October in Review!

We hope everyone had a fun time last night! While we are working off our candy coma, here are our favorite posts from November:

Favorite Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Sandwich Cookies

Favorite Tip for Tuesday

Freezer Cooking Staples

Favorite Organizing Post

Picture Toy Storage Labels

Favorite Activity Post

Weekly Clean & Lean Workout

Favorite "Get to Know Us" Post

Our Hilarious Photo Shoot 

Create: Bulletin Board Re-Vamp

Happy Halloween! :)

I have a huge bulletin board in my office that has been needing some attention. Let's face it, the things are pretty ugly. I mean, that's why we plaster them with pictures, notes, announcements, schedules, and other odds and ends. Although they get covered up with all of these things, I really wanted the bulletin board to look pretty. And fun. And gray. And chevron-y. Yes, chevron-y. I just made that up.

Enter: Hobby Lobby and their fabric department. Lucky for me they had exactly what I was looking for... and it was on sale. Obviously this bulletin board re-vamp was meant to be.

You just need a few things:

bulletin board

fabric

measuring tape

scissors

staple gun

staples

Start by measuring your bulletin board if you don't already have the dimensions.

Then, find a fabric you adore at your local craft and fabric store. Be sure you ask for a little more length than you need- you want the fabric to wrap around the edge of the board.

Lay out your fabric, pattern side down, on a flat surface. Place bulletin board on top of fabric, cork side down. Be sure to center your bulletin board so you have an even amount of fabric on all 4 sides... if you're particular. If you're not, that's ok too. But, I'm kind of particular.

Moving along...

Wrap the extra fabric around the edge of the bulletin board and on to the back of the board. Start with any side and start stapling away. Be sure you're pulling the fabric tight- you don't want it to bunch up or be loose on the front side of your board.

This bulletin board had 2 brackets for hanging, so we had to use a scissors to snip a small hole in the fabric to allow the brackets to be exposed and be used. 

 Pull the bracket through the fabric carefully. 

 Staple right underneath the bracket after you've exposed it. 

Once you have everything stapled, you're done! You could get creative and add embellishments if you want. I kind of like simple and the chevron was just enough for me. Anything more would make it too busy, but that's just me.

Have a super simple craft? Let us know about it! We might try it out and feature it in a future post!

Tip for Tuesday: How to Clean your Granite Sink

We remodeled our kitchen 2 summers ago and the one thing I was super excited about was getting a new sink. You know you're officially an adult when things like sinks, furnaces, and new sewer pipes make you happy.

Anyway, I chose a light colored granite sink- you know, the kind that isn't supposed to scratch or stain. Well, I quickly found out that it's really difficult to get some of the "stains" to come out.

Here is my solution:

Mix baking soda and water together to make a paste. Apply the paste to the "hard to clean" areas on your sink and rub it in with your hands or use a sponge with a "scratchy" side. Use caution when using the sponge- make sure yours is a "no scratch" sponge. Scrub the areas until the stains are gone and then rinse.

Super simple, right?

Do you have a favorite household tip or secret? I'd love to hear it!

My Favorite Granola Recipe

Granola is one of those things that is so easy to make, but I didn't realize how easy it was for a long time. I spent so much money on store bough granola. *Sigh*

One day I was flipping through my favorite magazine- Real Simple- and I spotted a recipe for Easy Granola. I ripped the page out and tried it myself. They don't lie. It is E. A. S. Y. The only thing you've got to watch out for is not over browning. I might have burned half of the first batch I ever made... but never again!

RS's Easy Granola is also very easy to customize. I'm not a fan of coconut, so I swap in walnuts. I like to add Craisins, but you could easily add any dried fruit you'd like. You gotta love variety and options right?

I like to eat my granola over yogurt, but it is also really good plain and dry. Throw some in a to-go container and you've got a healthy snack where ever you go.

I'm sharing my version of this recipe (this is what you see in the picture below) you can find RS's version here. (this is not a sponsored post)

Ingredients:

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Toss the oats, almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl with the maple syrup and oil until everything is evenly coated.

Spread out on a jelly roll pan in an even layer and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Take the pan out of the oven, toss the granola around and then spread evenly. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Once out of the oven, toss again and leave on the pan to cool. Mix in the dried cranberries and store in an air tight container for up to 3 weeks.

What's your favorite thing about granola? Is it the crunchy? The dried fruit? Or do you just love it all? Feel free to share your favorite recipe with us too!

We did a Photo Shoot & it was Hilarious!

This post is overdue. Like, way overdue.

In July, my family and I headed to Oklahoma to visit family and friends. Of course, when you're visiting family there are never-ending plans and people to see, but I was able to sneak in lake time with Lynns at the beginning of our trip.

