The Cake by Hannah

A small town girl spreading kindness like buttercream frosting

The Top 10 Items from Target YOU NEED

You guys, listen. I loved Target before Knox. I mean, hello, it’s Target. But since becoming a mommy… Target has become my actual Heaven on Earth. My safe haven. My spot to go to when I need to stroll aimlessly with a hot cup of coffee in hand. I have spent hours walking up and down aisles for the sake of being in public. Zero need to be in Target… but there none the less… haha.

I have today my top 10 items for you that you should get on your next trip to Target. From home items to baby clothes, to beauty items… I have the best of the best for you.

  1. The Best Mascara Under $10: Honestly, this stuff is so good… I don’t know if I will ever buy $26 mascara again.
  2. The Best Dry Shampoo: I loved the smell of this!
  3. The Best Purple Shampoo for Blondes FOR SO CHEAP:
  4. Fall Items for Knox: You cannot beat $5 crewneck sweatshirt and $4.50 tees!
  5. Fall Candles: These smell great and are less than half the cost of a BBW candle.
  6. Cute Fall Backpack
  7. Silk Pumpkin Spice Creamer: SO GOOOOOOOOD
  8. These Pajamas: Every girl deserves a cute set  of jammies (or like… a trillion…)
  9. Black Nail Polish: This stuff is $3 and is honestly my favorite! It dries SO FAST.
  10. Sugarfix by BaubleBar: CUTEST earrings for SO CHEAP.

5 Weeknight Meals

Last week I hit a wall.

A chicken wall.

A wall that said, “If I eat a simple chicken breast and broccoli one more night for dinner I just might explode. Or just go eat 12 pizzas… Tough call.”

I have been in a meals rut. Ever been there before? You have a plethora of possibilities, but none of them sound good so you just end up making the same easy thing every night? … Just me…? I shared our Costco haul a few weeks ago, you can find it here, and with it our usual purchases and a glimpse at a usual meal plan for the week!

But, I took to my friends and Pinterest, and I set out on a mission to make 5 different meals last week and it was a success! I only made a few minor tweaks or special purchases to our usual grocery list, and each meal was right around $10 or less! Yep! 5 new meals, same budget. $50 for weeknight meals! YES YES.

Night 1:

Stuffed Bell Peppers (OMG) These things are so good, and I see them on Pinterest all the time but I always think, “That’s too fancy for me to make.” WRONG. This was arguably the easiest meal of the week!

I used this recipe. The only thing outside my Costco haul I had to purchase was the bell peppers and enchilada sauce. I had everything else on hand.

Night 2: 

Baked Salmon with Pineapples, Diced Sweet Potato, Brussel Sprouts

I set my oven to 425 and put in the salmon at the same time as my diced sweet potato and brussel sprouts pan. I seasoned the salmon with olive oil, 21 Salute Seasoning (From Trader Joe’s), and I bought a little container of precut pineapples at my grocery store for $2.50. Lay the pineapples all around your salmon.

My brussel and sweet potatoes I put in a container and mix up with oil (coconut or olive is great!), salt, pepper, and a drizzle of honey.

Lay your brussel and potato mixture on a large greased pan.

This is proof I am no “food blogger”… I don’t know how long I leave stuff in for. I just watch it and know when it’s done. But I think it’s right around 20 minutes… haha.

Night 3 (Home Group Night):

Loaded Nachos

Every other Wednesday we host home group at our place for our small group at church. It’s the best! This week we did Favorite Family Appetizers, so I made nachos! It seemed easy enough, and you can’t go wrong with cheese and chips… Am I right?

Tortilla chips, can of corn + can of black beans (drained), Chili Lime Seasoning (Trader Joe’s), Salt, Pepper, Mexican Blend Cheese, premade Pico de Gallo from the store, Green Hatch Chili Salsa (OMG this stuff is so good from Market Street right now!), Jalapenos, Sour Cream

Oven on 400

Lay your chips on a large greased pan (I sprayed it with Avocado Oil), layer (thick…) cheese, spoon out the bean/corn/chili seasoning mixture evenly across the chips. Put in the oven for about 5 minutes (or until cheese is fully melted!). Add sliced jalapenos, salsa, and sour cream immediately upon taking out, and SERVE them tasty cheesy chips.

