Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Pre Mixing Omelettes

Now that I am (finally) returning to work, I have to get used to a new busy morning routine.

• I have to get up at 5 am.
• Take Peanut out to do her business
• Feed Peanut
• Shower, do make-up, do hair and dress
• Make & eat breakfast
• Get picked up at 5:45 am.

So...you see I have a lot to do. I have to eat a decent breakfast or I will end up grabbing something unhealthy on the way to or at work. The commute is approx. a hour and a half.

So what I will do the night before is mix 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, chopped green onion, diced turkey bacon, chopped cilantro and some salt and pepper into a tupperware with lid, give it a quick whip and place in the fridge. I have to make lunches the night before anyway, so this one added thing won't take long.

After doing my make-up in the morning, I will come downstairs, set a pan sprayed with cooking spray on a low heat, take the tupperware out of the fridge, give it a good shake and pour into the pan. By the time I go back upstairs dress and come back it should be almost cooked and ready to go. If I am in a big rush, I can wrap it in parchment paper and eat it in the car.

But this definitely saves me time mixing and chopping on a busy morning.

For more Kitchen tips, pop over to Tammy's place.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Pasta Salad

I'm a pasta loving person. In the winter time I love nothing more then a big plate of pasta. Can be with tomato sauce or Alfredo, might have ground beef, might have shrimp.

Even in the summer time I love pasta - but tend to want something not so hot, so I turn to my favorite cold pasta salad (which happens to change based on what ingredients I have on hand).

Now this recipe is kind of a non-recipe as in I don't have exact amounts, you have to be creative and wing it.



I like to use rotini (spiral) or penne pasta as it holds more sauce.
I use a mixture of ranch and greek salad dressings.

The rest (optional - add or subtract based on your own preferences)

Tomato diced (halved cherry or grape tomatoes are great here too)
Feta cheese crumbled
Green olives sliced
Green onion finely minced
Edamame - cooked and chilled in cold water
Chili powder (not chile powder) this is flavorful, not hot
Seasoning salt

Here is the kitchen tip: (since Tammy changed the rules - has to be an actual kitchen tip - on me after I wrote this post :))

• Cook as many things as possible in the same pot. While my pasta is cooking, I can also throw my edamame in with it to cook. When the pasta is half done, I can throw some cut up asparagus into the same boiling water to cook for only a couple minutes.

While pasta is cooking, put all other ingredients into a large enough bowl.
Once pasta is cooked, drain and rinse under cold water til well chilled.
Toss with remaining ingredients
chill for an hour in fridge if you have time - I never do :)

And somehow I can't make a small amount of this and so I always have leftovers for lunch the next day :)

For more great kitchen tips, go to Tammy's!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Actually Using Leftovers

I'll admit, I am usually really bad about using leftovers. I was much better while I was working, I would simply take the leftovers for lunch the next day or so. But sometimes, the leftovers just get lost in the fridge until it is too late.

I will only eat leftovers for 3 days - then they get tossed. If I remember, I will put them in the freezer before the 3 day limit if I know I won't eat them.

While back on the frugal bandwangon with everyone else, I am trying to do my best to save money and not waste food.

On Sundays we have my father in-law to dinner. This Sunday I roasted two small chickens. I made seasoned rice and caesar salad to go with it. I cut the chicken into quarters before cooking. My husband had 2 leg quarters, my son & I each had one leg quarter and my FIL had a breast quarter. That left 3 breast quarters for leftovers.

Monday morning I looked at them in the fridge, trying to decide what to do with them. I decided to make my version of the PioneerWoman's Chicken Spaghetti. I made another caesar salad to go with it. And I have enough leftovers for two lunches - one for today and one for the freezer.

It feels nice to know I actually am doing my best ti use food up instead of tossing it.

What other recipes do you recommend to use up leftover cooked chicken?

For more great tips, go to Tammy's.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Keep greens fresh longer

We often buy spinach, or mixed greens in those long plastic containers. They are usually a good deal and are really packed full, so you get value for your money.


However, sometimes after a couple days of eating salad, we get sick of it and still have more than half a tub left.

The trick to keep if from going soggy is to place a paper towel inside on top of the greens once you open the container. The paper towel absorbs all the moisture and keep the lettuce from getting soggy. I check the towel every few days and change it if needed, but this way I am able to keep a container like this fresh for at least 3 weeks.

If I forget to do this, the moisture gets the entire tub soggy in just a few days. And if one bunch of leaves is slimy and soggy, I will toss the entire thing.

