Leftover Brisket Chili

Ingredients:

-1 lb of leftover cooked beef brisket (rinsed of excess seasoning & chopped or shredded)

-1 large yellow onion (diced)

-4 cloves of garlic (minced)

-1 packet of chili seasoning

-1 can of black chili beans

-1 can of kidney beans

-1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes

-1 can of tomato sauce

-2 tbsp tomato paste

-1 cup of beef stock

-2 tsp ground cumin

-1/2 tsp chili powder

-1 tsp ground mustard

-1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

Heat a pot over medium heat, & add a little drizzle of olive oil. Add in the onions & cook until translucent. Add in the garlic & cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add in all of the other ingredients & simmer covered over medium low heat for at least 30 minutes. The longer it summers, the better! Mine simmered for a good 3 hours & I stirred it occasionally. Top with your favorite toppings (mine are green onions, pickles jalapeños, & mustard) & Enjoy 😊

Creamy mushroom & spinach chicken with garlic mashed faux-tatoes! BOTH DAIRY FREE!!!

The low carb & dairy free weekly eating struggle is REAL, people!!! I’m on a mission to find delicious week night recipes because I’m WAY too much of a foodie to not eat what I love every night of the week! This one is a new favorite, not just for weeknights, but ANY night! It was delicious & felt super indulgent & my hubby said the leftovers were delicious as leftovers for lunch as well! I’ll be posting more recipes in the weeks to come so stay posted, & if you decide to give these recipes a try, let me know how you like them! Happy Wednesday!

Creamy mushroom & spinach chicken:
Ingredients-

-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 8 equal sized pieces

-8 ounce package of portobello mushrooms (sliced)

-1 cup of fresh spinach (chopped)

-2 cloves of garlic (minced)

-1 tbsp of flour

-1 cup of unsweetened cashew milk

-1/2 cup of chicken stock

-1/4 cup of dairy free butter

-1/2 tsp of garlic powder

-Cajun seasoning

-sea salt & pepper to taste

-olive oil
Directions-

Place a pot or large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, drizzle in some olive oil. Season your chicken pieces on all sides with Cajun seasoning, & place in the oil. Brown on all sides & then remove the chicken from the pot/pan on to a plate & set aside. Drizzle a little more olive oil into the pan & add in the mushrooms. Stir to coat in the oil, & then cover & stir occasionally until softened. Once softened, add in the garlic & sautee until fragrant (about 30 seconds to a minute). Add in the butter & melt. Once it’s melted, add in the flour & stir to combine. Next add in the cashew milk, chicken stock, garlic powder, & spinach. Stir, & bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the chicken back to the pan, & simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through & the sauce has thickened to your liking. This recipe makes a lot of sauce, but we loved eating it over the faux-tatoes!

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Mashed cauliflower:
Ingredients-

-1 head of cauliflower (chopped)

-2 tablespoons of dairy free butter

-1/4 tsp of garlic powder

-sea salt & pepper to taste
Directions-

Place cauliflower in your steamer & steak for 15-20 minutes until it’s tender. Place all of the cauliflower in a food precession with the butter & blend until smooth. Add in the garlic powder, salt, & pepper & blend again to combine. Scoop them out into a pot over medium low heat to reheat before serving.

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Feeling like a bad ass….

I’m not a one trick pony! I’ve tried Cize & Core De Force the past 2 days & they were both SO fun!!! I think what I’ve learned about myself this week is I’m very much a choreography kind of person! I love to memorize moves, flow them together, & put them to music! Makes sense considering I was in band, a cheerleader, & in colorguard! I just love it! If someone asked me what my dream job would be, I would say professional dancer! I just love to move! Cize was so fun, but honestly, I liked Core De Force more! It was so empowering & made me feel like if I needed to, I could definitely fuck someone up! LOL! Not a big someone, but maybe like…someone my size or smaller & weaker! 😉 It’s just fun & it makes you feel like a bad ass, but more importantly, having all of the different workouts at my finger tips makes it SO much easier to be motivated to workout! I was in a funk. I love T25, but I’ve been doing it for over 3 years…it was time to mix it up, & Beachbody On Demand did that for me! Now I have over 600 workouts to choose from, EVERY day!!! I don’t know what more you could possibly need to get motivated! Can’t wait to choose something new tomorrow! Maybe I’ll do another poll! 😁 Check My IG @thelivelyhouswife to see what I’m doing tomorrow! For now, I’m hitting the hay! If you want to hear more about BOD, shoot me a message or email! 😊 Good night! ❤️ 

