House Rules of Toy Ownership

Mine, mine, mine.

She won't share with me.

It had my name on it.

Oh, the exclamations of Christmas afternoon when the wonders of unwrapping presents and the sugar-highs have worn off.

How do you handle toy ownership in your house?

Our house rule is pretty simple: It is yours and yours alone for 1 full day. 

This generally equals the holiday/birthday on which the toy was given and the following day.  After that, all bets are off and sharing rules are enforced.

Another useful thing we do in our house is, in addition to individual Christmas gifts, we also give one or two "all kids" gift that is specifically intended to be used by all the children (ex: board games, books, coloring books).

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Recipe: Pretzel M&M Candy Bites

Today I've got a quick, super easy, deliciously addictive "cookie" recipe for you.  These are great for the holiday candy bowl but are quite good year-round.  :-)

I've seen similar recipes to this that use a Hershey's kiss for the chocolate component but that seems like a lot of unwrapping work.  I've always made these with candy melt discs and they turn out perfectly, just the right balance of salty and sweet, creamy and crunchy.

Pretzel M&M Candy Bites

Ingredients
- candy melts
- plain M&Ms
- waffle weave pretzel squares

Directions
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and preheat the oven to 350*.
2. Place pretzel squares in a single layer on the parchment and top each pretzel with a single candy melt.
3. Bake in the oven for 3 minutes, just long enough to soften the candy melt.
4. Remove baking sheet from oven and quickly press a single M&M into the top of each candy melt.  Pressing down slightly will ensure the candy melt fills in the holes of the pretzel as well.
5. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Notes

• feel free to make these using any color or flavor candy melt as well as any color variety of M&Ms.  At Christmas time, I use the red/green M&M mix but for Easter I like to use the pastel variety.  All choices taste great.
• check the serving size and number of servings on the back of your bag of candy melts and pretzels to see how much you'll need of each.  As reference, one 2lb bag of candy melts matched perfectly with one family size (16oz) bag of pretzel squares.  Combined they made three half-sheet pans worth of 'cookies'.
• I usually buy candy melts at the craft store (think JoAnn's or Michael's -- don't forget your coupons!).

The Gift I Really Want (You Probably Do Too)

I've spent considerable time thinking about exactly what to get my family members so that they will be entirely pleased on Christmas morning and in the process I've done quite a bit of thinking about what would please me most on Christmas morning.  Fortunately, for anyone reading this who might be shopping for me, what I really want doesn't cost a lot of money and isn't necessarily a material gift though it could translate into that on occasion.

The gift I really want is to be acknowledged, to be seen, to be noticed.

When I find myself in one of those moods and bemoan my adult life, motherhood in particular, no matter the impetus of the discussion all roads seem to lead back to this -- I sometimes feel invisible.

My very first post on this blog speaks to this feeling.  I included the thought "I AM a competent, capable, worth engaging in conversation adult." Many of the actions of motherhood are completed over and over again with little acknowledgement, accolade or thanks.  The dishes that were washed and put away today will be dirty again tomorrow.  The clothes must be washed so that there are warm things to wear to school and work.  Meals are planned for, shopped for and prepared because everyone has to eat.  All in all, most of what I do on a daily basis falls into the category of "things that must be done" and because my husband works outside the home, the responsibility for their completion rests on my shoulders.

So what is it that I want?

I want a new spatula to replace my favorite one that broke because someone noticed when it happened.
I want my child's teacher to send me a note saying "I know you've been working hard with your child and while there is still work to be done, I've seen improvement and I appreciate your effort."
I want someone to ask me what book I've been reading and what I plan to read next.
I want a text saying "I saw this today and it made me think of you."
I want a new charm for my charm bracelet in conjunction with an occasion to wear it.
I want to be asked my opinion on a matter of non-trivial importance and be listened to without distraction.

Some of these things are material, some are action based and some just require looking at me, Courtney The Person [NOT Courtney The Mom, Courtney the Wife, Courtney The Errand Runner] and seeing me!

*** As I read and re-read this post, prior to publishing I felt like I should add the following disclaimer: I'm not so good at doing these things either!  I am horrible at thanking my husband for working hard to provide for our family because I mentally chalk his effort up to "well, he gets to go to work and people appreciate him there and he gets promotions and raises to prove it."  He is quite good about always complementing me on the meals I prepare and thanking me for the effort I expend on the household.

 

The notion of invisibility in adult life I think sometimes stems from the fact that, for better or worse, it is easier to categorize someone based on an observable characteristic be it race, gender, age or parental status and interact with them based on that known characteristic.  I'm often so caught up in my own expectations of what I should or feel like I have to do that I forget that to be noticed I have to be willing to be vulnerable, open and accessible; I have to be willing to be more than my category or stereotype -- all things that I am pondering as 2017 dawns.***

Prevent a Headache -- Use Click-N-Ship

It's that time of the year -- I see my mailman making the rounds in the neighborhood no less than three times a day not to mention the assortment of FedEx, UPS and contract delivery trucks that are making stops left and right.

Not much compares to the pain of having to go to the post office in person, usually with a little person in tow, and stand in line, waiting for who knows how long, to mail off Christmas presents.  The solution can be found at USPS.com and is known as "Click-N-Ship". 

I've been using it for a couple years now and I am still quite shocked when I discover that there are people who have never heard of this truly magical service; hence, why I am writing about it today.  You could say that is is a bit of a #momhack ;-)

Using it is simple -- create an account on USPS.com, enter in the return address, recipient's address, check the box on what type of package you are sending (small, medium, large, priority, express, etc), enter your payment and print the postage label.  Super simple! 

The next best part is that you can schedule a FREE carrier pickup at your house.  Just use the website, tell when and where to expect the package and an estimated weight.  This usually means that at 9pm I am printing postage for a package to sit on my porch and get mailed the very next day!

So you say, well, you'll still need to go to the post office to get the flat rate boxes.  Not true, you can order those online too!!  Or if you do have to go inside, you don't have to wait in line to get the flat rate boxes all you need to do is find the display and get what you need.

Just sayin' but the US Postal Service has really upped their technology game and you can do so much through the website, especially if you plan on shipping flat rate.  Save yourself the time, trouble and headache of having to wait in line and just do it yourself! 

Happy Mailing :-)

Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls

Baking season is upon us but that doesn't always mean you have to fire up the oven.  Today's recipe is made with ingredients you probably have in the pantry and can be pulled together in just a few minutes.  Little hands are great at shaping these sticky treats and enjoy eating them just as much too.

