mindful living, effortless style
Between Freezy Peasy: Freezer Cooking Made Easy and Get Balanced: Nutrition for Real Life, we’ve been talking a lot of food around here lately. You may even be wondering if we forgot about the kids a bit.
Rest assured, the littles and I have been up to our usual tricks – we’ve just been sharing them elsewhere. Here’s a recap of our latest adventures.
Over on eHow’s mom channel we’ve been making “Critter Snacking Ladders” (pictured up top)… Read More
Since talking about Prescribe Nutrition’s new course Get Balanced, I’ve had lots of questions from you guys on just what the eCourse is all about. So I’ve asked the power nutritionists behind the course, Megan and Katie, to stop by today and give us a preview with three of their top tips to stop feeling tired and wired all day and night.
If you’d like to learn more about controlling cortisol and gaining more energy and better sleep – you can go here and use the code MPMK20 for 20% off the Get Balanced course which starts this Monday April 15th.
Spring is here, and you know what we’re hearing a lot of at Prescribe Nutrition? Spring ‘cleaning’ of the body, detoxes, cleanses and so on. Why is everyone ready for a Spring detox? They’re tired, they feel fatigued, there are a million after school activities that are next to impossible to keep up with, and they’ve maybe got a ‘winter coat’ lingering around their midsection.
Okay, so yes, we need to refresh ourselves, but we’ve got something different in mind for this spring. We know hammering the importance of a super clean diet, mindfulness and relaxation isn’t always helpful for a parent with two kids waiting for them at little league and another in their arms… and of course dinner’s in one hour. Sometimes we just need action items for real life.
Let’s use this season of rejuvenation to ditch the juice cleanses and ‘instant fixes’ and instead dig a bit deeper to get to the core of what will make you feel better for the long haul. Let’s rebuild how you feel from the inside out. Smartest way to do that? Give your stress hormone, cortisol, a little bit of love.
He’s our friend, cortisol, and believe me he is working in overdrive with the way we live these days. Support healthy cortisol levels and you support yourself – your entire system. In our upcoming program, Get Balanced, we do just that. We dig deep into the hows and whys and then give you legitimate solutions and tips for moving forward for life in the real world.
Here’s some of our biggest takeaways from Get Balanced that we want you to have. 3 of the most common offenders listed below, and tips for re-doing the way we do things. Read More
It’s time to wrap up our latest virtual book club selection – are you all caught up? If not, no worries – it’s never too late to start! I’ve been a little pre-occupied with the launch of our new eBook, Freezy Peasy: Freezer Cooking Made Easy over the past few weeks (don’t forget: 15% off with code MPMK15 now thru Sunday) so I’ve asked our resident children’s librarian Janssen to take over for a bit. And I must say – she totally nailed this wrap up. I loved what she had to say and I can’t wait to hear what you thought too!
P.S. Just in case you’re the over-achieving type and want to read ahead, we’ll be covering Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin (the author of the uber popular “The Happiness Project“). This time around she’s tackling how to make her home a place that calms her and energizes her as well as how to appreciate how much happiness is there already. I think it’s going to be an awesome read!
I love a parenting book that doesn’t just present research, but really gives you concrete ways to improve your parenting. Isn’t that what we all need? The last chapters of “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk” are ones that take some practice and definitely require more thoughtful parenting, especially because they cover scenarios that are so easily dealt with by knee-jerk reactions. This is mindful parenting at its best, and can help us raise children that are independent and self-assured. I’m so inspired by the possibilities.
Let’s jump right into the next three chapters: Read More
Today’s the day my friends!!! Freezy Peasy: Freezer Cooking Made Easy is finally available for purchase. I’m so happy to present this eBook as the next edition in the Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life series.
Freezer cooking has made such a difference in our family’s dinner hour (i.e. less stress, more connecting) and I really feel this book has everything you need for your family to gain the same benefits.
