Hey there, friend! Have you ever felt like cooking dinner is just one more overwhelming task on your never-ending to-do list?
Trust us, We’ve been there. But what if we told you that just five minutes of prep could transform your entire cooking experience?
In this episode of Clutter-Free Academy, host Kathi Lipp shares her top five pre-cooking habits that can transform any kitchen experience. Joined by Tonya Kubo, Kathi reveals simple yet effective strategies to make cooking less stressful and more enjoyable. Kathi and Tonya provide practical advice for listeners looking to implement these habits in their own kitchens, regardless of size or layout.
Listeners will discover:
- The benefits of gathering all ingredients before starting to cook
- Why printing recipes or using a tablet stand can make following instructions easier
- The value of laying out all necessary tools before beginning to cook
Listeners will come away with actionable steps to create a more organized, efficient, and enjoyable cooking experience, ultimately leading to less stress and more time to enjoy meals with family.
As promised in this episode,
Here’s the picture and link to Kathi’s favorite cookbook stand.
https://www.dayspring.com/mary-martha-psalm-90-17-cookbook-stand
And here’s her Poppy Seed Chicken recipe!
Poppy Seed Chicken
Ingredients:
- 4 Chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
- 1 can Cream of chicken soup
- 4 oz Sour cream
- 2 tsp Poppy seeds, divided
- 1/4 c. Melted margarine
- 1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers
Directions:
- Combine soup, sour cream and 1 tsp of the poppy seeds in a bowl. Crush crackers and combine with melted margarine and remaining poppy seeds. Layer chicken and soup in casserole dish, then top with cracker mixture. Cover and freeze.
- Defrost overnight.
- Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
Order your copy of Sabbath Soup here and sign up to receive your free ebook featuring four week’s worth of easy meal plans and delicious recipes.
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Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest
Kathi Lipp gives readers an easy-to-follow process for meal planning and prep, so that they can enjoy a full day each week of real rest and refreshment.
Could you use a break from cooking (and everything else) once a week? Not only is rest vital for your mind and body, it’s good for your soul too. God designed us to enter into Sabbath rest one day per week, but as you know, meals still need to be made. Your family still needs to be fed.
Sabbath Soup includes convenient, seasonal meal plans that take the guesswork out of shopping and cooking. More than just a collection of delicious recipes—including main dishes, breads, breakfasts, desserts, salads, sides, and yes, soups—this is your guide to establishing a weekly rhythm and routine of meal planning and prep that allows you to have a true day off.
Do something good for your soul and experience the peace that comes with a full day dedicated to spending time with God, family, and friends. Savor your Sabbath as you proudly proclaim, “Soup’s on!”
Order your copy of Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest here.
Links Mentioned:
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What’s your favorite kitchen organizing tool or hack?
Share in the comments!
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Transcript
Kathi (00:01.23)
Okay, this is 639, five things I always do before I start cooking, but I just remembered something I wanted to talk to Tonya about.
Well, hey friends, welcome to Clutter-Free Academy where our goal is to help you take small doable steps every day to live with less clutter and more life. And I am back with co-host of Clutter -Free Academy, it’s Tonya Kubo. Hey, Tonya. Are you sick of talking about cooking?
Tonya Kubo (00:32.588)
Hey, Kathi.
Tonya Kubo (00:37.985)
No, I love talking about cooking. It’s like my favorite thing.
Kathi (00:39.552)
I love talking about cooking too. I know this is Clutterfree Academy and we keep talking about cooking, but I feel like they are very, they go side by side. It’s the stuff we have to do every day of our lives. you and I are both cooking with a limp right now because you don’t have an oven either, do you? Yeah, so my air fryer seven and one combo is getting doing
Tonya Kubo (00:52.78)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (01:00.364)
I do not.
Tonya Kubo (01:06.392)
Hahaha
Kathi (01:07.928)
quadruple duty at this point. Yes, what kind of air fryer do you have?
Tonya Kubo (01:10.387)
As is mine.
Tonya Kubo (01:14.481)
I think it’s called a Kalorik. It’s K -A -L -O -R -I -K. Got it from Kohl’s.
Kathi (01:16.556)
Okay?
