Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Banana Caramel Cupcakes

Caramel drizzles, candies, and frosting give these Banana Caramel Cupcakes a delicious sweet and salty taste. Great dessert recipe to use up those ripe bananas.

Over the past few years we have been doing more and more CrossFit. I actually hated it when we first got started. The best part of my day was when it was all over and I could eat breakfast. But the more we went, the more I started to like doing the different moves. Ok, fine. I liked the way my body looked when I was actually consistent with exercise and eating right.

Did you know that working out can be dangerous? If you are not lifting weights properly and are not doing the moves correctly you can injure yourself very easily. I'm looking at you box jumps...my leg will probably always have a slight indent from when I hit the side of that box.

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Banana Bread French Toast

Banana Bread French Toast is a fun way to enjoy the classic treat. Add a cup of syrup so your kids can dunk each one.

Now that school has been in session for over a month, the newness of "back to school" has worn off. Our kids were getting up extra early each morning, eating breakfast, and leaving with plenty of time to spare. The past week, they have been hitting their snooze buttons more and more each day, trying to get a few extra minutes of sleep.

I have a feeling that one of these days, all of them will turn off the alarms, and they will get tardy marks. I guess I'd better make sure my alarm is set early, too. Now that all three of our kids are older, we don't have to get up as early to help them get ready.

As much as I hate that they are growing up, I do enjoy certain aspects of having older kids. Not having to get up early is a definite perk. Since I'm not a morning person, I make sure to have breakfast goodies on the counter or in the freezer the day before.

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Chocolate Pumpkin Cream Filled Cupcakes

The hidden cream center in these Chocolate Pumpkin Cream Filled Cupcakes will make everyone smile when they find it. These easy cupcakes are great for fall holiday parties.

Now that it is past Labor Day, it's fair game on all things pumpkin. Now, I know you are probably thinking, "Girl, you shared a cinnamon roll pumpkin cake two weeks ago, so you were on the pumpkin train already." Ok, you are right, I did. I couldn't wait to share that one with you. It was sooooo good!!!

But I held off until September to start sharing the other couple of pumpkin recipes I have. In the past, I usually start making pumpkin treats at the beginning of August, but this year I just couldn't get into the pumpkin mood. Maybe the Texas sun and the zucchini banana cake were keeping me in summer mode. Until now...

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Berry Cookies and Cream Fluff Salad

This easy Berry Cookies and Cream Fluff Salad is loaded with plenty of berry flavor and cookie chunks. Perfect sweet salad for picnics.

*I am partnering with Lucky Leaf again this year as a blog ambassador bringing you delicious recipes using pie filling.

CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!

Yes, I know when you hear the word salad you probably expect green leaves and veggies. But around here I have a thing for dessert salads. Now you are probably rolling your eyes at me right now because there is no way dessert and salad belong in the same sentence, let alone the same recipe.

But hear me out. What exactly is a salad? It is a base (lettuce) with lots of ingredients (veggies) mixed in or placed on top.

So, let's look at the bowl of fluff in front of you. The base is made up of cream cheese and pie filling, and the mix-ins are marshmallows, cookie chunks, and fresh fruit. The way I see it, that's a salad. Yes, a sweet dessert salad, but still a salad. Don't try to argue with me. My mind is made up on this one. Wink, wink! [Read more...]

Cheesy Chicken Pasta Skillet

This Cheesy Chicken Pasta is the perfect skillet meal to make when you are short on time. It only takes 30 minutes from start to finish, so it's ready in no time at all. The gooey melted cheese and chicken in this easy pasta recipe will have everyone licking their plate clean.

Looking for more cheesy dinners? This chicken pasta bake and this chicken ranch pasta bake are two of our favorite pasta dinners.

A skillet filled with cheesy chicken pasta with a wooden spoon lifting a big scoop out.

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Every day around 5 o'clock our kids start asking "what's for dinner?". And I start wondering "what can I make with chicken?" that will appease these hungry kiddos.

I like to keep chicken broth and canned chicken in our pantry. When our youngest was younger, he was a picky eater and would only eat canned chicken.

Having simple ingredients on hand at all times makes it easy to make dinner in a hurry.

Why this Chicken and Cheese Recipe Works

Cheese and pasta are the first things I think of when I start to get dinner started each day. I should probably widen my options before my family gets burned out on the cheesy goodness!

This easy and delicious cheesy chicken pasta is a great way to get dinner on the tables fast. It's full of flavor and perfect for busy nights! Plus, there are lots of ways to customize this recipe depending on what you like best.

