You go to the store.  So proud of the beautiful menu plan which you have created.  Your family is going to have healthy, budget-friendly meals all week long.  Then, little Timmy wakes up with a tummy ache that progresses all over your comforter.  It spreads like wildfire until you have 2 days of frozen pizza, bananas and no shower.

Now, what happens to that delicious roast that you were going to defrost and eat?  Well, it sits in your freezer and collects ice crystals.

It’s so much more fun to collect Pokemon cards, or so I hear.

That’s where this post comes in.

I had a whole freezer full of good intentions which were set awry by my life.  I would ignore them and start a new meal plan and the whole cycle would perpetuate.

Tell me I’m not the only one who does this.

So, my current meal plan is to walk to the freezer and grab an item to eat for dinner.  Until that freezer is less than 50% full I’m done menu planning.  Obviously, I had a recipe in mind when I purchased all those things, so I need to get my act together and make that stuff!

Looking for more household tips — be sure to check out these posts:

• 5 Reasons You HAVEN’T Started Organizing & How to Fix Them!
• Family-Tested Organizing Tips
• Baby Proofing 101: Dani Morin’s Mission for Baby Safety Awareness
• Clever Kitchen Storage: Smart solutions for smaller kitchens
• Want Your House to STAY Organized? Follow these tips!

Save More Grocery Money!

Other ways this non-menu-planning menu plan can help you save more money:

• What’s going bad in the produce drawer?  Let’s figure out a meal and eat it tonight (for bonus points combine it with something in the freezer!).
• Have leftovers?  Can you make them into a new meal?  Can taco meat be made into a sandwich, or vice versa (extra points if you add something from the produce drawers)?
• Have a lot of something (probably got a great deal on it, didn’t you?)?  Why don’t you find lots of awesome recipes to use that stocked-up item in?

Some of my favorite ways to be inspired by the item I need to use it:

• Thumb through my recipe binder (I likely had something in mind when I bought it)
• Check AllRecipes — just type that item into the search bar and see what looks good (and that you have the ingredients for)
• Google it — have a pot roast?  Google pot roast and see what comes up.
• Check your Pinterest boards, see what caught your eye before — or give it a search (much more visual than Google)

Even if you have to run to the store to grab a can of tomatoes or whatever, you are likely still going to save good money by using that protein up (or keep a good amount of certain items in your pantry that you always use).

Looking for more ways to save money? — be sure to check out these posts:

• NutriMill Vs Bosch Mixers: Which is for you?
• Estate Planning Checklist You Can Start Today!
• Understanding Healthshares: Bills, Payments, and Peace of Mind
• Family Budget Categories Amounts
• Make Berries Last Longer

Anyway, I was kind of mind-blown by this technique lately.  I’ve put meal planning on a bit of a hold cycle until we get through a few things and then I’ll start again.  You can check out my other mind blowing grocery shopping tip here (seriously, these posts make me sound stupid, but I really think I’m not the only one who does these things)

If you’re looking for good menu plan ideas this post has tons on how to create a meal plan.

The post Save More Grocery Money by NOT Menu Planning! appeared first on Pulling Curls.

As a note, I was sent both the Bosch Universal And the NutriMill Artiste YEARS ago — but have faithfully used both of them (including when they updated the Artiste a year or so ago) to see which I liked both. Honestly, I love both of them, but I do have a favorite.

Cliff Notes: In case you’re just wanting the high points, the Artiste is a bit less, and if you have low needs I think it’s a great one for you! If you plan to mix a lot especially whole wheat, I think the Bosch Universal is worth it — but we’re going to dive into more on why:

Build

A lot of people don’t know this, but the Bosch and NutriMill are both made by the same parent company. Bosch is owned by NutriMill in the US and they manufacture and sell both mixers.

Price

Let’s get this one right out of the way. At the time of this publishing the Bosch Universal WHITE mixer is $499 (the Stainless Steel is $579) and the Artiste is $299 — so, almost $200 less.

If you have a tight budget, and going up to the Universal I do think it’s totally valid to go for the lower price with the Artiste!

I should say I once saw the Bosch at Costco — but I didn’t have enough money to buy it at the time and haven’t seen it since then<< and that post has some pretty great deals on it as well.

However, all of that is based on their usual pricing — if price is your main concern — I may have a good deal on the Bosch going right now:

Space

Not all of us have giant kitchens — and space was DEFINITELY an issue with me when I bought my first mixer and lived in a VERY tiny house in California.

Honestly, the footprint of the two of them is VERY similar, but Bosch has that extra motor area that you can use for a blender or food processor. So it adds a bit of space on the side. Their front to back footprint is very similar.

The NutriMill puts their motor stuff UNDER The bowl, so it’s a little bit higher as a result.

• Bosch Universal: 15.5″w x 11.5″d x 10.75″h
• NutriMill Artiste 10.5″w x 11.25″d X 12.125″h

If side-to-side space on your counter is a deal breaker, the winner is the Artiste on this one (but not by much).

From personal experience, I think the NutriMill is easier to move around my kitchen — but their weight is very similar between the two.

Abilities

I want to be VERY honest, that when I try to make 4 of my sandwich bread, the NutriMill conks-out midway. But I gotta say that bread is a LOT of dough, and uses 100% whole wheat. My Kitchenaid died just a few minutes into the knead, but the NutriMill makes it just about to the end. I end-up needed to hand-knead it a couple of minutes.

Looking for more info as to how a Kitchenaid compares to these? Check out my post that compares Bosch, Kitchenaid & The Artiste.

The Bosch Universal does just fine with that large amount of Whole Wheat Flour — which is what it’s known for. It’s just a workhorse of a mixer, and if you plan to mix large quantities of whole wheat flour, it’s the one for you!

Add-On’s

The cool thing anymore is all the add-ons that both mixers offer.

The Bosch can use any of the add-ons for the NutriMill Mixer — because it’s bowl base is exactly the same.

However, the Artiste may not be able to use all the ones that the Bosch uses as it doesn’t have that separate motor part on the side (that does things like their blender, food processor, etc).

If you’d really like to try all the gadgets and gizmos that they have — you probably want to opt for the Universal. If you don’t care much about those, get the Artiste.

BTW, my favorite add-on is the Ice Cream Maker. It does such a great job, and we love to use it!

I should note that if you want to use things like the Baker’s Pack — you can do that with either mixer as their bowl attachments are the same — which is very cool!

Anything Else?

The Artiste comes with a sliding window vs a removable top — honestly, never sure which one I like better. Both can be entirely removed if you want to dump in flour or whatnot.

As I’m looking at the specs on the bottom of the comparison chart (scroll down on this page) they seem VERY similar. But, I know that they’re different — even with that 500 W motor, I still have more luck with the Bosch Universal.

However, I have given my kids the Artiste — just easier to use in their early phases of life, etc.

I did also see that the Universal comes with a 3-year Warranty, and the Artiste comes with a 1-year warranty, so that can be something to consider as well. I will say that both have been great for us, and I think you’d find an issue early on if there was one — so that isn’t too much of a concern for me.

Even though my Artiste has stopped with my heavy recipes, once it’s cooled off it’s always come back on fine (and doesn’t smell like it’s burning up). I’m sure it just stops to protect it’s motor.

