It’s a new year guys, HAPPY 2023! Hard to believe that we’ve now been doing the podcast for almost 4 years. We’re 180+ episodes in and if you’ve been a longtime listener then you know we’re pretty discerning when it comes to who we partner with on the show. From Day 1, we always wanted to share products and services that we really liked & felt good about supporting. Which is why I’m excited to give you some additional details behind one of the many Beehive Meals I’ve made for my family over the past couple of weeks.
Beehive Meals is a service that prepares fresh, quality, freezer meals straight to your door. The menus they have are family friendly and I’ve LOVED that this isn’t a microwaved meal or frozen dish I’m throwing in the oven. The meals are all prepped & delivered raw in a vacuum sealed bag, allowing you to cook them whenever you’re ready in a slow cooker or Instapot. Just grab a side or two and before you know it, your family will be eating a delicious family meal! And all without making a huge mess in the kitchen (amen!).
I’m admittedly not the most comfortable mom in the kitchen… Recipes intimidate me, the messes frustrate me and to be honest – it’s just not something I’ve prioritized. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t had all the guilt over the years for not being able to show up for my family at dinnertime the way I want to. I’ve gone in phases of cooking, sure. But inevitably, I’ll go to the grocery store and spend all the $$ just to have it sit there for days before I attempt to use it (again… intimidating!).
Cooking can also be an expensive endeavor on my part and I’ll forget the frustration after making a meal from scratch just to see 2 of my 3 kids sit there & not touch it. Seriously, let’s just say a little piece of my heart broke in those moments. And usually ends up with me looking to my husband with an eyeroll while saying “why do I even try!?”. Sound familiar? If so, then I really think freezer meals might be a great solution for you too! If I can do it, then you can too!
Today I prepped the BBQ Pork in the slow cooker for dinner. I literally grabbed it out of the freezer at 10:30am, dumped all the contents of the bag into the Crockpot, set it to cook and left for work. The kitchen was still clean and I was able to do it in 2 minutes on my way out the door. I ended up cooking this for 7 hours on LOW which worked out perfectly.
When I got home later that afternoon, little bellies were starting to get hungry. So, the timing worked out perfectly. Around 6:00pm, I prepped the pulled pork sliders. On each Hawaiian Roll I put a good helping of the pork, and topped it with a little slice of Colby Jack cheese. Leaving the sandwiches open-faced, I threw them on a cookie sheet and broiled them on LOW in our oven for about a minute. This just toasted the buns a little & melted the cheese for the kids. Then for my husband’s sandwich (and my own), I topped with some red onion and a little slaw from the grocery store. The sauce was sweet and I was SO HAPPY all 3 of my kids ate it! So, I’m counting this dinner as a win and one I know I’ll repeat in the future. The conversations had around the dinner-table really are priceless. So, here’s your reminder to make it a priority in 2023!
Learn more about Beehive Meals here & why they’re now over 1 Million meals served! Enter Promo Code THEMOMVOICE for 5% off your order.
Hey guys it’s Lauren! We recently teamed up with Hiya, the best-selling multivitamin for kids, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Every Fall, I get a little anxious going into the “sick” season, especially post-pandemic. We all want our kids to stay healthy and best equip them to fight off all the germs, right?! This children’s vitamin is packed with all the goodness. Hiya is a super powered eco-friendly chewable made with a blend of 12 organic fruits and vegetables. And, there’s zero grams of sugar in them, ZERO!!! (You can’t find that in a kids vitamin anywhere else.)
The flavor is great (though my kids do prefer some colors over the others!) and I just love knowing that I’m not giving them “junk” fillers. It’s sweetened with monk fruit and is still a chewable, which makes it totally doable for kids – and has 15 essential vitamins getting kids everything they need! So, no need to stress when you feel like you aren’t hitting all the food groups in their diet, I’ve felt super confident that Hiya is filling in any gaps that we have.
