Archives for March 2018

Ten ways to prep for summer

March 30, 2018 / By Courtney / Leave a Comment

Ah yes. With spring break wrapping up and Easter this Sunday and oh my goodness, the month of April beginning that means one thing is near. That’s right my friends. Even though the weather may suggest otherwise, summer is around the corner. Just about a month and a half until the little ones will be with us. 24/7. For three solid months.

Don’t get me wrong. I love it. The longer days. Boys running like mad in the yard. Pool time. Baseball. It’s all very very wonderful. And yet summer can sort of come with a side of chaos if you haven’t really prepped for it. For someone like me who craves, no, needs routine and structure, at time summer can feel a bit out of hand. A bit too much.

I’ve been able to recognize that in myself so over the years I’ve developed ways to make the days of summer flow a little bit easier. With some work in April and May to prep and get routines and systems in place, summer will be more impromptu visits to the local farmers market just because and less OH MY GOSH WHERE IS THE SUNSCREEN AND WHY DON’T WE HAVE ANY FOOD EVER.

Without further ado, I give you my best ten ways to prep for summer tips. Let’s get it done mamas.

FIGURE OUT CHILDCARE

Now is the time to book your gal (or in my case, your guy). Everyone’s situation is different, maybe you only need a day or two a week (me). Maybe you need full time. Maybe you just need a go to date night person. Or a person to come by for a few hours here and there so you don’t go mentally insane. Lining up your needs now ensures come May when they are running out of school you can sigh a bit of relief that you are not responsible for them for every. single. moment. until school begins again. Because that is just scary and no way to start your summer.

LINE UP ANY CAMPS, ACTIVITIES, SUMMER SCHOOL, ETC

These things fill up my friends. Now is the time to get your kid on the list. We lean pretty light with structured things. I have a love hate relationship with it all. I’ve done heavier activity summers and less heavier activity summers and honestly, both have felt a little crazy. Not sure what exactly the right balance is, you’ll have to figure that out for your own family. This summer I am leaning light and hoping we make it through all the together time okay. An obvious tip would be to line up any camps with their friends, which also hopefully helps you out carpool wise.

RETHINK GROCERIES

If your household is anything like mine (a revolving door) it takes a lot of food to keep everyone happy and fed in the summer. I am still shocked at what we consume on a daily basis. Hungry growing active summer kids eat all. the. food. Unfortunately that lands you in a grocery store almost daily and that just sounds plain terrible. Instacart was a life saver for me last summer. They will shop Costco (and other stores!) for you and the best part, unload your Costco order for you into your home. Worth it. Create an account now if you don’t have one. Amazon Fresh is also delivery groceries now, although I have no experience with that as they are not yet in my area. Don’t want to pay delivery fees? You can order your groceries through Wal-Mart, drive right up, and they will place them in your trunk for you. This means you don’t have to bring your children into the grocery store which we all know is never a fun thing to do, ever.

STOCK UP ON SUMMER ESSENTIALS/MAKE YOUR SUMMER KITS

Why wait until school is out and you are scrambling for the basic summer items? Now is the time to get your sunscreen, your bug spray (we so love this brand), band aids, benadryl itch relief sticks, swim diapers (thank the dear Lord we are out of that stage) and so on and so forth. And now, a life changing tip for my family: make summer kits, however many you may need. I make three: one for our baseball bag, one for our pool bag, and one for my day to day purse. The kits include all the basics: a sunscreen stick, tweezers, bandaids, Advil, hair tie, tampon (ahem), bug spray (our favorite brand comes in a travel size, perfect for these kits), wipes for messy hands, Neosporin, benadryl stick, shout wipes, a pen, etc. I use these clear plastic zipped totes which work great as you can easily see what you are trying to find at any given moment. They have held up great. These summer kits solve the problem of needing things you don’t have or that you left in another bag. Seriously, if you do one thing on this list entire list make yourself some summer kits.

PREP YOUR POOL BAG

Get your pool bag (the best) ready for summer! I get mine all set and organized in the laundry room so it’s ready when we are, or, the darn weather is. I make sure everyone has swimsuits that fit, towels are washed and packed, the pool bag summer kit is stocked, kids have goggles that fit, floaties if needed, and of course, a ball or two because what is a pool trip without a ball? I generally leave an extra set of shorts, underwear, and tee shirt for each boy in the pool bag. We’ve needed them a few times.

