Strawberry Fruit Bars with Snyders Pretzel Crust and Almond Crumble Recipe
This week I wanted to create a recipe of my own using Snyders Pretzels. Something tasty you can snack on. These bars can be made with any seasonal fruit I was just in the mood for some Strawberries. I also wanted to offset some of the sugar in this recipe by substituting it with Stevia. The first thing you have to know is that Stevia is different than sugar so you aren’t going to use the same amount. Depending on the brand you used they have conversion charts on their websites so that you know how much stevia to use.
When it comes to making snacks there is no reason why you can’t substitue non-healthy ingredients for better ones. Using Snyders of Hanover Nibblers Pretzels in this recipe I was able to tone down the sweetness because the crust was salty. It’s the perfect balance and has an amazing crunch to it due to the Pretzels and the Almonds.
Pretzels are a great quick snack. My mother and I used to go through boxes and boxes of the big Snyders of Hanover Sourdough pretzels. We used to snuggle up for a movie and munch on them instead of popcorn. Then the Nibblers came out with tons of different flavors making them even more “popable.”
Try this this great recipe and tell me what you think!
Strawberry Fruit Bars with Snyders Pretzel Crust and an Almond Crumble topping
Crust:
2 1/2 Cups of Snyders Nibblers Pretzels
1/2 Cup Margarine, Melted
Fruit Filling:
5 Cups Sliced Strawberries
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
3 1/2 (12 packets) Tbsp Stevia (or 1/2 Cup Sugar)
Crumble Topping:
1/2 Cup Four
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Crushed Almonds
4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush the Snyders Preztels with a rolling pin or hammer in a gallon sized Ziploc bag until they are small pieces. Mine were slightly too big so try to get them smaller than what I have pictured. In a bowl mix the pretzels and the melted margarine. Spread the mix over a 9 X 13 pan to cover the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes and then let cool completely before adding the filling.
While your crust is baking start prepping your filling. Slice strawberries and place in a large bowl. Add the cornstarch and the stevia in and mix until the strawberries are completely covered. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In another bowl combine the Flour, Brown Sugar and Almonds to the bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and use a pastry cutter to blend.
After your crust has cooled pour the strawberry filling into the pan spreading it evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the almond crumble topping over the fruit to create the last layer.
Bake for 50 minutes or until the crumble topping is a golden brown.
Allow the bars to completely cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Snyder’s of Hanover blogging program. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
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Project Pinterest: Homemade Petit Fours
Last year I made these Petit Fours for Valentines Day treats and they were fantastic. They are super easy to make and you can get everything you need at Walmart!
Here is what you will need:
Oreo Cakesters (Chocolate or Vanilla, I went with both)
Rolled Fondant (found in the craft section near the wedding/ cake supplies)
Parchment Paper
Rolling Pin
Optional but helpful:
Sprinkles
Food Coloring
Corn Syrup
The rolled fondant comes in a good sized box that you can take chunks out of to flatten. It comes in white and if you’d like to get more colors just add a dab of food coloring. One drop of food coloring created the light pink add a few more and I got a darker pink. Rolled out your fondant until it is big enough to wrap around the Cakester. Place a Cakester onto the fondant and wrap it around until it nearly covers the bottom. It’s ok if the don’t completely because this will be the bottom side. Smooth out all the bubbles and bumps being careful not the tear the fondant around the top.
After you have wrapped them it’s time to decorate them. You can cut out little pieces of fondant hearts to place on top or use your sprinkles. To get these to stick really well you will need to water down some corn syrup and brush it on.
Everyone really loved them and they flew off the plate when I was done. Mine are cute but check out Amanda of I Am Baker, the original creator, to see her amazing photos. She makes pretty chocolate hearts for hers. I don’t think I could spend as much time as she did because they get eaten before I’m even done decorating them. I’ll be making these again this year. Either way her blog is amazing check it out!
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Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks #ILoveMyK9 #Cbias
First of all, it’s much harder than you think. Old dogs are stubborn, they are set in their ways, (kinda like old husbands). But I think eventually it can be done. I wish I could say that after a week of trying they were perfect little angels but they aren’t. Although having all those great treats around made them VERY interested in listening to me. We practiced in our yard just in case another animal or person distracted them and they took off. I couldn’t risk another massive bruise on legs from them pulling me down.
