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Quick and Easy Sheet Pan Dinner

When working full-time, one thing that is very important to maintain balance is being able to make quick meals that are healthy and that all members of my family will love.  While it may be easier to swing by a local pizza shop or restaurant on my way home from work, it will be more expensive and not as healthy.  I know I cannot get out of my local pizza place under $40 and under $50 for my local Chinese food restaurant.  That money spent certainly can add up.

This recipe is something my family loves.  I love it too because it only takes about 10 minutes of prep and 35 minutes to cook.  Also, it’s a sheet pan recipe so I only have to clean one pan.  Genius!

Here’s what you will need for this Kielbasa and Sweet Potato sheet pan recipe:

  • Kielbasa 1 or 2 packages
    • I love Kayem brand.  I realize that this is probably a regional thing (being from the Northeast) but it is THE BEST kielbasa.  Phenomenal flavor and not at all salty.
    • For my family of 4, 1 package was enough
  • 3 sweet potatoes
    • washed and patted dry
  • Spices
    • garlic powder- 1 tsp
    • salt- to taste
      • I use Sherpa Pink Himalayan
      • this salt is delicious and has trace minerals that iodized salt cannot provide
    • pepper- to taste
    • cinnamon- 1 tsp
  • Olive Oil- 2 Tbsp

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.  If you have a convection oven, pre-heat it to 325 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  You want to make sure that the sheet pan is large enough to fit the food in one layer.  Preferably, there should be enough room around each delicious morsel so that the air can circulate.  That’s the secret to a crispy outer skin.  When you crowd the pan, your items will more likely steam and become soggy.

Directions

  • Peel the sweet potatoes and chop off each end
    • Don’t go crazy on peeling every little piece of skin
    • Quite frankly, I am lazy- who’s got time for that?  I do a quick once over with the peeler and what’s left behind, is added fiber!
  • Once these are peeled, go ahead and slice these into 1 inch pieces
  • Place the sweet potatoes onto the baking pan
    • Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with all of the spices
    • Then get your hands dirty and mix it all around so that each piece of potato has a coating of the spice mixture
      • You can do this step in a big bowl and mix with a spoon but it does add to the dish count!
    • Once coated, spread the sweet potato on half the baking sheet taking care that they are in a single layer with room around each piece
  • Chop the kielbasa into 1 inch pieces and spread on the other half of the lined sheet pan
    • These should also be uniform pieces around the same size as the sweet potatoes
    • This helps everything cook at an even rate
    • Also, remember to leave space in between for a delicious, crispy skin
  • Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until the kielbasa is cooked through and the sweet potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside

This meal is so delicious.  The sweet potatoes are amazing because they caramelize during the cooking process and when you combine that with the most flavorful kielbasa- oh my!  Amazing!  It is a terrific, home-cooked meal for those busy nights.  It has a quick prep and cook time and also lends itself to easy cleanup.

This is definitely something you can feel good about feeding your family!  What sheet pan meal do you and your family like?  I would love to hear!


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Easter and April Fool’s: What a combo!!

I am not sure if this has ever happened before but having Easter Sunday and April Fool’s Day celebrated on the same day is a double whammy.  Additionally, since I grew up Catholic it gives me angst to think about practical jokes on the day Jesus rose.  But I digress.  To quote the much overused saying: “it is what it is”.  To that end, my daughter, Ella, enjoys celebrating Easter Sunday as a time to be with family and enjoy her visit from the Easter Bunny.  She also really enjoys April Fool’s Day.  As a matter of fact, she talks about it all year!  Ella still remembers the time she was in her first grade classroom and it was snack time.  Well, it was April Fool’s, so I replaced her Dum Dum lollipop head with a clove of garlic!  It was so realistic looking.  She was truly so excited at what an awesome mom I was for giving her a lollipop for snack!.  Then she unwrapped it.  Yep- the joke was on her.

So this year having both Holidays on the same day, I thought I would show what I am putting in my kid’s Easter baskets.  Additionally, I will share some of the April Fool’s pranks I plan for Ella.

