Crockpot Pizza Soup with Cheesy Garlic Croutons #backtoschoolweek

My husband took this past week off work for vacation.  Our goal was to do a whole bunch of fun day activities instead of heading up to the cottage.  Well we didn't have a week of go go go but we did manage to do a little bit of shopping, took the little one to the splash pad, went for a hike and cleaned the house (yes, this one is depressing).   Not very exciting but the important thing is the hubs got in some relaxation, well needed relaxation.  

Here are a few pictures from our hike.  Funny how you live somewhere all your life and there are some great places to hike and enjoy the view just 10 minutes away.

Peanut Butter Hemp Cookies #backtoschoolweek

I am completely obsessed with a new cookbook I bought.  Well it is cookbook/change your life book.  It is called the Power of Food by Adam Hart.  I highly suggest you follow him on twitter or FB.   The book is vegetarian,with many vegan recipes as well. It essentially highlights numerous foods that have great benefits, like quinoa, almonds, hemp & sesame seeds, legumes, blueberries, kale and more.  It is one of those books where I flipped through and every recipe sounded cool and delicious.   I am not a vegan or vegetarian but I don't eat than much meat.  I do love my eggs and cheese though.   If this book though, helps me in getting better foods in my body that I am still on board.  It will be fun to go through the book and just learn new ways to cook with great quality ingredients.

So the kids are going back to school, hard to believe it is here already.  It is now time to get back into routine, homework, school events, projects, fall sports and getting organized.  Back to school calls for easy healthy meals and snacks.   These peanut butter hemp cookies from the Power of Food book are exactly that.  Thanks to Adam hemp seeds are going to be my new best friend.  So easy to add to things.

Back to School Week Info, Giveaway and More....

I am so excited to be a part of #BacktoSchoolWeek hosted by Rachel from {i love} my disorganized life and Kelley from Miss Information. This week will help take the stress out of Back to School.

Each day, bloggers from around the country will post their favorite Back to School crafts and recipes. We also have some really AWESOME prizes from some AMAZING Sponsors. You can enter to win on any of the Blogs that are participating in #BacktoSchoolWeek. {Please scroll to the bottom of this post for prize details and entry form}

These wonderful ladies will also be hosting a TweetChat and a PinChat {more info to come} during #BacktoSchoolWeek, with prize giveaways during those as well!!!

(search for hashtag #BacktoSchoolWeek to follow along. Use the hashtag in 

tweets during the chat to enter to win.)

1) One TweetChat winner will receive a set of two Mighty Handles. Mighty Handle is the easiest way to carry more grocery bags across a parking lot, walking in a neighborhood, up a flight of stairs or from your car into the house. The patent pending handle and anchor design system distributes weight evenly allowing you to carry up to 50 lbs of bags in one hand. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter} 2) One TweetChat winner will receive a 6-piece set of Cuisinart storage containers.The cabinet-friendly, modular design of Cuisinart’s new Fresh Edge™ Food Storage System is only one of the practical conveniences it offers. In addition to their space-saving stack ability, the dishwasher-,freezer- and microwave-safe units have a simple, two-step sealing process that creates a vacuum to preserve food. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

3)  One TweetChat winner will receive a set of Keycals from Kidecals. It's the fun way to organize with these stickers, labels and decals. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter} 4) One TweetChat winner will receive a Mini Cooler and a Personal Cooler from PackIt. PackIt keeps its contents cooler longer – up to 10 hours in fact – and it eliminates completely the need for ice or gel packs. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

NOW, for the RAFFLE! We are so grateful to have such an AMAZING group of sponsors for #BacktoSchoolWeek! They have all provided us with WONDERFUL raffle prizes for you!

1) One raffle winner will receive the Cuisinart 3-in-1 Cook Central. The 6-quart Cook Central simplifies combination cooking, letting home cooks bypass the stovetop by browning ingredients right in the unit before switching to Slow Cook.  Preset function buttons and time and temperature controls offer easy-to-use Brown/Sauté, Slow Cook and Steam options.  A 24-hour timer and automatic Keep Warm setting promise a fresh-cooked meal, warm and ready whenever consumers are sitting down to dinner. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

2) One raffle winner will receive a Mini Cooler, a Personal Cooler and a Shop Cooler from PackIt. PackIt keeps its contents cooler longer – up to 10 hours in fact – and it eliminates completely the need for ice or gel packs. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

3) One raffle winner will receive The Keurig® MINI Plus Personal Brewing System. It's what you need when a little space is all that you have. Small kitchen spaces, vacation homes or home office desktops. The compact Keurig® MINI Plus Brewing System delivers the perfect cup in just two minutes. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

