Minimalist Kitchen

29 Oct 2021

I have finally gotten around to write about our minimalist kitchen. Last month, I posted on Instagram how we became accidental minimalists. Because we are a family of 4 that lived out of a rental RV for 30 days, we packed as light as possible for our road trip cross country. We didn’t cook in the RV because we didn’t bring cookware with us (packing light) and we barely hooked up to electricity and didn’t want to buy propane. After the RV trip, we lived in a hotel for 45 days so we had to get creative with our cooking and meals.

Although we enjoyed local cuisine for the trip and hotel stays, there were some exceptions.

Here were some kitchen things we did bring in the RV:

• Microplane (because baby was learning to eat solids and I didn’t want to leave home without it)

• BlendJet2 (for baby’s food which I cannot recommend. The first box came cracked and broken. Although they replaced it, the second blender didn’t even last 3 months.)

• Tiny Bites Food Shears (great for on-the-go because who carries around a knife in the diaper bag? We’ve had these pairs for 5 years now.)

• Baby and toddler spoons and forks + one adult spoon (the baby and toddler utensils are from when I was a kid. They’ve held up really well.)

• Travel utensils (the only made in Japan set I’ve found that includes knife, fork, spoon, and chopsticks)

• 2 mason jars that held said utensils (other than the travel utensils, which have their own case)

• Paring knife (for fruits and tofu)

• Rice pot (this particular one is from my college days and it’s been great)

Here are some purchases we made while living in the hotel:

• 2 spoons

• 2 forks

• 2 knives (butter and jam)

• Big and small ladle

• Can opener

• 8-quart Instant Pot

• Wooden ladle for the Instant Pot

• Rice paddle (we call it shamoji in Japanese) for the rice cooker

• 2 glass containers with caps

We saved money by eating cereal for breakfast or sandwiches for lunch.

If you’re new to living on your own, here’s a list of basics that are helpful:

• Knife

• Paring knife

• One of each utensil (knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks). If you like PB & J, I’d suggest 2 so you don’t have to double dip, unless you wipe or wash in between)

• Rice cooker

• One do-it-all pan

• One pot

• Can opener

• Containers to store left overs. I’d recommend glass so you can put it in the freezer, fridge, and oven. We don’t use microwaves so that’s not that important to us.

Gifting Ideas for New Home:

When we first “landed” in Oregon, donations of items from family or strangers were so helpful. Here’s a list I hope is helpful as you think of what to get for those who just recently moved and have nothing:

• Beds

• Towels (kitchen, body, hand, face, etc.)

• Hamper

• Table and chairs

• Hangers

• Drawers for clothes

• Bowls, plates, utensils, knives

• Gift card to local grocery store

• Gift card to nearby stores that have basics they can purchase

• Vacuum cleaner

• Laundry detergent, dish detergent, sponges

• Cleaning cloths and cleaning products

• Pots, pans, etc.

• Desk and chair

Someone had gifted us with a Winco grocery card, which was helpful, so we were able to buy not only groceries but also basics like a dustpan and brush, since we couldn’t get a vacuum cleaner right away. There's things we definitely chose to live without, knowing we had many things in our storage unit. This list is definitely not exhaustive, but hope it's helpful!

Minimalist Kitchen

29 Oct 2021

I have finally gotten around to write about our minimalist kitchen. Last month, I posted on Instagram how we became accidental minimalists. Because we are a family of 4 that lived out of a rental RV for 30 days, we packed as light as possible for our road trip cross country. We didn’t cook in the RV because we didn’t bring cookware with us (packing light) and we barely hooked up to electricity and didn’t want to buy propane. After the RV trip, we lived in a hotel for 45 days so we had to get creative with our cooking and meals.

Although we enjoyed local cuisine for the trip and hotel stays, there were some exceptions.

Here were some kitchen things we did bring in the RV:

• Microplane (because baby was learning to eat solids and I didn’t want to leave home without it)

• BlendJet2 (for baby’s food which I cannot recommend. The first box came cracked and broken. Although they replaced it, the second blender didn’t even last 3 months.)

• Tiny Bites Food Shears (great for on-the-go because who carries around a knife in the diaper bag? We’ve had these pairs for 5 years now.)

• Baby and toddler spoons and forks + one adult spoon (the baby and toddler utensils are from when I was a kid. They’ve held up really well.)

• Travel utensils (the only made in Japan set I’ve found that includes knife, fork, spoon, and chopsticks)

• 2 mason jars that held said utensils (other than the travel utensils, which have their own case)

• Paring knife (for fruits and tofu)

• Rice pot (this particular one is from my college days and it’s been great)

Here are some purchases we made while living in the hotel:

• 2 spoons

• 2 forks

• 2 knives (butter and jam)

• Big and small ladle

• Can opener

• 8-quart Instant Pot

• Wooden ladle for the Instant Pot

• Rice paddle (we call it shamoji in Japanese) for the rice cooker

• 2 glass containers with caps

We saved money by eating cereal for breakfast or sandwiches for lunch.

If you’re new to living on your own, here’s a list of basics that are helpful:

• Knife

• Paring knife

• One of each utensil (knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks). If you like PB & J, I’d suggest 2 so you don’t have to double dip, unless you wipe or wash in between)

• Rice cooker

• One do-it-all pan

• One pot

• Can opener

• Containers to store left overs. I’d recommend glass so you can put it in the freezer, fridge, and oven. We don’t use microwaves so that’s not that important to us.

Gifting Ideas for New Home:

When we first “landed” in Oregon, donations of items from family or strangers were so helpful. Here’s a list I hope is helpful as you think of what to get for those who just recently moved and have nothing:

• Beds

• Towels (kitchen, body, hand, face, etc.)

• Hamper

• Table and chairs

• Hangers

• Drawers for clothes

• Bowls, plates, utensils, knives

• Gift card to local grocery store

• Gift card to nearby stores that have basics they can purchase

• Vacuum cleaner

• Laundry detergent, dish detergent, sponges

• Cleaning cloths and cleaning products

• Pots, pans, etc.

• Desk and chair

Someone had gifted us with a Winco grocery card, which was helpful, so we were able to buy not only groceries but also basics like a dustpan and brush, since we couldn’t get a vacuum cleaner right away. There's things we definitely chose to live without, knowing we had many things in our storage unit. This list is definitely not exhaustive, but hope it's helpful!