Must Have

*All if the items that are linked are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.  I do receive a small amount of commission for the links provided. 

Fun fact. The recent tanning blog has more hits than the kitchen blog. Ha. Y'all must like some tanning and not so big on the cooking.

So if that is you... may want to come back tomorrow. Today I am sending some love to all of the kitchen loving gals here on the dot com.

I usually don't tell myself "No" when it comes to a purchase for my kitchen. I feel that I spend so much time in here that I will use whatever I buy. That may be why this came home with me yesterday...

It wasn't until recently that I absolutely fell in love with cooking. I am slightly obsessed with cooking healthy meals for the Cain fam. I want something that is done in 20 minutes, delicious, and made with ingredients that I can pronounce.

If you are going to treat yourself to a new kitchen tool, here are some that I use regularly.


A sweet friend sent me a picture of her zoodles. My heart was so full of love and pride. Then I saw the price she paid for those sweet little noodled veggies. WOW! DO NOT. I repeat: DO NOT but your veggies pre-cut. I promise it takes two minutes tops to cut your own and clean up. I LOVE this zoodler. It is very simple to use and actually works. I tossed several $4.99 TJ MAXX hand held ones before I just ordered this one. It's under $25.00 so you really can't go wrong. We eat zoodles weekly.
If you are keto, Whole 30, or just like to have more veggies on the table, you will use this often. Promise.

I asked Santa for this item for Calla's first Christmas. I knew I didn't want to use baby food out of a jar and I researched making my own so I wanted a tool that I would use for baby food as well as afterwards. Spoiler alert: I made food for about 2 weeks then just went with solids. BUT... this purchase has been well worth it. I use it every morning to make a shake/ smoothie. I use it again at night to rice my own cauliflower. We seriously love it so much that we have given it as a gift and convinced every person in our family to get one. Plus, Ninja just has my whole heart. I love love love them and their company. (Yo, Ninja.... feel free to throw some partnerships my way!)

For the next item I literally asked Coach, "What is something you see me use all the time in the kitchen?" His reply: this. He is right. I use this weekly because we love ground beef. Tacos. Spaghetti. Chili. (Just brown it and eat it out of the pan?) I love this so much I gave it as my gift this Christmas when I hosted a favorite things party. What did I do without this?

I also love these. They work with every Yeti lid we have. They keep me from using plastic straws. For some reason I drink more water when I use a straw. Strange? Probably.

Remember when I said we cook every night just so we can have leftovers for lunch the next day?  I went ahead and made the switch to these. I haven't switched all of our dishes, but we really LOVE the ones we do have. I need to purchase a set of bigger ones.

There you have it... What I am using most in my kitchen! What should I add? Do you have a go to item that you love? I am in the market for some great knives!

If you missed my other post on my absolute FAVORITE items in the kitchen: visit that here! You can't go wrong with either of these!

Love love,
C^2

Say NO To Tanning

*Links provided are affiliate links. I do receive a small amount of commission for each link. All opinions are my own. 

So. Many. People ask about my tanning machine. I decided to give all of the details here.

3 years ago I gave up tanning 100%. No more tanning beds. I still wanted a tan... so I did some research and bought THIS spray tanning system.

It really is perfect. I spray weekly and it is amazing just to have it in my garage. I also spray friends that want a tan. I know the machine is kinda $$. ( I always kinda hate linking things because then Coach knows...) 


This is also the hands down try this. best solution to buy. It is the perfect color for all skin types. You can youtube videos and teach yourself how to use it. So simple. Truly worth every single penny!
You do use this solution with the machine.

BUT.... if you just want a quick tan in a can... and don't really want to invest the $$ in the system: I have used ALLLLL things self tanning and this is a great quick option.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

*I have included Amazon links for all of the products. They are affiliate links however all of the opinions are my own. I promise I use these items daily! 
I could start this blog by saying "I have had a ton of DMs asking me about the kitchen tools and gadgets I use in the kitchen each night...."

But this would sound way too professional and way too much like Instagram fame. Honestly, I am a teaching wife and mama that is simply looking to cook amazing meals for my family that are:
a) easy
b) healthy
c) delicious
d) did I mention easy? Must be super easy.

I do get several comments and questions asking about what I use to cook meals and how I keep them easy and under 20 minutes... and someone may be in the market for something to make their life a tad easier around 5pm every night. For this reason I have decided to give you the official Carley Cain opinion of my 2 most used kitchen tools.

