9 make ahead breakfast for busy mornings (kids will actually eat these!)

We’ve all been there. We’re running around in the rush of the morning, trying to get everyone out the door when we realize… no one has eaten breakfast. Gulp! It’s okay, mama. I know how it can be. Here are some awesome make ahead breakfast ideas that will save your morning!

Easy peasy waffles! (these can be frozen and then retoasted!)

Homemade Mini Pancakes, Perfect for toddler hands

Freezer breakfast burritos- Gimme some oven

Baked Oatmeal Chocolate Banana Muffins

Breakfast sandwiches - Savor and Savvy

Egg in a biscuit

Freezer Breakfast Quesadillas

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Spice Pancakes- Family fresh meals

Instant pot hardboiled eggs - Passion for Savings

9 frugal ways to make life easier INSTANTLY

I don’t know about you, but I am on the hunt to find ways to make my life EASIER! So today I wanted to share a few things I’ve been doing to simplify my life (and save a little cash!).

As a reminder, I have new videos every Monday and Thursday on YouTube, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss anything! Also while your at it, subscribe to my newsletter for all the goodies!

Watch the video online HERE or watch directly below:

Commit to use your instant pot or slow cooker once a week.

Once I week I use both my slow cooker and my Instant Pot, so that means two times a week I feel like I am not cooking (even though I am). I just have to compile the ingredients, and throw them in the pot!

Looking for inspiration? 30+ Instant Pot Recipes for every family and 65+ slow cooker recipes for any occasion.

Make breakfast ahead of time.

Once week I will cook muffins, waffles, or pancakes for the week and throw them in the fridge. I will also precut fruit and preboil some eggs in my Instant Pot and that way in the mornings the kids can help themselves. It really helps reduce that morning chaos.

Looking for inspiration? 9 make ahead breakfast for busy mornings (kids will actually eat these!)

Have some grab and go lunches

Again I will precut fruit and vegetables, prefill reusable yogurt and applesauce pouches, have some grab and go things my kids can reach like granola bars and cheese sticks. I will also keep their water bottles where they can reach and fill them.

Some of my favorite reusable pouches are:

The squeezy snacker- This silicone pouch that is so easy to wash!

These reusable pouches you can buy by the dozen

Automate your bills

Have you ever forgotten to pay your water bill and then had to scramble to drive to the water department or pay a late fee? Ummm been there, done that. So now we automate as many bills as possible and a bonus this saves us $5 a month on our internet by using paperless billing.

But don’t forget to give yourself a reminder that these things are coming out of your budget!

Carry a water bottle with a straw

Not only does this help you stay hydrated and remind you to drink your water, but many restaurants will also give you a discount for carrying your own cup.

Tip: Starbucks, Caribou coffee, Flying J gas stations, and Tim Hortons all give discounts for using a travel mug! And Starbucks doesn’t require you use a certain type!

Keep your socks where you keep your shoes

I got baskets for us to keep our shoes. Everyone gets a cubby and their shoes go in their cubby. I threw the socks in Dollar Tree lingerie bags so that our socks go in the same place as our shoes. By keeping everything in one place we are using as few steps as possible!

Automate orders for things you use regularly

I have diapers, toilet paper and coffee come to my house from Amazon Subscribe and Save. We have an “Amazon Budget” that we set aside each month to cover these things and I don’t even think about them. I just know that in the middle of the month diapers, toilet paper and coffee will be delivered and we never run out.

Looking to save money on Amazon: 6 everyday items to buy on Amazon and Maximizing your Amazon Prime Membership.

Have components of quick meals

A couple weeks ago everyone in my house got a stomach bug. But not on the same day. (Thank mercy!) So I spent my days cleaning up vomit from one child while caring for the other two. Thank goodness I had some quick meal components like coconut milk, frozen vegetables and curry powder. I could throw a vegetable curry together in 15 minutes.

I also make things like vegetable soup and chili ahead of time so I can throw them FROZEN in my instant pot and I am good to go!

Just say no!

