easy – Our Military Life Blog

Greek Yogurt Based Ranch Dip!

Rebecca — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 04:37:00 +0000

Summer is here, which for parents means that food bills are going to sky rocket. As a mom of boys, my kids are constantly hungry, and usually ask for a snack somewhere between second breakfast and the third lunches they have eaten…all before 2pm. I am running out of ideas for healthy snacks that they will actually continue to eat.

I guess that I am one of the lucky parents whose kids will eat veggies, so we tend to keep lots of them in the fridge year round. These come in handy when you get the craving for something delicious, but there is not chocolate left in the house.

When my neighbor had us over for dinner recently, she served a dip that was out of this world! My kids could not stop eating it! So, of course, I asked her for the recipe. It was just two ingredients and super fast to make! Start to finish, including clean up, only took ten minutes. What is this delicious nectar? Your favorite plain Greek yogurt, and a package of ranch dip dry seasoning for Greek yogurt.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 pkg. Ranch Dip Packet

Directions:

Mix together.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Serve with your favorite veggies!

Perfectly portable, easy to double or quadruple the recipe (and you will want to), and bam! Instant success! I grabbed what I needed at the Commissary, including enough veggies to get us through about four days, and it was super cheap! Whatever you are in the mood for this summer, enjoy this super tasty treat!

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Cheers for an Ocean Breeze!

My Military Savings — Thu, 22 May 2025 04:34:56 +0000

Summer is just around the corner and I am beach ready! However, if I can’t get to the beach, I’ll make the beach come to us in the form of an Ocean Breeze Cocktail! It’s tropical, fruity, and as pretty as the ocean. This is a super simple cocktail that lets you use your favorite flavored liquors. There’s even a non-alcoholic option too!

Ingredients:

1 oz. Coconut Rum
Splash of Pineapple Rum
2 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda
1 oz. Blue Curacao

Directions:

Fill your glass with ice.
Add 1 oz. Coconut Rum
Add a splash with a splash of Pineapple Rum.

Top it off with 2 ounces of lemon lime soda.
Add 1 ounce of Blue Curacao.
Stir.

Add a fresh fruit garnish if you’re feeling fancy and pretend it’s a warm beautiful day on the beach.

Notes:

This cocktail is also great with white rum or vodka and lime or citrus rums or vodkas.
For the non-alcoholic version, I used a Blue Curacao syrup! Top your lemon lime soda with the syrup. You can even add a 1/2-1 teaspoon of coconut extract for a yummy tropical flavor!

This is such a tasty and festive drink for the summer. It helps you escape to the beach, even if one isn’t anywhere close to where you are! So, hold your glass high and say, “Cheers for an Ocean Breeze!” Enjoy this concoction, but, as always…please drink responsibly!

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Spring Break Pina Coladas

My Military Savings — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 08:28:00 +0000

Happy Friday! We have made it through another week. Now, I know it doesn’t feel like it outside, but Spring Break is right around the corner! This cold weather has got to GO! I’m ready for lazy beach days and ice cold fruity drinks. I’m ready for summer already! While I can’t do anything to change the weather, I can make a yummy drink for happy hour! In preparation for Spring Break, I decided to make some Pina Coladas! These drinks come together really quickly in the blender. What’s great about them is that they can be made into the best non-alcoholic treats! These are perfect if you’re spending your Spring Break snowed in the house with the kiddos.

Ingredients:

2 cups of ice
1/2 cup (or a small can) Pineapple juice
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup Cream of Coconut
1 ounce Coconut Rum
1 ounce White Rum
Maraschino cherries for garnish, optional

Pour everything in the blender with the ice.

Start mixing until a nice slushie consistency!

The crushed pineapple add extra sweetness and texture. So tropical and yummy!
Pour into a glass and serve immediately.
Extra points if you have little drink umbrellas.

Notes:

Leave out the rum if you’re making virgin Pina Coladas.
These make great after school or Spring Break snacks.
Just top yours with a shot of rum and you’re good to go!
Sit back and pretend you’re on a beach somewhere warm!

