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Archives for November 2016

Everyday Moms: Meet Michele

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Do you ever wonder other moms secrets? Like actual real beautiful day to day hard working moms? So often I see a darling one at the park and think wow, she looks so great! I wonder what she is doing so well. With that in mind I thought I’d begin a new series on A Life From Scratch: Everyday Moms. These are moms I know, moms that have been recommended to me, moms that inspire and are beautiful inside and out. Let’s peak into their lives just a bit, shall we?

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Meet Michele!

Location: Manhattan, IL

Job: Director of Admission, Graduate School of Management, Lewis University
          Owner, Silver Branch Photography

Kids: Isla (4)

You’re in your closet – what do you reach for first? There is a space in my closet for my jewelry, so the first thing I always grab is my pair of small silver hoop earrings. They pretty much go with anything I’m wearing, so I wear them often.

Hands down the one beauty product you can’t live without. Only one! My Bare Minerals foundation – I will never go a day without putting it on. I can leave the house wearing just that, and I feel great.

Your daily moisturizer. Are you happy with it? My skincare regimen is a bit different than others since I have a slight case of rosacea, so I use Zenmed’s Support Serum in the morning and in the evening, but it also works as a moisturizer. I love it.

Your nightly moisturizer. Are you happy with it? See above.

Something in your shopping cart online right now that you want to buy – budget is no limit. The Nikon 200mm lens. Anyone have 6k to spare?

How do you feel your beauty routine changed when you became a mom? It got a lot faster. I adore makeup, so I used to do a full face daily for work and even on weekends. Now that I’m a mom, I’ve had to learn to tweak that. I found that I am still comfortable and confident in hardly any makeup, so I’ve given up my longer routine. Now, it is just foundation, blush, eyebrow pencil and mascara. But I can still throw on a dazzling full-face in 7 minutes flat if needed!

Biggest indulgence you allow yourself. My biggest indulgence is my daily coffee. Caffeine is a necessity. After work, I spend time with my family and when my husband is putting my daughter to bed, then it’s off to edit photos for an hour or two. After that, I catch up with my online class. So, I need a lot of caffeine to keep me going. I usually swing through Dunkin’ Donuts every morning for a large iced coffee (black) and I put some vanilla soy milk in it, and on the way home I’ll usually stop for another. Lately, though, I have had a small addiction to the holiday spice flat white from Starbucks (venti, of course). I drove 20 minutes out of my way to get one yesterday. I think I need to back away slowly…

Tell us about your kid(s). I have one daughter who just turned four. She is full of sass and spunk and personality, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s determined and feisty, and set in her ways. Even though that drives me nuts now, I know those traits are going to help her so much as she grows up.

What is your biggest struggle as a mom day today. There is just not enough time in the day. Besides my full-time position, I also teach an online graduate class, and I run my photography business. It’s chaotic and exhausting, but it’s so much fun.

What is your biggest happiness as a mom day today. Watching my daughter grow up confidently and surrounded by love. My husband and I always encourage her and try to lift her up daily, so it brings me joy to see her happy every day.

Snap your fingers – you could have a magic fairy help you with one thing around the home every day. What is it? Cleaning. Ugh. It’s the worst.

Because you are oh so pretty, tell us about your favorite feature! My smile. One of my favorite (and most difficult) teachers in high school told me that my smile was always so welcoming and warm. He was a brazen, tough teacher who rarely showed softer emotions, so that compliment really stuck with me.

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Thank you so much Michele! I so agree with you on your lovely smile. And locals, I have to say, if you are looking for a wonderful photographer she has been photographing our family photos sessions as well as photos for ALFS for years and I could not be more impressed with her work. Be sure to check her out, if you’d like!

 

Thanksgiving salad

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If you’re anything like me, you get out of all the work that is Thanksgiving year after year. We rotate between families and all I’ve got to do each year is bake a few treats or put together a salad and show up. When my work is so minimal compared to others, I know I’ve got to go all out.

Take this Thanksgiving Salad.

It’s got the colors and flavors of fall. It’s rich (think marcarno almonds). It’s healthy (arugula and carrots). It’s creamy (goat cheese). It’s chewy (dried cherries). Basically, it’s got it all going on and is the perfect thing to pile high on your plate next to all the turkey goodness.

Make for Thanksgiving, make it for dinner with friends, make it for yourself tonight. It’s a treat on any occasion. 

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Salad
A flavorful salad perfect for the fall season!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 lbs carrots, I used multi colored
  2. olive oil
  3. salt & pepper
  4. 1/4 cup good maple syrup
  5. 2/3 cup dried cherries
  6. 2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  7. 3 TBS sherry wine vinegar (I used champagne as I did not have on hand)
  8. 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  9. arugula
  10. goat cheese
  11. marcona almonds (YUM!)
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Cut the carrots into 1-2 inch chunks on the diagonal. Toss with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. (I tossed them about midway through).
  3. Remove the carrots, add the maple syrup, toss around and put back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until nice and caramelized.
  4. Meanwhile, combine the cherries and OJ in a small sauce pan, bring to a simmer, then set aside for 10 minutes for the flavors to blend.
  5. For your dressing, combine the vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk in 3 TBS olive oil.
  6. Place arugula in a bowl or platter and add in your cherries (with liquid), carrots, almonds, and goat cheese. Gently toss everything together, sprinkle with sea salt, and serve!
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Slow cooker chicken and biscuits

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Alright with the temps hovering where they have been it’s officially slow cooker season which is great as it’s honestly my first answer to any friend who struggles to get dinner on the table. 

