks were big, and PLENTY for the three of us that were eating it.

Deer meat recipes - how to cook deer meat

Room Temperature Deer Steaks

You’ll want your deer steaks at room temperature, before cooking them. But if you roll like I typically do, you’ll find yourself ready to cook them when you get home, and there is no way your family is going to wait for the steaks to come to room temp before it’s time to cook and eat them. I get it. So it’s not a BIG deal at all.

What Happens if the Venison Steak’s NOT Room Temperature?

It’s not the end of the world. You may just need to tweak your cook time a little bit to reach the desired “doneness” that you prefer.

So just keep that in mind if you will.

Kosher salt and peppercorn medley pepper for cooking deer steaks

It’s Not Just Salt  + Pepper

Alright, listen up… when it comes to my meat, I SWEAR by kosher salt, peppercorn medley, and salted butter. I do this with my favorite steak recipe, my cheeseburger recipe… and now this deer steak recipe.

Do you HAVE to have kosher salt and peppercorn medley? Well no, but if you see it at the store next time, grab it. Or buy it on Amazon now, so you don’t forget —-> Buy the kosher salt and the peppercorn medley.

Season deer steak with salt and pepper

Butter is Love

Yeah, I know. I always say butter is my friend. But when it comes to cooking deer in a skillet or on the grill, butter is important for the “dryness” that can tend to take over with this lean meat.

Deer is more lean than beef (usually), so the fatty juices may not be in abundance with your deer steaks. So cooking in butter, and even brushing with butter (like I’ll show you in my grilled deer meat recipe coming soon), can help with keeping the steak from drying out.

Brown the Butter…

You’ll want to brown your butter before placing your deer steaks in the skillet. To me, there’s a BIG difference in the taste of melted butter and butter that has browned a little bit. Like, a heavenly difference.

Browned Butter in a cast iron skillet for deer steaks

Quick Tidbit about Steak Thickness

For this recipe, I used deer steaks that were about ½ inch thick.

Keep this in mind when you’re cooking yours, and following my times and cooking temps. Your steaks may be thinner or even thicker.

Steaks are about ½ inch thick - when cooking deer steaks

Cooking the Deer Steaks

Once my butter has browned, and the skillet is at medium-high heat, I place my seasoned steaks right in it. (Make sure that skillet hisses at you when you put that steak in, so you know it’s hot enough, ok?)

Cook the steaks for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Here’s where you want to watch it, depending on how you really want your steaks.

If you want them well-done, then you’ll want to cook them longer than the 3-4 minutes on each side.

We wanted ours about medium, so we stuck with 3-4.

Longer = Tougher

*** Just remember that the steaks keep cooking after you remove them from the skillet, and when you let it rest. I say this because if you’re wanting your steaks a specific temperature, deer meat will begin to get “tougher” the more it cooks.

How to cook deer steaks and deer meat on the stove

Rest + Butter

Once the steaks were done, I pulled them off of the cast iron, so they could rest (well, and so I could snag these photos), and I added another tablespoon of butter for good measure. (Not necessary. Well, unless you’re having me over for dinner of course, cause… I like butter.)

Oh that green stuff? Not necessary. I just threw it on for a Pinterest-friendly image, and because it was the only little sprig left of my fresh herb garden. I scorched the rest of the herb plants this summer already. (SMH)

Deer steak recipes - how to cook deer meat

Now that’s a good deer steak…

Deer steak medium - how to cook deer meat recipe

More Steak Recipes

If you’re a steak lover like those in our house, then you’ll definitely want to check out the ever so popular steak recipe here on the blog where I show you how to cook a steak in the oven!

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Steak Recipe:

This is possibly the easiest recipe on the entire blog! Toss your pork steaks in the slow cooker with some bbq sauce and a little salt & pepper and follow these steps for slow cooker pork steaks!

So, tell me… what is YOUR favorite way to cook deer meat? I think frying the backstrap in flour is still my favorite, but when I have deer steaks handy, this recipe is definitely a good choice.

Recipe

Deer steaks on platter topped with butter and parsley.
Print Pin
4.63 from 78 votes

Deer Steak Recipe – In a Skillet

Deer Steak Recipe – Skillet: There are many deer steak recipes, but this quick & flawless recipe using browned butter, salt & pepper in a skillet, is great!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Resting Time 3 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings 2 steaks
Calories 156kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ inch-thick deer steaks
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon peppercorn medley or to taste
  • 3 Tablespoon salted butter

Instructions

  • Allow steaks to come to room temperature. (Approx. 20-30 minutes.)
  • Coat deer steaks with salt and pepper.
  • Over medium-high heat, add butter to skillet, and let melt and brown.
  • When butter is melted and brown, gently place steaks in the skillet, making sure they don’t overlap one another.
  • If the skillet doesn’t sizzle at you, remove steak and wait until skillet is hotter.
  • Cook steaks for 3-4 minutes on each side.
  • Remove steaks from skillet and place on a plate to rest for 3-4 minutes. During this time, you can coat with more butter if you prefer, to help maintain a juicy deer steak.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1steak | Calories: 156kcal | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 734mg | Vitamin A: 530IU | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Instant Pot® Review: How to Use an Instant Pot®

Instant Pot® Review: How to Use an Instant Pot® – With so many recommending the Instant Pot® pressure cooker, I knew it was something I had to try for myself when it wasn’t seeming like just a fad anymore. I’m so glad that I did. I unboxed it, and made chicken breasts, all in a few minutes. 