So save your greens with a paper towel :)

For more great tips, go to Tammy's place.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - New use for an old tool

One day last week I was cooking a roast and making a bunch of sauteed mushrooms to go along with it. I was slicing away at the mushrooms when I realized this was going to take a long time - I had two containers of mushrooms to slice.

A light bulb went off and I started searching the back of my utensil drawer. I found my egg slicer and stuck a mushroom in and pushed down the top. It worked like a charm! I finished slicing all those mushrooms in no time.

I just have to remember it for next time.

For more kitchen tips, stop by Tammy's place.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Soup's On!

While it did warm up here for a few days, it is back to being frigid again. During these cold spells, I really enjoy a good hearty bowl of homemade soup.

Today, however, I am not going to talk about homemade soup...I'm talking about canned soup.

Last week one of our grocery stores had a dollar sale. They had Campbell's Ready to Serve soups on sale for $1 each. We picked up a LOT of them.

Now for easy no-fuss meals when we are in a hurry, we can simple heat up a few of these, serve some easy Focaccia bread or a side salad and we have a meal!

As these are not condensed soups, even if we had to use 3 tins, the cost is only $3 plus whatever we serve with it (bread, crackers or salad). That's a nice inexpensive meal and it is also nice and light.

For more great kitchen tips, check out Tammy's website.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Simple Breakfasts

I used to often skip breakfast and just grab a coffee, and then end up famished by lunchtime. And because I was famished, I would just scarf things down and not even prepare a proper lunch either.

Lately, I have been eating breakfast and if I put too much thought into it, it becomes overwhelming, what should I make, what will use the least amount of dishes, what do I have on hand. Ya I know, I think too much sometimes :)

So todays' post is all about simple - throw together breakfasts that aren't junk food.

Eggs - all kinds of eggs - I like scrambled a lot because, again I don't have to try too hard with them. Fancy them up with some sauteed onions and mushrooms. Top with cheese, tomato or add spinach - you can do SO many things with eggs that you can have different eggs everyday.


An easy favorite we always had as kids was to boil eggs, peel while still hot/warm, chop them up and then toss with a bit of butter or margarine and salt & pepper. I ate this almost everyday in the winter time.

Bagels - we usually always have some of these on hand. Cinnamon raisin bagels are great with peanut butter.

An Everything bagel ( poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion bits) with mayo, lots of fresh slices tomato (even better if it is from your own garden) and salt & pepper.

I LOVE these.

Fresh fruit - any kind you have on hand, with a touch of honey and lemon juice - a great summer breakfast.

So many good choices when you getting thinking about it. Ok now I am hungry :)

For more great kitchen tips, check out Tammy's website.

Happy Canada Day & Kitchen Tip Tuesday!

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers!

Here is the kid's tribute to Canada Day! 

(The Canada stencil slipped Oops!)

Now for my kitchen tip, as always, hosted by Tammy's Recipes.

My tip is to place fresh store bought herbs in a glass of water in the fridge to keep them fresh longer. I change the water every couple of days and they usually last me about 8 days no problem.


For more Kitchen tips, pop over to Tammy's place.

Kitchen Tips Tuesday - Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to get your fruits in, veggies too if you are adventurous.

If I have fresh fruit on hand, I love to whip up a pitcher of smoothies to drink during the day. They are refreshing and nutritious.

You can pretty much add any fruit you want. I even once added fresh baby spinach and it was good! Adding a bit of liquid or even yogurt helps it all puree.

This day I added fresh strawberries, fresh pineapple, watermelon, frozen blueberries, frozen raspberries and orange juice.

Yummy!

For more Kitchen Tip - stop by Tammy's Recipes.

Kitchen Tips Tuesday - Fresh Berries for Breakfast

I absolutely love fresh summer berries. Raspberries being my favorite. I usually just wash them and eat them - forget making anything elaborate....plain is best for me.

Somewhere I came across a recipe for fresh fruit salad that had a touch of honey and lemon juice. I tried it once and will never try a different fruit salad again.

Yesterday for breakfast I cut up some watermelon, some fresh pineapple, some strawberries, some blueberries and added some plumb raspberries. I added a couple small squirts of lemon juice and about half a teaspoon of honey, I mixed it up and put it in a tupperware to take to work.

When I opened it at work it was nice and juicy. The lemon juice makes it taste oh so fresh!
It tastes wonderful and is good for you too!

These are pictures of just a bowl of fresh blueberries and raspberries.

Simple & Fresh - Can't beat that.

For more Kitchen tips, pop over to Tammy's place.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Leftovers in wraps

The other night I made curry chicken and rice. Last night we had leftover curry. I decided I didn't want just plain reheated curry, so instead I got myself a tortilla and placed some of the curry & rice (reheated together) in the wrap with a tiny bit of sour cream on top.

