Start the Year Off Right With an Organized Kitchen!

 The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is over for another year, giving you a much-needed break from the kitchen! If you found yourself feeling extra stressed this holiday season when baking Christmas cookies, cooking large family feasts or hosting your annual get-together, your kitchen’s organizational system may be to blame. Now’s the time to get your kitchen in order for a more Zen experience and figure out systems that work best for you when you’re in a high-pressure cooking or baking situation. Here are a few tips for minimizing kitchen clutter, optimizing your counter space usage and getting rid of anything that you haven’t used in a while (or ever) to make room for the things you need every day.

Delete Duplicates

When a couple gets married or moves in together, the chances of having duplicates in your kitchen increases. Suddenly you find yourselves with two of everything: toasters, coffee makers, blenders...you get the idea. The possibility of owning more than one of every small appliance gets even greater when the wedding gifts start rolling in from well-meaning friends and relatives. While it can be hard to part with the Mr. Coffee that kept you sane through all those all-nighters in college, or give away the lookalike food processors you received from Uncle Ed, Cousin Jenny and Grandma Sue on your wedding day, you’ll be much happier when you whittle down your kitchen appliance collection to just one of everything.

Play “Sell, Toss, Donate” With Kitchen Items

Be honest, have you ever used that waffle maker that’s currently taking up valuable real estate on your kitchen countertop? How about the enormous bread maker you bought at a garage sale during your homemade baking phase? If you haven’t used a kitchen appliance in a year or longer, consider selling it on Craigslist or eBay or donating it to Goodwill or another charity-based thrift store. Any kitchen appliances that are beyond repair or are unsafe to use should be disposed of responsibly. Getting rid of appliances can be hard when you think you’re still going to need them one day, but you’ll be rewarded with a sleek, clutter-free kitchen that cuts down significantly on everyday stress.

Devise a System- and Stick to It!

Most of us already have designated cabinets and drawers for the things we need and use everyday in our kitchens. However, when life gets in the way, it can be difficult to stick to an organizational system and put things back where they belong after each use. If you find that your current system is hard to remember or doesn’t make sense to you, maybe it’s time to do a complete reorganization of your kitchen to help you make the best use of your counter space, utensils and appliances.

A new year can be a fresh start- why not begin with your kitchen? By following these organization tips, you can turn your kitchen into an inviting, clutter-free space that inspires creativity, conversation and happiness!

4 New Year Appliance Trends & Colors

As 2018 is upon us it is time to start looking at some new appliances. See what will work with your existing products, imagine what would look great in your kitchen as an upgrade, or maybe it’s just time for a full overhaul of the kitchen! Let’s dive in to the New Year and see what the latest and greatest trends and colors are in kitchen appliances!

1. White Ice

What’s old is what’s new, but white is making a comeback! The Whirlpool brand has a white ice color that is very modern.  This color allows you to still use color schemes that are fitting for people who are in love with the white kitchen trend that most people enjoy. The white color can match the white cabinets and/ or countertops, but allows you to look more up-to-date than your basic white appliance color. With these appliances you can go with a modern look or you can even give your kitchen a vintage- style.

2. Black Slate

A great addition this year is the GE Café black slate. This style has joined there standard slate color palate as a hot option for 2018. This deep charcoal color is nice as it allows anyone to match nearly any décor or color palate, but elegant enough to grab attention. The matte color hides fingerprints, easy to maintain, and almost eliminates smudges. This makes your appliance look extremely clean for its lifetime.

3. Black Stainless Steel

Additionally, all the different black stainless models are available from most brands out there so it’s a colorpalooza in appliances now as far as an option.  Brands that carry the black stainless steel finish are Kitchen Aid, LG, Samsung, GE, Whirlpool, and more. This finish was extremely popular last year and will be a favorite this year and beyond. This color is a mixture of a brushed metal with a glossy bold black hue. The finish helps resist fingerprints and still gives a very modern and elegant feel to the room.

4. Smart Appliances

Like everything else in our modern world, digital and ynch are now both a big part of appliances. Digital features such as the Smart Hub from Samsung, Chef Connect from GE, SmartThinQ from LG, along with many other brands have these same or similar options that allow you to connect your appliances with other devices and to your phone. You can preheat your oven, check what is in your refrigerator, schedule your dishwasher for a cycle, and do much more. You can even connect your appliances with popular gadgets such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home for even more convenience. If you’re a tech savvy kind of person than 2018 is going to be a great year for you to look into new appliances. The 2018 line ups from almost all the manufactures will have something that is of interest to you so go in to your local appliance store and see what catches your eye!   

