Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning

Super Easy Taco Seasoning You Can Use in Lots of Recipes

I don’t know about you, but I like to save money by making my own homemade food like my Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning.  In this fast paced world we live in, it’s so easy to just live off of processed food. I am guilty of this from time to time myself. A few years ago, I decided to try to make some of my own seasonings. I was so surprised by how easy it is and how much more flavorful our food is!

Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning

My family absolutely loves any food that is mexican. We could live off of tacos and be completely content. Okay, I would still need chocolate to survive, but we could almost survive off of tacos alone! The best part of most of the mexican dishes I make is that they are inexpensive and I can use my own Homemade Taco Seasoning to save even more money. Most of the ingredients you probably already have in your cabinet, so this is an inexpensive recipe as well!

These seasoning is great because it doesn’t have all the sodium and you know exactly what goes in it. You can add it to tacos, burritos, enchiladas or any other mexican dish you can think of. It is also good if you add it to some ranch dressing for a little kick!  I would also recommend my sisters Easy Beef Enchilada Recipe!  Just add 2 heaping tablespoons and 1 cup of water to the browned hamburger and simmer for 5 minutes.

homemade taco seasonings

It’s also nice to decorate your kitchen with homemade spices and seasonings. I love the look of mason jars filled with different seasonings. It just adds that special good feeling of being in an inviting home to gather for meals. Now it’s time for you to make your own!!

Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning

Ingredients

  • 4 TBSP Chili Powder
  • 3 TBSP plus 1 TSP Paprika
  • 3 TBSP Ground Cumin
  • 1 TBSP plus 2 TSP Onion Powder
  • 1 TSP Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 TSP Cayenne Pepper (or a little more if you prefer it hotter)

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients together.
  2. Store in airtight container or glass jar.
  3. For use, add 2 heaping TBSP per 1 pound of meat with 1 cup water.
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KidKraft Amelia Dollhouse

Hours of Entertainment with this Fun Dollhouse

KidKraft Amelia Dollhouse

If you are looking for that perfect dollhouse, I highly recommend the KidKraft Amelia Dollhouse. When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of having a dollhouse like this. I always used a cardboard box and pretend it was my dream dollhouse. I can only imagine how much fun I would have had with a real dollhouse like this!

When Kaylyn was 5 we knew we wanted to get her a dollhouse. She was reaching that age when she was really interested in dolls and figured she would love her very own dollhouse. So we searched all over the internet. We knew we wanted a house that would fit regular sized dolls, not miniatures. We also knew that we wanted something that was easy to assemble and had accessories. Most importantly we didn’t want to break the bank. The KidKraft Amelia Dollhouse had everything we were looking for. The assembly took around an hour, it comes with 15 pieces of furniture and isn’t very expensive.

dollhouse

Play Time is Even More Fun

Kaylyn is now 9 and still loves to play with her dollhouse. I am sure with her getting older we only have a few more years that she is going to want to play. However, Haydyn isn’t even 2 so we know that she will get many years of entertainment out of it as well!

One of the things I really like about the KidKraft Amelia Dollhouse is that it has such nice graphics on it and it encourages creative playing. Your dolls can rearrange their furniture, take a ride on the elevator or take a nap in the adorable bed! I promise your kiddo’s won’t get bored playing with this dollhouse. Plus, if you dreamed of having your own awesome dollhouse when you were little, you can even enjoy some playtime yourself (with the kids of course).

No Bake Cookie Bites

Enjoy Some Delicious No Bake Cookie Bites

No Bake Cookie Bites

Cure that sweet tooth craving with these easy No Bake Cookie Bites! I have a huge sweet tooth and chocolate is my absolute favorite. There are many recipes out there, but I experimented to see if I could find a perfect recipe for my household.

These No Bake Cookie Bites are the easiest treats to make! They are perfect for an everyday snack, a birthday party or an energy boost while hiking! The are packed with lots of fiber and just enough sweet goodness to keep your taste buds happy and begging for more.

Easy Cookie Bites

As you can see, even Haydyn loves them! She seems to have an intuition when I start gathering the ingredients to make this recipe. She runs to the kitchen and is begging for some before I am even done. I can’t blame her, because I like to eat a little before I actually refrigerate them too! It’s pretty safe to say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree there.

