For an easy way to prevent snacking, add half an avocado to your lunch. It makes you feel more satisfied and can decrease your appetite by 40 percent! So, try it in your favorite smoothie, salad or sandwich.
Via: {Nutrition Journal}, {Broma Bakery}
Must-Have Tools for Easy Fried Chicken
There are tons of fried chicken recipes out there (I’m sure someone in your family has a “secret recipe” they’re reluctant to share), but I do a few things that make it super easy and give me perfect results every time. So, the next time you’re ready to whip up a batch of fried chicken, you’ll need a few things—your favorite fried chicken recipe and these:
A Dutch oven.
For me, this is the holy grail of cookware. Why? Mainly because of its versatility. Made of cast iron that is coated with enamel, it heats up evenly, retains that heat, and transfers from stove top, to oven, to table better than any pot I know. For things like fried chicken, retaining heat is crucial and Le Creuset ovens do that superbly.
If you’re not in the market for a Dutch oven that’s this pricey, there are a lot of options that you can find at department stores and even Target. Le Creuset is a brand that has been tested and tried for a long time (since 1925), so you’ll have to judge for yourself if the other brands work just as well.
An odor-absorbing splatter screen.
If you don’t have one of these yet, at $15-$25 (depending on where you shop), it’s a pretty inexpensive and useful kitchen tool. This screen not only reduces splatters—protecting your stove top, countertop (and your arms) from a barrage of hot oil—it also absorbs cooking aromas. Impressive, right?
Sandwiched between the two layers of wire mesh is a carbon fabric that filters the odors and helps to reduce their “linger”. Also, the mesh design won’t trap any steam or stop you from keeping an eye on what’s cooking. Storing the splatter screen is simple because, it’s slim and lightweight. Plus, it’s easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
Photo credit: {Blackberry Farm} {Los Tragaldabas} {Williams-Sonoma}
Strength is Beautiful
Feeling so grateful for women like Misty who fight to be seen and heard.
Excess Baggage
When I saw this picture it made me laugh. It’s exactly how I started my marriage. I moved from South Florida to the suburbs of Chicago and brought everything with me I thought I could possibly need. I was prepared for anything.
A year later, when we signed a lease for an apartment in the city, most of my stuff was still in suitcases and boxes. Our new place would be 200 square feet smaller and I had no clue where any of it would go. I felt like a borderline hoarder. Exhausted from the mere thought of hauling all of this stuff, yet again, I knew was time for a serious purge.
So, Justin and I came up with a plan—declutter our apartment. Well, our lives really. Fueled by the adrenaline of getting a new place downtown, we got rid of everything we didn’t have an immediate use for. Some of it was trashed. Some of it was sold. Most things were given away—wall art, lamps, books, kitchen appliances, clothes. Lots and lots of clothes. We whittled our closet down to the bare essentials.
Once we settled in to our new place and the excitement waned, we felt…empty. But sometimes the best life changes start with the smallest things. In time we grew to love our clean, minimal space. It was simple, yet cozy and comfortable. Our mini lifestyle makeover injected a freshness into our home.
Two years later, it’s still our way life. Living with the bare essentials has opened our eyes. When our life was filled with things, all of it seemed so important. Every dress, skirt, pair of heels, book, magazine, coffee mug. But when the excess was removed, we could see clearly. It became much easier to distinguish between wants and needs, must-haves and maybes.
It’s an ongoing process for us. Every few months we make a point to shred old papers/bills, and shed a few layers from our closets. Right now I’m looking to buy new dinnerware and flatware. But, I won’t be piling the new sets on top of the old ones.
This is not to say that I don’t want (even crave) more “stuff”. In fact, I keep a running list in Pinterest. But, for now, it’s just the two of us, and what we have will do.
So how do feel about clutter? Is it something you can live with or do you feel like it’s time for a change?
Photo credit: {Brooke Schwab}