I keep a baggie with these No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls in my freezer and throw them in lunchboxes or keep them around for a quick afternoon snack.  With protein, whole grains, coconut and chia seeds they are a snack you can feel pretty good about indulging in.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls
     makes ~32 small balls
     time: 15 minutes (minus freezing)

Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1Tbs chia seeds
- pinch salt

Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.
2. Using a small dough scoop, scoop into balls and place on a parchment lined tray.
3. Freeze until firm.  Keep in the freezer in an airtight container until ready to eat.

Notes

• I use unsweetened shredded coconut because I find the honey and peanut butter to be sweet enough as is.  If you can't find the unsweetened variety, feel free to substitute sweetened shredded coconut.
• Mini chocolate chips are the perfect chip for this recipe!  Since these are being made into small bite size balls you'll get a ton of chips per ball by using the mini variety and it feels more indulgent for the same amount (or less) of chocolate as regular chips.
• This recipe can be a blank canvas.  Feel free to experiment with other mix-ins that your family might enjoy.  Some ideas would be: raisins, craisins, and cinnamon chips.

The Pressure Cooker Cookbook That Should Be On Your Christmas List

You got yourself an Instant Pot.  You've read through the rather skimpy recipe/owner's manual and now you find most of your recipe searches on google start with "Instant Pot..." Now's the time to get a legit pressure cooker cookbook.  A quick Amazon search will reveal over 3,000 results.  Admittedly, I haven't gone through and looked at nor do I own more than one pressure cooker cookbook but the one I do own is pretty darn fantastic.

Pressure Cooker Perfection by America's Test Kitchen

If you've ever watched America's Test Kitchen on PBS you'll know that they pride themselves on being "America's foremost tasters and testers" and with providing the public with foolproof recipes for successful and flavorful dishes.  I own 5 different cookbooks published by America's Test Kitchen :-)

What I Love about Pressure Cooker Perfection
- it explains the science behind how and why the pressure cooker works and why you need certain ingredients in some recipes but not others
- published in 2013, pre Instant Pot craze, the recipes are written for a stovetop pressure cooker with adaptions for electric pressure cookers.  This means that anyone with any type of pressure cooker can use this book
- the flavors in the recipes are phenomenal.  I never would have thought to use a can of condensed French Onion soup to flavor my pot roast but now I won't use anything but that
- the beginning has a series of reference charts for cooking just about anything: grains, beans, vegetables and meats.  You can use the chart as a starting point and build your own recipe from there

My Favorite Recipes
- Weeknight Pot Roast and Potatoes
- Chickpea Tagine with Cauliflower
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Whole Chicken
- A Pound of Beans (for lots of other recipes)

What I Don't Love about Pressure Cooker Perfection
- I'm a "let's throw some of this in and see how it turns out" type of cook.  This book is written with very precise instructions, ingredients and directions.  Once you get past the sometimes superior tone of the recipes you'll be just fine.  That being said, pressure cooking doesn't allow much room for error as it's a closed system and operates at such high temperatures.  I've learned alot about building flavors by reading this cookbook
- the adaptions for an electric pressure cooker (hello Instant Pot) generally involve setting a separate timer so as to not rely on the built-in pot timer (reason being it doesn't start immediately when the pot comes to pressure).  I skip this step and just reduce my cook time by about 2 minutes
- some of the ingredients can be hard to find.  Examples include: cremini mushrooms, swiss chard, fennel, mustard seeds, and frozen artichoke hearts.


With all that being said, I have my copy of Pressure Cooker Perfection flagged and within easy reach in my kitchen so that I can reference it as I cook and create.

Let me know if you own a copy already, buy a copy or if you have another favorite pressure cooker cookbook!

Making the Elliptical Work

Due to my pregnancy, I haven't been running nearly as far or fast and have been plagued by nagging piriformis issues that have resulted in my going to physical therapy.  My Physical Therapist not only coached me through some stretches and strengthening moves I can do for my piriformis but opened my eyes to a world of working out with the elliptical in a way that actually left me winded and sweating.

Here's the secret: DON'T USE THE MOVING ARMS!

Seriously, so simple and yet I never really thought about it or tried it until recently.  Most ellipticals are designed for the average male which means that to use to moving arms, the average female is automatically tilted forward.  Add to this tilt, the fact that using the arms (which are usually connected to the foot pedals) automatically provides momentum based movement thereby naturally facilitating a side-to-side bounce.  The end result -- you are leaning forward and compelled by the machine to sway left to right.  Just think of all the alignment issues!

How do you not do those things?  Get on the machine and focus on staying upright and in good postural alignment.  To do this, you'll need to engage your core (wahoo!) so that you have a slight pelvic tilt and your abs and lower back are supporting your torso.  Don't focus on going super fast -- let your muscles compel the pedals forward not the pedals compelling your muscles.  If needed, for balance, lightly place one or two fingers on the center console or on the arm bars.

Practice what it feels like if you place all five fingers on the console. Just one.  Pump your arms yourself in midair.  Hold your arms upright but stationary.  Pedal backwards.

These very slight and seemingly insignificant changes throughout your workout can generate an "interval" like effect that will leave you feeling like you had an honest to goodness workout.

As a self-proclaimed runner, before now, I've looked to the elliptical as a cross-training standby but not my first choice of cardio equipment.  Using these new techniques, I have to say, even when I am back to 100% I plan on keeping the elliptical in my normal workout rotation.

I made frozen pizza for dinner and nobody died!

Last night my menu plan said stir-fry vegetables with brown rice.  Instead I served frozen cheese pizza, pineapple chunks, cucumber slices and baby tomatoes.

Frozen pizza for the win!

As I sit to write this, I can think of quite a few rationalizations and justifications for the pizza dinner
- I'm 6.5 months pregnant and didn't feel like cooking
- I was tired
- Hubby is away on a work trip
- I had pizza on the menu plan for later in the week so moving meals around is "allowed"
- It was Monday and we had just had guests over the weekend
- My three kids and I were playing a rousing game of 'kick the soccer ball around' and it was already getting dark and I didn't want to shorten the fun by having to go cook

But here's the long and short explanation -- I fed my kids dinner and they ate it.

It doesn't matter what it was or whether or not it included a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, what matters is that I did my job of preparing and serving a meal to my family.

Last night was a win for me in the constant and continuous mom battle of living up to my own high expectations.  Tonight I may stick to my menu plan and serve a well-plated "at least two vegetables and a protein" meal but I'm going to try to gauge my success by the question Was my family fed and satisfied? instead of Was this meal pinterest worthy?

Keep up the good fight moms and keep pizza in the freezer!