It was awesome. Not because we did anything overly exciting, unless trying out Pinterest crafts, drinking wine, and eating lots of yummy food from Fresh Market counts. But, those things are the very reason it was awesome- we didn't have to rush here or there, we pretty much sat around the cabin and chatted.

We had talked about how we needed some "head shots" for the blog, so I brought my camera along with the intention of taking some quick shots. What we thought would be quick turned into something totally hilarious. Like, it's even kind of embarrassing to show you some of these out-takes, but whatever. I'm throwing caution to the wind this morning and I'm just goin' for it. Judge us all you want, but this was freaking hilarious. Especially the last pictures in this set- Lynnsey "cleaning" and I'm eating a bowl of fresh fruit. I mean, who comes up with this stuff?! :)

Nervous, Lynns?

 The classic jump shot. Didn't work out too well for us, but it was fun!

 Pat's Pot. 

Not sure what this look is, but it's a bit mischievous. 

I had a hard time being in front of the camera... so I just started giggling.

 CHEESE! 

Cleaning, planning, healthy snacking. Bam.

Well, that was fun. And embarrassing.

What shenanigans will you be getting into this weekend? :)

Reinvent Your Leftovers

I thought once school started and we all got settled into our routine again that life would slow down. I'm always waiting for my calendar to be clear of appointments, weddings, photography sessions, birthday parties, etc. but that never seems to happen!

At the beginning of the school year, I quickly realized that I was not a super mom. No way I was making a fresh and new meal every day of the week- wasn't going to happen. I've never been a leftovers kind of girl either, so that didn't help my problem much. Well, until I realized that I could make 1 or 2 "reinvented" meals from the fresh meal I prepared! I've been doing this now for about a month and it has been awesome! So many of my meals can be reinvented and I plan my meals around this very concept. Not to mention, this way of cooking has been totally awesome for our bank account. :)

Take a peek at how I reinvent some of my favorite meals- maybe it will inspire you to do the same!

Chili reinvented into:
Chili Baked Potatoes
Chili Pasta

Roasted Chicken reinvented into:
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
Sandwiches
Salads
Lettuce Wraps
Chicken & Broccoli Pizza

Turkey Meatballs reinvented into:
Meatball Sandwiches
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Lasagna (crumble meatballs for this)
Calzones
BBQ Meatballs

Ground Taco Meat reinvented into:
Burritos
Taco Salad
Tostadas
Enchiladas
Quesadillas
Taco Pizza
Mexican Sloppy Joes

Salsa Chicken reinvented into:
Nachos
Chicken Tortilla Soup (Pioneer Woman's recipe is the best!)
Enchiladas
Quesadillas
Mexican Stuffed Peppers

BBQ Pulled Pork reinvented into:
Quesadillas
BBQ Pizza`
BBQ Pork Wrap w/ Ranch Dressing

Grilled Chicken Breast reinvented into:
Enchiladas
Chicken Pesto Pasta
Chicken Salad
Grilled Chicken Salad
Cobb Salad
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Chicken Caesar Wrap
Stir Fry

Chicken Tortilla Soup reinvented (drain liquid) into:
Tacos
Nachos

Crock Pot Roast Beef reinvented into: 
Beef Stroganoff
Philly Cheesesteak (sandwiches, pizza, or stuffed peppers)
Tacos
Beef Stew

A few key things to remember:

• If you won't be using your leftovers the next day, be sure to freeze them. Use a freezer bag or a Food Saver to store leftovers.
• When purchasing your meats, be sure to take into account the reinvented meals you've planned and buy the larger package! 
• If you have a larger family, you may have to double recipes (like chicken tortilla soup) in order ot have leftovers. 

Do you reinvent leftovers? What are your "go to" meals? 

Tip for Tuesday: Make your own Chocolate Syrup

I found this recipe on Pinterest a month or so ago. It's so good!!

I use chocolate syrup everyday in my iced or hot mocha so I love the idea of making my own with no artificial ingredients or high fructose corn syrup. Better for ya.

I store mine in two separate mason jars and they last for about 2 weeks. They might keep longer, but I go through them that fast :-)

Here's the recipe from Cleverly Inspired.

Weekly Work Out {Clean & Lean}

It's been a while since I posted about Clean & Lean. But for good reason. :-) I've already shared the basics, you can find them under the tab at the top-o-the-blog, and now that I have my handy dandy treadmill I have been working on some "routines", if you will.

To integrate cleaning my house into my workout schedule I have found that cleaning makes a great warm-up and cool-down. This also reduces the amount of time I'm on the treadmill, But I still get 50 to 60 minutes of workout 4-5 days a week.