PREP YOUR SPORT BINS

This has been another life changing tip for us and is useful for spring and summer, actually – year round! In our home, each of my boys has a sport bin. They know their equipment lives here so that nothing is lost. Their full uniform and cleats live here as well so there is no WHERE ARE MY BASEBALL SOCKS I CAN’T FIND MY JERSEY shenanigans. It’s a very easy solution. Ours lived in our laundry room until I was tired of the boys dragging their dirty cleats and bags over to it so now they are in a clear space right outside the garage door. We get home from baseball, boys dump their equipment and cleats in the bin, take off their uniforms, I wash them, and return to the bin until the next game. Works like a charm.

CLEAN OUT YOUR PANTRY, STOCK YOUR PANTRY, AND MAKE YOU GO TO STOCK LIST

Again, food doesn’t last more than five minutes in my home in the summer. A well stocked pantry and fridge is a solid way to start the season strong. Another great tip is to make your own family’s top ten stocked items. These are go to grab and go healthier(ish) snacks that are great to have around for hungry guests. Think bulk orders of string cheese, hummus packs, almonds, popcorn, baby carrots, sliced apples, etc. Just items that are good to have on hand for the endless ‘I’m hungry’ that you will be hearing over and over again.

CLEAN OUT THE KIDS CLOSETS

Take a day or two in the next month and sit in their closets and donate anything that doesn’t fit or they just don’t plain wear. This will make them getting dressed daily much easier and avoid the whole they just throw things on the ground because they don’t fit or like them. Make sure they have at least two swimsuits each that fit and are ready to go.

CREATE A CHORE OR ROUTINE LIST THAT IS EXPECTED OF YOUR KIDS

We haven’t really gotten into the whole chore chart/reward system thing in our household. I sort of just expect my children to be decent humans and to do basic things like: bring in their plates, put their clothes away in the laundry, clean the playroom, pick up toys in the yard and general day to day stuff. I write out a list that is expected of them and post on their bulletin boards (most they are already naturally doing by habit) and throw in a few weekly items as well. That way kids, mom, dad, sitter – etc – are all on the same page as to what is expected of them.

CREATE A (SMALL!) SUMMER BUCKET LIST

To be honest, bucket lists sort of give me hives. I don’t know, the thought of doing all. the. fun. things. and feeling like a failure if you didn’t. It’s too much pressure! Yet then my darling sister in law had the idea of each family member picking one simple item. Four fun things? Well even I can handle that! I recall last summer not going to my absolute favorite farmers market in Woodstock to buy the most beautiful fresh flowers. Once fall arrived, I totally regretted it. So, I’ve already got mine picked out. Time to get the boys and Mike on board with theirs.

Happy summer planning! It’s going to be here before we know it…
C

Slow cooker garlic citrus chicken

March 28, 2018 / By Courtney / 2 Comments

Oh my goodness you guys.

You know if I start a recipe with that it’s gonna be good.

There are times were I sort of feel like just begging you to make a recipe. And these would be one of those times. Can you pretty pretty please make this one? Just for me?

Mike and I were dying over this one. The flavors of all the garlic, fresh orange juice, lime juice, spices, and jalapenos. Hold me. Don’t worry, if you are sensitive to spice it doesn’t get spicy. Mike can barely handle mild salsa and he was just fine with this recipe.

Actually, more than fine.

We finished the entire dish. Lesson learned, double up this baby. And maybe throw in some potatoes to get your carbs if you need it, although we served ours over brown rice which was lovely as well. Because heaven forbid we eat a meal without carbs.

Slow cooker Wednesday, let’s get it going friends!

SLOW COOKER GARLIC CITRUS CHICKEN
Recipe adapted from Fit Slow Cooker Queen

INGREDIENTS:

4 bone in skin on chicken thighs
7 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, sliced thin
red potatoes,
1 jalapeno, sliced (seeds removed)
1 lemon, sliced
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp evoo
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp oregano
1⁄4 tsp cumin

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a skillet over medium high heat with a little olive oil. Season the thighs with salt and pepper and brown a few minutes per side. (You can certainly skip this step if you’d like).

In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, lime juice, orange juice, evoo, salt, oregano, and cumin.

Add sliced onion to bottom of slow cooker. And potatoes, if using. Place chicken on top.

Pour marinade on top of all the ingredients in the slow cooker.

Top with the sliced lemon and jalapeno. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6.

