Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal

Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal is a breakfast full of hearty goodness! Make it ahead of time and have breakfast ready for the week.

Our kids have been back to school for about four weeks now. So far, they are still doing pretty good at getting up on their own and being ready to leave on time. I have to admit that I love the fact that our kids are old enough to be responsible for getting ready on their own.

Don't get me wrong; I have days where I miss those little babies that needed me for everything. Our oldest going off to college really had me wishing those little ones were still here.

I still have moments of sadness, but for the most part I'm doing ok with our kids being big because it means an extra hour of sleep for me on a school mornings now. Making breakfast the day before is another way I give myself permission to sleep in while the kids are getting ready.

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Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake

Swirls of fresh strawberries and graham cracker crumbs give this Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake the prettiest layered look. A graham cracker rim and a striped straw make it look like it came from an old-fashioned ice cream parlor.

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Living in Florida, we keep our freezer stocked with frozen treats. After a hot day at the beach, it's nice to come home to something cold to cool you down.

I am always looking for fun ways to incorporate cheesecake into everything we make. These strawberry cheesecake cupcakes are always a favorite treat, so I knew that flavor would be perfect for a milkshake.

Most strawberry milkshake recipes just blend everything together. But mine has a few fun steps that make it stand out. The cups get a Cool Whip and a graham cracker crumb rim before the milkshake is added. Then, strawberry puree and more crumbs are layered inside, creating stripes.

Why You'll Love This Strawberry Cheesecake Drink

Looks like it's from a fancy soda shop. The layers of strawberry puree, graham cracker crumbs, and milkshake, topped with Cool Whip, make a cute summer dessert.
Tastes like cheesecake in a glass. Blending cream cheese into the ice cream gives it a sweet cheesecake flavor.
Ready in less than 10 minutes! Just blend, layer, and add the toppings. Then add a straw and enjoy!
Cheaper than a restaurant. You can make multiple drinks for your family at home for a fraction of the cost.

If you are a fan of frosty drinks, try out this Oreo shake and this mocha fudge shake!

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Letting Go

That fateful day has arrived. The day every parent dreads or can't wait for. It's time for me to learn the art of letting go as my first baby heads out on his own for his first day at college.

When you hold your first born child for the first time, you don't think about the day they are going to leave home. 18 years ago we welcomed our first baby boy into our life. What a journey that started for us.

Nothing can describe the immense love and joy we had as we stared down into that tiny face. Those cute chubby cheeks made the nine months of pregnancy and the c-section all worth it.
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Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

Three times the chocolate makes this moist and rich Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake a decadent and delicious way to eat your greens. This chocolate zucchini dessert is the perfect recipe to serve all year long.

About This Recipe

Do you get excited for certain ingredients at certain times of the year? During the summer months, I get excited to use green veggies in my baking.

I know I should enjoy zucchini as a veggie more often, but I seriously love baking it into chocolate zucchini desserts. It gives them such an awesome texture and taste!

This Chocolate Zucchini Cake and this Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread WERE two of my favorite ways to "eat my greens". They were my favorite until I had a slice of this decadent chocolate zucchini bundt cake. This cake is now my favorite zucchini dessert recipe.

A few weeks ago I headed to the grocery store because I was craving more chocolate covered zucchini. I wanted to use the green veggies to make an over the top zucchini bundt cake.

This moist and rich chocolate zucchini cake has chocolate glaze and chocolate chips. One bite and you will agree that this is the best way to eat your greens.

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Biscoff S'mores Pudding Cookies

Fill your cookie jar with a batch of these chewy Biscoff S'mores Pudding Cookies. The soft, puffy cookies are great for lunch boxes or snacking on any time!!!

Bonus - If you love Biscoff, don't miss out on this Biscoff Cheesecake!

We are counting down to the start of school here. Our kids only have 4 more days of summer vacation until that first day of classes begin. The high school that our daughter is attending this year starts at 7:30 am. She says she needs to make the most of sleeping in for the next few days because she is not ready to be up that early. Her school last year didn't start until 9 am. That's going to be an adjust for her (and us) because she is not a morning person. At all!

Who am I kidding? I'm not much of a morning person either. Although this past summer I really tried to get up by 7 am, so that I could get my quiet time, work out, and odds and ends work stuff done before the kids got up. The past few weeks though we have been up late trying to unpack all the boxes and figure out where things can go, so I have definitely been sleeping in a bit more. Time to get back on schedule with work and baking. I miss baking crazy things like this chocolate s'mores pudding cake.

But hey, there are only 4 more days to enjoy all the summer things, right? Sleeping in happens to be one of those things, so maybe I'll just enjoy a few more late mornings after all. All things s'mores is another thing that says summer to me. Since we were so busy with moving stuff this summer, we haven't enjoyed as many s'mores treats in the backyard.

