Hey-Nay

A place to be enlightened, encouraged & inspired

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

 

Flashback Friday

Happy Aloha Friday!  

I’ve decided that I wanted to make things easier for those of you who prefer a traditional way to find the things I talk about in my Instagram Stories.  Each Friday i’ll put up a blog post with links to all the things I’ve mentioned throughout the week. 

The post will be filled with clickable links!

Feel free to click on the green text or the pictures below in the carousel and it’ll take you to the exact link to purchase. 

Keep in mind, some NOT all will be affiliate links.  I make a minuscule amount when you purchase an item using my links. This helps to offset the cost to keep this blog running. Thanks in advance! 

Let’s get started: 

1- Flowy comfy dress from @vicidolls is perfect for Spring/Summer/Fall

2- Seed sprouter that I purchased in May and have been using!  So easy & makes fresh sprouts in 5 days.

3- Onion sprouts, my newest acquisition. It’s spicy and stringent giving any bagel, salad or sandwich a little something extra. 

4- Hairitage a @walmart exclusive is a great leave in conditioner. Inexpensive, smells great & not heavy on your hair! 

5- Dr Bronner’s Lavender soap is the perfect soap to use at night to help the mind, body & soul to wind down.  

 

 

Leave a comment below if you have things you love and would suggest I try!  

xo,

 

MEAL PLANNING

Meal Planning

Meal Planning stress you out?

Me too!  Or at least it use to. I don’t know about you but there is nothing more stressful than worrying about what’s for dinner. Then wondering if you have all the right ingredients for your last minute ideas. Thanks to meal planning, those moments are few and far between.

Over the past several years, I’ve developed a system for myself that takes the stress out of wondering what i’m feeding my family every night. I meal plan every Sunday after i’ve made breakfast.

This allows for several things to happen:

  • I have a captured audience who can add their suggestions to the weeks meals
  • It eliminates complaints because I’ve given them a chance to participate
  • It’s another nice little slice of family time
  • It alleviates me having to come up with ALL the meals for the week

I also have a little notebook of tried and true favorite meals for each family member.  These meals get plugged into the menu when I run out of ideas. I’ve had this notebook for years and it’s been interesting to see how their tastebuds have changed or not *cough RJ*

The system

Once menu suggestions are listed I go onto my calendar and look at two things – upcoming events and the weather. Those two factors will determine what meals gets made on what days. Busy days require easy meals, special weather days require certain meals to help the body maintain its equilibrium. The latter deserves a whole post all by itself, but that’s for another post. 

After our meal plan is laid out, I tackle my grocery list.  Checking my pantry, fridge and freezer for the things I need. Things I don’t have gets added to the running grocery list I have on my fridge. One of my pet peeves is buying something I already have on hand. 

Lastly I go online and grocery shop which is a time, money and sanity saver.  The bulk of my shopping is done on Walmart.com but I also get items from Kroger, Sams, Target and Sprouts.  I cannot emphasize enough what a money saver it has been to shop online. 

  • It allows me to stick to my grocery list
  • It prevents me from wandering around the store adding unnecessary items to my cart
  • Curb side pick up is a massive time saver allowing me to have more time to do other things

Almost all the stores I mentioned above has some kind of grocery pick up.  If you haven’t tried it, I highly suggest it.  If picking up is an issue you can also do instacart for grocery delivery.  My local Walmart has started a delivery program – $98/year for unlimited grocery deliveries. I’m seriously considering this service  as another step to save time. Check your local stores to see if this is available in your area.

Since I’ve got a well oiled meal planning machine, let me share my exact meal plans with you.

I hope

  • It takes the guess work out of cooking and alleviates unnecessary stress.
  • It’ll give you more menu ideas to add to your own planning
  • It’ll allows you to make fairly healthy, delicious home cooked meals in less time

SIGN UP to get:

  • One email a week that will include the exact meal plan I’ll be feeding my own family
  • Corresponding shopping list
  • Healthier alternatives for some of the meals
  • One dessert recipe

Also don’t forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM for cooking demo’s on some of these meals. Let me know either on Instagram or in the comments below if you have any questions or recipe requests.

xo,

 

 

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HOW TO WASH TOWELS PROPERLY

how to wash towels

 

After 5 years of having 3 sets of towels for my Master bath, I finally bought new ones.  Now before YOU say “Ewwwwww 5 years gross!” Let ME just say, nobody ever taught me about the lifespan of a towel.  Nor did anyone teach me how to wash my towels properly either.  Knowing when to replace towels is such an “Adult” thing to do and let’s face it, before Google everyone was probabaly flying by the seat of their pants.  

When we first got married, we had Walmart towels because that’s what we could afford. Slowly we moved up to Target towels, then Bed Bath & Beyond one’s then Pottery Barn & my new purchase is from Frontgate.   I feel it’s safe to say the more expensive the towel the higher the “probability” of it lasting longer BUT i’d like to add, it’s the way you care for said towels that also determines their longevity. 

 


 

Keeping that theory in mind, Walmart towels from the 90’s weren’t made well & had to be replaced every 2 years which is hella good considering they were about $7 per bath towel.  In true transparency, I was really bad at laundry in our early years of marriage. As in throw everything in one load kind of bad. On the bright side, our Walmart towels lasted 2 whole years even with my reckless behavior so massive props to me. 

 While I know that sounds ridiculous, let me say over the years I’ve learned a few tricks because with age comes wisdom. I’d like to think that’s what kept our last set of Pottery barn towels alive so damn long.  

 

Let me share with you how I care for our towels and trust me it’s easy because 

1- You know damn well I’m lazy

2- I’m of the strong belief that caring for towels shouldn’t be rocket science

 

I have mainly white towels but these tips are great for ALL towels no matter the color or brand.

Here’s how to wash towels properly

  • Use the gentle cycle with cold water & change the rinse & spin to high
  • Don’t overfill your washer tub. Towels should come half way up the tub & not more to ensure proper washing.
  • Wash towels with mild detergent. Recently I’ve switched to Clean Mama Super Laundry Powder  and really love how it works and smells.
  • Instead of liquid fabric softener, use WHITE vinegar. I pour it into in the area I normally pour my liquid softener. 
  • No bleach
  • Tumble Dry low. I use a dryer ball with lavender essential oils instead of dryer sheets.

The benefits of using Vinegar is:

  • Less chemicals in your clothing and therefore on your body
  • White Vinegar costs less
  • It won’t affect the absorbency of fabrics which often happens when towels are washed repeatedly with fabric softeners. 
  • Vinegar also removes even the toughest of odors

The only downside is that it doesn’t leave your towels with that strong scents we’ve grown to love by using store bought detergents.  I’m totally fine with that since I’m trying to cut back on the amount of chemicals we use in our home. 

That’s it in a nutshell! Now for those of you asking, as my hubby did, about when to replace towels, here’s my answer “When you’re drying your skin & being exfoliated at the same time, that’s when you know it’s time to buy new towels”  

Good luck with your new towel routine!  

xo

 

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