I’m often asked, ‘how do you do it all? Dinner most nights of the week?’ Well, to begin there are many things I don’t do. (Like run miles upon miles per day, wink wink Kelly). Or do any form of the gym scene and/or classes. So there’s that. 

Planning is also huge, huge. Sitting down for 20 minutes and planning out a few meals – I always say to start with two. Write down what you’re going to make, write down all the ingredients and hit the store. If you get those two meals on the table over the course of the next few days consider it a huge success. You so rock. 

Then there is the ‘but I’m gone running kids from 4:00-8:00.’ Ah yes. That is when the slow cooker becomes your best friend.

Take my friend Kelly for instance. I almost saw the lightbulb go on in her head when I told her to think about dinner at noon – not 5:00. Do you thing girl: run, steam, errands, get home, walk the dog pay the bills and then work on dinner prior to school pick up. The slow cooker is perfect for these types of days. Dinner gets started midday and is ready to go when you, the kids, and the husband all are. It’s the answer to almost every dinner time woe. 

Don’t know what to make? Here are a few of our favorites:

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Stew

Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Thighs (serve over brown rice or keep it carb free and roll in lettuce wraps!)

A staple in our home, (and my parents!) this one is so good: Ropa Vieja

And then let’s add a new one. This slow cooker chicken and biscuits. It checks all the boxes: easy, super flavorful, and family friendly. Perfect to throw together on a chilly fall night. What are you waiting for? Add it to your list for this week and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Chicken & Biscuits
A easy family friendly slow cooker recipe!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
7 hr
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
7 hr
Ingredients
  1. 3 carrots, sliced
  2. 3 stalks celery, sliced
  3. 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless skinless chicken thighs
  4. 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  5. Pinch of red pepper flakes
  6. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  7. 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
  8. 3 tablespoons flour
  9. can of pillsbury biscuits to bake (I used reduce fat)
  10. 2/3 cup frozen peas
  11. 2/3 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)
  12. 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
Instructions
  1. Put the carrots and celery in a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Top with the chicken; sprinkle with the garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk the broth with the flour in a medium bowl until smooth and pour over the chicken.
  2. Cover and cook on low, 7 hours.
  3. Come dinner time, prepare the biscuits according to package directions. 10 minutes before serving, stir in your peas and cream (or half and half, whatever you decide to use). Leave the slow cooker uncovered for those ten minutes - this will help the sauce thicken up.
  4. Place biscuits in deep bowls and laddle the chicken dish over them. Top with fresh dill and enjoy!
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Gift guide: for the grandparent that is always on time for preschool pick up

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Yippee! Another Monday another lovely gift guide for that oh so special grandparent in your life. Whether it’s your own or you’re watching your parents now grandparent they are surely something special to be celebrated. We are blessed to have five, yep five, within ten minutes of us. We see them for bbq’s and baseball games and football games and Sunday dinners and birthdays and of course…holidays! Here are some fun ideas to spoil them with this year.

  1. What better way to hang at grandmas than to cozy up on the couch? A new throw is always appreciated, especially when it’s as pretty as this one.
  2. The preview of this book, ‘Funny You Don’t Look Like A Grandmother’, slayed me and I quote ‘doesn’t my daughter realize I have a life of my own? Doesn’t she realize that I play tennis and belong to book club and volunteer at the hospital?’ There are actually weeks I think the grandmas in my life are busier than I am. So, for the oh so hip grandma that bounces around to tennis and golf and book club and volunteering and quilting club this book is high on the list. 
  3. The easiest way to their heart, love the brag books from Pinhole Press. The sleek leather option is perfect for grandpa!
  4. This year was huge for the Cubs! Celebrate with an authentic ballpark pen. (They have other teams too!) Mike has one of these and could not love it more.
  5. For the grandma (or grandpa!) that bakes. Make the pie even more special with a handwritten recipe right on the dish. Beautiful!
  6. Oh, grandparents are so all about games and Restoration Hardware makes some super nice ones that even look great displayed. We love this Clue version!
  7. For the grandma that loves to be pampered, spoil her with some incredibly beautiful bath oil.
  8. Eek! Too cute for words, one for grandpa and one for grandma. Perfect for their morning coffee on the front porch.

And that’s a wrap! If you missed my hostess gift guide you can check it out right here. Happy shopping friends!
C

C’s picks – week of November 13th

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Another week another menu plan! Lots of new tasty dishes to try out this week. Sit down with me for just a few minutes to plan, it’s the easiest way to set yourself up for success in the kitchen throughout the week. Let’s do this!

Sunday night we will be having dinner with family here. My mother in law is making her delicious pot roast and I’ll have a tasty spinach salad and some good crusty rolls for the sides. The boys can’t wait to hang with their favorite (and only, ha) baby cousin Will!

My gal pal Mary Beth sent me this slow cooker thai chicken recipes that looks unreal. Serving it over cauliflower rice with freshly chopped peanuts and cilantro not only makes it super healthy, but, super delicious! 

An oldie but goodie, stuffed bell pepper soup sounds like a perfect dish for a Tuesday night in.

Trying out a new baked tortellini recipe on Wednesday night. This one has a lot of flavors going on with a homemade pesto – YUM!

That brings us to Thursday and to a twist on a typical Mexican dish. I’ll be stuffing acorn squash with all the flavors of chicken enchiladas – OLE! 

And yippee, it’s FRIDAY! Let’s celebrate with a super light and easy pasta dish: parmesan garlic spaghetti. Perfect with a glass of red wine.

That’s a wrap – hope something sounds good for you!
C

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