Toddler Quiet Activity -- Cotton Ball Snowman

Do you want to build a snowman? Come on let's go and play...

Ok, now that I have the Frozen song stuck in your head, today I am sharing an excellent quiet toddler activity that is easy to make with items you probably have sitting around the house. 

Materials
- empty peanut butter or other clear plastic jar
- cotton balls
- ribbon
- sharpie marker(s)

Directions
1. Make sure your jar is very clean and free of any food residue.  If it was a peanut butter jar this might require a hand wash as well as a run through the dishwasher.
2. Fill the jar loosely with cotton balls.
3. Using a sharpie marker, draw on eyes, mouth, nose and buttons.
4. Tie a ribbon around the jar to act as the scarf.
5. Add any other embellishments that you may desire!

My two year old needs help taking the lid off the jar but she loves dumping and filling this simple jar and "making a snowman".  For older toddlers and preschoolers, you can add the challenge of using a pair of chopsticks or tongs to grab each cotton ball to fill the snowman.  This is excellent fine motor practice but the kids will just think they are having fun.

#MomHacks -- Diaper Bag (or Purse) organization

Snacks -- if you're a mom, your bag of choice whether it be a purse or diaper bag or just the cubbies of the minivan is bound to have snacks in them.  How do you keep your snacks organized and in good condition?

I've got three #momhacks that have given me so much peace of mind when it comes to snacks and eating out with kids.

#MomHack 1 -- Large Portable Snack Container
Crystal Light, bless them, makes hard sided containers that their powdered drink mixes come in.  They have a nice tight fitting lid and aren't crushable when shoved to the bottom of a bag.  And, they perfectly fit a squeeze applesauce and cereal bar!!

#MomHack 2 -- Small Portable Snack Container
I've mentioned before how I like to reuse an old Snappies breastmilk storage container for measuring laundry detergent but they also make a great small snack container.  Hello, Cheerioes or Goldfish!  I keep one of these in our diaper bag and one in my purse because, let's face it, sometimes mom needs a snack too ;-)

#MomHack 3 -- Bendy Straw Holder
Unless the only restaurant you frequent is Chick-Fil-A (bless them for bendy straws and placemats!) you've run into the scenario where your child is given a drink in a cup with a giant straw and the first thing they do, tip the cup toward them to be able to drink from the straw, you shudder imagining the lid tumbling to the ground and the contents emptying on your child's lap.  For that reason, I carry my own bendy straws...in a travel toothbrush container!  My mom thought of this one and I am forever thankful.

What tips and tricks do you have for surviving outings with little ones?  What go to item do you keep in your diaper bag/purse?

Recipe: Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs

Was Black Friday/Cyber Monday good to you?  Did you finally buy the Instant Pot you've had on your Amazon wishlist for months?  If so, congratulations! 

You may find once you've unboxed your new prize and quickly skimmed the owner's manual/recipe book that comes with it that it is sorely lacking in recipes that you'd actually include in your meal rotation.  Never fear, I've got another classic to share with you today.

This recipe falls under the nostalgia category for me (much like Sausage and Rice Casserole).  Porcupine Meatballs is the only reason that I had a pressure cooker on my wedding registry.  I fondly remember my mom making it when I was growing up and knew that she cooked it in her original stovetop pressure cooker.  The recipe came from the Presto Pressure Cooker cookbook included with the pressure cooker.  The original recipe has a tomato based sauce; my mom made it with a cream based sauce and so do I.

Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs
    serves: 4-6
    time: ~35 minutes

Ingredients
- 1lb of ground beef
- 0.5 cups of white rice, uncooked
- 1 cup of Pictsweet Seasoning Blend (frozen) or fresh diced onion and celery
- 1 packet dried onion soup mix
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup of water

Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and uncooked white rice.  Season as desired with salt and pepper.  Form into small meatballs, 1-1.5" diameter.
2. In the inner pot, mix together the remaining ingredients.
3. Place meatballs on top of soup/vegetable mixture.
4. Lock cover into place and seal the steam nozzle.
5. Press [Manual] and set timer for 8 minutes.
6. Allow to [Keep Warm] for 10 minutes then turn off the release any remaining pressure.
7. Serve over cooked white rice.

Notes

• the name "porcupine" is derived from the fact that the uncooked rice with poke out of the meatballs once cooked
• plan ahead and cook your rice for serving in the Instant Pot prior to cooking your porcupine meatballs.
• The Pictsweet Seasoning Blend is a great time saver -- it's a pre-chopped, frozen blend of onions, celery, green and red peppers and parsley flakes.  Look for it with frozen vegetables.
• This recipe is a great way to use of any leftover vegetables you might have in the refrigerator.  You'll notice my picture of the finished plate has quite a few carrots.  At the time, I had about 1/2 a bag of baby carrots which had passed their lunchbox prime so I diced them up and added them to the mix!

Thank YOU

It's Thanksgiving Day 2016 and this will be my 20th post.  Today, I have no words of wit or wisdom to share.  I only wish to say

Thank you for being my friends and liking, commenting and following my posts.  Thank you for joining with me and walking beside me as I work to find my voice and share my thoughts and ideas. 

I hope you have an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday with good food and good company!

Running for Two

Here's my own personal Top Ten List of "How You Know You're Pregnant and Still Running"

1. You gauge your distance by the urge to pee.

2. You give serious consideration to wearing more subdued colors so it will be easier to hide in the bushes to pee.

3. Active wear if your new every day wear because it is so nice and stretchy!

4. Your shoe laces are barely tied because your belly isn't the only thing expanding lately.

5. Layering is a must since you can't seem to regulate your temperature and you go from burning hot to freezing cold in an instant.

6. Instead of catcalls you get wide-eyed, jaws dropped stares -- yes, it's ok for me to run while pregnant.

7. You've given your foam roller a name and have daily "dates" with him to help work out the kinks.

8. Run:Walk intervals are the name of your fitness game.

9. Three words: Double Sports Bras

10. Every run is a new PR because let's face it, you've never been # weeks pregnant with this baby running this route, even if you ran the same route yesterday. Each day is one day closer to the Big Delivery finish line and each day makes a difference!

26 weeks and feeling strong!

That's right, Baby #4 will be arriving February 2017.  Until then, I'll do what I can do keep on movin' and stick with my current mantra "Listen To Your Body". :-)

Keeping the Kids Busy -- Thanksgiving Craft Ideas

I have a confession.

