For spring break this year, we decided we would take a mini family vacation. However, living in Utah, the options are slim, especially when you’ll only be staying for three nights, and plan on driving to your destination. We decided we would head to Las Vegas, (yet again) and try to experience some of the things we’ve never done before.
Las Vegas is often referred to as “sin city” for it’s gambling, nudity, drinking, prostitution, and partying. So why in the world would you want to take your family on vacation to this “sinful” city? While it’s true, the theme of Vegas is often, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” there are also many family friendly options here.
When we decided on Las Vegas as our Spring Break destination, the first thing we looked into was finding a family friendly casino to stay at. We knew we wanted this trip to be more relaxing and laid back, so we wanted a hotel with a great pool. After looking at just about every hotel, condo, and casino in Vegas, we ended up booking our three nights at The Mandalay Bay
View from our room
The Mandalay Bay is perfect for families. The rooms are large, there are plenty of restaurants on site, Shark Reef Aquarium is here, and the pool area, known as Mandalay Bay Beach, is amazing! Not only are there 3 pools, but they also have a lazy river, wave pool, cabana and gazebo rentals, 2 outdoor dining options, and 2700 tons of real sand.
Day One:
We woke up early Friday morning and headed to the highly recommended Baby Stacks Cafe for breakfast. If you like pancakes for breakfast, this place is a must! They have so many options that we ended up ordering a bunch of different plates and shared. I think the favorite ended up being the Cinnabun Pancakes and the Cookie Butter French Toast. We also tried the Rocky Road Pancakes, the Cookies & Cream Pancakes, and an omelet.
After devouring our breakfast, we headed over to the Neon Museum. This is a great spot to visit for all ages. The Neon Museum is a one hour tour of old casino signs such as, The Golden Nugget, The Aladdin, and The Sahara. As well as seeing these old iconic signs, you will also learn a bit about Las Vegas history. I have a post dedicated to our time at the Neon Museum that you can read here. The Neon Museum tour is outside, and so once we finished, we all wanted nothing more than to head back to the hotel for a swim. We ended up staying at the pools until closing, which is 6:00. We headed up to our room to freshen up so we could hit the Strip for some sightseeing and dinner.
The Las Vegas Strip is an amazing sight with all those lights! It truly is one of a kind. You can pretty much find anything and everything on the Strip. Casinos, shops, restaurants, museums, street performers, you name it, it’s there. If traveling with kids, be warned, there are some pretty inappropriate things to be found here, but also many kid friendly options as well.
Finding a restaurant on the Strip at 8:00 on a Friday night can be difficult. Every place we stopped, had a long wait, and we were all starving. We ended up eating dinner at Bobby’s Burger Palace. You can never go wrong with a Bobby Flay restaurant. There was no wait, the options were exactly what our kids wanted and the prices were very reasonable for anywhere, let alone a prime location on the Strip. The menu is pretty straight forward; burgers, fries, shakes, and sodas. They do offer some vegetarian options as well as kids meals. I ordered the Bacon Crunchburger (bacon burger with potato chips on top) and it was so good.
Day Two:
We woke up Saturday morning (later than planned) so we stopped by Einstein Bros. for a quick bagel before heading over to the Mob Museum. The museum offers a view into the world of organized crime throughout the world, as well as how the Mob came to be in Las Vegas. For a more detailed guide of the Museum, head over to my blog post that is dedicated to our visit there. We had a great time here, and I would highly recommend it, especially if you have older children.
Once again, we found ourselves at the Mandalay Bay Beach in the afternoon. Before jumping into the pool, we ate lunch at the poolside cafe. There’s just something fun and relaxing about sitting at a table enjoying lunch and a Coke Zero while listening to music and being outdoors. The prices are a bit steep for the small amount of food you get here, but we thought it was worth it to be able to eat and then within seconds, be in the pool. The kids spent most of the afternoon enjoying their time in the lazy river and wave pool while Win and I just enjoyed lounging in the sun.
We decided last minute that it would be fun to take the kids to see a comedy or magic show. The bad part was, because we waited so long, and because it was a Saturday night, a lot of tickets were sold out, and it is hard to know which shows are “family friendly.” We ended up getting tickets to the Mike Hammer, “Get Hammer’d” Comedy and Magic show. The show is held at the Lady Luck Casino in “old” Las Vegas. The best part of the entire show, was when I was picked to come up on stage and be part of the closing act. We all got a good laugh, and the kids kept asking me how he pulled off his final magic trick. I just kept telling them, “I have no idea!”
