“Better Life” Cleaner Review

Hello! It’s been awhile! I won’t say it’s a comeback, but my current situation gives me more than ample time to type away at the computer.

Since I’ve been off the blogging grid, our family has had some exciting developments. We are expecting twins in April!

I still can’t believe we are having two babies. CRAZY! Life is crazy with one newborn- can’t imagine two babies, plus our two older kids!  Asking for lots of prayers and help very soon.:)

Nevertheless, our family is overjoyed and excited by the fact that we are doubling up on our kids! A brother and a sister for my children… how awesome is that??!!  Honestly, this is a dream come true for me. Before marriage, I always wanted four  kids- two girls, two boys. But as most married people and parents know, actually having a child changes all that. I decided I would be okay with two. Then bam! We are blessed with two more.  Overall, it’s been the toughest pregnancy yet- really bad morning sickness, getting heavy from early on, and now I’m officially on bed rest at home.  Husband is taking up the load now and I am ever grateful that he is capable of doing it all!!:) This is a much better situation than with my second child where I was hospitalized for seven weeks. Eek! I hope I get to stay home until these babies come.

Anywho, this post will be about a cleaning product that I’ve recently started using.

My husband enjoys watching the show “Shark Tank”, where entrepreneurs bring their business ideas to a group of investors for potential capital injection.   One of the featured businesses was this cleaning product company called “Better Life.”  Two dads began this venture to create cleaning products that were safe for their young children and for the environment.

You’re thinking, “There are so many companies like this out there now.”  But you have to watch this video. It’s very impressive. Impressive enough that they ended up getting an investment from the “sharks.”

(Better Life is the first team featured on the show.)

After watching this, my husband ordered us the Shark kit from their website.

We were really impressed with how well these plant-based, all-natural cleaners worked!  As you’ll see in the video, their tests show that their cleaners disinfect and clean better than the leading brand of cleaner that contains all kinds of toxic chemicals.  The guy even sprayed the cleaner in his mouth! That’s crazy!

LOVE IT!  The products are safe for my kids, safe for the environment and clean better than the leading chemical cleaners-  it doesn’t get much better than that! For $25, I think these products are definitely worth trying! You can order the products online here.

Well, that’s it for my first post back. My next post will be a menu planning post. I’m not able to do the cooking around the house anymore, so this will be a menu planned by both my husband and me.  ‘Till next time!

Spicy Octopus and Homeschooling

Happy April!

Spring is officially here! I’ve got a new wreath of peonies on my door, and I’m feeling giddy!  My first-born is turning six this month and finishing up her first year of school this June! Crazy!!

Been itching to do some spring cleaning, and one night I decided to take apart my refrigerator! I washed every glass and plastic piece and rubbed that thing down! Reorganized too!

Top: Beverages
2nd Shelf: Ready to cook/eat food

I said reorganized, not emptied out though!  I’m telling you there’s a lot of empty space in the back of some of those shelves. Makes it look more packed:) Trying to make sure to clean food out before I find stuff growing on them.:)

On another note…

Recently, I made a Spicy Octopus dish. Turned out quite spicy and delish!

Spicy Octopus

I would have added those white thin noodles, soh-myun (소면), but ran out of time.  I had leftovers the next day, so I made it with Cheese ddukboki! Have you tried these? I first tried them in Korea at a chicken kalbi place.

It is sooo yummy!

Spicy octopus with Cheese Ddukboki

Cheese Ddukboki (rice cake)

The recipe for this is pretty simple.

Spicy Octopus

Ingredients:

1/2 package of frozen octopus ( 낙지) or fresh whole octopus from Asian market ( I don’t want to deal with cutting it, so I just buy the pre-cut, frozen kind)

1/2 onion, sliced

Sliced Veggies ( optional- cabbage, carrots, zucchini)

1 green or red chile

Red chile oil

Sauce ingredients:

2 tbsp Red pepper powder

1 heaping tbsp of red pepper paste

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp Rice wine

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Black pepper to taste

2 tbsp of water used to cook octopus

Directions:

1.  Prepare octopus by first placing it in a bowl and sprinkle coarse sea salt. “Scrub” the octopus until no foam forms.  You’ll know what I’m talking about after you do it.  Rinse and then cut into bite size pieces if not cut already.

