Blueberry Pie Yogurt Parfaits

This stunning yogurt parfait has all the flavors of blueberry pie and is a perfect breakfast or snack!

I pretty much eat yogurt for breakfast every day and have for a good while now. When I have the opportunity, I love making parfaits. There's something so satisfying about the different layers in the cup. I don't particularly care for blueberry pie - it's okay - but I love the elements of the pie in this yogurt parfait. I mean grahams and yogurts with fresh blueberries - YUM!

Snickers Chex Mix

Chex Mix with chocolate and caramel drizzles, Snickers bits, and peanuts - all the sweet and saltiness you want in a snack!

I'll be honest and say that I think that this is the best Chex mix I've ever had. I love a sweet and salty combo which is probably why I like Snickers so much. This Chex mix is supposed to be chocolate Chex based, but unfortunately we didn't have that so I used plain Chex. For as good as this recipe was with plain Chex, I can only imagine how amazing it is with chocolate Chex. This recipe has a chocolate drizzle, a caramel drizzle, Snickers bits, and peanuts. It's exactly what you'd want in a sweet Chex mix.

Quinoa Berry Parfaits

The perfect filling breakfast or snack with just 3 ingredients!

When I was in the hospital after giving birth to my third child a little over 5 years ago, I was given the option to have oatmeal for breakfast. I jumped on it because 1) it's supposed to be good for breastfeeding moms and 2) it's oatmeal. Heck yeah! When they brought it up, it was completely unseasoned and I only had one packet of sugar (which was going to the coffee). I had a yogurt as well and on a whim, I threw my yogurt into the oatmeal to flavor it and sweeten it. I became obsessed and still eat yogurt with my oatmeal to this day.

Why am I talking about oatmeal on a quinoa post? Because this recipe reminded me of that but a fancier version and a slightly lighter version too. I loved the fresh fruit with it too. This is so easy to make in advance or with little prep the day of. Bonus because it can be portable if you need to grab breakfast on the go!

Homemade French Onion Dip

If you have sour cream and some basic spice staples, you can make this dip without making a trip to the store!

One day, I was craving chips and dip. I think the only kind of dip I eat is French onion dip and I didn't want to go out to the store to get just one thing that wasn't really a necessity. I looked up a recipe and was pleased to discover I had everything I needed to make it already: sour cream and some seasonings that are staples in my pantry. It tastes as good if not better than any other French onion dip I've purchased at the store and I'm definitely keeping this recipe in my back pocket for whenever I have a craving!

Soft Pretzel Bites

These little pretzel bites are the perfect appetizer - dunk in queso, mustard, or caramel sauce!

I have made a few different kinds of homemade pretzels - mostly buns or bowls. The trick really boils down to the baking soda and water bath that the dough should take. I really really want to make my pizza crust into pretzel crust soon. I think it'll be insanely good. These pretzel bites were treats I made for NYE 2018. I made half with just salt and half with cinnamon sugar. Both were fantastic and I couldn't pick a favorite. They are really good dunked in queso, mustard, and caramel sauce. I'm sure there are plenty more dips that would pair with the salty or sweet in the most wonderful way.

Fresh Homemade Salsa

It's so easy to make salsa at home and you have the freedom of changing up the ingredients to fit your personal tastes!

I don't make homemade salsa very often and every time I do, I wonder why I'm not making it all the time. We love salsa and it definitely does not go to waste. The recipe itself takes very little prep or effort and wah-la! Fresh, homemade salsa. What I think is fantastic with homemade salsa is that you can control the heat and the other flavors you like and don't like. We love lots of garlic and cilantro, but I could totally see someone omitting them if that's not their thing. We usually do a full 3 jalapenos because more spice, please! If you don't like spice, do 1 jalapeno - or even no jalapeno. It's up to you!

Pumpkin Mug Cake #FantasticalFoodFight

Welcome to another Food Fight! Fantastical Food Fight is a group of food bloggers who will get a theme or ingredient each month and make some sort of variation for it. It could be traditional or nontraditional and can be found in a cookbook, on a blog, or be a blogger's own creation! For more details, check out this page.

This month's Fantastical Food Fight theme is PUMPKIN. I tried to make sure that we didn't repeat a theme/ingredient and it seemed like the perfect time to share some pumpkin recipes, so our theme for October is the ingredient pumpkin. It can be savory or sweet.

I chose to share one of my favorite quick treats or if I'm feeling like it, breakfast. Mug cakes are so super easy and a ton of them can be made with ingredients you already have on hand (especially if you bake a lot). I gotta say that it's really awesome to make a cake in less than 5 minutes. You get that little bit of sweet treat without all the mess and time. It's the best! This pumpkin mug cake is so much like a classic pumpkin cake and you could dress it up with pecans and caramel if you wanted to indulge a little more!

