Tag: Instagram

Money-Saving Tips & Recipes To Help Families During This Time

Over the past 10 years, I have written a lot of posts that I think might be helpful to our current situation.

I decided to sit down and comb through my archives to make one big post that would compile all the relevant information in one place.

I hope you find this information useful!

Are you doing just fine right now? That’s awesome! In that case, you might consider reading the article GOOD GIFTS FOR FAMILIES IN NEED – Now is a great time to pay it forward if you find yourself with an abundance of supplies!

REVERSE MEAL PLANNING – HOW I SAVE A TON ON GROCERIES BY REVERSE MEAL PLANNING! – This version of grocery shopping is basically what we ALLLL need to be doing now. Most of us don’t quite know what will be available when we head to the grocery store nowadays. Reverse meal planning will help us make the most of what we already have on hand AND what we can gather during our quick socially distanced grocery trips.

HOW TO BECOME A BETTER COOK – LEARN TO COOK BETTER AT HOME TO SAVE MORE MONEY! – I keep seeing posts about friends and family struggling with having to cook more meals/more often than they are used to. Recipes aren’t turning out well. They are getting frustrated with the constant barrage of hungry people in their household. They only have ingredients to MAKE food and less convenience food than before. Learning how to cook can make this time of being stuck at home a more enjoyable and flavorful experience!

10 WAYS TO MAKE LIVING ON ONE INCOME EASIER – Some advice in this post might not be actionable right now. However, there are some tips in this post that might be helpful if you are suddenly one income short right now.

HOW AND WHY YOU NEED TO CREATE A BUDGET – If you have been living without a detailed budget, now is a great time to sit down and make one! Especially if you have lost an income stream or you anticipate a drop in income. When you sit down and write it all out, you might find places you can cut back and you might actually notice you have more money than you thought you did!

Garden shed with tools and flower pots

10 WAYS TO GARDEN FOR LESS! – Finding yourself with some extra free time? Maybe it’s time to start that garden you have always wanted! FYI, some tips in this post might be hard to take advantage of right now. However, you can order most supplies online and many grocery stores actually carry seeds/potting soil as well. If you have the spare room in your budget, this could be a great calming activity!

10 EASY WAYS TO BUILD UP THE EMERGENCY FUND – This might be difficult to do right now when you might be down an income or if you have uncertainty about future sources of income. However, having an emergency fund can bring you SO much peace of mind! It might be worth bookmarking this and coming back to it when life gets back to normal again.

LIVING HEALTHY ON A BUDGET: EXERCISING – Need some inexpensive exercise ideas? Here is an article that has quite a few!

MARRIAGE AND FINANCES – IT’S ALL ABOUT TEAMWORK – If you find yourself having to pinch pennies where you never have before, this could create some struggles in your marriage or your relationship. This is kind of our story about how we figured out how to manage our own finances as a married couple and the struggles that lead to where we are today.

FREE EDITABLE GOOGLE DRIVE SCHEDULE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING!!! – A great resource if your kids are currently embarking on a Distance Learning adventure! Fully editable for your own personal situation. This has REALLY majorly been a huge stress reliever in our household!

Finally, I have TONS of great frugal recipes on my site! Here are just a few that you might want to try out over the next few weeks:

Click here to see all of my recipes!

Also, here are to fun Easter treats if you happen to have the supplies on hand to make these!

SURPRISE RICE KRISPIE TREAT EASTER EGGS ON A SOUTHERN MOM

EASTER FUN: MAKE BUNNY BAIT WITH YOUR KIDS!

Here are some fun at home DIY/kid activity ideas as well:

I hope that some of these posts can help you and your family make it through this difficult time with a bit more peace, good food and cash in your pocket!

Let me know if there are any other ways that I can help! If you haven’t already, join my Facebook Group for more money saving advice, deals and resources!

FREE Editable Google Drive Schedule For Distance Learning!!!

