I shared about it here on my blog some time ago but this week I’m sharing the story over at Janelle’s Comfy in the Kitchen blog (yes we traded spaces this week ~ she was here on my site earlier this week sharing her Easy Apple Dumplings recipe!).

Anyway some of you might remember this basket gone bad that I found in my girlfriend’s cabinet:

Yikes, that’s never good.  Come on over to read the rest of the story :)

Kitchen Organizing is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Plus my Pampered Chef Turnabout was STUFFED as well.

Those bins in the drawers kept everything contained but stuff was piling up making it difficult to dig through it all especially with knives in those baskets, so not safe!  So following the PROCESS steps, I started by dumping the entire drawer and the turnabout as well.  If I simply shuffled through it, I would never have been able to achieve the level of purging that I did.

You need to see everything spread out in front of you and once you’ve done that then you can start sorting it out.  Putting like with like allows you to see how many of one item you have.

For instance, I had no idea I had THREE pizza cutters.  Why in the world do I need three pizza cutters?  Two yes (one for regular pizza, one for gluten free) but three no way.  Plus this seemed like a lot of spatulas to me.

same with wooden spoons and whisks, yikes!

Once I started sorting through it all, this purging machine went to work.  Toss, toss, toss!!!  I literally sang that to myself.  There were things in there I haven’t used in forever and in fact there were things I didn’t even know what they were used for.  Sheesh!!

The purge pile:

So now that my drawer was emptied out and my stock cut by at least half, it was time to do some organizing.  I was sent a fantastic solution to try out for holding utensils/knives in place called Drawer Decor.  It’s basically a mat you insert into your drawer to keep things from sliding around plus you can add these repositionable “divitz” that come with the kit to hold items firmly in place.  I totally wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I do!

One set includes 1 silicone mat (20″x14″), 5 long divitz, 5 short divitz and 5 triangle divitz for $25.99 (comes in different colors too).  I am so hoping I can set up an Opensky deal soon with this Company because I am now a huge fan!

My utensil drawer afterwards:

The white basket in the back holds my fancier serving utensils that I don’t need regular access to and as you can see I’m down to one miscellaneous basket at the front.  Basically that holds everything that is too odd sized to fit in my turnabout.  I also relocated my home oils to my candle drawer.  I love that my knives are easily accessible now and even though I have them face up I think it is much safer than the way I used to have them stored.

Close up of my divitz at work.  My two oldest kids (14 and 12) totally think it’s cool because I’ve caught them a few times opening the drawer just to check it out.  I love that the knives stay put when you open the drawer.  So awesome!

My turnabout after.  Things are no longer impossible to remove or put back.

Whoot, such a great feeling to have this done!!!  Now I’m off to the thrift store with my purge pile, so happy to get it out of here!

Have you organized your cooking utensils lately?

Organizing Kitchen Cooking Utensils is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Laura recently shared some of her favorite supper cheats in a Menu Plan Monday post. I love a good cooking cheat! So I asked Laura if I could share some of my favorites with you.

Before we get to the list, let me just say that cooking cheats are very personal. What one person considers a perfectly acceptable short cut, another considers a cooking sin. I was shocked when a someone told me they hate that “yucky” shredded cheese! That’s one of my most used time savers and I don’t think it’s yucky at all.

Do what works for you and your family! We all have different tastes, time and abilities. Take what works for you and leave the rest.

Kitchen Tools for Cheating

Slow Cooker – Everyone knows this is essential, but it’s also helpful to have the right size. If you’re cooking for a larger family, get a 6 quart slow cooker so you can fill it up!

Garlic Press – I used to use jarred garlic. Then I finally bought a decent garlic press. Mine is from Pampered Chef. No chopping, no peeling. It’s as easy as using the jarred kind, but adds so much good flavor.

Sharp Knife – One basic knife is enough. More are useful. If you’ve got a sharp knife, it takes less than a minute to chop an onion or other veggies.