The Baskets

The first basket is for my 22 YO son.  I know, I know- he doesn’t need an Easter basket but it’s fun for me.  Even though he is older, he still appreciates the thought.  For his basket, I gave him some Funyuns, a Nerd-filled Easter egg, a few packs of Juicy Fruit, and some scratch tickets.  He really isn’t into chocolate so I didn’t add any to his basket.  Being that he is older, I just tried to stick to items that he would use in his day to day.  In addition to these, some additional ideas are car air fresheners, gift cards to restaurants, movies or coffee shops, gift certificates to car washes, and even an iTunes card.  Personally, I think you are never to old for a basket!

My daughter’s basket contains quite a bit more candy!  She does love her chocolate (kind of like her Mom).  The big gift for her are some Pokemon cards.  She loves these cards and knows many of the characters, their special talents and even their evolved form.  I know she will love this!  I also gave her Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Lindt chocolate lambs, a Kinder Easter egg, a Nerd-filled Easter egg, a pack of Juicy Fruit, hand sanitizer, and an Emoji lip balm.  This will definitely make her day!

The actual baskets that I use are the same baskets I have been using for many, many years.  I just store them when Easter is over and get them ready for filling the night before.  I love being able to fill my kid’s Easter baskets with things they like.  This way there is no waste of money and I don’t have to go store to store searching for a basket that already incorporates things they like.  It is a time saver and helps me maintain balance.  In addition, you can get really creative with any age group.

April Fool’s Pranks

If there’s anything you have to know about my Daughter, she expects to be pranked on April Fools’ Day.  I have been doing it every year since she was in Kindergarten -except one year.  That year, I had a business trip and my Hubs just didn’t have the bandwidth for the creativity.  I however, enjoy thinking about this and often scroll Pinterest for some great ideas.

The first prank of the day will be delivered during breakfast.  Here, I took 1 package of Gelatin and some orange juice.  I followed the package directions so that her ‘juice’ will be a solid mass!  This probably won’t take her long to figure out but having it happen first thing in the AM will be a great start!

The second prank has to deal with her electronics.  Back story here.  I have told her multiple times not to leave her Switch or her iPad on the floor.  We have a dog, Oreo.  I don’t want the dog stepping on the devices and I also don’t want the dog to ruin them.  Sometimes, she has a sensitive stomach and does occasionally vomit.

Therefore, I got some Elmer’s glue, some green food coloring, wax paper, and some of my dog’s food.  I mixed up the glue and the food coloring so that it was the color of bile (sorry if this is graphic – being a nurse, this doesn’t phase me).  Once I was happy with the color, I spread it onto the wax paper and placed some crunched up dog food in the puddle.  It takes at least 24 hours to set but once it does I will have dog puke!  My plan is to place these on the floor and on her electronics so that she thinks the dog vomited on her devices.  I am totally setting up my dog for the fall but it is worth it!  Just make sure you use a disposable cup and spoon for the mixing!

 

The last trick that I have planned out is already in motion.  You see, as I stated above, she loves chocolate just like me.  So, I bought some beautiful chocolate Easter eggs and I have already placed

them in the candy dish she made a few years back.  As a matter of fact, as soon as she came home after school today, she saw them and already popped one in her mouth.  Well, on Sunday, these chocolate eggs will instead be grapes! Yep.. grapes.  They are the same exact shape! So Saturday night, I will carefully unwrap some of these chocolates and use that same wrapper to wrap up individual grapes.

All in all this should be a successful day on both the Easter front and on the April Fool’s Day front.  I cannot wait! What items are in your Easter baskets? If you are also celebrating April Fool’s Day, what is your favorite trick?

 

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Quick, One-Day Flight: What’s in My Work Bag

Traveling for work is something I have been doing for many years.  I actually love it.  Please don’t tell the hubs!  Outwardly, I whine and complain but inside I am giddy and excited to dodge my regular household chores!  I truly believe it makes me a better person.  At least, its what I tell myself and the hubs.  It allows me to meet new people, see new places and forces me to spend some serious time alone with my thoughts and come up with ideas like this blog!  For me, one of the harder trips to pack for are the quick ones where you fly out early in the AM and return by night.  I anticipate a flurry of activities with no real down time- except during the flight.  As I go through and systematically pack my bag, I am sharing with you what’s in my work bag.

