Easy Summer Recipe: Grilled Pizza

Have you been inspired today?  I always see or read things online that inspire me. There are so many yummy recipes, creative crafts and home DIY projects that I want to try, but I don't often get to put my plan into action.  Lately, I've seen some different recipes for grilled pizza and they looked amazing. So, I gave it a try and my family loved it! 

I used pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joes. When you grill pizza dough it makes it really nice and crunchy.  Too many times, I've given a slice of pizza to my sons and ended up cutting it up on a place. That is not the case with grilled pizza!  The crust is light and crispy which makes it great for kids. 

As soon as the dough was cooked on the underside, I quickly flipped it and added my toppings.  I kept the grill on low heat, and luckily, the crust came out perfectly and all of the cheese melted nicely.

A big reason to love grilled pizza is because the mess is all kept outside. Whenever we've made pizza inside, there are little bits of cheese that don't make it onto the pizza. Doing it this way, I didn't need to clean up anything in the house, and I was able to watch my kids in the yard while I was cooking. This perfect for those summer afternoons when they want to do anything but come inside.

The pizza was a success!  My son didn't want his picture taken, but he was more than happy to show off his slice of mushroom, basil and oregano pizza. We will definitely be making this again!  

Do you want to try it? Stephanie, from Confessions of a Stay-at-home Mom, has a video that shows you exactly how to make grilled pizza. If you've never made pizza on your grill before you definitely want to check it out.

What's your favorite thing to grill in the summer?

Easy Homemade Green Cleaner

For years, I've been buying Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap. Now that I've learned that I can use it to make my own natural cleaner for less than $1.00, I'm completely hooked!

The main reason I love this soap is because it's all natural and the peppermint scent is unbelievable! My 4 year old loves using spray bottles to help me clean, but I don't want him around any toxic chemicals. Dr. Bronner's Magic Pure Castile Soaps are: completely biodegradable and vegetable-based, made with Certified Fair Trade and Organic Oils & don't use any synthetic foaming agents, thickeners or preservatives.

I can't wait to get my hands on some of their other natural soaps like: Citrus, Lavender, Tea Tree, Rose, Almond and Eucalyptus. Can you imagine how amazing a rose or almond homemade natural cleaner would smell?

Trader Joe's has been carrying this product for as long as I can remember, but you can also buy it direct from the Dr. Bronner's website. At Trader Joe's I can get a 32 ounce bottle of Dr Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap for $9.99.  That means I can make a large spray bottle of my own natural cleaner for less than $1.00.

Here's the recipe for Homemade Natural Cleaner:

• 3 cups of water
• 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup of Castille Soap
• 2 tablespoons of Vinegar

Just pour the water into a large spay bottle and then add the castille soap and vinegar.  Tightly seal the bottle and give it a shake.  That's it.

Making homemade natural cleaner is that easy to make! Now, I can let my kids help clean around the house and we don't have to worry about any harmful chemicals. Are you trying to use more earth friendly products around the house?  What's your favorite?

Easy Recipe: No Bake Cookie Butter Bars

If you would have asked me a month ago what Cookie Butter was, I would have said "I have no idea." And, if you would have told me that I would be creating my own yummy new recipe using Cookie Butter I probably would have laughed at you.

Cookie Butter is a little hard to explain.  In a nutshell, it's a creamy spread that looks just like peanut butter, however, it is actually made with speculoos cookies, and it's totally nut free. Imagine the texture of peanut butter but the taste of cookies.

Here's the recipe for these Easy No Bake Cookie Butter Bars: 

• 4 cups of Whole Pitted Dates
• 2 cups of Raw or Toasted Almonds
• 1/2 cup of Chocolate Chips or your Favorite Chocolate Bar
• 4 tablespoons of Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter (can be substituted with Peanut butter)

Continue here to keep reading about these No Bake Cookie Butter Bars

Easy Cowboy Caviar Recipe

Spring is officially here, and we're getting a sneak peak at summer too.

You know those days in the summer when it's just too hot to cook? You want to throw some food on the grill and not even think about turning on your oven. For days like those, 'Cowboy Caviar' is the perfect summer side dish. My sister doubled this recipe for a recent party, and it was such a hit!

Here are the ingredients:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Olive or Canola Oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 Avocado
1 15 oz. can Black Beans
1 11 oz. Can of Corn
2/3 cup thinly sliced green or red Onion
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1/2 pound Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Just mix it all up. Chill before serving and enjoy!

Making Lemon Water with Kids

A couple of days ago my husband and I were listening to a commercial on the radio.  We both stopped our conversation and just listened.  I guess it was more of a public service announcement vs. a commercial.  The topic was childhood obesity and they really shocked us with some facts about kids and sugar.  The amount of sugar and calories that some kids drink is surprising. 

My 5 year old takes after me. He really loves good food and enjoys savoring the flavors of whatever he eats or drinks.  And, just like me, his drink of choice is definitely water, and that couldn't make me happier.

This past weekend, he was playing in the backyard and took a break to make 'lemonade'.  His version of lemonade is really just water and lemon - no sugar or sweetener.  But, as we were making 'lemonade' together, I realized that is was a great experience for both of us. 

Seeing it though his eyes was really exciting. We washed the lemon and rolled it around in our hands to loosen up the juices. I cut the lemon and he squeezed it into the pitcher. We threw all of the peices of lemon into the pitcher of water. Then, he helped pour glasses of lemonade for the whole family, and, with such pride, he handed his bother and Daddy a refreshing cup of 'lemonade'. 

It was just lemon water, but it was so much more than that.

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Also, you'll want to check out this post from LaJolla Mom.  She has a great article called 10 Reasons Why You Should Drink Lemon Water in the Morning.