It was SO good! It made the leftovers different and not so boring.

Just think of all the leftovers you could eat in a wrap and therefore make more interesting:

• pot roast sliced with sauteed onions
• shredded chicken with lettuce and tomato
• meatloaf cut into chunks with salsa
• pretty much any rice dish will be yummy in a wrap
• sliced steak or pork chop with leftover veggies

Simply add some different condiments and veggies and you have a totally different meal!

Try it!

For more great kitchen tips, swing by Tammy's place.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Kid fixable meals

As my son's soccer season begins, we are faced with a dilemma.

Soccer practice is on Monday nights at 6pm. My son gets home from school at about 4pm, but my husband only gets home at 5:30pm (I get home around 6:30pm and will miss practice).

The actual games are on Tuesday nights at various times between 6 - 7:30pm.

My son has to eat dinner before going to practice and as early as possible so that he is not full while playing.

He will have to make himself dinner when he gets home from school.

BTW, he is 11yrs old.

I do not want him using the stove while we are not home, but I think the microwave will be fine.
(His Papa lives in the basement, should he need any help with anything).

I am thinking I will make a big batch of homemade mac & cheese, freeze it in individual containers, and then take one out on morning needed and put it in the fridge to thaw.

After school all my son has to do, is dump it into a bowl, microwave for a min or two and then eat. He can also have an applesauce container with it.

I think this will work fine - I hope it does. I don' t want to have to stuff anything into him on the drive to the game.

I may also be able to get him to eat breakfast burritos (scrambled egg, sausage and cheese). He is pretty picky so I am not sure what else he will eat and I don't want soccer nights to be just PB&Js.

Do you think this will work?

For more great kitchen tips - check out Tammy's place.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - My Son's Lunches

I am drawing a blank when I try to think of new kitchen tips - so instead I am just going to tell you how and what I usually pack for my son's lunches.

I pack my son's lunch everyday. Most schools here are nut free, due to so many kids having nut allergies, so peanut butter and jam, unfortunately, can not be on the menu.

My son likes sandwiches made with deli meat (not to be confused with luncheon meat, which he will not eat). And will also eat lettuce on his sandwich, but I pack that separately in a little baggie to be put on when he eats so that the sandwich doesn't get soggy.

Sometimes in lieu of a sandwich, I will give him crackers, sliced cheddar and pieces of kielbasa to make mini sandwiches.

My son also gets two snack times, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

This is what he lunch looks like on a typical day (btw, he is 11 and a pretty good eater, although picky).

• A bottle of juice (reusable bottle)
• A cheese stick (Like stringables but the no name kind)
• A yogurt or yogurt tube (depends which are on sale)
• An apple
• A baggie of baby carrots and a mini tupperware of ranch dressing for dipping
• 2 cookies (either homemade if I have them, or store bought)
• A sandwich of some type
• Applesauce in mini tupperware container

Seems like a lot doesn't it? But he eats this everyday and still has a decent breakfast and normal dinner each night.

I put two small ice packs in his lunch bag to keep everything cold. I also make the lunch the night before and store the entire lunch bag in the fridge over night so everything is chilled well.

If I make homemade cookies or granola bars, I package them individually and then freeze them - that way they too help everything stay cold and I will be less likely to eat them all :)

I am always worried about his food staying cold and not spoiling.

We don't use juice boxes because he has no way of resealing them and has to drink it all at once. With a resealable plastic juice container, he has it whenever he wants it. In the warmer months I will also often freeze a bottle of water and put that in his backpack for him to drink as it melts.

For more Kitchen Tips, stop by Tammy's place.

Kitchen tip Tuesday - Yummy Fruit Salad

I like to make my own fruit salad but at this time of year, the fruit isn't always as sweet as I would like.

So I add honey and a touch of lemon juice.

Kim's fruit salad

Strawberries - sliced,
Blueberries,
grapes - halved,
pineapple - chunks (fresh not tinned)

This is just what I usually add - you can add any fruit you like really.

Once I wash and cut up all the fruit, I add a tbsp or two (depending on how much fruit you have) of honey and about a tsp of lemon juice (bottled is fine). Experiment to see how you like it.

Mix it up and enjoy. I usually make this fresh and eat it immediately so I can't say how it stores in the fridge.

For more great Kitchen tips - got to Tammy's Recipes.

Kitchen tip Tuesday - Clean as you go

I had a hard time thinking of a tip today - I asked my husband for a kitchen tip to share - He said and I quote " Don't cook bacon while naked." I didn't ask if that was just speculation or if he had first hand knowledge LOL.

