two ingredient drink combinations you need to try

I'm coming to you this Tuesday morning with some really good drink combinations you should try!  They have been shared from time-to-time on my Instagram account but they are so good that they are blog worthy!

Here's one for all you coffee lovers!  Almond Milk + Java Mio. A cup of milk with a squirt of Iced Mocha Java or Iced Vanilla Java Mio is a really good and really inexpensive Starbucks replacement if your an iced coffee fan.  FYI, the only place I've been able to find the Java Mio is at Walmart.

If you're more of a tea type of person try this combination; Tazo Wild Sweet Orange + Vanilla Sweet Drops.  So good but without the caffeine. This combination tastes like an orange dreamsicle or push-pop (do you remember those? Do they still make push-ups because I'd probably buy them...).

In case you need a replacement for your daily soda - give this a try! Coconut flavored LaCroix + Wild Strawberry Crystal Light (this is the Walmart knock-off.)  They make a non-caffeine version of this Crystal Light Flavor too. 
Other good LaCroix + Crystal Light combinations are:
Lemon LaCroix + Grape Crystal Light (tastes like a grape soda)
Lemon LaCroix + Lemon Iced Tea Crystal Light

How to Meal Plan for a Whole Month

I'll kick this off by saying I like grocery shopping and I like cooking for my family (feeding them is a different story. I'll just say kids are tough sometimes!)

Now that you all question my level of sanity I'll get on with how I meal plan for a whole month and give you the high points of why I plan out a month at a time.

I first did this on a whim, right before Gabe was born because I knew I wasn't likely going to be taking my newborn out of the house for a couple weeks and I was getting a little bored waiting around for baby Gabe to make his appearance.  Oh - and my husband said I should try it (but this is my blog and my story so let's pretend that this was all me!  Kidding, kidding.)  Regardless of whose idea it was (thanks Adam, you do know what you're talking about sometimes) it worked really well!  It saved time, money and my sanity as well as reduced food waste.  All wins!

Here's how it works:

First, I use this Go-To Meal Ideas form from Emily Ley.
Next, I list out 20 meals for the month and note where to find the recipe.
Then I build my grocery list.
Finally, I go grocery shopping.
All that's left to do is pick a meal from the list on the fridge and make it!

The interesting thing about grocery shopping is that I can spend the same amount of money if I plan for a week of meals as I do for a month of meals.  Does anyone else experience that?!  Needless to say, planning for a month rather than a week is definitely a money saver!

Tips for success:

1. Cook meals with similar ingredients within 5 days to reduce food waste.
2. Store what you can in the freezer until you use it, things like bread and cheese.  If you don't use it all (specialty breads that work for one meal) put it back in the freezer.
3. Make meals with fresh ingredients within the first week.
    I still stop at the grocery store regularly to pick up additional fresh ingredients, milk and things I forgot.
4. Substitute frozen fruit and vegetables when you can to save a few dollars.

In the end I plan about 20 meals to pick from.  I cook breakfast and one planned meal a day for my family, even on weekends.  Saturdays I cook lunch since church is at 6:30pm - we do something quick, like buttered noodles, for supper for the boys. Sundays we plan an evening meal.  Sunday lunches are usually leftovers or sandwiches.  For side dishes, I just list out the possibilities and pair them with a meal - no shame is making the same side dish twice in a month.  Then of course there are pizza nights, date nights and other days we eat leftovers.

I should also note that we stock our freezer beef, pork and whole chickens so the only protein I purchase from the grocery store is pork chops (I buy a loin and have the meat counter cut it when they are on sale - $1.49/lb is a good sale in Iowa), bacon, lunch meat, and frozen chicken breasts. In the summer we have a garden so we freeze green beans and carrots.

I'll post my monthly meal plans to my Facebook page so make sure to follow me there to download my list of monthly meals!  You can also download my April Meal Plan here.

March Favorites

How are we in the last week of March?!  This brings good news and bad news. Bad news... I'm halfway maternity leave.  Good news... warmer weather and sunshine is on its way!!  Woohoo!

Here is my March edition of favorite things I've discovered throughout the month.  They are so good that they are worth sharing!  I've linked all of the items to make them easy for you to shop.