Your family will love this chicken cheese pasta skillet because it has everything they want. A creamy sauce, tender chicken, and lots of gooey cheese will have everyone asking for seconds.

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Meat Lover's Pizza Skillet Ravioli

This easy Meat Lover's Pizza Skillet Ravioli is loaded with meat and cheese and can be on your dinner table in under 30 minutes. Awesome meal for busy school nights!

Now that school is back in session, that means I need to get back to planning meals. This summer we slacked off big time on planning dinners for our family. I'm not really sure what we ate every week. Since we are all still alive, we must have had some sort of food each day.

Meal planning is one area that I struggle in big time. I can rattle off ten different desserts to create, but when it comes to dinner time I stare at my cupboards blankly!

This year the school start and finish time changed, so our kids don't walk in the door until 4:30 pm. They are ready to devour our entire pantry of snacks the minute they walk in the door. So, I need to be prepared to serve dinner right away before someone has to leave for work or practice.

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Sparkling Blackberry Peach Tea

An icy mug of this Sparkling Blackberry Peach Tea and a chair on the back porch is the way to relax in the summer. This easy two ingredient drink is refreshing and fruity.

Earlier this summer my husband learned a very important lesson about living in Texas. This state is extremely large and to get to just about anything you need to drive 2-4 hours.

When we left to drive back to Indiana to visit friends and family, we had to cross about 3 hours of Tesas canyons. There are a few little towns at the beginning, and then nothing for quite a long stretch. My husband thought that our little car had plenty of gas and could make it 3 hours to a gas station on the other side of the state.

But a little car that is weighed down with 5 people and a luggage rack uses more gas than normal because in the middle of the canyons, our car said it had about 20 miles of gas left. And there was no gas station or town in sight.

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Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad

Satisfy your salad cravings with this Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad. This easy salad comes together in minutes, and everyone will love the flavors in this healthy dinner recipe.

Hello, my name is Jocelyn, and I am a dessert lover. So when I get a craving for a giant salad for dinner, I run to the store ASAP for the ingredients we need.

Me wanting salad in the middle of the day is not normal...at all. Craving peanut butter bars is much more of a real thing.

Maybe all the workouts we do in our garage gym and all the meal replacement shakes are finally triggering some need to eat healthy. At least for today anyway. I just really wanted salad for dinner, and for some odd reason it had to have grilled corn on it. I don't know what was up with my tastebuds, but I went with it.

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Banana Pancakes

Banana Pancakes are a sweet start to the day. Bursting with banana flavor, the batter mixes up easily in a blender.

I don't think I will ever get tired of buying bananas. They are just so versatile because you can eat them or bake with them. Of course, I'm a total snob when it comes to eating a banana. I just can't eat them after they begin to ripen. Give me a green banana any day!

The other day I wanted a banana for my morning snack, but they were all yellow with brown spots. I thought it was time I got over my ripe banana phobia, so I went ahead and ate one. Well, I ate part of one. After choking down a few bites of mushy banana I had to throw the rest away. Ripe bananas are only good for baking things like banana Reese's cookies or banana bread. Maybe one day, I will like ripe bananas, but this was definitely not that day.

I did find another use for those ripe bananas though. My kids love pancakes for breakfast, so I usually have a big batch of this funfetti chocolate chip pancake mix in a container in the pantry. It is easy to whip up a batch of pancakes from this mix and freeze them for the rest of the week.

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Ten Tips for Visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Going to a theme park on vacation can be fun or exhausting. Here are Ten Tips for Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with your family. These tips can also be used for any theme park you visit.

This summer we took our kids on vacation to Florida. After a major life move and adjusting to a new school and job, it was a much needed breath of fresh air to do "nothing" for a few days.

Going to the beach is our family's favorite type of vacation. As we planned our trip to Orlando, we worked a few days at the beach into the plans as well. We flew into Orlando, and then rented a car to drive to Tampa where we spent 2 days lounging in the sand and sun. Palm trees are my jam for sure! There is something about blue skies, clear water, and bright sunshine that just makes everything seem right.

Next stop was Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Diagon Alley wasn't around the last time we had been at Island's of Adventure, so our kids were so excited for the new rides and attractions.

I have to admit, so were we. It seriously feels like you are walking into a secluded world when you walk through the gates into that part of the parks. There is something so magical about it.

As I looked back at our pictures and thought about how relaxing this trip was, I came up with some Harry Potter theme park tips to make your trip easier. I hope you enjoy the pictures and use these tips if you ever plan a trip to a major theme park. You can also check out our family fun at Walt Disney World if you are headed to both parks any time soon.
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