Pantry Essentials for Quick Meals

My pantry is all about versatility. I keep a mix of grains, proteins, and shelf-stable basics that can easily turn into a meal.

• Whole grains: Brown rice, quinoa, and pasta are my go-tos for building balanced bowls or quick dinners.
• Canned goods: Beans, tomatoes, tuna, and coconut milk are lifesavers when I’m short on time. They make everything from chili to curries come together fast.
• Nut butters + oats: Perfect for quick breakfasts, protein bites, or smoothies.
• Broth + spices: A good chicken or veggie broth adds depth to soups, and spices like garlic powder, chili flakes, and cumin bring flavor without fuss.

Freezer Favorites for Fast Family Dinners

My freezer is like my backup meal plan. On busy weeks, it saves me. I always have:

• Frozen veggies: Broccoli, peas, and stir-fry mixes make it easy to get in a serving of greens.
• Proteins: Ground turkey, chicken breasts, salmon, and shrimp — they thaw quickly and cook in under 20 minutes.
• Pre-cooked grains + bread: Frozen brown rice and sourdough slices make meal prep effortless.
• Homemade leftovers: I freeze soups, muffins, and meatballs for those nights when I really don’t want to cook.

Smart Grocery Habits That Save Time

I try to restock my staples every Sunday so I’m ready for the week ahead. Having an organized fridge and pantry makes meal planning easier — I can see what I have and plan accordingly. Investing in clear storage containers and labels has been a game changer for avoiding food waste.

When life gets hectic, these essentials mean I can make something nourishing in minutes — no drive-thru required.

Snag my meal planning template HERE.

The post Top Grocery Staples to Always Keep on Hand for Quick Meals appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

I recently updated our kitchen runner (because the old one never really worked) and I absolutely LOVE it. It’s made of recycled plastic and you would never know it. The hubby said order it in an 8×10 for the living room, but I don’t think we need to be matchy, matchy.

My next goal is to order a rug for under the couch. Here’s the question do I order an 8×10 or 9×12? Do I go with a neutral or jazz it up with color? There are so many decisions and ordering online makes it even harder.

BTW, we’ve had our mid-priced Macy’s Couch for over a year and we’re still extremely happy with our purchase. It’s perfect for this chapter of our lives – looks decent, is in the right price range, comfy and kid, dog and hubby friendly. Do you see a theme here?

I could totally spruce it up with a few pillows and change up the art on the wall for some contrast, but  I’m not too worried about it. maybe in a few years haha because honestly, it’s not a priority if I’m being brutally honest here.

10 Rugs I’m Currently Digging

1. Boho Kilim Nagar Indoor Outdoor Rug
2. Taupe Double Diamond Woven Kilim Astrid Indoor Outdoor Rug
3. Pietro Terrazzo Grey Geometric Rug
4. Thea Hand Hooked Wool Rug
5. Mixed Stripes Cotton Dhurrie – Multi
6. Meadow Rug
7. Valley Ridge Rug
8. Mid-Century Geo Wool Kilim
9. Multi Facet Rug
10. Kenya Fleece Area Washable Rug

Decisions, decisions.

Which rug would you pick? Once I pick a rug I can replace our 1970 oak coffee table!

The post 10 Rugs I’m Currently Digging appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

Let’s just dive right in!

BEFORE

Here’s what the kitchen looked like when we purchased the house in 2010! The house had a ton of potential.

Here’s a few before snapshots. After moving in we painted the cabinets, walls, updated the hardware and added a ceiling fan. Sorry about the mess. We realized we needed to snap a few before photos after we started clearing everything out. Plus, baby fog…

The other side of the wall.

Progress!

AFTER


Removing the wall really lighten up the space. We moved the door from the mudroom to kitchen to allow for the refrigerator and pantry. While I love the idea of an all white kitchen we added warmth with light gray lower cabinets and a marble subway tile backsplash. Extending the backsplash to the ceiling gives the kitchen a nice visual and add texture. Not wanting any transitions in the flooring we used Hickory hardwood floors throughout the kitchen, living room, entry and hallway. Oh, the barn door! While it’s currently unfinished I’m in love.

Since it was a load-bearing wall we had to include a post. Not ideal, but the wall is still gone.

The island is 7×4 feet and includes drawers/storage cabinets and a seating area. I love all the drawers!

The cabinet boxes are ikea and the doors are semi-handmade. The doors came unfinished at the time so we had them painted. Since installing our cabinets you can now purchase pre-painted doors from semi-handmade. Pro Tip: Have your cabinet maker/installer frame out the boxes instead of using the Ikea legs. While it might cost a tad more money upfront, in the long run they will be sturdier.

