A Productive Sunday

Today was a productive day for a Sunday! Normally I'm curled up on the couch all day, watching TV, and dreading the work week. But today I went shopping, cleaned up the house, meal planned, read a new book, did some laundry, and soaked up a little bit of sun!

George on the other hand... He didn't do much of anything.

I started off the day with a big cup of coffee and meal planning. I just started a new method to my meal planning and it has been making it so simple and quick, however I want to give it a few more weeks to work out all the kinks before I share it with you all. 

One of my secrets to making it so quick is eMeals. 

Every week I am sent a meal plan and grocery list from eMeals based on the meal plan I choose on their site. They have a wide range of plan options from Budget Friendly to Diabetic and Paleo to Paula Dean! 

One of the meals I chose to try this week was the Lasagna Soup. It was so easy to make and I had almost all of the ingredients on hand already! A win-win in my book. 

It smelled so good and tasted even better! After eating the first bowl I realized that I should have broken up the lasagna noodles even smaller so I went back in with some kitchen shears and cut up the big pieces. I packed up the leftovers for lunches this week! 

If you want to try out eMeals for free, head on over to their site and check out the free two week trial! 

After lunch I downloaded a Kindle book and headed outside to catch a few rays. It was a gorgeous day and a little over 70 degrees - perfect book reading weather. 

I also found out about the site BookBub from my mom. You just sign up and they email you every day with a different book for free or that's on sale based on your interests! I'm trying to get back into reading more so this is a great way for me to learn about new books I may have not found on my own.

Question of the Day

Do you have any meal planning tips? How do you find new books?

Disclaimer: I receive this product free of charge in exchange for advertisement on my blog and social media channels. I will not receive any sort of commission if you use the links in the post. I just love the product and think you should try it too!

An Easter Treat for You

Do you ever struggle with coming up with different meal ideas? Tired of having the same thing over and over? Do you need healthier low-fat, gluten free, vegetarian, and/or recipes for portion controlled meals? Then eMeals is perfect for you!

eMeals' goal is to simplify your life. When you sign up for eMeals you will receive a weekly meal plan that is tailored to your eating style, the number of people in your family, and the grocery store you shop at. Each week they email you a meal plan with recipes and a shopping list. You can use any or all of these recipes to help make meal time easy. According to their website, eMeals helps families save 4-5 hours/week and $1,000/year!

I recently signed up for the Portion Control plan for 1-2 people and have been loving some of the things they have been sending me. All of the recipes are super easy and I love that they tell you exactly what and how much to buy at the grocery store. Since I am not cooking much while living in the dorms, I have been writing down my favorite recipes so I can use them next year when I live off campus!

This week they even sent out an Easter menu with a handful of different recipes! Here is an example of one of the delicious recipes that new and current members will receive in their Easter menu: Orange Muffins with Orange Glaze.

They also sent a little Easter surprise for my readers which includes 10% ANY eMeals meal plan! You just have to use the discount code at the checkout.

Now just click on the following link to start receiving amazing recipes from eMeals!

Be sure to check out the eMeals blog which is always full of great tips and recipes.

Question

Have you heard of eMeals before? Are you already a member?

Celebrating Simplicity

One of the best parts about coming home is the packages waiting for me!

The dorm rooms are small enough as it is so I don't feel like it is necessary to have packages sent there so I give companies my home address instead. My mom now knows that if I get a package to open it up and see if it needs to be put in the fridge or not! If she didn't do that then we would have some moldy cheese and yogurts on our hands!

When I went home this time I was in for a big surprise! Cascadian Farms is celebrating "Simplicity" and sent me some of their favorite simple products.

Diesel was having just as much fun as I was checking out all of the goodies!

Here is an overview of the things I received:

(Please hang in there as this post is somewhat lengthy. You won't regret it because there are some coupon codes and reviews of some awesome products! Click on the brand name to be taken to their website to see all of their products!)

Cascadian Farm products

Cascadian Farm sent me their Crunchy Oats & Honey Granola Bars and Crunchy Peanut Butter Granola bars. I love the crunch that these granola bars have and these flavors are delicious. Check out my full review of the Oats & Honey Granola Bars here.

A t-shirt rockin' the Cascadian Farm logo. This shirt is extremely soft and comfy!

A large canvas bag with the Cascadian Farm logo on it.

Diesel's favorite item in the box was definitely the bag! She hung out in there for a few minutes.

Neutrogena Naturals

This acne cream cleanser is part of Neutrogena's Natural line that offers pure and natural skincare products. I normally use face cleansers that have micro beads in them so this was a change for me but I really loved the feel and smell of this cleanser! My face felt really soft and clean after using it.

Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid

I haven't used this yet but I love natural cleaning products so I can't wait to use it in my apartment next year! I was sent the Fresh Citrus & Ginger fragrance and thought it smelled really fresh.

I checked out Seventh Generation's website to see some of the other products they offer and they have hand soaps, laundry detergents, toilet paper, diapers, lotions, stain removers and much more, all made from simple ingredients that are good for you and the environment.

Lifefactory Water Bottle

I think this water bottle is so cute! It's a BPA-free, glass water bottle with a silicone sleeve. Lifefactory has so many fun different colors and sizes. Their catalog showed some fun spring colors that definitely caught my eye.

I think it is so neat to see how their bottles can be used from infancy to adulthood. The 9oz bottles can be used as a bottle then a sippy cup and then a snack holder as the child ages. You can order different lids for the bottles like the flat cap, classic cap, and sippy cap so you get the most out of the bottle!

 

Bento Lunch Box

The bright colors and interchangeable containers make this lunch box cute and fun! You can easily pack a sandwich without worrying about it getting squished, throw in fruits and veggies, and take your salad dressing on the side!

The containers are sturdy, leak-proof and microwave safe! I am going to have to pack a lunch next year when I am on campus all day so this is going to be perfect! The website also recommended taking the box with you when you go out to eat so you don't have to use one of the to-go containers if you have leftovers.

Laptop Lunches, the makers of the Bento Lunch Box, are offering all of you 10% off of your purchase on their website. Just enter the code simplybento at the checkout!

People Towels

These re-useable towels are an alternative to your ordinary paper towel. They are made from a 100% organic Fair Trade cotton, are super absorbent and dry quickly. People Towels come in all sorts of fun prints and patterns and can even be personalized with your business' logo! I received the Inspire. Dream. Believe. pattern.
 

eMeals

eMeals' goal is to simplify your life. When you sign up for eMeals you will receive a weekly meal plan that is tailored to your eating style, the number of people in your family, and the grocery store you shop at. Each week they email you a meal plan with recipes and a shopping list. You can use any or all of these recipes to help make meal time easy.

Here is an example of what you will receive each week if you sign up for the Classic Meal Plan for a family of 4-6 people.

If you are interested in signing up for eMeals click on the link below! I signed up for the Portion Control eating style for 1-2 people.

Question

What are your favorite products that make life simple or are made from simple ingredients? 
Are you already using any of the above simple products?