Cooking Cheats

Cook food from frozen (even meat) – I don’t always bother to thaw things. Frozen chicken breasts and hamburgers can be put right on the grill. Frozen roasts, chicken, pork chops etc can be popped into the slow cooker. I know some folks don’t like to do this. Here’s a statement from the USDA on the topic. You’ll have to make your own decision.

Cooking Frozen Foods
Raw or cooked meat, poultry or casseroles can be cooked or reheated from the frozen state. However, it will take approximately one and a half times as long to cook. Remember to discard any wrapping or absorbent paper from meat or poultry.

When cooking whole frozen poultry, remove the giblet pack from the cavity as soon as you can loosen it. Cook the giblets separately. Read the label on USDA-inspected frozen meat and poultry products. Some, such as pre-stuffed whole birds, MUST be cooked from the frozen state to ensure a safely cooked product.

Prepared frozen foods – Frozen meatballs, popcorn chicken, and ravioli are some of my favorite cheats. There are endless possibilities. Combine with a few fresh veggies and a sauce of your choice for a super quick meal.

Bags of shredded cheese – Why shred, if you don’t have to?

Baker’s Joy Cooking Spray – They put the flour in the spray so a quick spray equals greasing and flouring pans.

Skip the measuring – For herbs and seasonings, you can just eyeball the ingredients. Don’t pull out the measuring spoons. Go by look and taste. Trust yourself!

If you really like to cheat (and have dinner taste like you didn’t) check out my eBook, Feast in 15, Speed Cooking Weeknight Dinners.

Use the coupon code OrgJunkie for a 20% discount, bringing the price to just $3.99!

Tiffany King helps families put dinner on the table by sharing recipes, menus with complete grocery lists and cooking tips on her blog Eat at Home. Her husband and 4 kid are her best taste-testers. She is also the author of Feast in 15.

Kitchen Cooking Cheats is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Have you heard of the Cansolidator?  It’s an organizing product designed to help maximize space in your pantry.   Each one can hold up to 40 cans!  That’s some serious organizing right there :)  Now I haven’t had the opportunity to use one myself but I’m thrilled to offer three of you a chance to win one.

Cansolidator Pantry Details:

Featuring SmarTrac technology, the Cansolidator Pantry is a front loading system that automatically rotates up to 40 cans. This adjustable, expandable, stackable system takes the hassle out of can rotation and allows you to organize cans the way YOU want. The Cansolidator is easy to assemble and guarantees a more organized pantry in minutes. Sturdy, compact, and reliable, the Cansolidator Pantry is the perfect stand-alone solution for any pantry.

The Cansolidator Pantry holds both small and medium cans.

Dimensions:
Height: 11″
Width: 20″
Depth: 16.5″
Capacity: 40 Cans

* Rotates cans on a first in first out basis
* Holds up to 40 cans
* Holds over 100 pounds
* Stores small and medium cans (from tuna size all the way to medium 30 oz. cans)
* Adjustable width (20″ at its widest)
* Units may be stacked for space optimization (note: It’s recommended that no more than 2 units be stacked)

Promotion:

Right now you can purchase a Cansolidator for $21.49 which is a 52% off the regular price!!  No special savings code required.

Giveaway:

Would you like to win one of the three Cansolidators I have to giveaway today?  To enter simply leave a comment on this post prior to Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 2:00 pm PST.  That’s it.  Open to everyone and winners will be selected at random.  This giveaway is now closed.  The winners are:  #422 Katie, #173 Cassie and #274 Sharon.  Congratulations to the winners!!

Good luck!

Cansolidator Pantry Organizer Giveaway! Closed is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

pantry ~ a room or closet in which food, groceries, and other provisions, or silverware, dishes, etc., are kept.

