i should be mopping the floor: August 2013
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Garlic and Herb Chicken Sliders with All Natural Ground Chicken #ad

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

This is the perfect bite-sized burger with a yummy chicken twist! 
Tyson's Fresh, all natural ground chicken made these the perfect grill-out meal with loads of flavor.
#ad #CreateAMeal #cbias

I was trying to think about the perfect meal to end the summertime season. A fun burger/slider came to mind. And what better way to put a fun spin on it than to use all natural ground chicken instead of beef!?

#ad Garlic and Herb Chicken Sliders with ground chicken #CreateAMeal, #cbias
This Tyson ground chicken was so delicious {I didn't even know this product existed}...and these ended up being a quick grilled meal that left all of us with yummy smiles. 

You can find Tyson's ground chicken in the fresh meat area of your Walmart. 

The slider patties were made of:
- 1 pound Tyson Ground Chicken {isn't that "chub" pack super cute?}
- 1/4 cup garlic & herb bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- kosher salt, to taste
- seasoning salt, to taste {I'm kind of addicted to Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute, a salt-free blend. Feel free to use whatever you like.}

I cheated a bit with the garlic and onions. I popped them in my mini processor for a quick choppity-chop. I still left them pretty rough-cut, though.

After chopping my onions and garlic, I combined all of the patty ingredients in a large bowl

Then I used the best tools at my disposal...my hands. They are perfect for mixing meat.

I formed eight small-ish patties out of the mixture.

A little pat-pat. 

Then on to the grill they went. Honestly, in Texas we're able to grill year round. A few years back on Thanksgiving, I cooked my cranberry sauce on the grill's burner. I just ran out of room on the stove. We {heart} the grill around here.

These didn't take too long at all. Just watch yours closely to make sure they don't burn...but also check with a meat thermometer for doneness.

For assembly, you'll need
- 8 dinner rolls
- 8 slices Pepper Jack cheese {I think it's perfect for the milder flavor of chicken}
- Roma tomato, sliced {they're the perfect size}
- Butter lettuce
- mayo, ketchup, Dijon mustard

We let each family member assemble their own burger. Although we do melt cheese on the grill, per request.

They were seriously good! The garlic flavor was fabulously over the top...just how I like it.

I'm seriously a ground chicken person now! Thanks, Tyson!

Download a printable chalkboard recipe card by clicking the image below:







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Printable Mini Birthday Banner

This free printable mini birthday banner is perfect to top cakes or just hang in fun, unexpected places. #fridaysfreebie
Free Printable Mini Birthday Banner: perfect for cake toppers or hanging in fun little places!
I created this banner a few weeks back for my husband's birthday.
I wanted something small, but still festive, to hang on the shelf over the stove.

Free Printable Mini Birthday Banner: perfect for cake toppers or hanging in fun little places!
Here's how it looked on his special day.

Free Printable Mini Birthday Banner: perfect for cake toppers or hanging in fun little places!
These just add the perfect touch of celebratory fun to unexpected places. To download yours, click on the image below.







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Simple School Lunch Ideas

Now that school's in full swing, I'll be back to posting kids' lunch ideas regularly.

Simple School Lunch Box Ideas {to make sure the lunch box comes home empty}

Simple School Lunch Box Ideas {to make sure the lunch box comes home empty}
This was our first week back to the grind. And with that, of course, I plan to resurrect the lunch-making idea posts here on the blog. 

I was recently asked to review this new lunch-making product from FunBites, called Triangles. It was pretty cool and I'll definitely keep it in the rotation of lunch gear that I use regularly.
Simple School Lunch Box Ideas {to make sure the lunch box comes home empty}

I didn't do anything fancy with it...just basic triangles out of a sandwich. But the possibilities are pretty endless...use it to cut cheese shapes, make a sunburst with the food item's triangle pieces, chop fruit, etc. 

My boys have recently gotten into "non-fancy" lunches. My older son is almost nine and has, quite frankly, outgrown the novelty of it {sad face}. The younger doesn't like people looking at his food {not sure what that's all about}, which often happened with the more elaborate bento boxes I have done in the past. So, we're plain-Janein' it this year. That's not to say I can't have a little fun.

Simple School Lunch Box Ideas {to make sure the lunch box comes home empty}
The piece is super sturdy plastic that's BPA-free. I was actually amazed at how nice the quality was. The popper top just pops out the sandwich pieces {or whatever you cut}.

Simple School Lunch Box Ideas {to make sure the lunch box comes home empty}
I placed the pieces in one of my silicone cups in one of our boxes. This is perfection for the younger one. Somehow he can't eat an "intact" sandwich...but this he will devour. To see all of their selection, click here.