Instant Pot Review - How to Use an Instant Pot

Instant Pot® Review

So I’m not going to lie. I’ve heard about the Instant Pot® for a long time, I seriously thought it would be old news in about a couple of months. But then, I started seeing more and more recipes pop up on my Pinterest feed, and even from friends in my Facebook groups, so I knew it was time to try this thing out.

During my self retreat, it was the perfect time to try this bad boy out. So I tapped “record” on my phone, and started filming from the moment I plopped the box up on the counter, so we could go on this pressure cooker journey together.

Instant Pot® Frozen Chicken Breasts:

For the first round of cooking in the “pot”, I thought frozen chicken breasts would be easy and something that I’d cook often in this bad boy.

With just a little salt and water (you have to put a little water or chicken broth in the bottom of the Instant Pot when you cook it), I had chicken breasts ready to eat in about 20 minutes. Say whaaa? Well, just watch in the video below and you’ll see.

No Time to Watch?

No worries, I put my cliff notes of the review and I’ve put a recipe card below to show you how to cook chicken breasts in the Instant Pot® for your quick reference.

So What’s My Overall Review of the Instant Pot®?

I’m in love. It took me a minute to get familiar with it, but the instruction manual helped me, and in just a couple of minutes I was rocking and rolling.

You do have to put some sort of liquid in it before cooking, determine which setting to “cook” it on, because each recipe will differ… and know that you CAN set the timer to whatever you want it to be.

For instance, if you’re cooking something that doesn’t have a “button” to match what you’re cooking (like “chicken”) no worries. You can choose which setting you want to cook it at, and put the timer on whatever time you want it to cook!

Instant Pot® How-To Cliff Notes:

  1. It will take a few minutes to build up pressure, before the timer starts and cooking starts.
  2. When the cooking begins, it will cook as long as the timer is set for.
  3. After the timer ends, it will naturally cool down unless the “keep warm” button is pushed. You can let it naturally cool down before taking the lid off (make sure the float has lowered back down)… OR you can let the steam out manually. Just be super careful!

Ready to Buy This Thing Too?

Now I know some of you probably already have one of these, and use it up to 5 nights a week. I totally understand why.

But for those of you who have been intimidated by this thing… be intimidated NO MORE! It was a breeze to use, and now I can’t wait to see what else I can cook in this thing.

Instant Pot® Hard Boiled Eggs?

So before I left my self retreat, I decided I must try to cook boiled eggs in this Instant Pot® too. I had heard that the shells peel off so easy and fast, and if that was even CLOSE to true… then it would be a miracle. Way too many times, I’ve been hangry and grumpy on Easter morning when my boiled eggs for deviled eggs came out wonky.

Recipe

Instant Pot Review - How to Use an Instant Pot
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot® Frozen Chicken Breasts

Even with frozen chicken breasts, you can have ready to eat chicken breasts in 20 minutes! Chicken breasts cooked in the Instant Pot® is incredibly convenient to eat on all week! 
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 chicken breasts
Calories 257kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Equipment

  • instant pot

Ingredients

  • 4 Frozen Chicken Breasts
  • 1-½ cups Water or Chicken Broth

Instructions

  • Pour water or chicken broth in the bottom of Instant Pot, and then chicken breasts.
  • Attach lid, and turn Instant Pot on, then press the "chicken" setting button on the front.
  • Instant Pot will read “on” while pressurizing, and then 15:00 should appear on the display.
  • Once the 15 minutes is up, you can let it naturally cool, or you can release steam from the float.
  • Chicken should be cooked and ready to eat!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1chicken breast | Calories: 257kcal | Protein: 47g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 262mg | Potassium: 836mg | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.8mg

What Are Your Thoughts on This Pressure Cooker?

So tell me… what is YOUR favorite thing to make in an Instant Pot?

Or tell me if you’ve had one for a while and this gave you the confidence boost to give it a try!?

I can’t wait to hear from you!

Creamy Crunchy Cucumber Salad Recipe

This Creamy Crunchy Cucumber Salad Recipe is light and delicious, and perfect for summer parties, and makes the most of fresh ingredients and can be made ahead of time so it’s ready to go when you are.

To go right along with the salad recipes theme we’ve been having around here lately, this cucumber salad recipe will be one to add to your list! Also love a tangy, vinegary cucumber salad? This Italian cucumber salad recipe is one to try too!

This creamy crunchy cucumber salad recipe is perfect for a summer dinner party side dish.

