Saturday, August 30, 2014

Taking control of my health and starting an amazing fitness journey!

Hi guys Sam here! This summer has flown by and with our busy schedules and hectic lives I was feeling like exercise was the last on my list of priorities. My health was on the back burner and it was starting to show, not only in my body but in my mind. I was feeling tired, lazy and unmotivated. Here is a brief description of our summer and my journey to better health:  
Photo: I have enjoyed sharing our fun summer with everyone here but I wanted to share another great thing that has been in the works for me... 

With our busy schedules and hectic lives I was feeling like exercise was the last on my list of priorities. My friends were doing an awesome stroller stride workout this summer but with my 7 year old out for the break it was impossible for us to join. I also felt like it was too hard to workout at home with all of the kids here. In my mind I needed to go to the gym to workout. So for the summer we bought a membership to the YMCA. Although it has been good for the kids, (they got swim lessons out of the deal) the entire summer I only got ONE 30 minute workout in. The kids hated the childcare so leaving them there was not an option. My dreams of working out in the gym were a bust. 

Then my friend from junior high introduced me to Beachbody and Shakeology. The theory behind Beachbody is you don’t have to go to the gym to work out and it’s true. Since the beginning of August have been working out at home, drinking my Shakeology, eating better and I feel great! Not to mention I have lost several pounds and inches in this short time. I have more energy than I have had in years and it feels amazing. I have cancelled our YMCA membership and now my kids have started to join me in my workouts at home. Ha! I have loved it so much that with the help of my coach Adriana Estrada I have decided to become a coach myself! This has been a great start to an incredible journey, let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/Samantha0916
 

My friends were doing an awesome stroller stride workout this summer but with my 7 year old out for the break it was impossible for us to join. I also felt like it was too hard to workout at home with all of the kids here. In my mind I needed to go to the gym to workout. So for the summer we bought a membership to the YMCA. Although it has been good for the kids, (they got swim lessons out of the deal) the entire summer I only got ONE 30 minute workout in. The kids hated the childcare so leaving them there was not an option. My dreams of working out in the gym were a bust.

Then my friend from junior high introduced me to Beachbody and Shakeology. The theory behind Beachbody is you don’t have to go to the gym to work out and it’s true. Since the beginning of August have been working out at home, drinking my Shakeology, eating better and I feel great! Not to mention I have lost several pounds and inches in this short time. I have more energy than I have had in years and it feels amazing. I have cancelled our YMCA membership and now my kids have started to join me in my workouts at home. Ha! I have loved it so much that with the help of my coach I have decided to become a coach myself!


This has been a great start to an incredible journey, that I can't wait to share with you all. I would love to be your coach. I would love to help you feel as amazing as I do. I would love share this feeling with everyone. There are so many great programs through Beachbody.  I promise you won't be disappointed. They offer a 100% money back guarantee, even if the bag is empty!

Check out the link to my profile to see me and what Beachbody is all about! The Challenge Packs are the way to go, that is how I got my start.


http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/Samantha0916

Feel free to ask me any questions, I would love to answer them.




P.S. Stay tuned for my before and one month out pictures!

This is not a paid post, I just wanted to share my amazing fitness journey with you all. Thank you for reading my story.
Samantha
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Friday, August 29, 2014

The Latest PC Game: The SIMS™ 4 Launch is Happening!

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





I have been playing The Sims™ since the first one came out! My husband and I are gamers and Sims has been our favorite PC game ever. When my husband and I were in college together we would play The Sims™ Series between classes and after homework. We would laugh how we were playing a game that was the life we were going to college for, a career, kids, a home and  pets. My husband and I even speak "Sim" to each other and we so get what the other is saying, its hilarious.

Fast forward 10 plus years and we now have the kid, the responsibility of a house and jobs. Between raising kids and working we still try to take time to play games. After all playing keeps adults young at heart! When we heard that the Latest PC Game The Sims™ 4 was coming out we knew we had to get it. #Sims4 #CollectiveBias

This version of The Sims™ has the characters with bigger personalities by being able to customize personality traits, skills and ambition that all change how your character interacts in the game. The home creating tools are easier and faster with for the first time being able to hand sculpt each room to make it your very own. Plus you can more easily share your Sims creations with friends online.



I spent a few hours playing The Sims™ 4 Create a Character Demo and had a blast. I love how you can now change small details in a face that make a big difference to looking exactly like a real person. In the demo you can only create  young adults but its a great way to get a feel for the flow of the game and I was impressed. I was making a Sim that I thought looked like me to have my husband ask who I was making. That made me laugh because I realized I was indeed making the "cooler" me and ask for his tweeks to my character using the tools. Between the two of us making it I think its a close match. I am looking forward to making his character and building a house once the full version of the game is out on September 2nd.





