Lately I have been working on cleaning out closets and drawers and eliminating clutter. That is no easy task when I’m certain that at least one (maybe more) of my children will end up on an episode of Hoarders some day!
One thing that I battle is kitchen drawer chaos! We had soooo much stuff just thrown in, and it was hard to even tell what we had, much less find what we needed!
Before: Don’t judge too harshly!
My 13 year old helps with dishes, so his version of unloading the dishwasher includes dumping handfuls of stuff into a drawer without even attempting to sort or organize.
So, after many attempts at fixing the chaos with zero success, I ordered these trays from the Dollar Tree! Super cheap, durable, and they work like a charm! I had priced these at Kroger and they’re literally 7 times the price! The Dollar Tree trays were the same texture, size and weight, so I went with those!
I love these versatile trays!
Now, there is no empty space for him to just chunk things in. It takes two seconds to put things where they belong, the drawer is much nicer and things are easy to find! I think I’m going to order more for the “junk” drawer and the snack drawer!
After: Much better!!!
Share your organization tips with me! What do you use to keep your items clutter free? Comment belo
I love coffee! I love black coffee, I love lattes, cappuccinos, frappes and more!
What I don’t love is that lately I’ve been gaining weight, so when my pumpkin spice latte craving takes hold, I really don’t need the extra sugar and calories. I’m trying to make some healthier choices and cut back the extra sugars where I can.
I have found a solution! This little mixture is under 50 calories and sugar free! I’m not a big fan of artificial sweeteners because in excess, they make me a little ill, but, ever so often this is a great guilt free treat!
I first start with about half a mug of Premier Protein Shake (Vanilla or Caramel). I heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
I then whisk in 2 tablespoons of Skinny Syrup in Pumpkin Cheesecake flavor. While my whisk is still spinning, I pour in black coffee until the mug is full!
The whisk makes it frothy and it is sooo delicious!
Getting ready to make a Pumpkin Cheesecake Latte!
I have also tried the Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll, White Chocolate, Mocha, Peanut Butter Cup and a few others. I have even mixed flavors and it comes out yummy every time!
Have you tried any sugar free flavors in your coffee? Comment and let me know what you like!
I’ve been back on the keto wagon for less than a week, y’all. But I’ve seen big changes already! (Which I knew I would…I just let my love/addiction for all things sweet cloud my vision!)
I am already about 75% pain free, my skin looks better, I’m sleeping better, and I’m down 4 pounds since Monday!
One way for me to stick to this way of eating is by always having healthier choices for the foods I love! One of those favorites is pizza!
The crust I use is super easy to make and takes just a few minutes!
I start by preheating my oven with pizza stone in it to 400°.
I then take a glass bowl that is microwave safe and add the shredded mozzarella and cream cheese. I then add Himalayan pink sea salt and garlic powder.
Cheeses and seasonings
I microwave for 60 seconds and stir.
1 minute down
My microwave only takes 30 seconds more, but yours may vary. This is what I looks like after the full 90 seconds.
Ready to add flour and egg
I then add my beaten egg and almond flour and mix thoroughly.
Almost ready to bake!
Some people use parchment paper to roll this out, but I find it too sticky.
So, I pull my heated pizza stone out and put the ball of dough in the middle and use a spatula to mash it out until it’s thin and even. I then use a fork to poke holes all over.
I bake at 400° for about 8 minutes.
Ready to flip and top!
I then flip it over to add my toppings. This part isn’t necessary, but I prefer a crispier crust so this makes sure the bottom isn’t soggy!
After flipping cooked crust
Now reduce oven temperature to 350°. Add sauce, toppings and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until your toppings are done!
This is so easy and versatile! We use it for breakfast pizza, BBQ pizza with leftover pulled pork, pepperoni, salami, chicken…whatever your favorites are, just play with it and have fun!
Breakfast pizza
Yummy!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup almond flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. Himalayan sea salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
What are your favorite low carb toppings?! Comment below and share your ideas!
With extra peppers laying around, my family’s love of spicy foods, and my desire to get back into the swing of eating low carb, I decided to prep one of my favorite keto/low carb casseroles!