I have never cooked a turkey or cooked a Thanksgiving meal for that matter.  Coming from someone who loves to cook, this may come as a surprise but it's true.  We've been fortunate that usually Thanksgiving finds us as guests at the table of friends or family who graciously take on the bulk of the cooking responsibilities.  I help out where I can but know when to stay out of the kitchen.

The past few years, my role on Thanksgiving has been one of child entertainer.  Depending on the weather there may be a slew of young cousins running amuck with no way to productively expend their energy. 

Today I am going to share with you links to come of my favorite crafts for Thanksgiving.  Now's the time to peruse the options, see what crafts supplies you have on hand and which you might need to buy and decide on a craft or two!

First Palette -- this site has fantastic, step by step instructions with pictures!  A great resource for the craft challenged.  I've made the paper strip pumpkin, Mayflower ship, and paper cup turkey from the directions on this page.

The Crafty Crow -- this site is a compilation of links to other blogs and craft pages.  Be forewarned may of the ideas here are a bit more labor, time and skill intensive.  Still great ideas!

Red Ted Art -- a great blog with many kid friendly craft ideas

Google Images if my friend for craft ideas!

Projects for Preschoolers -- if you have a younger crowd this is a good resource for less intensive activities

Preschool Express -- I have this bookmarked under "learning" instead of "crafts" but this is a great source for written ideas on activities or things to do with the preschool crowd that may or may not involve an actual craft activity

Google Images -- Google is my friend.  Google Images is a particularly good friend.  I use the search engine to visual scroll through a ton of ideas [try searching Thanksgiving Kids Crafts] and if something looks appealing I can usually link directly to the source.  Also a great way to see different variations of the same craft.

It might be a good idea to search for some quick Christmas countdown crafts too!  Black Friday is a great time to work on those.
My kids have enjoyed a candy countdown like this except we use after-dinner mints as the candy.

Recipe: Paleo/Whole 30 Breakfast Sausage Patties

My husband and I recently completed a Whole 30.  If you're not sure what that means, basically for 30 days we ate only meats, fruits and vegetables.  During that time frame we excluded all grains, dairy, legumes, sugars and alcohol from our diets.  There is a ton more information at the official Whole 30 website here if you are interested in finding out more.  We undertook the Whole 30 challenge as a way to reset the amount of added sugar we were consuming and to focus back in on eating whole, unprocessed foods.

Anyways, one of the biggest aspects of the Whole 30 for us was the need to eat a nutrient dense breakfast.  You can't get by on just a bagel (no grains) or banana (not enough food) and hope to make it until lunchtime.  That's where these protein packed "sausage" patties saved the morning.  They are tasty, filling and relatively easy to make.

Paleo/Whole 30 Breakfast Sausage Patties

Ingredients
- Lean ground beef (I buy the bulk packs at Sam's Club and use 5lbs at a time)
per 1 pound of ground beef use
- 1/4 tsp sage, rubbed or ground
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (this helps impart the quintessential sausage flavor)
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (if you don't have smoked paprika increase the amount of regular, however smoked really adds so much to the flavor)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt

Directions
1. Using a spice grinder, grind up the fennel seeds so that you have a powder.  I like to add in some of the other spices to ensure a uniform mixture.
2. Combine all the spices together in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
3. Using your hands, thoroughly incorporate the spice mixture into the ground beef.
4. Form the meat mixture into patties of your desired size.
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375*F for 12-15 minutes, depending on size/thickness.
6. Allow to cool, flash freeze on a clean baking sheet and store in freezer bags.  Use as needed.

Notes
My biggest tip for making sausage patties is to make a tester patty so you can see if spice level is to your liking or if it needs adjusting before you cook up the whole batch.  To do this, after incorporating all the spice mixture, simply make a sample patty the size of a quarter or so.  Microwave it for 10-20 seconds until cooked through.  Taste and adjust your seasonings as desired. 

Squeezing in a Workout -- 10 (or 5) Minute Abs

Let's face it, October was crazy, November is chaotic and December is just insane.  We haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet and I am beginning to feel the squeeze of necessary holiday prep, school activities and a million other things that come up before we ring in 2017.  One of the first things that tends to get axed to make time for other things is my gym time, sad but true!

Today, I'm going to share with you a workout that has been printed out and kept handy in my house for the past 10 years.  No equipment needed, all you need is yourself and a watch.

10 Minute Abs

Perform each of the listed exercises without a break for 1 minute each.  If doing "5 Minute Abs" perform each for 30 seconds.  Try to do as many QUALITY repetitions as possible; don't focus on quantity.  Rest in the up position.  The exercises may be performed in any order -- order can affect total difficulty! 

1. Sit-ups: all the way down, all the way up
2. Crunches: tighten your abs and keep your lower back pressed against the floor, raise neck/shoulders
3. Flutter Kicks: legs and knees are straight, move from the hips
4. Leg Raises: alternate bringing both legs straight and together from 6" off the ground to 90*s
5. Ankle Touches: in a crunch position rotate your torso side to side stretching your arms to touch alternating ankles
6. Center Plank: hold a straight back pushup position from your elbows
7. Right Plank: rotate your plank so you are balanced on your right elbow
8. Left Plank: rotate your plank so you are balanced on your left elbow
9. V-Sit: with either bent knees or straight legs, balanced yourself on the meaty part of your butt and hold your body in a "v" position
10. Bicycle Crunches: from a crunch position, slowly push one leg straight and the other toward your chest, rotating your elbows to touch the opposite knee

For added difficulty, perform 1 upper body exercise in between every 2 ab exercises.  This will extend your time to 15 (or 7.5) minutes.  Suggested upper body exercises include:

1. Regular Rushups
2. Wide ArmPushups
3. Diamond Pushups
4. Narrow Pushups
5. Staggered Pushups: right arm slightly forward of shoulder, left arm slightly back; alternate
6. Negative Pushups: 5 second count to the down position
7. Tricep dips
8. Mountain Pushups: with your butt raised into the air (think downward dog position) press your head toward the floor

Your abdominal muscles are just like any other muscle group and need time to rest and recover in order to get stronger.  Do not do this exercise sequence on consecutive days to allow for proper recovery.

A Tangible Way to Honor Veterans

​

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month -- the cease fire that ended WWI began a great armistice and marked what we as a country regarded as the end of the greatest war of all time. Unfortunately, since 1918 we have experienced many more conflicts and have called on our military servicemen and women to courageously protect and defend our great nation and its ideals.

Taryn Ashley Robinson, US Air Force Academy Class of 2005

As we wrap up this year's Veterans Day activities, I want to encourage you to consider purchasing a wreath for yourself and for the grave of a veteran through the Wreaths Across America organization. For only $30, you can receive and display at your own home a beautiful handmade balsam fir wreath and guarantee that the grave of a veteran will be appropriately adored on December 17th.  Or for $15, you can choose to simply sponsor a wreath which will be placed on a grave at Arlington National Cemetery.  