Excited af…

Drum roll please………………. I’m a Beachbody Coach!!!!!!! 🙂 I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about this!!! I have been working on myself & my own fitness/health for SO LONG, & now, I get to help others as well! If you know me & follow me, you know that I share a LOT! Sometimes maybe too much! LOL! But, now I get to share & try to inspire & help people! It’s such an amazing feeling! I’ve been doing Beachbody workouts for a few years now, & they’ve been life changing for me! I’ve never used Shakeology, but I will be starting as soon as it comes in the mail, & I’ll be documenting & sharing the whole process! I signed up for Beachbody on demand & did my first workout on it today (CIZE)! SO MUCH FUN!!! & it’s amazing having SO many programs right at my finger tips to choose from!! There’s no way I could EVER get bored with this! I feel like this was the next step that I needed to take my own fitness & health to another level, but I also can’t wait to help others in the process! I’ve had so many of my followers/friends message me & say that my posts are encouraging, motivating, & inspiring, & now that I’m a Coach, I have the tools to help YOU achieve YOUR goals as well!!! I’m not a salesman…I would suck at it, honestly! LOL! So, all I’m going to do is share my life & experiences with these great programs & products with all of you, & if you want to join me, you know where to find me! 😉 Happy Tuesday!!!

A Change Is Gonna Come…

When I typed that title, I heard the song in my head. If you don’t love Adam Lambert’s version of it from when he performed it on American Idol, we can’t be friends! LOL! It’s freakin AMAZING!!! If you’ve never heard it, go search it on iTunes or youtube, & then thank me later! You’re welcome! 😉

Change is supposed to be a little scary…none of us really like it. It can make us feel out of place, off our game, confused, nervous, & anxious. But change can be a good thing! It has to happen in order for us to grow. I’ve learned this over my 13+ years of being a housewife. Being a SAHM, you almost kindof get lost in the mountain of laundry, housework, cooking, prepping, planning, constant noise, & lack of adult conversation…Sometimes it feels a little like you’re on cruise control, going through life without even thinking…It’s almost enough to make you go crazy…

It is scary to give up your “normal” or your comfort zone. Most people shy away from it & end up stuck there because it’s easier to pretend that you’re not wanting something more in your life, than it is to try something new. It takes a lot of effort to want to change your “normal”, & put yourself out there. I promised myself that when I turned 30, I was going to be in the best shape of my life, & have my shit together…well…I’m 32, & some of my shit is still in scattered pieces everywhere no matter how many times I pick it up & try to organize it. LOL!

Now, I’m motivated & ready for change. I’ve been slowly but surely finding myself over the course of the past year since my youngest started school, but I’m ready to fully commit. I want to find my passion…what makes me tick. I already know that being a mom/housewife makes me happy, but I need to have something that’s just for me…something that’s just mine…something that allows me to share my life experiences with other moms/women of the world that might be feeling the need for a change as well. I love helping people! I love sharing positive & motivating energy! I thrive on it, & look for it in others also. With all of the negative that there is in the world, I feel the need to be a driving force of happiness! Although changes can be scary, they can also change your life & the lives of others! 🙂 Stay tuned…

P.S. I’ll end this post with a motivating 2 word, bad ass quote from my husband “Stay legit” 😉

