Hellos and Hacks

First of all, by way of hello - let's just be honest and say I have not been good at this all summer.  This is the first summer in, pretty much forever, that I worked 12 months as I've moved into a new position at my school.  I'm super grateful, but it definitely took some getting used to!  As such, the blog posts have been few and far between, however, as the new school year starts, I'm looking to change that!

My plan is, starting next week, to post Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  I'm going to do my BEST to keep to that schedule!

Also, in the way of social media, I have a few new accounts!

Twitter: @kellyskitchen3
Instagram: @kellyskitchen512

Now, hacks. I'm a big fan of the hack - my personal boards on Pinterest are basically organizing, cooking, and life hacks.  And throughout this blogging life, I've come up with a few that I'm quite fond of and that have really helped me out in the kitchen!

1.  Frozen Bananas
Obviously, I'm not new to this - but that is the secret to a super thick smoothie.  Because let's face it, when I want a smoothie, I want it to resemble a milkshake, only healthier!  Subbing the frozen bananas for ice give any smoothie an incredibly creamy texture.  I keep a bag in my freezer of frozen banana halves at all times!

2.  Chopped Salad Bags
Any salad in a bag is a great hack, but these mixed chopped salad bags I've started seeing have been a lifesaver.  Terrific for stir frys or to add to scrambles or omelettes.  I'm a big fan of anything where the hard part (chopping) is done for me.

This Asian Mix was a perfect addition to my cauliflower fried rice!  And what's great is that most of these bags have the dressing / seeds / nuts packaged separately, so you can keep it to 0 Smartpoints very easily!


3.  Instant Oatmeal Waffles

I'm a big fan of the Kodiak Cake Mixes, that's pretty much my weekend breakfast.  One day, before a longer run, I felt I needed an added boost, so I did a little experimenting.  I mixed a 1/3 cup of Kodiak Cakes mix and 1 packet of instant oatmeal together, added water, and threw it in the waffle iron.  The result was a super tasty, thick, and hearty waffle that powered me right through that run!

You can use any instant oats you want (I can't wait to throw some pumpkin in there in the fall!), but these have been my favorite so far!

I've had the Oatfit Cinnamon Roll and the Maple and Brown Sugar and both are great.  Added bonus - only 3 Smartpoints for the packet!  So that big, hearty waffle only ended up being 6 Smartpoints!

Lastly, just had to give a shoutout to my latest favorite - this Bento Box!  I tend to get bored pretty easily with lunches at work, and this seems to be just the ticket out of the rut.  Little compartments for veggies / fruit, a protein, and a starch or snack, plus a covered bowl for dips / yogurt, etc.  Looking forward to trying to some different combinations!




What are some of your favorite hacks???