kids

Get Cookin with Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto (Review and Giveaway)!

Abby H.4 Comments

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links. For more information about the use of affiliate links and partnerships, visit my disclosure page. 

Yesterday we had an amazing dinner! We’re still without a full-size fridge, so we’re without meat or a lot of our usual ingredients, thankfully Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto to the rescue! I paired the pesto with farfalle (bowtie pasta), and roasted veggies. It was tasting, filling, and a great way to get veggies into your kiddos.

I wrote down the recipe to share with you. The Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto sauce is so rich and creamy and pairs really well with the veggies I chose.

 

 

 

 

Roasted Veggies and Farfalle with Creamy Pesto

Ingredients:

  • 1 6.2 oz jar of Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto
  • 1 box of pasta (I used Barilla Farfalle)
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
  • 1/2 sweet onion, cut into pieces
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper, deseeded, and cut into slices
  • 1 zucchini, cut into coins
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • parmesan to taste

Directions:

  1. Roast Veggies (complete directions can be found here)
  2. While veggies are roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil.
  3. Cook pasta per box directions.
  4. Reserve 3 T. of pasta water when draining cooked pasta.
  5. Mix a jar of Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto into the cooked pasta.
  6. Add roasted veggies to the pasta/sauce mixture. Stir to combine.
  7. Serve with a little extra parmesan cheese, as needed.

This is a great, easy dish that’s perfect for meat-free nights. This Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is so versitile. In addition to using on pasta, it makes a great veggie dip (I might be guilty of dipping some of the raw veggies into the jar while I was cooking), a sandwich spread (in place of mayo or mustard), or for marinating meat. Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto does not need to be heated prior to eating, and it’s shelf-stable prior to opening. You can find it in the store near the jarred pasta sauces. I found it at Target, but you can also find it on Amazon.

Giveaway: I want to share Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto with you! I’ve got 2 coupons each for one free jar (up to $3.99) of Barilla Pesto (expiration 12/31/2021). I will choose 2 winners on 10/8/2021 and notify them via email. 

Entering is easy: Leave a comment on this blog post with how you would use Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto!

 

La Mesa Dream Dinners: Restaurant Week Deal Special Offer!

Abby H.
Did You Know Interesting Fact Instagram Post (Email Header) 3
OH MY GOSH Y’ALL! Check out this amazing offer! La Mesa Dream Dinners is participating in 18th Annual Restaurant Week with a special offer for you. This is a great way to participate in Restaurant week without leaving home.

Special Offer Price $35 – Serves 3: For a limited time you can purchase 1 medium meal from the selection below. The Dinner package includes Garlic Bread and a 6 pack of Hope’s Chocolate chip cookies to bake at home.

The staff will assemble and freeze your meals for you to pick up and take home to cook.

Choose from the following menu:

Maple Glazed Pork RoastThai Coconut Shrimp over Jasmine RiceChicken and Pasta with Lemon & Artichoke Sauce
  • Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin
  • Chicken & Artichoke Pasta
  • Thai Coconut Shrimp  over Jasmine Rice
This offer is not available online -please call/text 619-460-6800 or email lamesaca@Dreamdinners.com to place your order.

The staff will contact you for an appointment to pick up your meals at our curbside service.

I think we’ll be getting the Chicken and Artichoke Pasta- What option are you going to choose?

Toy Study: Looking for Parents of 4-5 Year Olds

Abby H.

Bitty Bird and I did this survey on Saturday and it was really easy and fun!

The company doing this survey is currently looking for 4-5 year olds and their parent/guardian to do a 1-hour survey regarding toys.

It’s conducted online via Microsoft Teams. The survey pays $75 via Gift Card (You can choose from a bunch of different stores/websites like Target or Amazon), or Visa Giftcard (physical or digital).

To see if you and your kiddo qualify, complete the pre-screener here. 

Please share this post if you know anyone with a 4 or 5 year old kiddo!

9/26/2021 Weekly Meal Plan & Life Update

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgSo, we are still without a Fridge/freezer, so no real meal plan for this week at this point. After the fridge repair guy comes on Tuesday, we’ll know if/when the warranty is going to cover a replacement, or if Sears is going to continue to throw even more money at this lemon. At this point, they have paid over $1500 in lost food reimbursement and repairs for a refrigerator that cost $1100. So.. yeah.

We’ve been eating a lot of shelf-stable stuff (beans and rice, crockpot chili), and I’ve been hitting the store solo to pick up salad kits, and bananas, and apples. Last week we ended up having the share a lot of our CSA box as I wouldn’t store some of the items in the cooler without freezing/damaging the more delicate items.