Not only that, but Hiya’s a subscription. So, you can have it at your front door before you even run out (#gamechanger with helping you keep up on healthier habits). I’ve found this to be super helpful as a busy parent… I always have the best intentions but sometimes just forget to restock when we run out – which leaves gaps in our health regimen. So, I’ve loved that it’s just done for me.
Another super cute feature I have to tell you about – my kids loved receiving their own sleek, glass bottle. Each came with stickers to customize their bottles just the way they wanted! The kids have had a lot of fun having their own bottle and even go as far to keep it in their own special spot (cute!). It’s a fun way for them to remember their daily vitamin, and gives them a little bit of personal accountability which I’m all for!
Hiya was created by two parents looking for a better option for their kids. When seeing so much sugar in each multivitamin on the market, they went to work creating their own. They partnered with the best pediatricians, scientists, and nutrition experts to deliver a nutrient-dense chewable that tastes great without all the junk found in other vitamins. I love knowing parents are behind this product, with their best interest at heart. Hiya’s a must try. I’ll admit I have been lazy at times not keeping up on vitamins for my kids. But I love that this product is a monthly subscription, affordable and best of all full of CLEAN ingredients for my kids.
Go check it out! Head over to www.hiyahealth.com – Right now, Hiya is offering 50% off your first order to help support immunity. And let us know what you think! Thank goodness we’ve stayed healthy so far this season… knock on wood! xo
Happy Wednesday! We got a lot of requests for the chore charts I showed on Instagram – so here you go! A free download that you can use for your family.
But first, a little overview of how we’ve been using them successfully in my home…
Each child has their own, personalized Daily Chore Chart. In the version I’ve provided, you can write your child’s name on the top-right of the paper and then list the chores along the left-hand side.
Here’s How We Use the Daily Chore Chart
Each morning, my kids have 3 chores to do before school or tv/play on the weekends. Those are:
Make Bed
Brush Teeth
a little task around the house
These are things that each child is responsible for in the morning and something that I feel like they can do successfully. We hang these charts on the wall outside of their bedrooms so they can check them off throughout the week. (And they find SO MUCH satisfaction out of crossing off the days!)
The Daily Chore Chart, customized for each child.
The first chore each child is asked to do each day is make their bed!
Sarah’s 6 year old boy has taken to it the most
The Family Chore Chart is used to do family chores around the house… or chose that we all benefit from. I rotate these out from week to week depending on the needs of our home. Some of my common house chores are:
Unloading the dishwasher
Loading the dishwasher
Checking the mail
Taking out the trash
Checking the dog’s food/water
Walking the dog
Vacuuming the family room
(Just to name a few!)
A Couple More Tips:
So, feel free to download these and use them for your family! They’re pretty flexible and can be used for a variety of ages. xo – Sarah
Download & Save the FAMILY CHORE CHART: Click Here
This is an easy, detox smoothie that is only about 240 calories! Great for a meal replacement.
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 banana
2 cups baby spinach
1 cup ice
*any add-ins (I usually add in collagen powder protein, chia seeds and flaxseeds to mine. For the kids, I will add in a chocolate or vanilla protein powder and chia seeds)
DIRECTIONS:
Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Add a little water if needed to make it easier to blend.
This is a delicious crowd favorite that requires no cooking during meal prep! For a healthier option, we recommend serving over cauliflower rice – although the kids might prefer their favorite noodle!
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lbs flank steak (or skirt steak)
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 low sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup red bell pepper
rice or noodles of choice (for serving)
green onion (for serving)
DIRECTIONS:
No cooking is required for this freezer meal.
Cut steak into bite sized pieces.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (including the raw steak).
TO FREEZE: Combine everything in a Ziplock bag, evenly coat meat, label and freeze.
TO SERVE: Thaw in fridge overnight. Empty all contents into a crockpot and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours (or HIGH for 2-3 hours). Serve over rice or noodles of choice and garnish with green onions.
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