STRETCHING YOUR MEAT w/ @shannon_stokely

Summary

Episode Summary: “STRETCHING YOUR MEAT w/ @shannon_stokely”

Podcast: The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz
Episode Date: December 12, 2025
Guest: Shannon Stokely (@shannon_stokely)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This lively episode continues “The Homemaking Series,” spotlighting “real mom” strategies for stretching grocery budgets, minimizing food waste, and thriving in motherhood. Hosts Kelly and Lizz welcome viral Instagram mom Shannon Stokely, known for her resourceful, unfiltered kitchen content showing how to stretch a single protein like pork across multiple meals. The episode is filled with practical homemaking hacks, candid conversation about the realities of social media, influencer fatigue, and creative problem-solving in both family life and the kitchen.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter & Life Updates (00:01–11:49)

• Preschool Dollar Store Field Trip Fiasco (00:40)
  • Kelly recounts a chaotic trip to Dollar Tree, noting kids’ budgets were too small for inflation-impacted prices.
    • “There was nothing for $1.25. Nothing!” (Kelly, 01:48)
  • Suggests schools adapt to inflation realities and that she'd fund the difference.
• Car Seat Challenges (02:18)
  • “It really should count towards your CPST certification.” (Liz, 02:51)
• Press-on Nails & Nail Industry Worries (03:13)
  • Liz experiments with “heinous” stick-on Christmas nails—commits to testing their durability.
  • Kelly ponders if press-ons and glue-ons will hurt nail salons.
    • “I just don’t think a manicure should cost $65.” (Kelly, 04:32)
• Screen Time and Kindle Love (05:57)
  • Kelly is moving away from scrolling; swears by Kindle for faster sleep and delightful reading.
    • “The worst part about reading is starting the book.” (Kelly, 06:41)
  • Casual book club musings.

2. Mom-Hacks, Influencer Culture & Industry News (11:49–18:06)

• Base Model Luxuries and Relatable Content (11:49)
  • Lizz loves the homemaking series: “My favorite content is regular people being influencers...” (Liz, 12:15)
• The Fall of the Relatable Influencer (13:05)
  • Kelly and Liz discuss the recent backlash against beauty influencer Jaclyn Hill.
  • Key insights: People are fatigued by unrelatable, luxury-focused influencers; they prefer down-to-earth, “real-life” hacks.
    • “Her responses were just kind of tone deaf... people’s appetite for influencers in general...” (Kelly, 15:56)
    • "It doesn’t make me feel great about myself... Doesn’t make me feel good." (Liz, 17:49)

3. Base Model Luxury Segment: Skin Care Consistency (18:25–20:25)

• Kelly admits struggling with maintaining a consistent skincare routine, resolves to use up current products before rewarding herself with new ones.
  • “I want to get a better skincare routine… but I would like some different products... I don’t know what a retinol is.” (Kelly, 19:23)
  • Caution from Liz about retinol: “You can get what’s called retinol burn…” (Liz, 20:04)

4. Car Advice Segment: Small SUV Recommendations (20:25–23:03)

• Listener Paige asks about upgrading from a Hyundai Elantra to a small AWD SUV, noting likes/dislikes of Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4.
• Kelly’s Take: “Don’t get the CX-5”
  • “Every week I feel like I do consultations of people regretting their Mazda CX-5 purchase.” (Kelly, 22:03)
  • Recommends Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, and Subaru Forester instead.

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Interview Feature: Shannon Stokely

5. Introducing Shannon—Mom Life, Viral Reels, and Stretching Ingredients (24:42–27:50)

• Viral Beginnings & Motivation (25:46)

  • Shannon started posting for connection during a lonely, young motherhood (“Had my kids back to back... all my friends did not have kids.” – Shannon, 25:50).
  • She’s grown to over 60k followers in six months.

• Philosophy: “Messy, sweet, unfiltered mom life. Stretching ingredients and sanity daily.” (Kelly quoting Shannon, 26:48)

• Stretching Ingredients: The “Stretch That Meat” Era (27:03)

  • Advocates buying meat with the intention to use it across several meals, maximizing both dollars and time.
    • “Take three different vegetables and... use them for the same recipes... saves money and saves time.” (Shannon, 27:03)
  • Encourages creative reuse: brown bananas for bread or syrup; using every last ingredient.

6. Pulled Pork, Four Ways (28:08–30:14)

• Shannon details her viral reel:
  1. Tostadas (“My favorite—definitely a Tex Mex family.” – Shannon, 28:26)
  2. BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Substituted crockpot mac & cheese when she forgot slaw)
  3. Enchilada Bake/Casserole (“Not rolling, just dump and go”—Shannon, 29:39)
  4. BBQ Pork Pizza (Great way to use “minimal pork” at the week’s end)
  • Key point: prepping veggies (cilantro, onions) at the week’s start, using throughout.

7. Freezing and Thawing Pork—Logistics Made Easy (31:05–32:17)

• Shannon’s method for prepping and freezing pork:

  • Shred, portion into freezer bags (around 1lb each), cool before freezing.
  • Thaw in fridge overnight for best results.

  “Don’t throw away your bones! Use them for broth.” (Shannon, 32:17)

8. Cooking Intuition Over Recipes (32:28–33:41)

• Kelly and Shannon agree: Too many people rely on recipes instead of learning basic kitchen skills.
  • “If you’re trying to make your pantry work longer, it’s not always going to fit into an exact recipe.” (Kelly, 33:30)

9. Finding Mom Community & Starting on Instagram (34:12–35:10)

• Shannon’s advice for lonely moms:
  • “You’ve got to be able to take the heat.” (Shannon, 34:12)
  • Seek out mom communities online; support and reciprocate engagement.
  • Liz adds: “It’s not all sunshines and rainbows on the [Internet]... you’re definitely opening yourself up to criticism.” (Liz, 34:38)

10. Ditch the Drive Thru: Chicken Orzo Bake (35:30–36:46)

• Shannon’s go-to easy dinner:
  • Rotisserie chicken pulled apart, homemade bone broth, orzo, cream, parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes/spinach or veggie of choice, Italian seasoning.
    • “I do minimal veggie cutting, for sure.” (Shannon, 36:08)
  • “My toddlers love it—it’s one of their favorite meals!” (Shannon, 36:41)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Motherhood is super lonely. I’m a young mom... all my friends did not have kids... I wanted to make more moms feel less alone." – Shannon Stokely (25:50)
• “I feel like we all go to the grocery store and we buy things based off a recipe. So why not make recipes that use similar ingredients, similar meats, vegetables?” – Shannon Stokely (27:03)
• “Every week I feel like I do consultations of people regretting their Mazda CX-5 purchase.” – Kelly (22:03)
• “Her responses were just kind of tone deaf... people’s appetite for influencers in general...” – Kelly (15:56)
• “We need to get more comfortable cooking like that, because if you’re trying to make your budget or your pantry work longer, it’s not always going to fit into an exact recipe.” – Kelly (33:30)
• “You’ve got to be able to take the heat... be confident in yourself as a mom, as a person, whatever you post online.” – Shannon (34:12)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:40 – Kelly’s preschool field trip (Dollar Tree drama)
• 03:13 – Liz's Christmas press-on nail saga
• 05:57 – Kelly on screen time, Kindle, and reading
• 11:49 – Lizz on “real life” content vs. classic influencers
• 13:05 – Jaclyn Hill/Influencer drama & cultural discussion
• 18:25 – Base Model Luxury: Skincare consistency
• 20:25 – Car buying advice: Small SUVs for future-proofing
• 24:42 – Introduction of Shannon Stokely
• 27:03 – “Stretch That Meat” concept explained
• 28:08 – Four ways to use pulled pork
• 31:05 – Tactics for freezing & thawing proteins
• 32:28 – Learning to cook without strict recipes
• 34:12 – Mom community on Instagram & handling criticism
• 35:30 – Ditch the Drive Thru: Chicken Orzo Bake

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Guest Info & Where to Find More

Shannon Stokely:

• Instagram: @shannon_stokely
• Up next: Freezer meal series and more on how to maximize budget and time in the kitchen.

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Closing Tone

The episode is loaded with practical kitchen advice, compassionate encouragement for overwhelmed moms, and a refreshingly real take on the homemaking hustle. Kelly and Lizz’s signature sister banter keeps it light, even as they dig into serious topics like inflation, social media stress, and household efficiency.

“There’s room in the car for everyone!”

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Transcript

[Kelly]

Welcome to the carpool podcast with Kelly. And the way that it's just my super bowl because I. I pull up to the preschool and, you know, the parents who aren't going leave the car seat. So I just see 10 car seats and I'm cracking my knuckles and I'm like, let's go.

[Liz]

And Liz, it's not all sunshines and rainbows on the. When you post your life and your family and yourself on social media, you're definitely opening yourself up to criticism. So if you're not interested in that, it might not be for you, your mom.

[Kelly]

Time off starts. Welcome back to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz. Hey, Liz.

[Liz]

Hey, Kel. How are you?

[Kelly]

You know Liz. I'm great. Thanks for asking. I just got back from Hattie's field trip, and it's such a cute little field trip because they take the preschooler to the dollar tree and then they pick out a present for their parents. It was just, like, a cute, fun sentiment. Two things. First of all, I know this, like, isn't news to anyone. Dollar tree is not a dollar. Nothing under A$25. Most things A$50 to $3. Now we only had A$25 to spend per kid. It was exhausting because, like, things that should have been a dollar 25 were a dollar 50 and this girl. So, like, you get paired up with different kids who aren't your kids. Like, I was shopping with this little girl, and she's like, I want to find my dad. Like, surely we can handle that. They were all A$50. I finally just gave her an extra quarter. I gave her my Aldi's quarter. I said, we have to just be done with it. I. Yeah, like, and then I did tell the teacher. I was like, I think whatever donation you need to get these kids all a $50 to spend, I'm willing to do that.

