Mini Pies

Ingredients

• Pillsbury Funfetti® Frosting 
• Keebler Ready Crust Mini Graham Cracker Crusts
• Cool Whip

Directions

1. Combine the frosting and cool whip in a mixing bowl.
2. Fold in the cool whip and mix until frosting is light and airy.
3. Spoon frosting into graham cracker crusts and top with sprinkles.

Enjoy the warm weather this season. Get outside and hike, bike or maybe even start a garden. While you are indoors, hop into the kitchen and make this delicious treat that the whole family will just love.

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If you’re planning a February escape, these three destinations deliver romance, culture, and unforgettable memories, many of them completely free.

Puerto Rico: Tropical, Adventurous, and Passport-Free

Puerto Rico is an ideal February destination for military couples who want warmth and adventure without the stress of international travel. While there, my husband and I explored El Yunque National Forest, ATV’d through the rainforest, and swam in the cool natural waters. It was one of those experiences that pulls you fully into the moment and reminds you how good it feels to step outside of routine. In Old San Juan, we shopped, walked cobblestone streets, and studied the historic culture and architecture that tell stories of resilience and history. February weather is sunny and comfortable, flights are often affordable, and no passport is required, making this destination especially military friendly.

New York City: Cold Weather, Cozy Love, and Free Experiences

We traveled to New York in February, and it quickly became one of our favorite trips. Winter slows the city down and makes it feel intimate. We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, grabbed classic hot dogs, and walked through Central Park bundled up together. We rode bicycles over the Brooklyn Bridge, explored DUMBO for dope photos, and admired the stunning architecture inside Grand Central Terminal. So many of the best moments were completely free. February hotel rates and flights are often lower, making this a surprisingly affordable anniversary or Valentine’s trip.

New Orleans: Romance, Culture, and Mardi Gras Magic

February in New Orleans is electric. Mardi Gras season brings music, color, and celebration, and you don’t have to spend much to enjoy it. Couples can walk the French Quarter, listen to live street jazz, explore historic neighborhoods, and admire the architecture around Jackson Square. Parades, people-watching, and spontaneous moments fill the days, while boutique hotels and local food spots help keep costs reasonable. New Orleans proves that romance doesn’t have to be quiet. It can be joyful, cultural, and full of soul.

These destinations make sense for military life because they offer:

• Easy Logistics – Straightforward travel and minimal planning stress when leave days are limited.
• Flexible Budgets – Options for modest hotels, short stays, and flights that don’t require premium pricing to feel special.
• Plenty of Free or Low-Cost Experiences – Museums, architecture, parks, parades, culture, and nature are where the best moments don’t come with a price tag.
• Memories That Feel Intentional, Not Rushed – Space to slow down, reconnect, and be present together instead of chasing expensive activities.

Military couples understand that love is built in the moments in between. Leave days, quiet walks, and shared adventures. Sometimes love looks like rainforest trails and natural waters, sometimes it’s snowy city streets and warm food, and sometimes it’s music in the air and beads flying past. Wherever February takes you, choose the place that lets you pause, reconnect, and celebrate choosing each other again.

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As the temperatures start to drop and it starts to actually feel like fall, what better way to ring in the “ber” months than some delicious hot chocolate. I always like to add some flair to the basics so when I stumbled on the idea of doing a green hot chocolate, I knew that I could use this for all the upcoming holidays! If you’re like me and like to add a little fun to your get togethers this hot chocolate is for you as well!

Supplies:

• Crock-pot

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 cups of Whole Milk
• 12 oz of White Chocolate Chips
• 14 oz of Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 Splash of Vanilla
• Green and Yellow Food Coloring

Directions:

1. Add milk, whipping cream, chocolate chips, and vanilla to crockpot.
2. Stir.
3. Set the crockpot for 2-3 hours on low setting.
4. Stir every 30 minutes until the chocolate chips are melted.
5. Add green and yellow food coloring a little at a time until desired effect is reached!
6. Add toppings.
7. Keep on warm setting, serve, and enjoy!

