A Snack Pack® Picnic

Compensation provided by Snack Pack® via Mode Media

I know that across the country many kids are heading back to school, but I’m happy that our school district doesn’t resume classes until Labor Day, so we are all together until September 8^th this year, and I’ve been trying to make the most of our last few days together at home.

We love to do little picnics in our yard here, tea parties, lunch, brunch – we’ve done them all – but we’ve never done a sweet treat afternoon Snack Pack® picnic before!

The Top Road Trip Snacks Kids Want

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripHacks #CollectiveBias #Albertsons 

I feel like we’ve been traveling a lot lately and for our family I guess we have. We began the month with a 5 day road trip to see family in southern Oregon, then I jetted off to New York for another 5 days, and this week we are planning to drive down to the beach and spend three nights camping in a yurt.

The Wine Bloggers Conference: Day 1

If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that I believe in making lasting memories and celebrating life whenever possible. Life shouldn’t be wasted sitting around wondering “if you should”, or “if you can”; life should be a wild ride full of experiences with your loved ones – and sometimes by yourself.

I’ve not done too much traveling in the past; I had only rode on a plane a handful of times, partly due to finances, partly due to my responsibilities of being a mom. However, when the stars align and things just fall into place for an adventure, of course I’m going to jump on it!

Talking About Type 2 Diabetes

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of FreeStyle. The opinions and text are all mine.

Hey everyone! I hope you had a great week. Today I thought I would talk to you about something that I don't think I've ever really discussed on here before…Type 2 diabetes.

5 Fun Back to School Snack Ideas

Summer seems to fly by faster and faster every year! We don’t go back to school until after Labor Day weekend, but I’m already in prep mode: making lists and planning out breakfasts, lunches, and after school snacks for next month.

Living Locally: Feast is Coming to Portland!

Things have been so incredibly busy lately with my trip to New York that I haven't had a chance to remind you of an amazing event coming to Portland next month! Feast Portland  was founded in 2012, and this will be my second year attending this fun food event that is presented by BonAppétit. Feast a big celebration that is broken down into many smaller events, so it's great because you can pick and choose what interested you. There's Grand Tastings, Dinner series, hands on classes - but several of the events are already sold out, so if you are considering attending I'd buy your tickets soon. :)

Maintaining Healthy Choices All Year

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RewardHealthyChoices #CollectiveBias

It’s crazy to think that we are already heading back home after four days of visiting family. We have had a simple time – we haven’t done too many things, but I think that sometimes it’s the little moments spent together that create the biggest memories.

Crazy, Busy, and Exciting Times

I think it’s a safe thing to say that this summer has been a busy one, filled with kids’ activities, lots of work, and as of this month – a few travels.  I feel that I haven’t had a moment between writing, editing my photos, keeping up with the kids, attempting to clean the house, staying in touch with friends, and that other crazy kind of work I do in my free time (nurse!) to actually just sit down and let it soak all in.

Living Locally: Wicked at The Keller Auditorium

Last night I had a girl’s night out with one of my friends and we drove up to the Keller Auditorium and saw Wicked for the first time. Over the years I’ve heard the name “Wicked” here and there, and friends have told me before that “you just HAVE to see it”.  Not knowing the exact story-line I knew that it had something to do with the witches from the Wizard of Oz, but I didn’t know just how in depth the story was.

Living Locally: Our First Portland Thorns Game

A couple of weeks ago Anika and I watched our first professional soccer game together. The Portland Thorns had a rivalry game against the Seattle Reign's at Providence Park, and I was lucky enough to get some tickets from the National Mango Board and my Friend Marlynn from Urban Bliss Life. I received four tickets, so I decided to take a couple of friends with us.

Blackberry Raspberry Jam with a Hint of Orange Flavor

You guys – we’ve been so busy this past week that I’ve not gotten back out to pick blueberries with the kids yet! I promised to make some more jam with them though, so this morning we drove over to our local fruit stand to buy a flat of blueberries…bad idea on a weekend! They were nearly out of fruit for the day, and only had a couple pints of blueberries.

Instead I ended up grabbing a half flat of blackberries and the last half flat of raspberries that they had to create a different kind of jam (and to freeze some too!)

As you can imagine – making jam can be, well – downright messy. I always keep cleansing wipes on hand for easy clean up – like Wet Nap® Cleansing Wipes. I always seem to get jam on my hands when I’m pouring the jam into the jars, and it is inevitable that the kids will dip their fingers into jam and sneak berries whenever possible!

I decided to do something a little different with this batch of jam and added a tablespoon of orange emulsion to give it a little bit of a unique twist with the berries, and I think it turned out pretty darn delicious.

Want to make some jam? Grab some sugar, berries, a Wet Nap Cleansing Wipes and get ready to create something tasty! ;)

Blackberry Raspberry Jam with a Hint of Orange Flavor

What you need:

4 cups raspberries

4 cups blackberries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange emulsion

8 8 ounce canning jars; sterilized

1. Wash the berries thoroughly and add them to a large cooking pot. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and orange emulsion; stir.

2. Using a potato masher, gently smash some of the berries. Set aside for about 30 minutes.

3. Place the berries over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook until the berries reach the jellying point – which is about 220-221 degrees F on a thermometer.

4. Using a ladle, skim off any foam on top and discard.

5. Then, spoon mixture into jam jars, leaving ¼ inch space from the top of the jar. Add lids with rings and then process them for 15 minutes in boiling water.

*Warning*: I’m no canning expert AT ALL, so if you have canning questions I’m not the best person to ask. However, I’ve never had any difficulties creating jam – and in fact, sometimes I will just place the jars and lids in a post of water and let them simmer while I’m making the jam. I will then take one jar out at a time with tongs when the jam is ready and fill them up and seal the lids tight. Often times the lids will “pop” on their own once the jars begin to cool and I will not even need to re-boil the jars. I just keep a close eye on them to make sure they stay sealed, and if one happens to not seal, I’ll just place it in the fridge – because we go through jam like crazy around here anyways!

Wet Nap Cleansing Wipes can be found at Walmart and just make cleaning up super easy –whether it is jam off of sticky hands, or dirt from the county fair (I’ll share photos from that soon!) They are just great to have on hand.

Visit Walmart for all your Wet-Nap® needs: 110-Count Hands, Face, & Body Cleansing Wipes, 24-Count Packettes Antibacterial Hand Wipes and 40-Count Canister Antibacterial Hand Wipes!

~Melissa

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Wet-Nap®, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ConquerTheMess http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV