The Keys To Keeping Your Kitchen Much Easier To Clean

The kitchen is known by many to be the heart of the home. But boy can it be a hassle. If you’ve got a busy family and work life, you don’t want to be stuck cleaning your kitchen for ages after you’ve already been busy cooking dinner. But keeping it clean isn’t just important for vanity. It’s also important for the health of the home. Well, here, we’re going to look into how you keep your kitchen a lot easier to clean.

Picture

Clean as you cook

This is a tip that isn’t shared anywhere near often enough. It’s efficient to take care of mess as soon as you discover it. Making a meal then going back to clean everything up isn’t just time-consuming, it takes a bit of the joy from cooking itself. So instead, clean as you cook. Set up all your ingredients at the start of the meal. When you’re finished dealing with one, clean up any of the residues and move on to the next. This not only means you have a cleaner kitchen after you’re done with the cooking. It means you take less time by separating one big task into a lot of little tasks along the way. After the meal, just give someone else the chore of doing the dishes and you have to do nothing but relax.

Know the properties of the materials in your kitchen

The choice of materials you use, particularly for worktops, plays a big role in just how easy it is to clean the kitchen. If you’re able to choose materials now, I suggest using those like granite worktops. With the right coating on granite, they’re a lot less absorbent with liquids, making them a lot easier to wipe down. If you’re using wooden surfaces, you don’t have to leave them to their fate if you find them marked by pots and pans. Instead, you can use wood bleaches like oxalic acid which can get rid of even the most seemingly persistent of marks. Any material can be kept in good condition a lot longer if you just do a little research on how to maintain it.

Be smarter with your storage

Clutter is one of the most common enemies in the kitchen. You have a lot of foodstuffs, utensils, pots and pans to go all over the place. If you don’t have a lot of cupboards and drawers, it can start to build up to the point where it makes a kitchen feel a lot smaller and more claustrophobic. But there are ways to tackle the amount of storage space at your disposal. For one, consider vertical options. Think about attaching a magnetic strip to the kitchen wall where you can keep knives, metal ladles and the like. Or consider adding hooks inside cupboard doors where you could hang a little extra. There are lots of little hacks to make use of your small kitchen.

Getting to know your kitchen, as well as how to use all the smarter, makes it so much easier to clean. You’ll avoid the wear and tear that can start to set in, as well as the clutter that can make it such a chore.

Picky Eater? Ensure Your Kid Has Breakfast With These Essential Tips For Moms

There is no doubt that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. For one thing, it stops kids getting peckish in the morning. And it can also give them the fuel they need to have a proactive day doing school work. However, it can be a challenge to get kids to eat breakfast. Often, they don’t feel hungry at that time in the morning. And the last thing they want to do is sit and eat before they do school work; they would rather be playing instead! If you have a picky eater, here are some essential tips for moms to ensure your kid has breakfast at the start of the day.

Go for fun toppings

Cereal with milk can be boring on its own. In fact, your picky eater might just move the cereal around their bowl and then leave it before they go to school. Therefore, if you want to ensure your little one consumes every bite, you should opt for fun toppings. For example, you could add some Reese’s pieces on top of their cereal. Or you ought to go for some white chocolate tips on the top of Lucky Charms, You could even go for a handful of nuts which can taste delicious with cereal. Or if your kid loves fruit, a handful of strawberries or raspberries might make for an interesting choice. These toppings will ensure your child tucks into their cereal. And remember you could always go for a different type of milk to make it fun. How about strawberry or banana milk with their cereal? I, for one, would love to try it! And having milk is an excellent way to ensure they have enough calcium in their day!

Pexels

Opt for a smoothie instead

Often, whatever you do, you can’t get your kids to consume any food in the morning. But if you want your child to have something substantial before they leave the house, you could always opt for a smoothie. After all, it’s full of all the essential fruit your kid needs to start the day off right. And it will keep them full for hours while they are busy with their school work. There’s something about smoothies which make them more appealing to your kids. Therefore, they are more likely to drink a smoothie than consume some breakfast. To help you make a delicious smoothie, you should get a great smoothie maker. In fact, something similar to Ninja 1500 is a great choice as you can use it as a blender and food processor at the same time. And remember to choose delicious fruits such as strawberries and bananas for the smoothie.

