Oatmeal banana bread with oatmeal cereal recipe
This is a sponsored recipe post for The Women Bloggers, LLC which is led by the Kendal King Group and #SoapboxInfluence to share the goodness of Nestle Gerber® Cereal. All opinions are 100% my own. #CookingwithGerber
Every parent wants to serve the most nutritious foods possible to their families, but if you’re like me and have a picky eater, you know this can be a huge struggle. I have dreams of my healthy recipes being gobbled up, but more often than not, they just don’t get eaten. That just means I have to get sneaky and hide the good stuff in what might otherwise be considered snack foods.
This quick and easy oatmeal banana bread recipe with a super-secret ingredient is my new favorite quick-grab breakfast for our busy mornings. We rarely have time for a sit-down meal in the mornings, but I hate the idea of them grabbing junk and starting their day off on the wrong foot. This nutritious banana bread is perfect because you can easily grab a slice or a muffin on your way out of the house or you can pair it with fruit and yogurt for a balanced breakfast.
7+ tips to save money in the kitchen
Where could you use a little savings help? If you’re like most people, you probably said the kitchen. When you really break it down, the kitchen has the highest bill of anywhere in your house – there are foods needing to be replenished each week, appliances that cost money to run, and waste to take care of.
How would you like to save a little money while making your days easier and more organized? I bet you would! Just for you, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite money-saving kitchen tips that can help keep money in your pocket, food in your bellies, and your kitchen running smoothly.
7+ tips to save money in the kitchen
Finding Dory fun from Nature’s Harvest bread
We're big "Finding Nemo" fans and have basically been waiting for years for Disney•Pixar's "Finding Dory" to come out. I was thrilled when I got to see the first 33 minutes of the new film at DisneySMMC this year and cannot wait to take the kiddos to see the film once they get out of school. To get in the Dory spirit, we decided to celebrate the film opening by making some Dory-inspired lunches with Nature's Harvest® bread. 
Since we love to play with our food around here, I thought we'd make a Bacon Tomato & Avocado {BTA} open face sandwich and allow the kids to make their own fish friend right on their Nature’s Harvest® bread. With has at least 8g or more of whole grains per serving and no artificial flavors, colors or high fructose corn syrup, their delicious bread is a staple around here and every variety we’ve tried has been a hit with the kids. From Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat to Honey Wheat Made with Whole Grain Bread, they are all kid- and parent-approved.
Celebrating Grandma Johnson: Things I learned from my grandma
This has been an extraordinarily hard week. For the country, for Orlando, and also for our entire family. This week we said goodbye to the matriarch of my husband’s family, Grandma Johnson. She has been someone I looked up to for almost 20 years, and I am so happy I was lucky enough to get to call her grandma. 
My older two have long adored their great-grandma, but my heart especially aches for my little one, Grandma Johnson’s mother’s namesake, who was only just beginning to get to know her. Though I can never replace the joy of having her in our lives, I will try my hardest to preserve her memory and carry on her legacy. 
I have so many things she taught me that I want to be able to share with my kids, so it seemed fitting to pay tribute by sharing the bits of wisdom she has imparted upon me in the two decades I had with her. 
With that, I give you my list of things I learned from Grandma Johnson:
Find the perfect gift for Dad from Cloud 9 Living – from helicopters and fighter pilots to wine tastings and golf {$20 off code}
At this point in my life, I’m pretty hard to shop for. While I love getting new things just like everyone else, I just don’t actually need much anymore. I’m…
Summer baking trend: frosting-free cakes for all your summer events
10+ reasons why you should own ZOOTOPIA on DVD and Blu-ray
It’s the day we've been waiting for! ZOOTOPIA is now out on DVD and Blu-ray!
As soon as I saw Disney's ZOOTOPIA movie, I was smitten. In so many ways, ZOOTOPIA was just as good, and in many ways better, than I had hoped. It had action, it had adventure, it had heart, and it had a really wonderful message.
Even months later, we’re all still talking about takeaways from the movie and parts that we really enjoyed as a family. The conversations are only getting better as we process the movie and discuss it further. Clearly this was a movie we needed to own.
Why should you own ZOOTOPIA? I'm so glad you asked. Here are just some of many reasons:
Make your Oribel PortaPlay even more amazing with two awesome new accessories
I’ve said before how much I love our PortaPlay Convertible Activity Center from Oribel. We’ve had it for a year now and it’s still one of my favorite items we got for our little one. This is because the PortaPlay bouncer/activity table isn’t just for babies. The PortaPlay converts as baby’s needs change, so what started out as a bouncer/exersaucer for baby becomes a toy-covered or flat-topped activity table that can be used for years. 
After almost a year of use as a bouncer, we recently converted the PortaPlay to an activity table and my new little walker was super excited to walk around the table and play with the toys from a new angle. And then when the newest Oribel accessories arrived and we converted the PortaPlay to a flat-top art table, she was super excited to use the PortaPlay with her favorite dolls and toys.
What we’re playing with: ZOOTOPIA toys
In celebration of next week's ZOOTOPIA DVD and Blu-ray release, we're sharing some of our favorite toys of the season that are based on the movie.
Aren't these so awesome?
We picked these adorable poseable figures up at our local Disney Store. We actually got most of them before the movie was even in theaters because my wife and kids thought they were so cute.
The Judy Hopps Meter Maid Pursuit Set came with a meter maid mobile, so I knew it was going to be a huge hit with the kids. I was definitely correct.
Alice in Wonderland inspired wall art on photo canvas
We love Alice in Wonderland around here. Like, really, really love it. In honor of the release of the new movie, Alice Through The Looking Glass, we're sharing one of our favorite Alice-inspired pieces.
A few years ago, I went down the rabbit hole of Etsy {no pun intended} looking for Alice art. In my search, I was reminded of one of my favorite lines of the Disney animated Alice In Wonderland film: "Do You Suppose She's A Wildflower?" 
I got the idea to put the quote on a picture I took of my baby {who clearly is a wildflower}, and print it on a canvas for her. I used basic clip art shapes to designate wildflowers, and used a fun Mad Hatter-style script to play up the theme.