The countertops are a Carrera quartz and have very light veins. The lower cabinets are SW Rare Gray and uppers are white

SOURCE LIST


Hardwood Floors: Hardwood Bargains HAND SCRAPED NATURAL HICKORY
Backsplash: Floor & Decor Bianco Carrara Honed Marble Tile
Cabinets: Semi-Handmade doors DIY Shaker & Ikea boxes
Pulls: Lowe’s Satin Nickel Bar Cabinet Pull
Faucet: KOHLER Pull-down
Sink: BLANCO 441310 PERFORMA
Barstools: Target Trenton Saddle Seat Barstool
Kitchen Table: the Hubby made it 6 years ago!
Parson Chairs: Ikea HENRIKSDAL chair with a white cover. These are also 6 years old. I would buy them again!
Refrigerator: Whirlpool 25.2-cu ft French Door Refrigerator (we already had this fridge. I wouldn’t buy it again. I wish we had a counter depth fridge it would look much nicer in the space.
Oven/stove: Frigidaire Gallery 4.5-cu ft Slide-in Convection Gas Range (it does the job + looks nice)
Dishwasher: GE 48-Decibel Built-In Dishwasher (LOVE – so quite worth the $$)
Microwave: GE 1.6-cu ft Over-The-Range Microwave (it does the job + looks nice)
Coffee Maker: OXO ON BARISTA BRAIN 9 CUP COFFEE MAKER
Lighting: LED Recessed Lighting
Barn door: Knotty Alder Interior Barn Door Slab with Sliding Door Hardware Kit

The post The Kitchen: Before & After appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

As a Brand Ambassador for Hamilton Beach I received the Hamilton Beach Indoor Searing Grill to review, however, all opinions are 100% my own. This giveaway is sponsored by Hamilton Beach. 

In 2017 Tahoe experienced one of the wettest and snowiest winters ever recorded! Not kidding. It even snowed over the weekend. Again, not kidding. Needless to say it made winter grilling non-exsistent until Hamilton Beach hooked yours truly up with a Hamilton Beach Indoor Searing Grill!

My hubby, the grill master, was skeptical at first. However not wanting to stand out in the rain or snow he started using the Indoor Searing Grill. Fast forward two months and it became a well used and loved kitchen gadget.

Here’s the thing, with the Hamilton Beach Indoor Searing Grill you can grill all winter long without dealing with the elements. Even after all the snow melted we tried using our grill, but ran out of propane! Yeah, rookie mistake — but the Indoor Searing Grill saved the day.

It’s decent a size, without being too big, and easy to use and clean. The grill and cover are both dishwasher safe!

FEATURES INCLUDE

+ Outdoor grilled taste indoors with high searing temperature
+ Nonstick cooking plate removes for easy cleanup in the dishwasher
+ Removable hood & integrated drip tray are dishwasher safe
+  Adjustable temperature control ranges from 200° to high searing temperature of 450°
+ Lights indicate when the power is on and the grill has reached your selected temperature
+ 118 square inch nonstick grilling surface fits up to 8 servings

We’ve cooked everything from chicken and pork to vegetables! Up next, maybe salmon or shrimp kabobs! Over the craptastic weekend we ‘grilled’ pork tenderloin. The cuts actually look like steaks, but whatever. They were actually super easy to grill.

CHIPOTLE HONEY LIME MARINADE

Ingredients 

2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Lime, zest
1 Chipotle chile pepper, finely chopped (or 1/2 to 1 tsp chipotle powder)
1/4 c Honey
1/2 c Lime juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Avocado oil

Directions

Mix lime zest, lime juice, honey, salt, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour mixture into a 1-gallon ziplock bag, add the chipotle pepper, and combine. Add pork tenderloin to the bag and seal. Try to remove as much air as possible. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours, if you can remember rotate the bag halfway through. Grill pork as you typically would.

What are you waiting for enter below for a chance to win or purchase HERE!

As part of my review, Hamilton Beach is kindly offering one lucky reader a chance to win a Hamilton Beach Indoor Searing Grill [$59.99]!

Prize: (1) Hamilton Beach Indoor Searing Grill

To Enter: Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter (it might take a second to load, but it should eventually pop up below this paragraph).