During the training I tried splitting them up. I think one gets over excited and then the other follows suit. But I also thought that maybe the big dog doing it right would teach the smaller dog to chill out and listen. So I ended up trying both ways. I believe they were better alone. They listened to me much better. They both started listening to JaMonkey as well which they never have before now. That was a huge task in itself, realizing that she was a leader in pack also. 
After getting them to calm down, sit in place so that we could put leases on them we took them around one at a time. After fighting with the little dog to stay next to use he finally got the hint and was excited when he realized he’d get a Milk-Bone® treat for doing it right. It’s a breeze when they realize that, however it takes some remembering each time we practice.
The bigger dog is much better. He is going to need more “real life” training for being around other animals and for that I need my husbands strength. He’s a big dog!
He did great in our yard practicing. Especially when JaMonkey was walking him.
The best rewards are the looks of joy on their faces when they get those treats! So far it’s been a success but the true test will be this weekend when we take them for a walk through our neighborhood. I’m sure they will do great.
This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias
Having Your Identity Stolen Stinks | Identity Theft Protection
Nearly 6 years ago my identity was stolen and I am still feeling the problems that it caused me. I was living in an apartment with a friend of mine and it was right around the time that I met my husband so I was barely ever there. The only reason I found out about it was because I received a Gap Credit card in the mail with my name on it. I found out that someone had opened up 4 credit cards in my name on websites such as Old Navy, Sears, and a few more. She also tried on sites like Target and Walmart but was declined. Applying online allowed the person to purchase and max out the amount that it was approved for in the same transaction.
After the little shopping spree was concluded with thousands of dollars spent on women’s clothing they actually had all of the items shipped to my apartment complexes management office. The person then picked up their items right there. After filing a police report I went through hell during the investigation. The police accused my roommate which cause quite a bit of drama resulting in me needing to move out. An alert has been placed on my social security number as a form of identity theft protection so that no one else can open any account without a few forms of proof that it is actually me.
Hopefully you check your credit each year for any suspicious activity. You are given a free one from each reporting agency a year but that is too long to wait when it takes a day for something to open up thousands of dollars in credit and then spends it in the same day. I was very luck that all of these companies were able to get rid of all of the charges. She not only stole my identity but stole a LOT of merchandise from the various stores.
Companies like IdentityHawk were created to help consumers safeguard their assets, their properties, and your name! Through their suite of protective benefits, IdentityHawk members can view the health of their identity protection, identify areas where they’re most at risk, and take proactive steps to reduce those risks.
This post was compensated through Blogsvertise. This story is true and it really is awful having your identity stolen so take the steps to protect yourself.
How This Stay at Home Mom is Making Money | Monetizing Your Blog
I’ve been home with my child (soon to be children) off and on since she was born. I mention that because I went back to work because I enjoyed making money even if it was just a small paycheck. It meant that the little perks in life like an extra day on vacation or an extra night of getting to eat out was ok. And who could forget those shoes that you’ve been eyeing for months.
So here are the ways that I have been making money here and there to help buy those shoes!
Twitter- Earn from Tweeting
Sponsored Tweets-This you can choose different topics or categories and advertisers choose you to help them tweet their message. They are always great campaigns and you have the ability to choose how much you want to be paid per tweet! Whether it’s $3 per tweet or if you have LOTS of followers $25 per tweet. They also have PPC (Paid Per Click) Tweets that you can make .20 per click of a tweet. Great program that I had forgotten about for awhile but am glad I went back to it.
My Likes- This is a PPC Tweet site that you can make a few dollars for sending out easy tweets.
Points / Surveys- Earn Points that you can redeem for Gift Cards or PayPal transfers.
MyPoints- This site is the one I’ve earning the most points from. Through being a BzzAgent I earn MyPoints and simple tasks like opening an email or a survey you earn very fast. You can also earn points from installing their search bar and shopping online. Earning points like 10 points per dollar on purchases. I’ve redeemed for many Amazon gift cards that have help with lots of purchases.
