Good morning!
I’ve been waiting for this moment.
Well, actually this moment is bittersweet.
While I didn’t want my TJ’s Sunflower Seed Butter to ever end, I was anxious to make Vegan Overnight Oats in it.
This was my first time making oats in a jar after seeing it on the blogs for a year now! I think it was the wonderful Heather who came up with the idea. The beauty of OIAJ is that you get to enjoy the nut butter that is lightly coating the sides and bottom of an (almost) empty nut butter jar. I think there was 1/2-1 tbsp of the sunflower seed butter left, so not much…but still fun.
I think this qualifies as oats in a…tub? ;)
I made my Pumpkin Pie Vegan Overnight Oats recipe and I added in a sliced banana. I put most of it in the middle and a few slices on top. I drizzled it with 1/2 tbsp maple syrup when I decided that it needed a touch of sweetness.
And now I shall mourn the end of my TJ’s Sunflower Seed Butter.
After filling my belly, I started on House Organization project #2 (For the office project see here and here). Today’s task is to organize ALL kitchen cupboards. This morning I started with the food cupboards.
I didn’t remember to snap before pictures, but here are some ‘afters’ of what I have done so far. After removing junk we don’t use, they looked a little bare!
My favourite cupboard because it is so empty!
I love having free space in cupboards so I don’t feel like I have to cram everything in when I need to store something.
Plus, as Eric pointed out, I can’t reach the 3rd shelf anyways. Minor detail.
I still think I’d like to have a better organizational system for the cupboards, but for now this will work.
I have several more to tackle today, including the Tupperware cupboard (ahhh) and the Lazy Susan.
Now for some of my favourite health links from the past week. Enjoy!
Health News Round Up
- 5 Healthy Apple Recipes for Fall – FitSugar
- Think opposites attract? Not when choosing a spouse – Thatsfit.ca
- Best animal photos of the week (ok it’s not health but they are too amazing not to post!) – Huffington Post
- 7 steps to nurturing yourself – Huffington Post
- 5 Yoga poses to relieve back pain – FitSugar
- Roasted red pepper soup with corn and cilantro – Food52
- Is black rice the next superfood? – Daily Spark
- Mexicali Chop with Crunchy Tortilla strips – Vegetarian Times
- Vote on the best button mushroom recipe – Tastespotting
- Brownsville Texas to charge $1 per plactic shopping bag – USA Today
- White bean and roasted garlic dip – Health
Spotted:
- Nut Butter Crusted Fries – Monica Nelson Fitness
- Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms – Taste Life
- Cherry, Banana, Coconut Butter Bread – Essenlebenlaufen
- Vegan Overnight Oat Parfait – Puff to Buff
- Healthy Spelt Pancakes for One– Savvy Eat
- Carrot Cake Scuffins made into blueberry scuffins – made By Jill
- Vegan Overnight oat parfait – Callieflower Kitchen
- Pumpkin Pie Banana Chunk Cookies – Sweet Tater
- Stuffed Portabella Pizza – A Road More Balanced
- Carrot Chia Spelt Muffins – Eat Chic
If you could pick one room to do an organizational overhaul what room would it be and why?
Wooow you’d never had OIAJ!? It’s brilliant isn’t it! I can’t wait for my next jar to be finished :D
I didn’t know who came up with OIAJ but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Heather, she had the best ideas!
I still haven’t tried sunflower seed butter, for fear of eating the whole jar in one day (or one sitting…).
If I could organize one room in my house it would be the basement: it is still a disaster area, and has been since Jason and I got married — so much stuff and no furniture or organization of any kind. Hopefully we will get to that soon!
Yum! I have got to try these famed oats soon. The linen closet is becoming disastrous. Just this morning I pulled out a blanket and 3 sheet sets toppled onto my head. Not cool.
I’m new to blogging and can’t wait to make my first OIAJ, so excited :)
I’m a total peanut butter lover, but every time I’m in Trader Joes I see the Sunflower Seed butter and wonder how good it is? Is it better than peanut butter?
I am an organization fanatic. It just feels good when you remove all the clutter and put everything in its perfect place :)
Your office project turned out awesome!
