Super Simple + Saucy Adobo Apricot BBQ Chicken

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

Making yummy food for game day is something that I always strive to do, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't... Whether the recipe I prepare pans out or not, it does usually mean I have a pretty big mess in the kitchen!

From accidentally slopping some sauce on my counter while trying to get it out of the jar to sticky bbq sauce covered hands coming in to grab another beer out of my fridge, I'm always battling the mess! Luckily, I have Viva® Vantage® Towels to "play defense" for me during my game day adventures with the boys! With super stretchy-strength to deliver great scrubbing power, I'm able to clean up every mess in the house and more!

So I guess I should warn you, you may need a few rolls of paper towels. They're excellent at picking up messes and cleaning off hands and with this recipe, everyone in your house will be asking for something heavy duty to clean their hands with. I love that Viva® Vantage® are so soft they feel like cloth, yet so strong they won't rip or tear. So I warned you, this recipe is beyond delicious, but it does get a little messy... I mean BBQ chicken should be messy, otherwise it isn't really good... right?

While this recipe may have you reaching for the paper towels, it is so incredibly easy to make you'll wonder why you didn't think of it... it's so good, you'll be getting asked for the recipe all night long!

Want to make some Super Simple + Saucy Adobo Apricot BBQ Chicken for your football loving friends? While your at Walmart picking up supplies for game day you'll want to grab the three super simple ingredients to make this top-notch chicken recipe and my favorite product to help me clean!

You'll need:
A rotisserie chicken
A jar of apricot preserve
A can of Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (usually found in the Hispanic foods aisle)

Oh and don't forget the Viva® Vantage® Towels, found in the paper towel section at your local Walmart, to help handle the mess!

That's it, your shopping list is complete!
The prep for this meal is so simple, anyone can do it! If you're chicken is cold from being in the fridge, you'll start by placing the cold chicken in a pre-heated oven at about 350 for 20 minutes, or until warm.

While your chicken is in the oven, you'll want to add about 3/4 cup apricot preserve, 1/4 cup adobo chipotle peppers, and about a 1/4 cup of water to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Once the sauce is smooth and your chicken is warm, your set to start serving up your delicious dish. This is where things get messy, whether your pouring the sauce all over the entire rotisserie and then allowing your guests to grab what they want or tearing the chicken apart first and adding the sauce later - both ways your bound to get a little saucy. That's why you'll want Viva® Vantage® on hand for you and your friends!

So tell me, which team will you be cheering on next Sunday? What's your favorite food to serve to guests in the heat of the game? If you've been following the blog you know I'm a bucs fan, so we'll be eating this delicious and super quick chicken dish and cheering on the team that almost always loses... and we're okay with that, because our food is good and the company we keep is even better!

My Version of #MealPrep Monday: My Favorite Time-Saving Side Dish - Suddenly Grain Salad

I know I say this often, but we're pretty busy in our house. We don't really have time to think most days... I'm constantly working on a project or school work and hubby is either working or at school, most of the time. We love being able to unwind, relax, and have dinner on the nights that our schedules actually line up and we get a chance to just breathe. I'm sure you can relate...

Well, this week, we both are overwhelmed with awesome projects (that I can't wait to share), a busy work schedule, and a ton of homework so I decided while he was slaving away on editing a video for class that I would whip up a delicious lunch and surprise him. It's my wifely duty to make a meal every once in a while, right?

Luckily, this meal is so easy to make, he had no idea I even made lunch until it was done. I barely made a sound but came out with a plate that had him speechless when he realized what I'd been doing. I'll be honest and share that the plate looks and tastes so much more time-consuming than it actually was.

I made a mixture of some of our favorite foods, a veggie, some of our favorite chicken tenders prepared differently, and Suddenly Grain Salad.

Our veggies consisted of a delicious heaping side of brussel sprouts... I'll be honest and reveal that I just heated these up - they are from a local health food store and absolutely delicious!

The next item on the plate was the gluten-free chicken tenders. These little guys are one of our favorite foods and since I was trying to "elevate" the dish a little I drizzled some homemade apricot preserve to add a sweet component... I highly recommend you give this a try; so tasty and so, so easy to put together; plus, kids will love it!

The best item on the plate was definitely the colorful and delicious Suddenly Grain Salad though! It’s a flavorful mix of quinoa and wild rice with a tasty little mixture of nuts, all with a zesty dressing packet included. I made the Harvest grains this time which was infused with cranberries as well and it was delicious! I can't wait to try the Southwest and Tuscan varieties later this week!

Whether you are trying to wow your picky toddler with "tapas" or sneaking a quick meal into a busy day, I highly recommend you give this tasty (and easy to prep) meal idea a try! You can grab everything you'll need at the grocery store including Suddenly Grain Salad, but don't forget to print this coupon so you save some $$$ on the ingredients! Find Suddenly Grain Salad in a store near you! Which recipe will you try first, this delicious Southwest recipe or this savory Mediterranean recipe? Let me know in a comment below!

