Minimalist Kitchen Tips for Food Storage

I am always looking for ways to cut down on the waste produced on a daily basis in my kitchen. I especially hate throwing away anything plastic because we all know that it takes forever to biodegrade and much of it ends up in our oceans. In this upcoming series I will be talking about ways to cut down on this waste. Many people don’t think much about the garbage they produce other than to recycle as much as they can, which is great, but creating less garbage in the first place is better. It’s great to have less garbage in your kitchen which means it takes up less space and requires less trips to the garbage can. If you reduce your waste enough it may even save you money on curbside pickup if you can use a smaller can or switch to less frequent pick ups. For me, being a minimalist, less is usually better.

In this post I want to talk about food storage.  I store food in mason jars and reuse zip loc bags over and over, which helps a lot,  but recently I found these great lids on Amazon. Once you have these you no longer need plastic containers that can leach bad chemicals into your food. No need for plastic wrap either. These stretchy silicone lids are great because they fit over a variety of bowls, jars, cans, and even plates! These turn all of my odd ball sized bowls into legit storage.

Stretchy Lids on Amazon

It's a New Year! What will you throw away?

So we've had time to adjust to a new year. We now remember to write 2009 on our checks and are looking toward spring. What changes will you make? What will you let go of to make room in your life for new things, thoughts, ideas, people?

An easy way to start is to unburden yourself of things you no longer need. That can be as big an idea as cleaning out a storage space or garage or simply cleaning out your purse or the glove compartment of your car. Space in itself is a gift you can give yourself no matter how small a space you live in. You could actually live in a huge house but have a cluttered night stand or bathroom sink that makes your life a hassle everyday! Clear those spaces and feel the joy of a place to set a cup of tea or a book you're reading, or a candle.

If you need an emotional clean out, try going through your boxes of pictures. You don't have to save every picture of everyone you've ever known. You may find pictures of people you no longer associate with. Why do you need their picture? You were there anyway. Who needs the picture?

Isn't it time to stop beating up on yourself about your weight? Often, once we accept who we are a healthier self will follow. How about your age? Perhaps throwing out clothing that you probably won't fit into again and may be too youngish a style, ( belly shirts,) are something you should let go of. Give yourself a break! Buy something that looks great on you that you can wear today.

Then there's your health. How about a good look into your freezer. Throw out the mystery food and eat something fresh. You deserve it!

Now let go of your limitations! Enter your painting in an art show, go dancing, join a book group, sing Karaoke, whatever! Add something valuable to your life. You won't regret it.

Minimalist's Thanksgiving

So with Thanksgiving right around the corner, what is a minimalist to do? There are a lot of things I do to make a nice dinner with minimal work, expense, and stress. I have already started.

1. First of all I checked with my guests to see about how many I'll have. I always cook more food than everyone can eat anyway because leftovers are great to have the next day.

2. I don't like my guests to bring food because then I have to warm it up, find something to serve it with, and find a spot for it on the table. When people ask what they can bring I always say beer or wine because we can always drink it later if there's too much. We also always invite friends with no where else to go. This year a few of our adult son's friends are coming. So that will really be fun.

3. I have already decided exactly what I'm going to cook and have purchased everything but fresh herbs and veggies already. I started a few weeks ago by adding a few items to my list each week. This is one of the best tips I can offer because you won't be part of the last minute shopping rush and you spread the expense out over the month so it's barely noticed. 

4. Prepare and freeze some of the meal. I made a double batch of homemade butternut squash soup last week and froze 1/2 for Thanksgiving. I am experimenting with freezing a few other dishes this week. 

5. I no longer cook an entire bird. Instead I roast turkey breasts and legs. They cook faster and it's easier to tell when they're done and they are easy to carve. They are less messy too. I just cook the stuffing on the stovetop.

6. I am setting up a buffet but am making sure there are plenty of places for people to sit where they can set their plates down. Buffets are great and save the hostess a lot of time and trouble. No more getting up and down from the table for this or that.

7. The day before set up all of the serving dishes, napkins, plates, and silverware on the buffet. Thaw out whatever is frozen and make ahead whatever you can. Then make sure your dishwasher is empty so you can clean while you cook the next day.

8. I like to have everything ready and warm in my oven and my kitchen clean when my guests arrive. 

9. Set up a drink station with a bucket of ice, beer, wine etc. This lets your guests help themselves keeps them from getting into the way in the kitchen.

10. To make clean up easier make sure you have freezer bags ready to put food away easily. Fill up the sink with hot soapy water so guests can just drop their plates and silverware in there.

I hope you all have a happy, stress free Thanksgiving!

A Simple Cleaning Solution

Got a messy house? You can painlessly clean it over time by doing it during commercials. Here's how: When you're watching TV in the evening just get up during the commercials and do one thing or part of one thing at a time. Here are some examples: load the dishwasher, wash pots and pans, vacuum a room, dust a room, put in a load of laundry, etc. If you do this every night, you'll see your house start to turn around. While you watch TV you can fold laundry or clean out a drawer. Of course, If you get your family members to help your house will be cleaner sooner!

Minimalistic 4th of July

As I write this it is not yet 8:00 Am and I'm thinking there are lots of folks stressing about entertaining today. It's easy. It's all in the set up. Here are my tips:

1. Keep food simple. Grab some potato salad and fruit salad from the deli, put them in a bowl with some sprigs of mint, set the bowls atop  baking dishes filled with ice.

2. BBQ - not you! Some one whose job is to only do that. Do not allow this person in your kitchen. They may make a mess. Marinade what they'll be cooking ahead of time, then figure out in advance what they'll need, and put it on a tray ready to go.

3. Put all beverages into a bucket with ice with an opener near by. Open up some chips, dips,  and nuts and put them in  bowls spread around your entertaining area.

4. Use your regular plates and silverware. Have a large basket or plastic container for people to stow them in when they're done. Make sure you have a bag for garbage and one for recycling. Label all of these containers to let guests know where to put things.

5. Serve everything on a buffet table in the shade.

6. After dinner bring out individual ice cream bars for dessert. Usually, only the kids will want them anyway.

Speaking of kids:

1. Buy bubbles and water pistols. That should keep them busy. I won't address the fireworks issue, except to say avoid them if you can. An activity like Bocci ball is a fun game for kids and adults as well. When we lived in the country, I once had a neighbor bring her horse over and gave rides to the kids. That was really great!

2. Keep the kids outdoors and your dog indoors. Never trust other people's kids with your dog! Dogs hate fireworks anyway and can run off.

3. To make sure small kids don't wander off, lock your backyard gate up high and ask your guests to re-lock it if they go out. 

4. Try to pay a teenager to entertain your guests' kids.

If you set everything up this way, your only job at your party is to see that people are having a good time. Make sure people have a beverage, introduce people to each other, etc.

Have a safe and happy 4th!

Next Entry: Third installment of my interview with The Self Taught Artist.

Emergen-C : Here's Their Answer...

Basically, it sounds like they're saying don't buy it if you don't like the packaging! I would love to hear what you think!

Dear Maureen:

Thank you for writing and sharing your concerns.

Our Emergen-C fizzing drink mix products are moisture-sensitive and effervescent, which means individual, airtight packages are necessary to keep the powder dry inside. We are always open to recyclable packaging options; however, to date we have not found recyclable packaging that preserves the quality of the product. We are consistently researching new ways of improving our current processes. And you'll be happy to know that our box is fully recyclable.

You might prefer to use our Super Gram III; it is very close in formulation to Emergen-C, but it is sustained-release tablets that are swallowed. There is no individual packaging and the bottle itself is recyclable. For more information about Super Gram III, please visit our website at www.emergenc.com.

You can purchase Super Gram III at any of the retailers below:

• Swanson Vitamins (800) 437-4148 or www.swansonvitamins.com
• Vitacost (800) 381-0759 or www.vitacost.com
• Vitamin Shoppe (866) 293-3367 or www.vitaminshoppe.com

If we can be of help in any other way, please let us know.

Kindest regards,

Barbi Hehn

Customer Service Manager

Alacer Corp., Makers of Emergen-C

(800) 854-0249

The Minimalist Kitchen - Cans

Canned foods were a big deal when they came out because people had limited refrigeration. But why do you need canned food when there is fresh food at your local farmer’s market and you have great refrigeration? I never buy them. (Remember the orange?) They’re filled with salt and the metal can leach into any foods containing tomatoes. Of course, as with all packaged foods, you’re paying for that can its label, advertising, transportation, etc.

Learning to cook from scratch is the minimalist’s way to cook. If you need something that you usually buy in a can, check The Food Network's web site to find out how to make it from scratch. (Minimalist's tip: If you have a computer, you don't need cookbooks! That's a real space saver.)

Green Tip: The garbage that is created from packaging fills up a large percentage of our landfills. Tin is no longer mined in the US. So if it doesn’t get recycled it is lost to us and increases our dependence on foreign goods.