A Delicious Summer Side Dish

Hi guys! It’s Chris here, founder of Celebrations At Home blog, where you’ll find inspiration for stylish entertaining, party ideas, and recipes & diy’s to pull it all together.

Today I’m sharing a delicious summer side dish that will put that fresh produce to good use.

This creamy crunchy cucumber salad recipe is cool and refreshing and perfect for those warm nights. It’s a terrific dish to take to a potluck party or BBQ cookouts.

But let’s not forget about all-year long meals… this would also work as the perfect side dish for steak or even this Baked Salmon in Foil!

This creamy salad also lends itself well as a cooling side dish to spicy foods like Indian cuisine. It’s reminiscent of tzatziki sauce (or Benedictine for my Southern friends) so it pairs well with Greek food too. With all these options there’s no excuse not to make this salad!

Pro Tip: To keep the creamy cucumber salad chilled during a party, fill a large bowl with ice and nestle the serving bowl on top of it.

This creamy crunchy cucumber salad is a delicious side dish for potluck parties.

Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe

I love the flavor of fresh vegetables in the summertime. If you’ve planted a garden and have cucumbers and/or radishes to pick, by all means make this salad. If you’ve planted dill then you get bonus points!

Prepare the Cucumbers

The first thing you’ll need to do is prepare your cucumbers. If you don’t drain the moisture from them with this first step, your salad will get very “liquid-y” after about a day. If you’re going to be eating the creamy cucumber salad right away it’s not that big of a deal; but if you’re hoping to have leftovers or taking it to a potluck party you’ll want to do this step.

All you have to do is slice your cucumbers as directed and sprinkle with salt. Toss them together in a bowl and set aside for about 30 minutes. When ready, you’ll drain the liquid and press the cucumbers dry with a paper towel and you’re ready to go.

Make this creamy crunchy cucumber salad recipe for all your summer parties.

Fresh Vegetable Salad Recipe

While the cucumbers are set aside you can slice your radishes and prepare the creamy dressing.

Once you’ve prepared your dressing and drained the cucumbers, you can mix everything together, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors can fully combine. The marriage of cucumbers, cream sauce, and dill are classic and delicious. The addition of the radishes gives extra crunch which I particularly love.

Perfect BBQ Side Dish Recipe

If you want to add variety to your barbecue party, add this fresh and creamy cucumber salad recipe to the table. It’s a nice addition to other classic sides like pasta and potato salad. It goes so well with main dishes like these blue cheese burgers, chicken, this easy steak recipe, or plank grilled salmon.

This creamy crunchy cucumber salad recipe is the perfect summer side dish for grilling and summer barbecues.

Looking For More Easy Recipes?

For more great recipes to add to your weeknight dinner or potluck party lineup, check out more easy side dish recipes!

Recipe

creamy cucumber crunch salad recipe
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5 from 5 votes

Creamy Cucumber Crunch Salad Recipe

This Creamy Crunchy Cucumber Salad Recipe is light and delicious, and perfect for summer parties, and makes the most of fresh ingredients!
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 57kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 2 large cucumbers
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 5 radishes
  • 4 ounces plain yogurt
  • ¼ cup light sour cream
  • ¼ cup fresh dill
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Slice cucumber into thin slices and place in a bowl with ½ teaspoon of salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, combine yogurt, sour cream, dill, lime juice, pepper, garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in medium-sized bowl.
  • Slice radishes very thin and add to yogurt mixture.
  • Drain cucumbers and press dry with a paper towel; add to radishes and yogurt mixture, and toss until evenly combined.
  • Cover and chill for at least an hour. 
  • Makes 4-6 servings.

Notes

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (about ½ cup) | Calories: 57kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 298mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 8.8mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 0.5mg

How my Faith is a Necessity with Social Media

How my Faith is a Necessity with Social Media: If you allow it, the online world can diminish your thoughts on self worth and value in minutes. Let’s get in to your faith toolkit, and help you overcome these tough roadblocks in today’s world.

How my Faith is a Necessity with Social Media

Have you ever fallen victim to a social media "crap-storm"? I can tell you from experience that being on the receiving end is not fun, but maybe not for the reasons you might guess.

Now, before you go thinking that this is a rant about how unfair the world is, I'm a big girl, and I know what I signed up for as a blogger, and I fully understand that the negativity on social media comes with the territory, but I'm often left scratching my head at the extent to which some people will go to get your attention.

How my faith is necessary with social media

Faith First

So, let me tell you how my faith fits into all of this. I have a choice in how I respond to the negative things that people say, and to be honest, sometimes it's not easy to hold my tongue. It takes a lot to not type exactly what I'm thinking, but I understand  that when I respond in a negative way, it's a reflection on me, and that's not a side I want to give to my community. I've learned that instead of focusing on the hurtful comment,  it's much better to divert my attention to something more positive.

One of my morning rituals is to visit SandersWeb for inspiration. During one of those social media storms, I found myself on the site praying for a random Bible verse to show up and get my mind in a better place.

Then, this popped up on my computer screen…

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10

Seeking approval of man?