Well I would call mine neither a room or closet.  It’s a cupboard.  It’s a shallow pantry cupboard.  Not that I need a large pantry anyway because with menu planning each week I normally only buy and store what I need for the week plus a few extras.  However I’ve noticed that with summer and company visiting the “extras” were piling up causing my panty to go a little topsy turvy.  Things were getting a little out of hand, meaning food was just scattered here there and everywhere.  I found pasta on the top shelf, on the middle shelf AND on the bottom shelf.  Not only does that make me crazy but preparing my weekly grocery list just takes that much longer too.  Gah!  Oh and don’t even get me started about having TWO open boxes/bags of the same thing.  Sheesh, my family I tell you, boy do they ever like to mess with me :)

Here are the before pictures:

The bottom two shelves are designated for my son’s allergy safe foods.

I followed the PROCESS steps….took everything out….purged, organized and done.  I bought some new baskets from Walmart (I love these ones!) that fit perfectly in the shallowness of my 11″ cupboards, which really helped set some necessary boundaries to the space.

After pictures:

The yellow basket is the candy basket, high up from little kid’s wandering hands :)  The wicker basket is my snack basket which I blogged about here.

I feel better just having like with like under control.

I used the same label method that I used here.

Before:

After:

Gosh does that ever feel better and it took all of about a half hour.  Yay!!

Does your pantry or pantry cupboard need a little tweaking?

Organizing my Pantry Cupboard is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Hi, I’m Laurie from Handy Man, Crafty Woman.  Thanks so much to Laura from Org Junkie for having us guest post on her awesome blog.

I love how Laura uses her PROCESS technique when she tackles her organizing projects.  A few months ago, I organized our pantry.  It’s a great space, but it had started to get messy.  I applied Laura’s PROCESS technique to the job:

Plan your project

Remove items; sort and purge

Organize and purge excess

Containerize; find storage solutions

Evaluate your plan

Solve/simplify anything that isn’t working for you

Smile, and enjoy your hard work!

The plan: I decided that I needed to develop a new system of storage, since items were getting lost in the back of the pantry.  I planned to use several storage containers we already owned.  I purchased two can organizers and a small lazy susan, which cost less than $20 total from Lowe’s.

Next, I removed all of the items from the pantry, and put them on the kitchen table so I could see everything.  I sorted through and made a “keep”, “toss” and “donate” pile.  We’re pretty diligent about not letting food expire, so I only tossed a couple of things.

I then organized the remaining items.  I grouped similar items together. I put the items we were going to keep back into the pantry, and I made a small pile to donate.

I used plastic containers, baskets and wire shelves that we owned to containerize things in a more organized way.  I put some spices on our new lazy susan, and put the cans back on the new can organizer.

I then evaluated the pantry: Can I see things more easily? Yes.  Can I reach things more easily? Yes. (This is very important, because I’m a shortie!)

I decided to simplify our pantry even more by moving some excess food and supplies to storage racks in our basement.  This gave me more room in the pantry so it was easier to see what I had, and what I needed to buy.

Last, the pantry did make me smile, since this project took less than 30 minutes to complete, and it looks so much better!

Note from Laura:  You did a great job Laurie!  Thanks for sharing how easy it can be to organize a space following a few simple PROCESS steps.

Anyone else working on a pantry this week?

PS:  Download my free printable bookmark that lists the PROCESS steps for you on the back to help you remember them (reduce zoom to 100%).

Using the PROCESS to organize your pantry is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

They make a difference.

They simplify.

They set limits and boundaries.

They contain.

Take for example my snack basket on my shallow cupboard shelf.  I could pull out many different boxes of treats and pile them high in my hands or I can pull out one basket with ease.

Need to organize your Tassimo coffee discs?  Use baskets.

Need to organize your tea?  Use baskets.

Need to organize and contain your spices?  Use baskets.

Need to organize and contain your baking supplies?  Use baskets.

If you’ve got deep shelves, store infrequently used small appliances at the back and baskets in the front.  Easy to pull out and grab what you need.

Plastic baskets.

Wicker baskets.

Cardboard baskets.

It doesn’t matter.

They are all lovely and functional to me.

