Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Breakfast Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Breakfast Cookies will have your kids up and dressed in no time, just so they can nosh on these tasty treats. Plus, you'll use up those black bananas!

So last month my husband convinced me that we should do a workout challenge together. Lucky for me, he just meant we had to do the same thing, not actually workout at the same time.

I'm glad he clarified that because there is no way that I want to get up at 5 am to do these crazy workouts before having some coffee.

He decided that we would add 100 burpees into whatever else we decided to do for the day. Yup! You read that right. ONE HUNDRED BURPEES! EVERY DAY! The crazy thing is that I agreed to the madness!

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Behind BruCrew Life

Last month was another busy, but oh, so much fun. Our oldest son came home from college for spring break. This year we didn't have any big plans, so we just did some fun things around town as a family.

It's hard to believe that break is already over, and everyone is back to work and school.

Watching the sun set over the water is something that never gets old. My husband and I love to go over to the bay and walk (or run) the bridge as the sun goes down.

The sky was such a pretty orange and purple this time. It truly brings new meaning to Psalms 19:1 "The heavens proclaim the glory of God."

We found a new favorite taco place. A few of the ladies in my Bible study had recommended the Screaming Goat, so we headed over there one night while the kids were at a movie together.

It was such a cute little place, and the food was amazing. All of the ones we tried were great, but my favorite was the Korean beef taco. I can't wait to go back and get another one.

Have you tried the new Cloud Macchiato at Starbucks? The other day my daughter and I were at Target, and I had to try it because it sounded dreamy.

It totally lived up to the hype because it was absolutely delicious!

Spring break this year was a combination of a bunch of fun things. One of the days we headed up to Busch Gardens to ride some rides and see some animals. It was a little busy because everyone else had the same idea, so the kids were bummed that they didn't get to ride too many rides.

But since it's so close, we decided to get season passes, so they will have plenty of time to ride some more.

The older I get, the more I stay away from the rides. All that movement and spinning makes my head hurt and gives me a headache. Yes, I did just say that. I'm totally living up to my old age. LOL!

My favorite part of the park was seeing all the animals. So, my plan is to wander around looking at the animals each time the kids want to ride a roller coaster. Sounds like a great plan to me.

My crazy psycho family is on this crazy high drop ride. Well, not everyone. My oldest is not a fan of heights, so he and I were the smart ones on the ground.

Of course, one day we spent at the beach soaking up some sun and playing some bocce ball since the water was still too chilly for swimming.

We headed up to Top Golf for half price night. It's always fun to see how many targets you can actually hit with the balls. My husband was looking forward to the giant pretzel, but apparently it's a popular appetizer because they were out of them that night.

The boys decided to take the paddle boards out one morning. This time they put the boards in by the bridge and just paddled around there.

It's still hard to believe that this kiddo of ours is almost halfway through college already. He and I headed out for breakfast on his last morning here. I'm so proud of the young man he has become.

Last weekend our church hosted a ladies event, and I volunteered to make dessert. It was a crazy few days as I made enough sweet treats for over 100 ladies.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Of course, I decided to do all mini desserts because they are easier to make a lot of in a little bit of time.

As much as I wanted to create some new recipes for the event, I decided to just make recipes that I was already familiar with. I made Coffee Cream Brownies, Zebra Brownies (topped with raspberries), Coconut Cream Cheesecake Pie Bites, Chocolate Cheesecake Pie Bites, Skinny Peanut Butter Granola Bites, Strawberry Pretzel Salad Parfaits (minus the pretzels), Banana Nutella Snack Cake, Lemon Strawberry Snack Cake, and a few different kinds of fudge.

It was fun, but I was definitely glad to be done in the kitchen. For a few days anyway.

If I'm not in the kitchen or at the beach, you can usually find me at Target. This little jean dress is my new favorite thing to wear, and at $20 it's so affordable.

Adding jewelry and a cute brown belt is a great way to dress up this simple dress.

I usually carry this brown backpack purse, but sometimes you just need a small bag to hold your phone and money. I found this crochet bag on Amazon, and it's so cute. The little palm tree pin totally sold me on it.

I also picked up a few other tops from Target and Old Navy for spring and summer. I love that all of them can be dressed up or down depending on if you wear them with jeans, shorts, flip flops, or heels.

Last weekend my husband and I took our daughter out for pancakes after church, and I found the cutest little spot to take photos while we waited for a table to be available.

One of my other favorite things to take pictures of are flowers, so I was so excited to turn around and see this angle with the blue sky and pink flowers. The unexpected beauty of this picture just blows me away every time I look at it.

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Homemade Reese's Eggs

Homemade Reese's Eggs are the best Easter treat for peanut butter lovers. These easy copycat chocolate peanut butter eggs are decorated with Reese's Pieces and chocolate sprinkles. Watch everyone smile when they find them in their baskets on Easter morning.

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Our kids love these peanut butter balls, so every year I turn them into peanut butter eggs with their names on them. It is something that I have been making for them since they were little.

For the past few years I have been making a new Easter egg version too. So far, I have made Nutella eggs, coconut cream eggs, and these cookie butter eggs.

Why Make These Peanut Butter Eggs

Easy No Bake Recipe - No baking or hot ovens needed to make a batch of these eggs.
Kid Friendly - Kids of all ages will go nuts when they find these sweet treats in their basket.
Awesome Flavor - The center is made with a creamy sweet peanut butter filling and then dipped in a rich dark chocolate coating.

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Homemade Key Lime Coconut Patties

The sweet coconut and tart lime flavors in these Homemade Key Lime Coconut Patties will satisfy your sweet tooth. These easy candies come together in no time at all.