Okay, okay, okay. We have the Ninja 7 and 1 and that is now my ride or die. I love that thing. And it flips up. It makes me so happy.
Tonya Kubo (01:24.482)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (01:28.289)
Yeah
yeah, yours takes up a lot less space than mine. Ours, we wanted French doors so that we could get things easily in and out. So this was one of a couple versions that had that at the time.
Kathi (01:35.512)
Nice, yes. No, so smart.
That is awesome. Well today we are talking about I well I’m talking about and Tonya’s I want to hear your ideas as well But I just realized and it’s taken me. I don’t know 57 years to figure this out if I spend about five minutes prepping before I start cooking I don’t feel so stabby While I’m cooking like I enjoy cooking until I have to cook
Tonya Kubo (01:48.748)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (02:01.229)
Mm -hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kathi (02:12.078)
And then when I have to cook, I’m like, I’m just annoyed by everybody. And so I’ve realized this will take, depending on the state of my kitchen, let’s be honest, five to 10 minutes before I cook and it makes all the difference in the world. So I just wanted to go through these five things pretty quickly. So the first thing is comfortable shoes. I have an ankle issue.
Tonya Kubo (02:16.491)
Yeah.
Tonya Kubo (02:23.384)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (02:41.517)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (02:41.588)
in that, the tendons in my feet are too short. And so if I’m on my feet for any amount of time, my ankle swells up. It’s delightful, let me just tell you. And so I used to, because we don’t tend to wear shoes in our house, I used to just wear like my slippers or something. And by the time I was done, I was crying. So now I wear it, and for like all day cooking.
Tonya Kubo (02:52.098)
Mm
Tonya Kubo (02:58.253)
Mm
Tonya Kubo (03:04.161)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (03:09.358)
I have a brand that I use Vionics that I’m a big fan of. They’re for people with flat feet. But I have heard recently about Hokas. The universe or the Holy Spirit, I’m not sure which, is telling me over and over again about Hokas. And you have a pair.
Tonya Kubo (03:12.322)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (03:21.141)
Yes.
Tonya Kubo (03:29.258)
I do, I have a pair of their sandals and they’re really nice. So I have very high arches, which means naturally that I just put a lot of pressure and weight on the front part of my foot. And especially on those bones that are like below the pinky toe and the toe next to it, know, the toe that stays home and the one that goes wee wee wee all the way home. Those two toes get a lot of pressure underneath them.
Kathi (03:42.488)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (03:47.511)
okay.
Kathi (03:51.02)
Yes, yes. Okay.
Tonya Kubo (03:56.44)
And so Hoka’s because they have that high art support, they help balance out that pressure. Cause like you, Kathi, I mean, I don’t have foot problems, but I have hard floors in my kitchen. And I just find that the bottom of my feet will hurt so much after even just an hour of trying to walk around barefoot cooking.
Kathi (04:15.118)
Yeah, yeah, I did get a standing mat too. That has been really, really helpful. Yeah. So my yeah, and I’ve had some major foot surgery. This was like 30 years ago, but I have to baby my feet. So I was at physical therapy the other day for another broken part of my body. And they all suggested hocus, which is really interesting. I’m going to have to research a little bit more because I have the flattest feet in the world. Like
Tonya Kubo (04:20.0)
Which are helpful, yeah.
Tonya Kubo (04:25.516)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (04:42.221)
Yeah.
Kathi (04:43.018)
Yeah, so I have to see if that if that’s what’s gonna work for me But putting good shoes on can make a big difference Especially if you’re going to be doing some batch cooking or something like that, and I don’t do put this down every day It’s just there all the day all day long, but that standing mat has really been super helpful to me. Okay number two Before I cook I empty the dishwasher and clean out the sink
Tonya Kubo (04:53.74)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (05:01.196)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (05:10.687)
Yes.
Kathi (05:11.84)
So tell me why this is important to you, Tonya.
Tonya Kubo (05:14.924)
Well, for me, it’s a couple of things. First of all, it helps to clean as you go, right? There’s nothing worse than spending an hour, two hours cooking, sit down to eat, and then afterward, you can’t even see your sink, right? Your sink is buried in dishes and then you have to go. And then it feels, I’m sure it’s not another hour of doing dishes, but it feels like an hour of doing dishes.
