Let's just face it: fall is here.  Once Starbucks starts serving Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, you might as well bust out your scarves and boots.  I'm really not against cooler weather.  Since I love to cook, this whole summer thing is really putting a damper on my style.  Even with the air on, I have to try to limit the oven time or else we will be sweating all night.

This soup is comforting, yet super healthy too.  If you love the Olive Garden version, this will be your BFF.  It freezes well, too!  While this soup is amazing, the dippers are one of the best ideas I've ever had.  Ricky has literally asked for these 5 times since I've first made the soup.  I didn't want to turn on the oven to toast my bread, but the girls were tired of plain grilled cheese.  Enter: cheesy garlic bread dippers.  If you went to college in a place with a Toppers, these taste EXACTLY like Toppers sticks.  (I can thank those Toppers Tuesdays for my Freshman 15...).

Here's what you'll need:

For the Soup: 

• 1 package Jennie-O lean ground turkey (93%)
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)- I like the basil/Italian style
• 1 can tomato sauce (16 oz) OR 2 cups jarred marinara
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon each: Italian seasoning, Dried Basil, Oregano
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme OR 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• Salt & Pepper to taste
•  1.5 cups ditalini pasta
• Extras: Parmesan cheese & pesto for toppers 

For the Cheesy Garlic Bread Dippers:

• 6-8" flour tortillas
• Mozzarella Cheese- 2 cups
• Garlic Powder
• Italian Seasoning 

Let's COOK! 

1.  Cook pasta, set aside.
2. In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add ground turkey and brown for 4-5 minutes.  Add Italian seasoning, dried basil, oregano and thyme.  Cook for 1-2 more minutes.
3. Add all veggies and garlic. Cook until soft, 3-4 minutes.  Add extra EVOO if needed.
4. Toss in beans, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  Turn to low heat and bubble for 20 minutes.  Add more seasoning, as needed.  I like to add a dollop of pesto and cheese before serving.
5. Heat a frying pan over medium heat.  Spray with Pam and add one tortilla.  Drizzle lightly with EVOO. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  
6. After browning for 1-2 minutes, fold in half and continue to brown until all cheese is melted.  Warning: these are addicting--make extras!
7. Ladle soup into bowls and top with pasta.  I like to keep it separate so the noodles don't get soggy for leftovers later. 

Craving more soup to use those garlic bread dippers in?  Here's more Simple Soups!

• Italian Sausage + Lentil Soup
• Roasted Tomato + Red Pepper 
• Chicken & Dumpling Soup  
• Broccoli Cheddar  
• Loaded Baked Potato

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Back-to-School Snack Time: Quick and Easy After School Snacks!

Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias

My girls love to graze all day long, so I'm worried they are going to be STARVING by the time they get home from kindergarten.  Remember how important the after school snack was when you were little?  The best would be if you got fresh cookies or a tasty oven treat like Bagel Bites.  I'm going to need to have a snack ready for when we get back from our walk home.  It will have to be filling enough to hold them over for dinner, but not too big to spoil their dinner. I have a feeling we will be having some early nights after the first few exhausting days of school.

We have ONE WEEK until the girls start kindergarten.  I am a ball of emotions!  On one hand I cannot wait for them to have school-- they are getting pretty bored at home!  There are only so many activities you can do that seem fresh by this point of the summer.  On the other hand, I cannot believe my twins are already this old! I'm so fortunate that the school is within walking distance and we will have a fun new routine every day.

Things are quite different for kindergarten these days.  I'm kind of shocked by it!  They go full days (8:55-3:55 with ONE recess) and the principal tagged kindergarten as "the new 1st/2nd grade".  This will be quite an eye opener! All I remember about kindergarten is coloring and making friends.  That's about it!

Check out my super cool laser background!

Since today was rainy and gloomy, we headed out to Walmart to pick up some lunchbox and after-school treats.  As you can see in the pics, they are SO ready for school.  Non-stop arguing and whining. For the first few weeks, I thought I would let them have special snacks they don't always have: Bagel Bites and Delimex Chicken taquitos. We are huge dippers, so we like to put all of the snacks on a platter with 3-4 dippers: ranch, guacamole, salsa and queso. Quick and easy! We can sit and dip our snacks and catch up on the day.  I know Olivia and Maddie will have SO many stories to tell!