2. Preheat a saute pan and add the cut and cleaned octopus.  Cover with lid and cook on high heat for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat immediately (overcooking it will make the texture tough) and set aside the water in the pan for the sauce.

3.  Mix all the sauce ingredients with the octopus water from pan.

4. Preheat another pan and add 1 tbsp of the red chile oil and the sauce.  Simmer on low heat, stirring often to prevent burning.  If you have veggies that need to cook awhile to get soft, put them in now.

5.  When veggies are half-way done, add the octopus. Cook for another 3-5 minutes max.

6. Serve with white rice, white noodles.

Yummy!

Been wanting to post about my smoothies too!

Thanks to my Aunt who gifted me the Kefir grains, I’ve been growing my own kefir at home.  I’ve been adding it to our smoothies, along with everything else pictured below.

Kefir

Smoothie ingredients (L to R): Kefir, Spirulina, Frozen Acai berries, Flax seed, Chia Seeds, Wheat Germ, Frozen strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, not pictured: Bananas, oranges, Soy milk

My beloved Vitamix

Kefir definitely makes it sour, but my kids don’t seem to mind! What goes into my smoothies varies, but the healthy stuff I try to keep consistent.  I love adding kale into a fruit smoothie too. My kids will drink it! Amazing right? And I never add any sugar. The fruits make it sweet enough!  I still haven’t ventured to make much else in my Vitamix, but one day I shall!

Last but not least, these are the two things on my heart right now and thought it would fun to share the journey with you:

Adoption: We are just in the thinking, praying stages. Got recently connected to this website, so I will start exploring more.

Homeschooling: I’ve been sitting on this notion for about two years now. I’m still sitting on it, but every time I read about it, think about it, my heart gets excited.

Here’s a book I just read: “Homeschooling: A Family’s Journey” by Gregory and Martine Millman

I liked it because it gave me an overview from the mere beginnings all the way to college. Not overly religious and their kids went onto college and are not socially awkward. I gave a sigh of relief after. However, still left with BIG looming questions of curriculum and lifestyle. Will keep you updated…

Okie dokes!

Happy Cooking and happy reading!

Food: Meal Plan

Another week!

I must say last week was quite a success! On Friday, I was very tempted NOT to cook at home and make the Veggie Lasagna. It was the end of the week, I was pretty tired, but I didn’t want to waste the ricotta cheese and all of the other ingredients I bought for the recipe. I’m really glad I decided to do it because it was simple, fast and DELICIOUS! My kids really ate it up. That’s the true reward of all this cooking- seeing my kids eat. Whenever my husband and I see little kids eating well, we gaze in amazement because our kids aren’t voracious eaters. Unless we deprive them of snacks in between meals and go straight for the Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, my kids are not that interested in eating.  Nevertheless, I continue cooking with the hopes that one day my kids will sit through a whole meal without asking how many more bites they need to take.:)

So here we go:

Monday: Kimchi Jjigae or soup with pork for hubby and I, Animal pasta with leftover pasta sauce from the veggie lasagna

Tuesday: Valentine’s Day Dinner with the family! We are staying in this year and doing a special dinner at home.  Our menu for the night is:

Shrimp Linguini from Tyler Florence

Garlic Bread ( Sun Harvest’s Texas Toast is THE best I’ve tasted. I’ve only found it at Sprouts.)

Salad (Not a big salad person, so I buy the pre-made kind from Costco. Grand Parisian salad mix. The BEST dressing, even my husband will finish his salad.)

Steamed broccoli or asparagus for the kids

Dessert: Chocolate covered strawberries that we will make with the kids and sparkling apple cider to drink!

Wednesday: Pre-marinated Kalbi, Lettuce, Doenjang jjigae (non-spicy with tofu for kids, spicier for us), side dishes

Thursday: Uptown Pork Chops and Apple Sauce: Roast Pork Tenderloins with Escalloped Apples by Rachel Ray, some kind of veggies, whatever I have left this week

Friday: Shabu Shabu with beef and veggies!

