mamachallenge | Real Solutions for Real Parents | Dallas Blog

Real Solutions for Real Parents by Autumn Rose Reo

Raise Smarter, Healthier and Happier Kids by Playing

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Gone are the days of going outside to play, tossing a baseball or football in the cul de sac, and riding bikes for hours in the neighborhood. Scary stories about innocent children being abducted made us all nervous about the whereabouts of our kids, and the debut of fancy mobile devices and high-tech video games made outdoor fun seem a little lame.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the technology. I rely on it to work and also enjoy my Pinterest time in bed after hours. However, there is something magical about simply playing with others, and discovering the world with just your imagination. 


PlayingintheWater

And that’s what the Genius of Play campaign is all about. Kids need a variety of play options to develop into well-rounded adults. From running around the yard to enjoying arts and crafts or enjoying group games, these day-to-day interactions are actually experiences children will take with them in life…even if THEY don’t realize that.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children spend at least 60 minutes of open-ended play. Experts agree by teaching kids lessons and important life skills, play has a profound impact on childhood development. It improves cognitive abilities, hones communication skills, increases creativity, helps children process and express emotions, develops physical skills and enhances social skill. 

Frozen-Angels

Kids who play with literacy materials, like pretending to read to stuffed animals, have better languages abilities in kindergarten. Playing make-believe games is actually essential for kids who to develop a sense of curiosity and learn how to respond to different situations. Talking, singing, reading and playing are the best ways to stimulate children’s brain development. 

There are dozens of surveys and studies about excessive use of technology for small children, but so far, I’m not seeing any disadvantages to good old-fashioned play time. These games are actually a fun teaching tool and interactive way you can engage with your kids.

And it doesn’t take a lot to do some of these activities. Whether the sun is shining or it’s pouring down raining outside, any day is perfect for play. Plus, with the weather cooling off, or at least it should in a few weeks, now is a perfect time to try out these fun games. 

The hardest part of is probably going to be convincing your children to try out a new kind of unstructured fun and honestly making time each week with everything else you have going on. But it’s something that could have a life-changing impact on your child. Maybe you won’t see it immediately, but there will be long-term positive results, even if it’s nothing more than spending quality time with your family.

Playing

I didn’t grow up with any of fancy devices children have today. The fanciest thing we had was Fisher Price’s brown tape player and a Snoopy Snow Cone Maker. Still, I would like to believe that my development as an adult is directly related to the imaginative free play I had growing up.  I made the most memories playing with my friend Shana at my grandparents’ backyard all summer, making four-course meals out of mud, grass and pecans.

Funny enough not much has changed except now I’m old enough to use the stove. 

Play-Pledge

 

The Secret To Getting it All Done

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SponsoredPostDisclaimerWhen was the last time you got a good night’s sleep?

I don’t just mean slept for eight hours. I mean went to bed, waking up and actually feeling rested.

I know, it almost seems like a contradiction….moms who sleep?


Moms-Dont-Sleep

As a working mom, wife and blogger, sleep is not at the top of my to-do list, but I know it’s a necessity. However, it seems impossible in the fight to getting it all done, right?

Doctors have connected so many illness and ailments to a lack of sleep. Your body can simply not function to its highest capacity if you are exhausted. Now, I believe that moms have some superpowers that overtakes our bodies during childbirth, giving us the ability to do things we were never able to do before. Still, it isn’t a bad thing to have a help from two little friends from the CVS radiance PLATINUM B12 & Melatonin.

B12andMelatonin
 You’ve may heard that B12 can be helpful for weight loss and energy. Sometimes it’s given as a shot to give you a boost of energy to help with workouts, but honestly it’s required for proper function and development of the brain, nerves and blood cells. The B vitamins have a role in the energy and metabolism in our body. It’s very common for individuals to a B12 deficiency which has all sorts of side effects including autoimmune diseases, mental illnesses and cancer.

But by taking one pill daily, you boost your body’s systems and gives them a jolt to function at their highest capacity.

Melatonin is a natural hormone made by your body’s pineal gland. During the day, the gland is inactive, but when the sun goes down and darkness occurs, the gland “turns on” and the melatonin in our body rises making our bodies less alert and active. Melatonin is a vampire. It only comes out when you’re in a dark or dimly lit area. It’s perfect for individuals who are trying to switch their sleep schedule or who may need a little help falling asleep each night.