One.
May I introduce the OG Ninja product. 2 years ago my 3rd Crockpot brand crockpot died. This was the 3rd one I purchased since being married. I was just about mad about it but went to purchase another because... duh... crockpots are life. I was in the store and found THIS with a clearance sticker on it. I instantly put it in the cart and never looked back. Ninja is literally my favorite product brand because their customer service is simply the best. (Betttterrrr than alllll the ressst.)

I use this wonderful tool 3-4 nights a week. It has a setting that can make it a stove top as well. This is perfect for soups. It brings them to a boil in no time. The clean up is seriously so easy. I don't even need the liner bags anymore because it is so easy to clean.

You can turn it on whatever temp you want, adjust the time, and after that cooking time it will automatically switch to "keep warm" and will not burn your food. Promise.  I love this thing like it is a child. Seriously, it is just perfect.

If you are in the market for a wedding gift/ birthday gift/ treat yo'self gift... this would be the first thing I add to my kitchen. I will likely never buy any other brand again for my kitchen.

Two.
This year the Instapot became a hot hot item. I will be the first to admit that I was terrified of the pressure cooker world. If anyone could mess this up... it would be me for sure! Plus, I LOVE my Ninja slow cooker. I really had no need for another appliance.

Then came the air fryer. This was something I knew I needed in my life. I spent a few months researching and then Ninja (my favorite company) released an appliance that was a pressure cooker and then an air fryer all in one. WHAT? Sounds perfect. One day I was riding with Coach and I was watching a YouTube video of a guy using the Ninja Foodi. Coach said, "You need that! Buy it!" So that afternoon I ordered it. We have loved it from day one! If I am not using the slow cooker, I am using this. If you are thinking of buying the pressure cooker... then you should consider this. We LOVE the air fryer option.

Here is the deal: You can cook frozen wings in 15 minutes in the pressure cooker. Then change the lid to make it the air fryer. You spend the next 10 minutes making your food crispy to perfection. It is an all in one system. It is a bit of an investment, but so so so worth it.


Those are the two most used appliances in my kitchen. They make dinner a breeze during the weeknights.

I have also LOVED this book. It was a gift from Mom and we have LOVED every meal we have made from it. It is also pretty simple to use any pressure cooker recipes you may have.

As always,
Love love
C^2

How Does Your House Run

I had about 43 seconds today where I was just scrolling the internet on my phone and I found a very interesting survey. I really wish I saved where I found the survey, but now I can't find the direct link. I would love to give them credit. So for the record: I did not make this survey. I just really found it interesting to see how other families function. What is "normal?" Am I normal? Crazy? Perfect mix of both? Here are my answers:

How Does Your House Run:
1. How many people?
Three people and two weims that have absolutely no idea they are indeed NOT people. Don't tell them.

2. Average spent on groceries?
Eeeehhhh..... $500 for the month. I'd like to explain this. We eat most meals at home. We also do not EVER eat our for lunch during the week unless it is a special treat. I also cook with a ton of fresh fruits, veggies, and meats. Not a ton of junk... so I think my bill is pretty decent.


3. Own or rent?
Own. Absolutely NOTHING wrong with renting. I totally 1000% believe in renting until you find something you love.

4. How often is laundry done?
Daily.
Coach does the laundry around here. Sometimes I do it... but that's mostly his thing. He doesn't like clothes in the hamper. Husband jackpot for real.

5. Split household chores?
For sure. I would say that I am the only one that cleans bathrooms, but Coach is the only one that takes care of the yard and outside.

6. Who does bedtime routine with kids?
We split that too. While one is doing the bath and bed, the other is cleaning the kitchen, packing lunches, and walking the Weims.

7. How do you clean your floors?
Shelly the Shark. :)

8. Who does the grocery shopping?
Wal-Mart on Sundays, whole family, after church.
Or I go. Fun fact: I LOVE the grocery store. It is kinda my "me time" so I do not mind going.

9. How often do you go out to eat?
We have a 2019 goal of going out to eat less than 5 times per month. This will totally change during football season, but right now we are rocking it.

10. Paper plates and plastic silverware, or real?
Y'ALL.... I can't stand paper plates. Seriously. Hate them. I just LOVE my real dishes. We run our dishwasher daily, but we do not ever buy paper. The only time we usually use paper is for a party or celebration... and usually I still try to use my real dishes.


