Tag: Home

Easy Teriyaki Turkey Bowls

LeahLeave a comment

It’s no secret that Kaz and I love all kinds of Asian dishes. In an effort to order/ eat out less and cook at home more, I began to play around with recipes for an easy but yummy teriyaki sauce! This is the result of countless attempts to get it just right. I normally use ground turkey, carrots, and broccoli, but the sky’s really the limit with this.

  1. What You’ll Need
    • 1 lb Ground Turkey
    • 2 Cups Broccoli
    • 2 Cups Diced Carrots
    • 1/2 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
    • 1/4 Cup Water
    • 2 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
    • 2 Tbs Brown Sugar
    • 2 Tbs Granulated Sugar
    • 2 tsp Minced Garlic
    • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
    • 1 tsp Ground Ginger
    • 1 Tbs Cornstarch
    • 2 Tbs Warm Water
    • 1 Tbs Vegetable Oil
    • Salt and Pepper to Taste
    • Diced Green Onions (Optional)
    • Sesame Seeds (Optional)

To start things off you’ll combine the soy sauce, 1/4 cup of water, red wine vinegar, brown and granulated sugars, garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugars are dissolved.

Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 Tbs of warm water in a small bowl until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.

Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into the sauce over medium heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened to your desired consistency. Remove saucepan from heat and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and carrots and cook until slightly softened. Season with the 1 tsp of garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.

Add your ground turkey until thoroughly cooked.

Pour your teriyaki sauce over the cooked ground turkey and veggie mixture and stir to combine. Simmer for about five minutes so everything has time to soak up all the flavors until the sauce has thickened to your liking.

Serve over rice, noodles, or riced cauliflower. Green onions and sesame seeds are option for additional flavor!

XOXO,
Leah

Share the Love: Top Shelf Organizing

LeahLeave a comment

Top Shelf Organizing helps bring all of your organizational goals to life and even some you might not have known you had. Jenna Nelson is the brains and real life person behind it all! From services for your home, to staging homes to sell, unpacking after a move, and a little bit of everything in between, Jenna is your girl (and mine)!

I’ve known Jenna for as long as I can remember and even before then! She’s been a family friend and is like a sister to me. Jenna is currently based out of Tennessee, but also offers remote services!

When we first moved into our home, I was in full nesting mode and wanted to get everything organized and put away ASAP! Not only was our little one a few shorts months away from making his debut, but we were hosting both of our families. Needless to say, I was in full on go mode. This is where Jenna was a serious God send in helping me conquer my what seemed like a huge a daunting task. Her guidance and expertise were so helpful to me so I didn’t just run out and buy everything that looked good!

Jenna had me send her lots of pictures, dimensions, and what I was wanting to do with the spaces. From there we talked about how my husband and I live and how we wanted to be able to make the space work for us. All of the bins and containers in the world are no good, no matter how pretty they look, if they don’t help make the space functional!

One of the best parts of working with Jenna is that she genuinely cared that we were happy with the outcome. It wasn’t and never is her just trying to get you to buy buy buy! In the end, we did end up getting a few of the products she recommended, but I honestly can’t imagine our home without them now! They help us make the most of the spaces they’re in and give us systems for easy organization!

Our sink caddy helps keep clutter off of the counters. I love that the rack allows things like brushes and sponges to dry as well! https://rstyle.me/+6ZP5yeQejP0NVrH-X3sRJw

We have these sink organizers under all three of our sinks; kitchen and both bathrooms! Neither bathroom is huge, so making the most of the space was a must! These allow us to take advantage of every last inch. https://rstyle.me/+QQxwScV9L7RDEnW-sqMYnw

We cook a ton in our house; everything from good old midwestern comfort food to Indian inspired and a little of everything in between. This means, we have so many different kinds of spices and seasonings! This spice stack organizer helps us keep them all in one place and not having to dig in the cabinet trying to find them. We paired them with these glass spice jars since we like being able to reuse them since we buy from bulk bins! Spice stack: https://rstyle.me/+aJWtk103VLz5av0mjGc8-A Spice jars: https://rstyle.me/+CWH0a64m0G6Ou6CBKJet8A

You can get in touch with Jenna and see her amazing work on her website: https://topshelforganizing.com or via her email jenna@topshelforganizing.com

Follow along with her and the jobs she’s worked and working on https://www.instagram.com/topshelforganizing/ or on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/tntopshelforganizing/

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Thursday, ya’ll!

