I'm an engineer, I'm a mom. I'm an engineered mama.
Author: Engineered Mama
I'm an engineer. I'm a mom. I find myself discussing everything from motherhood and housework to image registration MATLAB algorithms at work... yeah... all of that in one day makes for an interesting (to me anyways) life. I finally decided to write it all down and share my biased insight on all things mom, all things wife, and all things engineer. So, you could say I'm an engineered mom.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
Psalm 31:30
I would love to hear from you!
engineeredmama.blog@gmail.com
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Starbucks. I always pass on the Refreshers and Pink Drink because I feel like I SHOULD be able to make something similar at home. But do I? Nope. I came across this Dragonfruit Refresher “recipe” and it is delicious and only has two ingredients that are really easy to find in stores.
Ingredients
1/2 Bottle Power-C Dragonfruit Vitamin Water
2 Tbsp Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
Ice
Directions
Add ice to your favorite glass or tumbler. Add Vitamin Water and Vanilla Syrup.
These recipes are ALL OVER Pinterest. I’ve tried some that are good, some that are not so good, and some great ones. I found one that was so simple I couldn’t pass it up, so I decided to try it. Well, Target failed me and didn’t have the Ocean Spray White Cran-Strawberry juice I needed for the recipe, so I substituted with Cran-Raspberry. This one was definitely a keeper! Two ingredients and throw in some frozen raspberries and voila! Pink drink! Easy. Chip. Fast. What more can you ask for?
Ingredients
Original Silk Almondmilk
Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice
Frozen or fresh raspberries (optional)
Directions
Add desired amount of ice to a glass. Add frozen or fresh raspberries, if desired.
Pour almondmilk into the glass until it’s half full. Fill the rest of the glass with cran-raspberry juice.
We’ve all seen Mississippi pot roast recipes and they’re all amazingly full of flavor. After craving some and not finding any chuck roast on sale, I just gave in and bought a bottom round roast Sind they were buy one get one free. So, I took my roasts home disappointed, but still determined. Little did I know I was out of 2 of the 5 ingredients this recipe contains. Fail. Well, I made substitutions and to my surprise it turned out BETTER than recipe I usually use. So much better that our oldest son asked for multiple servings and my husband (without prompting) said, “This is the best roast you’ve ever made!”. Ok, new recipe unlocked!
Ingredients
2+ lb bottom round roast
Ranch seasoning packet
Brown gravy packet
Banana peppers (to taste)
1/4 cup butter, cut into 4 pads
Directions
Place roast in slow cooker. Add ranch packet, gravy packet, bell peppers (10-15 rings of bell pepper seem to be a good amount for this recipe), and pads of butter to top of roast.
I was searching for some good St. Patrick’s Day foods to go with corned beef and cabbage and while this doesn’t exactly “go” with it, I thought the recipe was pretty interesting, so I decided to try it. The original recipe is from Food Dolls. While this recipe is delicious, it makes A LOT of mac and cheese. The recipe I’ll provide below is the full recipe, but I recommend halving this recipe if you’re not feeding many people. This makes a very large portion, but it’s absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
4 cups fresh spinach, packed
1/2 cup parsley
2 cloves garlic (optional)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 3/4 cups whole milk, divided
1 lb cooked macaroni pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper (more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup white cheddar cheese
Directions
In a food processor or blender, add spinach, olive oil, parsley, garlic cloves, and 3/4 cup milk. Process until smooth.
In a large pot, add butter and flour on medium-high heat, cook for about 1-2 minutes or until mixture is a golden color.
Add WARM milk, and seasonings. Stir until it starts to thicken. Turn heat to low and add cheeses.
Add “green” sauce and mix until it comes together. Add cooked pasta.
This recipe checks all of the boxes: great, healthy ingredients, filling, and easy and quick to make. A friend gave me this recipe from Life Love Liz and it’s definitely one of our favorites. Now that warmer weather is headed our way, this is a great weeknight meal. We love our leftovers, so I sometimes double the amount of ground turkey in this recipe. Adjust the ingredients according to your family’s needs and tastes-it’s totally customizable!
Ingredients
3 small or 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
1 lb ground turkey
1 yellow bell pepper (or whatever color you prefer)
1 cup onion, diced
½ cup mozzarella, shredded
½ cup water
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Directions
In a large cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute and then add ground turkey. Use a wooden spoon to break apart meat and continue cooking approximately 8 minutes until browned.
Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to incorporate.
Add onion and bell pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add diced sweet potato and water. Stir and cover with a lid for approximately 6-8 minutes until the sweet potatoes soften. Add additional water during this process if needed to keep the meat from drying out.
Remove lid and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Top with shredded mozzarella and allow it to melt. Remove skillet from heat and garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.
Greek salad, Greek pizza, Greek pasta… I will take it in any form! Kalamata olives, capers, artichoke hearts, and feta make this dish one of my favorites. The best part? It’s sooooo easy! I adapted this recipe from the original recipe from The Salty Marshmallow. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 lb Fettuccine Pasta
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp Butter
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1-14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
½ cup kalamata olives, cut in half
1-14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbsp capers
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
½ tsp dried dill weed
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup feta cheese
Directions
Cook the fettuccine according to package directions, drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.
