I dubbed this as the summer of simple, long before this gorgeous {and-sometimes-a-bit-too-hot} summer weather even came along. I promised myself I wouldn’t get worked up in making everything perfect and giving my kids endless opportunities to never be bored. Boredom is great for the mind anyway.
I also promised myself I’d wear shorts more often, but that’s a post for another day.
I chose many years ago to simplify our stuff, and never turn back. Man, that’s been tough for this kitchen-gadget lovin’ gal though! But a necessity as we have a whole lot of us in this cozy little home of ours.
I read Marie Kondo’s book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, followed by Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up. If you haven’t read them yet, please do! Even if you only read the first one.
I’ve always been happier with less to clean and work around, but adding new pans and serving dishes to my kitchen also makes me happy. Until they take over, then I’m crazy and have to purge again.
A couple weeks ago we were hosting an outdoor movie night with our sweet neighbors. On a whim of course, because that’s my favorite way to host. Thank you, Redbox! Typically I would pop popcorn in our amazing vintage style popcorn machine and offer a variety of toppings complete with coordinating cups, name tags, ribbon, and hang a banner across the garage- BUT, this time I said to myself, “JUST BE THERE”. Good enough, is truly good enough.
And it was.
I used plastic cups (we have a tote full of disposable ware for this kind of occasion) and put pre-popped store-bought popcorn from the dollar store into them. Ha! I NEVER would’ve done that 2 years ago. And I’ve gotta tell you, it felt GOOD!
Yes, the popcorn was actually delicious and the ingredient list was minimal.
It was so stinkin’ simple! I did find myself wishing I still had a serving tray, as I had gotten rid of all of mine at a garage sale. But that thought passed quickly as I decided a cardboard box with the sides cut off would work just as good. It was quick, easy, and didn’t take up extra room in my kitchen as I just recycled it when I was done.
BAM!
I served just water, straight from our fridge pitcher, rather than my typical cooler full of different drinks that I had spent all day chilling and color coordinating with the gathering’s theme colors.
Tonight I made smoothies/mock ice cream for the kids and their friends. It’s really important to me that our family avoids food coloring, so making something like this that is colorful by nature, and good for the kids is such a bonus! Carrying 8 smoothies outside proved difficult, and again I found myself wishing for that serving tray… until I realized the 9×13 cake pan on the dish drying rack would work perfect! I threw a couple of little jar openers in the bottom to make the pan a bit more non-slip. Perfect? Nope. Practical? You betcha it was! Tip: I always keep frozen bananas, strawberries, and blueberries in a Lock N Lock in the freezer.
♥ Simple is soooo good, friends! Wouldn’t you agree? ♥
Banana Berry Smoothie
When made thicker and served with a spoon this recipe makes the perfect mock ice cream!
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Milk I used Lactaid Whole Milk
- 10 Frozen Bananas I break them in half to flash freeze
- 2 Cups Frozen Strawberries
- 2 Cups Frozen Blueberries
Instructions
-
Place everything into a blender and blend! Pour or scoop into cups when it's all mixed together well. It's that simple!
Recipe Notes
These measurements are very forgiving, please use what you have on hand. Banana neutralizes flavors and helps bring it all together and keep it creamy. You can use juice in place of the milk for a tangier flavor as well.
Leave a Reply