Tammy's Recipes - Everyday Kitchen Inspiration

11 Tips for Kids in the Kitchen Without Losing Your Sanity (Eat Well, Spend Less)

Tammy — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:47:13 +0000

Custom drawing of my 3 oldest kitchen helpers

I spend a lot of my day in the kitchen (not just cooking, though; we do school there too) and I have 5 children. There's always something to be done, and there's always someone ready to help! Often the 2-year-old, of course. ;)

Here are my tips for having kids in the kitchen without going crazy! (Plus, a podcast at the end about cooking with small children.)

Gathering stinging nettles with a bag-holding helper!

Allow plenty of time

Unless your children are older and already somewhat trained in the kitchen (in which case you don't need to worry about losing your sanity while they "help"!), having little helpers is probably going to mean that your work goes more slowly and you'll actually get less done than you would if you were working alone.

This is all right though, since having young children help in the kitchen is more about building relationships and teaching them life skills than getting more done.

Allow plenty of time if at all possible, so your work can be enjoyed and there isn't the pressure of running behind or needing to work as quickly as possible.

Hurrying is a recipe for mistakes, frustration with others, and even physical injury like a cut finger. For some reason when I'm in a hurry I end up clogging the garbage disposal or cutting a finger, which of course takes extra time right when I'm trying to be fastest!

Washing dishes with Grandma (my mom)

Don't spread yourself too thin

Don't plan too many projects at once. Alone, I can do several things at a time in the kitchen. However, this takes my full concentration and means I need to work quickly.

Having helpers (more like "trainees"!) means I will be getting distracted and need to stop to explain things, wait for something that is being done at 1/2 or 1/4 the speed I would do it myself, or clean up messes that I would never have made alone. ;)

Keep it relaxed by not biting off more than you (and your helpers) can "chew".

Boys watching the grain mill work

Have fun sharing your cool kitchen "power tools"

If your kitchen is anything like mine, you've got some "power tools" that will fascinate your kids! If it plugs in or has buttons it's probably super exciting to your little ones. Here are some of the tools in my kitchen and what my children love about them:

Bread machine -- has buttons for settings (I tell my helpers which ones to press for me!) and if I leave the lid open while it mixes, someone will surely want to look inside and watch it knead the dough for a while. Kids can also add the ingredients to the pan, of course.

Mixer -- Kids of all ages love turning things on! I just have a small hand mixer (no stand mixer), so for little ones I let them turn it on and help me hold it. Older kids can operate the mixer alone. When I was a child, I remember enjoying making swirls and designs in batter as I mixed it. It's just fun!

Microwave -- We were given a nice microwave when we moved from our apartment to a house with a bigger (much bigger!) kitchen. I have taught the children to use it (with supervision), reminding them that it's a tool and not a toy. They LOVE to press the buttons for me! It's a practical way to learn numbers, minutes, seconds, and practice following directions. It's just so exciting to get to press a button that makes a "beep!"

Blender -- Again, I have the kids add things and press buttons for me. They also like to watch the blender as it works.

Grain mill -- When I use my grain mill, everyone comes running to watch. There's something fascinating about watching grain slowly feed into the machine as it runs.

Kitchen scale -- This one isn't too exciting, but it does have buttons and my older boys have fun weighing things. It's a good practical tool for learning about weights and units of measurement (grams, ounces, pounds, kilograms). Sometimes we take guesses before weighing random objects, and see who guessed the closest to its weight!

Washing cherries

Have fun yourself

Is your list of kitchen "power tools" exciting to you? It should be! Are you excited about what you're cooking or doing in the kitchen? You should be!

Instead of thinking in terms of chores or work or getting things done, try to enjoy the process and be excited with your children -- or show them a cheerful attitude when they don't really want to help, which happens when they're older and much more likely to actually be helpful... ;)

Try to think of how your young child views the task at hand. Something as simple as putting a freezer meal in the freezer can involve using a marker, tape, and opening the freezer. Making cookies can involve stirring (or mixing) and chocolate chips. Using a can of something can mean removing a label, washing the top, and dumping it in. What child doesn't love to rip off paper labels from cans? :)

Peeling bananas for the dehydrator

Work with them, but let them do the fun parts

Did you know that dumping ingredients into a bowl or stock pot is more fun than measuring or chopping? That getting to do that first stir -- before anything's been mixed together -- is the best part of stirring? That sampling a soup to see if the seasonings need adjusted is like having a snack before dinner and your hungry toddler would love to sample it with you?