Each year, I am brought to tears upon seeing the pictures of thousands upon thousands of graves solemnly and respectfully adored with a wreath.  The most iconic pictures are from Arlington National Cemetery but there are hundreds of cemeteries across the country that participate. I look forward to getting in the Christmas spirit by hanging a wreath on my front door but I most look forward to honoring those who gave all by volunteering on Dec 17th.

 Donate, Buy a Wreath, Volunteer

Remember. Honor. Teach

#SayTheirNames

@WAAHQ

#MomHacks -- Kids' Art Display

My kids are prolific artists, especially BigSis, so today's #MomHack is brought to you by my desire to not be overrun by artwork but to satisfy the children's desire to have their prize creations displayed in some manner.  Oh, and not to spend alot of money! :-)

Introducing, the Curtain Rod Artwork Display

Materials
- cheap curtain rod ($2-3 at Walmart or Target)
- ribbon
- clothes pins (Dollar Tree)
- hot glue or regular white glue if you have more time and patience than me

Instructions 
- Cut ribbon into assorted lengths.  This will help prevent artwork overlap when hanging.
- Glue one end of the ribbon to the clothes pin.  With the other end, glue the ribbon to itself to form a small loop.
- Once dry, attach the ribbons to the curtain rod by passing the clothes pin end through the loop, forming a sort of slipknot over the rod.
- Mount the curtain rod wherever desired.

When all the display positions are full, the child(ren) must decide to take something down before a new piece of art can go up in its place!  My kids and I also have an understanding that once something is no longer displayed it will very likely end up in the trash or mailed to a grandparent or other family friend.

Happy creating!


 

Going Unplugged

Today was a good day.  My husband had the day off from work so I was able to run outside, in the morning, on a weekday!  [It should be noted, my outside running is usually limited to weekends with weekday workouts happening at the gym after BigBro and BigSis get on the bus.]

The air was perfectly cool and crisp and most of the trees had started to show their colors -- all in all, an idyllic fall morning.  Instead of lacing up and cranking up some of my favorite jams, I decided to take this run unplugged -- no music, no GPS.  At first, it was rather bothersome to only have my own thoughts, my breathing and my footfalls to listen to but after settling into my pace I began to take stock of my situation. 

Mindfulness is a buzz word nowadays and I've been intrigued enough to do some reading up on it.  The biggest factor in being mindful is not necessarily being in a zen-like state all the time but really focusing on being present in whatever it is that you are doing.  When you have distracting thoughts, you acknowledge them but don't dwell on them.  You focus your brain on your breath, a mantra, your body and how it feels -- things that integrate seamlessly with running.

I'll admit, large chunks of my run were occupied by the song "Sunshine in my Pocket" that was stuck in my head but when I used my lack of electronics to focus in on how I was feeling and the status of my run I began to notice little things.  I noticed how my left hip tightened up as I ran uphill.  I took care to control my breathing on a particularly tough part of my route.  I felt the slight sting of the cooler air on my legs as I cruised downhill.  I took in the kaleidoscope of colors that the trees painted across the sky and left scattered on the sidewalk.  Essentially, I was an active participant in the environment and mechanics of my run instead of being an observer.

I haven't truly tried being mindful during a treadmill run as I imagine that to be much more difficult but I'd encourage you to take some time each day to "unplug" in whatever way you can but especially during your next run!

Living the Dream?

Are you living the dream?

The phrase seems to get thrown around as if real life can be everything we've dreamed of but I'll be honest, I'm not living the dream nor do I think I ever will.  Something in adulthood, motherhood in particular, has given me the sense that we need to live our own reality, working toward our goals not our dreams.

My reality is different today than it was 5 years, 1 year, even 1 week ago. I've found that while I do have goals and aspirations its important to not confuse those with dreams. I can take active steps in my day to day life to slowly and persistently work toward achieving my goals. I can work on transforming myself into more of the person I aspire to be. But the things that I classify as dreams, the things that occasionally cause me to pause and sigh longingly -- If I focus on them instead of my current life I miss out and I start to feel bad or downtrodden. 

Much like social media can distort our perceptions of reality, letting ourselves dwell on these, often unrealistic, dreams can steal away the joy we might experience if we instead focused on our reality.

     I dream of having an immaculate house but clean and livable where kids help put away laundry and board games are strewn about will have to do.

     I dream of being able to pack up and travel with minimal planning but relish instead taking staycations and exploring the area we live in.

     I dream of being able to sleep-in, drink my coffee extra-hot and sit quietly in my PJs and read a book on Saturday morning but grocery shopping alone is now my guilty pleasure.

     I dream of running a half-marathon and marathon PR but for now I run slow and steady and admire the fall foliage that I would miss if I only focused on my pace.

Don't get me wrong, I can't let the kids trash the house because it's still my job to teach them responsibility and stewardship but I have to, as hard as it is, let go of my own crazy standards. I have to focus on living my ideals and values (patience, courage, responsibility, kindness) and let those translate into material gains.

Have goals, have aspirations, work toward them with persistence and dedication but leave the dreaming to nighttime and wake up ready to be present in your day!

Recipe: Instant Pot Pork Loin and Potatoes

As promised in my Favorite Quick Serve Dinners post, below is my recipe for cooking a whole Pork Loin Roast and Potatoes in the Instant Pot.  The ease of the recipe is unsurpassed and it is so tasty -- I've made it twice in the past month!

