2015 is a pretty awesome year to be a woman in the western world.
We have the right to education, non-domestic employment, equal treatment, and endless selfies on
Instagram (shameless - follow me @danaikadzere).
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| How else are we immortalize the perfect lashes? |
With all that we can do, and a great big world of opportunity out there for all of us, it's no wonder that our schedules are more packed than ever!
So how does one best balance a young professional's schedule with a love of baking, homemaking, and all things cute?
By hacking life!
Today's hack focuses on how to optimize your kitchen time to make baking and cooking (baking is my favorite) even more enjoyable, as well as more practical for our busy lifestyles!
Big batch bake.
This one is actually more relevant for cooking (though it works for baking. as well) but I wanted the alliteration. Because alliteration is like...
...anyway, doubling a recipe is generally just as easy as making a single batch of the same recipe. It certainly won't be double as time-consuming, even if it does take a little extra time!
No one wants to eat the same lasagna day in and day out for weeks at a time (at least, I don't), but if you make a large batch at once and freeze it in single or double portions (time to hit up a tupperware party!) you can enjoy it for months to come, but only when you want it!
It's also a perfect strategy for when life gets a little to crazy for cooking
and being fabulous.
(Redacted, because life is never too busy for being fabulous).
Especially if you have roommates you have to share freezer space with, investing in an extra freezer (a single chest freezer starts as low as around $100, possibly less if you shop on one of the major sale holidays) could be well worth it.
Multitask.
We are all expert multitaskers already, but multitasking isn't just for the office. You can multitask in your downtown without adverse effects!
I don't mean literally do a million
different things at once and not enjoy any of them, because we all already do to much of that, too. But there are some great ways to multitask without decreased benefit!
One of my favorite kitchen multitasking ideas is that I love to bake sourdough bread when I'm feeling a little frustrated or stressed out. Kneading (and, let's be real, punching) the dough is great way to calm down and get an arm workout at the same time, all while making breakfast!
Win.
Use Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.
Seriously, if you've never baked with whole wheat pastry flour, you need to try it! It works just as well as all-purpose flour (1:1 substitution) and it has all the vitamins and minerals of whole wheat flour. Optimal nutrition helps you achieve optimal performance in whatever it is that you do!
Normal whole wheat flour doesn't substitute as well in many recipes, because the coarser flour doesn't rise as well and imparts a hearty, nutty taste, but whole wheat pastry flour is much milder in flavor and produces a soft, light result comparable to all purpose flour!
Unless you can't bake to start with, in which case...
It's never too early to start learning!
Baking is very fun and pretty much anyone can learn how to do it. I suggest starting simple. Think chocolate chip cookies as a starter recipe, rather than a fancy souffle, and you're already on the right track!
What are some of your personal kitchen hacks?
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