Hailey's Helpful Hints

  If you don't have much on the weekend radar, I encourage you to get in the purging mode. If you want to get ambitious and tackle your closet or garage, more power to you but I've found that sometimes a few smaller projects make you feel just as accomplished and refreshed as a massive one. So here's a few to get your juices flowing. I bet you won't be able to stop at just one. ;) Project 1: Toss the cardboard boxes Ditch the cardboard boxes and plastic bags that go with your cereal, snacks and dry goods. They're ugly, take up lots of space and don't keep your food fresh. Instead, opt for glass mason jars or airtight food storage containers. Project 2: Toss your wire hangers Ditch those dry cleaner hangers for matching plastic or wooden versions. Key word: matching. Project 4: Socks without a mate   We all have that bag of socks without their, ahem, sole mate. How this happens still blows my mind. If you've done a full round of laundry wi...

  With Thanksgiving practically a week away, it's time to start prepping especially if you are hosting like I am. Thanks to this handy infographic from Savory , you don't have to stress over how many pounds of turkey to get for a 10 person dinner or how how much stuffing you should be preparing. Trust the chart, people will eat more pie than you think!!  

Why hello!!!! Has it really been 8 months since my last blog post?!?! Unreal. Ok who am I kidding acting shocked. For those of you that have followed me in the past, you know this really isn't anything new. I get hot and post daily for a bit and then wham, it's like I fall off the face of the earth. In my defense, during this last hiatus, we built a custom home. You better believe this detailed oriented perfectionist had her hands in every last design decision. Luckily my husband and I are still married after the process and our four littles are alive and well. So between the building, the packing, the summer madnes, the school chaos, dealing with a traveling husband, shlepping around two year old devils, I mean twins, and now the holiday mayham, I'm lucky to even still be standing. But one thing lately that has kept me going...I joined a gym. It's been 4+ years since I've stepped into a gym. But this membership has nothing to do with getting back into the gym. I ho...

I'm not a baker. In fact, I don't enjoy cooking either. But when I do cook or bake, I'm notorious for trying to substitute all fatty, bad ingredients for healthier options. And 9/10 those cookies that I intended to give to the neighbors, were either thrown in the trash because they were so inedible or my kids ate them with that "what the heck are these?" looks on their faces. So instead of trying to wing it anymore (when I do bake that is), I found this recipe substitution guide helpful;   Read more about these here:  83 Healthy Recipe Substitutions , via  Greatist . Or another thing I am notorious for is starting to bake assuming I have all the ingredients. Again 9/10 I don't. So this is another handy list to reference from All Recipes . 

Christine Bryne via Buzz Feed 

Fire up your blenders, folks! While smoothies aren't anything new, they are a quick and convenient way to get a blast of nutrients, including protein, carbs and vitamins A, B, C and more. Thanks to the Daily Burn , here are 25 three ingredient smoothies that are nutritious, energizing and sure to satisfy every type of craving.

Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be complete without sweets for your sweeties. This year shower your little ones with love by making them an extra special homemade dessert. Whether you’ve got ten minutes or two hours to spare, we’ve got an option that your Valentines will love. Here are a few of my favorites from Susie Foresman's list over at Red Tricycle . These will make you want to eat your heart out! Chocolate & Pink Vanilla M&Ms Bark Get your mini chefs involved in whipping up this simple but impressive treat from Food Family & Finds —just melt some chocolate and candy melts, swirl them together, then let the littles go to town topping with sprinkles and candies and breaking it into bite-sized pieces. Click here to get the full recipe. Deep Dish Red Velvet Cookies Red velvet is the perfect pick for Valentine’s Day, and this recipe from Show Me the Yummy is an easy way to make your loved ones smile. It’s the perfect size for sharing, and it gets even tastier with th...

Crock-Pot Smart Wifi-Enabled WeMo 6-Quart Slow Cooker  I've said this before and I'll say it again -- I love the crock-pot. Wait. I should rephrase that. I love the idea of the crockpot. For some reason, I just don't use it like I should. And I know a lot of moms that feel the same. But I bet you have no clue that there is a crock-pot that can be told via smartphone what to do, when to do it. Imagine being in a meeting or in the school pick up line and getting dinner started. Pretty rad if you ask me. With the free WeMo App you can adjust cooking time, temperature, turn on, shift to warm or turn off. Now that's how dinner should be done. If you're needing some easy and effortless crock-pot meals, I love these 33 three ingredient slow cooker recipes from Totally The Bomb . With the Superbowl (GO SEAHAWKS!!!!) on Sunday, I think a must try is the Rootbeer Honey BBQ Wings . Yum! As she says, "the crock-pot is a magical box that you put raw food in and wonderful ...