What I love about these super easy cookie bites is that you can do so many things with them. The recipe I am posting is my absolute favorite and the one I make most often, but below are some variations you make like. Just replace the m&m’s and semi-sweet chocolate chips for the following:

Dried cranberries and white chocolate

Milk Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter Chips

Butterscotch chips and chocolate chips

Peanuts and chocolate chips

Almonds and dried cranberries

Sunflower seeds and chocolate chips

No Bake Cookie Bites

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal (old fashioned or minute oats)
  • 3/4 cup of peanut butter (I use Jif but you can use your favorite)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 2 tsp of vanilla
  • 1/2 cup ground flax seed
  • 1/3 cup m&m's
  • 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl with a wooden spoon. After mixed well, refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll into balls and enjoy! I like to keep mine refrigerated all the time and eat them cold.
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These are are very filling and satisfying. You can sneak extra nutrients in and your family won’t even know or have time to object. Now it’s up to you to figure out what your favorite recipe is!

Strawberry Poke Cake

Classic Strawberry Poke Cake

Strawberry Poke Cake

If you are looking for a refreshing and tasty dessert, you should make a Classic Strawberry Poke Cake!  I remember being a kid and going to Grandma’s and having this Classic Strawberry Poke Cake! I always wanted it, but never knew how and then several years ago my husband asked me to make it. I started asking around and found out this is literally the easiest cake ever to make!  If you don’t make this cake, you are missing out!

 

family

I decided to make the Strawberry Poke Cake this year for the 4th of July. As you can see in the photo above, I attempted to take a photo of my amazing family. I had a fantasy of providing you with an awesome 4th of July family portrait with all of us in our 4th gear, but this is the best I could get!  With Haydyn having a meltdown and my husband not wanting to be in the photo it’s a good thing we had some yummy cake to keep us happy for dinner!

Okay, back to that delicious cake! The best part about this cake is that you refrigerate it, so it is so nice and cold with each amazing bite.  Another great thing about the cake is that you can personalize it to meet your tastes. I use strawberry jello and add strawberries, but you could easily replace it with orange, cherry or anything else you like!

There are also many things you can do to spruce of the frosting if you want. I prefer good old fashion whip cream, but you may want to add some cream cheese to it or some fresh strawberries sent through the food processor.  No matter what you choose, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

Strawberry Poke Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 box of Duncan Hines white cake mix
  • 1 (3 oz.) box of strawberry jello
  • 1 cup of boiling water
  • 1 (8 oz.) tub of cool whip
  • Fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries (optional)

Instructions

  1. Follow the directions on the box of cake mix and prepare as recommended. When cake is almost done baking, boil your cup of water and dissolve the strawberry jello in the water. When the cake is done, poke holes with a fork all over while it's still hot. Then pour your jello all over the top of the cake and allow to cool. Once cooled, put your cook whip all over the top. Add fresh fruit to the top if desired and place in the fridge. I like to refrigerate for at least 3 hours before eating. Enjoy!
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Fisher-Price Learning Home – Age 12 months and Up!

Having a blast with the Fisher-Price Learning Home

Fisher Price Play Home

This Fisher-Price Learning Home has so many fun features and will provide hours of entertainment and giggles! Our daughter, Haydyn, who is 20 months old, loves to play house for hours. Even our 9 year old, Kaylyn, loves to get in on the action.  The best part about this interactive toy is that Haydyn is learning and helping develop her vocabulary and doesn’t even realize it! Best for ages of 12 months to 3 years. 

Fisher-Price

When we purchased the Fisher-Price Learning Home, we were immediately drawn to all the bright colors.  There were so many different things to touch and play with to keep the girls busy. The swinging door is a huge hit! We also loved that it is very versatile because even though it is an inside toy, it can also be taken outside. We like to take ours out on a nice day and enjoy all the interactive features.

Fisher Price Interactive Home

The Fisher-Price Learning Home will not disappoint with all the activities available. There are 21 songs including The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Hickory Dickory Dock.  It helps teach the alphabet and the interactive clock can help the child learn how to tell time.  It even helps our 9 year old practice telling time and with today’s digital world we all need a little practice!  There are balls you can drop down the downspout, a mailbox and house numbers that you can change.  The porch light actually lights up and there are words with photos that helps encourage early reading and site words. Haydyn loves to look at the picture of the puppy and repeat the word puppy in her cute little toddler voice!

If you are looking for a fun and interactive toy that also teaches your child many things, the Fisher-Price Learning Home would be a great toy for your household!

Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs

Super Easy 3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Meatballs

easy slow cooker meatballs

One of our favorite family recipes is our Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs.  This is one of those recipes that has been passed down from a friend of a friend of a friend. We love meat at our house and can’t go wrong with this recipe! These Slow Cooker Meatballs are a perfect meal for any season. They are great for potlucks, bbq’s, graduations or any other event where people gather and share a meal.

I love that I can get supper ready before I ever even leave for work in the morning!  We are all busy and tired from our hectic lives. I have to plan ahead so that my evenings aren’t spent cooking. This gives me the freedom to spend time with my family and do all of our other chores without the stress.  The best part about this recipe is that it takes me about 5 minutes to prepare!