[ad] Quick & Easy Avocado Ranch Flame Grilled Burger

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

I'll be honest, most days dinner is kind of a make-what-you-want event around here. I don't often have the time or patience to stand over a hot stove and cook a long involved meal. Like most people, I'm always on the go, working on school work, or crafting up something for the blog, so I don't often prepare fancy meals with all the fixings. I'm more of a quick & easy type of chef.

Actually, my hubby tends to be the better chef out of the two of us, but I've been working on my baking and cooking skills... mainly so I can share recipes with you, but also so we can eat and stuff. With him working full-time, interning, and in school most days we've had to adjust our schedules some which means I've had to step up my cooking game some nights.

While we've had a couple of mishaps, today I'm sharing one of our new favorite QUICK and super easy meals, this Avocado Ranch Burger is outta this world delicious with 2 Ball Park® Flame Grilled Patties, stacked on top of delicious gluten-free bread, a tomato, a few slices of onion, and a delicious Avocado Ranch sauce drizzle - what more could you ask for?

This flame-grilled Avocado Ranch burger is the one you've been dreaming of and you can make it in just a matter of minutes, with no grill required!

[ad] This quick and easy dinner is the perfect way to surprise your sweetie on a busy night! Get the recipe for this delicious flame-grilled Avocado Ranch burger over #ontheblog today! #yum #BPPatties #liveauthentic #thatsdarling #finditliveit #abmhappylife #foodie #thisgirlcancook #callmechef #wifeystatus

A video posted by Lauren Paints (@sunkissed_sweetheart) on Sep 10, 2015 at 12:49pm PDT

To prep this delicious and simple meal, simply stick two pieces of toast in the toaster and two Ball Park® Patties on a plate, heat in the microwave for about a minute (adjust time according to the package directions). Now it's time to prep your homemade sauce, it's so simple to make and absolutely the perfect creamy addition to your Ball Park® Patties!

Ingredients for the Avocado Ranch Sauce

1 avocado
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp cup mayo
1 tbsp diced red onion, chopped
2 tbsp chopped cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1/2 tbsp white sugar
a pinch of salt & pepper

You'll begin by halving and pitting the avocado. Now, place the avocado, hot sauce, and lime juice in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Add in the buttermilk, mayo, onion, cilantro, garlic, sugar, and salt & pepper. Blend until completely smooth, pulsing the ingredients until they are all thoroughly combined. Taste test & your set!

Once your sauce is finished, you'll apply a liberal amount to each piece of toast, placing the burger patties and toppings on the bread and then dinner is served! It's as easy as that to make an epic, unforgettable Avocado Ranch Burger... I won't tell anyone it's that easy to get such an impressive dinner on the table if you won't!

You can pick up everything you'll need for this super quick and easy dinner at Publix. I highly suggest you grab a few extra packs of the Ball Park® Flame Grilled Patties in one of the seven different varieties available! These Ball Park® Patties are the perfect way to treat yourself to a delicious meal without wasting any time! We grabbed a pack of the new Hickory Smoked Bacon & White Cheddar Chicken Patties and they are delicious!

While you can have dinner on the table in just minutes with Ball Park® Patties, you can enter this sweepstakes even quicker! Check out all the details and enter to win the Hall of Flame Sweepstakes today!

I'd love to know what you plan to do with all the extra time now that dinner won't take so long to prepare? Tell me how you'll spend your free time in the comments below!

Treat Yourself: Triple Chocolate & Caramel Ice Cream Sandwich with Blue Bunny

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

Eating delicious triple chocolate cookies is something I've been dreaming of since I began strictly dieting this summer and while I'm still trying to watch my figure, I also deserve to treat myself every once in a while so I made these AMAZING triple chocolate ice cream sandwiches with some of my favorite Blue Bunny Ice Cream, Bunny Tracks!

With a creamy, cold peanut butter and fudge infused ice cream inside of two delicious, soft, triple chocolate cookies, all stuck together with a gooey, sloppy layer of caramel; this recipe is the answer to a deprived foodie's sweet tooth cravings and it's sinfully delicious!

Since I've been dieting, my hubby has been kind enough not to eat too much chocolate in front of me, which has been nice; but I know he's missing it as well! That's why I decided to make these delicious sandwiches gluten-free (he has a wheat allergy). The only bad part about making these gluten free is that my hubby will likely consume all of these beautiful desserts before I even manage to get my hands on another one. If you have someone in your family that suffers from a gluten (or wheat) allergy, these desserts are the perfect way to treat them to a food they probably miss dearly!

Now I know what you are probably thinking, something this delicious must be difficult to make... But you'd be surprised how easy these sweet treats are to make! You'll want to turn on some music and get the electric mixer out because this recipe is about to rock your world!

