Friday, July 31, 2015

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com


This summer has been hot.. Really. Stinking. Hot. When it's over 100 degrees outside, I don't want to turn on my oven and make the house warmer - not to mention there are many days when I just don't feel like cooking. Days like those call for these super easy crock pot Chicken tacos. I got this recipe from my sweet mama friend in Texas (and have seen variations of it on Pinterest) and we just love it! Not only does it make chicken for tacos, the leftovers are great on a salad, baked into taquitos or enchiladas, toppings to nachos,or made into chicken quesadillas! Seriously they are so versatile and it's one of the few recipes I really enjoy as leftovers. Again, I can't stress how easy this chicken is, and that makes it one of our go to meals!

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

First, we do not use the crock pot in my house unless we have these handy plastic liners. These make clean up just as easy as the meal. My husband used to dread crock pot meals because sometimes the crock would be so hard to clean afterwards, but these just lift right out and in to the trash. I will admit to them occasionally leaking or tearing, but majority of the time we don't have any issues. If you don't have these, get some. You will thank me later!

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com


It's so easy, just 3 simple steps!

Step 1. Put ingredients in the crock pot. 
Step 2. Turn it on high for 4 hours. 
Step 3. Shred chicken and eat!

Easy as pie... Hmm, pie sounds really good...

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

Ingredients
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can Rotel or Salsa (you choose the level of spiciness)

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

Put the chicken (single layer) in the crock pot (if you are using the liners, be sure to put that in first). 

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

Pour taco Seasoning over chicken, then pour Rotel or salsa on top of that.

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

Put the lid on the crock pot and turn on high for 4 hours (or low for 6) . Resist the tempting aroma and keep the lid closed to keep in the moisture.

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

When the chicken is done, shred it with a fork (it will be so juicy, it will just fall apart) . 

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com


ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

Grab your favorite taco shells and toppings and enjoy! This will serve about 4 adults with some leftovers. 

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

As I said, the leftovers are amazing used in chicken quesadillas, a salad (taco or regular) or rolled in corn tortillas and baked to make taquitos! Oh and don't forget to have a Margarita while you 'cook' :)

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

Let me know in the comments below if you make this and if you enjoyed it!
-A

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

LUSH Product Reviews!

I have been MAJORLY slacking on this blog, but I'm hoping to get caught back up soon! Life has been crazy with all 3 kiddos here while I'm working, but I'm planning to get some writing done and photos taken soon to flood you all with some more DIY projects and beauty reviews!

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

As previously mentioned in my beauty haul blog, I used a good chunk of my birthday money for a LUSH haul! A few of the You Tube vloggers I follow have talked about LUSH and I just HAD to try their stuff out! Not only did the products look amazing, the products are all handmade, fresh, and organic! They are good for your skin and the environment! I am a bath person, so I mostly focused on Bath products in this haul, but after loving mostly everything I bought, I will be heading back to branch out and try some other products they offer! ( I purchased these items with my own money, these are my own thoughts and am not being compensated in any way for this review.)

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Beauty Birthday Haul!

So I had a birthday a few weeks ago, the big 3-0! I got some birthday cards with cash and decided to splurge on some fun beauty and skin care items for myself! Here's a breakdown of most of the stuff I got--stay tuned for reviews in the coming weeks!

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

















Thursday, June 25, 2015

How to road trip (alone) with an active preschooler!

I just got home from a 9 hour (each way)  road trip alone with my 3 1/2 year old. With husband in the Army and away a lot,  this wasn't our first solo trip, and won't be our last! We've made the trip to Ohio to visit my family several times since little man was born (and from NC to TX as a family) and each time has had its own set of challenges, but we stay calm and get through it! 

*While I know that many people dislike the idea of using electronic with kids, we are ok with it in my house, in moderation. If you do not allow your kids to use electronics, skip those and try to other ideas I've suggested!


ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com

Graduation Gift!

**This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated in you click on or purchase the items in the links. All opinions in this post are 100% my own!


One of my little brothers is about to graduate from high school and being the overly-prepared crafty person I am, I couldn't just give him a check and send him on his way. He will be going away to school, being away from home and in a dorm room for the first time, so I wanted to give him some things he could take with him and use in the fall. Some of these items are things that I didn't think to buy and pack when I went away to school, so I thought I'd help him be more prepared than I was and save him my Step Mom some time shopping!

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com



Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Easy and Fun End of Year Teacher Gifts

**This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated from purchase of the items in the links. All opinions in this post are 100% my own!



