DANIELLE AT HOME

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Well April was a very different month then I was expecting. When March ended I don’t think it had fully sunk in what was really happening in our world. The reality of how long we would be stuck at home hadn’t hit me yet. Thinking of all the things that had to be cancelled or we can’t do has been tough. Honestly I bit off way more then I could chew with my April goals, but I’m not beating myself up. I’m just going to learn to be more realistic.

Although the situation where we are in BC is improving we are still under a state of emergency and no reopening plans have been announced. I’m preparing for at least another month at home. Which means I’ve paired down my goals and only chosen simple but meaningful goals.

May 2020 Goals

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MAY:

  • My 27th Birthday!! My husband has fun day planned for the two of use, so I’m excited to celebrate just the two of us.
  • My Zoom birthday party with my girlfriends
  • Socially distanced Mother’s Day celebrations
  • Victoria Day long weekend

WHAT I LOVED IN APRIL:

  • Finishing our first home project since owning our home. The board and batten we installed in our bedroom turned out so great!
  • Celebrating Easter with my husband. We dressed up in our Easter Sunday best and I made a delicious roast chicken dinner for two.
  • Officially being done with year end at work, my stress level has significant decreased and it’s a great feeling.
  • Our Sunday lunch and drive. We picked up some naughty fast food and drove all over town. Funny how grateful we are for such simple things now.

BOOKS READ:

  1. January: F-Factor Diet â€“ I’m following (and loving) Tanya Zuckerbrot’s F-Factor Diet, so this was a must read and was so informative!
  2. February: Is everyone Hanging out without me? â€“ I started but did not finish. The first third had me laughing out loud and I’m excited to finish it this month.
  3. March: Girl Wash Your Face – I started this book a few years back, but finally revisited it and finished in March. 
  4. April: No book this month

REVISITING APRIL GOALS:

  • Declutter master closet and ensuite – The closet is almost done, but I haven’t touched the ensuite.
  • Organize office – I got through our files, but the rest of the office is still a disaster
  • Reconcile March spending – Totally forgot about doing this
  • Get a will – We used Willful to get a will, power of attorney and healthcare directives. We still have to get them witnessed, but I’m calling it done.
  • Complete my Q1 journal entry – In progress but not finished
  • Create a recipe binder – Another thing I didn’t touch
  • Research and budget for my summer capsule wardrobe
  • Complete Master Bedroom board and batten

MAY GOALS:

  • Celebrate my birthday well
  • Finish the office organization
  • Finish the closet organization
  • Reconcile March and April spending
  • Write Q1 and April journal
  • Plan June-August blog content

There you have it, that’s my plan for a productive but realistic May. Wishing you all the best in the month ahead.

Danielle xo

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Hi friends! Hanging in there? March was the longest, busiest and strangest month ever. I hope you’re all safe and surviving in this crazy time. I have been so busy with doing year end while working remotely. To say it’s been challenging to juggle a difficult season at work with the emotions of the world is an understatement. There’s been good days and bad days, but were surviving and I’m determined to make the most of this season.

April Goals

With all of the changes going on in the world I am grateful that Laura includes quarterly refreshes in power sheets. It was so nice to look at my original 2020 goals and revise my big picture goals for the year. Not only have I made progress but I needed to adjust my expectations given the limitations that coronavirus has put on me.

2020 GOALS

  • Improve my physical and emotional health
  • Cultivate new and old friendships
  • Create a sustainable blog schedule that excites me
  • Spend money intentionally
  • Create a tidy and welcoming home
  • Document life
  • Simplify the work week

2020 GOAL REFRESH: SPRING

  • Maintain a healthy lifestyle – build on the habits I’ve created and maintain the healthy relationship with food and exercise I’ve created.
  • Cultivate a welcoming home – create a home that’s, clean, organized and decorated in a way that sparks joy for me and my family.
  • Strengthen our family finances – continue to spend intentionally, monitor finances closely due to covid, increase investments and plan for our rescheduled 2020 vacations and spending.
  • Enjoy life with loved ones – connect with family and friends through online or phone communications regularly. Find ways to celebrate holidays and birthdays within my nuclear family and electronically.
  • Blog about whatever inspires me – let my gut and inspirations guide what I post on the blog and on social media.
  • Create a legacy – Continue to use my 5 minute journal and start my quarter in review journal. Continue to document life through photos.
  • Simplify daily life – Create daily/weekly/monthly routines. Create a summer capsule wardrobe. Build a recipe binder.
  • Grow spiritually and intellectually – Listen to thought provoking podcasts, read fiction and non fiction books.