If you’re not familiar with freezer cooking, the basic concept is to cook your meals to a certain point ahead of time, several meals at a time, and then store them in the freezer. Then pull out a meal the night before you’d like to have it for dinner and let it defrost in the fridge. All that’s left to do is to pop it in the oven or on the stove the next night and dinner will be ready shortly!
We’ve found the system to be a big time saver for our family. And, bonus, because of the nature of the meals they generally don’t involve a lot of complicated steps. This makes them great for make ahead meals even if you don’t have time to freeze them.
Here’s a little more about Freezy Peasy: Freezer Cooking Made Easy…
Dinner planning can be a disaster. Kids are tired, homework or bedtime looms and the last thing we have time for is a last-minute grocery run. We reach for the take out menu or do the kitchen shuffle, mindlessly pulling ingredients and making a mystery meal.
This was exactly the scenario for my family. With increasingly late work schedules and a couple of early bedtimes, there just wasn’t time to prepare, serve and eat a wholesome meal together. And our evenings were suffering for it. Instead of family bonding across the dinner table each night, we were fracturing mealtime into two shifts. Something had to give.
Freezy Peasy: Freezer Cooking Made Easy
A little research revealed that freezer cooking was the solution we so badly needed for two reasons:
Sound like something you’d like to get in on? Inside you’ll find…
Plus:
Want a peek inside? Read More
Salads are one of my lunch staples. Which means I’m always on the lookout for new combinations (a girl can only consume so many chicken cobbs with a balsamic vinaigrette). Today Natalie is here sharing 16 of her favorite spring salads (yippe – lunch is suddenly back in a big way).
Also on the food front – a big announcement. My latest eBook, Freezy Peasy: Freezer Cooking Made Easy, is now available!
Spring time is the perfect time to rekindle our love for salads, no? All of the beautiful greenery popping up outdoors, the vibrant produce showing up at the markets… you can chop up any combination of veggies, throw it into a bowl and somehow it looks like the most attractive thing in the world. Spring, how I love you and your vegetation!
If you’re looking for some salad inspiration, look no further. Here are sixteen eye-catching and tasty little numbers to get your creative juices flowing. I love the effortlessly cool quality of these recipes – makes them oh-so impressive to guests (and you don’t have to tell them you only spent a few minutes in the kitchen chopping up veggies).
Treat your girlfriends, your guests, your family or just yourself to a gorgeous spring lunch! Read More
Ever noticed how much kids love a good theme? A central topic is such a great way to get little ones engaging in all sorts of things – reading, writing, art and (best of all) new types of open-ended play. Plus planning a few weeks of play around the same topic gives the kids time to come up with deeper questions and learn more.
Announcing MPMK’s latest venture: Play Theme Cheat Sheets! As we said, playing around a theme is a great idea – the only drawback being that it requires a bit of planning. But no worries, we’ve got you covered. At the beginning of each month Alli will be here sharing a new theme and everything you need to tackle it. It’s one more way we’re working to help make life simpler and the family happier.
To take the idea even further – we’d love to hear your ideas too! Tweet or Instagram your favorite activities for the theme (this month, nature) and use the hash tag #PlayCheatSheet.
And speaking of happy families, how’s it going with our other new series: Happy Family Habits?
Question of the Day
We’re half way through our first 21 days of Happy Family Habits – how have you found ways to share your story with your children?
I am so thrilled to be kicking off our new MPMK series on play themes. Each month, we’ll be exploring a new theme and talking about ways to play and experience that theme with your kiddos all month long. We’ll include projects, books, recipes, you name it.
We’ve been doing play themes at our house for months now, and the benefits have truly been endless. It’s such a great way to connect with your kids while teaching them about a particular topic at the very same time. Plus, kids have a BLAST in the meantime. And who can beat that?
Since we’re in the heart of spring, we’re kicking things off with a nature theme–because April is the perfect month to get outside, learn about nature, and enjoy all the spring has to offer. Am I right?