Add the garlic to the pan, cook stirring constantly for one minute.
Add the artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes, capers, and seasonings to the pan. Stir for 2-3 minutes until warm, then add the sauce mixture to the cooked fettuccine noodles.
Top with feta cheese as desired. Serve immediately.
Tacos al pastor are delicious, BUT… they’re hard work, y’all! I gathered all of the ingredients for what sounded like an awesome recipe (minus the spit it would take to slow roast the pork…) then realized the pork I had in the freezer was in fact a pork tenderloin, not a pork shoulder butt. Fail. So, I did what any person determined to use the ingredients they have would do in the middle of an all time high inflation… I asked the Google. I found what seemed to be a fairly easy recipe that might get a bit of the flavor of original tacos al pastor using ground turkey. I needed fast and easy, and to make use of the ingredients I currently had on hand. Unfortunately, my cilantro had wilted beyond repair, so I had to use dried cilantro, but I made it work. If you have fresh on hand, definitely use the fresh ingredients! This recipe uses 2 lbs of ground turkey because we love leftovers in this house, but it can easily be halved to use 1 lb of ground turkey. While this definitely isn’t true tacos al pastor, it’s a quick and easy alternative in a pinch. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 lb ground turkey
3/4 cup diced pineapple
2 chipotle peppers (I didn’t have any on hand, so I used 1 Tbsp of paprika, which is a similar flavor to chipotle peppers)
In a small bowl, mix cajun seasoning, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano to create a seasoning blend. Set aside.
In a blender or food processor, add pineapple, chipotle peppers, and garlic. Blend until pureed and set aside.
Add extra virgin olive oil to a pan heated to medium high heat. Add onion and saute about 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp of seasoning and blend and mix well.
Add ground turkey to pan and mix well. Season with 2 tablespoons of season blend, reduce heat to medium, and cook for approximately 10 minutes, breaking up turkey with a spoon or spatula. Season with the remaining seasoning blend and mix well.
Add chipotle, pineapple, and garlic puree. Mix well, reduce heat to low, and cook for approximately 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cilantro and mix well.
Serve in soft or crispy taco shells with desired toppings.
I’ve always loved seagrass baskets, but always thought they were so expensive. I decided to look around the interwebs one last time to see what deals I could find. I came across these seagrass baskets from Potey on Amazon for $30. What a deal, right?!
I was shocked by the quality of these baskets for the price. The one pictured in my house is the smallest size this set comes with (see the tiny 10 lb chiweenie for size reference below). This particular set also comes with several different color combinations, including all natural, natural and white (pictured here), and black and natural. Check them out and check out all of Potey’s planter options while you’re at it!
I’ll be sure to follow up with other places I’ll be using these baskets in our home for storage and of course, other plants because, let’s be honest… there are many more plants that need baskets around here!
Target’s marketing department must love me… seriously, guys. So, I keep putting the Dash Mini Waffle Makers in my cart. At first I was like, “Why? Why am I doing this?”, but I have to tell you… I’m glad I did. I’ve realized how easy waffles are to make and how much the kids love them on holidays. I have officially cut myself off from buying more mini waffle makers, BUT… I’m continuing to look for new recipes. By recipes I mean thinking about what I can add to boxed waffle mix. Hey… the kids like them, they’re easy, and they’re fun!
Ingredients
Boxed waffle mix
Fruity Pebbles
Whipped cream
Chocolate coins
Directions
While preheating the waffle iron, mix the waffle mix per box instructions. Add desired amount of Fruity Pebbles to the mix. Reserve some Fruity Pebbles in a small bowl for topping waffles.
Pour waffle mix onto waffle iron. Sprinkle some Fruity Pebbles on top of the mix before closing the waffle iron.
Add whipped cream to your waffles, sprinkle with Fruity Pebbles, and add chocolate coins on the side.
I’ve waited this long to jump on the air fryer bandwagon and I’m just hoping I’m not disappointed! Kohl’s currently has a sale on Ninja Air Fryers, 15-30% off when you use your Kohl’s card (15% without a Kohl’s card), 5% back in Kohl’s rewards, $10 Kohl’s cash for every $50 spent, 1% cash back with RetailMeNot, and 3% cash back with Swagbucks.
Since I love making large quantities and having leftovers or feeding a crowd, I opted for the Ninja Air Fryer Max XL with 5 different settings. It had great reviews, holds a large quantity in its basket, is dishwasher safe, and one of the settings is a dehydrator (yes, I’ve always wanted a dehydrator, so I’m pumped!).
Here’s a breakdown of the cost after all of these discounts and rewards:
Sale Price: $149.99, Sale Price: $179.99
30% Kohl’s Discount with Card: $104.99
Kohl’s Cash Earned: $20
5% Kohl’s Rewards Earned: $5.25
1% RetailMeNot Cash Back: $1.05
3% Swagbucks Cash Back: $3.15
Total Savings: $104.45 (a savings of 58%!!!)
Total Purchase Price after Savings and Cash Back: $75.54
Let me know what your favorite air fryer recipes are and maybe they’ll make a feature here in the future!
The Engineered Mama 