About Stacy

Stacy is a Home Management Mentor, the author of two cookbooks, the creator of why-didn’t-I-think-of-that homemaking hacks, an expert on making real food taste lip-smacking delicious, and a Platinum Leader with Young Living Essential Oils. She loves butter, dessert, baking, organizing, and staying home with her husband and four hilarious kids. She believes if it's not easy, you won't do it - because she's lived it. She'll bring YOU the awesome so that you can get your home back into control. For tips and easy strategies, you can follow her on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Our Healthy Laundry Routine

When I first started as a homemaker, my goal was not a healthy laundry routine. My goal was a CHEAP laundry routine. I was looking for the cheapest way to do laundry possible. I didn’t look at ingredients. I didn’t care about brands. All I wanted was cheap laundry detergent that I could buy for rock-bottom prices (usually using coupons).

That’s when I realized I could save even more money by making homemade laundry detergent.

I went thru several different recipes before I found one that worked for us. One of the reasons I tried so many options was because my son Eli has extremely sensitive skin. Not only did I want to save money, but I also needed to find a more healthy laundry routine. We have to be so careful because he has a reaction when he gets around anything synthetic, harsh cleaners or chemicals, etc. He couldn’t handle store-bought detergents or even some of the homemade detergent recipes I tried. I finally found one that wasn’t bothering him, but then our washing machine seemed to stop working. Barry decided to take it apart and clean it out to see what the problem was.

When he opened it up, I was mortified.

[Read more…]

Your Scratch Cooking Questions, Answered!

I tend to get a lot of questions about how I am cooking from scratch for my family, especially over on Instagram, where I post weekly meal plans, meal prep, favorite cookbooks, etc., as well as pictures of lots of food! Today, I’m answering a handful of those questions and my hope is that this is a help to y’all as you brave the cooking from scratch terrain in your own kitchens. [Read more…]

Being a Work at Home Mom {Q&A}

A while back, I asked you guys to submit questions you’d like me to answer about being a work-at-home mom, and you had LOTS of them. It has been fun to sort through them all and see how to encourage you through what I’ve learned over the past several years. I have been a work-at-home mom since Annie was 9 months old, when I started teaching local workshops in the evenings and on weekends. I taught about frugal living, living on a budget, and how to use coupons – which I don’t do anymore. This blog actually grew out of that. And it grew and grew and grew – which was a surprise to us! From there, we became distributors with Young Living where we are currently a Platinum team. So currently, we run two businesses from home, in addition to Barry’s day job and our four kids. #busypeople

I really enjoy being able to be a work-at-home mom.

[Read more…]

Our 24 Family Ways: Our Favorite Family Devotional

Quick Note: This post is part of the Watch Your Mouth Family Kindness Challenge. It’s completely free to join this challenge, so check it out and see if you would like to participate! We’d love to have you – it’s not too late. I am sending out a weekly email, doing a Facebook Live every Monday and we’ve also got a Facebook Group for extra encouragement and discussion over the course of the challenge. Not to mention there is an amazing prize bundle for the family who wins. And huge thank you to Clay Clarkson and Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide for giving us brand new copy to give to the Grand Prize Winner. The giveaway includes both a book and a coloring book. Oh and they’ve also included another great book in our giveaway… Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe.) [Read more…]

Believing Lies About Yourself

I’ve been struggling with lies. I don’t mean little white lies…For years, I’ve struggle with believing lies I tell myself.

Have you ever faced this? Do you ever catch yourself believing lies about yourself? I used to feel like I had an inner voice that tells me things… you know that one that says, that girl! you rocked that! you’re awesome!

Then there’s the other voice. You know, the one that tells you LIES. “You’re a failure.” “You’re the worst mom.” “You’re not a good wife.” “You’re terrible.” “What’s the matter with you, Stacy?” “Why are you doing things like that?” “You’re not pretty.”

I always thought that voice was my friend.

[Read more…]

Watch Your Mouth: A Family Kindness Challenge

Goal: Speak to your family with KINDNESS. Speak words of LIFE. Edify. Compliment. Praise.

I heard my kids speak to each other. And it wasn’t kind…it was UGLY.