Just a little tip, I typically make my batch of cookies the same day I plan to serve these beauties, so that the cookies are nice and fresh!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour     
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups dark chocolate chips
2 tbsp Hazelnut Spread
Caramel Topping

Blue Bunny Bunny Tracks Ice Cream

Begin prepping this recipe by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Next you'll want to combine the butter, sugar, eggs, hazelnut spread, and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.

Now add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips, until it's all blended well.

Bake for 15 minutes in the oven, or just until set. Allow these delicious chocolate beauties to remain on the cookie sheets for around 20 minutes or until cool to the touch.

Once the cookies are cool, add a scoop of Blue Bunny Bunny Tracks Ice Cream on to the bottom of one cookie, add a swirl or two of caramel, and place another cookie on top.

Enjoy!

Now that I've shared one of the most delicious recipes of the summer, I'd love to hear your favorite way to indulge your cravings? Want to sample Blue Bunny Ice Cream before you buy it? Check out this list of all the Walmart locations that will be giving out FREE ice cream samples July 16-19!

Summer Adventures + Tasty Outshine Bars

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

The days I've spent paddling around the water this summer have to be some of my favorite days, owning a kayak has been a real joy. Although kayaking is a ton of fun, it's a lot of work, especially when we go out for hours and hours at a time.

I'm definitely not complaining. Being able to travel to "islands" and check out what uninhabited beaches look like is really, really cool. But I must say, this July heat is really, really hot, that's why after a long day out on that little boat of ours I love to treat myself to something sweet, cold, and full of delicious fruits & veggies: Outshine Bars!

Since these tasty treats come in so many different varieties, it's always a difficult choice deciding which one I'm going to treat myself with! I'm in love with the fact that Outshine only uses ingredients that taste as good as they make you feel, a refreshing treat from the inside out.

When I'm craving something creamy I grab the Outshine Simply Yogurt Bars in Strawberry, they offer the perfect texture and sweetness to please my sweet tooth and satisfy my creamy cravings! I'm in love with the texture and the strong strawberry flavor is so indulgent, I'm in love!

When I'm wanting something hydrating I grab the Outshine Coconut Water Bars, these bars pack a punch of coconut water and the taste is incredible! The little chunks of pineapple add the perfect amount of kick and make this Outshine Bar a favorite in my home!

Whenever I want something sweet and tangy I grab the Outshine Fruit Bars, they come in so many different fruit flavors and I'm totally in love with all of them.

When I'm needing an extra serving of veggies I opt for the Outshine Fruit and Veggie Bars, they offer a fruit & veggie infused kick of goodness without sacrificing taste!

No matter which delicious Outshine Bar I choose, I'm bound to have a smile on my face! What more could a girl ask for than a delicious snack bar and a day spent out on the ocean? Check out all the other delicious ways you can enjoy Outshine Bars here and learn more about how they give back to the community! Want to give Outshine Bars a try for yourself? You can grab a pack at Walmart today!

Since Outshine is all about feel-good snacking, they want everyone to enjoy delicious fruits & veggies. That's why they're helping provide 1 pound of produce to local food banks (and sharing cool savings) when you take their super fun snacking quiz! Do your part to help contribute and you'll receive $1 off coupon! Don't forget to take the snacking quiz now through July 31st here!

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

If you are anything like me, you love a good home cooked meal but sometimes cooking just sounds like no fun at all. Since life gets busy and most of us have pretty full agendas, spending hours in the kitchen (even though I work from home) just really isn't an option. I'm all about quick and convenient; but now that I've recently lost a bunch of weight, I'm also all about eating healthy and nutrient rich foods.

These easy to prepare Spicy Buffalo Chicken Wraps are insanely delicious with pops of spicy flavor and cool ranch mixed together inside of a romaine lettuce wrap. There really isn't anything better on a hot summer night than a healthy and super delicious meal like these wraps. Plus, all the prep work you really have to do is boiling a pot of water! That means if you can make ramen or macaroni, you are totally capable of making your friends (or family) this delicious recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breast

Buffalo Sauce
Large Romain Lettuce Leafs
Tomato

Onion
Salt & Pepper
Lemon
Ranch Dressing (choose a dressing wisely)

Start this recipe by boiling a medium sized pot full of water. Right before the water begins to boil, place chicken breast into the water and allow to boil until it's done. While waiting for the water to boil, remove the super hard stems from the romaine and chop up enough of the onion and tomato for everyone.

Remove from water and shred in bowl with two forks (or using a beater in a mixing bowl).

Drizzle a small amount of lemon, season with salt and pepper lightly, and pour a decent amount of hot sauce.

Spoon about an ounce of chicken inside of the romaine lettuce and top with a nice amount of tomato and onion. Add a little bit of ranch to each wrap and dinner is served!

Enjoy!