Author: Hannah Lucio

I am a lifestyle blogger, homemaker and married to an amazing man. Marriage is not always easy, but it is so worth it. I love to ride bikes with the family, hike, workout, eat and explore recipes. I like to alter recipes so I can make it a bit healthier for our family. I absolutely love straight black coffee. My family means the world to me. My dream jobs are realtor, personal trainer, coordinator for church events and a bakery owner. Not all at once though.
Family, Food, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women

Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Amazingness

Hannah Lucio

I am trying to make different dishes, dips, snacks for football this year. This last Sunday was one of my favorite foods yet! I found one of the easiest recipes for pulled pork and a Chick Fil A coleslaw recipe. They were both so yummy and I really hope you try these recipes out. You will not be disappointed 🙂

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

pulled-pork

Ingredients:

2 lb Pork Loin Roast

12 oz Root Beer (I used A&W)

18 oz Barbecue sauce (I used Weber brand)

Hawaiian Rolls or Hamburger buns

Instructions:

Place Pork in slow cooker.

Pour Root beer and barbecue sauce over pork

Cover and Cook on low heat for 6 hours or until it shreds easily with two forks.

Remove pork and shred it with two forks

Return shredded pork to slow cooker

Continue heating on low for an additional 30 minutes

Put pork in a strainer to remove excess liquid

Serve on Hawaiian rolls or hamburger buns with coleslaw

pulled-pork-on-hawaiian-rolls

Ah-Mazing!

 

Chick Fil A Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

2 tsp White Vinegar

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/8 tsp Dry Mustard

1/8 tsp Salt

1 bag (14 oz) shredded cole slaw mix

 

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together; mayo, vinegar, sugar, dry mustard and salt until smooth
  2.  Add in shredded Cole slaw mix and fold over with spatula until completely coated. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or over night. I let mine sit over night and it was amazing.

 

Enjoy!!!

 

 

Live Happy

Live simple

.

 

 

breastfeeding, Family, Food, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women

Family favorite Healthy smoothie

Hannah Lucio

I have been trying to figure out how to add more veggies and fruits into our family diet. We don’t really have the drive to just eat our veggies. Ha ha.I have tried cooking different ways but it wasn’t enough. And you can only eat so many salads. So I started making smoothies for our family. I wanted to share what I “sneak” into them to make them really healthy for the whole family.

First I put frozen strawberries and blueberries (these bags last us one week) in the blender, add apple juice (we drink almost 2 bottles of Costco Apple juice in one week. In and out of the smoothie) and let it sit for a few minutes to thaw them out a little. I add 3 heaping Tbsp’s of ground flaxseed ( they recommend you add it slow, start out with a TBSP and work your way up), 1 avocado and at least 3 cups of greens (this bag from Costco lasts us one week). Blend it all up and voila, yummy healthy full of greens smoothie. The best part about this is that you can get your greens, flaxseed and avocado goodness all in one and it tastes amazing! I know that it sounds like a whole lot of sugar but natural sugars are ok for us. It is the soda, junk food and white sugars that are the worst for our bodies. Try it out 😀

 

Update:I am down 7 lbs YAY!! Enjoy!!

Live healthy

Live simple

Christmas, Family, Food, pregnancy, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized

Most delicious Zucchini Pumpkin Bread Ever

Hannah Lucio

I have been trying to make this new recipe I found for a week now. Ha ha kids…. I was finally able to make it and I am so incredibly happy with this recipe. I have made a few pumpkin bread recipes in the past and this is the most moist and delicious one yet! If you have been searching for a pumpkin bread recipe, make this one! I promise you will not be disappointed. And no, you cannot taste the zucchini in it.  That is one of the best parts. It does have a lot of sugar and I will be practicing to reduce the sugar content and if I am successful at it I will post it 🙂 I love to experiment with recipes and try to make them healthier when possible. Hope you get to make it and enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin (15 oz)

1 cup butter, melted

1 TBSP vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup shredded zucchini (I used the smallest side of the grater)

1 cup chopped walnuts (I did not add nuts)

 

Directions:

In a bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, butter and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in x 5-in loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until bread test done. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.

Enjoy! Try not to eat it all at once 🙂

 

This recipe had great reviews and you can check out the recipe here.

 

 

Live happy

Live Simple

 

 

Family, Food, Uncategorized, Women

Updated: My favorite dish soap

Hannah Lucio

I have been using this Palmolive dish soap for a few months now and haven’t been completely happy with it. It has done the job good but not what I wanted or needed. Since I wash all the dishes by hand and not in the dishwasher I really need a good product.  I think I have used the dishwasher 3 times since we got married almost 4 years ago now. Ha! I saw something about the Seventh Generation dish soap and decided to try it. I am not fully convinced on a lot of “natural” products out there. Well, I am hooked now! This soap is amazing! It cleans amazingly and I don’t need to use a ton of soap. If you are looking for a great product that does the job it’s supposed to do I really recommend this dish soap. 

