SimpleSolutionsDiva.com

Month: April 2015

Make Your Morning Smoothie, The Simple Way


My family loves a good smoothie for breakfast, but sometimes the morning rush leaves us without enough time to assemble the smoothie! Check out the simple video tip above for a simple solution to that time problem!

 

My smoothie packets all assembled and ready to use in the morning!
My smoothie packets all assembled and ready to use in the morning!

Frozen Smoothie Packet Recipes:

Smoothie Flavor Combos – You are only limited by your imagination!

Our current favorite recipe includes banana, mango, pineapple, spinach, and coconut greek yogurt (mixed with apple juice)! My oldest says, “It is better than ice cream, and healthier, too!”

Other favorites include:

The Superfood Smoothie – strawberry, blueberry, chia seeds and apple juice or almond milk.

The Tropical – Mango, Pineapple, Coconut Yogurt mixed with organic acai juice.

Strawberry & Banana – mixed with vanilla yogurt and almond milk.

Another great tip when preparing your frozen smoothie packets: If you want to include yogurt in your smoothie, use an ice cube tray and make yogurt ice cubes. They make it easier to assemble your smoothie packets!

SSD Smoothie PAckets

Surprising Bathroom Cleaning Tips

SSD Bathroom Cleaning Tips

 

Who likes to clean the bathroom? Certainly not the Diva! But you can count on her to have some simple (and some surprising) tips to keeping your bathroom clean – besides calling in a cleaning service!

Clean up every day! Really, if you just do a couple of small clean up jobs every day, you will feel better about deep cleaning later. Things like wiping down the counters, faucets and sink at the end of the day, plus a spot cleaning of the mirror will keep things tidy enough so you won’t feel overwhelmed when it is time to do the deep cleaning job. Keep the essentials for these jobs under your bathroom sink – like Lysol wipes, Windex Glass & Mirror wipes, paper towels.

Clear your counters. When you are planning to do a deep cleaning of your bathroom, clear off the counters completely of your products, toothbrush, drink glass, etc. and place them under the sink or out of the room.

Vacuum and Dust! Before you start a deep clean of the bathroom, vacuum and dust from the top to the bottom. Using a microfiber cloth, dust the light fixtures – don’t forget the top ledges of the fixtures and the light bulbs! Dust off the countertops before you use cleanser on them. Dust off the baseboards. Vacuum your ventilation fan using the extension and brush attachment. Be sure, if you want to take the cover off, to turn off the circuit breaker to the fan so there is no power. Finally, shake out your bathroom rugs and place them out of the room, then vacuum the bathroom floor. This will give you a clear surface to clean.

Get Steamy! Spray all your countertops and shower stall with your cleaners, then run the shower at the hottest level, allowing the bathroom to steam up. The heat and dampness will help loosen up/soften up grime. And the cleaners will have a chance to start the disinfection process! After about 5 minutes, open the door and start scrubbing away at the counters and the shower. Rinse down everything and dry off the counters. Mop the floor and you are out the door!

Reduce clutter. When placing products, toothbrushes, etc. back on countertops, think about whether you really need them. Maybe even consolidate those half-used bottles of product! Try to reduce clutter, or find a place under the sink for some of those products.

Additional Tips:

  • Keep all cleaning supplies in your bathroom. If they are there, you will most likely use them
  • Use old dryer sheets as cleaning cloths.
  • Keep extra small trash bags in bottom of trash can so one will always be there when you need it!

You can find “recipes” to make your own Homemade Cleaning Products here: The Diva’s Homemade Cleaning Products.

Thank you to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living for inviting me on to share these tips!

Simple Recipe: Party Potatoes!

This super-simple potato casserole will become your go-to favorite. Probably the easiest recipe, besides buying pre-made potatoes! I’m whipping this up for Easter Dinner this year. How will YOU use them? At a party? A family meal?
A big thank you to my sister-in-law, Lisa, who shared this recipe with me!
SSD Party Potatoes

Party Potatoes

Ingredients:
  • 1 30 oz. Bag Frozen Shredded Potatoes (I used Oreida Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes)
  • 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1 Pint Sour Cream (NOTE: I used 1 cup of sour cream by accident in the video, and they still tasted good! )
  • 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4-1/2 chopped, sauteed onions (optional)
Directions:
Using cooking spray, grease the bottom of a 13×9 inch pan. Line the bottom of the pan with the frozen, shredded potatoes.
In a large bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and shredded cheese (add the onions, too, if using them!)
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes – 1 hr. It will bubble all along the sides!
Enjoy!
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