Cooking involves boring tasks sometimes, so make sure you're letting your children do some of the funnest parts for you or with you!

Peeling tomatoes together

Accept less than perfect

It will not be done just like you would do it (usually). It may be slower, sloppier, or less beautiful. That's okay! Don't re-do everything just so it looks perfect.

Frosting cupcakes with Grandma (my mom)

Cook, then clean the floor

The floor, ahhhh, the floor! With helpers in the kitchen, the floor ends up being the dirtiest part. This should be a no-brainer, but it seriously took me a couple years with small helpers to figure it out. Cook first, clean the floor later. It matters less what gets spilled or dropped!

Eliyahu's first time to help with dishes

Teach them to clean up their messes

My kids are very familiar with tools like a broom and dustpan or my vacuum cleaner. They also know how to mop. (They love the rags-under-their-feet method, especially when I let them spray the floor with cleaner! Spraying = fun. See what I mean about letting them do the fun parts?)

When they make a mess, they are almost always part of the clean-up process. If it's water that's spilled, I hand the towel to my 2-year-old and ask him to clean it up. He feels like such a big helper! Plus, it's water. On the floor. Exciting business. That occurs daily at my house.

Remember that "can't" = "can learn"

Make the kitchen a fun place to learn skills like math, reading, critical thinking, cooking, following directions, and cleaning. Take the time to explain new things and teach your child! Even if they don't fully comprehend the concept right now, it's still an investment in their life.

Yehoshua (age 8) still needs help doubling or increasing recipes that involve fractions, but I include him in the computing process so he can continue to learn in a real-life setting. (This adds a sense of purpose to doing math worksheets!)

Eliyahu (age 6) still needs help reading, but he has more fun reading a recipe and getting to use the ingredient he just read than he does reading from a book right now.

Ruth (age 4) is still learning her bigger numbers, but loves to press the buttons on the microwave for me. Does she understand the difference between 30 seconds and 1 minute? No, but someday she will. :)

Moshe (age 2) feels important doing just about anything to help. He can't count cups of flour for me, but he loves to try!

Ruth with her birthday cupcakes

Let them be kids

Some of the things kids like to do when they cook:

Ask questions
Be excited over something new
Work too slowly (or too fast!)
Make a mess
Sample what they're cooking or using
Do their own thing

...and we need to let them.

Eliyahu makes his birthday cake (turning 5)

Add some praise

Thank your helper for a job well done (age appropriately)! Appreciate them. Praise their food, praise their work, and thank them.

When a particular child has helped with a meal or food, I often mention it at the meal.

"Hey guys, did you know that Eliyahu helped make the soup? He worked with me and did most of the vegetables. Doesn't it taste good?!" This public praise is encouraging to my helper and inspires the other family members to thank them and appreciate their work, too.

Podcast

I recorded this podcast about kids in the kitchen when I had 2 young children. Listen in for tips on staying sane while finding cool stuff for little ones to do with you!

Cooking gear: Hat and apron!

Related posts:

Working Alongside Our Children (why, how, and includes my chore charts from when it was written)

Chores for young children in the kitchen (21 things for 6-and-under kids!)

Little Helpers... and a Counting Tip

This week, the Eat Well, Spend Less bloggers are writing about kids in the kitchen! Check out:

Teaching your kids while you grocery shop (Denver Bargains)

Letting kids cook (Life as Mom)

Recipes that kids can cook in the kitchen (Simple Bites)

When everyone wants to help (Kingdom First Mom)

Overcoming the stress of having kids in your kitchen (Life...Your Way)

Summertime popsicles with zero sugar / Kids help in the kitchen (Kitchen Stewardship)

...and one to come from: Food For My Family

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Paper funnel to the rescue!

Tammy — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:19:19 +0000

Eliyahu (age 6) helped me make some homemade instant oatmeal packets. I don't have a big food processor, just this little mini chopper that attaches to my immersion blender. It works fine but only holds about 1 cup of oats at a time! I did a small batch of the instant oatmeal which will be used for snacks or individual breakfasts.

Eliyahu loved getting to pulse the blender! We practiced counting to 30 while he held the button. Then it was finished! It was a fun way to get a little extra math practice into our morning. :)

I like to store things in jars, but this particular jar was difficult to fill from the chopper without spilling. Tip: I didn't have an appropriately-sized funnel, so we made our own from a rolled up piece of paper!