So, that’s my thoughts on the Artiste vs the Bosch Universal Mixer. As a note, I have the Stainless Steel bowl. It does look nice, but I’m not so much into the looks of things. I prefer to use my white bowl, but that’s me. I know the Stainless Steel is VERY popular, and if it “goes” with your kitchen better I can totally see getting that one.

Have other questions between the two? I’d love to answer! Ask me in the comments!

The post NutriMill Vs Bosch Mixers: Which is for you? appeared first on Pulling Curls.

It can also be tricky — and it doesn’t have to be. Having a few simple tips can help.

I also have an easy CHEESE fondue recipe — and yes, we do both on the same night. It’s a bit of preparation, but worth it.

What Type of Chocolate?

We just use whatever is our current favorite. Honestly, most often people want milk chocolate, but if you want dark chocolate that works just fine too.

OR, we use whatever we have on hand, this recipe is NOT fussy.

Our favorite, if we’re good about planning, is to chop-up a Trader Joe’s bar for it. I think the chocolate is a good quality, and we’re at that store often enough it’s not hard.

We chop it pretty small — the smaller the bits are, the easier it melts.

I would caution against generic chocolate chips. While I think those are fine in cookies sometimes they just don’t melt well. Just something I have noticed.

How to Make It?

Ok, you’ll take 3/4 cup of heavy cream. I’ve used just whipping cream and it’s been fine, but it’s nice to have the extra fat if you can snag “heavy cream”.

You’re going to pour that into a small pot and let it heat for about a minute. I like to see some wisps of steam coming off of it before I turn off the heat (but leave it on the burner) and pour in 12 ounces of chocolate.

Unlike cheese I do this all at once, it works fine.

I then just stir it until it melts. You’re just using the heat of the cream to melt it. If it isn’t melted in a few minutes I might turn the heat back on, but I’m more worried about burning it than I am taking a bit more time for it to melt. This is why you do want to make sure that cream is hot before you add the chocolate.

Then, take it off the heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or extract of choice). I also like to add a bit of almond extract, so do whatever makes you happy. Just do it at the end.

Then, stir it in well and dip!

Do you use a fondue pot?

We do not. This doesn’t make a ton of fondue, and we have a pretty heavy-bottomed pot that we’re cooking it in, so it stays warm for a while at our table.

We DO use a heated frying pan for our cheese fondue. Just haven’t found it’s worth it for chocolate. We just use the pot, on a pot holder at the table and everyone dips in.

What Types of Dippers?

Oh goodness, this is the best part — right?

Our favorites that are a bit un-traditional:

• Chocolate chip cookie dough (be sure to use a kind that is OK to eat raw — no eggs and toast the flour if you’re making it on your own) — that recipe I linked to is SO easy and yummy!
• Cheesecake bites
• Bits of candy bar
• Cut-up rice krispy treat

We also love strawberries, raspberries, oranges, green apples (or regular apple), grapes and bananas.

Honestly, the sky is the limit, right?

This recipe happened because we have a favorite fondue restaurant called La Fondue in Saratoga, CA and they have SO many fun dippers it helped us come up with these!

Recipe:

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to print it:

Because I’m not a recipe site — I just typed it out into a cute PDF file for you that you can just grab here (click on it and it will take you to Canva – just right click on it to print it).

Fondue Traditions

In our house fondue isn’t just a meal, it’s a tradition.

When our kids were little it was just too hard to go out on Valentines, and I really wanted to make it more about family love, rather than romantic love anyway.

So, we started doing fondue for Valentines.

My kids are old now, many have moved out but they still come back for fondue and they say it is 100% our family’s best tradition.

One of our favorite things to do is to say something nice about the person next to us if we drop in the fondue. Often on cheese we’ll do the person on the left, and chocolate the person on the right.

Makes it extra special on Valentines.

I hope you take this recipe and make it work for your family. It’s SO much fun and I think you’ll really enjoy it. If you’ve tried it, please tell us in the comments!

The post Chocolate Fondue Recipe appeared first on Pulling Curls.

I should add that we found this cookie dough after we realized that cookie dough was AMAZING with our fondue recipe. You may be coming here FROM that post, but if you haven’t tried it before — check out my VERY EASY fondue (that post has chocolate and cheese options).

Eating Cookie Dough Safely

There are two concerns to eating cookie dough, and as The Pregnancy Nurse® I really take food safety seriously.

Raw Eggs: You can contract salmonella through raw eggs. So, you can either use pasteurized eggs in your cookie dough, or eliminate them. This recipe just doesn’t use them.

Eggs are mainly used for lift in the oven (and clearly add some protein and choline – but I doubt you’re eating cookie dough for the great nutritional benefits) — so, taking them out in raw cookie dough isn’t much of an issue.

Raw Flour: In recent years they’ve decided that flour can also carry salmonella — so, they recommend you toast the flour in the oven. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/no-raw-dough.html

You’re going to just measure your flour, and then stick in the oven on 350 for 10-15 minutes — that should kill any bacteria on the flour. Source: https://glossykitchen.com/why-toast-flour/

You, of course, can ignore these two rules, but I gotta put them out there. I will admit that I haven’t toasted flour before, I probably should but I’m almost 50 and I’ve eaten a lot of raw flour in those 50 years…. unfortunately.

Edible Cookie Dough Recipe:

Mix together (I recommend softening the butter, or this is going to be really hard):

• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon (if you like that)
• 1/2 C butter (softened)
• 1/4 C milk (I like whole)
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extra
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 & 1/8 C flour (toasted for safety)
• 1 C chocolate chips (or whatever you want to add)

Instructions:

• Soften the butter
• Toast the flour if desired for safety
• Cream the butter with the sugars and cinnamon
• Add milk and vanilla
• Add in salt, flour – mix til’ combined
• Stir in chocolate chips
• Freeze for place in fridge to stiffen if desired

Because I’m not a recipe site — I just typed it out into a cute PDF file for you that you can just grab here (click on it and it will take you to Canva – just right click on it to print it).

(I have some tips for using it in fondue below the recipe — so, keep reading for those)

What Type of Chocolate Chips?

Great question — you can use whatever kind you have on hand, but when I use this to make fondue, I much prefer to use the mini chocolate chips. It just makes it easier to skewer, but my daughter loves to make this to snack on and she uses regular ones in that case.

My FAVORITE way to do chocolate chips in cookies 1/2 milk 1/2 semi sweet — it makes a great cookie!

Of course, you could also add caramel chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or toffee pieces — whatever you find on the baking isle is good to go!

How to Use This in Fondue?

You can pull-off chunks, but I like to smear it on some plastic wrap and then use the plastic wrap to push it fairly flat.

I then use a ruler to push in some indentations in a grid pattern in the dough. I then put it in the freezer until I need it. I don’t find that I need to pull it out of the freezer early to eat it.

I can then easily break it into small squares to use in dipping.

This isn’t a scientific process — so, if anyone else has a better way to do it let me know.

I try to do smaller portions so no one is double-dipping — because ew.