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Blueberry Pecan Coffee Cake

This Blueberry Pecan Coffee Cake is sweet and nutty. It's a great way to kick off a weekend breakfast or brunch!

Can you believe that school is only a week away? Well, I guess that depends what state you are in. Our schools in Texas don't start until the end of the month, while the schools here in Florida start sooner.

The kids are excited but nervous to head into another new school. At least this time, they have a previous move under their belts. I think moving a year and a half ago gave them the confidence to do it again.

They realized that their old friends in Indiana didn't forget about them, and they made new friends quickly in Texas. I think this will help them, as they get ready to make new friends here in Florida.

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Caramel Coffee Pudding Pops

These easy Coffee Pudding Pops are a great treat for a hot summer day. The creamy homemade popsicles are dipped in a caramel shell and drizzled in chocolate. It's a fun frozen treat that tastes like a caramel frappuccino in popsicle form!

A coffee pudding pop with a caramel shell and chocolate drizzles held in the air.

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Does anyone else remember Jell-O pudding pops? They were a classic frozen treat from the 1980's that I absolutely loved. Growing up, we always had them at my grandpa's house, so they are part of my favorite summer memories.

If you didn't grow up with pudding pops, you really missed out on something awesome. These tasty treats were a freezer must-have back in the day but sadly were discontinued in 2011. The good news? They're easy to make at home with just a few ingredients.

I decided to make some homemade pudding pops this summer with a fun twist of coffee and caramel. Dipping the creamy pudding popsicles in a crunchy caramel magic shell made them taste like a caramel frappuccino in frozen pop form. It's the perfect afternoon treat for coffee lovers.

Why You'll Love These Coffee Pops

So easy to make. Just a few ingredients and a popsicle mold are all you need. Make them the night before, and keep them waiting in the freezer for whenever you need a pick-me-up on a hot day.
Extra creamy texture. Folding Cool Whip into the pudding mixture makes the pops creamier and honestly better than the classic pudding pops.
A caramel crunch. The magic shell hardens instantly, giving each one a satisfying crunch on the outside.
Tastes like a caramel frappuccino. The combination of coffee and caramel makes these pops taste like your favorite coffee shop drink.

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Cherry Apple Crumble Bars

The spices and fruit filling in these Cherry Apple Crumble Bars work so well together. Eat one of these cherry cobbler bars warm with vanilla ice cream for a delicious summer dessert.

The past few weeks we have been slowly packing boxes as we get ready to move across the country again. As I pull things out of closets and drawers I keep asking why. Why do we have so many towels for 5 people? Why did I keep all the jewelry making supplies from when I was in the "make your own" phase? I haven't made anything new for almost 2 years. Maybe it is time to let go.

Why are there 15 jillion bottles of curly hair product in my closet and under the sink? Oh, yeah curly girl problems. I like to try every single product out there for curly hair because you never know which one might work the best.

The problem with that theory is that you end up with a lot of bottles of product that just sit there because it didn't make your hair look as good as you hoped. This week I am making myself use the old stuff up. If you see me wearing a hat, you will know why.

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Green Chile Pulled Pork Tacos

These Green Chile Pulled Pork Tacos are loaded with meat, cheese, and salsa. They are such an easy and delicious dinner for busy nights.

Are you ready for my current taco obsession? Last year I was all about these Caribbean Jerk Shrimp Tacos, and now I cannot get enough of these easy pork tacos.

It's funny how your tastes can change in just one year. Don't get me wrong, I still love to make or order shrimp tacos. But for the time being these tacos have gone to the top of my list.

My hubby and I love to go on dates to some of the local taco places in our town. Our absolute favorite place is Torchy's Tacos. They seriously have the best tacos, queso, and margaritas.

We are going to miss that restaurant when we move later this month. I guess that just means we need to scope out another fun date place in Florida.

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Raspberry Orange Slushies

A pitcher of these easy Raspberry Orange Slushies is a great way to cool off on a hot summer day. Fresh fruit, juice, and ice makes such a refreshing drink.

Last night we went and watched my hubby play in a soccer game. He was invited to play on an indoor team that had most of their players out for vacation. He played in high school, so he felt like he could hang tough with the team. Plus, he felt like all our cross fit workouts surely had him in shape.

Oh, my goodness! It was so funny to watch. Now he did ok and cleared the ball most of the time, but he also had to sub out quite a few times because he couldn't breathe. And then there was the moment when he kicked the ball and took out a tiny little blonde girl too.

As we were watching the team play, a part of me thought I could still play too. After all, I played soccer all through high school and college. It couldn't be that difficult to pick back up, right?

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