I think refining these goals will help me focus on what I can achieve during this strange period of time. It also helped me look inward and realize what is most important to me during this time, health, happiness and family.

For my April goals I focused on what I can control and what I felt I could focus on while confined to my home. Keeping busy in the evenings and weekends has really helped with my anxiety over our current situation. So I loaded up my tending list with goals that I thought would be achievable and bring me joy.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN APRIL:

  • Easter!! Excited to celebrate.
  • Warm weather is finally here and I can’t wait to enjoy it!
  • Finishing year end at work (YAY!).

WHAT I LOVED IN MARCH:

  • My pre pandemic lunch date with my dad! Can’t wait to have another one once this is over.
  • Finally meeting one of my husbands favourite out of town cousins and having one final family dinner before social distancing.
  • Megan Roupt’s Sculpt Society workouts. These have kept me sane during this extra time at home.
  • Tanya Zuckerbrot’s daily instagram lives, she has so much wisdom to share and has brought me lots of comfort during this scary time.

BOOKS READ:

  1. January: F-Factor Diet â€“ I’m following (and loving) Tanya Zuckerbrot’s F-Factor Diet, so this was a must read and was so informative!
  2. February: Is everyone Hanging out without me? â€“ I started but did not finish. The first third had me laughing out loud and I’m excited to finish it this month.
  3. March: Girl Wash Your Face – I started this book a few years back, but finally revisited it and finished in March.

REVISITING MARCH GOALS:

  • Buy my niece a birthday gift
  • Hem our master bedroom curtains
  • Organize cabinet under kitchen sink
  • Finish reading Mindy’s book and Girl Wash Your Face
  • Meet a friend for coffee – COVID derailed these plans
  • Have lunch with Dad
  • Reconcile February Spending
  • Book campsite for July – We’re holding of on all our summer plans until things return to normalcy
  • Research potted herb garden- Since I can’t get out to buy plants this will have to wait
  • Lose 2 pounds

APRIL GOALS:

  • Declutter master closet and ensuite
  • Organize office
  • Reconcile March spending
  • Get a will
  • Complete my Q1 journal entry
  • Create a recipe binder
  • Research and budget for my summer capsule wardrobe
  • Complete Master Bedroom board and batten

Danielle xo

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Today I am going to share how I make garlic parmesan cauliflower mash. With everything going on with COVID-19 (honestly can’t believe this is happening) I thought sharing a comforting dish felt right. I’ve actually been meaning to share this recipe for weeks now, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to get on my computer and write this recipe out. Of course now that we’re all practicing social distancing and staying at home to help flatten the curve I’ve got plenty of time to write out some recipes.

Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Mash

I have been making cauliflower mash like crazy lately. It’s quickly become a favourite and highly requested side in my house. I have nothing against a potato but the nutrition in cauliflower is much higher and the carbohydrates are much lower. Since we’ve been eating healthier and I’ve been following f-factor (see my 2020 goals to learn more!) this recipe has become an indulgence we can feel good about.

For this recipe you’ll need…

  • Cauliflower
  • Garlic Cloves
  • Parmesan
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Butter
Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Mash
Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Mash

I start by steaming a whole head of cauliflower and the garlic cloves until fork tender. Once this are ready I add the vegetables, parmesan, butter and seasoning to a food processor along with a little bit of the steaming liquid. I them blend the whole mixture together until smooth. It’s seriously so easy!

I really find this easier them making mashed potatoes, you don’t need a potato masher, of a mixer. You also don’t need to heat milk and butter either. This cauliflower mash is smooth, creamy and decadent tasting. You would not know it is cauliflower.

I hope you can get your hands on a cauliflower while you’re at home cooking up a storm during this difficult time. Bringing the loved ones in your home together to enjoy a delicious and healthy meal is a huge benefit of this time. I think this dish would be a welcomed addition to any occasion.

Sending love, stay strong, stay safe and keep cooking.

