Host a Freezer Meal Exchange

What was the world before Pinterest… Seriously. I don’t even “Google” anything anymore. It’s right to Pinterest for me… haha. But really, that’s where I found all of the ideas for my latest girls’ night get together.

First, I saw this and thought, that would be a great way to get some new recipes and meal ideas for my family! Plus it saves yourself a ton of work and money! So I created a group on Facebook, invited my local friends that were interested and we chose a date. We used the Facebook group to have a sign up so nobody brought the same thing and we knew exactly how many meals to make.

Freezer Meal Exchange

We ended up with six girls that came, so everyone made six meals, kept one at home and brought five to the exchange. Then we each went home with five different meals to stock our freezers!

A couple things that could make things run more smoothly…

  • Everyone made a copy of their ingredients, heating instructions, etc. and attached it to their meal in some way. A couple of the girls did freezer bags and wrote the directions in Sharpie. Genius!
  • Ask everyone to bring their meals in clothes baskets! Easy carry in, easy carry out!
  • When your exchange guests arrive have them stack their meals in piles for each guest that way when it’s time to go home everyone just loads up their pile of different meals.

We had the best time just hanging out once everyone arrived. We just chatted, let our kids play and enjoyed a girls night out of the house! Well, for everyone but me. But it was nice to have guests over. 😉

I made this and served it with strawberries and apples. I also served a cheese ball and crackers, and we tried this .

Brown Sugar Fruit Dip

Yummy treats and fun times with friends! Plus now I have a fully stocked freezer with a variety of meals that I didn’t have to put together!!! Win, win, win!!!

In case you’re wondering I made this for my freezer meal to trade and we had it for dinner the other night… DELICIOUS!!!

Tell me, have you ever hosted a Freezer Meal Exchange? Have any tips for making our next one easier/more fun? What’s your go to freezer meal??

Sauerkraut and Lit’l Smokies Recipe

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Hillshire Farm but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #buy3save3  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

 
My life has changed a lot since having my baby girl in July. It seems like I have more to get done in a single day now than I ever had to do in a week before… I’m assuming most busy moms feel like that. Especially moms who work either from or away from the home. There’s the little ones to care for, the home to tend, a job… And that’s all before lunchtime even rolls around. Mommas out there?? Am I right??

One of the ways I cut down on the busyness is by making quick and easy recipes for lunch or dinnertime. One of my go to, all time favorite easy recipes is Sauerkraut and Lit’l Smokies. Seriously, there is nothing easier than this!!!

Sauerkraut and Lit'l Smokies Recipe

It requires only two ingredients plus a dash of salt and pepper; a jar of sauerkraut and a package of Lit’l Smokies. The Chedder Lit’l Smokies from Hillshire Farm are my favorite!!

quick and easy lunch recipe

Literally all you have to do is drain some of the juice off the jar of sauerkraut, then pour it and the package of Lit’l Smokies into a skillet.

Hillshire Farm Recipe

Sprinkle the entire thing with a little salt and pepper. Let the skillet heat on medium-high until the smokies are warmed all the way through… About 5-8 minutes or so.

Then serve! I like to eat mine in a bowl for lunch by itself or served with bread and butter for dinner.

Hillshire Farm Lit'l Smokes and Sauerkraut

I purchased the ingredients for this quick and easy recipe at Safeway. This week, if you’re signed up for their “Just for U” program you will save $3 when you buy 3 Hillshire Farm products. That includes those yummy Hillshire Farm Cheddar Lit’l Smokies!!

If you’re not a sauerkraut fan… Cause let’s be honest, people tend to either love it or hate it, it seems… 😉 You can find all kinds of other yummy recipes at the Hillshire Farm website here. OR you can follow Hillshire Farm on Facebook and Twitter.

Your turn: What’s your favorite quick and easy recipe?? AND/OR are you/aren’t you a sauerkraut fan??

Maternity Leave – French Vanilla Mousse Recipe

Hey there friends! While I’m away loving on my brand new baby girl and all the stuff that comes with it I have asked a few friends to BABY sit Truly Lovely! They each have a fun post to share with you to give you a little something to hold you over until I can come back and share cute baby pics and the like… 😉 So please share a little love with each guest poster here and be sure to click over and check out their blogs!

Today’s guest is Jerri of Simply Sweet Home! She has a delicious French Vanilla Mousse recipe for you to try!!!

Take it away Jerri….

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Hi Lovelies! I am so excited to be guest posting here today! My name is Jerri and I’m from the blog Simply Sweet Home. It is a lifestyle blog covering everything from home & garden topics to recipes, product reviews, and even a little beauty and fashion! We also have a weekly linky party called Friday Favorites. Oh! And I have a little jewelry shop on Etsy called !