Simple School Lunch Box Ideas {to make sure the lunch box comes home empty}
And here's one of my big boy's lunches this week. I've gotten to where I'll divide one side of the tray into three separate containers by sticking a silicone cup in the middle. Smaller portions with more variety of foods are the key to getting my kids to bring home empty boxes. On the other side of the box, I stacked two cut sandwich halves. These bread rounds make this a neat and tidy affair. 

These are, by far, my favorite boxes that we own. I have lots of them. This particular set, seen above are the ones I use most. They are from Lunch Bots. This set is called "Duo". We also have them with colored lids. I've owned the above set for two and a half years and both sets look the same as the day they came in the mail {even my husband noticed that}. One time, a lunch box was left on the playground an entire weekend {in the Texas heat of May}. We realized this that Sunday night and ran over to the school's playground and luckily it was still there. There were some lovely leftovers in the box. But it cleaned up beautifully and is now back in the rotation. These things have been dropped, smushed, manhandled and more. They are quite awesome! If you'd like to see their site, click here or below.

Shop LunchBots









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Lemon Glazed Blueberry Bread

This Lemon Glazed Blueberry Bread is the perfect sweet bread for breakfast...
or just snacking!

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Bread: DELICIOUS!
This bread is my "last-hurrah" to the sweet summery yumminess of the blueberry-lemon combination. You can make it without the glaze...but to me, this bread without glaze is like showering with no soap. Seriously. What's the point of that?

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Bread: DELICIOUS!
Mmmm...I drizzled a little glaze onto the slice, too. Soooo good.

You'll Need:
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Blueberry flavored Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1  teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar {preferably sifted}

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Bread: DELICIOUS!
Start out by tossing the blueberries with the flour. I like to use frozen blueberries because they retain their shape while you're "messing with them" while preparing this recipe. The flour coating prevents them all from sinking to the bottom of the bread. Set these aside. 

Sift the 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. Mix the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil together in a large bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ones, mixing until incorporated. 

Carefully fold the flour-coated blueberries into the batter {it is a little thick, so it's a fine dance of folding blueberries...I always have a few burst here and there. But who doesn't love a good purple bread?}. Pour {or spoon, it is thick} into a prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 for 55 minutes, or until done {toothpick testing required here}. Cool completely. {I use a glass pan for this so the glaze can soak all around and get into the bread...more so than it would if I turned the bread out of the pan to let it stand on its own and be topped with the glaze}.

Add powdered sugar to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, mixing completely {to me, it's easier to add the powder to the liquid here...constantly whisking to prevent lumps}. If needed, add more lemon juice until desired consistency is achieved {I like a thicker glaze, so I don't add much more lemon juice to mine}. Drizzle glaze on top of bread.

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Bread: DELICIOUS!
I like to eat this when the glaze is still "fresh" and still pretty liquidish.
But don't get me wrong, it's still yummy a few hours later. 
Or days...but nothing ever lasts that long in this house.

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Bread: DELICIOUS!

To download the printable recipe card, click the image below:





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Awesome Autumn $300 Cash Giveaway

Giveaway awesome autom

Who's ready for fall? I know I am. And so are 10 of my favorite blogging buddies. 
We are teaming to give away $300 cash {that's a lot of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, peeps}! This is our way of saying THANKS for being awesome and let's FALL into some fun!

giveaway Collage
To celebrate our fabulous readers, one friend will receive $300 Paypal cash! Woot, woot! The best part is, you can do anything you would like with the money! Buy pumpkins, fire logs, chunky sweaters, fabulous knee-high boots...whatevs! The sky's the limit.

These are all of my girlfrans going in on this giveaway with me:
Sarah from Alderberry Hill
Carrie from Carrie This Home
Jordan from LilyWhite Designs
Kelly from Smart School House
How to enter: Enter by liking us on Facebook and/or Pinterest using Rafflecopter below! You can also enter by sharing on Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook! That's it! Super simple!
RULES: No purchase necessary. To enter, participants must use the Rafflecopter tool, have a Facebook and Pinterest account, and the winner must have a Paypal account to receive cash. Winner must be 18 years of age or older and a US resident. Winnings are valued at $300. This giveaway is not affiliated or endorsed by Facebook or Pinterest.







