Bulk Up with Kitchen Porn

#HealthUpYourHome

Bulk Up with Kitchen Porn

August Pin-Up: Bulk Food

 

I can spend hours on my Pinterest page pinning kitchen organization "porn".  I'm not going to lie, the inside of my cabinets have labels on them  (Micah made me hide them off to the side because he was embarrassed.)  and I go crazy for little containers and drawer separators.  Not exactly the "porn" you had in mind?  

I recently scored these lovely glass containers and have been excitedly filling them with bulk item goodies like brown rice, quinoa, barley, lentils, sunflower seeds, nuts, dried fruits, and steel cut oats.  It's one way to ensure that I always have a staple on hand for dinner.  And they are pretty enough to leave out so they aren't taking up all my precious NYC cabinet space.  

I'm working on adding chalk board paint labels to all of them to help lesson the confusion for non-Joanie chef's in the kitchen.  :) 

Do you shop the bulk bins at your grocery store?  What's your favorite item?  What do you always have on hand? Leave your comment below, tweet  (#HealthUpYourHome), or post on the Motivated Nutrition Facebook page! 

In bulky health,

Joanie   

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311

A Moment of Soapy Zen

#HealthUpYourHome

A Moment of Soapy Zen

Meditative laundry. A good book and my Toms!

 

There are few things I hate more than having to drag my stinky work-out clothes to the laundromat and eat up a precious 2 hrs of my week.  Our new apartment is inconveniently located a grueling 15min walk from the closest laundromat.  It's painful.  Last week's load was even worse because it contained all the extra moving day gems like bed linens, curtains, dust rags, and towels.  After lugging it down 4 flights of stairs, I had to bungee the load onto our hand truck to take it on it's 15min walk.  (All the while thinking to myself, "This is so not cool.")  

Yes, I know a civilized Brooklyn-ite would just use a pick up/ drop off service.  I've heard it from all my friends.  Someday, I hope to afford myself that luxury...or better yet have my own W/D!  

My solution to the madness was to make the dreaded process into a meditation.  I took a good book, decided to not check my phone and tried to zen myself out while my sports bras and yoga pants happily twirled in their suds.  

I noticed a woman using what looked to be homemade detergent and broke my no phone rule to google laundry soap recipes.  I'm dying to try!  It seems like a much better solution to the artificial fragrances and chemicals that are in my usual detergent.  

2 gallons Water (hot)

1 bar Soap (grated)

2 cups Baking soda 

• Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. 
• Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until melted.
• In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted mixture, stir well.Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.

Do you or anyone you know use natural/ homemade laundry soap?  Do they work?  I'm intrigues and excited.  (Dork alert!)   Leave your comment, tweet  (#HealthUpYourHome), or post on the Motivated Nutrition Facebook page! 

In naturally sudsy health,

Joanie   

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311

Making a List. Don't Leave Home Without It!

#HealthUpYourHome

Making a List.  Don't Leave Home Without It!  

Don't even try to go shopping without this life saver!

 

So my August challenge Operation: #HealthUpYourHome is getting off to a shaky start.  It's what, Aug 14th already?!  We've been unpacking and navigating boxes for 2 weeks now.  The process is slow when you're busy and active.  I get home from teaching at night and all I want to do is eat, veg out and hit the hay.  

I FINALLY unpacked my home office boxes today and am realizing I'm desperate for some organizing solutions.  I don't even have a desk yet!  Don't make the mistake Micah and I did by going shopping and accidentally leaving the list at home.  We've been back to Ikea 5 times now to make returns and buy things we forgot.  (Eyeballing a book shelf and "thinking" it will fit is not a wise idea.) 

The same thing happens to me when I go grocery shopping.  If I don't have a list, I come home with bags of goodies I don't need and end up whining "there's nothing to eat!" all week long.  I've since started keeping my list on my phone since it's rare I forget that at home.  

Moral of the story?  

Whether it be groceries, home shopping, or school shopping, Always Make A List- don't go shopping without one.  It's ESSENTIAL!

Do you always use a list?   What's the craziest idem you've bought without one?  Comment here, Tweet with #HealthUpYourHome, or post it to the Motivated Nutrition facebook page.   

In list checking health,

Joanie   

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311