Pixabay

Go for something more savory

Just because it’s breakfast, it doesn’t mean you have to go for traditional choices like eggs or cereal. If your picky eater is only prepared to eat something savory that might normally be consumed at lunch, it would be wise to make them it. That way, they are still consuming something substantial which will help them to start the day off well. As this article explains, you could go for something like macaroni and cheese. Just make some and freeze them at the beginning of the week. And then you can cook them in the microwave when you are making it for your kid’s breakfast. Try and stick to healthy choices if you can for your child’s breakfast, even if it’s something against the norm.

Image Source

Switch up their toast

Toast is often a popular choice when it comes to breakfast. After all, it’s something you can make quickly for your little ones. And they can eat it quickly before they get on with their work. But if your kid isn’t keen on toast, you can switch it up so that it becomes more interesting. For example, you could cut up the toast and serve it with egg. That way, they can dip the toast in the egg to their heart’s content. Or you might want to go for avocado on toast which is a choice which has become more popular in the last couple of years. And even beans on toast might make it more enjoyable for your kids.

Ask them for ideas

It might not sound the best idea, but making something your kid fancies is a sure-fire way to get them to eat some breakfast. Therefore, ask them what they would like to try for breakfast. You might want to show them ideas from a breakfast book and see what they fancy. Make sure it’s easy recipes that won’t take you long to make. You might find something that they really like that you can make every day!

And remember it’s so important that you have something for breakfast too to stay healthy.

The Healthiest Foods You Can Eat

There are hundreds of dieting tips around these days, and with the week of Christmas looming it's harder to pick a great diet we can stick to. We should try to stay healthy all year around of course, but there’s something about Christmas that just begs us to eat more and more. So, instead of more dieting tips, here are some great healthy foods you can use to supplement the usual stuff; this way you won’t feel so bad over Christmas.

Dark Chocolate

What! I hear you cry. Dark chocolate, in moderation, i may add, contains flavonoids, antioxidants shown to reduce bad cholesterol, meaning it can be good for your heart. Just one fourth an ounce daily can reduce blood pressure. Dark chocolate is made directly from the seed of a cocoa tree and contains healthy amounts of fiber and iron, so next time you decide to have some chocolate perhaps reach for the dark chocolate instead of the sugary kind.

Shakes

Mixing up a great shake can save you ingesting high quantities of fat. Going for shakes can significantly reduce meal preparation time and provide you with a great alternative, there’s a great site for meal replacement shakes here http://topratedweightlossshakes.com/shakeology-information/. You can also use shakes to blend together a bunch of your favorite fruits or vegetables, by doing this you can hit your five a day much more quickly and it saves you the time of having to eat it. If you’re training in conjunction with a diet then you could also take protein shakes, these can help heal your muscles at a faster rate.

Source

Swap Out Your Regular Potato For A Sweet One

Sweet potatoes aren’t eating nowhere near as much as its usual counterpart, but they can offer some great benefits. A sweet potato can contain 66 micrograms of cell-building folate, about the same amount found in one cup of spinach or broccoli. See, it’s some great stuff. It also has

almost eight times the amount of cancer-fighting and immune-boosting vitamin A you need daily. If you’re training, you should eat the potato at a cooler temperature, studies have shown that if you do this it can help you burn close to 25 percent more fat after a meal, thanks to a fat-resistant starch.

Sardines

Usually some of the less eaten fish, but they harbor less toxins than bigger fish like cod and salmon. Sardines are one of the best sources of heart-healthy, mood-boosting omega-3 fats, and they’re packed with vitamin D. You can use them in a variety of salads and other dishes, there are some recipes for you here.

Swap Out Your Fatty Breakfast For Oatmeal

Oatmeal is full of great fiber and eating it can contribute to lowering bad cholesterol. It can also be great if you eat it a few hours before exercise. It releases its carbs slowly, meaning your insulin does not spike like it does when you eat toast. Insulin tells your body to store fat, so as it isn’t spiking your body burns more than it stores, meaning you will see your exercise pay off .

