Autumn Rose Reo

SafeHome with Your SmartPhone

September 9, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

If you follow me at all, you know I’m a geek about technology.

But it’s not just about having the coolest or newest gadget available, it’s about function, convenience and now safety with safehome devices that are controlled with your smartphone using you WiFi network and/or your wireless network like from Verizon.

While these are several on the market that I recommend from radios, lightbulbs and more, here my top 5 for creating a safer home for when you’re on vacation, at work or just want to keep things rolling along, but a little safer.

Wink Connected Home Hub (affiliate link)

Learn more about the Wink Connected Home Hub

Chamberlain MyQ Garage Universal Smartphone Garage Door Controller (affiliate link)

Learn about Chamberlain’s MyQ Garage Door Controller

Canary Home Security

Learn more about Canary

Belkin WeMo Insight Switch

Learn more about WeMo

Crock Pot Smart WiFi WeMo 6-Quart Slow Cooker

Visit How to Better Step Up Your Home Security to a Safehome for more tips from Verizon.

Learn More about SmartHomes on mamachallenge.com:

Smart Home: Four Must-Haves to Automate Your Home

Not Just a SmartHome, it’s a SafeHome with Verizon

Your New Dream Home is in Fredricksburg at Boot Ranch

September 8, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 24 Comments

Fredricksburg is one of favorite places.

History. Wine Country. Cultural Cuisine. Small Town Hospitality.

Close to all the conveniences of the city, but almost like a world away, just veering out to see where the sky meets the hills is one of those magical moments where time seems to stand still and you can just appreciate mother nature and the current moment of today.

It’s one of those places that you can take a deep breath and just appreciate the handiwork that makes every Texan proud to call this home.

Several months ago I was invited to spend my birthday to “take a break” from everything to stop and smell the peaches (Fredricksburg is world famous for peaches and they smell heavenly.)

As I rolled up the drive way in the blue Cadillac leading up to Boot Ranch, I was taken by the idyllic views of the pink billowy clouds and rolling hills, I was already enraptured, and I hadn’t even driven up to the lobby.

The Boot Ranch community is a 2,052-acre private master-planned community designed to ensure timeless appeal and responsible land stewardship. Featuring Audubon Sanctuary certification, the property is designed to peacefully coexist with the beautiful surrounding landscape and gentle wildlife. Naturally, it also affords our Members spectacular Hill Country views, a premier golf course set within the area’s natural ridges, spring-fed lakes populated with native fish and homesites cradled by nature.

From the estate homesites to overlook cabins and Sunday houses, every aspect of Boot Ranch is designed to embrace the natural terrain while adhering to the highest standards of construction, detail, and design.

Boot Ranch Selects Insperity from Boot Ranch on Vimeo

While we unloaded our things into the beautifully furnished family cabins (available for when family members come to visit you when you live in the community), I couldn’t wait to see what else was waiting. With picturesque paved pathways through the 18-hole Hal Sutton designed championship golf course and a 34-acre golf practice park, even this non-golf-paying fan was ready to pick up a club. But if the views weren’t enough to make you plan the color of your drapes already, the 55,000 sq. ft. members-only clubhouse and village complex, and the 4.5-acre pool and premiere spa will (see slideshow.)

After picking up my chin, the next move on my itinerary included a multicourse wine dinner featuring my favorite friends from Messina Hof with a few new friends. After devouring a venison meal that still gets my mouth watering months later by the gifted Boot Ranch Executive Chef Aaron J. Staudenmaier (previously of Dallas’ own Mansion at Turtle Creek, Abacus, Jasper’s, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen), we were able to watch the sun go down with a movie in the family room and a hands-down AMAZING bacon popcorn I’m still trying to figure out how to make.

While I could have spent days never leaving the property, we were also able to visit all the fun that Fredricksburg was able to deliver with innovative wineries, historical museums my husband can’t wait to come back to, and super shopping at small boutiques/gift shops. And you can’t miss the dining especially with the German heritage that Fredricksburg is known for.