I love topping mine with maraschino cherries. YUM. I’m gonna spend the weekend sitting in the backyard wishing for some warmer weather!

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Rainbow Cereal Bars

My Military Savings — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 14:48:00 +0000

It’s my favorite time of year, Spring! I love everything about Spring time. The warmer weather, blooming flowers, the fun upcoming holidays. I love rainbows and ALL of the bright colors, so I will try and make a rainbow out of anything and this yummy snack is no exception. It’s perfect for Spring or just a fun and super colorful snack. Best of all? There’s only THREE ingredients! It is so easy, so whip some up today for your family!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of butter
12 oz marshmallows
6 cups of rainbow colored cereal

Directions:

Melt the butter in the microwave in a large dish (approx. 30-60 seconds).

Add the marshmallows to the melted butter, mix well and microwave another 60-90 seconds until the marshmallows are melted.

Add the 6 cups of cereal and stir, making sure to fully coat the cereal with the marshmallow mix.

Spread the mixture into a greased 9×13 pan.

Once they’re completely cool and firm, you can cut them into bars or use cookie cutters to make them into shapes!

Fruity, gooey, sweet, and crunchy cereal bars make a great after school snack or dessert. These rainbow cereal bars are SO tasty!

Don’t these look so festive?!?! Perfect for a Spring day!

Notes:

Spray the bowl with non-stick cooking spray to make clean up a breeze!
I also spray my wooden spoon and cookie cutters!

These colorful treats are just perfect for spring or anytime really! They taste great and are so easy to make…what are you waiting for? Get started on this tasty treat today!

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Almond Crunch Cake

My Military Savings — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 01:37:00 +0000

If you’re looking for a light and delicious dessert, then you are going to LOVE this super easy cake! Our Almond Crunch Cake is sweet and buttery and it had toasted almonds in the frosting…OH MY YUM!

Cake Ingredients:

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
4 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
2 Eggs
1 Cup Buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13×9 pan.
With an electric hand mixer, blend the cake ingredients in a large bowl.
Bake for 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While this is baking, you can start working on your frosting! Let’s Go!!!

Frosting Ingredients:

8 ounces softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) softened butter
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups toasted sliced almonds (I toasted mine in a pan on the stove, it’s worth the extra step!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a microwave safe bowl, blend the cream cheese and butter together.
Add the vanilla extract and milk.
Slowly add the powdered sugar.
Once smooth and creamy, pop the bowl into the microwave for 30-45 seconds until the frosting is pourable.

Using a fork, poke holes into the warm cake.
Spread 1 cup of the frosting over it.
Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Add the toasted almonds to the remaining frosting and spread it on the cake.
Pop the cake the in fridge for 90 minutes or until the frosting has set.

The cake is so light and fluffy!
The toasted almonds add a great crunchy texture and the cream cheese frosting is just perfect.

The Almond Crunch Cake is perfect dessert for any time!

Notes:

Don’t have buttermilk? You can quickly make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of milk!
This cake is great to make ahead of time!

This cake is super easy to make and my family goes NUTS over it! I am sure your family will love it as well!

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Confetti Ice Cream Sandwiches

Lasonja Williams — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 12:05:47 +0000

I absolutely love celebrating birthdays! Whether it’s my own special day or I’m making plans for a loved one or a close friend. This is the time of year you get to be the center of attention and connect with those close to you. I remember the days I used to turn to cake and ice cream or cupcakes but I like to shake things up. Whenever I crave something sweet I turn to Nabisco. They offer so many great snacks and recipes. I’m so happy I found the new Chips Ahoy! Confetti Cake Cookies. Pair these cookies with ice cream and sprinkles and you have a wonderful combination and a dessert that will wow the socks off of anyone you share them with.

Party with your favorite Chips Ahoy! flavors and make every day a celebration!

Confetti Ice Cream Sandwiches

Prep Time: 15 Mins Total Time: 2 Hrs 15 Mins Servings: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

12 Chewy CHIPS AHOY! Confetti Cake Cookies

2 Tbsp. multi-colored sprinkles

Preparation

Spoon 2 Tbsp. ice cream onto the flat side of each of 6 cookies. Cover with remaining cookies to make 6 sandwiches.

Roll edges of ice cream sandwiches in sprinkles.

Freeze for 2 hours or until firm.

Recipes Tips

Storage: Individually wrap ice cream sandwiches in plastic wrap or foil; place in a freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Freeze up to 2 weeks before serving.

Special extra: Prepare using sprinkles that reflect the colors of your celebration.

Nutrition Information:

200 calories, 9g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 100mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate, 0g dietary fiber, 18g total sugars includes 17g added sugars, 2g protein

To find more Chips Ahoy! recipes to try during your next celebration; visit: https://www.mymilitarysavings.com/brands/nabisco/recipes

DIY NYE Poppers

Kate — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 18:21:58 +0000

Lets welcome 2022 with a POP!

Not the champagne type of POP!

Although, it wouldn’t be New Years Eve without a bit of bubbly

Celebrate with DIY confetti poppers! The kids will have a blast making AND using them.

So grab all the empty toilet paper rolls lying around and lets get popping!

What You Need:

-Toilet paper rolls

-Balloons

-Confetti (you can make your own just cut up small pieces of paper)

– Things to decorate your toilet paper rolls with ( markers, paint, wrapping paper, etc…)

Instructions:

Tie The deflated balloon like you normally would
Then Cut the top of the balloon off
Wrap the cut half of the balloon over one side of the toilet paper roll (tie the bottom)
Tape the edges of the balloon over the tp roll
Decorate the toilet paper roll, if you desire ( I covered mine with wrapping paper.) I cover over the balloon for a cleaner look.
Put confetti into the open side of the tube, so it lays into the balloon side.
Pull the tied portion of the balloon down, let go and POP!

Wishing You A Very “Popping” 2022!!!

Are You Ready for Kickoff?

Kristyn — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 03:41:45 +0000

The days are shorter, the air is crisper, and Friday Night Lights are illuminating the local high

school fields. I have been waiting all year for football season and it is finally here. Though we

will not be tailgating like years past at the local high school, college, or national games, we have

found that tailgating at home can be even better!

Our family is from the Philadelphia area and is full of diehard Eagles fans. We take our football

seriously and our tailgating even more so. The food is always phenomenal and the comradery is

beyond comparison. Since traveling to Philadelphia rarely happens, and with the pandemic still

putting social gatherings back on hold, we have become practically experts on tailgating in our

driveway and living room. Just picture it- a blowup screen, projector, and corn hole in the drive,

while the master griller (aka my spouse) cooks up something yummy.

This season we plan on having virtual tailgating with all of our family and friends as we stream

the games. I have menus planned out for each game with the typical Philly staples- cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, Chickie & Pete’s fries. But I wanted to add something different to satisfy our sweet tooth (and if you know me, I have the biggest sweet tooth ever). So, I looked to my favorite cookie inspiration and found an incredible recipe for Rocky Road OREO Brownies.

Rocky Road OREO Brownies

Prep Time: 30 min Total Time: 3 hr Makes 48 servings.

Ingredients

32 OREO Cookies, divided
1 pkg. (18 to 20 oz.) fudge brownie mix (13×9-inch pan size) 1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup lightly salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F.
Line 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spray with cooking spray.
Place 24 cookies, in 6 rows of 4 cookies each, on the bottom of the prepared pan. Chop remaining cookies; reserve for later use.
Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; pour over cookies in the pan, completely covering cookies.
Bake 25 to 30 min. or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.)
Cool completely.
Beat peanut butter and butter in a large bowl with a mixer until blended. Gradually beat in sugar; spread over brownie. Top with marshmallows, nuts, and reserved chopped cookies.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Use foil handles to remove brownie from the pan before cutting into bars.

Tips

How to Easily Cut the Brownies

Remove brownie from the pan as directed. Cut brownies crosswise into 12 strips, then cut each

strip into 4 pieces.