[Liz]

I mean, how many kids are there?

[Kelly]

There's like, 20 kids.

[Liz]

You need to throw five. You need to throw $5 at the problem so everybody can spend a $50.

[Kelly]

I said, I like to be solution oriented and I will happily give you $5. I was like, I'll even do it next year. I don't even have a kid here. It's fine. Like, let me just do that. Because, like, it was. I. It was just. I mean. And it's a good enough lesson where it's like, no, you can't get the $5 item. But there was nothing for a $25. Nothing.

[Liz]

Yeah, yeah.

[Kelly]

So I have no idea what I.

[Liz]

Think I Think this. I think the school just needs to, like, go with inflation and, like, everything's expensive. So.

[Kelly]

Well, and you know these schools, they're always asking for money, so I'm like, can they ask every parent for a quarter? And so I have no idea what Hattie got me because, you know, like, she was with a different mom. So it's just a fun little field trip. And the way that it's just my super bowl because I. I pull up to the preschool and, you know, the parents who aren't going leave the car seat. So I just see 10 car seats and I'm cracking my knuckles and I'm like, let's go.

[Liz]

It really should count towards your CPST certification. Like, recertification.

[Kelly]

Hundred percent. One hundred percent. You're never so happy to see a Britax click tight as you are in that scenario.

[Liz]

Totally.

[Kelly]

Like, I'm like, yes, I can do this.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Totally.

[Kelly]

Just interesting. Aside from. So that's what I was up to today.

[Liz]

Well, while you were doing that, I was putting on the ugliest freaking. The ugliest nails I've ever seen in my entire life. I. I love glue on nails. I found these Christmas press ons. They came in a pack of three. Two of them are super cute, one of them heinous. But since I have a few weeks before actually Christmas, I was like, let me put on the ugly ones because my son will like them. And then I can test out the.

[Ad Read Announcer]

The.

[Liz]

The stick ons, because they're not glue, they're stick ons. Anyway, I'm regretting they're so ugly, but I'm. I'm just gonna be committed. I'm gonna see how they go.

[Kelly]

So they're super distracting. They're super distracting.

[Liz]

Neutral outfit on too. And they're like, so distracting.

[Kelly]

A more colorful outlet would be better. It's almost like, put your Santa hat on and don't take it off, because then they make sense. Then they feel intentional. Those just feel ugly. I think even our mother would say it's too much.

[Liz]

It's the holidays. No, you know what?

[Ad Read Announcer]

The.

[Liz]

The stick ons were so easy. I'm so curious to know to see how long these last. I'll be sure to give an update because stick ons might be my new glue ons.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I'm worried for the nail. I'm worried for the nail industries. A couple industries I'm worried about. I'm still worried about the movie theater industry. I'm just not sure how they're ever going to make it. I'm Worried about the nail salons because I just think glue on nails are such an easier, cheaper. The problem with it is it just. It got too expensive. And you know, I loved. I mean, I want to pay people, pay people for their time, but like it. I just don't think a manicure should cost $65. And that's just what they were costing.

[Liz]

But you know, the nail salons will always stay in business because pedicures.

[Kelly]

Pedicures. Well, I think they'll hurt though.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Sure. So.

[Kelly]

So they may not go extinct, but I'm just wondering if any nail salons are feeling the press on glue on effect yet is. I guess just. I'm just. I'm just wondering. So I'm worried about those two industries.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Okay.

[Kelly]

Are there other industries I'm worried about? I was way more worried about AI. I'm not as worried about it anymore. I find it to be just kind of a nuance. I just kind of think it's kind of annoying.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

In the sense where it's like, I don't like watching fake videos of fake people.

[Liz]

You know, it just makes me question everything. I'm like, is this AI so right?

[Kelly]

So as I'm questioning everything, I'm like, I don't this. None of this is real anymore.

[Liz]

You know.

[Kelly]

I've started. I'm trying to cut back on my screen time, like tale as old as time. But I'm really gearing up for a major cutout in the new year. Like a major cutout in like a major way. And I've been reading. Let me tell you something. A Kindle is so good. The worst part about reading is starting the book once you're started, then it's like such a delight. It's such an easy thing to do. And it puts me to bed so quickly, which I'm so about prioritizing my sleep. Like, I have no qualms with going to bed at 8:45. No qualms. And if I'm scrolling my phone or watching TV, I'm up. Tilt. I blink and it's 10. My book. I'm getting heavy eyelids after 15 minutes.

[Liz]

Yeah, for sure.

[Kelly]

Do you know what I mean?

[Ad Read Announcer]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

So I've just enjoyed it for the simple fact of it. It puts me to sleep and I'm reading a delightful book. Don't ask me what it is because I don't. That's the problem with the Kindle. It's like, I have no idea what it's called. I'll follow up.

[Liz]

Because you just don't revisit The. The COVID or why don't you?