3 ingredient meatballs

 

Our daughter, Haydyn, could practically live off of these!  If you have a toddler you understand how difficult it can be to find food that they will actually eat.  These Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs are the perfect meal ticket for us. Finding meals that meet everyone’s needs is at the top of my recipe list.

As with most of my recipes, you can add different things or change things to make it your own. We love Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, so we pretty much use it on everything. If there is a sauce you love, you can certainly use that instead. No matter what you do, you will fall in love with these tasty meatballs.  Pair them with some cream corn, fresh fruit and a slice of bread and butter and you have a quick and easy meal.

Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs

Ingredients

  • Bag of 64 count Cooked Perfect Brand Homestyle Meatballs
  • 1 (18 oz) bottle of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce Sweet'n Spicy
  • 1/4 cup of grape jelly

Instructions

  1. Line your slow cooker with a liner, pour in bag of meatballs. Pour entire bottle of BBQ sauce and 1/4 cup of grape jelly on top. Stir around. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
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Delicious Freezer Burritos

Easy and Delicious Freezer Burritos

If you are looking for a quick and easy recipe, try these Delicious Freezer Burritos.  Like most moms, I am very busy and it is hard to make a nice meal every single night. Several times a month I decide to make food ahead of time and put it in the freezer for a quick and easy meal. That way on those busy dance nights we don’t always feel like we have to eat out. This not only saves us time, but money as well.  Plus, I like to eat these for lunch instead of sandwiches all the time!

Freezer Burritos

In our home, anything that is evenly slightly Mexican gets us all on board!  I swear we could live off of beans, tortillas and cheese!  This recipe contains very few ingredients and it is super quick to whip up a batch to freeze or eat right away.

 

The best part about this recipe is that you can do several things to make it your own. I use original Rotel Tomatoes, but if you want a little more kick you could go with the Hot Rotel.  If you like onions or peppers, you could add some when you brown your hamburger.

Delicious Freezer Burritos

Ingredients

  • Package of Knorr Mexican Rice - prepared
  • 16 oz. can of refried beans (I use fat-free, but whatever kind you prefer)
  • 10 oz. can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
  • 1 lb. hamburger browned and drained
  • 1 package of taco bell original seasoning
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 12 soft tortilla shells

Instructions

  1. After browning hamburger, add package of taco bell seasoning using the directions on the package. Add refried beans and rotel to the hamburger mixture.
  2. I always stir it around and get it nice and hot.
  3. Once it is hot, take a tortilla shell and add as much rice as you want and top it with the hamburger mixture.
  4. Sprinkle with cheese.
  5. Continue filling burritos until your run out of filling.
  6. Fold and serve immediately or let cool and prepare to place in the freezer.
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Now, to freeze these burritos let them cool and then tightly wrap them in aluminum foil. I like to put mine in gallon size freezer bags and I always write the date I made them. To warm them, place them on a microwave safe plate and cover with a paper towel. I usually heat them for 2-3 minutes until they are cooked through.

Add some tortilla chips and guacamole and you have a pretty tasty meal!  When you serve the burritos, they go so nicely with some sour cream, any kind of nacho cheese sauce or some picante sauce on top!  You can also add lettuce or tomato add to the delicious burritos.

Now you can just sit back and enjoy your Easy and Delicious Freezer Burritos. No need to worry about having to rush home to slave over the stove to make supper!

Garmin Vivofit Tracker – Fitness and Sleep Tracker

Track your Steps and Sleep with the Garmin Vivofit 

If you are looking to track your steps and sleep, try the Garmin Vivofit Fitness and Sleep Tracker.  Let’s face it, in today’s world it is way to easy to overeat and to skip exercising! I need that extra push to motivate myself to improve my health.  I decided to shop for a fitness tracker so that it could help jump start my desire to become more active.

Garmin Vivofit Fitness Tracker

While searching for the perfect fitness tracker for me, I came across the Garmin Vivofit Fitness Tracker. I was looking for was a fitness tracker that is inexpensive, has an app that I can use for my phone and something that monitors my sleep habits. The Garmin Vivofit has all of these things!  The Garmin Vivofit didn’t break the bank and I love the app for my phone!  

There are many colors to choose from. Black, Blue, Red, Slate, Teal and Purple to name a few. I chose the Teal, because I love bright colors in my wardrobe and thought this would make a great accessory.