This giveaway is available in the lower 48 states. Please note, only entries via Rafflecopter will be eligible to win. Thank you and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Your Weather Proof Grilling Solution! #GrillIt appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

Until then let’s talk about flooring. We landed on natural hand scrapped hickory flooring throughout the living room, kitchen and hallway. To make them feel a bit more modern we went with 7″ wide planks. After searching for months we purchased our flooring from Hardwood Bargains. They hands down have the best price for hickory without skimping on the quality Our installer even said the flooring quality was unbelievable. Oh and they were SUPER easy to work with. We would use them again! (No, I was not paid to say that) And a year later I’m still in love with the flooring.

Here’s a shot of the kitchen side of the remodel. (our exact flooring)

While I search for the perfect rug, couch, new barstools, etc., I’ll leave you with more flooring inspiration…

via

via

via

via

via

via

The post Natural Wood Flooring appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

So let’s kick things off out of order because that’s how I roll. Since we’re wrapping up our backsplash installation it’s only fitting I chat about backsplashes [for sneak peaks check out my IG stories @Tiara_Wasner or snaps @tiarawasner]. Then we’ll get back to the beginning next time.

I’m not going to lie picking a backsplash was hard. Like really hard. As in it took me a year to finally pull the trigger, but I’m happy with it [mostly]. While I knew white subway tiles would  be safe and probably look the best EVERYONE is doing it. I wanted our kitchen to be different, but not over the top. And no I didn’t go with glass — not a fan at all, sorry. Nope not sharing the reveal today, but here’s the idea.

A few backsplash reads:

– CHOOSING KITCHEN BACKSPLASH TILE
– How to Choose the Right Subway Tile Backsplash : Ideas and More!
– A Backsplash Bash
– More Tile Tips
– Everything You Could Want to Know and More

The post It’s all about the Backsplash appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

You now what else is moving fast? Our kitchen remodel! Last week the temp beam was removed, electrical was installed and drywall went up! For more pictures make sure to follow along on instagram. Oh and our third inspection is happening today. Up next paint, cabinets, countertops and flooring. So what better time than now to talk about some kitchen stuff like… my inspiration board.

The post Kitchen Remodel 2015 // The Details appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

You’re now looking at our new kitchen if you were standing in the living room! This is a major reno that includes removing a 24 foot wall that currently separates the kitchen and living room.

When we hired our new contractor I thought I would have a few weeks to pick out finishings, but nope. He’s squeezing us in so things started the next day! You know what that means I have a lot of decisions to make. Now I’ve been thinking about it for months so I have a pretty clear idea. However I still will second guess myself. I know I want modern, but I’m traditional. So how do you create a transitional space? Losing sleep over here from the kitchen not the baby! 

via

The post Kitchen Remodel 2015 // Planning appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

Things are moving fast and we should have a functioning shiny new kitchen by June. Between now and then I have so much to do on top of watching the baby, attempting to work 40 hours and packing up all the cabinets. Oh and my hubby still has more demo! Then there’s the dreaded budget — which I’ll touch base about in another post. For now let’s just jump for joy that I’m getting a new kitchen. So expect a handful of kitchen remodel posts to be mixed in with health living, baby and other life adventures.

The post Kitchen Remodel 2015 appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

When we purchased our house in August 2010 we always planned  to remodel the kitchen one day. Seriously though, take a look at what we walked into.

To paint a better picture. To the left of the island are more cabinets, the refrigerator and a wall dividing the living room and kitchen. Behind the camera is a equally large space otherwise known as the dining room.

We immediately added a dishwasher and eventually painted the walls and cabinets. For the last two years our kitchen has looked a little like this. It’s not ideal, but it works.

Here’s a view of the other side of the kitchen. Yes, there are two massive sliding doors looking at our neighbors fence. I now have sheer currents hanging, which helps.

After going back and forth with our contractor and structural engineer we finally applied for a building permit.

Lesson learned: Sometimes to get things done you have to follow up daily. Originally we were ready to submit for a permit early august, but our contractor wasn’t in a rush because he didn’t have time to actually do the project. After numerous calls and emails this was finally communicated with us and a month later the permit application was submitted and the contractor informed us he would no longer be finishing the project. Big Bummer and huge wench in our plans especially with a baby on the way. Well we’re sucking up our frustration with the company and moving forward. Guns blazing.

So here we are, October 1 with a plan, a permit, and a few appliances — but no contractor. Where do we go from here? We have most of the materials picked out, but just need to order them. But before anything is ordered we’re on a mission to hire a new contractor! We have a list of five potential contractors and hope to have three bids by next week. Fingers Crossed!

Stay tuned the Meyer Haus is getting a kitchen face lift!

Since I can’t part without a little kitchen inspiration here’s what we’re going for.

P.S. If you’re a brand or contractor looking to partner I’m all ears

via

via

via

The post Kitchen Confessions // Moving Forward appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.