Spring Orzo Pasta

March 26, 2018 / By Courtney / Leave a Comment

Ah Meatless Mondays.

The intent is always so lovely, isn’t it? I know eating meat every night is not great for a variety of reasons so there are many recipes I really do try and skip the meat.

Like this Spring Orzo Pasta with peas.

It is completely delicious on it’s own and is the perfect solution for Meatless Monday. And yet, you know what I thought would just go oh so perfectly with it?

Some chicken sausages.

I know, I KNOW! I fail at Meatless Monday.

But you don’t have to. You can be better in life than me. You can make this beautiful recipe all on it’s own and have yourself a lovely meatless meal. Because that is exactly what this is. Bright spring flavors of lemon, thyme, and peas. Not to mention freshly grated parmesan and cracked black pepper. This has a lot of things going for it.

With or without the meat.

SPRING ORZO PASTA
Recipe adapted from Oh Sweet Basil

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 Cups Dry Orzo Pasta (I used a mix of whole wheat and non whole wheat)
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 1/2 Cups Chicken stock
1 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves, minced
1 Lemon, zested
Juice of Half a lemon
1 1/2 Cups Peas, fresh or frozen
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally until toasted, about 30-60 seconds. Add garlic and stir it in followed by broth and thyme.

Bring to a boil, cover the skillet with a lid and turn down to a simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta has absorbed almost all the stock and is tender.

Remove the lid and add the lemon zest, juice, and peas and stir until the peas are bright and cooked. Add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

March 23, 2018 / By Courtney / 2 Comments

Isn’t it so funny when us moms get sick?

And by funny I mean awful.

It’s like, no one cares.

I mean, people care. But none of who live with you.

Mike was traveling last week and I wanted to die. It felt like tiny elves were hammering my face, with hammers. I finally broke down one day and asked my mom to handle picking up the boys from school (something I very rarely ask). And I made sure to include instructions to feed them. Because it is a full time job to keep them fed after school and I literally did not have the energy. Or, let’s be honest, the desire to care if they were hungry.

When I picked them up from my mom and was getting Beckett into the car to go home he told me he was hungry.

And I started to cry.

Look, I know both my boys are in full time school but they get out so painfully early. It’s like basically lunch time and it’s a reeeeeeeeeally long time to take care of them from 2:40-8:00 when you are sick. It’s so long man.

Beckett kept asking me me two things. 1. Can I have a snack? and 2. Are you going to throw up?

NO. For the 1,379th time my stomach is fine. I am not going to throw up. But if you keep asking me these things I might drink enough so that I will.

I was in lovely form.

Finally, finally, after a painfully long week and crazy weekend Sunday arrived. Hallelujah. I still wasn’t 100% and didn’t have the energy to sort of really stand over a stove and babysit a soup so my trusty slow cooker came to the rescue. I basically dumped a bunch of ingredients and spices in, turned it on, and went to bed for the afternoon. I didn’t even know where my kids were. Julie? Roberta? Anyone?

That was the turning point. Finally, some true rest. And a huge bowl of some of the best chicken noodle soup I ever had.

Stay well friends, and if you’re sick give this one a go. It’s painfully easy. Or just call me, and I would love to make you some.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I used breasts)
5 medium carrots , peeled and chopped
1 medium yellow onion , finely chopped
4 stalks celery , chopped
4 cloves garlic , minced
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced (you can use dried)
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced (you can use dried)
1 tsp fresh sage (you can used dried)
1/2 tsp celery seed , finely crushed
2 bay leaves (I used fresh)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
1/4 cup chopped freshly chopped parsley
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Crackers for serving, optional

DIRECTIONS:

To your slow cooker, add chicken, diced carrots, onion, celery, and garlic.

Add in olive oil, chicken broth, thyme, rosemary, celery seed, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and cook on low heat 6 – 7 hours.

Remove cooked chicken, allow to cool, shred up and then put back in. Meanwhile, add egg noodles and parsley to slow cooker. Increase temperature to high, cover and cook 10 minutes longer (or until noodles are tender).

Stir in lemon juice right before serving. Serve in deep bowls and top with crackers. Be well.

Entertaining tricks and tips

March 20, 2018 / By Courtney / 2 Comments

Entertaining for me has always come second nature. Hospitality is at the very root of who I am. When you boil everything about me down to the most basic form it’s pretty simple: if I have you in my home and I feed you I love you. I grew up with a mother who truly enjoyed entertaining and I am so happy her love of it all was managed to be passed down to me.

