Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake

These sweet little Matcha Green Tea Cheesecakes are a refreshing treat on a warm, sunny day. The creamy and delicious sweet green tea flavor with a crunchy cookie crust will have you smiling in no time at all.

Not sure green tea is your thing? I suggest trying these Hot Chocolate Cheesecakes for now.

Say hello to my newest "favorite" thing. Green tea is the newest obsession in our house. Please please please tell me that your favorites change all the time too. Whenever I say something is my favorite my husband just rolls his eyes at me because he knows it will usually be short lived.

Clothes, style, trends, food, and drinks are all subject to being my "favorite" of the moment. A few years ago I was loving layered tanks and cardigans all the time.

I have been purging all the cute cardis that I have accumulated over the past few years. Partly because it's way to warm to wear them in Florida, but partly because my clothing style has change again. Now you will usually find me in flip flops, jeans or shorts, and a t-shirt or tank top because it's comfortable.

I think styles and tastes change and evolve with the current trends too. At least mine do. Anyone else out there with me? Please let me know I'm not the only crazy one who changes things up every year or so. [Read more...]

Blueberry Orange Crumble Cake

A slice of this Blueberry Orange Crumble Cake and a cup of coffee is the perfect breakfast or snack. It's a wonderfully soft cake loaded with lots of fresh berries, spices, and orange goodness.

When you are done baking with all the fresh berries, use the rest to make a batch of this Honey Blueberry Sauce. It's a delicious topping for pancakes, pastries, and ice cream. Or just eat it by the spoonfuls.

I grew up picking strawberries and blueberries every spring and summer. My mom would always take my brother and sisters and I to the local berry farms to pick berries for our family to eat or freeze.

Of course, I'm pretty sure we all ate way more than we picked because you just can't resist a warm berry. Am I right?

Then as we had kids I did the same thing with them. I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it way more though, and I picked most of what we brought home.

So, when I realized it was blueberry season here in Florida, I may have dragged my husband with me to pick a big bucket of fresh blueberries. The younger two kiddos were perfectly content to just sleep in while we went to the farm. [Read more...]

Behind BruCrew Life

Our family has been busy the past few weeks. We enjoyed some family down in Florida for a week. Our oldest was home from college for a week, and then we flew out to Arizona for a week of spring break fun. In between all of that here are a few moments we enjoyed here in Florida.

I was scrolling through Facebook mindless a few weeks ago, and an ad for a local blueberry farm popped up. I don't know how FB knew that I wanted to make these Blueberry Scones again.

The next Saturday morning my husband and I got up and drove down to this blueberry farm for a bucket of berries. All he wanted to know was why we were picking blueberries when we can buy them at the store?

Did you know that blueberry plants in Florida are grown in pots? I have never seen blueberries grown this way. Maybe it was just this particular farm? Anyone know why? I guess I will have to go back for more blueberries, just so I can ask.

[Read more...]

Pina Colada Sugar Cookie Bars

A batch of these tropical Pina Colada Sugar Cookie Bars can be made and frosted in one pan. Make these easy cookie bars for summer parties and picnics.

Love the tropical flair in these sweet cookie bars? You are going to love this Pina Colada Bundt Cake. It's an impressive cake that's perfect for dessert and bake sales.

This weekend we had a cold front come through after a giant rainstorm. We have our windows open today, and the cool breeze had me running for a long sleeve shirt and leggings to curl up in.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining one bit about the "cool" weather we are having today because I know so many others are getting hit with snow yet again. It sure seems like winter hasn't gotten the memo that spring is here.

For now I'll bask in the cooler temperatures because before I know it, it will be blazing hot around here. I know I'll be wishing for these cool spring breezes blowing in when it's over 100 degrees and 90% humidity this summer. [Read more...]

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Granola

A batch of this Raspberry Chocolate Chip Granola is delicious and made with ingredients you may already have in your pantry. Homemade granola is easy to to customize based on your tastes and what you have available.

This crunchy granola is perfect for enjoying with milk or on top of these Healthy Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits.

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Granola - this easy homemade granola is loaded with almonds, chocolate, and raspberries. Make this easy granola for cereal or parfaits. #breakfast #granola #homemade #raspberry #chocolate #cereal #parfaits #yogurt

Our kids go through eating phases each month. Last month all they wanted were Cappuccino Chip Granola Bars to grab on the way out the door for breakfast and lunch.

This month they are on a big salad kick for their lunch.

Trust me. I'm not complaining at all. I love that our kids eat their greens.

[Read more...]