Danielle xo

Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Mash

Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Mash

Cauliflower mash is a low carb twist on classic mashed potatoes. This version is flavoured with garlic and parmesan cheese.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1.5 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions
 

  • Chop a head of cauliflower into large pieces. Place chopped cauliflower (florets, core and steam) and two cloves of peeled garlic into a steamer basket over simmering water. Steam cauliflower and garlic for 10 minutes or until fork tender.
  • Add steamed cauliflower and garlic, butter, parmesan, salt and pepper. Pulse on high to break the cauliflower into small pieces.
  • Add 1/4-1/2 cup of the steaming liquid to thin mixture to desired consistancy. Continue to blend in food processor until completly smooth.
  • Taste mash and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediatly.

Notes

C
Keyword Cauliflower, Cauliflower Mash, Comfort Food, Mashed Potatoes, Side Dish

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Hi friends! How excited are we that March is here? The end of February was quite stressful for me (thanks work) so I’m excited to welcome a new month!

March is a long and busy month for me at work, so I’m focusing on filling my weekends with fun projects, date nights and simple outings with family and friends. I find keeping busy on the weekends helps me decompress from the stress at work. I’m hopeful for an enjoyable but busy month!

March 2020 Goals

What’s Happening in March:

  • Spring! I’m so excited for the warmer weather to come.
  • Year end at work, this one isn’t so fun but really impacts the amount of time I have during the week.

What I Loved in February:

  • Valentine’s Day! It was so fun to get dressed up for a fancy dinner.
  • Stasher Bags, we’ve been trying to minimize the amount of single use plastic in out house and I finally bought some reusable ziplock bags. I love these and will defiantly be buying more!
  • Exploring the trails around our house. I swear every time I go for a walk I discover new trails or areas to explore.
  • Fraiche Food, Full Hearts cookbook, I got this book for Christmas and have finally started to dig into it. It’s really good!

Books Read:

  1. January: F-Factor Diet – I’m following (and loving) Tanya Zuckerbrot’s F-Factor Diet, so this was a must read and was so informative!
  2. February: Is everyone Hanging out without me? – I started but did not finish. The first third had me laughing out loud and I’m excited to finish it this month.

Revisiting February Goals:

  • Lose 3 pounds – not quite, but close so I’m calling it a win
  • Read Mindy Kaling’s Book – Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? – I only got a third of the way through
  • Buy and make Valentine’s Day box (see what I put in it HERE!)
  • Order 2019 Album
  • Create Master Bedroom Plan & Budget – More to share soon!
  • Reconcile January Spending/Budget
  • Book Hotels for Toronto & New York
  • Decide on Summer camping trips & book campsites – we decided where, but I didn’t book anything
  • Organize cabinet under kitchen sink – the space got measured and products have been ordered
  • DIY weekly meal plan sign – In all honesty I ended up buying one instead

March Goals:

  • Buy my niece a birthday gift
  • Hem our master bedroom curtains
  • Organize cabinet under kitchen sink
  • Finish reading Mindy’s book and Girl Wash Your Face
  • Meet a friend for coffee
  • Have lunch with Dad
  • Reconcile February Spending
  • Book campsite for July
  • Research potted herb garden
  • Lose 2 pounds

Well there you have it! I’m excited to see what I can accomplish this month!

Do you have any goals for March? What are you working towards this month?

Danielle xo

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With Valentine’s Day just a few days away I wanted to share fun idea that helps keep date night fresh! I call it date night roulette. I got this idea from Daryl-Ann Denner (see her story highlight called ‘date night”), her and her hubby picked a few dinner spots and a few activities. Rolled a dice and let it pick what they were doing for date night. Sounds fun right? Well I thought so, and date night roulette was born!

I decided to make two date night roulette cards, one for at home dates and one for going out dates. We love to save money and have date nights at home so I wanted to make a card that suited our lifestyle. Then I bought a few fun new activities and put it all together as a gift for Valentine’s Day.

At Home Date Night Card

Date Night Roulette: At Home Dates

Our card contains our favourite affordable food and some fun food we can make together as part of our date. Of course you can personalize your list to contain your favourite foods.

Activities is where you get to be creative! Everything from movie night to spa night is on our list.