Kathi (05:21.324)
Yes, right.
Kathi (05:34.274)
Yeah.
Kathi (05:42.83)
Mm
Tonya Kubo (05:42.998)
Whereas when you start off, if the dishwasher is empty and the sink is empty, then you can be putting dishes in the sink as you go. And then when you’re waiting for something to come to a boil or you’re waiting for the oven to come to temperature, you can just start loading your dishwasher as you go.
Kathi (06:00.908)
Yes, it makes all the difference in the world to not feel like you have to move something before you do something else and clear off the counter before you do something else. And for me, like one of the things that I have found that is really important for me is to be able to put the colander in the sink so that when I’m rinsing things off, I’m not having to like move the stuff out. It just makes it so much easier.
Tonya Kubo (06:08.34)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (06:19.867)
yeah.
Tonya Kubo (06:23.17)
Mm
Kathi (06:28.138)
And any professional chef, any kitchen will tell you starting off with clean counters that you’re able to put things on, that you have room to work, et cetera, et cetera, is chef’s kiss. yes, so it is my biggest part of prep to do that. And if I know I’m gonna be cooking the next day, I’ll make sure that I run the dishes the night before.
Tonya Kubo (06:35.202)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (06:42.188)
Yes.
Tonya Kubo (06:56.257)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (06:56.82)
So that I can start off with that clean sink. Okay, we’re gonna take a yes, please Yeah
Tonya Kubo (07:00.536)
Can I, before we take a break, one more thing I think that goes along with the clean dishes, like clean dishwasher, clean sink, clean your counters. If you can start with like cleared counters, I’m not saying you have to scrub your grout. I’m just saying clear the counters off so you have space for staging.
Kathi (07:06.103)
Yes.
Kathi (07:10.572)
Yeah, it’s so true.
Yes. Yeah.
It’s become my life’s goal to keep as little on my counters as possible. the right now, if you look at my counters, the things that I have on it are our standing mixer because it weighs 700 pounds and it scares me. Yeah, I’m not moving it. It’s it’s my biggest fear in life, Tonya. It is my biggest fear in life.
Tonya Kubo (07:38.274)
Same, same. I’m so scared to drop it on my toe.
Mm
Kathi (07:48.108)
Then, like my knees are weak just as we’re talking about it. Like that feeling you get behind your kneecap, that’s my feeling right now. So I have my standing mixer, my paper towels, which I’m still trying to figure a way to get like mounted underneath. Yeah, that’s my next goal. My air fryer, God bless it, we salute it. This is gonna sound weird, but my ice cream maker.
Tonya Kubo (08:06.004)
up.
Kathi (08:16.48)
It fits into that weird corner that nothing really, you know, and so I can pull it forward and it makes a big difference. And then I’m trying to think of anything else I have on the sink except for the kitchen, you know, the soap. Like that’s my goal is to have it as clear as possible, to have as much room as possible. And I will be honest, a big part of that was getting a kitchen island. That helped a lot. Okay, we’re gonna take a quick.
Tonya Kubo (08:20.289)
Yeah.
Tonya Kubo (08:36.376)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (08:41.09)
Yeah.
Kathi (08:45.026)
break and then we’re gonna come back and we’re gonna talk about tip number three, about five things I always do before I start cooking. Okay friends, we’re back. So number one was to lace up our running shoes. Number two, empty the dishwasher, clean out the sink and Tonya added, just clear the counters as much as you possibly can, keep your counters clear. And then number three for me is to pull all the ingredients out of the fridge, freezer, and pantry.
Tonya Kubo (09:05.741)
Mm
Tonya Kubo (09:13.708)
Yes.
Kathi (09:15.586)
Because can we talk about how many times I’ve started a recipe and realized, I don’t have all the things I thought I had.
Tonya Kubo (09:22.488)
Probably twice as many as I have and I’m like have done that at least a hundred times.
Kathi (09:27.348)
It’s so annoying, right?
Tonya Kubo (09:30.038)
And I feel like this whole episode is you sharing one of your tips and me going, yes, that, do that.
