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Disclosure: I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Life as a Mom is wonderful, amazing and I am cognizant of the fact that these years will go by all too quickly, but it's also so so busy. Some days I am lucky to grab a cookie for breakfast between dropping kids off at school and nursing our infant son. I am not complaining, I think parenting is the greatest calling, but there isn't much down time or time to sit and eat a meal (which can contribute to poor digestion).
You can even catch this foodie who loves to cook standing in the kitchen eating store bought (you read that right, processed, not homemade) snacks because real moms don't have time to make healthy snacks everyday, much less sit down and eat them before they are asked to build another paper airplane, clean up another mess, or tend to a waking baby . I was actually asked to build a paper airplane while I was in the shower the other day, LOL. My five year old sat outside the shower waiting for me, paper in hand. 
My oldest boys and I in Italy in 2012
I make a healthy dinner almost every night, but when we are in a busy season like now with sports, end of school year, and parenting an infant, some nights call for pizza or the drive thru. And I am ok with that, I would rather keep my sanity than stress over trying to prepare meals when we just don't have time.
I do care about health though, even and especially in our busy seasons (which is pretty much always). I have four boys to care for so I have to stay at the top of my Mom game. Parenting takes a truckload of energy and add my other responsibilities of running this blog and my graduate courses ...it can take its toll. 
A stroll with my second son, Italy 2012
I have been gradually adding supplements including probiotics to my routine over the years. NOW is a brand I have trusted for a long time. (I buy the giant bottles of NOW Magnesium Citrate 200 mg,250 Tablets
 from Amazon). (affiliate link)
About NOW® Women’s Probiotic 20 Billion 
NOW Women's Probiotic 20 Billion is really easy to take. One little capsule a day is all you need and it is designed especially for women. Since I am nursing, I appreciate that it may help to support healthy immune function in pregnant and nursing women. I have felt really good lately. Maybe it is due to taking this probiotic along with Now Super Enzymes. 
I read recently that because we eat so many processed foods with preservatives our body has a harder time digesting these foods. The idea was that this leads to weight gain through our bodies storing what they can't breakdown. Another article I read said that after age 30, our body's production of enzymes drastically diminishes. Interesting since most of us do gradually put on a few pounds as we age. I also read that taking the digestive enzymes amylase, lipase, protease, and bromelain would help our bodies break down fats, carbs, and proteins. NOW Super Enzymes have all of these plus more.
My kids have been taking the NOW Berry Dophilus Kids for gastrointestinal support.
They love these little berry flavored animal shaped probiotic pills and no one has complained of any tummy aches lately so they must be working:)
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There's nothing like waiting until the last minute, but for some of us, that's when inspiration hits and our best ideas come alive.
If you are one of those last minute creatives, here are a few ideas I hope will inspire you.
For more delicious recipe ideas, go to the recipes heading at the top of the page and use the drop down menu.
So I haven't posted here in almost two weeks...this time of year is crazy busy which hasn't left much time for anything beyond the basics. Stuff like getting to practices and school on time, remembering to go to important end of school year activities, making sure all 6 family members have something clean to wear each day, maintaining a somewhat clean house during the chaos, starting the garden (we are falling a little behind here already), much less meal plan, grocery shop, and prepare delicious healthy meals. Confession: We ate McDonald's in the car on the way to wrestling one day last week. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and this Mom was in survival mode. But hey, roast chicken and healthy veggies balances it all out eventually, right?
To be honest, I have been relying a lot more on quick and easy meals lately. Life is busy and as much as I love cooking, I am usually stretched pretty thin to get everything done. That's why I love making a roast chicken. It is so easy and delicious.
My favorite way to prepare it is with salt and pepper, butter, lemon, and fresh herbs. I used sage this time because I already had some on hand. I have made roast chicken with potatoes and with sweet potatoes and hands down the sweet potatoes are the best. In fact they are amazing when baked with a chicken. They are so tender soft and pair perfectly with the chicken. Our kids LOVE carrots so I always put in a lot of carrots. I don't even bother to peel them. I just cut off the ends and set them in the pan around the chicken.