Before you head out to the store, make sure print off some coupons!  There is one for the Bagel Bites and any Delimex product-we love the beef taquitos too. I love that Bagel Bites use real cheese and homemade sauce--they are something I feel comfortable giving my girls. #AfterSchoolSnacks

First day of preschool last year!  Stay tuned for the kindergarten one!

As this week before school flies by, I keep telling myself to stop and cherish every moment with my girls.  After they start kindergarten, nothing is the same!  No longer will we have lazy Tuesday mornings in bed watching PBS or mid-morning trips to the library for fun story hour.  Gabby will have me all to herself and this should be interesting.  She is 3 and has started to get that diva, larger than life attitude.  I can't imagine what my full, undivided attention will bring! Watch out!

What was your favorite after-school snack?

Mmmm Monday: Loaded Bacon Idaho Nachos #PackedWithSavings

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc and its advertiser. All opinions and tasty recipes are my own. #PackedWithSavings #CollectiveBias

Did you know that you can find printable coupons on the Walmart.com website?  Right now I have been printing online coupons up a storm now that we're getting ready for back-to-school chaos! I want a stocked pantry and freezer for those upcoming busy nights.  There are 20 Kraft coupons to help you stock up on all of your favorites!

 

There is something about bacon and cheese that I can't resist. After a long weekend working, I came home yesterday and all I wanted was some comfort food.  In my opinion, comfort food at home is A-OK since you know what's going in it.  Better-for-you takeout, right?! 

While I love any nacho I can get my hands on, I like to switch it up too!  These Idaho nachos use thinly sliced potatoes which you can bake or flash fry.  Topped with crispy bacon and cheese, these are the ultimate comfort food.  The icing on the cake is my specialty dip--a creamy, spiced ranch dip.  Once you make this dip, you will NEVER go back to store bought french onion dip again.  It's THAT GOOD.

We have a new Walmart that opened up last week right by our house.  It's going to be so convenient--I think Olivia might be more excited than I am! The girls love to help me shop, so I handed them their list and some coupons to use (brave, I know!).  Olivia helped me with the cheese, Maddie helped me with Jell-O and other snacks we needed.  Although it takes me MUCH longer to shop with the girls, even with Ricky tagging along, I love the family time we spend at the store.  My ladies love food!

Here's what you need:

• 3-4 large potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
• Bacon, cooked and chopped. We love the new nitrate free Oscar Mayer Selects
• Kraft shredded cheese
• For the dip:
• 1 cup whipped cream cheese (entire container)
• 1/2 cup Kraft Ranch
• 1/4 teaspoon each of: garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, paprika and parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Additional tasty toppings: green onion, tomatoes/salsa, jalapenos, BBQ chicken, pulled pork...whatever your heart desires!

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Cook the potatoes.  You can bake them for 8-10 minutes at 400* or flash fry in shallow oil in a pan over medium heat.  They should be cooked through, but not super brown.
3. Lay the potatoes in a single layer on a lined cookie sheet.  Top with cheese and bacon. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, make up the ranch dip by simply combining all spices and ingredients.  This will make extra, perfect for dipping chips later!
5. Once the nachos are out of the oven, top with your favorite toppings and dip in the cool ranch dip!

If you're going to watch football at a friend's house on a Sunday, these are the perfect nachos to bring to wow the crowd.  You can pre-cook the potatoes and throw them in the fridge.  Another idea would be to simply cook the nachos with cheese and have a toppings bar for people to add their own favorites.  Also, you MUST HAVE is the dip!

What's your favorite comfort food?

Check out August All You Magazine + Pact App Review!

If you follow me on social media, I apologize for talking about this again!  This month, I'm in All You Magazine with a review of a new(er) fitness app: Pact.  Since I love it so much, I thought I would share more details about the app and how it has been helping me stay motivated.  I am not compensated for this review at all.

I turned 30 this past January and I am really trying to live a healthier life.  The thing is, I love to cook and I actually like to eat healthy foods--but I tend to have a hard time losing weight.  (I swear I have a thyroid issue!) Being active is pretty easy with 3 little ones, but I have been trying to get better workouts in.   I've worn a FitBit for over a year now and I love how it keeps me in check with my steps and calorie burn.

