Double Trouble Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats

7 cups Rice Krispie cereal
10 oz package marshmallows + 2 cups marshmallows, divided
5 T. butter
1/3 c. peanut butter
3 T. corn syrup
24 full-size peanut butter cups, unwrapped
Optional: 2 c. chocolate chips melted with 1 T. butter

Spray nonstick spray in a 9x13 pan. Measure out Rice Krispie cereal in a very large bowl. Unwrap peanut butter cups, set aside. In a saucepan, melt and stir 10 oz marshmallows, butter, peanut butter, and corn syrup. When mixture is smooth, remove from heat and stir in last 2 cups marshmallows until partially melted. Stir into the cereal. Pour half of cereal mixture into the 9x13 pan and pat gently to cover the bottom of the pan. Set 24 peanut butter cups evenly over the top. Pour the rest of the cereal mixture on top, and spread with a spatula until smooth. If desired, melt chocolate chips and butter and spread over the top. Cool. Cut into small bites to serve.

21 Ways to Use a Norwex Travel Cloth

21 Ways to Use a Norwex Travel Cloth

1. Use on the go instead of hand wipes

2. Clean shopping cart handles

3. Wipe down restaurant high chairs or table

4. Clean spills on clothing

5. Wipe down mouse pad and phones

6. Clean desks at school

7. Let little hands clean base boards

8. Wipe down gym equipment

9. Wipe off steering wheel of car

10. Clean bathroom door handles

11. Clean airplane arm reset and trays

12. Wipe down remote controls

13. Clean hands after pumping gas

14. Keep handy in glove compartment of car

15. Store under bathroom sinks for quick cleaning

16. Take camping for cleaning tables and hands

17. Soak up spills in car

18. Wipe down restaurant menu

19. Clean toilet seats in public restrooms

20. Wipe armpits if you forget deodorant

21. Clean cuts

Care Instructions: Use dry or with water. Cleans 99% of bacteria off of      surfaces. Wash with “free” laundry detergent, and do not use dryer sheets.

Cleaning a Hard Water Ring from Your Toilet

Toilets.

Gotta love 'em, but they can be a pain.

If you have hard water, or if you have toilets that aren't used very frequently, you may get a hard water stain at the water line in your toilet bowl. Here is what I've found to work well.

1) Use a pumice stone to scrub away the ring (this one was just a couple bucks at Menards). Scrub up and down through the water, gently over the whole area of the stain, until the ring is removed.

2) Use the Blue Diamond Bathroom Cleaner to keep hard water deposits from building up in the future. (Pictured here with the Ergonomic Toilet Brush, which I really like as well.)

Meal Index

I'm often finding dinnertime is crunchtime, and I'm scrounging around for a good recipe to use up... whatever I have in my fridge.

To help tame the chaos, I put together this list of favorite recipes (or recipes I want to try), sorted by primary ingredient or category. All but one or two of the recipes are on my Pinterest board, but you can probably find the same ones (or something similar) just by searching yourself.

So, for your cooking pleasure, here it is!

Ground Beef

Best Tater Tot Casserole

Oven Baked Tacos

Supper on a Slice

Best Ever Meatloaf

Cheater 15-min Korean Beef Bowl

Cheesy Ground Beef Rice Casserole

Lil Cheddar Meatloaves

Uncooked Chicken

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Ranch Parmesan Chicken

One Pan Honey Garlic Chicken with Potatoes and Broccoli

One Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Rice

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Slow Cook Chicken

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Best Baked “Fried” Chicken

One-Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls

Cooked Chicken

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Chicken Bacon Ranch Layer Salad

Chicken Stuffed French Bread

Turkey Bacon Ranch Sliders

Loaded Chicken Taco Salad

Simple Sesame Noodles

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Turkey and Wild Rice Casserole

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Sonoma Chicken Salad Recipe

Parmesan Chicken Bake

Easy Chicken and Rice Soup

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Avocado Chicken Salad

Meatballs

Dad’s Meatball Soup

Easy Meatball Sub Casserole

Ham

Egg Bake

Hot Ham Dips

Homemade Ham & Cheese Pockets (can make as Stromboli)