The paper funnel worked and all the kids thought that was pretty cool. (I did NOT show them how to make paper cups yet!!)

Last step was to label the jar, which Eliyahu also did for me with masking tape and a pen. Labeling things with tape and a pen or marker is a fun way to get spelling and writing practice. ;)

All done? Time for exercise! I sent this monkey outside to play. :)

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Post a kitchen tip in your blog. Link to this post, and then leave your link in a comment here, so we know where to find YOU! :) No giveaways or non-tip posts, please! We need to be able to easily find/see what your kitchen/cooking tip is. :) Thanks for your participation! :)

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Paper clutter kitchen tip (Western Warmth)
2. Shortcut for mashing bananas (Feel Good About Dinner)
3. Freezer yogurt pops (Under the Big Oak Tree)
4. Chive blossom vinegar (The Local Cook)
5. Hamburger patties w/o touching the meat (Simply Made Home)
6. Testing baking soda/powder (Nature's Nurture)

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Cleaning condiment lids

Tammy — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:30:40 +0000

With little hands using our condiment bottles, they can get kinda messy. I usually wipe the tops before putting them away, but now that my kids are old enough to put things away for me, the cleaning part doesn't get done.

Spicy grilled turkey burgers recipe

It's pretty embarrassing to pull out ketchup or hot sauce for guests and have them find dried condiment all over or around the lid!

Tip: When we're planning a barbeque and will be using condiments, I pull them out and clean the lids before the guests arrive. If it's something we don't use often (like ketchup), the lid may need to be washed (in hot soapy water) for all the dried goop to come off.

Yay! Clean lids! :) Now no one will ever know that our 2-year-old was using that ketchup bottle... ;)

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Healthy alternatives for thickening sauces (Feel Good About Dinner)
2. Dehydrating, canning, freezing comparisons (Whole New Mom)
3. Freezing dessert portions (Western Warmth)
4. Making the most of your CSA share (The Local Cook)
5. Freeze extra marinade (Simply Made Home)
6. Watermelon tips (Ponder Your Path)
7. No stick cookies (The Joyful Wife)
8. Reviving over-microwaved peas (Rie 'n Wheat)
9. Reuse take-out containers (Under the Big Oak Tree)
10. Stale foods (Moms Frugal)
11. Quinoa tips (Wholesome Homemaker)

Mother's Day Giveaway Winner

Tammy — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:27:31 +0000

My mom with a big bowl of kale from her garden last Spring!

Thank you all so much for the beautiful comments on my Mother's Day giveaway! Reading them brought tears to my eyes. My mom is a hard working, cheerful, content, and Godly woman. I miss my mom, too! It's been a year since our last trip to Ohio to visit my parents, and even though they came here to visit for 3 days in September, it just wasn't long enough.

One of the comforting things about my mom is that she's always busy doing something either fun or productive (usually productive) and she's always got good food to eat. She's told me that she gets tired of cooking sometimes, but one would never know that by the meals she serves. It's not always something fancy, but it's almost always completely homemade and/or home-grown -- filling and healthy. :) (Use the search box to look for "my mom's recipes" and you'll find a ton on this site!)

My mom also treasures and loves each new life! She had 6 children herself (after 8 years of infertility), and our children are all very loved by her as precious gifts. I'm so blessed by her encouragement and support in this, and in many other areas. :)

Anyway, now to the giveaway winner. According to random.org, the winner of the Mother's Day Gift Package is:

davidpeachey@

Thank you all for your enthusiasm for the giveaway, and thank you to More Than Alive for sponsoring it! The 10% discount code is still good through today, Friday May 11.

Have a great weekend! :)

Mother's Day Giveaway from More Than Alive! (2 days only)

Tammy — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:49:14 +0000

Happy Mother's Day!

More Than Alive put together a Mother's Day giveaway package for one lucky reader here! I was super excited when they emailed and asked to send me a gift packet and offer a giveaway and discount code this week!

