Smarter Sims & Weirder Stories: Living a "Sims" Life

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Finally The Sims™ 4 has arrived! My husband and I made a whole day of having fun playing the game and eating snacks on my day off. The first thing we did was Create A Sim to make our family on the game and build mode for a house. Funny enough just like in reality we had to compromise on the way the house looked and which neighborhood it would go in (but then I did realize he can make his own game too!).

Cute to see the child it made from my character and my husband's. 

Since the game first came out and my husband and I played in college we always giggled that we would be playing "real" The Sims™  once we were out of college. We are grown up now but still there is a kid inside that loves to play video games. The best part of The Sims™ 4 is the way the personalities are way more in depth with big personalities. I was cracking up at the way the characters were acting from picking traits that myself and my husband do have. 

The Sims™ has always been a fun little escape from reality. I like it since its a design game too. I am not a fan of app type of games as much as PC games so for me this is an epic game. It has depth of characters, good story lines and tons of replay value. 

We had a blast playing the game over the last few days and have been having several "SIMS" moments at home.

The funny thing about The Sims™ is how it really is like real life. Our personalities dictate what we like, what we need and what will bring us joy. It is to learn a little about humanity to play The Sims™ 4. How will your dream home look, what will your dream career be, find out when you play! #Sims4 

After we grab some snacks I will be heading back to my job as a writer, my beautiful home and my adoring son. (Thankfully my SIMS character has the same life on the game as I do in reality, well sorta lol) #CollectiveBias

I shopped at Walmart for my copy of The Sims™ 4. I grabbed some Sour Patch Kids Gum, soda, chips and candy for a day of enjoying the Latest PC Game. I encourage you to shop for the game soon since my store shelves were sold out!! 

Be sure to enter the SIMify yourself Facebook Contest here: https://www.facebook.com/simifyyourself. There are $8000 in prizes to be won including the grand prize where you could win a trip to Maxis studio in California! See the official rules here: https://collectivebias.box.com/shared/static/bgg20pn7ujnmkha77b6p.pdf

Spicy Beef and Potato Soup

September has always been the start of the new year for me. Going back to school is a very big deal, I think. It was for me when I was a child, it was for my own children, and now it is the same for my grandchildren.

I'm so happy to tell you that my grandson Jayden, who started second grade on Wednesday, loves his teacher and new classroom. I know I'm not responsible for him the way his parents are, but believe me when I say I was pretty anxious to know how that first day went.

September is also the time I start thinking about cooler weather, and the hearty soups and stews that my family enjoys. I love making soup in my big pot, and there are so many easy soups that can be made with very simple ingredients.

This Spicy Beef and Potato Soup is made with ground beef, potatoes, and corn, items that many of us already have on hand. This recipe makes a nice big pot of soup, with a delicious tomato flavor, and even the kids will love it.

Recipe for Spicy Beef and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 small onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
4 cans (8 ounce each) tomato sauce
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce

Directions:

In a large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook beef until browned, drain off fat.
Add potatoes, onion, corn, and tomato sauce. Stir in 4 cups water, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 hour or until potatoes are tender and soup has thickened.

Makes 6 generous servings.

Share Sam's Club with a Friend & Plan a Party

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Sam’s Club. All opinions are mine alone.

When my friend Bree and I see each other work always seems to be the reason, but the times we all get together and have some fun are the best. We try to make time outside our busy lives of working full time, me being a Mom and Bree a full time student to just hang out.

Bree and I know many people all with birthdays right around one another and were thinking of planning one big party. Being the money savvy gals we are we decided to see what the cost would be like for a big party. I live down the street from Sam's Club so we grabbed some coffee and made a list. Sam's Club is one of those stores you can shop and get everything you might need all in one stop. It is my go to when we are planning a big party.

The first thing Bree said to me when we walked into Sam's Club was "I have never been in a Sam's Club but I have been in other big warehouse stores". I knew this was going to be a great trip to show her the prices and quality of the products for a party. Bree is known for the great parties she throws and the goodies she bakes. My son even knows the Bree makes all the goodies I bring home from work. He asks me if I have a "special treat" for him and I know he means did Bree make me anything lol.

Being the baker she is and her busy life I wanted her to see how convenient Sam's Club can be for parties and baking. The first thing we had on our list was disposable plates, cups and utensils. The only not so fun part of a party is the clean up, so I figured if we bought all disposable items it would keep clean up simple.

We started with Disposable party supplies and quickly the cart became full

We wanted to have healthy options for our party so we shopped for fresh food like fruit and a veggie party platter. Beverages are essential to a party as well. At Sam's Club they have a huge assortment of beverages to select from. We picked the basics of apple juice, water, soda and juice boxes.

Our favorite section in Sam's Club is the bakery area. I showed Bree how all the items can be used for semi-homemade treats. I know she loves to bake from scratch but I wanted her to see how she can save time while planning a party with pre-made items. We decided we would make bite size cake treats instead of a traditional birthday cake.

We purchased vanilla pound cake, chocolate chips, heavy cream and fresh blue berries & raspberries to make our chocolate covered cake topped with fruit.

Fresh Fruit Chocolate Covered Cake:

3 pk of Vanilla Loaf Cake
18 oz pack of fresh blueberries
18 oz pack of fresh raspberries
36 oz bag of chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
1 quart heavy cream

Pour 4 cups of chocolate chips into bowl, set aside. Boil 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream, pour over chocolate chips, stir slowly until blended. Cut vanilla cake loaf into even slices, cut in half. Drizzle chocolate glaze over cakes, top with fresh fruit, place in fridge 30 min to set.

Now that I have shared Sam's Club with a friend and planned a party we will spend the rest of the afternoon eating all the delicious food we bought and made. I am sure Bree will be shopping Sam's Club for her next party.

If you would like to #TrySamsClub for you or a friend you can read more on facebook and twitter. #CollectiveBias

Kicking off Back to School with a 21 Day Fix Challenge!

Hi everyone! Things have been going so great with my coaching that I am starting a Beachbody Challenge™ group. It starts on September 12th and would love for anyone and everyone to join! It's a 21 Day Fix Challenge and it's the easiest way to achieve your goals ever. 

As part of my group, you'll be one of four to six like-minded people. We'll track our progress along the way, hold each other accountable, and motivate, inspire, and encourage each other to achieve amazing results. It's easy! 

The best part is that the 21 Day Fix program is on sale right now for the month of September. I have heard so many great thing about this program and I know several people personally that have lost 10+ lbs. doing this! I am so excited to start it myself, I can’t wait! If you are interested in another Challenge Pack program there are lots to choose from, you can still join the group with any program.

But the spots will fill quickly—and you don't want to wait 'til the next group! When you're ready, just visit my Web site at http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/Samantha0916 and follow the link, click on the Challenge Pack picture located to the right and select the 21 Day Fix to sign up. Or call or email me and I'll walk you through the process. Just an FYI it takes about a week to get your shipment so make sure you plan accordingly.

 

If you have been looking to start a program or to be a part of a great group then this is for you. I don't know about you but accountability and a positive attitude is what I need to succeed! Join me on this adventure and you won't be disappointed!

 

Toasted Coconut Donuts

I think I've mentioned before that ever since I bought a donut pan, I can make donuts whenever the mood strikes me. And it actually strikes me quite a lot.

When I lived in California, there was a donut shop practically everywhere you looked. Sort of like the equivalent of Seattle having a Starbucks on every corner. Well, I live across the water from Seattle now, and there are no donut shops around here. Or at least none I have found.

So of course that's the perfect reason to start making my own donuts, and my family loves them.

They are super easy to whip up on a lazy weekend morning, whenever we have a craving for them.

These Toasted Coconut Donuts are pretty fabulous, and if you are a coconut lover like I am, you will especially adore them.

This recipe makes a dozen donuts. You can make them without toasting the coconut if you are short on time, but they aren't quite the same. That extra five minutes or so that it takes is well worth it.


Recipe for Toasted Coconut Donuts

Ingredients:

For donuts:

Baking spray
2 cup all purpose flour
12 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup toasted coconut

For glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions:

In a medium frying pan, place 1 cup of coconut. On low-medium heat, toss coconut frequently with a spatula. Cook until toasted, about 5 minutes, and do not let coconut burn. Place in a small bowl when done, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a donut pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add buttermilk, eggs, coconut extract, and melted butter. Stir to combine. Carefully spoon batter into prepared donut pan, filling 2/3 full.
Bake 8-10 minutes, or until donuts are baked through. Allow to cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, coconut extract, and milk.
Stir until smooth, adding more tablespoons of milk as needed. Dip cooled donut in to glaze, and set on rack. Sprinkle heavily with toasted coconut. Repeat with remaining donuts.