Sharing tips on how to not kill your houseplant and keep indoor plants alive and thriving!

The Pilot says I used to have a gangrene thumb. I was the person who’d walk through the plant shop and plants would instantly recoil in fear that I would bring them home. The unlucky chosen ones were brought into our house, neglected, and lived a sad, yet quick, death.

With a huge learning curve, over past handful of years, I’ve really turned things around! We now have a full garden with lots of herbs and veggies, multiple thriving indoor houseplants, and the legendary Frida, our 10 ft-ish fiddle leaf fig.

Houseplants can make such a difference in home decor and the overall vibe of the house! They can help purify air and can also add more style and character to your home. Plants naturally grow in the wild but you can recreate a plant’s natural habitat indoors. Today, I’m sharing some tips that can help my horticulturally challenged friends out there kiss their black thumb goodbye and keep your plants alive thriving inside your homes.

How Not to Kill Your Houseplant

Choosing plants wisely

Don’t be afraid to start with an “easier” plant, like a succulent, lavender, aloe, cacti, spider plant, or my fave easy plant, the Heart leaf Philodendron. This post has a list of popular houseplants. Check out the tag to see how much sunlight and water they need and plan accordingly for the type of care that’s required. Succulents and cacti need very little water (too much can give them wet feet and soggy roots), while aloe needs a bit more, and the Heart leaf Philodendron likes to dry out a little and then be completely drenched.

Put plants in the right spot

Sunlight is a critical factor, as some plants need a lot of sun and others don’t need much at all. Before making your purchase, check out the tag of the plant or do a quick google search to see how much light they prefer. Our fiddle leaf fig loves being in a large south-facing window, which receives hours of indirect sun. Other plants in the house do well with indirect sun from various windows. When you bring your plant home, place it into its spot in the same pot you brought home from the nursery. This way it can get used to its new environment befor

Bourbon Chicken

This Bourbon Chicken is tender, moist, and full of flavor and so simple to prepare! I’ve been testing this recipe for 20 years exactly now, and it was time for a refresher on this recipe! It is my new fav thing!

One of the things that we absolutely love is that it’s so easy to spice it up or take it down a few notches depending on who you will be sharing your meal with. 

There was a great bourbon chicken, hold your breath, at the Washington Square Mall when I was in high school. I know, mall food. Can you even believe that I said that?! It’s completely ridiculous, and if I went back I’d probably be a bit disappointed now that my palate has evolved. Or, at least I hope that it has! And this sauce isn’t exactly like the one from the mall, it’s even better!

And I won’t even tell you about Hot Dog on a Stick. Or should I say…the cheese on a stick. I know, I know, it’s ridiculous. That one I’m still tempted to make a homemade version though…

Ingredients Needed for Bourbon Chicken

This chicken is sweet and sticky and made with tender and flavorful chicken thighs. You start by browning the chicken on the stove top with a simple dry rub and then it finishes cooking in the oven in the sauce. Here is what you will need:

Chicken

• Chicken Thighs – boneless and skinless thighs, you can also use chicken breasts if you prefer
• Salt – adds flavor
• Garlic Powder – adds flavor
• Onion Powder – adds flavor
• Pepper – chicken should just always be seasoned with salt and pepper
• Olive Oil – gives the chicken a good sear and keeps it from sticking to the pan

Sauce

• Garlic Powder – paired with the ginger, it is that essential Chinese food flavor combo
• Ground Ginger – it’s very fine and blends into the sauce beautifully
• Apple Cider – adds richness, tang and a fruitiness
• Water – thins out the sauce some
• Brown Sugar – adds the perfect sweetness to the sauce
• Rice Vinegar – gives the sauce a nice tang
• Soy Sauc

Easy Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

Imagine that creamy, crave-worthy chicken pot pie filling that you can’t resist and top it with golden, flaky buttermilk biscuits, and you have the most delicious family-friendly dinner ever!

It feels like a lot of our days are busy lately but there’s just nothing that can take the place of family dinner. Our chicken pot pie recipe remains one of our most popular recipes on the site, but I know how intimidating a pie crust could be so I’ve come up with a biscuit version. And not only that, but the semi homemade version comes together in no time!

I’m going to give you both a homemade and semi homemade version because when I first started cooking this, I used the canned soups I learned on. It taught me what veggies work and the perfect biscuit-to-filling ratio. We all have to start somewhere, and I’m a huge fan of teaching simple methods and then moving into completely homemade.

You will find two recipe cards at the end of the post, one for each version. So you can pick the one that fits your schedule and desires.

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If you can imagine your favorite homemade brownies transformed into a smooth and creamy bowl of ice cream, then you have a glimpse of the awesomeness that is this Brownie Ice Cream.

Brownie Ice Cream

You can use any brownies that you like for this ice cream. I used these Dark Chocolate Brownies last time I made this ice cream and these Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Brownies are also great in this recipe.

I’m thinking this ice cream would also be fantastic with Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies or Chocolate Raspberry Brownies.

I very happily made brownie sundaes with this ice cream and the dessert was an enormous hit with our friends. There wasn’t a bite of this ice cream left the next day.

Yes, I did serve this ice cream over warm brownies. Too much decadence? Not at all! (Is there ever such a thing as too much chocolate?!)

I stumbled on these Oreo sugar cones at the grocery store the other day and couldn’t resist picking up a box to try. They’re a total winner! Absolutely snackable on their own, no joke.

Side note: buy them at the store, not online. The online price is absurd, but I wanted to show you the cone I’m holding in this photo.

Ice Cream Ingredients 

• milk
• heavy cream
• vanilla extract
• sugar
• kosher salt
• brownies

How to Make this Ice Cream

1. Add the milk, cream, vanilla, sugar, and salt to a blender pitcher. Add enough crumbled brownies to fill the pitcher to the 4-cup mark. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour into the ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and stir in brownie chunks. Place in the freezer until firm.
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easy ways to lose weight fast

Looking for easy ways to lose weight fast?

We all know the quick-fix diets don’t work. In fact, these are 5 diets I stopped doing to Lose 45 pounds!

That said, there are little daily habits you can add it that will help you start losing weight today!

If you need a place to start, add these science backed tips into your daily routine!

3 HEALTHY ways to Lose Weight:

1. Eat More Fiber:

 Fruits and veggies with water soluble fiber will increase the feeling of fullness to help you avoid overeating naturally. Some of my favorites are foods like:

• sweet potato, avocado, apples, broccoli, beans, nectarines, flax and oats.

Aim for 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies each day! These are easy to add to your Hot Body Meal Plan meals anytime or as a quick snack.

2. Drink Green Tea/Match:

It can “increase energy expenditure by 4% and increase selective fat burning by up to 17%, especially harmful belly fat. Matcha is even more powerful”

Pep Rally Energy Boost is a delicious way to get your daily dose of green tea and matcha. Get yours here. 

3. Get Enough Sleep: 

7-9 hours can help decrease cortisol levels, increase metabolism, reduce the risk of obesity and weight gain and help you make better food choices throughout the day!

If you’re struggling to get in 7-9 hours of solid sleep, take Read more