6-Minute Small Batch Salted Caramel Sauce

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Krissyar

Fall is one of my favorite times of year – and the food that comes with it. We always attend the local Apple Festivals, and my favorite thing to eat with those juicy apples is some delicious salted caramel sauce. Wayy better than that stuff you pick up in the store – and also super easy. 6-minutes and you have yourself a delicious snack!

Yields: 8 oz jar of Salted Caramel Sauce

Prep Time: 1 minute| Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 6 minutes

 

Ingredients:

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2 tablespoons salted butter

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon vanilla

 

Directions:

 

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt.

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Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes – whisking frequently.

Whisk in vanilla, and then remove from heat.

Pour caramel sauce into heatproof jar and allow it to cool.

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Notes: This sauce will burn easily if not consistently whisked. Do not leave unattended while cooking. The sauce will thicken as it cools. It is perfect for dipping apples, pouring over warm apple desserts, ice cream, or using in various fall recipes that call for caramel.

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The Household Guide to Care-Free Composting

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Krissyar

There are a lot of miracles that occur in nature: The Aurora Borealis, The Great Barrier Reef, and the ability for natural waste (leaves, veggie peelings, other produce leftovers) to biodegrade into essential nutrients for rich soil. With the current health craze leaning towards “going green”, composting is one of the easiest things a family can do to reduce their carbon footprint and assist the environment in a natural way. By turning everyday waste into compost, you will not only diminish the amount of trash in landfills, you will be getting free, 100 percent organic fertilizer for your flower beds, garden or lawn.

 

While many major cities have added mandatory composting bins to their curbside collection, it is still not a global concept. Check your local municipality to see if you have a local composting center, and if not you can follow this guide to compost your own waste yourself.

 

Start Small

The most common mistake of any gardening project is to bite off more than you can chew. Especially if it is your first time to take a whack at gardening, you aren’t going to want to end up looking at a half-finished mess in your yard. Simply start with a plastic bin in a designated corner where you pile all of your organic waste and work your way up from there.

 

Pick a Reasonable Location

You wouldn’t put your kitchen garbage can in your bedroom or living room, so make sure the compost refuse is in a convenient location (close to your kitchen or garden) or you might not get as much mileage out of them as possible. You don’t even technically need an actual bin to start composting – just get a pile of leaves going in your back yard and add the organic waste to it. Keep a tight lidded compost container under the sink for quick kitchen waste, and add to your pile once it’s full.

 

Brown and Green Material Only!

You are going to want to only put organic material in to your compost pile. Brown materials will be the dead leaves and plants from your yard; Green materials are going to be the waste from produce, wet grass clippings, vegetable peels, etc. You should try to avoid putting meats, oils, fruit, and nonperishable items like disposable diapers in to the pile as they can attract rodents and slow the entire biodegrading process down.

 

Pro-Tip: Remember that water is necessary for attracting fungi, worms and bacteria. If you live in a region with a dry climate or dry season, remember to water your compost pile and place a cover over it to conserve the water more effectively.

 

Application

After around 6-12 months, the compost pile that you’ve been slowly growing and developing should be ready for use in your garden! Once it has turned into a dark and sweet smelling dirt, you can use it as a nutrient supplement for your flowerbeds and planter boxes.

 

Not only is this a great way to do your part to keep your garden green with items you’d just throw out anyway – you’re helping save the planet!

 

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Unique But Effective Cleaning Tips

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Krissyar

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Mean Green Products. Though I was compensated for my time, all opinions are my own.

Cleaning takes time – well at least that’s what I’ve always been told if you are doing it right. And though I agree that it does take time ..I don’t think it has to take forever. As I’ve read across Facebook, Twitter and even from friends & family I’ve came up with a list of unique cleaning tips to make the mundane a little bit easier.

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Have a hairy pet?? Put on a wet rubber dish washing glove and wipe your hand over the hairy services. The hair will stick right to it! (Be prepared to be grossed out!) a lint roller across your couch will also work – I try to use the lint roller a few times a week and the dish glove once or twice a month.

