The Little Things Newsletter #362 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! The end of the school year is in full swing here with a friend’s graduation party tonight, along with my youngest son’s spring concert for school. It’s hard to believe summer will officially be here in less than a month!

ON THE BLOGS this week: Honey, Sriracha, soy sauce, and sesame oil are all you need to make this irresistible sweet and spicy broccoli.

The aroma of this ground beef spaghetti sauce as it simmers away on the stove is absolutely divine. Rich and savory flavors create a symphony in this simple recipe. And this simple mushroom spaghetti sauce trumps anything you can buy in jars or cans at the grocery store. 

This garlic herb bread has become a staple on our meal plan and I’m not sad about it. Made with plenty of butter, herbs, and garlic, this is an easy way to elevate your next pasta night.

Saucy bites of tangy chicken come together perfectly with roasted potatoes and broccoli in this bbq chicken and potato casserole. This flavorful and hearty dish is a big win at my house. (There may have been a bit of a squabble over the last of the leftovers too. It was definitely a hit.)

The tender pop of juicy sweet corn balances the mild acidity of peppers and onions in this festive side dish. Colorful confetti corn pairs wonderfully with many of our favorite meals.

Homemade rocky road ice cream is creamy chocolate and almond-flavored ice cream loaded with chewy marshmallows, crunchy almonds, and flecks of chocolate.

Did you know that rocky road was one of the first ice cream flavors that mixed in additional ingredients? I’m so glad that became a thing because I am hooked on fully loaded ice creams.

Blueberries and lemon come together perfectly in a sour cream coffee cake that is truly worthy of any occasion.

Indulge in a chocolate lover’s dream with flavors that will leave your taste buds craving for more. You won’t believe how easy it is to make this triple chocolate bundt cake with an irresistible peanut butter glaze.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Heidi’s udon st

Rocky Road Ice Cream

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Homemade Rocky Road Ice Cream is creamy chocolate and almond-flavored ice cream loaded with chewy marshmallows, crunchy almonds, and flecks of chocolate.

chocolate ice cream with almonds and marshmallows in little white bowls with spoons

Homemade Rocky Road Ice Cream

Did you know that Rocky Road was one of the first ice cream flavors that mixed in additional ingredients? I’m so glad that became a thing because I am hooked on fully loaded ice creams.

Rocky Road has been one of my top 5 favorite ice cream flavors ever since I was a kid. Although, that may not be saying much because I also adored gumball ice cream and the very thought of it now makes me cringe.

In all seriousness though, who doesn’t love an ice cream loaded with marshmallows? I can take or leave marshmallows in many other recipes, but in creamy chocolate? They are chewy sweet perfection.

If you’re a fan of rocky road flavors, you’ll want to try Rocky Road Fudge and Rocky Road Chocolate Bark too!

close up shot of chocolate ice cream in bowl with teal napkin

Ice cream is the perfect way to celebrate the approaching warmer days of summer. (In direct contrast to the fact that when we lived in the desert, the end of summer was the more exciting reason to celebrate.) Regardless, do we even need an excuse to bring out the ice cream maker and churn something new?

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full di

Sculpt Society Review

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Sharing my thoughts on Sculpt Society and if I’d recommend this workout!

Hi friends! How was the weekend? I hope you had a wonderful one. We celebrated Liv’s birthday with friends and also enjoyed a long hike with Maisey. It was the perfect weekend.

For today’s post, I’m excited to share a new-to-me workout format: Sculpt Society! I was ad-targeted for this one forever, and since I always love trying new body workouts and absolutely love dance cardio, I figured I’d give it a whirl. This workout program was founded by Megan Roup (you can check out her Instagram here) and I’ll share a full review below. Heads up that this review isn’t sponsored; I signed up for a 7-day free trial and am going to keep my subscription for a couple of months. I’ve tried a lottttt of fitness apps in my day and am always pumped when I find a winner. 🙂

You can use my referral link to get a 7-day trial plus one month free on the app!

Sculpt Society Review

Sculpt Society Review

What Is Sculpt Society?

