Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Roasted Veggies

Adding a drizzle of olive oil and your choice of seasoning will make these Roasted Veggies a welcome side dish for dinner, when you are watching what you are eating.

Over the past 2 years my hubby and I have been going to the gym pretty consistently. Most weeks we try to go Monday through Friday at 6 am, but obviously there are a few times when we choose sleeping in over working out. Can I just say that those days we actually feel worse? There is something about getting up early and just powering through a workout to get you going for the day.

I wish I could say that I have lost a ton of weight in those 2 years, but I have maintained my weight and my clothes do fit better. I'm also not as puffy and bloated looking. That's the thing about crossfit/weight training...you build a crazy amount of muscle while toning.

When we first started I couldn't add any extra weights to the bar when we did weighted squats. It was enough to get the 45 pound bar back up from a squat position. Now I'm throwing 35 pounds on each side and doing squats. It's amazing what you can achieve if you set your mind to it...or what you can do when others are there to push you. [Read more...]

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cake

This Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cake will quickly become your new favorite fall dessert. The moist cake is topped with a crunchy Butterfinger and brown sugar topping, creating a delicious autumn treat.

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Pumpkin Butterfinger Cake

It may still be warm here in Florida, but I'm ready to wear jeans and sweatshirts. I want to enjoy fall flavors in pumpkin and apple desserts.

You are going to fall head over heels for this pumpkin Butterfinger cake. I took this banana toffee cake from a couple of years ago and gave it a fall facelift. Can we say whoa!

The banana cake is delicious, but the pumpkin cake with a crunchy peanut butter topping is even better! This might be my new favorite pumpkin recipe.

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Strawberry Chocolate Chip Rolls

Strawberry cream cheese and chocolate chips add a fun little flavor to these easy rolls. Make these easy Strawberry Chocolate Chip Rolls for a special breakfast treat for your family this week.

*This recipe was sponsored by Challenge Dairy. I am partnering with them as a brand ambassador this year creating delicious recipes.

Finding fun ways to change up breakfast is something that I enjoy doing. Of course, these breakfast treats have to be something that I can make the afternoon before because mornings and I do not get along. Muffins, pancakes, cinnamon rolls...they all happen the day before. It's just how I do breakfast.

Our kids are not huge breakfast eaters, so I'm always trying to make things that will entice them to grab something in the morning before they head off to school. These Easy Cinnamon Sugar Waffles were a hit, so I knew another roll that was simple would be perfect this week.

And of course, adding a little bit of chocolate always gets their attention. [Read more...]

Easy Cinnamon Sugar Waffles

These Easy Cinnamon Sugar Waffles are perfect for those busy mornings. Two ingredients makes these waffles the perfect way to have a hot breakfast on those mornings when you do not have much time. They can also be made the night before to save even more time.

Using refrigerated biscuits and cinnamon sugar makes the easiest breakfast waffles. Perfect for busy mornings!

So, here we are on week three of school, and I'm already looking for ways to stream line breakfast.

It's no surprise around here that I'm not a morning person, and hot breakfast does not happen around here. The only way a hot breakfast happens is if I make it the day before, and the kids heat it up in the toaster or microwave.

They love it when I make and freeze a big batch of these Funfetti Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Frozen pancakes reheat so easily.

Of course, there are the things that they like made fresh. But since I'm baking/cooking challenged that early in the morning, I have to find very easy things to make.

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Chicken and Broccoli Pizza Rolls

These Chicken and Broccoli Pizza Rolls have three kinds of cheese wrapped inside an easy pizza crust. Melted cheese and chicken rolls get smiles any time we serve them here.

Pizza wheel appetizers stacked on a white plate.

Many, many, many years ago, I worked at the mall as a sales associate at Sears. Now you probably think that I worked in the woman's or junior's department because I do like shopping and putting outfits together so much, but I actually worked in the men's department.

Yup, I got the joy of measuring men for suits, picking out ties to go with their dress shirts, and of course selling socks and underwear to men of all ages. It was interesting some days.

Luckily I worked with some of the nicest, older ladies who were always looking out for me. They jumped in and helped do the measuring when it was kind of embarrassing or awkward. They also were pretty good at pointing out the cute boys and embarrassing me.

Thank goodness for lunch breaks when I could walk through the mall to find something to eat. One of my favorites was a little pizza shop in the food court. They had a tomato and broccoli pizza that was my favorite.