The CSA box will be here tomorrow morning. I’ll do the prepping after I get home from work Monday afternoon.

Veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal.

Oh yeah, I got a job out of the house. It’s working on-site at a local elementary school. I’m not going to go much more into it than that. I’ll still be blogging, and the kids and I will be having adventures, I’m working while they are in school.

And I’ve been getting a lot of really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I have made my own and you can find them for sale here on my Etsy Store.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pick them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year, but so far, there is nothing on the menu that appeals to the kids.

Dinner: We’ve got a pretty good schedule down for dinners. We have nuggets (vegetarian for the boy child, chicken for the rest) on the nights that we have respite. It’s quick to prepare and clean up, and I can serve it on our cafeteria trays with other fingers foods (we have trays like these) like cut-up fruit, crackers, and cheese. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday:  Shakshuka, Rice We didn’t have this last week, and we have a lot of eggs in the cooler to eat.
  • Monday: Roasted Veggies, Salad, Quesadillas
  • Tuesday: unknown
  • Wednesday: unknown
  • Thursday:  unknown
  • Friday:  Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Leftovers (if we have any)

Please stay safe you guys!

This Saturday: San Diego All Inclusive Day of Play & Resource Fair 9/25/2021!

Abby H.

We’ve gone to this event in the past, and it’s always a fun time with great resources.

FREE community event with activities, games, crafts, raffles, shopping, and resource booths for families of all abilities.

When: September 25, 2021 10:00AM-1:00PM

Where: Park de la Cruz Recreation Center 3901 Landis Street San Diego, CA 92105

Activity Booths • Giveaways • Games • Family Resources • Networking • Shopping & more

Children of all abilities can enjoy activity stations:

  • Play our adaptive Life-Size Candyland Game.
  • Wash a kid car and drive it through the FOAMO Car Wash and sensory station.
  • Make a ghost trap and receive a package of ectoplasm slime.
  • Spin the prize wheel for a prize* from the toy barrel. Everyone is a winner!
  • Stop by the ShopAble Marketplace to peruse and purchase fabulous products
  • and more!

Resource and service providers for children of all abilities will conveniently be onsite to speak with parents and offer helpful information.

All activities and resources are FREE and open to the public! To learn more or register, click here. 

Put an End to Bad Brushing with Disclosing Tablets from Smile Brilliant!

Abby H.

Getting your kids to brush their teeth can be a struggle. When I was a kid my mom used disclosing tablets, but when I went to go find some for my kids, I was unable to find them anywhere.

Recently I was contacted by Smile Brilliant to try their Plaque Highlighters, which are awesome disclosing tablets made with food based/natural dyes (which is great for those of us who avoid synthetic dyes).

These plaque highlighters are easy to use:

  1. Chew 1 tablet and swish around in your mouth for 30 seconds. Spit the excess out into the sink. The temporary dye will highlight that yucky stuff!
  2. After spitting, rinse your mouth with water. This removes all the excess dye and makes the plaque and tartar more obvious.
  3. Brush, rinse, floss, and repeat until all the stains are gone. Have fun seeing how quickly you can get your teeth squeaky clean!

I couldn’t get the kids to “model” their dirty/unbrushed teeth, as they were grossed out by what the Plaque Disclosing Tablets revealed. So I took one for the team. I didn’t brush my teeth in the morning, then ate breakfast, and then chomped down on the Disclosing Tablets.

The before and after. I won’t lie, you gotta get in there and brush brush brush, floss, and rinse.

My kids have been using these Disclosing Tablets for about a week and they LOVE them. Besides the “Who has the grossest teeth” daily contest, it’s showing the kids that brushing well does have its perks.  Brushing well and long enough can be a struggle for those with neurodivergency, whether it be ADHD, ADD, ODD, or Autism. I can tell you that it’s been a struggle to get the big kid to brush long/well enough because he is inattentive to activities that don’t hold his attention (or seem “exciting”).

And if you are interested in these for yourself or another grown-up in your life, Smile Brilliant makes disclosing tablets for grownups too!

Enjoy 25% off any set of plaque highlighters with coupon code usfg25

Disclaimer: I received a box of Smile Brillant Plaque Highlighters in exchange for my review from Smile Brilliant and US Family Guide. All opinions are my own. I received no financial compensation for this review. I only post about products and services I personally use and I feel are a good fit for my family and my readers. Please refer to my disclosure page.

Free Webinar: Talking About Anxiety and Depression in Children

Abby H.

Have you noticed that your children has been upset, anxious, depressed, or otherwise stressed? Check out this webinar offered by Sharp Health for free. It takes place on 9/30/2021 at 12pm.

Unprecedented changes in routine due to the pandemic — mixed with constant stress from social media and the news — has made the life of adolescents and teens more complex than ever.

Join Sharp Mesa Vista’s Child and Adolescent Program for a free webinar on how parents, teachers and school counselors can better identify and address signs that a child or teen may be struggling with significant mental distress, including anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts.

During this webinar, you will learn more about:

  • Recent statistics on anxiety and depression in youth
  • Implications of the pandemic on anxiety and depression
  • Typical developmental changes in children and teens and warning signs of significant anxiety and depression
  • Awareness of suicidal thoughts and risks and responding to a crisis
  • How to talk to children and teens about what they are going through
  • General support for a child with anxiety and/or depressive symptoms
  • Knowing when and how to seek support

To learn more, or sign up, click here. 

Kabrita’s NEW Free Trial Kit – $50 Value!

Abby H.

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Starting today Kabrita’s Free Trial Kit has undergone a transformation! Now the trial kit has a value of $50!

3 150g boxes of Kabrita Goat Milk Toddler Formula, 1 bag of Snack Puffs with Goat Cheese, with some shown in a bowl, and 2 coupons

As of September 22, each kit will come with:

    • 3 boxes of Goat Milk Toddler Formula—that’s 24, 4oz servings!
    • 1 bag of Snack Puffs with Goat Cheese
    • $14 worth of coupons

*$4.99 Shipping & Handling applies at check-out, limited to one offer per household. This is not a subscription. Please note, our Trial Offer may include either the Apple Cinnamon or Multigrain Porridge.

When my littles were wee, they both had delicate tummies. It’s hard to know what kinds of formula to trust, so after lots of research, trying samples, and talking to other moms (really our pediatrician was ZERO help- she’s a nice lady, but formula wasn’t her wheelhouse), I stumbled upon Kabrita.

Our pediatrician is really big on making sure babies get prebiotics and probiotics, especially if they are formula fed. Kabrita has prebiotics, which are a natural digestive aid.

I like Kabrita because it doesn’t have any added white or processed sugar- just lactose, the sweetener from milk! Also, Kabrita formula smells like goats milk and tastes like goats milk. I will confess: after smelling some formulas I wouldn’t want to taste them, but I tried an ounce of Kabrita once just to see. It tastes like goats milk.

All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. I’ve used Kabrita for both of my kids. This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

9/19/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI spent all weekend at home, hanging with kiddos and doing meal prep. I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (recipe here), and roasted veggies for various meals. I also made some omelet starters- various cooked veggies, ready to be added to eggs (along with cheese, because c’mon- CHEESE!)

I went grocery shopping on Thursday, and I split a share from Porchlight with my buddy Brooke.  The only thing I need to buy for the week is maybe some milk later in the week.

The CSA box will be here tomorrow AM and I’ll prepare some salads, more roasted veggies, and maybe even some soup (fingers crossed!).

Veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal.

And I’ve been getting a lot of really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I have made my own and you can find them for sale here on my Etsy Store.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pick them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year, but so far, there is nothing on the menu that appeals to the kids.

Dinner: We’ve got a pretty good schedule down for dinners. We have nuggets (vegetarian for the boy child, chicken for the rest) on the nights that we have respite. It’s quick to prepare and clean up, and I can serve it on our cafeteria trays with other fingers foods (we have trays like these) like cut-up fruit, crackers, and cheese. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Roasted Veggies, Salad, Quesadillas
  • Monday: Veggie Chili, Sourdough Rolls, Fruit
  • Tuesday: Shakshuka, Rice, Fruit
  • Wednesday: Nugget night, fruit, cheese, and crackers
  • Thursday: Parm crusted Turkey Breast, Fruit Salad, Kale Salad
  • Friday:  Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Leftovers, fruit

Please stay safe you guys!

AO Opinions: Upcoming Parent Project $125

Abby H.

AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the subject of Children’s topics.

  • Open to: Parents of 5-9 year olds
  • To be considered complete the pre-screener here. 
  • Compensation: $125 (if chosen)
  • Monday, September 20th, or Tuesday, September 21st, 2021

    Various Times Available.