The kitchen. It’s the Grand Central Station of the home. Bustling early mornings, the smell of coffee brewing, evening relaxation as we cook a great meal, unwinding at the end of the day over comfort food and great conversation… the kitchen is where the magic happens for most families. As wonderful as the kitchen is, here are a few happiness hacks you can try to make your time in the kitchen even more enjoyable!
1. Pack school lunches the night before, for a more relaxed morning.
My kids are huge fans of PBJs and I’m a huge fan of stress free mornings. I found the most awesome tool to make homemade “uncrustables.” (You can find it here.) The greatest thing is I’ve found that if I make the PBJs, crimp them with my great little uncrustable tool and pack them in a sandwich container with a paper towel, they stay fresh and soft, but not soggy! I also gather, veggies and yogurt and stack them all up in the fridge. In the morning, I grab a freezer pack and all the items I prepped the night before, toss them in the kids’ lunchboxes and we are out the door!
2. Use a KitchenAid Mixer for EVERYTHING.
I got my trusty ol’ KitchenAid mixer when I got married 13 years ago and it’s still my favorite kitchen appliance to this day! I use it for everything, from the obvious cookie dough and meringues and pudding desserts to my personal favorite: meatloaf! Yep, it’s the best and easiest way to mix your meatloaf!! If you don’t have a KitchenAid mixer yet, girl, you’ve GOT to look into it! It will be the best kitchen appliance investment you ever made. Promise! Check out this mixer… it’s the exact one I have, and LOVE!
3. Wash dishes with a Bottle Brush.
It sounds crazy, but I love the Munchkin bottle brush for washing dishes! (Find it here.) My favorite thing about it, is that it airs out better than the standard washrag. Good bye, gross bacteria! Also, it reaches deep down into glasses and into crannies and crevices that you couldn’t wash well otherwise. When my daughter was a baby (she’s 10 now!) I started using bottle brushes and I’ve never looked back!
4. Forget about trying to remember whether the dishes are clean or dirty.
Have you ever put away the “clean” dishes, only to have your spouse tell you later that load hadn’t actually been washed yet? *shudder* You start digging through the cabinets, praying you can rapidly find all the (actually dirty) dishes you just placed there? Meanwhile, you’re certain everyone in your household will come down with Salmonella poisoning at any moment. This germaphobe mom may or may not be guilty of that one.
Great news, fellow germaphobes! I found a small, cute magnet (check it out here) that sticks to the front of the dishwasher. One side says “clean,” the other side says “dirty.” Once you load and start the dishwasher, simply flip the magnet to display “clean.” Then breathe easy knowing there won’t be any Salmonella outbreaks in your family’s future. Whew!
Give these hacks a try to make life in the kitchen just a little bit happier. 🙂
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