When All You was looking for people to test out a fitness app, I was all ears! I love the idea of a FREE app to help motivate me.  Last year, I tried Weight Watchers, but it was hard to fit the expense into our budget.  After a few months, I decided to switch to simply using MyFitnessPal (MFP), a FREE app which you log in your food and activity daily.  I love it because you can scan items with barcodes and it will enter the nutritional information for you.  As much as MFP was working, I missed the motivation from the weekly weigh-ins at Weight Watchers.

In the month of April, I used the Pact app and wrote a daily journal for the magazine.  Here's how it works: each week you make a "pact" for yourself.  You state how many workouts you will do, how many days you will log your food in MFP and how many fruits/veggies you will eat.  Sounds simple enough, right?  Well, if you make your Pact, you get money- woohoo!  If you don't follow your Pact, you PAY money- booo!

How do they know if you are following your Pact? It's all in the app!

• For workouts: any 30+ minute workout is counted. You can only count one per day!
• When I go to the Y, I can log into the app and it uses the location tracker to see what gym I'm at. You have to be on location and moving for 30+ minutes for it to track.  Don't even try to leave! I forgot my headphones in the van once and it told me the workout would be counted unless I am at the gym. 
• Motion tracker: you can wear your phone/ipod on your arm and do a home/outdoor working.  I love using this when I'm running around with the girls or walking to the library.
• Steps. Use your FitBit or other approved device to sync with the app.  Once you get over 10, 000 steps, it can be counted for the day.
• Food Tracking: you have to use MyFitnessPal to track 3 or more meals per day (snacks can be counted) and over 1200 calories.  
• Fruits/Veggies: every time you eat a fruit or veggie, you snap a photo of it and members of the Pact community vote on whether it counts as a serving.  It's a simple thumbs up, thumbs down system.  The food has look like it's being eaten.  For example, when I'm eating a banana, I snap a pic after I've taken a bite out.

How do you get paid? 
Pacts end on Sunday, and payments usually go through by Wednesday.  All of the money of people who DON'T make their Pact goes into a pool and is distributed to the people who DO make their Pact, so the money can vary each week.  Also, the amount paid is based on how many Pacts you make.  IE: if you do 3 workouts you'll get paid less than 5 workouts.

I will admit, the first week it took a bit of time to get used to using the app.  I had to remember to take photos of my fruits/veggies and log in on MFP.  Sometimes I'll forget to sign in at the gym, too.  I recommend keeping your Pact low the first week or two to get adjusted, especially if you didn't use MyFitnessPal beforehand.  I slowly have started adding recipes I frequently make to save time.  On the actual MyFitnessPal website, you can add recipes MUCH faster!

I've been using Pact non-stop since April and I truly love it.  It has been the motivation I needed to get back on track with my workouts and eating.  I have made over $60 and I've only had to pay once.  You can set vacations if you know you'll be too busy to track. 

Do you use MyFitnessPal? Add me as a friend! 

 (ashleigh.hofffman at gmail dot com)

Don't Miss Any Coupons or Deals: Discounted Newspapers!

 Disclaimer: Some links included are affiliate links. These help keep the website running!

Do you have a subscription to your local newspaper? It's such a nice treat to open the door to the Sunday paper--no need to run out or even get dressed! 

Did you know that Thursday papers are just as important for weekend ads?  Many times there are store coupons and weekend sales flyers! I also like to thumb through the regular portions of the newspaper for local coupons as well.

If you have family around the country, this makes a great gift for holidays or birthdays! They have a huge variety, you can search by state or zip code!

At Discounted Newspapers, you can save up to 80% on local papers!  Never miss out on a sale or coupon again!

How-to Make Turkey Burgers {And Freeze Them Too!}

When we say "burger" in our house, it's 90% of the time turkey--we just aren't huge red meat eaters.  For non-turkey fans, I feel there is a misconception that they are super dry, hockey pucks.  SO not true!

There are a few varieties of ground turkey to purchase: Lean (93/7), Extra Lean (99/1) and a fattier variety that uses dark and white meat (85/15).  Most of the time, the lean variety is preferred.  It's very healthy, but still has a bit of fat to it.  If you are subbing for a beef recipe, I highly recommend Lean over Extra Lean, which can be dry.

 

My favorite tip for getting perfectly seasoned burgers is to get a big bowl out and put all seasonings in BEFORE adding the meat.  Since I use steak sauce and spices, I want to make sure they are all blended well.  Otherwise some burgers will be salty, while some could be under seasoned.  It's truly a life saver!