Ham Frittata

Ham and Egg Salad

Ham, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Braid

Sausage

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli

Zuppa Toscana Recipe

Slow Cooker Cheesy Breakfast Potatoes

Italian Sausage Bake

Easy One Pot Pasta

Chicken Sausage, Kale, and Mushroom One Pot Posta

Bulk Italian Sausage and Broccoli Sausage Pasta

Chorizo Lentil Stew

Pork

Pork Chili Verde

Cuban Black Bean Stew

Crockpot Pork Chops

Pork fried rice

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Eggs/ Vegetarian

Cheesy Spinach Quiche

Breakfast Burritos

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Quick Shells and Cheese

Quick & Easy Pizza Dough

Tortilla Pinwheels

French Toast in a Mug

Pizza Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Black Beans and Rice

Spinach Omelet Grilled Cheese

5-ingredient Mini Pizzas

French toast

Breakfast

Basic Low-Fat Granola

Pie Pastry in Under a Minute

French Toast in a Mug

Copycat Waffle Love

Homemade Monkey Bread in less than an hour

Trailside Treat Baked Oatmeal

Ham, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Braid

Cheddar Garlic Grits with Fried Eggs

Sausage and Grits Breakfast Casserole

Best Ever No Yeast Orange Sweet Rolls

Overnight Caramel Baked French Toast

No Stick Steel-Cut Oats Breakfast

Baked French Toast

Side Dishes

Apple Cranberry and Almond Coleslaw

Broccoli Apple Salad

Chunky Blender Salsa

Café Rio’s Cilantro Lime Rice

Warm Bacon Cheese Dip

Tortilla Pinwheels

Funeral Potatoes

Red Berry Avocado Spinach Salad with Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

Healthy Green Bean Casserole

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Baked Southwest Egg Rolls

Avocado Egg Rolls

Perfect Glazed Carrots

Snacks

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Larabars

Sweet & Salty Cranberry Snack Mix

No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bites

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Homemade Larabars

Apple Raisin Snack Bars

Microwave Caramel Snack Mix

Sauces/Dressings

Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix

Blue Cheese Dressing

Teriyaki Sauce

Cilantro Avocado Dressing

Blanco Sauce

Best Ever Hot Fudge Sauce

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

Beverages

Cinnamon Roll Smoothie

Copycat Coffeehouse White Chocolate Mocha Syrup

Homemade Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino

Peppermint White Hot Chocolate

Best Beginners Green Smoothie

Perfectly Simple & All Natural Iced Coffee

Blueberries, strawberries, spinach, pineapple, and almond milk. May add frozen banana.

Perfect Iced Coffee

Breads/Rolls

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread

30 Minute Rolls

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Bonnie’s 30-minute hot dog or hamburger buns

Greek Yogurt Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

Poppy Seed Muffins

Crusty Bread

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks

10 Minute Pizza Dough

Skinny Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal Muffins (dairy free, egg free)

Easy No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

Blender Zucchini Bread

Desserts

Deep Dish Cookies for 2

Cranberry Bliss Seven Layer Bars

Classic Mint Chocolate Brownies

Crazy Cake

The Best Brownie Mix

Pie Pastry in Under a Minute

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Peanut Butter Butterscotch Fudge

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream (no eggs)

Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares

White Chocolate Molten lava Cake

Snickers Tollhouse Pie

Egg-free, Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie

Soft and Chewy Sugar-Doodle Vanilla Cookies

Grasshopper Mint Cookies

Microwave Caramels

Uses for Norwex Ultra Power Plus Detergent

This is a compilation of testimonials and suggestions for using the Norwex Ultra Power Plus Laundry Detergent (not all my own, these are from many consultants and customers!).

I hope you will find lots of helpful ways to put this powerful cleaner to work in your own sweet home!

Stainless Steel Appliances:

A newly wed couple and they had picked up a free dishwasher off Kijiji. The lady giving it away couldn’t stand the smudges and smear marks all over the stainless steal surface. The host was beyond delighted when all the buildup and oil film was removed off the appliance with ease using the diluted UPP detergent. At another party, a host had a very high end, triple wide stainless steel range hood. From the date of installation, there was a oily film across the centre of this beautiful kitchen centre piece. Both my host and her husband were thrilled when UPP was able to remove it!

“I was at a party where I made a solution of UPP with water, dipped my wet EnviroCloth into the solution and amazingly it took off 6 years of water stain drips on the hosts dishwasher that she could not remove. She gave me the biggest hug!!”

“My past hostess used diluted UPP and an EnviroCloth to remove 4 years worth of stainless steel cleaner residue from her fridge!”

Clothes Stains:

My husband got blood on his shirt (from our son's skinned knee), and it sat for a week before I got around to treating it. A little paste of UPP and water, a normal washing, and it was gone!

"Do you have any shirts with pit staining? Well, this is an amazing solution!! Simply create a mixture of UPP with water and apply to the affected area. Run it through the washing machine and it will shock you!!"

“A chocolate stain on my daughter’s white dress that was from July!!! I made a paste with the UPP and it let it sit overnight. Completely got rid of it!”

“Cleaned coffee that was spilled on my brand new shirt. Dipped it in the water mixed with UPP and it came right out!!”

Furniture Stains:
“Dilute the UPP in water in a spray bottle and clean microfiber furniture. Works amazing.”



Norwex Microfiber Cloths:

“I tried the ‘deep clean”’ where you fill a wash basin tub with boiling water, add a scoop of UPP, add a pile of Norwex EnviroCloths and let soak. Whoa, I was shocked at how much came out of my microfiber! Some cloths I added were clean, right from the drawer. BEST way to revitalize older cloths, for sure!”






