Snack Around the Plate

1. OXO Can Organizer | 2. Gauze Cover Up | 3. Footed Marble Tray | 4. Value Jute Rug | 5. Go-To Light Lunch | 6. Brown Noise | 7. The Bible Recap Podcast

1. OXO Can Organizer

We’ve had a new refrigerator for almost a year but unlike our previous fridge, the one we have now is counter depth. We love it and I’m convinced it actually has more storage, despite the decreased depth. But, our former beverage can dispenser no longer fit on the smaller shelves. I looked for a while and everything I found that seemed to accommodate the shorter depth was clunky and only held a handful of sodas. We were better off just lining them up. I wanted something that would at least contain a 12-pack and not take up more room, defeating the purpose of the storage organizer. Well, I finally found something and being a huge fan of the brand (OXO), I decided to give it a try. Unlike most beverage holders, THIS ONE isn’t a container, but a mat. A reversible mat. One side holds cans, the other side is designed for bottles (like wine bottles).

When it came in, I was ecstatic to find that it fit my counter-depth fridge top shelf perfectly. The ridges hold the cans in place and because there’s no container or container sides, the width is slim (the width of the can). But not only was the size and space consumption perfect, but it actually holds more than a 12-pack! You can continue stacking cans into a pyramid or essentially, as high as you need. and even though they’re stacked, they stay in place. You can remove a bottom can and as long as there isn’t one directly on top, the rest of the rows stay in tact. Also — if you need to clean it, it’s such a simple design, there’s no grooves or nooks — it doesn’t get easier.

**I ordered mine of Amazon HERE but it’s been going in and out of stock for the past few days. You can keep checking back, or, you can find it still in stock on The Container Store website HERE.

Reversible Can Organizer Mat (Image Via Amazon Listing)

2. Gauze Cover-Up

Okay, okay, I know I talked about this gauze-y cover-up a lot last year and already started talking about it again this year when it returned. But as someone who is looking to keep things simple — from wardrobe to packing for our upcoming beach trip — I can’t rave about this oversized button-down enough. I am planning to live in it this summer, even more than I did last year. They sold out pretty quickly last year in several sizes and colors and came out with even more colors this year. Ordering additional colors (and justifying it with our new, soon to be #poollife) is basically all I’ve allowed myself in terms of new summer wardrobe.

And while I love it over a bathing suit, it’s also perfect to throw on with shorts or pants. Such an incredible, versatile summer staple and one of those few things that I think are worth it if you’re into capsule wardrobes/minimalistic summer outfits. This year, they actually have gauze shorts you can pair with it as a set (HERE) and now gauze pants (HERE). I went with my regular size for an oversized fit but if you prefer something less oversized, I’d say you could size down one. Right now, they have 14 colors available HERE.

When they sold out last year, I actually ordered two look-alikes on Amazon (HERE) and they’ve been great, as well. They’re a little cheaper and ship free. I sized up one for an oversized fit on this one. If I had to choose, I still prefer the AE one but they are incredibly similar.

3. Footed Marble Vanity Tray

I love a small tray sink-side to corral essentials and while they’re pretty much everywhere now, I inevitably get questions whenever I share my kitchen sink. While my long-time response has been that my exact tray is no longer available, I actually came across a footed marble tray that’s a near dead-ringer! You can find it in two sizes (it ships free) HERE. The advantage to the footed tray is that it avoids some of the gunkiness from water that can happen to trays that are flat against the countertop. Here’s a reminder of what my kitchen sink setup looks like…

Sources: Footed Marble Tray (similar) | Plant Pot | Soap Dispenser Set | Soap Dispenser Labels | Faucet

And as a reminder, my kitchen hand and dish soap came as a set — I love the amber bottles to hide the color of the different contents to help achieve the uniform look. This set specifically features a foaming soap pump for the hand soap (perfect for foaming B&BW foaming soap) and there’s a bunch of metal finish options for the pump. I’ve used the same shop a few times for waterproof labels — I’ve had sheets of custom labels, but I went for the household essentials when I was outfitting the kitchen sink, giving me the two I needed, plus several other common basic labels for around the house and laundry.