Want other family-friendly recipes — check these out:

• Bread Hacks: Tips for better bread making
• 7 Layer Brownies in the Dutch Oven
• Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipe: 100% whole wheat bread for sandwiches
• The Best Cookies: Expert tips to using your stand mixer to make cookies!
• Easy Winter Meals: Meals to warm your heart and hands
  

What do YOU love to use raw cookie dough for? Tell us in the comments!

The post Easy Edible Cookie Dough appeared first on Pulling Curls.

However, fondue had gone very bad in the past for me. We don’t do wine so a lot of recipes are out… so I was really wanting to find one that would be EASY — and I have found the answer for you! This is seriously the EASIEST fondue (both cheese and chocolate) you’re going to find. You can also easily tailor it to your tastes (different cheese, different chocolate).

BTW, if you’re looking for chocolate — the recipe is here!

This fondue is great for any occasion (I see a LOT of people using this cheese condue recipe at New Years too). Don’t let the fact that we use it at Valentines throw you off. This post will start with cheese, but I also have a great recipe for chocolate fondue too — so keep reading!

And then there’s the issue of hitting a restaurant on that special night.  So crowded, pressured to SHOW OUR LOVE to each other.  Not to mention expensive.  I’d rather save my budget, and just head to a favorite restaurant on the weekend.

Which is how I came up with fondue for our family.  We’ve done it every year for the past 15 or so years. Our kids REALLY look forward to it, and it’s nice to concentrate on our FAMILY love rather than just the romance between my husband and myself.  But, don’t feel tied to Valentines with this.  It’s great for a fun family meal whenever you think you could use a little pick me up!

However, fondue can be nerve-wracking!  I’m sure we’ve all tried to make a cheese sauce that “broke” (in turn breaking us) or was lumpy.  Frankly, a lot can go wrong with fondue.  But not with this recipe.  It’s practically fail-proof (as long as you don’t burn it, you’re on your own if you ignore it) and is easy to tailor to your family’s tastes.

Lets do this!

First there’s cheese.  You can pick whatever kind your family likes.  I often do a sharp cheddar (the family’s favorite) or swiss (my own favorite).  The recipe actually calls for a Monterrey Jack.  If that’s a family favorite, then by all means go with that.  It’s a nice mild flavor that won’t turn off any little mouths.  For ease of writing, I’m going to talk about it as swiss cheese.

Cheese Fondue

I use a recipe I found in Family Fun a LONG time ago. It can be tricky though — so, this is truly a recipe you need the tips for:

It goes a little something like this (this recipe makes a good amount of fondue, plenty for the 5 of us)

When you’re ready to make the fondue you need to be committed to it. You can’t be making this and chopping up stuff or helping a child. You need to focus on it. There are a few minutes as the milk is heating, but once you reach a simmer your focus HAS to be on this (don’t worry it’s not going to take long).

1 cup milk (the recipe calls for 1 cup, but I usually do about 1.25 cups, because it sits in the frying pan and gets too gloopy if the milk is too little).

Bring the milk to a simmer — about 2-3 minutes (that means it’s not boiling, but it’s starting to get small bubbles around the edges).  You could also add a smashed garlic clove (or if you’re garlic lovers like us you can just do a tsp of minced garlic).

Toss 1 pound of swiss cheese (or cheese of choice) with 2 T of flour.  I put all my cheese in a basic plastic bag and shake it all around til the flour is all around it.  This prevents the flour from making it lumpy.  This is really the magic to this recipe!

So, back to the milk, it’s simmering….

Then take handfuls of the cheese/flour mixture and use your wisk to wisk it in until it’s all melted.   Wisk fast.  This isn’t a gentle wisk, with the heat you’re trying to wisk it in so it’s smooth.  Then, another handful.  You want to make sure to do just handfuls, you don’t want the milk getting overwhelmed by the cheese or it’s hard to mix in.  You’re going to need to wisk hard and fast.  Make sure you do some arm workouts prior to this.   Haha.

Then, heat is off after cheese is melted.

There may come a point where you’re like — crap, it’s ruined. I think this every year. Keep wisking, even whisk harder if you can. I reach that point almost every year and then I somehow make it through it. I think the cheese often “seizes” up and then relaxes with some heat and whisking.

We haven’t had a lot of luck using a fondue pot (our last one rusted, since we don’t use it very frequently). We use an electric frying pan on low at our table.  It’s also larger so we can all get a seat around it!  Be sure to find some fondue forks though.  They’re long enough that everyone can dip without getting burned (I see them at Goodwill pretty frequently).

You could use a crock put, but with smaller kids it’s hard for them to reach up and over the sides, so we picked that cheap frying pan set to it’s lowest temp. Be sure to stir it with a dipper now and then so the cheese doesn’t get stuck in one spot — it can burn.

Now, it’s time for the REAL fun!  The dippers (I LOVE picking out dippers):

• Bread — this isn’t time for the basic french bread, I recommend a crusty, hearty bread that will hold up well on your fondue fork.  I often buy a nicer multi-grain and also a crusty sourdough.  Yum.
• Chicken, I often sautee up a few cut-up chicken breasts and serve those
• Pickles (don’t knock it til’ you try it), you could also use pork or steak!
• Roasted garlic (same as above)
• Grapes (love me some sweet and savory)
• Roasted potatoes (make sure they’re still firm’ish, don’t roast them til’ they are smushable)
• Roasted veggies (we love cauliflower, carrots, asparagus and broccoli) — another option is blanching the veggies (especially the broccoli) just to soften them a bit before you dip (DO NOT OVER-ROAST, mushy broccoli dropping in your delicious fondue is a BIG Fon-DON’T).
• Mushrooms (I love baby bellas)
• Red pepper (best raw, I think)

Oh man, writing this post is making me hungry.  You too?

We have a couple of fun traditions during the fondue.  

If you drop something, instead of kissing you have to say something nice about the person to your left (or across from you — we change it several times during the meal so you end-up saying nice things about many people).

We also usually have fonde a couple of nights.  When you’ve gone to all the effort of buying all the dippers and prepping it all, you might as well get two meals out of it!  I do make the cheese part fresh each time, it’s not great as a re-run.

Because I’m not a recipe site — I just typed it out into a cute PDF file for you that you can just grab here (click on it and it will take you to Canva – just right click on it to print it).

Chocolate Fondue

And, of course we follow it with chocolate. I got the initial recipe on Family fun but I’ve made some tweak and have the recipe on my site. The key there is the dippers. Clearly, you can do whatever you want — but some things that our family LOVES:

• Chocolate chip cookie dough (be sure to use a kind that is OK to eat raw — no eggs and toast the flour if you’re making it on your own) — that recipe I linked to is SO easy and yummy!
• Cheesecake bites
• Bits of candy bar
• Cut-up rice krispy treat

We also use apple (green), strawberries, and bananas to round it out.

I have to say that even as my kids are adults they will 100% come home for the fondue tradition and whole heartedly agree it’s our best family tradition to date. I’m really glad we started this and it’s been really fun to do together.

And yes, if you’re making this at New Years NOW is also a great time to make a resolution to get into routines more.

This post was originally published in 2016, but has been updated.

The post Cheese Fondue Recipe — For a Night of Family Fun! appeared first on Pulling Curls.

