Easy Roast Chicken

Emily here! With an easy roast chicken recipe. I can’t take total credit for this recipe as it’s really from my mom. But this is how I make a roast chicken.

Finished Roast Chicken. I feel like this picture looks like Martha Stewarts food tweets. (If you know you know). But it is so yummy!

Total Time: About 2hrs 30min
Note: This is for a 6-8lb whole chicken

Ingredients
Whole Chicken
Onion
Lemon
Seasoning (I use Johnny’s and some extra garlic powder. If I’m feeling fancy I’ll add some sage and a bay leaf.)
Melted Butter or Olive Oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Quarter Lemon and Onions.
Clean chicken and remove innards. Place in baking dish. Sprinkle seasoning inside. Stuff a few pieces of onion and lemon inside the chicken. Put the rest around the chicken.
Pour olive oil and butter over chicken and sprinkle generous amount of seasoning. Rub in with hands.
Tuck chicken wings under the bird if possible. Place foil over chicken.
Cook for 1 hour. After an hour change oven temp to 350°F and cook for another hour.
Remove foil and check chicken temp (should be 165°F). If temp is met cook chicken for 20min (you’re just trying to brown the outside). If temp isn’t met cook for 30 more min with foil on and check temp again.

Helpful hint: If you are scared to remove the innards use rubber gloves to remove them. You can also buy it removed.

I make this chicken for all occasions. I made it this year and last year for Thanksgiving. I also cook this on week nights. It would be great to make on a Sunday too as part of a meal prep to eat off for a few days.

I like to serve this roast chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, and a green veggie. I have also used this roast chicken inside burritos, as a salad topper, and in enchiladas. The possibilities are endless!

Drugstore Natural Makeup Look

Maddie here! While I admittedly did not love working from home during the pandemic, one thing that I did enjoy was wearing less makeup. Since going back to the office, I have found a simple routine using drugstore makeup for a scaled back everyday look. Here is how I do it!

Before

After

Step 1: Primer: Revlon Colorstay Pre & Protect (with SPF 34)
Sunscreen is important and I like the lightweight feel of this primer. It gives a nice glow and helps my makeup last throughout the day.

Step 2: Foundation: Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream (Shade 520-Light)
I have been on the hunt for the perfect drugstore foundation (I embarrassingly have 5 barely used foundations in my makeup drawer) and THIS IS IT! It covers blemishes without looking cake-y and provides nice, even coverage.

Step 3: Concealer: Nyx Can’t Stop Won’t Stop (Alabaster)
This is actually my favorite concealer ever. I came across it when I was looking for a Tarte Shape Tape dupe, but I like this even better. I goes on really nicely and I feel like it lasts all day. I have dark circles under my eyes so a great concealer is a must for me. I like to apply this using my fingers after my foundation is on to blend everything in. I use it under my eyes, a little bit on my eye lid, around my nose, and on any zits.

Step 4: Blush: Stila Cream Blush (Sweet Pea)
Okay so I don’t think this is really a drugstore makeup, but I have literally had this blush for years so as far as value goes, it counts. I like the subtle look of this cream blush and I read somewhere that they used it on Bridgerton!

Step 5: Finishing Powder: Nyx HD Finishing Powder (Translucent)
I have stopped applying powder all over my face and now just apply it on my chin area, which is a bit shiner and usually has a red spot or two that needs covering.

Step 6: Eyeshadow: Covergirl Eye Enhancers (Sweet Escape)
This trio does exactly what I need- I use the middle color on my lid, the darker color on my crease, and the lightest color right under my eyebrow.

Step 7: Eyebrow Brush
I give my eyebrows a quick brush and then call it a day with my eyes. I find that taking off mascara at the end of the day is a hassle that I don’t want to deal with anymore, and I really don’t think anyone notices.

Step 8: Lip: Vasaline Rosy Lip Therapy
I got this at the Dollar Tree and love it! Since I still wear a mask at work, I don’t want to do a full lip, but this gives a nice hint of color.

7 Planning Tips for Christmas

Emily here! This Christmas will be my 3rd as a married woman. Which makes it feel like it’s my 3rd Christmas running the show. Here are some tips I have collected over the last few years to make the holiday run smooth.