The Bag

Since I am flying out early int he AM and returning the same day, I really do not need to pack very much.  Completely different story if I am spending a night or two!  This is why I will be carrying my Henri Bendel Gotham Tote.  It is made out of beautiful, black pebbled leather with gold hardware.  It has a brown silken lining with several pockets – including 2 that are zippered.  Oh and the smell: leather!  It’s just divine.  Although this bag was from a collection a few years back and no longer available, I have linked a similar tote with the same beautiful pebbled leather.  This is the best work bag I have ever purchased.  I used to buy the ones you see at TJ Max and it would last me about 2 months (if I was lucky) before strings would fray, zippers would break, or the “leather” would crack.  That does not look very professional.  I would then have to start searching for another bag all over again.

I decided to go all in and make an investment in my bag rationalizing that the life span of  Henri Bendel at full use should be about 3 years before any major flaws occurred.  Mathematically, that comes out to .59 cents a day! The investment made total sense.  A cheap bag shows wear after 2 months and would cost about .75 cents per day.  Did I tell you that I can rationalize anything?

Pro Tip

One thing I will use to create additional organization within my bag will be the Ipsy bags I used to receive with my subscription box.  They are just the right size to contain a lot of different necessities so that you stay organized, stylish, and discreet.  I have one to hold my cords and power-banks. One will also hold feminine products and the other will hold a variety of items that I may need to freshen up during the day.  These little bags are amazing in all of their potential uses.

The Notebook

I suggest you invest in a really good notebook.  When in meetings, there is always something you may need to write down and it shows that you are prepared.  There is nothing worse than being in a meeting and looking unprepared by asking for a pen or paper.  For my notebook, I chose the Circa line from Levenger.  Shown is my Bomber Jacket Circa made from beautiful soft-grain leather upon which I have my name stamped on the front cover.  Oh and the leather smell!  The paper is amazingly thick (no ink bleed through) and I love the versatility of the various types of note-taking formats available.

 

What Else will my Gotham Tote Contain

Again, since this is such a short business trip, I will pack very minimally.  Here is the full list:

  • Good Vibes Only Mini Bag
    • Feminine products (you just never know)
  • Black / Gold Mini Bag
    • Tresemme Hair spray
    • The Body Shoppe Hand Cream in Almond Milk & Honey
    • Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer
    • Soap & Glory Extreme Plump Lip Gloss
      • It does feel really weird when applied but it gives a little bit of pucker to the lips
    • Rimmel’s Kate Moss lipstick in the color 08 pink
      • It gives me just a touch of color
    • Covergirl Tru Blend Face Powder
      • This is a matt finish that does not look cakey
      • It will help me look refreshed and not oily after my flight
    • Wet Ones
      • You never know
    • Hair ties and bobby pins
      • in case my hair is extra crazy
  • Blue/Orange Mini Bag
    • Cube
    • lightning cable/earbuds
    • Charger
      • I really like the style pictured because I can plug my phone into it and  I don’t have to fumble with a cord or second device as it is all attached
  • Food
  • Gum
    • Not pictured and always needed

So, as you can see, I will only be bringing the necessities on this trip.  I will not need my laptop or iPad so I am going to keep it as light as possible.  What are your go-to necessities on a short day trip for work?  Let me know in the comments!

Personalize Your Office Space

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of hours the average American worker spent at the office in 2016 was 8.3 hours.  That’s a significant portion of one’s day to be away from home and family.  So, when we are at work, why not make it a great space to be in?  Make it your space.  There’s nothing wrong with bringing a small touch of personal style to your office space.  Some people may argue that it is unprofessional but I disagree.  There are days I may spend up to 10 or 12 hours in my office space.  On those days I appreciate some of my own style being reflected around me.  It reminds me of my purpose and reminds me of what is waiting for me at home.

I am certainly not suggesting you display your bachelorette pictures or pictures of you downing a few adult beverages at your last concert. That would be too personal and probably cross that line of professionalism.  What I am saying is that some personalization is important for several reasons.  First, so that people to understand that you are human too.  You have a life outside of work, interests outside of work, and you are more than what’s enclosed in that office.  Second, it allows you to bring your why to work- everyday.  Third, especially for me,  it is a way I can incorporate a calm ambiance in the midst of any stressful day.  Here are a few ways I achieved this.

