Hey Lovlies! I’m back with the first post of 2022!!!! Things are finally settling down in my life and I’m finally in a better headspace to start writing again. This wont be a long post; just a Happy New Year and a stay tuned for all the exciting things to come!
So… Happy New Year!!!!!
I wont bore you with a holiday (or end of the year) recap but I’ll just say this; aside from losing of my grandmother right before Christmas, the holiday break was nice and relaxing and I was able to spend much needed QUALITY TIME with my family.
The end of 2021 was really rough but throughout that time I was really able to access and focus in on what is truly important to me; my family and my art. I came into the new year feeling like I was regaining a pulse on what I really want in life, who I am now and most importantly who I want to be.
I am really excited for all the new opportunities and experiences this new year will bring. I have some major goals that I want to accomplish I am determined to achieve them; no excuses.
Stay tuned for all of the wonderful things I have planned for this blog and the Young-LifestyEL brand.
Be Blessed!
Make sure ( if you haven’t already)to connect with me on IG @nakiayoungel
The most challenging part of being a full-time, stay-at-home mompreneur is the juggling act I constantly have to play. Mommy, playmate, lunch lady, cleaning lady, wife, dinner cook; the list goes on, and all of this on top of running a business.
As you can imagine getting overwhelmed and stressed is not hard to do when wearing so many hats all the time. One way that I’ve tried to keep things simple is by picking quick and easy dinner recipes that I can whip together in an hour or less.
One of my favorite choices for dinner is fish simply because there are so many different types and different ways to prepare it.
Recently the hubby bought some Red Snapper and I made a quick dinner with less than 10 ingredients that turned out deliciously.
As much as I would love to say that I am the type of cook to peel my potatoes and mash them myself, lets be honest; the way my life is set up there’s no way lol. So my favorite go to are the Idahoan Instant potatoes (which are so tasty by the way).
Now I do usually like to google a nice seasoning recipe for whatever protein we’re having for dinner but on this particular day I just decided to use some Creole seasoning and keep it quick and easy.
I started by cleaning my Snapper and patted the filets dry with a paper towel.
Then I lightly brushed each filet with Avocado oil (not a lot) before evenly sprinkling the Creole seasoning on each side of both filets.
Since this was my first time making Red Snapper I looked up the best way to cook it; there were a few options but I ultimately decided on pan searing it.
To start, I put just enough Avocado oil in my pan to coat the bottom of it and placed the pan on medium heat. Once the oil was hot enough I placed each filet in the oil. I cooked the filets until they were blacked on each side and fully cooked all the way through.
After the Snapper was finished I put2 cups of water in a pot and brought it to a boil. Once the water was boilingI removed it from the burner and poured in my instant Idahoan Buttery Homestyle Potatoes, gave them a good stir and just like that they were all finished and ready to go ( you literally cannot beat that).
Lastly, I steamed some broccoli and added some butter and salt to taste . In just about 45 minutes I had made a delicious dinner that the whole family loved.
Blackened Snapper, Potatoes and Broccoli
If you are looking for a quick and easy dinner option try your had at some pan seared snapper . Grab a bag of Idahoan instant potatoes (they have some great flavors) and if you want to make it really quick you can get the steamable bags of broccoli that you can just throw in the microwave for 4.5 minutes.
Last week while in Staples for some supplies I came across this Gummy Candy Lab and just had to get it for my son. I knew that it would be a hit because 1.) our entire family loves gummies and 2.) Brian loves experiments and making things.
The kit was under $20 and came with everything needed to make your very own gummy candies at home. The entire activity took about 15 minutes (not including the refrigerator and air dry times suggested in the instructions). It is definitely a fun activity to do with children ages 6+ and of course if you just LOVE gummies like we do.
The gummies taste a bit different than what you would buy at the store but they were still quite tasty.
Getting the gummy mix into the mold wasn’t as easy as I thought because the mix starts to jellify quickly once you take it off the stove.
So if you are looking for a fun and quick activity to do with your older children I would definitely recommend swinging past Staples to pick up the kit or ordering one online.
So if you are like me this past year of being “Bored in the house and in the house bored” due to COVID has certainly forced you to get creative with ways to entertain your kiddos. I’ll be honest, this has been particularly challenging for my husband and I because of the age gap between our boys.
