My favorite sanity saving tips

Busy Sports Moms have limited time for chores and other household duties.  Unfortunately they haven't invented a way to add hours to the day - yet.

I have compiled some of my favorite tips and tricks that I have used over the years to help save my sanity (a little).  I hope you get some use out of them as well!

1.  This is one of my most used cleaning tips: Try using a timer.  Sometimes, you   need to be able to focus on a single task in order to really get it done.  Set the timer for 10 minutes and start tackling a chore.  Once the timer is done, time to move on to the next chore. It's amazing how much you can get done if you’re trying to beat the clock!

2.  Remember all those beautiful ribbons that came on your kid's birthday gifts?  Don’t toss them, use them to tie around your sheet sets in the closet so you'll never have to look for stray pillowcases or bottom sheets again. 

3.  Keep your old bank check boxes and use them as dividers for the dreaded junk drawer. They are great at keeping all the junk separated out

4.  Keep all of your instructions and warranties in a three-ring binder so you won't be stuck sifting through paper stacks.  You can buy those clear plastic sleeves pretty cheap and that way you don’t have to punch holes in the papers

5.  Hang collapsing shelves from a closet rod and prepare your child's outfits for the week on Sunday nights

6.  If you're still in the infant stage, stick a plastic hook on the back of a high chair to hold bibs.

7.  Use old shoeboxes to hold your kids crayons and colored pencils, pencils, erasers or anything else they need for homework time.  And put it away once you are done.

8.  Use a shoe caddy to store games and snacks on a long road trip. If you hang the shoe caddy over the back of the front passenger seat, your kids will be able to easily reach the toys/games/headphones they want without you having to dig through a never-ending bag.

Overnight Oats To the Rescue!!

Weekends mean sleeping in, waking up and slowly rolling into the kitchen and preparing a big, involved breakfast for the family.  Well….not in MY HOUSE.

For me Saturday mornings mean waking up early, getting a workout in, walking the dogs and getting Riley off to gymnastics practice by 9am. 

Because of the hectic schedule, breakfast is always rushed and hurried, but I always want to get her full of a nice hearty breakfast to prepare her for 3 hours of practice.  While cereal is quick, it usually doesn’t keep her full for very long.

Enter overnight oats!  Yes that is right, they cook overnight – while you sleep.  So you wake up in the morning with breakfast already done and ready to eat (minus a little reheating and adding in some toppings!

I gave it a try this weekend.  We got into the kitchen in the morning and all I had to do was turn on the stove, reheat the oats and add in some brown sugar and fresh blueberries and it was ready to be devoured.

The oats were a huge hit and I felt good knowing that she had a nutritious breakfast that would keep her full and give her energy during her practice. 

The beauty of it is that you can add in anything you want!  I made mine with bananas and walnuts and it was amazing!  You can even put in a dollop of peanut butter instead of the brown sugar or use maple syrup.  Just get creative.  Below is the recipe and a few pics (I forgot to take a pic of the finished product until mine was all gone and Riley’s was near finished, lol).

Ingredients (serves 4):

4 cups filtered water (filtered water is KEY here as some tap water leaves a green slime on the oats, which is safe to eat, but not very yummy looking)

1 cup steal cut oats

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Boil 4 cups water, and bring to a full, rolling boil, then pour in the oats and salt.  Give it a quick stir and let it cook for 1 minute (set a timer, it goes faster than you think!).

After 1 minute, turn off the heat, give the oats a quick stir, cover and let it sit out on the stove ALL NIGHT.

When you wake up the next morning, simply turn on the stove to medium heat and stir until heated through. 

Pour the oats into bowls and top with your favorite toppings (brown sugar, strawberries, blueberries, bananas you name it!)

Enjoy!!

Nutrition tips for Moms on the go

Being constantly on the go can be stressful on our minds and bodies.  Having adequate nutrition really helps combat that stress and make you healthier over all.  Below are some helpful nutrition tips for busy moms, check them out!

      1)  Limit Sugar and caffeine - Too much caffeine can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb calcium, the National Osteoporosis Foundation reports.  Huge Frappuccinos may make you feel good temporarily, but the crash afterwards will just reinforce your need for them, creating even more stress.  And sugar, well we all know the deal with that.  If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, try a few raspberries stuffed with a dark chocolate chip in the center.

