I gave birth to my little son on Jan 4, 2024. My parents live in Missouri (where they run GKW) and I live in Massachusetts. So when trying to book their flights for them to come help me with the two children I now have, it was a guessing game. When my daughter Nellie was born, she came early and my mom didn't get here until she was 10 days old. My due date for Little Lewis was Jan 1, and so we decided to book their flights a few days later for Jan 4th. Luckily, within 12 hours of giving birth, my parents were in the hospital in Massachusetts.
I was so grateful for my mom. She was here for two blissful weeks and did literally everything for me. She played with Nellie, my 2.5 year old, took her to the bathroom every single time, made every single meal and cleaned up after, made meals for me to have in the freezer (which I am still eating), and just took care of everything so that I could rest and heal.
As she was making meals during my naps (she always cooked while Nellie, Lewis, and I all napped every afternoon) she realized that every single day while making meals, she went back to the same kitchen product. Every SINGLE meal she made, she used the GEFU Treppo!! I have always said it is one of my most used products, and here she was proving me right!
She used it to make oven baked French fries for cutting the potatoes. She used it to chop veggies for the different soups she made. She used it to dice red onions as pictured in these photos. She just used it for so many different things and it made meal prep SO much faster and easier!
For the past four years, we have made it a tradition to go to my parents' house for the 4th of July. I absolutely love the 4th and celebrating the freedoms we have of living in the United States of America. We are so lucky and blessed to live in a free country.
I am so grateful to live in this free country where I know I’m safe, where I am free to practice my religion, where I have rights, where I can have my own political opinions, and where so many more freedoms exist.
We had quite the spread for our Independence Day lunch! My mom made this red, white, and blue blueberry salsa (with blueberries sliced with the Tari slicer), we had delicious cut fruit, we had chips and salsa, watermelon caprese salad, and hamburgers made with the burger press. It was absolutely delicious and such a good time spent together as a family!
In 2022 we were sitting in my parents' front yard watching all of the neighbors' fireworks and we decided we should contribute somehow since we didn't buy any of our own fireworks. The idea came to us that we could give a neighborhood pancake breakfast. We started right then to plan what our breakfast would look like and enjoyed planning it for the next 365 days!
We, of course, used the Tari Slicer to slice the strawberries and we had a bowl of strawberries, a bowl of blueberries, a plate of breakfast sausages, and a whole bunch of pancakes!
My mom started on the pancakes about an hour and a half before the start of the breakfast and kept making them as people arrived. I sliced the strawberries and put the blueberries out around 15 minutes before people arrived and then we made the sausage and had it ready by the time the neighbors got there!
I went to the store to get popsicles for Nellie, my two year old, and had a difficult time choosing which ones were best. Should I get the zero sugar one that maybe has other things that aren't great to eat? Or should I get the ones full of sugar? Do I get the "just fruit" ones? But those ALSO have a ton of sugar.
Turns out I can VERY easily make my own popsicles that are made with frozen fruit but I also throw in some kale so make it a tad better for little Nellie!
They were super easy to make and literally took seconds! I simply took some frozen fruit and threw them in the blender, added water and some kale, and poured the mixture into the popsicle molds and then stuck them in the freezer!
Family can means a lot of things to a lot of different people. It can encompass parents, carers, extended family members, in-laws, and those we look up to as mother or father figures. But whatever your family looks like, strengthening those relationships to create safe and supportive environments are central to our wellbeing and happiness.
Family relationships often exist from birth, but they are not strengthened by just existing. They take work, effort, and diligence to truly stay strong. Keeping up a strong relationship with my mom is easy as I call her everyday. But strengthening my relationship with my siblings and in-laws takes a little bit more effort.
After I'm not entirely sure when it started, but most likely some time during the Pandemic we started a Marco Polo group chat with me, my mom, my sister, and my brother's wife. We talk on there pretty much daily and it has definitely strengthened our relationships with each other. Spending time with those we love, sharing about our lives and listening to their lives strengthens relationships.
As I have mentioned in the past, I learned a big lesson after I chose to save money and not attend the funeral of my grandmother. My mom told me about how it was really nice for everyone to get together and I realized how much I had missed out.
I have since become passionate about the truth that the best way to spend money is to do fun things with family, even if it means flying somewhere for just the weekend.
My husband Bryan started a new job in November of last year. He had to get up at 7:30 in order to arrive on time to work and I would get up with him, see him off, and then go back to bed until 8:00 or 8:30 until Nellie woke up. A couple weeks ago I found myself on my phone until almost 9:00 while Nellie happily hung out in her crib and I realized I was wasting precious time, so I decided to start a morning routine.
While Nellie sleeps or as long as she is content in her crib, I now do the following:
I wake up at 7:30 with Bryan but I don't go back to bed. I see him off, and then I check my planner for the day's activities. I plan what I will do with Nellie until her nap and then I do 15-20 minutes of gospel study. Studying the gospel fills my cup and I think it is so important that we do something for us each and every day!