So while one can only wish that staying at Boot Ranch was as easy as making a hotel reservation, the only way you make this dream stay is a “long-term vacation,” by purchasing one of the available properties to build a home at the Boot Ranch or at one of the furnished Sunday houses. Living at Boot Ranch isn’t just your next house it’s a destination for you to call home.

Where’s your dream home?

Clean Your Skin and Your House with Tea Tree Oil

September 1, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 26 Comments

I’m always looking for cost-effective ways to keep my family happy, healthy and in the most natural way possible.

But with so many warnings, disclaimers and recalls on medication today, I am leery of giving them anything that may have long-time side effects. Essential oils, like coconut oil, fish oil and tea tree oil, have swept the nation as an alternative to relieve body woes. But does they REALLY work?

We’ve already shared about the benefits of adding fish oil to your daily regimen, but this product in the CVS/pharmacy radiance PLATINUM line is a staple for under my sink, my medicine cabinet, and even my makeup bag.

Tea Tree Oil Plantation

Tea tree oil is an essential oil with a fresh scent and color that ranges from pale yellow to sometimes colorless and clear. This pleasant oil is an “Aussie,” taken from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia tree, which is native to Southeast Queensland and the Northeast coast of Australia. Tea tree oil has antibacterial properties is best known as a treatment for acne and other skin conditions such as impetigo, fungal infections and dandruff. It seeps into your pores to remove the blockage, disinfects the pores and dries out whiteheads and blackheads. A small drop of it mixed with jojoba oil, which is an oil very close in character to the sebum your body naturally makes, can be a great makeup remover.

“Hello clear skin!”

Have you ever shampooed your hair with product that had tea tree oil in it? It leaves a tingly sensation in your scalp which helps loosen dirt and build up, stimulates growth and honestly feels very relaxing. You can DIY your own tea tree shampoo by simply adding five drops of oil to every eight ounces of shampoo. WALAH – a spa-like experience right at home and it’s like aromatherapy, too!

Tea tree oil is also 100% preservative free, natural, vegetarian and vegan – and makes it great for other household uses like:

A multi-purpose cleaner – Add a teaspoon of oil to a gallon of water to get your windows, floors and kitchen surfaces squeaky clean.
Pest control – Say bye bye to those pesky ants and other creepy crawly things. Wipe your surfaces with an oil and water solution at various points of entry, and the bugs are less likely to slide through.
Mold & stain remover –Add two teaspoons of oil to two cups of water, spray on the mold or stain and wipe clean.
Laundry freshener – Give your laundry detergent a little help by adding two teaspoons of oil to your clothes during the wash cycle. It will keep your washing machine clean and free of build up as well which means it will operate more efficiently.
Diaper duty – Keep your diaper pail smelling fresh by spraying of solution tea tree oil right into the pail. It’s a natural way to keep your nursery odor free and your baby away from toxins.

The radiance PLATINUM tea tree oil comes in a 2 oz. bottle, but it’s highly encouraged to dilute the product with carrier oil to test sensitivity, so the bottle should last a while. Start with a 4:1 ration of carrier oil such as olive or almond to tea tree oil in the initial application to see if your skin and scalp can handle it.

Disclaimer

Under no circumstance should you ever swallow tea tree oil. The side effects include severe rashes, stomach ache, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, drowsiness and possible coma. Unlike olive oil and coconut oil, keep it far away from your pantry where small children might possibly mistake it for an afternoon snack.

Like aloe vera, olive oil and avocado, tea tree oil occurs naturally and has several multi-use health benefits, so give this mate from “downunder” a try at your nearby CVS/pharmacy. AND…an additional way to ensure you get the best price for you, download the free CVS/pharmacy app today. Save time by looking online and the weekly ad to find out what is on sale so you can save the most money.

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Is it Time for You to Go Back to School, too?

September 1, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 20 Comments

The last few weeks have been full of making preparations, gathering school supplies, and winding down the last days of summer, so we all could send off the kids for another year of school.

Then the day came to whisk them off to beat the first bell in their first-day-of-school outfits with new backpacks to encounter another new adventure.

I’m not sure that day who was more scared or excited…me or them.

