Crafts, Decorating, Fall, Family, Fun, Holidays, Home

DIY Natural Fall Decorations with Acorns and Pines🍁

by houseresortLeave a Comment on DIY Natural Fall Decorations with Acorns and Pines🍁

This mess free DIY fall center piece is easy, fun and inquires a walk outdoors among the pine and oak trees.

If you ever look for an excuse to enjoy the early fall, take a leisurely walk to collect your supplies to create a very beautiful useful natural center piece. It would be a great reason to spend time outside with your family and get everyone’s creative suggestions to put together several centerpieces for any room in your home.

Supplies: sharpie, metallic paint, brushes, acorn, pine cones, cinnamon broom, essential oils ( citrus, sandalwood, vanilla..)

Collect acorns
Pine cones
sharpie
Metallic paint (gold or silver)

Please watch my video for step by step instructions, and ideas for each center piece.🍁

Metallic sharpie: https://amzn.to/3m6xz1O.

Deco art gold: https://amzn.to/2ITGJR2

Deco art silver: https://amzn.to/3oe3peT

Mercury candleholder :https://amzn.to/2Tcdf2L

We earn a modest commission if you use the link and purchase the product.

Family, Food, Health

Roasted butternut squash packed with vitamins

by houseresortLeave a Comment on Roasted butternut squash packed with vitamins
Yummy oven roasted
butternut squash

I am going to start by telling you the shocking truth that Butternut squash is not a vegetable. This orange beauty is a fruit and is packed with vitamins and minerals, and is low in calories.

So however you would like to prepare the squash, mashed to be used in casseroles, breads, muffins, and pies, roasted, or sautéed, you will enjoy the mild sweet nutty flavor, and all the wonderful nutrients.

How to prepare the butternut squash : preheat oven 400°

1- Wash, peel, and remove the seeds .

2- Cut in chunks.

3- In a large bowl add 2 Tsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of salt and pepper. 2 cloves of garlic minced.

3- Add squash chunks to the bowl and mix well.

4- Spread in a tray and roast for 20-30 minutes. Before removing sprinkle with 1 Tsp of brown sugar. 1 Tsp of cinnamon.

With a fork test to make sure they are ready. For a step by step video go to : https://youtu.be/FrW1qTqvkyk

We earn a modest commission if you use the link and purchase the product.

Brown sugar https://amzn.to/3nz0mhf

Cinnamon https://amzn.to/3lBuB50

Vegetable roasting tray https://amzn.to/3iPhqfg

Beverage, Beverage flavors, Family, Health

Hot drinks for a bad cold

by houseresortLeave a Comment on Hot drinks for a bad cold
Hot drinks for a bad cold

Remember these ingredients add them to a cup of hot water or cider as soon as you feel symptoms of a cold.

Lemon juice

orange juice

turmeric

ginger

honey

Apple cider

Turmeric  milk recipe 😦 one of our favorite drinks)

1 cup milk (cow, almond, coconut, rice, hemp, soy are all fine as long as they have some fat)

1 tsp Turmeric

1 Tbsp raw wild honey

½ tsp Cinnamon

black pepper, a pinch

1. Heat up your milk in the microwave or on the stove.

2. Add turmeric and whisk to combine.

3. Stir in honey and cinnamon and mix well.

4. Add a pinch of black pepper and stir.

CE247C0A-DF50-4145-ABD8-140CF0C8777E
Turmeric with milk

 We earn a modest commission if you use the link and purchase the product.

Turmeric powder https://amzn.to/2S6OOmw

Ginger powder https://amzn.to/2EAGoki

 

 

Family, garden, Home, Trees

Gardening in a shade garden🕶

by houseresortLeave a Comment on Gardening in a shade garden🕶

The first time I realized my new house had a very shady garden I immediately thought a colorless back yard. And no chance of a vegetable garden.

Beautiful mature Camellia plants lined the yard, and a few azaleas bloomed in between. One Japanese maple tree that had grown out of its corner, was overwhelmed by a white dogwood tree, and shaded by a large mulberry tree branches.

When spring came, I started making a list of plants that were colorful, plants with many shades of green, and a list with combination of perennials and annuals.

My list for annuals: Begonias, impatiens, monkey flower, snapdragon, pansy, coral bells, lily of the valley.

My list for perennials: foxgloves, hydrangeas, hostas, ferns, primroses, encore azaleas.

I am sure you agree when I say, a Gardner needs to be patient and thick skinned. No matter how much planning is done you are still in the mercy of nature and drastic changes in weather. Gardening is always a work in progress, and the joy of seeing a perennial popping it’s head out of the soil in early spring is absolutely priceless.

Begonia
Hosta

Azalea

For more pictures please go to:

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Women’s gardening gloves https://amzn.to/31Ru4VK

Tools https://amzn.to/3jBAi20

Family, Food, Health, Home, Kitchen, Organizing, Snacks

Pantry Must Haves🥫

by houseresortLeave a Comment on Pantry Must Haves🥫

We usually think of our pantry as the place we store what we need for cooking on daily bases. I have come to realize these days, that my pantry should have everything I need to make meals for not just weeks but maybe months.

Believe me I don’t own a large pantry, so no room for a large varieties of food, but I have learned how to make meals that share the same basic ingredients. And with few more from the freezer, voila I have put together a nice meal.

To create a nice meal has always been important to me. I grew up in a household that eating healthy, and eating delicious meals took an entire day to prepare. Chopping vegetables, marinating the meat, making sauces, all were an important component of creating a delicious food, and setting a beautiful table.

So to keep stress out of my life I have grouped my basic pantry items in 4 categories:

1- cooking

2- baking

3- snacking

4- breakfast

Always store Salt, peppers, spices, cooking oils in large quantities since they are used in daily cooking. Canned sauces, and tomatoes, canned vegetables, soups, tuna, pickles, olives, and pastas are another must haves, with long expiration dates that are easy to buy for storing.

Take advantage of end of season sales for baking, canned vegetables, and pastas. And remember you can store most ingredients like butter, cooked pastas, cooked rice, and breads, for few weeks in your freezer.

For an entire list on “ Pantry Must Haves” please visit:

We earn a modest commission if you use the link and purchase the product.

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Hunts tomatoes https://amzn.to/3hSWynG

Barilla pasta https://amzn.to/32P1NOL

Uncategorized

Easy Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

by houseresortLeave a Comment on Easy Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

I love to grill. Food just tastes better on the grill. My usual grilling ritual is chicken or beef and a good marinating recipe, with a side of everyones favorite vegetables or salads.

What you need for this chicken recipe is:

• 2 boneless breasts of chicken

• juice of 1 lemon, salt, black pepper

Usually baguettes or burger buns for the sandwich bread, and plenty of butter on both sides of the bread to keep the chicken moist, and delicious. Adding thinly sliced dill pickles for more flavor, and mustard.

The best thing about grilled chicken is that it can be served cold mixed in salad, or as a sandwich. It is healthy, flavorful and great for a quick lunch at work or at school.

For side vegetables: grilled corn on the cob, grilled tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers.

For side salad: green salad, avocado salad, or capressa salad.

To see more on preparing this delicious sandwich go to:

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Vlasic pickles https://amzn.to/2EV3KkH

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Family, Health, Home
by houseresortLeave a Comment on
Lavender by your pillow

How to get a restful sleep

To get a restful sleep we need to follow a ritual of eating the right food and creating a right atmosphere to fall sleep. It is achievable, and is easy to follow a healthy routine to get sleep and stay sleep without using any over the counter help.

What we eat, how we unwind, and where we sleep effects how fast we fall sleep and stay sleep.

Two hours before you tuck yourself under the covers snack on food that will help your brain to produce hormones that will relax your thoughts and calm your nervous system. A healthy balance of hormones are the key to a good night’s sleep. Serotonin and melatonin need to work in harmony to keep the body balanced.

How Serotonin and melatonin work in our body:

Serotonin is the energizing happy hormone that increases positivity and relaxation. It helps us get out of bed and look forward to our day.

Melatonin is produced after the dark. When the environment around us is turned to night time. Making it extremely important to start our sleep ritual by turning the lights low and keeping our bedroom windows covered with curtains, blocking any light from entering the room.

😴 Enjoy snacking on food that can help: (2hours before bed )

Bananas

Peanut butter on wheat

Cottage cheese

Oatmeal

Almonds

Dark chocolate

Warm milk

😴 Create a relaxing surroundings:

Using natural essentials oil:

Rose, vanilla, sandalwood, Jasmine scents can relax our thoughts, helping us feel sleepy.

Reading & Avoiding electronics :

Enjoying a good book can relax our mind.

Blocking natural light:

Helps the increase of melatonin levels, telling our body it is night time, time to relax.

To keep our body and mind healthy we need to sleep. Our body needs at least 7-8 hours of sleep for a healthy strong immune system and a bright mind.

For a detailed list on meals and ways of relaxing please use the link below for “ How to asleep better” video.

Entertainment, Food, Fun, Health

Smoothies for a snack 😋😌👍

by houseresortLeave a Comment on Smoothies for a snack 😋😌👍
Berries for a summer smoothy

Who doesn’t like to snack? When taking a refuge at home from the summer heat, it is easy to wonder around the kitchen looking for snacks. I am fan of snacking, and I can spend hours creating cheese trays or snack trays. I mix the chips with the healthy nuts and berries, and balance the bland with salty and spicy. Healthy snacks is what I am all about. Being a vegetarian most of my life my family gets bored with my healthy collection of berries, and nuts, so I give them a break by making smoothies on hot summer afternoons.

With smoothies everything goes. What you add for sweetness is a major part of keeping it healthy. To make smoothies sweet I often add honey, maple syrup, nutella and peanut butter. To make the mix smooth for drinking I add vanilla or chocolate soy, orange juice, or milk. Some cinnamon, vanilla extract with few drops of lemon juice for extra flavor.

Stay cool, and fill the gaps with yummy snacks.😘

Smoothie recipe:

Two bananas

1/2 mango

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 cup blueberries (or other berries)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1cup OJ

1 Tsp Nutella

1Tsp of Honey for sweetness add as needed

Affiliate link – We earn a modest commission if you use the link and purchase the product.

Healthy quick & easy smoothies book. https://amzn.to/39rrqIy

Family, Home

Quiet time with our Family

by houseresortLeave a Comment on Quiet time with our Family

I used to remember specifically assigning a week night for dinner with my family. Searching for the day that no one missed dinner because of a late meeting, softball practice, or travel plans. We sat around the dinner table and enjoyed nice meal as a family.

Well I know I won’t shock anyone by writing, that since the pandemic, we have been having dinners together as a family for over four months now. We cook, set the table, eat, cleanup, and spread around the house relaxing before we go to bed.

We now enjoy a routine that felt as if it was forced on all of us. Not having the freedom of mind to be some where else, our home more than ever has become a safe place that we see and hear each other, doing things that keep us entertained and comfortable.

We are watching movies from 1930s and search google to learn more about the actors we just watched. Our conversations vary from what we have read, or heard from friends, reminiscing about past summer vacations, and future plans for traveling. History pops up more than ever! Our political history, changes our grandparents lived through, and our hope and conversations for changes that our future would benefit from.

Our home has changed to accommodate all of our needs. Where we read, watch tv, listen to podcasts. We have found and created spaces to relax, and not be distracted by others. This was an important realization. To have our own quiet spaces to go to, and come back together when we want to. Hoping we are learning from our new normal, and keeping each other happy.

For more on creating quiet spaces at home, Please visit :

Go to our YouTube channel , to see how to create comfortable spaces for your kids.

https://youtu.be/xf36iuyEggo