After my gospel study, I get the energy to get off of the bed and go to the living room to do a strength training workout. My goal is to do at least 15 minutes and if I'm not going to the gym to swim later that day, then I try to do 30 minutes.
This doesn't always happen because some days Nellie cries earlier than others, but even 10 minutes of a workout is better than nothing!
I like to use the Nike Training App which has a ton of different options of workouts. My go to workouts are "Bi's and Tri's", "12 Minute Arms & Abs", and "One Leg at a Time".
I tried a new breakfast cookie recipe this morning and I think Nellie liked these cookies better! I got the recipe HERE. I only had 1.5 bananas left so I just cut the recipe in half but it still made a whole sheet pan full so I think it was the perfect amount!
Nellie was busy eating the other half of her breakfast so I didn't have her help me but this would have been a great opportunity for her to dump in the oats and the other ingredients.
They were pretty easy and fast to make. I did make sure to squish down the cookies into the shape I wanted before I stuck them in the oven for 14 minutes and then I cleaned the kitchen while they baked.
Check out the pretty clean counter with my favorite GEFU X-Plosion salt and pepper mills and the beautiful Olipac olive oil cruets - one has olive oil and the other has avocado oil.
I absolutely love pouches - they are so convenient and less messy than a bowl of applesauce with a spoon. They are also the very best way I can get my daughter to eat vegetables. When I buy store bought pouches I always try to get the kind that says "with veggies".
One day I was reading the back of the veggie pouch I had for Nellie, when I noticed that it said one spinach leaf one carrot was in it. ONE!!! I couldn't believe that! But then again have you tasted the pouches?? They are INCREDIBLY sweet.
So rather than give my daughter a pouch with only one measly spinach leaf in it, I now always make my own. It honestly does not take very long to make thanks to my GEFU products, and I literally put half steamed veggies and half unsweetened applesauce and she loves it!
I start by peeling my vegetables - I often mix zucchini, yellow squash, and butternut squash all together - and then I cut it up into chunks and dice it with the GEFU Treppo.
After that I leave it steaming on the stove. If you use a steamer basket then you don't have to worry about it burning (we tried steaming butternut squash without a basket at my aunt's house once and with little Nellie running around we completely forgot about the squash until we smelled the burnt squash from the bottom of the pan) so I recommend this one that we sell HERE.
Then I put all my GEFU products in the dishwasher so I don't have to waste any energy cleaning and then I relax and watch a show until its time to take the steamed veggies out. I always store them in small glass tupperware containers and that way some of them can go in the freezer where the rest go in the fridge.
Anytime Nellie wants an "applesauce snack" then I take out the veggies, mash them up with a fork, then put an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce with it and mix it up. After that I pour the mixture into a reusable pouch, (I use THESE), and then give it right to Nellie!
About 8 years ago, I went to my friend's wedding reception and they had a beautiful dispenser filled with strawberry water. It was the first time I had ever tried strawberry water and I was hooked! It's a simple concept - just cut up a few strawberries and add them to your glass of water and yet it made the water taste SO good!!
So now when I jump back on my goal of trying to drink more water, sometimes I go back to that wedding reception and I think about how many times I filled up my teeny tiny plastic cup, and I decide to make my own strawberry water! I grab the Tari Slicer and a few strawberries and in a matter of seconds, I have my delicious water ready to go for the morning!
This morning I did just that - the Tari Slicer has serrated blades so it doesn't squish the strawberry but rather cuts it into the perfect number of slices for my drink!
My mother in law bought my daughter, Nellie, some little juice boxes of Hint - it is just flavored water - but she loves it! We call it "water juice" and so today I realized I made my own water juice and Nellie absolutely loved sharing it with me! She even asked for crackers and then saw my water and said "I want that" and was content with drinking her "water juice" and instead of crackers! That is a win in my book for sure!
I took my "water juice" on our walk to the library this morning and we both enjoyed a refreshing drink together as we picked out books and played with the train set there at the library with our neighbors who came with us. It was a great morning of drinking something healthy and getting out in the fresh air and moving our bodies on our walk!
I have recently found that adding in healthy habits is a much better and happier way for me to be healthy rather than limiting myself from desserts and adding in some strawberry water to help with your goal of drinking more water is a fun way to do jus that!
In Chile, they call Valentine's day the "dia de amor y amistad" which translates to the date of love and friendship. I love that not only romantic relationships are honored, but friendships as well. I decided to make heart shaped chocolates and chocolate covered strawberries for some of my friends that I care about to celebrate Valentine's day this week!
As impressive as it may seem, it was actually incredibly easy!! (I'm all about doing something simple that seems impressive). I simply warmed up the melting chocolate wafers in the microwave as the package described, whisked it around with my favorite small whisk, and then used a spoon to drop the melted chocolate into the Silikomart mold!