Speaking of spices, I tend to use 2-3 but if you don't have a huge spice collection AT LEAST use Montreal Chicken seasoning.  It has tons of tasty spices in it and will give it some good flavor.  The steak sauce adds a depth of flavor and some moisture the ground turkey needs.

Since this is just the basics, once you make these burgers you can play around with other seasonings.  We love spicy turkey burgers with black beans and jalapenos, or Jerk flavored ones. Have fun so you don't get bored!!


Here's what you'll need (for 4-5 burgers)

• 1 package Jennie-O lean ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon each: Montreal Chicken Seasoning, Hamburger spice, Garlic Powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire 
• 1 teaspoon A1 Steak Sauce
• Buns and favorite burger toppings

1.  In a large bowl, whisk all seasonings, steak sauce and Worcestershire together
2. Add ground turkey and mix until all spices are evenly distributed. Try to avoid over-mixing, though! 1 minute should be plenty
3. Shape into patties, leaving a thumb indentation in the center. There should be 4 large patties or 5 medium sized.
4. Two options:

• To Freeze: place patties on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze 4-5 hours or overnight. Once frozen, place in a baggie.  I really love the Ziploc perfect portions bags to individually freeze items like burgers and chicken.  It makes it much easier to pull out one or two burgers at a time.  After putting them in the perfect portion bag, I place all of the burgers in a gallon sized bag.  You can grill frozen or defrost.
• To Grill: use a Foreman or regular grill and cook completely, trying to avoid pressing down on the burgers (it releases all of the juices!).  The thumb indentation made when you formed the patties will keep the burgers from turning into a softball shape.

Other turkey recipes you'll love:

• Turkey Tacos
• Turkey Italian Sausage + Lentil Soup
• Turkey Chili Mac
• Turkey Meatballs

What's your favorite ground turkey recipe?

New Book Alert: Stewie Boomstein Starts School

Reading has been huge this summer.  The girls are picking up new words every day and will start reading BY THEMSELVES soon.  It makes me happy and sad at the same time!  My how time flies!!

We have been checking out books left and right at the library--it's so nice that it's just a short walk away for us.

Since kindergarten starts in less than a month, it's time to start preparing the girls.  We are slowly buying clothes, but mostly it's been talk about what to expect.  The twins are super excited and we are happy with our decision to keep them in the same classroom.  It was such a hard decision!

Stewie Boomstein Starts School is a new book  by Christine Bronstein.  What I really like about the book is it goes through the emotional side of starting school.  Stewie was nervous to start school and once he got there, he became upset because he didn't know what was happening next.

We have pretty regular schedule in our house and I can see one of my twins getting upset about the same thing as Stewie.   It's really important to talk everything over with your child!  The book is very cute and in the end, his family helps him make a photo map that he can carry with him to see what will be happening next during the day.  Such a great idea!

In the back of the book, there are quite a few tips for parents to help prepare for starting school.  My favorite tip was: ask your teacher what the schedule is.  It's good information for everyone!  I can know what their routine will be and the twins can know what to expect.  Win win!

There is a school readiness email list you can sign up for with weekly tips. In my opinion, you can never be over prepared!  I know that every child will react to school differently, I'm happy the twins have each other to go through this milestone.  Gabby is happy to have Mama to herself!

I recommend you check out this book, which is available on Amazon (of course!).  Stewie is also on Facebook. 

Any of you have any starting school tips for me? I'm all ears!

Mmmm Mondays: Buffalo Ranch Mac n' Cheese {New Kraft Dressing Recipe!} #FoodDeservesDelicious

Disclaimer: This post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias

I cannot get enough of spicy food lately.  Actually, it started right around the time I was pregnant with Gabby.  I wanted super spicy salsa and hot sauce on everything.  I even was craving hot wings, which I normally cannot stand (chicken on bones creeps me out!). I love coming up with new recipes using dipping sauces or a spicy dip recipe. 

Macaroni and cheese is normally a winter comfort food, but I think it's tasty anytime!  Making it homemade is almost as fast as the big blue box--I make my cheese sauce while the noodles are boiling.  When you make your own sauce, you know exactly what's in it and you can play around with flavors.  I usually add hot sauce to my bowl plain macaroni and cheese, since the girls don't like super spicy food (duh!). 

Kraft's new and improved pourables have more flavor than ever before! The Classic Ranch is now creamier, with more buttermilk and savory herbs. We always have a large stock of Kraft dressings in our pantry for easy meals.  They're always on sale and have amazing flavor--perfect for marinades, sauces and experimentation.  Buffalo Ranch is a perfect combo for a cheesy sauce.  Instead of milk, I used the classic Ranch dressing for a burst of flavor. 

I was gone in Texas this past weekend for a conference, so I figured I would treat Ricky to a tasty meal when I got home.  After picking me up from the airport, we headed straight to Walmart for groceries.  You know how it is when Mama is gone: there's no healthy food to eat (meals are always questionable--I've stopped asking what they eat when I'm gone).  We needed all of the basics.

Here's what you need:

• 3.5 cups cooked elbow noodles (3/4 box)
• 1 large jalapeno, sliced thinly
• 2 Tbl Butter
• 2 Tbl Flour
• 1 Cup Kraft Classic Ranch Dressing
• 1.5 cups Chicken Stock
• 1.5 Cup Colby Jack Cheese, plus 1/2 cup for topping
• 2 Tbl Franks Buffalo Sauce
• 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

 Let's Cook!

• Preheat oven to 375
• Cook elbow noodles to al dente (about 5-6 minutes TOPS)
• In a large pan, sautee jalapeno in butter until soft
• Slowly add flour and brown for 1 minute
• Whisk in ranch and stir until mixed together, then slowly add chicken stock.  Finally add Franks.  Stir until mixed well.
• Add 1 cup of cheese and allow to melt
• Add more or less hot sauce, to taste. This should be pretty spicy! 
• Once cheese is melted, slowly add in elbow noodles
• You can be done at this point, but for an extra crunch we like to bake ours with extra cheese
• Spray baking dish with Pam, then pour macaroni and cheese into it.  Top with cheese and panko
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brown

This would be a great meal to make on the weekend for a busy weeknight.  You could put it in the baking dish and then top with cheese and panko before you bake it.   Also, grilled chicken would be AMAZING with this.  One time I made this with poblano peppers, which added a spicy kick.

To find more tasty recipes using Kraft pourable dressing, follow other #CollectiveBias bloggers with the #FoodDeservesDelicious hashtag on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest! 

What's your favorite dish to make with Kraft Dressing? I love to experiment beyond salads and marinades!

#PromiseToBaby: Johnson + Johnsons Cares!

Disclosure: I have partnered with Motherhood & Johnson + Johnson to spread the word about the #PromiseToBaby campaign.  All opinions are my own.

We are a Johnson's Baby family.  Nothing else gets out tangles better or makes skin softer.  Plus the smell of the wash or lotion brings back so many memories for me: especially those first baths when the girls were itty bitty.  Nothing smells better than a baby!

In the past years, there has been concern about what is being put into the Johnson's baby products.  They heard our concerns and LISTENED.  Now all of your favorites are reformulated, so you have no worries!  The products were always safe, but now they have taken out parabens and other concerning ingredients.

 

What promise would you make for your children?  I have so many, but my #1 would be to always be there to listen, no matter what.  Ricky and I also want to provide the best life we can for the girls--that doesn't mean anything materialistic, but I want them to always have a full belly and a full heart!  Experiences together are very important to us!

Product Reformulation Information from JOHNSON'S Baby

• We are always committed to listen to moms, and although our products have always been safe, we took a stand and changed our formulas to give you peace of mind. We’ve met our 2013 Safety and Care Commitment to remove formaldehyde-releasing preservatives and reduce traces of 1,4 dioxane from all of our baby products, everywhere around the world.  
• Additionally, for most of our new and improved baby products, we have removed parabens - ahead of our 2015 commitment as part of our promise to you. The new and improved products will continue to roll out onto retail shelves until we meet all of our commitments. For more information about our policies and timeline, visit safetyandcarecommitment.com.    
• Our products and policies will always evolve to reflect the latest science, new regulations and – just as importantly – your views and concerns.

I don't know about you, but I really appreciate how much effort they are putting forth for the consumer.  We will continue to be a Johnson + Johnson's family forever.  Tip: the baby oil gel is SO amazing for soft skin--it was a lifesaver during this last dry winter!

What's your favorite Johnson's Baby product?