Bacon Crackers

Are you ready for the most addictive party snack there is? Only four ingredients too!

Sometimes the best recipes are simple ones and this recipe is definitely evidence of that. These bacon crackers are simply butter crackers topped with bacon, brown sugar, and cayenne and what a magnificent group of ingredients they are! The sweet and salty combination with a pinch of heat all on top of the buttery crackers is just beyond amazing.  If you think you can get away with eating a couple, you are sorely mistaken. These easy crackers are perfect for NYE or game day or just a regular old Saturday!

Reindeer Food

If you are ready for the most addictive winter holiday snack, look no further!

I think I have found a new tradition in this Reindeer Food recipe. We have made it for the past two years and we love it! Matthew is already asking if I'm going to be making another batch this year because this year's batch lasted all of a night and then it was gone! It's ridiculously easy - with only three ingredients - and it's pretty quick to make too. My family loves to help make it because it boils down to stirring and crushing and the kids and Nick like doing those things! LOL

I'm not kidding at all when I say this is super addictive. We could not even let it set up before we were eating it. And it's so hard to not continue to eat it once you've started. I do suppose this is supposed to be for Santa's reindeer, but sorry, Rudolph, guess we're just going to leave you a carrot this year!

Simple Yogurt Parfaits

This is the perfect recipe for a parfait beginner - and also a wonderful recipe for kids to get involved in making a well-balanced breakfast or snack!

Sure it's not the most mindblowing recipe in the world, but it's a great thing to have a base recipe to work off of. I, for one, can get pretty overwhelmed trying to come up with stuff and that's why I appreciate this parfait recipe. It's simple and it's a stepping stone for more complicated parfaits. The possibilities are definitely endless. There are tons of different granolas that can be paired with fruits and different flavors of yogurt. I personally am a huge fan of strawberry and strawberry banana yogurt and I love to eat it with cashew butter and cacao nib granola because you almost get a pb&j flavor profile with a chocolate covered strawberry flavor profile. I hope you all enjoy this super easy parfait recipe. It's also a great beginner recipe if you have kids who are interested in helping in the kitchen! My kids love parfaits and love being able to pick their toppings, so this is a hit with them too.

Browned Butter Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats

Only four ingredients to make the best fall treat you'll ever eat!

I absolutely love Rice Krispies treats and grew up making them with my mom. I have only recently discovered how amazing browned butter is. It's indescribable and I was incredibly intrigued by using browned butter in Rice Krispies treats. This snack is so stinkin' easy to make because it's just four ingredients. I would say the hardest part is browning the butter, but it's not nearly as hard as I made it out to be when I first saw it. I was so nervous to burn it. I have yet to burn browned butter **knocks on wood**

There is no pumpkin in this snack, but there is pumpkin pie spice. So if you do like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc., but don't like pumpkin, you can still enjoy this treat.

Better Than Anything Chex Mix #SundaySupper

A sleepover isn't complete unless it has an addictive snack like this chex mix that is literally better than anything and everything!

Today's Sunday Supper Movement event is hosted by Marion of Life Tastes Good and the theme is SLEEPOVER FOODS.

I have not yet braved having sleepovers for my kids and their friends at my house, but Nick and I do love to do movie nights with the older kiddos where we camp out in the living room with snacks galore and blankets and pillows. Before I had Mason, we did them quite regularly and I would always make some kind of a snack food - typically either popcorn or chex mix.

When I found this recipe, I was a little skeptical. It seemed like an overwhelming amount of different sweets and I was hoping that it wouldn't be too much. Luckily, it wasn't. Oh my goodness gracious was it amazing. I am not the biggest fan of marshmallows and even I liked them in this (although I wouldn't mind trying with the little mallow bits you can put in hot cocoa). It was one of those snacks you can't help but keep eating even after you know you should stop LOL. My kids absolutely loved it. They said it was the best chex mix they had ever had.

I am excited for all the new recipes that are being shared today because even though I haven't braved a sleepover, we like to do family sleepovers and we love to try new foods :)

Fried Oreos

A fair food favorite made at home - any time you want!

I am not the biggest fan of Oreos. I love cookies'n'cream ice cream, but I really don't like to sit and eat an Oreo or two by itself. I know, it's like sacrilege or something. However, I was definitely intrigued to try fried Oreos at home. A few years back, the kids and I (prior to Mason) went to the New York State Fair while Nick was deployed. I looked and looked for fried Snickers but couldn't find any. I didn't want to settle on fried anything else just in case I found the Snickers. I saw fried Oreos everywhere. I knew they were a big deal.

