Mimi – Page 26 – Unlikely Martha

Food• Living

Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Kit

“This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits. All opinions are 100% mine”

My children spent three weeks away with their grandmother this summer. The entire time they were away, I made sure to steer clear of the kitchen, as in no cleaning or cooking. My kitchen hiatus is over and it’s time for me to ease back into cooking nightly meals. New at Publix, FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits are making my transition back into cooking a little bit easier.

We are into the new school year, I’ve begun planning meals and mostly decluttered the house to ensure things move smoothly during the week. Thinking about all of the ripping and running we’ll being doing starting next week with each child having to be somewhere in the evenings EVERY. DAY. OF. THE. WEEK. has me exhausted already.

The reality of the situation is it will take a lot of team work and everyone pulling their load to make sure this house doesn’t turn into a den of chaos now that school is back in session.

While the kids are back in school, make no mistake about it, I’m still in summer chill mode. Chill mode consists of doing the least, which means meals need to be quick and preferably prepared in one pot. FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits fit the criteria and are one of my quick, go to meal options. The flavor is robust, chef-level quality and food is ready in 30 minutes.

These FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits are made with real ingredients, and come in additional flavors such as Tuscan-Style Mushroom Risotto, Shrimp Scampi and Spicy Szechuan-Style Chicken & Rice. Just add in the stated ingredients found on the back of the box, which you can pick up at your neighborhood Publix, and you are on your way to a tasty, 30-minute meal.

One thing I’ve learned in this process of learning to give myself grace is to embrace easy….and in this case tasty. As much as I would love to whip up a home cooked meal every day, I know my limitations and items like the FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits are the next best thing. Just because my time is limited, our dinner options shouldn’t be.

Let’s not forget I have a pre-teen who loves to cook. I think I’ll assign him a night to cook dinner, with my supervision of course!

Y’all know I’m all for sharing resources to make life easy, and the FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits are worth a try. I’ll be stacking them up, they are perfect to have on hand for those nights you feel like cooking a quick and easy meal.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits.

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Beauty

My Skincare Routine with PURENEW

Thank you to PURENEW for sponsoring this conversation on skincare. All opinions are mine.

My makeup arsenal is about as basic as it gets. I like makeup, I really do. I don’t own much of it but I can pull together a decent look with the bare basics that I own, you know foundation, blush, primer, eyeliner etc. etc. etc.

In the past few months, I’ve become more concerned with my skincare. Okay, more like obsessed. I’ve started getting facials once a month and I’ve nailed down a skin care routine that is really working for me. It’s a mixture of Yes to Coconut products, the Mario Bedescu glycolic cleanser, a serum I picked up from Marshalls and Dermalogica. It’s a motley crue, but it works.

All of these products are topical, but as with anything from self love to clear skin, it all starts within. PURENEW, a fusion of the word pure and renew is a line of vitamin supplements developed to help improve your skin from the inside out. I’ll be the first to tell you that I am quite certain I don’t get all of the nutrients my body needs from the foods I eat. PURENEW supplements use premium ingredients and are backed by clinical studies and control standards enforced by the FDA to give your body and your skin an extra boost of nutrients to nourish your body on the inside and out.

The beauty (pun intended) of PURENEW is the products are optimized for skin health based on age related issues. So, since your girl is knock, knock, knocking on 40 the Professional Skin Clear I’m using is aimed at reducing wrinkles and promoting clear skin by increasing collagen and boosting moisture. Totally different from being in your 20s and 30s when the focus is on pores, fighting fine lines and dark spots.

A regimen of a healthy diet, lots of water and supplements where needed can help you feel and look your best. Always make the best decision for you. For more info on PURENEW be sure to visit their website.

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Living• Organization

Back to School | 10 Tips to Get Your Mind Right and House in Order

Growing up, I don’t ever remember going back to school prior to Labor day. While there are still school districts that abide by this trusty rule others are opting for earlier start times, to allow for more breaks during the school year.

July 30^th marks the end of 2 months of relaxation and no schedules and begins ten months of everything but. My children are heading back to the classroom and while a small part of me rejoices the other part of me is getting mentally prepared for all that going back to school entails and it includes more than shopping for school supplies and clothing.

Need some motivation? Here are 10 tips to help you get your mind right and your house in order for back to school:

PURGE

Throw ALL of the too little, no longer useful and unnecessary things away. From clothes, to broken crayons, to hair bows. If it’s broken, hasn’t been used or is no longer useful. Throw it away.

CREATE A STORAGE SYSTEM FOR SCHOOL WORK, CRAFTS, ETC.

Oh, the papers. I’m thankful for one in middle school that brings home minimal paperwork, but with one still in elementary, art work and a lot of ~~junk~~ stuff still manages to make its way home.

Setting aside a folder or a space to store these things make it easier to sort through later…. you know, the part where you decide on which art pieces get to stay and the ones you will toss when little eyes aren’t looking.

Here’s how I keep up with school work.

CREATE A SEPARATE EMAIL FOR SCHOOL CORRESPONDENCE

I can’t stress this one enough. It has been so helpful having one email address dedicated to my children and their teachers and extracurricular activities. It keeps me in the loop, and things like turning in field trip money doesn’t get mixed in with my Target emails.

I even made it cute with emojis.

ORGANIZE HAIRBOWS, ACCESSORIES AND OTHER SMALL ITEMS

Nothing creates stress like a bunch of little things just out and about. Corral those bows, hair pins, earrings etc. The Dollar Tree has exactly what you need to keep those things together so you know where to find them when you need them.