This is super easy, freezes well, and makes a yummy addition to your meal prepping stash!
As usual, I prep using steam pans and lids because they stack up well in my freezer and prevent freezer burn so my food stays fresh longer!
First I lay out my cream cheese to soften. I also cut my bacon in to small pieces and start frying it.
Bacon!
I then cook my chicken in the air fryer. I prefer this method simply because it’s way less mess!
Just throw the chicken in, sprinkle with some garlic and some Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, and crank it up! The chicken can also be boiled, baked, or cooked in the instant pot. I’ve used all of these methods and they all turn out great! Do what’s easiest for you…that’s the glory of meal prepping! The whole point is to make life easier!
I use my stand mixer to shred the chicken and then cover the bottom of my baking dish
(I add a little extra Cajun seasoning here, but you can skip this step if you prefer less spice!)
Shredded chicken with a little “Slap ya Mama”
Spread softened cream cheese over chicken.
Cap and core peppers and cut in half to layer or you can slice. (I prefer to slice because it’s makes it easier to eat!) Layer over chicken.
Almost ready!
Sprinkle with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.
Ready to bake!
Now it’s ready to go into the oven or freezer for a later date!
Bake thawed casserole at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
As you can tell from many of my recipes that I share, my family loves sweets and we also love spicy! We love Mexican food, Cajun food, or anything with a kick!
We have had an abundance of peppers the last couple of weeks and I have really enjoyed using them. They’re colorful, spicy and liven up many recipes!
Yesterday I decided to make some jalapeno poppers. This recipe is always a hit at our house as well as being an excellent choice to take to gatherings and parties! This can be changed up with various meats and cheeses, but this time I used breakfast sausage and a triple cheddar cheese blend. In the past I have used pepper jack cheese and I have even used leftover BBQ for the meat! Delicious!
I also use a variety of peppers. This batch has jalapenos, poblanos and banana peppers because I had these on hand! For people that prefer less spice, bell peppers are great this way too!
First I sat out cream cheese to soften. I then rinsed the peppers, capped them, cut them in half lengthwise, and scraped out the cores.
Capped and seeded and ready to stuff!
While I was working on the peppers, I had breakfast sausage browning in my copper skillet! (I love that this thing is dishwasher safe!)
I then drained the cooked sausage and used my stand mixer to combine the cream cheese, cheddar, and sausage.
Mixing the stuffing!
I stuffed each pepper half with the meat and cheese mixture, and then laid bacon slices over the top. Some people wrap the peppers, but we prefer them this way. It’s easier to prepare and the bacon cooks up crispier!
Almost done!
This go round, I cooked these in the oven on 375 for about 30-35 minutes. I just keep an eye on them and know they’re ready when the bacon is crispy! We have also cooked these on the smoker or in the air fryer! The smoker is my favorite method because of the extra flavor it adds!
Before cooking
Delicious!
Ingredients:
Peppers – any variety
Bacon slices (I cut into 1/4’s)
8 ounces cream cheese
1 pound ground sausage
8 ounces shredded cheese
What is your favorite appetizer recipe? Comment below and share!
I love my chickens! I already have five human children, but my little hens are like my five feathered children!
Each of my chickens are different colors, sizes, and most definitely different personalities! I love interacting with them and watching how they interact with one another. Some are bossy, some are laid back, and one is a loner. She loves to be off to herself when the others all tend to stay together.
Aside from personality differences and appearance differences, my hens are also very different in their egg laying habits.
Lucy, our Rhode Island Red, is a “mother hen”. She lays an egg at the same time every single day like clockwork. She also lays on everyone else’s eggs! She was our first hen to lay and she seems to tend to everyone else’s eggs as well.
Our other hens don’t lay quite as often. We have 5 hens, but we average 3-4 eggs a day. That’s usually about 2 dozen a week! That’s a lot of eggs, even for a family of our size.
In order to keep up with the eggs, I date my cartons on the days that I begin filling them, and I fill them from left to right so we know which eggs to use first. I have made a little chart that I’ll include to help you know the shelf life of your fresh eggs!