To me, it shows my family I love them enough to make something they ALL appreciate.  The fall is a great time to make a few loaves while the kids are at school to have with soup for dinner.  The more I’ve made bread, the easier it gets. Here are a few of my tips for better bread making:

Be sure to check out my first breadmaking post << that one has my full recipe and my basic tips!

Tips For Making Better Bread

1.  Grab your ingredients while it’s mixing.  My recipe calls for mixing the flour, yeast, gluten and water together for a few minutes before I add the other stuff.  To save time, and also make sure I don’t forget something I put them all next to me on the counter so I can add them when it’s time (I am the queen of forgetting to add an ingredient while I’m talking on the phone).

**Btw, don’t miss my comparison Bosch Universal Vs Kitchenaid Vs Nutrimill Artiste post.

2.  To make quick loaves I roll the top into the bottom to make a smooth top. I know a lot of people roll it out and then roll it up cinnamon-roll style but this is much easier and it works just fine.

3.  Smooth down the tops of the loaves so you’re not left with REALLY tall bread in the middle, and really tiny bread on the side.  Leads to less fighting over the deliciousness you made.  Also, if you’re making sandwiches, it’s hard to have a REALLY tall area — they don’t always fit into sandwich bags for school lunch. Don’t worry, the bumps from my knuckles bakes out.

4.  Use a plastic knife and slide it between the bread and the edge of the pan to loosen it all before turning it out.  You don’t want to lose any chunks of bread by it sticking to the sides of the pain (breaks in the crust will also make your bread dry out faster). I just have some baby knives that we used when my kids were little (although, why kids need knives I’ll never know).

5.  I make 4 loaves at a time.  I keep one out, and freeze the others.  I don’t slice it until we eat it.  I think that helps it stay more fresh.

And… {drumroll please} the delicious finished product.  You can se the loaf I didn’t flatten in the background mounding up.  It’s not a catstrophic failure, but this way cooks more evenly and makes better sandwiches.

Grab my favorite bread recipe here, and I’ll send you some more of my favorite baking tips too!

The post Bread Hacks: Tips for better bread making appeared first on Pulling Curls.

Brownies in a dutch oven — you might ask?  Are they soggy and sad?  The answer:  No.  They are AMAZEBALLS.  Literally one of my favorite deserts of all time!

I am excited to share the recipe with you.  The BEST part of this recipe is that you can make your 7 layers whatever you want.  Dutch Oven is very forgiving.  Our family isn’t a fan of coconut (don’t hold it against us) so instead we tried some other things.

We first found this recipe on Dutch Oven.net here.  FYI, the brownie can be made with a dutch oven or a regular oven.

We love that this 7 layer brownie has pretty simple ingredients.  You can use stuff your family has around anyway to make this delicious dessert.

1 box dry brownie mix (any kind seems to work)
½ cup melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

——— Here’s where you get to pick your favorites.

1 cup toffee chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or whatever kind your heart desires)
1 cup chopped pretzels (we tend to put ours in a bag and let the kids have their way with it, you don’t want small bits, you do want pieces of pretzels)
1 cup of anything else that sounds delish…. (sprinkles, other types of chips, nuts, graham cracker bits, oreo bits, M&M”s, etc).
½ cup + 2 TBL sweetened condensed milk

If cooking indoors, preheat oven to 350 degrees. If cooking with charcoal, use 9 hot coals on the bottom and 12 hot coals on the top of the dutch oven. Use a parchment paper dutch oven liner to easily remove the brownie once it is done cooking. It also makes for a beautiful presentation.

**A word about coals.  I prefer to use lighter-fluid-free charcoal briquettes and using the HomeRight fire starter.  It makes my coals ready within a few minutes (sans lighter fluid taste/smell — extra bad with baked goods) instead of needing to wait a half an hour for them to all get an ash layer.  If Dutch Oven cooking is something you do frequently (or wish you could do MORE frequently), I totally recommend checking it out!

Be sure to check out our full post on dutch oven & outdoor cooking.

We generally choose a fudge or milk chocolate brownie as the base for the brownie (layer one) Mix it up in a bowl (you could always use a stand mixer — something like a Bosch or a Kitchenaid), or if you are out in the woods, mix it up in your warm dutch oven after you soften or melt butter. Once the brownie mixture is ready, spread it out to cover the bottom of the dutch oven and cook it for 14-15 minutes. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and uncover it.

7 Layer Brownies

Now it’s time for the layers. If you’ve ever heard of 7 layer bars, you’ll know they are a delicious, sweet dessert. These homemade brownies are similar, but use the brownie as the “crust” instead of a graham cracker crust. These are the perfect campfire brownies because you can have them cooking while you are just hanging out and visiting.

You’re going to alternate layers of dry ingredients (things like graham crackers, pretzels, Oreos, coconut, pecans, walnuts)

with wet layers (chocolate chips — because they melt, peanut butter, marshmallow creme, caramel)

And then finish with the sweetened condensed milk, leaving about an inch of clear space around the edge.  You can see what we did in our handy-dandy video:

As you can see from the pictures, the wetter ingredients (peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk) fill in that inch space very nicely. Put the dutch oven lid back on, return to the heat and cook for 30-35 minutes. The cooking stage is complete when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Now, it is understandable that you want to just dive right in and eat the brownie straight out of the dutch oven. However, give it about an hour or two to cool. It will still be warm enough to melt ice cream, and the caramelized sweetened condensed milk will have a chance to set a bit more. You won’t be disappointed. We enjoy our brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, perhaps homemade chocolate sauce. Once finished, we also enjoy a nice food coma.

This easy recipe is perfect for your next camping trip and is a perfect dessert to take care of that sweet tooth while you’re enjoying the outdoors.

Almond Joy Brownies

If you are feeling like the 7 layer brownies are a little too much, you can simplify them by making Almond Joy brownies.

You can cook your brownies the same way, let them cool a little bit while you mix your sweetened condensed milk with coconut flakes. Once your brownies are cool, you can spread the coconut mixture on top of the brownies, sprinkle almond slices on top and drizzle with melted chocolate. It’s an easy dessert that will hit the spot for chocolate lovers!

This post was sponsored by HomeRight.  Big thanks to them, and their love for Dutch Oven Cooking!  I love working with them and how much they love creativity!

Check out all my Outdoor cooking posts:

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The post 7 Layer Brownies in the Dutch Oven appeared first on Pulling Curls.

Today’s guest is Tameeko Clark.

Tameeko Clark is a Holistic Nutritionist, Health Coach, Wellness Strategist, & mom of two. She noticed other busy moms looking to break the cycle of on-again-off-again health practices that weren’t sustainable, physically, left them feeling discouraged mentally, or had them swimming in self-guilt and disappointment, energetically.

Tameeko grew up on junk food so she knows the struggle, firsthand. Her tailored & comprehensive coaching program helps others take back control of eating habits and teaches them how to create a personalized culture of wellness to enjoy living healthy on purpose, with purpose, and without the periodic self-guilt and disappointment. Find her at https://basiconpurpose.com/hilary/

Big thanks to our sponsor The Organized Home — when our home is more organized we’re just more easily able to make choices for ourselves and help our kids!