I know while I will always treasure the time I had with them as babies, I know it’s time for all of us to move to the next stage of our lives as a family, to grow, to expand, and to create the best future for all of us. And as I drove away in my rarely quite car, for the first time in a long time, I finally have a chance to really think about me and what it is I want to be able to do not just with my day, but my future.

As the first four-year college graduate in my family, I was excited to walk across the stage, accept my degree, and go take on the world. While I was blessed to have a good job that offered me tons of experience, responsibility, and travel at a young age, eventually, getting married and starting a family also became part of the plan… and the work thing had to share a little of my time.

Like many parents whose stories sound very similar, somewhere along the way, life took over and I was able to be there for those little steps, big spills and all the other stuff along the way. However, now that nap time and potty training aren’t on the schedule for me, I’ve started spending a lot more time looking into my kids’ education, how they learn and how I can help. I mean we can all agree that school is not what it used to be, but now with kids “in the system,” I feel a huge sense of responsibility to be an active participant in the education process.

~~Lucky for me~~ Through a lot of hard work, while I was working those early years in corporate America, I was also able to earn a masters degree in training and development through the miracle of the Internet. The flexibility to be able to work, travel and still go to school “on my time” was something I’m so thankful I did; not just for the benefit of having a degree, but for being able one day to share with my children as an example to “always reach for the stars.” That degree has helped me not just professionally in my career, but often to be able to understand and communicate with others through technology, and give back to my community.

Although that time was over seven years ago and the world of online education has only improved with increased flexibility, options and the variety of degrees you can…at home, at Starbucks or where ever you need to be in front of a computer.

Kaplan University is a great option for parents like myself looking to figure out how a degree in education can be the right fit to make your next step. Whether you’re considering becoming a teacher to increase your family’s income or broadening your educational expertise, the School of Education Virtual Advisor helps identify a graduate education degree and specialization that supports your goals. Through the VA, you’ll also learn that a degree in education is a vast career with choices in traditional educational environments like a school or university, but also jobs in non-profits, corporations and more with a degree in educational psychology.

Ready to embark on your own adventure in going back to school? See if is the right choice for you.

Smart Choice for Unlimited Phone Plan from Walmart

August 30, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 21 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #FamilyMobileLive #CollectiveBias.

Like most people, as the “hub” of operations for our family, it makes it absolutely necessary to be connected to my mobile phone at all times.

I mean if I was a Barbie, I’d be made with a smartphone sewn on to my hand and if you disconnected it, the Barbie goes into some kind of psychotic episode.

Now, with a child that I want to be able to connect when he’s away, it was time to look at options for a more affordable unlimited phone plan option for our family.

I had heard that Walmart had a phone plan geared towards families, but just because it was cheaper than my current plan, I figured it probably meant that the phones were sub par and the service would be to. “Those plans weren’t meant for super users like me,” I thought.

To make sure I was right on target, I went to Walmart to learn more about its Family Mobile 4G LTE service. I found out I could meet with a special Walmart Family Mobile reps in my local Walmart any weekend. (Just check out here to see when they will be in your area.)

So when I arrived that day, I quickly found my Walmart ESR Luis ready to answer any questions I had – and I didn’t even have to wait in line no line! After being with one mobile provider for more than 10 years, I needed to rethink how mobile service could work and Luis was ready to help.

We first went over the basics to show me how WFM was different as a post paid phone service versus prepaid plans I had heard about. I knew it was going to be cheap, but with an activation $25 one-time fee, $29.88 per month unlimited talk, text and data on the 4G network, and no contract. I have to admit I kept waiting for the “hitch” or here’s where ‘they” get you, but there wasn’t one in the plan. So of course, I was thinking there had to be one in the phones.

There was a lot of OMGs uttered during the conversation with not just the price, but the selection.

Luis, the ESR, kept a smile, but politely and patiently helped me understand that the plan was easy for families (up to four members at the $29.88 price) and that there were several options when it came to phones. Several brands and diverse types of phones (from smartphone and flip phone) were available from Samsung, Alcatel, LG, and more. And when you’re talking about a smartphone for as low as $19.88. However, I wasn’t just focused on finding the cheapest or most popular option, I wanted to be able to find the “right” choice for a phone for my son (and possibly the whole family to use in the future.)

Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/ofmp or your local Walmart for current pricing.

We talked how the phone would be used, how often, etc. and figured that there was a super option with the Alcatel. After finally making a decision (I think I asked him every question under the moon about every phone), in only five minutes we were able to activate the phone, start my service and get me out out of the store! I couldn’t believe it was that easy.

Any thing else I wanted could be handled online with my account. Not only was this super easy for me to use, but I loved I could go online and modify the hours that my son could access the Internet, so I knew he couldn’t sneak in any games after bedtime or during school!

If I didn’t ask enough questions (yes, we spent an hour together because I wanted to go over everything), Luis said I could always call customer service if I couldn’t answer the question online.

Highlights from my Walmart Family Mobile ESR:

One of the most popular WFM service plans includes unlimited phone, data, text for $29.88 (for the first line) on the 4G LTE network (up to 1 G).
WFM is a no-contract, post-pay plan (you pay after you use your plan at the end of the month.)
WFM is part of the T-Mobile Network and has nationwide coverage and international coverage.
Find an ESR your area when your schedule works to discuss the WFM plan and all your options.
Phones included in the plan range in price and services like smartphones including the latest iPhone! (That’s right, you can use an unlocked iPhone with a $29.88 plan) as well as several other phone option.

What’s the best thing about Walmart Family Mobile?

Moms Must Do for Makeup Must Haves: Beauty Brands

August 30, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 16 Comments

Let’s be real.

Makeup can be intimidating and (sometimes) completely unnecessary.

When you accidentally oversleep and still have to get the kids up, pack lunches, and throw on your “good” yoga pants, choosing the perfect nude lipstick is the LAST thing on your mind.

And shopping for makeup can sometimes be just as scary. So many products. So little time. I’m all about the 5-10 minute makeup routine. I need good products that will hide my exhaustion and add just a touch of glam – concealer (because moms don’t sleep, bloggers don’t sleep and a mom that is a blogger really doesn’t sleep), mascara to pry open the eye, powder to keep everything in place, blush to give my face a little bit of definition and a lipstick or even gloss that will make me feel I can take on the world….or at least the day.

Beauty Brands is a great one-stop shop for your makeup must haves and all your beauty needs. From haircare to skincare to makeup and even fragrances, they offer tons of professional products at a price that won’t cause early aging. And the newest location at Village on the Parkway in Addison is right smack dab in the middle of other restaurants and Whole Foods, making it a great place to stop on your lunch break or while running errands.

The store is bright, modern and welcoming to everyone, and there are smiling faces that greet you at the door as soon as you walk in. If you’re a little nervous about makeup, Beauty Brands has beauty specialists, highly-skilled and knowledge professionals, who will help you products perfect for your skin and your lifestyle. The beauty specialists make your shopping experience pleasant and stress free. You can go to them with any question and they are happy to point you in the right direction. The specialists will guide to the right product that will not only make you feel beautiful, but also keep you skin, hair and nails healthy. And they won’t push their own agenda or try to sell you items you don’t need.

One important thing to note is that Beauty Brands only carries professional products like my Peter Thomas Ross , Origins, L’Occitane, and Philosophy are all there ready to be sampled and taken home for your convenience. And they have their own line called KCO that is also very affordable with great quality makeup brushes.

But if you’d like to change your hair color or maybe get a haircut, Beauty Brands has a full spa and salon where they can do anything from a blow out to a mani/pedi or a spray tan if you need it. The salon is clean, has multiple stations and the stylists consistently provide the star treatment for their guests. In a rush, I had a blowout and it latest four days (which for me is amazing), to skim down my morning routine and still make me feel like it was ok to rear my head from the car for school.

Best of all, [Tweet “Beauty Brands Rewards Program: Discounts, competitors’ matching/pricing & accept their coupons.”] (‘m never below saving some money!)

Beauty Brands is a win all around. It’s perfect for people who want to just drop by quickly for a couple of basic products; it’s ideal for those who switch up their routine every month with the latest trends.

