Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

Waking up to a fresh batch of Sour Cream Blueberry Chai Muffins is guaranteed to kickstart your morning in the best way! Each one is soft, fluffy, and filled with fresh berries.

Blueberry Chai Muffins - fresh berries and spices will make this soft fluffy muffin your new favorite breakfast. Great recipe for busy mornings!

It's time for some muffin mania around here. As much as I love to bake crazy desserts, I plan to focus on more breakfast recipes this month, like these raspberry white chocolate muffins.

My kids love having a box of muffins on the counter. Muffins are an easy breakfast for them to grab when running behind in the morning.

We usually have plenty of ripe bananas on the counter, so these double chocolate banana muffins are our go-to muffin recipe. Lately, though, I have stopped buying bananas because they just sit there until I freeze them for smoothies.

[Read more...]

Italian Veggie Salad

This easy Italian Veggie Salad is a delicious and healthy addition to your meal plan. Feel free to change it up with your favorite veggies.

I know right about now you are wondering what is going on around here. Yes, this is still Inside BruCrew Life, and yes, I still love to make and eat desserts.

But I also love to share recipes that our family eats. This veggie salad has been made three times in the last week. I have been making this easy veggie pasta salad since I was a teenager, and it a family favorite that we enjoy all year long. Over the years we have given it some fun variations like this pizza pasta salad. It doesn't matter how we make it, our kids go nuts for it! [Read more...]

Triple Berry Orange Smoothie

Frozen fruit, juice, and yogurt gives this Triple Berry Orange Smoothie a delicious and healthy blast. This smoothie is a great way to start out the day or to fight off the afternoon snacking urge.

Are you as ready as I am to jump on the healthy food wagon? After a month of holiday eating, all I want to see are fruits and veggies. Kind of. My mind says veggies, but my stomach wants to know where the chocolate is. The struggle is real!

Last week, my husband and I both looked at each other because we were feeling a little tired of eating all the things. Our jeans weren't fitting right, and we were tired and sluggish! It was time to detox all the sugar out of our system with a cleanse. We bought a bunch of veggies, fruits, and nuts and have been on the healthy train since then.

For the most part, I have done pretty well on watching what I eat. My husband always does a lot better than me because his will power is way stronger. Or his sweet tooth got pulled a long time ago. Whatever the case, he is still going strong, while I haven't given up my coffee creamer, so my body is still getting a sugar fix each day. I am measuring the creamer now instead of pouring it, so at least it is only a small dose.

[Read more...]

Top Ten BruCrew Recipes from 2016

Another year of recipes is in the books. Thank you so much for another great year of blogging and good food!! One of my favorite things to do at the end of each year is to look at what ten recipes were your favorites.

Here are the top ten BruCrew recipes from 2016 that got the most views this year. I have to admit some of these were my favorites too, so you guys have great taste in food!

Did your favorite recipe make the list? I would love to hear what recipe was your favorite, what you tried, what you hated, what I should make next...

If you missed any of these recipes, here is your chance to catch up with everyone else because you really should try these ones!

[Read more...]

Merry Christmas 2016

We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It has been a year of change for our family, and we are so thankful for everything that God has provided for us as we transitioned to a new place. We are also so thankful for everyone who reads and follows our recipes and adventures here on the blog. You make all this possible, and your support makes it even more fun.

Make sure you enjoy the holidays with your family and eat all the cookies and fudge while you still can. There are only a few more days until it is salads and smoothies all day long. But most importantly, my prayer is that you will remember the reason for the season. God sent His son to earth as a baby, so that He could show us how to live and to become our King. That makes all the busyness and presents seem a little less important, doesn't it? May the joy of Jesus fill your hearts and lives as you celebrate with friends and family.

Luke 2:10-11 "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men."

Eggnog Donuts

Eggnog Donuts are fun and festive, and perfect for your wintery breakfast. Make a triple batch for brunch with friends!

For the past 18 years I have collected snowmen. Every year at this time I pull out the holiday boxes and set up the snowmen collection, and each year I buy a new snowman or snowgirl for the family.

That is until this year. I pulled out the boxes of all the Christmas "stuff" we have accumulated over the years, and I realized that I didn't even want to use most of it. My holiday decorating style has changed. Is it possible to have your style change in just one year?

