Blog Posts

Five Delicious Freezer Meal Recipes

Last week on Liv Avenida Blog, we brought you a few simple tips to make meal prepping quick and easy in your Chandler, AZ apartment. As a follow up to that post and in honor of National Frozen Food Month, we thought we’d share with you a few of our favorite freezer meals this week. Try these recipes out sometime in the next few weeks; we think you’ll love them! 1. Homemade Frozen Pizzas from The Kitchn Forget about store-bought frozen pizzas! Make your own for a fraction of the cost and then pop them in the oven for an easy meal on a busy night! This recipe makes one large or two smaller individual pizzas. 2. Bacon Turkey Burgers from Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish Use this recipe to make turkey burgers ahead of time. Freeze them for a great tasting and quick meal that you can reheat when you don’t have time to cook a full meal. 3. 25-Minute Comforting Veggie Soup from Kitchen Treaty Not all soups do well after being frozen and reheated, but this recipe passes the test! This all-veggie soup tastes amazing and is also great for you. Prepare it on a slow day and then reheat when you’re ready over the stovetop until warm throughout. 4. Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos from Kim’s Cravings Freezer meals aren’t just for dinner! They’re perfect for breakfast, too. You don’t always have time to whip up a healthy sit-down breakfast, so these sweet potato breakfast burritos are a great alternative. Assemble them ahead of time, wrap them up, and freeze them. Reheat quickly in the microwave for a taste and healthy on-the-go breakfast that will leave you feeling full longer than those empty carbs in sugary cereals. 5. Three Cheese Zucchini Stuffed Lasagna Rolls from Skinnytaste Ever had completely vegetarian lasagna? We highly recommend giving this recipe a try. Don’t want to try it right away? Freeze it and save it for later! What are your favorite make-ahead freezer meals? Share them with us in the comments so we can try them, too. Thanks for reading. Enjoy some great food this month — even with your busy schedule — by meal prepping!

Meal Prepping Tips

Take the stress out of making dinner by preparing all your meals for the week in advance! This practice will help you stay on top of your busy schedule and save you time when you don’t have enough time to cook a full-blown meal. Read on for some meal prepping tips from Liv Avenida Blog that just might make your life feel a little less hectic. Make a Plan The most important part of meal prepping is planning. Find recipes, get all the ingredients, and set a menu for what you will eat for dinner each night. It can be a lot of work, so plan a day when you can take time to prep everything for the upcoming week. Pick a day like Saturday or Sunday when your schedule is less busy and you can find time to get everything put together. Stick to Your List When you go out grocery shopping in Chandler, AZ, make sure you stick to your list and only get the items you absolutely need. This is easier to do if you avoid going grocery shopping when you are hungry. If you are hungry, it is often easier to impulse buy things that look good that you don’t actually need. Invest in Food Storage Containers If you are serious about meal prepping and you plan on sticking with it, then it might be a good idea to invest in food storage containers. Pick containers that close well, that are durable, and that will be easy to clean. Good quality storage containers will help keep your food fresh for longer. Clean and use them together so pieces don’t get lost or mismatched. Freeze, Reheat, and Enjoy! One of the greatest things about meal prepping is how quickly it makes putting a meal together when you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. All the food is already cooked, so all that you need to do is defrost and reheat it and you have a complete meal! Be aware that some foods are better for this than others that dry out easily. Stay mindful of expiration dates, as well. What is your favorite thing about meal prepping? Let us know in the comments. If you haven’t given meal prepping a shot, try it out this month in your apartment to see what you are missing!

Tips for Unplugging

The first Friday of every March is the National Day of Unplugging . While this day has technically already passed, we here at Liv Avenida Blog think it’s always a good idea to evaluate your media use. Try these simple suggestions to unplug from electronics when it’s right for you. It may not be the easiest task in the world, but it’s a good idea to do it to be more present in or out of your Chandler, AZ apartment. Start the Day with Intention How often do you scroll through your phone upon waking up? This month, make your first action of the day something intentional that will benefit you personally. Rather than immediately checking your inbox, turn your alarm off and meditate. Or go on a quick walk around the block instead. Whether you have enough time to complete an entire workout routine or you only have a few simple minutes to breathe or wash your face, start your day with something that makes you feel good. Go Outside It’s no surprise that in the age of endless streaming options and constant digital distractions, it takes more deliberateness to spend time outside. Make a conscious decision to spend time outside of your apartment rather than sitting in front of a screen. Go on a specific outdoor adventure — like a hike or camping trip — or just take a walk around your neighborhood. Ground yourself in your surroundings. Get outside your apartment and into the fresh air. Bring Along a Book If you’re anything like us, we suspect that any time you take public transport or wait in line, you rely on your social media feeds to pass the time. Since doing this actively destroys your ability to focus, so why not bring a book along with you wherever you go to pull out and read? These moments may seem short and insignificant, but you’ll be surprised how much reading you can accomplish if you seize each moment as they come. Unplug Around Others Last but not least, we invite you to create an experience where both you and your friends spend some time together, collectively unplugged. Without notifications, memes, and Instagram stories, you’ll be able to connect with the people you care about in a deeper and more meaningful way. This doesn’t mean you always have to put your screens away around others, but it will likely be a good experiment that will help you reevaluate how you use electronics amid company. Thanks for reading our post today! We hope you have some beautiful moments away from your phone this month here in Chandler, AZ.

Comparing Online Mattress Brands

Have you recently been bombarded with ads for mattress brands selling their beds online? One company may sponsor your favorite podcast while its competitor shows up on your social media feeds. Since in theory, you spend about one-third of your time in bed, it makes sense to invest in a high-quality mattress. The question is, which one should choose? This week’s Liv Avenida Blog post is dedicated to helping you find the mattress that’s right for you without even having to leave your house. Purple The Purple mattress is by far the most innovative option when it comes to materials used to help you have a comfortable night’s sleep. Purple is known for its top layer, which is made of purple elastic material; they claim it helps you stay cool without compensating the support you need and the pressure relief you deserve. The layers underneath are made of foam; the mattress seems to be slightly firmer than its competitors while remaining comfortable enough to sleep on. Casper When it comes to current popularity, the Casper mattress takes the cake. Their standard option has four layers of foam that vary in firmness in order to offer the optimal level of support and comfort. While the price of this mattress is average in comparison, Casper offers an essential model with one less layer of foam for an even better price. If you’re looking for a mattress that is well loved by many, Casper may just be your best bet! Tuft and Needle Tuft and Needle has two major selling points, in our opinion: It is the lowest price of the online mattress companies, yet it still has the most reviews on Amazon! While their standard mattress only has two layers of foam, they claim that their layers are higher quality than their competitors. As you can read on their website, “If the foam doesn’t improve the feel or airflow, you won’t find it in our mattress.” Helix Are you looking for an option that is a bit less “one size fits all?” If so, then Helix has something for you! The company sells nine different mattresses according to what you need, and six of those options come in an upgraded luxe version, as well. Before you scroll through each option, take the simple sleep quiz they offer to find which one is best for you in terms of your sleep position, your preferred comfort level, and your preferred amount of support. Now that you know what sets each company apart, it’s time to make your decision! Nervous about ordering a mattress before trying it out? Don’t worry! Each of these companies has a 100-night sleep trial with free returns, no questions asked. On top of that, each company — with the exception of Tuft and Needle — offers financing options so you don’t have to break the bank to get the quality of sleep you deserve. Here’s to a better night’s rest every night in your Chandler, AZ apartment!

Make Your Own Body Scrubs

It can seem enticing to spend a lot of money on a high-quality body scrub, but did you know you can make perfectly good scrubs from the comfort of your own apartment for a small fraction of the cost? This week, Liv Avenida Blog is here with some of our favorite skin scrub recipes, all for you! Keep your skin happy and healthy this time of year by making one of these in your Chandler, AZ apartment this month. Coconut Oatmeal Scrub This coconut oatmeal scrub works perfectly for scrubbing your hands or for any other part of your body; it will exfoliate your skin and leave it feeling as smooth as ever. It also has brown sugar in it, so if you are looking to remove facial blackheads, this is a great option! Just be careful to keep the scrub away from your eyes. Green Tea Scrub Are you hoping to find something to help your skin to feel more fresh and rejuvenated? This green tea body scrub might be just what you are searching for. Not only will it leave your skin feeling soft and moisturized, but it will also help to tighten it up and minimize any scarring that you may have. You’ll need green tea bags, coconut oil, and white sugar. Coffee Foot Scrub Try not to let this scrub’s color scare you away. It will do wonders for your feet! Banana and coffee grounds are the two main ingredients, and when you combine them, they will simultaneously tone your feet and get them smooth. This scrub is perfect as you prepare to start showing off your feet in sandals again, or for any time you want to make your them feel like a million bucks. Honey and Blueberry Face Scrub The ingredients in this face scrub can do wonders for your skin! Blueberries are filled with Vitamin C and antioxidants, so this scrub is a great way to treat your skin to all these nutrients that you usually save for the inside of your body. Believe it or not, your skin could use them, too! On top of that, honey is naturally anti-inflammatory, so it is a great way to keep your skin calm and blemish free. Thanks for reading today. Have fun and happy scrubbing!

National Random Acts of Kindness Day

Aesop once said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” We here at Liv Avenida Blog stand behind these words, and what a better day to test them out than on National Random Acts of Kindness Day? Join in on the festivities this February 17th by taking a few moments out of your day to perform a small act of kindness for someone else. Here are some ideas you could try: Pay for the customer behind you at a drive-through. This is a simple way to serve someone, especially if you have a little extra cash to spend. It’ll make their day, and it will probably make you smile knowing they’ll probably never figure out who it was! Support a friend’s work. Since our world thrives on creativity, there are surely loads of artists and innovators around you. Chances are one of them is a close friend or relative, and they just might need some extra help to launch their business or spread the word about their work. It won’t take much to help! A like, retweet, share, comment, or small purchase can show them that you support them while notifying others who might love to support them. Pick up litter. Cities can get dirty with garbage and litter, so take some time to pick up trash in your neighbor to beautify the city. It might be a small gesture, but you could think of it as a symbol of your love and appreciation of the place you live and of your willingness to contribute to the prosperity of your community. Teach something for free. Do you have a skill or talent that those around you wish they had, too? It might be knowing a different language, playing an instrument, or knitting. On National Random Acts of Kindness Day, teach a younger family member or a friend who has been asking you to give them some pointers for a while. You could even invite a small group of people over and teach a class on it! What do you plan to do on National Random Acts of Kindness Day? Let our Chandler, AZ apartment community know in the comment section below!