Night 4:

Apple Cider Pork Chops from the Butcher, Mashed Sweet Potato, Baked Broccoli

I mentioned these in my Costco Haul as an item we buy at our local grocery store. We eat them almost every week, because they are MASSIVE and it’s usually right around $5 for 2 of them. They are by weight, so it can vary week to week, but that’s the average cost.

WE LOVE MASHED SWEET POTATO. Also a staple in our home, and delicious with a can of drained corn mixed in. But, this week, we did just the mashed sweet potato and a tray of baked broccoli.

Sear your pork chops on a pan with oil of choice. These cook fast, but it’s about 4 minutes a side. Pork chops are like chicken and can’t be pink at all inside. Be sure to check.

Boil a pot of water. Once boiling put in 2 peeled and chopped sweet potato. Allow to cook through. Drain and put potatoes in mixer. Add butter (or you can do a TBSP of coconut oil!), salt, pepper, dash of cinnamon, and a little milk (we use Almond). Whip it together!

I shake up my broccoli in melted coconut oil with salt and pepper. Lay on sheet in oven (400 degrees) for about 10 minutes. Watch closely, those suckers burn fast!)

Night 5: 

Honey Glazed Chicken, Cucumber Salad, Spinach

Oven on 425

Put defrosted chicken in cooking pan. Season with salt, pepper, 21 Salute Seasoning from Trader Joe’s, and drizzle honey on top. Bake for about 30 minutes.

2 cucumber, peeled and sliced. Put in container with lid and shake up with 2 tbsp. of white vinegar, salt, pepper, and onion.

Spinach can be a bed for your chicken to keep things really simple. But, we like to sauté it in coconut oil. This takes all but 1 minute… I skip it sometimes to keep from dirtying a pan. Your call!

If you didn’t notice the pattern… these were all quick, easy, and as few of dishes as possible! Yummy doesn’t have to be complicated. I am all about simplicity. I hope these inspire you to get out of your meal rut, if you’re in one. OR, that it inspires you to cook! Get in your kitchen. Don’t be afraid of it.

xoxo, Han

How My Son Made Me Love My Body

Ladies, let’s chat. Cool?

Whether you are single, in college, engaged, newly married, married with a kid, a high schooler, or a single mom… I think it’s safe to say our bodies are a hot topic, regardless of what stage of life you’re in. I always thought when I was younger, “Oh, when I am “older” I won’t be so weird about my body anymore.” HA. Gosh, I wish. The reality of that thought is that your insecurities don’t disappear with age, they disappear with truth. So, let’s be honest with ourselves. I would venture to say it’s safe to bet that at some point every single one of us has struggled with our body image. I will be the first to raise her hand and say, “I sure have!”

My story? I was a dancer my whole life, and slowly felt the pressure of being “small enough.” Mind you… I was 5’1 and definitely never was overweight to begin with. It was all self-inflicted pressure. I lived my life with calorie counts and checking my side view for years until I withered away to basically nothing. Then, unlike I had hoped would happen as I got older, my insecurities didn’t disappear. They just followed me into college and marriage. It was my insecurities that absolutely subtly effected my perspective on becoming a mom for a long time. I definitely had a list of other fears ranging from no sleep, already hectic schedules, and figuring out how to keep my marriage priority with a kid. But, my greatest fears when it came to the idea of having kids was labor itself, and then the fear of my changing body.

I knew deep down all those other things could be figured out… but what would happen to me? That terrified me most. Funny enough, I was in the best health and shape of my life when I got pregnant. Mentally and physically, I was doing awesome. I had spent years figuring out what I could and couldn’t eat from allergies, and just spent over a year reversing -thanks to a crazy scientist doctor- years of misdiagnosis and doctors telling me “nothing is wrong” when I knew something was. Finally, I wasn’t sick all the time. Finally, I had answers for my fatigue. Finally, I felt like more than a shell of a human being walking around. And, above all, I was so secure in my own skin. And then… I got pregnant. HA. I had to accept my body was about to change drastically. Again. I was about to be exhausted… all the time again. I was about to be nauseous… all the time again. Different reasons this time around, but I was about to feel like crap again. It seemed silly to me. I worked so hard to get healthier, battling both mental and physical sickness, and then as soon as I was feeling great… I felt like it was time to become a mom. Funny how that happens.

