I'm Thankful for an Organized Teenager

My two youngest kids are in Los Angeles this week which makes me kind of lonely.   When I'm lonely, I go on cleaning binges. I decided that I must be going through a cleaning/organization binge right now because everything in my way is being cleaned, donated or tossed out.

I'm talking the serious type of deep cleaning that makes every bone in your body ache, makes places like Goodwill and Salvation happy and makes your home *sparkle*.

I finished my room and Alex's room and headed into Allie's room and opened her closet.

My  ♥ did a happy dance.  Her entire closet is organized by type and color.  It's like a rainbow in there!

One less room to clean out. 

Preventing a "What's for Dinner" Crisis - My Pantry Staples

After years of dealing with the 5:00pm "What's for Dinner" crisis, I finally learned how to prevent it from happening at all. I try to keep my pantry stocked at all times and by pantry I mean my freezer, fridge and pantry combined. The following are things I found are a must for my pantry. By keeping these ingredients on hand I can throw an easy yummy homemade dinner together quickly.  

In the Freezer

Chicken (breasts and thighs)

Hamburger (patties and ground)

Pork (chops, country boneless, carnitas, ham) 

Fish filets (salmon, halibut, mahi mahi, talapia)

Ravioli (love the cheese and chicken ravioli from Costco)

Bread, frozen dough and rolls

Frozen Vegetables (corn, green beans, peas, broccoli)

Cheese (shredded or sliced)

Potatoes (hash browns, tater tots)

In the Pantry

Dried Pasta (various shapes and sizes)

Balsamic Vinegar and other various flavors (raspberry, red wine, white, apple cider etc.)

Cooking Wine (white and burgundy)

Seasonings (onion, garlic, cumin, Pappy's, taco, various dried herbs, red pepper flakes)

Bisquick

Flour

Sugar (granulated, powdered, brown (light and dark), karo syrup, honey)

Salt (both iodized and kosher)

Pepper

Oatmeal (steel cut, regular)

Baking Soda, baking powder

Olive oil, canola oil

Nuts (peanuts, sliced almonds, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds)

Bread, bagels, english muffins

Potatoes (sweet and russet)

Cake mix (Duncan Hines is my favorite)

Canned Goods:

Tomato sauce and paste, Enchilada sauce, cream of chicken, chicken and beef broth, crushed tomatoes and chopped, green chilies, olives, coconut milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk. Mandarin oranges, pineapple (various forms), marinara sauce, refried beans

In the Refrigerator:

Sour Cream (fat free from Costco)

Heavy whipping Cream

Fresh spinach and lettuce

Tortillas

Carrots, celery (seasonal veges)

Mayo, mustard, ketchup

Cheese (parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar)

Fresh lemon and lime or bottled lemon and lime juice

Garlic and Ginger (chopped or minced)

Butter

Cream cheese

Having a well stocked pantry and a quasi meal plan really does help prevent those last minute “What’s for Dinner” meal crisis!

Food Pantry Clean-up

With six people in the house who know how to bake and cook, you would think they could help keep the pantry organized, right? 

Big WRONG. 

My food pantry has been  a disaster. 

Clean up time...or should I say clean OUT time.

Now my dining room, kitchen and living room are a mess. 

Look at those cute aprons.  I counted eight of them. 

And canning jars...man oh man.  I had 36 of those babies stored in my pantry.  Whoa.  

And appliances?  They are everywhere!

Where to begin?

How about spices. 

 This handy organizer works wonders as a rack for my large sized spices and baking staples.  Since the pantry is across from the Butlers Pantry, it is hidden from the rest of the house so I keep the pantry door open which works out rather nicely.

It's a start.

Container Organization

My container drawer is a hot mess. I have a bunch of cheap disposable containers that really are intended for single use which is probably why the lids are misshapen and don't fit the containers like they should. 

HOT MESS

 BEFORE - drives me crazy looking at this drawer!

Costco to the rescue!

This Snapware set is seriously money well spent.  It's awesome! I've never heard of this brand until last month when I visited family and tried out their set.  Pretty good stuff.  I was sold. The lids fit the containers and snap shut on all four sides very easily so that the contents are airtight.

 AFTER:

No more nuttiness!  The containers stack together really nicely.  Much better.

It works for me.