This review was made possible by iConnect and Luvs.  I was provided compensation to facilitate this post, but all opinions stated are 100% mine.

As a busy Mom of four, I want products I can trust to offer good value for our hard earned money.  I have been using Luvs for years.  Luvs are the official diaper of experienced moms, afterall.  

Softer and more absorbent than ever before, with large stretch tabs for easy fastening, ultra-leakage protection and a money-back guarantee (gotta love that!), Luvs Ultra Leakguards with NightLock Plus™ provide the high-quality features babies and parents need for less cost than the premium brands.  

This post was sponsored by NUK as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, however all opinions expressed are my own. ​

Since I work from home, I am blessed that I can spend each day with my infant son and I am doubly blessed that I have been able to breast feed him.  But there are those times when we need to bottle feed...appointments, date nights, that time I was really sick.  Actually, he is getting really used to being bottle fed this weekend because I had to have an injection yesterday and I have to wait 48 hours to nurse him.  I actually cried at the thought of not being able to nurse him for 48 hours, but it has been fine. Plus my husband has been helping with feedings which has been good bonding for both of them and  has given me a break.  

We have been using our new NUK Simply Natural Bottles and the transition to bottle feeding has been pretty smooth.  The bottle design is closer to a natural breast shape than other bottles we have used in the past giving it a close-to-mom feel which is so important in fostering the feeding bonding which helps shape baby's well-being.  I am not completely transitioning to bottle feeding, just when I need to, so I am glad to have bottles that promote a natural transition between breast and bottle.  

I love this picture!  He's so relaxed.  Just chillin and enjoying his bottle.  He really does seem to like his new Simply Natural bottles with a nipple design that is modeled after the shape of a real breast.  It also moves flexibly to ensure a continuous latch and is made with extra soft silicone so that it feels more realistic.  

NUK Simply Natural Bottles have up to nine nipple holes, just like mom’s breast providing a more natural feeding experience.  Plus, there are three different flow rates, so the bottle grows with my baby.  We found the nipples with six holes are best suited for our five month old and as he grows, he will transition to the nipples with nine holes.  

Even the nipple shape is a more natural shape. 

My five year old loved helping feed the baby with our new bottles.  

He was so excited when the baby grabbed the bottle and fed himself.  

We really like our new NUK Simply Natural bottles.  I love that they are easy to clean and have a simple air vent instead of lots of tubes and extra pieces to wash.  My husband wished that they wear curved so he did not have to recline the baby when feeding him.  When I nurse the baby, he is lying next to me so this didn't bother me.  I hold the baby in a reclining position when bottle feeding just like I would when nursing.  I love the natural feel of these bottles and think they are a great choice for transitioning from breast to bottle feeding or for occasional bottle feeding.  

This is one of our favorite desserts ever and since I made an apple crisp last week, I thought it was time to update the photos for this old favorite recipe.  

This apple crisp is truly amazing.  You can taste a hint of citrus which complements the apples and sweetness perfectly.  Honestly, I think it's a little too sweet, but my husband likes the sugary crunchy coating just the way it is.  If you are sugar conscience (we really need to work on using less sugar too) you can easily reduce the sugar and try using some coconut sugar as a substitute for some or all of the granulated sugar.  

My husband likes his apple crisp unadulterated.  I like it served warm with vanilla ice cream.  However you like it, this is seriously good stuff.  Good enough for company, good enough for potlucks and it serves a crowd.  But don't worry if you don't have a crowd to feed, you can easily halve the recipe and bake in a 9 X 9 square pan.  This apple crisp will keep nicely in the fridge for several days.  You can also prepare ahead and refrigerate to bake later in the day or the next day.  I do give myself about an hour to prepare.  Prepping the apples and blending the topping takes a little time and effort, but the results are completely worth it.  

I think my old photo circa 2013 still deserves a place here on the blog.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
4 pounds baking apples 
1 tsp. dried orange peel (sold in spices)
​1 tsp. dried lemon peel (sold in spices)
2 tablespoons orange juice or apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice (in a pinch, you can use lime juice)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or just grate some whole nutmeg

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 pound cold butter, cubed (2 sticks)

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9 X 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.  (A 9 X 13 rectangular baking dish will work just fine too.)

2.  Peel, core, and slice the apples.  Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices.  Pour into your buttered baking dish.

3.  To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in a large bowl.  Use a pastry blender or two butter knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Sprinkle evenly over the apples.

4.  Bake for about an hour or until the apple filling bubbles and the crisp topping is golden brown.  


Adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe.

