Coming Up: CSN Stores Review!!!

After seeing so many of my fellow bloggers host reviews and giveaways for CSN Stores I am so happy to finally be doing a review of my own. CSN has over 200+ unique stores where you can find anything from a new counter stool to cookware, shoes to clothes, a new lighting fixture to kids furniture. CSN is letting me order something and review it and since my husband's birthday is coming up soon, I thought I would let him pick out the item of his choice and we can review it together. Check out CSN Stores for yourself and keep an eye out for my upcoming review!!!

Full Fridge

Does it make anyone else happy to have a fridge full of groceries? Since having the new baby I have not ventured out grocery shopping with both kids during the week. So I have started making a list for a weeks worth of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and I go grocery shopping once a week on Sunday mornings while my husband stays at home with the kids. Not only is this more convenient, but I really enjoy the couple of hours that I get to spend by myself. And I get to concentrate on shopping which makes using my coupons and searching for deals even easier. I find that my produce stays good for about as long as a week but not much longer. I also put all my meat in the freezer until the day before I am ready to use it and then I put it in the fridge to thaw. And I also put my bread products in the fridge so they don't go bad. This is such a change from my life pre-second baby. I used to go to the store three and four times a week and not meal plan that far into the future. The other problem I used to run into was buying my produce at Walmart. I love Walmart for most things because their prices are so low. However, their quality of produce sucks and it would go bad sometimes a day after I brought it home. Now I go to a higher end store and get my produce separately and it generally stays good for the whole week. There are few things that make me happier than opening my fridge and seeing it full of food. It is very comforting to know that I have food for the entire week and I don't have to think about what to make that particular night. Thanks to my meal plans I know exactly what I am making for the whole week. The nice thing too is I plan to have leftovers. So on that night when I am just too tired to cook dinner, we can have leftovers instead of ordering Chinese food or a pizza.

The Age of Opinions

Well it has finally happened...my little 25 month old Peanut has developed an opinion on just about everything. She wants to assert her will on what movies she watches, what clothes she wears, what she eats, everything. That is all fine and dandy except for the fact that she changes her mind at the drop of a hat. For example, she will say she wants to watch Nemo. Then as soon as I put Nemo in the DVD player, she wants to watch Big Bird. Or she picks out the pajamas she wants to wear before we take a bath and then as soon as we get out of the bath she wants different pajamas. This morning I was giving her some strawberries and she only wanted certain ones on the plate. If I don't somehow read her mind or cater to her every whim she has a complete meltdown. She definitely is a girl. She changes her mind about every two minutes and everyone else just has to deal with it. Seeing as I am with her 99% of the time I guess I am the one that just has to deal with it. Which means trying to ignore temper tantrums until they flare out. Oh the joys of motherhood.

Farm Rich Snacks and Appetizers Review

So as I said in my last post, this past weekend I had my family over for "Family Football Sunday" where we watch football all day and have snacks and dinner. Another really tasty treat that we had as a snack was Farm Rich's Quesadilla Slices. They were these big slices of tortillas filled with cheese and chicken and then sealed so the filling doesn't leak out when you cook them. They were really quick to prepare in the oven and were another big hit with my family. I served them with salsa for dipping, but I could even see eating a few of them for lunch with a salad. Farm Rich has all sorts of other really yummy looking snacks and appetizers in the freezer section and I had a really hard time choosing which one to get because they all looked good. I have tried the panini slices before and they are great too. I would say any of Farm Rich's snacks would be perfect for entertaining company in a casual setting or even for Superbowl Sunday. They really were tasty and everyone in my family really liked them. Check out Farm Rich's website HERE for more info and coupons.

I received a sample product for my review but I was not otherwise compensated and my opinions are my own.

SeaPak Seafood Review

Every Sunday my family gets together for a day of family, food, and now that it is fall, football. Yesterday was my turn to host so I was tasked with providing snacks for my husband, parents, daughter, and brother while we watched the game. One of those snacks I bought was SeaPak's popcorn shrimp. I love shrimp but I am normally skeptical about buying it because it normally is really small shrimp and not very crispy breading when you cook it yourself. I have to say, I was very impressed with SeaPak's popcorn shrimp. The shrimp were a really generous size and the breading was nice and crispy when cooked in the oven. It also was quick to prepare, about 15 minutes in the oven. Best of all, it was pretty affordable at under $6 for a large box. And it was enough for everyone to have a generous taste. In this case, I did receive a coupon from the company for a free product, but I honestly would purchase another SeaPak product in the future and was very impressed with the quality and taste of the Popcorn Shrimp, as was everyone else in my family. For more info about all the products that SeaPak has to offer, go to http://www.seapak.com/.

High School Reunion

This past Saturday my husband had his 10 year high school reunion. I graduated from the same high school as him a year later and we were dating in high school so it was like a reunion for me as well. What a fun and surreal experience!!! First of all, it was my first time out and drinking since I had the baby so it has been almost a year since I have had more than one drink at a time. Then to see all these people I hadn't seen since high school (some of whom since college) was really interesting. In the days of facebook I know what is going on in many people's lives since high school so catching up wasn't really that hard. Plus, being a 10 year reunion, everyone pretty much looked the same, just a little puffier. It was great to catch up with people but I felt like I couldn't really get the full story on anyone since I was trying to chat with every one a little bit. We ended up having a great time (maybe a little bit too much of a good time) and the next day we were hurting. It was worth it in the end and now I can't wait until my reunion next year.

Slow Cooker Favorites

Today I am making one of my favorite slow cooker recipes, Chicken Tacos. It is so easy and tasty and that is why I love it. You take 1 packet of taco seasoning and put it into the slow cooker bowl. Then you add one cup of water to dissolve. You add one package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (depending on your preference) and cover with one jar of your favorite salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring it and shredding the chicken every couple of hours if possible. Put it in taco shells and voila, you have chicken tacos. I love using the slow cooker whenever possible, especially if I have a long day out of the house or have a lot of cleaning to do. What is one of your favorite slow cooker recipes?