I didn’t like it. But then I listened to how I was speaking to them – they were just repeating ME!! How did this happen?!

Barry and I decided it had to change. So, we wanted to work on it this summer. But we wanted to make sure everyone could benefit. Come learn with us this summer, over the next two months, as we lift up and edify each other!

And at the end, there’s something fun for someone!!! It will be worth the hard work! [Read more…]

The Best EVER Homemade Ranch Dressing

I’m so excited and I know y’all are going to be so happy too. Why?! Because today, I’m sharing the recipe for the best homemade ranch dressing of all time. I should know, because I love ranch dressing. This isn’t my recipe, but it’s one that has earned a very coveted spot in my favorite recipes binder. You know it’s serious when I preserve a recipe in a sheet protector for all eternity, y’all.

For over 8 years, I searched for a homemade ranch dressing recipe because as you may know, most store-bought ranch is bad news. If you have never checked out the ingredients on the back of a bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch or one of those Good Seasons paper packets… you probably should. They may not taste bad, but both are full of crummy artificial ingredients, MSG, and more! [Read more…]

Marriage Q & A

I know this post isn’t my usual style, but after over 15 years of marriage, I feel like I’ve learned a few things that would be worth sharing. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of couples who are way ahead of us in their marriages, but Barry and I are no longer “newlyweds”. We have been around the block a few times…15 times actually! So 15 blocks and 4 kids later, we feel comfortable answering some of your marriage questions. Readers submitted these and we decided to dive right in and do a Marriage Q & A: [Read more…]

Favorite Main Dish Recipes {Part 2}

Today, I’m sharing Part 2 of my very favorite main dish recipes! Y’all know I love cook (and eat!), so one post didn’t quite cover all my favorites! Let’s dig right in:

Beef:

Crock-pot Cheeseburger Meatloaf – This is quite possibly my favorite meatloaf recipe of all time. And that’s saying a lot! If you don’t want to make this in your crockpot, you can bake in your over for an hour and it’s just as good.

Texas Hash – It may not look appetizing, but it is soon good. It’s a recipe that my kids AND I both love. I always love a hash because it’s easy to throw together for a quick dinner.

MaMa’s Crock Pot Cube Steak – This recipe came from my friend Tia and while it is a little time-intensive, it is worth every single second! If you have not made this before…you need to put it on your meal plan for sure! I do use homemade cream of mushroom soup in this recipe. It cooks all day long and turns into a pot of glorious happiness.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast – Obviously, I am not paleo…Hello bread. But I do love a good pot roast! This recipe was really easy and the meat turned out super tender.

Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff – My family and I love easy main dish recipes. This is definitely one of those! Mel’s Kitchen Cafe is a great blog and this recipe is by far the best I’ve ever found.

Pressure Cooker Mongolian Beef – Y’all know I love my pressure cooker! This is one of my favorite pressure cooker recipes. It’s got this rich, flavorful sauce that just soaks in to some fluffy rice perfectly. Barry is a big fan of this recipe.

Mom’s Salisbury Steaks – This is (surprise, surprise) my mom’s recipe. She (oddly enough) uses cornflakes in this recipe. This is the only reason I ever buy cornflakes. LOL. But these are always delicious!

Fish:

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia – This is one of the few fish recipes I make. My kids always say, “Yum! This is good chicken, mom!” 😉

Salmon Burgers – While I may not be very fond of fish, I don’t mind canned salmon or tuna. These burgers a fun alternative to my usual tuna melt.

Pasta:

Super Easy Skinny Veggie Crock Pot Lasagna – this recipe is almost exactly like my Crock Pot lasagna, except it uses vegetables instead of meat. It’s delicious. We love having this meatless meal in our rotation!

Pasta with White Bean Alfredo Sauce. This is from Kitchen Stewardships’ Everything Bean cookbook. We love this pasta! I always puree the beans and my kids don’t even know they are in there! It’s a great meatless meal option.

Italian Chicken Casserole – This is a really old recipe from Tasty Kitchen, The Pioneer Woman’s contribution site. We love it, and it travels well, if you have to take a dish to an event.

Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole – I feel like I have shared this recipe with y’all 700 times. But I can’t help it. We just love it! It’s perfect to take to church potlucks or to bring to new moms. We also love that it is a meatless meal!

Spaghetti Comodoro with Homemade 15 Minute Meatballs – This recipe had me at 15 minute meatballs. Seriously awesome!

Light Fettuccini Alfredo – Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Fettuccine Alfredo. But this recipe is so creamy and delicious, but not as heavy as some the recipes out there. I love that we never feel “heavy” after eating this.

One Pot Spaghetti – This is one of the most popular main dish recipes on my blog – I mean, HANDS down. It’s easy, delicious and super affordable to make.

The Pioneer Woman’s Cajun Chicken Pasta – It’s no secret that I absolutely love The Pioneer Woman. Every recipe of hers that I have ever tried has been delicious! And this one is my favorite recipes of hers of ALL Time. It’s incredibly good!

Sandwiches:

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs – This recipe was adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray. My kids absolutely love these. They are basically pizza muffins – how can you go wrong? These make a fun dinner for family movie night.

Bacon Cheeseburger Quesadillas – These are so simple and delicious. You can go wrong with bacon. And cheeseburgers. AND quesadillas!

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps – Another family favorite that is perfect for summer time. These are very flavorful – just so, so good!

BLT Quesadilla Wrap – This one is a fun twist on a traditional Mexican quesadilla and it’s a great meal in the summertime!

Mini Corndog Muffins – This is a special treat meal that I make for my kids sometimes. I know hot dogs are still processed meat, but I buy uncured nitrate/nitrite free beef hot dogs at Walmart and feel better about feeding those to my family.

Mexican:

Gringa Mexican Rice – This is one of my newer main dish recipes that I’ve recently started making and I must say…everyone loves it! Rice, meat, and corn – it’s simple and really yummy.

7-Layer Dip Burritos – Y’all – this recipe will blow your mind. Seriously. These are delicious.

Best Chicken Enchilada Recipe Ever – I know it’s hard to believe that these are actually the best enchiladas ever…but I have made A LOT of them and these are just so, so good

Soups, Salad, and More:

Crock-Pot Cincinnati Chili – I’ve gotten a lot of emails from people from Cincinnati who tell my chili is not ACTUALLY true Cincinnati chili because it has no cocoa powder in it. But just keeping it real y’all, I prefer mine without it. And also, because I get asked this a lot, Cincinnati chili is TOTALLY different from regular chili – and you eat it over noodles instead of cornbread.

Cornbread Salad – This recipe is almost too easy to be considered a recipe! It’s just crumbled cornbread with ranch and whatever veggies you’ve got on hand. We love it and make it a lot in the summer time.

Egg Salad – Nothing fancy about my recipe, but it’s one of my go-to main dish recipes for the summer time when I don’t want to crank up the oven.

Crock-pot Beanie Weenies – For some reason this super simple dish is a kid favorite in my house. And I love that it doesn’t take much effort and just cooks in the Crock Pot all day.

Broccoli Cheddar Baked Potatoes – I realize this doesn’t sound like it should be one of my main dish recipes, but it’s a great affordable and delicious meatless meal option. It’s very filling! I cut the milk in half whenever I make this recipe because I like my cheese sauce to stand up and walk. If you prefer a runnier cheese sauce, then go ahead and make it as the recipe is written.

Phew! And now I’m hungry for dinner 😉

Comment below with your favorite main dish recipes and let me know if you think there is something I should add to my collection.

Favorite Main Dish Recipes {Part 1}

I have several requests to talk about my favorite recipes by category so today we’ll get into my favorite main dish recipes! I will have to split this category up into two posts (click here for part 2)…because it would be WAY too long to do in just one.

One of my tricks for meal planning is having easy access to ALL my favorite and most-used recipes.

To make things convenient, I print them out and store the recipes in page protectors in a 3-inch binders. I divide them up by category (breakfast, dinner, etc.) When I make my meal plan, I chose one or two new recipes and then the rest are old standbys from the binder. I clean it out a few times a year to make room for new recipes we try and love. Here are my Favorite Main Dish Recipes! [Read more…]