Variation

Omit butter and powdered sugar; decrease peanut butter to 3/4 cup. Mix 1-1/4 cups ready-to-

spread the vanilla frosting with peanut butter until blended; spread onto cooled brownie, then top

with remaining ingredients as directed.

Special Extra

Celebrate game day by sprinkling brownies with multi-colored sprinkles before serving. Or,

insert football-themed pick into the top of each cut brownie before serving.

Storage Know-How

Store brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week before serving,

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 170 calories, 9g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol,

110mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate, <1g dietary fiber, 14g total sugars includes 14g added

sugars, 2g protein

I love decking the brownies out with some green and black sprinkles to give them a little touch

of E-A-G-L-E-S!

So be sure to head over to your local commissary and grab all the ingredients you need today.

●

1 pkg. (18 to 20 oz.) fudge brownie mix (13×9-inch pan size) 1 cup creamy peanut butter

●

1/2 cup butter, softened

●

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

●

1 cup miniature marshmallows

●

1/4 cup lightly salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Make It

●

Heat oven to 350°F.

●

Line 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spray with cooking

spray.

●

Place 24 cookies, in 6 rows of 4 cookies each, on bottom of prepared pan. Chop

remaining cookies; reserve for later use.

●

Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; pour over cookies in pan, completely

covering cookies.

●

Bake 25 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do

not overbake.) Cool completely.

●

Beat peanut butter and butter in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gradually beat in

sugar; spread over brownie. Top with marshmallows, nuts and reserved chopped

cookies.

●

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Use foil handles to remove brownie from pan before cutting into bars.

Tips

How to Easily Cut the Brownies

Remove brownie from pan as directed. Cut brownies crosswise into 12 strips, then cut each

strip into 4 pieces.

Variation

Omit butter and powdered sugar; decrease peanut butter to 3/4 cup. Mix 1-1/4 cups ready-to-

spread vanilla frosting with peanut butter until blended; spread onto cooled brownie, then top

with remaining ingredients as directed.

Special Extra

Celebrate game day by sprinkling brownies with multi-colored sprinkles before serving. Or,

insert football-themed pick into top of each cut brownie before serving.

Storage Know-How

Store brownies in airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week before serving,

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 170 calories, 9g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol,

110mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate, <1g dietary fiber, 14g total sugars includes 14g added

sugars, 2g protein

I love decking the brownies out with some green and black sprinkles to give them a little touch

of E-A-G-L-E-S!

So be sure to head over to your local commissary and grab all the ingredients you need today.

DIY Hanging Branch Decor

Kate — Tue, 25 May 2021 21:34:56 +0000

I’m a sucker for home decor on a budget!
I love the dollar store for decor crafts and hacks!
This month I decided to do my own spin on the branch wall hanging
It’s super easy and only $2 or under !!!!

All you need:
-Sticks from outside
-Twine (dollar store, got a huge ball of it)
-Faux greenery (dollar store) or real

Tie your greenery to the branch with the twine then use the twine to create a triangle anchor…

And Viola! Cute, rustic and inexpensive decor for your house

Oh Man, my walls need to be painted !!!

Bunny Garland From Commissary Paper Bags

Kate — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 14:53:57 +0000

Christmastime I made a blog about how to use Commissary paper bags as wrapping paper, which you can check out here. Now that Spring is in the air, I wanted a creative way to reuse commissary paper bags, and I came up with this cute bunny garland

These little bunny behinds are so cute, easy and inexpensive to make!

What You Need:

-Commissary paper bags OR brown paper lunch bags

-This Bunny template

-Twine or string

-Cotton balls

-Tape or glue

-Scissors

-Hole punch

Directions:

Print out template, cut out and use to trace onto the paper bags.

Trace as many you want on your garland and then cut out!

Grab your cotton balls and either glue or tape the cotton balls onto the bottoms.

Then use a hole puncher and punch a whole on the top of each bunny ear, and thread the twine though to make it a garland

And now you have a cute little bunny garland, that is perfect for Springtime!