Well crap. Thank you, Jesus. It was like a virtual slap in the face that morning, and EXACTLY what I needed to hear. Now although it didn’t last… and I have to keep returning back to this verse from time to time, it still hits home when I need it to.

My Faith Toolkit

To be prepared when the enemy is trying to drag me down, I have my very own “faith toolkit” full of reminders to keep me from wallowing in a dark pit.

Having a faith toolkit keeps me centered and grounded, especially in those times when the dark side of social media tries to step in and take control of my thoughts and how I feel about myself. Not only have I included verses like Galatians 1:10 above, but I have other tools sitting there, well-sharpened, and ready for me to use.

A Few Faith Tools I Use:

  •  I reach in and recall stories and my own experiences and examples of how God has shown up in my life in the past, and rescued me from “man”. Remembering those times is a reality check, and a beautiful reminder that God is there.
  •  I reach out to God-fearing friends who are faithful, and there when I need them. Even if all I have to send is a simple text of “Please pray for me today.” Trust me, asking for help is a HARD one for me. But push through… the love you can receive far outranks the vulnerability.
  •  I look for the GOOD on social media. I’ll head to a Facebook group, an Instagram feed, or even Pinterest for uplifting, faith-based encouragement to get back on the faith-train.

Even only utilizing these three tools, I’m usually back on the up & up during a tough day online.

So Why Not Just Say “Good-Bye” to Social Media?

So you may be asking me:

Jessica, if social media is that “bad” then why don’t you just get off of it, and cancel your accounts?

Yep. Totally get that question, and that seems like the easiest way, right? But, then I’d miss out on all of the wonderful things my friends are sharing and the amazing experiences of those I follow. This is the positive side of social media that I love.

Plus, I understand that no matter what “platform” is used, there will always be someone out there trying to use it to hurt others. Whether it’s social media, a hard copy newspaper article or a stranger on the side of the road holding up a sign bashing someone, they’ll find a way to do it.

Preparation is key. As long as my faith toolkit is filled, and the tools are sharpened, I can handle whatever life throws at me, and however it’s thrown at me.

Just a Couple of “Hmm’s” to Think About

Faith and social media

Friends, as I share all of this with you… please know this is from my heart, and that I’m not a perfect person. I’m totally guilty of judging others, just as we all have, and have even been guilty of looking at my friend next to me, and saying “Oh my gosh, did you see that on Facebook about her?”

So know that I’m imperfect, and I write this to you… just as I’m saying it to myself too.

Now that the too-tight social media shoe’s been on the other foot, here are a couple of thoughts I think about when I find myself on social media, reading that viral post about someone and tempted to cast my opinion (maybe these will help you, too.)

Are You a Silent Troll?

  • Are you sure you’re not sharing or tagging someone in something on social media that could contribute to the hurt of someone else?

As an online media gal, I’ve learned some of the ins and outs of social media over the years, and realize that some may not fully grasp how viral some things can get, by innocently tagging a friend in the comments to read it, sharing, commenting with even just an emoji, or even “liking” a post that someone else has created.

When a post gets likes, shares, a tag and/or comments, the social media platform will see that as a popular post, so it will get “pushed out” to social media even more. In which, can then manifest in to more and more hurt for someone out there in the online world, if the post relates to them in some way.

Or NOT Silent? Well Please Just Remember This.

  • Even if you agree with a hateful post that someone created, wish badly for someone, OR… even create that hateful status update yourself … there is someone out there that hasn’t done anything to you.

These types of posts and comments could be indirectly hurting them, (their child, spouse, mother, sister, brother, etc.) by spreading hate in the online world. When it’s not happening to you, it’s easy to feel that your actions are justified, but what if it were you or your family member?

Which brings me to something else…

The Online World: A Real Person?

  • Because the online world is a virtual one, it’s easy to forget that there’s a real person on the other side of the screen.

Online it’s easy to feel that it’s just us with our laptops. We have a right to our opinion, right? What’s the harm in adding our two or three cents to the growing comment section? Before we know it, we easily slip in to the mindset that what we see/read/hear online, doesn’t involve REAL human beings. Suddenly, we’re pushing compassion aside and saying and doing what feels good at the moment without considering someone’s feelings. Words have power, even if they’re just on a screen.

Sure, we may convince ourselves by saying…

“Well, I just want to share it to protect others by letting “everyone” know.”

I’m sure that’s true in some cases, but is it really the reason we’re sharing it? Or is that just what we tell ourselves, to justify feeding on the negative?

I also truly believe that if you take at least HALF of the people that leave awful comments and status updates on social media about someone, and sat them down in front of the person they were “confronting”, that they’d either hesitate, change their mind, or change up their words in a less-hurtful manner.

The Real Story

Man alive. This. This is so huge.

A joke I often say is

Well I saw it on the Internet, so it must be true, right!?

Then we giggle, and move on with our conversation. But the truth is, anyone can get online and write just about anything they want, whether it’s true or not. Heck, even a newspaper can write something in just a way that makes it sound like something it isn’t.