As I mentioned above, Sculpt Society was created by trainer Megan Roup and is a blend of dance cardio, barre, Pilates, and traditional strength. Megan worked as a professional dancer for the Brooklyn Nets and developed this workout style in 2017. She says, “I wanted to create a program that would help women reach their goals and would still be fun. My mission with The Sculpt Society workout app is to empower women through movement, to stand in their bodies with confidence and strength, and to feel their best self.” (Source)

The Sculpt Society App And Website

On The Sculpt Society app and website, you can find over 400 classes. When you first log into the TSS app, you’ll see an example weekly schedule of classes, a live video schedule, popular videos, and programs you can follow.

The classes are also organized into segments: Gentle + Beginner classes, 30 min sculpt, 30 min dance cardio (my personal fave), 30 min full body, 45-50 minute full body, side body classes, stretch + yoga. There’s also a “Getting Started” section which breaks down common exercises and offers modifications. I’m going to focus on a couple of my fave Sculpt Society workouts below:

30 min Dance Cardio

As I mentioned above, this is my favorite one. The combos are more athletic and on the simple side, easy to follow, but still a lot of fun. This is hard when you’re teaching mixed levels of dance abilities, and I feel like a beginner to advanced dancers would enjoy these combos. The beauty of online dance workouts is that you can pause the video and

132: Tongue posture and nasal breathing with Ashley Palin, The Tongue Therapist

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Hi friends! How are you?? I have a new podcast episode up today with an important topic: nasal breathing and tongue posture. This is a world that I stumbled upon accidentally a couple of years ago, when I was wondering why tongue posture improves facial posture. I went down a rabbit hole and started to learn about how tongue posture impacts our facial development, why it’s important to breathe through our nose, and how our tongue posture and breathing habits can affect so many systems in the body.

This information is starting to become more well-known, and I’m so thankful for experts like Ashley Palin sharing their knowledge on this subject. I love following her Instagram and have learned a lot from her, so I was thrilled when she said she’d join me on the podcast.

132: Tongue posture and nasal breathing with Ashley Palin, The Tongue Therapist

Here’s what we talk about in today’s episode:

– Mouth breathing! Why should we pay attention to nasal breathing? Why is it important?

– Ideal tongue posture – what does it look like?

– Mouth taping. Should we do it? What about if we have a deviated septum?

– Do you think it’s worth getting deviated septums, tongue ties, and lip ties corrected as adults?

– How do we model good tongue posture for our kids and do you think it’s worth seeking out help when they’re young?

and so.much.more.

Here’s a bit more about Ashley:

Ashley is a registered dental hygienist who, after discovering her own issues with mouth breathing and oral-ties, pivoted to become a myofunctional therapist and help others with the same issues. She’s done additional trainings through The Buteyko Clinic, MyoMethod, Tongue-Tied Academy and more. She helps people to breathe, sleep, and feel better by correcting their oral function, tongue posture, and breathing habits.

You can follow her on Instagram here and check out her website here (she also takes 1:1 virtual clients if you’re looking for help!).

 

More resources from this episode:

I’m still obsessed with my sauna blanket – right now they’re having a Moth

Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef

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The aroma of this Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef as it simmers away on the stove is absolutely divine. Rich and savory flavors create a symphony in this simple recipe.

a white plate loaded with spaghetti bolognese and two slices of garlic bread

Meat Sauce for Spaghetti

Simmering this ground beef spaghetti sauce concentrates the flavors into a delicious harmony of savory and sweet. The tomatoes release natural sugars as they cook, reducing their acidity.

Aromatic ingredients like garlic and onions add depth to this meat sauce for spaghetti, while herbs such as basil, oregano, and thyme bring a touch of earthiness. You will love the way your house smells while making this dish!

Spaghetti Sauce Recipe with Meat

The recipe here is very adaptable. I often add sliced mushrooms or chopped bell peppers when I make this. However, as written, the spaghetti meat sauce is a staple for us.

My boys love the heat, so we always use red pepper flakes in this recipe. But, you might want to finish it with red wine, add in other vegetables, or even get daring with your spice cabinet.

If you do end up changing things, please let me know how what worked for you. I’d love to know!

Finished spaghetti sauce with ground beef simmers in a white skillet with a wooden spatula

If you’re in a hurry, you can cut down the cooking time and serve this after it simmers for just a few minutes. I don

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