2)    Eat fat…wait what?? - Omega-3 essential fatty acids and monounsaturated fats are the goal.  According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, such as salmon, tuna and halibut, certain plants (including purslane), and nut oils. Omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development and in preventing heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish- particularly fatty fish at least two times a week.  

Flax seeds, which experts say reduce inflammation, and walnuts are also are good sources of omega-3. Also recommended are monounsaturated fats, which are found in olives, avocados, hazelnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and olive, canola and peanut oils, according to Harvard School of Public Health.

3) Drink….water that is.  You should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water every day.  So if you weigh 160 pounds that is 80 ounces of water every single day. If you are exercising, you will need more, according to the American Council on Exercise. How can you tell if you are hydrated? Your urine should be clear or pale yellow (unless you take a vitamins which can darken urine) and plentiful, ACE reports.
Regularly drinking fluids help promote cell function and allow for the body to regulate itself.

     4)  Consume immune boosting foods - Deeply pigmented fruits and vegetables generally have the highest amounts of antioxidants.  You’ll want to try blueberries, cantaloupes, mangoes, kiwi, pomegranates, broccoli, kale, spinach, red/yellow/orange peppers and acai berry.

     5)  Get your snacking in check - Choose fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks. Then about 10 minutes afterwards to see if you are still hungry. The fiber in fruit and veggies will help fill out up (and keep you regular, yay!!)  You can also try to snack on lean protein combined with a carbohydrate such as whole grain crackers and reduced fat cheese, light yogurt with probiotics and low-fat granola, or peanut butter and an apple (one of my favorites!)

Save TIME in the kitchen

I spend a majority of my time when at home in the kitchen.  Meal prep, cooking, cleaning, packing lunches, making snacks, I feel like I am ALWAYS in there.  But, I have employed some time saving tips over the years that help me to spend less time in the kitchen and more time….doing other chores ;)  A mom’s work is never done!  haha

Time saving tips:

      1. Keep a supply of cone-shaped coffee filters on hand—even if you don’t have a coffee maker! These handy paper cups serve as little snack cups and you don’t have to waste a good bowl or plate, and if your kids snack as often as mine these will come in handy.  Perfect for trail mix, popcorn or cut up fruit.

.         2. Get  your kids to help! When I am making dinner or packing lunches, I enlist the help of one or two eager little helpers.  I have them help empty the dishwasher, or gather half empty cups from around the house to put into sink to be washed.  The kids love to help and I love to have a third or fourth hand.

      3.  Instead of rummaging through the pantry for beef or chicken broth for your recipes (then putting the left over can in the fridge to take up much needed space) I fill an ice cube tray with the broth and stick in the freezer for grab and go use later.

      4.  To save time on dessert for the kids, take a muffin tin and line with paper liners.  Scoop your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt in each muffin spot.  Once frozen, pop each one out and put in a gallon size Ziploc bag (try to keep the paper liners on them for grabbing ease later).  Then when the kids want ice cream for dessert no need to spend all that time scooping the rock hard ice cream.  Just grab a scoop and put in a bowl!

      5.  After cooking dinner, set your dirty pots on the stove with either vinegar and water or dish soap and water and let it boil while you eat.  When you are done with dinner, your pots will be un-stuck with food and easier to clean.

      6.  Make your dishwasher work for you!  Put like utensils in the same section of the silverware tray in the dishwasher (knives with knives, small forks with small forks, etc.) so that you can pull them out by group and put them away fast.  This also helps when you have the little ones unloading!

     7.  Just made a delicious dinner full of garlic but hate the smell in the house?  Instead of wasting time running around with air freshener or lighting all the candles in the house, while you’re cooking a meal or just after, set a small pot of water on the stove and drop in a slice of lemon, a cinnamon stick, or a couple pinches of your favorite aromatic spice. Let the pot boil for several minutes, and the smell will permeate your kitchen with its fragrance.

8.  Pre wash and chop your family’s favorite fruits and veggies and place them in a paper towel lined Tupperware (one for each type of course).  These make quick and easy to grab snacks for the kids, and you don’t even have to be involved.