Taking a second to consider that there could be a deeper story associated with what we’re reading and that we may not know all of the details, gives us a second to reconsider our reaction and take a step back before telling the world how we feel. Despite what we see, there could always be more to the story.

Final Thoughts…

I’m sure it’s far-fetched to say that "everyone" has been attacked, or trolled on social media at some point in their life; however, the reality is, that everyone has, in some degree, been the victim of some sort of hurtful comment or act that someone has created on a social network. (Whether it was towards them, or even towards someone that they care about.)

It's the world we live in currently. Everyone can have a platform created in minutes to try and ruin someone's day, or even life, and if you allow it to… your self-worth and value can be diminished, in a second flat, after reading it.

Mindfulness will go a long way toward curbing some of the negative behavior online. Until that happens, I’ll keep using my faith toolkit to get me through.

Need your own Faith toolkit?

I’m sharing my faith toolkit with you. It’s full of my favorite Bible verses and resources. I hope it comes in handy when you’re looking for peace and comfort, during your own “life storm”.

Download it the Faith Toolkit, or by clicking the image below!

Faith Toolkit free printable download

I’m so glad that you came by. I adore having conversations like this with you all, and tend to get deeper in conversation and share more real-life experiences in my love notes that I send out to inboxes every once in a while. To get on that list, just head over and subscribe, and I’ll be in your inbox shortly!

Best Coffee Maker: Ninja Coffee Bar

Best Coffee Maker: How to Use the Ninja Coffee Bar – Tutorial and instructions on how to use the CF091 coffee maker! It’s easy to use, and now you can make your own lattes at home!

Ninja Coffee Bar

How to Use the Ninja Coffee Bar

So the other day on my Facebook page, I shared with you how much I love my Ninja Coffee Bar! A lot of you said you have been eyeing it for a while, but were either intimidated by it or wasn’t sure if you wanted to take the plunge and switch to one or not.

This is PERFECT for a small space! DIY Coffee Bar Ideas for the Kitchen!

Then, someone asked if I’d make a video on how to use mine, so they could decide if it was time to get one or not. Well you know me, and you know how much I love sharing things that I love… so a video it was!

Ninja Coffee Bar Tutorial

I hope this video showing you how I use it, and the different options that it has to make a simple cup a coffee, a latte, or even a whole pot of coffee… helps you with either your machine or helps you decide if you want one too!

I truly do believe it is the best coffee maker, ever. I’ve had a Keurig for many years, and now when I make a cup of coffee with the Keurig, it tastes like plastic to me. I’m spoiled rotten and am forever grateful that I have the Ninja now.

If you’re not in a good place to watch the video at the moment, I’ll highlight a few of my favorite things about the Ninja Coffee Bar!

  • You can make one simple cup of coffee
  • You can make a whole carafe for multiple cups
  • Need more than a cup, but not a full carafe? No problem, use the “half carafe” setting
  • Has built-in frother for lattes
  • Rich brew options
  • It has an iced brew option (Make this iced caramel latte or this iced coffee recipe!)
  • Washable coffee filter
  • Water reservoir
  • Self-timer
  • “Keep Warm” setting
This is PERFECT for a small space! DIY Coffee Bar Ideas for the Kitchen!

I even love the way it looks on my countertops. It’s sleek, and doesn’t take up a lot of counter space which is a huge plus!

Best Air Fryer – Ninja Air Fryer

I know, you’re probably wondering why I’m throwing in a “Best Air Fryer” tidbit in this post, right?

Because I found out while researching for the best air fryers the other day, that the Ninja Air Fryer is also my go-to pick for air fryers!

The reviews and specs of the fryer were a shoo-in for my top pick. See the post with all of the details of the Ninja Air Fryer and other air fryers I put up to the test, HERE!

New Here?

If you’re here for the first time, I’d LOVE for you to visit more! Head to the homepage where you can see all of the fun things we talk about around here! Home decor, fashion, easy recipes, and so much more!

How to use the Ninja Coffee Bar System! I have to get one of these!

Hot Strawberries and Cream Smoothie

Hot Strawberries and Cream Smoothie: Take a break from hot chocolate and fall in love with this easy to make HOT strawberry smoothie! 3 Ingredients, quick, and delicious! Add to a hot chocolate bar for a variety!

Hot Strawberries and Cream Smoothie

Hot Strawberries and Cream Smoothie

As part of the “Make it Martha” team for Martha Stewart, I’m forever so grateful to snag some adorable and fun Martha Stewart products from time to time. Over the holidays I received the Snowflake Enameled Cast Iron Collector’s dish, and couldn’t WAIT to use it!

You can find more of the Martha Stewart Collection Cast Iron Cookware, at Macy’s.

Martha Stewart Enameled Cast Iron Collection - Snowflake Casserole Dish

You know what my favorite part of the snowflake design is? It looks like a snowflake but also looks like a fun design that I can use all year long. Yay for justification! I can’t WAIT to show you below what I made in this the other day! (Full recipe and printable recipe card, at the bottom of the page!)