[Kelly]

Yeah, because I just, like, pick up where I left off. Oh, okay. It's something winter. It's a. It follows a cup. A couple through, like, 50 years of marriage. And, like, it, like, it's actually really sweet. Like. And so the book starts, and they're like, 90 years old, like, about to die. And then it, like, goes back through, like, all of their years together. And, like, then it makes the first chapter so much. So much sadder because you're like, they've been through so much, and it's so relatable.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Like, the.

[Kelly]

The flashbacks I'm in right now are, like, they're in the thick of it. Like, they've got three kids, five and under, and, like, life sucks. And I'm like, yes. And just, like, hearing the marital problems that they're going through, I'm like, right, okay. Because Ruth did give up her career for him, and. But they obviously get through it, so I'm excited to see him get through it. It's just like. It's like reading a love story where, like, you know, it ends up good, but, like, you're. It's kind of like a reverse book.

[Liz]

Okay, that sounds really interesting. That sounds good.

[Kelly]

Yeah. I'll keep you guys posted. People want us to bring back the book club. Would you ever consider.

[Liz]

Yeah, I would consider. I don't have a Kindle. That is maybe something. But you know what?

[Ad Read Announcer]

I just fall asleep so early.

[Liz]

I don't even need to scroll my phone. Or I could just crawl into bed, turn on my side, and fall asleep.

[Kelly]

So I'm just looking for something.

[Liz]

I love listening. I love listening to books. I love having something to listen to.

[Kelly]

And I do, too. But the problem is, it's like I was looking for something to replace my scrolling, and I think a book is doing that. Like, I can't just turn on an audiobook and, like, lay in my bed like this. Like, can you imagine? Yeah.

[Liz]

No.

[Kelly]

I'm so weird.

[Shannon Stokely]

Yeah.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

And I'm also just, like, struggling because I have, like, a mere ball trophy hole in my heart because Dancing with the Stars is over. Like, it sucks. It sucks.

[Liz]

So it sucks.

[Kelly]

So that's that on that.

[Ad Read Announcer]

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[Liz]

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[Ad Read Announcer]

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[Liz]

So that's that on that. Well, we have some things to get to today. We have, you have some base metal luxuries. We have some industry news. And we have another. Oh, we have advice questions. We have good advice questions.

[Ad Read Announcer]

And.

[Liz]

And we have another interview to wrap up our homemaking budget. Friendly what's called the homemaking series, where we learn from other moms and, like.

[Ad Read Announcer]

What they're doing and how they're making.

[Liz]

It work in this crazy busy time in this crazy economy. And I just have to say, this is like, I am loving this series and I love talking to. I love. My favorite content is regular people being influencers who not everything is beautiful. Like, you're not, like, you're not the makeup girl. You're not the fashion girl, you're not the hair girl. Like, you're just a girl and you're just like, have kids and you're just like, here's how I'm doing it. So relatable, so attainable. And really just like, good tips. Just like tips for the regular person.

[Kelly]

That could be an industry I'm worried about because what do you think about. Have you heard about, like, all the Jaclyn Hill, like, influencer drama?

[Liz]

I saw one reel on it. So maybe fill in for people who.

[Kelly]

Don'T know well, like, it's just so. I think people have found a lot of influencers, Hope, hopefully not me, to be pretty insufferable for a while now. And I, I myself find some of them pretty insufferable. And I mean, I like to think that we're a little different than, like, your typical influencer because we're, we are like, trying to, like, we're on the cars. Like, all the lifestyle stuff you see is just, like, extra fun stuff that we're doing because we enjoy it. But like our bread and butter and like, the reason we wake up every day is, like, help families buy their cars. But, like, the true, like, lifestyle influencers, I think people just have, like, a lot less of an appetite for than they used to because, you know, it's just, it's this overnight. In some cases, it's this overnight success. In some cases it's not. In Jaclyn Hill's case, it's not but it's just so much wealth. And then I think these influencers.

[Liz]

Back up, back up, back up. Explain what the Jaclyn Hill stuff is.

[Kelly]

Okay, so Jaclyn Hill was like an Amazing, amazing YouTuber. Like back in the day, like when everyone was watching makeup YouTube tutorials, like she was one of the OGs and like she stayed, I think pretty relevant. She's had a couple of cancellations here and there.

[Liz]

8.5 million Instagram followers.

[Kelly]

Yeah, like, and she went on Tick Tock the other day and she was complaining that her views were so low and I guess she was trying to like complain about like the algorithm being like, you know, I have all these followers and like I'm getting 30, 000 views. Like, I don't know why people aren't connecting with my content. I don't know why people aren't watching my stuff anymore. And I think what she was just missing is like, she was how unrelatable I think her content has just become and how like uneducational it's become. Because you know, like when you, when she started this journey, it was like full face using drugstore makeup, like, let me show you how to do these things. Like, let me bring value. And then it just turned into more like, I'm not saying all of her content was this, but then a higher percentage of her content just turned into like luxury shopping halls. And like I like scrolling her page and watch some and like, yeah, like they're crazy. Like she buys herself six pairs of like two thousand dollar shoes. She's holding twelve thousand dollars worth of shoes and she's like making a tick tock about it. And then she's like, people, just, people, people just aren't relating. And like I think some people care about luxury goods but like the majority of people just don't because it's just, it's never going to be. Especially not a shoe. Like I like to see a nice luxury bag every once in a while. But like a luxury shoe, like I would never, would never spend money on a luxury shoe ever.