But here’s the best part you guys. I realized through pregnancy just how much I love my body. God used my greatest fears to reveal my greatest joys. I found freedom in the midst of my biggest fear. What I thought would be my greatest road block in pregnancy became my favorite part!

Question: What is your biggest fear that, if you took bold steps into, COULD actually be the deliverance you’ve been needing? 

Alright, so pregnancy went great. I felt awesome and I was proud of what my body and I just did for 9 months. *high five, body!* And then, my labor didn’t go at all as I had expected and I had to have an emergency c-section. I felt a little betrayed by my body that I had grown to love so much over the last 9 months. For the first time in my life, pregnancy made it feel like we were on the same page. It felt like we were working together… and then, I couldn’t deliver my son. I tried. I tried so hard, and nothing was working.

I thought my body had tricked me, stabbed me in the back. But then I realized it actually was my son’s saving grace. It knew better than I did to not progress or the baby inside of me that I loved so much would die. I have nothing but gratitude for my body. More than ever I can say, “I love this body!” I owe my son’s life to it in more ways than one. It grew my son, every ounce of weight gain and expanding hips, nausea and fatigue… It was all worth it. All I have to say to you, body, is thank you for bringing my best little friend into the world exactly how you knew it needed to be done. So sure, my body lays a little differently now. My tummy region is shaped differently, and no matter how hard we work at it, that bottom little pooch just won’t seem to disappear yet. My ribs legit look different now. They set outward and a little higher than before. But, I love you anyways, body. And, in fact, I vow to never speak ill of you ever again. 

I wrote that to my body a couple of months after Knox was born. It’s taken me almost 9 months to talk about it. But, that’s where I am at. Thank GOD our bodies were designed by a creator to do more than we could have ever imagined.

Now, listen. Whether you’re pregnant, just had a baby, or having children is NO WHERE on your radar… It’s amazing how God can use situations we dread in order to show us freedom.

Jesus walked into a situation he absolutely dreaded by saying “yes” to death on a cross. Don’t believe me? He sweat blood he was so anxious and terrified for what was about to come while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He begged God to allow this cup to pass… He didn’t want to die a gruesome death. He DID however want you to experience freedom. So, He went. He carried the cross for you, for me, for every insecurity. Through death, freedom was found. Life for all of us came through a painful situation. Aren’t you so thankful Jesus went to the cross? Let Jesus’ example be what leads you into freedom from whatever it might be in your life. Maybe it’s body image, or maybe it’s a tight hold on things you cannot change. Whatever situation you are seeking freedom in, perhaps walking into the depths of what you fear most will reveal a freedom you didn’t even know was possible. Jesus will meet you in the darkness and shed light. You can’t see what parts of you need light, though, unless you do in fact go into the darkness to expose where shadows are dwelling. Perfect love casts out all fear, and darkness literally cannot exist where light is.

Find freedom, friends. I hope you know you’re beautiful. I hope you see there is freedom from whatever your insecurities might be. If you find yourself pinching, poking, and turning to the side to see if it’s a “skinny” day… please, go to the darkness with a torch in hand (psssst, that’s Jesus!) and expose what parts of you need truth.

You are beautiful.

You are made exactly how the Lord designed you.

You are irreplaceable.

You are knit and woven by God, The Creator.

You are special.

You are perfect as you are.

You are enough.

You are worthy.

xoxo, Han

This shoot with Knox is my favorite I have ever done with Hannah from Cottonwood Road Photography. I told her I just wanted something simple. My hair is its natural straight style, these jeans are 3 years old, and my top is from last winter. My nails aren’t painted, and my headboard has a button missing. There was something freeing in and of itself showing up just as I am for this shoot. Also, I mean, look at this kid. WOW. It hurts how much I love him.