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Rocky Road Latte

Skip the lines at the coffee shop and make your own special coffee at home for a fraction of the cost. This Rocky Road Latte is an easy and delicious drink to have while enjoying some quiet time.

Do you hear that? That is the sound of nothing. No noise, no voices, no music...just silence. Well, other than the clanking of some pans and silverware in the kitchen from my hubby making breakfast.

Yesterday was the first day of school here. Our kids were ready to go. After a few months of doing nothing but sleeping in and doing chores around the house, they start to get that school itch about halfway through July.

As a work at home mom, I start to get that itch for quiet and routine about the same time. The first few weeks are great. We love the lazy days of randomly doing nothing and making whatever for dinner whenever. But that gets old after a while. I start to crave that routine of gym, school, work, practice, dinner, homework, and bedtime. So hooray for routine being back in place...it definitely makes me happier.

And hooray for making coffee drinks at home and saving money. Because after new school supplies and school clothes, we all need to pinch some pennies somewhere, right?

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Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

Enjoy a double dose of chocolate in this rich and delicious easy chocolate cake recipe. This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake is made with shredded zucchini and lots of chocolate chips. Double the chocolate and a layer of frosting makes this zucchini cake disappear in a hurry.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

I love adding things to chocolate cake. Certain things enhance the chocolate flavor and provide an amazing texture to the cake. If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out on something great.

These espresso brownies or this Dr Pepper cake are two examples of adding coffee or soda to chocolate to make them dynamite.

How do you feel about chocolate-covered veggies? Sure, we love eating zucchini in savory dinner recipes, but I absolutely love using zucchini in chocolate baked goods. The shredded zucchini adds so much moisture and makes chocolate desserts so fudgy and delicious.

I changed up the ingredients in this chocolate zucchini cake because I wanted a fluffier zucchini cake. There are two whole cups of shredded zucchini in this cake giving it such a decadent and moist texture. It has such a great chocolate flavor.

A creamy marshmallow cream cheese frosting makes this chocolate chip zucchini cake so rich and delicious. You are going to love it!

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Turkey Club Waffle Sandwich

Did you know that you can waffle just about anything? This Turkey Club Waffle Sandwich happens when you layer sandwich goodness inside a croissant and then put it into your waffle iron. This is such a fun way to change up lunch and dinner sandwiches.

This turkey club sandwich gets a fun twist when the bread is placed in the waffle iron!

Does anyone else have a picky eater that lives with them? We used to say what great eaters we have, and that we were blessed that all of our kids would eat just about anything.

Lately our youngest seems to be developing into a picky eater. He really did eat most things as a toddler and little boy. Now that he is heading toward those teen years, he doesn't want to eat most meats. In fact, that boy could live on mac and cheese and homemade brownies. Oh, and string cheese too. We don't buy it that often though because he devours them.

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Salted Caramel Shortbread Squares

Adding pretzels and pecans to the center of these Salted Caramel Shortbread Squares gives them a fun sweet and salty crunch. These dessert squares did not last long around here.

Pretzels and pecans in a soft caramel center gives these shortbread squares a fun sweet and salty twist.

Sometimes I get dessert ideas in my head, and I cannot think of anything else until I make said dessert idea.

Most of the time these ideas go on a list. Anyone else have lists everywhere? I have a list of food ideas on my phone, a notebook full of fun dessert ideas, and then scraps of paper all over my desk with half written recipes and ideas all over them. At this rate I have enough ideas to make desserts for at least 10 years.

Then there are those times when the dessert idea I have has to be first on the list of ones to make for the week. These caramel bars were one of those ideas.

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Peanut Butter S'mores Muddy Buddies

Covering Chex cereal and marshmallows in peanut butter chocolate and coating them in graham crackers makes an absolutely delicious snack mix that you will not be able to resist. I suggest making a double batch of Peanut Butter S'mores Muddy Buddies because it will disappear right before your eyes.

Peanut butter and s'mores add a fun twist to this easy muddy buddies snack mix!

Recently our oldest started driving. Talk about making you feel old. 16 years of preparation does not get you ready to see your baby behind the wheel of a vehicle.

I always wondered how I would do driving with our kids. Would I be calm and collected or would I freak out and tell them to slow down while clutching the door? Turns out I am actually mostly calm...yeah, that surprised me too. I really thought I would be a little more stressed out while having a young driver in control of our lives.

Maybe all the cookies and muddy buddies are keeping me mellowed out. And I thought all those sweets were just out to sabotage my jeans...

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