As my son's school year has been winding down, I've been searching for a neat end of year teacher gift for his teachers. They are such sweet ladies who put up with my son 3 days a week and somehow still have a smile on their face when I come to pick him up (seriously, my kid has a LOT of energy and is a handful)! So I wanted to give them something they could use that was more personal than a gift card, but still keep the cost reasonable since I'd be buying/making 2 gifts. Let me stop now and say that I do not think there is anything wrong with a gift card, because that allows the person to choose what they want (and you'd be certain they enjoyed the gift of their choosing), but my crafty side won and I felt like putting something together!

ForeverNestingMama.blogspot.com


Wednesday, May 6, 2015

How to Save Money Using Coupons!






So I'm sure you all have seen or at least heard of the show Extreme Couponing (I don't think they have new episodes airing anymore, but I see re-runs on my guide often). If you've been living under a rock and haven't seen it, it's a reality show where people use coupons and store sales to save tons of money on groceries, some about 99% of their total bill! While some of these people walk into a store, buy 300 packs of tic-tacs and walk out having only paid $.50, others seem to buy more practical items like commonly used cooking items or cleaning products. Not to knock buying 300 packs of tic-tacs, but someone must have really bad breath...just sayin'! The concept of the show is very interesting to me, however it is somewhat frustrating to those of us who actually coupon by the rules because what is depicted on most of these episodes would not happen in most stores by most people. All stores that I know of have a limit of how many 'like' coupons they accept, some how many you can use total in one day, and some how many coupons the store will double per day or transaction. Those limits are usually WAY less than 300. That being said, the concept that is always explained on the show is legit and can save a person a lot of money. The basic concept of couponing is simple; Using a coupon will save you some money. Getting an item on sale will do the same. However when you combine those store sales with a coupon (especially one that the store will double), results in a much larger savings! Then, once you get an item you use frequently at it lowest price, you don't just buy 1, you buy as many as you 1) have a coupon for and 2) that your family will use before it expires, or before there is another great sale on the item. 


The grocery store that I go to will double manufacturer coupons any day you go in, as long as the face value of the coupon is $.99 or less (so a $.75 coupon from the newspaper will actually deduct $1.50 from your total). However, this store also has coupon events where they will triple a coupons face value, or double coupons with a face value of $2 or under. The latter was the case just a few weeks ago and I wanted to share with you some of the best deals I got! Again, pay attention to the concept (and not just the items) so you can apply it to your next grocery trip and start saving!!







Cat Food
A bag of Purina Cat Food at my grocery store normally costs $5.89. However, this week, they had it on sale, buy one get one free (each item rings at half price), making each bag only $2.95! That in itself is a great deal! But wait, there's more! There is currently a coupon out for $1.05 off of the bag of cat food, making it only $1.90! Hold on, the best is yet to come! This week, my store is running a 'super doubles' promotion, where every coupon $2 or under will be doubled once scanned! So, my $1.05 off coupon becomes a $2.10 off coupon and I only pay $.85 per bag of cat food!!  That is a savings of $5.04 PER BAG (or 86%)!!! Unbeatable!! So do I only buy 1 bag? No way!! I stock up and buy as many as I can at that price (while sticking to the store and coupon rules by doing so in multiple trips and transactions). With this sale I purchased about 20 bags, 3 per transaction (I've made a lot of trips to the store!). Yes, 20 bags of cat food may sound like a lot all at once, but when you have 4 pretty fat cats to feed, it goes quickly!! Here is an easier to read breakdown of the sale.

$5.89 Regular price
     $2.95 Sales Price ( Buy one get one free)
    -$1.05 Coupon
      $1.90
   - $1.05 Doubled coupon
       $.85 TOTAL Price (plus tax) 




Dish Soap
Another deal I got this week was on Seventh Generation Dish Soap. This soap is normally $3.39 per 25 fl oz bottle, pretty expensive for soap if you ask me! But the store had it on sale for $2.50 per bottle and I had a coupon for $1.00 off per bottle, which doubled, making each bottle only $.50! This again, was a stock up price for me, so I purchased 6 bottles-which is still less than the regular price of 1 bottle! I saved $2.89 per bottle or an 85% savings! What's great about cleaning products is that they usually don't expire and I know we will use them sooner or later (usually sooner), so I stock up when I find a product I like at such a cheap price. The coupon used here was a printed coupon from www.coupons.com and the site only allows each computer or smartphone to print a coupon twice, so between my 2 laptops and iPhone, I was able to print 6. Had I been able to legally print more, I certainly would have purchased more of these!