SuperPoints- This is site is by invitation only. You can earn points from doing surveys and opening email. They also have a Super Lucky Button that you get to click a few times and win points. I’m still new to this site but so far I’ve earned a lot and the rewards catalog is low to redeem!
Swagbucks-I think everyone knows about Swagbucks but I’m actually not on this site as much as I am MyPoints. I’m still giving it a try because earning is easy and eventually it adds up and I’m sure I can redeem for something great.
Mommy Talk Surveys-Aren’t you sick of getting through the beginning of a survey and then they give you the old “You don’t qualify”? Well this site is geared to Moms so you are more liking to qualify for all of the surveys making it easier to make money. Plus they give you $5 just for joining!
Paid Viewpoint-Easy surveys that are much faster than any other site with surveys! This is one of my favorites.
Ad Networks- If you are a deal blogger or just looking for a few ads to place on your top posts /sidebar.
Escalate Media- You can share coupons with your readers or free offers / samples. You get paid per conversion. They rotate everything so you’ll need to keep track of it but it’s worth it.
Logical Media-Same as Escalate Media except with more offers. Both have GREAT Affiliate Managers to help you keep up to date and answer any questions.
Referred Media- Another like the above but still new, more advertisers added daily.
Say Media-An amazing ad network with beautiful moving ads that only play of your reader hoovers over them. Big brands use them so as long as you have your targets set you’ll get good results
InfoLinks- Is a text link plugin that I can turn on and off whenever I like that randomly selects a few words in a post to create text links. It’s the top rated text links company and I’ve done really great with them and their customer service is amazing. Just for signing up I got $100!
Bizz Click-Customize and choose what size ad you would like put in your keywords, which keywords you’d like to excluded and thats it!
Link Worth- A wide selection of Link Words, Link Ads and many more. Lots to choose from.
Sponsored Blogging-Doing sponsored posts is the #1 way to make good money from home. There are great sites that you can join that are communities such as Clever Girls Collective or Collective Bias but these are sites that advertisers are pitching to you.
Social Spark- Same company that runs the Sponsored Tweets runs this site. Advertisers will send you leads that you can either accept or negotiate the terms to make more money off it. It integrates right into your blog and once you have followed the terms it will even post it for you.
Blogsvertise- I’m new to this site but I’ve already started getting offers. My first one introduced me to Bizz Click.
Affiliate Marketing- Commission based marketing that you only make money if the person that clicked your link makes a purchase or in some cases registers for a website.
Commission Junction-This is the largest affiliate marketing site you will find. Companies like Groupon and CafeMom use them. They offer links, widgets, and text links.
LinkShare-Another big site that has Apple iTunes / App store affiliate marketing.
Your Daily Deal Site- You local deal sites probably all have affiliate programs. I’m not talking about Referring someone and you getting a $5 credit in your account, I’m talking about actually making a commission of sales that you brought them. Having Groupon credits is great and all but mine normally expire before I get to use them and redeeming them when they are expired is so hard. So scroll to the bottom of your local deal sites and see if they offer an affiliate program. Make sure you have a valid email because they will email you about awesome national deals or discounts they are offering so you can let your followers and readers know early and use you!
GOOGLE!!!!
If you don’t have a Google account you need to get one. Then you need to join Google’s AdSense network and Google’s Affiliate Network.
So those are the sites that I make a few dollars here and there on. Those few dollars add up though. Also find some great Blogger communities to join so that you can apply to their blogging opportunities. They are going to be your biggest sponsors.
Track all your great earnings with my Blog Earnings Template. It’s a handy way to keep track of all of these sites each month even if you have multiple blogs!
This post contains some affiliate links. If you plan to take advantage of the program that I’ve shared with you please send a little love my way and use these links. If you ever need help with or have questions about any of these programs please Contact Me and I’d be happy to help!
The View From Our Pigeon Forge Hotel #WW
Last week JaMonkey and I went to Pigeon Forge, TN to experience Wildlife Wilderness Week. We learned a lot and it even snowed while we were there. It was a great Mother / Daughter trip.
Testing Tide Coldwater | #Tide #ColdWater @SheSpeaksUp
I’m all about saving money where ever I can along with trying to be as earth conscious in our day to day lives. We have reusable bags. I free cycle like crazy and I’ve always been a coldwater laundry user but haven’t ever tried using a Coldwater designed product. I stick with the free and clear products just out of habit from have children and not wanting to irritate her (at the time) chubby skin.
So when SheSpeaks and Tide asked me to try the new Coldwater detergnant I said why not? What do I have to loose? So got down in the Georgia Clay and roughed up an old cloth diaper that I use for cleaning. Added some pasta sauce and some grass stains and tested out the Tide Coldwater to see how well it preformed.
This was a good set in stain that sat overnight before going into the laundry. I didn’t pretreat or use any bleach in this load either. Normal sized load.
The Tide got out the Georgia clay and the grass stains no problem but had some trouble with the pasta stain. Of course pasta stains are the hardest to get out so I’m sure if I hard used a pretreat spray it would have come out no problem.
Tide is such a great brand of laundry detergent that there was no doubt in my mind that it wouldn’t power through these tough stains. I’ve been using it each load since this video and I love how well it works.
We don’t have huge stains like that on our clothes hardly ever. I have more trouble with my husband and daughter getting wholes in the knees of their pants instead of stains.
I was sent a bottle of Tide Coldwater and compensated with a $50 gift card for this post. All opinions are my own. Thank you to P&G and SheSpeaks!
Tracking Your Blog Earnings | Blog Earnings Template
This year I’m kicking things into high gear and trying to get organized…at least in my blogging world. Last year I created my LLC and really didn’t track what I was making or spending very well. One of the things that I decided I really needed to do was create a spreadsheet that would track my earnings on a month to month basis and have them separated out by certain blogs. So after doing some major work on an excel sheet I found I am now tracking what I make from the many different places that I’ve earned some money.
Click to Enlarge
Here is a screenshot of what it looks like. It’s simple, after you’ve run your reports on your affiliate or ad network sites just plug in the amount and it will total it for you. It will then add your monthly totals to the Year To Date tab automatically for you.
This is going to be a great handy tool for bloggers that want to track which websites are worth their time and effort.
If you’d like to try the Blog Earnings Tracker you can use the link below to download. Please leave me your thoughts in the comment sections and if you think your bloggie friends could use this handle tool please Pin, Share and Tweet away.
If you have trouble downloading the file please use the Contact Me page to drop me a line and I’d be happy to email it to you!
Stay Tuned for my next post about creating a Blog Planner / Editorial Calendar. Along with how I am monetizing my blog.
Project Pinterest: Hanging Magnetic Chalkboard Trays
Another fun project that I’ve been dying to try because it was such a
simple project that would also make a great addition to our wall space.
I have a new love for Chalkboard Paint because it’s so easy to use and you can put it on everything. I’m sure I will have a few Chalkboard projects to come this year.
Hanging Magnetic Chalkboard Trays
Here is what you’ll need:
Metal Serving Trays (I found mine at a Thrift Store for under $2) Make sure they are magnetic before you buy them.
Chalkboard Paint ( I used Krylon Spray Paint)
Ribbon
- My husband drilled holes into the top of the trays to be able to pull the ribbon through the front instead of hanging it from adhesives. It created some sharp edges so we made sure to sand those off.
- Next I cleaned them really good so that there wouldn’t be any imperfections or bumps.
- Then I took them outside to spray paint them with the chalkboard paint. Make sure you read the directions closely since there are a few different kinds to choose from. If you are using the spray on make sure you hold the can far enough away and make clean sweeps across to make one even coat.
- Let the trays dry overnight at room temperature.
- Attach the ribbon at the desired length and tie it in a pretty bow.
- Use a lighter to heat the edges of the ribbon to get rid of and prevent any fraying.
That’s it! Super easy and such a great idea. Originally posted by Brooke from Sweet Mint Studios and modified by myself. I am still on the search for a bigger one to place into the middle. Just think of the cool designs they have on the borders on some serving trays. They add such a beautiful texture to the piece. We added these cute magnets to be able to hang recipes or to do lists. I think I’ll hang the chalk so that it stays close by.
Grab your Project Pinterest Button and place it on your project this week and link up below to share with everyone! I’ll share it on the Project Pinterest Facebook page and the @ProjectPins Twitter profile. You can follow them in the sidebar.
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