Helpful tips to get your kids packing their own lunches at any age
If you're looking to lighten your load this school year, look to the kids. With these tips, you'll have your kids making lunch in no time at all! I'm not a morning person. If your personality also improves throughout the day, you'll understand why my life's goal as a...
5 DIY Lunchables ideas that look (and taste) just like the store bought ones | Back to School Guide
The convenience of Lunchables is undeniably alluring, but the ingredients, cost, and waste can be a little hard to swallow given how incredibly easy it is to make DIY Lunchables. With a handful of ingredients and a few reusable compartmentalized lunch containers...
Lunch bags for teens and big kids who are too cool for lunch boxes now | Back to School Guide
As my kids have gotten older, they prefer the "lunch bag" over the "lunch box" because it's so much easier to shove into a backpack (especially when they may or may not have a locker), and they can actually cram a lot more food into a bag and even pack odd shaped...
My completely honest review of Sakara Life: Is it worth the money?
A few months ago I had my annual physical, where I discovered that my cholesterol was a little high. It just so happened to be right before my birthday, and after doing a little research, I decided to treat myself to a month's worth of meals from Sakara Life. Their...
12 easy, healthy, and affordable breakfasts your teens can make for themselves.
Whether your teens are up at dawn to get to their summer job, or stumble into the kitchen around noon because, well, they're teenagers, we still want them to eat a good breakfast to get their day started off right. But, we are lonnnnng past needing to wait on them in...
8 fresh summer pasta salads to help you get creative when you’re tired of pasta salads
I've been on the hunt for some fresh new summer pasta salads to make, ever since last summer, when I took a pasta salad to a friend’s annual summer barbecue and no one ate it. I admit I was hurt. I mean, didn’t anyone appreciate how long it had taken me to mix some...
7 fabulous kitchen finds at Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
While you may be familiar with the amazing deals you can snag on shoes, bags, and clothing during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, you may not be as familiar with the kitchen and home products Nordstrom now carries. At my last in-person visit to Nordstrom, I discovered...
Up your burger game with these 5 must-have grilling tools. They make all the difference!
It's officially summer! Yay! Hopefully your grill is all cleaned up and ready to go for the Fourth of July celebrations that are right around the corner. Whether or not you are planning to grill up burgers on the Fourth of July, odds are they will be on the menu...
My favorite family-friendly recipes using July’s fresh produce. Great way to save money!
July is such a perfect time for fresh produce -- and the delicious family recipes that make use of them. My backyard garden is starting to produce some radishes and cabbage right about now, and I'm seeing the most delicious peaches and tomatoes at local roadside...
18 delicious Father’s Day food gifts supporting Black-owned businesses
The team at Cool Mom Picks has always dedicated ourselves to amplifying small businesses of all kinds, and to showcase diversity in the brands, books, advice, and even recipes we feature. And with Father's Day right around the corner, we think it's the perfect...
We can’t wait to try this Velveeta scented nail polish
Every once in a while, there is a product that comes along that stops me in my tracks and I have to order immediately, and today, Velveeta scented nail polish is just that. In partnership with America's most loved cheese brand, Nails.INC just launched this creamy...
The ultimate guide to 16 gourmet gift boxes for every kind of dad | Father’s Day Gift Guide
If you want to spoil a bona fide foodie father this Father's Day, you are in luck because there are so many delicious gourmet gift boxes out there for every kind of dad. . .whether he loves unique and special meats, cheeses, chocolates, or other edible (and drinkable)...
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New year, new kitchen: 7 steps to a clean, better organized one for the New Year
When January 2nd rolls around, my kitchen is a mess. The fridge is stuffed full of random leftovers, and the pantry is overflowing with half-full boxes of crackers, cereal and snacks left behind from having all of the kids home 24/7 for almost a month. As daunting...
Whether you DIY or buy, we have 10 easy ideas for a beautiful Thanksgiving table. . . no crafting skills required.
This Thanksgiving, I'm ditching the "aspirational" Instagram feeds with their super-creative (and mind-boggling) table decor ideas that require either a big investment of money or time to achieve. Instead, I've decided to simplify beautifully with these easy...
How to tell if food is fresh: Awesome kitchen tricks
Have you ever opened a jar of half-used tomato sauce only to find furry white spots of mold floating on top? While some spoiled food is quite obvious—all you need do is open the container and take a whiff—others are less so. Especially pantry staples that you tend...
5 easy ways to drink more water, because we all need it
I'm not sure why it's so hard to drink our daily recommended amount of water, but it just is. I'm trying to do better this year and know that others at Cool Mom HQ are too, so I've found a few ways to make it a little easier. Because even when it's freezing cold...
5 foods you should never wash, plus 3 you should. A few surprised us!
The past few years of pandemic life have made us all a bit insane when it comes to washing things (I still sing 'happy birthday' in my head every time I wash my hands). And because of that, I'm not about to wash anything that doesn't absolutely need it. So I was...
![Save yourself some time with our cheat sheet of foods you never need to both washing -- and a few that you should always. You may be surprised (we were)! | Cool Mom Eats [Photo by Davide Ragusa via Unsplash]](https://coolmomeats.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/02/foods-that-should-never-be-washed-davide-ragusa-unsplash.jpg)
Recipes
Next week’s meal plan: 5 easy recipes for busy January nights
This week, we have another round of weekly meal plan recommendations, with easy, low-stress meals your whole family will enjoy. These five recipes will get you through this week ahead easily and deliciously. So grab a pen or open your AnyList app, make your...
Over 40 Valentine’s treats you can make with a heart-shaped cookie cutter.
If you're looking to put a little love into your Valentine's Day treats this year, there's no need to run out and buy a cartful of special ingredients or gadgets. Just grab a few heart-shaped cookie cutters with a bunch of different-size hearts, then you can...
Eat Cho Food + the Lunar New Year
As of today, millions of people around the world celebrate the Lunar New Year, which officially begins January 22 in 2023. Last week, my family was pretty impressed with my Chinese food menu sourced from The Woks of Life, so much so that I decided to dive in again...
Next week’s meal plan: 5 easy recipes for the week ahead, from a soul warming roast to pasta with “Awesome Sauce”
It’s time to start thinking about your meal plan for next week. From a soul warming pot roast to pasta with Awesome Sauce, we’ve got five weeknight meals that will get you through the week ahead. So grab a pen, make your shopping list, and stock up before the...
6 easy and delicious black-eyed pea recipes for extra good luck in the New Year. Because who couldn’t use extra good luck?
Most southerners know that eating a dish of black-eyed peas is said to bring you good luck and prosperity in the new year. I feel like no matter where you live, this is a superstition we can all get behind. Not only are black-eyed peas good for you, but they are...