What's your normal?

Love love,
C^2

Goals Goals Goals

It's the very last day of January 2019 and I wanted to document the month.

I am going to say that I worked VERY hard to crush some goals this month. The week before 2019 I decided I was going to write down some goals and then accomplish small goals each month. January was a VERY successful month.

1. Whole 30.
Done and done. I completed a very successful round of Whole 30. I feel amazing. I've even made a new friend in this journey! If you have not read, It Starts With Food... get it! Now!

2. Cook ALLLLLL the meals at home. (Go out to eat as a family less than 5 times in the entire month.) Done and done. 3 meals a day, every single day... cooked at home. If I am being honest, we only had two or three meals that were repeated. I should also be honest and say that this is the goal I am most proud of completing. It was a family goal. We LOVE going out to eat on the weekends. Not to mention I am one tired mama during the week, and would love to let Publix cook for me... but we did not let this stop us. We cooked so many amazing meals at home each day. It was super awesome to complete this goal. (Would anyone read a post on the top 4 kitchen gadgets I couldn't live without? I feel like I need to share this.)

3. Join a small group at church.
Done! Mondays are going to be my  new favorite!

4. Attend the membership class at church.
Done and done. This was a huge step for Coach. Southside has always been home. I am super proud of us for taking that huge step. It may not seem big.. but to us... it was!

January was packed! I'm not even going to try to hide the fact that I am super proud of what all we accomplished this month! Here are a few more small unplanned victories:

• Met the Cray Family for dinner at the half way mark. We need to do this monthly.  
  
• Read 4 books. (2 in one week while we were still on break...) 
• Went to a parenting/ marriage class with a mama bestie. It was until 10pm on a school night... big time! 
• Got monthly pictures of Calla. 
  
• Ran every day for 31 days. (Does this need a whole post of its own?) This was NOT a goal I set for January. It kinda just started... and I couldn't stop. Will I run every day in February? This has yet to be determined. 
• Submitted my attendance every morning on time. Hahahahaha.... I'm telling ya... crushin it! 

Quick and Easy Shrimp Dinner

It's Friday night. I deserve two awards.
The first award is for cooking on a Friday. Who am I?
The second award is for cooking a dinner and blogging about it in the same night.


I finally did it. I finally made the perfect shrimp scampi dish that was absolutely amazing... and Whole30 approved. (If you are not worried about Whole30, most of the time I am not either. But it does help when trying to pick super clean and healthy family dinners.)

I got the idea from the Whole30 slow cooker cookbook. I just can't decide if I am ready for shrimp in the crockpot. Plus, shrimp take two minutes to cook, so I don't see the need. So I made my own twist, and I think it was much better. I still love that book... and totally recommend it! 

I apologize for the iPhone pictures. I really did not expect this to be such a hit. But it soooo was. Set your clocks for 13 minutes, because that is what it takes to make this amazing dinner. I should also say that I am NOT one to measure things when I am cooking. I'm just not that type... but I will try. (For you 1s that need a plan.) 

What you will need: 
2 pounds of shrimp
2 zucchini
1 cup of mushrooms
Ghee
Garlic (fresh)
Garlic powder
Parsley
1/2 lemon


Here we go:
Thaw 2 pounds of frozen shrimp. (Or buy them from Publix when they are having a sale.)

Spiralize 2 zucchini. Top them with a paper towel while you cook the shrimp.
In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee.
When ghee is hot, throw in your shrimp.
Add 3 cloves of garlic.
Cover the shrimp with garlic powder.
Stir for 3-4 minutes until the shrimp is pink. (Took me years to learn this... don't over cook the shrimp)
Remove the shrimp and juice from the hot pan.
Heat another tablespoon of ghee.
When the pan is hot, add your zucchini and a cup of mushrooms.
Add two cloves of minced garlic.
Stir for 3 minutes to make soft and cook the mushrooms.
When the veggies are soft, add the shrimp back to the pan.
Stir for one minute to mix.
Top with parsley and the juice of half of a lemon.

I promise. So good. So so good. If you have someone in your house that looks at you like you are cray when you put some zucchini noodles on a plate, you can serve them this dish with noodles. Totally works too..... here is proof of that! Ha!

Love love,
C^2