HOME ORGANIZATION TIPS

Every year when spring rolls around, we have a weekend where we pull out the summer clothes and store the winter items. Last weekend was that time for us. Well the seasonal chore opened up a huge can of worms. We slowly made our way through every drawer, cabinet, and shelf in the house and began to rid ourselves of things that were just holding us down. Even though it was a week long process it feels amazing to just have a clean, fresh slate. Plus, I suddenly went from about 6 bobby pins to 60- It’s amazing what you can find when you move the bed to vacuum!
If you want to tackle your home this weekend (or month if you have a larger home) here are my best tips to organizing your nest. And if you need a refresher on my homemade cleaning recipes see here and here. 

CLOSETS
Organizing your closet is the first step to organizing the rest of your home. This goes for dressers too. Get rid of unused clothes and accessories. If you haven’t worn it in a year chances are you aren't going to. If you are hanging onto clothes because they don’t fit anymore, donate them! Plus, you'll love to buy something new for your new look, and others can benefit from clothes you are holding onto. Below is my closet, I have had a few inquiries about the piece that I used to create my vanity/shoe rack- it is actually 4 of these attached together. It sits at just the right height for applying makeup and storing all of my jewelry for easy access each morning.

LIVING ROOM
Go through media cabinets and digitize your CD and DVD collection. You will  add so much valuable storage space to your home, and many companies offer the service for you if you don’t have the know how. Pull all of the cushions off your upholstery, and give everything good vacuum. Consider dry cleaning your drapes if they are custom and full of dust, but a good vacuum can do the trick here too.

BATHROOM
Bathroom cabinets need a little TLC after a few months. Pull out everything you have in each drawer/shelf and wipe them clean then toss beauty products that have expired. If your medicine cabinet is over flowing try using an over the door shoe organizer to store shampoos and lotions. If you don't have a full door to hang it on, cut it in half and attach to the inside of the cabinet door below your sink.  (I love these for holding cleaning supplies in the laundry room, or snacks in the pantry too!)

BEDROOM
Pull off all of your bedding and wash it. Vacuum your mattress, and if you have help, rotate it so it wears evenly. Move all of the furniture and vacuum under dressers, nightstands, and especially the bed. If you really want a “fresh start,” consider rearranging your furniture. Sometimes just changing the layout of a room can give you a mental boost of positive energy.

KITCHEN/PANTRY
Start with your refrigerator and food storage areas, then move to dish/linen storage areas next. Toss any expired food and donate anything your family just won’t eat to your local food bank. Take inventory of what you have left so you can use this food to prepare meals for the next few weeks. I like to use recycled glass jars to store my bulk foods in, so I can see what I have right away. Go through drawers and cabinets and clear everything out, so you can wipe out any crumbs that have been hiding. Wash any dishes that haven’t been used in 3 months, dust and grease can build up on things that you can’t even see.

GARAGE/STORAGE ROOM
Pull out your hoses, gardening tools and make sure everything is in working order, and service any lawn mowers/blowers. There is nothing worse than getting motivated to do yard work and having that motivation squelched by a trip to a repair shop, or garden supply store to replace broken tools. If you store holiday items in your garage consider getting each holiday its own container/box. As you go through the year if you find yourself not using those items to decorate with, donate them. Give your garage a good sweeping and dusting, it’s the room that gets neglected the most.

OFFICE/LIBRARY
Take down everything from bookshelves, and dust each item (it may take you an hour but you’ll be glad you did) Remove and discard any ripped dust jackets, or donate any books you don’t need to hold onto anymore- many book shops or library’s will buy them from you. Don’t just shove all the books back on the shelf, arrange them by size and color, laying some vertically and some horizontally. Try mixing it up by layering other items in with your books, like vases, photo frames, and other collectibles  Go through your desk drawers and craft bins and toss any pens/markers that are dry. This is also a great time to back up the hard drive of your computer if you don’t do it regularly, You will be in the room organizing, so you will see your computer if there are any warning notices.

image via

QUINOA PRIMAVERA

Let me preface this recipe by saying it is delicious. It is delicious because it has cream cheese. Over the past few months I have all but given up on cheese, and most dairy. I still make my own yogurt, but that's about it. I know what you are thinking- no dairy = self inflicted torture. And it would be except for I have lost close to 20lbs through cutting out breads and dairy along with a gym routine that kills me everyday. But because I had been doing so well I splurged and went for the dairy gold- well worth it. But I like to know whats in each recipe so I am going to start posting all of the nutrition info to all recipes from now on, because I think it is important.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 ounces lite cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups thinly sliced or bite sized pieces assorted uncooked vegetables
3 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions
Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain. Bring quinoa and broth to boil in a 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed. While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter for about one minute, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cream cheese and basil into cooked quinoa. Toss vegetables with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Makes 5 servings.

HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER

This weekend I made peanut butter. We used to grind our own at the local grocery store, but then we moved and haven't been able to find a place since. I researched a few recipes to try and find the best way to do it. Most called for peanut oil and honey in addition to the peanuts. We wanted just straight peanuts so I thought I'd just go for it. So we just simply mixed it in a Vitamix blender, stirring every so often. It came out to the perfect consistency. I love to eat it with sliced apples, it makes the perfect snack. The best part is you know exactly what is in it and it is so much cheaper than the "natural" peanut butter because we bought our peanuts in the bulk food section.



Ingredients

15 ounces shelled and unsalted peanuts
1 1/2 teaspoons honey (just to sweeten)

Directions

Place the peanuts into the bowl of a food processor or into a high-power blender. (if you are going to use honey add it at this phase.) Process for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to process until the mixture is smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Now I'm going to try to make almond butter.

ECO STYLE: GLAM

Looking for a great date night look, or just a night out. There are so many great options out there these days. I have a soft spot for sequins, and pockets in dresses, so this little shift stole my heart. Pair a colored dress with nude heels and simple gold jewelry and you've got the look.

ECO STYLE: GLAM by erika129 featuring chain link jewelry

QUINOA STUFFED PORTOBELLOS

A few years ago, while waiting patiently for John to grind his natural peanut butter at the grocery store, out of my boredom, I discovered something called “Quinoa” in the bulk food section. I had never heard of it, and wasn’t even sure how you would prepare it. I researched it a bit and found that Quinoa grains were actually seeds from a goosefoot plant, and they contain amino acids like lysine. They also contain more protein than any other grain, and they have good quantities of calcium, iron, and phosphorus. I also discovered that it is pronounced “Kin Wa,” like a fool, I had been calling it “Key-Noah” – go figure. Once I had "discovered" this miracle food I figured it would be fitting to make a meal with it, and see if they hype was worth the taste. This is what I chose to make: Quinoa Stuffed Portobellos. I love this meal now, and it have become a comfort food for both of us.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup(s) quinoa, rinsed
• 1 1/4 pound(s) brussels sprouts
• 4 teaspoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large portobello mushroom caps
• 1 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme leaves
• 2/3 cup(s) frozen corn
• 3 ounce(s) feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In 2-quart saucepan, combine quinoa and 3/4 cup water. Heat to boiling on high; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, trim and halve sprouts. In an 18-inch by 12-inch jelly-roll pan, toss sprouts, 2 teaspoons oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper to evenly coat. Roast 10 minutes.
3. While sprouts cook, brush mushrooms with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Finely chop thyme and add to medium bowl along with corn, feta, cumin, and cooked quinoa.
4. When sprouts have roasted 10 minutes, push to one side of pan and arrange mushrooms, gill side up, on other side. Divide quinoa mixture among mushrooms; roast 10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

BUYING FOOD IN BULK

With hundreds of items to choose from, buying bulk food gives you the chance to buy pantry staples and try new foods while saving money and reducing wasteful packaging. My favorite part- putting all of the food into glass jars and seeing how organized and beautiful it can all look.

Your budget
Buying in bulk is economical. Your local store, or co-op enables you to share in the same kind of bulk buying with even greater advantages — like great selection and no-minimum purchases. When you shop the bulk section of your natural foods co-op, you can purchase the amount you need. Most products (herbs and spices especially) are much less expensive per ounce than their prepackaged versions; after all, you’re not paying for all that packaging and advertising! And there’s no need to pay for what you won’t use. Instead, you can choose exactly what you need, whether it’s just enough tarragon to try that new salmon recipe or enough oats to make a jumbo batch of granola — without any waste.

The environment
Speaking of waste, it takes enormous resources and energy to produce all of those cans and boxes and cartons and labels — almost all of which wind up in our landfills. Even recyclable food packaging takes energy to produce and recycle (and some of it still ends up in landfills). You’re making a significant environmental difference by buying in bulk — especially when you reuse your own containers and bags.

Your health
In addition to economic and environmental advantages, buying in bulk feeds tendencies to eat more healthfully– because they offer the opportunity to expand your healthful recipe repertoire. You can try quinoa or currants, adzuki beans or pine nuts or any item that’s new to you before you commit to stocking up on it. (You’ll often find a wider selection of items in bulk than on the prepackaged shelves, too.)

Tips for Buying in Bulk
Once you’re in the bulk aisle, look to see what items you usually purchase in packages or cans that you can now purchase in bulk. Explore a bit, maybe trying one or two new items each visit. Here are just some of the kinds of products you’ll most find in the bulk aisle: dried beans, cereals, flours, grains, herbs and spices, nut butters (you may even get to grind your own), oils, pastas, sweeteners, teas and coffees (Fair Trade),flours and other baking staples, and snacks.