$3.39 Regular price
   $2.50 Sale Price
  -$1.00 Coupon
    $1.50
  - $1.00 Doubled Coupon
      $.50 TOTAL price (plus tax)

Bread
The last deal I will share with you was on Arnold bread. This is something we use often between lunches for my husband and son and occasional grilled panini sandwiches, I definitely took advantage of this deal and got 4 loaves! (Bread freezes wonderfully in case you didn't know-as does shredded cheese!) I had a coupon for $1.00 each loaf of bread and with the sale price and doubled coupon, these 4 loaves of bread were totally free!! This coupon was also a printable and I could have printed and used 6, however we don't eat it super quickly and I only have so much room in my freezer (if anyone wants to buy me a deep freeze, I might just be your new best friend!)  I was super psyched!! Who doesn't love free bread!!

$3.99 Regular Price
     $1.99 Sale Price (BOGO)
   -$1.00 Coupon
      $.99
    -$.99 Doubled Coupon*
     $0 TOTAL Price (I only had to pay tax on this item)

*My store does not give overage for doubled coupons, so if the doubled amount is more than the total price remaining, they give you the item free, but do not give overage-in this case it would have been a $.01 money maker, but the store will not allow this.

These are just a few of the deals I got during the super doubles coupon event a couple weeks ago, there were more, but these were my best deals of the week. I also get great deals when there aren't special coupon events by using the same coupon and sale matching technique. Let me know in the comments below if you'd like to see more posts on couponing, I have learned a lot over the past few years and have saved a lot of money and I'd love to pass that info along to whoever wants to read it! 

-A

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Spaghetti and Meatball Bread

If you've been to my house for dinner, it's pretty likely that you've had this dish. It's so easy to make and delicious, I love making it for guests! I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest (of course), and I have to say, it is one of my all time favorites! I mean, who doesn't LOVE pasta and garlic bread?? The first time I make a new recipe, I usually follow it exactly. We try it and while eating, my husband and I will discuss ideas to make it suit our tastes better. So with this one, I have a few modifications-try it the original way, try it my way, or put your own spin on it! Any way you make it, I can pretty much guarantee you will LOVE it!



Thursday, April 9, 2015

Moving Tips

First, I have to apologize for my absence on the blog, I've been sick. Allergies, a cold, the plague, I'm not sure what I have, but it's sure been hanging around for much longer than I had hoped. Little Mr of the house has the same issues going on, so I'm thinking it's just lovely spring time allergies...lucky us!

Military families tend to move a lot, except us. There's an old saying to the effect of  'once in the 82nd, always in the 82nd' and it seems my husband has fallen victim seeing as we've been here for 3 1/2 years with no glimmer of orders elsewhere (not that I'm complaining, we love our house and I despise moving!). However, I moved a lot as a kid and have several times as an adult, so I've added a few tricks to my arsenal. A friend of mine is preparing to move, so her need for advice has prompted me to write this blog and share my ideas with everyone! Some of these apply only if you are moving yourself, some if you have movers coming to pack and/or move you, and some are just general tips.


11 moving tips

Friday, March 13, 2015

5 Spring Cleaning Tips/Tricks

We had some gorgeous weather last weekend and it inspired me to get moving on this blog with some of my favorite cleaning tips and tricks! With spring-like weather comes spring cleaning, organizing and refreshing your home (at least that how it works in my house)! My favorite thing to do on a nice day is to just open the windows and let the fresh air in, nothing is better than feeling the breeze through the house!

Friday, March 6, 2015

Easter Basket Ideas...NO Candy!!




My kid is crazy active. Really active. My friends (who also have kids around my sons age) ask me how I can possibly want more kids and how crazy life must be on a daily basis with my son and all of his energy. My response usually includes something about wanting to pull my hair out some days and how wine really is the cure-all for Mamas, but mostly that I'm just used to it! Luckily, little man is not a sweets eater-he never has been, if he were, I'd be in BIG trouble! Hyperactive kid + sugar = crazed mama!
The only sweets he eats are the sugar cookies from the bakery at the grocery store and Nutter Butters. I'm happy he doesn't love all kinds of junk food (his love for Cheetos is another story), however it does pose a dilemma at Easter time. Most parents fill their kiddos baskets with chocolates and sugary snacks (mmmm peanut butter eggs...), but I don't have this option, so I have to get creative! I suppose I'd rather have this problem than my child being all hopped up on sugar and me actually pulling my hair out! Although the bottle glass of wine I'd be rewarded with at the end of the day does sound appetizing!

In the past with my step daughters, I've had the same opinion on kids and Easter baskets--they don't need a basket full of sugar. The Grandparents in our family seem to supply plenty of candy and I never felt the need to add to it. So I thought I'd share some of my non-candy ideas for Easter baskets in case others had the same feelings but lacked ideas! I somewhat broke it into 3 lists, boys, girls and gender neutral, but some items are also age specific and may not work for your kiddos.