In this episode:

The tweaks we can make in our lives to be healthier.

How we can help our kids create their own healthy lifestyle.

Producer: Drew Erickson

Transcript

[00:00:00.170] – Hilary Erickson

Hey, guys. Welcome back to the Pulling Curls Podcast. Today on episode 180, we are talking about three habits for healthy eating. Let’s untangle it.

[00:00:18.930] – Hilary Erickson

Hi, I’m Hilary Erickson, the curly head behind the Pulling Curls Podcast: pregnancy and parenting untangle. There’s no right answer for every family, but on this show, we hope to give you some ideas to make life simpler at your house. Life tangled just like my hair.

[00:00:41.230] – Hilary Erickson

First off, I get a lot of nutritionists asking me to let them come on this podcast, and I’m always super hesitant to have them on because a lot of their plan centers around, like, diet shakes or things like that, and that’s just not something I can get behind. I really liked today’s guests, her view on eating and things like that. She is a holistic nutritionist, and I love hear what she says. She teaches people how to create a personalized culture of wellness, to enjoy living healthy on purpose, with purpose, and without periodic self guilt and disappointment. And she’s really here to just help you create a lifestyle of healthy eating. I want to introduce today’s guest, Tameeko Clark.

[00:01:20.730] – Hilary Erickson

Do you ever just feel like it’s unfair that some people can have company over at a moment’s notice? Their house is just super easy to clean up, and they can relax on the couch with Netflix? While you feel like you always have things to do around your house that can totally be you, the organized home is here to help you simplify organizing. We’re talking about decluttering zones, organization systems that actually work. We’ve got assignments and challenges. I hope you’ll join us. You can use coupon code UNTANGLED. Look for the organized home link in the show notes.

[00:01:50.370] – Hilary Erickson

Hey, Tameeko. Welcome to the Pulling Curls Podcast.

[00:01:53.100] – Tameeko Clark

Hello. Hello. So happy to be here.

[00:01:55.410] – Hilary Erickson

Oh, let’s talk about eating.

[00:01:58.130] – Tameeko Clark

Yes, let.

[00:01:59.510] – Hilary Erickson

If anyone’s following me on Instagram when we’re recording this, I’m going through my doctor and I are just trying to figure out if there’s anything we can do to help this body shed some pounds. So I’m excited to have Tameeko on. I bet a lot of you are excited to hear what she has to say. So let’s get started. You told me you had three healthy habits.

[00:02:16.900] – Tameeko Clark

Yes, there are three habits that are simple and a full disclaimer. So they’re simple habits, but the first one, it is probably the most important of the three habits, and it’s the one that we most often kind of skip over. And even though it is simple and straightforward, it’s definitely the most challenging, and I think that’s why we often skip over it. And so should I go ahead and dive in?

[00:02:43.170] – Hilary Erickson

Jump in.

[00:02:44.120] – Tameeko Clark

All right. So the very first habit is making sure that we change the narrative that we have for ourselves when it comes to our self worth and our self image and or food choices. Those two things should not have anything to do with each other. We shouldn’t be making a food choice and then telling ourselves, I was sad today because I just ate a whole plate of nachos. There just should not be that correlation. And this is an unpopular stance, but there are food choices that are good and there are food choices that are not as good. They’re not health promoting. And oftentimes we’ll have people say, well, there’s no good food and there’s no bad food because we don’t want people to think badly of themselves. But really what we should be doing is shifting the narrative that we tell ourselves and just not correlating the two things. We shouldn’t correlate our food choices with how we feel about ourselves, for instance. And I’m not condoning this behavior, but there might be a time where you might jaywalk it’s not a good choice. It’s not something that we’re supposed to do, but it’s a choice that we make and we don’t go home and beat ourselves up about it.

[00:03:55.850] – Tameeko Clark

And so we should do the same thing where we shouldn’t do the same thing with our food choices. We should not make it such a big deal. Instead, we want to shift the narrative from being more negative. And I’m bad because I do this. You’re not bad because you ate bad food. The food is bad. It’s not good for you. It’s not good for your body. And instead, we should be thinking about and this is something that you talked about in one of your recent episodes where we should be listening to our instincts. We should be listening to our gut. I ate that food, and I didn’t like the way that it made me feel. Not, I’m bad because I eat that food. And so that’s one of the big shifts that we want to practice making. And because when we’re so in our heads about I have to eat perfectly, I have to do this or oh, I failed, and so now I’m going to spiral and eat all the things because I already messed up, so what’s the point? Just throw it all out. But no, it was a choice. And then you move on and you make a different choice that is maybe a little bit better.

[00:05:03.600] – Tameeko Clark

And sometimes that happens often if we forget to eat because we’re so busy doing a lot of things and it’s like, oh, I ran out of time. And so we get to the point where we’re hungry, and then when we’re hungry, that’s when we’re making more choices that are body craving carbs, because it’s saying, okay, you don’t have any food in there. And so you’re going to spark more cravings that are more energy dense and so the ones that are less than ideal food choices. So simple habit number one is changing the narrative. Instead of focusing on, oh, I was so bad for eating this thing, instead, oh, I don’t like the way that I feel when I eat these things, and what can I do next time? And not focusing on in that moment.

[00:05:52.210] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, I think we have to remember that different people have different foods that make them sick, because my mom’s sillyac, so wheat totally makes her sick. And I did a full month without wheat to see if I felt any different, felt no different. So for her, wheat is bad. For me, it’s not. So everybody is different. I feel so sick when I eat soda at all, so I just don’t drink soda because I don’t like how it makes me feel. But obviously for a good portion of the population, they don’t mind how they feel after they drink soda. So everybody’s different.

[00:06:21.320] – Tameeko Clark

Yeah, absolutely. And that’s why it’s so important that we’re listening more so to what our body is telling us and less so. I should be eating healthy, or I should be eating those things because, yes, in general, try to eat as many real foods and fruits and vegetables, but when you get down more granularly to the specific foods, you just really have to pay attention to the foods that you’re choosing and how they impact you. And sometimes you have to really listen deep because if it’s been a pattern of behavior for a long time, you might not be noticing the things that your body’s telling you. And so doing what you just talked about and trying things out and seeing and doing it for a long span, like doing it for just a couple of days, you’re probably not going to that’s not enough time. But really doing it for about three weeks or so. And this is an arbitrary number. There’s no specifics behind that, but at least three weeks, give it a good amount of time to see how your body feels taking that out. And sometimes you might find, like, okay, I noticed no difference.

[00:07:28.900] – Tameeko Clark

And then you can just, you know, bring that back in. Or like, okay, I did notice a difference. Or you might notice that I didn’t really miss that food. So there’s not really any point in bringing it back in.

[00:07:38.630] – Hilary Erickson

That’s good to think about. All right, what’s healthy habit number two?