Notes:

• There are so many fun variations for this recipe. I made it for Halloween, Christmas, and even St. Patricks day.
• There’s a lot of ways to customize this with fun toppings, candy, and sprinkle options!
• The options are endless with this one.
• You could also change the coloring to match whatever “theme” you’re going with!
• The flavor is really good, but very rich. I would definitely stick with whole milk or 2% milk, because it helps bring out the full flavor. You can also double the recipe if serving a lot of people.
• I’m also a big fan of adding in homemade whipped cream as a topping for this one.

So stop by your local Commissary and grab the ingredients for your next holiday party!

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As we all gear up to send our kiddos back to school, what better way to celebrate than a twist on a beloved classic! I always love looking for fun breakfast ideas for my kids and this one for sure hit the mark! So, grab your favorite pie crust and come along while we make our own version of the beloved toaster pastry!

Supplies:

• Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheet
• Sprinkles
• Rolling Pin/Glass

Ingredients:

• 2 Pie Crusts
• Strawberry Preserves
• 1 Egg
• Sprinkles of your choice
• 2 cups of Zero Calorie Powdered Sugar Substitute
• 3 Tbsp Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Natural Food Coloring (Optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grab your parchment paper and roll out both of the pie crusts and cut into a rectangle. Place the bottom crust on your baking sheet.
3. Whisk an egg with 2 TBS of water. Brush on the outside edges of the pie crust.
4. Spread strawberry preserves on the bottom of the crust. Ensure you leave about an inch on all sides.
5. Cover the first pie crust with the second pie crust. Push down the edges with a fork. Also, poke the top of the pastry to allow air to escape while baking.
6. Brush with remaining egg white mixture.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
8. Cool and make icing.
9. Combine 2 cups of powdered sugar substitute with 3 TBS of milk.
10. Add vanilla extract and Food Coloring (optional). Mix until smooth and well combined.
11. Pour over cooled pastry.
12. Add sprinkles!
13. Cut and enjoy!

Notes:

• You can use any kind of filling that you please! This would be fun to customize with different flavors of jams or preserves. You can also use Nutella or nut butters!
• I am currently in my PCS era so I used a glass/heavy metal tumbler to roll out the pie crust.
• My kids requested pink icing so I chose to use dye free food coloring to jazz the pastry up!
• You can also use regular powdered sugar if you don’t prefer the taste of the sugar free substitutes!

My kids had a blast with this recipe and I can’t wait to try it again with different flavors! This is a great way to close out summer with a back to school celebration or would make an amazing birthday breakfast for your breakfast pastry lover! Add some candles for extra fun! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did and have a lot of fun finding the perfect flavor combination!

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Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a small baking tray with parchment paper.
3. Thaw frozen meatballs.
4. Slice the rolls horizontally and separating the buns from each other, but them close together.
5. Put the bottom buns on the prepared baking sheet
6. Spread 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce on top.
7. Place the meatballs on top of the sauce, so that each roll will have its own meatball or two (depending on size).
8. Pour the remaining sauce over the meatballs.
9. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the meatballs.
10. Place the top rolls on top the cheese.
11. Bake for approximately 15 mins. until the cheese melts and the topping turns golden brown.
12. Carefully remove individual sliders to plate.
13. Serve.

Notes:

• While the original recipe is great, we like to flavor it up a bit!
  • Combine melted butter and garlic salt.
  • Brush over the sliders.
  • Sprinkle additional cheese on top before baking.

These sliders are super simple, but so yummy! Our family loves this delicious recipe and hopefully yours will too!