Lighting

We all know the harsh reality of office lighting.  It can be extremely bright and unforgiving.  Vivian Giang recently wrote a piece on the color of lighting and how if effects productivity.  It discusses how warm lighting may be more comforting and relaxing.  Under harsh office lights, I often found myself with headaches instead of being more productive as noted in the article.  The bright lighting was everywhere- there was no escape.  I read about the benefits of salt lamps and decided to purchase one for myself.  While I cannot attest to the flow of positive ions (one of the benefits of a salt lamp), I can attest to the fact that this lamp gave off the most beautiful amber glow.  It is the calm in the storm of my day and often becomes a conversation piece as many comment on how beautiful it is.  Although this cannot be the only source of light in your office space, it certainly can be the most beautiful!

Artwork

Just as artwork is an expression of the artist, it is also an expression of the person who chooses to display and cherish it.  Although I love inspirational quotes and scenery, what I really love to hang are framed artwork from my kids.  To the right are a few pieces I have hung up over the years.  Here are the stories:

My son was studying Picasso in kindergarten- many years ago.  He happened to bring this one home and I fell in love with it.  The frame was one that I happened upon at my parents house.  My Dad had made it for something many years prior my Son’s rendition of Waterlilies.  Back then, Michaels wasn’t really a thing so I just bought a white foam board, cut out the middle and attached the painting to the backside of it.  Close up, you definitely can tell my cut lines weren’t straight but every piece of it was hand made.

My daughter’s art piece stemmed from a Girl Scout project.  Birch trees are just so beautiful with their white bark.  However, where I live, the snow does quite a number on them and they usually do end up being as bent over as the one’s in my daughter’s picture.  With this picture, my husband made the frame.  He took the time to plane, cut, stain, and create the gorgeous frame this picture sits in.

Every-time I look at these, it helps me get through my day.  I remember the stories that go along with each of the pieces.

Essential Oil Diffuser

I have often heard that certain scents can emit different emotions and feelings.  When looking for houses, I watched a lot of HGTV.  I often heard them discuss burning cookie scented candles or baking bread during open houses.  This way, the buyers walk into a warm, comforting, and subliminally homey place.  Well, this same concept can be transferred to your office space too.  While I do not promote baking bread or cookies in your office (although it would make you popular) unless you are a baker, it would probably be frowned upon.  What I am saying is that bringing certain scents in the form of essential oils and a diffuser can help you personalize your office space.  It can make it more inviting and relaxing not to mention all of the other benefits touted.

What I and many others have found is that the essential oils can change according to the needs of my day.  If I am busy with a project, I may want to focus.  So I will use citrus based scents like orange or lemon.  If I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed, I may reach for the lavender.  This scent is well known to relax- think baby wash.  On hand, I keep a collection of blends that will help me create a calming atmosphere or an atmosphere that will energize me and anyone I am working with.   While the various benefits of essential oils are not the point of this post, it is certainly another tool to help you personalize your office space without being too over the top.

Greenery

Another way to also add some personalization is to incorporate some greenery into your space.  Let’s face it, offices can often be a cold place.  I don’t mean temperature cold but feeling wise.  Harsh lighting, bland walls, etc.. Having some type of plant can help bring some of the outdoors in and warm up your space.  Personally, I like small, fake plants. Ones that look realistic.  For me, I find that live plants are very difficult to maintain- even in my home.  Vacations, long weekends, work travel, and just plain forgetting to water a live plant can kill it easily.  Your once beautiful plant can quickly turn dry and brittle.  That does not help enhance your office at all.  I find a few statement pieces get the trick done without alot of effort.

 

As you can see, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to bring just a little bit of personalization to your office space.  It is possible to bring in the personality and still maintain a professional vibe to your work area.  There are many other ideas but these are just a few of my go to items.  Office supplies also comes to mind but that will be a separate blog post- actually that would potentially be several posts!

So tell me how you bring your personality into your space?

Below are links to the products (or like products) mentioned:

Please note, the above links are affiliate links.  You will not pay extra for using these links but I may receive a small commission with your purchase.

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