  • Movie Night – Pick something of your watch list on Netflix, if you’re having trouble choosing roll a dice to make your choice
  • Ice Cream Taste Test – Buy a few pints of the same flavour of ice cream and test them out! I’m always down to find an excuse to buy $7 pints of ice cream!
  • Game night is easily one of our favour things to do for date night and some of our favourites for two people are, monopoly deal, cover your assets and exploding kittens!
  • TV Binge – Our favourite shows to watch together is Grey’s Anatomy, we love re watching it!
  • Conversation Starters – These are a fun set of cards for starting interesting conversations with your significant other. These are the ones I bought.
  • Spa Night – We are both horrible at self care so carving our some time to get foot massages, manicures and do some face masks together is relaxing and fun!

How it works is we roll a dice and whichever number we get means that’s what we’re eating on date night. We roll again to see what activity we will be doing that week.

I do have a few rules for date night at home and I recommend you follow them or else you can fall in the trap of this night feeling like any other night in. First dress nicely, now I don’t mean dress up and get fancy but look neat, pull out some cute casual clothes and put on some perfume. Play some music, light a candle and don’t use your phone or TV unless required as part of the date!

Date Night Card

For the going out card I planned a few different dates. You could split it into two categories like I did for the at home dates, but I found it easier to just pre plan a few simple dates. Just like the first card you roll a dice and if you get that number that’s the date you’re going on. So fun right!

  • Movie & Dessert – Pick a movie to see in the theatre, after go out for dessert at your favourite restaurant or fast food place.
  • Grocery Store Picnic at the Park – I love this date, my time don’t pre buy your picnic ingredients. Half the fun is going to the store and buying food you don’t normally keep in the house.
  • Fancy Three Course Dinner – Now we do this every few months. This is part of why we budget date so often. When we go for a nice dinner we go all out! Get dressed up, a nice bottle of wine, appetizers, entree and dessert. So good!
  • Coffee & Drive to the Beach – I love this date especially when were crunched for time that week. We can wake up go pick up some coffee, and drive to the beach.
  • Bakery Treats & Walk – I love going for walks and hikes, but we rarely venture out beyond the trail system in our neighbourhood (there’s still so many to explore). So it’s really special to get out to a different trail for a long walk and enjoy a few special treats.
  • Casual Dinner & Game – Now casual dinner means we’re going somewhere affordable and simple for dinner. It’s usually one of our favourite chain restaurants, local taco place or a yummy burger joint. We bring a game like Qwixx (I like this one since it’s small and you don’t need much space to play) to play at our table or even in the car.

I am so excited to start using these date night roulette cards to keep our date nights fresh and fun! I hope you enjoy them and make your own.

Danielle xo

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Happy February friends! I love the start of a new month, I always feel refreshed by it. Anyone else? As I mentioned in my 2020 goals post, I’m following Emily’s lead and sharing monthly goal check in’s with you all. And today I’m sharing my first one!

February 2020 Goals

What’s Happening in February:

  • Valentine’s Day! So excited for a special date with Calvin!
  • Family Game Night at my Mom’s
  • Family Day long weekend!!
  • My sister-in-laws birthday

What I Loved in January:

  • My new bed frame! We ordered it on Boxing Day and it finally arrived at the end of the month.
  • Smart Sweets! I have always been a fan, but with focusing on my health these saved me when I had a hankering for sugar!
  • SNOW DAYS! We got a few days of snow which meant extra work from home days for both Calvin and I. Sharing our home office for the day is one of my favourite things!

Books Read:

  • January: F-Factor Diet – I’m following (and loving) Tanya Zuckerbrot’s F-Factor Diet, so this was a must read and was so informative!

Revisiting January’s Goals:

  • Buy Mom’s Birthday Gift
  • Finalize 2020 Budget Spreadsheet (Finished by the skin of my teeth)
  • Organize & Backup 2019 Photos (DONE! So happy!)
  • Order 2019 Album (This is about 80% complete)
  • Design/Budget for Master Bedroom Makeover
  • Read F-Factor Diet
  • Lose 2-5 pounds (Down 8.8 lbs!)
  • Plan/Execute Day Date w/Calvin

February Goals:

  • Lose 3 pounds
  • Read Mindy Kaling’s Book – Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
  • Buy and make Valentine’s Day box
  • Order 2019 Album
  • Create Master Bedroom Plan & Budget
  • Reconcile January Spending/Budget
  • Book Hotels for Toronto & New York
  • Decide on Summer camping trips & book campsites
  • Organize cabinet under kitchen sink
  • DIY weekly meal plan sign

All these monthly goals are my stepping stones to achieving my 2020 goals.