It also smells really good. Which is a bonus 🙂

 

 

Update: I have stopped using the new dish soap due to it wrecking my hands! I returned to using Palmolive and my hands have improved 99%.

 
Live healthy

Live simple

Family, Food, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women

Football, food and family

Hannah Lucio

This past Sunday we had the best Sunday that we have had in a really long time. 

First I made breakfast sliders/sandwich. 

Two eggs, lots of bacon and Hawaiian rolls=heaven in our mouth. I definitely will be making these more. They are one of the easiest and simple yet delicious breakfast foods. 

Lunch we had an easy one again. 


Bbq wings. We bought a 10lb bag of wings at Costco. We took out 1/3 and let them thaw out for a few hours. Light up the bar-b-que and cook till done. We bought bbq sauce and buffalo sauce for dipping. Simple, easy and not that expensive.

Snacking:

Avocado mashed a little bit with tortilla chips. 

Besides and orange and apple that I had today…the avocado is the healthiest thing I had today. It’s defenitely a cheat day and not a day to worry about calories. 

Last weekend I made homemade pizza, it is always a go to food for us. 

It may not be the prettiest pizza you’ve ever seen but it works. Ha ha I am more about how food tastes versus the looks 😀 I posted my pizza dough recipe on my blog

I also made chocolate chip cookies. Oh my goodness were they addicting! I have also posted my recipe on my blog.  

As you can probably tell….we are foodies! We love food and we love to eat. We love football. And we also love to workout and be out doors. Football Sunday’s are fun for us and am so glad it is something we all enjoy for now. This football season I am going to try to experiment with different foods. This past week was not really planned so we just winged it. Ha! Maybe this coming up Sunday I will make a new recipe. If I do I will be sure to post it. 
Love happy

Live simple

#gosaints

#gochargers 

Family, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women

The last ride

Hannah Lucio

My kids and I were finally able to get on my cruiser bike all together and ride around. We only went maybe 1-2 miles in total but it was Still fun. I held our 3 month old son in the ergo and my 2 year old son in the wee ride. Side note: if you are looking for a kid bike seat for your bike I HIGHLY recommend the Wee Ride. It’s freakin awesome! All of last year I rode my bike a ton with maverick. We barely used gas because we biked everywhere. We love biking. 

When we got home I thought more about getting a kid trailer for our bike. I researched and found what we should get and told my husband. He agreed and we also agreed on upgrading my bike to a 7 or 12 speed bike so I can take the hills easier. When he got home he said to post our bikes for sale since it’ll probably take a while. Well, I posted and not even an hour later we had a buyer for both….and then it increased to 8 people wanting my bike. I wasn’t ready to sell it that fast! I started to get sellers remorse haha sounds Stupid I know, but I have had this bike since I was 20…I’m 34 now! That’s 14 years!! It is still in great condition and the memories I’ve had on this bike….ugh. I know it’s just a bike and I really need to get a new one. I just didn’t know that when we rode on Tuesday that it was going to be our last ride. 

 When I lived on the beach in California I rode that bike everywhere. It doesnt have gears so it was an amazing workout. I remember riding 14 miles up and down the coast just soaking and soaking up the sun. I remember watching the waves crash, the smell of the ocean and the gorgeous amounts of beauty it offered. I used to live in Carlsbad,CA, 1/4 block from the beach. We had a view of the ocean and we were so close that I would fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves. That was the life! 

Now that we live in Virginia it’s a little different. There isn’t a beach super close to us and it’s a lot of ups and downs as far as riding goes. More trails and less city type stuff. Also, now that we take the kids on the actual bike it’s a little harder to peddle without gears. I still do it but I really want to do more outdoor activities with the family and it would help. 

Last night was it. The lady came and said she really liked my bike because it was cute. Ugh, I know. It’s my favorite. She bought it and off it went. So many memories and now it’s time to make new ones on a new bike. Saturday we are heading to the bike shop to get a geared bike and possibly the kid trailer. Now that our old bikes are gone I am getting more and more exciting about getting a new bike. And, finally closing a chapter on my old life. 

This is a picture of us on our last ride that I will cherish forever.

R.I.P ol Betty

Live healthy

Live simple

Family, Food, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women

Football appetizer

Hannah Lucio

It’s officially football season! Yes!! This was such a fun memory in the beginning of our relationship. We typically do fantasy football and this season he is playing two types so it’s gonna be a fun one! My goal is to try to make two types of foods a week. The idea is to do one appetizer and one meal but it will depend on how things are going. This time I made a simple and easy appetizer. All that is needed is wooden skewers, tater tots, bacon and cheese. And whatever dipping sauce you like. I used barbecue sauce, my husband used ranch and ketchup. 