Now if only I could find someone who could come to my house and apply the makeup, I would have it all. That’s a whole ‘nother app service to discuss…

It’s your turn – what are your favorite beauty products, and what is one product you have to wear every day?

How Fish and Chocolate Can Help You Lose Weight

August 28, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 20 Comments

I’ve been chasing the same 20 pounds(or more) for what feels like 20 years.

You’d think that after running, they would have fallen off…

One could only hope.

I’ve done a lot of different things to lose weight, but it ain’t easy. It is hard work. It’s a lifestyle change. BUT I know enough REAL people who have to know that if you put your mind to it, anything IS POSSIBLE!

But before going all P90X on me, the first and most important step is taking a look at what it is you are doing and aren’t doing. Like what are you putting in your body and what vital nutrients, vitamins and such do YOU need. That answer alone can be a key into your first step into really making a lifestyle change.

CVS/pharmacy recently released radiance PLATINUM, a line of vitamins, supplements and nutritional drinks designed to provide the support and necessary resources to help reach your optimal health and fitness goals. These products include options that are certified non-GMO, gluten free and certified organic. The line includes several categories including herbals like tumeric, minerals, supplements like vitamin e oil, fish oil, folic acid, and vitamins from A to Z.

DISCLAIMER:

Please consult your physician and speak with the pharmacy team at CVS to learn more about what vitamins, supplements, etc. are ideal for you.

After a daily multivitamin (yes, you need one no matter how good of shape you’re in), fish oil is another highly beneficial supplement to add to your regimen. Whether you are dieting or not, fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, nutrients that our bodies don’t produce naturally, but are critical to heart health. NOTE TO SELF: It should tell you something that OBGYNOs have pregnant women take fish oil with their prenatals as well to assist with the development of your growing baby to make them smarter.

Despite its lovely name, radiance PLATINUM fish oil comes in a gel capsule and is easy to take with eight ounces of water, not with your morning coffee if at all possible. It’s probably not best for small children to take them, but teenagers should have no problem. Warning – if for some reason, you crack the capsule, fish oil will ooze out…well basically there’s a reason it’s in a capsule. So moral of the story – swallow quickly.

Like the actual protein that is life changing in tacos, fish oil has been shown to lower triglycerides (bad fats that are dangerous at high levels and can possibly lead to high cholesterol), prevents heart diseases, decreases the build-up of fat around the arteries and can reduce blood pressure.

In addition to the popular heart benefits, researchers have found fish oil to help with depression, ADD, Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia and other brain disorders. And it has also been known to make hair shinier and skin more luminous and dewy. If shiny hair, smooth skin and the possibility that you won’t lose your sanity doesn’t convince you to try fish oil, I don’t know what will.

Another fitness lesson sometimes forgotten is the importance of consuming enough protein. As women, we are afraid to eat or drink anything, especially protein, that may make the scary number of the scale rise. In reality, we’re actually causing our bodies more harm and risking serious injury. If you increase your intake of protein and nutrients with something like the All-In-One Superfood Chocolate Flavored Nutritional Drink Mix, you’ll receive the energy you need to not only complete your workout, but also not pass out once you leave the gym.

The mix is vegetarian, preservative and gluten free and has 30 servings in each container, so it should last you about a month. You can mix one scoop per day with two ounces of water, blend it with a cup of milk for a cold drink, or add it to your protein shake/smoothie. Your immune system will receive a much-needed jolt, and you’ll find that your workouts are more productive because you’ve given your body the fuel it needs to operate. (I also highly suggest blending a 1/2 banana for a great way to change it up and to add a little fruit to your diet.) And it can make a great “treat” when you are craving a milkshake or iced drink, but without the negative impact to your waistline.

Starting out a new healthy lifestyle regime can be intimidating, but something as simple as taking your vitamins will really have a lasting impact on your health.