So do you have monthly goals? What are you looking forward to in February?

Danielle xo

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I have a major treat for you today! Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares!! These are so yummy!!! And guess what they don’t contain any sugar! I love to bake with natural sweeteners and this recipe fits the bill perfectly.

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares

I got the idea for this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen, Monique is such an inspiration to me and I’m so glad I adapted this recipe.

These Rice Krispie squares would be great as a healthy Valentine’s Day treat. If you or your partner are anything like me and my husband your still working on your 2020 goals and need to keep things pretty clean this Valentine’s Day. This hits the spot, although I am going to miss having a heart shaped box of chocolates or a couple of yummy linzer cookies!

These Rice Krispie squares are rich and satisfying. The peanut butter base is sweetened with maple syrup and flavoured with vanilla (I wish all PB tasted this good!). The top is covered in a this layer of quality dark chocolate and sprinkled with flaky sea salt!

My mouth is watering just thinking about eating these again!

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares
Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares

What makes these so YUMMY!

  • Natural Peanut Butter – lets you control the sweetness and packs a punch of PB flavour! The Costco Brand is my fav!
  • Real Maple Syrup – My go to natural sweetener, and it’s vegan!
  • Vanilla – A must is every recipe!
  • Ground Flax Seed – Adds a nice boost of fibre and Omegas!
  • High Quality Dark Chocolate – My favourite brands are Green & Balck’s or Theo. My favourite dairy free brand is Lily’s.
  • Flaky Sea Salt – Creates that salty sweet combo we all love!

Tips For the Perfect Bar

  1. Heat the peanut butter mixture over low heat. If it’s too high the peanut butter will stiffen up and the bars won’t hold there shape.
  2. When cutting the bars pull them out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes before you slice them. Bonus points if you use a hot dry knife to get nice clean cuts.
Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares

I love how this recipe turned out. I may have to sneak into the deep freeze tonight and grab one. I hope they make you and your sweetheart as happy as they make me!

Danielle xo

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares

Rich and delicious but guilt free. Sweet and delicious peanut butter rice krispie squares coated with dark chocolate ans sprinkled with sea salt!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 bars

Ingredients
  

Base

  • 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 1 cup Natural Peanut Butter
  • 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • pinch Salt
  • 2 1/2 cup Brown Rice Rice Krispies
  • 2 tbsp Ground Flax

Chocolate Coating

  • 1 100g Dark Chocolate Bar (70% cocoa or higher)
  • 1 tsp Coconut Oil

Instructions
 

  • Line a square baking pan with partchment paper. Grease lightly and set aside.
  • Melt coconut oil over low heat in a medium pot. Add peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Stir over heat until smooth and well combined. Remove From heat.
  • Add rice krispies and flax seeds to peanut butter mixture. Stir to combine.
  • Press rice krispie mixture into prepared pan.
  • Microwave dark chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave. Microwave in 30 second incriments stiring between. Pour over bars and spread evenly.
  • Refridgerate bars for atleast 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen
Keyword Healthy Food, Natural Sugar, Peanut Butter

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Today I’m sharing my favourite go to smoothie of the moment. I love to make smoothies for breakfast because they’re filling yet lights and I can pack them with vegetables. I like to get a good amount of nutrition in for breakfast. Then if I have to grab something quick for lunch that inst very healthy it’s not as important.

Detoxifying Green Smoothie

This smoothie is packed with vegetables. Spinach, cucumber and even some riced cauliflower. You can’t taste the spinach or the cauliflower and the fresh flavour the cucumber adds pairs really nicely with the fruit.

I like fresh oranges in this smoothie, it pairs so nicely with the cucumber. Plus the citrus really brightens your morning. This smoothie also has fresh ginger. I promise it won’t taste like ginger but it adds just a tiny zing that enhances the citrus flavour. If you like your smoothies sweet add a pitted date or two. I love to use them as a natural sweetener.