Kathi (09:34.55)
Yeah, that’s okay. Yes, but it makes such a difference to say, okay, I have everything I need. And when I do my big week cooking for Sabbath soup, I actually have baskets that all the ingredients for this recipe go into this basket, all the ingredients, not the fresh stuff, I don’t put you know, because I do this the night before, but it makes such a difference. And then I realize, okay,
Tonya Kubo (09:40.961)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (09:44.962)
Yeah.
Tonya Kubo (09:48.76)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (09:54.733)
Right?
Tonya Kubo (10:00.279)
Yeah.
Kathi (10:03.766)
Either if I don’t have an ingredient, either I can shift. I can say, you know, okay, so in my chicken and wild rice soup and I don’t have chicken, so we’re gonna do pulled pork in that and it’s gonna be fine. Or, you know, something like, or we’re do turkey in it or something. We can always shift. Or if I don’t have heavy cream, I can do half and half. Like there’s a million ways you can change up a recipe. It’s okay as long as you know going in.
Tonya Kubo (10:08.962)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (10:21.005)
Mm
Tonya Kubo (10:26.808)
Mm
Tonya Kubo (10:32.404)
Right. I mean, it’s so important because I think about like this weekend, I did a bunch of cooking and there was one recipe and I’m like, okay, mentally, right? Ticking off like, okay, got that, got that, got that. yeah. You know what? I’ll make that for dinner tonight because I’ve got all the things. And then when I went to set everything out and compare it to the recipe, I did not realize it called for sour cream. And I was like, I didn’t know that. And if I had looked at it the day before,
Kathi (10:33.521)
Yes.
Kathi (10:47.288)
Yeah.
Kathi (10:54.672)
Tonya Kubo (11:00.716)
then I could have saved some Greek yogurt. But the day before I was making sourdough pancakes, which call for buttermilk. And so I just use a combination of milk and Greek yogurt. that’s, well, milk and Greek yogurt, right? That makes a good thick buttermilk. And so I was like, use the Greek yogurt. So then it was like, okay, so we need to make sure we get sour cream the next time we go to the store when I want to make this recipe. But otherwise, I would have gotten
Kathi (11:03.694)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (11:12.002)
Vinegar. Yeah. okay. okay, cool.
Kathi (11:21.421)
Yeah.
Tonya Kubo (11:30.764)
like four steps into the process, because sour cream comes in at the end, and then not been able to finish because I didn’t have sour
Kathi (11:35.116)
Yes.
Right. This is why, you know, this is one of the things I do beforehand. But having an inventory of what you have is actually kind of awesome when you’ve got that much going on. So, yeah, pulling everything out, saying I do have everything I need or I can flex or I can make a different recipe. It’s the idea of mise en place, you know, just to have everything prepped.
Tonya Kubo (11:47.223)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (11:58.85)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (12:06.538)
everything you know all of that ready to go and You can flex you can think of you know If you don’t have the buttermilk which I don’t know why anybody buys buttermilk because you can just make it so easily and What would I use it for these other things but you can say okay? I don’t have like you said. I don’t have the sour cream. Let’s flex. Let’s do something different We can make we’re smart people we can make different choices Okay number four
Tonya Kubo (12:19.914)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (12:29.004)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (12:36.568)
For years, I tried to follow a recipe on my phone. my phone is small, your phone is small, all of our phones are small. So I’m gonna say either, there are two things here. Either print out the recipe, which I find to be the most helpful for a couple of reasons. One, if I print it out and I make adjustments to it, I can write that directly on the recipe. Two, I can find the recipe again.
Tonya Kubo (12:39.64)
Mm
Tonya Kubo (13:00.076)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (13:05.858)
because what is more frustrating than having a recipe you love and never being able to find it again? You know, it’s because you’ve been looking for it either in the cookbook or whatever. And three, I have a binder of all my favorite recipes and I can go back and I can look for things and I can say, we really enjoyed this. But also it’s just so much easier to move around your kitchen. Now,
Tonya Kubo (13:06.145)
Right.
Tonya Kubo (13:12.663)
This is true.
Tonya Kubo (13:16.32)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (13:31.864)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (13:32.13)
This also works with an iPad or a tablet of some sort, but what do you do, Tonya, when it’s not necessarily a cookbook?
