A Perfect Fall Day with Jax & Annie('s)

Disclaimer: I am a member of Influenster and received free products in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine. 

Today my baby turns 22-months-old... where, oh where has the time gone?! And why, oh why am I not posting his 22-month update today?! Ugh! I will write it up and post it Monday -- I promise!

Anyway, it is FINALLY starting to feel like fall in Colorado -- in fact, yesterday was the perfect fall day that was complete with cool temperatures, the sound of rain hitting the windows throughout the day, and the smell of fresh baked cookies wafting through our home...

Next week, Jackson will be hosting his first ever Halloween cookie decorating party for some of his friends, so I we decided to do all of our baking on this dreary day. We I had so much fun rolling the dough, cutting, and baking the cookies while Jackson played with/ate his little pile of homemade cookie dough. **I'd be lying if I said I wasn't paranoid about him getting sick, but I figured that eating raw cookie dough is a right of passage in every childhood, so I let him eat a little bit...**

Once we finished baking/packaging/freezing our cookies, it was time for lunch -- and what better lunch on a chilly fall day than a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup? But do you know what's even better than chicken noodle soup? 

Annie's Organic Star & Chicken Soup, of course! 

In our house, soup lunch = no shirt

I have always been a huge fan of Annie's organic products (I mean, how can you go wrong with a name like that?), but had never tried their soups before -- game. changer. Annie's Organic Star & Chicken Soup is WAY better than any of the condensed soups I've ever had and it even had my picky toddler coming back for more! Aside from the name and amazing flavor, I love Annie's because it is made with only organic chicken and never with any artificial flavors, synthetic colors, preservatives, or MSG. 

Soooo, it's official: Annie's is the new favorite soup of Annie! If you have yet to try them, do yourself a favor and stock up on your next grocery run -- you will not be disappointed. 

After lunch, it was time to venture out into the rain to do a little Halloween party shopping, popcorn eating, and choo-choo playing at a nearby shopping center.

After seeing this at Dollar Tree, I'm ready to scrap the Halloween cookies and bake up some Christmas treats for Thursday! 

Our weekly tradition: popcorn and lemonades at Target.

Choo-choos -- his current favorite! 

I am so glad I get to stay home with Jackson and take him on our fun little "dates" throughout the week -- I am also incredibly excited to finally see fall make its grand entrance! We've been waiting for you, old friend.

Bring on the layers!

Fall into CASH ($800 Giveaway)!!!

"It's the season after summer; 
it's before the winter; 
it's the fall,
it's the fall,
it's the fall."
-Barney the Dinosaur

Is anyone else freaking ecstatic that it's the fall?! The leaves have changed color, the air is crisp... aaaahhhhhh. Do you need another reason to LOVE fall? How about 800 reasons?

That's right; it's once again time to FALL into CASH!!

Our favorite season FALL has finally arrived and we're celebrating with some of our friends by giving away $800 in PayPal Cash!!! Enter to win the $800 Fall Cash Giveaway! This giveaway is blog/business sponsored and would not be possible without the following: Mom Spark, Pretty My Party, Play Party Pin, Cloudy With A Chance of Wine, The Frugal Navy Wife, See Mom Click, Bloggers Get Social, My Highest Self, She Saved,  I Am That Lady, Michelle's Party Plan-It, What Rose Knows, Tips From A Typical Mom, The Farm Girl Gabs, Monica's Rants, Raves & Reviews, Sugar & Type, The Coconut Head's Survival Guide, What the Fork, Ella and Annie Magazine, Jolee Studio, The Sugar Confetti Shop, Ally's Sweet & Savory Eats, Painting Paris Pink To see a full list of sponsors, please see the Rafflecopter entry form below.

$800 Fall Cash Giveaway!

September 28, 2015  at 12 a.m. EST to October 5, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. EST Open Worldwide Prize: 1 winner will receive $800 PayPal cash. Eligibility and Rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. This giveaway is open to individuals over the age of the majority in their home country. The winner will be chosen randomly through the Rafflecopter form. It is the sole responsibility of the winner to adhere to all laws in their respective country, which includes payments to any governing tax body. Winner Selection: The winner of the giveaway will be selected in a random drawing through Rafflecopter from among all eligible entries received throughout the promotion period. The random drawing will be conducted within 48 hours of the closing of the giveaway by Pretty My Party or its designated representatives, whose decisions are final. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. Winner will be notified by email by hello@prettymyparty.com. Potential winner must accept the prizes by email as directed by Pretty My Party within 48 hours of notification. Any winner notification not responded to or returned as undeliverable may result in prize forfeiture. The potential prize winner may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and release of liability, and a Publicity Release (collectively “the Prize Claim Documents”). Privacy: All entrants acknowledge that if they are chosen as a winner, some of their personally identifying information may be disclosed to third parties at least as required by law, including, without limitation, on a winner’s list. All personal information submitted as part of the giveaway may be shared by and between the promotion entities, and each of the promotion entities will use such information in accordance with their respective independent online privacy policies. See Pretty My Party’s full privacy policy here. Rafflecopter Disclaimer: This promotion is powered by Rafflecopter. Metric Feat LLC (“Rafflecopter”) does not sponsor, administer or endorse this promotion. By entering this giveaway, participants agree to Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy. Social Media Disclaimer: Entrants should understand that they are providing their information to the sponsors of the giveaway and not to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram or Google+. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with any of these social media sites. Disclaimer: This giveaway is blog sponsored and is in no way associated with PayPal. If there are any questions, please email hello@prettymyparty.com.

PLEASE USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW TO ENTER

The more entries you complete on the Rafflecopter form, the higher your chances are of winning. If you don’t have time to fill out all of the entries you may come back and complete any entries that you may have missed. Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pumpkin Spice Nutella Swirl Muffins

You know the saying "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"? Yeah, whoever said that has obviously never tried Nutella. I'll keep my soft tummy in exchange for some of that smooth, hazelnut goodness thank you very much! 