Re-Think The Way You Tackle Christmas Shopping With This Guide

With only a few weeks to go before Christmas, many of us are feeling the pressure to pull some amazing gifts out of the bag. Even though the festive season is truly about spending time with the people we love, it cannot be denied that sometimes, the buying and giving of gifts can take over. Plus, getting the right gift for your loved one can often be harder than it looks. After years of buying socks for your uncle and skin care for your mom, you might feel it's time to shake things up a bit with your gift-buying. But as with trying anything new, it can be a little intimidating to step out of your comfort zone. We all want to give a gift that we know the other person will love, especially what with Christmas being such an expensive time of year. If you are struggling to find suitable presents for your loved ones, take a look at this guide to make sure you get it right every time.

Image source

Bring back lists

Most of us stop making Christmas lists when we are out of our teens. This is partially because many of us feel as though it is juvenile - and other people genuinely can't think of anything they want for Christmas! But this kind of attitude can lead to the giving and receiving of many gifts that simply don't ever get used. As well as being a waste of money, it can be pretty disheartening to know that a gift you bought somewhere won't ever see the light of day. Suggest to your family that this year, you actually right old-fashioned lists again - or at least give each other some inspiration.

Read product reviews

Most of the time, we're all in such a rush to get our Christmas shopping done that we simply click 'add to basket' when we see something remotely suitable. But even if you have limited time left, it is always worth reading consumers choice reviews. A product that looks great on the website may actually be totally impractical in real life. The manufacturers are obviously not going to say anything about this, so it is best to rely on the opinions of the general public. This way, you are likely to get a much more accurate view of the product, which can help you to decide whether you should spend your hard earned cash on it or not.

Image source

Buy experiences, rather than 'things'

Ever noticed how around Christmas, you simply end up with so much 'stuff'? Sometimes, it can get to the point where we have to throw out old possessions just to make room for the new ones! If you subscribe to the idea that you can have too much of a good thing, you may want to go down a different route with your gift buying this year. Gifting an experience, rather than a physical object, is often much more personal and gives the recipient something they will remember forever. There are plenty of different things to choose from - such as luxury spa experiences or high-octane motor experiences. So, you are sure to find something suited perfectly to your loved one.

How to Keep Your Home Smelling Fresh

Homes are full of things that create an unpleasant odor over time. It happens no matter how well you vacuum and keep surfaces clean. The fact is, cooking smells, clothing, pollution, and even our own bodies contribute to the overall air quality in the home. And if the home is sealed most of the year to keep temperatures steady, that means there's little in the way of fresh air to clear out the atmosphere.

You may spray air fresheners, light candles, vacuum the carpets, but it doesn't seem enough. Here are three easy ways to refresh the air quality in your home without going overboard.

Homemade Air Deodorizers

Image via Flickr by Mark Morgan

Washing the carpeting and furniture is a chore that's not taken on lightly. Which means you might wind up cleaning them once or twice a year. Deodorizing them on a regular basis becomes important if you want to keep air quality up and smells down. One easy way to deodorize is to make your own spray. A mixture of baking soda, a favorite essential oil, and distilled water is a great place to start.

Baking soda absorbs odor, and essential oils are highly concentrated which means they spread further when used in a spray. There's an added bonus when using natural ingredients in that they dissipate and break down without harming you, your family, or the environment.

Check Your HVAC System

The HVAC system in your home tends to pick up dust and lint in its corners, curves, and crevices. The same goes for the air filters attached to the units. While you can usually change the filters on your own, you'll have a harder time getting into the ducting. This kind of job is best done with the help of a qualified HVAC technician.

An HVAC tech has all of the proper tools to get into the system and get out the dust. He also changes your filters, including ones you may not know about. There's an immediate improvement in air quality once the dust gets removed. 

Keep Clothes Fresh While in Closets or in Drawers

Clothes are one of the biggest culprits of odor. When not in use, they collect odors from their surroundings, then release them when a drawer or closet door is opened. Get proactive with scents by putting items like dryer sheets, sachets, cedar blocks, or scented drawer paper in your drawers to keep clothes fresh. When clothes smell good, so does the air. 

Closets are a little trickier, but not impossible to keep fresh. Pomander balls make for an excellent air deodorizer and give clothing a unique scent that air fresheners can't imitate. Making a pomander is quick and easy. Once finished, simply hang it in the closet and let it do its job. 


These are just some of the ways to keep air in the home fresh without having to resort to sprays with a chemical edge. The DIY nature of making your own fresheners adds a a new level of satisfaction to the whole cleaning process. It saves money, reduces waste, and lets you control what goes into the air in your home.