[00:07:41.540] – Tameeko Clark

All right, so healthy habit number two is start with an easy layup. I am not a sports person, so I can’t go deep into this analogy. But starting with an easy layup as opposed to going full court or half court and trying to make a basket from full court or half court, that’s just not a good idea. And you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. And when we get disappointment, then that’s where we get into emotional eating. Or we kind of give up, or we start going down that spiral again of beating ourselves up about making that bad choice. And it’s a choice that we made that doesn’t align with what we want. And so starting with an easy layup. And so you continue a little bit more on that basketball reference. So if you are instead of focusing on being the best basketball player there is, instead just focusing on, okay, I need to be good at dribbling, all right? And I need to be good at making a basket when it’s right next to me. And that’s the same thing we want to do with our food. Oftentimes what I hear people doing is like, okay, I’m going to be healthy.

[00:08:43.180] – Tameeko Clark

And then they’ll go to the store and buy and I’ve done this before, too, where you buy all the produce that is at the store and then you bring it home and you’re doing really good for a couple of days and then it ends up rotting and you don’t use it. And then you feel bad because now you’ve wasted money and you wasted time and you wasted food, and that feels really bad. So if we just start small and start where we are, that makes it a little bit more accessible. So starting where the baskets right next to you, as opposed to all the way on the other side of the court, and creating an environment that makes it easy for you to do that. And having and I know that you do offer help with organizing kitchen spaces, and so that’s a really big thing, making things, as my mother says, at your fingertips. Because if it’s not at your fingertips, the things that you want to be eating more of, then you’re not going to do it. And so you’re going to go for the thing that’s a lot more accessible and easier.

[00:09:45.150] – Tameeko Clark

So if it’s easier to go on your door app and order up some food or that bag of chips is in front of the jar of peanuts, then you’re more likely to grab the bag of chips. And so another thing that I really like is just having a very pretty pantry. It doesn’t have to be like pinterest pretty, but just organized. I love things that are organized. And so when we see something that’s neat and organized and the things that are in those meet and organized things are healthy options, your eye is more likely to go to that, and you’re more likely to reach those things because there’s not a lot of work involved. So starting with an easy layup by starting where you are, starting small and creating an environment that supports the lifestyle that you want to live.

[00:10:31.320] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, I know. For me, so I’ve been really trying to get in more fruits and vegetables, and obviously a salad is a great way to do that. But I was really overwhelmed by the idea of making a salad every day. I was like, I don’t even know where to start. I don’t want to just throw greens in a bowl and some dressing. That’s not enough for me. So having a protein, like in my fridge, having cut, like chicken that’s cubed or whatever, I’m going to throw my protein and then I just do cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes every time I love them. And changing up my dressing every once in a while because dressing is a really easy one to change up, it’s made a big difference, which sounds really stupid because obviously all of those options were available to me previously. But just having a plan where it’s so easy to do and having them yes, in containers in my fridge, somehow it’s like light years different, which is dumb.

[00:11:15.270] – Tameeko Clark

No, not at all. I mean, that’s so common. And honestly, I love salads, but I actually don’t do salads at home. I have a few restaurants where they make amazing salads. So when I’m creating a salad, I will go to that restaurant and get it there just because they’re really good. And whenever I make salads, they either take me an hour to prep all the ingredients or maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, like half an hour to prep all of those ingredients or I make it really fast and they don’t really like it as much. But I love your idea of what you practice because it’s something that is accessible to you and it works. And it’s something that obviously it works because you’re doing it and you’re using it. And one quick salad that I’ll even make is just I’ll just do cucumbers. I will cut up some cucumbers and throw those in a bowl with a little bit of salt and vinegar. And I have like a quick little cucumber salad. I used to love chips and my favorite chip was salt and vinegar chips, but then I started eating more. And not that it’s a replacement because they are two different things, but it’s similar and yeah, it’s just a quick and easy thing.

[00:12:28.100] – Tameeko Clark

And having those go to you’re, right? Absolutely. They really come in clutch.

[00:12:33.300] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, I love that. And the other thing I’ve done is started buying smaller cucumbers because I would feel guilty like, oh, I’m opening this cucumber. Is it going to be good tomorrow? Or whenever I go back. And now that I have the smaller ones, I just chop one up and I feel great about it. It’s so dumb when these little things that you like, stupid ideas that have been stopping you because honestly, the little ones are probably more expensive.

[00:12:54.550] – Tameeko Clark

Absolutely. But you know what? In the long run, that investment in those smaller cucumbers, I love those too. I’ll get like a bag of I think they call them like cocktail cucumbers or something like that, I forget. But that’s an investment in your health because if that’s what it takes for you to make that consistent and not feel bad about wasting like the other half of the cucumber, then do it. Because in the long run, if that helps you create the consistent habits and your health that you need so that you have longevity and all of that, then it’s totally worth it, right?

[00:13:29.120] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. Because I’m constantly saying, is this something I could do the rest of my life? Yeah, this isn’t a diet. This is just like, how am I going to make this the easiest thing possible? Because constantly I’ll be like, well, chips are just right there versus a salad. I have to pull out ten things for my fridge. But if you can make that salad just like 10% easier, it still seems a little more doable. I don’t know, that’s just me.

[00:13:49.280] – Tameeko Clark

No, you’re totally spot on and I’m right there with you. And that actually is a great segue into the third habit.

[00:13:55.990] – Hilary Erickson

Awesome.

[00:13:56.510] – Tameeko Clark

Which is creating an intentional strategy and focusing less on individual tactics that you’re seeing in your social media feed and focusing more on just your overall strategy and really starting with that first and taking a moment even just today and thinking about, okay, what are my intentions with my health and not having it be fully on. Okay, I want to lose weight. Because that is something that if that’s important to you and that’s your goal. Yes, that is something from a tactic perspective that you do need to keep in mind so that you know what things you need to do. But we want to start with the overall strategy. What kind of lifestyle, like you just said, what kind of lifestyle do you want to be living that feels sustainable and feels like something that you aspire to do because it feels aligned with who you are. And we really have to move away from googling what is a healthy lifestyle and trying to fit yourself inside that box. Because like we said earlier, everybody is different. We’re all different. There are some general rules of thumb that apply to most people, but at the end of the day, the thing that messes us up is when we’re too focused on how this food choice is impacting how I look.

[00:15:18.300] – Tameeko Clark

And really what that’s about is how I’m perceived by other people. And not focusing on, okay, well, I’m supposed to be eating salads and smoothies every single day and just only focusing on what is my body telling me, what are my goals for the life that I want to live, what does healthy living really look like for me and not you? Regurgitating what you think a healthy lifestyle is supposed to look like. And so looking at the way that you live today and what are the little tweaks to how you live today, what your preferences are, what your habits and patterns of behavior are, and how can you tweak those just a little bit to start moving towards the overall lifestyle that you want to live later on down the line and giving yourself that grace that you’re not going to get there right out the gate. And so you need to take baby steps that are in alignment with where you ultimately want to be and having faceback you’re going to get there and you’re just going to need to take little steps to get there. And starting with an intentional strategy first, where you’re looking at the big picture and then packing up your toolbox with different tactics that fit your lifestyle today, and so that allow you to pivot.

[00:16:33.300] – Tameeko Clark

And so not just focusing on one individual tactic, but just having a lot of things in your arsenal that you can pull on. We’re running late today. Okay, what are my quick go to that I can grab in this situation? Or if there is a time where you do have to order in, what are the three places that are in my neighborhood that I already know have healthy options that my family love? And so just having a good culmination of different tactics that fit your individual life and using those to come all upon in your day to day.