Once the show ended it was late, and everyone was starved! Win and I wanted to head back to the Strip for dinner, but the kids said they couldn’t wait, they needed to eat now! We ended up at a buffet (against my better judgement), and let’s just say it was below average. I’ll just leave it at that. We headed back to the hotel after dinner and went straight to bed.
Day Three:
Sunday morning came all too soon! We slept in until ten, and then had to rush to be packed and out the door by eleven (check out time). It’s always hard to see a vacation come to an end, but we had a great time exploring Las Vegas and doing things we hadn’t done there before.
If you’re getting ready to head to Las Vegas on a family vacation here are some more family friendly places that I recommend (from previous trips).
Places to Stay:
Tahiti Village: Family friendly and fun! This is not a casino, but is located on the Strip. Lazy River, sandy beach, and large pool make it a favorite for the kids.
South Point: Further south on the Strip, so you are not in all the traffic. Large rooms and they have a Steak n Shake inside.
The Orleans: Off the Strip, so traffic is a lot better. Large rooms, bowling alley, movie theater, and tons of restaurants on site.
Places to Eat:
The Yardhouse: Great for dinner! Get the chicken nachos as an appetizer. They will feed your entire group.
Wicked Spoon: Our favorite buffet in Vegas. It’s a bit pricey, but oh so yummy!
Hash Hash A Go Go: Great breakfast restaurant. Lots of options and fun atmosphere.
Raising Canes: An inexpensive restaurant for a quick lunch.
Bahama Breeze: Another favorite dinner location.
Margaritaville: It’s a bit of a wait since it’s on the Strip, but its’ such a fun location for kids. They have a pirate ship, they do a little singing show every hour or so. Lots of fun!
Things to Do:
Nathan Burton Magic Show: I highly recommend this for kids! Our kids still talk about this show and we went probably 5 years ago.
New York New York Roller Coaster
I did receive free tickets to the Mob Museum and The Neon Museum, however, all opinions are my own.
This post is sponsored by Shopko. All opinions are my own.
Have you ever eaten something that was so good, you can’t get it out of your mind? Recently, we went to eat at a local restaurant, and my husband ordered the chicken and waffles. He continued to rave about them throughout our meal, and so I decided to try a bite. They were delicious. Over the next few weeks, we both mentioned multiple times how we were craving those chicken and waffles. So, a few weeks later, we went to the restaurant again, and this time we both ordered the chicken and waffles. To sum it up in a single word: Amazing!
The waffles are not your typical breakfast waffle, but instead, a thicker and crisper sweet waffle. Apparently, this is called a Liege waffle. These thick Belgian style waffles paired perfectly with the savory chicken and sweet and spicy sauce. I decided that I had to find a way to make something similar at home, but the first thing I needed was a Belgian waffle maker.
I found exactly what I was looking for with the Elite Classic Belgian Waffle Maker from Shopko. It’s the perfect size, has 5 heat settings, has a durable stainless steel outer case, and is budget friendly. Now that I had the right waffle maker for the job, I needed to find a similar recipe so I could attempt making this tasty meal.
While I wanted a waffle that was slightly sweet, all the waffle recipes I was coming across were made with Belgian Pearl Sugar, to add that extra sugary crust that you find in a dessert waffle. I along with my neighbor (@instantlymeg), decided that this would be way too sweet for more of a savory meal. She had the idea that instead of adding the Belgian Pearl Sugar, just make the dough as directed, and then roll in white sugar before placing on the waffle maker. Genius!
The waffle recipe I decided to follow was the “Copycat Waffle Luv Liege Waffle Recipe” by Oh, Sweet Basil. It seemed to be the closest thing to what I was looking for, and all of her recipes that I’ve tried in the past, are fabulous, so I had a feeling this one would be as well. I will admit, I was a bit nervous because I had never used yeast before, and I was worried I would somehow ruin it. In fact, the night before I made these, I had multiple dreams about me ruining the dough, due to the yeast. So I was thrilled when my first attempt was a success.
Once the dough has risen (takes about 4-5 hours), punch it down and knead a bit before separating into 10-12 balls. Roll these balls in white sugar and then place one at a time on your heated waffle iron. I turned my Waffle Maker up to the 4th setting, placed the entire ball in the middle and cooked until the tops were crispy and caramelized, approximately 4 minutes. Every waffle iron is different, so you will just have to experiment and see what works best for you.
