How I'm Tackling Kitchen Organization

Many of you know I've been frustrated with the current organization system in my kitchen…aka I have none. So with the help of some diligent research I've decided to embark on an overhaul journey and I thought I would share my plan in an accountability effort. So let's do it.

Step 1: The Purge - my kitchen is full, people. I have gadgets and cookware and dinnerware galore and pantry, fridge, and freezer are generally over-flowing with food and more than I would like to admit gets wasted. The first step for me is to systematically purge each area and get rid of what I don't need.

Step 2: Take Inventory - there are certain pantry and refrigerated items I use over and over again and yet I have no current system for determining how much of something I have. This becomes and issue when I assume I have garlic powder but have actually had none for months but keep forgetting to add it to my list. So after purging, I'm going to create an inventory system for my staple items.

Step 3: Reorganize - while I'd love to go full-on Home Edit here and buy out the container store, I already have quite a few organization pieces and my plan is to figure out how to use them better. This could be a process, so buckle up. My goal is to make the organization pieces not be just an extra step or visually pleasing, but to actually assist in the preparation and cooking flow in the kitchen.

Step 4: Back-Up Plan - I've said it time and time again, but sometimes things just break down and cooking at home isn't going to happen. Rather than scrolling Postmates or Uber Eats or Yelping our neighborhood until we're past hangry, I want to create an organized log of our favorite healthy take-out and eat out meals that is housed in the kitchen so that we can be eating sooner rather than later.

Step 5: Adopting the Habits - once this plan is in place, creating the habits to compliment the system is going to be key. Things like consistent meal and food prep, grocery shopping and planning at a consistent time when I have the space to put everything away properly, putting things back where they actually belong rather than just shoving them in somewhere and organizing the fridge with space for leftovers are all going to be necessary to keep the system running.

I’d love for you head on this journey with me and if any of you Type A’s out there have any tips or tricks, send them my way!

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins 1.0

The stripped-down, straightforward cousin to my original Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins - easy going with no fussy ingredients for a quick and easy breakfast or treat. These are gluten-free, dairy-free, and so so yummy.

As I was preparing for a quick trip away to the mountains this past week, I wanted to make something super easy that the grandparents could give the girls for breakfast or snacks that didn’t require any prep and was still healthy and delicious. I searched the internet for healthy chocolate chip muffins and came up with more than enough complicated recipes but after digging and combining landed on a recipe that smelled so good coming out of the oven, I had to taste it. These are amazing and their small size makes them oh-so-poppable. Mason & I considered taking them with us on our trip and no one would have been any the wiser…but we’re considerate parents so we let the girls have them ;) Here’s how I did them:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour (I used GF baking flour)

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp baking soda

Pinch of sea salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup oil (I used avocado but you could use coconut as well)

1 tsp vanilla

3 small-medium ripe bananas, mashed

1-2 scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides (optional)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I used EnjoyLife Foods)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F and spray a mini muffin pan with coconut oil.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, oil, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.

Add mashed banana and stir until fully incorporated.

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

This recipe makes about 24 mini muffins.