Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Visiting Grand Canyon National Park

Visiting Grand Canyon National Park is a must when you travel to Arizona. The vast canyon is one of the world's natural wonders and will take your breath away every time you step up to the edge.

Our family has had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon twice in the past 6 months. Last fall my husband and I headed to Arizona with our oldest son as he got ready to start his first year in college.

We decided to take a two day detour to see the natural canyon wonder and to do a little hiking with him before we dropped him off.

I can't even begin to describe the enormous amount of awe that comes over you when you see the Grand Canyon for the very first time. It is seriously one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life.

One of my favorite things about it was seeing how it changed from different angles and different light. The colors in the layers of rocks could go from muted to vibrant in a short time frame. It all depends on the time of day you get there and how much sunlight is shining down. [Read more...]

Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This rich and smooth Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting will satisfy any chocolate lover. It's the perfect topping for cakes, cupcakes, or cookies. You will never buy store-bought chocolate icing again after trying this homemade frosting recipe.

A bowl filled with a swirl of dark chocolate frosting.

When it comes to chocolate desserts, I say the darker the better. Of course, that's my personal opinion. I do realize not everyone shares this love for rich dark chocolate goodness.

In fact, I used to be an all milk chocolate kind of girl. Hello, M&M's. Those sweet little milk chocolate candies are still my favorite. But then my husband introduced me to dark chocolate, and my world was changed.

Dark chocolate takes some time to get used to. The difference between dark chocolate and milk chocolate is that there is more cocoa bean content in the dark chocolate. Milk chocolate has sugars and creams added to it to sweeten the flavor.

Honesty, I'm not picky, though. I'll eat any chocolate you put in front of me.

[Read more...]

Blueberry Pineapple Slushies

These easy three ingredient Blueberry Pineapple Slushies are a delicious way to cool off on a hot summer day. Frozen berries and sorbet come together quickly in the blender with Sprite or sparkling water to create a fast and refreshing drink.

*This post is sponsored by Wish Farms in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Summer has officially hit. Ok, ok, so it's not actually officially here because the kids are still in school. But they have made it to single digits in their countdown, so it's almost here.

The weather feels like summer though. This past week it has been hot and humid. I like hot. It's the humid that I'm not a big fan of. Working out in our garage gym isn't as much fun or productive when the humidity is high. I'm kind of nervous for the next few month.

Although, as long as I keep frozen fruit in my freezer, I can whip up these quick and easy fruit slushies in our blender every single day for a refreshing snack. Knowing a frozen treat is just minutes away will keep me motivated to finish doing those squats and burpees. At least I hope so... [Read more...]

Cherry Banana Bread

Add a loaf of this Cherry Banana Bread to your baking plans. This easy banana bread is loaded with chocolate and cherries and makes the perfect breakfast or afternoon snack.

Slices of banana bread with cherries and chocolate chips on a white plate.

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A few months ago, I decided to let a few of the bananas sit a little longer on the counter. Spotty squishy bananas really do make the best banana bread!

I had an extra jar of cherries and chocolate chips that I wanted to throw into my favorite banana bread recipe.

The glaze on top is totally optional. The banana bread with cherries didn't need it, but really, why would you pass on a pretty pink glaze like that?

[Read more...]

Lemon Pistachio Crescent Twists

Waking up to a batch of the Lemon Pistachio Crescent Twist is a very good idea. No one has to know that you made breakfast the day before.

I love finding fun ways to change up breakfast treats. If I'm being honest, I actually love finding ways to make breakfast the day before because we all know that I'm not a morning person. At all.

Making Banana Pancakes, muffins, or pastries have to happen the day before, or they won't happen at all. Well, unless it's Saturday when making breakfast after 10 am is acceptable.

Every once in a while our kids can convince me that they need hot fresh pancakes first thing in the morning. Usually that only happens if it is their birthday though.

[Read more...]

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Apple Rings

A chocolate coating and peanut butter filling add a fun flair to these Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Apple Rings. They make a fun and delicious no bake treat to share with family and friends.

Use your extra bags of apples to make this easy Crock Pot Cinnamon Strawberry Applesauce this summer. It's a delicious cool snack on a hot summer day.

*This post was sponsored by Crunch Pak apples. I am partnering with them as a blog ambassador creating delicious apple recipes. All opinions are 100% my own.

CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!

I have come to the conclusion that I should not attempt to care for live plants. My thumbs are seriously so black that I have killed multiple cactuses. Yes, plants that doesn't need much water have died on my watch.

Every year at this time, my family likes to buy me plants for Mother's Day. Now most of the plants that we have put in the ground have survived because we used a sprinkler. Most of them lived that is. I actually did really well at keeping the plants we planted in our backyard garden alive last year too.

The cactus on the dining room shelf though didn't have the same fate. And the herbs I purchased earlier this year for our kitchen window died a tragic death too.

Every single time we have purchased live plants for the inside of our home, I have managed to kill them. I'm pretty sure plants know that they are going home to die when I pick them up because they seem to wilt when they walk through our door. Maybe I'm just imagining that though. [Read more...]

Simple Moments

It's the little things that matter most. Those simple moments add up over time to create a life time of change. I want to continue to do the little things in life that matter most. Time spent with family or on others will always trump work and success.

Little things like game nights, Nerf wars, family time, and even family pictures will be treasured moments in our children's life. Maybe not now, but over time they will understand how the little things were important.

It's easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and the desire to be and do bigger and better things, but sometimes the small things are what we need to be focusing on. Being faithful in the small things brings about change for the big things. [Read more...]

Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls

These Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls are full of lean and green veggies and an easy pork that has cooked in your crock pot all day. Layer it with some Easy Cauliflower Rice and all the toppings for an easy dinner recipe that everyone will love.

Our kids are officially counting down the days until school is out. They are ready for sleeping in and long lazy summer days. I can't believe that we are this close to summer already It's seems crazy that April is almost over.

Of course, if you are like me that gets you thinking about shorts and swim suits. Hmmm. That means hitting the gym and eating right should really move to the top of my to do list.

The number one question I get asked is how we stay trim with all the desserts in the house and on our plates. I know that I share a lot of desserts and treats here on the blog. It's just what I love to make and photograph the most, but we actually eat lean and green meals most of the time.

Eating healthy meals and sweets in moderation coupled with exercise is the key to the lifestyle that we have adapted to over the past year.

[Read more...]

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...]

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