1. Strawberry Guava Diet Coke
2. Rose Water Soothing Facial Mist
3. NARS Soft Matte Concealer
4. Sugar Tinted Lip Balm

Here's why I love these things...

The Strawberry Guava Diet Coke was a random find because I felt weird at the tiny grocery store in our hometown buying an itty bitty bottle of thyme seasoning and a pint of whipping cream with my debit card because I know they have to pay a transaction fee so I grabbed this diet coke.  It was SO GOOD that I bought more at Walmart the next day.

I found the Rose Water Soothing Facial Mist on a whim one day too.  It's good.  It smells good, feels good and adds just enough moisture and shine to freshen up my makeup throughout the day.  I keep it in the bathroom and spray it on nearly every time I pass it.  I also brought it to the hospital with me when I had Gabe... it was nice to feel fresh when you sit in a hospital room for a day or two.

Last week I was going through our bathroom cupboard and came across a sample of the NARS soft matte concealer and thought "what the hell, let's give it a try today" and I fell in love with it.  It feels soft and silky, not greasy, hardly creases and stays put all day long.  So naturally, I bought some. 

And, while I was waiting for the gal in the store to help me pick out the right shade of concealer I found the Sugar Tinted Lip Balm.  I'm definitely more of a lip balm kind of gal. (I really want to love lipstick but don't.) I bought mine in the color Petal. It's the perfect combination of color and moisture. I'll likely have more colors over time or at least another tube of Petal so I can keep one at home and one in my truck/purse.

Report back with what you try - I'm curious if you'll like these things as much as I do!

PS... If you want to give the concealor or tinted lip balm a try sign up for ebates here.  You can get 4% cash back at Ulta or Sephora, depending on where you like to shop.  I use it all the time. (you'll get a few emails here and there that usually got to junk mail but you ALWAYS get your cash back.)

How we celebrate Easter + Easter Basket Goodies For the Boys

Hard to believe that it's already Easter.  One of my favorite memories growing up was getting up early to hunt for our Easter baskets then getting all dressed up and having my hair done especially nice for church, followed by a big Easter dinner with my cousins.  Easter nowadays looks a lot different.  I'm the one planning Easter for my family - how did I come this far so quickly?  And, who gave me all of this responsibility?!

Actually, it's not that difficult.  My husband and I, along with Colton and Hank have our own Easter celebration.  This is strange to me, and honestly, sometimes hard.  I haven't done well letting go of the whole big-family gathering Easter celebrations that I'm used to.  This change came at my husband's request to stick around home for this holiday.  While I thought it was strange at first, it's really started to make sense for our family.  You see, we live a long ways from his family and my family so it's a lot of work to pack up the kids for an overnight stay, or even a quick day trip.  And, when the Easter holiday falls later in the spring - like mid-late April, it's nice to be closer to home since our jobs are both in agriculture. 

So, how do we celebrate Easter?  

Our first priority is to go to church.  Afterall, Easter is a Christian holiday.  Since church is early I'm planning on preparing a simple Easter brunch, served on nice dishes. Strange that I feel as though serving our meal on nice dishes is important enough to share but pulling out the best, even for a small gathering, creates meaning and a sense that what we are celebrating is important.  

Here is our menu:

Cinnamon Rolls (the frozen kind)

The Pioneer Woman's Pretty, Yummy Fruit Salad

Scrambled Eggs

Bacon

Funfetti Cookie Cups (the boys and I will make these together for something to do this weekend)

Let's not forget Easter baskets!  I'm not really big on going all-out for gifts on this holiday and I'm trying to avoid giving them so much candy.  (I think I still have Easter candy from Colton's first Easter.)  So, I'm keeping things pretty simple.  Here's a look at what's going in their Easter basket.

I'm thinking the Easter basket hunt will have to happen after church or we might have a knock-down, drag-out fight over not wearing our new chore boots to church.  (They are not rain boots at our house, they are chore boots.  Remember, I have farm boys.)  I also opted for dollar section type of toys so I don't feel bad if they get wrecked or if they mysteriously disappear one day.  But, do you all remember water snakes??!! I do - I didn't realize they still made them.  Such a good find!  By the way, I love having young kids, I don't have to work hard at hiding anything!