In the summer time I have always loved eating cool sweet treats. This French Vanilla Mousse is great for parties, picnics, or just a quick snack on the back porch! And it’s very versatile. You can serve it up in parfait dishes or use it in a trifle (perhaps layered with angel food cake or pound cake and fruit!). And I’ve also just poured it up into a graham cracker pie shell! And it’s also super quick and easy! Check it out!

Recipe for French Vanilla Mousse
Ingredients:
1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup cold water
1 (4-serving size) package French vanilla instant pudding mix
1 (8 oz.) container frozen light whipped topping, thawed
Nila Wafers (or other cookies to garnish with)
Directions: Whisk sweetened condensed milk and water in large bowl. Add pudding mix. Whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Chill 5 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into serving dishes. Chill. Garnish as desired. (I layered with Nila wafers.)

Thanks so much to Kassi for having me here today!
Please come by and see me over at my blog and .
Also, follow on , , , and .
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Yep, I’m all about cool, sweet treats! So yummy! Thanks for sharing Jerri! Please leave her a little bloggie love friends! Thanks!

Maternity Leave – Beer Margarita Recipe

Hey there friends! While I’m away loving on my brand new baby girl and all the stuff that comes with it I have asked a few friends to BABY sit Truly Lovely! They each have a fun post to share with you to give you a little something to hold you over until I can come back and share cute baby pics and the like… 😉 So please share a little love with each guest poster here and be sure to click over and check out their blogs!

Today’s guest is Alli of Simply Alli. She’s got a delicious drink recipe that I would love to try in… oh… a year or so…. haha. But for you non-preggos out there, it sounds amazing! 😉

Take it away Alli….

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Hello there, I’m Alli and I blog over at Simply Alli.  I’m stoked to be here today to share this fantastic summer drink with all of you! It’s perfect for these hot summer days.

 

Just the name of this recipe makes my mouth water, Beer Margaritas!  This fun, summer drink is amazingly refreshing and oh so tasty!! Just be careful though, one too many of these and you’ll forget where you left your shoes the night before…just saying…

Ingredients:

1 can of pink frozen lemonade-thawed

Tequila – you pick how much :)

Sprite

1 bottle or can of beer

Pour the can of pink lemonade into a pitcher.  Fill the empty can with tequila (we like them strong) and pour that into the pitcher.  Next add one bottle or can of beer to the pitcher and fill up the reminder of the pitcher with Sprite.

You’ve been warned!

Have fun and enjoy responsibly :) 

 

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Thank you Alli!!! These are the perfect summertime drink!!! Be sure to say hello to Alli over at her place as well! Simply Alli!!!

Woolite Clothing & Accessories Exchange

Hey friends! How’s your week so far?? Today I’m sharing my recent Woolite In Home Clothing & Accessories Exchange Boutique! What a mouth full, right!?! But we had the BEST time! {Please pardon the photo overload!}

Woolite In Home Boutique

First things first, this was a sponsored party via Woolite and Crowdtap. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, if you haven’t joined Crowdtap yet, you really should get on that! You’ll have the opportunity to host fun parties, try free products and share your opinion! I received several samples of Woolite’s Everyday Laundry Detergent to share and discuss with my guests. Then I got to plan a fun party around doing so!!!

WooliteSamplesWooliteEveryday

I decided to purchase my own bottle of Woolite Everyday before the party so that I could test the product and then be able to share my own opinion at the party. The verdict? I loved the scent! My clothes came out of the washer smelling fresh and clean, but not overwhelming. I really do think that with continued use my clothes will look better over all.

The party planning started with inviting several friends and family over to my house for a clothing and accessories exchange. I asked everyone to bring 3-5 items to trade and even sent out a few ideas via my Facebook page and through Instagram pics. You can check out the live tweets from before and during . Just look for the hashtags #wooliteers and #woolitewashed.

I went with a sort of bright colors and Spring theme for the party since it was held right before Easter weekend. Treats were centered around bright colors and Easter candy! {Please excuse the bad lighting, it was late evening during the party!}

Spring party

The pink punch was served in mason jars with striped paper straws. To make your own Sparkling Spring Pink Punch combine two, two liter bottles of Strawberry Lemonade and one 20 oz. bottle of club soda. Serve on ice!

Sparkling Spring Punch Recipe

Sweets included chocolate dipped Peeps on skewers, Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans {my favorite!!!} and chocolate dipped pretzels with pink sugar sprinkles!

Easter Party Treats

To offset so many sweets I also served a fruit tray and this easy two ingredient fruit dip. {It’s a party staple in my house!} And I made up my own version of the tortilla pin wheels! To make your own you’ll need:

  • 5 or so large flour tortillas
  • 2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (room temperature for easier mixing!!)
  • A small can of chopped black olives
  • A small can of chopped green chiles (or use fresh like I did and just peel and chop about two large chiles)
  • 1 package of ranch dressing mix

Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl or electric mixer, then spread on your tortillas. Roll tortillas up, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Cut into thin slices and serve!

party treat ideas

Once my guests arrived we enjoyed some treats, visited and talked about the Woolite Everyday Laundry Detergent samples.