[Liz]

No, like we love a luxury fashion purse, but like, yeah, we love a.

[Kelly]

Fashion, we love a fashion purse. We do only one per bedroom though that your kids share. Like you can't have more than one. That would be crazy.

[Liz]

Crazy.

[Kelly]

But anyway, so, and then like, I guess in the comments like her responses were just like still kind of tone deaf and I don't know, it just begs the question of just like people's appetite for influencers in general. I think ultimately though, it's like, people. I mean, I'm not going to tell people what content to consume and what not to consume. Like, I'm not going to defend her either way. Like, hey, it's not working. So, like, right, wrong, or indifferent, people don't want to watch your stuff. So, like, I think it's kind of silly to, like, double down and, like, defend why you're doing it or why you think you deserve to do it, because at the end of the day, like, no one cares. So just, like, move on with your life. Yeah, and I guess people take it really sensitively, too, because I think they. I think that the. One of the hardest parts for these influencers is that their audience feels like they own them or like they made them that way, like, you made them famous. Because I think it's really interesting, like, the juxtapos, juxtaposition of how someone views an influencer flaunting their wealth versus how someone views, like, a celebrity or like a business person flaunting their wealth. They don't really feel as mad, I guess, about, like, just like a really rich CEO of a company versus, like, a really rich influencer. Like, I don't know why there's. It's just interesting that there's, like, this disconnect.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Yeah.

[Liz]

I don't know. Maybe it's just, like, you know, you're making. I don't know. I don't know why. There is all to say I'm happy that now just, like, regular people can just, like, start making content and start making money. And, like, I prefer watching that content. Like, I would never watch Jaclyn Hill's content. Like, no, of no hate to her, but, like, I just like seeing people with just, like, that insane wealth.

[Kelly]

Like, it doesn't.

[Liz]

It doesn't make me feel great about myself. I'm like, well, shoot, I kind of, you know, I wish I could do that or I wish. Whatever. Doesn't make me feel good.

[Ad Read Announcer]

It makes me feel good to learn.

[Liz]

About life hacks, kitchen hacks, how I can, you know, be more efficient in my motherhood, in my life. Like, that's the kind of stuff that I like to consume.

[Kelly]

So, yeah, I agree.

[Liz]

I'm happy there. I'm happy there is now a space, and really, truly, anyone can do it. And so that's what we have today. We have Shannon Stokely on the podcast, and that will be coming up. So let's get into some of the base model luxuries that you have, Kel.

[Kelly]

Yes, I've been base model luxury where we share A recent new discovery, and they're not groundbreaking because. Because the point is that. The point is that they never are. Right. But I have decided that I'm just looking for more consistency in my skin and makeup routine, and I think consistency is something I struggle with. I don't know if anyone else struggles with this, but, like, Liz, like, can you honestly say that you wash your face every morning and every night? Like, do your full skincare routine every morning and every night?

[Liz]

I do, yes.

[Kelly]

Wow. Okay. I don't. Or I haven't been. I haven't been, so I'm really not.

[Liz]

Mine's like. Mine's, like, three things, though.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I know. There's days I'll just take a makeup wipe, and I'll just go to bed.

[Liz]

That's crazy.

[Kelly]

Okay, well, then maybe I should stop talking while I'm ahead, because I want to be, like, the only one.

[Liz]

What are you gonna say?

[Kelly]

You just.

[Liz]

Do you just wash your face? Is that your base model luxury?

[Kelly]

No, it's not just washing my face. I'm like, consistently. Because here's the thing. I want to get better skincare routine. I. But, like, I would like some different products because I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what a retinol is. I'm not there yet. I just. I. I don't know. But I have a couple of products. I'm like, I. If I consistently use all of these up, like, I'm going to use all these up every single morning and night, and then I'm going to reward myself with a skincare routine or a couple of pieces in my skincare routine. Yeah, that sucks. Okay, I can pivot. I can get out of here.

[Ad Read Announcer]

I can.

[Liz]

Very good.

[Kelly]

I. Did I tell you about reading?

[Liz]

You have to be so. You have to be so careful with retinol, though, because I was like, oh, I'll get retinol. Got, like, a nice one. I put it on every night. You can get what's called retinol burn. I remember that screwed up my face. So you have to be, like, very. You have to, like, do research before you do, like, the hard stuff, like, the hard skin care, like, retinol.

[Kelly]

Okay, well, good to know. Okay, you guys, we are having such technical difficulties. Elizabeth and I are, like, 10 seconds delayed, and it's causing a lot of friction between us, so we have to just kind of finish this episode a little differently. And I'm just gonna talk and. Yeah, so it's like, a half solo. She sent me advice questions that she wants me to cover. Okay. The first one is from Paige. Hi Kelly and Liz. I currently, I'm currently driving a Hyundai Elantra and I'm ready to upgrade to a small SUV with all wheel drive. We don't have kids yet but we hope in the next four years and want this car to be something we can comfortably keep long term. We live in this city with tight one way streets so size really matters. I've test driven the Mazda CX5, Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4. The CR V felt too big for our environment while the RAV4 seemed like the perfect size. It was creeping above our budget. The I also felt the RAV4 seats were less comfortable and the interior, the interior felt less luxurious to the Mazda. My husband and I were both surprised how much we love the Mazda CX5 especially for the price on the higher trim. Oh no. It felt really nice, drove quietly and fit our needs well. My only hesitation is the interior space. It felt fine with the two of us but I'm wondering how future car seats would fit in the back and whether it's future proof. Okay. Are there other small SUVs that we should consider? Here it is. It's the Mazda CX5 event. The Mazda CX5 a fact. Every year, every, every week I feel like I do consultations of people regretting their Mazda CX5 purchase. There are a few people out there, there are a few people out there who like to comment every single time and say I love mine, I have two kids, it works perfectly. And that's like that is your truth and I would never take that away from you. I'm. If I'm. If I'm a betting woman which I have to be in this scenario, you will not like the Mazda CX5 by the time you have kids and I think you should absolutely not get it. I'm surprised here you felt the CRV was too big because to me this the CRV and the RAV4 be more similar in size and those are two cars that I would definitely recommend. But I also understand the Toyota Rev for being more expensive. I think two cars that are not that are like glaringly not on your list that need to be would be the Hyundai Tucson stunning and the Subaru Forester stunning. Should both be under 40k. Should both. You can get all wheel drive will fit two car seats. Nice. Nothing's really going to be a three across machine but I don't think you're really asking for that. So those are what I would, I would I would, I'm telling you, do not get the CX5 with this, with this in mind, and I'm telling you to get either the CR. I approve the CRV, I approve the RAV4, I would approve a Hyundai Tucson, and I would approve a Subaru Forester. And that's what I have to say on that.

[Ad Read Announcer]

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[Kelly]

Okay, you guys, I am so sorry we are having such technical difficulties and so we are just gonna have to cut this episode a little short and get to our interview. But thank you guys so much for listening to the Carpool Podcast. We will be back on Wednesday with no technical diffic. I'm hoping I'm knocking on wood. So please welcome Shannon to the Carpool Podcast. Shannon Stokely, welcome to the Carpool Podcast.

[Shannon Stokely]

Hi. Thank you for having me.

[Liz]

Thank you for joining us. We were so inspired by your content. Recently you came across my desk. I said on a few podcasts ago that there was this girl who posted a video of how to use crock pot pulled pork four ways.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Meet the girl.

[Liz]

It was Shannon. She posts all kinds of unfiltered mom life content, freezer meals, crock pot meals, stretching your grocery budget, all that kind of fun. Stuff. So we're going to dive in. We're going to talk to Shannon a little bit about how she got started, her history, her credentials, and hopefully get some tangible takeaways as a. As what we can be doing in the kitchen.

[Kelly]

And it's funny because, Shannon, that had to be one of your more viral reels, because I saw it also.

[Shannon Stokely]

Yes. Actually, the first time I went viral, it was off a mom blog. And since then, I've had a lot. I've just kind of taken off since my first viral for real.

[Kelly]

So what made you want to start posting on Instagram in the first place?

[Shannon Stokely]

So I had my kids back to back, and motherhood is super lonely. I'm a young mom. I'm only 25, and I had my first daughter daughter at 22. So everyone my age, all my friends did not have kids. So finding other people like me was hard. And I found playgroups and stuff like that. But I felt like connecting online was really how you connect to more mothers. And I wanted to make more moms feel less alone because once I found friends and stuff, motherhood just felt so much better. And I feel like there's so many moms out there that feel alone through motherhood.

[Liz]

So when did you start posting on Instagram?

[Shannon Stokely]

In June, six months.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Wow. Wow.

[Shannon Stokely]

That's crazy.

[Liz]

That has 60,000 plus Instagram followers right now. That's incredible. And so you have, what, you have two kids, you said?

[Shannon Stokely]

Yes, I have two. One is Lorelei is three, and Iris is 16 months now.

[Kelly]

Oh, wow.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Cute.

[Kelly]

I love their names.

[Shannon Stokely]

Thank you so much.

[Kelly]

And so kind of. I mean, if I've been looking at your Instagram bio, you say, messy, sweet, unfiltered mom life. Stretching ingredients and sanity daily.

[Ad Read Announcer]

So where.

[Kelly]

What are some tips you can give our audience for ways to, you know, stretch ingredients?

[Shannon Stokely]

So I feel like we all go to the grocery store and we buy things based off a recipe, so why not make recipes that use similar ingredients, similar meats, vegetables. I've only done stretch that meat era right now. So I'm teaching my followers how you stretch a pork butt or a rotisserie chicken throughout the week. But I also want to show y' all how you take. Take three different vegetables and you use them for the same recipes all throughout the week because it just saves you money and it saves you time, too.

[Kelly]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Stokely]

Freezer meals are something else I feel like are really important and just reusing ingredients. Like, I had an episode a long time ago that wasn't with my stretch. That meat was about how you take your bananas that are, you know, turn them brown and you turn them into banana bread. You turn them into syrup. You don't throw things away. You reuse what you have. Have.

[Liz]

It feels so good. Also when you re. When you use something to its full, like when you empty it out. When you throw away a bag of something, you're like, I used every last.

[Kelly]

I know. It's my favorite feeling. Yes, yes.

[Liz]

It's a great. It's a great feeling.

[Kelly]

Okay, Shannon, so let's go. Let's talk about the reel that kind of landed you here and landed us with your content. So you on a. You made a pork butt in the crock pot, and you turned it into four different recipes to have that week. Talk us through those recipes. One was your family's favorite. Tell us a little bit about that.

[Shannon Stokely]

So we love pork butt. We eat it a lot. Sometimes my husband will smoke it, but I like to do it in the crock pot. And so my favorite recipe on there is the tostadas. We are definitely a Tex Mex family. We love Mexican food in this house. So you'll see a lot of my recipes every week. I'll probably have one of those. So my first one was tostadas, and I just tried to use ingredients. I have, like, I always keep cilantro with me, and I chop it up at the beginning of the week, and you just reuse it all week on everything. That's kind of how I see ingredients. It's easier to prep your veggies, cut them up, and use them throughout the week. I try to do that with onions, too. My next recipe was barbecue pulled pork sandwiches. I was going to do slaw on that, and I forgot it at the store. So I improvised and I used what I had, and I made some crock pot Mac and cheese because my kids love it. It. And that actually turned out great. And I actually made that yesterday. So I'm one of those cooks that I do have recipes on my account, but I cook with my heart, and I kind of just make it work. That's how I've always been. And then the next one, it was such a long time ago, honestly.

[Liz]

You did the siete bread enchilada sauce. That was one of them.

[Shannon Stokely]

Yes. And that was. I don't want to roll things, so I decided to make an enchilada bake and just throw the tortillas in there. It's basically a casserole, a Tex Mex casserole, but it just makes things easy and it's honestly not cooking. It's throwing things together. And that's my favorite cooking.

[Kelly]

I like a dump and bake, for sure.

[Liz]

And then your last one was the pizza, the barbecue pizza.

[Shannon Stokely]

Oh, yeah. By the end of the week, you know, you're kind of done with pork. So I was like, I need something that's like, kind of minimal pork, and you're kind of using what you have left. So I just used a word and made a pizza with it, and my family loved it.

[Kelly]

Yeah. So that's. So I love that it's, it's the same protein. It's basically two flavor profiles. Like, you had like a Tex Mex and then you had more of a traditional barbecue. But I think those are recipes that, I mean, of course, the sandwiches are pretty pork heavy, but they use, they use a fair amount of pork, but you're not, it's not just having pork. So I think that's a really great, cost effective way to kind of make it stretch longer. And then, I mean, also, like, it's just if you, if you, if your family doesn't want to eat pork, you could always freeze the pork. And when you're doing, like, smaller portions like that, it's so much easier just to pull out, like, a smaller bag or a smaller portion of pork from the freezer to then turn it into one of those recipes.

[Shannon Stokely]

And that's. Normally what I do is I take the whole pork butt and I split it into portions and I freeze it. But I wanted to show my followers how you can use it throughout the whole week too, like, and still not feel like you're eating the same meat.

[Kelly]

Totally.

[Liz]

Shannon, talk to me about the logistics of let's go with the pork butt. Freezing shredded pork and then unfreezing it. Like, that kind of, it kind of intimidates me. Like, what are you, what kind of bag are you putting it in? When are you pulling out? How are you thawing it out? Just talk to me about that.

[Shannon Stokely]

So everyone, I feel like this is something that people freak out about a lot. You know, things thawing out. And really what I do is I, I. You don't want to put it in there. Super hot, I was told. So I just take the pork butt, you shred it, and you split it into how many freezer bags you want? Like, probably a pound. I do the freezer bags. I know you can do it in containers. Really, it doesn't matter. And when it comes to thawing out, I think the best way to do it is you just put it in the fridge the night before, and then it goes out.

[Kelly]

Totally.

[Shannon Stokely]

That's what I do.

[Kelly]

I know. It's so. It's so easy, and it's just like, go. I. Even this weekend, I kind of had a bit of an epiphany because I. I have two crock pots, and I just pulled both of them out at the same time, and I used both crock pots, and I was, like, making dinner for tonight, and then I was just making one to put in the freezer, and I was like, this. Why am I not doing this every time? Like, I'm already here. I'm already doing it. Like, just literally do it twice.

[Shannon Stokely]

And also, I recommend if you're using a bone in meat, like rotisserie chicken or a turkey, which I'm gonna do for Thanksgiving after you're done with it, don't throw it away. Put it back in the crock pot and make some bone broth out of it.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I think. I feel like what it kind of comes down to, and I think kind of a. Kind of an. An issue with maybe, like, our generation is I just don't know if we are the cooks that the women before us were. And I think that's just something that we. We honestly really need to work on. We're so, like, recipe obsessed. And it's like, if we can't follow. If. If you don't have the recipe, then you think you can't do it. And I think we kind of need to learn kind of how to learn how to actually cook, and then you can just kind of, like, make your recipes from there. Because I just think there's so many people who are, like, so used to, like, and maybe that's the way they grew up. Like, I'm not even saying it's their fault, but if they never learned those skills or learned what you could do, I think it can get hard and it can get really expensive. So I think an accountant like yours is great because it's definitely educational and just teaching people. You know, I actually like that you don't. Aren't a recipe person. I'm not really a recipe person either. And, like, we have recipes we talk about, and everyone's always blowing me up for the measurements. I'm like, like, girls, I taste it. I have no idea what the measurement is.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Like.

[Kelly]

That's just. That's how I cook. And I actually think we need to get more comfortable cooking like that, because if you're trying to make your budget or your pantry work longer for you, it's not always going to fit into an exact recipe.

[Liz]

Okay, so, Shannon, you said that you started posting on Instagram because you wanted to connect with some more moms. What advice do you have to anyone who's sort of like, like struggling, feeling kind of lost, feeling kind of lonely in motherhood? What advice do you have for them to meet more people? And second off, jumping off that, what advice do you have to someone who's like, I kind of feel like I might be interested in posting on Instagram? How do you recommend they get started?

[Shannon Stokely]

So you got to be able to take the heat. I feel like that's one thing I didn't know when I came on here and really people or critique you in any way possible. And you got to be really confident in yourself as a mom, as a person, whatever you post online. And if you want to get into it, I recommend finding a mom community. I have a whole group of moms online that I connect with on their posts every day, and they come back to my post, and that is the best way to do it.

[Liz]

Yeah, that's such good advice. And it's true because it's not all sunshines and rainbows on the. When you post your life and your family and yourself on social media, you're definitely opening yourself up to criticism. So if you're not interested in that, that it might not be for you.

[Shannon Stokely]

Yeah, it's not as easy as people make it out to be. For sure.

[Liz]

I mean, you do a lot of mom vlogs. I find vlogs some of the hardest videos to to make because you're constantly setting your camera up. It takes so long to edit it.

[Shannon Stokely]

See? Yeah. Honestly, I do it every day. I do a morning vlog every day. It's just kind of. I'm used to it, and I feel like that's how I really connect. Connect with my audience because they get to be a part of my life every morning and see my morning with my girls. And I really. I really enjoy it. Honestly, that's my favorite.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Good.

[Shannon Stokely]

But I do also love sharing recipes. I feel like that's my way of giving back.

[Kelly]

Totally. So a segment that we do here on our podcast is called Ditch the Drive Thru, where we give our listeners an easy dinner recipe to mix it up to get them out of their dinner rut. Do you have a recipe that you could share?

[Shannon Stokely]

Yes, of course. My favorite recipe. When I was pregnant with my second, I swear I made it like a million times because it was just so easy and I didn't want to cook. And it's called It's a chicken orzo bake. And I just take a rotisserie chicken and you assemble it all and you put it in a pan, put it in the oven and it cooks itself. It's my favorite thing.

[Liz]

Break us down the ingredients. I know we're not going to do measurements here, but give us the rough ingredients.

[Shannon Stokely]

So what I do is I take my rotisserie chicken, I pull it apart, and then you can make bone broth out of it. That's what I normally do. So you don't even have to buy bone broth. And you, you do orzo, bone broth, a little bit of cream, some parmesan, and then veggie wise, you can kind of do what you want. You can do tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, spinach. It's more of an Italian take on a dish, I would say. So I do Italian seasoning and garlic powder and stuff. I do minimal veggie cutting, for sure.

[Kelly]

Totally. That sounds good. And so, like, comforting.

[Shannon Stokely]

Yes, it's very comfort food and my toddlers love it. Like it's one of their favorite meals.

[Kelly]

That's awesome. Yum. I like orzo. It's a different grain.

[Shannon Stokely]

Yeah, it's really good. And it's easy to cook in the oven.

[Liz]

Everyone, you can find Shannon over on Instagram. It's Shannon Underscore Stokely S T O K L E Y.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Correct.

[Liz]

Yes, she did tease. I hope you don't mind, I'm about to spoil something. She did teach us that she's going to be doing a freezer meal segment on her Instagram coming up, so she's working on that. So we all know how much we love our freezer meals and prepping with the holidays coming up, so be sure to check her out. Shannon, thank you so much for joining us.

[Shannon Stokely]

Of course. Thanks for watching.

[Kelly]

Thanks, Shannon. Thank you for listening to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed riding with us, tell everybody you know there's room in the car for everyone.