Blueberry Banana Coffeecake

 

:: Blueberry Banana Coffeecake ::

You already know that I’m a bit obsessed with warm, wholesome muffins. What you don’t know, is that I have the same obsession over coffeecake! For me… it started many, many years ago. I was fortunate to have a mom who let me explore the kitchen and come up with “concoctions,” as I liked to call them. I spent my Saturday mornings as a young child whipping up what I thought to be delicious creations with whatever I could get my hands on {baking soda, flour, vanilla extract, eggs, green food coloring — you get the idea!}. I would then try to feed my tasty “concoctions” to my family {they must have loved me!}. Luckily for them, by the age of seven, I started making coffeecake from scratch. Warm, comforting, sweet, buttery, cinnamon coffeecakes! Over the years, I’ve tried dozens of variations. Last week, I had bananas that were overly ripe and a carton of fresh blueberries to work with. After a little recipe research, I converted a standard banana bread recipe into this delectable, moist breakfast treat! Yum! [Read more…]

Strawberry Lemon Zest Yogurt Pops

  

 :: Strawberry Lemon Zest Yogurt Pops ::

One of my dear friends gave me these Zoku Mini Pop Molds at the end of the school year for being one of her room parents {Such a great gift idea!}. Since we are nearly settled into our new house, I thought it was about time to pull them out of the box and whip up a delicious summer treat for my littles!

I don’t know about your kids, but mine rarely finish an entire large popsicle. Inevitably, it ends up as one sticky mess {which may be half the fun}! They either grow tired of the flavor, or end up dropping the leftovers on the ground, it seems. These Zoku Mini Pops are honestly the perfect size! While they are much smaller than your average ice pop, I did find that the kids were still able to spend several fun-filled minutes enjoying them! [Read more…]

Decadent Frozen Banana Bites

 

  

:: Decadent {frozen} Banana Bites ::

Naming this post was a bit of an issue for me! You see… these aren’t your average frozen banana bites dipped in rich, creamy chocolate! Oh no! These are WAY more decadent! These little frozen banana bites are wrapped in chocolate chip cookie dough, and dunked in a thick layer of chocolate!

Clearly, I had a moment of weakness in making these! It was a week prior to our big family move and I needed the stress relief of whipping up something tasty! For me, the process of baking has always been a coping mechanism when I need to unwind or take a breather from life. These banana bites were successful in getting my mind off the never ending to-do list that comes with moving a family of six. They also provided the kids and I with a delicious frozen summer treat that brought back some of my favorite childhood memories of going to Balboa Island in Newport Beach and indulging in the famous Frozen Bananas & Balboa Bars!

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Picnic Favorites

  

 

 

We completely *love* picnics {my husby actually proposed to me during one on the cliffs of Laguna Beach}! They’re perfect for an afternoon of much needed family-time or a date with your special someone!

We searched high & low for the best quality products that are also lovely to gaze at! These eight made it onto our “Picnic Favorites!” If you’re not shopping for yourself, any one of these would also make a charming hostess gift, or summer wedding present!  [Read more…]

{weekend} lovelies

 

{image via: the jew in jcrew, tumblr}

 

:: Weekend Lovelies ::

Whoo Hoo! School’s out for Summer! Although fabulous to have a break from the normal school routine, it’s usually a bittersweet time for us parents, right?! I mean, let’s be honest… the kids are home around the clock so there can be a lot of sibling bickering going on and requests to play on electronic devices or watch television. If you’re anything like Nicole and I…. you are wondering how you’re going to keep screen time to a minimum, and instead, actively engage their minds with something more worthwhile! This Weekend Lovelies is dedicated to just that! You will find several amazing links for outdoor activities, kid-friendly recipe ideas, DIY play projects, and much more! Enjoy, friends…. and have the loveliest weekend! {xo} [Read more…]

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

  

:: Strawberry Oatmeal Bars ::

When it comes to baking, you just can’t go wrong with a recipe that calls for a crumbly mixture of butter, brown sugar, and oatmeal {am I right?}! Combine those ingredients with your favorite flavor of jam {yum!} and you are left with a rich and chewy bar that you can enjoy as a snack or even served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! These delicious bars also pack perfectly in kids lunches and would make a nice treat for a friend!

We were fortunate to have a  jar of super sweet homemade strawberry jam that a friend had made for us in our fridge. I used it in this recipe… and I am sure it enhanced the pure tastiness! Although I used strawberry, you can use any flavor of jam of your liking. Peach… raspberry…. blackberry…. whatever you fancy or have readily available! The buttery, brown sugar oatmeal mixture is used for the base of the bar…. and the crumbly topping! It is super easy to make with only one-bowl needed!

The original recipe was taken from one of our favorites {the Pioneer Woman}. Nicole and I love all of her recipes… but as usual, we tend to make a few adaptations based on the ingredients we have on hand. Since my jam was very sweet… I cut back on the brown sugar. I also used half whole wheat flour and half white all-purpose to make it a tad bit healthier {hmm… not sure if that’s possible with all of that butter}!! Any way that you choose to do it… they are sure to come out delicious! Enjoy!  

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