So if you are busy like we are and need some easy dinner ideas give this roast chicken a try. It takes a little while in the oven, but once it's in, you can do something else while is cooks. And wow is it delicious! Any Dads out there need a simple and amazing Mother's Day dinner idea? Here it is. You got this.
And don't forget to save the carcass (I know that's a gross word, but I gotta call it something) for the best homemade chicken noodle soup ever. If you don't want soup in the next couple of days, just freeze the carcass for making soup later. 
Easy Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Carrots Ingredients: Whole chicken Butter Fresh herbs; These go well with chicken. thyme, rosemary, parsley, tarragon, marjoram, sage 1 lemon, sliced into rings Fresh ground Salt & pepper 1 lb. carrots, cut off ends, but leave whole 3 to 4 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Prepare chicken, removing packet of organs from the inside cavity. Discard or save for later use. Salt and pepper inside the chicken then put a pat or two of butter inside the cavity along with 2-3 lemon slices and some fresh herbs. Set the chicken into a large dutch oven. 3. Pull back some of the exposed chicken skin over the breast. Salt and pepper then stuff with a couple of pats of butter, lemon slices, and fresh herbs. Place carrots and sweet potatoes around chicken. Then salt everything and salt and pepper the chicken once more. 4. Place covered in the oven and bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes until it reaches 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer. 5. Remove the lid and put under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the skin. Because I cook it with the lid on, the chicken is really tender and juicy, but won't have much color so I put it under the broiler for a few minutes before serving to brown and crisp the skin. 
The first time I made this recipe I bought quinoa in bulk so I did not have directions. I found instructions for making quinoa pronounced "keen wah" and some nutrition information at Joyous Health. Quinoa was new to me then and harder to find, now five years later, quinoa is everywhere.
This is one of our favorite meals. We all love it, especially the kids. It's pretty easy to throw together too since I use canned chicken and frozen broccoli. I have made it with shredded chicken and fresh steamed broccoli, but think it is just as good with canned and frozen ingredients so this is one recipe where I save myself the trouble.
Basically, you make a simple cheese sauce and combine it with cooked quinoa, broccoli, and chicken then mix it all together in a casserole and bake to perfection. 
My sweet five year old brought me some wild onions from the yard so I had to garnish the top.
Ingredients:
1½ cups quinoa 3 Tbsp. butter 1 sweet onion, diced 3 Tbsp. flour 2 cups milk ¼ tsp. garlic powder ¼ tsp. dry or prepared mustard ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. turmeric Salt and pepper, to taste 8 oz. shredded cheese, I like a mix of cheddar and mozzarella 10 oz. bag frozen broccoli 13 oz. can of chicken, drained This is what uncooked quinoa looks like in a pan with water. 
Directions:
1. To cook the quinoa follow package directions or if you purchased your quinoa in bulk use these directions: 1 part quinoa and 2 parts water. Combine the water and quinoa in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 12 minutes. 2. Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion in melted butter until it is tender and golden. Stir in the flour, garlic powder, mustard, cayenne, and turmeric. Continue stirring until light golden, a couple of minutes. Slowly stir in the milk. Allow to simmer, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. 3. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, frozen broccoli, drained canned chicken and cheese sauce.
5. Transfer to a greased casserole. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm. (My husband likes to dress his with a little hot sauce.) 
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Welcome to Home Ec @ HomeHi, I'm Faith, a former Family and Consumer Science teacher turned food blogger. I love God, my family, and food. You can usually find me in the kitchen preparing family friendly, homemade recipes and taking lots of pictures. 
Mini Golden Doodle Puppies born January 13th, 2023,
Still Goldens, Southern, IL (Available mid-March 2023)
 Fan Favorites
 Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
 Dehydrating Pears and Apples in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp
 
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