I’ve been working on kitchen organization FOREVER! And, since we are remodeling I was kind of forced into reorganizing since they took everything out anyway! :)
http://fitoriblog.com/home/bye-bye-old-counters/
I would have to say my kitchen. Our kitchen isn’t very big and doesn’t have a lot of sotrage so we’ve got thing just jammed in to any spot we can find :( I would love to add some shelves and clear the clutter.
Definitely my closet. Not really a room, but it’s a disaster and I don’t know how to get it in order. I need Martha Stewart!
I’m loving the organizational projects! Very nice. I feel like I’m always organizing and sorting things and throwing things out, but more recently I compiled a list of everything in my apartment that desperately needs to be organized, and to keep it stress-free, I give myself weekly cleaning projects :) This past week was my desk area. Future weeks will include the closet, bookshelves, dresser drawers, spice cabinet, and under the sinks, just to name a few. Breaking it down into tasks has made it much easier for me and now it isn’t overwhelming!
I think I missed something! How did you manage to snag something from Trader Joe’s while living in Toronto?! AM I MISSING SOMETHING INTEGRAL TO MY HAPPINESS? I thought once I moved to Canada my TJ days were over! HELP!
haha I got it in Chicago!!
Nooooooo! Haha, all right. Well, I’m making a trip to the US here soon. Perhaps I’ll stock up!
It’s always so sad to run out of something that you can’t easily buy! Hopefully you can find a brand of sunflower seed butter available in Canada that you like.
I too am anticipating the end of one of my nut butter jars because I want to make OIAJ! Had vanilla pumpkin oats this morning for breakfast (just a bowl, no jar!) and they were delicious. Looks like you’re well on your way with the kitchen overhaul! I recently did one in my kitchen cupboards too, and it feels SO good when you’re finished. My tupperware is all labeled and stacked and spices are in labeled jars…now the big challenge will be to keep it that way!
Thanks for the great links! I would pick my storage room to organize. There is random stuff stacked everywhere!
I love having my kitchen organized. It just makes life easier and calmer.
If I had time, I would do a major overhaul to the hubby’s office!!
You are seriously making me want to rip everything out of my kithchen cupboards! ;P My OCD wants to organize it all MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :D
I always have to move items down shelves because I can never reach the high ones. Or even the low ones! I’m so short.
I haven’t tried Oats in a Jar yet either…soon though, very soon :)
I wish someone would tackle my laundry room and my kitchen cupboards. They are used so frequently that I spend time organizing them only to have them back to square one within a few days. Sigh.
Isn’t TJ’s sunbutter amazing? It’s way better than any other brand I’ve had.
I just recently organized my kitchen cupbaords. I buy a lot of bulk foods and grains. I have recently moved in the ever environmentaly friendly mason jar. They are perfect. Clear so I can see what is in them (but being a good organization freak I label the lids anyway). Easy to clean, inexpensive, come in a variety of sizes and just fun. depending on the itme I will cut the nutritional info off the package and put it in the the top of the jar, or write the info on the lid.. PERFECT…
now if only I knew what to do with that Maca??? I see it in your cupbaord too. I only tried it once in the VOO and so far … not liking it! any suggestions?
Such a great idea about the mason jars. I recently saw another blogger do that. I think I might have to steal that idea for all my grains. Currently I have 50 pounds of lentils, quinoa, couscous, in huge bulk white pails, but I need something smaller to keep in the kitchen.
oh I’ve got it bad doc!!! I even save my empty nut jars (after the voo now) and use them. and the lovely glass bottle that my maple syrup comes in gets repurposed with different flavourings, be they vanilla or apple cider vinigar… too pretty to through away and what is safer for me and the environment to use than glass? Admittedly sometimes it requires gettting out the Goo Gone to get the sticky label off but I don’t mind.
ive done that recently with a few jam jars…it’s fun!! I eat VOO in it sometimes :)
I’m always reorganizing my kitchen, I find it gets disorganized too easily! I also still need to try OIAJ… I always forget and throw away the nearly-empty nut butter jars!
I definitely need to organize my kitchen. There’s random stuff everywhere!
No doubt that VOO was ammmazing! I opened up some sunflower seed butter the other day. It’s the first “seed” butter I’ve had and it’s soo good!