Easter Basket Source List

Stripe Rain Boots - Target | Black Rain Boots - Target | Ferdinand - Target | Water Snakes - Walgreens | Paddle Ball Paddles - Walmart

Happy Easter!

Healthy(er) Eating, Where I Started

You know why I started eating healthier? (This is going to sound weird and crazy) I have always wanted a great pair of legs - Lean, muscular, Miss America-like legs that always look good in a pair of shorts.

But, it's taken me until my 30's and two kids to get on track with healthier eating to (hopefully) get me those legs. Of course I think more about the long-term health benefits for myself and my family.

As I've educated myself more on the topic of health and fitness I found that there are 3 things that are really important. Here they are, in order:

1. Sleep
2. Eating good food
3. Exercise

I seriously thought that just exercise would would do it all. Turns out there is more to it than that. There are some easy changes that I started with and a few resources that keep me pointed in the right direction.

I started with making some simple ingredient swaps - iodized salt, sour-cream, and granulated sugar for sea salt, greek yogurt and pure maple syrup.

Sea salt is less processed than table salt and because it's less processed, it has more flavor resulting in the idea that you may use less. I also think sea salt has a better flavor.

Greek Yogurt is a really easy swap for sour cream.  Anywhere you use sour cream - tacos, fajitas, potatoes, dips - you can swap for greek yogurt. You can also find it in dressings, usually those in the produce aisle. If you are a fan of chip dip, make your own with greek yogurt.

Pure maple syrup  is a really good swap for white, granulated cane sugar. I use it in a lot of recipes and put it in my oatmeal.  There are some online resources that show you how to swap it for granulated sugar. Pure maple syrup does come with a bit of a price tag so buy it on a grocery shopping trip when your husband is not with you (I'm telling you this from experience.) Other really good sugar substitutes are raw honey or coconut sugar.

I've also found a few clean-eating cookbooks that not only have good recipes but are really good resources. I've been able to successfully make these for my strictly meat-and-potatoes and casserole liking husband.

My favorites are the Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook, Dashing Dish, Lexi's Clean Kitchen, and Nutrition Stripped.  The recipes are all pretty normal, run-of-the-mill dishes. They just have healthier ingredients. All of these authors have blogs full of recipes and really good instagram accounts that serve as really good resources.

Additionally I've tried to add a vegetable and protein to every meal, and eat snacks that include a vegetable or fruit, protein and healthy grain or healthy fat. Snacks are my biggest downfall - not because I eat junk, I just don't stop during the day to eat snacks which leads to poor meal decisions sometimes.  I also try to make something healthy I can grab for breakfast as I'm running out the door like these blueberry donuts.

Now that I've shared all of this, you need to know this one important thing about me. I'm a sucker for Cheetos (the Simply kind), Casey's pizza, and sweets (give me all the cookies and caramel m&ms).

However, I did find the perfect healthy cookie for you all (actually my sister found it and recommended it to me). I made these ones last week and they are SO GOOD! Here is the recipe.

Cheers!

Where I Get My Daily Dose of Inspiration

Social media has become a double-edged sword to for me - it can be a huge distraction to ourselves, our relationship and our families.  It can also be a source of inspiration for areas in our lives where we have an interest. For me that's faith, fashion, food, fitness, home decor and mom life.  (Huh! I guess I have more interests than I thought!)

So, here are a few people that I follow to get my daily dose of inspiration.

FAITH

First 5 App

Strengthening my faith. That's always a good place to start the day.  My dear friend Leah recommended the First 5 app to me and it has been life-changing! The idea behind it is to spend your first 5 minutes each day with God rather than on social media. I have learned so much about God, the person he is calling me to be and a historical perspective and understanding of what brought us to this place.

