Healthy Kitchen Hacks – #37

*Cool Way to Juice a Lemon* *DIY Stir Fry Sauce* *How To Freeze Rice* *How To Strip Herbs From Stem* *How to Use Up Leftover Easter Chocolate*

Another week has gone by so that means it’s time for another round of Healthy Kitchen Hacks! Here are the latest and greatest tricks/shortcuts/tips I’ve trying out in my kitchen – hoping a few of these help you out in yours in the upcoming weeks.

1) Cool Way To Juice a Lemon

A few weeks ago, I did a Facebook Live cast on my 5 Favorite Tips for Using Lemons which included a few of my favorite ways to juice a lemon. I often use a wooden reamer but a terrific substitute tool is a pair of kitchen tongs! They work as well as that reamer IMHO.

2) DIY Stir Fry Sauce
Jeanette @Jeanette’s Healthy Living

Stir fry recipes can be some of the easiest, quickest and healthiest meals around so why don’t I make them more often? Probably because I don’t have the sauces on hand that I get at my favorite Asian restaurants. That’s why I was psyched to try Jeanette’s recipe for her homemade Stir Fry Sauce and bonus: it can keep in the refrigerator for several months.

Let me tell you – this stuff is DA BOMB. I kept tasting it after making a batch. I was craving it so much, that I had it over some brown rice (see next hack) and a chopped hard boiled egg (yeah – I have a few of those hanging around) for breakfast!

3) How to Freeze Rice
Rebecca @Foodie With Family

Speaking of stir fry, waiting for the rice to cook (I use brown rice which takes up to 45 minutes) can be another hang-up for busy nights. So, I thought I’d give this How to Freeze Rice hack from Rebecca @Food With Family a try and it works! I froze brown sushi rice and was able to heat up a few bowls in the microwave right out of the freezer.

4) How To Strip Herbs From The Stems
Kathy @In The Kitchen Cooking School

For delicate herbs with a soft stem – cilantro, basil, parsley – I simply chop the stem up right along with the leaves and use the whole herb.

But for herbs with a woody stem – like thyme and rosemary – that’s not the case. Usually, I’ll strip the leaves/needles by pulling them down the stem with my fingers but that can get tricky if the stems are soft or small.

Enter a fine mesh sieve and a colander. I saw Chef Kathy Gold post this on our local Philly Les Dames Facebook page and thought “I gotta try that!”

I used the sieve for the thinner thyme stems and the colander for the thicker rosemary stems. Simply pull the stems through the sieve or colander and the leaves/needles will remain in the basket.

Now, my results were mixed – this hack seems to work best when the herb stem is more woody/stronger vs. more delicate/green. Still, it was fun to try and and a neat trick for kids in the kitchen to try out, too.

5) How To Use Up Leftover Easter Chocolate
Katie @Mom’s Kitchen Handbook

Let’s end on chocolate, shall we?

This is the week of Easter leftovers (case in point: 11 Ways To Use Up Hard-Boiled Eggs) and as in my house, you may be swimming in extra chocolate eggs and chocolate bunnies.

I love the name of this hack from Katie @Mom’s Kitchen Handbook: Chocolate Bunny-Covered Strawberries: A Delicious Meltdown. Instead of the double broiler, I was able to heat the chocolate in the microwave (for 45 seconds until chocolate is almost melted and then stir until completely melted.) I made chocolate covered strawberries and mandarin slices – the perfect end to a meal.

Would you try any of these hacks? Do you have healthy kitchen or healthy living shortcuts to share? Shoot us an email ([email protected] or [email protected] ) or share below in comments and we’ll try them out.