You should take 0.3 – 1 mg of melatonin 90 minutes before you to go sleep. If you’re needing more than 1 mg of melatonin, speak with your physician first. Melatonin is a powerful aid and may actually disrupt your sleeping pattern and leave your more tired and groggy. 

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. 

 As parents, we don’t complain about the lack of sleep we get on a daily and weekly basis. There are so many people, activities and responsibilities pulling us in a million directions. We just got to get it done. Not sleeping, however, is not only detrimental to our health, but could also impact the safety of our families as well.

Sleep deprivations decreases a range of cognitive abilities such as reaction time, alertness and (ironically) working memory or the ability to juggle multiple tasks. Hello that’s what we do every day. The National Institutes of Health found that two weeks of six hours of sleep per night caused declines in many ways – similar to those found after a full 24-48 hours of sleep deprivation.

Doctor Visit

Another study by NIH found that cognitive performance of people who had been awake for 18-19 hours was comparable to those with a blood alcohol content of 0.10. We know the legal limit for driving in most U.S. states is 0.08. And the study found that more 1,500 people die every year from fatigue-related vehicle crashes.

[Tweet “NIH found cognitive performance of people awake for 18+ hours was comparable to BAC of 0.10. “]

Sure you don’t want to drive your kids around after a few glasses of wine, but shuffling them from school to extracurricular activities with minimal sleep is just as dangerous.  Chew on that for a second.

Don’t be too prideful to admit that you need sleep or that you’re exhausted. No one is going to think less of you if you find ways (good ones that is) to get a good night’s sleep. B12 and Melatonin are simple supplements that will help you get the necessary rest you need to be the best person you can be for your family, friends and employers. As parents, our needs become secondary to the needs of our children. Don’t wait until the new year comes to make a resolution, make a decision now to make better lifestyle choices for you and your family.

MORE HELPFUL HEALTHY TIPS FOR PARENTS

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The Not-Com Shift: Why companies are moving from .com to not-com

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For the last 30 years that people have been using email (yes, it’s already been that long), we’ve already programmed ourselves to say “our email provider.COM” as the way to reach us online.  When you get a web address to check out, your brain already adds the .com before it’s even uttered. But have you ever stopped to think what’s the point of using a dot.com? We’ve partnered with to take a look at why companies are moving from .com to not-com. 

So first of all, why does a dot.com hold more distinction than a .org, .net, or even a .coffee? Well, honestly, it doesn’t. Especially in a world that now thinks how to share it’s message in no more than 140 characters. It’s just extra time, money and space that you could be using to describe your business, to be more distinctive, and for many companies, including international organizations, it’s part of the big shift from .com to the new not-com. 

According to the Domain Name Industry Brief survey in 2014, there are about 284 million registered domain names. And it’s been approximated that there are almost 1 billion websites on the Internet. 


When you are a business trying to stand out in a crowd, you have to do something innovative, but that makes sense…like opting for a not-com instead a dot.com. 

A New Branding Tool

While picking a company name is a hard enough process within itself, with so many other websites and domains, the likelyhood your name is already in use is pretty high. So in the past, we’ve gotten creative, but adding a hyphen or spelling out the dot.com. These solutions may have worked to get your company on the web, but it didn’t do any favors to help potential customers to find you or your website. However, by using a not-com., you’ve opened your business up to a whole new set of branding rules.

Picking-the-Right-Name-For-Business

Still deciding on your business name? Get tips to Picking the Right Name for Your Business.

For Icarus Photography (www.icarus.photos), business owner Katy Lengacher made the switch because she wanted to amplify her brand and carve out a niche in wedding photography. 

Having a unique domain that describes what I’m thinking about, doing and breathing all day was a no-brainer,” Lengacher says. “It’s the perfect new branding identity tool. ” 

Read more about why Lengacher picked her name and why a not-com.

Start a Buzz

These “not-com” options like .photos or .photography have obvious benefits, including memorability, meaning and availability. Choices like .COFFEE, .FLORIST, and .STYLE  immediately conjure images to the consumer, while words like .COMPANY, .BUSINESS and .MEDIA have broader appeal. And let’s just consider the SEO opportunity for you here, as well. If you’re a coffee company, then let’s just say you’re coffee company, not a coffee company.com.

Photo Driftaway Coffee

And that’s exactly what Driftaway Coffee (www.driftaway.coffee) did when NY owners Suyog Mody and Anu Menon made the jump not just from corporate America but to a coffee subscription service that that delivers personalized fresh-roasted coffee to your door. The ‘dot-coffee (.coffee) has provided them a obvious digital storefront and been a great conversation starter. 