Dairy free creamy garlic mashed potatoes…

First of all, I LOVE these potatoes!!! I make them at least twice a week! They’re so rich & delicious, but SO much healthier than regular mashed potatoes! The only thing is…this is a recipe that really isn’t a recipe. LOL! Idk if that makes any sense, but I’m trying to say there’s no exact measurements for this. The amount of potatoes & other ingredients needed depends on how many people you’re cooking for, so here goes nothin! 😉 

Start by cutting your potatoes into bite sized pieces. I usually use about 4 normal sized russet potatoes when I make them for the whole family (5 people). Place them in a pot that is large enough to have them in a pretty shallow layer. Peel & rough chop a few large cloves of garlic & throw them in with the potatoes. Add in a few tablespoons of dairy free (or normal) butter or margarine. Then pour just enough unsweetened cashew milk (or regular milk) to cover the potatoes & garlic so they’re barely peeking through. Turn the burner on to medium & bring to a simmer. Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat down to medium low, & simmer until the potatoes are very tender (about 20 minutes). Drain the liquid into a bowl or large measuring cup & set aside. Mash the potatoes & garlic until there are no large chunks left. Then add the reserved liquid a little at a time, whisking every time until you reach your desired consistency. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

When I say whisk the potatoes, I mean whisk the hell out of them! Almost like you’re whipping them like when you make whipped cream. The harder you whip them, the creamier they get! A great addition to this recipe is to add a little sprinkle of crushed rosemary & ground thyme to it before simmering to make a yummy garlic & herb creamy potatoes! SO DELICIOUS!!! Anyways, I hope I didn’t screw this up too much & it’s easy to understand. I’ve never posted a recipe that’s not an actual recipe before! LOL! Let me know if you give these a try! 😁 Happy Hump Day! 💜

Just Beau & Nicole…

It’s finally happening! We have waited SO MANY YEARS for this! It might seem silly to make such a big deal about this, but to us, it’s HUGE!!! We have officially decided to start a weekly date night!!! 🙌😍 Nothing crazy…Just dinner together! Just the 2 of us! No kids! No work! No cooking! No cleaning up after! No dishes to load or wash! No interruptions!…it feels like a dream! LOL!

For those of you that don’t know, we got married at a very young age (19), & had our first child a year later. Being a military family & moving around so much, our date nights have been few & far between. We occasionally have date days when my husband takes off work on a school day. Those are so much fun, but they don’t happen often enough.

A weekly date night means we get a couple of hours together every week to checkout from the world, & check in with each other! We can just be ourselves & be silly & have a meal that’s not interrupted by fighting, tattling, or wanting their 1,000th drink of water & listen to music with bad words & not have to worry if the restaurant has a kids menu &…get to just be Beau & Nicole for a little while…once a week…EVERY week…☺️…I cant wait!!!

It might sound like I’m complaining, but I promise you, I’m not! I have the best kids in the world! I love being a mom! But sometimes, I just want to be Nicole for a bit…I just want to be a woman having dinner with her hunky husband for a little while. 😉 Then I’ll come home, put on my pj’s, & be Mom again. 🤗 Why did I just hear “The Circle of Life” from The Lion King in my head??? LOL! 🤣 On that note, I’m calling it a night! This Momma is tired af! 😴 Goodnight! 💜