4) One raffle winner will receive from Kizmos the Crazy Cool Crafty’s Banana Muffins Kizmos Kit {be sure to visit Crazy Cool Crafty on 8/24 to see how Cassie uses this kit!} which contains the Get Happy salt and pepper shakers, Get Happy nesting Measuring cups, and the Get happy measuring spoons. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

5) One raffle winner will receive from Kizmos The Grant Life’s Passe Passe Kizmos Kit {Be sure to visit The Grant Life on 8/21 to see how Kelley uses this kit!} which contains the Get Happy Spatula, Get Happy Spoonula and the Get Happy Ice Cream Scoop. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

6) One raffle winner will receive from Kizmos the Kleinworth’s Kid Command Center Kizmos Kit {be sure to visit Kleinworth & Co. on 8/20 to see how Gina uses this kit!} containing the Get Happy Magnet Set, the 7 assorted Bag Clips & the Get Happy 2 qt & 5 qt colanders. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

7) One raffle winner will receive from Kizmos the Lemons for Lu Lu’s Fruit Salad Kizmos Kit {be sure to visit Lemons for Lulu on 8/19 to see how Tanya uses this kit!} containing the 2 1/2 quart colander, the spatula, the measuring cups and measuring spoons. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

8) One winner will receive a $75 surprise box from Pick Your Plum, where they delicately slap prime-o pricing on crafting, clothing, baking supplies, home decor and other fabulous finds. They sell it til it's gone or time is up. Get it before your neighbor does. *Contents may vary. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

9) One raffle winner will receive a prize pack featuring Cal-Organics/Grimmway Farms Swag { Grimmway Farms Speaker Cooler Bag, Cal-Organic T-shirt, Cal-Organic Hat, Cal-Organic Visor Clip, Just Crunch Em Tumbler Cup, Carrot Snack N Go Container} AND  a Portable blender/smoothie maker from Cuisinart so you can take it with you on the go.  Get more veggies at home and at work and on the go. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

10) One raffle winner will receive a $50 prize pack from DecoArt containing a variety of craft paint and stencils. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

11) One raffle winner will receive a $40 gift certificate from Kidecals. It's the fun way to organize with these stickers, labels and decals. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

12) Two raffle winners will each receive a $50 Mooney Family Story gift box from Mooney Farms. Their signature box is filled with some of their most premium items including; Bella Sun Luci sun dried tomatoes in olive oil & herbs, julienne cut in olive oil & herbs, sun dried tomato pesto, sun dried tomato risotto blend, Tomato Artichoke Pasta sauce, Sun Dried Tomato Julienne Cut, Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil and imported Italian Pasta. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

13) One raffle winner will receive a set of two Mighty Handles. Mighty Handle is the easiest way to carry more grocery bags across a parking lot, walking in a neighborhood, up a flight of stairs or from your car into the house. The patent pending handle and anchor design system distributes weight evenly allowing you to carry up to 50 lbs of bags in one hand. {Follow on Facebook & Twitter}

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Caramlized Peach Ice Cream

 It's peach season!  I am currently obsessed with going to the Friday farmers market.  Working full time I don't normally get to go, so being on Mat Leave I am taking advantage of every Friday I can.  My biggest purchase is berries.  I seem to pick up more and more to eat and freeze.   I think I may run out freezer space because it is over flowing with local berries. They are so hard to resist though.  It is amazing how different local berries taste.  In the winter I will be happy though when I open my freezer to local berries that didn't travel thousands and thousands of miles.

On my most recent visit I also picked up a big basket of peaches.   I chopped and froze a large portion of them for future baking and snacks for the little one.  The rest went to this ice cream and a few more for a TBD dessert.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cocoa Krispie Squares

I think I have a jinx when it comes to electronics.  My current laptop is barely hanging on.  The monitor hinge on the left side is broken, along with the front bottom tab.  It doesn't really close properly and it barely fits in the bag. The laptop screen is also a little slanted which does not make for easy photo editing.   My playbook which the hubs got from his work is old, the operating system doesn't work well. There are no good apps.  I pretty much just use it to watch movies or tv shows and even that doesn't work often.  My phone (Galaxy Nexus),  which I love.  Love android, love google, love, now has a cracked screen thanks to baby.   Well I guess it is really my fault for giving my little one the phone thinking it was safe to leave it with an 8 month old.  Ugh!

The hubs is not pleased with this situation now that I am potentially hoping for several new devices.   I am now torn between a tablet and a laptop or go for an 2 in 1, where the laptop turns into a tablet.   Tough decision.  The hubs also keeps telling me to wait for some haswell chip or something that allows computers to run better and longer.    Patience is not one of my best qualities, so we will see.

Any thoughts on what I should get?

For now I will continue to blog on my broken computer and enjoy these yummy squares.