Lunch ideas:

With the dinners planned, lunch seemed so much easier as well because I was eating leftovers or just creating new dishes impromptu. For instance, with left-over masago, avocado, cucumber, imitation crab meat from Tuesday night, I made a rice bowl, adding some sesame oil and a red pepper sauce I made with red pepper paste, sugar, vinegar, and sesame seeds. Looking forward to creating some lunches this week!:)

Some other lunch ideas at home:

1. Tuna Salad Sandwich

Recipe courtesy of altaelee:)

Makes: 3 good sandwiches

Ingredients:
– 2 hard-boiled eggs (coarsely chopped)
– 1 can of low sodium tuna
– 1 stalk celery (finely diced)
– 5-6 olives (finely diced)
– 1-2 tbsp mustard
– 2-3 tbsp mayonnaise
– pinch salt/pepper (to taste)

mix together and voila! all done.

Just spread the tuna/egg mix between two slices of toasted bread and add:

– sliced tomato
– cheese
– lettuce leaf

2. Grilled cheese and Tomato basil soup: Costco has a great tomato basil soup in the fresh food section. I bought it last time and my kids loved it too. It is such an easy meal since we always have bread and cheese in the house!

I will try to post the Korean food recipes as soon as I can!

Grocery list for this week posted here. Love Zenbe lists- just add the rest of your shopping this week to this list!

Happy eating and cooking!:)

Home: Tiny Tools

Kitchens are always stocked with tools and gadgets. But not all are created equal.  Some of my tools get used daily, some once a week.

Today, I am showcasing the true workhorses in my kitchen.

Mini Fry-pan, Mini Cutting Board, Mini Colander

Mini Fry-pan: We are a breakfast loving family. Eggs are an essential part of any breakfast so I went looking for this fry pan to make those perfect little eggs that fit into a McMuffin sandwich.  The pan is pretty much good for anything!  It’s a little hard to flip an egg, so I’m trying to perfect the tossing egg action. One time I got greedy and tried flipping Bryan’s eggs more than twice and eventually it landed on my stove! But for the most part, any novice can cook a perfectly shaped egg in this pan.

Mini Cutting Board: I use this bad boy every day. Anytime I need to do quick cutting and I don’t want to waste a huge cutting board, I use this. Great for fruit cutting!

Mini Colander: This colander is so great for washing all kinds of fruit, especially berries. I also use this to drain veggies that I cook for the kids- edamame, corn, broccoli, etc.  Pretty much another essential in my kitchen.

And that’s it! Short post today, but wanted to highlight my favs in the kitchen.

Looking for more tools to add to my favorites list!

Home: Apple TV + Netflix = Good-bye Cable!

We have been cable-less for about three years.  With two little ones keeping us busy, it was nearly impossible to watch TV.  Hulu and Korean drama websites were our friends.:)  If the kids wanted to watch any movies, I would play Netflix from my laptop and hook it up to an HDMI cable to my TV.

For Christmas, we received the Apple TV as a gift!  At first, I didn’t know what to expect from this pretty little box. But for those of you who know my husband, you know his philosophy- if it’s Apple, it’s good.

Well, I’m here to admit to you, he is right. It’s GOOOOOD!!

Apple TV connects via an HDMI cable and runs like a mini computer.  We already subscribe to the $7.99 streaming video plan, so Netflix plays directly to our TV.  The screen looks like this.

Start Screen for Apple TV

So cool right??

This is the best thing for families because there are movies, cartoons galore for kids! We never buy DVDs because Netflix gives us such a wide selection! Kids’ favorites include Cailou,  Angelina Ballerina , Toy Story 3, and Yo Gabba Gabba. Too many to count!

We have so much fun with this too because we can watch Food Network shows, A&E shows, and major cable TV shows as well.  The shows range from oldies like Quantum Leap, Murder She Wrote, to new shows like Bones, 24, Grey’s Anatomy, and Glee.  Man Vs. Wild and Man Vs. Food are two of Bryan’s favorite shows. Hmmm, sounds like a pattern.:)

Best thing for me is the increasing selection of Korean movies and dramas!! Going to start City Hunter with hubby since it even has the English translation!