Last year the snowmen stood proudly in our living room, and this year they are still in a gray tote in the corner of the living room because I got them out and then put them right back away.

[Read more...]

Apple Butter Oatmeal Bars

Change up your holiday desserts with these Apple Butter Oatmeal Bars. These sweet oatmeal bars will become one of your new favorite desserts.

A stack of cranberry oat bars topped with frosting.

The other day, my daughter and I went Christmas shopping for some of our nieces and nephews. Buying little clothes and toys is so much fun for those little kids! The only thing more fun would be if we could be there in person to watch them open them. But alas, this year, we are staying put on Christmas day. Last year, we were in the process of moving states, so the holidays were a blur of madness!

As we came out of the store, I had to stop and think about where I parked the car because these days, my short-term memory is not what it used to be. Seriously! It doesn't matter if I'm in the store for 5 minutes or 50 minutes because either way, I'm going to forget where the car is. Is this what it feels like to get older? My knees are already all creaky and sore in the morning. I don't know if I can handle the forgetfulness, too!

Our daughter just gave me that look. She has definitely perfected that teenage look over the past two years. It was kind of funny to see her look at me like I was crazy for losing the car. I'm cool with it, though. There are plenty of quirks that our kids give us grief for these days.

[Read more...]

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Cups

Fluffy pink filling and a fun peppermint pretzel make these pretty Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Cups the star of every holiday party!

Chocolate cookies cups filled with pink fluff and topped with a white chocolate pretzel.

This past week, I had the opportunity to make desserts for our church youth group's Christmas party. Of course, any time I have to make desserts for real people, I tend to freak out a little because what if they hate them all? The struggle is real.

I wrote down a list of treats that I thought would be good teen food. M&M blonde brownies and peanut butter Rice Krispie treats were two easy and kid-approved treats that I knew would be good to serve. Cheesecake brownies and peppermint cookies and cream fudge were two more desserts that I thought would go over well because every time I make them, they disappear.

The dilemma I was facing was whether I would have enough. I was told to plan for 40 kids and parents, but there could be more. So, after doing all that, I started to question if I had enough dessert. Yes, I know they were having appetizers and dinner, but you have to have lots of desserts, right? The more options, the better, in my opinion.

[Read more...]

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

The holidays call for lots of chocolate and peppermint, especially when it looks like this Chocolate Peppermint Cake. A homemade chocolate cake with a marshmallow frosting and candies will make the holidays sweeter.

Chocolate Peppermint Layer Cake - homemade cake with layers of peppermint frosting, candies, & sprinkles makes a fun holiday cake. Great recipe for parties!

I will never understand people in parking lots. The other day we were out shopping. The parking lots and stores were busy because everyone else was doing last minute Christmas shopping too.

We pulled into one aisle behind another vehicle, when suddenly she stopped to wait for someone putting bags in their car. They had just started to unload the cart, so it was going to be a while. This is the moment when you decide to keep looking for a spot. Or I don't know, maybe park in an open spot farther away.

Since she was still waiting, we went around her and found a spot at the end of another aisle. As we were walking into the store, we looked back. Sure enough, that vehicle was still sitting there waiting.

[Read more...]

Peppermint Brownie Truffles

A batch of these Peppermint Brownie Truffles will not last long at your holiday parties. Easy treats that look like they came from the store are perfect because they will impress everyone.

Most of the time I love to go all out and bake over the top desserts. It's so much fun coming up with new ideas and new ways to put together a sweet treat. Hiding candy bars inside cookies or truffles is one of my favorite things to do. These salted caramel brownie bites are one of my favorites.

But there are times when you just need an easy treat that has some pizzaz. That where brownie truffles come into play. This easy treat is seriously only 3 ingredients. Ok, technically it's more because you need to use oil and eggs to make the boxed brownie mix. (You can also double these homemade chocolate chip brownies and bake them in a 9x13 pan for 30 minutes if you prefer that method!)

Our kids devoured these little brownie bites in no time at all. When all three kids give something two thumbs up, I know I'm onto something good.

[Read more...]

« Previous Page