Egg Storage Guidelines
Let me know what you think. Is the chart helpful? Is there other information you could use to help keep up with your fresh eggs? Comment below and let me know how I can help!
With an abundance of peppers from our garden and our neighbor, I decided to make a jar of pepper sauce!
With all the fall dishes coming onto our menu, I NEED some pepper sauce in my life! This is nothing fancy, y’all. Just delicious!
I use this on pinto beans, chili, greens, mix with ketchup to dip fries…so many uses! It is a VERY simple process, but really does take so many dishes to the next level!
I rinsed my peppers, capped them, poked a few holes so the vinegar could penetrate and poked them into this jar.
So pretty!
I used every variety I had! Isn’t it pretty?! In this jar are jalepenos, poblanos, serranos and even a few banana peppers!
Fill with vinegar
Yummy!
Voila! Done! Well, not quiet. The work is done, but this concoction needs to sit for about a week to really incorporate the flavors and it’s ready to go.
I just made one jar this go round, so there was no need to actually can it, but when I make more jars, I will use my pressure canner to seal my jars for indefinite storage!
Some folks add garlic or even peppercorns to their sauce but I prefer just peppers. What do you like in your pepper sauce? Comment below to let me know!
I’ve been doing some deep cleaning this week and I want to share with you my top 5 cleaning hacks that really work and save time and effort!
My schedule is always full of appointments and kids’ activities and running here, there and everywhere, but my sanity can’t handle a dirty house! So, over the years I have created a schedule of deep cleaning tasks that I spread around throughout the month and do one or two things at a time. This keeps the chores done without taking an entire day to do everything! Let’s be honest. If cleaning my house took an entire day, the house would never be clean and my family would have to check me into the loony bin!
Here are my favorite tips to keep things cleaner longer!
1. Baseboards:
I clean my baseboards with this lavender scented cleaner on a microfiber cloth. Once they’re dry, I wipe with a dryer sheet to keep them cleaner longer! The dryer sheet keeps dust from sticking to the surface and it buys me more time between cleanings! (This trick also works wonders on wood blinds!)
This stuff leaves my house smelling clean for days!
2. Stained showers and tubs:
Last year we bought a house that is 15 years old. That means 15 year old tubs and 15 years worth of stains! It drove me crazy! I used every cleaner from the store that I could find and I also tried all kinds of homemade concoctions. They would get the shower a little cleaner and smelling nice, but the stains wouldn’t go away. This week, I have found the answer! Bleach gel!
I added this stuff to my “subscribe and save” order so I get a little discount, and I always have it on hand. I use it in my toilets, but I have found when I use it in the tub and shower, it eliminates all stains! It also works great to clean light colored tile grout!
(In the photo below, I just squirted it on and let it run and soak. I wanted to be able to show you the difference before and after just one use! What I did to clean the whole shower was squirt it all over and used a scrub brush to smear it around. Then let that set for a while and rinsed. Easy!
This is after no scrubbing! Just squirted and let it run, the rinsed after a few minutes so you could see before and after results!
3. DIY Carpet Cleaner
My rugs get a LOT of wear and tear. Lots of spills and lots of messes! I use a regular fabric and upholstery cleaning spray from the grocery store for spot cleaning, but sometimes it needs a deep clean.
I prefer to shampoo the rugs ever so often but my shampooer recently played out, so I have found a new way to deep clean them!
This combo will leave your carpets clean and smelling fresh!
The borax and baking soda sanitize and deodorize, the oxy clean helps with any stains, and the scent boosters make it smell so good for a few days after I clean them this way!
I sprinkle the entire rug with the detergent and I use plain white vinegar in a spray bottle to dampen the rug.
I let this set for an hour or so. (I have to do this during nap time to keep little feet off the rugs!)
The I use my Dyson vacuum cleaner and vacuum the entire area a couple of times to make sure I got all of the detergent up. It smells and looks great!
4. Shower maintenance:
Once I get the stains out of the shower, I keep them out by using a scrubber like this.
I keep one of these in each shower for easy maintenance!
