Welcome to the Inner-B Blog

The last thing anyone wants to do after enjoying a lovely meal is to clean the kitchen, especially at the end of the day. Rather than let dirty dishes stack up and wake up to a messy kitchen try implementing a new routine. The truth is cleaning the kitchen is often faster than you imagine and it doesn’t have to be done by one person.

Get the family involved, even at an early age - toddlers could either help set the table by placing their favorite drink cup or by taking their own plates after dinner to the sink. Older kids can get involved in other quick and easy tasks like clearing the table or taking out the rubbish.

At our place we have a rule that while one person is cooking or preparing the others set the table. At the end of the meal, one person starts the washing or stacking the dishwasher process while the others clear the table and clean the surrounds. Now this doesn’t always go to plan but I would say it happens 80% of the time. What helps is that no-one is left alone to battle the kitchen clean-up, it becomes a team effort. We also carry on conversations, generally speaking about what were going to do that evening, work on a project, read, watch a program on TV, call someone etc.

Below are some simple tips on how to keep your kitchen under control with a mini kitchen clean-up. A clean kitchen is all about continual maintenance.

• Assign jobs to every family – Everyone can pitch in. Some things may not be done the way you like them but they will be done.

• Put all leftover food in storage containers – Don’t glad wrap leftovers in the actual serving dishes as they will no doubt take extra room. Make sure you allocate a shelf in the fridge for leftovers so you remember that they need to be consumed within the next few days.

• Unpack the diswaher ervy day. you put on the dishwasher at night then you cold unpack the next day.

• Clean all pots and pans on the same night – these are normally large items so I recommend that you dry and pack these items away straight away.

• Wipe down all surfaces –wipe down all kitchen surfaces and clean the dining table leaving it ready for the next day.

• The last step is to sweep the floor and surrounding areas, take out the rubbish and ensure dirty tea towels are replaced.

• If you are still finding it hard to get everyone motivated play some music, but unless its during the day music at night will wind up your family rather than wind them down. Alternatively you can also make a gameof it and play ‘beat the clock’

The kitchen is the heart of your home, a place where you share meals, catch-up, make decisions and plan. Make it a nice place to be by staying on top of the mess.

There is so much food wastage these days. Did you know the following items can be frozen? Maybe you can try out some of these tips and avoid wasting uneaten food, and reduce your grocery bill at the same time.

Leftover pizza slices - handy to have on hand for lunch when you don't feel like a sandwich, or pop a slice in your children's lunchboxes

Butter - as a bake-a-holic I like to keep a packet of butter in the freezer so I'm never too far from a homemade cake!

Tomato paste - if I put leftover tomato paste in the fridge it's always forgotten and goes mouldy, so now I keep it in the freezer

Ginger - did you know you can freeze ginger? Simply cut it into chunks and store in a ziplock bag then you can pull out a piece when you need it. And it's easier to peel and chop/grate the ginger while it's frozen.

Leftover wine - I don't know if you have any leftover wine at your place, but if you do then pour it into a ziplock bag and freeze it until you need wine in a recipe

Cooked rice - I like to fill the rice cooker to the max then I'll bag up the leftover rice and freeze it for another meal

Egg whites - whenever I use egg yolks I keep the white in the freezer and stockpile them until I have enough for a pavlova

Curry leaves and kaffir leaves - we rarely need all the curry/kaffir leaves that we buy from the greengrocer. Store the excess leaves in ziplock bags for your next curry

Meringues - did you know that meringues can be eaten straight from the freezer? They’re deliciously crunchy and a little bit cool. Actually, my husband prefers them from the freezer than eating them fresh

Smoked salmon - buy smoked salmon when it’s on sale and freeze for another day

Leftover fried rice - either make your own, or buy from the local Chinese restaurant. It's great for an easy kids' dinner, or put in their lunchbox with a plastic fork

Lemon/orange/lime juice - if you have too many citrus fruits you can freeze the juice in icecube trays then transfer to a ziplock bag and store in the freezer

Lemon/orange/lime zest - and don't waste the zest, simply grate it and store in small ziplock bags and freeze

For more freezer tips and lots of fabulous recipes, click HERE check out FROST BITE.