Tonya Kubo (13:43.262)
Yeah, for us. So I’ll use my phone. Brian will always print out the recipe because, you know, he gets distracted if he picks up his phone. You know, where I but you know, it’s funny that you bring that up because our printer is out of ink right now. And this weekend I was making one recipe, but it called for an ingredient and there was a second recipe for that.
Kathi (13:49.806)
Mm
Kathi (13:54.391)
Yeah, me too.
Tonya Kubo (14:07.488)
And it was so annoying. Like I had, I had each recipe on a different tab on my phone so I could flip back and forth. But there was a point where I was like, if I just had these printed out, that would be so much easier.
Kathi (14:07.584)
yes.
Kathi (14:19.2)
Yeah, and that’s really where I am. I get very easily distracted or sometimes I’ll want to play a video on my phone while I’m cooking or you know because you and I are both in the social media space I want to be recording what I’m cooking which is not what everybody wants to do but sometimes that is what I want to do and just having that laid out being able to make adjustments to it. I also I have a cookbook holder
Tonya Kubo (14:27.862)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (14:33.943)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (14:47.02)
that is the size of a piece of paper that has been very helpful to be able to hold all of that. Or just having a magnet and putting it on the side of my stove, out of reach so it doesn’t catch on fire, or on the side of my refrigerator. That’s a great way of doing it as well. then, number five, having a stand is great whether you have a tablet.
Tonya Kubo (14:47.106)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (14:52.482)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (14:59.667)
Okay, yeah.
Tonya Kubo (15:05.496)
Mm
Kathi (15:14.918)
Cookbook or printed out a recipe. I really think a cookbook stand is Critical and I’ll put a picture of my cookbook stand in in the show notes so that you can all see it I got it from Day Spring. I love it. Then number five
Kathi (15:44.14)
This goes along with just getting yourself ready. It’s almost like if you think about your favorite cooking shows, how they have everything laid out, being your own sous chef. So you’ve already, you you’ve cleaned out the sink. You’ve already put the ingredients together. You’ve got the recipe. And then the next thing is having all the tools laid out. what? OK, so this is what I call my fancy lady cooking. OK, let me tell you about my fancy lady cooking.
Tonya Kubo (16:11.51)
Mm -hmm. I want to hear about the fancy lady.
Kathi (16:15.148)
Because you know, I just bought a kitchen island. I’m so grateful. It’s not big, but it has a lot of storage. It has a surprising amount of storage. And we are making another shelf to go in there so that we can store even more. But in there, I have a set of glass bowls that are different sizes. I have my salt and pepper. I have my nesting.
Tonya Kubo (16:22.134)
Mm -hmm. Okay.
Tonya Kubo (16:30.488)
Mmm.
Tonya Kubo (16:36.152)
Okay.
Kathi (16:42.862)
measuring cups and measuring spoons. I have a cutting board and on top of this kitchen island, I have my knife block. Like everything I need is right there ready to go and I love it. Yes. So I just go on what the side I’m not cooking on. open up.
Tonya Kubo (16:55.864)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (17:01.58)
Nice.
Tonya Kubo (17:08.705)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (17:09.942)
the doors, I just put everything on top of the island, I’m ready to go. So how can you make storing your tools easier for yourself? There are, you know, some of it, some of it really, and you know, you’re listening to Clutter-Free Academy, so you’re not gonna be surprised by this particular idea. But to get rid of everything in your kitchen that you’re not really using, so you can get to the things that you’re using,
Tonya Kubo (17:16.044)
So good.
Tonya Kubo (17:20.181)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (17:36.376)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (17:38.9)
on a daily or at least weekly basis. What accommodations have you made in your kitchen? I’ll ask you this in a second. I’ll tell you mine first that have made storing and getting to your tools easier. For me, it was all the Rubbermaid, I’ve replaced all my random Tupperware storage with the Rubbermaid Crystal Series.
Tonya Kubo (17:40.418)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (18:01.794)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (18:06.722)
which are all square sizes and they fit so beautifully into our pullout drawers. It’s just made such a difference that I don’t feel anger every time I go to our storage containers. Yeah, how about you, Tonya?
