Hey all! Tuesday on the blog and Day 7 of the 100 Day Blog Challenge. So we're one week in. And guess what! I have topics. If you read yesterday's post, you KNOW I have the topics. I posted them.
Whatever. Don't harsh my mellow.
So specific topics aside, this is how I've chosen to break up the days from now on:
Monday: Hodgepodge
Tuesday: Life Hacks (could be a range of life areas)
Wednesday: A Wayback Trip to various times or places in the past
Thursday: Throwback Thursday (writing related)
Friday: Feelgood Friday (Warm fuzzies incoming)
Saturday: Writing Life Talks
Sunday: Self Care Sunday
Today...
5 Actual Hacks I Use in the Kitchen
1. Chop Celery
You might ask: how is this a life hack?
Wait, Grasshopper. I will explain.
How many times have you gone into your fridge to get celery for a recipe and it's gone gross? Just me? Okay, well, I'll tell you my hack anyway.
So this is what I do...because look, I may be vegan but I'm kinda anti-celery stick.
Strings and well...I don't like it unless it's IN something. Like a Bloody Mary.
Okay okay...I digress.
So I buy celery, two packs at a time. I wash it, pat it down and mark it with a B...
Oh wait. Different thing. Back up.
I wash it. I pat it down with paper towel (or kitchen paper as they call it in other countries). Then I chop it all up. ALL OF IT -- not the leafy part or the nasty end pieces. So ALMOST all of it. Then I package it into 1 cup packs, put all those packs into a large freezer bag and pop them in the freezer.
Yes. You CAN freeze celery just like that. Then whenever I need it for a recipe, I pull out a pack. No more Russian Roulette with the celery. It's good mixed into cold dishes as well as into hot recipes.
2. Potato Wedges
Do you have an apple slicer? You too can make awesome potato wedges.
Here's what you do:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Peel however many potato you're going to use. I usually do one medium-to-large potato per person. Cut a small slice off one end so it's flat. Rest it on a cutting board and slice it as you would an apple.
When you're done dump all those wedges into a gallon-size bag, add a little oil (a little!!!!) and season at will.
Generally, I use garlic powder, shallot pepper and vegan grated parmesan. Seal the bag and shake it like you're in a Shake-n-Bake commercial.
***You can mix in a bowl if you're opposed to using a zipper bag.
Place the potatoes in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.
***you can use sweet potatoes instead of regular white potatoes.
3. Parchment Paper
I cannot tell you enough how this has changed my life. Clean up is 3000% easier now.
These are what I use:
Except I get the 120 sheet box. Seriously, it makes cleanup so much easier and also absorbs some extra oil.
4. Pizza Cutter...Not Just for Pizza
This is a quickie one. Gotta chop up herbs or green onions? Grab the pizza cutter. You'll be done in a flash.
Gotta cut up food for little ones. Also...pizza cutter to the rescue. You'll be done super quick.
5. Pre-portion
Never ever put away leftovers in a huge dish. Literally, one of the things that helped me to lose a ton of weight was to get out little containers and portion food into servings before ever eating any of it. It makes leftovers easy to grab for a lunch and it also ensures you're only eating one serving. I use these. They're sold in the housewares department by the canning stuff at my store:
The other thing I do is to open up frozen vegetables and portion them into serving sizes so I can grab just the amount I need for my meal. I have a mini microwave steamer that I use for cooking them, so I don't worry about cracking open the steamer bag.
Pre-portioning is a time AND calorie saver.
I hope some of these tricks gave you some ideas. I truly do all these things regularly.
What I'm up to today...
Writing ZOMBIES to wrap up After Z! Working on Baby with My Brother's Friend. Truly this book should be called Secret Baby with My Brother's Best Friend, but I could only fit so many words on the cover.
Of course, I'll be hanging out with the baby all day and loving all the baby giggles. I'll also be wrapping up the last of the Thanksgiving prep for Thursday.
Love You More Than Coffee!!!
~~Brynn
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