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Ingredients:

• Chicken
• Baby Potatoes
• Spice Mix
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Garlic
  • Onion Powder
  • Salt
  • Pepper
• Olive Oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make a spice mix from the smoked paprika, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.
• Rub the chicken with olive oil and the spice mix.
• Put the potatoes on a pan and drizzle with olive oil.
• Place the chicken on the pan.
• Bake for an hour or until the internal temp of the thickest part of the breasts are at least 165 degrees.
• Remove from oven and let items rest for 10 minutes.
• Serve & Enjoy!

Notes:

• I love a good one pan meal and this is no exception.
• You can use whatever spices you want to create your spice mix.

Now that we have everything plated up, I let the boys in on a little secret…we are going to eat with our hands! They totally flipped and I may have just become the coolest mom ever!! As a reminder…make sure you have LOTS of napkins ready to go! You are going to need them!

Next up, I made a delicious spiced wine for the adults. This is super easy to make and a tasty adult beverage to SPICE the fun fare up a bit!

Ingredients:

• Red Wine
• 2 Cups Pomegranate Juice
• Orange Zest
• Sliced Oranges
• Knob of Ginger
• Cinnamon Stick
• 1/4 – 1/2 Cup Sugar (optional to taste)

Directions:

• In a large stockpot, combine all ingredients.
• Simmer the spiced wine for 30+ mins.
• Pour into your favorite wine glass.
• Enjoy!

Notes:

• You can let this simmer all day as it smells amazing!!!
• I LOVE my Rachel Ray stockpot and I know you will too!

We had a blast eating dinner with our hands and laughing our heads off while going through a TON of napkins. Maybe next time we’ll add some good old fashioned jousting after dinner. So, to all me Lords and me Ladies, we hope you will all enjoy this savory fare with your family and friends!

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Back-to-school season used to mean picking out binders, hoping my locker was close to my classes, and maybe begging my mom for something cool in my lunchbox. These days? It looks more like stocking my pantry with brain fuel – and helping my friend load up for her three kids, who are somehow growing faster than my grocery list.

We hit up our local Commissary together this week to stock up on all our back to school favorites – and from now until 9/7/2025 you can enter in for a chance to win ONE of FIVE $100 Commissary gift cards by visiting MMSgiveaways.com – let me tell you – it was a cart-filling mission. Between her kids going back to elementary school and me heading into another semester of college, we needed snacks, sips, and sanity-savers that can handle early mornings, late-night study sessions, and everything in between.

Her cart? Stuffed with Danimals® Banana & Strawberry Kids Smoothies, CAPRI SUNS, Del Monte Diced Peaches, and those life-saving KRAFT Mac & Cheese microwaveable cups. And if you think she made it out without tossing in a box (or two) of LUNCHABLES, think again.

My haul leaned more “college caffeine survival kit” than lunchbox vibes: Red Bull Zero, Pepsi Zero, and Gatorade Fruit Punch Zero are basically back to school essentials. I grabbed a few OIKOS® Protein Shakes for rushed mornings, and I can’t lie – I threw in a JOYBA Bubble Tea for a little fun.

For the nights when I need something easy but solid, I snagged Bush’s Baked Beans, and StarKist Chunk Light Tuna in Water, and a few KRAFT pantry staples. Nothing gourmet, but it gets the job done.

We both agreed you can’t go wrong with a Frito-Lay Classic Mix Variety Pack and yes, we impulse-added OREO Minis and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate – because balance. I also picked up Liquid Death (hydration with edge) and a couple bottles of Health-Ade Kombucha for gut checks and self-care.

And finally? Kleenex Trusted Care Tissues. Because there will be moments – whether it’s a tearful goodbye at the bus stop or a mid-term meltdown at midnight.

Honestly, stocking up together reminded me that we’re all just doing our best to get through the chaos of back-to-school season – whether we’re eight or in our late twenties. And with DeCA’s Stock Up and Save deals, we don’t have to do it on an empty stomach and it’s nice knowing there is a donation automatically being made to the Fisher House Foundation alongside a $100 Commissary Gift Card Sweepstakes. 

