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They’re Not Really Your Friends

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This post, They’re not really your friends, is about the misconception of the social media era. It discusses the issues that arise when people believe social media follows equals friendship.   

Friend (noun): a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection  (Family and romantic partners are usually excluded from this definition)

I remember a few years after Andrew (my fiancé) and I started dating, I was talking about “a friend.” He stopped me and said, “who are we talking about?” “Oh, my friend X,”. He looked at me and said, “why do you call everyone your friend? You don’t really know that person, y’all barely talk.

It’s easier sometimes to just call people your friends. Sometimes it also makes you feel good about yourself if you don’t have many close friends. Everyone wants to be the “popular” person, but very few are. I was well into my adulthood when I realized that I was never going to be one of those girls. I wasn’t one in middle or high school. And college was a bust too. I never got into one crowd and I sort of blew with the wind. It took me a long time to realize that there’s nothing wrong with that. And to be honest, it’s something I still have to work on.

Everyone wants to have friends. Everyone wants to be the even “sort of” popular person. Social media has pushed us even more to be on the up and up, in the know and keeping up with what everyone is doing. Have you watched the last shows, got your kids the latest clothes and best believe you should be sporting the latest tech gadgets – no longer if but how many Alexas do you own?

It’s so easy to get sucked into the desire to be everyone’s friends and call everyone your friend.

Unfortunately, They’re not really your friends.

“If someone doesn’t have your phone number, they aren’t really your friend”.

That seems like a simple enough  explanation right? We aren’t in middle school anymore. We aren’t writing KIT on a piece of paper and waiting around the phone for our friend to call us on our parents house line (or beep us or call our first cellphone but only after 7pm).

Everyone has a cellphone. Instantly, we can communicate with the entire world around us 24 hours a day. How can you say you are truly friends with someone if you don’t have a reliable source of communication with them?

It’s something I heard in one of the many groups I’m in on Facebook a few months ago. I can’t remember the group or the person that said it but the sentiment has stayed with me.

Facebook goes down (more regularly lately than in the past it seems). If it stayed down forever how many of those “friends” would you still talk to? How many of them are you trying to keep up with that could care or less if they ever spoke to you again if it never came back up? What is the number of times you realized that you were no longer “friends” with someone that you had previously  spent a good portion of time conversing with, sharing laughs and likeminded conversations.

Unfortunately, They’re not really your friends. None of them.

Even though I’ve had numerous reminders of this throughout the last few years, sometimes things need to happen to you for you to really realize it. A few years ago, a friend got off Facebook and said, “No one will check on your if you get off social media.” I laughed and brushed it off. I’ve taken a day off here and a weekend off there, but recently was offline for almost a week due to illness.

Want to know how many friends I had checking up on me? Two. That’s not to say I only have two friends, but sometimes it takes a moment like that to realize that the subtle messages you’ve been receiving are really true. You can have 17 million Instagram followers and 5000 Facebook friends, but what does that mean at the end of the day? Does it even matter if you don’t have a true form of actual communication with them?

Unfortunately, They’re not really your friends.

So who is?

You know who truly matters at the end of the day. Your family. The people that hug you tight and laugh with you, are there when you cry, and continue to check on you. While Facebook or Instagram may be an outlet or a way to escape for a few minutes, I encourage you, starting today, to put down the phone and actually spend more time with the people right there in front of you.

Take your kids for a walk. Go to dinner with a friend. Play a board game with your significant other. Strike up a conversation with the person at the gym who doesn’t have their phone out. You may be missing real connection with real people because your worries about people in a box, connected through data points, who would never check on you if you never logged in again.

Unfortunately, they’re not really your friends.

Kids Need to Set Goals Too

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Everyone needs motivation and the ability to see themselves setting and achieving goals.  No matter the age of the person, the benefits are great of setting goals. But most especially, kids need to set goals too.

Kids dream.  All the time they are constantly dreaming about things to do, places to go, how to drive you crazy for the day.  No matter what, they are always thinking of things. It’s one of the reasons why (as annoying as it can be sometimes) they consistently talk or have a hard time falling asleep.  They are learning so much everyday that it’s hard not to dream, imagine, and think of all those things. As soon as you start taking them on trips or opening their mind to new things, their minds will begin to wander. It’s beautiful really. Seeing them grow and development in that way. It’s such a joy when they randomly ask to go somewhere, eat something, or learn something new. And it’s all because of seeds that are being constantly planted in their head.

It’s for that very reason that all kid’s should have goals.

It’s easy for us as adults to have dreams and they simply remain dreams. And to be quite honest, there’s nothing wrong with having dreams that remain simply that. It gives you something to ponder and wonder and those things are always great to have.  However, as the quote goes, “your dreams are only your dreams until you write them down. …then, they are goals.”

Every year, we make goals.  Some people call them resolutions, but for many, we call them goals. Everyone wants something that is attainable and within reach, but goals give you something to strive for. Obviously some goals are smaller, while others are much bigger.  No matter your goals though, they are important.  And just like we have goals, we need our kids to set goals too.

Kids need to set goals too. 

From an earlier age, kids need to be setting their goals. By doing this, we are helping them learn that they should create a plan to achieve the things that they want to happen and how to act upon them.  It gives them something to look forward too and also teaches them so much more.

Goals help kid’s learn to focus on a task. Additionally, they trigger positive behaviors. They help to motivate and inspire them to achieve something. And probably one of the absolutely most important goals is that it builds characters.  Setting goals gives kids the ability to practice self-mastery or self-discipline.  When they set a goal, and then achieve it they are building themselves up for something greater.  They are able to see themselves as a person who can actually achieve something and ohhh how important it is for anyone, no matter their age, is see that they are able to achieve what they set out to do.

How do I have kids set goals?

The great news is that this isn’t some hard task that is going to take up a ton of your time. Especially if your child(ren) are under the age of 10, then this activity should take no more than 5-10 minutes. Once your child starting becoming a tween, and absolutely a teenager, this should be something that is well thought out and does take a little more time to do. However, I still wouldn’t expect it to take longer than 30-60 minutes.

Typically as adults we try to set goals in a series of categories.  Usually they are about finances, family, fitness and/or health, self-improvement and fun. However, for younger kids the use of categories isn’t important. Although, they would be great for older kids.