Here is what the package includes:

1 bottle of SuperMom vitamins (I have used these for 5+ years and love them!)
1 bottle of peppermint essential oil
Jar of Laveshmint daily moisturizer
Book: Herbal Antibiotics
1/2 lb. organic raw cacao powder
1 Salt and Pepper Silk Scarf

You know we love our Berkey water filter from More Than Alive, and I drink their herbal teas almost daily. Their dried herbs are fresh and potent and their tea blends are fabulous! I'm not just saying this because they've sent me samples... I used up my samples long ago and bought more herbs and SuperMom vitamins, which I take daily. :)

I love peppermint oil, and it's one of my most-used essential oils. It's my second tactic for battling headaches (right after drinking tons of water from my Contigo water bottle!) and makes Ruth's favorite pink peppermint stick scented homemade play dough! :)

I don't normally use facial moisturizer (or anything on my face aside from water to cleanse) but I tried the Laveshmint that came in my package and it feels lovely! It isn't oily and smells pleasant.

I'm excited about this scarf! My scarves have always been purely functional and not at all cute. (In fact, I think both of my winter scarves are ones I've had for over 15 years!) Here in the Seattle area, we don't usually have super cold, snowy winters -- but lots of chilly rainy days (all year long...) so I think this scarf will be perfect. It's soft and delicate but feels pretty sturdy, too.

Cocoa powder, yum! We use lots of cocoa powder since it's a pretty affordable chocolate fix. ;) What have I done with mine?

Made chocolate protein milk! I used chocolate-flavored sweetened whey protein, milk, instant coffee granules, and a heaping spoonful of cocoa powder. I use my immersion blender (gift from Joshua's mom last year) to blend it smooth. The milk gets nice and creamy and the cocoa powder makes it extra chocolate-y! (Note: Actually I prefer this drink without the coffee.)

Want to win this Mother's Day gift package from More Than Alive?

This giveaway is open Wednesday and Thursday, May 9-10, 2012. One winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Friday, May 11, 2012.

How to enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post, telling me what you most appreciate about your mom, mother-in-law, or mentor! If you aren't logged in, make sure you comment includes a way to contact you if you win. :)

The Discount:

More Than Alive sells quality bulk herbs, bulk foods, and more -- including our favorite household necessity, the Berkey Water Filter. If you've been waiting to order a Berkey water filter, this discount will give you $20+ off your order!

Use this discount code to receive 10% off your order from More Than Alive Wednesday - Friday of this week, May 9 - May 11, 2012.

Code: TRMGPG

Channah Shalom (she's 10 weeks old now!) :)

Full disclosure, as always: When we purchased our Berkey water filter from More Than Alive several years ago, we were so thrilled with it that I signed up as an affiliate with More Than Alive. Purchasing through my links helps support this website! The discount code is valid with or without using my links. :)

I don't review something unless we would spend our own hard-earned money on it, and such is the case with the things we have purchased from More Than Alive. I'm delighted to be able to offer giveaways and discount codes for More Than Alive! :)

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Re-use wooden grilling planks

Tammy — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:43:31 +0000

Did you know that wooden grilling planks can be re-used? Well, they can! We soak ours for at least 2 hours, leaving them quite saturated.

Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon

After grilling fish (usually salmon), I wash the plank in my dish water with a soapy scrub brush. It comes mostly clean -- which is okay because...

...after the board is washed, I wrap the still-wet board in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer. Now I have a pre-soaked grilling plank ready for next time! :)

Alder Plank Grilled Potatoes

My favorite grill-planked foods are Cedar Plank Salmon and Alder-Plank Potatoes... yummy!!

Joshua's Weber Q gas grill is still holding strong. This will be our 9th year of using it! A friend gave us an extra tank of propane, which is very handy since we grill a lot.

This past weekend, Joshua and the boys cleaned off the deck and chairs. There were pine needles, maple tree "helicopter seeds", and algae growing. A sturdy scrub brush, soapy water, and a broom had things looking sparkly out there in the sunshine when they finished! I love eating outside. (It keeps the crumbs off my kitchen floor!) :)

By the way, this week I'm departing from my bad habit of blogging only on Tuesdays. ;) Come back tomorrow for a fun Mother's Day giveaway! :)

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Pasta cooking tip (Newlyweds Blog)
2. Water tips (Moms Frugal)
3. Prepping garlic tip (Frugal in Florida)
4. Storing asparagus + homemade veggie wash (The Joyful Wife)
5. Vinegar tips (The Local Cook)
6. Opening difficult jars (Feel Good About Dinner)
7. Apple cider vinegar tips (Simply Made Home)
8. Baking soda / washing soda tip (Nature's Nurture)
9. Butterfly cake and decorating/frosting tips (All Done Monkey)
10. Guacamole and avocado tips (Wholesome Homemaker)

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Tip for healthy snacking + snack ideas

Tammy — Tue, 01 May 2012 01:33:04 +0000

I love snacks! But more importantly, I get hungry a lot and need to eat snacks between meals. As a breastfeeding mom, I'm even more hungry than "normal". But I can't let my eating habits go out the window just because I'm extra hungry! I need to have a plan for healthy snacking options.

