Tech and Teachability: Freebie

Showing posts with label Freebie. Show all posts

You know that moment when your planner looks like a Pinterest board but your actual life looks like an unfinished group project?

Same.

When you're tired, bloated, and running on fumes, the last thing you need is a planning system that overwhelms you even more.

Here are the tools and tricks that help me plan my days without burning out.

First: Ditch the Perfect Plan

Perfection isn't the goal. Feeling supported is.

I used to write these color-coded, high-achieving schedules and then immediately feel like a failure when I couldn’t stick to them.

Now? I plan for real life. The kind where bloating, brain fog, and burnout are part of the equation.

My Low-Energy Planning Tech Stack

1. Canva Weekly Planner Template

Simple, customizable, and reusable. I plug in my tasks, meals, movement, and self-care in one place. It makes the week feel doable.

Grab it for free HERE as a PDF

And here's the Canva Template.

2. Google Keep

Color-coded blocks help me visually separate work, home, and rest. I schedule breaks like appointments and set alerts to remind me to, you know… eat.

Want some headers? Here's my Canva Template!

3. ChatGPT

When I’m mentally tapped out, I let ChatGPT help me outline posts, meals, or write gentle to-do lists. The key? Don't copy it word for word; make it your own!

Peptides to the Rescue

I sip MAKE Hydrated or Energized when I sit down to plan. It helps reduce brain fog, ease bloating, and boost clarity.

When I pair that with a small stretch or walk before planning, I feel more energized and clear-headed.

Check out these Peptides HERE. I recommend looking into the Science!

Planning in Survival Mode? Try This:

Instead of a full schedule, I list one thing per category:

Must-do
Move-your-body
Eat/fuel

Three things. That’s it. Everything else is a bonus.

And if you're dealing with a bloated belly or foggy brain? Try planning standing up, drinking water while you write, or even talking your plan out loud into a voice note.

TL;DR

Planning while exhausted doesn’t need to be pretty.

Use tools that simplify, not complicate. Let your plan reflect your real life, not your highlight reel.

And when all else fails? Drink water, write down three things, and let the rest go.

You’re doing better than you think.

Jessica

Tired of starting every school year already burned out?

Same. That’s why I created the Summer Reset Challenge — a free 7-day plan for teachers who want to feel better before back-to-school chaos hits.

What It Is:

The Summer Reset Challenge is:
✅ 7 small daily actions
✅ A flexible, low-pressure routine builder
✅ Designed with real teachers (and real life) in mind

Whether you’re looking to start meal prepping, hoping to start a wellness/health journey, or just trying to not feel like a swamp by 3 PM, this is for you.

What We’ll Focus On:

Hydration with intention (I use Hydrated + Fit peptides)
Quick wins for meal prep (hello, freezer stash + one protein, two meals)
Easy movement (walks, stretches, walking pad)
Using tech that saves time (Google Keep, Forest)
Rest and routines that reset your nervous system

When It Starts:

Challenge kicks off: July 28

You’ll get:

A free printable tracker
Daily tips in your inbox or IG
Optional bonus week if you’re feeling it
Encouragement + check-ins from me (not a bot, promise)

Want to Join?

It’s free. It’s realistic. And it’s all yours.

Just head to https://www.techandteachability.com/p/summer-reset-challenge.html to get on the list.

Because taking care of YOU isn’t a luxury — it’s a strategy.

Jessica

If you’ve ever sipped cold coffee on your drive to school or skipped breakfast altogether because you were printing morning worksheets at 6:58 AM… this post is for you.

As a former teacher, I know that mornings during the school year are a race. But skipping breakfast only leads to crashing by mid-morning, snacking on whatever’s in your desk drawer, or feeling extra sluggish during 2nd period.

Let’s change that — without adding stress.
Here are 6 *high-protein, easy-to-implement* breakfast ideas that work with real teacher mornings.

1. Cottage Cheese + Fruit + Nuts

Scoop cottage cheese into a bowl or container, add a handful of berries, and sprinkle some chopped walnuts or almonds. Pack it the night before or toss it together in under 2 minutes. It’s packed with protein and fiber, and keeps you full through morning duty.