Once the waffles were done, we topped them with a breaded chicken tender, honey chipotle sauce (see below for recipe from geniuskitchen.com), chile ranch (recipe below), bacon bits, cilantro, and green onions. I leave the green onions off on mine.
My first attempt may not have been completely up to fine restaurant quality, but they were pretty amazing and really hit the spot. I was so happy with them I had to share them with my friend next door, and with my sister in law. My sister in law saw them and didn’t believe that I had actually made them at home. Below is a step by step description of the process in case any one else is looking to satisfy the same craving, find a new craving, or give the same impression to friends and family.
If you want to test out this recipe, but need a Belgian Waffle Maker, I have good news! Shopko is having their Friends & Family sale now through May 23rd. Use code: FNF261 to receive an Extra 20% off your purchase + Free Shipping over $99.
Take a look at my Maven board to see some of my favorite items that are included in this sale.
Honey Chipotle Chicken and Waffles
Combining sweet and savory for this delicious meal of Chicken and Waffles.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole milk scalded and cooled to warm milk * SEE NOTES
- 2 Tbsp warm water
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 large eggs, slightly whisked
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 3 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar to roll dough in before cooking
- 1 pkg frozen chicken tenders
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp vinegar
- 2 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper (McCormick makes a powder)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup ranch salad dressing
- 1 - 1 1/2 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper powder
- cilantro for garnish
- green onions for garnish
- bacon bits for garnish
Instructions
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Add the 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar to the milk and water and add the yeast, stirring to combine.
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allow the yeast to proof, or get foamy and puffy.
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in a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar.
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add the eggs, honey and vanilla.
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stir together and add the yeast mixture.
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use mixer with the dough hook and add 2 cups of flour.
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mix until the dough is thoroughly incorporated, and add the remaining flour, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for up to 4 hours on the counter.
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then punch down and knead a few times.
separate into 10-12 balls, roll in sugar, and place on a hot, greased waffle iron.
cook until golden brown
Notes: To scald milk, just place milk in a pan over medium heat, do not bring to a boil, instead let it heat up until foam appears around the sides and a little “skin” appears on top of the milk.
For Honey-Chipotle Sauce: Combine: honey, water, ketchup, vinegar, ground chipotle chile pepper powder, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
For the Chile Ranch sauce: Mix ranch with chile powder.
To assemble Chicken and Waffles: Cook chicken tenders according to package. Cook waffles. Place one chicken finger on top of waffle and top with honey chipotle sauce and chile ranch sauce. Garnish with cilantro, green onions, and bacon bits.
This post is sponsored by Shopko. All opinions are my own.
Four years ago when we purchased a new master bedroom set, I had three requirements. First, the bed had to be a King. Second, I did not want brown bedroom furniture, and third, I wanted two nightstands. I know those are strange requests, but hear me out. I like my space when I sleep, hence the the need for a King sized bed. I’m tired of every piece of furniture we own being brown, so no to buying more. Then comes the topic of the nightstands. I’ve wanted a nightstand by my bedside for years. The perfect spot for a family picture, phone, lamp, and partially read book to sit.
If you know me well, you know I love a good book! There are many nights when I’m still wanting to read, but my husband is ready to go to bed. I feel bad continuing to read with the lights on, knowing that it’s keeping him up. I’ve been meaning to add a lamp to my nightstand (for years) so I can lay in bed and read, but not keep him up with the bright overhead lights.
Finding a lamp is tougher than I thought it would be. I was on the hunt for lamps that would look great on our nightstands and transform these bedside tables into an elegant focal point. Instead, the tables that I’d wanted to become the focal point, ended up becoming an eye sore in our bedroom. They began to collect dust and junk. From cell phones, books, receipts, and mail, to spare change, jewelry, tools, and snacks.
It wasn’t until a couple weeks ago, when looking online at Shopko, that I found exactly what I was looking for. These Tripod Table Top Lamps, were love at first sight. They are unique, fit perfectly on my nightstand, and provide great reading light. They are budget friendly, all while looking modern and chic. In addition to the lamp, I added a few books, a picture frame, and some knick knacks to the table, and now I have that focal point I was hoping for.
My Nightstand
His Nightstand
The best part, now through May 12th, Shopko is having their big “Stop, Shop, and Drop the Prices” sale event. No coupons or discount codes are needed. My tripod lamps along with hundreds of other items are included in this sale and if you spend over $99, you can score free shipping with code: SHIP99.
Take a look at my Maven board to see some of my favorite items that are included in this sale.