Smucker's Snackation: Getting ready for our Fishing Trip #Smuckers #Sponsored

*This is a sponsored post from Smucker's and the #Snackation campaign. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

My son loves to be outside. Anytime we have a chance to go to the lake or river in our area we take it. We are lucky to live in a part of California that has Folsom Lake and the American River very close by. This summer we decided we would take a day to go fishing and show our son how to bait a hook.

We have been prepping a bait mixture we make to go fishing that we call power balls. Its a mix of worms, power bait and a secret ingredient to catch fish. My son asked about his snacks for the lake and if there was a human Power Ball he could have. This made me giggle but he did have a point. He wanted a one hand grab and eat treat that he could enjoy while on the lake waiting for a fish to bite.

We headed to Walmart, our go to spot for good prices on ingredients we need for baking and snacks. I wanted to make something that had fruit, nuts and grains in it for his Power Ball snacks. I enjoy baking with Smucker's Jams and had seen a similar recipe for granola bars on their website that I wanted to try to create my own spin on. I decided to make two separate flavors with their own jams and nuts in them for a delicious flavor using one of my favorite flax cereals as a base instead of granola.

My recipe is an easy one and turns out so delicious. You can add the dried fruits, nuts and seeds that you like to create your own version. I made two batches of the Flax Power Balls. One has Smucker's Apricot, cashews, dried cranberries and chia seeds. The other batch has Smucker's Grape, sunflower seeds, golden raisins and flax seeds.

Recipe for Smucker's Snackation Flax Power Balls:

2 Cups of Flax Cereal
1 Cup of Smucker's Jam
1/4 Cup of Nuts
1/4 Cup of Dried Fruit
1 tbsp. of Chia Seeds or Flax Seeds

Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Roll into small balls, place in 350 degree oven for 15 min or until slightly browned. Let cool and enjoy!

Now that we have our power balls for the fish bait and the Flax Power Balls for our snacks we are ready to pack up the car and head to the lake. If you are planning a fun outing and need Snackation ideas head to Walmart to see what you can create with Smucker's brand items.

Check back with us next week for the post where we will be going to the lake to test our power ball bait and see if our Flax Power Balls keep us full and energized while we spend the day in the sun fishing.

Raspberry Cobbler Recipe

This summer seems like it has just flown by, doesn't it? Pretty soon school will start, and two of my grandsons will be starting kindergarten this year. I can't believe these little guys are each five years old, they still seem like babies to me in so many ways.

But I'm still hanging onto summer as long as I can, and making fruit desserts with all that summer fruit still in the markets. Raspberries are a favorite with my family, so I decided to make this delicious Raspberry Cobbler for us all.

This is a super easy recipe, and you can substitute other berries if you don't have raspberries, or do a combination of different kinds. I love making this as a dessert, and then having any leftovers for breakfast the next morning.

When I was a kid, my parents always topped fruit desserts with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, and it's a tradition that I'm more than happy to carry on.

Recipe for Raspberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh raspberries 

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease  8” square ceramic baking dish.

Place berries in prepared pan. Drizzle with lemon juice.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until well-blended. Mix in dry ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs. Drop dough evenly on top of berries.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly.

 

Serves 6.

Little Caesars Soft Pretzel Crust Pizza & Cheese-N-Pretzel Dippers Review and Giveaway #PretzelCrustNation

For my family we enjoy pizza in the summer the most. We love not having to heat up the house on a hot day with the oven and just a drive to Little Caesars to pick up dinner. This particular trip to Little Caesars we planned to try the Soft Pretzel Crust Pizza and Cheese-N-Pretzel Dippers. I absolutely LOVE soft pretzels and was eager to try the pizza pretzel combo.