Here's what a weeks worth of Clean & Lean looks like for me now (there are a few new moves that will be coming to the blog soon :-)):

Monday
Start a load of laundry
15-minute pick Up
25 minutes on the treadmill
Squats while I transfer clothes from washer to dryer
Standing crunches
Push-ups

Tuesday
{rest day}

Wednesday
Start a load of laundry
Vacuum Lunges
25 minutes on the treadmill
Mopping arms
Laundry Plies
Standing crunches
Push-ups

Thursday
{Some weeks this is a rest day}
Start a load of laundry
Window Abs or Dusting Standing Crunches
25 minutes on the treadmill
Squats while I transfer clothes from washer to dryer
Push-ups

Friday
Start a load of Laundry
Guest bathroom (toilet cleaning squats, bath tub arms, mirror abs)
20 minutes on the treadmill
Master bathroom

Saturday
Dishwasher calves/Dishes
25 minutes on the treadmill
Standing crunches
Push-ups
Clean the kitchen- counters, sink, floors, wipe down cabinet fronts

Sunday
{rest day}

Here are a few mommy machine secrets to make this as efficient as it can be:

• I usually get my hour of workout in while my kids watch an hour of TV. After we get home from school/the babysitter's house it is good for them to have some quiet time and a snack. It also happen that they love Max & Ruby and that show is on from 3-4. Good timing for me.
• I don't beat myself up if I don't get everything done. There are some days that things come up and I have to rearrange my schedule. That's ok!
• I will substitute activities as necessary. This routine isn't the end all, be all of my schedule. Somedays I have way more dishes/kitchen clean up to do so I will swap that in for dusting or laundry. If it's really nice outside we will go for a walk or play soccer in the backyard and that's my "treadmill time" for the day. Flexibility makes it much easier to get things done and stay active!
• I do more housework than this, but these "routines" help me to maximize my cardio work and muscle toning in a one hour time frame. All the other "chores" I do still count, but they just happen before or after my hour workout.
• I remind myself that every thing I do around the house can be active- even if I have to piece my 60 minutes together over a few hours, at the end of the day I will have a cleaner house and a healthier body!

What's your favorite household chore to step up and make a work out? I'd love to know!!

Happy cleaning everyone!

Freezing Left-Overs {Freezer Cooking Secrets}

I'm one of those people who likes left-overs, but only once. When I'm planning our meals I have quite a few that I make because I know we will have left-overs the next night too.

After that, the chances of wasting food go way up. I don't know what it is, maybe I get bored with them, maybe I forget I have them, but left-overs just aren't anything that I rely on after 24 hours.

Because I hate wasting food- I have learned to freeze part of our left-overs. If we have more than enough for one more meal- it goes to the freezer! This little system has worked well for me. I usually use 2 lbs of ground beef when I am making things like chili, tacos, burgers, goulosh, meatballs, etc. For our family, this makes about 3 nights worth of meals. 1 portion is eaten right away, 1 portion goes in the fridge, 1 portion goes in the freezer!

I thaw the frozen meals out for weekend lunches or for busy nights where my meal plan doesn't go as planned.

To save space in the freezer (because I've also got cookies and such in there :)), I use freezer bags whenever I can. Here's my mommy machine secret to filling the bags:

First, get a big bowl or measuring cup. Place a big freezer bag in the bowl and turn the sides down over the edge of the bowl.

Now, fill the bag with your leftovers. Here, I'm putting chili in the bag.

 See how easy that was?

Now, pull the edges of the bag up and zip the bag shut getting out as much air as you can.

Here are my portions to put in the fridge and the freezer! Easy peasy!

Freezer Meal: Turkey Meatballs

Cold weather = comfort food. It's really just that simple. So, it should come as no surprise that I'm about to share with you, what I think, is the ultimate comfort food- turkey meatballs. Simple, healthy, and delicious- especially with a side of yummy mashed potatoes and some veggies on the side.

(Please excuse the horrible lighting in these pictures. It was dark and all I had was my flash. Eek!)

Meatballs are one of my favorite items to have on hand because they can be used for many different dishes and they freeze really well. I serve them with mashed potatoes, use them to make meatball sandwiches, and put them on top of spaghetti!

You can easily make these gluten-free by using some GF bread, which is a major plus in my book!

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey breast

3 slices of whole wheat bread (or gluten-free), soaked in milk

2 tbsp. chopped onion (I use red onion, but you can use any type)

2 tbsp. shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, tear bread slices into pieces and soak in milk.

