Category: Lifestyle

Financial Advice For New Parents

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Just Starting Out? Use These Tips

Having a baby changes your life. Everything from the food you eat to the friends you have will likely change once you bring your new little one home! Of course, your financial situation will have to change as well. On top of having another mouth to feed, you also get to start thinking about fun things like college savings and life insurance. To help you successfully manage your money as your family grows, here is some financial advice for new parents.

  • Start Saving: As new parents, you should have two types of savings accounts set up. The first should be an emergency fund and you should try to keep it stocked with around six months of living expenses. This ensures that even if you lose your job or find yourself facing a big bill you did not expect, your family can continue to live comfortably. The second type of account you need is a college savings plan. Talk to a financial adviser to determine the best type of account to save for college with the best tax benefits.
  • Get Insured: Since you now have another little person who is relying entirely on you for financial security, it is important you protect yourself against money troubles. The good news is you can do just that with insurance! For example, disability insurance ensures that even if you have to stop working, your family still has income and life insurance will protect your family as they transition to life without your paycheck. Talk to an insurance expert to get the right coverage for your changing family.

As we talked about above, one way you can help set yourself up for financial success is by carrying the right insurance coverage to ensure an unforeseen event never drains your bank account. To get the policies you need for financial stability for your growing family, contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency.

Twist On A Classic: Salmon Burger Recipe

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Salmon Burgers For Summer

During the summer, everyone seems to be lighting up their grill. While the barrage of burgers and hot dogs is great for a time, after a couple of months of eating these heavy foods you might be ready for an alternative, healthy option. Fortunately, you can get it! For a fresh twist on the classic burger, whip up this recipe for a delicious salmon burger to enjoy this summer.

To make them, you will need:

  • 1 cup of finely chopped red onion
  • ½ cup of thinly sliced fresh basil
  • 1 1-pound skinned salmon fillet, chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of hot sauce
  • 1 egg white
  • Cooking spray
  • 8 slices of focaccia
  • Your favorite burger toppings (e.g. sliced tomato, lettuce, sliced onion)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the onion, basil, salmon, salt, and pepper, mixing with your hands until well blended. In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the hot sauce and egg white. Add it into the salmon mixture and mix well.

Separate the salmon mixture into four patties about a ½ inch thick. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat it over medium-high. Add the patties and cook until done (about 3 minutes each side). Meanwhile, toast your focaccia.

Serve the patties sandwiched between the focaccia with your favorite toppings and enjoy! Personally, we love a squeeze of lemon and a few capers to really zest up this burger.

We hope you love this tasty recipe! For all of your California insurance needs, contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency today!

 

Mother’s Day Brunch Recipe: Egg White Frittata

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Showing That Special Lady How Much She Means To You

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, it is time to look into others’ Mother’s Day ideas so that you can plan the perfect celebration for the most important lady in your life! If you are thinking that your mom would love to start her day with a delicious Mother’s Day Brunch, it is time to start brainstorming and picking the perfect brunch recipes. We highly recommend this egg white frittata with lox and arugula:

What you will need:

  • 8 Eggs Whites, at Room Temperature
  • ½ Cup of Whipping Cream
  • 6 Ounces of Lox
  • 1 Lemon, Zest
  • Kosher Salt
  • Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • 2 Packed Cups of Arugula
  • 1 Garlic Clove

How to prepare:

  • Start by preheating your oven to 250 degrees F. Then, whisk the egg whites in a medium-sized bowl for about 30 seconds and add the lox, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and cream.
  • In an ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium heat and add the arugula and garlic. Cook until the arugula is wilted. This should take about a minute. Next, add the egg mixture to the pan and stir until well combined. Cook for about four minutes without stirring.
  • Next, transfer the skillet to your oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Serve your frittata on a platter and enjoy!

Happy Mother’s Day! We hope you and your mom enjoy this mouthwatering Mother’s Day Brunch recipe! Contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency for all of your California insurance needs.

The Essentials When Camping

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Camping Tips To Make Your Outing Its Best

We are just now arriving at that beautiful time of year when the weather warms and tax season ends, inviting us all to shake off our stress and get outdoors. One of the best ways to take advantage of the coming months of great weather is grabbing the family and heading out for a camping expedition. When you do, use these camping tips to make the most of your time.

  • Fire: No camping trip would be complete without dinner cooked over an open flame and time spent around the campfire. Generally, 14 split logs should be enough to cook dinner over the flame and keep the fire stoked until midnight. Bring a little extra wood for just in case; you can always sell it to other campers instead of lugging it home.
  • Food & Water: Pack your cast iron skillet and choose recipes that can be cooked in the skillet and are based off of ingredients that can be stored at room temperature. Canned items are a great choice, and will save you valuable cooler space. Make sure each camper brings a refillable water bottle, and pack plenty of two-gallon jugs with waterspouts.
  • Shelter: Choose your campsite well. Do your research ahead of time so you can choose a site that will have the amenities your family enjoys, like a fire pit or picnic tables. If you are going to be sleeping in a tent, pop it up before you leave home to ensure there are no structural issues you should address before you go. If you are RV camping, make sure that your propane is hooked up and everything else is ready to go.