Tonya Kubo (18:08.758)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (18:19.884)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (18:23.946)
Yeah.
So that’s been a big one for us. In fact, we were just talking about how, cause you know, we invested in a set probably a couple of years ago, but you know, when you have small children, not everything comes home. Or if they fidget, they like to fidget the little flaps off, which really affects, it’s a huge problem in my house is everybody fidgets the little side flaps off. So then we, you know, switched to using some like, like gladware style.
Kathi (18:36.77)
Mm -hmm, right.
Kathi (18:42.222)
interesting. Yeah, that has not been a problem with Roger. Okay.
Tonya Kubo (18:55.468)
containers, this weekend, you know, it’s like, okay, we need to go back to using that because the Gladware containers just don’t hold up well in the wash, right? They get misshapen. But for us, it’s been all of those containers, like everything that we might use to package up food, whether it’s for a school lunch or to package up leftovers is in one cabinet. So I’m only going to that cabinet if I need to focus on food storage.
Kathi (19:02.774)
Right. Yeah.
Kathi (19:16.695)
Yes.
Tonya Kubo (19:22.602)
And then we have another cabinet. So we do have our like bakeware and mixing bowls and cabinets next to each other. But then we have a cabinet that’s for what I call like big food prep. So that is where the cheese grater lives. We have two sizes of food processor. So we have like the mini chopper and then we have the larger one. We only use the larger one like a couple of times a year, usually around the holidays. But that mini chopper is so nice. You know, chop up a few cloves of garlic.
Kathi (19:33.442)
Yeah.
Kathi (19:37.048)
Yeah. mm -hmm. Yeah.
Kathi (19:46.087)
Right.
Yeah.
Tonya Kubo (19:51.966)
onion, a few carrots, that works out really, really well. And so that is in one specific cabinet. And it just makes life so much easier if you’re not having to dip into five different cabinets and then reach to the back.
Kathi (19:58.168)
Mm.
Kathi (20:03.094)
Yes, yeah. I think so much of willingness to be cooking at home is removing those steps. Those extra steps that just like, my gosh, are you kidding me? That’s why getting, you know, our pantry is in our garage. It’s in an entirely two rooms away from the kitchen. And so to be able to gather everything at once, having that little basket that I take out there and say,
Tonya Kubo (20:11.874)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (20:21.848)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (20:26.07)
Right.
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (20:32.672)
And the other thing I do, which I’ve mentioned on other shows is
Tonya Kubo (20:36.04)
I was going to say, we gotta talk about the baskets, Kathi.
Kathi (20:38.958)
Yeah, the baskets are great. So I have this basket. It’s just a plastic basket that I think I got at Target. I may have gotten a couple of the styles at Walmart, but I definitely got some of them at Target. It’s rectangle. Yeah, I would say it’s about like about a 9 by 13, that kind of size. And it has handles. And what I do is when I print out the recipe and I’ll even print out recipes,
Tonya Kubo (20:50.205)
And it’s square or rectangle, right? Okay.
Tonya Kubo (20:58.306)
Mm
Kathi (21:07.394)
that are from a cookbook I own so that I can put that on a clipboard to put in that basket. And so that recipe, I’m not trying to remember all the things I need and go to the garage and come back and we’re like, dang, I forgot the pinto beans. And I go back to the garage. No, no, no, I’m getting everything. I’m checking it off as I go. I have got everything I need in that basket with the clipboard, with the recipe.
Tonya Kubo (21:07.48)
Mm
Tonya Kubo (21:15.957)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (21:26.881)
Right.
Kathi (21:36.558)
So that i’m going and i’m gathering all of that because I think it’s the going back and forth You know an additional 50 steps to get those pinto beans is what makes it like I don’t ever want to cook. It just takes so much energy. No, no, no, no We’re gonna prep everything ahead of time put it in that basket gather everything that we need and Take that basket wherever our prep is going, you know, if you’re if you’re taking things to that food processor
Tonya Kubo (22:01.826)
Mmm.
Kathi (22:06.592)
or maybe it’s to the standing mixer. Like I’m just taking everything with me and I’m not going back and forth a thousand times. It makes all the difference in the world.