Press On

Each year I like to choose one word that I feel God is wanting me to work on in my life. For 2018 I chose the phrase Press On. It is my hope and prayer that I allow God to work and change my heart in all areas of my life while I continually remember I am Second.

Late last fall while I was working out in our garage gym I was getting frustrated with the workout that I was attempting to do that day. I was out of breath and couldn't get my body to master the moves. As I sat on the floor feeling sorry for myself, all of a sudden the words DON'T QUIT were being pressed on my mind.

I got up, wrote the words on our white board, and started trying again. Sure, I still struggled to finish the work out, but the key was that I kept doing the work.

How often in life do we let struggles get us down?

It's easy to quit, whine, complain, or worry about obstacles in our lives, instead of just buckling down and trusting God to help you get it done. Life has plenty of distractions that can derail your work.

Philippians 1:6 says, "And so I am sure that God who began this good work in you will carry it on until it is finished on the day of Christ Jesus."
[Read more...]

No Bake Strawberry Daiquiri Cheesecake Parfaits

These pretty pink No Bake Strawberry Daiquiri Cheesecake Parfaits are the perfect easy dessert for spring and summer parties or picnics. The creamy strawberry filling on a hot day is delicious and refreshing.

No bake desserts with layers of no bake cheesecake and cookies make a delicious treat that everyone will love. Add a batch of these No Bake Peanut Butter Fudge Cheesecake Parfaits and watch everyone go crazy for these mini cheesecake parfaits.

I realized this weekend that I missed strawberry season here in Florida. This past weekend I saw an ad pop up on Facebook for a u-pick blueberry farm. So my husband and I headed out Saturday morning to pick berries.

After we got home, I remembered that blueberries usually ripen later than strawberries. I guess I'll have to rely on the grocery store or farmer's market if I want to make more strawberry cheesecake parfaits this month. At least now I know for next year, right?

I'm not used to thinking about berry picking until late May or June because we lived in the midwest for over 16 years. It was always one of my favorite things to do with our kids when they were little. This year, they were not about to get up early to pick berries though.

Thank goodness for a loving husband who went and picked berries, even though he thought it would be easier to just go buy them at the store. [Read more...]

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bites

Craving something sweet but don't want to indulge too much? Keep a batch of these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bites in your refrigerator for when those sweet cravings hit. These nutritious homemade energy bites are perfect for when you want a "sweet" snack.

I don't know about you, but after three weeks of spring break fun I'm ready to get back to some good old healthy eating. Time to plan out some new dinner ideas and get back in our garage gym.

Yes, you read that right. We just finished up three full weeks of visitors, traveling, and eating all the things. To be honest, I was a little bit scared of the scale this morning because I did indulge in more things that I don't normally eat. But I did try to work out some during those few weeks, so it really wasn't as bad as I expected.

The first week my sister and her family were here, so of course we had to hit up the local donut shop, order our favorite pizza, and make fun desserts like this Orange Cream Cheesecake. [Read more...]

Neapolitan Popcorn

This easy Neapolitan Popcorn is loaded with strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla chocolate and candies. Great no bake snack mix to enjoy for movie nights.

This past week my sister and her family came to visit us. Unfortunately Florida was broken because most of the week it was cold and rainy. That didn't stop us from having fun though. We went to a few different parks, walked around the marina, fed flamingos, and then headed to the beach on the first warm day.

At night we played card games and just chatted and caught up on life while the kids played and ate popcorn. Our big stand popcorn maker fascinated our niece and nephews. They loved helping my husband make a batch each night. I even raided my blog prop stash and found some fun popcorn boxes for them to eat out of.

One night I added some chocolate and candies to one of the batches of popcorn. I think the adults actually ate most of that one though. The kids still just wanted the plain popcorn with some cheese powder. Fine by me...that just left more of the Neapolitan popcorn for me.

[Read more...]

Neapolitan Sugar Cookie Bars

Layers of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla make these easy Neapolitan Sugar Cookie Bars a fun spring treat. Save time in the kitchen by making and frosting these easy cookies in one pan.

Even though I bake like a mad woman every week, our kids still beg for store-bought treats. I know, that's crazy, right?

One of their absolute favorite things right now are frosted sugar cookies. Not just any cookie though. They are in love with the ones from the store that come in a clear plastic box. You should see the look on their faces when we give in and buy a box for them.

Our youngest has even gone as far as to say that these cookies are his favorite treat, and that they are better than anything mom can make. Hhhhhmmm...challenge accepted. [Read more...]

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