My tip? Plan ahead and make snacks ahead for easier, healthier snacks! Here are some of my current favorite snack solutions.

Homemade hummus (made in a big batch in my crock pot and then frozen in smaller containers), carrots, and celery for dipping. I try to get carrots and celery ready for several days all at once -- a big bag of celery sticks and a big bag of carrot sticks.

Having the carrots and celery ready-to-eat in the fridge makes it easy to grab one-handed while I'm holding my baby and doing school with the boys. The hummus helps satisfy my hunger more than just carrots and celery. Hummus isn't low-calorie (if you pile it on like I do!) but it's got lots of fiber and protein and good fats (I use olive oil), and it's filling and delicious! :)

Greek yogurt is my newest favorite quick snack, from Costco. (It's $3.50 a quart there.) One cup has 140 calories and 24 grams of protein! It's thick and creamy enough to substitute for sour cream, too. (Normal plain yogurt doesn't work for my taste buds when I've tried subbing it for sour cream...)

I usually pair this greek yogurt with some almonds for a snack, since I actually do want the extra fats in my diet (and the yogurt is nonfat).

I've also used this greek yogurt as a yogurt starter for making my own homemade yogurt. It's not as protein-rich, but easy enough to do (now that I've figured out how!) and I can make a gallon at a time.

Cooked pinto beans make a simple lunch or quick snack. When my beans are finished cooking in my crock pot, I ladle them into containers for snacks or lunches. The ones in this photo are for Joshua's lunches: 200 grams of beans, 14 grams of cheese, and a few splashes of hot sauce. Each container is 340 calories. Having a kitchen scale makes it super easy to measure the right amount quickly.

I also like to drink tea throughout the day! It doesn't satisfy hunger, but it's a yummy way to stay hydrated (I usually drink caffeine-free herbal teas). :)

Fresh fruit is another of our go-to snacks! Bananas, apples, pears -- whatever's on sale and looks good. I don't usually cut the fruit (like apples) ahead of time, but having it washed and in the fridge makes it easier to grab one for a snack!

I also got string cheese at Costco last week. It's a favorite of the kids', so I usually ask them to eat a banana or something else first. Otherwise, they'd beg for seconds! :)

Bonus photo: Sleeping Channah. I can't believe how big and chubby she is already!

And one more: Ruth with "the goats at the park". We've had such a lovely Spring, with some rain AND some sunshine. :)

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Tips for healthier cookies (Bobi at Western Warmth)
2. Foraging for frittata ingredients (The Local Cook)
3. Frugal meal tips (Adrienne at Balanced Platter)
4. Grocery trip tips (Tara at SimplyMadeHome)
5. Having company in a small space (Purposely Frugal)

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Make-shift whisk

Tammy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:35:39 +0000

I use whisks a lot when cooking or baking! They're perfect for beating eggs, sauces, batters, or combining dry ingredients. When my other whisks are dirty, I pull out my makeshift whisks:

Tip: Use beaters from a hand mixer as a make-shift whisk. I just hold one beater in my hand and whisk with it. It works great for smaller tasks! :)

By the way, my very first "Kitchen Tip Tuesdays" tip was about using whisks! :)

Our weather has been like this for days on end:

I think we've spent most of the last two days outside! And today, I got the lawn mowed for the first time this year. Yay! I love a freshly cut lawn and sunshine. Today Yehoshua told me, "I wish every day could be like today." That may have had something to do with the new magnifying glass the boys got and were using out in the sun. ;)

Sweet little Channah in her Noah's Ark dress (handmade by a friend). :)

And I think that's enough off-topic photos for now. ;)

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. "Two of everything" tip (Bobi at Western Warmth)
2. 10 tips for ice cream making success (The Local Cook)
3. Slicing onions without tears (Anna at The Joyful Wife)
4. Quick and healthy meal tips (Adrienne at Whole New Mom)
5. Tips for setting the table (Heather at Feel Good About Dinner)
6. How to make your vegetables taste amazing (Mindy at The Purposed Heart)
7. Sparkling stainless steel sink tip (Nature's Nurture)
8. Cooking whole chicken in the crock pot tip + 1 more (Purposely Frugal)
9. Tips for getting more veggies (Tara at SimplyMadeHome)

Foraging for Stinging Nettles

Tammy — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:24:25 +0000

I took this little guy out to the back yard last week. It was a beautiful sunny day, just barely warm enough to go swearshirt-free. Sweatshirt-free is never a guarantee here, even in the middle of summer. We enjoy it whenever it happens, though!

