Kitchen Resolutions: Second Quarter Check-In

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If you’re anything like me, you’re simultaneously wondering how we are somehow halfway through 2019, when it was just 2004 last week but also really excited that it’s finally summer because winter seemed to last approximately ten years. But here we are in July, and so it’s time to reflect back on how I’m doing with my goals. I’m doing a second quarter check-in for my kitchen resolutions.

If you need a reminder, you can read all about my kitchen resolutions from when I first decided what they’d be, and where we were about three months ago for my first quarter check-in. Plenty has changed, so let’s get started.

Utilize Tools And Gadgets To Make Eating Healthy Easier

We moved in the beginning of June, so there was about a month or so where I didn’t use any of my appliances or gadgets as they were packed away. However, I have started to find new homes for some of these pieces in the house, which will help them be more accessible.

One gadget  have been using heavily in the past three weeks is the salad spinner. I found that if I wash and dry all my lettuce and greens as soon as I get them, it’s so much easier to make a lunchtime salad. It’s nice having those ready to go, so I don’t waste too much of my break prepping.

Clean Small Appliances Immediately After Using

There’s always room for improvement, but I mostly have been keeping up with this goal, with the help of my husband. He tends to be a lot better at keeping some of the bigger pieces clean, like the food processor bowl and the mixer bowl.

I know that as we get further into the summer, I’ll be bringing out the juicer more. That one has a lot of tiny pieces that definitely need to be cleaned right away, so it’s still a focus.

Fill My Fridge With Locally Grown Produce

Upstate New York harvest season has finally arrived and I am taking full advantage! You may remember that we signed up for a CSA back in the first quarter of the year. Well, now we are three weeks in and my fridge is definitely filling up. In fact, we now have a second fridge, and that one is perfect for longer term storage like apples and root vegetables.

As we go deeper into summer, I’m thinking that this goal will be pretty easy to stay on track, so I’m amending it slightly. Not only do I want to fill my fridge with produce, but I want to make sure we’re eating it regularly so nothing goes bad. That’s a little tougher.

Attempt To Make A Sourdough Starter – And Keep It Alive!

Well, I think I lost this one. When we moved, my sourdough starter did not take well to the change. It just hasn’t been the same since. I’ve fed it a couple times, but I haven’t seen it bounce back.

Before we moved, I was having fun using the discard starter for plenty of homemade crackers and baked goods. I was even getting excited to start making some more interesting breads from Sarah Owens’s book. But now, it looks like I might need to scrap it and start over. I guess it’s a good thing I never came up with a name.

So there’s the update. No one is perfect, and I’m really proud that I kept up with my sourdough starter through the colder seasons. If it is dead, I may wait until fall to bring it back. Instead I can focus on trying out our new bread machine!

My main focus for this next quarter is the first goal, to really utilize the gadgets I have to eat healthy. I’m also going to research food storage methods for my local produce, to use it as efficiently as possible.

Did you set any goals for the year? If so, how are you doing at the halfway point?