Suddenly find yourself overwhelmed with Distance Learning? With one kid in elementary school and one kid in Junior High, I initially looked at all of the assignments coming in and immediately felt completely overwhelmed! My kids (the junior high one specifically) felt the same.

My kids are not used to getting a week’s worth of work and then figuring out how to pace themselves through it all on their own!

So here’s what we did…I created a quick Google Drive schedule for both kids and then sat down with them and broke things down day by day.

We do not have times on our schedule because honestly, we are not trying to mimic the regular school day here.

When they finish, they finish.

This week the workload was rather light while the school district figured out how to streamline everything, but I can already tell, next week will be more rigorous and the plan is to do more than just review old content, but also to introduce new content.

This is why I think having a plan is SO important.

I decided to share this schedule with everyone because it was honestly such a lifeline for us this week. Distance Learning was NOT stressful for us because we had it all mapped out!

I hope you can use this schedule and adapt it to your own needs!

A few tips:

  1. First, you’ll need to make a copy of this on your own google drive to edit it. You could also download it and open it in excel, but I’m not making any promises that the formatting won’t be wonky!
  2. Next, you can edit this spreadsheet however you need to! Make it work for you and your family! I just threw some random “assigments” in there so you can see what it looks like when it is all filled out.
  3. If you choose to print (I printed for both of my kids!), I have found that highlighting JUST the schedule itself and then printing “current selection” on landscape produces the best looking printed copy.

I hope this helps y’all out!

How To Become A Better Cook – Learn To Cook Better At Home To Save More Money!

Do you want to cook at home more often, but you know you need to become a better cook first? Does your family cringe as you place their dinner plate on the table? You can become a better cook by just picking up a few new and simple habits!

One of the easiest ways to save money is to cook at home. Making meals at home for your family is almost ALWAYS cheaper than getting a meal in a restaurant. Fast food might be cheaper than cooking the same meal at home (think Taco Bell tacos compared to home made tacos with all of the fixings), but the long term repercussions of that fast food might just make you lose money over the longterm in health issues.

The argument I hear OFTEN regarding why people don’t cook at home is that they just don’t think they are a good cook! Or maybe, they think they are an okay cook, but they can’t cook *insert dish here* better than their favorite restaurant can.

I am here to tell you…if this is you…you are WRONG! You can cook! I am under the firm belief that anyone can cook. Maybe you aren’t a good cook now, but you can become a better cook!

Now, here is my caveat…I love to eat out. I love going to restaurants. I do feel I am a good cook. I actually think I am an above average cook when I have the time and inclination! If your budget allows for eating out, then by no means am I saying you need to stop! You still might benefit from these tips to become a better cook though!

My Tips For Becoming a Better Cook

Season, Season, Season –

When I first met my husband, we would go out to eat and he would sometimes declare something didn’t taste so good. I would take a bite, add some salt & pepper and all of a sudden, he couldn’t get enough! The thing I have noticed about most self proclaimed “bad” cooks is that they do not season their foods. (my husband now seasons when necessary and follows this first rule very well!)

Not only do you need to season your food to taste at the end of the dish, you really should be seasoning at every single stage of the cooking process. This is why my recipes (except for baking…baking is like chemistry, you need to have exact amounts!) typically state “Salt & Pepper to taste”. I wish I could also put “to taste” for all of the spices I use, because truthfully…I only season to taste.

Do you hear that? Just because a recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of Italian Seasoning, does not mean you only need to use 1  Tablespoon! Taste it after it’s had some time to permeate the dish. Does it still need more? Add some more!

Let’s say you are cooking a soup. First you are sauteing some veggies to go in your soup. Season them with some salt & pepper as they cook. Next you are cooking the chicken for your soup. Who likes bland chicken? Absolutely nobody. Season your chicken! Now you put your broth in with your veggies and chicken. Allow it to simmer to let the flavors blend, then taste it….and see if it needs more seasoning! (it probably does!). Don’t be afraid to season your food.

If you are on a low sodium diet, you can get very creative with Mrs Dash type no salt seasonings or other herbs and spices. Don’t let your food be bland! Season, Season, SEASON!

Use Reputable Sources for Recipes

Pinterest rocks. Blogs rock. However…when I want to make a dish I have never made before, I head over to AllRecipes. Why? Because I can crowd source my recipes!

I want to make risotto? (I have an awesome risotto recipe here, lol) I will head over there and look for the one that is rated the best. Then I will read the reviews (not all of them, mainly just the top few) and see where people made substitutions or what their comments are regarding the recipe. If there seems to be a theme through all of the comments (this asks for too much broth, you need to cook this for longer than the recipe says, etc), I will take that feedback into consideration.

The reason I say don’t rely on Pinterest and blogs (and I am saying this as a blogger who posts recipes!!) if you are not somewhat experienced in the kitchen is because often there is no feedback. Nobody else is proving the trustworthiness of this recipe. Often, you’ll just see “Oh I can’t wait to make this!” or “Oh this looks so good, I am making it tonight!” in the comment section of blog recipes. Nobody comes back to update whether they made the dish and how it turned out.

There are some exceptions to this. Obviously, Pioneer Woman gets a lot of feedback on her recipes. That said, (and I am not accusing anyone of anything), bloggers can delete comments that criticize their recipes.

Unless you are an experienced cook who can use blog recipes and Pinterest as inspiration and adapt along the way if things don’t taste to your liking (remember, you need to be seasoning and tasting all along the way!), then find your recipes through cookbooks and/or websites that allow unfiltered feedback and reviews.

Use the Right Equipment

Don’t use a cast iron pan for a recipe that requires non stick. You will just give yourself a headache.

Don’t try to shred cheese using a fork. Make sure you have a cheese grater.

You really don’t have to spend a ton to have a well stocked kitchen. However, investing in good kitchen equipment that withstands repeated cooking, and makes your life easier, is well worth it.

My favorite kitchen items are:

My Instant Pot

My Ninja Foodi

My KitchenAid Stand Mixer

However, you don’t need any of those pricey appliances (although they sure do make my life infinitely easier) to have a well equipped kitchen. Here is all you really need:

This is certainly NOT an exhaustive list. You might find you have no use for a potato masher because you use your stand mixer to make your mashed potatoes/mashed cauliflower (I do). Or you might not need a cast iron skillet because you have no desire to cook with cast iron.

However, having the right equipment can make the difference between you attempting to cook a whole chicken in a pot on the stove or roasting it in a roasting pan in the oven (I’ll give you one guess for which will taste better and actually cook evenly!).

Use Shortcuts

Speaking of roasted chicken! If your budget allows…buy that rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and shred it at home for recipes. Use the carcass for stock and bam…you have made a budget friendly decision that is only a bit more expensive than cooking the roast chicken from scratch at home yourself.

If your budget allows, buy the already cut veggies. The bagged salad. The pre-cooked bacon (although..yuck? I hate that stuff).

Even when you use shortcuts, you can still spend less money and eat more healthfully cooking at home vs going out to a restaurant.

Be Organized and Tidy

This is where I fail y’all. I am just going to admit defeat here! No, I’m not…I will never be defeated by a messy kitchen! I HATE to cook in a messy kitchen, but I also hate to clean the kitchen. What’s a gal to do? (my solution…make the husband and kids do it! Hey, I’m the one cooking, menu planning and grocery shopping!)

Clean the kitchen y’all.

Have you heard of a mise en place?

Mise en place (French pronunciation: ​[mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French culinary phrase which means “putting in place” or “everything in its place.” It refers to the set up required before cooking, and is often used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that are expected to be prepared during a shift. – Wikipedia 

This means that you get everything nice and neat and prepared for cooking à la food blogger style. When you have to run to the pantry while the onions are sauteing, you might just get side tracked and they will burn. Ask me how I know this? Trust me, been there, done that a time or two!

When I start off with all of my ingredients in front of me and a clear and defined work space, my cooking experience is much smoother and much nicer. If you pretend hard enough, you can actually convince yourself you are the next Rachael Ray! (grab the garbage bowl and the EVOO!).