For younger kids, the best way to get them to start learning and exploring more about setting goals is to simply ask them “what would you like to do this year”. Let them guide the answers and come up with as many or as little as they want to. Try your best not to guide them into answers; however, if you see they are having a hard time, then you can give them tips about ideas – such as places they would like to go or travel too, something they would like to learn. Feel free to ask them to get more specific. For example, our oldest daughter wants to ensure she’s reading by the end of the year. I asked her how many books she thinks we should read and she gave me a number. Clarifying or expanding on an answer is great.

What age should I start having my kids set goals?

Three. You won’t get much of a response typically. But even just a few things to start them on their journey of setting and achieving goals is so important. As your child(ren) gets older, they will start thinking of more things (sometimes a little crazy depending on the age). Use the earlier years to really build a foundation and focus on the things that they truly want to accomplish over the next year.

This is our 3 Year Old’s Goal List: 

And this is our 6 Year Old’s Goal List: 

This is just a guide in helping your kids to set their own goals and learning how to achieve them.  No matter what, just remember that kids need to set goals too. 

Keeping Safe Online – Kaspersky Lab

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kaspersky Lab. All opinions are 100% mine.

It was the late 90s before I had a computer in my own home growing up. It wasn’t until I was roughly 10 years old. We had a huge desktop computer that took up half of the desk. There was only one computer that was available for the entire house and of course it was dial-up. I vividly have nightmares about my mother picking up the phone to use it, only to kick me off of the internet. Back then, all you worried about was a virus protection program for your desktop and beyond that you didn’t worry about much.

Time’s have changed. 

It’s not uncommon in many homes today for every member of the family to have a computer or other smart device.  Not only that, but we are sharing a lot more information across the internet than we ever did before.  We pay our bills online, submit tax documents, and complete medical forms.  There is a lot more at risk in today’s world than every before.  This is all information that we would never get into the wrong hands. What we want to is keep all this information safe in the easiest way possible.

Insert: Kaspersky Lab

Not only do we want to make sure that our information is safe and protected, but we want to make sure that the future of our children’s internet security is safe and protected.  Kaspersky Lab has been in the cybersecurity space for more than 20 years and currently protects more than 400 million users every day. Kaspersky Lab software is currently available for use with:

  • PCs
  • Macs
  • Android Tablets
  • Android Phones
  • iPhones and iPads

It’s the perfect internet security solution for homes and small businesses.

Kaspersky Lab Products Available for Use

Some of the Kaspersky Lab Products that are available for use are:

  • Kaspersky Total Security
  • Kaspersky Security Cloud
  • and Kaspersky Small Office Security

Kaspersky Total Security 

One of the best features of Kaspersky Lab software is that the Total Security package is available for use across multiple devices.  In fact, you can get up to 5 devices covered for just $49.99 a year. It builds in extra privacy protection when it comes to storing passwords and important documents. It also protects your photos that you store digitally, your money when checking your banking or shopping online, and most importantly, your children. Kaspersky Total Security combines Anti-Virus protection with Internet security for a total package that protects everything that you and your family are doing online. It’s the best bang for your buck.

Kaspersky Security Cloud

The newest Kaspersky lab software is their security cloud software. It sends you security alerts while you are online. The Kaspersky Security cloud also works to weed out weak passwords and will generate stronger ones for you automatically. It also checks your accounts for any data leaks and makes sure to notify you of any issues.  The software also works to protect your home wifi from anyone trying to use the network without permission. The best option for new users is the Family plan that protects up to 20 devices for just $112.49 for the year.

Kaspersky Small Office Security

Finally, the Kaspersky Small Office Security. This product provides protection to your business from online attacks, financial fraud, ransomware and data loss. With more and more people starting businesses from home, it’s more important than ever to make sure that your business data, ideas, and proprietary information.

There are multiple levels for small office security software that range from 5 to 50 users, 1 to 5 fileservers, and 5 to 50 password managers. Everything that your small business needs for protection and ease of use is available with Kaspersky lab software.

Time have changed and it’s more important that ever to make sure your home, your data, and your kids are as safe as possible in this digital day and age. As you can see, no matter what your needs are for internet security, Kaspersky Lab has the products that are perfect for you, your family, and your small business.

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Christmas Gifts Your Kids Are Guaranteed To Play With

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While this post about Christmas Gifts Your Kids Are Guaranteed To Play With is satirical in nature, the truth is these are really things your kids would play with longer than anything you are likely to buy them. 

Trying to decide what gifts to get our kids for the holidays is such a toss up. Do we get them things that we think they want, they need, they asked for? Which one or combination of ones is the best choice? That seems to be a question that every single parent asks every single year.  You would think by now that we’ve figured it out. Wrong.

Do We Give Gifts We Think They Want?

The first option, gifts we THINK they want. In someways this option is in a way us reliving out our own childhood. Gifts that maybe we didn’t get because it cost our parents too much or our parents didn’t like the idea. Now that we are in control of the gift giving sometimes that comes into play a little. At least I know here is does.

Sure there’s the whole, I know what they will play with or I know they’ve been asking for XYZ for a few months now. But I think there’s definitely a small part of every parent that wants to (and sometimes does) get a gift that they themselves wished for when they were little in hopes that it really is a magical thing for their own kid. And partly because WE want to play with it and see how it is. 

Do We Give Gifts They Need?

The next option, things we KNOW they need, aren’t things that they actually want. Look, I know….budget. You are trying to optimize the number of presents they have to open while not spending a $100 on every box that they have to unwrap. However, opening up a huge pack of socks and/or underwear isn’t their idea of a good time. Neither is a new toothbrush or body wash in their stocking.

Yes, it sure does help our spending later in the year. But truly, this is an idea that we likely just need to toss to the wind.

Do We Give Gifts They Ask For?

And then there’s the gifts that they ask for themselves. Now, if you’ve been a parent for more than 3 minutes, then you know sometimes kids make demands that are unreasonable. Why no, love child of mine, you cannot have the motorized Lamborghini, Barbie’s Superdeduper Ultimate Deluxe dreamhouse, the biggest set of legos known to man, and all of the bikes and helmets you see in the store. Their asks are typically completely unreasonable. Though one year my oldest did ask for a vacuum and used it for 23 minutes before never touching it again another day in her life.

So what gifts do we actually get them?

Don’t worry. I have figured out the answer and it’s going to be the best set of gifts you have ever bought. I mean these are Christmas gifts your kids are guaranteed to play with for more than 2 minutes before moving onto something else. Now, before we get into the list let me preface this with my suggestion that these gifts are in the 1-8ish year old age range. I’d venture to say that some of these could be used for an older crowd also but it totally depends on the nature of your child(ren).