1. Have honest conversations! This is number 1 for a reason. If you don’t have the money to buy every single person in your life a gift say so! Bring it up. I have found people appreciate honest conversations about money even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
   
2. Lower expectations. I will be 9 months pregnant this year at Christmas and have greatly lowered my expectations and to do’s. Saying no to things I know I won’t have the energy for. Putting up less decorations than years past. You obviously don’t have to be pregnant to do this. But now is a great time to access how you really want to spend the holiday season. You don’t have to RSVP to everything and you don’t have to be the host with the most.
   
3. Budget now for next year. I did this starting last January and it has been so nice! We budgeted $40 a month to our Christmas fund.
   
4. Use credit card cash back for Christmas fund. All the cash back we earn from using our credit cards goes right to our Christmas fund. I was able to add about $20 a month extra using this tip! (This can also be applied to any cash back received like Rakuten not just credit cards.)
   
5. Shop early. My mom has always done this. She said she was done with Christmas shopping every year by Thanksgiving. This was the first year I did this and man it has been so nice. I have avoided buying impulse items because they were “on sale” and stuck to my Christmas list. I also did this because I was worried about shipping delays. And as I mentioned above being 9 months pregnant. Everyone’s gifts were bought in September. I will just need to purchase candy for stockings.
   
6. Treat your Christmas budget/spending like your monthly budget. Make a separate budget sheet for Christmas and list out everything you think you will purchase (gift, Christmas Eve/Day food, Christmas cards, decorations, extra giving, extended family gifts, travel etc.) just like you do monthly. This prevents surprises from arising and also help to prioritize what is really important to you and your family.
   
7. Have a line items for that random gift. Co-workers or family want to do a last minute gift exchange? You’re feeling extra giving as the big day approaches? Have a miscellaneous category that gives you the freedom to do this so you aren’t stressed out when something “random” inevitably pops up.

No Grocery Shopping Week

Emily here! Last month I tasked myself to use only what I had at home for our meals (and yes I’m just now getting around to writing about it). We have received food from my sister-in-law (she moved and gave us freezer food) and my parents (they did a freezer cleanse). So we have quite a stock of random food. And as you know we are always trying to save that sweet sweet cash $$! She here is what we at.

Sunday
Breakfast – McDonalds (great way to start out saving money…by spending. We are doing McDonalds breakfast once a month because it is fun and means I don’t have to cook)
Lunch – Chicken and Cheese Panini. Dino Nuggets and Yogurt for Pal.
Dinner – Beef Burger and Friend Cauliflower Rice. Fruit and Veggie Smoothie. (Everything for dinner tasted terrible except the smoothie)

Monday
Breakfast – Egg spinach scramble. Canned pears. Toast with butter and jam.
Lunch – Dino Nuggets and leftover waffles from Saturday.
Dinner – Spaghetti with cheese bread. Roasted frozen veggies. Fruit and veggie smoothie.

Tuesday
Breakfast – Egg spinach scramble. Muffins from a box mix.
Lunch – Peanut butter and jelly for me. Cottage cheese and fruit for Pal. Dinner leftovers for my husband.
Dinner – Chicken Enchiladas. Added refried beans in the enchiladas.
*On this day I did go to the store to get bananas and juice for pal. Spent $8.

Wednesday
Breakfast – Egg spinach scramble. Muffins from a box mix. Banana.
Lunch – Dinner leftovers for me and my husband. Fruit and veggie smoothie for Pal.
Dinner – Sesame noodles with chicken and veggies. (my mom brought this over. She has been bringing us dinner since I am in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy and v tired.)

Thursday
Breakfast – Egg spinach scramble. Toast with butter and jelly.
Lunch – Chicken and cheese panini sandwich.
Dinner – Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Friday
Breakfast – Scrambled eggs and toast.
Lunch – Chicken and cheese panini sandwich.
Dinner – Date night! Husband and I got burgers out.

Saturday morning was our usual grocery shopping day. A few things I learned from this week:
1. Smoothie are a great way to use up frozen veggies! I’m not the biggest fan of frozen veggie once they are cook but you don’t notice them in a smoothie.
2. Oven roasting frozen veggies. I felt like the flavor and texture of the frozen veggies were so much better.
3. Not everyone needs to eat the same thing. It for sure makes life easier when we do but causes way less food waste when we eat the random bits of leftovers.
4. I need to grocery shop every week lol. We basically made it a whole week but I really love to serve fresh fruit and veggies every week.

Here is a link to the last time I did this 2 years ago on a week when I was solo.