Weekly meal plan: 5 great recipes that use leftovers creatively all week long
This week we're laying out an easy plan for you so you only have to cook three times, but you'll get five meals out of it. You'll be making big batches when you do cook, but you'll have the other nights off to make up for it. Totally worth it, in my book. So grab a...
9 of our favorite easy Halloween treat ideas on our Instagram feed. You can do these!
Here, I've wrangled together some of the easiest Halloween treat ideas we've shared over the past few years. on Instagram You know, the kind you can mainly do without complex instructions. You might not even need the recipe at all. Because while have the best time...
Skip the garbage and go right to these 5 delicious pumpkin spice treats + snacks. They’re amazing!
Even though the weather is still jumping up close to 90 where I live, I'm almost wondering if it's too late to be talking about pumpkin spice. And yet, it's October which means it's full-on pumpkin spice season. for some of us -- clichés be damned -- we love it! That...
Weekly meal plan: 5 easy comfort food meals for fall
The forecast says the temperatures are finally getting cooler this week, and I couldn't be more excited. So I'm dreaming up some of those comfort food dishes that I've put off making because they just aren't appealing when it's still 100-degrees outside. So grab a pen...
How to make Halloween more safe (and inclusive!) for kids with peanut + tree nut allergies: 5 essential tips
We have always had an acute awareness about making Hallowen safe for kids with peanut and tree nut allergies. Especially because some of our own kids of our team members on Cool Mom Picks have grappled with peanut and tree nut allergies that range from mild to...
Half the Sugar, All the Love: A new family cookbook we can’t get enough of
Even though I don't have a "sweet tooth," per se, I still have a hunch I get too much sugar in my diet. And I'm certain my kids do. (So is their dentist.) So, when I received a review copy of the yet-to-be-released cookbook Half the Sugar, All the Love by Jennifer...
Testing the popular Speedy Skillet Ravioli Lasagna, the internet’s current recipe obsession
Every once in a while a recipe takes flight – on the internet, that is. The recent posting of Grace Parisi’s Speedy Skillet Ravioli Lasagna at Food52, and from the new cookbook, Lasagna: A Baked Pasta Cookbookby Anna Hezel (available from our Amazon affiliate) is...
These 7 Rosh Hashanah apple recipes welcome the new year deliciously!
This year, Rosh Hashanah begins so late in the month but that doesn't mean we gathered all our apple recipe ideas together in time! For my family, the best part of the celebration is always the apples dipped in honey, and that means making apples the centerpiece of...
Weekly meal plan: 5 easy meals you can make fast in the Instant Pot
One of my favorite tricks for easy weeknight dinners is to use the Instant Pot. Even if I forget to thaw my ingredients or don't plan ahead, I can still have a nutritious meal ready fast. Plus, it's usually a one-pot dinner, which means I don't have much clean up to...
How to get a teen to pack their own lunch: 6 tips from teen chef Josh Reisner
As parents, we talk a lot about tips to get kids to pack their own school lunches. But the truth is, even teens can struggle a bit when it comes to picking up just one more responsibility. Especially if they're always used to us doing it for them. (Guilty as charged....
Order dinner with Door Dash and feed 10 families in need while you’re at it. Here’s how.
We're all about a great home-cooked meal with your family, but we are also realists. Despite an amazing meal plan you might already have in place, sometimes you just need to take the night off and order in. BTDT more than once, myself. So just in case you need any...
Weekly meal plan: 5 easy meals that require 5 ingredients or fewer
Another week, another meal plan ready for you to go this weekend! And because we're trying to keep our budgets in check and not spend hours over the stove cooking dinner, we've looked for great recipes that use 5 ingredients or less this week. They cook up quickly,...
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We found the best grab-and-go gifts right at Trader Joe’s. Holiday shopping made easy!
I love that this time of year, I can accomplish both my food shopping and a lot of my gift shopping at at Trader Joe's, all at the same time. Lucky for me, Trader Joe's has some of my favorite affordable grab-and-go gifts that make it worth the 30 minute drive for...
The world’s easiest cocktail garnishes: 4 ridiculously simple ways to make your cocktails look pro with no skills at all.
This content is for readers 21+ which you probably are, because hi, it says "mom" in our website name. Please drink responsibly. Thanks to Drinkworks for sponsoring this post, because how fun is that? Well hello there! I'm that person who says, I'm going to...
Weekly meal plan: 5 make-ahead dinners for the busy holiday season
The holiday season is here in full force, and it can be sooo busy. So, we've found 5 great make-ahead dinners that will get you through these busy weeknights without too much stress. Use that extra time to go to holiday parties, get some shopping done, or just have...
Easy, eco-friendly table setting ideas for a less wasteful Thanksgiving
Sandwiched between the plastic spiders and candy wrappers of Halloween and the blinking lights and tissue-stuffed gift bags of the holidays, I love that Thanksgiving offers us an opportunity to get back to basics. I'm turning my focus to family, food, and...
A realistic 2-3 week Thanksgiving planning calendar for busy parents. Like duh, we can’t all start in October.
One look at the Thanksgiving planning calendars, and it brings up a whole lot of stress. I was supposed to order a turkey *when*? While Thanksgiving falls late on the calendar this year, it's still never enough time. Because my sister Karen has hosted Thanksgiving...
Recipes
Weekly meal plan: 5 easy meals that will (hopefully) make everyone happy, because you’re running on coffee and cold medicine
Has sickness plagued your house like it has ours this winter? Ugh! If you're like me, and you're running on coffee and cold medicine right now, then here are 5 quick and easy meals that the whole family will like. So grab your pen and make your grocery list,...
Weekly meal plan: 5 make-ahead dinners for the busy holiday season
The holiday season is here in full force, and it can be sooo busy. So, we've found 5 great make-ahead dinners that will get you through these busy weeknights without too much stress. Use that extra time to go to holiday parties, get some shopping done, or just have...
12 mason jar food gifts your kids can help DIY, from sweet to savory. | Holiday Gift Guide
As a parent, I discovered that the number of gifts I buy at the holidays has multiplied exponentially to accommodate all the wonderful teachers, coaches, caregivers, friends, and VIP's (very important parents) that help make our year run smoothly. But since my bank...
Weekly meal plan: 5 recipes that have nothing to do with turkey
We hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving last week! Our tables were overflowing with delicious family recipes, but if you're anything like us you probably don't want to hear the word turkey this week. So, we have 5 easy meals (because we know you're done with...
Two easy Trader Joe’s Meals my family lives on during the holidays.
Ah, the holiday craziness is upon us: Searching for the right gift, hosting family and friends (SO. MANY. MEALS.) and balancing the school concerts, parties, events and more. Believe me, I love it, but by the end of a school or workday, the last thing many of us...