These gift ideas that I’m going to share with you will have you way under budget- like seriously way under budget. You can actually get that new [insert thing you’ve been wanting] and not even feel guilty about it because you’re so under budget. Also, you will actually now have more time alone to finish that plate of hot food that you never get to enjoy.  So you’re welcome.

Now, without further ado… Christmas Gifts Your Kids Are Guaranteed To Play With

  • Cardboard boxes

    • It’s the ultimate toy. Nothing else is really needed.  Grab a bunch of different sizes and let them have at it.

  • Toilet paper rolls

    • My kid’s actually fight over who gets the toilet paper or paper towel rolls when they are empty.

  • Laundry baskets

    • It’s rodeo heaven around here in a laundry basket.  How fast can you go? Hide underneath it. Make it into a crib.  Endless possibilities.

  • Empty plastic bottles

    • They will stuff things inside, empty it, and repeat for hours.

  • Sealable sandwich bags

    • See above.

  • Empty plastic or reusable bags

    • They swear they are going places and will use it as a purse, luggage, or storage container. Just let them have at it.

  • Clothes hangers

    • If you really want to see a kid’s imagination at work, hand them some hangers. It’s hilarious.

  • Unusable cellphone

    • They want to mimic you. It’s better if it can at least light up and allow them to move around a screen, but even if it doesn’t and is truly unusable, they will still play with it.

  • Pots and pots

    • It’s the oldest household item used by a kid.  If you dare, hand them a wooden spoon along with it.

  • Bag of beans or dry pasta

    • Paired with a plastic bottle and they will play for hours.

  • Sticks from outside

    • Have to be careful with these, but they do last forever in the fun zone.

  • Maxi Pads and Tampons

    • I am amazed at how long a kid will play with these.

  • Old High Heel Shoes 

    • Girl or boy doesn’t matter, they think it’s hilarious to try to walk in them.

  • Potatoes

    • They will turn it in a baby or a host of a million other things, but the point is they will play forever.

  • Pinecones

    • I think they are prickly but kids seem to love doing things with pinecones.

  • Roll of tape or bottle of glue

    • This is the height of kid fun.

  • Plastic Cups

    • I’ve seen some pretty crazy things happen with a few plastic cups and lots of fun. Give it a try.

  • Towels or Blankets

    • Forts, forts, forts. No other commentary needed.

  • Spoons or Whisks

    • Just another one of the weird household things kids will play with forever.

  • Tissue Box

    • Pull tissues out. Put them back in. Repeat. Wipe something up, make it a doll blanket, use the box for some random craft. Lots of fun to a kid.

  • Leaves

    • One day my kids brought in a pile of leaves and played with them for over an hour. My mind was blown.

  • Plastic Containers and Large Bowls

    • There’s a reason that they won’t leave your drawer of “Tupperware” alone, it’s amazing to them. They will stack, restack, and sort for endless amounts of time.

So which idea do you think you little one(s) would like the best? Happy shopping!

PIN this list of Christmas Gifts Your Kids Are Guaranteed To Play With for later: 

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Festive Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Wreath

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This Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Wreath is the perfect brunch or breakfast meal for the holidays! The perfect brunch show stopper! You will wow everyone with this easy cinnamon roll centerpiece. 

Affiliate Links contained in the post help us earn a commission. 

Warm, soft dough, layered with a caramel apple sauce is the most amazingly special cinnamon roll recipe we’ve made to date.  The kids gobbled up this cinnamon roll wreath (naturally) and begged for more.

When you top the caramel apple cinnamon roll wreath with a homemade caramel apple icing, you’re in for an out of this world experience.  We topped our caramel apple cinnamon roll wreath with cranberries, dried blueberries, nuts and powdered sugar too.

The inspiration for this new holiday tradition

Every year, on Christmas morning, my mom would pop open a can of cinnamon rolls and pop them into the oven. We all knew that she would get the middle one and then the rest were up for grabs.  I remember begging to lick the icing container of any last remnants that remained inside. It was pure bliss as a child.

Now, that my girls are older, I love making them cinnamon rolls too.  It’s actually an amazingly fun thing to make with them. We have them on special occasions or just because, but it’s always awhile in between. Their giddy laughter warms my heart when I tell them what we are making. They jump up and down, dance, and run around with excitement. They too love to lick the bowl of icing when I’m done pouring it on. Can you blame them?

For the holidays though, I wanted to do something extra special.  We decided we were going to make a wreath out of our cinnamon roll dough. We may have done a few more practices runs at this one….strictly for testing purposes only. *wink wink* 

This is now one of our family traditions and the girls absolutely love it. So do we.

What ingredients do you need to make a caramel apple cinnamon roll wreath?

A cinnamon roll wreath can be made very similarly to a regular cinnamon roll recipe; however, the difference in this recipe comes in when you add the caramel apple part. For the cinnamon roll wreath, the ingredients that you need are:

  • flour
  • sugar
  • salt
  • instant yeast
  • unsalted butter
  • water
  • whole milk
  • eggs

Those ingredients will make the dough of this caramel apple cinnamon roll wreath. The next part is the caramel apple filling and for that, the ingredients that you will need are:

  • apple cider
  • brown sugar
  • maple syrup
  • heavy cream
  • unsalted butter
  • vanilla
  • salt
  • nutmeg
  • apple pie spice

If you want to make a cinnamon roll wreath with the caramel apple filling, but just a traditional cinnamon roll wreath, you would just need cinnamon and brown sugar.  We’ll explain below.

Lastly, there’s a delicious caramel apple icing that we add to the top of this. For the icing, you’ll need:

  • apple cider
  • cream cheese
  • powdered sugar
  • apple pie spice

How do you make a caramel apple cinnamon roll wreath?

In a bowl, you’ll start to make the dough. Add in the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. You’ll add water and milk to a bowl of warmed, melted butter and pour that into the flour mixture.  Next, add in the eggs.  Then, knead with your hands until the dough is no longer sticky. Let it rise for just 15 minutes.

While the bread is rising, make the filling by combining the apple cider, brown sugar, maple syrup, heavy cream, unsalted butter, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, and some of the apple pie spice into a sauce pot. Let that cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, barely touching it. You are essentially making caramel sauce at this point and it’s best not to touch it. Remove, let cool.

Roll your risen dough out into a rectangle.  It should be about 30X20 in shape. Spread the cooled caramel apple sauce across the dough. Spread the remaining pie spice across the top. Roll up the dough into a log.