Making them at home is super simple. I used my trusty deep fryer, but you can use a good deep skillet and it works just as well. They brown quickly so you have to babysit them, but that means that a ton are done in a very short amount of time. Which can also be a little dangerous. THEY ARE SO GOOD. I know that doesn't really mean much in terms of explaining what they taste like or convincing anyone that they need to try them. But you know how it is when you taste something and the first words out of your mouth are: THIS IS SO GOOD!! It's like that. The Oreo cookie softens up just slightly and the batter that you fry them in is divine. It works together somehow by some witchcraft and they are so good with a little powdered sugar dusted over top and a big glass of milk.

I may not be a huge fan of Oreos, but I will gladly take a million fried Oreos any day of the week! What is your all's favorite fair food? What is one you have been searching for but yet to try? What is the weirdest fried fair food you have had? Tell me your fair stories in the comments! I would love to hear them :)

Sweet & Salty Frito Snack Mix

Cheer on your favorite team with a batch of this addictive snack!

Hello, all! Today, I am over on Knoxville Moms Blog sharing this recipe for only the BEST snack mix ever in the history of man! :) Be sure to stop by and save the recipe.

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Pumpkin Pie Pretzels #GladeForFall #cbias #ad

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GladeForFall #CollectiveBias

Every Monday, I go to my happy place...Kroger! Right now is my favorite time of the year and I look forward to going to the grocery store. Why? Because there is always a new pumpkin treat to discover or an adorable owl coffee mug, candle holder, etc. I try to steer clear of our candle aisle because I have a candle problem, but I saw the little blue “look what’s new” tags walking past and had to stop!

I picked up a few of the new Glade® Limited Edition Fall Collection Fall Scents goodies and couldn’t wait to go home to make my house smell all autumn-y. I picked up a pack of each of the new scents of the PlugIns® scented oils - Hit the Road™ and Pumpkin Pit Stop™ - and I picked up a Pumpkin Pit Stop™ Jar Candle. Our Kroger is currently moving stuff around, so that stuff is categorized in the aisles in a more common sense way, so unfortunately I cannot tell you the exact aisle number you can find these on. But you know your Kroger store - these lovelies are in the candle aisle.

Spiced Maple Roasted Nuts

I made these nuts for New Year's Eve for a snack during the prep of the other foods - and for Nick, in particular. Nick snacks like crazy during the holiday food prep and if you want any food to make it to the table, there has to at least be a cheese tray for him to stay out of the main course. On NYE, we like to do just appetizers for "dinner" and we kind of spread it out over the course of about 8 hours - from 4pm to midnight. I'm not really sure if that's the norm for everyone else, but I love it! We usually do some kind of cheese dip, wings, and meatballs. We dig into the buckeyes and potato candy that my mom-in-law makes each year. This past NYE, I also made strawberry salsa with cinnamon tortilla chips and s'mores dip (that we dipped fresh fruit and grahams into). But again, it's always a good idea to have a snack around.

This recipe makes a pretty decent size batch and I sent some home with my mom-in-law because not only did we love them, she did too. They are one of those things that you have to hide before you devour all of them! I personally don't care for maple syrup or honey (which this recipe has) and figured that I wouldn't like the nuts at all, but I was totally wrong. I loved them! They taste like fall, first of all, and the little cayenne really adds dimension to the flavor. You get a little bit of that heat as an end note, but it isn't overwhelming!

*Update 12/28/15 - found my recipe, so I updated the quantities I used!

Cinnamon Churro Muddy Buddies

Muddy Buddies or Puppy Chow - what do you call it? I typically call it puppy chow, but I like to keep the name that the original poster used. Plus I guess not everyone knows that the alternate name is puppy chow and they are like "WHY ARE YOU FEEDING YOUR KIDS DOG FOOD???". I promise this is NOT dog food - it's far from it! This recipe of muddy buddies reminded me a ton of the Cinnamon Roll Chex Mix I posted last December - just in muddy buddy form. They are a little messier, but still addictive as all get out! :)

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn

We've been testing out some new popcorn recipes for our occasional Friday night movie nights. We sometimes forget or do other things [like play Spongebob Uno]. I often will just put salt and cinnamon on our air-popped popcorn. Sometimes I do butter, but I am lazy and we don't have a microwave, so I skip that step a lot.

This popcorn is amazing, but it is also super rich, so don't eat too much of it ;)

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Popcorn

Typically, we eat popcorn about once a week. On our Friday or Saturday movie nights, of course! Since we've been microwave-free for almost two years now, it's nice to make a variety of different popcorn. This is a really simple recipe that isn't overwhelmingly sweet.

Salted Peanut Nutella Puppy Chow

You cannot go wrong with traditional puppy chow or muddy buddies, but I've loved the variations I've tried so far: Thin Mint and Milky Way. I was dying to try another one as soon as possible. I figured the best time would be Christmas season since there's a lot of snacking around the holidays. We really loved this combination - it was just perfection to have the Nutella and salty peanuts.