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10 Weirdly Interesting Things About Me
#1-I once bought a metal detector from Walmart to help my sister search for her car keys that she had lost while sledding down Old Main Hill at Utah State University. We never found the keys, I returned the used metal detector, and my parents weren’t terribly happy I aided and abetted my sister in her shenanigans. #2-Qualifying for and then running in the Bostom Marathon is at the top of my bucket list. #3-My first job was at age 13, sharing a newspaper route with my sister. Every Saturday dad would help us fold the papers, drive us around and then take us to get donuts. Best job I’ve ever…
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Meal Planning Monday
Mac’n’cheese is a favorite for most people; definitely a favorite of my boys. Except they are super picky about the flavors, they usually prefer the fake Kraft mac’n’cheese with the powder. I have tried and failed to create a made from scratch mac’n’cheese that the amigos are willing to eat…until tonight. This instapot broccoli mac’n’cheese recipe totally hit the spot for all of them, even with the broccoli. AND…the best part is it was completely cooked in my instapot all at once, including steaming the broccoli. Instapot Broccoli Mac’n’Cheese 1-16oz box of small pasta (elbow, shell, bowtie…your choice) 3Tbsp butter 4 1/2 cups water 1/3 cup dehydrated onion 1lb fresh…
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Sprinkle Pudding Cookies
Found this recipe on Pinterest the other day and just had to try it. I figured I like pudding and I like cookies, these must be amazing because they combined those two things. Guess what?! They are amazing! They’ve even been given Bean’s stamp of approval, which he doesn’t do very often with cookies. The original recipe called for vanilla pudding mix, I wanted to try making vanilla and chocolate. Both turned out perfect. ALSO…these cookies are dairy free and are gluten-free if you use gluten-free flour. If you want to try these cookies just head over to here.
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Mother’s Day Gifts
Every mom loves feeling appreciated, especially on Mother’s Day; but trying to decide on what to get mom can be difficult. There is always the easy, predictable route of flowers, chocolates or chocolate covered fruit and a card. Or…you can maybe be a little creative this Mother’s Day. I absolutely love taking baths. It gives me an opportunity to decompress and not be bothered by kiddos for a while. Bath bombs and bubble bath are definitely a favorite. Bath bombs have become so popular that they can be found at Target, Walmart, Walgreens etc. But if you want to make the mom in your life to feel special, Lush has an…
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Meal Planning Monday
When I meal plan each week, I like to have some quick dinner options, especially for days full of chaos and activities. A few family favorites are cheese tortellini with marinara sauce and Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatballs that are found at Costco. Both are no-thinking foods that I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen for. Another thing I love to do is roast veggies for a side dish. Roasted carrots are the ultimate favorite, but roasted asparagus comes in a close second. When you roast vegetables in only some olive oil it brings out their natural flavors. So when carrots are roasted, they get super sweet and when asparagus…
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Summer Fun
I am always looking for fun…yet cheap things to do with my kids during summer. Not much else is more annoying when kids constantly whine and say things like ‘what are we going to do today?’ Or ‘I’m bored mom, what can I do?’ And like the good mom that I am…whenever any of my amigos says something along those lines I follow it up with ‘well, there is laundry that needs to be folded and toilets and showers that need to be scrubbed.’ A personal philosophy of mine is a toilet can never be scrubbed too many times…especially when 5 boys live under 1 roof. When my kids’ school…
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Friday Favorites-Fitness Edition
Now that I have started back into working out, I thought I would share some of my fitness favorites. Now, none of these things are necessary to workout; but they all sure make my workouts easier in some way or another. Whoever said running was a cheap sport, was definitely not a runner. The FlipBelt is by far my most favorite workout accessory. It holds my phone, keys, money, etc. I found it when I went searching for something that would hold my phone when my armband wouldn’t stay on my arm halfway through a long run. I’ve used my FlipBelt for half marathons, for weightlifting, hiking. It…
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Instapot Taco Chicken Soup
Instapot for the win again tonight. Everyone loved this Taco Chicken Soup. Super easy and quick recipe, as well as a cheap meal. Also, this recipe fits into the Macros diet. The consistency was in between a soup and a chili so this would be perfect over a baked potato, russet or sweet. Serving size is approximately 1.4 cups when converted from grams.
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Meal Planning Monday
Mondays are my meal planning and prep days. I know…it’s somewhat unusual. Most people like to plan, shop and prep on the weekends. I find planning and prepping during the week, while the older amigos are at school, is not only easier but gives me time to be more creative with the meals I choose. With Bean and Keegs approaching teen years, their appetites have increased significantly in the last year. I’ve had to get rather creative with meals and snacks to keep them appeased and well fed. Someday soon I will have 4 boys who are teenagers and older and I suspect that I will feel like I am…
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Friday Faves
This week’s faves have been kind of minimal. I started back at the gym this week, I’m hoping to be able to get back to my 9.15min mile by this summer. We will see though. I use to be a hardcore Mizuno running shoe gal, and those are amazing for trail running, but they are super heavy shoes. I’ve found that unless I am training for a long distance race, I prefer lighter weight running shoes. These Adidas Performance Women’s Edge Lux Running shoe has been amazing. The sole padding is plenty and the stretch around the ankle is enough for security, but not too much where it cuts off…