Clean with Kool-Aid. If you have a problem with stubborn stains in your toilet – use an orange Kool-Aid packet. The citric acid will clean away stains and build up. Empty the packet in, swirl it around with the toilet bowl brush and let it sit over night. It will be sparkly clean!  Use lemon Kool-Aid in your dishwasher to make it sparkle as well.

Red Wine Stains. A dab of shaving cream can actually help remove red wine stains on fabric.

Baskets on Each Floor. I have a pretty basket that sits by the steps of each floor of our home (we have 4 including the basement!) while I’m cleaning if I find stuff that belongs on another floor, I stick it in the basket and then take it up the stairs when I move up to the next floor. This definitely saves time

Need a Fresh Smelling Refrigerator? Grab a bowl and put some vanilla extract in it – dip a paper towel in it and wipe down your refrigerator walls. It will clean up the ick, and also freshen the smell.

How About a Fresh Smelling House?  Grab a pot and put some oranges and cinnamon sticks in it – boil it. Your house will now be smelling fresh!

Behind on Laundry? It happens to the best of us (especially if Mom gets sick, or super busy at work) Find a laundromat with a wash-and-fold service. They usually charge by the pound, so it’s only a few dollars per load. You can drop it off and pick it up the next day usually. Talk about getting caught up fast! If you are a bit weird about something else folding your undies (trust me, I get it!) take your kids with you and go to the laundromat yourself! You’d be amazed how much you can get done when you use 6 or 7 washers and dryers at the same time!

Re-use Old Socks and Tees. I scrub our kitchen floor and bathroom floor with old socks and t-shirts. The socks can come in handy because you can put them on the bottom of your swifter wet-jet and not have to replace the pads. You can use the sock until it needs thrown away (or washed, depending on the mess).

When in Doubt, Throw it Away. I keep garbage bags and boxes on hand always. When I am cleaning if I haven’t used something in awhile, or I’m not sure where it came from (which happens more than I’d like to admit) it goes in 1 of 2 places. 1. the garbage bag or 2. the garage sale box. When the box gets full, it gets moved to the basement and another box gets put in it’s place. By the time garage sale time comes around, I don’t have to go throughout the house looking for stuff the kids don’t play with, or what doesn’t fit. It’s already been done – all year long.

Use a Multi-Purpose “All in One” Cleaner.  Having an ‘all in one’ cleaner makes life a lot easier (and cheaper) when you are cleaning. Instead of going back and forth finding what cleaner cleans what, try a multi-purpose cleaner like Mean Green Anti-bacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner.

One of my favorite ‘easy’ cleaning tips with Mean Green Anti-bacterial MSC is to spray cleaner on a paper towel. Place paper towel in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Then just easily wipe away the mess!

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5 Tips on Increasing Your Milk Supply Naturally

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Krissyar

This post was sponsored by Premama as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

There’s a lot that goes into determining if you have a sufficient breast milk supply.  Most of the time if your baby is gaining weight on breast milk alone – than you have a sufficient supply. If not, or if your Doctor has a concern (or even if you plan on donating it!) there are some things you can do to help increase that supply.

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Nurse Frequently and Efficiently.  If milk is not effectively removed from the breast then the Mom’s supply can decrease. If the baby isn’t latching or positioned properly, than the milk won’t flow efficiently. If the baby is having a hard time transferring milk, than you need to express after or between nursing to maintain a decent milk supply until the baby learns to latch or transfer the milk more efficiently.
Making sure to nurse frequently – as often, and as long as your baby wants. You want to remove as much milk as possible and as frequently as possible. If your baby is really having problems gaining weight, nurse about every 2 hours or so during the day, and around every 3 hours or so at night. If the baby wants to nurse in between these times – allow it. Again, the more you nurse, the better!

Get More Rest. Just like any other part of life, if you don’t get enough sleep you won’t be productive enough – and the same goes for milk production. Try to cut back on other commitments and relax, sleep, eat and nurse!

