Organizing Mamas: Kitchen Pantry Reveal

This week has been so busy. I haven't blogged much because Savannah's birthday consumed all of my free time. I'll do a post one day this week about everything we did to celebrate her turning five.

Now that I am sort of back in the swing of things Mimi from Unlikely Martha and I are revealing our spaces for the Organizing Mamas Challenge. This could not have come at a better time for me. While I was recovering from my hospital stay my Mom was in town and she pulled my entire kitchen together. It's so organized in here and I am loving it. I can actually find lids to containers now. My heart is so happy.

My pantry before was a hot mess. There were things stuffed and crammed all over the place. Little Mike would take stuff out, throw it away or hide it somewhere in the house. Now all of his favorite items to play with are out of his reach and no longer in bright eye catching colors. He has lost all interest in the pantry. Again, my heart is happy.

Here is a before pic of the pantry...

And here is the after...

One of the things my Mom did that I loved was that she completely removed all the medicine out of the pantry. She also got rid of the cereal boxes. One of my favorite new features of my pantry would be the snack tub. I don't buy much junk food but we always seem to have tortilla chips (because chips & salsa are household staples here) whatever snacks I buy for the kids. The smaller tub on top is filled with kid friendly snacks like fruit snacks, breakfast bars and applesauce. The larger tub holds popcorn bags and chips. 

The bread basket freed up space on my kitchen island (another heart happy moment) and I love that the potatoes and onions have a basket of their own. Military housing doesn't provide much storage in some of the historic homes (like our's) so you really have to get creative with making the small spaces work. I think my Mom did a great job!

What do you think of my pantry makeover? Now head over to Mimi's blog to see the reveal of her space. She recently did a blog overhaul with a new name and vibe to match. Be sure to stop by and show her post some love. She's got so many great DIY/home posts!

Quick Dinner Idea: Sofrito Shrimp Tacos

This is one of those dinner ideas that you accidentally stumble upon because you're tired of eating all of your normal meals. You're in the grocery store and you just grab things that you've heard people say a lot on the Food Newtork…Am I the only one that's done that? Maybe so.

This is a less than 30 minute (cook time) dinner. It is so good. When I say good I mean it's so good that there weren't any leftovers. Maybe we were hungry or greedy but it was banging.

So the first thing you'll want to do is season your shrimp with this...

This is the main ingredient for this Sofrito super fast tacos. I get the Goya brand. Cause you know, if it's Goya...


I use about 4 heaping teaspoons for a pound and a half of shrimp. You want it to look like this. Covered and smothered. Pop that in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes.


I then chopped my veggies.


And sautéed them with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper...


These are the tortillas we use. They are so good and good for you...


Here they are on my plate. (don't judge me. i needed all three of these.)


And folded up ready to meet their fate. Yum!! So easy and so fast. I topped them with some of my homemade salsa. That recipe is here...

Will you be making these? They are so good and so fast and easy to make. I can't say that enough, LOL! They are a little spicy if you add the salsa so keep that in mind when you plate for the little ones.

Kitchenista: Cornish Hens

If you follow me on FB you know that our internet is messing up again. I really don't get it but I do know that Time Warner Cable makes me sick. Ugh. All I want for Christmas is an Internet connection that doesn't go down every other month.

I'm doing this post from my cell so I apologize if it's a weird layout. I wanted to share a quick tasty dinner idea with you all. Tonight I made Cornish hens for dinner and they were amazing.

All you have to do is make the stuffing according to the box. Drizzle some olive oil on your birds. Sprinkle your hens with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Stuff your birds. Put a little scoop of butter on the breast before you place it in the oven.




Cover with a lid or foil and bake on 350 for an hour. Remove the lid/foil the last twenty minutes for browning.



This was so good. The hens were so moist and full of flavor. We are before I remembered to snap a pic of the finished product. These little birds are inexpensive and they take an ordinary chicken dinner to the next level. Will you be trying this?

Glade and Ziploc Holiday Collection

We are so close to the true start of the holiday season. In my opinion, the holiday season doesn't truly kick off until after Thanksgiving. We've been talking a lot about Thanksgiving here. I wanted to share some very fun and inexpensive ways to add that extra touch to your home this season. I am so excited to share the Glade® Winter Collection and the Ziploc® Holiday Collection. 

One of my favorite ways to get into the holiday spirit is by filling my home with yummy smells. I'm currently burning the Pure Vanilla Joy™ Glade® candle. It smells like a fresh batch of frosted sugar cookies. Yum! The collection also offers Sparkling Spruce™ if you prefer the scent of fresh cut pine and Apple Cinnamon Cheer™ if red apples and spice is more your style. My family will be trying Frosted Berry Kiss™ next because it's a mix of red berries and fresh green garlands, love! Perfect for Christmas, especially if you're like us and you opt for a not-so-live tree.

I always decorate our kitchen for the holiday season. This year I'm happy to have a little extra Christmas flair with the Ziploc® Holiday Collection. All of my Thanksgiving leftovers and desserts for friends are going to look so festive in these storage bags and containers.

We got the red and green containers. Since there were coupons in the paper for this collection I grabbed a few extras. You know these types of items tend to leave your home and not come back around this time of year. I'm happy that I was able to score some to have extras on hand for to-go plates.

These would also come in handy for hostess and teacher's gifts. Visit Kmart.com for over $12 in savings on Glade® and Ziploc® holiday collection products. 

So what do you think? Are you as excited as I am about the approaching holiday season?

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NICHE PARENT NETWORK. I AM A KMART SC JOHNSON BLOGGER, THOUGH ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.