You can watch YouTube, Vimeo videos as well as rent new movies from the I-Tunes Store. Podcasts are also available.  Suze Orman, Rachel Maddow, NPR and more.

Apple TV + Netflix has really revolutionized our TV watching.  We are discovering something new almost every day.  If you enjoy movies and TV but don’t want to pay that cable bill every month, try this out!  You will be amazed!:)

Husband and I fight over this remote:

 

Thank you, Apple!

Home Product Review: Generic vs. Name brand

When shopping for common household products, I tend to buy generic because of the price point.  With most products, I haven’t found a huge difference in quality that would push me the other way.  Some of my favorite generics are:

Costco’s Liquid Dish Soap:

LOVE LOVE LOVE this soap. I love the fresh scent. Usually dish soaps tend to have a strong scent that leaves me nauseous at times,  but this soap actually makes me happy while washing the dishes! It’s also gentle enough that I use it to wash my hands. It’s the only dish soap that I’ve found that washes the dishes well, smells good and is still gentle enough for my hands. I haven’t had to buy a separate hand soap for my kitchen sink.  Another plus is that it’s environmentally friendly- made of biodegradable materials, no phosphate, dyes, and it’s plant based!

Another generic brand product I use often are Target diapers.

I always thought Huggies or Pampers were the best because of the brand presence they have, but these Target diapers are just as great- leak proof and affordable! I can’t get to Costco all the time, so I do my Target run with my 5% Red Card, and the prices work out to be about the same deal as Costco.

Now the real reason for this post was to highlight one product that lives up to it’s name.

It’s the Swiffer Refills!

I have tried generic brands of these refills and was disappointed. Even after sweeping under my couches, the cloths remained fairly white with not enough dust on it to make me feel like I accomplished something. I switched back to the Swiffer brand to compare. Sure enough, these dry cloths did the job right!  One sweep under my couches and these cloths emerged as bonafide dust workhorses with a nice overall gray hue to them.  LOVE IT!

I’m all for saving a penny or two, but I don’t blink twice when it comes to my Swiffer refills.

Do you have other name brands in household products you stick by? Let me know!

Happy sweeping!

Korean drink: Dabang Coffee or instant mix coffee

Late post late post! It’s been on my mind for two weeks, but it’s been a crazy party planning weekend and I got sick on top of that.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful Monday morning! I am oddly very awake this morning and feeling productive. We’ll see how my day goes with the kids…:)

Many of you who frequent Korean cafe establishments are very familiar with Dabang coffee. This style of coffee originates from some of Korea’s oldest cafe and it consists of two parts coffee, two parts half & half, and two parts sugar. Basically, it’s a super sweet coffee that plays the role of dessert rather than an alarm clock.  Still, I find myself craving this coffee! So what’s a girl to do on a morning such as this, when my throat is killing me and I actually want something sweet and coffee-like? ( I know weird, you would think tea not coffee, but I’m not a tea girl.)

I get MOCHA GOLD!

Before Starbucks released their version of instant coffee, Koreans had their Maxim or Rose.  My favorite is Maxim’s Mocha Gold.  These little convenient packages bring dabang coffee right into your home!  Just open at the “Easy Cut” line (no scissors required), pour mix in the cup, add hot water and stir with the empty packet!  And did you know this fact? You can control the sugar content by holding the end of the packet. Want less sugar? Just pinch the end and less sugar is poured into your cup! How genius is that?  Maybe I am too easily impressed:)…

Anywho, these little packets are a staple in my house because some days, I just don’t want to grind beans and brew a whole pot of coffee or I ran out of my favorite flavored creamer.  In less than 2 minutes, I have a steaming hot cup of dabang coffee!

You can grab a huge bag of these little packets at any Korean market. They range from $9.99 and up, but there are 50+ packets in one bag, so you will be stocked for awhile.