These are my tips! I hope they will help you to become a better cook. I know they all make a difference in MY cooking and I think I am a pretty good cook if I do say so myself!

What are some tips you have for becoming a better cook?

Reverse Meal Planning – How I Save A Ton On Groceries By Reverse Meal Planning!

Have you tried reverse meal planning? Learn how I use reverse meal planning to make a HUGE dent in our weekly grocery budget without having to clip coupons!

Over the past several years, I have discussed here on FFF how I truly feel that the “secret” to saving money on groceries is meal planning. Meal planning can make an enormous difference in your grocery budget.

The difference between walking into my local grocery store with a list and without a list is absolutely measurable. I spend so much more money if I walk in without a plan!

Meal planning in general is one of those tasks that can initially seem super challenging, but once you get into a flow and have a few weeks of plans under your belt, it can become incredibly effortless. OR, you can also just outsource meal planning to a service like eMeals, Eat at Home, Six Sisters, etc.

Even though I do find meal planning to be a huge money saver, the biggest money saver I have found regarding grocery shopping is REVERSE Meal Planning! Oh, and I RARELY use coupons when I reverse menu plan…only if they are right there next to the product and stupid easy to grab!

Click to purchase on Amazon!

Oh gosh, what is this fanciness you might be asking?

Reverse Meal Planning is not for everyone.

Reverse meal planning might not be for you if you don’t have:  

Time – It involves shopping multiple stores, or at least going to one store more often than you would typically go grocery shopping.

A lack of brand/store loyalty – If you REFUSE to give up your favorite brand, or maybe you have specific dietary needs so you CAN’T buy just any kind pasta, etc this might not be the form of meal planning for you.

Creativity – Okay, you don’t need a ton of creativity, but some weeks you might only find foods on sale that are not in your typical wheelhouse! You need to be okay with hopping on to AllRecipes or Pinterest and finding a recipe for something that is potentially outside your family’s typical rotation.

Storage – If you don’t have a lot of storage for both perishables/non perishables, this might not be the meal planning option for you. However, you CAN do Reverse Meal Planning without a lot of storage, but you likely will not be able to build up too much of a stockpile which means you will have to be very inventive in the kitchen from week to week as you will have less of an arsenal to pull ingredients from.

Okay, now that we have established who Reverse Meal Planning is NOT for…

Reverse Meal Planning might be for you if: 

  1. You don’t mind stopping by Kroger on your way home. HEB once over the weekend. Aldi a few times a month. Checking the store ads at Walmart/Target/Amazon Subscribe & Save/insert other grocery store here. You will go to the grocery store more often with reverse meal planning.
  2. You enjoy being a bit creative in the kitchen!
  3. You have room to store extra items for when you find a good deal and you are able to stock up!

You Still Want To Give Reverse Meal Planning A Shot? 

Well, here goes…first off, you walk into the store without a list.

Are you shocked? Are you wondering why I just harped on always entering a grocery store with a LIST above and now I’m telling you to walk into a grocery store without a list?

Are you concerned I am going crazy?

Here’s the thing, Reverse Meal Planning is about creating your meal plans based on what is on sale and what you have in your pantry/fridge/deep freezer.

The longer you Reverse Meal Plan, and the more you build your stockpile, the more money you will save!

How to Reverse Meal Plan

First off, you’ll walk into your local grocery store and raid the markdowns! Look for the loss leaders (the top half of the store ad is usually the loss leaders. These are the items that your grocery store is selling for dirt cheap to get you in the door in the hopes that the rest of your cart will be filled with full priced items).

My biggest hint is to look for Manager’s Specials in the meat department. 90% of the proteins I bring into our home are either on sale or Manager’s Specials that are 25-75% off the retail price! Use good judgement here, if the meat already looks iffy…it won’t get better looking at home. I ONLY buy markdowns if they look just as good as the full priced meat.

Often these proteins are so deeply discounted only because they are close to their “sell by” date.