I am learning to say NO! How many times have you been asked to do something and said yes to that commitment only to IMMEDIATELY regret it? You might realize that you might not have time to do it without sacrificing sanity, work time, family time etc.

I was listening to the Nicole Walters podcast. She said when you are looking for an answer and you’ve been given an opportunity and you’re trying to make that possibility work. There is usually another option and that option is to say NO. And that NO is a complete sentence that requires no further explanation.

What about you? What are you doing to make your life better?

How to deep clean your Instant Pot (because it's probably gross)

Hey, y’all! Today, I am sharing how to deep clean your Instant Pot. Did you know the lid can go in the dishwasher? Mind blown! Here is how to get your Instant Pot super clean and smelling great again.  

FTC Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored video. All opinions are mine. This post does contains affiliate links and I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my link at NO extra charge to you.

4 things you can do at any time to improve your life.

Do you ever feel like it’s too late for you? Do you feel like you let too much time pass and you’re just stuck in your life forever? Well, you’re not.

It’s not too late for you to turn things around. Today I wanted to share four things you can do at any time to improve your life.

Start something new

Grand Ma Moses was 76 when she painted her first canvas.

Julia Child was 49 when she published her first cookbook.

They didn’t let age or lack of opportunity stop them from doing something new.

I took up painting last year. I am not very good at it. But it’s fun and calms me and I love it.

Open a Roth IRA

I finally started investing this year. Is it too late for me? Nope. We have invested in my husband’s retirement for years. But I wanted to invest in my own. So I opened a Roth IRA. It was so easy and I am a little ashamed I didn’t do it sooner.

Apologize for something you did

Maybe you hurt someone. Maybe years have passed. Maybe it eats away at you and you think that person will never forgive you. Maybe they won’t. But apologizing when you know you’re wrong will lift a huge weight off your shoulders. Send a letter, pick up the phone. Drive to their house. Apologize.

And if you’re on the other end of this- forgive. Even if that person never apologizes to you, give yourself the gift of letting it go, find healing and move forward.

Change your opinion

My mind has been changed on so many things. Things I held onto for years because they were so closely held. Opinions that I thought shaped my identity. And then I changed my mind. That’s okay. You’re allowed to change your opinion. You’re allowed to change your mind. You’re allowed to change.

How to get set in oil stains out of your clothes (using things you already have at home!)

Do you ever pull a clean shirt out of your dryer, slip it on and see an oil stain on it? It's infuriating! Where do these things come from?!?!

I have so many shirts ruined by oil stains. And I don't have that many shirts to begin with. So I knew I had to find a way to get rid of these stains for good.

I hit the internet and found quite a few places. This post from Northern Belle Diaries was a good place to start. But she used WD40. And I didn't have any. Plus I just wasn't going to further ruin a shirt if this method didn't pan out! 

So instead of WD40 I decided to use just good old fashioned Resolve. 

Stain remover

Baking soda

Dish soap

A toothbrush

A hard surface to slide under your shirt

I’ve included step by step instructions in this very old and very cheesy video of me.

Step 1. Douse the shirt in stain remover.

Step 2. Sprinkle the doused area with baking soda.

Step 3. Scrub in with toothbrush. 

Step 4. Add dish soap and continue to scrub. 

Step 5. Let sit for 5-30 minutes.

Step 6. Wash, dry and be amazed! 

What about you? What are your tips for stain removal? 

Seven tips for getting more stuff done: Productivity tips for big life changes and the easily distracted

Have you ever found yourself at the end of the day exhausted, spent, with more on your to-do list than hours in the day? 

We've all been there. Recently I got a comment on one of my YouTube videos asking how I got it all done. 

I laughed a little. I wish I could tell you I have it all together as a mom and business owner. I wish I had it all together, that I cracked the secret to productivity and that my home was perfectly managed and stress-free. But it's not. 

However, I have learned a few things about productivity... and giving yourself a little grace. 

1. Stop doing so much

I understand this doesn't sound like a productivity tip. But it is. Stick with me here, okay? 

