Perfect Apple Cider

I made the best hot apple cider for our cookie party a couple weeks ago. It's the perfect yummy treat to pair with all your Fall get togethers! Here's how you can make your own yummy perfect cider! 

What You'll Need:

2 qts. store bought Apple Cider

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ginger

1 Orange cut into quarters

2 Cinnamon Sticks

Whip Cream

Add everything into your crock pot and cook on high for an hour and a half. This is going to smell up your house with the most amazing aroma! Your guests will feel so cozy and welcome from the moment they arrive. 

Spoon with a ladle into some glasses, add an apple slice for extra garnish. Top with some whipped cream and ENJOY! 

Easy Dinner time Meals with Smithfield Pork.

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media®, and  Smithfield®, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #GetBacktoPork http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH

I'm always on the search for ways to make dinner time easy, less prep, easy clean up and meals that my family will enjoy. With a busy school schedule and trying to simplify life I don't have time to waste in the kitchen over complicated meals. Plus the easier they are to make and clean up the more time we have for family time at night which is so so important to us.

When I saw Smithfield marinated pork when I was in Walmart I immediately thought; easy and simple. Something that my family will love. They have a lot of really great flavors that could go well with a few different meals. My favorites were the  Smithfield® Garlic & Herb Pork Loin Filet and the Smithfield® Applewood Topped Bacon Pork Loin Filet.

This dinner was so easy, and again I like easy dinners. I just placed the marinated pork in my crock pot on low for six hours. I made a veggies for a side and it was the perfect combination for an easy dinner. 

With the variety of so many delicious flavors from Smithfield pork it's the perfect way to make dinner to head into your back to school routines. They had have many different meat choices but my favorites are the marinated pork filets that come in many different flavors, that can please any member of your family.

What are some of your easy and go to recipes for your family? I'd love to hear them in the comments below, and if you're feeling extra generous leave me the links in the comments so I can check them out! 

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Family Night Dinner Made Easy with Rustic Crust

This post is brought to you by Rustic Crust Pizza. All thought's an opinions are 100% my own. I only review products I know my family will use and love, and ones I think my readers will love too. 

We have 'family nights' every Friday night in our home. It's a tradition we started a couple years ago with our family. We usually order pizza or eat out and it always ends with us watching a movie and letting the kids stay up late past their bed time.

They love picking out the movie and piling on the couch in a million blankets. But, first we must eat. Rustic Crust sent us some yummy things for our next family night in. I love how easy it is to make pizza night at home with their selection of crusts and sauces. 

I love the variety of crusts to choose from, paired with their sauces they are an easy choice. We piled up the toppings and make one pizza for the kids and another for mom and dad! 

Pizza night is an easy way to get your kids involved and let them feel apart of the process. If your kids are like mine they sneak little bites of the toppings as we go! 

We love that we can have dinner on the table in a quick amount of time, which gives us the rest of the evening to hang out as a family together. 

You can pick up Rustic Crust products at your local grocery store or click here for a list of retailers.  Visit their site here for more info on their great products. 

Copycat Lara Cashew Cookie Bars

When I was doing Whole30 one of the items I fell in love with to help curb the sweet tooth that was totally 100% Whole30 approved were Lara Bars! The one I loved the most was the Cashew Cookie bar. After looking at the ingredients list I realized how easy they are to make. So I whipped up some of my own. They are just as good and oh so much more affordable to make on your own. Here's how you can make them at home.

What You'll Need:

1 pound pitted dates

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 pound whole cashews

What You Do:

Place everything in your food processor and blend until well mixed together, don't allow the cashews to cream. Then place the mixture in a 9x9 inch pan and let them set. Cut into squares and store in an air tight container in the fridge. 

These were a hit with my family, and the perfect snack for my kids as well! Let me know if you try these. 

Whole30 Beef Taco Soup

If you're following along you know I've been doing Whole30 since the beginning of February. It's been going well, and today I wanted to share with you one of the foods that I've been loving eating. I've made this soup three times already in the last couple weeks. It's super easy to make and the perfect alternative to the traditional tortilla soup. I added a few of my own additions after making it a few times. 

Whole30 Beef Taco Soup (adapted from the It Starts with Food book.)

1 pound ground beef

2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning

1 zucchini, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 handful cilantro, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 lime, squeezed for juice

2 avocados, chopped

2 16 ounce cans of beef broth

Brown meat in a stock pot, add in taco seasoning and mix together. Then add in the zucchini, onion, cilantro, and lime. Bring all of it to a boil and stir. Simmer for 15 minutes. Dish up and serve with fresh avocado on top and maybe a sprinkle of cilantro on top for good measure. 

You could also add red and green bell peppers to this soup if you like. 

This is a really good soup. Both my husband and I loved this soup. Let me know if you try it and your thoughts.