Cheers to you, August 28th

Memories for me are almost exclusively sensory. I have a hard time remembering series of events or the way things happened. But the way they smelled or sounded? I have that stamped in my brain forever. That’s why when fall comes every year, or unofficially does with the return of the pumpkin spice latte at an overpriced coffee shop, I cannot help but celebrate it. Take all my money, Starbucks! Because, the thick aroma of warm sugar and pumpkin or that “football season” crisp to the air, those are the things I live for. Let’s face it, a lot of things change as time goes by. Family lives far away, life gets more real, trials come and go. But the next 3 months of the year remind me that as we grow up, memories don’t change. Smells and tastes of memories past, those stay the same deep down in my spirit and mind. THANK GOD. No matter how much the world around us changes, those stay exactly as they were yesterday, today, tomorrow.

The smell of this time of year is consistent, I guess. And I like consistency. I like things to be the same as they were before. That’s why I celebrate with such ferocity when things like pumpkin candles and lattes come out, despite it being 100 degrees out still. The crunch of leaves? Yeah, that’s happening in Texas because it is so freaking hot all our plants are dying… Not because autumn has arrived and the beautiful transformation of the foliage is taking place… yeah right.

But yet, I still celebrate.

When things feel out of reach, ungraspable, or like I just can’t get things under control… the scent of chili reminds me of tradition. The giddiness that comes with the months ahead. That inaugural first “cold” night of the year (or, well, anything under 70). Celebration, tradition, and doing things the way you always have just because it’s gone on for too long now to change it anyways, those are the memories and things I cling to. Life is a roller coaster, relationships ebb and flow, and I feel a deep sense of nostalgia it nearly makes me ache as the holidays get closer. But, rather than shoving them out, I welcome them with open arms.

So, here’s to you August 28th. Sure, it’s hot. Hot as HADES outside. But, I celebrate you today with hot coffee filled with the smells I so long for every year to make their grand return, reminding me that the world spins and things change. But, some things never will.

You can celebrate the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte with me! Check out our newest tees in The Cake shop celebrating Pumpkin Spice Latte Season. Praise the Lord for the Pumpkin Spice Latte, y’all!

Head to the shop, here.

The Ultimate Costco Haul

Okay, okay. Let’s chat about Costco. We go every single week for our weekly restocks, and I get asked by friends and family all the time, “Is it really worth the membership?” Or, “When I go I just don’t know what to get, and it’s overwhelming.” And, “Do you get everything from there? I feel like it’s more expensive to buy from there!”

Y’all, we. love. Costco. WE DO. So much so that until the new one in our town FINALLY opened (we’d heard of talk about one coming since we first moved here… it’s been 3 years… and it just opened last month lol), we have been driving 30 minutes to one to keep shopping at Costco. Not Sam’s. DEAR GOD, not SAM’S. Costco. It’s 3000 x’s better. Better customer service, better products, and just better overall. Just better. There’s a reason Sam’s are going out of business while Costco is taking over the world.

Dramatic? Maybe. But true. Very, very true. 

Oooo girl! Did you say Costco?!

Okay, so here’s the answer to the questions:

  1. Is it worth it? YES. We pay $60 a year for a membership. We each have a card. You can pay $125 a year for the Gold Membership, which gives you money back after a certain amount spent. But, since we don’t do ALL our groceries here (we will get to that), we don’t do that membership. It’s just not worth it. We tried it last year, and decided not to this year.

Okay, so why is it worth it? We buy the cheapest produce on the planet to get us through each week, our bulk chicken, wine, diapers once a month, and household items once a month. YES, we buy diapers once a month. 

2. Go in to purchase knowing exactly what you need for your family. You can definitely go in and way overspend on stuff                   you don’t actually need, so you have to go in with will-power on a budget.

TIP: Give yourself an initial trip where you’re not buying anything, but instead go in with the intent of studying each section to see what they have. (It really doesn’t change often.) Write it all down, then go home and meal plan for the week, or the month if you’re a super overachiever. You don’t need to buy the box of chips for the next 2 weeks of lunches if you’re buying the pretzles. You know what I mean? If you buy both… something is going to go stale. Go in with intentions and a plan.

If you have kiddos, the snacks section up front is the ultimate lunch box section. We are talking Lara Bars for cheap, Cliff Bars (and Kid’s Cliff Bars), nuts, Annie’s Crackers, Chips… Your kids will have a lunchbox they won’t want to make “tradesies” with. 