“This is a gross picture of my Travel EnviroCloth. I didn’t have time to boil it so I just put the kettle on and then filled a small bowl with the boiling water a 1/2 tsp of UPP, dropped in the cloth and put a lid on it. Came back a an hour or so later after running errands and this is what the water looked like. Gross! My cloth is so clean now… like new.”

Jewelry Cleaner:

“Ladies cleaned their rings at a party. Simply, diluted UPP. Soak for a few moments. Use a toothbrush."

Oven Racks:

“I have spent 40 years cleaning my oven and never been able to get my oven racks completely clean, especially without half a day of scrubbing. I put the racks in the tub with a teaspoon of UPP and voila, shiny, clean and just like new! Used the Spirinett with no effort to take off the really bad spots. Love it!”

Sheets:

“Takes the oils out of my massage sheets! And of course my scrubs for massage!”

“I think I’ve shared this before but it applies…My daughter covered my beige comforter in a full tube of red lipstick! I made a paste with the UPP and the Stain Remover and brushed it in with a nail brush, then I washed it in the washing machine. I had small flecks left so I repeated and viola!”


Flip Flops & Shower Curtains:

"The UPP is certainly an extremely versatile product. Here are a couple of my favourites which haven’t been mentioned: 1) Cleaning my Flip Flop sandals. These are the most comfortable footwear with great bling – but the base has texture which collects dust. Nothing cleans them faster then an EnviroCloth dipped in diluted UPP!! They look like NEW in seconds!! 2) I’ll fill our largest juice container with water and diluted UPP, set it on the edge or our tub and soak the shower curtain! Works AMAZING!!"


Carpets:

"My sister has a white area rug in her home and she added some UPP to the carpet cleaning machine, and it made the area rug look like new!!"

“I put the UPP in my carpet steam vac and cleaned my microfiber couch.”

If you're curious to give this nifty Ultra Power Plus a try, you can order it here!

Top 10 for Spring Cleaning

My top 10 tips for making spring cleaning less work and more fun:

10) Tackle one room or project at a time, instead of getting overwhelmed and putting the whole thing off entirely. (Or is that just me?) Work really hard for 30-45 min, and then take a break if it's getting overwhelming.

9) Start high and finish low (i.e. start by dusting the tops of shelves and corners of ceilings, and work your way down, finishing with a dry mop of the floor, and if you're really getting fancy, wet mop).

8) Use a damp Dusting Mitt to clean your window screens.

7) Try the Enviro Wand for getting cobwebs out of ceiling corners and in all the nooks and crannies that collect dust (i.e. everywhere, around here!). You can attach it to the end of your mop handle for really high spots. If it gets super grimy, take the cover off and throw it in the wash between big projects.

6) Throw away, give away, or sell things that you don't really use and don't have a good place for. So much easier to clean when there is less stuff sitting around.

5) A Kitchen Cloth and Cleaning Paste take the scum and crusted junk off faucets, counters, oven doors, refrigerators, etc.

4) Recruit help for cleaning the floors. Even small children can pick up toys, roll up throw rugs, and move light furniture out of the way. My kids love mopping and sweeping (they get the tools and go to town when I'm done with a room). The Dry Superior Mop is normally all I need for a good normal cleaning of the floors. Where there is sticky residue or a stain, I often pull out the Bathroom Scrub Mitt to take care of it. No soap, buckets, scrub brushes...

3) Keep an Enviro Cloth and Window Cloth hanging in easy reach in the bathroom. If you just wipe surfaces down every couple days, it doesn't get scary dirty very often! For bigger or tougher messes, spray diluted (1 cleaner : 7 water) Blue Diamond Cleaner and let sit for 5-10 min, then scrub with the Bathroom Scrub Mitt.

2) Play music, listen to sermons or books on tape, or talk on the phone while you work. It really helps the tedious jobs go faster!

1) Savor life with the people you love more than you savor the clean... Even the best cleaning job will only last a limited time (mere minutes, in my home!), but the people you are serving will nevertheless feel your love and care in these practical efforts to make your home sweet for them.

Amy Katterson,
Norwex Independent Sales Consultant

Freezer Meals

One of my Christmas break inspirations was to get a little more organized with meal prep and freezer meals before Ben jumped back into the school year and Little Man #3 joins our crew.

And so it was that the Thursday before classes began, Ben took the boys to the zoo, and I buckled down for a day of intense kitchen-messiness.

I loosely followed this post for making freezer meals efficiently, and I discovered that the best and fastest way to chop a million onions and shred a million carrots is ... use the blender.

(I have a Ninja that did a good job, however green pepper and jalapenos are not good for blender chopping, because the tough skins tend to be left intact and the softer insides liquify. Just my experience. Maybe the food processor would have done better with those.)

I also made up a bunch of smoothie bags (almost all of my favorite smoothies come from here, under Drinks). So nice to just grab a bag of premixed fruit out of the freezer and dump it in the blender with some juice or milk!

It was exhausting and messy, but it does feel wonderful to have a freezer full of food that is actually ready to pull out for dinner ... and somewhat less of the 5:15pm "what's for dinner" panic.