We love a game night in our house, especially now that the girls are getting older!  I'm so excited to introduce my little ones to some of my favorites!  There are some new game and toy coupons to print ASAP! This week, there are deals at Target and Meijer--be sure to check your ads.

If you already have some of these games, they are also great holiday donation items.

Healthy Thanksgiving Dessert: Pumpkin Pie Cake #Feast4All

This #Feast4All shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. Tasty food, catching up with family and just a relaxing night--plus our annual post-dinner game, usually girls vs boys.  Much less stressful than Christmas!  I don't mind indulging during the holidays, as long as I'm smart about it.  I love turkey, stuffing and all of the fixings.  For dessert, anything pumpkin is on my list!

Pumpkin pie is pretty drool-worthy on it's own, but it can be pretty time consuming if you're making it from scratch.  This pumpkin pie CAKE is simple and actually quite healthy! Instead of butter or oil, I used mashed banana and applesauce (shhh, no one has to know!).  This recipe does still use sugar, but I love using baking Splenda for an alternative to regular.  At first I was considering a cream cheese frosting, but I decided to top with shredded Honeycrisp apples and then Edy's Slow Churned ice cream in vanilla bean.  The final finishing touch is a drizzle of sugar free caramel topping.  YUM!  

This Pumpkin Pie Cake has a very similar texture to Pumpkin Pie, so a little square will be more than enough.  I love that you can make this cake in one 9x13 pan and feed your whole crowd!  

Are you an Edy's Slow Churned fan? It's super creamy and full of flavor.  I love that they actually put TONS of toppings in their ice cream, too--the cookie dough has enough for every bite! The seasonal flavors are always a hit in this house.  Last summer they had a salted caramel to die for!  For the fall, keep your eyes peeled for the Pumpkin Pie variety.

I headed to Walmart to stock up on all of my holiday baking fixins.  I figure if I start stocking up on the basics like sugar, flour, chocolate chips, etc now, I'll be set by December! I was SO happy with their supply and low prices.  Libby's canned pumpkin, which we use quite a bit for baking banana bread, was on price-cut to $0.89!  The entire center aisle had baking supplies all together, so convenient!

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

Here's what you need: 

Makes: 1 Cake (9x13 sheet)

• 1/2 cup mashed banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 can Libby's 100% Pumpkin Puree (15 oz)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup skim evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or regular skim)
• 3 Honeycrisp apples shredded and drained of liquid
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 2 cups baking Splenda (or regular sugar)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• For topping: Edy's Slow Churned vanilla bean and sugar free caramel topping

Let's Bake!

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray 9x13 dish with Pam.
3. Combine: banana, applesauce, pumpkin, eggs, milk and vanilla in a mixer.  Mix together on low until blended.
4. In a small bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices.
5. Slowly add dry ingredients to mixing bowl. 
6. Pour into baking dish.  Sprinkle shredded apple on top, adding extra cinnamon if desired.
7. Bake 45-50 minutes. 
8. Serve warm with Edy's Slow Churned ice cream and drizzle with caramel.  To store, put in refrigerator. 

What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving?  Does your family have a game night too?

Pumpkin Pie Cake topped with Edy's Slow Churned ice cream! A healthified Thanksgiving dessert! #Feast4All #Shop

A video posted by Ashleigh Evans (@itscheapash) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:24pm PST

Fun Thanksgiving Treat: #OREOCookieBalls Little Turkeys!

This #OREOCookieBalls shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I am more of a cook than a baker.  Have you noticed how people seem to be one or the other?  I like to throw ingredients in without measuring and the precision of baking intimidates me.  That being said, OREO cookies are my weakness and I have been seeing seasonal OREO balls all over Pinterest: Easter eggs, pumpkins, flag themed, you name it.  They are too cute, but I assumed they were complicated.  WRONG!

Three ingredients and with the help of microwavable chocolate, these can be finished in less than 15 minutes.  You do need to allow time for chilling, but these are super simple and kid friendly!  A bit messy, yes, but the girls would love to help make the cute turkey faces.  (I call my girls "little turkeys", so I thought these would be a perfect Thanksgiving treat for them to enjoy). I searched high and low for candy eyes at Walmart, but they were nowhere to be found... I improvised with mini OREO cookies.

(Side note: I had all intentions of letting the girls help me with this recipe, but we have some major flu bugs floating around this house--boogies and baking don't mix!)

What I love the most about this recipe is that it is really easy to customize.  You don't have to do pops like I did, just add festive sprinkles.  Or they are really cute served in mini-cupcake liners. For a fun family activity, get a few dishes of toppers out and let your kids decorate them however they want! Instead of turkey, owls would be cute too.

Pumpkin Spiced OREO Cookie Balls

Here's what you need: 

• 1 package (8 oz.) brick Philadelphia light cream cheese, softened
• 1 package of Pumpkin Spiced OREO cookies, crushed
• Can't find the pumpkin spiced? Try golden OREOs with a dash of pumpkin spice seasoning
• 2 packages Bakers microwavable milk chocolate
• Optional ingredients to "turkey-fy" the balls: Mini OREO cookies for eyes (or candy eyes), candy corn for feathers and candy pop sticks

Make it!