I’m enjoying a cup right now as I type this.

Go and get your dabang on!:)

Happy Monday!

Mom tip!: Organizing

Wow! It’s been two weeks since my last post. Life has been crazy as work has been picking up. Busy is good, but I’ve been exhausted!!

Wanted to do a short post.

I’ve been determined to re-style, re-organize my house. But the problem is, I am NOT an organized person. I guess you can say I function in organized chaos. I can find you anything you need despite the mess:) Maybe it’s more of a mom trick.

Anyway, I found myself looking for someone to mentor me, teach me on this art of organizing.

I found this blog: I’m an Organizing Junkie

Love it already!  The blogger’s name is Laura, and she is a stay-at-home mom in Alberta, Canada. She writes about the best way to organize your pantry, kitchen, bedrooms, etc.  She has guest writers who also blog about the same things. She even does menu planning! Talk about treasure chest for moms!!

Because of her,  I have started on mini projects here and there.

First things first, I stocked up on baskets from the dollar store. BTW, they have AWESOME baskets for $1.

I also reloaded my label maker.

Then I tackled my trouble areas:

1. Top Pantry

2. Kids’ bowls/cups/plates

I realized I should have taken before and after pictures, but here is the after.

Top Pantry

Kids’ Cups/Lids etc.

This process worked for me because I could categorize, label, and make everything fit in a container.  After reading many organizing articles, blogs, etc., I have deduced one common moral.  If you have a designated spot for something, i.e. it’s labeled clearly and placed efficiently according to its use, it is much easier to stay organized.

Of course after I started on this rampage, I got super busy and I haven’t been able to tackle all the areas of my home I wanted to re-organize. But once I do, I’ll post new pictures.

As I attempt these projects, the motivational drive is positively affecting other areas of my life. I’m more aware of ways I can clean clutter. Part of this is also getting rid of a lot of “stuff”. Yard sale maybe? We’ll see…

Are you looking for a fresh start? This may be the push you need to get going:)

Happy Organizing!

Mom tip: Review of Earth Therapeutic’s Soft Heels Gel Sleeves

I have dry, cracked feet. Those of you that know me, know that I have a bad habit of peeling them. Gross, I know.  But I’m telling you, it’s a genetic thing, passed down through my dad. Turns out my cousins and aunts deal with the same thing!.:)

Just putting lotion on my feet with socks was not helping because the socks would soak up the lotion.  I knew I needed to find another solution. I had heard of heel socks, so I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to check it out.

OMG! These are amazing. They have a soft, cool gel lining just in the heel area. I lotion my feet and then slip these babies on.  I keep them on overnight and in the morning, my heels look almost normal again!!! Truly, you must understand what a huge improvement this is for me. My friends have seen my feet and the first reaction I get is, “GASP! Michelle! Stop peeling your feet! That looks like it hurts!”  I wish I had taken some before and after pictures.

Maybe I should have gotten the whole foot version because I have peeling skin behind my toes as well, but for now these heel socks are AMAZING! I think these will be gifts for all of my family members who deal with dry, cracked feet.  Once again, they are not cheap! But it was a necessity in my life, so I shelled out $15 for it at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I’ve seen it online for $12, but with shipping, it might end up being $15 anyway.

I haven’t used it long enough to say that my peeling feet are completed healed, but I am definitely a lot closer now!

My feet feel pampered… finally.:)

My rating for these socks:  4.5 out of 5

Mom tip: Target’s Red Card

Calling all lovers of Target!!

If you are a frequenter of Target, I am sure you have seen all those 5% red circles everywhere.  I am sure you just walked on by thinking, I don’t need anymore credit cards.

BUT!! Did you know that they have a Red Debit Card?

The card links to your bank account and acts like a normal debit card. You will get 5% off EVERY time you use your Red debit card at Target!!! No fees and it’s not a credit card! I regret not doing it sooner. Since I go to Target at least once a week, this Red Card is totally worth it and it saves me money every time!

All you need is a voided check for them to run through and you can apply for the Red Card right as you check out.

Don’t you love Target even more now??:)