Quarantine Life

This whole Coronavirus thing has certainly escalated quickly

Here's what our life is looking like right now...

Philadelphia County has 34 confirmed cases as of right now. The kids are off school until March 27th for now. They are home with me and we're trying to keep somewhat of a schedule and get some fresh air when we can. Brian is still working in his office downtown as well as three other employees. He uses public transportation daily so we have chosen to limit his exposure at the train stations and on the train which means me and the kids driving him to and from each day. He could possibly be working from home soon but we're not sure yet as they are still working out some kinks.

Personally (and I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer), I think this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. To keep my mind at ease I'm trying to think of all the things that I CAN control like keeping my family safe and limiting their exposure, stocking the house with what we need to the best of my ability, keeping us all hydrated and moving daily, keeping a clean and organized house, and making sure we all get plenty of quality time together.

Stocking my house means finding the best time to hit the grocery store without having to take my kids with me. Early morning is really the only time to do that so I can get in and out before having to take Brian to work so I plan on doing that tomorrow. I'm thinking that at that time the shelves will be pretty stocked and it won't be super crowded? However I could be totally wrong!

What are you doing to keep things organized in your household and what are you stocking up on? 

Stay safe and healthy everyone

xoxo

My Top Three Podcasts

I have been loving listening to podcasts lately!

I listen to them while I'm driving, when I walk the dog, when I'm cleaning, working out, etc. Such a great way to gain knowledge easily. And most importantly, they're FREE! There are lots of platforms to choose from. I personally use Spotify. 

I have so many that I love and so many I have on my list to get to but for now I thought I'd share with you my TOP THREE and why I love them. 

1. My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark 

Such a guilty pleasure of mine! I love all things true crime and these two ladies really tell great stories with a sense of comedy and lightheartedness. I am hoping they come to the Philadelphia Area again one day for a live show so I can go see them! 

2. Hungry Girl! Chew the Right Thing! with Lisa Lillien

Any old school Hungry Girl fans here? Great tips and advice on weight loss when it comes to food and tons of great food finds. I love the grocery store hauls they do and I am always making notes of new products that I want to try. 

3. Recovering From Reality with Alexis Haines

I have always been incredibly interested in learning more about addiction and Alexis Haines does a great job of bringing up some real issues surrounding it. Remember the Bling Ring? Yeah that was her! And she has completely turned her life around. This is definitely not a light podcast to listen to. It is deep and full of knowledge and information on tons of topics including addiction, politics, holistic health, overcoming trauma, and more. 

Do you have a favorite podcast you listen to or have you listened to my fave three at all? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below! 

My Favorite Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe For Cut Outs

Who doesn't love a good sugar cookie? 

For me they're definitely up there on my list of favorite treats. So I thought I'd share my favorite recipe for rolled sugar cookies. 

The dough is perfect for cutouts and I have a technique to prevent them from spreading while baking. 

I make these for birthdays, holidays, just because days, etc. And they are a family favorite. 

Perfect Rolled Sugar Cookies for Cutouts

1C butter, softened

1 large egg

1C granulated sugar

1tsp. vanilla

1tsp. baking powder

1/2tsp salt

3C all purpose flour (plus extra for rolling)

1. Cream together butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl with mixer. 

2. Add baking powder and salt, then add flour gradually. I do about one cup at a time. 

3. Pat dough into a ball and chill for one hour. 

4. Sprinkle surface with flour and roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. 

5. Cut into your desired shapes and place on baking sheet about an inch apart. 

6. Then freeze the baking sheets with cutouts for five minutes before baking. This will prevent the cookies from spreading while they're being baked. 

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Just until they're firm on top and no longer shiny. 

8. Cool and enjoy 😊

You can also add sprinkles to the dough to make them fun which is what I did for Valentine's Day. I just mixed in a 1/4C of sprinkles at the end of mixing. Or you can top them with whatever frosting or sprinkles you like. I also like to add crystalized sugar to the cut outs before baking them for a little sparkle. 

I'd love to hear how you decorate them in the comments below!

Healthy-ish Store Bought Snacks

It can be so hard to make everything from scratch, everything homemade.

And you know what? It's totally ok to get some store bought snacks and you can really find some great healthy options that are easily available.

Here are some of my favorite healthy-ish store bought snacks that my family and I love...

1. Plantain Chips from Trader Joes- These definitely satisfy the need of crunchy snack and super clean ingredients. Just plantains, sunflower oil, and salt. A weekly staple in our house.

2. Bada Bean Bada Boom by Enlightened- Who knew fava beans could be so good! These are pretty new for us and so far the only grocery store I've been able to find them at is Whole Foods but it's worth the extra stop. I have seen them at Wawa also!

3. Broth Packets from Trader Joes- I love these little concentrated broth packets so much for an afternoon sipping snack. Savory, delicious, and makes you feel full for very little calories.

4. Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn- You can pretty much get this anywhere! I love the kettle corn and the sea salt. They  have so many varieties including sweet ones and they do some fun seasonal flavors as well.

5. Rice Cakes and PB- These come in handy so much when you're craving a sweet snack! Rice cakes are so underrated!

6. Veggie Chips and Veggie Straws- Again, a snack you can pretty much get anywhere. I typically pick them up at Aldi for less than $2. Every now and then they have these fun flavors and I stock up on them.

