Holiday Hacks Part 3

Who's here for tips to simplify a busy time of year? We hope these ideas will help you make room for the things that matter at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and year-round. We’d love to hear your tips as well!

1. Over door mitten scarf holder. The weather is turning cooler which means all the gear. You can use an over the door shoe organizer for keeping mittens, scarves, and winter accessories sorted and available. 

2. Furniture sliders
Oh how we wish we’d discovered these friction reducing beauties many holidays and children ago! Furniture rearrangement seems to be a part of family life and if you are making room for a tree or other decorations, may we suggest these back savers.

3. Panera coffee subscription
For $9 a month you get unlimited coffee at Panera! Subscription includes 1 cup of coffee per phone number and resets every 2 hours. 

4. Tribl Worship Music App – Tribl is an incredible resource a friend shared with me. These prepopulated play lists will fill your home with worship all season long!

5. Dwell Bible App – Another way to keep your mind set on Christ throughout the season is to let someone else read Scripture over you. Check out this app which has a few books available for free listen. 

6. Ready recipes – easy, yummy, and scalable for crowds. These aren’t necessarily holiday recipes, but if you are hosting out of town guests or just need some simple ideas for your family during holiday prep check them out! We also do plenty of BFD (breakfast for dinner), hamburgers, and take out when our schedule is full.

• Baked Chicken Thighs: https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/crispy-baked-chicken-thighs/
• Crock Pot Brisket: Buy seasoned or season with your favorite rub. Cook on low 8 hours and top with your favorite BBQ sauce! 
• Meat Loaf: https://natashaskitchen.com/meatloaf-recipe/
• Panera Cream Cheese Potato Soup: https://www.food.com/recipe/paneras-cream-cheese-potato-soup-150863
• Chicken Salad: Boil chicken breasts until cooked. Shred in stand mixer. Add mayo (or cottage cheese and greek yogurt for a healthier version!) and your favorite veggies and seasonings. We use olive oil mayo, salt, pepper, green apples, slivered almonds, onion, and bit of lemon juice. Serve on salads, wraps, or crackers!
• Fish Tacos: Need a new twist on tacos? Try swapping beef or chicken for fish! We use Wild Caught Alaskan Pollock from Wal-Mart. It bakes from frozen in less than 20 minutes and is a great way to mix up tacos.
• Baked Brie: Aldi often has brie for a great price. We basically follow the recipe below, but skip the egg. Serve with apple slices.​  https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/raspberry-baked-brie/7e5bb469-fe1f-439b-bdaa-fed3da9e1335
• Cinnamon Baked French Toast Casserole: No batches to turn makes this an easy treat for crowds! ​https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/cinnamon-baked-french-toast-recipe-2120484

What are your go to recipes when you’re short on time?

Here are recipes from years past:

• Chicken Picante 
• Sushi roll ups – grill your favorite fish, steam rice, and roll both up in bite-sized Nori (seaweed snacks). Top with soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger as desired!
• Korean Beef and Rice 
• Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast 
• Crock Pot Taco Soup (Can also be made on stove top)
• Tater Tot Casserole​

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For convenience, here are our tips from prior years but be sure to check out those posts here and here for all the details:

• Free Library App –offers instant access to books, audiobooks, and other media completely free
• Audiobooks and podcasts – Any task can be educational if you’ve got a good book or podcast playing in your ears. We also use these for our kids.
• Gift list/ card journal – You can create your own record of all-star gifts and even draft greeting card wording.
• Wal-Mart grocery delivery - $99 for annual subscription.
• Whole Foods 2 hour delivery  - free with minimum purchase
• Free USPS pickups – schedule on the USPS website 24 hours or more in advance and skip the trip to the post office. You need to have correct postage on the package at the time of pick up.
• Amazon Gift Card Greeting Cards Delivered by US Mail Same or Next Day
• Amazon Prime Music and Shows – stream shows and music! Build those Christmas playlists and stream your favorite Christmas shows and movies.
• Wal-Mart Online Grocery Shopping and Free Curbside Pick Up – saves us hours each week. Use the app to build your list as you think of items throughout the week.
• Paper Products- maybe it's just our life stage but paper products are always on our Wal-Mart grocery pick up list and not just at Christmas. 
• Poinsettias for 99¢ at Home Depot on Black Friday
• Mangers - A Completely Unbiased Perspective – a simple way to remember Christ throughout the Christmas season.