It’s that time of year again, & I have a confession…

Every year when fall rolls around, the memes about not shaving start flooding my newsfeed. As a woman of 32 years, I have to say it’s REALLY confusing to me…Don’t get me wrong, I hate shaving as much as any other woman, but I don’t stop doing it just because it’s cool enough to wear pants. I shave every other day year round. At the very most, I might go 2 days without shaving if I’m too busy, but I never go more than 2 days! If I do, it drives me absolutely crazy! I don’t do it because I have super thick hair, or coarse hair, or because I’m self conscious, or because I workout 5 days a week, or because I’m wearing shorts or a dress that day, or even for my husband. I do it for comfort reasons. If I don’t shave every other day, I can feel the hairs prickly in my jeans or prickly in the sheets while I’m trying to sleep. SO FREAKING UNCOMFORTABLE!!! So I decided to come clean this time when I saw the first anti shaving meme on my feed & say…I am not on the band wagon, & also…how do you do it??? LOL! Teach me your secrets!!! Is it a special product you use that slows hair growth? A lotion that makes the hairs softer? Or is it just that you’re not a psycho like me who hates the feeling of prickly hair? If you have a secret that keeps you from having to shave often during the fall & winter months, PLEASE share!!! If you don’t want to share publicly in the comments, send me a message & I’ll share it in a future post! Happy Monday!!! 😊

Snickerdoodle Mugcake (vegan)…

It may not look like much, but this is hands down, THE BEST mug cake I’ve ever tasted!!! Perfect for when you want a quick warm dessert! The texture is fluffy, & the flavor is delicious! I’d say this is probably enough for 2 servings considering I gave my kids several bites, & still had a ton left for myself. The kids LOVE it too!! You can eat it straight from the mug, or turn it out onto a bowl or plate. If you want to do this, spray your mug with a little nonstick spray before hand. I crumble it so it cools faster…I’m impatient when I have a sweet tooth. 😉 LOL!
Ingredients for cake:

-1/4 cup (heaping) of self rising flour

-1/4 tsp of cinnamon

-A tiny pinch of sea salt

-2 tbsp of sugar

-1 tbsp of melted butter (I used Earth Balance organic)

-1 tbsp of mayonnaise (I used Just Mayo)

-1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

-1/4 cup of milk (I used Silk unsweetened cashew milk)
Ingredients for topping:

1 tbsp of sugar

1/4 tsp of cinnamon
Instructions:

Place dry cake ingredients in a bowl & whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet cake ingredients & then add them to the dry. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Place 1/8 cup of cake batter in your mug, followed by a sprinkle of the cinnamon sugar topping. Continue this process until all ingredients have been used, ending with the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, & let it sit in the microwave for 2 minutes before serving. Enjoy! 😊

I wasn’t ready…

I hope you read that title in Kevin Hart’s voice because that’s what I intended for you to hear it like in your head. lol! If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, google (Kevin Hart “I wasn’t ready”) & thank me later. You’re welcome! 😎 Anyways, back to the dreaded boxes pictured above…

In 4 days, I have to start packing these damn things again 😒…it’s so bitter sweet because I know the new school year will bring so many new memories, friends, achievements, goals, & milestones, but…I just don’t want them to go. 😢 I love my kids being home with me! I know I can’t keep them home forever. I know they need to be around other kids & people in general, but I LOVE them being here!!! 

Summer goes by way too fast! We just went supplies shopping yesterday (procrastination game strong lol), & now they’re all SUPER excited to start! We have my daughter’s orientation tonight & the boys meet the teacher tomorrow night. 

I have to say after having them all in school last year & experiencing housewife life without any kids for the first time, has made me really appreciate my alone time to get things done. I am looking forward to being back on my own schedule with less interruptions & restrictions. Also looking forward to being able to listen to music & podcasts with bad words in them without having to wear earbuds. 😉 

I’ve decided that I’m definitely going to get more involved with the school this year & volunteer more. I only did it a couple of times last year, & I feel super guilty about that. Plus, the kids love me being around them & their friends so it’ll be fun for them too. Looking forward to a new school year (minus the packing lunches, homework, & carpool part 😉). I know it’ll be great & I’m SO freakin excited for fall & holiday season!!! This NC heat & humidity is killing me & I can hear my sweaters, jeans, booties, & pumpkin spiced everything calling my name! 😍 

I’ve seen a lot of you on social media have already started school so I hope you all are having a great start to their school year! & good luck to the ones that are about to start like me! 🤞 May your coffee be strong, your sleep be plentiful, & your homework time be minimal! 🤣 Happy Wednesday! 💜