Hacks to help with a kitchen remodel

Have I mentioned we’re in the middle of a total kitchen remodel? It’s week four and we’re beginning to see glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully it’s not a train. Just kiddin’. Kinda. Remodeling in general is not for the faint-hearted, and remodeling a kitchen must surely reign at the top of the chaos-causing list of home improvement projects.

That said, I’ve learned a few things in the last couple weeks that I want to share in case anyone else out there has kitchen dreams, but you’ve been putting it off indefinitely because you just can’t imagine how you’d make it without a stove. This isn’t exhaustive by any means. For instance, I don’t mention grits below and heaven knows we’ve eaten our share in the past month. Having a man that likes to grill is also a big-time help, but beyond that, here are some other ideas to get you thinking. As I said in the reel, you don’t have to eat out the entire time—unless you want to! ~smile~

In addition to the handy dandy microwave, electric skillets and crockpots come in clutch! Here are a few things you can do with each.

Use the electric skillet for grilling sandwiches and toasting tortillas to make breakfast wraps or meat/veggie wraps for lunch and dinner. They’re great alongside a salad. Ideas for tortilla fillings are endless. Here are a few of mine: scramble or fry eggs, sauté’ veggies, or consider heating real bacon bits or warming meat pulled from store-bought rotisserie chickens. I also love adding fresh mushrooms to our wraps.

The crockpot is great for embellishing store-bought soups. A few examples: Prep potatoes by washing and dicing. Microwave until they’re soft and add to store bought potato soup. Top with your favorite fixings. You can also add fresh broccoli to premade broccoli and cheese soup. Or use more of that store-bought rotisserie chicken and make a Mexican Tortilla Soup in your crockpot. Here are a few simple steps for mine:

Mexican Tortilla Soup

Meat from one roasted chicken

1 bag of frozen onions, peppers, and celery

1 can crushed tomatoes (I like the roasted tomatoes with garlic. Experiment with the flavors to find your family’s favorite.)

1 can pinto beans, black beans, or both!

1 can chopped green chilis

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can chopped or sliced black olives

2 packets of taco soup mix (Can you tell we like flavor?!)

1 carton chicken broth

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Debone chicken and add to your crockpot. Meanwhile begin sautéing onions, peppers, and celery. You want them to cook down and caramelize to add all of their good flavor to your soup. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, green chilis, and black olives.  Add chicken broth and sautéed veggies. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic and cook on high 4-6 hours or leave it on low all day if you’re juggling balls and running at full speed.  Top with chopped green onions and grated cheese and serve with your favorite tortilla chip or cracker.

I’ll be back to let you know how the remodel turns out! Blessings friends~

Hugs,
Shellie