[00:17:06.670] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, I love the big picture because it’s really important to me that my daughter can still see that I’m not like, no, we don’t eat any ice cream. Yeah, I can have a scoop of ice cream every now and then, and that’s fine because I expect her to have a scoop of ice cream every now and then also. So I think especially it’s hard for moms because we also have tiny eyes staring at us, like, how is a healthy lifestyle created? Because our parents initially create that for us. So I love these ideas. Zooming out for the big picture, so important for all of us. And starting where you are because everyone’s like, oh, I should have started my diet last week. No, you should have saved for retirement last week. It all starts now. So great ideas. Tamika, where’s the best place people can find you at?

[00:17:48.700] – Tameeko Clark

Okay, the best place that you can find me is on Instagram. You can find me at basic on purpose. And yeah, that’ll be a great place if I needed to keep it simple.

[00:18:00.550] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. So I will also tag Tameeko in our Instagram post for today. Come tell us the food that makes you feel bad about yourself. I think that would be a fun one over on Instagram. And thanks for coming on to Miko. Hopefully we can all make some changes.

[00:18:14.130] – Tameeko Clark

I love it. Thank you. Thank you for having me.

[00:18:16.960] – Hilary Erickson

I hope you guys enjoyed that episode. I don’t know if you guys know this, but healthy eating is something I really struggle with. I feel like I’m a pretty healthy eater, but the weight isn’t changing, so it’s always something that I’m working on. You’ll find me, update you on Instagram pretty frequently on that. So thanks, Tameeko, for coming on.

[00:18:32.480] – Hilary Erickson

Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes next week is going to be about five things to expect when you go home with your new baby. And the week after that, we’re talking about making purchasing decisions for things for your kids, so stay tuned for those.

[00:18:44.470] – Hilary Erickson

Thanks so much. Much for joining us on today’s episode. The Pulling Curls Podcast grows when you share us on social media or leave a review. If you do, please tag us so that we can share and send you a virtual hug, which, frankly, is my favorite kind of hugging. Until next time, we hope you have a tangle free day.

The post 3 Habits of Healthy Eaters with Tameeko Clark– Episode 180 appeared first on Pulling Curls.

First off, hello! I’m Hilary — many people know me as The Pregnancy Nurse . I have been a nurse since 1997 and I have 20 years of OB nursing experience, I am also the curly head behind this website Pulling Curls and The Online Prenatal Class for Couples. ​ Besides being pregnant three times on my own, I have also talked to countless women about what they’re eating and craving during pregnancy — so I have searched for recipes to fit the bill!

Grab my healthy eating guide for you during your pregnancy:

What are the benefits of soup during pregnancy?

1. Soup is a great source of hydration: Pregnant women need to stay well-hydrated, and soup can help you do that! It’s especially helpful if you’re suffering from morning sickness or feeling dehydrated.

2. Soup is a great way to get extra nutrition: Soups are often packed with nutritious vegetables, like carrots, tomatoes onions, and celery. This makes it a great way to get extra vitamins and minerals that are important for your baby’s growth. I have lots of healthy soups to try in the recipe section below!

3. Soup is easy to digest: Pregnancy can lead to stomach issues, so some women may find it hard to digest certain foods. Soups are generally easier on the digestive system, and can help pregnant women stay fuller for longer.

4. Soup is comforting: Pregnancy can bring a lot of stress and anxiety, so it’s important to find foods that are comforting. Soups are warm and soothing – the perfect choice on a cold winter evening!

5. Soup is versatile: There are countless types of soups out there, so it’s easy to find one that fits your mood. Whether you’re in the mood for a hearty beef soup or something light and refreshing like gazpacho, it’s easy to whip up a delicious meal.

6. Soup is easy to make: Often you make it in the morning and then enjoy it in the evenings when you’re tired after work. It also makes great leftovers!

Ok, we’ve talked about all the benefits for pregnant ladies to eat the soups — but how do you pick one?

How to make soup for pregnant women

There are a few things to keep in mind for soups.

The good news is that soup eliminates many of the restrictions many pregnant women have — for things like deli meat or un-pasteurized cheese because if it’s going in the soup it will be cooked thoroughly. Of course, you still do want to stay away from fish that could have mercury etc…. I wonder if there’s a sushi soup…. hahhah

Are there cravings that you could fulfill? — I have a few recipes below that fulfill specific cravings — and that’s a big win!

Anything she can’t stand? Some women can’t stand meat, but some are fine with it and could really use the protein/iron with it. So, make sure you’re good with all the things in the recipe.

Is she handling dairy OK? Some women may only want to have broth-based soups at speific times during their pregnancy.

Favorite Soup Recipes to Nourish You During Pregnancy

I have this split into a few sections you can choose between:

Craving Soups

Here are a few soups to try during pregnancy if a particular craving has you!

When my friend April sent me this dill pickle soup I KNEW it had to make this article. So “cliche” — but maybe it calls to some of you!

This Zupa’s copycat Chicken Enchilada Chili might fix a craving you have for going out (but desperately want to stay in and curl up on the couch.

And, there’s this copycat Olive Garden Zupa Toscana that you might enjoy! Or their Gnocchi soup.

And then there’s Longhorn Steakhouse’s loaded bake potato soup that looks amazing.

Don’t forget soups are for a variety of things. If you look the bland texture of soups this strawberry soup might be a fun addition.

Soup For Feeling Sick

Not feeling well. There are a lot of pregnancy soup recipes that have onions, garlic and other herbs that might help you feel better since you can’t take many of the drugs you normally would with a cold/flu.

I thought this “feel better” soup was interesting. It does have some strong bold flavors like cilantro, peppers, garlic and onion — but it makes sense that those things might combine to help you feel better! Love how that one is instantpot, so you can get it together quickly after a long day (and a lot of people aren’t feeling great in the mornings before work, so crockpots aren’t a great option).

Broth Soups

Early pregnancy may have you craving just something to hydrate you an keep you alive. Many of these also have some veggies in them to help keep up those prenatal vitamin stores throughout your pregnancy.

I love this slow cooker chicken tortilla soup. Anything slow cooker is a win, and the addition of sour cream, chips and cheese is always a welcome treat to soups. They also have a taco soup that is similar, but with ground beef instead.

Who doesn’t love a chicken noodle soup, and if you’re cooking for a pregnant woman — really doing it “up” with love in this homemade chicken noodle soup is a big win. This chicken noodle soup looks a bit easier, and is made for the instant pot.

This chicken and wild rice soup has some thickness to it because of the rice, but doesn’t contain cream. It is great to pack in the nutrients if you’re not eating much otherwise.

This vegetable and beef soup has beans as well as ground beef. If you’re looking to up your iron stores, bean soup is a great option! Not a bean fan — here’s another one without the beans.

Kids don’t want soup, but it sounds good to you — try adding some fun noodles with this alphabet soup!

Constipation hanging around during pregnancy. I love all the fiber in this chicken and barley soup.

Maybe you miss the warm tomato soup and grilled cheese your mom used to make, but you’d like to up the nutrients with some fresh tomatoes this tomato soup looks good (it also looks creamy, but doesn’t actually have cream)

Cream Soups

Once you leave that nausea of the first trimester behind (I hope) these creamy soups are a great option to add to your pregnancy diet!