Recipes via SHAPE Throw on the table with a spread of veggies, pita wedges and blue chips and you've got a plethora of healthy options to munch on while the Seahawks crush the Patriots!

  Two things I love: margaritas and the crock pot (or slow cooker). Oh wait - chicken too! This Make it Monday post combines all three of those to make Margarita Chicken. And guess what? Your kids can not only eat it, they will love it too! No worries - there is no tequila in the recipe. Thanks to Red Tricycle , I found this versatile, low fat chicken recipe from Crockpot Gourmet  that you can serve over brown rice, couscous, quinoa or over a bed of greens with veggies and a citrus vinaigrette. But let's talk crock pot though first. Four problems I see with the crock pot - 1) People don't use it enough. Hello....it's soooo easy. Throw in the ingredients (no thawing necessary), walk away and come back 4-8 hrs later to a homemade meal. Now why are you complaining about dinner again?!?!? 2) People think you have to be a "mom with kids" to use a crock pot. If you're single or a couple, just buy yourself a Food Saver and vacuum seal the lef...

  Wondering how to incorporate kale - the health world's favorite dark, leafy green of 2014 - into your diet beyond kale chips and green smoothies? Here is a twist on spaghetti that will pump some serious vitamins into an average everyday meal. ~Spaghetti with Kale Pesto~ Recipe from Dr. Oz's " The Good Life " magazine Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 8 oz. kale (Tuscan if available), stemmed, leaves torn (5 cups loosely packed leaves) 1 clove garlic 1 cup grated Parmesan 1/2 cups raw almonds 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes 6 Tbsp olive oil 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti Directions: > Add the kale, garlic, Parmesan, almonds, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until very finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Slowly add the olive oil with the machine running. Pulse until the mixture is thoroughly combined and smooth. > Cook the pas...

  Hello again!!!! My apologizes for going MIA on y'all. I thought I would give myself some grace during the transition from two to four kids...overnight. We are nothing but overjoyed with the addition of our identical twin girls, Reese and Rio, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it's friggin' HARD work!!! There is nothing like doing multiple babies at ONE time. On top of attending to two active boys, ages 5 and just turned 3. It is anything but quiet around my hood. Today however, I did have some time while my angels are napping and my boys are at school. I thought I'd log onto the blog and see what's shakin. Surprisingly, you're all still giving Hailey's Helpful Hints some love despite my absence. In fact - my one post "Tame the Tum - Spare Tire or Stress Bulge?" continues to get blown up on Pinterest! Who would have thought 4,946,000 people would be interested in such an article?? And no that's not a typo - 4 MILLION+ peeps. I t...

  ...you gotta to tune in tonight (Friday, 8/20/13) for the season premiere of Shark Tank  at 9pm on ABC!!! My girl, Lynnae Schneller, a young entrepreneur from my hometown of Tacoma, WA, took her grandma's 100 year old pickle recipe to market and now Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles is blowing up! I am so so proud of this pickle princess! Her pickles are legit. Some of the best I've ever tasted. The "Hot Mama" is a favorite in our house. So addicting with just the right amount of sweet and spice. Tip:  Order  in bulk. You will literally eat the entire jar as a snack. "Mrs. Pickle" is the original recipe with a unique blend of sweet and sour. Again, better than any other pickle on the market. So enough reading, get buying. And don't forget to watch these girls rock it tonight on Shark Tank!!

  I feel like everywhere I turn, everyone is obsessed about "getting their greens." Greens meaning spinach and kale. Swiss chard and bok choy. I feel like the whole green movement is like the fat free trend of the 90's. Its hot right now. I put it in the same bucket as "eating clean."   And no I am not bashing anyone who eats clean or green. 90% of the time, I eat that way. I just get annoyed at all the people who talk about it. Or "pin" it. Just eat. Eat because of the health benefits. Not because you think if you pin it, people will perceive you as this raw, organic wonder woman who concocts amazing, healthy recipes and crafts all day, everyday. Not reality.   Obviously a hot button for me. I'll stop. There's no denying that greens are nutritious and more people should be incorporating leafy veggies into their daily diet. But many of those people don't even know where to begin to make them delicious. One of the freshest, fastest ways to g...

  I can guarantee that almost everyone reading this right now, has a  jar of something pretty old lurking  in the back of the refrigerator. And that mystery jar usually contains some sort of ooey, gooey condiment. Regardless of the fact that I'm naturally a tosser and am constantly purging to satisfy my OCD, most all the condiments in the Dawson refrigerator get used on a consistent basis. Thanks partly to my hopeless attempts of drowning food my kids claim they hate but have never tried with ketchup or ranch. But for the sake of this post, I went to my refrigerator to unveil my mystery jar. And there she was. The Vegenaise spread. Think yellow-tinged mayo. Funny thing is I'm not Vegan. Nor do I intend to be. But for some reason something was telling me I should be. So I went out and spent a sh*t pot of money at Whole Foods only to walk out with an itty-bitty bag of "alternatives." That a...

  Great for breakfast, brunch, tea or dessert. A holiday staple.   ~Spiced Cranberry Coffee Cake~   Ingredients:   3/4 cup(s) (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , at room temperature, plus more for the pan 3 cup(s) all-purpose flour , plus more for the pan      1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda 1 teaspoon(s) kosher salt 1 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar 3 ...

  I love the idea of Little Cuties. Translation: Fruit, custard, cream or meringue mini-pies baked in ½-pint, oven-safe mason jars. What a perfectly portioned treat. Just press the crust into the containers (available at Amazon, Walmart, even your hardware store). Choose a canned filling or whip one up yourself. Come dessert time, there’s no need to cut and serve. “People can grab a jar and dig right in,” says Shaina Olmanson, author of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats That Shine . “They’re great for parties.” And your waistline - as long as you eat just one. Great as gifts too! :: 2 Crowd Pleasing Little Cutie Ideas ::   Mini Apple Pies: Who doesn't love apple pie!?!? Ingredients: 2 boxes refrigerated pie crusts 8 Tbsp. butter 1/4 C flour 1/4 C granulated sugar 1/4 C brown sugar 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp salt 6 C sliced apples 1/2 C dried cranberries (optional) Directions: 1. Heat oven to 350° and set out 8 wide-mouth 8 oz jars. Cut...

  Give the sweetest present this year; yummy treats wrapped in pretty packages! :: Sweet :: Peppermint Bark  : 2 pounds (4 small tins) at $1.96 each Chocolate-Peppermint Cake Pops  : 48 pops at $.23 each Layered Chocolate Cookie Mix  : 1 jar at $7.33 each; 3 1/2 dozen baked cookies Marbled Walnut Fudge  : 4 dozen pieces at $4.01/dozen Mixed Berry Granola : About 6 cups at $1.98 per cup Cranberry-Poppyseed Biscuits : three 2 3/4 cup bags at $1.55 each :: Salty :: Chunky Salsa : Makes 10 cups at $1.53 Trio of Rubs : 1 jar (11 teaspoons) at $1.50 each :: Fast and Easy Gift Packaging Ideas :: Raid your pantry and drawers for these items to repurpose on the fly... Mason or other lidded glass jars: These are ideal for holding homemade candies, nuts and other small bites. Just sterilize with a quick boiling water bath first. A ribbon around the top makes it extra special. Brown paper bags: Use lunch sacks or cut apart large bags to make wrapping paper. Add a gin...

  Scrambling for a last minute Thanksgiving dessert idea that's not the same 'ol pumpkin or apple pie? This is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Salty meets sweet in this grand finale, which turns classic candy into a delectable tart with a custardy no bake filling. And don't stress, if you're crunched for time or the thought of making your own butter crust is daunting, a store bought pie crust will work as well.   ~Salted Caramel Tart~   Ingredients:   For Butter Crust: Yields (2) 9 -inch crusts   3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter (no substitutions) , cut up, room temperature 1/4 cup sugar              1/8 teaspoon salt 1 l...

Looking for a healthy appetizer that won't spoil your guest's appetite? Look no further. This twist on a veggie tray not only displays well but requires little prep time, minimal ingredients and is low in calories and fat (depending on your choice of dip). God forbid you need a starchy appetizer before you indulge in the most caloric meal of the year!! Fill each glass with your favorite dip, then add sliced carrots, celery sticks and pepper strips. Easy peasy. Kind of fun they look like turkey feathers too!