Mix turkey, onion, cheese, and spices in medium bowl. Be careful not to over-mix. Add soaked wheat bread to turkey mix (the soaked bread keeps the meatballs moist).

Form into balls and place on silicone lined baking sheet (a greased baking sheet works just fine too!). Bake approximately 25 minutes.

TO FREEZE: Allow meatballs to cool completely. Stick baking sheet into freezer for 10 minutes (this step is important- it keeps them from sticking together once frozen in the bag!), then place meatballs into a large freezer bag. 

Tip for Tuesday: Freezer Cooking Staples

What comes to mind when you think about freezer cooking? Casseroles and crock pot meals, right?

My view of freezer cooking is a little different, as I don't take an entire afternoon or even a whole day to make up a bunch of meals to freeze. I freeze things as I go and a lot of the things I freeze are just components of dishes, rather than the dish itself.


Here are a few of my favorite freezer cooking staples:

Ground Beef/Turkey: Use to make a quick batch of sloppy joes, taco meat, burritos, quesadillas, chili, or spaghetti.

Chicken Breast: Throw this in soup, quesadillas, pasta, enchiladas, pizza, salad, or sandwiches. I shred a few and also leave a few whole.

Muffins: I freeze these and send them to school as part of Little Dude's breakfast. I usually pair it with a smoothie or some fresh fruit. Check out this muffin recipe- it's a great one!

Mixed Veggies: Most, if not all, veggies freeze very well. Most of my dishes consist of a mix of onion, peppers, and garlic so I always have this mix on hand. I leave the garlic out, though, as I like to use it fresh. For our favorite soups, I keep a mix of carrots, broccoli, and onion on hand.

Stay tuned for more great freezer cooking tips this week! If you need to catch up on yesterday's post, you can see it here!

What are your favorite freezer cooking staples?

Bake n' Freeze

This week on our CLMM we are talking about the freezer. Lovely freezer. It's so nice to have things at the ready and not too much worry about food going bad. Freezing saves time and money and Jess and I have some great ideas for you this week!

Today, I'm talking about how to freeze the things you bake.

We have shared a lot of yummy recipes lately and the great thing about them is that they can all be frozen! Let's take my Pumpkin Pie Cookies for example, here are some tips that work for these cookies and most of our baking recipes:

1. Double the recipe! The Pumpkin Pie Cookie recipe is double what you normally use for a single batch of cookies- this is because it's easier to use a whole can of pumpkin, but with any cookie recipe, you can double the ingredients and freeze the extras.

2. Use freezer bags. I know this sounds obvious, but the kind of bags you use to freeze your baked goods make all the difference. There's nothing worse than thawing out your cookies or bread and tasting plastic. Gross. I love Ziplock but there are lot of brands that make bags especially for freezing.

3. Let foods cool all the way. This is important because if you have any heat left in the cookies or pancakes, waffles, etc. it will create condensation as the food freezes. This means extra moisture and your cookies will stick together! You also run the risk of soggy food when they thaw. No one wants soggy cookies.

4. Freeze before the second rise. This doesn't apply to cookies, obviously, but it's worth remembering for yeast breads, rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc. With my favorite Honey Whole Wheat Bread, I bake a loaf and freeze a loaf before the second rise using a freezer bag that has been sprayed with cooking spray. This way, when you set the frozen food out to thaw you will also get the second rise- then you bake as directed in the recipe.

Freezing is a great way to mix once and have baked foods like cookies, cinnamon rolls, bread, and rolls for a while!

Friday Fun: Peek Inside my Purse

 Here's my disclaimer for this post: My purse is not this clean. Ever. I cleaned it out just for this post, but don't be fooled. My purse, just like yours, is normally full of receipts and trash... as well as my essentials! 

Last week Lynnsey showed us what was in her purse, so today I'm showing you mine! 

First things first- I've had this purse for a couple years. It's Nine West and my husband picked it out. He has picked out all of my purses, on his own, since we've been married and I always get compliments on them! Not sure how he became such a great purse shopper, but he is!

I always have my Erin Condren Life Planner, business cards, and my Miche wallet. I especially love my wallet because it can be transformed into a purse/clutch in seconds. Sorry to sound like an infomercial, but it's true! I love taking it on vacation so I don't have to lug my big ol' purse around.

Always gotta have my shades, some tissues, my EOS lip balm, and my under-the-table purse hook.

I carry 2 bottles of hand sanitizer, although I'm not sure why. Also some ibuprofen, eye drops, and a tide to go pen for when I spill coffee on my white shirt.

My coffee sleeve. Oh my. Can I just take a moment to tell you how much I love this? Ok, it's a coffee sleeve and a fingerless glove. So, you have the option of putting it directly on your cup, or wearing it as a glove to grip your coffee cup. It's the little things!