My tip today is to clean as you go - it makes perfect sense, but I am not always sensible :)

If I am cooking and I leave all the cleaning until the end - I usually just want to eat whatever was prepared and then relax - the last thing I want to do is wash dishes.

So now I try (try being the key word here :)) to clean as I go - I put ingredients away as soon as I have used them. I wash a dish as soon as I am done with it. There is always a spare minute here or there while waiting for something to saute or boil to wash a dish or two and it really doesn't seem like I am cleaning because I am still cooking - does that make sense?

And then at the end, there just isn't as much to clean up and life is so much easier!

For more Kitchen Tips - pop over to Tammy's place!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Make your own single servings

This may not be new to many of you, but here goes anyway.

I buy applesauce, yogurt, chips, cookies etc...in large packages and repackage into single servings for my son's lunches.

I could easily buy those cute little containers of applesauce or that yogurt that comes in a tube...but with a little thought and very little effort, I buy the big containers and then dish it out into little Tupperware like containers for a much cheaper price.

I buy big bags of chips and put them into small snack-sized bags. My son even brings home the baggies so I can reuse them for more chips.

Instead of those convenient cheese sticks - I pack my son a one ounce chunk of cheddar.

He seems to like and eat everything - so why waste my money when a little of my time can save so much!

Kitchen tip Tuesday - 4 Tips

1. Keep store bought French or Italian bread fresh longer.

You know how Italian or French bread comes in those paper bag wrappers from the store. If you have ever left it in that wrapper overnight, you know that it doesn't keep it fresh.
What I do, put it back into the paper wrapper but then place inside a grocery bag and twist the bag closed and wrap the handles under. This keeps the bread fresh for several days (not that it ever lasts that long).

2. Easy read recipe cards.

Place a fork, handle down into a tall glass - place the recipe card into the tines of the fork - now the recipe is right where you can read it.

3. For kids that don't care for milk.

I warm a glass of milk in the microwave, add a splash of vanilla and a smidgen (1/8 tsp?) sugar - mix and serve. My son loves this treat just before bed. (Make sure kids brush their teeth after the milk, not before).

4. Special coffee.

I drink instant coffee every morning - I don't drink enough to make a pot of real coffee. To make instant special, I add a tsp of hot chocolate poser to my instant coffee. Homemade Cafe mocha!


For more great Kitchen Tips, check out Tammy's Recipes.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Potato sponge

I use the sponges with the scrubby part on one side and the sponge on the other for washing dishes - you know what I mean?

Anyway - when I cook potatoes with the skins on - I like to scrub the skins real well. I have found that the scrubby part of a new sponge works great.

But I didn't want anyone to use my potato sponge for anything else - like washing dishes or wiping the counter - so, since I only use the scrubby part of the sponge, I took a permanent marker and wrote a large P on the sponge side - P for potato.

I keep the sponge under the sink and have let my DH know what the P means.

So far so good - no mixing it up with the other sponges.

Another tip - green sponges are what I normally use for dishes - so I bought pink ones for washing the sink - Pink for sink, so it is easy for me and DH to remember :)

Kitchen tip Tuesday - Freezer/Pantry Inventory

I know many of you already do this but many don't so here it is - take stock of what you have.

A couple times a year (really should be more often) I do a freezer & pantry inventory. I am always surprised at the amount of food I have amassed. There are always several items I have completely forgotten about.

I did an inventory a few weeks ago - with the items I found, I came up with 29 meals. 29!

I have been grocery shopping each week and I really didn't need to be.

I have created a spread sheet listing all the food I have and the possible meal combinations - as I use something up, I scratch it off the list. At a glance I can see what we have and what my meal choices are.

I am now doing a grocery exile - I only buy what I need each week, such as milk and fresh veggies. The plan is to use up much if not all of what I have.

If you are like me - you like to stock up when prices are good - problem is you end up forgetting all the food you actually have on hand.

As of today, I still have 20 meals to chose from.

Happy inventorying! (?)

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - batch cooking soups

This is my first posting to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays over at Tammy's Recipes, but I have been reading them for ages.

My tip is probably not new to most of you but if bears repeating anyway.

I make a large batch of soup - I can never manage to make a small batch - even though it is often only me eating it (DH & DS aren't big soup eaters).

But now instead of trying to eat soup for four days running until it is finished or gets thrown out, I package the soup into individual sized tupperware-like containers and freeze.

When I am working, I grab one of these out of the freezer int he morning and pop it into my lunch bag - it serves as an icepack and the soup is mostly thawed by lunch time- of course I have access to a mircowave to warm it up.

These are also good for those - don't know what we want-don't feel like cooking nights.