Woolite Washed Party

Woolite Washed Party

I decorated the boutique area with a bright striped table cloth and bright colored bags for guests to take home their goodies. I stuck a ‘Thanks for Swapping‘ message on each bag.

clothing exchange shopping bags

After treats it was time to swap!!! The table was covered with cute tops, jewelry, scarves, dresses, shoes and more! I made paper numbers and had each guest draw a number. Number one got to choose one item of clothing, then number two took her turn and so on.

wooliteinhomeboutique

Oh, and just in case you were starting to wonder if I was even there… haha. I took a turn shopping as well! I even found a few really cute items to wear with my preggo belly for the next couple of months!!!

By the time all of the items were gone from the table everyone had several new to them items to take home!

Thanks to Woolite and Crowdtap for sponsoring this fun party! As always opinions expressed on Truly Lovely are 100% my own thoughts!!!

Fancy This Features #85

Hi there!!! How was your weekend??? 

Let’s start this week off with some fabulous features from Fancy This Fridays, eh!?! 😉

 First up, this Chicken Broccoli Ring from Happiest Mom on the Blog, sounds delicious!!! Plus it looks all fancy schmancy but you probably have the ingredients in your kitchen right now!

Next, this Master Bedroom Makeover from Virginia at LiveLoveDIY is just lovely!!! Check out the before and after!

 

And last, but certainly not least, we love this Dip Dyed Pillow Cover from Lindsay at Little MudPies! It’s just the right pop of color without being overwhelming! Perfect!

Here’s a featured on Truly Lovely button for you ladies! :)

Don’t forget to check out your projects pinned to our !
We get likes and repins every single week = More exposure for you!!!

Thanks to all who linked up and shared with us this last Friday! See you this Friday??? K, good. 😉

Have a good week friends!!!! 

Bloggie Bestie – Ricki of Adventures with Rogue Baby

Hey there pretties!
Today we have the sweetest chick for you to hang with…

Ricki of Adventures with Rogue Baby

 

And she has a DELICIOUS recipe to share with you! Win-win! :)
Take it away Ricki!!!

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Hello Lovelies! I am so happy to be visiting today! Kassi was so sweet to invite me to be a “Bloggie Bestie” this week. You know what that means? Yup, she’s over on my blog, right now! Feel free to go say hi and check out her delish post HERE.

So I thoroughly stressed over this guest post. I over-think things. Guest posts terrify me. How can I possibly fill the shoes of an amazing blogger (such as Kassi) for a day? Will their readers like what I have to say and share?

So, I decided to share a recipe my readers loved!
Introducing… Bananas Gone Coconuts Muffins!

The idea for these yummy treats came about one Sunday afternoon. We are one of “those” families…. green banana eaters. Once they start to turn completely yellow, they are rarely eaten. If they start to get those little brown dots… forget it. They are destined for pancakes, bread, or smoothies. Bored of the same old thing, I decided to try something different.

These sweet babies are made from just about as “scratch” as you can get. And are pretty easy!

Here’s what you will need:

3 cups flour

3 ripe bananas

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 sticks salted butter (melted or room temp)

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk (evaporated or coconut milk would be a good substitute)

1 cup shredded coconut

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas. beat in sugars, eggs, and butter. Then blend in flour, baking soda, vanilla extract, and milk. Lastly mix in the coconut.
Makes 24 standard cupcake size muffins. Boo Boo calls them cupcakes, and my hubby agrees, a good homemade cream cheese frosting would turn these quickly from “muffins” to cupcakes! I think next time, I’m going to add some fresh raspberries!

I would love to hear how yours turn out and any variations you make!

Thank you again, Kassi, for sharing your readers with me today!
I just hit 100 GFC followers yesterday and wanted to celebrate with a little swag for my readers! Feel free to stop by Rogue Baby and enter to win!

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Those sound so yummy!!! Thanks so much for sharing with us Ricki! :)
Be sure to stop by her place to see the fruit skewers I promised you yesterday!

Happy baking lovelies!

Fancy This Features 76

Hello there lovelies!
We had some fun stuff going on here over the weekend! Did you happen to check it out? A fun Snail Mail Social announcement from our girl, Cheers, Bethani and a Business Card Giveaway from Printrunner!
AND the winner of our May Sponsor Group Giveaway was announced!