Instant Pot Pork Loin and Potatoes
   serves: 4-6
   total time: ~1hr

Ingredients
- one 2.5-3lbs pork loin roast
- 5-6 baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
- 1 cup of water or chicken broth
- seasonings of your choice

Directions
1. Pat dry and generously season your pork loin on all sides.  I like to use salt, pepper and herbs de Provence. 
1.1 (Optional) Using the Instant Pot [Saute] function, brown the pork loin on all sides making sure to crisp up the fat cap as much as desired.  Remove pork loin to a separate plate while you assemble the rest of the dish.  If you skip this step, no biggie, your exterior just won't be crispy.
2. Scrub each potato and cut in half.  Layer potatoes in the bottom of the inner pot, stacking and overlapping as necessary.
3. Pour in one cup of water or chicken broth.
4. Place seasoned pork loin on top of the potatoes.  The potatoes will act as a rack to keep the meat elevated.
5. Lock cover into place and seal steam nozzle.
6. Press [Meat] and set the timer for 25-30minutes depending on the size of your pork loin.
7. When cooking time has finished, allow to [Keep Warm] for 10 minutes and then turn off and release the pressure.
8. Remove the pork loin to your carving board and use tongs to remove the potatoes.
9. Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

• because of the extended cooking time needed for the meat, the potatoes are only halved and the skin is kept on.  This helps prevent them from falling apart into mush at the bottom of the pot.  When it is time to serve, the skins will slip right off and they can be mashed with a fork, cut into chunks or served as it.
• Using a 3lb roast and 30minute cooking time, my roast's internal temperature was 158*F prior to carving.  If you like your pork loin roast a little more pink in the middle, feel free to experiment with slightly less cooking time.
• For a true one dish meal, have a half-head of cabbage chopped and ready to go when the meat and potatoes are done.  Once you've removed the meat and potatoes, toss in the cabbage, reseal your Instant Pot and let it come to pressure for 1 minute on [Manual].  Quick release the pressure and you'll have an additional vegetable ready to go!

Halloween Aftermath: What to do with all the candy?

The ghouls and goblins have all gone to bed and woken as tired, tummy-aching children who still have to go to school and you have to figure out what to do with all the candy that under NO circumstances can be kept around the house.

1. Remove and save actual food items and non-food items that you like-- goldfish, animal crackers, pretzels, pencils, erasers, etc.

2. Each kid gets to fill a sandwich size bag with whatever candy they personally want to keep and eat over the course of the next week.  Make sure to set a timeframe!

3. Decide what YOU want to keep
     - bag of parental prerogative goodies because we all have our favorites!
     - future baking ingredients: I now have a stash of plain M&Ms in my freezer ready for cookies
     - emergency tantrum kit for the car: I fill a bag with non-melting candy (Starburst, Skittles, Nerds) and keep in the center console of the car.  This is particularly handy for a) long drives or b) a child who is losing his mind

4. Donate the rest (and get paid!)
Find a local participating Halloween Candy Buy Back location and take your candy in to be weighed.  You get $1 per pound and the candy is then donated to military service members overseas and veterans in VA hospitals around the country.  Most of these buy-backs are hosted by dentist offices so you usually get a free toothbrush and toothpaste too!  Win-Win  To incentivize my children even more, I offer to double their money (if they sell back 2lbs and get $2, I'll give them another $2) so that they have a chance to buy something a little more pricey with their new found spending money.

Happy November!

Book Review: Fearless Feeding by Castle/Jacobsen

There are very few books that stay on the bookshelf in my bedroom for quick reference and easy access and today I wanted to share one of them with you.

Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School

Written by Jill Castle and Maryann Jacobsen

Published in 2013, this book has some great insights and helpful tips on raising well-rounded eaters at all ages and stages of development.  I love that it is written by two registered dietitians with experience in the realm of pediatric and family nutrition, in other words, a knowledgeable team to provide advice.  What also makes the authors credible in my mind is that both are moms who have sat in the trenches of motherhood and wrestled with what to serve their families.

Chapter 1 is the must-read introduction into the Fearless Feeding Strategy.  It takes some time to consider the WHAT, HOW and WHY of feeding our kids.  Here's my quick summary:

• WHAT: picking foods based on nutritional needs, balancing nourishing and "fun" foods, using variety and paying attention to portions
• HOW: structure of meal/snack times, parental attitude toward food choices and consumption
• WHY: stages of development can be predicted but every child has a different food personality

The next four chapters can be read as needed since they are broken into age groups (infancy, toddler, school age, teenager).  When I first bought this book in 2013, I only read the infant and toddler chapters since my oldest was a mere 4 years old.  Recently, I picked the book off the shelf again to read through the school-aged section since I have two kids in that category.

The final three chapters, in my mind, focus on the troubleshooting and "what do I do with this information".  They help you as a parent identify how your own childhood relationship with food could be affecting how you parent, how to determine if maybe your child has a food issue that could use professional intervention and also tips and recipes to help with meal planning and execution.

So there you have it, I highly recommend looking this book up either on Amazon or at your local library.  I've found it to be a resource worth having around the house!

Favorite Recipes for a Quick Serve Dinner

The past couple days have been about how to plan and how to shop, today I'm sharing some of my all-time family favorite recipes for a quick serve dinner.  There are lots of recipes that we enjoy but the ones listed below are meant to help you get dinner on the table during a busy weeknight.

Keep Calm and Cook On

Crockpot: everyone's favorite fix it and forget it appliance
-- applesauce BBQ chicken
If you've tried applesauce chicken before in the crockpot and were underwhelmed like me, the addition of BBQ sauce makes this a winner
--  honey sesame chicken
This recipe calls for 1cup of honey, feel free to use 1/2 - 3/4 and you'll still enjoy it
-- honey bourbon chicken
Contrary to it's name, there is no actual bourbon in this recipe but the taste is on point.  Like other recipes with honey this recipe calls for 1cup of honey, feel free to use 1/2 - 3/4 and you'll still enjoy it
--  crockpot falafel
This recipe cooks in about 3-4 hours so put it together during naptime and enjoy for dinner. 
--  ground beef
Brown up a couple of pounds (or 5-7lbs depending on the size of your crock) of ground beef without having to stand over the stove for an hour.  This is a great time saver for making chili, tacos, shepherds' pie or any other recipe that calls for cooked ground beef
--  20 to 40 clove garlic chicken
The amount of garlic is up to you.  I make this with drumsticks and serve with mashed potatoes drizzled with the onion/garlic juice from the bottom of the crock!
-- crockpot cranberry chicken
This is a fall favorite and quite frankly good year round so when cranberry sauce goes on sale after Thanksgiving buy a few extra cans and make some freezer kits of this meal.

Instant Pot: the new kid on the kitchen appliance block that everyone loves to rave about
-- whole porkloin with potatoes
Everyone loves a one-pot meal and this delivers in under an hour.
-- whole chicken
I skip the browning step depending on my timeline and just place the whole chicken in the pot with whatever seasoning I desire.  Definitely make sure to use the rack or else you might have a hard time getting the chicken out of the InstantPot without it falling apart!  Use the carcass to make bone broth later!
--  sausage and rice casserole 
This is my childhood favorite updated for the Instant Pot.
-- porcupine meatballs
I've adapted this recipe from my stovetop pressure cooker cookbook as well as my childhood; I can't wait to share it with you.