 “FROST BITE: Easy Cooking for Your Freezer” is written by Susan Austin and published by New Holland Publishers Australia. Hardcover, RRP A$35.00

It’s not always easy to head out for a romantic dinner with your beloved. Life, family, time and finances can easily get in the way. And on Valentine’s Day this is no exception. But that’s not to say that you don’t want to make the effort to do something extra special for V-Day. Romance is important in a relationship, especially after years of companionship and that initial chemical attraction has worn off.

So if a romantic candle-lit dinner in a cute, cosy café this Valentine’s Day is off the cards, then it’s time you bring the cosiness and the candle-light to you.

Here’s a simple and affordable way to add some ambience for your home-made Valentine’s dinner.

You’ll need: small glass jars (baby food jars are perfect) or you can even use plain drinking glasses, tea lights, tissue paper (pinks and reds are great), clag glue and a paint brush

1. Fold the tissue paper over itself to create several layers. Cut out a handful of love hearts in a range of sizes and shapes.
2. Mix glue and water together to create a thin, milky consistency. Paint the mixture onto the surface of the glass jars.
3. Carefully arrange the paper hearts around the outside of the jars. Be as creative as you like.
4. Paint a final layer of the glue mixture over the top of the love hearts. Be mindful not to tear the fragile tissue paper as you brush. Allow the paper and glue to dry.
5. Add some tea lights to the bottom of the glasses ready for some mood lighting.

For a more daintie look, you'll need: small glass jars (baby food jars are perfect) or you can even use plain drinking glasses, tea light, paper doilies, twine and hand cut paper hearts.

1.Fold the paper over itself to create several layers. Cut out a handful of love hearts

2. Mix glue and water together to create a thin, milky consistency. Paint the mixture onto the surface of the glass jars. You can also use double sided clear tape. 

3. Place the paper doilie around the jar and press down firmly.

4. Glue or tape the heart on the doilie. 

5. Tie the twine around the jar with and tie a bow in the centre of the herta shape.

Lets face it cleaning and de-cluttering isn’t anyone’s favourite thing to do, but listening to your favourite tunes will certainly make the experience fun and less like a long boring chore.

If you’re in need of some motivation then why not create your own cleaning playlist. Add your favourite golden oldies or some new hip funky tunes that will get you bopping while your mopping. 

Here are a few tips on how to create your own Boggie Clean playlist. You could be singing 'another bites the dust" in no time.

The number one rule is to stay away from mellow/relaxing music. Include up beat music that’s going to keep you motivated to finish the job. 

Create different playlist for different jobs:

* Daily 5 minute tidy up clean (approx - 1 – 2 songs)

* Daily 15 minute de-clutter (approx 4 – 5 songs)

* Weekly 1 hour clean (approx 15 – 17 songs)

A shimmy shimmy clean might be the motivation you need and the difference to having a sparkling house. I m going to start with… Good feeling by Flo Rida. There’s nothing like a little dance hip hop song to get you going.

What would you put on your playlist? 

There is nothing more important than making sure your kids have a healthy school lunch to get them through the day. With a little pre planning you can make sure they not only have a healthy 5 day meal plan filled with nutrients but you will also avoid that morning fridge and pantry scramble for ideas. Here are a few tips to get your kids school lunches organised:

• Plan your kid’s lunches at the same time you plan your weekly meals
• Pre- make and freeze. You can pre-make various meals and snacks ahead of time. Take a look at the Frost Bite cook book for ideas. Click here to view.
• Get the kids involved and ask them what they would like to eat. They can also help make natural muesli bars.
• Always include fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Think about the presentation, how does the food look inside the lunch box. Cut different shape fruit or use sandwich shape cutters. Be creative - the kids will love it!

To help you plan your kids school lunches, click HERE to download our school lunch box meal planner.

If you’re looking for some lunch box inspiration take a look at these sites.