I thought really long and hard about possibly playing an April Fools joke here on the blog today. Alas, I just couldn’t come up with something “interesting” enough to really make it worth the effort of pulling together a post. So, here I am posting about my latest obsessions instead!

I also hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. The weather was absolutely beautiful here in Chicago! I walked around so much on Saturday, I had to rest pretty much all of Sunday. #pathetic!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking long and hard about changing my eating habits. At first I thought I wanted to go on a diet/cleanse, but then I realized that I’m not a dieting/cleanse kind of person (and neither is E, go figure). So, with diets/cleanses crossed off my healthy lifestyle check list, I then started thinking about how I could systematically change how I think about food in my kitchen. I so often shop only by price. I’m a store brand buyer and deal stealer. (essentially, I’m a BOGO freak at the grocery store) So if I want to change the food in my kitchen, I ultimately needed to change how I “think” about said “food.”

The only issue with all of this is that I really don’t know where my food is coming from. What does “organic” really mean at a grocery store? Do all natural foods still contain preservatives? What things are best made at home? The questions are endless, and the answers are just as confusing.

With all the confusion swirling in my head, I decided to take the advice of a dear friend and start by changing one thing at a time. Baby-steps, if you will. Today’s inspiration post is all about easy, DIY-Kitchen Essentials that you (and me) can make at home. Below is a list of all the links!

1. Homemade Brown Sugar- Desserts with Benefits
2. Crushed Red Pepper- Confections of a Foodie Bride
3. Vanilla Extract- Annie’s Eats
4. Homemade Nutella- Desserts with Benefits
5. Genuine Texas Steak Rub- Kendall’s Entertaining Life
6. Chai Tea Mix- The Kitchn
7. Dried Herbs- Design Mom
8. Homemade BBQ Sauce- Love+Cupcakes
9. Vanilla Bean Paste- Desserts with Benefits

Today is just Part 1, so PLEASE let me know if you have a favorite DIY Kitchen project/idea. I’d love to feature it next time!

Happy Monday…here’s to a great week! (hopefully.)

• Tags
• 2013
• inspiration
• kitchen
• DIY
• homemade
• food
• spices
• sauces
• bbq
• herbs