How Many Tips & Tricks can you find?!
- mountainmoveconsul
- Jul 5, 2024
- 5 min read
I was busy in the kitchen this 4th of July morning and sporting my red, white & blue under the apron. I was definitely
ready to get on to a fun relaxing day!
While I was baking, I realized I had lots of easy hacks I wanted to share. I like to be relatively healthy, yet I am NOT the type to go wild with the fancy appliances, rare ingredients, or even organic foods.
YES, you can still be healthy with common items, a typical kitchen, and a budget! (Honestly, I can't pronounce half of those new-fangled health foods, have no idea where to buy them, don't want to spend the money, and still want things to taste like they did growing up.)
We're not striving for perfection here. I'm very "ordinary" and have discovered it's super easy to be healthy with very few unique items and ingredients. I also like to have fun in life, so I enjoy finding ways to cut corners to make my day run smoother!
Pouring an item into a jar yesterday, I smiled when I realized there were several short-cuts right in front of me. Okay, maybe it was more laughing because I could be slightly obsessed with the hacks I've created. None-the-less, I wanted to share and maybe stir a little creativity for your own kitchen..
One of my favs is my little Ninja chopper (Amazon, currently $36). Even in my tiny kitchen, I leave it handy, tucked in a corner. I've always enjoyed easily chopping veggies while cooking. Recently, though, I've discovered an amazing new use for it.
I've been trying to cut back on the carb intake and I've tripped upon lots of recipes that call for almond flour. I don't have almond flour and don't really want to buy it, so I got the idea... I wonder if oatmeal could substitute?!
Super inexpensive and YES IT CAN SUBSTITUTE!
I literally pour oatmeal into my Ninja (per the recipe's flour amount), whir it a few times and - Presto! Oat flour and yummy fruit muffins for about 10 carbs! Obviously, I also bought a bag of the Splenda sugar substitute. By the way, the store brand saves $$ and tastes just fine. These 2 easy items are allowing me to have goodies every week. I also keep it simple by using the same recipe and toss in whatever fruit I need to use up!
Oh but I digressed... Back to sharing my kitchen-ease with some Kitchen Puzzle Fun:
Can you spot all the tips, hacks, and short-cuts I see in this space of my kitchen?!
See the list below. I hope they inspire ways for you to create some "easy" into your own life!
In no particular order... I found TEN! (Okay, it's my kitchen so that might be cheating.)
#1 Of course, the Oat Flour. Hey, it's in the picture so it still counts!
#2 The "Oat Flour Jar". What I didn't share, though, is what I do with extra Oat Flour post recipe. Even though it's easy to make, why spin new flour every time I want low-carb muffins or cobbler? So I cleaned out a peanut butter jar and now store extra oat flour in the pantry with my other cannisters. One day I'll buy a normal cannister. For now, this works. It's small and easy to see.
#3 The measuring cups. I'm at the age where small print is a little challenging. Squinting is no fun, plus I'm sure it adds to the wrinkle factor. Using the Sharpie that I keep handy in my kitchen drawer, I wrote the sizes on my measuring cups and spoons. Ahh, much better and faster when baking.
#4 The milk in the measuring cup. My recipe called for 1/4 cup milk and 1 egg. I like to whisk them together before adding to the dry mix, so I measure the milk first, then add the egg to the cup and whisk away. You can also do this when there's oil to add. This saves from washing an extra bowl!
#5 Okay, this might be a slight stretch in my 10-count, and I'm claiming it anyway. The Napkin Holder. Then again, should I assume everyone uses a napkin holder? If you don't, give one a try. So easy to have your napkins sitting there handy. This flat style keeps them from flopping over like the stand-up versions, plus it's fun to display decorative holiday napkins!
#6 I love this!! My tiny red chopping board. I saw this one day at the grocery store. A definite fav mini-purchase. I don't have a big family around so this is great for quick slicing. It's small enough to tuck under the napkin holder and that little open circle makes it easy to grab!
If you didn't know, this house was my fixer-upper retirement plan. The kitchen though, is 3-TIMES smaller than my last one. (Yikes) So I stash and tuck in every nook & cranny I can find! Needless-to-say, I'm adjusting. - I love the beach life; I just haven't quite yet learned to love my kitchen.
#7 The Cannister on the counter. Nuts are a great way to cut the sweet cravings, so I buy the baking bag size to keep us stocked. I found this meandering at an Old Time Pottery. It says "Treat Yourself" on the other side. Perfect $5 clearance grab and the pop-off lid keeps our snacks fresh & handy!
#8 The Brown Decorative Box. I found this years ago and it's been in my kitchen ever since. Do you have that spot where things get tossed? Mail? Keys? Spare sunglasses? Those messy little piles drive me crazy, and my brown box is the perfect hiding place to make me feel cleaner than I actually am. Two of my fav stashes in there is the knife for my Amazon boxes and a tape measure!
#9 That super cool Star Fish Light? Yep, that's another one! I've lived a bit of my life alone with long work hours. Not wanting people to realize I was gone, I put timers on lamps throughout my house.
What I love about this particular lamp is that it ties in with my "Ship Wreck" decor. (Yes, I solely invented that interior design style, thank you.) It also provides a dim light for the kitchen throughout the evening - No need to flip on big lights to refill water! Then, the timer offers one less switch to deal with before bed....OR Leave it on as a night light when the big family does come to visit!
#10 The Breakfast Nook. If you guessed this one, pat yourself on the back, you've scored above Genius level! Even I stretched it to make my count go to 10. I had this wonderful bayed area and found a small table and comfortable decorative chairs to turn it into the most relaxing and pretty lunch & breakfast nook! It's great for small meals and faces the private back yard.
Now it's your turn! How many tips & hacks can you find in your house or kitchen?!
That Breakfast Nook is now a favorite spot in my house. Don't underestimate your possibilities with small odd spaces or limitations! Look around to see how you might add that spoonful of sugar (or Splenda) to help your medicine go down! Life is too short to stay focused on what is not.
Is my kitchen tiny? Yes! And I've had fun making it work because the rest of my life is a blessing.
On a more serious note, if YOUR LIFE could use some creativity and simplifying...
Whether you have chaos in the kitchen or life in general, you are not alone! Life can get complicated, messy, and overwhelming. I may have a fun nature; however, I am well experienced with personal traumas. I coached and mentored in the workplace for over 20 years, guiding people through more difficult situations than I can count.
If you would like help to creatively find balance in your world or work through a challenging situation, please reach out! The first consultation is always free.
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