Guess what though? I have a deep freezer! I package all of these proteins in freezer friendly bags and write the date on them (FoodSafety.gov has a great chart for how long items can stay refrigerated/in a typical freezer/in a deep freezer).

Then I scan the rest of the store for good deals. The signage for markdowns in most stores is generally pretty clear. You can usually whiz down aisles pretty quickly and the markdowns will stand out.

You HAVE to be able to resist impulse purchases. Adopt the motto, if it’s not marked down…it does not go in my cart! 

Do this at as many local stores as you have access/time to visit. At first, you’ll still have to menu plan a bit traditionally.

I recommend trying to use Week 1 and Week 2 of Reverse Meal Planning as “clean out the pantry/fridge” weeks. As you gradually build your stockpile, you will be able to menu plan based on what you have on hand. You will rarely be shopping for THIS week’s groceries each week. 

Instead, this week’s grocery shopping trip will be for fresh produce (on sale if possible), fresh dairy for your family and finding markdowns to stockpile for future menus. You will also likely have to buy a few items here and there to flesh out your meal plan.

For instance: 

I might have a dinner of pork chops (found on markdown and frozen a couple of weeks ago), mashed cauliflower (frozen bag of cauliflower found on sale about a month ago and stashed into my deep freezer) and a spinach salad planned for dinner one night this week.

This week, I will put a bag of spinach for my spinach salad on my grocery list, but otherwise, everything else for this meal I already have on hand!

Reverse meal planning will not be for everyone. It requires time and effort. There are many other alternatives to reverse menu planning that will also save you money and cut down on your grocery bill. I encourage you to give it a shot though. Or do a hybrid!

Leave a couple of days of the week unplanned until after you grocery shop. Use your grocery store markdown finds to play your own personal version of Chopped based on what you find.

Do you reverse meal plan? Are you considering it? Comment below and let me know what you think!

Zulay High Powered Milk Frother Handheld Foam Maker for Lattes – Whisk Drink Mixer for Bulletproof Coffee, Mini Foamer for Cappuccino, Frappe, Matcha, Hot Chocolate by Milk Boss – Black *Great Deal!*

Amazon currently has this Zulay High Powered Milk Frother Handheld Foam Maker for Lattes – Whisk Drink Mixer for Bulletproof Coffee, Mini Foamer for Cappuccino, Frappe, Matcha, Hot Chocolate by Milk Boss – Black on sale right now.

  • MAKE RICH, CREAMY FROTH IN SECONDS We coffee lovers are serious when it comes to our coffee. The Milk Boss Frother gives that professional finishing touch to your latte, cappuccino, macchiato or hot chocolate. Make delicious foamy creamer for your drinks at home without a trip to Starbucks with your own milk frother. The benefits of having your own electric drink whisk mixer are endless, you can make your own best latte, you know your tastes best.
  • MATCHA WHISKING, KETO COFFEE & MORE Customers say our frother works better than a manual matcha whisk for making matcha tea and works far better than fork or whisk for keto bullet proof coffee. It works very well to mix nutritious protein powder drinks with no extra container, blender or bottle shaker to wash. Aerate eggs with our mini mixer for the smoothest omelets and scrambled eggs you ever had. Give healthy shakes and smoothies a kick by adding whey powder or egg nog flavor and mixing.
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  • EASY TO CLEAN AND STORE The stainless steel stand gives easy access for foamy goodness in seconds. Cleanup for this matcha wisk & frother is even faster. To clean just put the whisk in hot running water and briefly turn it on – instantly clean! When stored on counter or table it sits nicely next other coffee accessories. Our powerful rechargeable battery and durable hand-held milk frother is powered by two AA batteries (not included) with a compact electric design that easily fits in a drawer.
  • NO HASSLE, KITCHEN HAPPINESS ZULAY GUARANTEE We love and take pride in our milk frother and we back this up with a lifetime guarantee. Have the confidence that this frother will last, if there are ever any issues, just contact us and we will make it right. Order now and be assured that this product will live up to your expectations, guaranteed. If it does not make your foam exactly how you want it, we got you covered. Happy Frothing. Bulletproof is a registered trademark of Bulletproof 360, Inc.