Essentially at this point you could turn them into cinnamon rolls by just cutting into even slices.

To make the cinnamon roll wreath, you’re going to make sure the seam side is down and slice lengthwise. Then, place the two pieces side by side with the filling side up. Starting at the top, fold one piece of dough over the other and braid the two strands until you reach the end. Pinching the ends together. Place on a greased baking sheet and form a circle. Cover and place in a warm preheated, but turned off oven. After 35 minutes, turn the oven on and cook for roughly 35 minutes.

Make the caramel apple icing while your cinnamon roll wreath cooks. Pour on top when you remove and let cool for a few.  Serves 16.

Can I make these into caramel apple cinnamon rolls instead of the a cinnamon roll wreath?

Absolutely! Whether you don’t feel like taking the extra steps or maybe a little intimidated by making a cinnamon roll wreath (seriously don’t be), there may be reason for you wanting just regular caramel apple cinnamon rolls instead.

You will make the recipe as directed until you end up with a rolled up log.  Instead of slicing the cinnamon roll log down the center, you will just cut into slices. You should be able to get 18 rolls out of the log that you roll.

Then you will proceed with the recipe as directed, but only bake the cinnamon rolls for 25-28 minutes. It’s super easy!

What other recipes could I serve for a holiday or Christmas brunch?

Obviously this recipe, makes for an absolutely amazing holiday brunch or breakfast centerpiece. It’s gorgeous, tastes amazing, and will completely wow people. However, you need more than this to serve! Other brunch or breakfast holiday recipe ideas are:

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Festive Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Wreath
Prep Time
1 hr 5 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
 
This Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Wreath is the perfect brunch or breakfast meal for the holidays! The perfect brunch show stopper! You will wow everyone with this easy cinnamon roll centerpiece. 
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: breakfast recipes, brunch, cinnamon rolls, holiday breakfast, holiday brunch, recipes
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 400 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
For Cinnamon Roll Wreath
  • 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 packages instant yeast
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
For caramel apple filling
  • 1/2 cup apple cider
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp apple pie spice + 1/4 tsp apple pie spice divided
For caramel apple icing
  • 2 cups apple cider reduced to 1/2 cup
  • 6 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp apple pie spice
Optional Toppings
  • Chopped pecan
  • chopped almonds
  • cranberries
  • dried blueberries
  • powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
  2. Grease a 14x16 pan with coconut oil and set aside,
  3. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
  4. Whisk to combine well.
  5. Set aside.
  6. In a small microwavable bowl, melt butter (about 30 seconds).
  7. Add in water and milk to butter bowl and heat for an additional 30 seconds.
  8. Carefully mix together so heated through.
  9. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture.
  10. Add the eggs and knead with hand until the dough is no longer sticky (do not overknead)

  11. Place in a bowl and cover with a tea towel for 20 minutes to rise. Make filling while dough rises. 

Make the Filling

  1. Add all the filling ingredients, reserving the additional 1/4 tsp apple pie spice for later, to a medium saucepan.

  2. Heat over medium for 10 minutes, only stirring 2-3 times max. This will bubble up a bit but that's fine.
  3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Finish the Cinnamon Roll Wreath
  1. After dough has risen for 20 minutes, roll it out into the shape of a rectangle. This should be roughly 30x20 in size. Ensure that you don't have more dough in the middle than you do at the ends or your wreath will not be even.
  2. Spread the cooled caramel apple filling evenly across the rolled out dough. Work quickly so the filling doesn't harden.
  3. Evenly spread the remaining 1/4 tsp apple pie spice on top of the filling.
  4. Working from the longest side, tightly roll dough up. It's important that you get it as tight as possible.
  5. With the seam side down, cut the cinnamon roll in half length wise.
  6. Carefully place the two pieces side by side and place the right side over the left side.
  7. Continue to braid the two strands until you reach the end.

  8. Then carefully move the roll onto your greased baking sheet and form a circle, shaped like a wreath. 

  9. Cover lightly with aluminum foil.

  10. Turn the oven OFF and place the covered wreath into the oven for 35 minutes to let rise. 

  11. After the 35 minutes is up, turn the oven back ON to 375 degrees and remove the foil.
  12. Bake the caramel apple cinnamon roll wreath for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked all the way through. Note: if your oven brown faster and you notice golden brown around 25 minutes, place the foil back on top.
Caramel Apple Icing
  1. Add 2 cups of apple cider to a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Reduce down to 1/2 cup liquid. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar.
  3. Add in apple pie spice and reduced cider and blend until combined well.
  4. Place in fridge until ready for cinnamon roll wreath.
  5. Remove cinnamon roll wreath. If some of the filling has pooled into the middle, use a spoon and drizzle across the top of the wreath. Let cool.
  6. Top with caramel apple icing and optional toppings.

  7. Serves & Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates.  Nutritional labels to not include optional toppings, but does include icing.

Nutrition Facts
Festive Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Wreath
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 400 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 60mg 20%
Sodium 313mg 13%
Potassium 150mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 64g 21%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 29g
Protein 6g 12%
Vitamin A 9.8%
Vitamin C 0.5%
Calcium 5.6%
Iron 12.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This was truly one of our most favorite things that we have made on our site before and we hope that you truly enjoy it as much as we have. Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Some items that may help you make this recipe:

PIN THIS CARAMEL APPLE CINNAMON ROLL WREATH FOR LATER: 

This post was originally published on 12/20/2017 and has since been updated.

A Co-Sleeping, Breastfeeding Holiday Tune

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Everyone is in super holiday overdrive at this point in the year.  No matter what holiday you celebrate, you are either exhausted from already celebrating or exhausted from the preparations of celebrating. While we, as breastfeeding mothers, often use our little ones as a way to excuse ourselves from the holiday festivities when we feel like we’ve had a little too much of drunk Aunt Sammie’s chatter, nothing quite makes you more exhausted after the holidays than a middle of the night gym-nurse-tics session.

Worried about being around unsupportive family for the holidays?  Check out our post about “How to Respond when Someone Asks are you STILL breastfeeding?“

When this little gem came across my eyes in one of my breastfeeding support groups on Facebook, I knew immediately that I had to reach out and ask permission if we could share it.  Every breastfeeding mom on the planet will giggle to this one! We can all relate to the crazy antics that we have to put up with when nursing our little kiddos.

Of course, this is meant to be humorous.