I’m envious of your cupboards! Mine do not look like that. Why is there never enough cupboard space. Maybe I should purge some items as well:)
I have been following (I guess technically lurking) your blog for ages! I have decided to finally start my own blog and start actively following!! Yay!
We have a room in our house that I unfortunately call the “junk” room where sports equipment, camping gear and random stuff is tossed. I keep closing the door due to embarrassment and my boyfriend finally took the hint! It is currently being tackled and turned into an office. Phew!
Confession: I have never have OIAJ! I guess the last of the jar always ends up on my fingers :)
I need to organize my kitchen so bad. Good job!
I would have to say our office…its going to have to turn into an office/guest room combo so our guest room can become baby #2 room. Yea, we may need to get on that. LOL
I cannot believe you’ve never had OIAJ. I really thought I’ve seen it on your blog before.
I need to re-organize my kitchen cabinet space underneath the counters… I never look forward to trying to access the pots & pans under there…
My kitchen cupboards do need some organizing too… there is so much stuff sometimes I come from the grocery store, and can’t make it fit :p. I actually have space but my cupboards are so high that I try to fit most of it on the shelve!
My organizational overhaul would DEFINITELY be my bedroom/study. I would clean out my closet/drawers, make a much better organization system for my work/bills/books, and declutter the area for better reading and studying.
Angela! I also cleaned out my pantry/fridge yesterday, how funny! Is it not the best ever when you are done and cooking/baking is than so much more enjoyable. :)
I am so glad you tried the OIAJ, I only started about 1 month ago,hehe.
Thanks for the mention on Sightings and great Health Round Up once again, you are so good to us, keeping us in the loop of things!
i would completely re-do our office…it’s such a mess! but i definitely have to get the hubby on board for that one since it’s mostly his stuff that makes it look like a wreck :)
I have bever had OIAJ but every time SI see them made they look so good! My commitment to eating low calories cringes at all that nut butter! If I could organize one room it would be my bed room I try to keep it neat but it needs a major overhaul/makeover I have more books than bookshelf space and the books are starting to overflow!
I love the healthy round-up, great idea! And i have to try your pumpkin pie oats, they look amazing!
oooh I must say that I am most excited about organising our kitchen when we move into our new house in a few months. Our pantry consists of 1 large cupboard, plus a smaller one beside it, and Mr BBB has said the smaller one can be dedicated 100% to my cooking / baking products :)
My closet and dresser need the most help. It is a never ending battle to get rid of old and make room for new. If only I had a Carrie Bradshaw’s closet… or maybe Rachel Zoe?
Oh goodness, probably my kitchen too. We have such a small kitchen and so little cupboard space that everything is crammed full. I dream of the day I can open my cupboard and pick the item I need immediately rather than rummage through everything to find it. I honestly think that would require more cupboard space than an overhaul/cleanup though…..
I found your youtube site last night and watched a few of your videos. You are so sweet and your videos are amazing! I especially liked the one about your sugar-free week. Honestly, I NEED to do that! I’m a sugar addict. The only problem I have with eliminating sugar from my diet (brown sugar to be exact) is sweetening my oatmeal. I’ve tried peanut butter or honey, but I get bored of these and sometimes just need a bit of sugar. Do you have any other sugar-free sweetening ideas for oatmeal?
I actually JUST organized my kitchen just a few days ago. It looks wonderful now. The back yard is next. Its pretty bad, but I’m making progress!
I’m planning on starting a vegetable garden back there so it’s gotta be in tip top shape!
I’ve only had OIAJ *once* before, but I think it’s due sometime soon as well ;)
The office! My husband and I have lived in this apartment for over three years and still haven’t fully unpacked all of his stuff. It is in random boxes because I have no idea what to do with it and whenever I ask him he just says he’ll deal with it later. Somebody is a pack rat! ;)
I think we need to start a support group for Canadians mourning empty TJs sunflower butter jars. I finished mine a couple weeks ago and my tongue still cries for more!!
Also, I kiiiinda had vegan overnight oats for breakfast this morning. Except, I de-veganized it with a serving of yogurt. But I loved how the almond milk gelled with the chia seeds overnight. Awesome texture!