Click here to see the discounted price.

At the time this post was published, this product had a significant discount (please note that pricing can change at any time, and make note of the price before you checkout): 01/06/2020 12:57:55

Disclaimer: Details, Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Click here to find more awesome deals! 

Enjoy!

Homemade Air-Fried Breakfast Potatoes Recipe

These homemade air-fried breakfast potatoes will be a hit with the whole family. This is an inexpensive breakfast recipe that can be used with your air fryer and/or Ninja Foodi. These air fried breakfast potatoes offer all the homefry hashbrown goodness of their deep-fried relatives with a fraction of the fat and calories! You will want to try these air fried breakfast potatoes today! Eat these for breakfast, or my personal favorite, breakfast for dinner!

Potatoes. I will eat potatoes in ALL the ways.

In fact, I’m not sure there is a way that I don’t enjoy to eat potatoes?

However, this way, the way I am about to tell you all about, might just be my FAVORITE way (well…after my famous mashed potatoes of course).

Breakfast potatoes!

Traditionally, these bite-sized pieces of fried potatoes are saturated in a healthy (?) dose of oil. You pour the oil in the frying pan, heat it up and the goal is for the oil to basically *just about* cover the potatoes while they are in the pan.

Yum.

I still love breakfast potatoes prepared this way. It’s still my favorite.

However, I have now found a way to make *almost* the identical breakfast potato recipe that has been my guilty pleasure basically my whole life in the air fryer!

I have a Ninja Foodi, so my directions will be focused on the Ninja Foodi, however, you can make these breakfast potatoes with any air fryer!

I hope you give these air fried breakfast potatoes a shot. I bet they will be a family favorite for you as well.

Here are a few other breakfast recipes you might enjoy as well!

Homemade Air-Fried Breakfast Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients: 

  • Potatoes (I usually do 4-5 for my family) peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • a bit of oil (I usually use olive, vegetable will do just fine though)
  • desired seasonings (I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika)
  • 1/2 an onion diced

Directions: 

  1. The very first thing I typically do is pressure cook my potatoes for one minute. You do NOT need to pressure cook your potatoes. You can boil them for a bit or before you peel them, you can “bake” them just enough so they are slightly soft. This cuts down on air frying time so that your potatoes are basically just air frying to get crispy.
  2. Next, I add my diced onions and season my potatoes pretty heavily and drizzle a bit of oil on them so the seasoning “sticks”. You will need to do this to taste. I measure seasonings on breakfast potatoes with love 😉
  3. Once the potatoes are softened (either via pressure cooking/microwaving/boiling) and seasoned, I air fry these babies at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes (your air fryer might do this faster or it might take more time, just keep an eye on it), tossing every once in a while.
  4. Voila! Enjoy! Perfectly crispy and tasty air-fried breakfast potatoes that taste just as good as the good old deep fried version!

Ninja Foodi Specific Directions: 

  1. Pour 1 cup of water into the big ninja foodi pot.
  2. Add your potatoes and onions into the air fryer insert and season heavily. Toss seasoned potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil.
  3. Close your Ninja Foodi and set to pressure for 1 minute
  4. Quick-release your ninja foodi when the 1 minute of pressure is up.
  5. Remove the air fryer basket and pour out the water.
  6. Air fry the potatoes for 20 minutes on 400, tossing a few times throughout.
  7. Enjoy!

Here are some of my other Ninja Foodi favorite recipes!

Salsa Chicken Bowl with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice Low Carb/Keto – Instant Pot/Ninja Foodi Friendly Recipe

Salsa Chicken Bowl with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice Recipe

This Salsa Chicken Bowl with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice Recipe is keto and low carb friendly. You can make this Salsa Chicken Bowl recipe using your instant pot, your slow cooker or your Ninja Foodi! This comes together quickly and is a great dinner or lunch option!

