Wonderful Fall Flavors - #LMDConnector

I love fall!  It's definitely my favorite time of year.  The summer heat is behind us and I love going for walks on a crisp sunny day and checking out all the beautiful fall colors around us then cuddling with the family in front of the fireplace on cool evenings.

Another great thing about fall is our yearly visit to the pumpkin patches, corn mazes and apple farms and this year it was actually warm enough to wear shorts.  It's great to be able to pick our own pumpkins and apples straight from where they were grown.  It's equally as great to then turn our handpicked goodies into homemade treats.

I don't cook with pumpkin a lot so I decided to browse the Life Made Delicious website and make the pumpkin crumble cake.  Because it's not after Halloween yet I opted to use canned pumpkin and leave the field picked ones to carve.  I generally stick to baking cookies, bars and muffins rather than cakes but this recipe was really easy.  The store was out of the size can it called for so I bought the bigger one and did a rough measurement.

It was a hit with the whole family!  I did end up using too much pumpkin I think because mine doesn't look cake like in the middle as it does on the website, it's more like a pumpkin pie consistency with some areas that look like cake.  The crumb topping is really good and I don't think the texture ruined the taste.  

I"m looking forward to this season of fall flavors and trying out new rib-sticking stews, chilies and slow cooker meals!

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Weekly Meal Plan

It's a longish story that I do not wish to tell but I did not go grocery shopping this week.  I will be picking up what I need when I need it but not doing that weekly big shop.  Not only are we stocked up pretty good but I also grabbed a few good deals the other day.  So off the top of my head here's the plan:

1.  A turkey dinner repeat

2.  Turkey Shepard's pie - ground turkey, not leftovers

3.  Turkey Stew

4.  Chicken Legs and Roasted Potatoes - got a great deal on the legs already coated in some sort of spice rub ready to be baked

5.  Chicken Mini Burgers

New Pillsbury Chocolatey Crescents - #LMDConnector

I always wanted to be the kind of mom who'd always have freshly baked goodies on hand at all times for the kids for snacks or just as a treat.  This was, of course, what I thought before actually having kids.  Between the endless piles of laundry, cleaning up spills and putting away toys constantly there's just so little extra time.

Pillsbury has many products that make our lives easier with the newest addition being the Chocolatey Crescents and I was sent some coupons for my family to try them and some extras to share.

They are similar to the original Crescents but with chocolate in the middle and more chocolate drizzled on top and they were really easy to make but the first time I did manage to make a few mistakes but thankfully we have another box!

I forgot to curve the dough on the ends to make them look like crescents, I cut the hole in the bag that the chocolate is squeezed from too big and I put the chocolate on the top before putting them in the oven instead of after (oops)!  So mine look nothing like the ones pictured on the tube but they still tasted chocolately  delicious and the whole family quickly gobbled them up.  

Grab a box today for a quick, and easy breakfast or delicious afternoon snack freshly baked from your oven!  

"Disclosure - I am participating in the Life Made Delicious Ambassador Program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills.  I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion.  The opinions on this blog are my own."

My computer isn't running all that great right now so I'll make this meal plan (a little late!) short and sweet:

1.  Breakfast for dinner - we don't have time to make a big breakfast in the morning so why not for dinner

2.  Baked Banana Oatmeal - I will have to post the recipe as I can't find it but I make it ahead of time for breakfast and the kid love it!

3.  Chili Sauced Pineapple Pork - can't find this either

4.  Snappy Pineapple Chicken - never made it and the ingredient list looks big but it's a slow cooker recipe so can't be that bad

5.  Cottage Meatloaf - I was never really a meatloaf person but I love this meatloaf

6.  Chili Stuffed Peppers - can't find the recipe I use

Stay tuned for more fall favorites!