2. Make-Ahead Egg Muffins (Prep Once, Eat All Week)

Whisk together eggs, veggies, and a protein (like turkey sausage or diced ham), pour into muffin tins, and bake. Store them in the fridge or freezer and reheat in 30 seconds. You can even eat them cold in a pinch — they still taste great!

For a recipe, click HERE.

3. Protein Smoothie Packs (Blend + Go)

Portion smoothie ingredients into freezer bags: frozen banana, berries, spinach, protein powder, and nut butter. In the morning, dump into a blender with milk or water, blend, and take it to go. You can even blend the night before and refrigerate.

4. Overnight Oats with Protein Boost

Combine rolled oats, milk (or yogurt), protein powder or collagen, chia seeds, and fruit in a jar. Let it sit overnight, and it’s ready in the morning. No cooking needed — just grab, shake, and go.

I make these recipes all the time!

5. Yogurt Parfait Jars/Chia Seed Puddings

Layer yogurt with granola, nuts/seeds, and fruit in a mason jar. Optional: stir in some protein powder or top with peanut butter. This can be made 2–3 days in advance for the easiest grab-and-go breakfast.

Several of my favorite chia seed pudding recipes can be found HERE.

6. Breakfast Boxes

Pack premade waffles, sausage or bacon (or both!), and premade eggs (scrambled or hard boiled - you do you boo!) in a microwave safe dish. Store in the fridge until ready to eat. Pop it in the microwave and then drizzle some maple syrup over the waffle and you've got a quick and delicious breakfast.

Real Talk: Breakfast Doesn’t Have to Be Fancy

It just needs to fuel you so you can teach, think, and move without running on fumes.

Choose one of these to try this week. Prep a few if you’re feeling motivated. Your body (and brain) will thank you — especially around 10:15 when everyone else is crashing.

Want More Teacher Wellness Tools?

Join my newsletter for weekly tips on realistic wellness, planning systems, meal prep, and product faves that work with real teacher life — not against it.

You can also grab my free Sunday Reset Kit to help you prep for the week ahead.

Don't forget to check out my breakfast recipes!

Jessica

Why summer is the best time to build routines that stick!

As a former teacher, I know how easy it is to fall into survival mode during the school year. You’re up early, running on caffeine, barely sitting for lunch, and by 3 PM you’re running on fumes (and maybe a leftover granola bar from your desk drawer from who knows when).

That’s why I’ve learned this truth the hard way:
If you wait until August to get back into a wellness routine… it probably won’t stick.
But if you start small now, while your schedule is (even slightly) more flexible — those habits can carry you through the chaos of back-to-school.

So if you’re a teacher (or teacher-adjacent) trying to take better care of yourself this year, let’s talk about how to set yourself up for success — starting in July.

Hydration Is the Easiest First Win

Before you overhaul your entire routine, let’s start with the easiest fix:

Drink more water.

Not in a “you must drink 128 oz a day or else” kind of way — but in a gentle nudge kind of way.

Start the day with 10-20 oz of water before your first coffee.
Throw in a dose of electrolytes (I use Hydrated from MAKE Wellness) and boom - you’re already ahead of where you were yesterday.

You can also grab a 15% discount on an Owala bottle! Check them out HERE and use my code TECHANDTEACHABILITY for your discount!

📱 Bonus: I use Waterllama to track hydration and keep it kind of fun.

My Owala signed by characters at Disney!!

Move a Little. Don’t Overthink It.

July is a great time to build a movement habit without needing a fancy gym or a strict routine. Try:

Morning walks before it gets too hot
5-minute YouTube stretch videos
A standing or walking pad during work-from-home tasks (I walk on my pad while folding clothes and listening to a podcast or catching up on a fave show; multitasking at it's finest!) Here's a link (Amazon affiliate) for the exact one I have!

You’re not training for a marathon — you’re just reminding your body that movement is safe and energizing.

Create a Simple Weekly Planning System

The best back-to-school routines aren’t rigid. They’re flexible frameworks you can fall back on when everything else gets hectic.

Use July to:

Try a weekly planning template (I use a Canva weekly planner; grab it free HERE!)
Plug in meals, workouts, top 3 priorities, and 1 mindset reminder
Get used to checking in with it every Sunday (even if you’re just writing “eat leftovers” or “sit down for 5 minutes”)

This is about building a routine that works with your brain, not against it.

Start Your Peptide Routine Before You Need It

MAKE Wellness peptides have been a game changer for me — and summer is the perfect time to test them out before school starts. I take:

Lean: for bloat, metabolism, and sugar cravings
Fit and Hydrated: for muscle recovery and electrolyte support
Focused: for mental clarity when I’m writing or in Zooms
Calm: before bed, especially on screen-heavy days

Starting in July means I’ve already figured out what works for me - and I’m not troubleshooting while also printing syllabi and answering 47 emails.

💛 Want to try them? Here’s my link to save:https://makewellness.com/256441/

Build the Habit Now, So It’s Just “What You Do” in August

July gives you time to experiment, reflect, and adjust without the pressure of a full teaching schedule.

Start with one habit. Stack another. And by the time your classroom keys are back in your hand, your reset routine won’t feel like one more thing - it’ll feel like normal.

You don’t need to be perfect.

You just need to start.

✅ Want to reset with me?

Grab my free Sunday Reset Kit, join the upcoming Teacher Reset Challenge (more info in the newsletter!), or just follow along on Instagram for tips, check-ins, and realistic teacher wellness tools.

Because you deserve to feel good in your body before the school bell rings. 💛

Jessica

Hello and welcome to my summer post on MEAL PREPPING!

Every summer, I work for LSU developing curriculum and teaching teachers about that curriculum. I spend the entire month of June in front of a computer from 8 am to 5 pm. I'm exhausted by the end of the day, and my summer doesn't really start until it's over. Then I usually take a vacation with my family at the beginning of June. And I come back to finally get two weeks of summer before going back to school! It's crazy.

So I meal prep. I make freezer meals that I can easily pull out of the freezer and dump in a slow cooker or on a sheet pan instead of having to spend every day fixing dinner. My meal plan in particular is for 7 weeks and takes into account my vacation and my first two weeks of school.

I am also doing the Ultimate Portion Fix from BODi (Beachbody and Autumn Calabrese), which if followed correctly it provides enough food for that day, sometimes more than enough. I am trying to lose weight so I am following the plan according to the formula and I am working out daily. This meal plan is for the UPF Plan A which is between 1200-1400 calories a day. So my weekly plans cover all these containers and foods.

The daily plans include all containers for that day, with snacks; however, sometimes I don’t eat all the containers. If I’m not hungry, I won’t eat it. And let me just say I am not a registered dietician, or expert in diets and health and can only plan according to my knowledge of UPF.

I plan every detail. From shopping list to how to prepare the freezer meals to how to get ready each week of the plan.

And this is how my meal prep goes:

For the massive Freezer Meal Prep day, I schedule a Walmart Grocery Delivery for some time that morning or the Saturday evening before (click here for referral link; you'll get $20 added to your account when you join Walmart Plus!). Walmart plus is $12.95 a month or $98 a year and in my opinion totally worth it. I get access to unlimited free home delivery, free shipping from website, Paramount Plus subscription, a fuel discount of 10 cents per gallon at Murphy and Exxon, Scan and Go at the stores, Walmart Rewards, and more.

So when I get my groceries, I can store them or if it's early enough on Sunday (my meal prep day) I get started.

Then all I have to do is start prepping the meals.

Most meals go in the storage bags. Some go in the foil pans. I have labels made so I can easily stick on the bags and pans and know what's inside. They are waterproof labels from Avery. All information is in the download.

Then, for each week I defrost what is needed. I also purchase fresh fruits and vegetables each week for breakfast, snacks, or lunch. So each week I do have minor meal prepping to do. I usually meal prep on Sundays. I make sure to have a clean kitchen and several meal prep containers ready. Depending on what I’m prepping, this could take an hour or more. I prep everything into containers. Unless it’s a single piece of fruit (if I don’t want that fruit cut), like an apple or banana that I can just grab when it’s time for a snack.

And that's it. You can grab my meal plan at the link below. It includes the labels and also a template to make your own.

Some common meal prep questions:

"But what if I'm not hungry for what I meal prep?"

Then I don't eat it. I'm not stuck with this plan. There are some days I want Raising Cane's so I go and get it.

"But what if I have an event to go to?"

I go to it. I eat the food there. I enjoy myself. I'll have leftovers later.

"What about healthy eating choices? What if there aren't any at the event?"

So what? Eat and enjoy. A well balanced diet is eating what you want, in moderation.

"Can I drink alcohol?"

Heck yeah. Drink and be merry.

"What if I don't follow the plan exactly? What if I don't want all the containers?"

Then I don't eat it. Food is not the enemy. Food is not in control. I am. I decide what I want, how much I want, and when I want it. I just use this plan as a guide. I don't actually use the containers to measure every piece of food. As long as I am making healthy choices the majority of the time, I'm good. I've already lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks and I feel great. So much healthier, lighter, and my IBS is under control. I've also eaten cookies and ice cream and have had no regrets.

Click the pic below to gain access to my 7 week Freezer Meal Plan.

Jessica

It's testing week.

I don't like testing week. I don't like testing. I've never been a fan of standardized testing and I look forward to the day our society becomes enlightened enough to rid ourselves of such an arbitrary and superfluous waste of time and we realize that students, teachers, and schools are more than a test score.

Here in Louisiana, we take the LEAP test. For 3rd-5th, it's 3 sessions of Math, 3 sessions of ELA, 2 sessions of Science and 2 sessions of SS (or 3, in 5th grade). Each session is roughly 65-90 minutes. EACH. That's a very long time that our kiddos sit in silence and stare at a computer screen in a room that has been stripped of all colorful and helpful materials and decorations that they've been using all year and suddenly it's not okay.

However, regardless of my personal feelings the test must go on. So I try to make it fun for the testing administrators.

(the kids also get treats from their teachers and donations from parents throughout the week, but this post isn't about them!)

As School Testing Coordinator (STC) I'm in charge of disseminating all testing information and materials to testing administrators at school. So they come to my office every morning and pickup a testing bucket filled with all the needed stuff.

And I include a cookie!

Since I also own and operate The Most Magical Bakery on Earth, I have experience making and baking all sorts of cookies and sweet treats.

This year I made:

Brown butter chocolate chip cookies
M&M's and chocolate chip cookies
Snickerdoodles
Sugar cookies

You can find some of my recipes on my other website, HERE.

I also made little notes and puns to attach to each cookie.

I think the prescription pills are my favorite!

These were super easy to make. Just cut cookie dough into triangles using a pizza cutter. Bake and cool. Dye some cookie icing yellow, and then pipe it in a droopy manner on the cooled cookies. When they are dry, use an edible food marker to draw some faces on the cheese.

For Friday, I gave some colored hearts and a simple little "we love you" note.

Monday is the last day! I am planning on giving these cookie dippers. Also a super simple way of making a sweet treat. I bought THESE (affiliate link) parfait cups on Amazon. Then I made several small circle sugar cookies. I made some buttercream icing and piped it into the top of the parfait cups and added some sprinkles (you could also just use canned icing from the store). The teachers can dip the cookie in the icing and enjoy!

You can grab a copy of my cookie tags here on my blog. CLICK HERE to make a copy to your Google Drive.

Do you have standardized testing? How do you make the week/days/time go by?

Jessica

Need a quick last minute activity for your kiddos?

I used to do this with construction paper and glue and feathers and lots of other craft stuff, and that's FABULOUS if you have the time, but let's face it---who does? So I switched to a digital version.

Check it out:

These are just a few of my kiddos Disguise a Turkey pics. I gave them all a template in Google Slides:

Then I let them use the various tools available to make their Turkey into something else. They used the fill tool, line tool, search tool, insert and format menus, and more.
Once they were done, I had them save the slide as an image (Download as PNG) and then I sent them to a group slideshow. I had made a slideshow in advance and added each student's name to a slide. They found their slide and inserted their turkey image. Then we had a parade of "not" turkeys!
I am always super impressed by the students and their imaginations.
Grab your own Turkey Template HERE.

Jessica

We finally made it to September. August seriously felt like it would never ever end. But here we are.

It's time for all things pumpkin, spooky season, and cooler weather. I don't know when we will get that weather, but I've already decorated for Halloween (I needed the endorphins) and I'm well on my way to baking all the pumpkin goodies.

Spice Cakesicles!

Macarons! They WILL turn your mouth black. Oops.

Truth.

But I'm aware that not everyone is as pumpkin loving as I am. So I have this fun APPLE themed freebie for you.

September always makes me think of Apples. Target has a delicious apple pie ice cream that has pieces of apples and oatmeal and brown sugar crumble and Carly and I DEVOURED a pint in about five minutes flat.

So in this digital freebie, kiddos will click and drag and drop Fact Family Apples on trees to match the numbers.

It's great practice for click and drag on Chromebooks or tablets for little fingers.

At work we got some new cameras and a new teleprompter!

I'll be using these to teach the kids about photography. I used to teach this to middle schoolers at my old school, but I'm going to adapt it to 4th and 5th graders. We will be documenting each grade's journey to their productions, and I want the kiddos to be the ones doing it.

Here is a Google Slideshow I'll be using. It talks about the different types of shots that can be taken with a camera or video camera. Click here to grab a copy for yourself.

And finally this week ended on a positive! Two, if you count the fact that it's a three day weekend!

Admin came in clutch with these nachos for lunch.

Cheeky little sign. I love nachos with jalapeños and these were no exception.

I hope you have a great holiday weekend!

Jessica

We are officially 10 days into the 2022-2023 school year! It has been an unbelievably rocky start to the new school year. For starters, we don't have a counselor or an ESS teacher. Thankfully the rest of our staff is full but these are two very important positions we need filled ASAP. If you are in the Baton Rouge area, give me a call!!

My job hasn't gotten any easier either btw. So much to do to get the technology up and running, make sure all the students have access to a working device, make sure the teachers' tech works in the classroom, printer problems, student login credentials, and so much more. On top of that I have to prepare for all the assessments this year because I'm school test coordinator. UGH!

AND ON TOP OF THAT - I haven't had Internet in my office for over a week!!!!!!!!!!!! So that makes my job incredibly difficult. I have to use a hotspot, that isn't so hot, with my personal computer because I need programs that don't run on school Chromebooks. They say it could take a month or MORE to fix this issue of a cut fiber. I just want to cry.

Speaking of school technology, we arrived one day to see this disaster. Absolutely no clue as to how this happened. It was fine the night before, the next morning it looked like this. Crazy, right??

I got my new ID! Our theme this year is "BRCVPA: All Stars, All Day!" So everyone dressed up as a team player! With rainbows, of course.

With everything I'm dealing with at work, I still kept on track with my workouts. I'm on Phase 1, Day 20 of 80 Day Obsession. I'm beginning to feel a bit stronger so I'm lifting a bit heavier. All I have are up to 12 pound weights right now so I can't really be getting too crazy.

A friend of mine requested some succulent and crystal cookies for her daughter. This is what I came up with!

Had to throw in this picture of Lilo in what has to be the most uncomfortable position ever, but she seemed happy. She's a grazer with her food (whereas Chip devours everything in one gulp) so every once in a while she will take a tiny bite. Then she went back to this position. Weirdo but we love her.

My meal prep this week was so delicious! Blackened Chicken Salad, Cheesy Steak Skillet, and Broccoli and Chicken Mac and cheese!!

So I haven't been feeling my usually cheery and bubbly self lately. Between starting school, working out, funky sleep schedule, and some personal stuff, I've just been feeling really down and out. Not really wanting to do anything. I'm hoping this is just a simple funk and nothing more. I started cleaning out my computer, because, well, when I can't sleep what's a little more blue light exposure amirite?

I found these bright and fun positive posters hiding amongst my old files and they brought a smile to my face so I thought I'd reshare them with you.