Do you love getting a big burrito from Chipotle, Freebirds or (here in Texas) Bullritos?

Oh my gosh, it is one of my FAVORITE things to eat! So filling, so many flavors.

Burritos make this Texas girl’s heart happy.

(FYI, if you like Salsa Chicken, you might check out these Ridiculously Easy Chicken Tacos!) 

However, have you ever calculated the nutritional info on those bad boys?

Well, if you want to continue eating them…I recommend you do NOT.

You might get more nutritional bang for your buck by simply omitting the tortilla, but you still have the 2 + cups of rice to deal with.

You might say, just get a salad?

The thing is, if I wanted a salad…I would have gone some place to get a salad. I want a burrito darnit!

This Salsa Chicken bowl combines all of my favorite parts of a restaurant quality burrito bowl with a fraction of the carbs!

It comes together SO quickly too!

Salsa Chicken Bowl with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

  • Steamable cauliflower rice in a bag
  • 3 limes
  • Cilantro
  • Butter (1 Tablespoon)
  • Chicken breast
  • Jar of salsa
  • Guacamole
  • Sour cream
  • Shredded cheddar

Directions:

  1. First off, you need to make the chicken. Just throw your chicken breasts (I used 5 thin sliced chicken breasts) into your slow cooker (4-6 hours on low), Instant Pot (just press the chicken button) or Ninja Foodi (15 minutes) with the jar of salsa (you can reserve a bit of salsa if you want some to top your burrito bowl!).
  2. Meanwhile, go ahead and steam your cauli rice per the directions on the bag.
  3. Melt the butter and then add your cauli rice to a saucepan
  4. Next, add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Top with cilantro (this is by taste!) and put your lid on, keep warm on low until your chicken is finished.
  6. Shred chicken in your kitchen aid (or with 2 forks)
  7. Open cauli rice pot and stir
  8. Add cauli rice to your bowl, then top with chicken.
  9. Now top with guacamole, sour cream and cheddar   

Voila! Enjoy!

You can also use the carnitas recipe from this post in lieu of chicken and it tastes amazing as well!

Salsa Chicken Low Carb/Keto Bowl with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice – Instant Pot/Ninja Foodi Friendly Recipe
Ingredients
  • Steamable cauliflower rice
  • 3 limes
  • Cilantro
  • Chicken breast
  • Jar of salsa
  • Guacamole
  • Sour cream
  • Shredded cheddar
Instructions
  1. First off, you need to make the chicken. Just throw your chicken breasts (I used 5 thin sliced chicken breasts) into your slow cooker (4-6 hours on low), Instant Pot (just press the chicken button) or Ninja Foodi (15 minutes) with the jar of salsa (you can reserve a bit of salsa if you want some to top your burrito bowl!).
  2. Meanwhile, go ahead and steam your cauli rice per the directions on the bag.
  3. Melt the butter and then add your cauli rice to a saucepan
  4. Next, add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Top with cilantro (this is by taste!) and put your lid on, keep warm on low until your chicken is finished.
  6. Shred chicken in your kitchen aid (or with 2 forks)
  7. Open cauli rice pot and stir
  8. Add cauli rice to your bowl, then top with chicken.
  9. Now top with guacamole, sour cream and cheddar   
3.5.3251

 

 

Sausage and Peppers Recipe – Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Stove Top/Slow Cooker Friendly!

A simple and tasty sausage and peppers recipe that can be scaled up or down to feed a crowd or just a few. Very versatile and comes together quickly and easily! This recipe for sausage and peppers can be made on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot or in the Ninja Foodi.

My family likes to switch things up for Christmas. Some years we’ll do a more traditional Christmas dinner. Some years Mexican food and some years (maybe my favorite years?) we’ll do Italian food!

This year, I wasn’t sure what to make. My favorite items were already spoken for (lasagna and spaghetti!) and I knew that whatever I made had to be able to travel well, sit out possibly for a bit (when we say we eat at 6…that usually means 7), and feed a large crowd (my family Christmas usually has well over 25 people).