This tortellini soup has cream cheese in it, but no cream itself. Plus, they’re packing in good foods with the cheese tortellini and the kale. This one’s a winner in my book!

This chicken pot pie soup has milk in it, but can also be served with a hearty biscuit that sounds delish in the winter!

This quick and easy loaded bake potato soup also just has cream cheese looks amazing!

This broccoli cheese soup looks yummy.

And, if you’re not seeing one you like on here, check out my friend April’s soup section on her site. Lots of yummy flavors on there!

Ok, that should be a good start to your pregnancy soup battle.

If you’re pregnant and looking for a delicious way to get your nutrients, try making soup. Soup is packed with vitamins and minerals that are essential for a healthy pregnancy. Plus, it’s easy to make and can be tailored to your specific cravings. So why not give it a try? And if you have a favorite recipe, be sure to share it in the comments below!

And, if you’re looking for something ELSE to comfort you — come join me in The Online Prenatal Class for Couples where we aim to prepare you from bump to bassinet for the confident hospital birth you want!

Or, if you’re not quite ready for the full class, check out my free prenatal class — It’s your first step towards being your own birth boss.

The post The Best Soups for Pregnancy: 21 Soup recipes for prenatal nutrition! appeared first on Pulling Curls.

I worked in a bakery for a few years in college.  We used out stand mixers for EVERYTHING.  The professional bakers that I worked under just knew that they make the best-baked goods, the absolute easiest.

BUT, I think a lot of people use their stand mixers, but don’t use them to their fullest.  Today I want to share 5 tips to help to make your cookies easier & tastier, by using your stand mixer!

Tips to make the best cookies with your stand mixer

Tip #1 (and honestly, I think this one uses your stand mixer to its FULLEST

Cream your butter and sugar well with your stand mixer

I have always been a little over-afraid of over-mixing my cookies.  And, you should be — but NOT until you add your flour.

I will soften my butter (usually 12 seconds on high for a full stick in my microwave, yours might be different –) I often use butter AND Crisco (half and half, or sometimes based on however much Crisco I have — I like to buy it in the sticks because I HATE measuring it), because I think I like that better.  But whatever works for you.

Then, I throw that in the mixer and let that run for about 30 seconds until the butter is all softened.  Then, I add the sugar and I mix all that together while I gather my other ingredients.

Have you seen butter turn white when you mix it long enough?  That’s what you’re looking for, and this step is REALLY important and a really important way to use your mixer.  Otherwise, you’d have your hand mixer going back and forth.  I sure don’t miss those days!

I used to use a Kitchenaid Mixer, but I have switched to a Bosch Lately.  I always thought the Bosch wouldn’t do cookies well — but I was so wrong.  It’s weird way of mixing adds air and lightness you won’t get with the Kitchenaid.  Be sure to check out my post about Bosch Vs Kitchenaid to learn more about the differences between the two.  I also have tips specific to the Bosch Universal Mixer.

BTW, I love this brown sugar saver that I mentioned in the video.

BTW, if the Bosch is a bit out of your price range — have you seen it’s little sister the Artiste?  Motor isn’t quite as strong, doesn’t have the dual drive-shaft, but still a GREAT mixer, and I LOVE the cover.  PLUS all parts are interchangeable in the bowl area (paddles, scrapers, lids, etc):

Tip #2 (this one will save you time!)

Use a scraper with your stand mixer

On my Bosch, I have their scraper attachment (you can also get it on Amazon here).  I heard this thing is a bit newer and I can’t TELL you how much I love it.  I never have to get a spatula in there to scrap down the Bosch.  It’s GREAT (if you bought my Bosch Package it almost always comes with the scraper attachment because it’s a favorite of mine).

On the Kitchenaid, I use the sideswipe blade, but I sometimes wish I had another one that was easier to clean.  The sideswipe is great for more liquid-y things, like cake batter.  Less so for cookies (but great to lick after).  Again, make sure that you get the right size for your size of mixer.  There’s no shame in stopping your mixer every now and then to scrape.  Oh wait, I guess there is.

Tip #3 (this is a truth no matter how you’re making them.

Half milk chocolate, half semi-sweet chips for the BEST cookies!

I don’t know why but this is SO much better than either on their own, it has nothing to do with stand mixers, just a truth I know.  KNOW.

Tip #4 — this one’s for the moms out there!

Stand mixers make it easier to have kids help

It’s easier for you to have kids help when you have a stand mixer.  You can be measuring stuff out (a great way to do fractions) while the butter and sugar are creaming (see #1).

NOTE — it is SUPER important to review what a machine your stand mixer is.  My kids know they are not to get anywhere NEAR the mixer when it’s running (that’s easier with the Bosch vs the Kitchenaid because the Bosch has a lid the covers the whole bowl)! The end. {see my post on broken bones}

Tip #5 — Cookies are just like you!

Don’t Overcrowd your cookies

Just like a house, cookies need room to grow.  I was the worst at cramming a million cookies on a sheet, but then they’d take forever to bake and they’d turn into Siamese twins.  Anyway, on my big cookie sheets (which are actually jelly roll pans — I think they’re more versatile) I go 5×3  (so, 15 cookies) now.

I also use this cookie scoop — makes it SUPER easy!

Bonus Tip #6 JUST for Bosch Owners

Bosch Cookie Paddles Keep Breaking

The cookie paddles on the Bosch Mixer are totally weak point.

They break. {crying}

SO, the tip I have is to cream and mix in your eggs with the cookie paddles.

If you plan to add many chunky items then switch to the kneading hook.

For me, as I know the kneading hook is a HUGE PAIN.  I will add chocolate chips and pulse a few times, but I don’t recommend full mixing once you have chunks in.

If I’m adding oats, I always change to the kneading hook.  It’s a pain, but less of a pain than picking bits of broken paddles out of your dough

This just in Bosch/Nutrimill have produced some new CURVED Cookie Paddles that will help incorporate ingredients better. Keep an eye out for them!

The Truth of Homemade Cookies for an After-School Snack

Kids love cookies, and they know you love them when you bake them.  I know this sounds lame, but my kids are extra happy when I have homemade chocolate chip cookies available after school.  Sometimes I add beans, I sometimes cook them with fresh-ground whole wheat, and I often try new recipes, but I REALLY try to bake a HUGE batch (I’m talking 6 dozen or more) every couple of weeks.  I’m not a single batch girl.  I have a REALLY hard time with the 3-5 pm time period so it’s extra nice to start out on a good foot.

Because happy kids are a happy family.  What is better than having warm cookies waiting on the wire racks, ready to eat?

Oh, and I really like cookies too.

My Favorite Cookie Recipes

Chocolate chip — I love these, the cornstarch makes for a crispy edge, and the inside is insanely soft!

BUT, I’d love to know YOUR favorite recipe — tell me in the comments!  I cookie recipe shop pretty frequently.

Be sure to grab my weekly meal planner, and check out my other food posts below that:

The post The Best Cookies: Expert tips to using your stand mixer to make cookies! appeared first on Pulling Curls.