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

Have you heard of Green Chef?  It's an organic meal kit delivery service with pre-measured and mostly prepped ingredients.  You select your dietary and delivery preferences.
​

You can choose from:

​2-Person Plan (3 dinners a week for 2 people)
• Omnivore: Crave variety? This diverse, flexible menu has meat,
seafood, and vegetarian dinners.
• Carnivore: Meat and seafood lovers, dig in. Every dinner includes a land or sea protein plus veggies.
• Gluten-Free: Always gluten-free and flavor-full, with meat, seafood, and vegetarian dinners.
• Vegetarian: More than just salads, every dinner makes veggies the star in unique, delicious ways.
• Paleo: Eat like an epicurean caveman. This paleo menu is rich in fresh produce and proteins.
• Vegan: Plant-based just got better. An innovative menu with natural, specialty ingredients.

•    Family Plan (2 dinners a week for a family of 4)
• Omnivore or Carnivore

​We chose the carnivore family plan (2 dinners a week for a family of 4).  Watch our unboxing video to see what it is like to get Green Chef delivered to your door. 

We were sent all of the ingredients with the recipe cards to make lemon-chive salmon with dill-roasted red potatoes and mixed green salad and Italian meatballs and orzo.  The ingredients are color coded to match the recipe card they coordinate with.  (I didn't realize this until writing this post, but it sure does make it easy.)

​Both meals were fantastic and we were able to make them in under 40 minutes.  Our absolute favorite meal was the lemon-chive salmon (pictured above)  It was incredible!  The potatoes were perfectly cooked and seasoned, the salad was delicious plus it was fun using ingredients we don't normally use, and the salmon was so tender and flavorful. Luckily our kids ate dinner at church the night we made this because we finished it all ourselves.  This meal is amazing and I would order it again, but not to feed a family of four.  I think it is best proportioned to feed two to three people.

The second meal we tried was the Italian meatballs and orzo made with cremini mushrooms, lacinato kale, tomato sauce, and fresh herbs.  This meal was really good too and expanded our horizons a bit.  I have never cooked with kale and was hesitant to do so, but did so that I could follow the recipe exactly and share this experience with you honestly.  To our surprise we didn't notice any strong flavors from the kale.  It blended in nicely with the recipe which was quite tasty.  I thought this recipe was a little more involved than the salmon, but was still fairly quick to prepare.  It took right around 40 minutes. The meatballs were even better the next day as leftovers and did make enough to feed a family of four.  

Green Chef meal kit delivery service is an easy way to simplify making healthy meals at home.  Recipes and all of the ingredients are sent directly to your door.  I love trying new things so making recipes I have never made before was a lot of fun.  My husband helped make the meatballs and we enjoyed our time cooking together.  One of my favorite things about the meal kits is all of the fresh produce and herbs.  I don't usually cook with fresh herbs, but feel inspired to use them more often.  I just planted some basil and it is already about two inches high.  If you want an easy way to eat healthier and expand your culinary horizons, give Green Chef a try.  

New customers save $50 off your first box through my link at Green Chef.

This post was sponsored by Align as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.  #AlignJr, #IC, #ad

​With the start of the new year, we think about helping our families get healthy.  One often overlooked aspect of this is digestive health.  Busy mornings, hectic schedules, diet and changes in routine can disrupt a child's natural balance.  Like most families, our schedule is busy too, with church and school activities. We sometimes have to grab a quick fast food meal or eat sandwiches on the go which doesn't help with maintaining digestive health.  Things are about to get even more hectic with Spring sports starting. Two of the boys are signed up for t-ball already and if we do soccer and wrestling again this year we will be busy almost every night.  I prepare most of our meals which we eat together as a family so sports season really messes up our routine.  Thankfully, there are probiotics like new Align Jr. which is formulated specifically for children ages six and up to help them achieve digestive harmony*.  

Recently, my kids tried the new Align Jr. probiotic supplement chewables from the makers of Align. We have been using probiotics for a long time, but it hasn't always been easy to find products made specifically for kids.  My children still have trouble swallowing pills so it is hard to get them to take some medicines or supplements.  Plus I want the products they use to be formulated for their younger and smaller systems.  I love that Align Jr. probiotics for children have no artificial sweeteners and no artificial colors.  Align Jr. probiotic supplements are easy to chew and ours came in a cherry smoothie flavor.  I tried them too and they do taste pretty good.  My seven year old even said, "they taste kind of like cotton candy".  

My kids eat a large variety of foods since they eat everything we eat, but they also indulge in snacks and sweets which are not always healthy.  One way to help keep a balance of good bacteria is to use probiotics.  Probiotics are good bacteria that are essential for healthy digestion.  Align, the #1 Doctor and Gastroenterologist-recommended probiotic brand‡ is made specifically for kids age 6-12 years old, making it easier to provide probiotics for your kids.  

ǂ Among gastroenterologists and doctors who recommended a brand of probiotic in an AlphaImpactRx 2016 Survey.

Align partnered with bloggers, such as me, to get the word out about its great product benefits. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. Align believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Align’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. ​