Thanks again to Arielle for letting us share this Co-Sleeping, Breastfeeding Holiday Tune!  We hope you enjoyyyy!!! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from us!

co sleeping breastfeeding holiday jam

We hope you enjoyed this little jam!  Arielle stated that she found the inspiration for writing the song during a 2am nursing session with her little one. She surely made us giggle with this co-sleeping, breastfeeding tune and we’re hoping to hear more from her in the future.  I really don’t know that I can ever sing Jingle Bells the same again!

Happy Holidays everyone!

If you like this post, please share it with other and in your favorite breastfeeding hangout spots on the internet.

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This post was originally published on 12/19/15. It has since been updated.

Santa HQ – A Family Experience

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Santa HQ is a fun and exciting immersive experience for the whole family to visit Santa Claus. Located at 15 malls throughout the US. Learn more by reading our experience.

Disclosure:  This Santa HQ post is sponsored by HGTV. Thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

A few years ago, I didn’t even know if we were going to do Santa. Each year, I still question it in the back of my mind. I feel wrong to lie to them. However, the moments and memories that we’ve created around Santa have been completely worth it.  Both girls eyes light up, their little voices glee with happiness, and their laughter brings everyone so much joy. I know in those moments that it’s so worth it.

For the last 4 years, we have been going to Santa HQ over at our local mall. The mall, located in Deptford, NJ, teamed up with HGTV to bring locals “Santa HQ“. It’s a super fun and exciting holiday experience that the whole family will enjoy in addition to the traditional visit with Santa Claus. *Bonus: Santa in Deptford has a real beard 😉

What is Santa HQ?

As soon as you walk into Santa HQ you are immersed in all things Christmas holidays. You have to absorb everything and be careful not to miss anything, but HGTV has worked really hard to pack in as much of the holiday spirit as they can in this experience. The first thing that happens is you get checked in (it’s better to have reservations). Then you have four stations:

  • Naughty or Nice Meter
  • Santa’s Workshop
  • Santa’s Observatory
  • Finally, Santa’s Sleigh (this is where the big guy is sitting)

Honestly, it’s just such a fun and unique way to enjoy Santa.  I know growing up as a kid, I loved going to see Santa. However, I never wanted to stand in the mall lines.  The Santa HQ experience not only is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit, but it’s also great for breaking up the line so parents aren’t waiting for an exorbitant amount of time. The elves (staff) and Santa are amazing with the kids and it’s truly just so great.

Can I just walk in to Santa HQ or are reservations a must?

You can absolutely just walk in to Santa HQ. However, reservations to Santa HQ are preferred. Trust me, you want a reservation. Especially if the only time you can go is on a weekend, it can get quite crowded.  After all, Santa HQ is completely free.  You only pay if you want to purchase pictures.  So, it can fill up pretty quickly. Reservations are easily made at Santa HQ.

Also, you can even pre-pay for your photo package. Santa HQ is currently at 15 shopping locations in California, New Jersey, Chicago, NYC, DC, and more. See if there’s a location near here by visiting the Santa HQ site.

The Santa HQ Experience 

After you check in with the concierge, you’ll head to meet your first elf. You’ll stand on the Naughty or Nice O’Meter and see if you’ve been naughty or nice (hint: it’s always nice!). The kids name will pop up onto the top of the list that shows they’ve been nice!

Next, they are invited to sit down at a holiday photo set-up at “The North Pole”. The elf taking the pictures stages your family to take some pretty adorably amazing photos at the North Pole before they head off to their next adventure.

Next, families are invited to visit Santa’s workshop. This year, each kid gets to make their own Elf ID card. They put their face inside a little oval and then you have the option to mail yourself the ID Card right from Santa’s workshop.  It’s fun to do this because of the end of the experience they get a set of Elf ID cards in the activity workbook from Santa HQ. Our girls loved having their own to go along with the “real ones” as they called them.  There’s also a Magic Mirror that they can play with.

Last year, they did an Elfie Selfie movie station where you get a shot at being your own Elf Star! So if you went last year, definitely know that they changed things up this year.

Next, families head for a fun adventure to the Elf-Ray Vision Station where children use tablets to project elves working, Santa’s sleigh and more.

Finally, it’s time to see the big jolly guy and families end the experience with the traditional Santa Claus photo-op.

Here’s some photos from last year.  We love that it’s the same Santa Claus, so they can have a similar memory!

Holiday Giving with Santa HQ 

Also, when heading over to Santa HQ consider bringing a toy to donate.  Visitors at Santa HQ, in conjunction with HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving Drive, are encouraged to donate a new, unwrapped toy. Toys go to benefit local organizations like Toys for Tots, Salvation Army Angel Tree, Forgotten Angel Tree and more. However, this is not required.

Check Out Even More By Watching the Video Below:

No Pictures Needed

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Have we become so engrained with photos and social media that we can no longer just enjoy intimate moments that should be shared in our own minds? No pictures needed is a plea to put down the phones and just enjoy life. 

No Pictures Needed, but Picture This: 

Today, in between making a recipe for work and prepping for dinner, I stopped and looked out the window.  The cool fall wind blowing through the screened window. The rustling of color changing leaves falling down. And the giggles of two sisters struggling to pull each other in a wagon over rough terrain. Each bump and turn tumbling the belly and making for joyous memories and bonding moments.

Rewind.

I remember growing up and physically looking through a box of photos or physical photo albums.  My mom didn’t have thousands of photos of me, but the ones she did have all told a story. I remember hearing “a picture means 1,000 words” and it stuck with me all these years. There are truly photos that could mean 1,000 words and then some. Photos that when you hold or see you can become overwhelmed with emotion or vividly remember a whole story behind this one photo.

Somewhere between the days that I grew and today, we’ve lost the translation. We’ve become so photo obsessed that we have lost the story telling behind many photos.  Our children are growing up without photo albums or even just physical pictures. I, myself, am guilty of rarely printing photos out.

But our biggest fault.

Our biggest fault is that we have become so ingrained that we must “do it for the ‘gram” that one of our biggest faults is not being able to be present in the moment. Everything that we do or our kids do must be captured. “hold on, let me grab my camera”, “wait, do that again”, “say that again”, “freeze, don’t move, smile”. Every day dozens of photos being captured.

And it’s hurting our ability to just be present, soak up the memories, and just enjoy them for what they are. Moments that are special for just us. Moments that not everyone needs to see. These little moments that are supposed to be intimate and enjoyable without having the world’s eyes on them at all times.

Live in the moment.