Tonya Kubo (22:15.84)
Yeah, well, and you know another benefit to that method is, at least in my mind, is for those of us who live in households, especially with small children, sometimes we buy things and they don’t actually make it to making the recipe. So like, for instance, there was a recipe I made, it was like dinner on Monday night, and it used crushed-up Ritz crackers.
Kathi (22:32.476)
Mmm, yes, yes.
Tonya Kubo (22:40.936)
I had been trying to make that recipe, Kathi, for two weeks, but people kept eating all my crackers. And so finally I’m like, Hey everybody, see this box of crackers? This, these are mom’s crackers. They are for a recipe. And everybody looked at me like I had a third eye. But as you talked about that, it’s like, well you could actually just put, you know, whether you need a sleeve of crackers, two sleeves of crackers, put that in the basket. And then everybody knows whatever’s in the basket is off-limits.
Kathi (22:41.297)
Ha
Kathi (22:52.59)
Yes.
Yes. Right.
Kathi (23:09.324)
Yes, and I just remembered we talked about a chicken and rice recipe. I think it was on the last podcast. Okay, but it was the poppy seed chicken recipe and I will I’ll drop that recipe in here because it’s terrible for you is the least healthy recipe, but it’s the one my son always asked for when he’s coming home. And you know what? If you’re going to have something that’s not healthy, have something that’s delicious, right? So yeah.
Tonya Kubo (23:18.904)
Uhhhh
Tonya Kubo (23:34.782)
yes, yes, we all want the chicken poppy seed recipe, don’t we? don’t we folks? listeners?
Kathi (23:38.326)
Yeah, I will make sure. Yes, it’s so good and it uses Ritz crackers. That’s what that was the trail that helped me remember that. Yes. Yes, I could help you with that. It having those and that’s another one other kitchen tool I love is having some blue painter’s tape on hand because you can say with the blue painter’s tape if it’s.
Tonya Kubo (23:47.281)
I have some Ritz crackers right now. I feel like I need this recipe.
Tonya Kubo (24:00.696)
Mm -hmm.
Kathi (24:05.292)
You know something that you can’t write on with marker. Don’t eat this stop it people or You know, I use the blue painter’s tape to remind myself like to What was I gonna say if I’m running out of something or you know measurements those kind of things or I can use it to seal up Packages like their blue painter’s tape is a great tool to have in your kitchen Okay, so the five things I always do before I start cooking Tonya what’s
Tonya Kubo (24:06.488)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Kathi (24:35.114)
What’s the most important thing that if you’re saying, okay, if you can’t do five, just do this?
Tonya Kubo (24:41.76)
Empty the dishwasher, clean out the sink before you get started.
Kathi (24:43.746)
I think you’re right. I think I have to agree with you there because it’s about lowering the barriers. It’s about lowering the barriers. yeah, having that clean surface I think is so, so important. Tonya, this has been great. Thanks for hanging out with me.
Tonya Kubo (24:50.198)
Mm -hmm.
Tonya Kubo (24:58.85)
Thanks for having me.
Kathi (25:00.448)
And friends, thank you for hanging out with me. You’ve been listening to Clutterfree Academy. I’m Kathi Lipp. Now, go create the clutter-free life you’ve always wanted to live.
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I loved today’s podcast, but that’s nothing new ?
Clear counters: At one time I had an under counter knife holder (maybe Chicago Cutlery?) but it was perfect. Pulled down, snap shut
Hoka shoes: my last orthotist suggested I switch (was wearing Vionics). I need a shoe that I can remove the insole for my orthotic. Many different options with cute colors (I must wear them every.single.day and black works best). My sister found a pair in my size at REI on their retuned shelf so that pair was purchased at about 1/2 price. Check there from time to time. I was lucky.
Recipes: I have an app called Plan To Eat. Recipes can be added via download or by hand. You can drag them to the menu and then the ingredients are transferred to a shopping list. You can specify where you get certain things so the list will say flour and cheese at Aldi’s, but list the frozen cauliflower crust at Walmart. The annual fee is usually HALF PRICE around Black Friday. (Recipes can be sorted by name, ingredient, a tag you have assigned like kosher, etc. ) You can change the yield, add comments, change the featured photo and they are shareable). You can even print the recipe.