It’s Friday already (how did that happen?!) and I find myself with so much good stuff to tell you about. First, I wanted to let you guys know that I’ve started sharing over on Sulia this week. Though the last thing I probably need in my life is another social media channel, I’m hopelessly addicted.
If you haven’t heard of it yet, the best way I can describe Sulia is a cross between Pinterest and facebook. Folks such as myself are over there sharing all kinds of randomness. What I’m loving is the size of the photos (large and in charge – like I prefer) and the size of the posts; more words than facebook, less than here – it’s the perfect place for me to discuss all the fabulous stuff I come across but don’t have room to share on MPMK.
This week, I’ve been concentrating a lot on spring break. Ours is next week, actually C’s is two weeks long (!) and I’ve been stocking up on ideas in preparation. Here are four of my favorites (click on the links to head over to Sulia and join in the conversation):
Of course, even though I’ve been chatting away over on Sulia, I still have plenty of fresh finds I’ve been waiting to share here too… Read More
Stop me if any of this sounds like you:
This is a list shared with me by the ladies over at Prescribe Nutrition and it totally blew me away. This is absolutely, 100%, me. It was actually kind of a relief to see it all written down because that must mean I’m not alone – right? I’ve always sort of thought I was.
Friends would tell me they went to bed at 9PM the night before and I’d be secretly jealous – how did they manage that? My body is always so wide awake just when my brain is telling me it’s only a few short hours before the kiddos will be up and at ‘em again. So I stay up and fold laundry or figure out summer swim classes, or blog… and the next morning I’m miserable.
Along with being exhausted, I’m a grump, and I vow that tonight it will be different. Tonight I will get to bed at a decent hour! And sometimes I actually do follow through on it. I actually do drag myself to bed, and what happens? I toss and turn for hours desperately trying to fall asleep. It’s SO INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING!
And until I saw this list, I didn’t realize it was something I could actually fix. (I always just figured it was the curse of being “a night person” and having to live in this world where pesky things like jobs and kids don’t allow you to stay up ’till 2AM and sleep in ’till 10AM.)
Which is why, dear friends, I was so happy to see the list. Because it means that my health gurus Katie and Megan over at Prescribe Nutrition have a plan for me, and all you poor souls out there like me. It starts April 15th and they’re calling it: Get Balanced (spoiler: get 20% off with the code MPMK20).
Ah, “balance” – doesn’t that just sound lovely?
So how are they going to do it? With a whole lot of physiological know-how. That’s what I adore about Prescribe Nutrition – the ladies over there know there stuff cold. It’s not about fads or diets, it’s about science, whole foods, and truly understanding how your body works. But Katie and Megan can tell you so much better then I can. Check out the video to see what they have to say…
So what do you think? Wanna join me in my “Get Balanced” odyssey? As always, Katie and Megan have graciously offered up a 20% discount to MPMK readers using the code: MPMK20. Go here to register and I’ll see you in the chat rooms!
And if you’re one of those lucky soles who’s sleeping soundly come 10PM but are still interested in improving your overall health and having more energy, round three of New Rules: Nutrition for Real Life starts on Monday, April 8th! You can read my full review of the course here and register here – once again the code MPMK20 will get you 20% off.
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P.S. Both the “Get Balanced” and “New Rules” courses are a part of MPMK’s Continuing Ed – a carefully curated collection of online courses we’ve tried, we’ve loved, and we know you will too. Click here to view the course catalog for the full offering of classes ranging from parenting to finances and more.
I told you on yesterday that MPMK was staying in the kitchen this week with our posts, but I forgot to give you an update on our upcoming Freezer Cooking eBook. Lots of you have inquired about when Freezy Peasy will be released (so glad you’re as excited as we are by the way!). I’m happy to report that it’s now on sale!
Natalie’s here today sharing tips on how to make mealtime easier after the cooking is through.
Food and drinks all over the floor. Kids’ faces (and bodies and clothes) are a mess. Cups, bowls and spoons strewn everywhere. At least two of them are fighting. Only one of them actually ate something. Mom and Dad just want dinner to be over with… Are you having meal times like these?