Chocolate covered coconut patties on white parchment paper surrounded by green and white paper pieces.

Nothing says warm weather quite like a coconut dessert. Something about coconut and fruity flavors just make me think of everything tropical and about lying on a beach while the sun beats down on me.

Years ago we used to live in the midwest. During the winter months when we were buried under a layer of snow and ice, I would make coconut desserts and dream of tropical places.

Of course, now we live in Florida and those tropical dreams have become my current reality. Gotta love living where everyone else vacations.

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Banana Split Fluff Salad

The best Banana Split Fluff Salad is an easy dessert salad that is loaded with all your favorite banana split toppings. Stir everything into one bowl, and it is ready to go.

Bring a bowl of this easy fruit salad and a Banana Split Cake to your next picnic and watch everyone devour the sweet goodness.

A white and blue bowl filled with banana split salad and topped with nuts, chocolate chips, and a cherry

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Dessert Salad

Now this is how I like to eat my salad. Anything loaded with fruit, nuts, marshmallows, and chocolate has to be a good thing. Yes, you read that right. This ambrosia salad recipe has chocolate in it. You can totally leave them out if you can't do a "salad" with chocolate in it.

Now I know what you are thinking. There is no way this creamy fluff salad recipe should be called a salad because it does not contain green leafy vegetables.

Well, technically this is more like a dessert because it has pudding and marshmallows in it. But hey, I like to call it fruit salad dessert because then I can eat a second helping without feeling too much guilt.

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Strawberry Lemon Snack Cake

This easy Strawberry Lemon Snack Cake is delicious anytime of day. Homemade strawberry pie filling and a lemon glaze will have you smiling in no time.

A white plate with two squares of strawberry lemon cake stacked on it

Spring is in full force here. The trees and plants are flowering and spreading pollen everywhere. But I'll take pollen over snow any day!

I realize this time of year is hard for everyone up north. Everyone is so ready for the warm weather to just be here and stay. I remember when we lived in Indiana and would have those teaser days. One day it would be really nice and warm and then it would get cold again.

Thank goodness that life in Florida isn't that temperamental right now. Just give it time. In a month or two the humidity will come back in full force, and I will be wishing for those cool Midwest days.

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Manatee Viewing Center

A few months ago, we decided to head to Apollo Beach to see the manatees that come looking for warmer water when the temperature goes below 68 degrees.

The power company at Apollo Beach has been providing electricity to the area for many years. They pull saltwater in from the bay to cool the units, then discharge it back into the bay.

During the cooler winter months, manatees find their way into this area looking for a way to escape the cold water.

The water coming off the electric plant is the perfect sanctuary for these gentle mammals.

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Fudge Mint Popcorn

A big bowl of this Fudge Mint Popcorn is the perfect snack to make for the next movie night. Mint cookies and candies will have everyone reaching for more chocolate covered popcorn in a hurry.

A green bowl with white polka dots filled with chocolate popcorn and green M&M's.

It's time to eat your greens. And by greens, I'm talking about green sprinkles and green candies.

You didn't think I meant the spinach, kale, broccoli or cucumbers that are in the fridge, did you? Veggies! Who needs them anyway?

Ha, ha! I'm just kidding. We really do eat veggies and proteins 80 percent of the time. These fun desserts and sweets that you see here only make up 20 percent of the food in our house.

Well, maybe that's not entirely true because there are probably more bags of chocolate chips, cookies, and candies in the pantry than there are veggies in the fridge. But we don't eat that food all the time.

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Almond Banana Bread

This Almond Joy Banana Bread is loaded with chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and diced almonds in every slice. All the delicious flavors of your favorite candy bar are baked into this easy sweet bread recipe. It makes two loaves, so there is plenty to share.

Two slices of almond joy banana bread on a blue plate with the loaf behind it.

The post for Almond Joy Banana Bread was first published in July 2012. The pictures were updated in March 2019, and the recipe notes were revised in June 2026.

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I cannot stop buying bananas, and I am fine with it. Whenever I see discounted bananas at the store, I come home with a few extra bunches. Most of them get frozen for a cherry smoothie or peanut butter banana ice cream, but I always set one bunch aside to ripen.

You just need to be patient and wait about a week for the fruit to turn dark and spotty. The darker the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your baked goods will be. A few ways I like to use them are this sour cream banana bread or banana zucchini cake.

The idea of combining banana bread with an Almond Joy candy bar had been on my mind for a while. Once I finally made it, I wished I had done it sooner. Coconut finds its way into so many of my recipes because I love it, and this bread was the perfect place for it.

The original version of this bread used blue Almond Joy candy pieces in the batter. However, I simplified the recipe to include coconut, almonds, and chocolate chips. The result is a cleaner, more delicious loaf that highlights the almond flavors without any distractions. Trust me, it's so good!

Why You'll Love Almond Joy Banana Bread

Almond Joy flavors in every slice. Chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and sliced almonds make every bite taste like the candy bar in quick bread form.
So rich and tender. Adding cream cheese to the batter is the secret to a soft, moist loaf that tastes even better than classic banana bread.
Makes two loaves. Keep one on the counter for the week and place the other one in the freezer for later. Or share one with a neighbor and make their day!
Great any time of day! Breakfast, brunch, afternoon snack, or dessert. There is never a wrong time to enjoy a slice of nutty bread.

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Behind BruCrew Life

How is it already March? Is anyone else feeling like the year is flying past them at warp speed? No? Ok, maybe it's just me.

Today I thought it would be fun to share some of the random tidbits of life that has happened in the past few months.

One of our absolute favorite things to do is head down to the bay (or ocean) and watch the sunset. We made it just in time to catch this amazing view at the beginning of the year.

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