Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!
“When you’re in my house you shall do as I do and believe who I believe in. So Bart, butter your bacon.” – Homer Simpson…. Ok ladies. If you’ve read this site often, you know that I have far more enthusiasm in the kitchen than I do skills. Which means that all of my awesome cooking and baking ideas don’t always work out as planned. {Doesn’t keep me from trying though, lol.}
“Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven.” – Yiddish Proverb… This quote always cracks me up. Or depresses me, when I think about bad guys. Or entertains me when I think of totally unique and funny weirdos. Anyway… When we talk about dough, and ovens, and baking – I have an awesome giveaway to share with you ladies. This giveaway will ONLY be shared here, Facebook, and Twitter. No giveaway sites, no linkys. This is just for you rockin’ ladies that follow me. One of you will win this super sweet package of goodies…
Mmmmm…. How I do love me some holiday carbs! … It’s true, a low-carb diet would never work for me. Breads, muffins, cakes, and their friends are some of my very favorite things. And there’s not much that’s yummier at the holidays than a good cinnamon streusel type dessert, right?
This recipe is SO perfect for holiday entertaining or gift giving – it’s super moist and delicious, and pairs perfectly with a mug of dark hot cocoa. Snuggle in with a good family movie, a warm cozy blanket, and enjoy! Or, if you’re in need of some homemade gift ideas, use these adorable holiday themed pans from Handi-Foil to present loaves of this yummy coffee cake bread as gifts! {Want to win your own set of a TON of holiday themed pans?} And, the recipe is super simple to make, using basic essentials you probably already have on hand. And if you want to see the Homemade Shake & Bake Chicken recipe that I made to go along with this Cinnamon Streusal bread for a totally simple – yet super delicious – dinnertime solution, check it out and watch the video in the post. Enjoy – and Happy Holidays!
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“Approach love and cooking with equal abandon.” – The Dalai Lama… Ok, it’s confession time – I’m not an awesome cook. Yep, I said it. As a mom, I feel like I should be more talented at this dinnertime stuff. But, while I may not have mad-kitchen skills, I do have enthusiasm and creativity. And those do count for something, right? Well, since I’m not a super chef – just a real mom, with a real busy life, who needs to get meals done real quick – I need a few secret weapons to help me out. I’m going to share a couple of them with you guys today, since I’m all about helping other moms get through the day a little bit easier too….
So, while I may not be whipping up gourmet meals {but I do get some super awesome simple kitchen tips each week from Whisked Foodie} – Baking is still kind of my thing. I love finding new inspiration on Pinterest to create super fun goodies, especially at the holidays. {Watch this week for a BOATLOAD of cool stuff to be posted on the site. Super excited. And, get this recipe for the Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Bread here.} Here are a couple of other things that I totally love – year ’round, but even more so at the holidays… I love giving homemade gifts to friends and family. And I love a fun way to present those gifts. {Have you seen my Homemade Gifts Rock board?} And, a trick that I rely on to help me along with both of those, as well as ensure that I have very little to clean up, is to use super sweet tools like Handi-Foil pans.
Have you ever had that as a motto in your house – “You cook it, you clean it?” In my house I think it’s extremely fair – yet it also discourages me from wanting to cook sometimes, lol. Well, remember how I told you about my secret weapons in the kitchen? Well – let me give you a few awesome reasons to use the new Handi-Foil Holiday Baking Pans this season…
These pans work just as well making a regular dinner at home as they do for baking up special holiday treats. See them in action, and get some dinnertime inspiration too…
So, maybe I’m not the best cook out there. But I can make some pretty awesome basic meals for my family, on my frugal grocery budget, that look and taste delicious. And when I combine that with some awesome pans from Handi-Foil so that I don’t even have to clean up – I’m mom of the year, right? No more of that, “Sorry guys, after I clean up the kitchen I’ll come play.” No. Now I just throw the baking pans into the trash, and get on with my busy mom life. What’s better than that? And, if you want my super yummy Homemade Shake & Bake with Bacon and Parmesan Recipe, start with the basic mix from Kitchen Simplicity, then follow these easy peasy steps – and if you want the recipe for the yummy bread at the beginning, remember that it’s here: Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Bread.
