Keeping Those Pups Busy!

So as many of you know I recently had my first child.  Which is why I am MIA for the last year.  Funny how quickly they suck up all your free time.

Speaking of free time my pets have been very frustrated by the lack of attention,  We try our best to get out but sometimes we just don't have the time.  I love using enrichment activites for when we are really swamped.  For example that first 6 weeks after the kiddo was born.  Enrichment activities is a fancy way of saying entertaining your animal.

Food is a great reward and motivator. Your pet will work long and hard to get a super yummy treat.  We take advantage of that determination to keep our pets busy for a long period of time.

Pupcicles are easy to make, and you can make a bunch so you can pull them out as needed.  Like when all your baby wants to do is nurse for the next 8 hours.  Cluster feeding, who knew that was a thing?

• Tupperware popsicles holders or Dixie cups
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• dog treats

Mix together wet ingredients until smooth.  

Spoon into tupperware or dixie cups

Add dog treat as popsicle stick

Freeze

Give as needed to your pups

I cover this and more in my class "Prep your Pet for Baby"  It is taught at The Family Room.  Call today to sign up 303 356 6244

It's a Colorado Spring!

Living in Colorado you get used to the weird weather.  70 degrees one day, snow on the new lilacs the next.  
I love it!

Mexican Chicken Freezer Meal

So I recently had my first child. We are very happy. . I had never gone trough it but having heard just how rough it can be after giving birth I wanted to have as much done as possible. I was so thankful for freezer meals. I had prepped everything so that we could still eat healthy meals that didn't involve too much work. This one was my favorite out of all the things I made.

Mexican Chicken Soup

2 bell peppers. (Best if they are red, orange, or yellow)

1/2 small onion diced

1 cup cornmeal

1 small bag frozen corn

3 chicken breasts

1 tablespoon cumin

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp chilli powder

. 1 jar of salsa

Chop the bell peppers into 1/2 inch pieces.

Now you have two options here.  You can add everything including the salsa to a freezer bag so you just dump and go.  I chose to hold off on the jar of salsa.  There was very limited freezer space and I wanted to pack as many meals in there as I could. 

Yum!

Best part about this recipe is it is also gluten free. I will be making it when my sister who has celiac disease comes to visit next week.

Pull out your bag the night before and allow it to thaw in the fridge.  

Dump the contents into a crockpot. If you didn't add your salsa before add it now. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Just before serving take two forks and shred the chicken.  

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.  

Italian skillet for 2

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp olive oil
3 medium yukon gold potatoes
1/2 yellow or red onion
1 green onion
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes.
dash of garlic powder
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste.
Eggs, as many as desired.

Chop your potatoes and dice your onion.  Add to hot skillet that has been oiled with olive oil.  Cook covered for 10 min flipping half way through.

Add in diced bell peper, tomatoes and seasonings.  Cover and let cook an additional 3 min or until potatoes are cooked all the way through.

While peppers and tomatoes are cooking fry up eggs in another skillet to taste.

You now have a tasty, filling, cheap breakfast for a nice Sunday afternoon.

Shared at The Homestead Barn Hop    Clever Chicks Blog Hop    Creative Home and Garden Hop

Simple Decor

Sometimes... okay most times simple is better.  For our wedding we used simple decorations.  We made over 200 paper cranes for decorating the tables.

 For drinking glasses, since we were having sake we got sake cups.  My friend is an amazing artist who painted cherry blossoms on 100 cups.  After people had their drink they could keep the cup as a favor.

Weddings are long drawn our over done affairs most of the time.  Sometimes simplifying just a few things can really make your life easier not to mention save you some money

Day 16 of flylady.

I am on day 16 of the flylady baby steps.  Some things have been really hard.  I have the hardest time making sure my sink is clean before I go to bed.  All I want to do at the end of the day is crash, and still having to do the dishes can be frustrating.

The rest of it has been fantastic. The house has never looked so great!.  Things are slowly becoming more and more in tip top shape.  As I do a little more cleaning every day I find a few more things that have just always sat out with no place to live, and I find them a home.   I love how now when my house is clean, it is really clean.  Not perfect but if guests drop in, I am okay with them visiting.

I have changed the routine a little.  She has you spending a lot of time doing just cleaning.  I am lucky that we tend to keep things picked up enough that I don't need to worry about picking up that much.  So I have added in other things, like cleaning the cat box daily, and a longer walk for the dog. The animals really do appreciate it.

Tuesday Tips- Flavoring your Water

Drinking more water is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Despite knowing this I never drink enough, it’s boring and soda tastes so much better.  I know not healthy or cheap.  Soda is ridiculous expensive, and if you buy the semi-healthy stuff it’s even worse.

In order to encourage me to drink more I make water tasty and healthy; by adding flavoring.  I add in real food, herbs and fruit primary.

Frozen fruit helps keep my water chill while adding flavorings.   Today I made orange ginger.

I slice up the oranges and ginger pretty thin, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. A few hours later I throw them into a ziplock baggie.  

As I need some I take a few pieces out and add to my water.  It tastes fantastic and I feel so much better after drinking water.  It also ends up super quick, just as much time to open a soda can as throwing a few pieces of fruit in water.  It's even frugal, it breaks down to a few cents per glass, much cheaper than a soda.

Now doesn't that look refreshing.