And speaking of footed vanity trays, THIS ONE is a water-proof resin marble look-alike on Amazon for just over $16 (when the coupon is selected, currently). I don’t have it and can’t speak from personal experience, but it looks nice, is at a nice, budget-friendly price point, and of course, ships free with free returns.

Along with the kitchen sink, I use trays next to bathroom sinks, too. They’re great for soap but also other vanity contents — like candles, bottles, jars, and perfumes. Mine and Dave’s marble vanity tray only recently came back in stock — you can find it HERE in multiple sizes and colors.

Sources: Marble Tray

Sources: Marble Tray | Foaming Soap Dispenser |  Vanity (currently on major sale!) | Faucet (polished nickel finish) | Mirror (brushed brass finish)

Sources: Marble Tray

4. Budget Jute Rug

I mentioned in another recent post regarding art and the finishing touches on our kitchen (find the art ideas post HERE), that once the bulk of our kitchen and breakfast nook had come together, I was hopeful in finding some budget-friendly accents to finish off the spaces. I was pleased having a round natural rug in the breakfast nook before, so that direction was an easy decision. But with all the color and jute options out there, it was hard to make a decision. I love that natural woven fibers disguise grime and imperfections (like fallen food) and I wanted something that was easy on the wallet, but that would also hold up for a while since there’s heavy use on moving chairs.

I ultimately ordered THIS ONE on Amazon in the 6′ Natural option for under $75 (plus free shipping). It has been perfect. It comes in three color options and a bunch of size options (including SIX different round rug size options) and has held up beautifully over the past several months. It did have an earthy scent for a little while (as jute rugs typically do), but eventually, it went away. In a space where I have a mix of high and low (the rug being among the low), it blends in fantastically.

Sources: Jute Rug | Dining Table | Dining Chairs (Statesville Pebble) | Black Bowl (currently on sale!)| Terracotta Bead Garland (currently on sale!) | Primrose Mirror | Black Cane Sideboard | Brass Candle Holders | Linen Napkins | Wood Bead Chandelier (currently on sale!)

5. Low Cal Go-To Lunch

After last year’s dumpster fire of a year, I finally re-committed to my former health journey — I’ve been consistent and have been making progress. And while I hate I lost ground over the course of 2022, I’ve done a lot of healing and was ready to get back to it. I’m not a doctor, nutritionist, or expert (please always keep this in mind and that while I’ll happily share things, I’m not qualified to provide a direction for your health) and while we’re all different, I prefer to keep my lunches low cal for more leniency at dinner. Something difficult for me is that it usually means foregoing a lot of leftovers for lunch (I hate waste and lunch was an easy time to make sure they were eaten.)

I have a few simple go-tos (and for me, simple is easiest when you’re trying to monitor what you’re eating) but my favorite has become my regular grilled chicken wrap. A chicken wrap isn’t revolutionary — I get that — but when I was putting together my wrap, it involved some restraint and a few modifications. Not only is it light calorie-wise though, but it’s another one of those easy-on-the-wallet grocery buys. You can see my recent post on grocery and meal planning and savings HERE.