1. Bake as many tater tots as you want. I made probably 50 tots. Bake for 30 minutes

2. While tots are baking cook the bacon and crumble once done.

3. Take tots out when they are done and let cool for about 5 minutes. 

4. Put tots on skewers and place back on the pan. I put 10 tots on each skewer. 

5.  Sprinkle a little bit of cheese on the tots, sprinkle the bacon crumbles and then more cheese. Put as much or as little as you like. I honestly did not put on as much as I should have. More the better 🙂 

6. Place loaded tots back in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Just until cheese is melted and a little crispy. 

7. Take out and serve. 

Simple. Easy. Yummy. 

Husband approved! 

Live full

And

Live simple

GO SAINTS

GO CHARGERS

Family, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women

Nap times are the best!

Hannah Lucio

I don’t know about you but having a baby and toddler at home is exhausting. I love being able to be home for them but it can wear you down. My husband and I set up an awesome deal so I can get a little time to myself so I don’t get to overwhelmed. I am so thankful and so lucky to have a husband that is so supportive of me. The schedule is to workout in the morning before he goes to work. 30 minute break at lunch and 30 minute break after he gets of work. It doesn’t always go as planned but it’s such a great thing for me. I used to wonder why women need so much me time. Well, now I know. I do have to say that sometimes I think it gets out of control with some. But, to each their own. I do not like being a stressed out mom because it is not good for us all. I have also lost my joy for things in life. So I am trying to work things out to get my joy back. It might sound weird but that’s how I feel. I really cannot remember the last time I was outwardly excited about something. I was reading an article about this and it is true. We must take care of ourselves and there is nothing wrong with needed to “find yourself”. 

Today was one of the not going as planned days. I “slept in” today, well, we all did! 6:30 am instead of 4:40am. Awesome stuff! My husband had a follow up appointment so that cut out my other 30 minutes alone. That’s way more important then my me time. So I’m finally relaxing while the boys sleep. Thank goodness they are both sleeping 🙂 Which means I should have 1-2 hours of kid free time? Wahooooo!! I start with a hot cup of coffee and typically an apple and peanut butter for snack. I also catch up on my dvr shows. Big brother, Flipping out, real housewives of Orange County, and Keeping up with kardashians. I am such a reality tv fanatic hahaha  When it gets to 1-1.5 hours I can start cleaning and stuff so if they wake up they aren’t grumpy from lack of nap. Ha! 

Well, I’m off to relax and finish my hot coffee and Flipping Out show. It’s gonna be an awesome start to the weekend. Homemade pizza for dinner, fun filled Saturday and all day football on Sunday! 
Live happy

Live simple

Family, Food, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women

Best hard boiled eggs

Hannah Lucio

One of the hardest things in the kitchen for me is getting an easy to peel hard boiled egg. When I was younger we had an egg timer. We also boiled the eggs in water. They were still not the easiest things to peel. I don’t want to buy a timer so I was experimenting with different advices online. I have literally tried everything. I almost gave up until……I found the solution! I have tried these tricks twice and each time they came out perfect.

1. Steam the eggs. This trick is the best! Boil water with the steam basket in it. Once water gets to a boil place the eggs in the basket. Cover and steam for 20 minutes. Take out and spin the egg, if it spins fast then it is cooked. 

2. Take cooked eggs out and place them in a bowl of cold water and ice. Take them out once they have cooled off.

That’s it! Peel and Enjoy 🙂 
Live easy

Eat good 

Live simple

Family, Food, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women

Funbites Food Cutter for Toddlers

Hannah Lucio

We were at Buy Buy Baby a few months back and saw this gadget for food. We thought that it would be fun to cut shapes in our toddlers food to make him want to eat it. We bought it on impulse and tried it out. Apparently you should read the directions because it did not work for us. It really made the sandwich look non edible. A month after purchasing I saw a Shark Tank episode with this gadget on it. She showed them how to use it. I then realized that I did it wrong and tried to use it again. The proper way. Well, it was still frustrating. I made him a sandwich and used this gadget and it smashed the sandwich together and almost pancaked it. This is what it looked like on the top part of the plate:img_77371 Minus the sushi rolls I attempted to make him. Haha! To save yourself $10 and frustration, I would just use good ol fashioned knives to cut shapes. I made him “shapes” this morning and they looked like this:img_77591

And, he actually ate more of these versus the cutter. They are not Pinterest perfect but he loved them. So there you go, save yourself some money and time it takes to go buy the cutter and do it yourself.

I will be doing more “fun” things for him with foods so he can love the foods we try to introduce to him.

Live wisely

Save Money

And

Live Simple