The kitchen– many times the heart of the home, many times the most cluttered area in the home.  If your family is anything like mind, they like to be where mama is and most of the time that is in or around the kitchen.  Here are some tips for getting this space organized:

• Examine what takes place in the kitchen.  Do your kids do their homework at the kitchen table?  Is your laptop on the counter?  Is your phone and mail center in the kitchen?  Evaluate if this is the best location for these tasks to take place and find another location if possible.
• Clear the counters!  Too often we waste valuable counter (work) space by leaving out small appliances that are not used that often.  If you don’t use an appliance daily (i.e my hard working coffee maker) then it should NOT reside on your counter top.  Clear counters make the kitchen appear less cluttered and leave you with more space to cook.
• Purge your gadgets.  Have you been taken in by the egg slicers, quesadilla makers and jar openers?  Have you ever even used some of the gadgets that take up space in your kitchen?  Go through and keep only what you have used (not what you might use) and definitely get rid of duplicate items.  How many can openers does one kitchen really need?

Having an organized kitchen can bring peace to your life and make cooking a lot easier. 

Speaking of easy cooking, here is a recipe for lentil stew (good and healthy) that is on our menu this week and that my family loves! 

Lentil Stew

1 c. lentils, rinsed

10 0z. can CONDENSED beef broth

32 oz. regular beef broth

2 c. water

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables

1 roll sausage, cooked until brown and drained

1. Combine beef broth, condensed beef broth and water in a large soup pan.  Bring to a boil.  Add lentils and chopped onion.  Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Simmer, covered, for one hour.
2. Cook sausage until brown and drain.  Set aside.
3. Add package of mixed vegetables to soup.  Bring heat up to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add sausage to soup and cook until heated through.

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday and Works for Me Wednesday.