You're putting too many things on your to-do list. If you're getting to the end of the day and you have a bunch of unfinished items in your list you probably put too much on your list. 

I heard a really wonderful quote this week from author Emily P. Freeman, "The sky is only the limit if you are an airplane. You’re not. You’re a human person." 

This comes down to STOP. Stop trying to do so much. Stop trying to push too hard. Give yourself space in your day. 

2. Accept where you are in life

I am a mom of littles. I have a four-year-old and two-year-old, while this limits some of my time, I still have more flexibility than I would if I was caring for a newborn nursing around the clock. 

There are seasons of your life when you will have less time, less flexibility and less energy. I recently had a baby and my kids and I are transitioning to a new community school.  So I have given myself permission to slow down and do less. 

Do the same for yourself. Respect where you are in life. 

3. Create a top five list

I do this single day. Every day. Even the weekends. I sit down and create the top five things I need to do on a daily basis. These are my biggest priorities, both business and personal. If nothing else gets done it's fine as long as these things are accomplished. 

4. Develop daily checklists

Daily routines are important for so many reasons. They set our day and create a sense of accomplishment even on rough days when everything feels like it's falling apart. 

Mine is very basic. I do one load of laundry, run a load of dishes, clean my kitchen (this takes 20 minutes tops!) and plan and cook dinner. In total, this takes me about 45 minutes a day. 

5. Time thyself

Have you ever sat down at your computer to work and gotten lost in a project? Suddenly all your work time was used up? 

This is particularly necessary when working online. It is so easy to get sucked into email, social media, perfecting graphics. Not to mention Pinterest. Seriously, I am not going to go there right now (see 6!). 

Set your timer. Give yourself a limit for tasks you know should only take you a certain amount of time. If it only takes you 20 minutes to clean your bathroom or send out your weekly sales email, then set the timer on your phone. When it buzzes. You are finished. Walk away from what you're doing and move on with your day. 

6. Limit your distractions

I got sucked into the Pinterest vortex this week. I got home from church Wednesday night, bathed and fed my kids, put them to bed and then sat down to answer an email and check for one recipe on Pinterest. Next thing I knew it was 2 a.m. Seriously. 2 a.m. 

Delete apps that distract you from your phone or give yourself a time limit for areas where you know you get sucked in. 

7. Write things down!

Oh my goodness. I am the worst at this. Trust me, you can tell yourself that you will remember an event, project or job but you won't. Just write it down.

I write down appointments, to-do lists, goals, blogging ideas, business ideas, meal plans and conversations I need to have with my husband while he is out of town. 

I know obsessively writing things down may seem like it would take more time, but trust me, this saves me hours. 

Three tips for getting dinner on the table faster

I actually enjoy cooking. But only if I am in the mood to cook. And sometimes the mood for cooking strikes me. But more times than not I would rather do other things. Any thing. Like clean the shower... and by clean I mean take a shower. 

But I have some tips for making dinner time faster, smoother and easier. 

1. Prechop your vegetables. 

Okay, so I told you a few weeks ago I got a BUNCH of bell peppers for just $.10 each! I chopped them up and flash froze them. Then when I want to cook with them I just pull out as many as I need and I am good to go.  

2. Precook your meat. 

Have some meat already cooked and waiting in your freezer to be thawed and thrown in a dish. This is by far the best thing I could have done! On Saturday I picked up my Zaycon order, 80 pounds of ground beef (more on that another day) and I cooked some of it in the slow cooker. Then I stored it in 1/2-pound increments in the freezer. It takes little time to thaw.

Of course, this can also be done with chicken. I have cooked chicken in the slow cooker, shredded it and froze it for later use. 

3. Keep your basics on hand. 

Brown rice, a few cans of beans and some tomatoes in canned in my freezer. That's pretty much the basics to build about 20 different recipes that I already have in my brain. 

Of course the best thing to do is meal plan. But no one is perfect and a million things come up over the course of a day. So if you have a backup plan and know you can get dinner on the table in under 20 minutes you won't be hitting up the drive through. 

What tips do you have for making dinner easier?