We brought gloves and a grocery bag. What were we after?

Weeds! Actually, stinging nettles. The woodsy area behind our house grew some big tall nettles last year and I kept knocking them over so they wouldn't fall into our yard. I vowed that next year I'd be ready and pick them young so we could try eating them.

I have never been so happy about weeding before! I picked the fresh young green nettles and Moshe held the bag for me. He loved helping!

The nettles were washed (in a strainer with the sprayer) and then put in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Afterwards, their sting was gone and we all eagerly sampled the cooked greens for our first time.

Delicious! I thought the taste was mild and reminded me of green beans. I chopped up the cooked nettles and added them to beef vegetable soup, and no one could even taste them.

I used stems as well as leaves, even though my research indicated the stems were too tough to eat. I imagine the freshest youngest stinging nettles are the most tender and tasty, and ours sure were!

I can't believe I grew up on a farm overrun with nettles and never ate any of them! (We did eat gobs of dandelions though.) I think foraged food is my favorite... just pick and enjoy!

Now, I'm brainstorming how I'm going to get the kids all down the road to the woodsy park and go nettle-hunting. There just aren't enough nettles in my own backyard!

Tip: Cook stinging nettles and use them as you would spinach. Quiche, lasagna, soups, and more are all wonderful made with stinging nettles!

Have you eaten stinging nettles? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts and more tips for gathering or using them! :)

Sweet Channah slept while we all played at the park last weekend. She sleeps best on/by/with me, which is part of my lack of blogging. (I am typing one-handed right now, but the slow pace is frustrating!) :)

We all soaked up the sunshine. Joshua played catch and t-ball with the older boys. There was bike riding, goat-feeding, and plenty of running around.

Eat Well, Spend Less: One year later

Tammy — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:46:05 +0000

It's been a whole year since the Eat Well, Spend Less series began! This month, we're writing about the changes in our grocery budgets and eating habits through the past year.

For my family, the past year has been full of twists and turns! Discovering medical conditions of my husband (Joshua) that demanded attention, pregnancy and the birth of our 5th baby, 3 months of having my husband home from work (on medical leave), homeschooling 3 children, and all of the children growing and eating more and doing more as we try to balance frugal and simple and healthy and quick, the 2-year-old just pulled down a stack of puzzles! :)

Low Fat Whole Grain Waffles recipe

Last year, my sanity stayed intact and life was frugally simplified by:

1. Having a chest freezer

I still can't believe the difference this has made! We've had our freezer for 14 months now and it has become key in helping our family to eat well on a budget. It has saved trips to the store, allowed us to gather gallons of berries in the summer (without making it all into sugary jam or pie filling!), and afforded the ability to stock up on fish at discount prices.

My "upgraded" kitchen shelves!

2. Bi-weekly grocery shopping

I am still a huge Costco fan! All my reasons for loving Costco hold true. I like their produce. I like their baking supplies and spices. I like their frozen veggies and fruits. I like their dairy prices. And I love only going to 1 store, twice a month! It saves time and I know we spend less when we don't shop weekly.

(We do occasionally go to other stores to buy certain items, like bulk foods. And now that Joshua's back to work, we'll be buying bananas at QFC just down the road for the weeks when we're not doing our "regular" grocery shopping.)

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: A soft resting place for fragile fruit

Tammy — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:43:44 +0000

I use this tip mostly for bananas, but it's good for any ripening fruit that tends to bruise easily, like pears, peaches, etc.

Place a piece of cardboard, bubble wrap, or foam under the fruit (or bag of fruit) as it ripens, to ease the pressure and prevent bruises.

I normally store bananas on a hard shelf. My current "banana shelf" is a hard plastic mesh -- even more likely to bruise a heavy bunch of bananas. I used some old bubble envelopes to make a nice cushion on the shelf for the bunches of bananas.