My son loved the Soft Pretzel Crust Pizza and wanted more of it after 3 pieces. It was a good pizza combo with the soft pretzel crust, I thought the pretzel cheese on it was a bit rich but my family loved it. I did eat like 4 slices of it, it was hard not to! The Cheese-N- Pretzel Dippers were delicious. I have always been a huge fan of Little Caesars bread sticks and now I will be adding the pretzel dippers to my must have side items at Little Caesars.

Little Caesars brings back Soft Pretzel Crust Pizza by popular demand and introduces CHEESE-N-PRETZEL DIPPERS. #PretzelCrustNation

Little Caesars new CHEESE-N-PRETZEL DIPPERS are 16 savory pieces of buttery, salty, toasted, soft pretzel bites served with a side of warm, creamy cheddar cheese dip, all for $3.49. 

The Soft Pretzel Crust Pepperoni Pizza is a large specialty pizza that starts with a flavorful, buttery, soft pretzel crust made fresh daily in store. It is topped with creamy cheddar cheese sauce, a blend of 100% real cheese, and pepperoni, and then finished with an irresistible four-cheese gourmet blend of Asiago, Fontina, Parmesan, and White Cheddar cheese for just $7.

Tired of the hassles of online ordering? Walk into Little Caesars and walk out with a large, Soft Pretzel Crust Pepperoni Pizza for just $7 plus tax! No need to call ahead, it’s HOT-N-READY every day between 4pm to 8pm or order anytime. And if you love the taste of pretzel, add an order of delicious CHEESE-N-PRETZEL DIPPERS for just $3.49 plus tax. Available for a limited time at participating locations.

Pizza + Video Games = Super Fun Summer Day

Little Caesars just started a Sweepstakes called Pretzel Crust Nation. This relates to Little Caesars bringing back the Soft Pretzel Crust Pizza and introducing the CHEESE-N-PRETZEL DIPPERS. There are great prizes such as a GoPro Camera and Little Caesars gift cards. #PretzelCrustNation

Hurry over to enter the sweepstakes and let me know if you win! I am also hosting a Little Caesars gift card and carry bag giveaway here on Frugal Family Tree.

GIVEAWAY

Little Caesars $20 Gift Card and Little Caesars carry bag.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts August 11, 2015 and ends on August 21, 2015 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. I was sent a product to review for this post.

Garden Fresh Chicken Zucchini Bake Recipe





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.

 

I originally posted this last August, but since it's such a great zucchini recipe, I wanted to share it with you again. Enjoy!!

Sofft Shoes Summer Sandal Sale and Breeze Sandal Review

I am a blogger and a working Mom. I am on my feet 8 hours a day and shoes are the most important item in my wardrobe. Being comfortable and fashionable can often be a challenge. I know many gals at work who have aching feet, knees and back from not so good shoes. Luckily I am able to wear many types of shoes to work and in the summer that allows for sandals. I LOVE cute and comfy sandals!

There are a few brands I know I can trust for comfort and Sofft Brand is one of them. I selected the Breeze Sandal in Luggage color for my review since its a cute wedge heel, stylish and would be secure on my foot with the zip back. I could not be happier with this shoe. I have worn it to work many times this past month which happens to be our second busiest time of the year and my feet did not ache. I even found a co-worker wearing the exact same pair of Sofft Breeze sandal. We giggled a bit that we were shoe twins.

Sofft shoes is having a Summer Sandal sale where you can get the Breeze or any of the other stylish shoes on sale. Some styles of Sofft shoes are on sale at Nordstrom too.

The Breeze Sandal in Black

I enjoy shopping online from the comfort of my home or on my phone. I always try to find a good deal, a discount code or free shipping, every little bit counts. Sofft shoes has Always Free shipping and returns. Another nice thing about Sofft is they make a Made in the U.S.A. Collection in addition to their other lines. I like the Sofft Cadee shoe from the U.S.A. collection.

You can connect with Sofft Shoes on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. When I find brands or sites I like I usually sign up to their emailing lists to get the sales and coupon notifications. Do you own any Sofft shoes? What is your favorite one?