PB & Y Fruit Dip

May 14, 2014 in Kitchen, Mailbox

Welcome to Day #3 of Kick Off to Summer Week, a multi-blogger event co-host by Lauren of From Gate to Plate and Summer of Summer Scraps. With summer quickly approaching and Memorial Day in a few weeks, we want to make sure you have plenty of ideas for your Memorial Day activities.

Each day we will be serving up a variety of different appetizers, main dishes, desserts, decor, printables and more all centered around the up-coming Memorial Day. We hope you enjoy all of these wonderful ideas. Tune in each day starting with Monday, May 12 and ending on Saturday, May 17.

We have great prizes up for grabs throughout the week so you will not want to miss out on any of the days! Follow #KickOffToSummerWeek2014 on Twitter to keep up to date with all of our spectacular ideas and giveaways!

 

Continuing with our Simple BBQ menu, today we’re moving on to fruit side dishes. Fruit is pretty much my favorite food ever.

And bread.

And chocolate.

Okay, I just love food. But fruit is really high on the list.

I love a fruit tray with a great dip. Homemade whipped cream is my go-to fruit dip. I mean really, is there anything better than ripe strawberries with fresh whipped cream? I think not.

I also love the super simple dip that is just yogurt and whipped cream mixed in whatever portions give you exactly the flavor you like.

I have one more super simple dip that is a regular on my fruit tray. In fact, my kiddos know I love it so much, they made it for my Mother’s Day breakfast. They know me so well. yum

This one was inspired by a recipe from Six Sisters Stuff, but I tweaked it a bit and I love it even more now. It’s like taking your favorite PB & J and turning it into dessert.

pby-fruit-dip


PB & Y Fruit Dip

  • 1 part peanut butter
  • 2 parts strawberry yogurt

Mix. Serve with fruit. Eat. Seriously, that’s all there is to it.

You can make as much or as little as you want. Measure out your peanut butter and then use twice as much yogurt. If you have really healthy peanut butter or yogurt with no sugar, you may need to add a little something for sweetness. I used sugary peanut butter and yogurt, so it’s plenty sweet just like this. And so, so yummy.

I love it best on bananas and strawberries, but try it on your favorite fruit and see how you like it!

Don’t you love how easy this menu is turning out to be? If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my Easiest Ever Grilled Chicken marinade and Creamy Corn Salad.

pbyfruitdip


Still wanting more?! Check out the rest of the #KickOffToSummer2014 awesomeness below!

Lemon Honey & Rosemary Grilled Chicken Skewers by From Gate to Plate
Sausage & Veggies Tinfoil Dinner by Summer Scraps
Baked Rosemary Garlic Fries by Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Homemade Natural Bug Spray by The Haas Machine
Memorial Day Festivities by Lil Huckleberries
Corn Cob Jelly by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Marshmallow Fruit Dip by Forty Eighteen
Trail Mix Oatmeal Cookies by Lady Behind the Curtain
BBQ Invitation Printable by My Daylights
Rhubarb Crisp by Love in the Kitchen
Mixed Berry Sweet Rolls by Like Mother, Like Daughter
Liberty Embroidery Pattern by Bits of Ivory
Red White and Blue Trifle by We Like to Learn as We Go
Chickpea Tabouli by Food Lust People Love
Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies by Life on Food

 I am so excited about our giveaway today!

#GourmetGarden #Giveaway

Our sponsor for today is Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices. If you enjoy cooking with fresh ingredients you will just love Gourmet Garden!

Gourmet Garden herbs are organically grown then simply washed, chopped, blended and packed into tubes to maintain the herbs freshness and nutrition. With Gourmet Garden you will be able to keep fresh herbs in your fridge for months with no waste.

They have a variety of herbs such as Garlic, Basil, Cilantro, Chili Pepper and much more! You can find Gourmet Garden in the fresh produce section of your supermarket. Be sure to keep up-to-date with Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

#GourmetGarden Product #Giveaway PackageGourmet Garden has so graciously offered up a cooler full of herbs and spices perfect for you next cooking and baking experience. Your cooler will include 4 ounce bottles of:

Garlic
Basil
Chili Pepper
Dill
Oregano
Cilantro
Ginger
Italian Herbs
Parsley
Lemon Grass

I always end up with wasted herbs in my fridge when I don’t use them in time. These are so perfect for me!

Enter to win your very own cooler of Gourmet Garden herbs and spices in the Rafflecopter below.