7. Pistachios- Favorite nut to snack on around here. We love the flavored ones too especially the Sweet Chili ones!

8. String Cheese- This is a no brainer. And the kids love their cheese.

What are some of your favorite healthy-ish store bought snacks??? 

Dresser Re-Style with Walmart and Target Goodies

I have had my dresser styled the same way for YEARS!

I may move things around here in there but always the same tired pieces. 

I knew I wanted to go with a white color scheme and that I needed to update my jewelry storage. 

I headed to some Instagram pages for some inspo and found this adorable mini ladder from Target and knew I wanted that to be my focal point.

I had to go to about four different Targets until I found it but eventually I did.

Here are all the pieces I settled on...

Cake Stand from Target Bullseye Spot for $5
Two Tier Stand from Target Bullseye Spot for $5
Small White Vanity Mirror from Walmart for $7
Mini Ladder from Target Bullseye Spot for $7
White Square Plate from Target for $2
Vanilla Three Wick Candle from Walmart for $5
Faux Succulent from Target Bullseye Spot for $3
White Acrylic Paint from Walmart for $2
Spool of Twine from Walmart for $3
Eye Hooks from Walmart for $2
Sponge Brushes from Walmart for $1
Marie Cat Mug was a gift

I came up with a plan to paint the ladder white and turn it into a jewelry stand. It was pretty easy, just two coats of paint then I screwed in the eye hooks and laced the twine. 

Really really loving how this turned out!

Next pieces were the cake stand and tiered tray. Cake stand for my skin care and I thought the tiered stand would be perfect for my nail polishes. 

After a few finishing touches it was done and I couldn't be happier with it. Sometimes your space just needs a little TLC to breath some new life into it and you can do it on a budget if you really put your mind to it. 

Have you worked on a new project yet this year?

That Time The Flu Invaded Our Home

Ah yes, my favorite time of year...cold and flu season. NOT! 

This one was a doozy and effected us all, even the kids and they had their flu shots!

Billy was first. Poor guy broke out in to a complete fever, chills, headache while we were eating lunch at the Cheesecake Factory a couple weeks ago. He actually fell asleep in the booth which he NEVER does anymore. By day four of a low grade fever for him Brian figured we better call the doctor.

I took him that day expecting her to tell us it was just a virus that needed to run its course, but to my surprise she said it was the flu! According to his doc, the flu shot is not 100%. Who knew??? She did say that since he did have his flu shot it would probably not last as long or be as severe. I decided to keep him out of school for the rest of the week to nurse him back to health.

Luckily we are in the position that we are and I stay home so we were able to do that without scrambling work schedules. Which again just reaffirms that decision of ours. It was for sure a long week but we made it through. Lots of movies and YouTube and snuggles.

 

I think the hardest thing for me with him being sick was how much his appetite depleted! My guy can eat and he just wasn't eating a fraction of what he usually does. Popsicles, Goldfish, and animal crackers were pretty much all he wanted.

Brian got it next but as usual he powered through! Not much can knock him down.

Just when I thought we were out of the woods, Friday I started with the dizzy spells and hot flashes. Next morning came the cough and then later that day full on body aches and chills. I'm such a drama queen when I get sick haha so I spent nearly three days either in bed or on the couch.

I was able to kick it pretty quick! And I am certain that is because the majority of my days I live a healthy lifestyle. Lots of water and veggies and moving my body! I'm sure if I filled my body with junk food and was more sedentary I would have been sick longer and it would have been much worse!

Lily was the luckiest. She pretty much quarantined herself to her room and ended up just getting a little stuffy and having a sore throat for a couple days. Lucky girl.

2020 has not been off to the greatest start for us but today I made a to do list which always helps me get productive. Put on a podcast, cleaned and disinfected, and I'm feeling pretty good! Now I'm ready to press the restart button and crush some goals this year!

How is your 2020 going so far?

Stay healthy 💛

Lily's Vegetarian Challenge and General Tso's Tofu

Back in November Lily challenged us to do more (if not all) vegetarian meals for a month.

We've all kind of decided ways it will work best for us (Billy no included). Lily is going full vegetarian. I'm interested to see how that will play out at her dad's house this weekend. I will be doing vegetarian/pescatarian and Brian is sort of along for the ride haha. 

After clearing out some leftovers over the weekend, we were ready to start fresh Monday. First up on the dinner menu was General Tso's Tofu with Brown Rice and Asparagus.

I have made this meal many times before. Sometimes I make the sauce myself and sometimes I just buy a jarred version to make it a little easier.

I also usually fry the tofu in vegetable oil but decided to try and limit the oil and make the tofu in the air fryer. I cubed up the tofu, sprayed it with a little olive oil, coated it in some cornstarch, and then air fried it at 390 degrees for about 12 minutes.

I like to put it on a cooling rack to prevent it from getting soggy. 

After that I just heated up sauce in a pan and thinned it just slightly with a little water. Then just throw in the tofu and toss it until it is all coated. 

Pretty easy other than it being a little time consuming doing all the batches in the air fryer without overcrowding it. 

I served it over brown rice and topped it with some green onions and some asparagus on the side. 

First meal down! Excited to try some new recipes this month and I'll keep you guys updated!