Why I shop less in the summer (and 5 more ways to avoid the heat in the kitchen)

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I lived the first 25 years of my life in Texas, which would make me pretty tolerant of heat, but I'm actually an AC addict. i hate being hot Then, of course, after fleeing the heat and moving to Portland, Oregon, I found that my lovely little apartment didn't have central air conditioning. I have learned that the best strategy for surviving (with family harmony intact) in hot temperatures is to reduce household chores.

To stay cool and sane! - Here are six easy ways to keep the kitchen clutter free so you don't have to clean it during a heatwave.

1. Everyone eats out, and iced coffee matters.

I don't care if it's 100 degrees: my thermodynamic anger makes it hotter inside when I have to sweep sticky popsicles off the floor. Whatever the meal (or even just a snack or drink) you will find my husband and children eating outside on the porch or in the garden. It gets them outside and means we all spend less time cleaning indoors.

It's time to pretend to camp , folks. Unless there is butter or oil in this dish, we use it throughout the day. And when it's time to pull out that much-used hand drying towel, use it to quickly wipe down countertops. Nothing is a one -off use during a heat wave, we can even call it habit formation .

3. Buy a minimum amount of groceries.

More groceries means more shopping, unloading, reorganizing and a lot more cooking. Basically all summer I buy ice cream, sandwich fillings, kombucha and nothing else. Trust me, there are plenty of ready meals and ready meals (wherever you shop) to suit all tastes.

4. In the morning, prepare meals for the day.

Whether you take my advice and stick to no-cook meals , or enjoy beautiful summer salads , or barely-cooked bowls , if everything is cut first, I don't just have to empty the kitchen once after breakfast . Mornings are usually not too hot and cleaning is kept to a minimum.

The gazpacho bowls can be rinsed off the bottom of the sink or placed straight in the dishwasher, but I won't be scrubbing food splatters around the sink in this heat either . After all, that's what a dishwasher is for .

6. I am entitled to a 15 minute reset per day.

Right after breakfast I turn on the fan and clean in the kitchen for 15 minutes. No longer. Whatever you can get through in that relatively cool 15 minutes is all you're going to get done. If I work more, I get angry and nobody wants that.

Honestly, the more I think about our heatwave strategies and how I execute them throughout the year, the more appealing it becomes.

How to minimize clutter to avoid cleanup? Tell us in the comments!

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