This $10 hair bow organization system has saved my sanity.

CREATE ROUTINES

Everybody needs a routine. What time will you get up, go to bed, cook and eat dinner, get ready for the next day? Not leaving these things to chance helps your day not get away from you. It also holds older kids accountable for doing what they need to do.

Post the routine up if necessary. Trina over at Babyshopaholic has a great morning chart printable for kids to use

SET TIMERS

When I’m moving, I’m just that. I tend to not pay attention to time so this method works for me. I set them for everything. I know when I should be starting dinner, walking out the door to get someone from practice, or when a meeting is set to start. Timers remove one more thing from the to-do list that lives in your head.

MEAL PLAN/COOK AHEAD

This part.

If I didn’t meal plan, we likely wouldn’t eat. I don’t like eating the same thing over and over again so meal planning is important to me.

If you are feeling ambitious, preparing foods ahead of time for a heat and eat option is great for busy mornings. My heat and eat breakfast sandwiches are perfect for having a good breakfast on the go. Make them at the beginning of the week and be on your way.

PUT THE SCHOOL SCHEDULE IN YOUR PLANNER OR PHONE FOR EASY ACCESS

Go to the school’s website and print out the entire schedule. Place it somewhere for easy access. Take a photo of it and save to your phone, put it in your planner, whatever works best for you. I’ve found this comes in handy when I’m trying to make appointments or schedule something and need to know the school schedule. Having it on hand versus having to look it up every time has been helpful.

CREATE A WEEKLY CHORE CHART

Cleaning the house needs to be a family affair. I tried doing the bulk of the work, and I’ll pass.

I’m still flushing out our new schedule and will share when I’m done. I’m certain the kids will be doing the dishes and folding their own laundry. Please, if your kids are older get them involved.

BULK SHOP FOR SNACKS, DETERGENT AND OTHER HOME ITEMS

Shopping for food and necessities can, and will eat up a lot of your time. Plan your store visits carefully, this not only saves time, it also saves money.

Think about getting a wholesale club membership for things like detergent, lunch snacks and cleaning products. They tend to be much cheaper in bulk and you aren’t shopping seemingly every week for home basics. In an average household paper products and detergent will likely last for three months. It is such a small relief to only have to worry about those things a few times a year versus every few weeks.

I hope these tips are helpful in getting your mind right and your home organized for the back to school rush. Have any you want to add, please do! Sharing is always caring.

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Living

Girls Trip | Essence Festival

Where have I been? The real question is where haven’t I been. This has been one busy summer for the books. From traveling just about every weekend with Just for Me, to sneaking away to New Orleans for the Essence Festival, I’ve barely had time to gather my thoughts.

Historically, I’ve always taken a hiatus from creating content here in the summer. Well seeing as how the school bell rings in a little over a week, summer is technically over and it’s time to get back on schedule.

So let’s catch up with my girls trip to the Essence Festival. If you follow me on Instagram and saw my stories you already know we had a ton of fun. I was a little leery about heading to New Orleans in the middle of summer, but to be honest the heat wasn’t that bad. I opted to wear my hair wrapped during the day because I was sure the relentless humidity wouldn’t let my bob be great. That decision really worked well because I didn’t have to worry at all with my hair.

The ride from Atlanta to New Orleans took about 7 hours. To be completely honest there are few things that can set off a girls trip like a good road trip.

I know every mother isn’t about leaving their kids and heading out of town to decompress and let their hair down for a bit….but I am. Now that we have that out of the way. This mama had a ball.

New Orleans and the Essence Festival doesn’t owe me/us a thing.

I am the biggest Erykah Badu fan. I was real hype to go to her concert until I saw the $250 price tag. I was like next time. Luckily we were able to find some last minute tickets for $100. Erykah Badu and Jill Scott on one stage? Yes please. I had a ball with my bestie.

Initially I hadn’t planned to attend more than one concert. I’m cheap, and $500 on concert tickets wasn’t in the budget. Like the church folk say, “Favor ain’t fair” and there was truly a blessing with my name on it when the Vaseline brand slid into my DMs gifting me free tickets to the Mary J. concert. Sometimes these little places on the internet are good for something! Since everyone else in my crew had already purchased a ticket to the concert, I asked Tiffini of Latched and Hooked to be my +1. We had a ball! I had no idea Mary J. was such an amazing performer.

Other than that, we took it easy. Naps were had….cause….nearly 40. We roamed the streets of New Orleans dodging rain drops, catching trolleys, and Lyfts, eating good and enjoying one another.

There were three separate groups of us, at times we all came together and other times we went our separate ways. We were all celebrating the queen in the middle, because breast cancer didn’t win. Life is precious, we should always remember that.

I even got a chance to catch up with some of my internet/IG friends.

I’ve been following Carla for 6 years. Seeing her was like connecting with a long lost sister. I’m SO glad I got a chance to hug on her neck! She’s an amazing writer, and well traveled I might add. Check her out on Rae La Soul

Saw my IG buddy @Peonylova

….and @effiespaper (she has a super cute line of stationery)

There are far too many memories, photos and words to describe how much fun we had. This might be an indication tho.

Simply put, self care is whatever you need it to be. Spending time with my friends has always been important to me and I’m thankful that I have no guilt about taking time to recharge.

Here are a few of my other girls trips:

Cherokee, North Carolina

Jekyll Island

Well, school is on the horizon and I’m readying myself for the hustle and bustle. I’m really glad I took the time to get away and just let loose. Now back to organizing and cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping, and chauffeuring and……

How’s your summer going? Are you planning for back to school yet?

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