Make Ahead, Double and/or Freeze: a little extra work today could mean dinner for another night
-- black bean taquitos
-- meatloaf
-- shepherds' pie
-- taco meat
-- lentil empanadas

Favorite Recipe Resources
Stephanie O'Dea's A Year of Slowcooking Blog and Recipe Index
Once a Month Meals Recipe Index

In case you missed them, make sure to read my posts on Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping Strategies!

Grocery Store Strategies

This week's posts are all about food -- deciding what to make, buying it, and then making it.  Yesterday I shared my Meal Planning Tips; today is all about Grocery Shopping, tomorrow I'll share links to some of my favorite quick dinner meals!

It feels almost silly to put some of my "tips" into writing because I feel like you'll read them and say "well, duh Courtney, of course!"  BUT I didn't figure some of these things out until the past couple years and I've been grocery shopping for far longer than that so here goes...

-- Have an organized list
    Lots of folks have lists but to truly master the art of an effective and minimally stressing grocery trip you need to have a list that is actually organized.  Once I've shopped a particular grocery store long enough, I generally have a solid understanding of the layout.  So write your list based on the layout of the store.  Group things together that will be together.  If you aren't sure where something is going to be write it at the top and make sure you're always on the look out.
    A second layer to your list organization is noting any coupons you have or need to check.  I usually go through my coupons prior to my trip and pull the ones I know that I am going to use but sometimes there is an item for which I'll have multiple brand coupons (hello cereal aisle) so I need to check and see which offers me the best deal.

An organized list can save you valuable time and money in the grocery store.

-- Don't shop hungry OR dehydrated
    Not shopping hungry helps prevent those stomach growling impulse buys but I find that I need to make sure that I'm not dehydrated either.  Instead of getting hangry I get cloudy and my brain doesn't seem to work quite as well.  All of a sudden determining the cheapest item has me standing in the aisle doing fuzzy math and wondering why it is taking so long.  Another tips I learned from Melissa d'Arabian is to pop a mint or piece of gum just as you go into the store so that you have a clean taste in your mouth and you're less likely to be enticed by the aromas of the bakery, samples, etc.

-- Know your price points
    There are certain items that unless I am in absolute dire straits I will not buy unless they are at or below a certain price especially because I know that if I wait until next week or next month, said item is going to go on sale.  For example, $2/box for Nutrigrain bars is my price point.  If it is $2.71/box, unless I have a coupon, I'm not buying.  Now, when they are on sale for $2/box I stock up and buy a whole bunch [it's how we survive church service with a 2 year old!]  $1.99/lb for pork loin or porkchops is another price point.  That is the going rate at Sam's Club (which mine will cut the giant pork loin into chops for free if you ask the butcher!) so unless it is on sale for less during my usual grocery run, it's not getting bought.

-- Shop the store strategically
    Resist the urge to go right!  Grocery stores are pretty much all designed to encourage the natural inclination to go right which usually leads you straight into the produce, bakery and quick foods section.  Resist!!  Go straight for the middle aisles.  Get your canned goods, jars of sauces, boxes of cereal, toiletry items and then head into the Dairy and Eggs.  Get what you need from there and then head back toward produce along the back wall of the store.  This is most likely where all the meats are.  Grab those on the way and stack them together or place on the carriage under the basket (no leaky meat!).  Top your cart off with all those delicate produce items and then head to checkout since you'll be back near the front of the store.


That's all I got folks, I hope that you can use some of these tips on your next grocery trip to make things just a little bit less stressful!

My Meal Planning Tips

This week is all about food and what it takes to get food on the table.  For me, grocery shopping is a minimum two day process with the first step in the process being MEAL PLANNING.

I'll be honest, I didn't really start taking meal planning to heart until I had my second child and my husband was deployed for a year.  All of a sudden, I had two little people to take care of, one of whom was very needy, and I myself couldn't just get by on goldfish and chicken nuggets for a year waiting for another set of adult hands to free me for a leisured dinner prep.  I realized and began to utilize the sacred naptime for dinner prep as well as discovering a range of freezer cooking recipes.

The biggest part of planning is actually writing something down!  For me, I have found that the standard vertical monthly calendar from Printfree.com is absolutely perfect.  There is enough space to write in an entree as well as note any activities and it's a single sheet of paper which takes of little space and is easy to reference.  I think it's very important to annotate your family's activities and commitments on the meal plan because when filing in dinners you can quickly know that on Wednesday evenings you need a crockpot, scoop and serve or other quick meal so that you can eat as soon as you get home from sports practice.

Monthly calendars, a document protector and a magnetic clip make meal planning painless.

My secret weapon in meal planning calendars is that I keep them for one year (yep, a whole 12 months) in a document protector that is clipped to the side of my fridge.  That way, when November 2016 is coming around, I can pull out November 2015 and remember some of my seasonal favorites that might have been forgotten through the previous months of summer cooking.  At the bottom of the calendar I also might note recipes that interest me or that I remember from previous months so that I have them in a visual queue for the next time I'm planning meals.

There aren't really any right and wrong ways to meal plan.  For me, I like to write out at least 2 weeks worth of meals (we are fortunate to have a chest freezer and second refrigerator) so that I can really stock up when I take a trip to the grocery store.  I also schedule a vegetarian meal once per week as well as a meal that involves fish or seafood (a great meal to have the night before trash day so you don't have to worry about salmon skin or shrimp tails sitting around for too long).  Also, I try and update the  meal plan based on what we actually ate.  This helps me know that I still have a particular freezer meal available or that I didn't actually serve burgers twice in one week.  Finally, I have a mini-white board that is stuck to the front of the fridge where that week's menu is written.  This helps me immediately know what I'm serving so I can consider what prep work might need to be done as well as making sure I have meat thawed and ready to go for future meals.

What's for dinner? Look and see for yourself!

Come back tomorrow and I'll be discussing Grocery Store Strategies so that the necessary chore doesn't have to be a necessary evil!

Kids' Runs and the Daily Struggle to Set the Example

Parenting: full contact sport where an impressionable little person or persons watches, sees and emulates just about everything that you do.

Setting the example is HARD HARD HARD!  We see this all the time in the area of morals and ethics -- yep, I was speeding, didn't come to a full and complete stop, told the telemarketer that the other parent wasn't home when they are sitting right there, said I didn't have any cash on me when I just went to the ATM...the list goes on and on.

However, let me encourage you that there is one area of life that it can be easy less challenging -- Health and Wellness.  Do you want to be healthy?  Do you put a priority on working out and staying fit?  Notice: I did not say do you put a priority on being thin and beautiful.

