This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of WhiteWave Foods and International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine. These delicious Caramel Apple Scones with a caramel drizzle are a moist scone recipe that make the perfect holiday brunch item for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Fall Mornings Call for Caramel Apple Scones!...

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  The Newborn Stage Has Nothing on these Baby Messes! When I was pregnant, I was constantly told to be prepared for the baby messes and to accept the inevitably that children and parenting is dirty work. They talked about the immense amount of spit up and the blow outs that I would endure on...

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Buffalo Chicken Salad is a hearty and delicious salad with all the fixings! Perfect to prep for lunches and filling enough for even my husband to enjoy for a summer dinner idea! Buffalo Chicken Salad with Litehouse Chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing is the perfect summer salad! We have officially entered into warm, beautiful weather here...

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So maybe you’re wondering what the heck an afternoon reset is … Have you ever hit an afternoon slump? You are working hard and scratching things off your to do list when suddenly you feel like you got hit by a truck? You literally can’t keep your eyes open? An afternoon reset is how you...

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I’ve Become a Crazy Bag Lady with an On-the-Go Lifestyle and Keeping these Items on Hand Helps Me Do it All! Lately, I’ve been feeling like the bag lady. I went from never carrying a purse to being defined by the bag that I am carrying at the moment on my on-the-go lifestyle. My large, colorful...

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When our first anniversary rolled around, Bryan and I decided that we really wanted to take the opportunity to jot down a few thoughts and memories. We value stories and memories, but time passes by so quickly and important moments one year can be easily forgotten five years later. The project started as a notebook,...

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I know this can be a heated debate in the Mommy Wars, but we are a formula fed family. I have best friends and family members who breastfeed and I respect and honor that decision, but it was not the right decision for us. Being a formula family provides us the medical, parenting and life choices...

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Finding the right baby bottle for your baby can be overwhelming, but the choice for our family was easy! Becoming a new parent is entirely overwhelming with just the amount of products and tools alone out there to choose from. You have so many cribs, swings, car seats, strollers, bottles and more to choose from,...

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Drink happy and festive with this Cranberry Tangerine Lemonade Moscow Mule! #MixedWithTrop First, can I just say how much I love Moscow Mule glasses?! It might have been one of the reasons I decided to make this Cranberry Tangerine Lemonade Moscow Mule, because I want a tasty cocktail recipe that gives me the perfect excuse to...

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Enjoy delicious Sweet Teriyaki Pork with Garlic Oven Roasted Vegetables in 30 minutes, making it a perfect weeknight dinner! With Baby Liam’s arrival, we’ve been having lots of discussions about meal prep and menu ideas. We want ideas on hand that are quick because I certainly don’t want to be standing in the kitchen for...

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Crispy Shrimp Taco Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette Dressing makes a super easy weeknight dinner for National Seafood Month that’s fresh and tasty! Last month, I shared with all of you a recipe for CREAMY CRAB RANGOON DIP WITH HOMEMADE WONTON CHIPS. It’s a perfect recipe for game day or upcoming holiday parties! It’s also part...

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Taking Time to #SipJoyfully and Get Back to my Passions! I realized the other day that life had really just become a string of to-do lists. There were things that needed to be done for work, things that needed to be done to settle into our new apartment more, things that needed to be done...

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Creamy Crab Rangoon Dip with Homemade Wonton Chips is great for Game Day Food and Holiday Appetizers! Fall is right around the corner, which means pumpkin and apple everything, comfort food dinners, and hot dips for game day and holiday parties! So I’m kicking us off here on The Love Nerds with a Creamy Crab Rangoon...

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Start Planning your Trip to Experience a Chicago Summer Experience & See How Much my City has to Offer! I strongly believe that everyone should get the chance to experience a Chicago Summer, whether it be for the entire few months or just a few days. The city truly comes alive during the summer months...

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We all need to take time for summer fun! It suddenly dawned on me that it’s August! How did we get here so fast? There were so many wonderful things I was looking forward to for summer and yet it somehow has slipped through our fingers a bit more than I wanted. We’ve been so...

