Tiffany Merritt - Stuff Parents Need

20 Beef Recipes to Get You Out of a Cooking Rut

October 28, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

So for me, preparing beef recipes is a bit of a novelty. My family doesn’t eat a lot of red meat (we tend to mostly eat chicken, turkey and pork). But when I did my Paleo Diet stint a few months back, I didn’t have too much choice, and starting experimenting with beef again. I realized that there was SO much more to it than fatty ground beef, you guys! And not everything has to taste just like a hamburger, either. Not even close. So here’s a collection of 20 fantastic beef recipes that my family is going to be trying in the next handful of months. Check it out and see if you can find something to get you out of your cooking rut!

Garlic Lemongrass Beef Skewers, Shrinking Kitchen

Paleo Plantain Beef Pie, Stupid Easy Paleo

Beef and Potato Empanadas, Pillsbury

Chorizo-Apple Hamburger, Stuff Parents Need

Corned-Beef Hash with Eggs, Raley’s

Beef and Black Bean Burrito Bowls, Mommy’s Kitchen

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness, Housewife Notes

Slow Cooker Hickory BBQ Beef, Very Culinary

Beef and Brussel Sprout Breakfast Bowl, Leaf Parade

Beef Tostadas, Dine and Dish

(Not Your Regular) Roast Beef Sandwich, Bell’alimento

Beef and Cheese Foldover, Babee Love

Beef Taquitos, Elan The Blog

Pennsylvania Dutch Meat Pies, My Recipes

Slow Cooker Beef Tamale Casserole, Chef This Up

Korean Beef Bowl, Damn Delicious

Sweet Teriyaki Beef Skewers, All Recipes

Hamburger Pie, Taking on Magazines

Garlic Mustard Beef Skewers, Giving Up on Perfect

Beef Crostini, Simply Jolleen

Want to see the entire 31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes series? Just click the banner below to see the full list!

Halloween Costumes: To Make, or Not to Make, That is the Question

October 27, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 11 Comments

This post brought to you by MrCostumes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

Can we talk about kids’ Halloween costumes for a minute? By this point, you’ve either got yours all ready to go, or you are scrambling to put something together. And some of you are burning the midnight oil to make the perfect creation.

Sound Off

So I want to hear from you: have you ever made a cute kid’s costume? And if not, is that something you would be willing to consider doing in the future? I don’t want this to turn into any sort of judgement over whether or not OTHER people should or shouldn’t make their kids’ costumes. Lord knows we all deal with enough judgement or perceived judgement from others every day of the year (sort of goes with the title of “parent”, unfortunately).

So I’m happy to share my own thoughts with you since I’m asking for yours. I have ZERO sewing skills, and on a scale of 1-10 for how interested I am in learning how to sew, I’d give it a 3. Which means IF I ever learn to sew, it probably won’t happen until my kids are too old for Halloween costumes!

Now, when you combine the fact that I don’t have BASIC sewing skills with the reality that to make a rockin’ Halloween costume, you likely need ADVANCED sewing skills, well, then the odds of me ever making a Halloween costume for my children went from highly unlikely all the way down to “better odds of winning the lottery than of sewing up something fabulous.” Which reminds me…I should play the lottery!

For me, it just doesn’t make sense to sew a costume for my kids because the learning curb is so steep. It does, however, mean that the options for Halloween costumes for my kids aren’t limitless. They get to choose from what is available for purchase online. But with the popularity of Etsy, and the AMAZING skills you can find there, I could even order a handmade costume in most any design my kids desired, if the budget allowed for it (which it pretty much doesn’t, but I digress).

Acts of Service and Love

And I’ll tell you truthfully, I used to think that parents who poured dozens of hours into making costumes for their kids were kind of ridiculous. Because it didn’t make sense for me, I assumed it couldn’t make sense for anyone. But I’ve matured quite a bit when it comes to that view, thankfully. What I have come to realize, is that for some people, that creative process is therapeutic and relaxing (sounds crazy, I know, but it honestly is true!). And it is a true joy to get to do something like this for their little ones. An act of service and love, if you will.

And don’t we all have those? I certainly have spent an unnecessary amount of time turning meatloaf into a mummy in order to see that sparkle in my daughters’ eyes. And I choose to cloth diaper, which for me is an act of love for my kids, the environment and for my budget. But for some, that’s just straight-up crazy! I get it, I really do. I don’t think it is the right choice for every family just because it is the right choice for mine.