I know that part of having kids is embracing the mess, the noise and the chaos. Sometimes it’s just going to be crazy. But I believe that we are responsible as parents to train up our children and discipline them in love, and part of that is to teach them to be respectful and obedient at meal times.
My desire is to truly enjoy the time that we spend at the table together. Why bother? I believe our days and weeks were designed to have peaceful rest periods for a reason – because our human bodies really need to slow down and rest! It’s part of a normal, healthy day.
I also want to encourage slower eating and better chewing so we have the best chance at digesting the nutrients in our food. And let’s not forget the bonding. I’m hoping that a more peaceful atmosphere will encourage quality conversation with my kids and create lasting memories.
There are plenty of other reasons you might desire a more peaceful meal time, those are just a few that come to mind for my family. Maybe you’re thinking, that’s all well and good, but how do I actually take steps toward a more enjoyable meal time?
Some practical steps: Read More
Every once in a while around here, the whole MPMK team seems to be on the same wavelength with very little thought or planning on my part. This is one of those times. In looking over our posting schedule, I realized that this week we’re planted firmly in the kitchen – covering all the wonderful things we can do for our bodies with the good stuff found there. Yesterday it was all about honey hair masks. Today… freezer organization for a healthier lifestyle. Hope you enjoy!
There used to be a time when all you would find in my freezer would be a handful of microwave dinners and a half empty box of Eggos. Oh, and margarita mixes. How can I forget those?
Thankfully I’ve finally come to realize the magic (yes, magic!) that is my freezer and can honestly say it is the single most important “tool” in my kitchen. I literally cannot imagine life without it. Freezing works especially well for us since we eat very different meals in our house.
Freezer cooking and freezer prepping are helpful in many ways: prevents food from spoiling when you can’t get through fresh ingredients quick enough; saves time in the kitchen when meals and hard to prepare ingredients are ready to go; retains nutrients better than produce left sitting in the crisper; allows family members greater choice for dinner options; and finally, leads to healthier convenience choices.
There is certainly an art to freezing, and what can be frozen, and thankfully, there’s an ebook for that (Freezy Peasy: Freezer Cooking Made Easy – on sale now!). And here are some of my favorite solutions that have worked best for me thus far. Read More
When I was growing up, I was always one for a good DIY beauty treatment. Oatmeal masks, lemon juice highlights – it was all so much fun! Which is why I love the idea of indulging in a regular honey hair mask with your littles. What a great way to make them feel extra special.
Anna’s here today with all the details on how to create some fun memories with the kids and get a healthy scalp and shiny hair, all in one fell swoop.
We think raw honey is the bees knees at our house. In the morning a spoonful might be stirred into warm lemon water or plain yogurt, and on a “lucky” day, spread over toast. It can be mixed into a salad dressing at lunch, paired with goat cheese and toasted almonds for a snack, you get the idea – we use it a lot.
But, raw honey is now taking over our bathroom (and yes, the jar that goes in the bathroom stays in the bathroom). I have loved raw honey face masks for years, but I never thought to put it in our hair. Read More
Ever since participating in Prescribe Nutrition’s New Rules program, I’ve been determined to start my day off with a healthy breakfast. (P.S. they have two new sessions starting April 8th & 15th – go here for more info. and use the code: MPMK20 for 20% off.) Lately oatmeal has been my meal of choice. Two hard boiled eggs just started to get depressingly redundant.
Browsing pinterest for a good recipe, however, quickly left me overwhelmed. Baked, slow cooked, left overnight in the fridge – it seems there are tons of options for the unassuming steel cut oat. So I asked Natalie to put together some of her all-time favorite oatmeal recipes and she came through for me in a big way. There’s even a DIY instant oatmeal option! Read on for the goods and here’s to starting the day off right.