• MIX cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended. I found a fork was super helpful. 
• SHAPE into 1-inch balls. Freeze 10 min. While waiting, melt chocolate in the microwave.
• DIP balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. For pops, be sure to add the stick BEFORE dipping.
• CUSTOMIZE it with your own ingredient additions! 
• Fall colored sprinkles would be perfect!
• For my turkey faces (make sure to add while chocolate is melted!): add cookie eyes and feathers after dipping.
• REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

Have you tried OREO balls before? I have a feeling I'm going to be addicted!

Ebates Button: Online Shopping Time-Saver!

This post has been moved to my new site: Dash of Evans

Save TONS of money with Shop Your Way! {Get $5 bonus in your account!}

Online shopping has been amazing for me lately.  With the twins, finding items in their size at the store is actually quite challenging.  Ususally I'll find 3-4 pairs of leggings TOTAL when I'm looking to stock up.  No bueno!  I love that I can easily find items online and have them shipped right to my door!

A little over a month ago, I became a Shop Your Way concierge...aka Personal Shopper.  It's been a great experience so far and I'm learning just how awesome Shop Your Way Rewards are.  If you aren't familiar, Shop Your Way Rewards are used in-store at Sears, Kmart and Lands End and online at many other places.  It's a free program and I'm here to help you save money.  Let me know how I can help! I have experts on hand if you're looking to make a big purchase, such as an appliance, who can guide you to the perfect item for you.  We just got a new dryer from Sears and found a great deal!

Not sure what to buy for the holidays? I can create a personal catalog to fit your needs! 

Just interested in coupons? I'll leave you alone, but send the best coupons I have available! 

Points can add up quickly, which means FREE money for shopping. 

I've connected my FitBit to FitStudio and I get at least $5 extra in points each week just by exercising!  

There are hundreds of coupons you can add to your account for in-store or online use, as well.  This week, all shoes at Kmart are Buy 1, Get 50% off another.  I got 4 pairs of winter boots for the girls for UNDER $40 shipped after coupons, PLUS we got $10 back in points!  

I would love to help you save! Add me as your personal shopper and I can send exclusive coupons and rewards.  PLUS you get free 2-day shipping for 3 months!

Act quickly: you can earn an extra $5 on 10/24 (Friday)!

Slow-Cooker Meals: Chipotle Peach Ribs

I realize prime BBQ season is over now that we've hit fall, but Ricky LOVES ribs.  I found some racks of ribs on markdown at Walmart for $3.99 and they've been hogging my freezer space. (Pun intended) Desperate to find an easier way for fall off the bone meat, I turned to my Hamilton Beach slow-cooker.  You won't believe how easy this recipe is!  I am wishing I would have done more than one rack!!

After this week's Walking Dead episode, it took me a few days to even be able to type up this recipe.  If you don't watch the show, you're lucky!

Don't forget: I have a Hamilton Beach Set & Forget Slow-Cooker giveaway going on this month! Head over to this page to enter!

Not a fan of chipotle peach flavor?  Use whatever style BBQ sauce you love.  I highly recommend sticking with the tasty Sweet Baby Ray's varieties!

Here's what you need:

• 1 large rack of ribs 2-4 pounds (always check for markdowns!)
• 1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup McCormicks Pork rub
• 2 tablespoons Smuckers Peach Preserves

1. Preheat slow-cooker to LOW setting for 7 hours.
2. Rinse ribs with water and dry.  Place on a large cutting board and coat both sides with pork rub.
3. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce with peach preserves. Set aside.
4. From the bottle, squeeze enough BBQ sauce in the base of the slow-cooker to coat the bottom.  
5. Brush the sauce from the bowl on the ribs. Discard any remaining sauce, since it's touched raw meat. 
6. Place ribs in the slow-cooker and cover.  DO NOT TAKE OFF THE LID.  It's tempting, I know, but let them cook for the full 7 hours.
7. Once cooked, remove and brush with the rest of the sauce in the bottle, adding some extra peach preserves if wanted.  They are great out of the slow-cooker, but for more of a char, broil them for 3-4 minutes.

This sauce mixture is amazing on any meat.  I like to throw boneless chicken thighs in the slow-cooker with a can of peaches and the sauce for pulled chicken sliders.  Use on pork roast for a new spin on pulled pork.

What's your go-to BBQ sauce?

Book Review: All Fall Down

I discovered Jennifer Weiner books about two years ago and I really love her style of writing.  Plus, she is the funniest person to follow on Twitter during a reality TV show- especially Bachelorette or Bachelor nights!

Her most recent book came out in June and I made sure to read it as soon as it hit the shelves.  I keep meaning to write a review, but summer kind of got in the way.  Whoops!

With Weiner's books you get complex characters and the female leads who are always realistic--somewhat flawed, always somewhat humorous.  I love that her books aren't predictable, like many other authors in this writing genre.  

All Fall Down follows Allison, a popular writer and mom of one.  Allison seems to have her life together, yet she holds a little secret: she actually can't keep her life together and she has a major addiction to pain pills.  Everything comes crashing down (hence the title) and she hits an all time low.

The bulk of the book is devoted to Allison getting her life back on track.  I really enjoyed that the story wasn't sugar coated--she does struggle and everyone doesn't hug in the end.  I won't give away too much!

Months after reading this book, I still think about it quite frequently.  That's the sign of a great book, isn't it?!  Once you get started with her books, you'll want to read them all.  I really loved Best Friends Forever and Then Came You as well.

What are you reading right now?

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