I’m tackling organizing projects in my home one at a time in my Reorganizing 2012 Campaign. So why was organizing my snacks near the top of my list?
There are many reasons.
First, it’s the beginning step to reorganizing my pantry. By removing all of my snack items and storing them in easy-to-reach containers, I’m creating more breathing space to organize pantry items.
And, the most motivating reason for me is to save time. How can organizing my snacks save time, you wonder? It’s simple. With all our family activities: dance, gymnastics, day-trips and vacations, my kids can pack snacks on their own by making it easy for them to choose from. It’s like having our own home snack store… the Spilsbury Snack Shop!
Organize Snacks Step-By-Step
Step 1: Remove all snack items from the pantry
The first step in reorganizing any space is to start with a clean slate and see what you need to work with. By removing all of the snacks from my pantry and seeing them in one place, it was easy for me to decide how I was going to categorize and store them and what size containers I would need.
remove all snacks from the pantry
Step 2: Find Your Tools
Find the perfect containers to fit your style, your space… and your snacks. I decided on glass mason jars- 4 large and 4 medium to fit my long countertop.
I found both of these bins at Target to store cold snacks in the refrigerator. Using insulated bags, the kids know where to go to choose snacks to pack.
cold snacks for on-the-go
this snack tote came from the $1 bin at Target
The Economics of Organizing
Staying organized saves time and money. Period.
By keeping snacks “at-a-glance”, I won’t overbuy at the grocery store because of not knowing how many cookies or fruit snacks we have at home.
While we’re out running around all day, here is a breakdown of what on-the-go snacking costs if you eat out or tote your snacks:
Notice the difference in snack nutrition? I also estimate that we save about $650 a year by having the kids pack their snacks. How’s that for some “food for thought”.
This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Healthy Choices
Nutrition is always a key factor in my meal planning and recipe creations, which is why my grocery shopping lists are produce-heavy with lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. Vegetables are on our table for every family dinner, either cooked or fresh.
Getting kids to eat vegetables is not always easy, especially if you have a “picky eater”- which I do. I have one daughter who loves vegetables more than any other food, and will choose a fresh salad alongside baked salmon over pizza any day.
And my other daughter- not so much. I’m always looking for fun, creative and delicious ways to get her to eat more vegetables.
Meal Planning for Picky Eaters
I find that having my kids involved in shopping and cooking is a great way to expose them to all the vegetable options out there. One time, Brooke (my picky eater), grabbed a bundle of radishes in the grocery store and said, “Look how beautiful these radishes are! Mommy, you need to get these and make a salad.” “Great,” I said. “Will you eat them?” She replied, “no.” I
still have a ways to go with her, but I’m happy with the progress we’ve made. She enjoys making salads on her own, and loves it when I saute vegetables.
Today, I came across this inventive recipe for Flag Pizza from Clare Crespo’s Cookbook for Country Crock.
Flag Pizza Recipe
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe for Flag Pizza, click here. Otherwise, enjoy my photo tutorial below for this fun meal that kids can help prepare.
Flag Pizza Ingredients:
Flag Pizza Ingredients
6 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese slices
1 Tbsp. Country Crock® Spread
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and patted dry
1 frozen pizza dough, thawed
1 cup Ragu® Pizza Quick Sauce
2 plum tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into slices or 1 sliced red bell pepper or a mixture of the two
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Flag Pizza Directions:
Take two slices of mozzarella cheese and stack together.
Use kitchen scissors or small knife to cut a few star shapes out of the cheese. Slice remaining cheese slices into 1-inch strips.
Preheat oven to 450°.
Melt Country Crock® Spread in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Stretch pizza dough to fit a rectangular pan. Spread Ragu® Pizza Quick Sauce evenly over dough.
Sprinkle spinach over top left corner of dough. Place stars on the spinach. Lay tomatoes (or peppers) and cheese strips in alternating strips on rest of the pizza.
Bake 10 to 20 minutes until cheese is melted and starting to turn golden and crust is starting to brown. Remove from oven and serve with crushed red pepper flakes (if using).
star cookie-cutters from Pampered Chef
melt Country Crock in large non-stick skillet
place fresh spinach in pan to saute
spinach is ready when it is completely reduced and tender
arrange spinach, tomatoes and cheese over sauce
the kids are going to love this... even my picky eater!
Simple and Delicious Vegetable Recipes
I find that there’s no need to hide vegetables from my family. In fact, vegetables can be delicious and fun with a little imagination. For more healthy and tasty vegetable recipes from The Organized Cook using Country Crock, check out:
Escalloped Carrots
Are you looking for quick and simple tips and recipes to make serving veggies more fun? Download the free Clare Crespo Cookbook here for fun and whimsical recipes your family is sure to love!
My neighbor, Kelli, and I grew up worlds apart- both geographically and culturally. I grew up in Southern California while eating dinners made from modern conveniences such as Minute Rice and Betty Crocker with my new-age Mom. While at the same time, Kelli was peeling and canning tomatoes for pasta sauce in the kitchens of Italian aunts and nonnas in New York. Despite being exactly one-quarter Italian myself, my Sicilian-born grandmother died decades before I was born.
Sadly, after 10 years of being a neighbor and dear friend, Kelli moved back to New York. But she did leave something behind (besides her husband)- her family recipe for Italian Sunday Gravy.
Now, for me the word “gravy” is something you pour over turkey and mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. But, if you’re from the “old country”, gravy is a traditional Sunday dish that women could put in a pot early Sunday morning and let it simmer while attending Mass. Italian Sunday gravy is a rich, heavy meal of meats that simmer in tomato sauce so long, it’s hard to tell where the meat ends and the sauce begins.
Making Sunday Gravy isn’t as difficult as I thought; and, if your kids love to cook as much as mine do, rolling meatballs is the perfect task for little hands. After selecting a variety of meats like pork chops, Italian sausage links, veal cutlets and/or ground sirloin for meatballs, the meat is browned in olive oil and garlic then added to crushed tomatoes in a large Dutch oven. After simmering in the tomatoes for hours, the meat is then removed to a platter and served separately from the sauce alongside pasta, bread and salad.
To further illuminate the differences in our culinary traditions, I typically eat salad first with bread then an entrée… and all within the time span of about 20 minutes. While the tradition of eating Italian Sunday Gravy is an all-afternoon event lasting about 2-3 hours, from pasta aglio e olio (pasta with garlic, olive oil and crushed peppers) and red table wine, the salad is actually eaten after the pasta. The big finale, or course, is cannoli and coffee. Get that… hours of uninterrupted time just relaxing and enjoying food and family- a la familia!
And, while I’m used to meat being in the pasta sauce, Sunday gravy is served with the meat removed from the sauce onto a separate platter. It’s also typically eaten early enough in the day to allow for proper digestion of its heavy ingredients, thus making it the perfect Sunday after-church meal. Combining my favorite herbs such as basil and parsley, check out my version of this traditional Italian dinner recipe:
Italian Sunday Gravy Recipe
So while this West Coast girl and her family sat down to enjoy Italian Gravy this Sunday, I could swear I heard the theme song from The Godfather playing in the background.
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