Oatmeal is a breakfast staple for so many families and it’s not hard to see why. It’s packed with nutrients, customizable and satisfying. But unless you’re using quick oats or store-bought packets, those hot bowls of breakfast can take some time. Not to worry, I’m sharing five ways to make oatmeal today that can cut your morning cook time in half. There’s something here that can work for everyone. Read More
Last week something kind of remarkable happened to me. I had one of those rare days where everything just seemed to be flowing. The kids and I were connecting, I was getting stuff accomplished without feeling frazzled or distracted, and the whole day through I felt… happy. It was so wonderful that once the kids were in bed that night I sat down and took a few minutes to reflect on what we’d done differently that day to make it so.
In fact, since starting the Raising Happiness program, I find myself doing quite a bit of reflecting on what makes our family happy. It’s my firm belief that happiness is something that can be taught to our kids – and is also something that needs to be practiced. Happiness is, quite simply, a state of mind.
Furthermore, I believe, from practicing gratitude to carving out one-on-one time with the kids, there are intentional things families can do to be more happy together. So today we’re announcing a new series here on MPMK: Happy Family Habits.
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit (side note: research has actually shown that this number probably varies quite a bit from person to person but it’s nice and tidy for our purposes so we’re going with it). Here’s the plan – every 21 days Kristin and I are going to post a new “Happy Family Habit”. The MPMK team will weigh in on ways we’re planning to form said habit and the rest is up to you.
I’ll do my best to remind you over the following 3 weeks to keep up your new happiness practice and at the end of that time we’ll reconvene to compare progress and start on a new habit. Ready to get started?
Read More
Happy hump day friends. Do you all have big Easter plans for this weekend? We’re actually double booked – which I’m bummed about. Friends of ours are hosting a hunt in their backyard and the idea of all our littles running around together sounds so fun.
But our annual tradition is to head home for an organized egg hunt with both sets of grandparents – anything else just wouldn’t be Easter. (Plus the Easter bunny himself makes an appearance, which the kids love). So we’ll be piling in the car for a short road trip.
Before the big day arrives, though, I wanted to be sure to share some of the Easter-centric projects I’ve been getting up to over on eHow as well as some of my favorite MPMK posts from Easters past… Read More
Time for another play/art room update. The last time I showed it to you guys we had just chucked the couch and acquired a huge new art table (thank you craigslist). Since then we’ve been getting tons of use out of it – we can be found creating in the room almost daily. I’ve been so, so happy with it, with one exception. While the addition of the art table has exponentially increased our creative endeavors, it takes up quite a bit of space and has cut down a bit on the amount of area we have to play.
I’ve thought for a while now that the solution to this would be a nice cozy rug. Why? Because kids love burrowing into spaces to play – truly, there’s little more enticing than a tucked away space they can call their very own. And with the size of our new table, there’s a whole lot of said space up for grabs underneath it. The problem was our tile floor wasn’t exactly cozy.
Yes, I’d been wanting to get a rug for a while but what kind of rug would be able to stand up to the messy art projects we create at the table? I was stumped. And then one fortuitous day I received an email from Mohawk flooring looking for some friendly bloggers to test out their super-stain-resistant Smartstrand carpet.
So what’s so special about this carpet? From Mohawk:
Smartstrand has permanent stain and soil resistance that will never wear off. Most carpets have stain and soil treatments that are applied topically to the fiber. Over time, due to wear and tear, the topically applied stain and soil treatment wears off. This can leave ordinary carpets looking worn out and dirty sooner than you might expect for such a large purchase. With SmartStrand, you don’t have to worry about that. For as long as you have the carpet, it will have stain protection because it is built into the carpet fiber itself.
They’ve actually done some pretty amazing tests on these carpets. I’ll get to that later but first… Want a chance to win your very own Smartstrand carpet bound rug? Simply click on the link below to enter a giveway just for MPMK readers:
All entered? Good. Before you go, I thought it would be fun to show you just how much our new rug is expanding our play potential. Read on for a bunch of ideas on how to play under your table. Read More
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