I keep the scrubber filled with the lavender cleaner mentioned above in my shower, and each day when I’m getting out of the shower, I will scrub around the edges and any dirty spots and rinse. This keeps any dirt and stains from setting in and keeps things nice and clean!
5. Microwave
With kids who use the microwave often and don’t cover their food, we have splatters and messes often!
Cleanup is a breeze! I fill a bowl with half water and half white vinegar and microwave for 60 seconds.
I order this from Dollar Tree for only $1! I love cleaning with vinegar!
I then wipe clean with a microfiber cloth.
Easy peasy!
What are your easy cleaning tips?!
Share in the comments below!
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In several posts, you have probably heard me discuss budgeting and meal prepping. In our household, those two go hand in hand!
Feeding a large crew like mine can be expensive, but I’ve learned to shop sales and stock up on items that I know can be used in meal prepping. I also know which items are cheaper to buy in bulk, so I take advantage of those items as well.
One of my favorite meals to prepare ahead of time and stock my freezer with is this easy chicken spaghetti casserole.
This meal is super easy to whip up in big batches, throw in these awesome aluminum pans with lids, label and stick in your freezer!
When I know we are having one of these casseroles, I try to thaw it during the day so I can pop it in the oven for 20ish minutes and be ready to go, but life isn’t always perfect like that, but that’s no biggie! These casseroles can be cooked from frozen but it takes anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours to finish cooking if it hasn’t been thawed.
I love having this type of meal prepped and thawed for quick weeknight suppers because they can be baked in the time it takes me to bathe the littles and settle in after a chaotic day of school drop offs, pickups, gym class, dance class, Bible study, football games, or whatever else I’m chauffeuring my kids to or from!
These ingredients can be multiplied as many times as you’d like and mixes up very well in large batches.
Creamy chicken spaghetti
1 pound cooked angel hair pasta
2-3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
8oz sour cream
1 can rotel (I blend mine because my picky kids don’t like chunks of tomatoes)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese
Mix all ingredients except cheese in a large mixing bowl or with stand mixer.
Put into casserole dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, then cover with shredded cheddar cheese.
This one is ready for the freezer!
At this point, you can cover and freeze for later use, or you can bake if you’re ready to eat!
I bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, when cheese is melted and bubbly.
(This post contains Amazon affiliate links to help you find items that I find useful and helpful in our home. When you purchase using these links, it helps fund this site at no additional cost to you!)
I’m getting ready to thaw a batch of my Mamaw’s Homemade Vegetable Soup for dinner tonight, but I cannot have soup without cornbread!
And, of course, I have to cook this awesome southern staple in my Mamaw’s cast iron skillet!
Y’all, this skillet means more to me than most any other material belonging I have! It was handed down to me from my great grandmother and she has had it since the early ‘40’s. Ever so often, it needs a good scrubbing and reseasoning, and it holds up just as well as it did for my Mamaw for all those years! (This is a great cast iron skillet that reminds me of the one I use!)
This homemade cornbread is so delicious! It has that crispy outer crust, that yummy moist center, and is perfect with soup, chili, peas, beans….even a glass of milk! Yum!
This recipe is so easy!
I preheat my oven to 400 with my oiled skillet already inside.
By preheating the pan with the oven, that oil and the pan get super hot and helps make that crispy crust on the outside!
While the preheating takes place, I measure out my dry ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk.
I then add the wet ingredients and gently stir, just to incorporate. Don’t over mix this, or your cornbread will be too dense. A few lumps won’t hurt!
Batter is ready!
Note: if you don’t have any buttermilk, you can use regular milk and a little vinegar! Just pour your milk into a glass and stir in about a tablespoon of white vinegar and let it sit while you prepare your other ingredients. The vinegar causes the milk to sour and turns it to buttermilk!
Carefully pull your super hot skillet out of the oven and pour your batter in.
Ready for the oven!
Place back in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden and the edges look crispy.
Let cool and enjoy with butter or with your favorite meal!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup white corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
Do you like homemade cornbread? Some people even add sugar to make it sweeter. Comment below and let me know!
(This post contains Amazon affiliate links to help you find items that I find useful and helpful in our home. When you purchase using these links, it helps fund this site at no additional cost to you!)