 Before you head off to those posts, here are the fun, fabulous features from Fancy This Fridays #76! 😉

We LOVE this striped bedroom makeover from Virginia at Live Love DIY. The chandelier adds a fun touch and the color scheme is so calming!

bedroom makeover

We’ve been enjoying a lot of strawberries in our house over the last few weeks… This Strawberry Cobbler from Rebekah at Accidentally Wonderful is on my recipes to try list very soon!!!

dessert idea

How neat are these Wine Bottle Tiki Torches from Samm at Little House in the Big D!?! I would LOVE these for my backyard!!! Perfect for summer evenings outdoors!!!

porch decorations

Thanks to all the lovelies that linked up with us again, or for the first time, this last week! :) We so enjoy having you share your fun ideas!!! Here’s a featured button for you dolls mentioned above! Hope you’ll share it on your own blogs! It links right back to THIS post so you’re readers will know where to find you!

Have a GREAT week friends!!!

Bloggie Bestie – Jessica of Morrison Lane

Hello pretty friends!
Or handsome as the case may be… But I’m almost postive the pretty weighs out. 😉
We are super excited to introduce you to the lovely…

Jessica of Morrison Lane!!!

I came across her blog several months ago and just ADORE the fun posts she shares about Lil Bit and her brothers (Jessica is their nanny!), trips with her hubs, Brad, and the most beautiful photographs of everyday life!

She’s sharing a yummy icing recipe with us today!
Take it away Jessica!!!

hey there, truly lovely fans! i’m jessica and i blog over at morrison lane. i was also raised on morrison lane, hence the name of the blog. yeah, i’m creative like that. also my last name was morrison until last year when i got married. confused yet? me too!


i am truly (lovely and)<—i’m cracking myself up! thrilled to be writing here today and getting to meet some new friends.  you know what they say, any friend of truly lovely is a friend of morrison lane…they say that, right? (Kassi here: If they don’t they TOTALLY should) 😉

after STRUGGLING to come up with something great and impressive to share with you all, the best thing i could come up with was something i just discovered monday! a sugar free and delicious recipe for icing! oh yeah! so that way when you decide to leave just a little icing left in the bowl for, perhaps, a few spoonfuls or ten, you are still all healthy and sugar free. and who doesn’t love that?


monday was my mom’s birthday and birthdays require a homemade cake in my book, so i had to put my chef hat on and get to work. after making a strawberry cake with the help of lil bit (p.s. i’m a full time nanny for a profession and i often have lil bit in tow, she has twin brothers but they are way to busy with kindergarten to hang out with the likes of me) and managing not to drop anything extra in the cake like egg shells or measuring spoons…two year old help, not so helpful…


that’s my cute husband and lil bit.

twas time for the icing. here’s what i did.
whipped icing recipe:
1 tub of cool whip
1 block of cream cheese (i said sugar free, not fat free)
2 tsp truvia

mix together until smooth
refrigerate for about ten minutes to cool the icing and let it set
ice your cake
eat

my mom does minnie pearl impersonations, so i thought we would get all crazy and try to put a minnie pearl hat on the cake. i figured if it turned out terrible, i could blame it on the two year old! i liked it, so i took full credit.


try the icing, especially if you like icing that’s not so sweet and more of a whipped icing than a sugar icing.
it was delicious and perfect topping for the strawberry cake, i thought.


thanks again truly lovely ladies for being my bff today, i am truly truly honored.
and let me know if you try the icing friends…it yuuuummmm-o!

Sounds yummy, right?!? Our thanks to Jessica for blog swapping with me today!
(I’m over at her place RIGHT now! Come visit, yes!?!)
Isn’t Lil Bit just the cutest!
Enjoy you’re sweet treats today peeps!

Fancy This Features 73

Scroll down or for an awesome post from Miss Kayli on a way to save BIG BIG bucks on your textbooks this next semester!  But… before you click over check out these FUN features from our Fancy This Fridays link up over the weekend! 😉 AND if you want to see recent features you can check out our !  It’s filled with lots of AWESOME ideas you’ll want to repin and try!

So, summer vacation is getting closer and closer!!! And you know what that means… Bored kiddos! 😉
We love Nicole of Shabby Beach Nest’s 101 Idea I’m Bored Jar! It’ll keep them busy all summer long!

A few Fancy This link ups back for a fold up work table…. Well THIS week she and her hubs wrote up a FULL length, detailed how to for it! This time as a folding Lego table for their boys!

And last but not least, Dusti of Want to Get Crafty claims these are brussel sprouts that everyone will want to eat!!!
Well, if I’m going to eat them, I hope their yummy… and she says they are! 😉 SO this is going on my recipes to try list!

Here’s a Featured on Truly Lovely button for you dolls mentioned up above! We also feature great ideas and projects over on our Facebook page, so if you were featured there, we’d love for you to have a button too!!!!


It links right to THIS very post so your friends and readers will know where to find you!! :)

Here’s hoping you have a lovely week dolls!!!

OH!!! And there’s only a few more hours to enter !!!