We are an online business exclusively selling online,” says Mody. “It’s a URL that implies what we do.”

Read more about Driftaway Coffee’s choice for a not-com.

Bring Your Business to the Customer

When you’re trying to not just teach people about a topic, but also stir up sales from your business, you have double the work for marketing your business and the subject matter.

Photo Fermentista Kitchen

For authors Kirsten and Christopher Shockey, they wanted to educate people about fermentation as a culinary art and hopefully, point people to buy their book. So The Fermista’s Kitchen (www.ferminista.kitchen) was born. 

People like to be in their kitchen, and we want it to bring this idea that fermentation is really easy and really accessible into your life.” says Kirsten Shockey.

Read more about why the Shockeys picked their name and why a not-com. 

Choosing a great name for your business is one of the most important decisions. advice and inspiration to help you jump-start the name brainstorm. By taking a 360-degree approach to naming, Name.Kitchen blends business, human interest and pop culture to help create your business success story. Name. Kitchen is, helps entrepreneurs (“business chefs”) to create the perfect recipe.

Ready to get cooking with Name.Kitchen?

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Clean Your Skin and Your House with Tea Tree Oil

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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?


CVS

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

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!”

CVS

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

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?

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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.
 
 
Wedding-Shot
 
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

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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.)

Walmart-Phone

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.

WFM-Plans

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.

WFM-Quicktime

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!

WFM-Taking-Photo

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? 

 


No-Planning Meal Planning

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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?”


Ziploc-Meal-Planning

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-Bags

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.

Ziploc-Kroger

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.

Veggies

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.

Ziploc-Colors

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.”

Chopped-Vegetables

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.”

Ziploc-containers-collage

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!

Fridge-Ziploc

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-Chicken-Mushroom

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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

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

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

 

Texas Popovers with Strawberry Jalapeno Butter

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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.

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.)

Lonestar-Eggs-Package

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.)

Lonestar-Eggs-Walmart

We practice Texas traditions like spring bluebonnet photos…

Bluebonnets

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

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.

Tea-Party

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.

Texas-Eggs

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.

Ingredients

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

Lonestar-Eggs-Popovers

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Popovers with Strawberry Jalapeno Butter

  • Author: Autumn @mamachallenge.com
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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

  1. Sift flour, salt, and powder together in a large bowl.
  2. To the mixer, add eggs and slightly warmed milk together and blend on low.
  3. Add flour mixture gradually until all is blended.
  4. Turn off machine and let batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
  5. Preheat oven at 450F degrees.
  6. Spray muffin or popover pan with cooking spray.
  7. Fill pans until almost full.
  8. 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!)
  9. 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.)
  10. Once turnovers are complete, remove from the oven, and serve immediately with butter.

Popovers-lonestar-mamachallenge

How do you show your Texas pride? 

 

Tip Your Hat to Conquering Cancer at Mad Hatter Tea Party

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Tracking PixelSponsoredPostDisclaimer

Anytime there’s  a reason to celebrate with a spectacular hat, I’m in.

However, when the special occasion is to celebrate brave women conquering breast cancer, it’s not a reason for just a party…it’s the


Join me at the Methodist Richardson Medical Center, September 12 for theRecognizing courageous women and their journey to conquer breast cancer. The Tea Party is a not-to-miss experience complete with a spot of tea, perfect finger food, and a day of pampering with chair massages, makeovers and decorating hats and goblets!  

The party’s featured speaker is renowned breast cancer surgeon, Dr. Jenevieve Hughes, who will be sharing the importance of 3D Mammography and how this technology will save even more lives in the future.

Tea-Party

[Tweet “After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the U.S. with 1 in 8 women developing invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. “]

While mammograms of any kind are proactive measures that many women already have in their preventative care, the advantage of the 3D technology (called tomosynthesis) is that it can detect the cancer earlier than before giving patients more treatments options. This special 3D technology takes multiple images of the breast at different angles and provides a more accurate diagnosis of the size, shape and location of potential tumors, requiring less call backs

Join women like Shelly Schmidt and thousands of others fighting cancer to celebrate their journey at the Mad Hatter Tea Party.

While the Mad Hatter Tea party is free, due to limited space, pre-registration for tickets is required.  Tickets will be delivered via email prior to the event after registering


September 12, 2015
10:30 am – 1 pm
Methodist Richardson Medical Center
2831 E. President George Bush Highway
Richardson, Texas 75082

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Mad Hatter Tea Party Event hosted by Methodist Richardson Medical Center.

Lactose Free Gluten Free Banana Pudding

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Just because you have an allergy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect to enjoy your favorite foods. Enjoy every bite of this Lactose Free Gluten Free Banana Pudding…again and again!

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

Getting older has its ups and downs. Just about six months ago, my husband was diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease and I discovered that my friend lactose and I were not exactly getting along. So changes in both our diets made for across-the-board changes for the whole family like our favorite summertime treat, banana pudding.

The world of food changes a lot when you take out gluten. And lactose.


fairlife

That creamy blend of bananas, cream and the crunch as you bite into the vanilla wafer goodness is one of the sweetest simplest joys. And with no gluten and now trying to avoid lactose, banana pudding was going to be real hard to make for the next Saturday BBQ or Sunday afternoon picnic.

Never one to let NO get in my way, I was determined to find a way to make my husband one of his top desserts, now gluten free banana pudding with ‘nilla wafers, y’all.

fairlife at Kroger

So after a quick trip to Kroger, off to the kitchen (and to Google) I went, to recreate my mother-in-law’s rich and dreamy banana pudding recipe. With only #7 ingredients, I was able to directly replace all the ingredients including gluten-free flour and fairlife for a pudding that was:

    • 50% more protein than regular milk
    • 30% more protein than regular milk
    • 50% less sugar (versus normal milk)
    • that’s lactose free. Whoo-hoo for me (and my stomach!)
    • And ultra-filtered to perfection (to understand why that is something you SHOULD care about, check this out!)

And best of all, with fairlife you get all of those benefits without any change in the taste. That’s right, it tastes like “just like milk” because that’s exactly what it is with all the benefits!

fairlife in my fridge

As you can see the while family is on board so we have three fairlife milk varieties in our fridge…and I’m only missing the whole milk because I used it for the pudding!  (We kinda like it a lot.)

And of course no ‘nanner pudding would be right without the wafers!

So adapting a gluten recipe, I was added a little fairlife and chia seeds (a great healthy alternative for xanthan gum which helps to thicken recipes using gluten-free ingredients) for a dead-on homemade ringer (that does mean it tastes just like it.)

banana pudding

While developing a recipe for gluten-free vanilla wafers was a little work in progress, I figured out a quarter-sized dollop makes the ideal-sized cookie with the right consistency you expect from your childhood memories.

Wafer

Normally I’d serve banana pudding in a big trifle bowl and layer it beginning with wafer, banana, pudding and repeat, this time smaller portions of the custard seemed to be the right (basically so I could ensure one of us didn’t eat all of it!)

Quick note: You can make homemade whipping cream using fairlife whole milk by adding gelatin, powdered sugar and a little time in the refrigerator if you wanted to go completely homemade!

I think it’s fair to say that fairlife makes my life (and yours) a whole lot better with all the same ingredients, but better made.

Lactose Free Gluten Free Banana Pudding

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Lactose & Gluten Free Banana Pudding

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Ingredients

Scale
  • For the wafers:
  • 1 1/3 cups gluten free flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon chia seeds
  • dash teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup light brown brown sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten, room temperature
  • 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extra
  • 2 tablespoons fairlife whole milk

For the pudding:

  • 1 c. sugar
  • 3–4 tablespoons gluten free flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups fairlife whole milk
  • 3 egg yolks, beaten
  • 1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons)
  • 2 teaspoons butter

Instructions

  1. For the wafers:
  2. Preheat oven to 325F. Lay parchment paper on baking sheet to prepare pan.
  3. In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, chia seeds, baking powder, soda and salt.
  4. Next add butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and milk, making sure to beat well. Batter will be thick, but not dry.
  5. Scoop nickel to quarter size dollops of dough on pan about 1 inch apart.
  6. Then using GF flour or water, flatten cookies slightly so they appear like wafers when cooked.
  7. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from oven and cool before serving.

For the pudding:

  1. Whisk sugar, flour, and salt in a medium saucepan.
  2. Then over low heat, add milk and yolks and stir until mixture begins to bubble.
  3. Next add butter and vanilla until it begins to thicken.
  4. Store in fridge to cool and get thicker.
  5. To prepare, layer pudding, wafers and slice bananas for the best banana pudding ever!

Want more ways to make your menu more fairlife? Check out these recipes! 

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