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)...
A plant-based steak that my meat-loving teen enjoyed
For a few years now, I have been trying to work more plant-based recipes into my weekly meal planning, for both the health benefits and sustainability aspects. And now I am choosing more and more plant-based recipes because the ingredients tend to cost less overall,...
7 essential tips to be sure your vacation home rental kitchen is stocked and ready for cooking! (Or at least drinking coffee, right?)
Summer has arrived and I'm ready for a week at the beach, or in the mountains, or anywhere but here! In an ideal world, every vacation home renter would stock the kitchen with everything you need, but many of us have arrived for a week of vacation to find dull knives,...
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Our kitchen spring cleaning checklist: 7 easy tasks you won’t want to forget.
With spring having sprung (and the words of Marie Kondo echoing in my head all these years later), I've been doing my best to kick-start spring cleaning before summer arrives. But one thing I've learned after all these years, is it's so easy to miss certain tasks...
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...
Recipes
Weekly meal plan: 5 easy meals for the week ahead, including great Memorial Day cookout recipes
A new batch of weekly meal plan recommendations is here, and it's Memorial Day at end of this week! So we've found a tasty recipes perfect for your upcoming weekend cookouts, plus easy meals to get you through the rest of the week. So grab a pen, make your shopping...
The best authentic Mexican food blogs: 6 favorites for Cinco de Mayo and every other day of the year.
I've had the best time seeking out the best Mexican food blogs serving up authentic Mexican cuisine in honor of Cinco de Mayo. I've always loved this holiday; in my hometown of New York City, May 5th marks a point in early spring when we're absolutely sure there's...
5 easy meals for a busy week on the go
Alright, parents: I have a busy week coming up, so I need to think ahead and come up with some meal plan ideas for quick meals that will keep my family satisfied and nourished for some of these longer nights we have ahead of us (yay spring sports). I'm also looking...
5 great family dinners from 5 favorite cookbook authors
I'm not really sure how it is that we are heading into the last week in April, but here we are! It seems like every week I am trying to rekindle my passion for cooking, and one way to do that is to revisit or seek out a few new recipes from cookbooks from some of...
Beat it, eggs! 6 fantastic egg-free brunch ideas for Easter and beyond.
Eggs get all the attention at brunch, especially Easter brunch. They’re an easy choice for many hosts and families, but you may be serving guests – vegans, picky kids, or those with allergies – who don't eat eggs. Besides, eggs can be temperamental, and serving...