I love Sausage and Peppers and it scales very well for a crowd! It’s also incredibly flexible and easy to make. You can easily half this recipe for sausage and peppers if you are just cooking for your immediate family. You can also opt for spicy italian sausage, opt for turkey sausage, and you could also make this entire recipe in your instant pot or Ninja Foodi if you want!

Because I was making sausage and peppers for such a large crowd, it was easier for me to do the sauteing of veggies and sausage in a large pan on the stove, but when I make this just for my small family, I do the whole sausage and peppers recipe in the instant pot using the saute and then the slow cook feature.


Be sure to taste this and play with the seasoning! Add more Italian seasoning, more salt & pepper, some red pepper flakes if your family likes things spicy, etc. Let me know how you adapt this sausage and peppers recipe!

Sausage and Peppers Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 packs sweet Italian sausage
  • 2 onions sliced
  • 1 each red, green, yellow and orange bell pepper sliced
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 jar marinara

Directions: 

  1. Cook sausage links whole until browned on all sides (won’t be cooked through)
  2. Remove from pan
  3. Put butter and olive oil on pan and then sauté veggies and garlic with seasoning until veggies are just softened.
  4. Add jar of marinara to slow cooker or instant pot
  5. Pour cooked veggies in with marinara.
  6. Slice partially cooked sausage up and then pan fry just to get both sides brown (might have to do this in batches)
  7. Add sausage to slow cooker/instant pot and cook on low until you need to serve!
Sausage and Peppers Recipe – Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Stove Top/Slow Cooker Friendly!
Ingredients
  • 2 packs sweet Italian sausage
  • 2 onions sliced
  • 1 each red, green, yellow and orange bell pepper sliced
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 jar marinara
Instructions
  1. Cook sausage links whole until browned on all sides (won’t be cooked through)
  2. Remove from pan
  3. Put butter and olive oil on pan and then sauté veggies and garlic with seasoning until veggies are just softened.
  4. Add jar of marinara to slow cooker or instant pot
  5. Pour cooked veggies in with marinara.
  6. Slice partially cooked sausage up and then pan fry just to get both sides brown (might have to do this in batches)
  7. Add sausage to slow cooker/instant pot and cook on low until you need to serve!
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Lizzie’s Corner: Tiny Dish Soap Slime

Dish Soap Slime Recipe

Interested in making dish soap slime? Dish soap slime can mostly be made by using household ingredients. It is a very simple and inexpensive slime to create, and it is very fun to play with the result!

Say hello to Lizzie! Lizzie is my daughter and she is a very smart, fun and creative little girl. Lizzie has been wanting her own corner of the internet for awhile now, so we had the bright idea that from time to time, she could share this space with me and post some of her creations, thoughts and ideas! Please comment and share your feedback with her by commenting below (please be kind!). 

I have loved slime for a long time and today I thought I could share my ideas with others! To make this slime I took household items and mixed them together. Hope you enjoy!

Dish Soap Slime Recipe

Materials :

  • Measuring cups
  • Bowl
  • Small air tight container
  • And something to stir with.

Ingredients:



Steps to make Dish Soap Slime:

1. Put in  1/3 of a cup of clear glue.

2. Add 1/2 of a cup of white glue.

3. Mix well

4. Add 1/3 cup of dish soap.

5. Mix well

6. Add 2 teaspoons of corn starch

7.mix well

( Optional glitter )

Notes (troubleshooting for your dish soap slime):

My slime is too stiff! Try adding a tiny bit of lotion.

My slime is to wet and watery! Add more corn starch.

If there are any other problems with your dish soap slime, please comment down below and I’ll try to help.

Interested in making your own slime? You might also like the following kid friendly creative posts!:

Make your own doodle paint!  -This DIY make your own paint recipe uses ingredients you likely already have in your pantry right now!

9 Slime Recipes – here are a bunch of different slime recipes to choose from!

DIY Magnetic Chalkboard – These would be great for a variety of functions: to-do lists, grocery lists, chore chart, and more!

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