Also fruit snacks. Every mom needs to keep a little bribery in her purse at all times.

What essentials do you carry in your purse?

Homemade Vanilla Maple Cinnamon Coffee Creamer

By now you all know I'm a coffee lover, and these cool fall temperatures making me reach for the coffee pot every morning to warm up!

I've recently started experimenting with making my own coffee creamer at home. I just can't handle the fact that store-bought "creamers" contain pretty much anything but cream in them- just a bunch of chemicals and artificial flavors. If you've read my "Cut the Junk" series, you'll know that we've kicked artificial flavors and colors to the curb in our house and I have to admit, my store-bought coffee creamer was probably the hardest for me to give up.

Just to put it in perspective, here is the ingredient list for a popular brand of vanilla-caramel creamer:

INGREDIENTS: WATER, SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, AND LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE)**, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, CELLULOSE GEL, CELLULOSE GUM, COLOR ADDED, CARRAGEENAN.

Can you spot the cream? Milk? Vanilla? Caramel? Yeah... neither can I.

Since the fall season is upon us and I'm obsessed, I figured I'd share my favorite homemade seasonal flavor with you guys today- Vanilla Maple Cinnamon. It reminds me of the maple rolls my parents sell at their bakery. #ohmygoshyum! Yes, I just used a hashtag in my blog post. I also almost said 'LOL" out loud the other day when I read something funny. Woah- social media is getting the best of me, but that's a whole other blog post and I digress...

So back to the creamer- all it takes is a few simple ingredients and a few minutes of your time. I promise you'll never go back to the store-bought "creamer" ever again.

Vanilla Maple Cinnamon Coffee Creamer

Ingredients
1 c. organic 1/2 and 1/2
3-4 tbsp. pure maple syrup (you could use 2 tbsp. for less sweetness)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon (up 1/4 tsp.)

Warm 1/2 and 1/2 and maple syrup in saucepan. Once you see a little steam coming from the pan, whisk in your vanilla and cinnamon. Be mindful as you're adding the cinnamon- add a little at a time and taste as you go.

Remove from heat and pour into a glass container. Mason jars work awesome for this. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Creamer is good for 7-10 days in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

What's your favorite coffee creamer flavor? Let me know- I might try it out next and feature it on the blog! 

Tip for Tuesday: Whisk, don't sift

I can remember making cookies with my grandma and we would sift the flour and baking soda. She had this great metal sifter. As a kid, it was so fun to have that job while baking.

I see the benefit to sifting things- especially when baking with baking soda or baking powder. No one wants lumps of baking powder. But I don't actually like sifting anymore, seems silly, but I find it tedious ;)

Instead of measuring and sifting, now I measure and whisk. It's faster, and just as effective!

Just combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined. Then carry on with your recipe!

Pumpkin Pie Sandwich Cookies

Fall has finally arrived here in OK. I mentioned last week that I have been wanting to make some pumpkin cookies, but our AC was out last week which meant my oven got no play time!

This weekend it was cool outside, cool inside, perfect for some fall baking.

I love this recipe. These cookies taste just like pumpkin pie. Add in some cream cheese icing and oh-my-goodness they are good.

The recipe makes a lot of cookies, but it can easily be halved. I find that making the full batch allows me to freeze some cookies so that I can always have a fall dessert on hand for when people drop by or if we go somewhere. Tis' the season for visiting friends and family so it's nice to have these cookies handy.

If you'd like to make these healthier, sub 1 c. organic applesauce for 1 c. of the butter and just leave out the icing altogether- there's no way to health-ify icing :-)

Ingredients:
2 c. sugar
2 c. butter
1- 16 oz. can pumpkin
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. all spice
2 c. all purpose flour
2 c. whole wheat flour (or you can just use 4 c. all purpose flour)
2 t. baking soda

Icing- 3 oz cream cheese, 2 c powdered sugar, 1 t vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all wet ingredients in a mixer until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir until combined. Slowly add dry ingredients to the mixer and combine.

Using a cookie scoop, place cookies on a cookie sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

Cool completely before icing.

Once cooled completely, you can freeze half the cookies- this recipe makes 8.5 dozen so you'll still have plenty!

To make the icing, combine all ingredients in a mixer and whisk until well combined and icing makes stiff peaks. You may want to add more powdered sugar to taste.

This is what was going on while I was trying to take pics. Just keeping it real for you guys ;)

With the cookies you don't freeze, put icing on the flat side of one cookie and top with the flat side of another cookie!

These do not disappoint, they are so delicious! I recommend having them for breakfast with your coffee. Mmmmm...