Detoxifying Green Smoothie
Detoxifying Green Smoothie

Ingredients

  • Oranges – Vitamin C
  • Spinach – Iron & Calcium
  • Cauliflower – Vitamin K
  • Ginger – Reduces Inflammation
  • Dates – Potassium
  • Chia Seeds – Omega 3 & Fibre
  • Almond Milk – Low Glycemic

If you are lucky enough to have a high speed blender (this one is on my wish list!) you should be able to get all these ingredients nice and smooth. Just blend on a medium to low speed for a few minutes. If you are like me and have a standard blender I’d recommend peeling your cucumbers before you blend. Just like a high powered blender blend the smoothie on a low to medium speed for a few minutes. The hardest item to blend is the chia seeds. Personally there so tiny that I don’t mind if they don’t fully blend into the smoothie, but I have a few tips if they bother you. My first tip is to hydrate your chia seeds with some water over night. About 1 cup of water to 2 tbsp of chia seeds. Then when you’re ready to make your smoothie blend the chia seeds on a very low speed before adding other ingredients. Then continue to make the smoothie as usual.

More Smoothies: Peach Mango Green Smoothie / Superfood Smoothie

I hope you enjoy this smoothie as much as I do.

Danielle xo

Detoxifying Smoothie

Detoxifying Green Smoothie

A delicious citrus flavoured green smoothie packed with nutritious vegetables. Perfect for breakfast.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 2 smoothies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 oranges, peeled and quartered
  • 1/2 cucumber, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup riced cauliflower
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 date, pitted

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to the blender and run on low to medium low speed until smooth (about 2 minutes).
Keyword Breakfast, Chia, Drinks, Smoothie

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Today I’m going to share how I took my pantry from disaster zone to functional. I’m sharing all of my favourite products, what I did wrong, what I did right and the changes I plan to make in the future.

When we were looking for our house we saw a lot of beautiful homes with great kitchens without pantries. You know those beautiful walk in pantries from Pinterest? Well pretty quickly I realized we would not have one of those. So when we looked at our house and realized we would have a small closet for a pantry I was trilled! Our old pantry was a deep pot drawer, so the upgrade was exciting.

Once we started using the pantry I realized it was a bit of an organizational disaster. The closet is pretty deep and our builder only put in three wire shelves. It really wasn’t functioning and was frustrating to go into. I knew I needed to figure out a solution.

Pantry Makeover: Before
Pantry Organization: Before

The Plan

This pantry needed to function, look clean and take minimal time and effort to complete. In a dream world I would rip out the wire shelving and build out custom shelves, but that was out of the scope. Here was the plan.

  • Relocate supplements, teas, coffee and small appliances
  • Decant regular pantry staple such as flours and rice into air tight containers (no BUGS!)
  • Corral small items and packages into baskets
  • Wire baskets for potatoes and other root vegetables
  • A storage solution for plastic bags

So once I figured out what types of products I needed I got onto my computer and ordered sooo much stuff!! My biggest piece of advice is to buy way more then you think you need and then return! This will save you so much time running back and forth from the store. I ordered everything online from Amazon or Bed Bath and Beyond.

Pantry Organization: My Favourite Products
wire baskets / plastic baskets / food containers / label maker / chalk pen / bag clips

The Process

The first thing I did is pull all of the food out of the pantry. I went through everything. I categorized the items as follows.

  • Toss (expired or stale food)
  • Donate (items that are still good, but we won’t eat)
  • Relocate (items that don’t belong in the pantry)
  • Keep (all the food that’s staying in the pantry)
Food Storage: Before
Favourite Storage Containers

Once I had categorized the food I gave the pantry a quick wipe down and vacuum. This is when the fun starts! I placed the empty containers and baskets in the pantry and mentally laid out what food would got where. I decided on the following zones.

  • Top Shelf: treats, snacks and back stock
  • Middle Shelf: canned/jarred items, seasonings/”meal items”, grains and pastas
  • Bottom Shelf: Breakfast/Baking items (nuts, dried fruit etc), flours, oats and sugar, small baking items (leavers, vanilla and cupcake liners)
  • Floor: Root vegetables and bag storage

It took a few tries and moving things around before I settled on this layout. I decanted my flours and grains and put everything in baskets! I was super happy with how much more functional and cleaner looking it is.