Organizing a Snack Basket is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Welcome OrgJunkie readers. My name is Cory (aka zestycook) from zestycook.com and I wanted to share with you some things I do to organize my fridge. My methods are pretty elementary however it’s better than just pushing items to the back of the fridge in hopes someone will move them.

Have you ever wanted to see what exactly is in Zesty’s fridge?

Well I thought it would be easier to illustrate using some pictures. Read below for the tips and feel free to add your tips in the comments.

1. Place Big Items in the Back

To avoid losing items in your refrigerator, keep the big items in the back so that you can keep up with the smaller items. It’s not fun to pull out a jug of milk only to realize that there is a old bologna in the back of your refrigerator. Depending on how full you keep your fridge and how much room you have, I like to keep the food to the front of the shelves if possible to avoid losing items and allowing food to expire.

2. Keep Like Items Together

Another way to organize your refrigerator is to keep like items together. This also helps to avoid losing items. For example, I like to keep kids treats such as apple sauce, yogurt, puddings and drinking boxes together just so that they are easier to find.

3. Put All the Condiments in the Door

It’s annoying to try and pull a large item out of your refrigerator when there are several small containers of condiments in front of that large item. You end up pulling, moving the little bottles, pulling some more, moving some more…… Next thing you know zesty made a mess all over the floor. This is why it’s best to keep condiments in the door.

4. Use See Through Containers

There is something horrible about pulling a container from your refrigerator, opening it, and wondering what it is. Or if you know what it is, not knowing when you put it in there. How old are those leftovers anyway? When you organize your refrigerator, use containers that you can see through.

5. Stack Items Properly

When you get home from the store, keep your refrigerator organized by stacking the items properly. It’s tempting to just chuck the items in the fridge (I do this all time ), grab a cold drink and rest, but you’ll regret it later. Take the time to put like items together and stack them properly. This will also make it easier to find the items you need, when you need them.

6. Clean it Out Often

I find it valuable to clean out your refrigerator at least once a week or once every two weeks. Before you go to the grocery store, peek into your fridge and see what you have on hand. Then throw away anything that’s old (hopefully you do not do this too often). This ensures that you have room for your new groceries and that your refrigerator stays organized.

So there you have it! Like I said, pretty much just common sense but I really find it so rewarding to have a clean and organized fridge. Throwing food out, having food expire or grow mold really makes me upset. I know it happens and is sometimes unavoidable but keeping a clean fridge and an up-to-date inventory will help reduce the waste.

I hope you enjoyed some simple ways to keep your fridge organized. I would like to thank Laura for having me guest post on her blog and if you would like to read more about zesty please feel free to check out zestycook.com.

Take care

zesty

Organize Your Fridge is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

When I began my meal planning journey several years ago I didn’t give much thought to how things were going to be figured out.  I just knew I’d need to have a system of some kind that worked for me.  Freezer cooking was one of the first things I took to right away—with a toddler at home I needed a way to get healthy meals on the table quickly.  Since then, “feeding” my freezer has become a way of life.  Here are the top five things that help me keep it organized:

What can you freeze?

I get this question a lot.  The answer is “just about everything!”  People are surprised to learn that I shred and freeze my own block cheese, cut up fruit, and of course prepared meals ready to pull out, heat and serve.  It is recommended that items remain in the freezer no more than three months, on average, to avoid quality issues.

Choose the right containers.

To make the most of your freezer space, choose containers that work for you.  For some that may mean plastic modular containers.  Others like using zip-top bags stacked on end like in a bookshelf.  Other items can be frozen in dishes that can go straight into the oven.  Personal preference makes a difference too.  I like to store liquids like soups in modular containers—they are easier for me to heat and serve.

Label it.

I’m sure I’m not the only one to throw something in the freezer and think, “I’ll remember what that is” only to discover months later that that I did not remember!  I personally love the reusable labels from Label Once.   They adhere to a lid and will not come off in the freezer or dishwasher.  When it’s time to reuse your container, just erase the contents and date and write on the new information.

Log it.