I hope no one missed me online last week. We were busy enjoying amazing Spring weather! Inside it's Legos, outside it's the bikes. We're blessed to have a nice quiet driveway/road in front of our house. The kids have been outside so much more since we moved from the apartment to this house. I'm SO GLAD for the space! :)

Sometimes I get tired of the clouds, but when the weather is nice here it is really, really nice. 60's and sunny is perfect in my book! :)

And... I really truly will be blogging at least two more times this week. I'll be posting my Eat Well, Spend Less post for April (!!) and then write about some of the new "food things" we've been doing lately. And next week, well, we'll see. I have ideas but run out of time first sometimes. ;)

Related Kitchen Tips:

Easy way to wash fresh fruit

Fruit basket tips

How to save an avocado without it turning brown

Keeping apple slices fresh

How to ripen pears quickly easily

Snacking on frozen blueberries

When grapes (start to) go bad

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Leeks and green onions tip (Donna at Moms Frugal)
2. More affordable fruit desserts (The Local Coook)
3. Coconut oil tips (Heather at Feel Good About Dinner)
4. Healthier desserts tips (The Better Mom)
5. Vinegar tips (Tara at Simply Made Home)
6. Hash browns tips (Sarah at Nature's Nurture)
7. Food prep tip (Frugal in Florida)

Note: I'm sorry about the delay in getting these links posted! Our internet was down all day Tuesday.

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Cutting greens with less mess

Tammy — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:27:35 +0000

When I need to chop some greens, like spinach or kale to put in soup, this helps contain the mess:

Split the bag open and chop on the bag. If I'm chopping a lot of greens, I may do this in two batches.

It looks like a lot less after being chopped! For some reason, chopping on the bag seems to be easier and less messy for me. I did use a cutting board under the bag, to protect the landlord's counters. ;)

And be sure to use a dull knife. I used a big sharp knife and chopped away happily... and it cut into the bag a little! We definitely don't want plastic in our food! Normally my dull kitchen knives don't cut the bag at all.

After I took pictures of my chopped kale (it's awesome in Turkey Sausage Kale Soup or Veggie Bean Soup!), I took a picture of what the *rest* of the kitchen counter looked like. Way too full of my junk and projects I keep thinking I'll have time for. Well, I did get some mending done this week and did some decluttering last week, but I'm ready to be done! Plus, the weather has been too nice to spend my free time cleaning junk out of kitchen cupboards. :P :)

And one more bonus picture today: Eliyahu with a Lego drawer. The drawer slides in and out and can hold small things (like treasure maps). :) For Eliyahu's 6th birthday this year, he got The Lego Ideas Book and both boys have spent hours looking through it, reading it, and using ideas from it to create things from our big box of garage-sale Legos! I am amazed at the things the boys have been building. I look at it and just see a jumble of bricks... :)

I've missed blogging! I did pull my camera out last week for some pictures of dinner, and I have some really good stuff to write about... I may start trying to use the computer again during afternoon quiet time... or get up super early to write... :)

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Post a kitchen tip in your blog. Link to this post, and then leave your link here, so we know where to find YOU! :) No giveaways or non-tip posts, please!

In order to keep the kitchen tips more easily accessible, posts not adhering to these guidelines will be removed. We need to be able to easily find/see what your kitchen/cooking tip is. :) Thanks for your participation! :)

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Using and storing avocado (Heather at Feel Good About Dinner)
2. Growing green onions in water (Sarah at Nature's Nurture)
3. Egg substitutes in baking (Tara at Feels Like Home)
4.
5.

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: How to make your food look as good as it tastes!

Tammy — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:31:02 +0000

When I started cooking regularly (which was when I got married 8 years ago), I was a no-nonsense cook. Garnish? Bah! Who needs it?! Taste is all that matters, right? :)

Joshua, however, loves to make foods look beautiful. In the years since I started blogging about food, I've realized the importance of making a dish look attractive. Here are some of my tips for garnishing foods!

The obvious: Place a few parsley sprigs on the plate of food (attractively arranged, with the main dish in the middle of the plate).

Grilled food:

Aside from getting beautiful grill marks on our Weber Q grill, Joshua recommends fresh coarsely ground black pepper to garnish grilled meats or veggies.

Mexican food:

Garnish Mexican food with freshly snipped cilantro or chopped green onions.

Garlic bread:

Add chopped parsley (dried or fresh) or chives to the butter when making garlic bread for a more colorful appearance.

