Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

15 Slow Cooker Soup Recipes You Must Try! (31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes)

· by · 9 Comments

My friend and fellow Reynolds Real Mom Karen Peterson has outdone herslef with these slow cooker soup recipes. They all look so flavorful and delicious. And they use one of my favorite secret weapons for EASY cooking: the slow cooker! Dig in and enjoy!
Soup for dinner in the winter is one of my very favorite things to make!  I love how it is an all-in-one dinner and how it warms me up.  I especially love to make soups in the slow cooker since I can make it early in the day and forget about it until dinner time!  Here are 15 delicious and easy slow cooker soups that will have you warmed up in no time!

Hi, I’m Karen.  My blog, 365 Days of Slow Cooking, started out as an experiment to see if I could cook 365 different slow cooker recipes in one year.  Since I’ve finished that *little* project I’ve continued to use my slow cooker and create new and better recipes.  I love food and thinking about it, planning it and of course eating it.  I love nutella, avocados, muddy buddies, mushrooms, tomatoes, peaches, berries, beans and rice, dark chocolate, cilantro, peanut butter and fried eggs…and the list goes on and on.  My first cookbook was published in March 2012 and I have new cookbook that will be out in March 2014.  Make sure to visit my site for all things slow cooking!

Want to see the entire 31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes series? Just click the banner below to see the full list! Don’t miss the easy crock-pot recipes roundup in the mix! 

31 days of unforgettable recipes

Red Alert! Free $5 to Amazon!!!

· by · 1 Comment

I’ve been meaning to write another open love letter to Amazon Prime, and just now I found my reason to finally do it.

  free gift card to amazon

Right now, if you purchase three $15 Amazon gift cards you will earn a $5 bonus Amazon gift card. I probably make a purchase on Amazon twice a month, and even more often during the last 3 months of the year, so I’ll have absolutely no problem putting that free $5 to work! And those $15 cards are going to fill in some gaps for some of the “hard to shop for” people on my list (which is pretty much all the men).

This promotion is open to Amazon Mom members who have either a paid Amazon prime membership, or who have signed up for the free trial of Amazon prime.

And let me tell you, there is no better time than RIGHT NOW to get your free trial on! Just think about how much of your holiday shopping you can take care of without having to worry about if you have purchased that pesky minimum $25 amount. And your purchases arrive sooner which means you can wrap them faster and be done with the shopping sooner and then just enjoy the holiday season!

And by “enjoy” I mean EAT ALL THE COOKIES. At least that’s what I’ll be doing. We are wrapping Christmas presents today (yes, I am totally serious). Checking stuff off that list, baby!

Here’s how to get the free trial: Join Amazon Prime

And once you are signed up, here’s how to get to the Amazon Mom Gift Card promotion. Hop to it, friends!!!

And by the way, the Amazon mom program rocks so hard. MAJOR discounts on lots of things, most notably diapers and wipes! It doesn’t cost anything to join beyond the Amazon Prime membership, either!

I’m an affiliate of Amazon, but I only promote what I already use and love. I paid for my own prime membership and I’d do it again in a heartbeat! 

Fall Transitional Piece for Kids: Upcycled Cashmere Leg Warmers

· by · 76 Comments

Transitioning into the fall wardrobe is a delightful time for me, personally. I absolutely adore fall clothes; so cozy and comfy. My daughter, on the other hand, as a bit of a harder time. You see, she’s a dress girl, through and through. I invest heavily in thick tights for the winter months, because I know Darah is going to want to wear a dress if at all possible, even if it is 40 degrees outside.

I recently connected with Kate Joranson, the owner of Tree Line Studios. She is all about helping folks “fill in the gaps” in their wardrobe, and successfully navigate the changing seasons, or hold on to a piece of clothing for just a little bit longer as warm days yield to chilly ones. She sent Darah a pair of cashmere leg warmers to try out, and we had a lot of fun modeling the look out in the yard.

Cute Cashmere Legwarmers

We decided to pair these adorable leg warmers with a pair of tights, just to test how they might feel as an extra source of warmth. Darah commented within just a few minutes of putting them on that her legs were warm and toasty!

cashmere legwarmers 2

Kate has recycled all of the cashmere that she uses for her leg warmers, scarves and fingerless gloves. She adds cute hand-knit trim and cuffs and brings these beautiful fabrics back to life for a whole new adventure.

cashmere legwarmers with knit detailing

And yes, just in case you noticed, Darah’s shoes are, in fact, on the wrong feet. She dressed herself, and this little detail was lost on me. Oh well. She’ll be fine!

I love what Tree Line Studio produces (very high quality products) and I love the sentiment behind them (use it up, wear it out, stretch the life). These leg warmers could also be used as sleeves to help squeeze some extra time out of a beloved short-sleeve shirt. There are many ways to wear this look, and it is a great way to add a pop of color and fun. I love having them since I know that Darah plays outside every single day for at least 45 minutes, even when it is freezing outside. These leg warmers not only can help with the transition to fall, but can also be a layering piece during the coldest time of the year to provide extra protection.

Also…they are so stinkin’ cute!

cashmere legwarmers 4

Do you have any tips for things to do to transition your wardrobe during the changing seasons? I’d love to hear them! 

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need will win a pair of toddler leg warmers of your choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Halloween Recipe Idea: Yummy Mummy Meatloaf

· by · 11 Comments

Oh my goodness this was a fun one, you guys! I’ve partnered with Reynolds as a Reynolds Real Mom to bring you something frightfully good for your dinner table during the month of October. It was a monster hit with my crew, and I think it just might be with yours, too! And by using Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners, you can spend your after dinner time telling ghost stories instead of cleaning up!

halloween recipes: yummy mummy meatloaf

Yummy Mummy Meatloaf

  • 1 small onion
  • 1 small bell pepper (green or red)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • small handful of basil leaves (optional)
  • 1.5 lb ground beef
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup Ricotta cheese
  • 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 8 oz fettuccine noodles, uncooked
  • 1 package of mozzarella cheese slices
  • 1 jar pasta sauce of choice

 

Bring water for the noodles to a boil on the stove. Meanwhile, In a food processor, blend onion, bell pepper, garlic and basil leaves until very finely combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the vegetable mixture with ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, milk Ricotta cheese, and Italian seasoning. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Form the meat mixture into the shape of a loaf, and then place inside a slow cooker already prepared with a Reynolds Slow Cooker liner.
Add the fettuccine noodles to the boiling water, and cook them for just 4 minutes. Pasta should not be fully cooked. Drain the noodles and allow to cool for a minute or two.
Meanwhile, place slices of mozzarella cheese on the meatloaf so that none of the meat is visible.
Then begin placing individual strands of fettuccine on top of the meatloaf, mimicking the look of a mummy. It will look very strange when you are about 25% of the way through, but just trust me and keep going! You can adjust the size of the individual strands depending on the exact look you want. It doesn’t need to look nice and neat…remember, it’s a mummy!
Once satisfied with the look of your mummy meatloaf, turn on the slow cooker to low, place the lid on top, and set the timer for 5 hours. After 4 hours of cooking, spoon about half the jar of pasta sauce around the bottom of the mummymeatloaf.
Just before serving, add some eyes to your mummy (olives, capers, whatever you’ve got on hand that will work!).

Fish Recipes: Get Your Omega-3’s (31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes)

· by · 2 Comments

Am I the only one totally confused by whether or not fish is something to avoid eating, on account of all the pollution in our water, or if it is something that I definitely SHOULD be eating, on account of the Omega-3 oils found in fish that have been shown to be super awesome for the heart and brain?

Ultimately, I’ve reached this conclusion: I should be taking Omega-3 supplements at least a few times each week, and I should aim to prepare a dish with fish in it at least once a week. Here’s my own list of my top 10 “go-to” fish recipes. We enjoy these dishes, and I hope you will, too!

fish recipes

Walnut-Crusted Salmon, SheKnows.com

Light and Healthy Herbed Fish and Ratatouille, Shortbreadbakery.com

Salmon Kebabs with Sweet Bourbon Glaze, Feastie.com

Honey/Dijon Crunchy Fish, Mom Its a Keeper

Idiot-Proof Fishsticks, StuffParentsNeed.com

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia, CheeriosandLattes.com

Salmon, Asparagus and Brie Quiche, SheKnows.com

Asian-Style Fish Cakes, MyRecipes.com

Blackened Tilapia, TheHubofOurHome.com

Salmon Tacos with Jalapeno Cream, LemonsforLulu.com

That’s what is cooking at our house (once a week, at least!). What fish recipes do you love? 

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

31 days of unforgettable recipes

 

 

Energizer Battery Packaging Now Safer for Babies and Toddlers!

· by · 97 Comments

Thanks to Energizer for providing complimentary coin lithium products for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly mine.  

Do you have any coin lithium batteries in your house? These are the little round disc batteries that are often needed for things like remote controls, children’s books with sound, or flameless candles. They are just the right size to be tempting to a young child to put in their mouths and potentially swallow. These batteries can cause serious chemical burns in as little as two hours. So you can add this to your list of things to totally freak out about. You’re welcome.

But I don’t want to leave you with the bad news and then just walk away. Energizer has teamed up with the National Safety Council to share some tips on keeping kids safe from injuries like those associated with the ingestion of coin lithium batteries.

coin lithium battery safety

As parents, we have to do our part to keep batteries out of the reach of little hands. Energizer, for its part, has been the first battery company to voluntarily develop packaging for its 20 millimeter coin lithium batteries that meets the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s strict guidelines* for child-resistant packaging.

The Packaging Difference

We put Energizer’s packaging to the test recently by comparing just how easy (or difficult) it might be to open without a pair of scissors. We also had a different brand on hand to see if another brand had similar packaging or not. Here are our results!

coin lithium battery safety

Other packaging: paper backing. I was into it in about 15 seconds. I could see a baby or toddler drooling on this for just a little bit before the battery would just fall into their little mouths. Yikes!

energizer coin lithium battery packaging 1

Energizer package: plastic through and through. It is bendable, but that stuff just won’t break. I messed with it for a few minutes before snapping this shot.

energizer coin lithium battery packaging 2

And once I did cut into the package with scissors, I noticed that the batteries still weren’t “easy” to get to. Definitely doable without having to yell expletives, but these aren’t just going to accidentally fall out, I promise.

While we tested our product with adults, I do not believe that my 4-year-old would be able to open this package without a pair of scissors (and the rule in our house is that scissors are only used with adult supervision).

Win it!: In celebration of Engergizer’s safe packaging for coin lithium batteries, one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the following:

  •          Two (2) packages of Energizer Coin Lithium batteries
  •          One (1) Energizer LED Nightlight (winner’s choice between Sleeping Beauty or Cars)
  •          One (1) Energizer  Weatheready 2-in-1 LED Light

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Background on CPSC Child-Resistant Packaging

The CPSC imposes strict guidelines to determine if a packaging qualifies as effectively child-resistant. The packaging is tested with groups of children ages 42-51 months and also with senior adults ages 50-70. For a package to be child-resistant, a total of 80% of the children tested must not open the package in a full 10 minutes of testing. To make sure that adults are able to use a child-resistant package properly, 90% of adults tested have up to five minutes, and then another minute in a second test, to open and close the package (if applicable) so that it is child-resistant again.

Freezer Meals You Will Love (31 Days of Unforgettable Recipes)

· by · 5 Comments

Lovin’ these freezer meals from Jessie! She’s giving me some great ideas to help me get ahead in the kitchen! 

Freezer cooking. Batch cooking. Once-a-month cooking, once-a-week cooking. Bulk cooking. Whatever you call it, having freezer meals can be a lifesaver.

freezer_collage

I’ve filled my tiny freezers with a month’s worth of meals (for the last 4 years, I’ve only had a small over-the-fridge freezer). And sometimes, like this morning, I’ve just flash-frozen four pieces of French toast that didn’t get eaten and put them in a freezer bag for an easy toddler breakfast.

Any way you do it, having some extra food on hand in the freezer is always going to be to your advantage. Don’t feeling like cooking? There ya go. Need a meal to take to a friend in need? You have one already made up! Get sick? Your spouse can defrost something and throw it in the oven or in a slow cooker.

Here are some of my favorite recipes to make and throw in the freezer for later.

Honey Parmesan Pork Roast can be put into a slow cooker frozen or thawed. The rich gravy that develops is perfect over mashed potatoes. It’s a great crowd-pleaser and a no-fail meal for me.

Pizza Pockets with flaky, yeast-free dough are a little time-intensive but totally worth the effort. You can fill them with whatever you want and pop out just a few out a time to bake. My husband and kids LOVE these, and we’ve even filled them with peanut butter and jelly.

Muffins

Muffins are the easiest thing in the world to freeze, and these French Breakfast Muffins are some of the best muffins I’ve ever had. They are decadent, eggy, and just delicious. May I also suggest Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins and Whole Wheat Hawaiian Muffins?

Smoothies

We always have extra smoothie when I make a blender-full for me the kids. I freeze the excess in a silicone muffin pan, then pop the “smoothie discs” into a freezer bag. When we want some, I can defrost one or two discs for the kids by putting them in a cup and then microwaving for 20-30 seconds until they get slushy.

I adore this recipe for Cran-Raspberry Smoothies from Simple Bites. The cinnamon added in makes the smoothie feel like fall! These three-ingredient vegan smoothies are pretty great, too!

And what would life be without dessert? Cookie dough freezes well. You can either just freeze the dough as a whole and defrost before baking, or scoop individual cookies onto a baking sheet and flash-freeze them. Then take frozen cookies and place in a bag. When you want to bake, just take them out frozen and bake a few minutes longer than the recipe calls for.

Don’t these Mocha Cinnamon Chip Cookies look divine?

I will share that Once a Month Meals helped me get over my fear of freezing things. It’s a great resource for all kinds of freezer recipes in a great variety of diets (gluten-free, low-cal, vegetarian, and more). For a fee they will even plan an entire month of meals for you, complete with recipes, grocery lists, and instructions. Pretty awesome.

So, is your freezer stocked? Why or why not?

IMG_2548_2

Jessie is a wife, mother of three kids under 5, freelance writer, and Christ-follower. She has been blogging at Vanderbilt Wife since 2006, where she talks about food, faith, parenting, plus-size fashion, and her complete lack of housekeeping skills. She’s active on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, too! (But not Instagram. Stupid phone users unite!)

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

31 days of unforgettable recipes

Eat, Drink, Chew and Tell On Your Daddy

· by · 2 Comments

This post brought to you by Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.

Darah is 4 years old, and in my book, totally not old enough to be chewing gum. Even though I really enjoy chewing gum, myself (shout out, peppermint flavor!), I try not to chew it in front of her, because she will ALWAYS ask if she can have any.

Why won’t I let her? To be honest, it has to do with my own misuse of gum as a child. I had very long hair (just as Darah does, currently) and I would get gum stuck in my hair. A LOT. To the point where my father found me one day locked in the bathroom having asked my brother to go get the scissors for me and slide them under the door. I also instructed him to NOT tell dad, who was home with us at the time. Thank goodness he went straight to dad, because if he hadn’t, I would have cut a chunk out of my hair! I was around 7 at the time, years older than my 4 year old, and yet I still was being irresponsible with gum.

Tim thinks perhaps it isn’t fair to use my past as a grounds for not letting Darah try something new. I can see where he is coming from, but I’ve been holding my ground on this one.

I’ve had to travel a lot for work this year, and after one recent trip, Darah very excitedly told me as soon as I got home that her daddy gave her a piece of gum.

Sigh……

Let that be a lesson to us all. Your children WILL tell on you when you do something sneaky behind your spouse’s back!

Now to Tim’s credit, he talked with Darah at length about how to chew gum (and not swallow it, not play with it, not stick it places other than the trash) and Darah is quite a rule follower, so she seemed to understand what was being asked of her in exchange for this big girl promotion to “gum chewer” status.

So now getting to chew a piece of gum is a very special thing, which happens only occasionally, and with adult supervision. I’m still not so sure about if it was the right call to let this pass, but perhaps I should just be open to the possibility that my little one will be responsible with her gum.

And now I’ve got to keep the house stocked with something yummy for us all. Darah seems to like the peppermint flavor, just like me, so I’m going to be getting the NEW Orbit Value Pack, available at Dollar General. They come with two 7 piece packs for 14 pieces of gum total. And why Dollar General? Because they have the very lowest prices on the value pack. I’m all about saving some money, people! They come in peppermint or spearmint, so you can choose your favorite.

I’ll keep you posted on if the Orbit® gum stays in its proper orbit (hee hee) or if it launches into a realm that isn’t allowed (please let it not be her hair…)

So what do you think? When did you let your children start chewing gum? And has your child ever “told” on your significant other? 

Visit Sponsor's Site

Luvs Diapers We Use Day Or Night

· by · 3 Comments

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Luvs. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own, as always. 

A few weeks ago we went on a little vacation. While we primarily cloth diaper, I’ve mentioned before that my family chooses to use disposables when we are away from home for more than 6 hours or so. I opted to take this particular brand of diapers for daytime use.

luvs #theclueisintheblue 1

These are Luvs Super Absorbent Leakguards, and this particular version is only available at Walmart. It can absorb 15% more than its counterparts, making it an extremely effective diaper at a very affordable price (.16/diaper for size 3!). As the campaign states, the clue is in the blue, so just look for that blue “super absorbent leakguards” seal on the package when you go to purchase.

These diapers worked absolutely great during the day. We didn’t encounter a single problem with them, no matter the contents of the diaper (and I think you know what I’m talking about here!). No diaper worries means more time to play and have fun, and that we did!

bubbles

Now most any parent can tell you that there is a distinct difference between the diapers that work well during the day, and those that are needed for night time. Typically kids get their diapers changed every 2 hours or so during the day, but at night they could go as long as 12 hours in just one diaper. So that diaper has to be ready to work REALLY hard!

I hadn’t planned on even trying these Luvs diapers overnight, as we have found a brand of overnight disposables that we like just fine. But when we reached for those diapers during our out-of-town trip, we realized that neither one of us had actually packed them. Oops! We had no choice but to give the Luvs diapers a try.

And guess what? They worked!!! We used them 3 nights in a row without a single leak! I have to say, I was really impressed with that. So these diapers get my seal of approval for a great, affordable diaper for day or night. And Layah loves them, too. She thinks the monkey on the diapers is cute and loves to show it off. I have to keep my eye on that one!

luvs diapers

Have you tried these Luvs diapers, yet?