Stay tuned for more tips on how radiance PLATINUM can be beneficial to your mind and body including this:

You Spin Me Round…at SPIN! Pizza

August 26, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 11 Comments

Pizza is a very personal preference especially for our family. While starting anything off with cheese and buttery crust can never be bad, for the kids, it’s the environment. For my husband, it’s whether they have gluten-free options other than a salad. For me, I want to feel like I just took a trip to the Italian countryside with innovative ingredients, good wine, and a big ‘ole gelato to finish it off (with or without kids at that.)

In DFW, there aren’t a lot of pizza places that can do all that, but SPIN! Pizza is spinning that around…(one of many puns that SPIN! makes in their name.)

Last month, on a trip to Southlake we began salivating once we checked out the menu before the doors opened to this eatery.

I don’t know if it’s the melting cheese, the fun round (sometimes square) shape or the ability to make it your own masterpiece through simple ingredients that makes it a staple for quick and easy meals. Only good things can happen around a piece of pie and a glass of wine, which is why SPIN! Neopolitan Pizza’s new Southlake location is the perfect spot for date night, family dinner, or girls’ afternoon/brunch!

And SPIN! is more than just pizza. It’s a culinary experience right in the heart of Southlake – passport not needed.

Coming for happy hour, GNO or date night? Take a trip to the SPIN! bin where you can choose your favorite wine, beer or Sangria to drink with your Italian feast. They rotate the wine by the glass daily and the sangria comes in three flavors – red, white or blood orange. No judgement here if you try all three – because I did and they were all legit (I kinda consider myself an expert on Sangria!) However, the blood orange is the one that will really make you want “just one more glass.”

Start your meal with a antipasta plate made with roasted eggplant, creamy cheeses or mondo meatballs. If flatbreads are your fave, they have several Italian-inspired options including a white bean hummus and roasted red pepper with goat cheese that go great with a glass of vino…or just go with the trio and you can get a little of all the goodness.

“Hand-shaved grana, homemade fig onion marmalade, freshly sliced prosciutto, roasted red pepper goat cheese, roasted mushrooms, garlic, eggplants & chicken (just to name a few), crispy, chewy crusts with brown bubbles, authentic Neapolitan salamis, peppers and cheeses, and totally hand-made flavor…” sounds awful, right? Yep, that’s just for starters. There are hundreds of combinations of ingredients you can choose from. For those individuals who have food allergies, you can sub the original crust for gluten-free crust for only $3 and you can add dairy-free Daiya cheese to your pie if you’re vegan or lactose intolerance. My belly is happy already.

But it’s not all about the pizza. There are soups, huge innovative salads and fresh-made sandwiches that can make your taste buds just as happy.

Whether you bring the kids or are you looking for your own sweet creamy treat – gelato, made with all-natural ingredients with fun flavors including peanut butter, caramel and your Italian staple stracciatella, might be a reason to come in all by itself.

Of course, now that you’re mouth is watering, you definitely want to try your turn at SPIN! Enter to win a $100 gift card to SPIN! (with three locations in DFW and one more coming soon.)

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No-Planning Meal Planning

August 25, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 18 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ZiplockBacktoSchool #CollectiveBias

I strive to be organized and well prepared, but it doesn’t always happen.

I have good intentions, especially at the beginning of the school year, to not just get my kids into a routine, but to create efficient and EASY systems that work for my family. I’d love to have meals planned for an entire month, with all my grocery shopping complete, but I just don’t have the time to do it. However, with the new Ziploc® brand Storage bags with Easy Open Tabs, I have a can’t-be-beat meal planning process that takes little work and even gets the whole family involved with what might be the most dreaded question in our household: “What’s for dinner, mom?”

I’m happy when I get to the grocery store, and I’m prepared enough to get all the ingredients for a specific meal. I typically have one hour to go to Kroger, figure out the items my family enjoys and then go home to prepare a meal using the things I bought. However, on some days, I don’t have enough creative space left in my brain to prepare a meal in time for everyone to enjoy it before going to bed. I had to come up with a way to meal plan that didn’t require much thinking so I wasn’t running through the drive-thru every night of the week.

Ziploc® brand has always been a staple in our home for everything from packing for a flight, organizing the kids’ crayons and markers, and of course, storing food. However, their new Ziploc® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs have taken it to a whole new level for me. Not just because they’re easy to grip and easy to open for small or big hands, but I’ve learned to use the colored-tabs to help me meal plan – and here’s how.

Still using my system of running to the store to take advantage of the sales, I purchase proteins (chicken, shrimp, etc.), produce and starches like rice and gluten-free pasta. Then, when I get home, I just need around 20 minutes to cut up my meat and produce. Many other meal planning techniques require you to pick what you are going to cook when, but I don’t always know exactly what we are going to eat and most of all, want, all week.

We need flexibility for whatever might happen on a given day AND what we might want to eat (since sometimes you aren’t feeling Monday’s menu either.) While even at this point I may not know what we’re going to eat, I’ve learned meals like stir fry make it easy to create healthy meals by just having a few basic sauces ready to go.

I take my cut-up proteins into bite-sized pieces/strips and place them in Ziploc® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs. While the meat doesn’t take up the whole bag, you use the Ziploc® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs for a couple of things:

Add a marinade to a Ziploc® brand Storage bag with Easy Open Tabs so you have room to mix the ingredients
Pound your protein into thinner, more tender pieces
Place any leftovers in the freezer inside a Ziploc® brand Freezer bag with Easy Open Tabs (blue tab), so you’re always ready to go

1. Place a “1” on these bags with a marker.

2. Next using both the quart size Ziploc® brand Storage bags with Easy Open Tabs (pink) and a few of the Ziploc® brand containers with One Press Seal, cut up the produce like onions, mushrooms and broccoli into smaller pieces. Additionally, I put healthy and easy nibbles like baby carrots, chopped peppers, etc. in the Ziploc® brand Snack bags with Easy Open Tabs for snacking. This way I have a few already prepared items for me to snack on while I’m cooking dinner or for the kids when they get home from school. On these bags, I place “2.”

3. Then comes time for the fun stuff. For meals like stir fry, the sauce is everything. The sauces are super easy to make and only get better with time if you prepare them in advance. I have a few standard recipes for chicken and beef I always use, and if you’re feeling creative, you can add a little something else. Again stir fry meals give you that flexibility to make it what you want. Sometimes I mix these up in advance and sometimes I make them on the fly, but if you have time, put them in a Ziploc® brand Sandwich bag with Easy Open Tabs (green) and place them in the fridge with a “3.”

4. Now here’s the magic. You’re set. On Monday or Tuesday when the dinner conversation begins, have the kids pull out one of the “1” bags, one, two or three of the “2” bags/containers, and one of the “3” bags. I normally then add a rice or pasta, which can boil while you fry up the ingredients from your bags, and then dinner is done!

Make sure you stock up on the value pack of Ziploc® brand Sandwich and Snack bags with Easy Open Tabs right now because they have all kinds of uses, and you can’t beat two sizes in one package – especially during back-to-school. School supplies, snacks, lunches and even those special “Show and Tell” days, all are easier with Ziploc® brand.

8/9 to 8/30: Save $.50 off regular price on: Ziploc® brand Sandwich bags with Easy Open Tabs 40ct, Ziploc® brand Sandwich bags with Easy Open Tabs 90ct, Ziploc® brand Snack bags with Easy Open Tabs 90ct.

Thai Basil Chicken and Mushroom

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb. boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup of mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons red chiles
1 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 can coconut milk (I use lowfat)

Instructions

Heat oil in pan to high.
In a Ziploc Sandwich bag, blend fish sauce, honey, cilantro, and basil together.
Cook green onions, mushrooms, and chiles.
Add chicken and stir fry until tender.
Add coconut milk and heat until warm.
Serve with rice.

What’s your favorite way to use Ziploc^® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs?

Texas Popovers with Strawberry Jalapeno Butter

August 22, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 12 Comments

I’m a proud Texas gal.

Born, bred and while I do love to travel, I’ll always say this is home.

When you see those people with the big state of Texas across their chest, that’s us.