3. Do we get everything from here? No. Like I said, we meal plan and buy accordingly. Perishable items that we just can’t finish the two of us before they go bad, we get from our grocery store. Salmon and a few other specific meats we like to get each week (like the Apple Cider Pork Chops at Market Street OMG- $5 for two massive ones!!!), we get at our local grocery store. Costco also doesn’t have Sweet Potatoes, which is about 80% of our meals, so we get those elsewhere. We also get boxes of pasta and brown rice from the local grocery store, mostly because we just don’t have the storage space for them and we don’t need to spend $20 up front on pasta to last us the next 4 months. Even though it’s cheaper longterm… it’s just not necessary. Know what I mean? I also buy ONE Protien Bars for each week as an afternoon snack M-F. My local grocery store always has them for 2 for $4, so it’s about $10 each week for an afternoon snack.

So, what do we get at our weekly trips?

  1. Bulk Chicken: ~$25 for 6 packs = on avg. 4 dinners/ week (we eat chicken a lot…) + 2 meal prepped lunches of chicken for ~$4.15) HEYOOOO
  2. Bulk Container of Spinach: We eat spinach like it’s going out of style. Cooked, uncooked… It doesn’t matter. We keep dressing on hand at all times. Majority of my lunches are a piece of chicken on a bed of spinach with dressing, and some fruit or nuts.
  3. Bag of Avocados: We get a whole bag of avocados for $5 each week.
  4. Raspberries/Strawberries: SO CHEAP. A container twice the size you’d get at the regular grocery store of raspberries for $4, and I can’t remember how much our strawberries were yesterday, but they were stupid cheap. I eat those at night with some whipped cream, or on my spinach salads. YUM.
  5. Big bag of brussel sprouts
  6. Bag of asparagus
  7. Laundry Detergent (Once a month!): We buy our laundry detergent here for $14/month. Sometimes we go through more a month, but on average it’s one a month.
  8. Toilet Paper and Paper Towels (Once a month!)
  9. Diapers (Once a month!)
  10. Kirkland’s Red Wine (This thing is MASSIVE and $6!!)
  11. Eggs
  12. Sambazon Acai Chocolate Covered Bites (bi-monthly): OH MY GOSH. For the love of all things, these are the best Costco find I have ever made. 50 calories a piece… I eat 3 almost every single night.
  13. Nut Clusters
  14. Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats (Once a month- Paul eats this every single morning, and it lasts FOREVER!)
  15. Three pack of Kirkland’s Peanut Butter (Once a month)
  16. Cooking Oil (Once a month, AVG): 2 pack Avacodo Oil
  17. Coconut Oil Jar (Once every few months): This thing is HUGE
  18. Almond Milk (Once a month): 3 pack
  19. Bulk pack of canned corn and green beans (Maybe once a month, sometimes longer!)
  20. Ground Turkey: Usually a twice a month purchase

Occasionally, we buy other things! We will buy Cheerios usually once a month (3 pack), and sometimes random buys for the home like light bulbs, etc. We are creatures of habit, though, and we eat the same things just about every single day.

Average Day of Meals:

  1. 2 eggs, handful of raspberries/strawberries or banana slices
  2. Chicken (meal prepped for the week), spinach salad, nut clusters
  3. 2 PM ONE Bar + Cup of coffee pick me up during Knox’s afternoon nap
  4. A meat (likely chicken or pork), a veggie, a starch (brown rice/pasta/sweet potato of sorts)
  5. A sweet treat (Acai bites/Fruit and Whip Cream/Halo Top/The occasional Blue Bell… 😉

If you are new around here or just can’t tell… I am very routine… haha. It has it’s pros and cons. But, it makes meal prepping each week pretty easy! Paul and I also both have food allergies and restrictions, so our meals we can both eat where I am not having to cook two different meals for us are limited. That is also why we eat pretty much the same things every day/each week, or at least use the same items. You can do a lot with these items though! We do “Chiptole Bowls”, “Pei Wei” Stir Fry (Trader Joe’s has a GREAT pre-cut fresh veggie stir fry for cheap cheap), HG Sply Co. Sweet Potato Bowls, Tacos, Pork chops + baked potoato, Variety of pastas… we eat good on our budget!

Grand total: Our budget right now is $125/week for groceries. It can be done!

ALSO, Costco now does home delivery… so. There you go. WINNER.

So, in conclusion… yes. Yes, Costco is worth the membership. 

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