Here’s the wrap breakdown…

• Mission Carb Balance Tortilla (70 cals/tortilla) — I buy these on sale at Publix when they’re BOGO, so I can get 1/2 off. I can also freeze them. Carb Counter tortillas from La Banderita are fine, too.
• Chopped Romaine Lettuce — I like to buy the 6-pack of Romaine hearts from Costco (then split them with my mom) for $4.99. I chop the Romaine and leave it in my salad spinner (not all are created equal and the OXO one is the BEST), in the fridge, and go back to it all throughout the week for anything from wraps to salads to lettuce for tacos. The Romaine from Costco, specifically, is much heartier and lasts way longer than what I get from the local grocery store.
• Grilled Chicken — Since Dave grills on Sundays, I now have him grill chicken for me for wraps and salads for the week for my lunches. A little goes a long way, especially cut up fine. Using one pack of Costco chicken packs (which come with two big breasts), he’ll cut them in half, essentially creating four decent size breasts. I use about half of one of those for my wrap, so if I were to have a wrap for four days, that would essentially be one big chicken breast, within the Costco chicken pack. I love an economical lunch 😉 BTW – I’ve had these with chicken cooked on the stove and it was still good, but I prefer the chargrilled smokiness and punch of flavor from the actual grill on these wraps.
• Cabot Mac & Cheese Shredded Cheese (110 cals/1/4 Cup) — I stumbled on this by accident when Cabot was BOGO, and thought it sounded interesting — alpine cheddar and sharp white cheddar with hints of swiss and parmesan. It is SO good. Dave especially loves it for his salads. It has 110 calories for 1/4 of a cup, but I just use a small sprinkle. With stronger cheese, you don’t have to use much to get powerful flavor. And with the chargrilled smokiness of the chicken, it’s pretty awesome.
• Skinnygirl Italian Dressing (10 cals/2 Tbsp.) — I only use one tablespoon to drizzle for a little flavor so the dressing doesn’t take over the whole wrap. I’m also flexible on the kind of Italian dressing, as long as it’s low-cal and isn’t loaded with sugar.

I’ve added other veggies to this specific wrap but honestly, I prefer the purity of this, as described above. I’ll usually pair this with some mini rice cakes (love all the flavors), a couple pickles, some berries… it’s a filling, yummy, and affordable lunch that has helped me stay committed during lunchtime, without thinking too hard or getting to fancy.

6. Brown Noise

Everybody knows white noise, but have you heard of brown noise? I discovered it on accident a while ago when I downloaded the White Noise app on my phone when I was on a trip. Dave has always loved “thunderstorms” on our Echo, and Eliza’s hatch noise machine was one of our best “baby products” — she still uses the white noise sound setting nightly. So I was used to sounds but when I found myself searching for my own noise on an overnight, I started scrolling through the options. I found that while the white noise was a higher pitched tin-y sound, “brown noise” was an option that was a deeper, lower tone. I loved it. So much more than white noise. It’s more soothing and I continue to use it if I head to bed before Dave. Dave actually liked it so much, he ditched his usual and started having Echo play it in our room, too. Also — gray noise is a tad softer and also a winner in my book (available in the free app, too!)

7. The Bible Recap

I’ve started a Bible-in-a-year plan in different ways, through different mediums, several times. But, inevitably, I always fell off, fairly early in the readings. At the beginning of the year, I decided 2023 would be the year I would successfully complete a daily reading, but honestly, I needed some sort of support material to help provide context. I found The Bible Recap — a daily bible reading plan with reading schedule and accompanying podcast overview/summary and I’m now almost 100 days in. For the first time, I find myself looking forward to the next day’s reading. The podcast host, Tara Leigh Cobble, is great at giving context and providing different ways to think of things, especially as they relate to how things were thousands of years ago. I especially appreciate how she identifies instances of “descriptive vs. prescriptive”.

You can find information before starting — along with the printable reading plan — HERE. This is the fifth year the podcast has aired and you can start at any time to choose your “Day 1”. Sometimes, if I read ahead, I just scroll back to last year’s day that corresponds to the daily reading plan. And if it’s something that interests you, there’s no pressure if daily seems like an impossibility right now. You can go at your own pace, and just pick up on the corresponding days as you work your way through the plan.

If this is something you’ve been interested in doing, I can’t recommend this specific podcast and reading plan enough.

We’re still working through a small punch-list of items to address before calling the pool totally “finished” and we haven’t brought the outdoor loungers out just yet in hopes that the yellow pine pollen will subside a little first, but it’s coming. I think I’ll end up posting what we have right now sooner, and then maybe, later in the summer, I’ll share any progressions we’ve made 😉

We’re also gearing up for an exterior paint job but on the project front, aside from outside focuses, most of our work will continue to be on decluttering and adapting systems for simplification. To catch it all, be sure you’re subscribed to emails at the bottom of the post.