I put the mold into the fridge for about 10 minutes and then they easily came out of the mold and onto the plate! I put the leftover chocolate on some strawberries and ta-da! I have a super fast and easy gift that looks like it took hours to make. I am confident my friends will absolutely love the gift!
Simplifying your life can mean doing a super simple gift that is actually fun to make instead of rushing to the packed store to buy flowers or worrying about the perfect gift you can order on Amazon. Sometimes putting in a tiny bit of effort can make you look incredibly impressive! And hey, life's about balance so you go ahead and joy some of those delicious chocolates too yeah?
Do I take too many photos? Absolutely! My husband always rolls his eyes and when I want nice family photos I literally set a timer for the agreed upon number of minutes. But you know what? My sister in law's grandfather recently passed away and she shared with me that she made a slideshow for his funeral and the last image was a perfect capture of her grandfather's personality. Her uncle captured that photo because he had his camera with him and took lots of photos himself.
So now I have a goal to lean into that part of myself and take even more photos, even if I feel a little obnoxious. There are positives aspects of these qualities that are me.
With Superbowl Sunday just a little over a week away, it had me reminiscing on the time we threw this little tailgate party with my parents when Nellie was much smaller. I grew up in Missouri, but my family never watched football. We didn't pay for cable and I never even learned the rules of football until I went to college in Utah. I didn't even ever watch the superbowl until I met my husband, Bryan.
So since Bryan's family has lived in Massachusetts for over 100 years, I married into a die hard Patriots family and became a Pats fan. We watch every game and I have learned to especially love the Superbowl because it brings our family together and of course in includes delicious food!!
For this tailgate party last year, we had salad tossed with olive oil from the Olipac olive oil cruet, raspberry lemonade with glass straws from GEFU and chicken salad with freshly ground salt and pepper with the GEFU X-Plosion salt and pepper mills.
I wonder if that is how it is for anything related to health - learning how to cook at home to make healthier meals, learning about reducing your glucose spike, learning about exercise and how to find ways to move your body that you enjoy, heck even learning about which GKW products will help simplify your life and get you back to your hobbies like football watching!
My aunt works with teenagers and helps prepare them for the ACT. She also works at an elementary school. She has seen many children progress through school and she told me that she made a realization. She discovered that the number one predictor of students who will excel in school and in the ACT, are those children who have learned to love books. So how do you teach your children to love books? The very best way to do so is by reading to them and reading to them often.
As I was scrolling on social media (as I do far too often), I found a post from a local facebook group a couple towns away from mine. It was from the library encouraging parents to sign up for their program called, "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten". The concept is just what you would expect it to be - to read your child 1,000 books before they enter kindergarten.
I saw that idea and ran with it. Though in the official rules it says you can read a book more than once and count it each time, I decided that I wanted to read my daughter 1,000 different books. I have started a list in my phone of every single book we've read her and I think I might get a journal and write it down as that can act as a keepsake for her as she is older too.Because I have this goal of reading 1,000 different books before kindergarten, it has also helped us make weekly trips to the library. This in itself is a good activity for my daughter, Nellie. We walk over in the stroller giving her fresh air, then she gets to play with the train set that they have there while I pick out a few books for us to bring back home.
I want her to feel comfortable in the library and have the desire to visit often! I want her to love books and I feel like one great way to help her do so at this age is to have her be around books often. Every night as I put her to bed she says "book" and I give her a little board book to play with as she goes to sleep. She used to have very little patience for books unless she was super tired but I think she is slowly learning to love our book reading time.
Recently my husband switched jobs and we now make $40,000 less a year. Though this switch was definitely the right decision for our family, it does mean that we have been trying to budget more and eat out less. I recently saw the below post on the Kids Eat in Color Instagram page and it got me thinking that though with these crazy grocery prices it may seem cheaper to eat out, it truly is cheaper and healthier to make food at home and to use clever ways to save the excess.
Another wonderful silver lining of cooking at home is being able to relax after it is all clean. My family absolutely loves tea and drinking it after dinner is like a dessert for them. When we are all together we relax, make some tea, and play board games.
I hope to continue this tradition with my own family as Nellie grows older. I want dinner time to be a time we all gather as a family and celebrate our day together. There's just something so different when you make a meal and set the table and all sit down together compared to when you have those little obnoxious white takeout boxes that take up so much space both on the table and in the trash can.
Now, I am certainly not saying that in order to create happy family memories, the mom needs to do all the work. What I AM saying, is that recognizing the sacrifices my mom makes for us has helped me see the emphasis she places on family and I think we can all learn from that.
During my Master's of Public Health degree, we talked about how family and community relationships actually affect the health of an individual. Strong family bonds allow us to feel a sense of grounding. When trials come, it is beneficial for our health to know that we have someone by our side no matter what. Kind words of encouragement from our family can help us keep going and give us the strength we need to do so.