When I saw my girls playing out my window today in between recipes for work and dinner, I immediately wanted to pic up my phone. I wanted to show everyone how much fun my girls were having. As I stared out the window, I immediately put my phone back down. A few things crossed my mind:

  • If I stopped to focus solely on taking the picture, then I would no longer be able to focus on the moment that my girls were having together. Laughing, playing, and just being sisters. I wouldn’t have been able to flashback to a time that my own sister and I played outside without a care in the world together.
  • If I stopped to take a picture, I would have likely interrupted their moment.  Whether I went outside to get a closer picture, thus drawing their attention to me. Or I asked them, as I do thousands of times, to repeat whatever they just did so I could get the perfect moment capture.

Instead, I decided to put down the phone and just take the moment in for myself. To let them be little and have fun for themselves.  No pictures needed so that they could simply be themselves and make memories without the world having to see what they were doing today.

And sure, in a way, our children are lucky to live in this time. They will have so many moments to look back on and recall through photos the memories they’ve made.  But photos can’t always make up for the feelings that those memories make deep down inside about how someone or something or some place makes you feel. And because of that…no pictures needed.

No pictures needed is a call to action for parents and caregivers to put down their phones and cameras and just take in the moments. As we approach the holiday season, let’s focus on making the memories and letting the memories just be for us and not so much for everyone else around us. 

Aldi Delivery Service – Is It Worth It?

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We tested out the brand new Aldi delivery service and we’re dishing all the details.  See what we thought about the Aldi grocery delivery service and if it’s really worth it!

This post contains affiliate links. 

I’ve been fangirling Aldi for a longgggg time. Even though it’s gaining in popularity, I still think it’s one of the best hidden gems when it comes to reducing your monthly grocery budget. When Aldi recently announced Aldi Delivery to your home via Instacart, I literally jumped around the house in excitement. Finally, a home delivery service I could get behind.  I was so ready.

I’ve been shopping at Aldi for over a decade now. My first experiences were in college. As a struggling college student, the prices were unbeatable. I was able to get all the food I wanted at a fraction of the cost. When we first moved to New Jersey, there wasn’t one local to me. However, when I found one, I was so happy.

What is Aldi?

Now, I realize that not everyone knows what the heck an Aldi is. So very briefly, it’s a chain grocery store that started in Germany over 40 years ago. They’re motto is that you should be able to get great quality food with everyday low prices. There are now more than 1,600 stores in the US alone and they are in 35 states. By the end of 2018, they will operate more than 2,000 stores, so if they aren’t local to you, then hopefully they will be soon. The way that they are able to get costs down is by offering no frills shopping experience.

Now that everyone is brought up to spend on what Aldi is in brief, let’s talk about the new Aldi Delivery service.

Aldi Delivery Service – The Basics 

Aldi recently rolled out their Aldi Home Delivery service via Instacart. To use the service, you must have an Instacart Account. You can then browse the store via the different departments and have your groceries delivered in as little as one hour or schedule for a future date, up to seven days in advance.

Instacart uses Personal Shoppers (much like Uber uses personal drivers) to fulfill your Instacart order. Then, when they are done shopping, they will deliver your order to your home or business.

You will be kept in the loop the entire time. From the moment you checkout, you can see what step your order is on currently. Instacart will let you know they have received your order. Then, they will tell you when the shopper has started shopping. You are able to track what items have been shopped for and which are still pending.  The entire time you are able to send messages to your shopper and up until checkout you can add an item if needed. You’ll get another notification letting you know the shopper has checked out and an estimated delivery time. In between checkout time and arrival at your house, you are able to track the shoppers movement on a map and see how close they are to you.

Now let’s get into the good, the bad, and the okayish things about Aldi Delivery. I’m going to try to answer as many questions and things that came up as I can, but of course if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or e-mail us at info@wereparents.com

What can I order from Aldi delivery?

For the most part, you can order everything that is typically inside of the store.  The few exceptions are that you cannot order gift cards or alcohol at this time.  One of the biggest things for me, is that you cannot order any of the weekly Aldi Finds.  This is the speciality section of weekly items that Aldi gets. If you’ve never been inside an Aldi, every week they have a section of speciality goods, called Aldi Finds, that give you discounts on things from clothing to kitchen tools to bedding and more. None of these items are available with the Aldi Home Delivery service.

What happens if an items is out of stock?

One thing about shopping in-store for Aldi is that sometimes items are out of stock.  Because they only carry a limited selection of items, they don’t have have a lot and sometimes runs out quickly. When using Aldi delivery service, there are a few things that happens.

  1. When you are in the checkout phase in the Instacart app or on the website, it will alert you if it thinks an item is low in the store.  It will give you the option right then to accept a substitute for the item you selected or decline the substitution if the item really isn’t at the store. For example, it gave me the option to substitute green peppers if the multi-colored peppers weren’t available once the personal shopper arrived at my Aldi store.
  2. Once the personal shopper is in the store, if an item you selected isn’t there, the shopper will decline the item in your order and you will get a notification that you will not be receiving or be charged for that item.

What happens if you aren’t home?

I selected a delivery time window of 8-9pm. My Aldi delivery arrived at 7:44pm. I asked the delivery driver what would have happened if I wasn’t home until 8pm and she said that you have the option either during the checkout phase or when you get alerted the driver is on the way to ask them to leave your food at your door.

Obviously, that solution won’t work for everyone, especially those who live in cities. Instacart says that shoppers will wait for the customer, reschedule the delivery, or cancel is no other solution can be attained.  There may be a $15 cancellation fee.

Tip: My Aldi delivery personal shopper told me that Instacart tells them to be there 15 minutes before your delivery window. So you are better off to select an hour later, if you know you won’t be home 15 minutes before your  delivery window starts.

Aldi Delivery Cost 

The Aldi delivery costs varies on the the prices of your order.  If your order is under $35, then your cost is $9.99. If the price is over $35, then the delivery cost is $5.99 . Delivery is also available in 1 hour, however, you need to add $2 to each of the above prices depending on the amount of your order. There’s also the option to get Instacart Express for orders over $35. If you have this then delivery is FREE for all orders. It does cost $99-$149 per year.  If you have a delivery over $35 every week for a year, this would break down to $1.90 per week if you can get it at $99 or $2.87 if $149. Either option would be much cheaper than any of the regular options above.

There is also a 5% service fee tacked onto all purchases.  So for a $100 order your service fee would be around $5 and increase or decrease on that.

Also, since Aldi charges for bags, there is a bag fee.

In total, this is how my pricing broke down:

  • $3.99 for delivery fee (not sure if this was a special thing for the first time or what because it doesn’t reflect the above pricing structure)
  • $4.72 for service fee
  • $0.28 for bag fee

Do you tip your personal shopper?

Yes, you should absolutely tip your driver. Instacart gives you the option to tip at checkout based on a percentage of your order – 5%, 10%, 15% or 20%. You can also decline at checkout and tip directly with cash.  Lastly, you are able to change (increase or decrease) the tip after your Aldi delivery has been made during the feedback portion.

A good rule of thumb is to tip $1 per bag roughly.

My tip was $5.08. I choose 5% at checkout thinking I’d receive 5 bags and that’s what I received.

Are the prices the same in-store and for Aldi delivery?

Aldi is known for its low prices.  Whether it’s on produce, dairy products, or canned goods, Aldi can’t be rivaled on most things. It’s why I love Aldi and why many others I know love it too. When Aldi announced the home delivery service, this was my biggest fear. That I wouldn’t be happy with the service because the price inflation.

And, honestly, This is one of my biggest complaints about the entire process. Instacart does state that prices on the app can be higher to cover their costs. As a small business owner myself, I completely get that.  And for the most part items were marked up $0.10-0.15 per item.  Some items remained the same price in store, while others were much higher.

My biggest issue came with sale prices.

The prices in the weekly ad are what I use to make our weekly produce purchases. It’s the way that I keep our grocery budget to $100 a week. Buying seasonally has helped us so much.  Unfortunately, none of the items in the weekly sales ad reflected that price in the app.  At first I thought maybe the prices would be reflected at checkout, but that simply wasn’t the case. Whatever the price was in the app is what was charged to my account.

Additionally, Aldi is known to quickly reduced prices if they have too much of something.  If something is reduced manually in the store, it won’t be reflected on your checkout.

Examples:

  • Pineapple is on sale for $1.29 this week.  Instacart had pineapple prices at $2.55. Almost double sales price.
  • Apple Cider is regularly $3.49 and that’s what Instacart had it listed at. However, when I went in store to price check for this post, Apple Cider was marked down to $0.99. A $2.50 reduction that wasn’t make to my purchase.
  • Grapes were also on sale for $0.99/lb this week, but Instacart lists it at $2.05/lb.

In total, based on this, I paid $11.37 more using the app vs shopping in store.

I reached out to Instacart and they told me that each store that works with them is responsible for pricing, including updating sales prices.  I reached out to Aldi to see if they plan to add sale prices in the future and they hadn’t responded at the time of posting this article.

What happens if I’m not happy with my Aldi delivery order when it arrives?

As soon as your order is delivered, you are asked to leave feedback including a star rating and a comment. If something was wrong, you can leave it in the field.  It’s important to note that if you give a 5-star rating, they won’t monitor your comment. So, if something is wrong with one of your products, you can email help@instacart or call 1-888-246-7822.

Aldi also stands behind their Double Back guarantee.  This means that if you aren’t satisfied they will give you 100% of your money back + give you a new product at no additional cost.  In order to do this, you do need to take the product and digital or printed receipt into the Aldi store.

I did have an issue and was able to easily get it resolved.  I wasn’t happy with the grapes that were selected for me. Also, the cucumber that I purchase was placed at the bottom of the bag and because of that was smashed on one end.  I contacted Instacart and they issued a credit to my Instacart account to be used on my next purchase.  I asked if I could have a refund to my bank account and they did issue that. They let me know it could take up to 7 days depending on my bank.

Dietary Restriction Concerns

One of my biggest complications is that the there are no ingredients listed on the Instacart app. Whether you are gluten free, dairy free, or vegan (like us now), this is a huge concern.  I was able to select the products that I already know are safe, but for someone that has never shopped at Aldi before, this is a huge concern.  There are so many allergies that not being able to see ingredient list is a definite problem.

You are able to put notes in the Instacart app for any item and I did test this out for dietary purposes. We wanted hot chocolate, but can’t have dairy, so we requested the shopper only get the hot chocolate if there was no dairy.  Since there was dairy in the hot chocolate, she declined the item in our order and that money was refunded.

Overall Thoughts on Aldi Delivery

I loved being able to shop online, select all my items and then have it delivered to my house. I thought the communication with the app both on my phone or the computer during the entire process was very informative. It kept me in the loop the entire time. The entire delivery process was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Especially, not having to drive the kids, get them in and out of the car, argue over whether they can get 4,231 different snacks, and more.

For me, however, I’m not sure I can justify the cost.  Once I add in the delivery fee, the service fee, the bag fee, tip, and the additional food cost in app vs in store, I paid $25.44 more on just this order.  That’s more than $100 a month which would tack on a whole week of grocery costs for me.

If you want to test it out and you’ve never used Instacart before you can get $10 off here.

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30 Day Vegan Challenge {Our Results}

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We did a 30 day vegan challenge and we’re sharing the good, bad and fun of what happened when two parents and two young kids went vegan. 

Our Journey into Veganism

As with everything in our lives, it takes us a long time. When we started talking about our semicrunchyish life, we always say one step at a time. Everyone’s journey into anything will be completely different, but we believe that cold going turkey into most things is harder. It’s also more likely to cause the person to revert back.

Veganism for us was no different.  A few years ago, we started doing a meatless meal every week. Just one and really at that time, it was to help save money. As time went on, it was more for health reasons in addition to saving money.  One meal turned into two. Then, over that past 15 months or so, that number continued to rise.  Some weeks it was up to four nights a week that we weren’t consuming meat.  I went from purchasing our chicken in bulk every 6-8 weeks to once a quarter, sometimes way longer.

Over the past 3 or 4 months, we had been talking about going vegan more and more. Finally, we agreed to just jump into it and do a 30 day vegan challenge.  We set a day for October 1st and then realized we would be doing a 31 day vegan challenge since there are 31 days in October.

Did we make the kids go vegan?

This seems to be the pressing question that everyone wants to know. And the answer is 1000% yes. Then, as soon as we say yes, people look at us like we are crazy. Like I just made them run around the yard for 16 hours without food.  I promise you veganism isn’t the end of the world, so our kids didn’t suffer.

But yes, we did make them also do the 30 day vegan challenge with us. Besides occasionally asking to go to Chick-fil-A they did great. The older one did ask why we were doing this a few times and said that she’s okay eating animals because she loves the taste. The little one didn’t seem to mind at all honestly.

How vegan did you go?

This seems to be the second most asked question. I learned very quickly during our 30 day vegan challenge that there’s levels to veganism.  I had no idea beforehand. It’s like the mommy wars and whether or not we breastfeed or formula feed.  I shouldn’t have been surprised, because everyone is going to judge you no matter what you do in life, but I was like whoa, hold on, say what?

For us, we know we didn’t go “vegan enough” for some people, but for us it was what is right. I’ll be up front and say that we didn’t give up honey.  This seems to be a huge divide from what I’ve read so far in the vegan community and for us, we’re okay with still consuming it. I do realize others do not  feel this way and will think we didn’t do enough.

We didn’t consume any meat, eggs, or dairy. We made sure that all the food products that we were consuming were vegans — as far as we could tell.

As far as our personal care products – we replaced things with vegan products as they ran out.  For some things, like our shampoo and conditioner, we were already using a vegan brand. But other things we replaced if it ran out. We did just ditch everything in our house and replace because this was a 30 day challenge to start with and our budget didn’t allow us to replace $100s worth of items that we rarely use just for 30 days. Plus, the environmental side of me feels like wasting it is wrong even more after we already purchased it.

What were the results of a 30 day vegan challenge?

Well, we survived.  That’s the first step right? We’ve also decided that we are going to move past the challenge and into living a life of veganism for good. We did continue to still eat processed vegan foods like cereals and Oreos, and our goal now is to eliminate some more of that and eat more plant based meals. I’m not sure that we will ever completely be whole foods plant based, but hey, maybe that’s the next journey that starts from here.

We learned that there’s some really gross vegan meals. But at the same time we learned that going vegan isn’t that hard and it has some really delicious alternative (like these cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting).

One of the biggest things for me we stopped feeling bloated. I used to wake up every day and feel so bloated – both in the morning and after eating meals.  Within a few days all that stopped. Even eating big portions of vegan meals or snacks, I didn’t wake up feeling like that anymore. I did notice that I was hungry more often and snacked a lot. Andrew was much better at this than I was. I did still manage to loose 5lbs this month without much effort, so I’m sure if I curb the snacking habit back, this month will be even better.

Was there anything that shocked you?

There was some things that really stuck out to us during this 30 day vegan challenge.  For starters, how much food contains animal products that you don’t even think about. We learned that regular white sugar more than likely has been processed with bone char, making it not vegan. Everything from our vitamins to worchestire sauce to tomato sauce to hair products needed to be checked for animals products.

How helpful the vegan community is. I think everyone thinks of vegans as people who shove their lifestyle down your throat, but what we found was that other vegans were insanely helpful.  They went out of their way to find us meals they thought our kids would enjoy, to help us with any questions that arose, make book suggestions, and more. We truly love some of our vegan friends that we’ve made in this short amount of time.

Lastly, we were shocked at how seamless the transition went. We were expecting it to be really rough and quite honestly it wasn’t.  The hardest thing for me was no longer having a long list of go to meals. Rather, we spent most of the month trying out new meals during our 30 day vegan challenge. Some of them worked and others, well, left a lot to be desired. The second hardest thing was probably the detox.  I had some rough headaches for the first 2 weeks, but since then so much better.  Luckily, I had read about that and knew to expect it.

What did you eat during your 30 day vegan challenge?

I know this is what a lot of people want to know.  If you can’t have meat, eggs, and dairy, what the heck can you eat? It’s so funny that people get seriously mind boggled around what to eat if there’s no “meat” involved.  Luckily, now more than ever, it’s much easier to find everything from vegan burgers and hot dogs to vegan cheese, sour cream, and milk in stores.  As more people continue to switch to vegan, plant-based, or dairy-free diets, I’m convinced it will only get easier.

For breakfast, we mainly consumed smoothies and oatmeal. This is what we already ate before going vegan so it wasn’t a big deal.  We make french toast using a vegan homemade bread and flax eggs.

For lunch, we either had leftovers from dinner, salad or PB&J. Luckily, my kids love both salad and PB&J so switching these three ideas around worked well for us.

For dinner, we tried lots of delicious meals. We used different beans in place of meat, as well as trying a few plant based meat options in our meals too. Some of our best meals came from meals we already loved and making a few swaps to make them vegan.  For instance, one of our favorite meals beforehand was this 3 bean chicken chili. In order to make it vegan, we took out the chicken, added another cup of beans, and 2 cups of veggie broth. It was delicious!

We continued to love our black bean burgers and even found Daiya cheddar slices tastes great on them. One of our favorite meals was a chickpea stew and a super easy lo mein.  I also made a veggie stew that I’ll be posting about soon. We took our homemade pizza dough and made pizzas with vegan shredded cheese and that was a big hit with everyone. Black Bean Tacos were a great hit too and there’s so many more.

What about eating out?

We were able to try a few places out while doing a 30 day vegan challenge.  We went to HipCityVeg in Philly and LUHV food at the Reading Terminal Market our first few days because we were at a conference. Both places were a hit! Also since we were at a conference, we were invited to a place to eat for dinner. I was able to find a few dishes to try and loved the one I did, but it proved tricky to Andrew who is much pickier than I am. He ended up having two orders of french fries and stopping at a CVS on the way to the train for vegan ice cream.

We went to another local place near us – Heartbeet Kitchen in Westmont, NJ and were left a little disappointed. The price was way higher than we are used to paying for similar styled foods and we just weren’t that impressed.  The Queso was delicious, but otherwise we could have passed on the other things.  Maybe it was what we ordered, maybe it wasn’t. But it’s hard to want to go back there with the taste of what did had. The atmosphere and service was great though.

We also found a pizza place local to us that serves a vegan pizza and we also got french fries.  We loved being able to go and have a a meal that everyone enjoyed without a giant price hike.

What happens now?

Well now, there’s no more challenge.  This is just going to be our new normal.  We will continue to find meals that we love, places that we love, and products that we love that are vegan.  We will work towards switching out our household and personal care products to make them vegan. Also, we will continue to watch and monitor our kids to make sure they are getting enough and proper nutrition at this vulnerable age. We are both taking vitamins for us and for the kids, as well as a B12 spray for nutrition.  With the holidays coming up we are nervous about how that will go, but we’ve done well with parties and such so far, so we are sure that it will be fine.

What about you?  Have you or would you done a 30 day vegan challenge?  Do you have any questions about how it went for us? Let us know!

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