Making Life a Little Easier, Nutritious, & Delicious with Kroger

Life goals. That may mean different things to different people. Being an Army wife, mom of two little boys, blogger, recipe creator, photographer, nutritious food devotee, and fitness enthusiast, my personal life goals are being able to successfully manage the important pieces of my life in the best and most efficient way possible. As our goals likely differ in some ways, your time, health, and happiness are essential.

When life shows you intermittent, or more consistent, bursts of chaos, any little thing that helps make living a tiny bit easier is worth its weight in gold. I have found that one of my most difficult tasks involves both going to get fresh, organic groceries for my family and always having enough stocked in the kitchen. Let me be transparent for a second. My husband and I share the same passion to workout and eat healthy. Also, my two little boys love to eat. In case you’re wondering, they all eat A TON of food in a small amount of time. That requires me to go to the grocery store, on average, three times a week.  

And as many of my followers know from my stories and posts on my Instagam page, my family just moved from Kansas to Nashville, TN. My husband is in the Army and transitioning into a new home with two little kids is a daunting task in itself. Considering my stance on eating healthy and organic, one of the first things I look for when we move to a new city is a reputable grocery store. There are Kroger grocery stores everywhere in Nashville, and with past experiences shopping here, I instantly felt at ease. It gets better. Kroger's online shopping experience, ClickList, offers same day pickup and is incredibly convenient and an easy way to get your groceries (Available at select locations, but growing, growing, growing!) For me, this is a game changer in the way I will now grocery shop. I’ve used it and love how convenient it is. I can scroll through their abundant selection of groceries online, select what I need, purchase them online, and then pick them up at a Kroger of my choice. They will have your order packed and ready to deliver right to your vehicle at a time you select. Items you routinely buy will pop up, creating an easy way to remember what you need to get. Kroger’s ClickList will also recommend products based on your past orders. Did I already say it gets better? Well, it continues. Kroger’s brand of Simple Truth Organic fulfills my goal of providing my family with wholesome, organic foods. They have a wide variety of organic products, from fruits and vegetables to dairy and frozen treats.

Remember when I briefly talked about life goals at the beginning? Joanna Gaines, who many people know, and if you don’t you should check her out, is life goals of all the life goals. She is a wife, a mom of five beautiful children, entrepreneur, cook, designer, decorator, and owner of countless, successful businesses. When I watch her show Fixer Upper, I get all the good feels from her. I’m going to let you in on a little secret that I am so excited to share. Her new cookbook (yes, add that to her list of amazingness) Magnolia Table is now sold at Kroger! Guess who bought it? Mmmmmhmmm. That would be me. 

Y’all. Let me make this clear. I have only been in Nashville for less than two weeks. I went to get her cookbook the second day I was here and made the Peach Caprese.  I have a feeling this dish will be one of my favorite recipes in the book. Here’s one of the best parts, aside from the deliciousness of the recipe.

While in the past I would be scrambling around trying to find a piece of paper and pen to make a grocery list, or unpacking all of the boxes to find a phone charger to charge my phone long enough to last me making a grocery list and then using it in the store before it died (remember, I just moved and Army packers…. let’s just say I have found a can opener in a box of bathroom toiletries), I can now order online, at home, with just a few clicks, then pick my order up at a time that is convenient for me. My past thoughts on getting food in the new house was stressful because it took forever to actually think of what to get and my brain (actually, my “mommy and moving brain” – yes, everyone, it’s real and in full effect) is always at max capacity these days.  Fortunately, this move to Nashville gave me the option to use Kroger’s ClickList. And as I said before, little things that make life a tiny bit easier are worth their weight in gold.

While looking through Joanna Gaines’s cookbook Magnolia Table, I thought all of the recipes sounded delicious. I decided to make the Peach Caprese because I wanted something quick, healthy, kid-friendly, and delicious. It pleased me that I chose this particular one because it was everything I hoped for. I obviously doubled the recipe because my family consists of 3 males. My entire family loved it and, even though I doubled it, it didn't last long.

However, to be honest, it was tough to decide which recipe to make. There are SO MANY that are hard to pass up. I had 8 saved that I wanted to make in one day. While these tips and tools I've discussed do make the buying and cooking process quicker and easier, I think it's fair to say 8 recipes in one day might be setting my bar too high :) I will most definitely be trying the other few very soon!

No matter what stage of life you are in right now, you have times when you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or worn down. I know how that feels and I'm right there with you. I truly believe if there are little pieces here and there that can easily help us manage our time better, no matter how small, it is a step in the right direction. If any mom is reading this, as I hope to reach many of you, keep hanging in there! You are all doing a perfect job for your family. Thank you for all the support you've shows me over the years and I sure hope this sponsored post can shed some light on the ease of using Kroger's ClickList and the quality of ingredients, especially their Simple Truth Organic line, Kroger Grocery Stores provide. Talking to wives, moms, friends, and family, there seems to be a common theme revolving around meal prep, and that is we feel intimidated, overwhelmed, and defeated at times. My new common theme with meal prep will now be exciting, easy, manageable, and delicious (courtesy of Magnolia Table and Kroger’s ClickList, of course!).Who's with me!?

* GIVEAWAY INFORMATION *

Also, I am hosting a giveaway on my Instagram page @njstramfam (<--- click here)

Four lucky winners will receive a free copy of Joanna Gaines’s Magnolia Table cookbook, courtesy of Kroger. Be sure to check it out and follow the rules to enter to win!

Links to Kroger social media platforms:

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

ClickList

Simple Truth Organic

Kroger Grocery Store Website