Pizza:

Sprinkle dried basil or Italian seasoning on top of homemade pizza before baking. After baking, sprinkle with crushed red pepper and/or Parmesan cheese.

Salads:

Finely shred some carrot or cheese to garnish a lettuce salad.

Garnish a pasta salad with shredded Parmsean cheese.

Use red onion rather than white or yellow for a more attractive presentation.

Roasted chicken:

Sprinkle with parsley flakes, freshly chopped chives, or kosher salt.

Breads:

Brush beaten egg over bread tops and sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sliced almonds, rolled oats, or wheat bran before baking.

Waffles, french toast, or desserts:

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Cheesecake, pies, baked apple oatmeal, chai tea lattes, and just about anything else:

Top with whipped cream for some extra style and deliciousness! :)

Any tips to add on the topic of beautiful food? :)

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Post a kitchen tip in your blog. Link to this post, and then leave your link here, so we know where to find YOU! :) No giveaways or non-tip posts, please!

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Homemade natural blue food coloring (Whole New Mom)
2. Hard-boiled eggs tip (Newlyweds Blog)
3. Tips for simplifying lasagna (Happily Home After)
4. Tip for stocking up on eggs (Feel Good About Dinner)
5. Ingredient substitutions (Whole New Mom)

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Hosted at Armstrong Family Fare this week

Tammy — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 05:46:01 +0000

I'm taking today off from hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesdays. Would you believe we have more doctor appointments and an outpatient surgery scheduled this week?! (I'm not the one having surgery.) At any rate, I'm thinking this has just got to be the last week of doctors, surgeries, and babysitters at our house for hopefully quite a long time! :)

Willa at Armstrong Family Fare is our Kitchen Tip Tuesdays hostess this week while I'm busy baby-snuggling and wrapping up loose ends at home.

Head over to Armstrong Family Fare to add your kitchen tips and check out her tip for Crumbs Made Simple! No, not the kind of crumbs you get when you give a kid a cookie... although those are pretty easy to come by too. ;)

Eat Well, Spend Less: Pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond

Tammy — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:48:18 +0000

Last week, the the Eat Well, Spend Less team was blogging about babies and food!

Kitchen Planning When You Are Pregnant -- Amy writes about overcoming pregnancy tiredness and aversions, with simple tips for planning ahead. Her final advice? Keep it simple! (I definitely do that... and it's 100% okay. :D)

Tips for Taking Meals to a New Mom -- Carrie gives some AWESOME tips about meals for new moms (and their families), with things to keep in mind whether you're on the giving or receiving end of the meal. I resonate with everything she says!! Food is one of the best after-baby gifts (in my opinion!) and even if you're not making it from scratch, it's still a blessing to the mom who didn't have to plan the meal or get the items from the store. And on the receiving end, let others serve you and try not to be high-maintenance. But just go read Carrie's post -- it's great.

The Postpartum Diet -- Aimee writes an overview of some things to consider for postpartum eating, with tips for making healthy food choices, yummy breakfast oatmeal (milk-supply boosting!) recipes, and a high-fiber prunes recipe that Aimee says is amazing enough to eat any day of the week, postpartum or not!

Food Celebrations and a New Baby -- I smiled all through Jessica's delightful post about celebrating a new baby with food! I think I've tried nearly all of her ideas in the past -- including making a BIRTH-day cake to celebrate the new baby's arrival! (I didn't get a BIRTH-day cake made this time, boo!) Best of all, Jessica gives us permission to stock our pantries with easy foods and drinks. (Is this the time to admit that my kids have been mostly eating cold cereal and milk for breakfasts for the past month?)

Channah (3 weeks old)

A Homemade Baby Food Primer -- Mandi shares about several homemade baby food approaches, with approachable ways to avoid the shelf of jarred baby food at your grocery store. If you're already serving fresh healthy meals to the rest of your family, homemade baby food just makes sense!

Real-Food Baby Food -- Katie talks about the ways she's started her babies on solid foods and gives pointers for introducing some of the best "first foods" for babies -- avocado, sweet potatoes, egg yolks, bananas, and more!

Food for New Parents to Eat Well and Spend Less -- Shaina has some tried-and-true ways to eat well as a new parent without spending hours in the kitchen or spending a lot on take-out food. I love that she recommends keeping carrots, romaine lettuce, and apples in the fridge -- all foods that keep well and make for healthy snacking! (They're also some of the more affordable produce items at the grocery store.)