Meet the Peeps

Giveaway meet the bloggers
Meet the friends behind the FUN giveaway that starts at noon {CST} today!
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Hey, I’m Amy, the author behind the creative lifestyle blog A Blossoming Life. I started blogging when I first got married 2 years ago in hopes to inspire others to create things homemade, enjoy life, and encourage a faith filled life. I like to share bits of my craziness like crafts, tasty recipes, DIY projects, furniture makeovers, fashion, and all things frugal! I recently graduated with my masters in nutrition and studying to become a Registered Dietitian! Usually the recipes you can find on my blog are healthy… or at least made from real ingredients!
Sarah @ Alderberry Hill
I'm Sarah and I blog over at Alderberry Hill. I'm your averaged married girl with 2 awesome kids and a dog. I love shoes, clothes and books...oh, and purses...and being frugal too! At Alderberry Hill you'll find me covered in paint underneath a stack of scrapbook paper in a craft room filled with things I want to re purpose...and sometimes in the kitchen whipping up a tasty treat. Pop over to see me sometime, I'd love to have you.
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Carrie is a wife and mommy who doesn't have it all together. A little bit of coffee and a lot of Jesus gets her through the day. She is a self-proclaimed lazy cook that loves finding easy recipes so she can keep up with her busy life. Carrie and her hubby spend quality time at the home-improvement store dreaming up of big changes/improvements they can make to their home—so it can all be documented at Carrie This Home!

jenbwlove
My name is Jennie Larsen and I am a stay at home mom to 4 awesome kids. I have been married to my best friend for 14 years. I also am a Professional Blogger and I Blog at Craft-O-Maniac. My blog focuses on Crafts, Home Decor, DIY Projects, some Recipes and Tutorials. I love to thrift, create, drink diet coke, and laugh really hard. I have a weakness for cute hand bags, cute jewelry, Elvis, and chocolate.

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Jill Fritz is a part time outside the home working mommy turned craft blogger. She offers craft/DIY tutorials for Pinterest addicts, craft junkies, DIY fanatics and busy mamas. Jill started Create.Craft.Love. as place to showcase her craftiness and to encourage others to do the same. Create.Craft.Love is a place where passion and creativity collide!

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Hi there, friends, I'm Kristi. I've been a blogger since 2006, but now blog exclusively at ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com, a creative lifestyle blog that I {always} neglect my chores for! While my background career and degree are in graphic design, as my blog has grown, my passions have as well. I've closed my freelance design business to blog full time, along with working toward opening my graphic printables store this coming fall. I love blogging about decorating, design, DIY, and food...as well as producing lots of free printables. My family is a big part of my blog as well...I have a great husband who moonlights as my unofficial editor {who by day is a high school principal}. We have two elementary-aged sons who sometimes appear on the blog, too. I love meeting new friends and swapping design information with others. Isn't this creative world we live in a blast?
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LilyWhite. designs was founded by two best friends in 2007. It all started as a dream to spread the gospel through the creativity that God has shown, and is showing through his people. Abbie Short and I, Jordan Sparks, have traveled to music festivals, and concerts, women's conferences, and craft shows. All in the joy of spreading the love of our savior. Abbie is now doing mission work in India and Thailand, loving on lots of sweet kids, and showing them that their heavenly Father loves them too. On LilyWhite's blog, I share inspirations from the gospel, whatever adventures are going on in my life, some of my latest creations, as well as fun DIY projects. My favorite ongoing series is called Wardrobe Renovations. In these posts you will see some interesting pieces of vintage clothing get a face lift, and come out looking runway ready. I love any opportunity to restore something old. Thanks for the read, and I hope to see you over at, LilyWhite. designs!

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Hi, I'm Jenna, the method to the madness behind Rain on a Tin Roof! I'm an ex-southern belle who is passionate about DIY projects, turning junk into chic decor, thrifty finds, re-finishing furniture, and other decorating dilemmas. When I'm not trying to keep my kid from climbing out of the circus ring or making sure Grunt Labor's shirts are taken to the dry cleaners (so I get out of ironing), I can be found with a paintbrush in one hand and a cheap beer in the other. But if you’re buying, I'll have a cosmopolitan. You can find out more about me here.

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I'm Kelly Dixon, the author and blogger at Smart School House. I'm 1st grade teacher turned mom of two toddlers. You'll often find me blogging about cute crafts, sweet treats, educational activities, and blogging tips. Come to Smart School House to find pretty inspirations for your home, family, and crafty side.

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Hi everyone! I'm Katie from The Casual Craftlete blog. I started my blog a couple months ago to share my three hobbies: crafting, cooking, and running, and also to have a creative outlet. I love to make all kinds of crafts, but my favorite crafts are ones with scrapbook paper. Also, I would call myself somewhat of a foodie and love to make new recipes. I started running for the first time a little over a year ago. Since then, I have lost 70 pounds and have falling in love with running! I am a stay at home mom to a sweet little girl, so my crafts, recipes, and running need to be easy and quick! Since, I only do projects during my daughter's naptime!

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Melissa is an Army wife, stay-at-home mom of three young boys, and design enthusiast. Never one to sit still, Melissa loves to repurpose discarded trash into home décor treasure, create easy and delicious recipes, and crafts for all skill levels. You can keep up with her creative endeavors on her blog The Happier Homemaker.









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