GEFU Coffee Capsule Set | $41.95
These little capsule pods work with with any standard, original NESPRESSO® capsule machines. They replace the plastic parts and this is the PERFECT gift for your espresso loving sustainable friend! Here's how it works: place the funnel contents in an empty capsule, fill with espresso powder using the measuring spoon and press down with tamper, seal capsule with self-adhesive aroma seal – and you’re done. After use, simply remove the cover, clean the capsule and it can be used again immediately.
GEFU Barbecue Skewer | $20.95
The perfect skewers that come with an integrated slider for easy removal of the grilled food. This two piece set is a great gift especially since it comes with a 20 year manufacturer's warranty!
GEFU BBQ Injector | $29.95
This heavy duty easy to use injector comes with a really nice storing case and will impress anyone who loves BBQ! You can inject in different ways, it is dishwasher safe, and it comes with a 5 year manufacturer's warranty!
Chicken Leg (Drumstick) Holder | $49.95
This clever chicken leg holder is perfect for the BBQ lover in your life who likes chicken! This is the perfect unique gift as it allows for the cooking of 12 chicken legs without turning! It is folds up for space saving while not in use as well!
Bredemeijer Santhee Teapot | $113.95
This beautiful shiny teapot is perfect for the tea lover you know as it is double walled so it keeps the tea at the perfect temperature for hours! It is absolutely adorable and perfect the next tea party or to just enjoy alone with a good book!
Bredemeijer 9 Compartment Tea Box | $49.95
This gorgeous tea box is complete with 9 compartments so you tea loving friend has a place for all of the very best teas! With its glass top, it is always easy to see what teas are remaining and its aesthetic is perfect for every household!
Bredemeijer Spring White Cosy Manto Teapot | $129.95
The classic teapot is adorable and timeless! Its removable, felt-clad outer casing of stainless steel covers the ceramic inner pot to ensure that the temperature and flavour of the tea are retained for a longer period of time. The Manto is supplied with a tea filter, and its inner pot is dishwasher safe, which makes it very practical in use.
GEFU Pizza and Cake Server | $35.95
This giant spatula can literally pick up an entire cake! Your baker friend will absolutely love this for when cakes need to be moved - it fixes the problem of trying to use two different little spatulas without it breaking! It is also dishwasher safe AND has a 5 year manufacturer's warranty!
GEFU Dough Scraper | $15.95
This little scraper is perfect for spreading frosting, scraping the dough out of bowls, and making sure you don't waste any last drop of that special sauce you just made! Pair this with the cake server above and you've got yourself the baker's dream gift!
GEFU Decorating Spoons | $19.95
These fun decorating spoons will help any baker add class and pizzaz to any dish they whip up! With its special ergonomic shape, adding sauce decoration has never been easier!
Olipac Chic Olive Oil Cruet | $34.95
Did you know that with time in a glass bottle, the properties of Extra Virgin Olive Oil actually change?? With the Olipac olive oil cruet, not only does it look classy in your kitchen, but the cruet also protects the characteristics of the olive oil for much longer! And everyone uses olive oil!!
Olipac Elegante Olive Oil Cruet | $29.95
This is another gorgeous design of an olive oil cruet that will protect your Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the elements and keep it extra virgin for much longer!!
GEFU X-Plosion Salt and Pepper Mill Set | $74.95
This set is the perfect gift because literally everyone uses salt and pepper and this gift set comes with both a little salt and pepper mill for the table!
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This weekend we are going on a fun adventure to walk part of the freedom trail with our friends in Boston so I am super excited for that!! The weather is supposed to be nice so I am praying it stays that way. I am SO ready for this warmer weather!! Winters in New England are far too long but spring has almost sprung!!
This week's meal plan is inspired by a magazine I got at our local grocery store, Hannaford. So hopefully we both love these recipes (as some of them I have never tried!)
We are back home this week! Our week is filled with vet appointments and doctor appointments and a baby shower I am throwing this weekend! Always busy in this household so I am incredibly grateful for blogs people like Gina from Skinnytaste and Monique from Ambitious Kitchen who create delicious healthy recipes and for the Gourmet Kitchenworks products that help me make these dinners super fast!!
This week we are going to Michigan to visit my brother! My parents are driving down after they finish cleaning up from the big tradeshow so that will be very exciting. But lucky for you, I have prepared a full week's meal plan even though I won't be cooking. Yes, you're welcome!!
I'm back again with the weekly meal plan! This week is the first week of February can we even believe it? I wonder if anyone is getting married on 2.2.22...
This weekend we are going to Utah for my grandfather's funeral so I actually won't be cooking for a few days, but I filled out the whole week with meals anyway because I'm just that nice. You're welcome :D