Get Rid of the Stress. While stress might not directly curb milk production, it can hamper the let-down reflex – and make it hard for the baby to get a steady supply of milk. Be sure to take care of yourself (like getting enough sleep like I mentioned above). Don’t sweat the small stuff – just focus on what’s important.

Drink Plenty of Water. Obviously to make more milk – you must drink more liquids. If you get dehydrated, or you aren’t supplying your boy with at least the minimal amount of water needed, you will make less milk. Set a goal to drink a certain amount of water per day. Keep a water bottle (or jug) nearby at all times.

Try Premama Lactation Support Drink. Premama Lactation is a berry-flavored drink mix supplement formulated with Fenugreek, Fennel Seed and Blessed Thistle to help naturally support healthy milk production. It also includes Folic Acid, Vitamin D3, Calcium, and other essential nutrients for mother and baby.  I love Premama because it’s a supplement mix for those who have trouble swallowing pills.

premama

Premama products contain folic acid levels similar to many prescription prenatal vitamins, and equal, or greater than most leading OTC brands, Omega-3 fatty acids and non-constipating iron often found only in prescription prenatal multivitamins. Premama isn’t just for Mom’s who are trying to increase milk supply – it’s also for those who are trying to conceive, who are expecting and they can be taken before, during and after pregnancy.

I was able to pick up a box at our local Meijer in the vitamin section, but you can find Premama Lactation Support Drink (and their other products) here.

Get a FREE sample 0f Premama Lactation or Premama Fertility from August 25th through September 29th below:

Premama Facebook Sampling

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Simple Tips For Living More Frugally

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Krissyar

Managing money can be tough. It’s so easy to lose track of spending, and when everything is so expensive, you can find yourself with far too much month left at the end of your money. Are you looking to reduce overspending, or cut back so you can get out of debt? Luckily there are plenty of things you can do to go about it.

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Set a Budget and Stick To It

Knowing exactly how much money you have coming in, and what needs to go out is vital for working out your budget. This gives you total control over your money and means you’re never caught short. Once you know how much you have left over after essential bills, you can work out how much you’re spending elsewhere as well as work on ways to get that down. A budgeting app or tool could be useful to get you started.

 

Cook From Scratch

Buying pre-packaged food, ready meals, and fast food will always cost a whole lot more. To save money, get in the habit of cooking yourself. Not only is it healthier as you know exactly what has gone into your dishes but it’s way cheaper too. Having a well-stocked store cupboard can help your money go further. When times are lean, all you need is one or two extra ingredients, and you’re able to prepare meals from what you already have. If you can get large packs of meat or vegetables on offer, it’s worth cooking up batches of food and putting it into freezer bags or Tupperware to go in the freezer. You then have plenty of meals on hand that are quick to reheat, and cost next to nothing compared to buying ready made.

 

Save What You Can

Whether you transfer money into a savings account each week, or just save up your loose change- just save what you can. A rainy day fund can be incredibly useful; even a small amount can come in handy when times are hard. If you’re able to get some real savings behind you, when unexpected expenses crops up you’re able to take care of them there and then. Rather than having to take out credit, and pay back large amounts of interest.

 

Use Coupons

When it comes to online shopping, there’s plenty you can do to reduce costs. When you need to make a purchase only pay full price if you absolutely have to, shop around to find the best deals. Comparison sites can be useful, and always use a cashback site to gain a little back too. It takes seconds and costs you nothing, after the transaction clears a few weeks later you have a bit of extra cash you can spend or save as you need it. Make a habit of searching for sales and coupons, sites including Manycoupons have a range to choose from. Checking local newspapers and flyers and clipping coupons to use in the grocery store can save you some serious cash from your bill too.

 

Re-Use and Repurpose

Luckily upcycling is all the rage right now, which is handy for those of us on a budget or trying to live more frugally! You could either reuse and upcycle pieces of furniture you already own, or buy inexpensive pieces from Craigslist and thrift stores and give them a makeover. You get a fun craft to complete, and save a massive amount of money compared with buying new.

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