We have done everything from outdoor scavenger hunts, to building tents in the house to taking up weekly baking. Needless to say we are always looking for new and fun ways to keep our boys entertained.
Recently our little guy turned 2 and one of the gifts he received from his grandparents was a Bubble Maker. All I can say is…why didn’t anybody tell me sooner that our lives were missing a bubble maker? When I tell you that our entire family enjoyed playing with the bubble maker as it blew out all those bubbles at once I am telling no lies. I don’t know if I enjoyed bubbles as a child (how could I not) but what I do know is that this bubble maker certainly brought my inner child out.
So, I figured I’d share my new found “KIDertainment” idea for all the parents out there looking for new and fun things to get and enjoy with your children.
A family friend also gave us the idea to put food coloring in the bubble solution that we can have different color bubbles and we’re so excited to try that with the boys soon.
Do you have any good “KIDertainment” ideas you can share? Drop a comment below!
Well Hello Hello!!!! We are FINALLY in the new year and if you are anything like me you have been praying that 2021 is kinder to us all than 2020 was. I’ve never really been big on new year resolutions but I have always been a goal setter and a planner, and let me tell you this mompreneuer has A LOT of goals and plans for 2021.
One thing that I struggled with in 2020 (outside of consistently posting a blog entry lol) was implementing a healthy self-care routine. By the beginning of December I was running the risk of getting completely burnt out and quickly realized that I had to be more intentional about my self-care routine in 2021.
So here we are now on the first Self Care Sunday of 2021 and my husband made sure we did it right. Here is how we put together a nice, easy, and affordable home spa day.
My husband went to Target and purchased almost everything we needed:
He also grabbed us one of our favorite wine brands Stella Rosa; Watermelon and Blueberry flavors, and some wings from our local Publix.
My wine glasses I purchased on sale from Michaels and I absolutely LOVE THEM!
We were able to create a relaxing and simple home self care spa day for less than $100.
I definitely plan on creating a Self-care routine that allows me to relax and recharge on a weekly basis. I cant wait to try more home DIY self care experiences like this one. What are some things you ladies do to implement Self-Care?
Also, if Self-Care is something you really want to be intentional about this year like me, make sure you follow @selfcaremovement on Instagram and if you’re a mama like me you should also join the Facebook group “Self-Care for Moms”.
I know how difficult it can be to steal a few moments to yourself but we have to try to fit them in where we can. My husband and I gave the boys a snack and let them play in the play room while we enjoyed our little spa session. However, it wasn’t long before our toddler came running into the living room trying to throw his toys in the water. But we didnt stress, we just turned on something the whole family could watch on TV and even let the boys soak their feet when we finished. Such is life lol.
I know what you’re thinking “She hasn’t written a blog post since before Covid REALLY hit!”, and you know what…You are 100 % right! I’ll be honest, this year I intended to write a LOT more post but the adjustment to full time entrepreneur & homeschool teacher coupled with the already demanding roles of wife and boy mom had a sista BUSY!
But I’m here now, at the end of December trying to convince ya’ll that 2021 will be different and that I will do better (I will I will). However, since it is the end of the year and I’m not going to bore you all with a play by play of all the months where I didn’t post an entry, I decided I would just end the year on something light.
This year because of that girl “Rona” my family really got creative on ways to make the best of our time at home. I converted a space in our home to a full studio which I run 90% of my company out of, we turned our guest room into a play room for the boys and literally any area of our home will act as my photo studio.
I wanted really bad to do family Holiday photos this year; its actually something I’ve wanted to do since my husband and I got married in 2018. Since we weren’t going to venture out to a professional photography studio in the midst of Covid I decided on a DIY Holiday Family photoshoot and I must say…I think it turned out great!
The entire photoshoot was a huge success aside from Noble (my toddler) getting rowdy after picture #3 and making it impossible to get a photo where everyone was looking at the camera AND smiling lol. The DIY part of our photoshoot I was most proud of was all of the custom clothing pieces I made my family. I made my husband a vest, my boys turtle neck shirts and myself a dress.
YOUNG lifesty-EL 