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  Easily get settled into your new home with these moving tips focused on helping the unpacking process go quickly! Bryan and I just completed our 5th move in 4 years. We are officially no longer living in the city of Chicago and are back in the suburbs, a fact that Bryan might be struggling with a...

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Hosting friends and families definitely doesn’t slow down during the summer months, so I am always trying to think of new, tasty recipes to whip up for dinner. The problem is – we don’t always have access to a grill and no one wants to turn the oven on for longer than absolutely necessary during...

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Simple Tips and Ideas for Throwing Your Next Outdoor Dinner Party We are now approaching my favorite time of year – summer! I love spending long nights outside with friends in the summer, enjoying the warm breezes and stars. It is my happy place! So of course I am already starting to plan fun summer parties,...

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Bryan and I have a small group of friends – us and two other couples – that we consider family. The boys and I were all friends in college, so when we moved to the Chicago area after graduation, we stayed connected. We experienced moving back home with the parents together as well as first apartments,...

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Two amazing sausage recipes for you in one blog post! I grew up loving Jimmy Dean® Roll Sausage as a part of breakfast recipes and added to appetizers! It’s savory blend of seasonings makes it a perfect addition to casseroles and dips because the flavor always stands out. So today, I am sharing one of my...

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  Not only am I sharing Delicious Devil’s Food Cake Mix Waffles today, but also the fun of baking with family and kids!   Things haven’t been the easiest around here lately, and I’m the kind of person that finds solace in the kitchen when life gets hard. I have countless of happy moments spent...

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Chicken Teriyaki Fried Rice is filled with veggies and makes a delicious one-pot dinner idea! Every once in awhile, I decide to tackle something brand new that I am nervous about making. The reasons don’t always make sense as to why I am intimidated but fried rice has always been one of those things. When...

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I have grown up in the suburbs of Chicago since age 3 and have now lived in the city itself for over 3 years. Want to know one of my favorite things about living here? There is always more to discover! I could live in the city for the next 40 years, and I would...

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  Delicious and Hearty Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are perfect for dinner and game day! I love when an idea comes together so perfectly! I’ve been finding myself on a bit of a meatball kick lately, primarily because they are tasty but also because I think they make the perfect crown appetizer. Too often party food...

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  Green Apple and Pear Sangria will be a huge crowd pleaser with the perfect combination of sweet and tangy! Here’s the deal – I don’t like beer and I’m not really a huge fan of football, either, so Sundays would get a big boring around here for me by game 3. When your husband...

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Take an easy, classic dessert to a whole new level without adding much prep time – Caramel Apple Cinnamon Sticks! There is a pizza place by my mom’s house that has Cinnamon Sticks on the menu. Whenever we order, they always make it onto the order because they are such a light dessert we all love....

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Bah Rumbug! Celebrate the season and The Christmas Carol with this sweet & creamy Salted Caramel Eggnog! Last month, I started a new series on the blog that combines my love of reading and tasty cocktails – Literary Libations! I couldn’t miss the opportunity for a Christmas themed Literary Libations and came up with the...

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Personalized Christmas ornament that makes a great handmade gift idea – Photo Block Ornament! Before having a smart phone or digital camera, I used to have rolls of film developed at least once a month. I would put them in scrapbooks, pass along to my immediate family, update picture frames or send them off in...

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  This White Chocolate Raspberry Cinnamon Roll Casserole will impress all of your guests with only 15 minutes of prep time! It’s a special brunch treat that is sweet, warm and flavorful!  A holiday brunch recipe that everyone will love – White Chocolate Raspberry Cinnamon Roll Casserole! One of my favorite parts of the holiday...

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  A perfect fall recipe – Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins! Hi, Nerds! After a few rare days of 70 degree weather here in Chicago, we have dipped back down into the 50s which is quintessential Chicago fall. The nights have even gotten down into the 30s, so you feel the cool chill at night and...

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