Enjoy the Holidays (Without Looking Like Santa): 3 Tips for Beating the Holiday Bulge

The holidays are a great time of year for people to come together and celebrate with good friends and family. Unfortunately, most of those celebrations also involve mass quantities of high-calorie foods, sugary sweets, and alcohol- all of which are contributing factors to weight gain and bloating. This holiday season, we have some tips for avoiding the holiday bulge without having to cut back on fun!

Practice the 80/20 Rule: Nobody should have to miss out completely on all the goodies that make the holidays special, but they can be enjoyed with moderation if you follow the 80/20 rule. Try to eat until you feel 80% full, like you could maybe use a little extra food...and then stop. It takes a little longer for your brain to get the signal that your stomach is full, so many of us just keep on eating until we’ve had too much of a good thing. By stopping before you feel 100 percent full and then waiting for about 20 minutes or having a glass of water, you can avoid the uncomfortable, over-full feeling that so many of us associate with holiday meals. After all, the only one that should be stuffed is the turkey!

Stick to Your Exercise Plan: With the weird work schedule, traveling to visit family, and company parties that keep you out late, the holidays can certainly wreak havoc on your routine. Many people find that it is difficult to fit a workout into all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and skip the gym for several days in a row. Not only does this make it harder to get back to your usual exercise regimen once the new year has begun, but it also can make you feel sluggish and tired because you’re not moving enough. Try to work in at least 30 minutes of exercise three times a week during the holidays in order to stay on track with your fitness plan.

Everything in Moderation (Including Moderation!) Nobody expects you to eat a plate full of raw broccoli at a party or family feast when there are things like pie and cookies in the room! It’s the holidays, and it’s OK to give yourself a treat. As long as you limit your intake of sweets, breads and high-calorie foods to one treat or so per day, you can enjoy all your delicious favorites this holiday season. Stick to the once-per-day rule and you’ll be fine. Then again, if you fall off the diet wagon one day this season, don’t beat yourself up- just resolve to make healthier choices the next day and maybe step up your exercise game, and you can make sure you stay ahead of the holiday bulge!

What are your favorite tips for staying healthy during the holidays? Let us know in the comments section.

Keep Fruits and Veggies Fresh Longer With These Handy Tips

Keeping fresh produce in the house for meals and snacking is a great way to stay healthy, but it can be hard to use them before they lose their freshness. Storing your fruits and vegetables properly can help to increase their freshness and taste, not to mention help you save money. Here are a few helpful hints for properly storing your fruits and veggies to get the most life out of them!

Bananas- Nothing like a delicious, potassium-rich banana for a healthy, easy snack! Keep your bananas fresh longer by wrapping the stems in plastic wrap. This prevents the ethylene gas that is naturally produced from the banana stems in the ripening process from reaching the fruits and making them prematurely ripe.

Lettuce- Rather than keeping your lettuce head intact, remove the leaves from the core when you purchase it, wrap them in paper towels, and store in a plastic container in your crisper drawer.

Apples- Unlike some fruits and veggies on this list, apples are one of the fruits that keep best under refrigeration, yet most people do not store their apples in the fridge. To keep your apples at the optimal temperature of 30-35 degrees Fahrenheit, place them under a damp paper towel in the crisper drawer. This will keep them nice and crunchy for weeks!

Carrots- Keeping your carrots in a large glass or plastic container full of water in the fridge will secure their freshness, keeping them deliciously crunchy for much longer. Be sure to cover the top of the container with plastic wrap or a lid, and change the water once per day.

Strawberries- The first step to preserving your strawberries is to throw away any moldy ones you find in the container right away. Then, store the berries in the fridge in an airtight container (not the one that they came in at the store) and take care not to wash them until just before you intend to eat them.

Understanding each fruit and vegetable and knowing how to best preserve them for maximum freshness will save you a lot of money and time while keeping your kitchen stocked with healthy, delicious foods. Enjoy!

Do you have a food preservation tip for your produce items? Let us know in the comments section.