Key Lime Pie Bars

I am always on the hunt for new sweet treats to make, so I was so excited to find these bars. I usually bake cookies, cupcakes, a pie, etc on Sunday for Parker and I to munch on the rest of the week. I have a huge sweet tooth and would rather satisfy it in moderation than deprive myself and be miserable, so these bars were perfect. I modified this Pinterest recipe and decided to make bars rather than the pie. It turned out delicious and is perfect for summer. Try it!

Ingredients:
 
Crust:
2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1 stick butter, melted
2 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Topping:
2 14oz cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice
1 t vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9 metal pan with cooking spray.
2. Stir together all crust ingredients and press into bottom of the pan, making sure all areas are covered.
3. Bake 10-12 minutes or until done. Let cool completely.
4. Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk for 3 minutes. Add lime juice and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Pour into cooled graham cracker crust and refrigerate a few hours before eating.
5. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Guest Post: Adventures of a Semper Fi Family

Today I am swapping blogs with the lovely Nicole from Adventures of a Semper Fi Family. I have loved reading her blog these past few months and am so excited to introduce her to you! Hop on over to her blog to read my post about what gets me excited for summer! ...............................................................

Hello everyone! My name is Nicole. I blog over at Adventures of a Semper Fi Family. I am a military spouse but my husband serves in the Marine Corps. We’ve been married for 14 years and have three children.

I am so happy to be swapping blogs with Chelsea. We decided summertime is the perfect topic for this swap. You will definitely have to hop over to Adventures of Semper Fi Family blog and see what Chelsea has to share about these next few fun months! Summer months around here means school break. Keeping kids entertained for eight weeks requires much planning. My favorite way to organize our free time is making a summer bucket list. Have you heard of these? It’s a summer ‘to-do’ list. Everything you want to accomplish on one checklist. You add as much or as little as you want.

Last summer was our first experience with the bucket list. We had a pretty lengthy list and only accomplished half of the planned adventures. You can check 2012's list HERE. As you can see, I had pretty high expectations for our summer but I learned my lesson. Our 2013 Summer Bucket List will definitely be scaled down from last year and include more adventures with friends.

This summer we plan to do lots of hiking. It's our favorite family activity. We love to find trails the kids can do some off path exploring. Here are links to our favorite local hikes... Fallbrook, San Clemente, and Elfin Forest. 

We also plan to do some new things. Our son Zac has been hoping for a camping trip. Can you believe we've never been? I've added a No Electronics Day. My daughter is excited to make homemade ice cream, while our youngest wants a Movie Marathon. Summer Bucket Lists don't have to be about spending money. It's all about making the most of your time and some memories along the way.

One of the kids' favorites from our 2012 list is Ice Cream from the Ice Cream Truck. Ten dollars and a blanket on the front lawn created a memory they still talk about. I love those moments!

Only two short weeks until our summer begins and I am putting the final touches on our Summer Bucket List. Check back later this week when I post our complete list. 

Who knows, you may be inspired to create your own!