Anyway, I was making my go-to 3 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins the other day when it hit me... Why not add a little Nutella to the top? Friends: I did it and it couldn't be simpler or more delicious! 

Here's whatcha do:

 ~Pour your batter into muffin tins

 ~Add a small dollop of Nutella to the center of each tin

 ~Swirl

~Bake and eat all of them in one sitting!

It really is that easy, folks! Here are some more in-depth instructions :)

Anngredients:

1 box spice cake mix

1 can pumpkin

Desired amount of Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the cake mix and pumpkin together until well combined.
3. Coat muffin/cupcake tins with non-stick cooking spray and spoon in mixture (cups only need to be about 2/3 full -- it will rise!). 
4. Add desired amount of Nutella to the center of each tin (I added maybe a teaspoon to each). Swirl with fork.
5. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Serve with your favorite fall beverage and enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Banana Pumpkin Bread

Hello.

My name is Annie and I am a pumpkin-a-holic.

Whew! That feels good to get off my chest.

I didn't realize I had such a problem until last weekend when my brother pointed it out.. my family was visiting and I offered them my homemade pumpkin muffins, Trader Joe's pumpkin croissants, Pumpkin Spice Oreos, Pumpkin Ale, and Pumpkin Chai Lattes (all while my pumpkin candle is burning on the counter).

"What is it with you and pumpkin? You have a problem." -Joey (my bro-ey)

He's right.. I do have a problem.

Buuuuut, my addiction benefits YOU because I start messing around in the kitchen and adding pumpkin to everything and creating delicious treats!

Case in point: this moist, delicious, and simple to make Chocolate Chip Banana Pumpkin Bread.

I found this recipe for banana bread and added my beloved pumpkin and chocolate.. and you know what?

It's AMAZING!

Chocolate Chip Banana Pumpkin Bread

Adapted from Inspired Taste's Classic Banana Bread Recipe

 Anngredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 medium ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree 
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. To make the batter, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together, and set aside. In the bottom of a medium bowl, mash bananas into a chunky paste. Whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla into the bananas until blended.
3. Switch to a large rubber spatula. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring gently until they disappear and the batter is smooth. Stir in chocolate chips
4. Pour batter bread pan, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. 
5. Let bread completely cool before serving.

Serve with hot coffee & a swipe or two of butter and you're set to go! Enjoy

Random side note: Did you know that you can bake peeled bananas in the oven to drastically speed up their ripening?! I found that out on Jilllee's blog and it works like a charm! I will never again have to wait to get my banana bread fix.. yippee!!

Sea Salt Nutella Swirl Pumpkin Brownies

Read the title again.

Are you drooling yet?

I am just thinking about them..

I decided to combine my four favorite things (chocolate, Nutella, pumpkin, & salt) into a delicious dessert and boy oh boy are they yummy!

These Sea Salt Nutella Swirl Pumpkin Brownies are so moist, simple & quick to prepare, and make for the perfect after school snack!

Anngredients:

• 1 "Family Size" box (19.5 oz) brownie mix
• 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin 
• 1/3 cup Nutella Hazelnut Spread
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a bowl mix together brownie mix and pumpkin until smooth. Spread batter into pan. Add Nutella to microwave safe bowl and heat for 15 seconds. Stir in salt.
3. Spoon Nutella mixture over brownie batter and gently swirl it into the mix. 
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, let cool, and enjoy!

No egg=safe & delicious (and Jackson approved!) batter.

Go Home Colorado.. You're Drunk!

You know how I've been gushing about how much I love the fall, pumpkin spice lattes, and all that white girl garble?

Well..

Colorado has decided to just skip fall altogether and go to winter.

UGH!

Yesterday was cold and rainy all day, which was just fine by me because Jax and I just stayed in our pajamas, made a Target run, napped, made a beautiful Shepherd's Pie, and went for a brisk walk.

The perfect fall day in my book!

Anyway, last night it SNOWED and today it's supposed to snow off and on..

..but here's the kicker: it's supposed to be back to the 80s by Sunday.

Go home, Colorado.

You. Are. Toasted.

I leave you with scenes from our perfect day yesterday.

Have a great weekend!

This ridiculousness will be coming to the blog soon!

Starbucks GIVEAWAY!

It's Thursday.. and the first official* day of fall is less than 2 weeks away!

*Though it "officially" started for me early last month.

YAY!!

Have you gotten your Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte fix yet?

If you answered yes: you are a guy or gal after my own heart!

If you answered no: what are you waiting for?!

To make getting your fix a little bit easier, my friend Tara and I are giving away a $20 gift card to the 'bucks and we want YOU to win!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

It's fall, y'all! 

September=Fall in the book of Annie

I absolutely love fall; the overpriced 1,000 calorie Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, the changing leaves, pumpkin scented candles, cooler temperatures, pumpkin desserts.. It's all my favorite!

This fits me to a T.

One 95 degree day in July, I was dreaming of double digit months and decided to whip up a batch of these 3 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins to satisfy my autumn cravings. 

It worked (well, that and a pumpkin candle)!

These are the simplest, tastiest, most fool proof muffins you will ever make; they are only three ingredients and can be whipped up in a few short minutes (because nobody should have to wait to get their pumpkin fix)! 

Anngredients:

1 box spice cake mix

1 can pumpkin

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the cake mix, pumpkin, and chocolate chips together until well combined.
3. Coat muffin/cupcake tins with non-stick cooking spray and spoon in mixture (cups only need to be about 2/3 full -- it will rise!). 
4. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Serve with your favorite fall beverage and enjoy.