Now that I am starting to settle into a routine with 3 kids, I am hoping to get back into a routine of eating more wholesome food.  I used to cook with alternative grains, beans and legumes but in the past months found myself neglecting to include them in our menus.  Granted it does take a little more prep work than simply opening a can but with a little pre-planning beans will be making a welcome come back in our meal repetoire.

I recently made a trip to my favorite bulk food store armed with my mom and two $3 off coupons.  I divided my order in two and got $6 off a total of $25.  I stocked up on my ol’ stand by pinto beans, spelt flour, whole grain flour but went out of my comfort zone and purchased black beans.  I m anxious to try a few new mexican recipes of which I plan to use my homemade yogurt or strained keift in place of commercial sour cream.

If you are a bean newbie and would like some ideas on this protein packed gem check some of these out.

Stephanie’s baby steps series on beans (Still working on her Say No! to Kraft Dinner, I confess I am guilty of dishing out this one now and then)

Black Bean quessidillas

refried beans

You may want to space out your bean meals until one gets accustomed to their effects….can’t say I didn’t warn you.

Dane has become obsessed with crayons.  From the moment he wakes up to post dinner time clean up, he is constantly scribbling, throwing, chewing and playing with crayons.

Honestly they are driving me nuts.  Being the sneaky mom that I am, I have been slowly (to avoid detection) stashing the excess in a hiding spot to reduce the number of crayons I have to pick up each and every night.  So far he hasn’t noticed.

I came across these neat ideas that I would love to recreate to make crayon ownership that much more bearable.

Love this one but there is that minor detail of not knowing how to sew.  I am thinking no sew glue is in order for this one.

With body lotion use on the rise there is little need for these soap holders anymore.  They are a dime a dozen at thrift stores and I will be on the lookout for a few to store travel amounts of crayons for the road.  At the rate I am hiding them that will be all that’s left of them.

We have the garage, the farm, the dollhouse and the castle.  A total of 4 of those Fisher Price little people play sets all strewn about canoodling together.

Seriously, how can that burly mechanic figure play in the confines of a pink dollhouse and can the cow really do much good in the car wash station of the garage?  I think not.  That’s why I had to come up with a system to keep these guys in their own territory.

Out came the trusty reusable Ziploc bags.  They were the perfect size to fit in each of the associated pieces and were easily labelled and stored in a cardboard box.  Every few days I haul out a new one with the co-coordinating pieces while conveniently tucking away the old one.  It is as though my kids  are getting a new toy every few days and they actually focus and play with it them as opposed to stepping all over the pile of plastic pieces.

The nice part is when it comes time to sell or hand these toys down they are going to be a complete set, no more finding that rooster stashed in your floor stereo speakers while spring cleaning….that sounded way to detailed to be hypothetical didn’t it?

Now if only that barn brood and construction crew would walk themselves right back into those baggies, I’d be all set.  Keep ya posted on that’s working for me.

For more works for me tips visit We are that Family

I recently came across this post on using Clear jars for storage.  I love my glass containers and use various sized one’s for storing my dry goods in the kitchen.

Why spend a whack of money on plastic expensive storage containers when you can get inexpensive (check your thrift stores) and safe (no BPA) glass jars?

I use several large jars for my regular and instant oatmeal

I love these glass medicine bottles.  They are the perfect size for storing a full bottle of extract.

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I picked up several of these wide mouth mason jars for a quarter at a yard sale.  The opening is larger than the standard jars and makes it easy to scoop coffee and other hot beverage mixes out.

Before tossing this oil and vinegar jar in the trash I knew it would be perfect for storing my dishwashing soap.  So much more attractive than a plastic bottle on the edge of the sink.  I also save money when I buy the soap in bulk where I simply have to fill it up as need be.

So before tossing those glass jars in the trash rethink their use in the kitchen

For more kitchen tips visit Tammy’s recipes.  My #1 source for recipes in my household.  They are all fabulous and easy to follow, I tossed out my cookbooks after finding this site.  This week Amy from Finer things in life is hosting kitchen tips.