Your Turn

So you tell me: where do you fall on the question of whether or not to do DIY Halloween costumes? I’d love to hear how you have come to the decision you have made. Also, feel free to share any other areas where you make choices for your kids that are an act of love and service, even though other people may not fully understand the choice. We all have them, so dish!

Fun Fall Activity for Kids: Phonics Practice and Cookie Sampling with Alpha Bits!

October 27, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

This is a compensated partnership with Alpha-Bits and the Mom It Forward Blogger Network. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own, as always.

Darah is currently learning how to read in school. She has been working for about 2 years, now, on mastering her letter sounds. All of that work is paying off, because her reading skills seem to improve noticeably by the week. It is a really awesome thing to witness, I have to say!

is actually a fantastic learning tool for kids who are in this sensitive period, where reading skills start to blossom. I invited Darah to help me make some sugar cookies last week, only these cookies had a twist: they were going to have words on them!

Fall Spelling Sugar Cookies

For this craft, pick any sugar cookie recipe you like (the simpler, the better in my opinion!). Surprise your child with a box of Post Alpha-Bits cereal, and pour about 1/4 of the box into a bowl. Then have your little budding reader start searching.

I gave Darah specific letters that I wanted her to hunt for. Now I will tell you that some letters are less frequent than others in the Alpha-Bits box, so I helped her out a bit if I knew the letter search could be really tough. At this point, you can also talk about some of the words you want to spell, and you’ll want to keep them at 5 letters or less. Since we did this activity before Halloween, Darah wanted to do “boo!” We also chose the following words:

fall
leaf
red
tree
cold
fun
and we did our names, too!

Once Darah and I found all the letters we would need, we mixed together the ingredients for the cookies, and I separated the dough into all the separate cookie balls. I smushed them down a bit so that Darah would have a semi-flat “surface” for her spelling practice.

Then it was time to spell our words. We sounded out each and every word as she placed the letters on the dough. Then we smushed them down a bit into the dough, just to make sure they wouldn’t fall out during the baking process.

I then let Darah decorate the cookies. I suggested that she “lightly sprinkle” them with the decorations. This was how that turned out:

This was a very simple activity (and I’m ALL ABOUT doing really simple stuff, if you didn’t already know). Darah and I got to work on baking, reading, and fine motor skills all in one sitting. And 30 minutes later, we enjoyed a very special treat!

Alpha-Bits was so much fun to incorporate, and I noticed Darah really concentrating while she was hunting for letters. I’m going to be buying her another box when the ones we have run out, and I feel great about that decision, as every 30g serving has 20g of whole grains and 12 essential vitamins and nutrients. Plus, you can work on letter identification skills and letter sounds while you eat. Talk about brain food!

What fun fall activities have you done with your kids so far? Any ideas for other ways to use Alpha-Bits?

Kid-Friendly Recipes! (31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes)

October 27, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Thank you, Erica, for sharing these fantastic kid-friendly recipes that I know my little girls are going to love!

Hi y’all! I’m so excited to be here on Stuff Parents Need sharing my top 2 favorite “Kid-Friendly” recipes. My little one is extremely picky and it’s a chore to get him to eat fruits and vegetables, but if your kids are like mine, they love cake and cupcakes. So, today I’m going to share with you 2 recipes that are sure to please the pickiest eater. And you can make the choice to tell them what it’s in the recipe or not 😉

RECIPE #1: Blueberry Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

2 Ripe Bananas

1 cup of applesauce

1/2 cup apple juice

2 cups flour

1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. pumpkin spice

1 egg

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 370 degrees

1. Grease a muffin tray (I tried using muffin cup paper, but the muffins stuck so you’re better off using a greased tray here)

2. In a big bowl combine mashed bananas, melted butter, egg, apple sauce, apple juice, and brown sugar. Whisk ingredients.

3. In another bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin spice together.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

5. Add in frozen blueberries.

6. Mix batter together well.

7. Spoon into greased muffin pans

8. Bake 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

Yield: 12-16 muffins

Suggestions for Substitutions:

*Use gluten free flour

*Use a binding agent such as soy yogurt or canned pumpkin to replace egg

These muffins are a HIT with my little one. They are moist and delicious and packed with all those good nutrients from the fruit. They are great for breakfast or desert. Spread a little cream cheese on them for extra yummy taste!

