I’m Crackers for Ritz!

Crackers for RitzThis shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias We’ve been going Crackers for Ritz!

Crackers are a staple you’ll find in most food cupboards but they’re often maligned as plain or boring. The secret to their success lies in their versatility; top them with cheese for an after dinner digestif or load with various antipasti to create a simple starter. However the humble cracker is more than a base for toppings, some variants (cheese, herb, sea salt etc) can be downright tasty with just a slither of butter or eaten straight from the pack.Ritz Aisle

My family are massive fans of this crispy treat and my children request them almost daily. One of our favourite brands is Ritz because they offer mini snack size packs which are perfect for days out and picnics. We bought some from our local Morrisons supermarket and we’ve been coming up with fun and unique reasons why we’re crackers for Ritz! We’ve even made a hashtag #crackersforritz if you’d like to join in the fun. Here’s the top reasons why we love them.

I go crackers for Ritz in a chocolate spread tower!

Ritz Chocolate

My youngest son can be rather awkward when it comes to his food (think plain rolls and an absence of key ingredients normally seen on the dinner plate) but we can always rely on Chocolate Spread to make him happy. When asked what made him love Ritz crackers so much he said, ‘because I can have a giant chocolate cracker tower!’

I go crackers for Ritz while holding up trees!

Ritz Tree

My eldest is surprisingly strong for a child (I’m counting on his future abilities to open jars and hold onto our dog who pulls like a steam train on a walk). He told me, ‘food gives you energy, so I love crackers because they make me strong’. Admittedly this tree (while leaning dramatically) was completely wedged into the earth below but it still made for a great leaning post.

We all go crackers for Ritz on family days out!

Ritz Picnic

Crackers are an essential part of our picnic bag on most family outings, not just because of their flavour but for their ease of transportation. In my head I was going to take a beautiful picture to illustrate this, with my (well-arranged) family smiling sweetly on a recent springtime stroll. Unfortunately the kids were too busy trying to feed Grandpa their crackers while Granny was being stared at by a cracker loving pooch!

I go crackers for Ritz when I get the box to play with!

Ritz Dog

All these crackers were driving our dog a bit mad. He desperately wanted to eat them and so far had only managed a few that the kids had accidentally dropped. The truth though is that he loves playing with the cardboard box as much if not more than eating the contents!

Ritz Dog 2

We’ve had loads of fun coming up with new ways to enjoy crackers to their full potential and I think I’ve started a family trend, going ‘crackers for Ritz’. For myself I’m planning on a secret midnight feast when there’s no little hands to steal the cheesy crackers away from me. How would you go Crackers for Ritz? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter using the hashtag #crackersforritz .

Kids Movie Night with Sky Buy & Keep #shop!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.Movie Night

Sometimes being a child can be a frustrating and challenging time. You’re full of ideas but curtailed by resources and means, full of energy and enthusiasm but forced to fit into a world of rules. Just once in a while wouldn’t it be great if you could take full control? That’s what we offered our three children with their very own movie night using Sky Store and their Sky Buy & Keep service. They could choose the films, the food, the time of day, even the clothing, everything was within their control and this is what we got up too.

Sky Store

Sky Store

First they took a tour of the Sky Store website to research which movies were available to rent/buy. They decided on two new films ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’ and ‘Frozen’. Next up the food!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

My eldest son wanted to make his own pizza with BBQ chicken on top. First he made a yummy BBQ sauce with his Dad and then he loaded up his plain pizza base with tomatoes, cheese and chicken.

Nachos

Nachos

Nachos

We can’t have a movie night without Nachos! Layers of Tortilla crisps smothered in melted cheese, Guacamole, Salsa and Jalapenos on the side. My daughter wanted to make these and she did a fabulous job!

Chocolate Popcorn

The kids didn’t just want popcorn they wanted chocolate popcorn! First the corn is popped in the microwave or on the stove. Next smother the freshly popped corn with melted white and milk chocolate, spread out onto a tray and leave to set. I warn you though it’s very moreish!

Sweet Pizza Making

Sweet Pizza Making

Sweet Pizza!

When I was little I was a huge fan of sweet pizzas and loved making them with my parents. My kids have never been in control of the toppings before and this time they wanted three pizzas all smothered in chocolate, cookies, jelly babies and more! These are so sinful that they’re heavenly.

Sweet Pizza

Sweet Pizza

The Setting

The setting had to be just right and the kids insisted that everyone wore their pyjamas and snuggled up together on the sofa. The lights were turned off and the curtains closed, to give that cinema feel.

The Films

Walking with Dinosaurs was a clever mixture of story and documentary and the children were transfixed. From a parents point of view it’s always nice to think they’ve digested a film and actually learned something in the process.

Frozen was my personal favourite of the two movies. Highly amusing snow bound high jinx and catchy songs, pure Disney delight.

Sky Store

I’d never used Sky Store before and found it extremely easy to navigate on the TV. I set up a pin to prevent accidental purchases and then within about two clicks our films were ready to view. There’s a huge variety of movies starting from just 99p for a 48hr rental, even the more expensive offerings certainly make for an economical night in for the whole family. A trip to the cinema would cost us over £30 so there’s an instant appeal right there.

Plus with the Sky Buy and Keep service you can download your movie permanently to your Sky Box and the DVD is sent out to you seperately, which is brilliant if you want to watch it later in a house that doesn’t have Sky.

Finally…

The kids had a fabulous night and have already asked when we can do it again. They loved taking control of the choices and it forced them to discuss and compromise with each others wishes which can never be a bad lesson to learn. All in all it was a wonderful night of family fun and the kind of stress free occasion that can seem rare when you’re part of a busy modern family.