Is your RV ready to head out on the road for a summer of fun? To get the RV insurance you need to embark without worry, contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency. Our dedicated California team is here to protect your upcoming adventures.

Make The Most Of Your Spring Cleaning

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The Guide To Freshening Your Home This Spring

As we say goodbye to winter (albeit a fortunately mild one for us Californians), we get to throw open the windows of our homes and quite literally shake off the dust of the winter. So you can get the most of your spring-cleaning and home maintenance, use this brief guide.

  • Stainless Steel: Clean and protect your stainless steel with a wax-based aerosol spray. Continue to mist your stainless steel with this product once a week throughout the year to keep it gleaming.
  • Closet Organization: Use the new season to rearrange your closet, pulling out your summer clothes and packing up your winter sweaters. Get rid of any clothing you have not worn in the last year, and donate the clothes to a local charity.
  • Painted Walls: Before you get out your paint bucket and drop cloth, try to address the stains on your painted walls with a clean cloth moistened with water and a little dishwashing liquid. Try to stay away from stronger stain removers, which have solvents and can damage your paint.
  • Carpet: Do not forget to change the filter on your vacuum before you start cleaning your carpet, as a dirty filter will just blow grime back into the air. Spot treat stains in your carpet as you move vacuuming from room to room.
  • Tile: You can create your own neutral pH solution at home to properly clean and care for your tile. Just mix ½ cup of baking soda into two gallons of water. This mixture is ideal for getting tile clean without damaging it.

Do not leave your home exposed and unprotected after all of the hard work you put into cleaning it. For all of your homeowner’s insurance needs in California, contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency. Our dedicated team is here to ensure your home is covered this spring and beyond.

Saving Money At The Grocery Store In As Easy As 1-2-3

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Tips for Saving on Groceries With Little Effort

Are you one of the many individuals who complain about how much is spent on groceries each week? Often, we go to the grocery store with an eye that has a larger appetite than our tummies, leaving us with a cart filled to the brim and a wallet begging for relief. If saving money on grocery shopping is a top priority for you in 2015, allow these helpful tips for saving on groceries to help:

  • Going to the grocery store while you are hungry can be extremely dangerous. To avoid over purchasing to accommodate for your growling belly, have a snack before heading to the store. This will help you make more logical purchases.
  • It is vital that you make a grocery list. While you may be inclined to skip out on this task and head to the store with a mental list, this will not only make it so that you leave the store missing essential items, but you will also end up spending more on items you did not really need in the first place.
  • There are a variety of ways in which you can organize your grocery list, including smartphone applications that provide the utmost convenience. Try downloading “Out of Milk,” which will organize your grocery list by category so that you do not have to waste your precious time at the grocery store going back and forth looking for items.
  • A great money saving strategy that is easy to employ is looking in your fridge and pantry to see what you still have left over from last week’s trip to the store. Many individuals fail to check what they already have and end up with two-dozen eggs when they are only in need of one.

We hope these helpful tips for saving on groceries allow you to fill your pantry and fridge without breaking the bank. Contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency for all of your California insurance needs. We will go above and beyond to provide you with ultimate security in all areas of your life.

Incorporate These Habits For A Healthier Life

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Accomplishing Your Goals In 2015

January is almost over, which means it is time to reflect upon how well you are doing with accomplishing your New Year’s Resolutions. If you have set forth to incorporate healthy living habits in the New Year but are finding it more difficult than previously anticipated, try to add these habits for a healthier life into your routine:

  • How often do you reflect upon the good in life? To start feeling more positive each day, utilize a gratitude jar. Using a mason jar, simply write something that you are grateful each day and add it to your jar. Whenever you are feeling down, read some of your most gracious moments.
  • By human nature, we are always striving to learn more. In 2015, set forth to learn a new skill. Whether you choose to learn how to make homemade sushi or learn how to spin like a pro, learning a new skill will make for a healthier and happier New Year.
  • Even if you do not have weight loss goals, getting regular exercise is extremely important for our bodies. Strive to take a nightly walk after dinner each night to get your blood pumping!
  • Eating healthier in 2015 can be as simple as just cooking at home as opposed to eating out. Limit yourself to one lunch and one dinner meal at a restaurant and your body will be thanking you.
  • What is your weakness? Do you have a bad habit that brings you down? Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you smoke cigarettes? Do you indulge on soda daily? Make an effort in 2015 to replace one of your bad habits with a good one. For example, if your fix is soda, make an effort to drink fruit infused water instead.

We hope you start incorporating these habits for a healthy life and find success in 2015! Contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency for all of your California insurance needs. We will go above and beyond to provide you with ultimate security in all areas of your life.

New Year’s Traditions Celebrated Across The Globe

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Good Luck and Prosperity for the New Year

We all have our traditions for each holiday out of the year, but who takes the time to think about traditions those on the other side of the world partake in? In America, we kiss and toast our champagne at the stroke of midnight to ring in the New Year, but what other New Year’s Traditions are there? Our interest was undoubtedly stirred, which is why we have gathered a few interesting traditions that are celebrated by our not-so-close neighbors:

  • Spain – The Spaniards ring in the New Year by munching on twelve grapes with each of the twelve chimes as the clock hits midnight. This New Year’s Tradition began in 1895 when vine farmers were looking to bring in more customers to get rid of their surplus grapes.
  • Belgium – The Belgians take a different approach, with each child writing their parents a letter to ring in the New Year.
  • Greece – To symbolize rebirth in the New Year, Greeks will hang an onion, also known as a kremmida on their doors on New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day, they wake their children by tapping the kremmida on their heads. Before entering their homes on New Year’s Day, they will break a pomegranate on the doorstep, symbolizing good luck and prosperity.
  • Denmark – After dinner, people in Denmark indulge on a special treat known as Kransekage, which is a giant cone-shaped cake. On January 1st, they throw dishes at their friends’ doorsteps.
  • Macedonia – In Macedonia, they celebrate New Year’s Eve twice. The first celebration takes place on December 31st and the second takes place on January 14th.

Happy New Year from our team to your family! We encourage you to celebrate New Year’s Eve safely and responsibly! Contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency for all of your California insurance needs.

Holiday Recipe: Homemade Eggnog

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Add This One To The Family Holiday Recipe Book!

In the midst of the holiday season, you may be thinking about which holiday recipes to fix up to impress your family, friends, and neighbors. If you have come second best in the family’s best recipe contest year after year, mix up this delicious homemade eggnog recipe to not only win first prize but to have them begging for more:

What you will need:

  • 3 Eggs (Lightly Beaten)
  • 1/3 Cup of White Sugar
  • Salt
  • 2 ½ Cups of Milk
  • 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Cup of Heavy Cream
  • 2 Tablespoons of Confectioners’ Sugar
  • ½ Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • ½ Cup of Rum (Optional)
  • 2 Drops of Yellow Food Coloring
  • 1 Pinch of Ground Nutmeg

How to prepare:

  • Combine the eggs, salt, and sugar in a saucepan and gradually add and stir in milk. You will need to stir this mixture consistently for about 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat. You will know it is ready for the next step with the mixture can coat a metal spoon.
  • Remove the concoction from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Next, place the saucepan over ice water until the custard begins to cool. Refrigerate until chilled.
  • In a separate, chilled bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and the heavy cream. Beat until you notice stiff peaks in the mixture.
  • Now, add the rum and food coloring and fold the mixture into the cooled custard.
  • Pour the delicious eggnog into a serving bowl, top with a sprinkle of nutmeg, serve, and enjoy!

We hope you enjoy this delicious homemade eggnog recipe and add it to your holiday recipe book to enjoy year after year! Contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency for all of your California insurance needs.

Ways to Give Back This Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving is a time of giving back and showing those around you how much you appreciate everything they do on a daily basis. In giving back this Thanksgiving, there are a variety of ways in which you can spread the holiday cheer to those less fortunate. Whether you choose to volunteer at a local charity or simply show your gratitude to another, giving back makes the world a better place. Gathered are a variety of ways in which you can give back this Thanksgiving:

  • Nearly every county has a nonprofit organization that accepts donations during the holidays to help the hungry during Thanksgiving. While the anticipation for the delicious feast continues to build, think about how others will not have the opportunity to enjoy a warm turkey and stuffing on this day.
  • Supporting a local food drive on Thanksgiving is a great way to give back during the holidays. Whether you choose to donate food, money, or even volunteer at the food drive, this will mean the world to those who get to enjoy a warm meal on Thanksgiving.
  • Imagine the sorrow of not being able to spend the holidays with your family. Our troops overseas will not be seeing their family this holiday season, nor will they be enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner. Therefore, sending a care package or phone card to our soldiers is a great way to spread the holiday cheer and make a difference.
  • Rather than shoving your freezer with a bunch of Thanksgiving leftovers that will likely end up being tossed, why not bring your leftovers to a homeless family or shelter instead.

To find out how you can help your community this Thanksgiving, simply Google search “charity volunteer for Thanksgiving in [your city]!”Contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency in Murrieta for all of your California insurance needs.