Now that your items are labeled, you’ll want to log what goes into the freezer (saving energy with fewer door openings to see what’s in there).  I created a form that helps me find what I’m looking for more easily.  It has four categories: Prepared Meals, Fruits & Vegetables, Dairy/Nuts/Bread/Other and Meats/Fish. Don’t forget to date it too!  When it comes time for meal planning, just grab your list and scan it to find out what you have on hand and choose your recipe accordingly.

Map it.

We have a medium chest-style deep freezer.  In it I have some plastic crates to help me organize it into compartments.  I’ve divided the freezer into “zones” that correlate to my log sheet. For example, the upper right crate holds fruits and veggies like the blueberries we pick every summer or sliced bell peppers that I got on sale.  To help others find things in the freezer, I came up with a diagram taped to the top of the freezer that shows the crates and what is contained in each.

It’s easy to get organized in the kitchen when you have a few tricks up your sleeve!

Brenda is a mom, freelance writer and self-taught meal planner.  Her blog, Meal Planning Magic, provides ideas on how to get organized in the kitchen, save a little money, eat healthier (and family friendly) and have a little fun along the way.  She shares free weekly sample meal plans, cookbook reviews, forms for keeping it all straight, ideas, and inspiration!

Organizing Your Freezer is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Oh, and if I do say so myself…our homemade-from-scratch food tastes really, really delicious.  (Judging by the incredible amount my husband and four boys can put away…I think they like my cooking.)

Here are some questions I often get from my blog readers:

Are you in the kitchen ALL the time?  How do you get all of this done?  How do you keep up with all the dishes?

I am in the kitchen a lot…but I don’t live in there.  (See, like right now I’m on the computer in the living room instead.  :) )  Cooking from scratch does take time…but here are some things I do to make my work simpler:

I plan our menus!!! I can not be efficient in the kitchen without a plan for the week.   Menu plans are a must for me.  Yay for Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday!

I cook simple meals…simple foods. I rarely cook anything that requires complicated steps or hard-to-work-with ingredients.  Meat, potatoes, rice, beans, veggies, fruits, grains, eggs, milk…it’s all just basic food put together into different yummy meals.

I wash dishes as I go. I really do dirty up a lot of dishes in a day…but I try (try) to keep up with them by washing them as I cook.  I have a dishwasher.  I have boys old enough to help.  I have ten minutes here and there to knock more out of the pile.  I love having clean countertops.

I think ahead, plan ahead, cook ahead. This is one of my biggest cooking helps.   I look at my menu plan and know what I’ll need for the upcoming week.  If I can, I spend time on Friday night and Saturday cooking and baking for the week ahead.  I’ll make up a double batch of tortillas, cook chicken for broth, bake four loaves of bread, brown several pounds of hamburger meat, cook rice, put together burritoes for the freezer, or any other foods that will make the week ahead run more smoothly.  THEN, during the week…it’s like having convenience foods in the fridge or freezer!

and here’s one of my favorite ways to stay organized and ahead in the kitchen:

I make tomorrow’s breakfast while I’m cooking tonight’s dinner. This doesn’t always work (like, I’m not going to scramble tomorrow’s eggs at 6:00 tonight…yuck), but if we’re having muffins for breakfast, I’ll mix them up and bake them while I’m in the kitchen cooking dinner.  In the morning, I’ll re-warm them in the oven for a few minutes, or just serve them as is.  Or, if I’m making biscuits tomorrow morning, I’ll mix the flour and buttermilk so they can soak overnight…and then just finish them up the next morning.  I often make a double batch of waffles, let them cool, then freeze them.  Then we have convenient, toaster waffles whenever we need them.  LOVE it.

Those are some of the things I do to keep myself organized and sane during the busy weeks of school work, computer work, laundry, and you know…Chutes and Ladders.

What are some of your best ways of staying organized while you’re cooking?  Do you feel like you spend hours in your kitchen?

Kitchen Organization for Healthy Eating is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie