Citrus + Avocado

I should blame my unanticipated absence my new role at work, my volunteer position, an event I helped plan, the twice weekly Spanish lessons I'm taking, and a baby shower I'm throwing.  But it mainly comes down to one thing. Feeding the pantry and food storage obsession.

Most of my recent daydreams have been dedicated to what whole grains and bulk bin items I can scoop out and store in the carefully cleaned out jars I've been saving over the years. I dream about having matching jars found on sale somewhere that I know the contents of by sight, or with handwritten labels since I'm not a label-maker type of girl (excluding one workday frenzy with name labels and the P-Touch).

I'm using my new reference book, Rebecca Wood's The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, to get ideas of how to incorporate new foods and grains into my diet.

Last week I brought home beautiful poppy seeds that I just wanted to put my hands in. They're blue, purple, black and oh so tiny and susceptible to static cling.

Citrus is in season, so I snagged some tangerines for an avocado, grapefruit, radish, arugula and citrus salad. I was inspired by this delicious and refreshing version by Martha Stewart. It reminds me of home, when I used to have a ruby-red grapefruit and orange tree in our backyard until the citrus canker hit Florida. Our neighbors traded us for mangoes, avocados and tangerines. That was the life!

Big ruby reds were always my favorite. Fresh picked while warm, eaten first and then juiced for the finale. Always with a teeny bit of sugar, though it barely needed it.

I tried out a red lentil and carrot soup for lunch this week. It was healthy, tasty, filling and easy to make. Fits the bill for my busy week! Avocados have had constant rotation in my morning smoothies of late as well.

Lastly, the beautiful blood orange. They're so pretty on the inside, but aren't my favorite tasting citrus. However, I keep buying them to add dimension to other colors and flavors, and you know I'm a sucker for pretty colors!

¡Qué alimentos bonitos! (What pretty food! I told you I was taking Spanish!)

Pantry Ideas + Drawing Grains

I've been collecting jars for food storage for about six years now. My husband and friends make fun of me, but I don't care. Personally, I think they're just jealous of the beauty that is a jar of French Lentils. Plus, looking at all of those healthy foods lined up, it makes me want to eat, cook and bake in healthier ways.

If you're going to display your dry goods, it helps to make sure everything is lined up nicely and neatly. I prefer if the shelves are shallow and everything is lined up only one row deep. I also think that clear jars really let the colors and textures of the grains or dried goods stand out. Necessity in a manner that can be lovely.

Dried apricots, burnt umber couscous, creamy jasmine rice, yellow pepitas, 70s green split peas and pecans waiting to be baked into sweet treats. Is it just me, or do others go nerdy over this type of storage?

Who better to showcase this concept than the covet worthy pantry of EmersonMade? The organization and simple yet pleasing aesthetic make me swoon. And plenty more people judging on how this image has been repinned and blogged multiple times.

Who can go wrong with this cheery storage and rainbow colored painted bowls? Though I do wonder just how many bowls one home can have? I'd hope that they host an annual ice cream social and vie for the Guinness Book of World Records for something. The narrow height of the shelves would allow for less wasted space.

This is my own current storage for our wealth of dinnerware and lack of cabinet space. Looking at everything lined up and the $30 steal of vintage lead-free Fiesta Ware makes me smile.

Though I like to look at pretty things, I do like to hide everything once in awhile. If you can style your belongings nicely, and keep everything neat, overhead open shelves like these are perfect. The white shelves on white walls integrates it into the wall, and makes it look more streamlined and neat in my opinion.

This custom unit is quite the focal point in this San Francisco family's kitchen. I would incorporate a display of food storage, cookbooks, and favorite cookware and kitchen goods, all lovingly arranged of course.

Lastly, here's one more for inspiration. Streamlined, color coordinated to some extent, with a great natural wood ladder and a faucet that makes me forget about the shelves.

Seriously, I want one of those faucets! It reminds me of washing the dishes in my coffee-slinging, barista days.