Martha Stewart Enameled Cast Iron Collection at Macy's - Snowflake Casserole Dutch Oven Pot Pan
Martha Stewart Enameled Cast Iron Collection at Macy's

How to Make a Hot Strawberries and Cream Smoothie:

Alright, so the other day I was standing in my pantry, looking at the package of smoothie mix that I had picked up during a recent grocery shopping trip. It was 17 degrees outside, and although I was in the mood to make something sweet, I didn’t want something ice cold. I wanted something quick, warm, and hot chocolate just wasn’t cutting it.

Then… it hit me. Why I can’t I use this mix to make a smoothie, but make it a hot one? Yeah. It had to happen, and I’m so glad that it did.

Almond Milk, Strawberries and Smoothie packet - hot Strawberries and cream smoothie

I began by dicing and muddling four strawberries…

Crushed/muddled strawberries - strawberries and cream smoothie

Then, over low heat, (or you can use the microwave in you like) I heated up a package of the smoothie mix, 1 ¼ cups of almond milk and strawberries.
(You can totally use regular if you like, but I wanted that almond flavor added to mine that day.)

Hot Strawberries and Cream Smoothie - Perfect for a warm drink treat, when you're tired of the same ole hot chocolate.

NOTE: I left some of the strawberries a little larger for the photos so you could see the deliciousness of the strawberries added in… but I may mash them more a little next time, so it goes down a bit smoother. You may want to do this too, ESPECIALLY if you’re a non-texture person when it comes to your food/drink.

Hot Strawberries and Cream Smoothie!

Once it was heated it over low heat, and it was fully heated through, I poured it in to my favorite coffee mug and topped it with whipped cream. Totally not necessary, but totally delicious.

Mmm!!! Love this instead of hot chocolate or white chocolate! It's an easy way to make a hot strawberries and cream hot drink! So fun! Especially to add to a hot chocolate bar!

Perfect for a Hot Chocolate Bar…

How fantastic would this be as an addition to a hot chocolate bar? It’s great for those who aren’t a fan of chocolate, but it also adds variety (and a pretty pink color) to your hot chocolate bar too!

Or Valentine’s Day?

If you’re looking for something for your kiddos to enjoy for Valentine’s Day, or looking for a hot and steamy treat for your sweet, this is a quick and easy recipe to whip up and sip on that evening in front of a warm fire!

Here’s the quick recipe so you can whip up your own too! This recipe made one LARGE mug full for me, but could easily make two small servings!

More Drink Recipes

Do you love fun drink ideas as much as I do? If so, you’ll love these drink ideas!

More Strawberry Recipes

We kind of have a thing for strawberry recipes around here! If you love strawberries too, you’ll want to make sure you see these:

Recipe

Hot strawberry drink in clear mug.
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Hot Strawberries and Cream Smoothie

Only THREE ingredients are required to make this sweet treat! Top with whipped cream for the ultimate dessert idea.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 serving
Calories 52kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 1 2-ounce package Strawberry Smoothie Mix
  • 1-¼ cup milk I chose almond milk, but regular is just fine!
  • 4 strawberries
  • whipped cream if desired

Instructions

  • Remove stems from strawberries, dice and mash/muddle in a small bowl.
  • In a saucepan, and over low heat, stir and combine smoothie mix, milk, and strawberries in a stockpot for 5 minutes, or until heated through.
  • Serve with whipped cream on top, if desired!
  • **Can heat up in the microwave too, if you prefer a faster approach!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 153mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 28.2mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Martha Stewart Collection:

If you love adding to your cast iron collection as much as I do, and ESPECIALLY love the Martha Stewart line at Macy’s (ahem, I’m kind of obsessed with her cake stand collection), you can shop it all on Macy’s.

Finding Your Purpose in Life – “Something Is Missing”

Finding Your Purpose in Life – Have you ever felt like something is “missing” in life, even if you feel like you shouldn’t? The guilt of feeling like something is missing, yet having so much to be thankful for, is a real struggle with so many women!

Finding your purpose and passion in life

I love today’s topic so much. As women, sometimes we feel like there has to be “more,” but we have a mental conflict of guilt. You may find yourself saying…

“Why should there be more? I have a great marriage, wonderful kids, and a great life. But why do I feel like something is missing?”

For some, they may say

“I want more children to take care of and love on. That’s my purpose. “

Or

“I’m the CEO of corporate America, helping provide jobs for others and making a difference in the world.”

Or you may find yourself confused and stuck, like today’s reader that I’m getting ready to share with you:

“I feel at a loss and without much of a purpose throughout the day … Don’t get me wrong I love being a stay at home wife, it has been one of my dreams since I was little.”

Joy is essential in life, and we feel that purpose and joy can go hand-in-hand. Well let’s explore this a bit more, shall we?