Pantry Organization: After

Tips

  • Keep a list of food you’re out of but normally need storage for when completing this. Then you won’t forget to Mae room or buy a container for it
  • Write dates or cook time on containers with a chalk pen. This is such a lifesaver when ditching the boxes or directions for food.
  • Label baskets and containers so that the rest of your family can find items and put things back in the right place. This helps tremendously to keep the pantry organized.

Results

Over all I’m very happy with how this worked out. I actually completed this project in October but wanted to wait until I lived with this system before sharing. I do have a few tips and regrets to share.

Let’s start with the good. I love these OXO Pop containers! They were not cheap, but I think they were worth it. Not only do they look great but they’re air tight and stack really nicely. This was great over the holidays when I had more food or unique items in the house because I could stack the bins to create extra space. I also love the baskets I chose. These were a good price and wipe up nicely. I also love that I have tall baskets to hide the mess or Costco sized snacks and low ones in my cooking section. The low ones are great for knowing exactly what I have when making dinner.

Pantry Makeover: After

The one thing I did wrong with this is picking containers that were too small. The containers I bought for pasta and brown sugar were way too small. Initially I thought they would work but once I bought full boxes and bags of food to restock I realized they couldn’t fit standard sized products. So I’ll be upgrading to larger bins as needed and repurposing the small ones for dried fruit and nuts.

Also I really didn’t need to two wire baskets for potatoes and onions, one totally suffices. I plan to repurpose the second basket elsewhere in our house and get another plastic basket for heavy back stock.

As our needs change over the years I foresee some modifications to this pantry set up. At some point we are going to need to change the shelving. I’d love to upgrade to solid wood or MDF shelves and add one or two more shelves. This would allow us to store more food. I see a need for extra room for cans, baskets and bigger bins of dry food. I would also like to relocate the plastic bag storage to else where in the house so that that bin can be filled with even more food!

I hope if your pantry is giving you trouble that my experience helped you and makes this project way less daunting! I’m so happy with the results!

Danielle xo

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Today I’m sharing one of my favourite soup recipes. Not only is it super yummy, filling and packed with nutrition it’s also super nostalgic. My Grandma used to make this delicious vegetable soup. It was based off an old weight watchers recipe and was full of veggies from her massive garden. I loved eating that soup. My mom has tried to recreate it before and has gotten close but it just never tastes quite the same.

Hearty vegetable Soup

Now funny story, I wasn’t trying to copy her soup. It wasn’t until I was on my second bowl that I realized something about it was so familiar. I guess when I think vegetable soup I think of the flavours in my Grandma’s. I like to think she’d like this unintended version. Although I don’t know how she would feel about all the extra herbs I added, she was a simple salt and pepper gal.

For this soup I used vegetable broth (duh!) and fire roasted tomatoes as the base. Now of course you can use regular tomatoes but the extra flavour fire roasted adds lots of extra flavour.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

As for the veggies here’s what I like, onion, carrots, zucchini and green beans and cherry tomatoes. Of course you can add whatever vegetables you love you’ll just have to adjust the cook time.

Now unlike Grandma I have a cupboard full herbs, spices and vinegars. I really went to town on the Italian seasoning in this recipe and finish it off with a nice splash of rice vinegar.

This soup is flavourful, filling and so good for you. Now to just make my self half a ham sandwich on white bread to eat with it, like Grandma would!

Danielle xo

Hearty Vegetable Soup

An accidental reincarnation of my Grandma's famous vegetable soup recipe. Packed with hearty vegetables this is the perfect lunch or side dish.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Lunch, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Onion, finely diced
  • 3 Carrots, sliced
  • 1 Zucchini, sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups Green Beans, chopped
  • 1 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 15 oz can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • 8 cups Vegetable Broth
  • 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium low heat. Add diced onions, cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add carrots, italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Turn up the meat to medium. Add canned tomatoes and vegetable broth. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables to the soup, cook over medium low for 15-20 minutes or until the green beans and carrots are tender.
  • Stir in rice vinegar. Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper to your desired taste.
  • Enjoy soup on it's own or with a piece of crusty bread.

Notes

Adapted from Love and Lemons.
Keyword Healthy Food