FASHION + MAKEUP

Ashley Donielle
Ashley is the cutest mama to be. I found her account on instagram on a whim and I was hooked.  In fact, her style is so me that I bought two tops she recommended.  And, the icing on the cake was that I won my very first blog giveaway on her blog. Whaaaattt? (It was a makeup palette and brushes)

Hi Sugarplum!
Cassie from Hi Sugarplum was one of the very first blogs I followed going back 7+ years ago. She has evolved from home and lifestyle to more fashion and let me tell you, her style is on point.  She's been known to help me to spend a good chunk of change from time to time.

Beauty by Mimi
Ahhh Emily! She has THE BEST makeup - always - and the best makeup tutorials via Facebook live.  I've learned so much about makeup application from her.  She is also a Younique representative and good at it. She's the type of person who you just want to help her business grow. So, if you need Younique products, get them from her.

HEALTHY EATING + FITNESS

Rachel Marthaler
I have personally known Rachel since I was a freshman in college.  She is a beautiful person both inside and out.  Over the past couple of years she has been on a health and fitness journey (go check out her instagram to see this journey or check out her Facebook page.) with Beachbody and has climbed the coaching ranks. After I had Hank, she got me kick started on my own health and fitness journey.  I am now an avid Beachbody on Demand user.  Rachel also has a photography business (Rachel Marthaler Photography) that I highly recommend you check out if you are around Minnesota's Twin Cities South East suburbs.

LL Balanced
Laura Lea is holistic chef from Nashville. Watching her instagram stories has taught me a lot about healthy eating. Her recipes and cookbook are definitely worth giving a try.  I can successfully sneak these recipes on my husband's plate.

Lexi's Clean Kitchen
I've just recently started following Lexi and even got her cookbook for Christmas! Her recipes are pretty simple and filled with good for you stuff - especially if you are gluten free.  You must try out her gluten free cookie dough dip!

HOUSE DECORATING

Chris Loves Julia
Ok - everyone knows Young House Love but do you know Chris Love Julia?! Julia is a must to get to know if you are into decorating your home. Gahhhh... I drool over their house.  If you asked me what my home decorating style was I'd say "Chris Loves Julia." As I begin to slowly re-decorate our home, once our living room addition is done, you'll probably notice that my house may look like a Chris Loves Julia hack. They also have a podcast!

MOM LIFE

One Little Momma
I love following Kilee. Her style is great, basically she is my fashion icon for being a cute, put-together mom. She's also a real mom to 4 (going on 5) boys so I feel she gets me. I think what made me feel the connection to her is that she's the first one to share that life isn't perfect.  In fact, I think we could be friends after she shared on her insta-stories that her boys were eating donuts for lunch while they were getting some work done on their vehicle.  Win!

There you go... a look at my daily inspiration.   As I attempt to start this blogging thing again I thought I'd begin with a soft re-introduction. I hope you stick around.

By the way - who else should I be following for inspiration??!!

My Family's Favorite Beef Recipes

May is beef month in Iowa!  We are a first-generation beef producing family.  Cattle have been my husband's hobby since long before I knew him, starting during his days in 4-H. I've also come to love having cattle - so much so that I've been know to help AI a few cows before I leave for work.  In case you're wondering, I was wearing work clothes... that's how we roll here.

For those of you who want to impress your friends with Iowa cattle facts, here you go: There are 3.9 million cattle in Iowa which makes us the 7th largest cattle producing state in the US.

Anyhow, in honor of beef month here are my family's favorite beef recipes.

RIBEYE STEAK
My husband grills an amazing ribeye steak and when we head out to a steakhouse, this is usually what we order. Sometimes, we go out for supper specifically for ribeye steaks.

ROAST
This is serious home-cooking.  Pair it with mashed potatoes and you have an hearty, filling meal.  For a great recipe, check out The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast.

BEEF STEW
Beef stew is a winter favorite.  There is something about coming in from the cold and having a warm, flavorful meal that satisfies your taste buds.

HAMBURGERS
So simple and so delicious.  It's one of the perfect summer time foods that is universally liked by all.

HOBO DINNER
Have you heard of this?  It's ground beef and vegetables of your choice (we use potatoes, carrots, and onions) sprinkled with olive oil, pepper, and seasoned salt all wrapped up in a tin foil pack and put on the grill.  This is one of our summertime go-to meals.

Enjoy.