Garmin Vivofit Fitness and Sleep Tracker

You get to pick your daily goal. This helps you start ease into reaching your goals each day.  I started with 7,500 steps. It was easy for me to reach that goal, so I will keep increasing it every few days until it becomes challenging. Another awesome feature about the Garmin Vivofit is that if you become inactive for an hour, a red bar will appear across the top of the Vivofit. Each additional 15 minutes of inactivity another bar will appear. This encourages you to get up and moving.

One of my favorite features is the sleep tracker on the app. I am a very poor sleeper and it tells me how many hours I slept and how much of it was deep sleep and how much of it was light sleep.  Having this information helps me understand part of why I am so tired all the time!  I have began researching ways that I can get more deep sleep and this has already started helping me get better sleep.

If you are in the process of looking for a fitness tracker, I highly recommend the Garmin Vivofit Fitness Tracker!

Delicious and Easy Strawberry Spinach Salad

Juicy and Tasty Strawberry Spinach Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Sometimes I just crave this Delicious and Easy Strawberry Spinach Salad.  Around ten years ago, my husband and I were at a wedding that served a Strawberry and Spinach Salad. I will be honest, back in the day I wasn’t really willing to try a lot of new things when it came to food.  Up until that point, I would have never considered serving strawberries and spinach together!  In reality, when you mix that fresh flavor of the spinach with the plump and juicy strawberries your mouth gets an explosion of amazing flavors.  Once you try this Delicious Strawberry Spinach Salad you will be hooked!  I am so glad that I tried something new, because I fell in love.

Easy Strawberry Spinach Salad

Perfect Easy Salad for Entertaining

This Strawberry Spinach Salad is perfect for potluck dinners and barbecue’s.  My recommendation for taking this as a side dish is to bring the dressing separately. It will get soggy if you add the dressing before it is ready to be served.  No one wants a soggy salad!

The wonderful thing about this salad is you can really add your own flair.  That original Strawberry Spinach salad I had at that wedding had craisins. Craisins aren’t my favorite, so I don’t add them. You could also add feta or goat cheese. I add plain walnuts, but candied walnuts or pecans may also add a nice flavor.  You can make it different each time to change it up or find that one way you like it best and turn it into a family favorite.

Easy Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients

  • 10 ounce bag of spinach leaves
  • 2 (16 ounce) containers of fresh strawberries
  • 2.25 ounce of bag of walnuts
  • 1/2 pack of cooked and crumbled bacon
  • Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette to taste
  • Optional items: craisins, feta cheese, goat cheese, candied nuts

Instructions

  1. Cook 1/2 package of bacon and crumble. Cut and quarter fresh strawberries. Place spinach in large bowl, add strawberries, add crumbled bacon, walnuts and slightly toss. Add any optional items and add as little or as much dressing as you prefer.
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This truly is the easiest Strawberry Spinach Salad!  The fresh flavors compliment each other so well. Plus, you will get lots of compliments from friends and family when they try this tasty salad.  Next time you are trying to come up with something that is fresh and easy to make, I highly recommend trying this Strawberry Spinach Salad.

Delicious Strawberry Salad

HP Beats Special Edition Laptop

HP Vibrant Red Beats Edition Laptop

Hp Laptop

When my sister asked me join her in this journey to blog with her, I decided to purchase the HP Vibrant Red Beats Edition Laptop.  I had previously had an HP and loved it and was confident that I would purchase another HP product. I had been using the same the same laptop for over 6 years!  Crazy I know!

I spent a lot of time searching all the different laptops on the market today. Let me tell you that there are so MANY to choose from.  There are several things I was looking for in a laptop and the HP Vibrant Red Beats Edition had them all!  I wanted a computer that was fast, had plenty of storage and was a great price.

touchscreen HP

Lots of Fun Features on this HP Laptop

When I came home from work the day I received my new HP Laptop, I was so excited that I had to get it opened and up and running immediately!  It took less than 10 minutes to have it set up and ready to play with. I loved the quick start up, especially since I am not exactly technical savvy.

This HP Laptop has a 15.6″ Touch Screen!  With all the cell phones and tablets now days, it was important for me to be able to have a touch screen on my laptop too. This is an awesome feature that makes this laptop even more user friendly. 

I find myself doing a lot of typing in the dark. This Vibrant Red HP Laptop found an awesome solution for people like me. This laptop has a red backlit keyboard. Not only is it highly functional, it looks really COOL!

Touch Screen HP

This Laptop has also won the heart of my daughter, Kaylyn!  It’s so easy to use and she loves the touchscreen as well. Now the best part of this HP Laptop Special Edition is the HP Beats with Dual Speakers and Subwoofer.  At our house we like to crank up some good old Country Music and on this HP Laptop we are left with great music and an awesome sound.  If you are in the market for a new laptop, I highly recommend the HP Vibrant Red with Beats Special Edition!