 **Giveaway runs May 21 until May 28, 2014 at midnight EST. Giveaway is open to US Residents only. Winner must be 18 years of age or older. No cash value available**

**Disclaimer: This giveaway is being sponsored by Gourmet Garden. #KickOffToSummerWeek2014 bloggers have not received product or been compensated as part of this giveaway!**

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What is your favorite way to serve – or dip – fruit?

Simple BBQ Menu

May 12, 2014 in Kitchen, Mailbox

Welcome to Day #1 of Kick Off to Summer Week, a multi-blogger event co-hosted by Lauren of From Gate to Plate and Summer of Summer Scraps.

With summer quickly approaching and Memorial Day in a few weeks, we want to make sure you have plenty of ideas for your Memorial Day activities. Each day we will be serving up a variety of different appetizers, main dishes, desserts, decor, printables and more – all centered around the up-coming Memorial Day. We hope you enjoy all of these wonderful ideas.

Tune in each day starting with Monday, May 12 and ending on Saturday, May 17. We have great prizes up for grabs throughout the week so you will not want to miss out on any of the days! Follow #KickOffToSummerWeek2014 on Twitter to keep up to date with all of our spectacular ideas and giveaways!

simple-bbq-menu


I am so excited to be participating in this fun event, and can’t wait to share a fabulous and simple BBQ menu with you – GREAT for your Memorial Day or Summer BBQs. It will look a little something like this:

Monday
Main dish • Easiest Ever Grilled Chicken marinade

Tuesday
Veggie Side Dish • Creamy Corn Salad

Wednesday
Fruit Side Dish • PB & Y Fruit Dip

Thursday
Salad • Six Simple Pasta Salads

Friday
Drink • Perfect Fresh Lemonade

Saturday
Dessert • Favorite Popcorn Balls

 

Yum! Let’s jump right in and get started with the Easiest EVER Grilled Chicken marinade.

This is so easy, I’m not even sure it actually counts as a recipe. But easy is what we’re going for, right? And it’s oh so tasty.

You only need 2 ingredients and some chicken. Are you ready for the secret? Here goes…

Ta da!

It only takes 2 ingredients to make the easiest ever #grilled #chicken #marinade. Simple and delicious? That's exactly what I need!


Italian dressing and lemon pepper. That’s it! Here’s what you do: Sprinkle your chicken with lemon pepper then put it in a Ziploc bag. Pour a bottle of Italian dressing over the chicken, seal the bag, and put it in the fridge to marinate. A few hours later – or the next day – take out your chicken and grill it. That’s it! Easy and delicious!! You can use *any* Italian dressing. I have used regular, zesty, light… and even this fancy “restaurant recipe,” all with great results. View all of the other Kick Off to Summer Week 2014 participants for more Memorial Day ideas!

Margarita Grilled Shrimp Skewers by From Gate to Plate
Cherry Limeade by Summer Scraps
Turkey and Grilled Pineapple Burger by Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Place of Honor by Lil Huckleberries
Edible Patio Table Centerpiece by Bits of Ivory
Easiest Ever Grilled Chicken by Forty Eighteen
Ranch Burgers by Lady Behind the Curtain
Strawberry and Candied Almond Spinach Salad by We Like to Learn as We Go
BBQ Banner Printable by My Daylights
Red White and Blue Fruit Pizza by Like Mother Like Daughter
Star-Spangled Muffins by Food Lust People Love
German Potato Salad by Denise Designed

Not only do we have fabulous recipes and ideas for you, but we also have giveaways with awesome prizes!

Our sponsor for Day 1 of Kick Off to Summer Week 2014 belongs to Pick Your Plum! We are so excited they joined us today. Pick Your Plum is an amazing deal site that features products from all over the world. New deals occur each morning at 7:00 AM Mountain Time. Some of these fab deals go so fast you might miss out on them because the deals are always so great!

pyp1

Pick Your Plum features clothing, home decor, crafting, party supplies and other fun surprises! You can follow Pick Your Plum on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

pyp2

Today’s Pick Your Plum Prize Pack includes TWO $50 Plum boxes full of PYP awesomeness! (Seriously wish I could enter in this too because this prize is totally awesome!)

**Giveaway is open to US Residents only. Winner must be 18 years or age or older. No cash value available.**

**Disclaimer: This giveaway is being sponsored by Pick Your Plum. #KickOffToSummerWeek2014 bloggers have not received product or been compensated as part of this giveaway**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So much awesome in one post! Be sure to come back every day this week to get the complete BBQ menu and for more fabulous ideas and prizes.

Do you have any Memorial Day plans?

Baby Animal Days Giveaway

May 1, 2014 in Mailbox, Out the Door

My girls LOVE animals. Bree asks me every day if we can get a dog – like maybe the answer has changed since the day before. She tells me how great it will be to learn all about how to care for it – with the promise that I would never have to do anything myself, of course. Unfortunately for her, Mr. 4018 and I haven’t caved yet, so she keeps begging and trying to use her cute baby animal eyes on us to change our minds. In the meantime, she has to get her cute baby animal fix somewhere else.

We all know baby animals are cute. Exhibit A:

Win a family pass (ARV $25) to Baby Animal Days in Kaysville, UT


You may think it doesn’t get much cuter than that, but add some cute kiddos loving those baby animals and you’ve got one of the cutest things you will ever see. Exhibit B:

Win a family pass (ARV $25) to Baby Animal Days in Kaysville, UT


If you want to win major points with your kids and see those adorable faces light up with HUGE smiles (and you’re not giving in to the puppy dog eyes for a baby animal of your own either) and you live in Utah, I have the perfect event for you!

Win a family pass (ARV $25) to Baby Animal Days in Kaysville, UT


Baby Animal Days is a Utah State University Extension event at the USU Botanical Center in Kaysville, Utah on May 9-10. Visitors are invited to get up close and personal with the animals.

Win a family pass (ARV $25) to Baby Animal Days in Kaysville, UT


Your little cuties can meet baby ducklings, chicks, bunnies, goats, kids, lambs, piglets, calves, baby llamas, and miniature horses. They will love being introduced to the baby reptiles. The event also includes children’s activities, horse rides, sheep shearing demonstrations, miniature train rides, a climbing wall, and bouncy houses. What a fun way to spend some time next weekend!

For more information, including driving directions and a schedule of events, visit the Baby Animal Days website. Tickets range in price from $5 for an individual to $25 for a family of 6. Military and garden member discounts are available. You can buy your ticket at the gate or pre-order HERE.

I know my little ones would be in heaven at Baby Animal Days! I will definitely be there, and I have two exciting offers to help you get there, too.

First, Forty Eighteen readers can use this promo code: TAKE5 to receive $5 off a family pass.

Second, the awesome folks at USU Extension have given me a free family pass to give away to one of my favorite local readers! If this sounds like an event your family would enjoy, be sure to enter using the rafflecopter below. Enter by May 7, and I will announce the winner on May 8. You can choose either day to use your pass, May 9th 2-8 pm or May 10th 10 am – 6 pm.

And while you’re in the entering mood, don’t forget to enter to win a 5-day RV vacation. How much fun would that be?!?!

We’ll see you down on the farm!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Which baby animal will your kids be most excited about meeting?

Time for a Vacation and an RV Giveaway

April 23, 2014 in Mailbox

Writing is like breathing to me, but lately I feel like I have been drowning. You know when life just gets sooo busy you have to make hard choices about what you simply don’t have time to focus on? Well, that has been the whole past month for me. I am sooo ready for summer vacation!

Now I am finally coming up for a huge gulp of air and getting back to this poor neglected blog.

I really have been dreaming about summer vacation and talking with Mr. 4018 about all of the beautiful places I want to take our kiddos. We live in such a gorgeous place!

I want to #travel somewhere as gorgeous as this when I #win this RV #giveaway.

It seems only right that we visit the grand canyon at some point. I am from Arizona, after all, and we pass it every time we drive to my parents’ house. But so far all my kids have seen of the grand canyon is “Hey, kids! Look out the window right now and you can see the edge of the grand canyon way over there! Oh shoot, you missed it.”

I want to #travel somewhere as gorgeous as this when I #win this RV #giveaway.

I grew up seeing pictures like this and wondering why we didn’t visit that part of the grand canyon on our family vacations. Paradise in the desert.

I want to #travel somewhere as gorgeous as this when I #win this RV #giveaway.

We could visit Arches and show our kids the place where this whole 4018 family thing started. If you look all the way to the left edge of the photo about in the middle, that’s the exact spot where we were sitting when Mr. 4018 asked me that one question that changed our lives forever — and I said, “yeah.” Not quite the answer he was looking for… but 17 years and 5 kids later, we’re still traveling along this crazy journey together.

