mom hack: chick fil a.

can i be completely honest?

we visit our local chick-fil-a at least three times a week.

ok. fine. maybe four or five times a week.

are you judging me?

please don't. 

it is just so impossibly yummy. 

and it might be the only meat that my tot will actually eat.

i scream for chickie nuggies. & he does. too.  

to put it simply. 

if mama loves it. and tot loves it.

it is a grand slam in my book.  

you can imagine my utter delight when the owner of our chick-fil-a . . .

mister-dave-with-the-dog-on-his-belt as we refer to him in our house . . .

told me about the "heat it when you need it" nugget trays. 

my mind was blown. 

these trays come in small. medium. & large. 

they are fully cooked. & then chilled until you wish to serve them.

they are so great for a gathering of friends.

a bible study get together.

or a kids party.

you just pop those nuggets in the oven for about 15 minutes 

& they are ready to be served.

so super convenient & yummy.

but my favorite thing about these chilled trays . . .

the fact that we now have bottomless nuggets in our freezer.

how amazing is that?!

yes. i may or may not have purchased two trays to keep in my freezer.

that way. on the days that i don't feel like heading to chick-fil-a

i can serve it to patrick right at home.

i simply pull out a handful of nuggets. 

heat them. & serve them.

patrick gets the pleasure of having his CFA nuggets.

i get the pleasure of staying at home to get things done.

we are both gloriously happy.

i feel certain that as my stash runs low i will be 

refilling with more trays. 

it is just so brilliant. 

so mama's. grandma's. auntie's. stock your fridge with these babies.

you will not regret it. & your kiddos will thank you.

the fourth street chick-fil-a has the trays ready on demand.

you can simply pop in & order them to go.

you'll just have a few minutes to wait as they package them up for you.

if you are hoping to get a large amount. just call ahead.

hopefully this will ease some of your burden this holiday season 

as you are having parties & family gatherings. 

everyone loves chick-fil-a! 

cluck! cluck! 

Tweet

pumpkin snack bars.

if you are anything like me

pumpkin season makes your soul smile.

the scent. the taste. everything about pumpkins is just glorious.

to kick off the season.

patrick & i threw together some pumpkin snack bars.

they were outstandingly tasty & fun for a toddler to get his hands into.

i love finding recipes that patrick & i can make together.

having a toddler in the kitchen is just so much fun.

and while it can get messy.

and sometimes {read: all the time} recipe directions are not followed.

and dirty little fingers touch all the ingredients.

and one pinch of sugar, mama?

turns into ten handfuls of sugar.

and then ten double fistfuls of sugar. on top of that.

even with all that.

the wonder. the exploration. the intrigue.

of a toddler in the kitchen is just the best.

so even though the recipe was short 1/8 of a cup of brown sugar.

we still carried on. 

ok. thats enough little mister.

{it was just before dinner time}

thats enough. patrick. that is enough.

{mentioned dinner was spoiled.}

our measurements were not totally accurate.

but thats ok with toddler friendly recipes.

because what was lacking in ingredients

was made up for with an extra dose of childish love.

so you are probably wondering about these bars . . .

all you need is

3 cups of trader joe's pumpkin o's cereal.

1/2 cup of nestle tollhouse pumpkin spice chips.

1/2 cup of raisins. 

1/4 cup of honey.

1/2 stick of butter.

1/4 cup of packed brown sugar.

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.

combine the butter. honey. & brown sugar. in a microwave safe bowl.

melt in one minute increments. for three minutes total. stirring in between.

add the vanilla to the bowl & whisk together.

it will be a bubbly & extremely hot caramel. 

pour in the three cups of pumpkin o's & stir until they are covered with the caramel.

add in the raisins. the cinnamon. & half of the pumpkin chips.

stir well.

line an 8 x 8 pan with tin foil. then grease the foil to ensure the bars don't stick.

pour the mixture into the lined pan & pat down with a spatula.

sprinkle the rest of the pumpkin chips on top.

the next step is the really hard part . . .

put the dish in the fridge for 2-3 hours to cool & harden.

isn't that just torture?!

worth the wait. i promise.

because after they set. you have some delicious pumpkin snack bars to munch on.

let me tell you. they really are a yummy fall treat.

and totally tot approved.

enjoy!

Tweet