Like many great games that come out its best to get a pre-order in. I have had to wait on games I thought would be available after not pre-ordering so I knew this game I would definitely need to. Walmart is making it simple and beneficial to pre-order the game online. Easy peasy you don't even need to go to the store! When you pre-order the game online you will get a packet of Sour Patch Kids gum and other limited time offers with the game like a keychain, VUDU movie credits and more. But hurry with your pre-order to get the extra perks.




My husband and I are looking forward to the game day launch of September 2nd to spend hours playing. I even made sure I had the day off from work! It is going to be a Sim-erific day with our Sour Patch Kids Gum and the latest version of our favorite PC game Sims 4.

There is a great Facebook contest for the The Sims™ 4 release. Here is some info:

Be sure to enter the SIMify yourself Facebook Contest here: https://www.facebook.com/simifyyourself. There are $8000 in prizes to be won including the grand prize where you could win a trip to Maxis studio in California! See the official rules here: https://collectivebias.box.com/shared/static/bgg20pn7ujnmkha77b6p.pdf


Have you played any of The Sims™ Series? Do you plan to play this one?


Laura
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Help Your School With Campbell's Labels For Education #Labels4Edu #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Labels4Edu #CollectiveBias


I know many kids all around the country have already started school. Here in Washington State, we still have another week to wait, and the excitement is really running high with anticipation around our house. Like most parents and grandparents, we want to help our school function at it's best in every way we can. So we are very excited to be participating in the Campbell's Labels for Education program, where you just clip and save the UPC labels from thousands of participating products you buy everyday, and give them to your school to redeem for free merchandise.

There are soups, cereals, cookies, dairy products, beverages, school supplies and so many more that all carry the Labels for Education emblem that will help earn points for your child's school, or the school of your choice.

My family and I already buy many of these products on a weekly basis, so it really makes it easy to participate in this program and help us give to my grandson Jayden's school. It's very simple to find out if your school participates in the program, or a school in your district, on the programs website.


Jayden is thrilled to be entering second grade this year, and I'm finding it a little bit surprising that I'm the grandmother of a seven year old. It seems like only yesterday that he was a baby. The time has flown by, but I am so proud of this smart little guy.

Like most schools around the country, Jayden's school has budget challenges, and has needs that have to go unmet because of lack of funding.

By participating in the Labels for Education program, his school has the opportunity to get some of those needed items for free.


All you have to do is clip the labels and give them to your school. It's really easy, and we have a box that we toss them into and give to the school once a month. It's even kind of funny, because now Jayden will pick up a package or can and look for the Labels for Education to help out his school. He caught onto this very quickly, and feels great about finding the labels.

We have a large family, so I've recently asked everyone to clip and save their labels. The list of participating products is over 2,500, so there should be a good amount of labels coming my way every month from family members.


My town has a brand new Safeway, that I just love, and can't seem to stay away from. They have a great selection of so many items, many with the Labels for Education, including my favorite cookies. I love that I can eat cookies for a good cause!!

For my weekly shopping trip, I printed out some great money-saving coupons from the Labels for Education website. These are coupons for items that my family and I use all the time, and also lets us donate more labels to our school.

Since I live with my daughter and her family, which includes three of my grandchildren, we have a big grocery bill every week. So it's really great when I can use coupons to help save us money.




Campbell's soups has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. One of my favorite memories as a kindergartener was coming home at lunchtime to a cup of Campbell's soup and a grilled cheese sandwich that my Mom had made for me.

My grandchildren are soup lovers too, so we buy a lot of Campbell's soup. And now all the kids love finding the labels and helping me put them in the box to donate and help our school.

And there's another way we can help out our schools, one which I love, because I love sweepstakes.

Just enter your school in the Labels for Education $ 1 Million Sweepstakes. 1000 schools will win $1000.  Wouldn't that be great for your school?



When I was at Safeway, I also picked up some much needed pens for myself. On the back of these packages, I found the Labels for Education emblems to clip and donate,  plus all the Bic pens were 30% off. Doing good and saving money, yay!!

When my own children were growing up, the schools they attended were very important to me. And now that I am a grandmother, I want my grandchildren to be in good schools, too.

So any way that we can help out our school to be it's best, I'm happy to participate in. The Campbell's Labels for Education program is such an easy way to help, by clipping and donating labels from products that my family and I already buy.

Would you like to find out more about this great program? Visit the Labels for Education website for more information, and to enter the $1 Million Sweepstakes.

Patricia
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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Chocolate Zucchini Bread



I really love chocolate, and somehow chocolate and zucchini just don't go together in my world. Except they do in this marvelously rich, chocolate zucchini bread that is filled with flavor.

The zucchini has been coming out of our garden quite regularly, and this is the first summer I've really embraced cooking with it. It's so versatile, whether you are using it for dinner, dessert, or snack recipes.


It's healthy for you too, of course, and I feel good when my family is eating their veggies. This recipe calls for a cup and a half of grated zucchini, which is about one medium sized zucchini.


This recipe calls for chocolate chips and cocoa powder, and it really packs a chocolate punch. It's moist and so, so good.

If you don't have homegrown zucchini from your garden to use, the farmers markets are still filled with them, and it's a nice way to end the summer, by making this yummy, chocolaty bread.


Recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup applesauce
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened  cocoa powder
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup semi chocolate chips
baking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Patricia
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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Football Fun with Chocolate MARS Candy Bar Ice Cream Brownie Cake

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




Football and good food seem to go hand in hand. I usually buy savory dips or spicy wings for football games and make the dessert myself. I enjoy making sweet treats to share with my loved ones. For this football gathering I made MARS Chocolate Candy Bar Football Ice Cream Brownie Cake.

The part of football we love the most is being fans. We like rooting for our team, wearing the team colors and being a part of the excitement with fellow fans. Another aspect of  football fun can be team rivalry and we have that in our family. My husband and I are all about the red and gold while our cousins are true black and sliver fans! It makes it a little more fun to have these opposing local teams be our different favorites. We do all agree on a love of chocolate candy bars!! #Chocolate4TheWin #CollectiveBias





Recipe for MARS Candy Bar Football Ice Cream Brownie Cake

1 bag of 105 count variety bag of MARS Candy bars
1 box of brownie mix
1.5 quart of vanilla ice cream

First make brownies according to the instructions on the boxed mix you purchased. After brownies bake allow them to cool before making ice cream cake. In a rectangle or square pan layer the ice cream, brownies and MARS Chocolate candy bars, freezing the ice cream between the layers for 10 minutes to set. Top layer should end with vanilla ice cream. For the fun size candy bars I smashed them first to make them easier to bite in the cake. I included Milky Way, 3 Musketeer and SNICKERS®  bars in my cake, you can select the ones you enjoy from the 105-count variety bag.

After letting the whole cake freeze use a knife to cut out the shape of a football, removing the outside ice cream brownie cake from the sides first making it easier to take the football shape out of the pan. Place the football shaped cake on a plate. Use the full size SNICKERS® to cut into shape of the football threads and add to top of the cake, freeze for one more 15 minute interval.



My husband, son and I loved the MARS Candy Bar Football Ice Cream Brownie Cake. I will be making this again next time we host a football party for our family. You can find the MARS 105-count variety bag and 48 count SNICKERS® at your local Sam's Club. We found our candy aisle near a sampling machine that dispensed candies and it happen to be a sampling day including candy. My son and I were having some serious candy fun!




My recipe can be interchangeable with the flavors of the main ingredients. Using blonde brownies and chocolate ice cream or many other combinations would be delicious with the MARS Candy.


I made a few MARS candy bar necklaces to wear while watching the game for easy snacking.

Laura

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Sunday, August 24, 2014

Making Memories and a Blackberry Pie


Last week my daughter, and my  grandchildren and I went blackberry picking. A ferry ride away from Seattle is a small town called Bainbridge Island. The island is filled with wild blackberry bushes and August is the best month to pick berries.

We ended up with a whole lot of berries, and even after eating a big bowlful, we had plenty left over for a blackberry pie.

My grandson Jayden is almost eight, and he loves cooking in the kitchen. He helped out so much in making this pie, from stirring the berries in the sugar, rolling out pie dough, and even brushed on the egg wash.

I love sharing this time with him, and I know he'll remember the day that he and Nana made a pie together. Cooking with children not only teaches them how to cook, but builds memories that last a lifetime. I look forward to making many, many more pies with him in the years to come.


Picking berries is so much fun, and you can't get any fresher that just picked off the bush.

The recipe that I used for the pie dough is the same one I use to make a fruit galette, but it's doubled.

This is absolutely the best dough recipe I have ever found, and it always comes out flakey and delicious. Even after we handled the dough much more than if I had made the pie alone, the crust was still so, so good.