Finding Your Purpose in Life

office

I had someone reach out to me on Fantabulosity’s Facebook page the other day, (Have I told you how much I LOVE getting messages from you all!? It literally lights me up.) sharing her story and asking if I could help. So I sat my butt down on the couch, grabbed my coffee and got all warm and cozy, and ready to help this gal figure something out! Here’s what she said:

Fantabulosity Reader:

Hey Jessica, I accidentally discovered your blog, and fell in love with it and you almost instantly. I read some of your posts and the watched some of your videos, and you’ve inspired me to follow my passions! But I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.

I’m newly married, barely 3 months. My husband works for an oil field, and is gone a lot. I’m not working outside of the home, and so I’m home a lot. I live basically in the middle of no where lol.

Don’t get me wrong I love being a stay at home wife, it has been one of my dreams since I was little. Before the wedding, I had been working almost continuously since my 2nd year of high school therefore I had no time for what I was truly passionate about.
Now I have the time, but I’m also struggling with the thought, I’m not doing enough, if that makes sense. I’ve been thinking about starting a blog, as soon as we get internet installed in our house.

Despite having the time to do all the things I love to do, I feel at a loss and without much of a purpose throughout the day, until my husband comes home late at night…I hope I’m making some sense. Anyways I was wondering if maybe you had some pointers or thoughts on the situation…I guess I’m just feeling very stuck. I’m willing to hear whatever you want to throw at me! Thank you for your time!

So Relatable Right?

Hallelujah we’re not alone in the feeling this way…

finding a passion

Oh how there’s so much goodness in the message that she sent. Do I have the all of the answers? Absolutely not. But I do love how I’m given the opportunity to help someone brainstorm and possibly find something that will help improve their life in some way.

THIS… this is the reason why I love to blog so much. It has given me a platform to have a million “girlfriends” to sit and chat about different ways to better ourselves and find out what our passions in life are… and I get to share things like this with all of you, in hopes it helps you too! (Especially when things are tough – read “I’m Sorry I’ve Gone Missing.”

Ok ok, so let’s get on to my response to her message.

I’ve Been There and Here’s What I Told Her:

Hi there! First, I’m SO happy that you found your way “here” and second, I’m so happy that you’ve messaged me about this!

I feel honored that you took the time to write me, and share your story with me about this.
Now, it TOTALLY makes sense, and I get where you’re coming from 100%. I was you.
I got married, and since we live in a small town, I suddenly became “Matt’s Wife.” I was good with that. He was a good man, I wanted to be a supportive wife, and I truly thought that I would be “ok” with being in his shadow for the rest of my life. Until I wasn’t.
But it wasn’t like I woke up one day and said “Hmm. I don’t have a purpose.” But it was a slow, unconscious realization over a period of time that I started to feel like I wanted something of my own. (Especially after having my babies.)

I think a lot of women go through this very thing, and we even start to feel guilty about it at times. Like “Why should I need more? I have a man that I love, children to raise and take care of, a home to live in and maintain, etc. etc.”
But I truly believe that each of us need that “something” in life that makes us feel alive and makes us feel like we have a purpose. Something that makes us get excited to hop out of bed in the morning. Something that we’re proud of to talk about with friends, family and STRANGERS!
I believe that every time we talk about something that we love, we get a boost of confidence, which does wonders for our mental health.

So… with that said, I hope by reading that, you know you’re not alone, and I hope you don’t feel guilty for feeling that there could be “more” or something out there that can give you the feeling of purpose.

We can be loving, supportive and wonderful wives AND still have something else in our lives that gives us the feeling of purpose/happiness.

So what is that for you? Could it be a blog? You bet! Could it be running a small Etsy business, selling things that you make at home? Sure!

Could it be buying books at yard sales and selling them on eBay?
Taking a photography class?
Or things that you can even do living in the middle of nowhere…
(without internet) painting, gardening (flower gardens or a veggie garden), tutoring young girls and become someone that they can trust and confide in during this crazy time that we live in, or even helping out at church, decorating for each weekend service!

Now those are all just random thoughts that I had… with some that could possibly turn in to a business, and some that are completely voluntary, but could also help you feel like you have a purpose in life.

You may find that you do a few things that you’d think you’d like, and not like doing any of them. I did this. I volunteered at certain events, tried shopping/reselling items on eBay to help contribute financially, etc. and they just weren’t for me.
But then I found the one thing that was for me, BLOGGING/helping others in different areas in life, and that was it. It was my passion and my purpose.

But it’s all about working through and finding what it is for YOU, that you were born to do. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error to figure out what that is, but you know what… it’s part of the journey.

I hope that helps, and feel free to kick any ideas my way. I’d love to help if I can!! It’s fun to brainstorm and help others find a direction in life! XOXO

Side Note:

Normally for a blog post, I edit and make it as pretty as I can… but I decided to skip that part this time. Why? Because I wanted the realness to overflow from our Facebook messenger, over to you. Sometimes if we focus on the “pretty” and “correct” it can really take away from the message. So excuse typo’s and run-on sentences in this one please!

I’ve received so many messages like this one, and if you can relate to her, I really hope that you find some inspiration, and encouragement to tackle whatever it is that is calling you, after taking a peek in to my Facebook inbox.