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Join me for a crazy-awesome Twitter Party to celebrate special holiday moments with family in the kitchen, inspired by The Little Chefs Project, the first-ever crowd sourced e-book on cooking with little chefs! In partnership with Chef Boyardee, The Motherhood let me be a part of the 40 fantastic mom bloggers chosen to write a virtual book that truly makes you feel like a kid again. From creating family time in the kitchen to bonding over everyday and holiday fun, we have tips and recipes for creating kitchen magic with your family. It was a blast to make – and I hope it’s just as fun for you to read!
Kid approved, family ready recipes that make healthy veggies bright and fun… I’m lucky. The kiddos in my house are pretty good fruit and veggie eaters. They help me and grandma grow a big garden out back, so they feel like those tomatoes, carrots, peppers, squash, and strawberries {along with the other abundance of goodies we have!} are their produce. That ownership really helps to encourage them to eat ’em up at meals and snacks. But even kiddos that love good foods benefit from a little fun at meal times, right? If you’re looking for some super fun ways to make veggies “new” again, you have GOT to check out the awesome ideas on the Birds Eye Kids Website.
The reason that the BirdsEye.com website caught my attention at first, is a super fun recipe called the Yakimaniac Veggie Martians. I mean, it’s a super cool creative idea, but that’s not what made it jump out at me. It’s because I’m from a city named Yakima, and the only time I’ve ever heard someone use the term “Yakimaniac” is in reference to people who live here! I knew it somehow how had to be connected… And sure enough, it is. These Martian-ized dinnertime plates let kids add personality to their meal with edible glitter, pretzel antennas, and veggie faces – and they were first featured on the super popular iCarly. And if you’ve watched much iCarly, you know that it’s set in Seattle, and one of the character’s grandpa is from a city called Yakima. Which is where this awesome recipe comes in! Very cool, right? {Every time I travel out of state, and people here where I’m from – if they’re a mom, they mention iCarly right away, lol. Most didn’t know it was a real city!}
Our Kid-Friendly Veggie SmoothiesAfter showing the kids the awesome Yakimaniac martians named after our hometown, I browsed through some of the other creative ideas – like Veggie Cupcakes and Green Monster Pizza, I decided to try out the Veggie Smoothie recipe, since we are HUGE fans of smoothies here in my house. {It is the easiest way to get a ton of healthy stuff into your kids daily diet!} It’s made with Birds Eye Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrots – all pre-sliced and frozen, meaning no prep. Mix ’em up in a cool gadget like the Magic Bullet, or whatever blender you have on hand, and you’ve got a super tasty smoothie packed with healthy vitamins. The bright-orange color totally got the kids excited – and the addition of the orange juice, honey, and fruit make is super sweet and yummy.
This was kid-tested in my house – two very picky little boys {6 and 9} and a toddler who has no other opinion than absolute love or complete hate. Verdict? 3 sets of thumbs up!
Try it here. It’s easy as can be to create – and might inspire some other cool veggie combo smoothies too. I’m thinking that carrots with apple sauce and juice, with a dash of cinnamon, might make a really interesting festive drink. And frozen blueberries, frozen broccoli cuts, and cranberry juice combine to make a pretty awesome smoothie – seriously. I’m not always a big veggie fan, so I rely on soups simmered in the crock pot, and cool fruit-veggie combo smoothies to ensure I get a big variety in my diet.
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For more awesome inspiration to help encourage healthy eating, and to simplify meal times in your house – be sure to follow Birds Eye Facebook and Birds Eye Twitter Page, for new promotions and product updates!
{Disclaimer: Photo credit one: Khawkins04. I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Birds Eye. I received product coupons to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.}
November is National Bread Month!… Did you know that over 60% of Americans eat a sandwich at least once a week? Yep, it’s true. So this month, renew your passion for truly good bread – not only is it National Bread Month, it’s also the 250th anniversary of the sandwich!
Ok, I admit it. On first glance, that doesn’t sound like the most exciting month out there to celebrate. I mean, we just got over the massively promoted Breast Cancer Awareness month, where everything in your life is turned pink – it seems hard to build a ton of hype about bread, right? Wrong! Bread is a total must-have at most holiday meals, is a pretty big staple in most of our diets, and is super healthy if you’re buying the right kinds. And if you’re like our family, sandwiches make up a big part of your weekly meal plan- so to make sure things don’t get boring, check out these 3 tips on making your sandwiches more fun, to celebrate National Bread Month…
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant." I'm Meagan - a Momma, a Blogger, a Freelance Writer, and a total Social Media Junkie. I love sparkles and … [Read More...]