I want to #travel somewhere as gorgeous as this when I #win this RV #giveaway.

We have each been to Bryce Canyon separately but never together. It’s only a few hours away and such a gorgeous place!

I want to #travel somewhere as gorgeous as this when I #win this RV #giveaway.

Another one that’s only a few hours away and full of absolutely breathtaking scenery is Zion’s National Park. We have driven through, but it’s about time for us to stop and explore.

And there are so many more gorgeous places I dream of exploring!

I can hardly wait for camping this summer, but I’m, ahem, getting old, and it’s hard to get any sleep on the ground in a tent. Last year I finally upgraded to a fabulous cot that I love (the girls all fight over it when we have sleepovers), but our tent has mesh walls and I still freeze all night long and wake up over and over again just wishing the night would end. And yet, somehow I still love camping.

I used to pass a huge RV seller on my way home every day, and I was practically drooling at all of the amazing RVs in the lot.

Drooling over RVs? I definitely need vacation.

But seriously, how much better would I sleep in an RV?! And then I could love camping even more because I wouldn’t be too tired to be nice and have fun!

That’s why I am so excited to be able to offer you this amazing opportunity to WIN a 5-day RV vacation!

I want to #travel somewhere as gorgeous as this when I #win this RV #giveaway.

Hosted by Mamas Spot

Access RV is giving away a 5 night RV Rental vacation with 800 miles included in one of their current year 31′ double slide out motorhomes!! RV includes, TV/DVD with 5.1 surround, GPS navigation, back up camera, power awning, Serta Pillow-Top mattress, Air Conditioning, unlimited generator use, final cleaning and dumping and much more!

I want to #travel somewhere as gorgeous as this when I #win this RV #giveaway.

 

Our lucky winner will have until June 1st 2015 to use this amazing opportunity!

You and your family or friends could be going to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, The Grand Canyon, or anywhere the adventure takes you!

I want to #travel somewhere as gorgeous as this when I #win this RV #giveaway.

Ready to start your adventure? Hurry and enter using the rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Vacation Dates are not available from July 23rd through Sept. 2nd. Vacation does not include insurance which can be provided by your auto insurance company. Drivers must be 25 or older with a valid drivers license and proof of insurance. Additional miles can be purchased at $1.55 per mile. A refundable security deposit is required at the time or reservation. Sales tax is required of $156.47.  For additional information, floor plan, etc. visit our website at www.accessrvrental.com. This certificate expires June 1, 2015

You have until May 9th to enter. The ARV of this trip is $2150! That’s a lot of money you’re saving when you WIN IT!

Where will you go for your vacation?

Win a Disney Vacation!

February 27, 2014 in Mailbox

I love entering sweeps and contests and winning fun prizes! Today I’m all about the Disney sweeps. My lucky sister-in-law has won two amazing Disney World vacations. Yes, real people really do win those things. One of these days that will be me! 🙂

Want to play along? These are some of the Disney sweeps I’m entering today. Good luck to all of us!!!

Storm Struck: A Tale of Two Homes – Win a 3-night trip for 4 people to Disney World. Prize includes airfare, ground transportation,hotel, 4 tickets, and a $500 Disney gift card. Get an extra entry for each friend you refer who enters. (So I’ll get an extra entry if you click on my link to enter.) Official Rules

VisitOrlando Family Vacation – Win a family vacation for 4 to Orlando, Florida. Prize includes airfare, ground transportation, hotel including 2-bedroom suite and $100 spa certificate, and 2-day tickets to your choice of Disney World, Universal Orlando, or Sea World Orlando. Official Rules

Tiny Travelers Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day/4-night Disney World vacation for 4. Prize includes airfare, ground transportation, hotel, 5-day park hopper tickets, character breakfast, and more. Official Rules

Express your Peepsonality – Create a pinterest board to enter. Win a 4-night trip for 4 to Disney World. Prize includes airfare, ground transportation, hotel, 4-day park hopper tickets, and a $200 Disney gift card. Official Rules

Family Fun Vacation – Win a 5-day/4-night Southern California family vacation. Prize includes airfare, hotel, breakfast each day at the hotel, car rental, 5-day passes to local activities. Official Rules

Enter to win one of *5* Disney vacations today at FortyEighteen #Disney #sweeps

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