You May Also Love:

If you loved this post, I wanted to make sure you knew about a book my friend wrote, that you can get on Amazon TODAY! It’s called Holistic Wealth: 32 Life Lessons to Help You Find Purpose, Prosperity, and Happiness and I think it’s a great asset to help you in your journey!

Not Sure What Your Purpose Is Yet?

You know what, that’s ok! I find myself having conversations with other moms when their kids are exploring what to major in when going to college. But who says we have to know for college, as a mom, an older adult, a specific thing, by a certain time? No one.

Know that you’re not alone, and I feel like it’s important to keep our minds and eyes open for those signs that it may be right in front of us.

Thank you so much for coming by! If you’d like to hang around a bit, head over to my self work archives to find more content like this, or watch a few of the videos where I discuss important topics on how to find more happiness in your life!

Low Carb Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Low carb chicken recipes are great for the keto diet or any low carb diet! These Parmesan Chicken Tenders are made with almond flour, heavy cream, parmesan cheese and eggs, and they’re packed with flavor!

This almond meal chicken tenders recipe is so easy and so good! It's perfect for Keto chicken recipes and low carb chicken recipes! This is also an easy chicken breast recipe idea

Low Carb Chicken Recipes

Ever since my son was diagnosed with epilepsy, we’ve been trying to incorporate low carb and keto recipes in to our home, as much as we can. With a picky eater, keto and low carb chicken recipes seems to be a popular “go-to” in our house.

Almond Flour vs. Almond Meal

While at Trader Joes the other day, I was on the hunt for almond flour, so I could make keto pancakes, and other low carb bread-like recipes. I couldn’t find it for some reason, and the nice lady working there told me they only had almond meal in stock at the moment. Then she said,

You know though, I LOVE making chicken using almond meal. Just bread it and fry it in a pan in butter or oil.

Well that sounded easy enough. So in to my cart the almond meal went.

Almond meal tends to be a thicker consistency than almond flour, and it’s great for breading meats. (Although I have used it in pancakes and bread like recipes too, when in a pinch. But I prefer it for breading meats.) I found this resource on almond flour recipes too, that has been SO helpful!

Low Carb Parmesan Chicken Tenders

I’ve baked chicken more times than I’d like to admit. I can switch up the seasonings, add cheese, so on and so on. But sometimes I just want a different way to cook chicken, for a different spin on things.

So while brainstorming over what to make for lunch, I remembered the nice gal at Trader Joes said how much she liked to cook chicken on the stovetop, and I thought it would be a great way to use the chicken tenderloins in the fridge. She was SOOO right. With a few spices and adding Parmesan cheese, this is will be a new go-to low carb chicken recipe in our house. Even my youngest said,

Mommy, dat chicken is willy good!

BONUS!

Almond meal chicken tenders recipe is so easy and so good! It's perfect for the Keto diet and low carb chicken recipes!

So if you’re on a low carb or keto diet, I’d love for you to give this a try and see if you like it! It’s super easy, and a kid friendly meal too! (Yay for only having to make one recipe for the whole family, right!?)

Recipe

Almond meal chicken tenders recipe.
Print Pin
4.16 from 13 votes

Almond Meal Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Substituting traditional bread crumbs with almond meal make these chicken tenders low-carb and delicious! Make this easy chicken recipe for your next weeknight meal.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 621kcal
Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken tenderloins
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 cups almond meal
  • ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Mix together heavy cream and egg in a small dish
  • In a separate bowl, mix together almond meal, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper
  • Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat
  • Dip chicken tenderloins in egg/cream mixture, then into the almond meal
  • Place tenderloins in butter in skillet, and cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes on each side, until juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees
  • ** I covered my cast iron with a lid to speed up the cooking process and to trap moisture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (2 chicken tenders) | Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 153mg | Sodium: 1016mg | Potassium: 396mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 645IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 285mg | Iron: 2.8mg

Easy Chicken Breast Recipes

If you’re out of, or couldn’t find chicken tenderloins… feel free to use this as an easy chicken breast recipe too! I’m always on the hunt for a good way to use chicken breasts. I always make sure to have a bag/box of those in my freezer for a quick go-to dinner idea.

I’d LOVE to hear if you gave this a try. Can you let me know below in the comments? I’d also like to know what your favorite low carb/keto dinner meal is. We can always use help with new recipes for my little guy!

Low Carb Steak Recipe

Although I had no intentions of creating a low carb steak recipe, my all-time favorite oven baked steak recipe totally fits the “low carb” bill. It’s flavored with salt and pepper, seared in brown butter, and baked for only a few minutes… creating the BEST oven-baked steak recipe there is!

More Easy Recipes?

If you’re on the hunt for more easy recipes, don’t forget to check out my recipe archives where you can always count on quick and easy in the kitchen! See the recipes HERE!

How to Cook Steak in the oven! RecipeThis was so easy and incredible, with the browned butter! Easy Steak Recipe: Pan Fried and in the Oven Photo