Part of how my husband and I have chosen to help our kids in these pursuits is by involving them in our sport, running.  Kids' Run are great ways to teach the young ones that fitness can be fun and rewarding.  Sometimes they are an expense that seems a little hefty [$20 for a t-shirt and a run down the street?!] but think of the long-term dividends.  When we lived in New Mexico my kids were fortunate to have a running club at school that was sponsored through a local race organization, RunFit.  They are so proud to wear their race t-shirts and display their finisher medals and their memories are ones filled with positive associations between fitness and fun.

I'd encourage you, if you don't already have a fitness routine or if you haven't seriously considered your health and nutrition choices, consider the immeasurable investment you'd be making in not just yourself but your children.  Start by shifting your mindset, instead of saying, "I'm supposed to eat vegetables", say "I'm so glad that I get to eat vegetables to give me necessary vitamins and nutrients to be healthy and strong."  If you don't like running, try Zumba, go for a walk, watch yoga on YouTube.

It doesn't have to be expensive either!  Most nights, the vegetables on our dinner table were frozen and subsequently cooked in the microwave.  Don't feel like you have to shell out a lot of money for kids' races either.  Set up a course in your neighborhood, invite your friends and draw a sidewalk chalk finish line.  Celebrate the effort and accomplishment by your children!

Whatever you do, just be you, the healthiest YOU that you can be today because your kids want and need you, and your friends do too ;-)

Plyometrics: Explosive Jumping and Expletives

You've got to hand it to good ole Merriam-Webster for making plyometrics sound benign.

Definition of plyometrics

1. :  exercise involving repeated rapid stretching and contracting of muscles (as by jumping and rebounding) to increase muscle power

When in reality I think the secondary definition for plyometrics should be something like this

 2. : exercises where the individual is convinced to jump up and down resulting in a series of expletive laden exclamations and possible urinary leakage

Let's be real, I know plyometrics build strength and get my heart rate up quickly but I wish the schedule of classes at the gym would have an asterisk or something for those classes that involve lots of jumping. *note: wear a panty liner and come with an empty bladder*

My usual gym routine involves some sort of cardio equipment (read: treadmill) and then weights and stretching but I do like to mix it up with a solid hour of Body Pump or a Pilates class on occasion.
Last week, I gave a class called Hard Drive a try.  I should have known the use of the two-riser bench would mean plyos but I naively played along; after all, I was already in the room and by that point didn't feel like running on the treadmill.

The warm-up was a nice series of running in place, some step-ups and jumping jacks.  Nothing to be concerned about.  But then...the first round of an apparent ladder designed by the instructor to make me swear.  Burpees off the bench, jump and turn on the bench oh, and X-jacks off the bench -- seriously lady, there may be two gentlemen in the class but there is a good chance that at least 50% of the rest of us have gone through childbirth at some point and those things are just not nice!  Needless to say, I made it through the workout by pretty much doing a perpetual kegel and swearing between breathless gasps.

At least I didn't have to sneeze... ;)

Are we done yet?!?

Recipe: Instant Pot Sausage & Rice Casserole

Unless you live under a rock, you've heard of the Instant Pot.  And by heard of it, you may have heard people speaking mystically about its magical powers to have dinner on the table in 4 minutes with you not having to lift a finger.  Yes, there are many recipes that involve a 4 minute timer (this included) but there is still some work involved and the entire recipe isn't done and on the table in those four minutes.  Nonethless, I'm a big fan of the Instant Pot.  I've had a traditional stove-top pressure cooker for years and loved the many recipes and flavors I could build in it; the Instant Pot is no exception.

Today I present to you one of my all-time favorite meals.  This is the meal that my mom would always include on the menu whenever I came home from college and still manages to include when I visit.  I've been making Sausage and Rice Casserole for myself and my family for years and after I scored an 6Qt Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 this summer on Amazon's #PrimeDay I decided it was a recipe worth converting from the oven to the Instant Pot.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Instant Pot Sausage & Rice Casserole
  serves: 4-6
  total time: ~30 minutes

Ingredients
- 1lb ground sausage
- 1.5 cups of uncooked white rice
- 1.5 cups of water
- 1 cup of Pictsweet Seasoning Blend (frozen) or fresh diced onion and celery

Directions
1. Using the Instant Pot [Saute] function, brown and crumble 1lb of ground sausage.
2. Once brown, remove sausage to a holding plate and drain any excess grease from the inner pot.  Add 1.5 cups of uncooked jasmine rice to the inner pot along with the 1.5 cups of water.
3. Carefully return the browned sausage to the inner pot.  Add the vegetables on top.
4. Lock cover into place and seal steam nozzle.
5. Press [Manual] and set the timer for 4 minutes.
6. Allow to [Keep Warm] for 10 minutes and then turn off and release the pressure.
7. Stir and enjoy!


Notes

• Save time by having a 1lb bag of sausage already cooked in the freezer.
• The Pictsweet Seasoning Blend is also a great time saver -- it's a pre-chopped, frozen blend of onions, celery, green and red peppers and parsley flakes.  Look for it with frozen vegetables.
• This recipe is very flexible, add more or less of any particular ingredient and it can flex to feed as many mouths as are at your table.  Just make sure to keep a 1:1 rice:water ratio
• This recipe can also be assembled in a traditional casserole dish and cooked in the oven, covered at 400* for about 40-45 minutes.  Increase your water to about 2 cups to account for evaporation.

#MomHacks -- Making the Most of Your Laundry Detergent

I don't know about you but bargain shopping for liquid laundry detergent can be quite mentally challenging.  Maybe I'm overthinking things but I find myself in the detergent aisle debating how to determine best value: price per load or price per ounce.

I've started defaulting to price per load since there are some super-concentrated versions about there that require teeny tiny amount of detergent to get your clothes clean.  With that being said, does that bottle of detergent actually clean the 76 or 150 loads that is claims it will or do you get some number marginally less?  Using the barely legible lines of demarcation on the bottle top to decide how much soap to use is anything but an exact science -- until now!

#MomHacks: Snappies container + rubberband = laundry detergent measurement precision

If you've given birth anytime in the last few years or so you probably have a handful of those 2oz Snappies containers lying around.  My laundry measurement #momhack is quite simple: a Snappies container and a rubber band.  Most laundry detergents will say on the back in the instructions section the actual volumetric measurement for a "normal" load by which their selling labeling is calculated (in the picture it is 1.78oz).  I place my rubber band at this mark on the Snappies container and boom we're in exact measurement business!  If you've got a particularly soiled load, fill above the rubber band line; not so dirty, obviously just use less.

Happy Laundry Days! [since we know there is never just one day of laundry]