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Ingredients:

• 1-2 Bananas
• 3/4 Cup Peanut Butter
• Toppings (Optional)

Directions:

1. Slice your bananas.
2. Place in the Bottom of your Mini Muffin Tin.
3. Melt your peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
4. Spoon the peanut butter over the bananas.
5. Sprinkle your favorite toppings on top.
6. Freeze for at least an hour.
7. Remove from the Mini Muffin Tin.
8. Enjoy!

Notes:

• For our toppings, we used dried blueberries, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and granola! The possibilities are endless based on what your family likes!
• We had good sized bananas and only needed about 1.5 of them to make the 24 bites, but that will vary based on the size of your bananas.
• I found it easiest to use just a basic tablespoon to spoon the melted nut butter over the bananas.
• We used our favorite peanut butter, but you could ultimately use any nut butter to make this a perfect snack for your family!

My kiddos loved helping add their own toppings! I love when I can get them involved in the kitchen! Plus, these make great snacks for after school or any time! So, it was a win-win-win!

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Ingredients:

• Glaze
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 3/4 Cup of Honey
  • 1/2 Cup of Dijon Mustard
  • Can of Pineapple Tidbits
  • 3/4 Cup of Water
• Fully Cooked Ham – Butt Portion

Directions:

Start with the glaze.

In a small saucepan, I added the brown sugar, the honey, the dijon mustard, the pineapple tidbits, and the water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer until slightly thickened.

Make sure to buy a ham that will fit in your Crockpot! Butt portions tend to do better, but if you have a larger Crockpot, you can get a shank (or find a small one)!

My 9 lb fully cooked hickory smoked ham BARELY fit in my 6 quart Crockpot.

Slowly add the glaze on top of your ham.

Cook on low for at least 6 hours.

I left my Crockpot on warm once it was ready (internal temperature of 160) and it was fall apart tasty.

Add the glaze back into a saucepan and simmer it down until it’s nice and thick and pour it over the sliced ham to serve. (Optional)

Notes:

• You can also look for a spiral sliced ham to save some time with slicing!
• Don’t have a lot of time? Cook on high for 3-4 hours (until it reaches an internal temp of 160 degrees).
• An easy way to tell it is getting close to being ready, watch for the meat to pull away from the bone!
• Baste your ham with the glaze as often as you want!

Slice and serve with your favorite side dishes! We’ll have a fresh green salad and scalloped potatoes. Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!

Looking for more crockpot recipes? Make sure to check out some of our favorites!

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Ingredients:

• Pasta
• Asparagus
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Boil water in a large pot and follow the directions on the box of pasta.
• Cut veggies at an angle.
  • NOTE – I did toss my asparagus and sugar snap peas in the pasta pot for the last minute and then drained them. Just to heat everything up to the same temperature.
• Once everything is drained in a colander, I tossed the pasta & veggies with a healthy amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Serve warm & enjoy!

Notes:

• If you’re using frozen veggies (broccoli, peas, green beans) pour them into the pasta pot about halfway through cooking your pasta, drain, and voilà!
• This can be served cold as a side dish…just cube some leftover ham and toss it in with the pasta and veggies.
• Now, if you have picky veggie eaters like the my kiddos, this recipe CAN work for you. There’s always ONE veggie your kid will snack on. For instance, I learned my 5 year old, who hates asparagus, will actually eat it raw from Grandma’s garden. So guess what? Raw asparagus it is! It add a nice crispness to this pasta dish.
• Also, using fun pasta shapes will put a smile on just about anyone’s face.
• You can get really creative here and add your favorite herbs and spices. I think a lemon pepper or garlic would be phenomenal! Oh, and maybe even try some freshly grated parmesan cheese! Your possibilities are truly endless!

This quick meal is perfect for spring with the fun pasta and colorful veggies! I am sure you will find your perfect combination that will get gobbled right up by your family!

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