RECIPE #2: Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 cups grated zucchini

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup salad oil (vegetable oil or corn oil)

3 1/2 cups pre-sifted flour

1/4 cup dry cocoa

14/ tsp. salt

3 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1 cup raisins or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 325

1. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil until thoroughly mixed.

2. Add zucchini to mixture.

3. Mix together flour, salt, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and ginger, then add to the zucchini mixture.

4. Beat mixture together for 2 minutes.

5. Add chopped nuts, raisins, chocolate chips.

6. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans.

7. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out dry.

8. Cool about 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Yield: 2 loaves

Suggestions for substitutions:

*Use gluten free flour

*Use binding agent, such as applesauce to replace egg

*Use brown sugar to replace white sugar

This is another great recipe to get your kids to eat their vegetables. My little one would never touch a zucchini, but if you hid it in this bread, it’s “deceptively delicious”. We call it “Chocolate Bread” in our house. I make no mention of the zucchini.

I hope you all enjoy these recipes and remember to invite your kids to join in and help you!

Thanks for having me!

Erica Leggiero

Erica’s shop eLeMeNO-P Kids offers toys for the learning child.

Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and her Blog. You can also shop

her Website.

Want to see the entire 31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes series? Just click the banner below to see the full list!

Turkey Recipes: Think Outside the Bird (31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes)

October 26, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

Thanksgiving is in 33 days. That means that in 34 days you are going to start looking for turkey recipes for all those leftover! But my friends, if you typically only eat turkey around the holidays, I want to encourage you to really think outside the bird this year, and try some dishes that use turkey in creative and very delicious ways. I’ve got a list of 12 below that are sure to surprise, delight and please your family.

photo credit: Jennie Ivins via photopin cc

Just look at all the great turkey recipes waiting for you! And you are going to totally flip when you see all the gorgeous food behind these links. Get ready to gobble up some great new dishes (hee hee!).

1. Turkey and Avocado Grilled Cheese, Katie and the Kitchen Door

2 Turkey Sausage with Yummy Sautéed Veggies, Stuff Parents Need

3. Turkey Chili Hand Pies, King Arthur Flour

4. Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd’s Pie, Skinny Taste

5. Thai Turkey Meatballs, Minnesota Monthly

6. Chipotle Apple Turkey Chili with Honey Cornbread, Pass the Sushi

7. Teriyaki Turkey Burgers, Appetite for China

8. Turkey Salad with Indian Spices, Lemon and Cilantro, Kalyn’s Kitchen

9. Turkey Enchilada Meatloaf, Sweet Basil

10. Mediterranean Stuffed Squash, Bev Cooks

11. Turkey Cranchiladas, Pink Parsley

12. Sweet and Sour Sloppy Joes with Sesame Slaw, Real Simple

Please share these ideas with your friends (sharing buttons are over on the left for your convenience). Let’s spread the word that turkey is for much more than Thanksgiving!

Want to see the entire 31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes series? Just click the banner below to see the full list!

Creating Fun Fall Memories and Drinking Some Seriously Good Coffee

October 25, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 200 Comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!! Yes, I know it isn’t Christmas. And I’m not even talking about Christmas (although that is, in my opinion, the second most wonderful time of the year). I’m talking about FALL. In Chattanooga, this is the time of the year when it is just absolutely gorgeous outside, and so the weekends are jam-packed with festive and fun activities, like heading out to a farm to visit a pumpkin patch. Tim and I both were almost giddy about getting out there with out two little girls, and seeing them run around, laughing and playing together. What we got looked a bit more like this: Ok, fair enough. I suppose it is a rather strange ritual. So I can understand my daughter’s failure to be super impressed. But lest you think that she is overly sensitive to doing things that are a bit unusual, consider this: Girl had NO problems getting into a pit of corn and rolling around. It isn’t normal, but it should be! Now “4,000 bags of corn kernels” is on her Christmas wish list so she can recreate the moment in the comfort of her own home. As for me, I have a few rituals of my own for this time of year. We start with a fantastic scent of the season. I put my Spiced Pumpkin candle next to the pumpkin we hauled home from that wacky pumpkin patch thing we had to do. And while I would NEVER switch out my beloved iced coffee for a hot beverage, I do switch up my flavored creamer. Currently, I’m going back and forth between Coffee-mate’s Pumpkin Spice and Spiced Latte. And just so you know, they are every bit as good as they sound! Also, just a FYI, if you are watching those calories this season, the Pumpkin Spice flavor is available in sugar-free. I’m going to try it next to see if I love it, too! In fact, the Pumpkin Spice quickly became such a favorite of mine that I felt sad limiting my consumption of it to just coffee (don’t judge unless you’ve already tried this creamer, and if you have, then you totally empathize!). I whipped up these Individual Swirled Pumkin Cheesecakes, and oh. heavens. YES!!!! Let me tell you, friends. If I’ve got a great cup of coffee in my hands, I’m ready for all the pumpkin patches, 4-year-old eye-rolls, and corn pits you can send my way. And if I’ve got a yummy treat to enjoy with my coffee, well then, there’s really no doubt that it must be the most wonderful time of the year, indeed! Be sure to snag these yummy seasonal flavors from Coffee-mate before they are gone from the shelves…they are only here until December! After that, well, you’re just going to have to choose one of the other 25 AMAZING flavors Coffee-mate offers. 😉 Happy fall, y’all! Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a fantastic prize pack from Coffee-mate. It will include the following:

3 full value Coffee-mate product coupons
1 set of Coffee-mate recipe cards
1 French press
4 glass coffee mugs
1 seasonally scented candle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, however all content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Disney Classics Box Set for All The Disney Fans Out There (Giveaway!)

October 25, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 122 Comments

This is a sponsored post from One2One Network and Walt Disney Records. All opinions are my own.

I am SO pumped about a Christmas gift that I have tucked away for my girls (and yeah, for me, too). Disney currently has available for pre-order something that every Disney fan would love to have (and really…who ISN’T a Disney fan?!).

Check it out!!!

I was sent the , which contains 4 discs and over 94 songs. The songs are categorized by type:

Disney Modern Classics (Little Mermaid and beyond)
Disney Theme Park Classics
Disney Timeless Classics
Disney Television Classics

My girls and I always listen to music in the car, and this is going to be our jam for the next few months. And by “few months” I actually mean pretty much FOREVER. The set is available for right now, and you will have it in plenty of time for the holidays, as it releases on November 12. The price is always in flux, as are all things on Amazon, but it seems to be hovering right around $50. AND…if you pre-order, you get the “best price” guarantee. They will give you the very best price they sold the set for up to the release date. So if you pre-order it today, but it was actually cheaper yesterday, you have nothing to worry about!

Darah, Rapunzel and Cinderella enjoying an indoor picnic.

What a special treasure this collection is…full of fond memories for the adults, and full of exciting new songs that will introduce your kids to characters they haven’t yet met. Also…what a way to get pumped up for a trip to one of the Disney parks! We are tentatively going in 2 years, and to say I’m looking forward to it is an understatement. Let’s just say I’ve been planning for it since my 4-year-old was born. True story. And by the way, if you are lucky enough to be headed to a Disney park in the next few weeks, this set is currently for sale there. Visitors to the park can purchase them and take them home now. Lucky!!!

If you pre-order the set, you also get a free instant download of this fantastic Disney Medley by Alex G. & Peter Hollens. The video is totally adorable, too!

This is definitely a set I would strongly recommend as a gift for any Disney fan, and you get extra perks by pre-ordering. But I have an extra special perk for you today! You get the chance to

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a Disney Classics box set! Woo hoo!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight on Vegetable Side Dishes

October 25, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

I hope you all enjoy these delicious, easy side dishes from my good friend Desi!

Y’all– I LOVE to cook. But, it definitely hasn’t always been that way. I used to view cooking as a chore– one of those necessary evils that I had to do each day.

However, over the past few years, I have truly began to find joy in providing my family with a hot, home-cooked meal each night. There’s just something about seeing a my family truly enjoy food that I have prepared that is completely satisfying.

Finding joy in cooking has opened the door for me to try a lot of new recipes. Still, for a long time, I continued to struggle with side dishes. I felt like I was always making the same few dishes, or a slight variation of them. So, I made a point to try new sides, including new ingredients that weren’t in the “normal rotation” for my family.