If you’re reading this, you can already guess from the title, what today is; It’s our sweet baby boy’s first birthday! One whole year ago on July 9th, this sweet boy made his debut and has stolen our hearts a little more each day!

This first year, we decided to not share a ton about our little babe just out of wanting to be overly cautious while we got the hang of this whole parenting thing along with navigating this Army life of ours.

While this is certainly not the way I had always imagined a first birthday would be (global pandemic, hundreds of miles away from family, deployment…) I wouldn’t change a thing.

As crazy as that sounds, this last year has stretched and challenged both me and my husband in ways we never thought possible. I didn’t even know growth in the ways we have was real. Don’t get me wrong though , we’re still just winging this whole parenting thing and doing the best we can. We are by no means experts nor will we ever be!

There is something so incredibly beautiful in all of this though.

Our sweet baby has had his daddy gone more than he’s been home. He’s lived (and still living) through a global pandemic. We stayed with Grandma and Pa for several months. 

He is silly and so expressive! He loves his Ailey girl and giving her pats. Reading stories and singing songs are his favorite things to do. He has ten teeth and knows how to sign and say different words. He crawls around the house like nobody’s business, and walking isn’t too far off! He has been so incredibly sweet and patient with his mama while she’s navigated this (temporary) single parenting gig. We really did luck out!

Happy 1st Birthday, sweet boy! If you remember nothing else I say to you, I hope you’ll always remember this; You are kind. You are smart. You are strong. Mama and daddy (and Ailey) love you!

Hi world, I’m Kaz!

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XOXO,
Leah

Our Military Family

LeahLeave a comment

Being married to someone in the military was never anything I planned to do, but when I married my now husband, I married him for all that he is despite what he had signed up to do.

Now, over two years later, a puppy, new house, countless trainings, and a sweet baby boy later; here we are. If I’ve learned anything these last few years, it’s that even though this lifestyle is hard for me, it’s just as hard for him:

He wakes up and leaves before our baby has even started stirring each morning. He sometimes comes home with only a few hours before bedtime.

He packs his bags to leave and gives us both one last kiss and hug. He puts on a brave face to try and make it a little easier on me.

He ignores the calendar as time flies by. He knows that we’re running out of days, out of time before the inevitable “I’ll see you soon” comes around again.

He promises to call and text. He hopes our baby boy will remember him despite all of the time apart.

Before we know it, he’s gone again, and we’re wishing time would hurry up.

I know his heart breaks a little when he thinks of all the things he’ll miss out on; playing together, first steps, and all of those sweet snuggles.

I know how much he wishes our time together could just slow down a little. I wish it would too.

I know he’s conflicted between wanting to stay home with us and his sense of duty.

So for now, we’ll pack up the bags and hold on just a second longer. We’ll remind him how proud we are now and always.

We remember now and everyday that it will never be, “Goodbye”. It will always be, “I’ll see you soon”.

XOXO,
Leah

How I Prepare For Guests: T-48 Hours

LeahLeave a comment

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We all know that feeling of still having a million things we’d like to get done before guests come to stay. I’m currently right in the middle of it!

Every time, I always wonder to myself what I can leave until the last 48 hours beforehand. Have you ever done that too? After many times hosting, these are the 10 things I’ve learned can wait until almost the last second to do:

1. Putting fresh towels out. If there’s a clean towel left unattended for too long, my pup will find it! She loves smelling fresh laundry, so I’ve learned it’s best to wait until right before guests arrive to put these out!

2. Vacuuming. Did I mention I have a puppy? With a big back yard to play in and spring in full swing, it seems like she’s always tracking something into the house. Laminate floors are not too forgiving either. Needless to say, I may or may not be putting the vacuum away as you pull up to our house.

3. Lighting candles. I love how inviting a good smelling candle can make a house, but I’ve also been in homes before where you can tell the candles have been burning for days. For our home, I’ve found that the perfect compromise is lighting the candles an hour or two before guests arrive. This way you can still smell the scent, but it’s not too overpowering!

4. Stocking the fridge with the fresh stuff. It’s no secret that fresh fruits and veggies don’t last forever. That’s why I wait until a day or two before to stock up on the fresh goodies; fruit, veggies, dips, etc. This way, they’re good and ready to snack on, but not pushing their expiration or sell by date!

5. All of the pretty flowers. I think a pretty bouquet of flowers really adds an extra touch to a guest room or kitchen table. Not only are they pretty, but they smell good too! Just like fresh produce though, flowers don’t last forever. Whenever I go out for the fresh food, I make a point of it to pick up some fresh flowers too!

6. Cleaning the kitchen, living room, etc. This is not to say I don’t clean, because I do at least once a week. I do however wait to give every day spaces like the kitchen and living room until the day of before I go through one more time. Life is never 100% neat and tidy and neither are the spaces we live in on a daily basis!

7. Laundry. I like to have as little in the dirty clothes hamper as I can when we have guests. This way my husband and I know we have plenty of clean options for whatever we end up doing. There’s almost nothing worse than getting ready to go out and realizing that part of the outfit you had in mind is dirty!

8. Any kind of baking or cooking. I always like being able to offer guests something homemade; bread, cookies, muffins, etc. It’s a nice little extra touch since when we do have guests it involves a full day of travel to get here. Since there aren’t any preservatives, it’s best not to make them too far in advance. It also helps makes the whole house smell so yummy!

9. Stocking the coffee and tea bar. Our coffee and tea bar gets used on a daily basis and even more so when we have guests! I always wait until the day of to restock and top things like sugar off. That way, it’s fully loaded for guests to use. I also make sure to have a little dish with peppermints nearby in case it’s a grab and go kind of morning for coffee!

10. Make the bed(s). Last but certainly not least, is making and freshening up the bed or beds depending on how many guests are coming. This always involves clean sheets, fluffing up the pillows and smoothing out the comforter. I normally finish it off with a cozy blanket on the end to help make the room feel warm and inviting!

What are the things you leave until the last 48 hours to do before guests arrive? Let me know in the comments below!

XOXO,
Leah

New House, Who ‘Dis?

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Monday, y’all

Today I’m sharing some pretty big news; the biggest news of 2019! If you follow me on Instagram (@alongftride), you’re already in the know. This past week my husband, our Ailey girl, and I moved into our new home!

This has been in the works for quite a while, and after much searching we finally found the one that felt like ours from the moment we stepped foot in it!

If you’ve been following along with my How I Prepare For Guests series (Bathroom and Guest Room are up!), you’ll also understand that a new house means preparing a little differently than I used to. We have T-minus two weeks until our first guests arrive, and I’m in go mode!

Stay tuned to see how I’ll be tweaking and revamping my ways to make sure our guests feel welcomed in our new home!

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XOXO,
Leah

How I Prepare For Guests: The Bedroom

Leah1 Comment

Happy Monday, ya’ll!

If you read my post two weeks ago, you’ll know that this is part two of that series! If you haven’t had the chance to read it yet, you can click here and get all caught up!

After I have the guest bathroom all stocked and fully loaded with the things to make my guests’ stay a little better, it’s on to the bedroom. When I’m getting the guest room together, I always try to think of little ways to make it comfy, cozy, and inviting; a place I would want to stay in.

First things first: the bed: I’m a big believer in fresh sheets and plenty of pillows!  There are normally at least four pillows on the bed, not including decorative ones. This way our guests have plenty to use if they want, or the extras can just go on the floor.

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Depending on the season determines what kind of comforter or duvet cover is on the bed. In the colder months, it’s a little ticker and warmer. Right now, I have a white duvet cover that has an almost woven like texture to it on the bed.

There’s a mirror and a small hutch in the corner of the room, but other than those and the bed, there’s not much else in the ways of furniture. The guest room isn’t big by any means, so less is definitely more in this case!

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Little touches you’ll also find are a letter board with the Wi-Fi information, extra blankets in the hutch, and hangers in the closet.

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What little things stand out to you the most when you stay at someone’s home? Let me know in the comments below!

XOXO,
Leah