Recipe for Blackberry Pie

Ingredients for pie crust:

4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons ice-cold milk

1 egg
1 tablespoon water (to make egg wash)

Ingredients for berry filling:

4 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons, divided
1/2 flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together egg yolk and milk, pour into flour mixture, stirring just until dough starts to form a ball.
Press together with lightly floured hands, and form into a flat round. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Lightly spray a pie plate with baking spray. To make the egg wash, mix together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk, set aside.
Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough into a circle, about 10 inches round. Fit into pie plate, Roll out the second piece into another round, set aside.
To make the filling, in a large bowl combine berries, sugar and 1/2 flour. Stir gently to combine.
Spoon the fruit mixture into the unbaked pie shell, cover with top crust.
Seal and crimp the edges, then make small cuts in the top crust to make vents for the steam to escape.
Brush the top with the egg wash, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake for 50-55 minutes, and until top is golden brown.
Cool on wire rack.


Patricia
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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Garden Fresh Chicken Zucchini Bake




There are lots of zucchini and other veggies coming from our garden right now, and it's really exciting. It can also be a challenge to find a way to use them in recipes, and to make sure they don't go to waste.

This recipe for Chicken Zucchini Bake uses four cups of chopped zucchini, a box of stuffing mix, and a couple of cups of cooked chicken. It's easy to make, and is super good.

When I made it last night for dinner, I was hoping for leftovers, but no such luck. It was really nice though to see my grandchildren eat this dinner up, and get some of that good zucchini in their bodies.


Of course, if you don't have a garden filled with zucchini, the grocery stores and farmer's markets are filled with them.

This dish is great-tasting, easy to make, and when you have leftovers, reheats beautifully. And even if you are not a zucchini lover, try this recipe and you just might change your mind.

Recipe for Chicken Zucchini Bake

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:

6 ounce package of boxed stuffing mix (like Stovetop)
1/2 cup melted butter
4 cups zucchini, diced
2 cups of cooked chicken, cubed
1 can Cream of Chicken soup (10.75 ounces)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
 
Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix and melted butter. Set aside 1/2 cup of the of the mixture for the topping. Add the zucchini, chicken, soup, onion and sour cream to the remaining stuffing and stir together well.
Place the zucchini mix into a greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish and spread out evenly with a spatula.
Sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup stuffing mix on top and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
 


Patricia
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Monday, August 18, 2014

Recipe For A Plum Galette and Thoughts About My Mother


When I was growing up, most of the moms I knew stayed home with their kids, and were responsible for taking care of the house and doing all the cooking. That's just the way it was back then, and being a good housewife was something that my own mom sometimes struggled with.

My mother was always kind and loving to me, but there were days when I came home from school to find her laying down in her bed, with the room dark, and I could feel a heaviness in her that I didn't understand.

Of course, now I know that she sometimes suffered from depression. Depression wasn't talked about back then, you hid it because it carried shame. She did what she had to do for her family, and I know how hard it must have been to carry on as though she were fine.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with making a galette. Well, I remember my mom always being unhappy with her pies, and she thought they never looked pretty. She felt the crust wasn't right, and I remember watching her frustration as she rolled out the dough and put the pie together.


My own attempts at making a great pie crust weren't all that successful either. So when I learned how to make a galette, where you put the dough and the fruit together in a rather freeform sort of way, I thought about my mother.

I thought how wonderful it would have been for her to be released from her own judgment about presenting her family with a picture perfect pie, and instead something that was beautiful in it's own rustic way.

So now when I make a galette, it's my mother I think about, and know that she would think this was a great idea.

When I saw these gorgeous and delicious black plums at the store, I wanted to make a plum galette, even though I had never used plums before. One nice thing about the plums is that you don't have to take the skin off of them, which is a huge time saver. After you have sliced them, just toss them with some sugar and a little flour, and they are ready to go into the center of your dough.


Leave about a two inch rim of the dough all around the fruit so it can be folded up to keep the fruit inside. It's so amazing how different fruit galettes can look from each other, because they reflect the bakers own hands and how it was folded.

Most apple pies look like an apple pie, but I think the beauty of a galette is in the individual look of each one. There are no mistakes, and that is the most wonderful feeling.


Somehow, this dessert has been deemed 'fancy' by a lot of people. I have seen it in popular cooking magazines, and yes, it can seem that way. I also saw a whole mixed berry galette for sale at an upscale bakery for $36.00. Crazy, right?

But it's so very simple to make, and so satisfying to put this gorgeous dessert on the table to share with family and friends.

I wish my mom were here to have a slice with me. She would have loved the ease and freedom of this dessert, and told me how delicious it was. I miss her everyday.