A photo posted by MamaChallenge.com | Autumn Reo (@autumnreo) on Apr 11, 2015 at 1:13pm PDT

We decorate our home with big Texas flags and proudly sing anything by Pat Green and Robert Earl Keen (if you need more explanation, send me an email.) And we even live right next to this little placed called AT&T Stadium (AKA the home of the Dallas Cowboys and the biggest stadium ever built.)

When we cook, we buy, cook and eat Texas because…this is Texas and that’s what you do. Including my Lonestar Eggs (available only at Walmart.)

We practice Texas traditions like spring bluebonnet photos…

…and an annual girls trip to the flagship Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas for warm popovers and strawberry butter.

Photo Credit

For some reason, even if you don’t like the ideas of dressing up in your Sunday’s best, you’ll do it every time, heels and all, just to get your hands on this complementary starter. It doesn’t matter what else you plan to order, it’s all about tearing off a little piee of the buttery popover and slapping a pat of the strawberry butter to melt down the bread just enough before you let it enter your mouth. Yep, it’s that good. And there’s something about eating something so sinfully simple that makes it so fun and probably even taste a little bit better.

So when my little gal turned four with an over-the-top tea party, I knew I was starting something I was going to have to continue at home with big, fun elaborate tea parties! And all tea parties should include popovers.

But like any Texas cook, I can’t help but put a little something else in there to make it really wow. (We take our unofficial motto: “Everything is bigger and better in Texas” very seriously.) So it wouldn’t just be big popovers with strawberry butter, it would be strawberry-jalapeno butter.

Before you go thinking I’m going to put my little princess in pain (or any others that don’t like a little spicy in their step), you should know jalapeno is a flavor and if you don’t include the seeds and stem, most the time you will just have the spice of the pepper and not the bite. However, I can’t help to include that the bite with the creamy sweetness of the strawberry butter makes it really a really good marriage of when opposites attract. Best of all, this all happened in just about an hour.

Yep, y’all, that’s all it took to make it. A few ingredients from your pantry and SIX Lonestar Eggs.

Popovers with Strawberry Jalapeno Butter

Author: Autumn @mamachallenge.com

Print Recipe

Description

A Texas tradition, this is an easy recipe for the traditional popover with a spicy take on strawberry butter.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Turnovers
4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/4 cup milk, slightly warmed
6 Lonestar Eggs, beaten at room temperature
cooking spray
For the Strawberry Jalapeno Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup strawberry jam
1 jalapeno, chopped (optional: omit entirely or just remove seeds for less heat)

Instructions

Sift flour, salt, and powder together in a large bowl.
To the mixer, add eggs and slightly warmed milk together and blend on low.
Add flour mixture gradually until all is blended.
Turn off machine and let batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
Preheat oven at 450F degrees.
Spray muffin or popover pan with cooking spray.
Fill pans until almost full.
Place batter in the over and bake at 450F for 15 minutes. Then turn oven to 375F degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes until a golden brown. (Don’t keep opening the oven door to look at them or they will fall!)
While turnovers are cooking, combine butter, jam and jalapeno together in a bowl and at medium until fluffy. Set aside until ready to serve (or put in fridge for a little bit to firm up.)
Once turnovers are complete, remove from the oven, and serve immediately with butter.

How do you show your Texas pride?

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Thai Basil Chicken and Mushroom

Ingredients

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What’s your favorite way to use Ziploc^® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs?

Texas Popovers with Strawberry Jalapeno Butter

Popovers with Strawberry Jalapeno Butter

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

How do you show your Texas pride?

Pin This!

Pictures Say a 1000 Words

mamachallenge

Follow Along!

Learn More about SmartHomes on mamachallenge.com:

Where’s your dream home?

8/9 to 8/30: Save $.50 off regular price on: Ziploc® brand Sandwich bags with Easy Open Tabs 40ct, Ziploc® brand Sandwich bags with Easy Open Tabs 90ct, Ziploc® brand Snack bags with Easy Open Tabs 90ct.

Ingredients

Instructions

What’s your favorite way to use Ziploc® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs?

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

How do you show your Texas pride?

Pin This!

Pictures Say a 1000 Words

mamachallenge

Follow Along!

What’s your favorite way to use Ziploc^® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs?