Stuff Parents Need - Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe (and How to Cook Brown Rice in 10 Minutes!)

October 8, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf Success® Rice. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. I hope you enjoy the stuffed bell peppers recipe!

Am I the only one out there who still struggles to cook brown rice? Surely not! My kitchen is simply too small to allow for a rice cooker (or really most any device that only serves one purpose). And if I forget to think about the rice until 15 minutes before dinner, I’m in trouble, as I find that brown rice takes 45-50 minutes to be ready from the time I first put water in the pot.

I grew up eating , which is why I honestly thought that rice took 10 minutes to cook, all the time, always. My family tries hard to eat brown rice most of the time, though it is not unusual for me to think about starting to make the once it is too late to get the brown rice done, and so we eat white rice by default since it’s faster.

But now there’s Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice, and all is right with the rice world, once again. I can now make brown rice for my family in 10 minutes!

I’ve even put together a really beautiful and yummy stuffed bell peppers dish that ordinarily would have taken close to an hour and a half to make, and now can be finished in about 40 minutes, thanks to Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice.

If you are looking for a dinner idea that is pleasing to the eye, healthy, delicious, and surprisingly fast, look no further.

Quick Stuffed Bell Peppers with Brown Rice

Ingredients

6 bell peppers, colors of your choice (orange and yellow are my favorites!)
1 lb ground turkey
1 Tbsp meat seasoning of your choice (for example: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, fajita seasoning)
1 package Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, plus extra

Directions:

1. Begin heating up water and a bag of Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice on the stove, following package directions (the package also gives instructions for microwave cooking, if you prefer that method). I opted to heat up 2 bags at once so that I could use the second bag for a different recipe, but you only need 1 for this recipe. When your rice is finished cooking, simply drain in the bag, and then carefully cut the top and remove it. Your rice will be cooked to perfection! 🙂

2. While your rice is cooking, on a second burner heat water in a large pot. Salt it and put a lid on it so it will boil faster. Meanwhile, begin cutting the tops out of your bell peppers, removing the seeds and the white pith from the insides.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

4. Once the pot of water is boiling, add your bell peppers and put the lid back on. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain, and place back in the baking dish. Be VERY careful, as they will be quite hot. Also be sure to get the water out from the inside of the bell peppers.

5. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is hot enough, add ground turkey and the spices of your choice. I used a fajita blend from Mrs. Dash, but many spice blends will do nicely. Once the meat is heated through, drain off any fat and then add rice, salsa and 1 cup of cheese.

Now it’s time to stuff those peppers! You should have enough filled to completely fill the insides of each pepper.

Now top each one with just a bit of extra cheese, and pop them in the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes. The end result is delicious!

I love how easy Success® Rice made putting this dish together. Without it, I would have had to wait 45 minutes or so for the brown rice to be ready before putting the filling together. I also love that I could use brown rice in this dish, which is so good for your body, without having to spend any more time in the kitchen than I would have making white rice.

Over 300 Recipes!

I hope the stuffed bell peppers recipe makes its way to your dinner table in the near future. If you want more ideas, has over 300 recipes for you to help you get breakfast, lunch or dinner on the table quickly. It’s a terrific place to go and get some new, quick dishes. You can also find great recipe inspirations, lifestyle tips and more by following Success Rice on Facebook and Pinterest.

Sweepstakes Alert!

Success® Rice is excited to be part of your home, and to help you get in and out of the kitchen faster. They are a participating brand in the over at O, The Oprah Magazine. They have a nice variety of culinary-themed prizes, so it’s definitely worth a few minutes of your time to get entered. Somebody’s going to win, so it might as well be you!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf Success® Rice.

FabKids October Find (Your $15 Outfit Awaits!)

October 6, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Outfit provided for consideration. We are FabKids members and love shopping there and sharing our experiences! Referral links included (once you join, you can get a referral link, too!).

Have you joined FabKids, yet? Friends, if not, then I beseech you to get signed up! You get your first outfit for $15 and free shipping! This is a subscription service that comes with absolutely NO risk. You can skip getting an outfit any month you like, for any reason you like. As long as you skip the month (which you can do with a few clicks online…no need to call in or go through a cumbersome process) by the 5th, you won’t be charged. And if you forget, you’ll have a credit in your account for an outfit which you can redeem at any time.

But there are GREAT reasons to buy an outfit each month, like the fact that you get a complete ensemble for just $29.95! There are also pretty much always tempting sales going on. I just bought clothes for the girls that will be here any day now because they were buy 1 get 1 half off. Couldn’t resist that deal! And if you spend $50, your shipping is free. I always take a look around at their sale section. By the time I get my $29.95 outfit and a few sale pieces, I’ve hit my free shipping threshold and I’ve gotten great buys in the process. And bonus? I don’t have to go to the mall to buy clothes. That is worth FAR more than what I’m paying for these outfits, I promise you.

Here’s the October outfit of choice for Miss Darah:

This is the Autumn dress, and while I could see it being a tricky choice for folks who live in parts of the country where it is already starting to get really cold, it’s absolutely perfect for fall in Tennessee. The sleeves are sheer, which is why it might be a tough sell for places with snow coming soon. But I really think it’s a great piece for fall and for spring, too.

The color is a pinky-purple. It’s deep enough that it looks great in the fall, paired with orange leg warmers or black leggings. And yet the color is light enough that it will look beautiful all by itself in late March and throughout April.

Darah especially liked the jeweled button in the back. I liked that feature, too, because it gave me the opportunity to convince her to try braids in her hair. She doesn’t like me to mess with her hair too much, but she wanted to show off that button!

FabKids has a great selection of outfits, no matter your child’s style. And yes, they have stuff for boys, too! They’ve also got 15 items on sale right now, so be sure to check that out!

I would LOVE to hear if you have tried FabKids and if you love it as much as we do! It’s such a time-saver!

Spooky Orange Cream Cinnamon Rolls with TruMoo Orange Scream Milk

October 6, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

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

We cooked up something frighteningly delicious for Sunday brunch this past weekend, all inspired by the special edition product in dairy cases across the country right now: TruMoo Orange Scream Milk. Have you seen it?

I thought it served as a great tool for making something extra special for a chilly October morning. We came up with the idea of doing Orange Cream Cinnamon Rolls, and I’d love to show you how to make them!

Ingredients:

Dough

1 package dry active yeast
3/4 cup TruMoo Orange Scream Milk, room temperature or slightly warmed
1 stick of butter at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, room temperature

Filling

1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 stick butter at room temperature
1 tsp TruMoo Orange Scream Milk

Icing

Half a stick (4 oz) cream cheese at room temperature
2 Tbsp TruMoo Orange Scream Milk
1 cup powdered sugar
orange sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

Add 3/4 cup TruMoo milk to a mixing bowl.

Add yeast to the milk, give it a stir, and allow it to sit for 2 minutes.

Slowly add in the butter, sugar, vanilla, 1 cup of flour, cinnamon and salt, and combine using a mixer.

Once this mix is just combined, add the eggs.

Now it’s time to add the remaining flour and beat until well combined.

The dough needs to be kneaded (and hey, don’t we all??? Heh heh..) for 5 minutes. If you are fancy and have a stand mixer, get out your dough blade. If you are like me, and do NOT have such fancy equipment, get out your flour and lightly flour a surface, and then get to work. Or in my case, put your husband to work.

Smear some butter on the bowl you were using, and then place your kneaded dough back in that bowl. Roll it around a bit so that some butter gets all over it. Then put plastic wrap on top, and put the bowl somewhere warmish to sit for an hour. We actually put it in the sink it a bit of warm water. Yes, you really do need to let it sit for that long. And yes, it is torture.

BUT! While you are waiting you should learn more about TruMoo! visit their website for more delicious TruMoo Halloween recipes. You’ll find plenty of other ideas for ways to use your Orange Scream Milk. Or you could just have a glass; it’s awesome, trust me.

While you are waiting, you should also get started on the cinnamon roll filling. Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix together until well-combined.

Now that an hour has passed, get your dough back out on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into roughly the shape of your 9×13 baking dish (a little bit larger is ok).

Now add that yummy filling you made a short while ago and sprinkly it evenly all over the dough. Roll the dough on the long end of the rectangle you made (you want your roll to be long). Roll it tightly, and then cut into 12 pieces.

I cut the roll in half, and then cut each half again, and then took each section and made 3 rolls, for a total of 12. Place these in your 9×13 baking dish, and be sure to butter the dish first. Cover it again with plastic wrap. Let it rise, once again, for an hour. I KNOW….THIS PART STINKS!

While you wait, might was well browse the TruMoo Pinterest boards! They have some terrific ideas for you to pin. You can also check out the TruMoo Facebook page. I like connecting with the brand here because they have fun giveaways that pop up from time to time!

While you are waiting, you should also go ahead and preheat your oven to 350, though it will only take it 5-10 minutes to get that hot.

Once you time is up, remove the plastic wrap and put your cinnamon rolls in the oven for 30 minutes. They should look something like this when they are ready:

Give them a little bit of time to cool down so that your icing doesn’t melt too fast. Once you just can’t stand the wait any more, apply the icing liberally to your rolls, and for extra color, add some orange sprinkles.Dig in, and enjoy! They are SO yum!

Labeling Device You Control from Your Phone: Epson LW-600P Review

October 5, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Product provided for consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have never in my entire life owned a labeling device. Part of the reason is because I thought I could explain my inability to stray truly organized by my lack of one. “Oh, if only I had a label maker I would have my entire house looking like a Container Store catalog. But nobody ever bought me one, so oh well. Not my fault.”

Of course, the truth is that a labeling device isn’t going to cause you to magically be organized. But we just started using the Epson LW-600P LabelWorks system, and I have a feeling that change is in the air.

Simply put, I’m about to go label CRAZY up in this house. And I might be just a touch giddy about it. 🙂

The Epson LW-600P is absolutely perfect for me because it allows you to print labels from your phone. Simply download the free Epson iLabel app to get started.

epson ilabel app

As you can see, the device allows you to print custom labels, QR codes, and even print barcodes. I also love that you can buy more tape right from the app.

Once you app is downloaded, it’s time to break out your label maker!

It’s shockingly easy to use, you guys. First you need to decide if you want to just plug it into a power source or use batteries (but fair warning, it needs 6 AA batteries if you are thinking of going that route!).

Then you press the power button to turn it on, and then go to your phone’s Bluetooth setting to make sure they are synching up.

Now it’s time to print a label! We started with My Little Pony, which we wanted to put on the girls’ MLP box. The box currently has just a few ponies in it, for which I have always blamed the lack of label. Now we are headed in the right direction!

The label came out in maybe 3 seconds. It was amazingly quick! Then we peeled off the back (the back label splits down the middle which makes it really easy to remove).

I decided after I put the first label on top of the box that I wanted a second one to go on the side. I just went into the history section of the app and pulled up the MLP label I already made once and printed it again. Loved that feature!

The Epson LabelWorks LW-600P is a really fantastic labeling device. I’ve never owned another one, so I can’t compare it to other models, but I can tell you that it is VERY user-friendly and quite simple. I would highly recommend it to anyone who might be in the market for a great label maker! You can pick it up on the Epson website for $99.99 (which is better than the Amazon price, FYI!).

Come Visit Me at Novica and See My Gift Suggestion for (Hard to Shop for) Men

October 4, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I’ve got a post up over on the Novica blog all about shopping for the man who doesn’t give two flips about gifts (that would be my husband). Novica, a website overflowing with beautiful artisan treasures from all over the world offered at a win/win price for you and for the artist, has some excellent options for the man in your life who is SO hard to shop for. Come see what I picked out (spoiler alert: my husband loved it!).

http://blog.novica.com/handmade-leather-wallets/

A Concentration Game We Love: Robot Face Race

October 4, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Product provided for consideration from Educational Insights. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. Affiliate links may be included; I only promote what I love.

My little ones (ages 5 and 2) both really love to play board games, but finding something that is entertaining and challenging for them both is quite tough, as you can imagine!

robot face race concentration game 1

Robot Face Race is a game that can work for both of my girls if I tweak the rules just a wee bit, and I really love how this concentration game helps both of my girls practice focusing.

Here’s the concept: “A crazy inventor has built dozens of robot bodies and he needs your help finding the perfect heads. Shake the Robot Randomizer to reveal a robot’s features. Scan the robot heads on the board until you find the match. Find it first and collect a robot scoring token. The first player with five tokens wins. For 2 to 4 players. Ages 4 and up.”

Ok, so when we play this game, I have Darah shake up the robot randomizer to determine which robot we are seeking. It has 5 potential colors but only 4 features, so at any given time there is one color not in play (one of the holes is deeper than the others so that 1 color ball isn’t showing, if that makes sense).

At this point, I usually have Darah looking for two or three of the attributes (for example, purple face, green mouth, yellow nose) and I will have Layah just look for one, such as green mouth. When someone finds what they are looking for, they place one of their game tokens on the board. The person who puts all their tokens down first wins, though we aren’t focused on that part of the game just yet.

What I really like about the game is that you can have players with a wide variety of skill and concentration levels playing at the same time, as long as you give those players slightly modified things that they are seeking. A 10-year-old could easily play with a 5-year-old this way. It’s also quite challenging, as there is only 1 corresponding robot face for every combination of 4 colors on the board. This makes it really entertaining for older kids who may be totally over the likes of Candy Land. Yet it can still be fun for the younger crowd if you tailor it to the challenge level that is appropriate for them. At $19.99, I think it’s a really fun choice for a new board game! We are thoroughly enjoying it!

Robot Face Race can be purchased at Educational Insights or at Amazon.

I’m All About that Base: 3 Examples of How a Rug Can Make the Room (Giveaway Alert!)

October 3, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 21 Comments

This post brought to you by Kalaty Rug. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Stuff Parents Need.

Dreams and Designs by Alanna Peters

I don’t know about you but the change of seasons always gets me thinking about making changes at home. This time of year, in particular, I start thinking about decorating the house for the upcoming holidays. It starts with that slight chill in the evening air, the appearance of pumpkin everything in the stores, and before you know it I’m thinking about Halloween…then my birthday…then Thanksgiving, and then – EEK – Christmas!

But how much more fun would it be if I could actually decorate a NEW home for the holidays?! Our house is sufficient for us for at the moment but we are outgrowing it rapidly. (And no, I’m not pregnant!) I can’t wait for the day that we can finally buy our dream home…the one that we see ourselves living in for the rest of our lives. (You know, the one with the library, and the conservatory, and the playroom, and the master suite with double sinks in the bathroom, and the big backyard with a garden and a pool…)

Alas, that won’t happen for a long while. In the meantime though, I’m thinking about making some simple changes so the house at least feels new. They say one of the easiest ways to change a room is by painting. But what if you want to make a big change without all that sweat equity? One of the very best ways to completely change the vibe in a room is by starting with the floor, and more specifically, with one seriously gorgeous rug.

I’ve been spending my morning daydreaming online as I browsed the new fall rug collections from Kalaty.com. Are you familiar with this company? They’ve been around since the early 1900s, so it’s safe to say that they know a thing or two about beautiful rugs. They have several new style lines out right now and I found some gorgeous rugs that I love! Since I was imagining my dream house, I figured I might as well decorate the whole room to go along with the new rug. Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?!

Here are a few of my favorites.

The first rug I fell in love with was from Kalaty’s Contemporary line. It’s a grey-blue Inspira rug, and I think it’s gorgeous! I pictured it lying all silky and glorious in my luxurious living room, surrounded by cool, relaxing colors and lush gold accents.

The second rug I chose to decorate with was from the Ikat style line. I really like the Caspian multi-colored wool rug – the colors are so deep and rich. I think it would be perfect for the library I hope to have someday! I’d also have a nice, big reading chair and a comfy pillow to lean back on while I read my latest adventure novel.

The third rug I was really drawn to was from the Southwestern style line. I’m normally not big on the whole southwestern thing but I really liked the muted neutral colors of the “Mojave” natural wool rug. I think it’d be a great fit in a bedroom that’s not necessarily western-themed but just has more of a rugged, outdoorsy kind of feel. It reminds me of some of the mountain ranches I’ve stayed in when I’m home visiting Colorado.

How about you? Are you dreaming of a new home too, or at least redecorating a room to feel new for the fall season? Have you ever used a rug as the starting point for a change in the look and feel of a room? Which of the style boards above speaks the most to your design aesthetic? Kalaty likely has some other designs that you may like even more than what I chose! Take a look atwww.kalaty.com and let me know which rug you would choose for a fresh new look! And for even more inspiration, be sure to followKalaty’s Pinterest board. It is loaded with beautiful ideas! You’ll also find some great ideas and inspirations through Kalaty’s Twitter and Kalaty’s Facebook page.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

I bet you want one of these rugs, don’t you? I know I do!!! You’ve got a chance to win a 4×6 Kalaty rug right now (valued up to $1,000!). Here’s what you need to do:

1. Visit Kalaty Rug at http://kalaty.com/rebate and enter your email address to receive a mail-in rebate form. This form can be used even if you don’t win to get a great discount! 🙂

2. If you want additional entries, you can enter up to 3 valid, additional email addresses for the Mail-In Rebate, to count as 4 total contest entries. Spread the word to your friends and increase your odds!

3. You can also earn an entry by leaving a comment on this blog post stating where your nearest Kalaty Rug dealer can be found (http://kalaty.com/find-a-dealer.htm will help you!).

4. Additionally, you can leave a comment on Kalaty’s Facebook page with your nearest Kalaty Rug dealer. Leaving a comment on the Kalaty Rug Facebook with the nearest Kalaty Rug dealer (found by going to http://www.kalaty.com/find-a-dealer.htm).

There are many great ways to enter, and you can pull them all together by using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck, everyone! Just click on the link below if you can’t see the form; it’ll take you to the entry page.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Litter Box Hacks: How to Make Your Cats Happier and Your Space Neater

October 3, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

This post brought to you by Fresh Step Lightweight Extreme Litter. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Stuff Parents Need.

After I finally let go of my cat litter workout equipment a few weeks ago, I started using Fresh Step® Lightweight Extreme in the litter box for our two cats, Hattie and Rose. We noticed right away that the litter did an excellent job with clumping and with odor control. We have also noticed that when it is time to change out the litter, the removal process is easier on account of it not being as heavy. That’s a nice perk for the pet owners, especially when you consider that there just aren’t too many perks to be had when it comes to changing the litter. Take them where you can get them!

One problem we have been encountering with our cats ever since having them share a litter box is that they are quite messy. I’m not sure if they just don’t want to be near each others waste (which is fair) or what, but they are going NUTS with tossing litter around. Here’s what’s happening:

Ok, then. Since we already improved the litter situation for the humans in a few key ways (less weight, great odor control, aweome clumping) let’t go ahead and make some other improvements to deal with cats who play with litter like it’s the best toy ever. Since Fresh Step® Lightweight Extreme is available at Target, we headed that way to pick up another box of litter, and to get a box that we could turn into a litter palace for our kitties.

Then we reached for some tools! Always striving for perfection and precision, we created a circle using our salad plates, which aren’t even perfectly round. This is how we DIY, people. If you attempt to make this litter box, just be sure that your hole leaves enough room at the bottom to block a significant amount of litter that the cats might try to throw out of the box. YOU KNOW HOW THEY DO. You might also find that you need something sharp to get the cutting process started. We used a thingy that was on Tim’s multi-tool thingy. You’re welcome for the very specific suggestion.

Hattie served as the overseer during the construction of her new throne. Getting the hole started was kind of tough, but once we got going, it actually didn’t take long at all to finish. We got the new litter box in place, filled it with Fresh Step® Lightweight Extreme Litter, and added the mat at the bottom to catch litter that might be on the cats’ paws as they exit. MUCH better, don’t you think? And so far, so good. The litter is tototally under control now; the party stays IN the box. Fresh Step® Lightweight Extreme Litter, combined with a newfangled litter box system, have pretty much revolutionized our whole litter experience! 🙂

Fashion Friday: Look What I Just Bought (For a Steal!)

October 3, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Affiliate links included. I only promote what I love!

My Cents of Style is having a GREAT sale today, friends! They have TONS of beautiful fall merchandise for 60% off plus free shipping when you use the code COZYFALL. I just spend $39.96 and bought two great pieces:

It’s called the cocoon cardigan and I bought it in teal, but it is available in several colors! Here’s another angle and color:

SWOON!!!

I also snagged a pair of boots in tan. Such a great shade that will go with everything!

Again, I spent $39.96 shipped for two awesome fall items. SO pumped! 🙂 Here are some other things that made me swoon, though I had to stop my shopping before the bill started to climb!

Aztec Shawl- $11.98!

SO many great infinity scarves! You’ve got to go check it out, friends! Let me know what you get!