Sure, we had a few duds. But, we also discovered some true gems that we now enjoy often.

These are 15 of my absolute favorite side dish recipes. Hopefully, you will discover some new ones that your family will enjoy as well.

1. Make Zucchini like in Japanese Restaurants from Wee Share

2. Crock Pot Baked Potatoes from Skip to My Lou

3. Oven-Roasted Vegetables from I Like Food and So Do You

4. BLT Deviled Eggs from Food Network

5. Cucumber Tomato Salad from KojoDesigns

6. Cheesy Rice with Broccoli from Macaroni and Cheesecake

7. Oven Fried Okra from Cookin’ Cowgirl

8. Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes from Cook & Craft Me Crazy

9. Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Garlic from SparkPeople

10. The Best Broccoli of Your Life from The Amateur Gourmet

11. Easy Parmesan Knots from Real Mom Kitchen

12. 7Up Biscuits from Plain Chicken

13. Guacamole from Nom Nom Paleo

14. Corn on the Cob: Four Ways from Baked by Rachel

15. Blasted Broccoli from Dana Treat

Let me know what you try! I’d love to hear what you think.

Do you have a favorite side dish recipe? I would love to hear about that as well. I am always looking for tasty new options to serve my family!

Desi is mom to a wonderful 5 year old daughter and married to her high school sweetheart. She began Wee Share in 2009 and often shares the products she loves, crafts, recipes, and tips to make your Disney vacation the best yet. She can also find her on Pinterest, Facebook, twitter, and Instagram.

Bento Lunch Ideas For Kids Or the Kid in You! (31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes)

October 24, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

So excited to have Lindsey, one of my oldest blogging buds, sharing some super creative ideas with you today! If you have been wanting to try bento, here’s a round up to get you started!

When my daughter started preschool this year, I started fretting over what to send her for lunch! She’s a semi-picky eater that would seriously eat a PB&J sandwich everyday. I didn’t want to be that Mom to the teacher, so I knew I was going to need to get creative. I had a few glimpses of the bento craze that seemed to hit instagram all at once and a lightbulb went off – I could do that! Then, I search Pinterest – fail. There are some crazy, creative Toddler Bento Lunch Ideas on Pinterest, let me tell you!

But instead of quitting before I even started, I searched for a bit easier-to-handle toddler bento lunch ideas! I’ve even compiled a few of my favorites that I found in this post, along with some that I’ve made myself. When, you’re looking for creative ways to get your child to eat – at home, at school, on a field trip – try a bento box for a new lunch inspiration! And if you need a few bento box supplies, this is my go-to resource! Read the reviews to make sure you get the best stuff!

Holiday Inspired Ideas

We’re coming up on Halloween and Christmas and there are a ton of fun ways that you can get creative with abento box for the Holidays.

This Spooky Haunted House Bento came from BentoLunch.net

Find even more great Halloween Bento Ideas in this post from the Following in My Shoes blog.

Check out this cute Christmas-inspired Bentobox.

How about this cute Birthday-inspired Bento from Chaos and Confections?!

Skip the Sandwich Ideas

It’s so easy to get stuck on the sandwich train when packing lunches for your kiddos. There are a ton of lunch and snack sammie-less options out there. Check out some of these cute boxes!

SewFatty packed this adorable lunch of Ants on a Log, Cucumber Slices, Grapes, and Fruit Bars.

This bento box is from April – Marine Parents. You can follow all of her bento boxes with the hashtag #bentoaday on social media and on instagram.

source – So Easy Being Green

This colorful lunch is one that I made my daughter for a lunch at home. You’ll find that by making lunches more colorful and fun, your kiddos will eat foods they normally turn their noses up at!

Just Plain Cute Toddler Bento Lunch Ideas

source – Marine Parents

source – According to Jenny

Gluten Free Bento Ideas

Under the Sea Toddler Bento

Hotdog Octopus

a Beary-licious Bento

For even more Creative Toddler Bento Lunch Ideas, follow the #BittyBentos Pinterest Board!

Happy Bento-ing!
Lindsey Galvez is the green Mommy blogger behind So Easy Being Green. After realizing that small steps make a BIG impact, she’s set out on a journey to make her family a little more eco-friendly every day. SEBG is a resource for parents who want to make small changes that will make a big impact on their path to a green-er life.

And here are a few more fun school lunch ideas for you!