Girls
Hair Bows/Headbands/Hair Ties
Barbies
Costume Jewelry
Fashion Scarf with super cute designs
Nail Polish
Purse
Baby Doll
Accessories to Baby dolls or Barbies they already have
Lip Gloss




Boys
Hat
Hot Wheels
Legos



Anyone!
Art Supplies ( We LOVE Crayola Color Wonder products!)
Books
Swim Suit
Beach Towel
Flip Flops
Sunglasses
Summer Outfit
Pajamas
Bubbles
Crayola Bath Fizzie Balls
Flash Cards
Slippers
Sidewalk Chalk
Sports Balls (soccer balls, playground balls, etc)
Kids Golf Club Set
T Ball Set
Gardening Tools (LOVE this super cute set! Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Tootle Turtle Tote Set)
Flower pots
Tooth Brush (with their favorite character, of course!)
DVD's
Squirt Guns
Hula Hoop
Jump Rope
Bedroom Decor--Fun picture frames, wall stickers, throw pillows
Outdoor chair (folding or Adirondack style)
Music Instruments (plastic maracas, tambourines, recorders)
Small fish tank with fish (beta fish in a bowl are super easy!)
Puzzles
Craft supplies
Sticker Books
Play Doh
Crafting Kits (loom bracelet kits, etc)
Science Project Kits (grow crystals, ant farms,Bag Of Science Kit, etc)
Board Games
Video Games
Personalized Cup/water bottles (This one is perfect for summertime!)

Here's a few ideas for the itty bits in your life!
Teething Toys
Gerber Puffs
Floor play mats
Stuffed Animals

In our family, tradition is to have an egg hunt first, then open baskets. For the egg hunt I will use things like fruit snacks, goldfish and the small graham crackers to fill them as well as coins for the kiddos to put in their piggy banks. I've also gone to Party City and picked up some of the little toys and things they have for 5 or 10 cents each. When you are dealing with a variety of ages of children, I've found its best to designate one color egg for each kid to ensure the older ones don't grab up all of the eggs before the littles can even get 2. Then I just fill the same # of eggs for each kid (smaller babies/toddlers may not need as many as they usually take longer to collect theirs) and let them go at it.

One thing that my mother in law does that I have always liked is that the "eggs" you hunt get smaller as you get older. So babies/toddlers get the large plastic eggs, then you move down to the regular sized ones, then things start to get more fun. She will move down to the small chocolate eggs, then to M&Ms, then to Nerds, then the big ice cream sprinkles, and I think the last year we were with her for Easter, my husband was looking for the tiny sugar sprinkles (you know those ones that are almost translucent and about the size of a crumb? Ya, those!)!! It keeps the hunt fun for the older kids and allows mom to torture all of us as we relentlessly search the living and dining room for specs of dust! I plan to keep this tradition alive as our kiddos get older if we don't find ourselves living back near family.

What other ideas do you have for candy-free Easter basket fillers?? Leave your ideas in the comments below, I'd love to hear them!

-A

Sunday, March 1, 2015

White Chocolate Mocha Hack!

Just in time for your Monday morning blah's, I thought I'd post how I make my favorite coffee drink at home!

Husband and I quite enjoy White Chocolate Mochas from Starbucks. On the other hand, our bank account does not (neither does my waistline!). At $4 and $6 a cup, we try to limit ourselves to indulging just once a week (usually on Sunday's when we grocery shop because the Starbucks is inside the grocery store. Who can resist that??)

Carpet Stain Removal Trick!

If you've ever moved in to a "previously owned" home, or have kids or pets who make messes, you'll understand how easily carpet can get stained. Red Kool Aid should be banned from grocery store shelves...along with "washable" markers....but I digress...
Awhile back a friend of mine told me how to get out stubborn stains in carpet and I've used this trick several times since! There's been a spot in my son's room since we moved in and I'm just now getting around to dealing with it (in my defense, it was previously covered up with furniture-out of sight, out of mind!)

Here we go!

Well, I've finally decided to get started blogging! I'm always busy with some kind of project, so I thought it was time to share my crazy life with the world! I'm a Pinterest addict, with a fully stocked kitchen and sewing machine ready to try anything!! Stay tuned for posts on crafts, sewing, cooking, baking (successes and fails!), DIY home projects, couponing, life as a mother and Army wife, and whatever else I can manage to write about! I've never blogged before, so things may be all over the place until I can figure it all out! I'm excited to get started!!