Recipe for Plum Galette


Ingredients for pastry dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons ice-cold milk

1 egg
1 tablespoon water (to make egg wash)

Directions:

 Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together egg yolk and milk, pour into flour mixture, stirring just until dough starts to form a ball.
Press together with lightly floured hands, and form into a flat round. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Ingredients for filling:

2 pounds black or red plums, quartered, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss together plums, sugar, and flour.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into an approximate
10-inch round. Place on a large, lightly greased baking sheet. Scoop plum mixture into center of round.
Fold about 1 inch of dough all the way around to form a rim. Combine egg and water, brush outside of tart with the egg wash.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on pan 20 minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Can be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Serves 6.


Patricia
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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Recipe For Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies


I seem to be having a little obsession with peanut butter lately. Recently, I've made 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Bites, Chocolate Cupcakes With Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting, and today I made these Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies.

Yes, I do love peanut butter, and it certainly goes together with chocolate to make some of our favorite desserts. These brownies are packed with delicious flavor, and if you are a peanut butter fan like I am, you'll love them.


After making one of my favorite brownie recipes, I simply stirred two tablespoons of peanut butter into the batter, and poured it into the pan. Then I dotted the top with peanut butter, and took a knife to swirl it through the batter. So easy, and so good!!


For extra peanut flavor, you can also add some chopped peanuts to the batter. These are perfect for kids and adults, and I'm taking them to a friend's potluck dinner for everyone to enjoy.

Recipe for Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Ingredients:

baking spray
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
1-1/4 cups cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with foil, with foil hanging over 2 sides.
Spray foil lightly with baking spray.
In a large bowl, beat eggs at medium speed for 1 minute. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients and beat until combined. Add the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and stir in well. Pour the batter into the pan. Drop small blobs of the remaining 1/3 cup peanut butter evenly on top of the batter. With a table knife, swirl the peanut butter into the brownie batter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.
Let cool completely before cutting.

Makes about 12 brownies.

 
Patricia
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Sunday, August 10, 2014

Raspberry Brownie Parfaits, Yummy Snacks For Back To School Fun

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


September is just around the corner, and that means back to school for my grandchildren. It's an exciting time for them, and they have been busy shopping with their mom and dad for school clothes, new backpacks, and school supplies. I thought it would be fun to surprise them with these delicious kids desserts that I knew they would love.

As I was making them, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic about using Cool Whip and Jell-O Pudding to make desserts for my own kids for so many years. The time seems to have flown by, and now I'm making them for a whole new generation of our family.

I know that life means change, but one thing that hasn't changed is how much kids love pudding and Cool Whip. I decided to get a little fancier that usual, so I made these Raspberry Brownie Parfaits, and it only took a couple of minutes to put them together.


There are so many delicious recipes that you can easily make with Jell-O Pudding and Cool Whip. When I'm buying my weekly groceries at Walmart, I always make sure they are on the shopping list.

These Kraft products have always been very friendly to my budget, and right now you can get $1.00 off when you buy one (1) tub of Cool Whip and two (2) boxes of Jell-O Pudding, while supplies last. Just click HERE for the coupon.

For these Raspberry Brownie Parfaits, you can make them from your favorite brownie recipe, or use a high quality mix.


It's super simple to put these parfaits together, and you could even have the kids make their own. Just start with a layer of chopped up brownies on the bottom, a layer of Cool Whip, some chocolate pudding, and a layer of raspberry jam. Add some more Cool Whip, and top with a few fresh raspberries.

Use medium size dessert dishes for making these parfaits. I used these cute mini Mason jars that I picked up at a flea market, and they were perfect for kid sized desserts.


My grandson Jayden loved his surprise snack. I enjoy making the kids treats, it's a part of being a grandmother that really gives me a lot of pleasure.

He asked me if I could make this as an afterschool treat when they are back in school, and of course I said I would.


You can easily find Cool Whip and Jell-O Pudding at your local Walmart. I think they have the biggest selection of pudding flavors available. You can also find Cool Whip there in various sizes and varieties.
 

It's been a great summer so far, and I'm glad we have a little while left before the busyness of fall takes over, and the days begin flying by.

I'd love to share my super easy recipe for Raspberry Brownie Parfaits. And the adults love them just as much as the kids, trust me.

Recipe for Raspberry Brownie Parfaits

Ingredients:

1 - 3.4 ounce box Chocolate Jell-O Pudding Mix
2 cups cold milk
1 container of Cool Whip Topping
1 cup already-baked, chopped brownies
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix and milk, blend with a wire whisk for 2 minutes.
Place a generous layer of the chopped brownies in the bottom of a dessert dish or glass. Put on a layer of Cool Whip, chocolate pudding, a layer of jam. Finish with a generous layer of Cool Whip.
You may also alternate layers as you please.
Add fresh raspberries on top of Cool Whip.


Enjoy!!

Patricia
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