I’d like to think that over the years I took that love and established some great steps, routines, and recipes to make it all just a little easier. Entertaining tricks and tips, if you will. When you’ve entertained a good chunk of your life, you figure out a few things. I think the biggest thing I have learned over the past few years is to acknowledge that what you are doing as an entertainer is a big thing! Opening up your home, cooking food, and making people feel welcome. Those are not little things, by any means. I used to brush it all off ‘it’s nothing at all.’ But it’s something. No matter if it’s grilled hot dogs on paper plates in the yard or beef bourguignon around a beautifully set table. I truly believe it’s important to not only acknowledge that with yourself, but for your spouse to get on board as well. You can’t be a one (wo)man show. We definitely tackle it as a team here and I feel that is one of our biggest strengths.

Ok. We’ve established what you are doing is a big deal. Now let’s get to the nitty gritty. See, as I’m sure you know, entertaining takes work. And it takes planning. Luckily I’m into all that stuff so it doesn’t generally feel like work to me. I sort of view it as a project and break it down into tasks in the days leading up to whatever I am hosting. Here’s a peak inside how my mind sort of makes it all happen. For example sake, let’s say I will be entertaining on a Saturday evening. Here is what I do leading up until then.

Tuesday: (Four days before)

-Set your menu plan based on the event, your guests, weather – etc.
-Write out a list of what you are making and when you will be making it. Be specific (i.e. make baked mac and cheese Friday afternoon. Make cookie dough Friday evening).
-Make your grocery list.

Wednesday: (Three days before)

-Do the majority of the grocery shopping. Some items I wait on, say if we are grilling steaks or need fresh bread. I will always picks these items up much closer to the actual day I am entertaining.

Thursday: (Two days before)

-Take inventory of our drink situation. Do we need to stock up on Capri Suns for the kids? Water bottles? Wine? Beer? This is when I normally let Mike know what we may need from Binnys. Also make a note to buy ice if needed.
-Set the table, including linens and any centerpiece you may use. Small white scentless votive candles are my jam and require little to no thought.
-Set out all serving platters and utensils I will need based on what I’m making. I lean a tad OCD and label them but that’s just me being strange. But I swear it helps.
-Fill water bottles to set out on the table and stick them in the fridge. I swear by these. I don’t bother with ice.
-Begin any cooking that can be made ahead of time. This is normally when I make my go to salad dressing (it’s the best!) as it’s good for a few days in the fridge.
-Send out a text or email to guests reminding them of the date, time, and who is bringing what (if you made any food assignments which I strongly suggest you do)!

Friday: (One day before)

-Continue cooking what can be made ahead of time. It is so rare I cook in front of my guests, almost everything is typically complete the day or so ahead and waiting in the fridge to be baked or warmed up. This helps so much in being able to actually enjoy your company.
-I generally make my cookie dough the day before. I think some time in the fridge actually improves it! Some days I will bake the day before, sometimes the morning of.
-Pick up any items that you could not get on Wednesday. (Fresh bread, steaks, fish, etc).
-As a general rule of thumb, 90% of my cooking is complete by the evening and I don’t cook dinner for our own family the night before I entertain. Dinner out is a welcomed break!

Saturday: (Day of)

-Bake cookies, if needed.
-Last minute cleaning around the home. This includes wiping down the kitchen counters, vacumming, etc.
-Set out wine glasses. I love to write my guests names on them with this wine pen. Seriously, it makes people smile.
-Finish any cooking that couldn’t be complete ahead of time. I will always make my go to appetizer the day of. (It’s so easy!)
-Run and unload the dishwasher so that it’s completely empty.
-Set out cocktail napkins.
-Write a post it note with reminders when to start oven (if needed) and times to put any recipes in the oven. I just stick mine right onto the oven so it’s easy to see and be reminded of.
-Right before guests arrive, turn on some fun music. Light candles. Pour yourself a big glass of water (no one likes a sloppy hostess. Ok, maybe some people do. 😉 ). Lastly, enjoy yourself and all the hard work you put in!

Spreading all your tasks out and having an established routine and a few recipes that are your entertaining go to’s (salad dressing, cookies, appetizer etc) really help the overall process of hosting and makes it feel less overwhelming. Promise. Once you get in the groove, a lot of this just becomes second nature which ultimately helps make everything feel just a little easier.

Happy hosting!
C